Quote:PlayStation Portable's tough birth
Published: December 10, 2004, 9:59 AM PST
By David Becker
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
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Sony's PlayStation Portable may ultimately live up to company promises of a "Walkman for the 21st century" that revolutionizes entertainment, but that's not going to happen next week.
The electronics giant is set to begin selling the handheld game machine in Japan on Sunday. But the PSP will arrive with a meager selection of games, none of the planned multimedia functions, a history of delays and questions about technical issues such as battery life.
Issues such as those add to Sony's challenges as it not only enters the handheld gaming market long dominated by Nintendo, but tries to define a new class of portable entertainment gadget.
"This is a really ambitious thing they're doing, talking about a combination device that's going to have competition from a number of directions," said Brian O'Rourke, an analyst for research company In-Stat/MDR. "It's going to be a real challenge for Sony to educate the market about what this can do."
Sony revealed plans for the PSP last year, positioning it as potential breakthrough machine that would do for digital media what the Walkman did for analog music.
But the PSP has been a difficult pregnancy, with Sony dogged by development and production issues that look likely to push back the device's North American introduction to late March and limit the Japan launch to 200,000 units.
Game publishers have also pushed back PSP titles, and the console will launch in Japan with only five available games. A Sony Computer Entertainment America spokesman said there are dozens more titles in development, however, and the company "is dedicated to continuing the PlayStation tradition of providing our consumers with the vast library of first- and third-party titles they have grown accustomed to."
A slim opening lineup of games shouldn't be a problem, O'Rourke said, as early adopters will snap up whatever PSP units are available the first few months.
Tackling the tech challenges
"The publicity of having a new product will carry them for a while," he said. "Then they really have to deliver the software."
While the PSP game roster is sure to grow--with dozens of titles in the works by Sony and third-party publishers--promised music and video support is less clear. As of yet, no music or movie studios, including the major ones owned by Sony, have announced plans to release content on the new Universal Media Disc (UMD) optical media format the PSP will use.
The Sony representative said "entertainment software of an entirely new category mixing game, music and video on a single UMD" disc, will be available next spring.
Schelley Olhava, an analyst for research company IDC, said that as long as the PSP has a solid game roster within a reasonable time, Sony can take its time exploiting multimedia capabilities.
"It's going to be like the PlayStation 2: People will buy it because it has games they want to play," Olhava said. "If other stuff happens, they've got time to phase it in."
The PSP will also have to solve some technical challenges, most notably concerns about battery life. Sony estimates that a fully charged PSP battery will be good for four to six hours of game playing.
But Sony Computer Entertainment President Ken Kutaragi acknowledged in a Japanese press interview last month that those estimates were for playing a simple puzzle or card game with the screen dimmed, speakers turned off and wireless connectivity disabled. Turn on all the bells and whistles and load up a graphically complex racing game, and the battery will drain faster. Nintendo's market-leading Game Boy Advance SP, by contrast, runs for more than 10 hours between charges.
The Sony representative said the company was confident the PSP's battery would be sufficient for most owners, but spare battery packs will be available.
200,000 units at launch, not out over here until at least March, 5 games at launch, none of the multimedia functions yet, comparitively low battery life...
Never! That's right! It's never coming out! EVER!!
Quote:Lionhead Studios and Jeff Minter have come to a mutual decision to cancel their collaborative project Unity with immediate effect. Unity was always an ambitious and experimental project and as is the case with such endeavours they do not always come to fruition.
Both Lionhead and Jeff are disappointed that it has been necessary to take this step despite significant publisher interest. However, a shared commitment to excellence and originality meant both sides agree that the cancellation of the project was in everyone’s best interests.
Relations between Jeff and Lionhead remain strong and both sides have enjoyed working together over the past two years.
Commenting on the decision to halt work on Unity, Peter Molyneux said, “Everyone at Lionhead has the utmost respect and admiration for Jeff’s unique talents. However, we’ve both been in the industry a long time and it was becoming increasingly apparent to us that we would not be able to finish Unity in an acceptable time frame. On a personal level, I have very much enjoyed working with Jeff.”
Jeff Minter responded, “Everyone at Lionhead has been incredibly supportive and the decision to stop working on Unity has been a difficult one for us. But being realistic, I felt it was better for everyone concerned that we cease work on Unity. I’d like to thank Lionhead for all their help and support over the past two years.”
This season has been awesome so far, with maybe just one not-so-great episode in the bunch. First there was the conclusion of the temporal cold war thing that's been going on since the first season, and then there was an awesome three-parter about Eugenics War stuff (with a mention of Khan in the third part!), and most recently the Vulcan three-parter that just wrapped up, which explained why the Vulcans in Enterprise are so much different from the ones in TOS. The Vulcan arc was some of the best Star Trek stuff I've seen since TNG.
After the winter break there are going to be some more episodes that tie into TOS storylines, as well as an in-universe explanation as to why Klingons look the way they do in TOS.
I am sooo glad that Brannon and Braga are not in charge anymore. The new guy that have is awesome. A huge TOS fan, unlike B&B. There are tons of little details in this new season that are bridging Enterprise with TOS, even such minor things like sound effects (listen closely to how the Enterprise bridge sounds like now).
If you guys aren't watching Enterprise now then you're punks.
Quote:Supreme Court OK's same-sex marriage
Last Updated Thu, 09 Dec 2004 17:17:47 EST
OTTAWA - The Supreme Court of Canada says the federal government can change the definition of marriage, giving gays and lesbians the legal right to marry.
In a non-binding opinion released Thursday morning, the court reaffirmed religious freedoms under the Charter, saying religious officials opposed to same-sex marriages do not have to perform them.
It declined to answer a fourth question added by Paul Martin when he became prime minister: whether the current definition of marriage as a man and a woman was unconstitutional.
But the court said that by failing to appeal a number of lower court rulings that said excluding gays from marriage was discriminatory, the federal government had already accepted that position.
"The government has clearly accepted these decisions and adopted this position as its own," the court wrote.
Conservative Leader Stephen Harper said the court's decision to "punt" the issue back to Parliament was not what the prime minister expected, and fell in line with the Tory position.
The court rejected the argument that the traditional definition of marriage is rooted in history, saying times have changed.
"Several centuries ago it would have been understood that marriage should be available only to opposite-sex couples. The recognition of same-sex marriage in several Canadian jurisdictions as well as two European countries belies the assertion that the same is true today," wrote the court.
"I feel it is a clear green light in favour of equal marriage," said Martha McCarthy, a lawyer for same-sex couples.
Groups opposed to same-sex marriage reacted swiftly, as Gwen Landolt with Real Women and Catholic Civil Rights League member Richard Bastien called for a referendum on the issue. Landolt says the traditional definition of marriage should be enshrined in the constitution.
Prime Minister Paul Martin said he would introduce the bill to Parliament in January.
Martin has asked MPs to support the bill, but has also told them it will be a free vote.
The Liberals hold a thin minority government, with 134 of the 308 seats in the House of Commons, but should have the support of most or all of the 19 New Democrat MPs and 54 Bloc Québécois MPs.
NDP Leader Jack Layton has said his caucus will vote in favour of the bill, while Conservative Leader Stephen Harper, whose party is split on the issue, says it will be a free vote.
If passed, Canada would join Belgium and the Netherlands in making gay marriage legal nationwide.
Chrétien sent bill to court
Former prime minister Jean Chrétien sent the issue to the Supreme Court following a June 2003 ruling by the Ontario Court of Appeal allowing same-sex unions.
Ottawa has proposed changing the definition of marriage to the "lawful union of two persons to the exclusion of all others" rather than the "lawful union of one man and one woman."
Before taking it to Parliament, Chrétien referred the proposed bill to the Supreme Court, asking the justices to offer a non-binding opinion on three questions, including whether the government could redefine marriage, whether it supported the Charter of Rights and whether church groups had to perform the ceremonies.
When he became prime minister one year ago, Paul Martin added a fourth question: whether limiting marriage to a man and a woman was unconstitutional.
Along with Ontario, court rulings have now made same-sex marriage legal in British Columbia, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia, Manitoba and the Yukon.
Quote:Liberals to introduce same-sex marriage bill in January
Last Updated Thu, 09 Dec 2004 21:40:37 EST
OTTAWA - The Liberal government will introduce legislation to legalize same-sex marriage when Parliament resumes sitting in January, Prime Minister Paul Martin said Thursday.
In an opinion released earlier in the day, nine Supreme Court judges asked to review draft legislation extending marriage rights to gays and lesbians said such a move would be constitutional
That legal opinion clears the way for the Liberal government to introduce a bill early in the new year.
Liberal MPs will be free to vote their conscience on the bill, but cabinet ministers will be required to vote in favour of it, said Martin.
The prime minister urged members of all parties to carefully consider the issue before voting, saying the proposed legislation will ensure the "equal treatment of all Canadians."
He acknowledged the issue is divisive, but said Canadians can handle the debate.
"I think this will engender a debate across the country," said Martin. "We are a very mature nation and can undertake the debate."
Canada is the "world's most post-modern country" and can take the lead in this issue, he said.
Martin's Liberal minority government holds 134 of the 308 seats in the House of Commons, but should have the support of most of the 19 New Democrat MPs and 54 Bloc Québécois MPs.
Justice Minister Irwin Cotler says he expects a "significant majority" of members will support the bill because it backs two key points of the Charter, equality rights and freedom of religion.
As part of Thursday's decision, the court said religious groups opposed to same-sex marriages won't be compelled to perform them.
Conservative Leader Stephen Harper, who called the court's opinion a "victory for Canadian democracy," says he's pleased the courts "punted this issue back to Parliament."
Harper said the Supreme Court supports his party's policy because it also declined to express an opinion on whether the traditional definition of marriage is unconstitutional.
The Conservative leader says he'd like the government to introduce a compromise bill to Parliament that would preserve the traditional definition of marriage in law and include stronger protections of religious freedoms.
Can't use notwithstanding clause, Alberta Justice Minister says
Alberta's Justice Minister said his government, which opposes same sex marriage, will have to weigh its options in the wake of the ruling. But Ron Stevens said they need to be realistic, adding that the decision has restricted their ability to defend marriage.
Stevens said the government does not have the option of imposing the Constitution's notwithstanding clause.
"Since the court ruled the authority over same-sex marriage falls to the federal government, it is only the federal government who can invoke the notwithstanding clause to maintain the traditional definition of marriage."
He said the Alberta Tory caucus must now meet to discuss the province's next move.
"There are legal options, but I'm going to share them with my colleagues first. I'm not going to stand here today and talk about what-ifs," he said.
Stevens said his government's position is not aimed at discriminating against gays and lesbians, but "upholding the definition of marriage as it is traditionally understood by society."
Four years ago, Alberta passed a law stating marriage is the union between a man and a woman. Stevens said despite the Supreme Court ruling that law stands and marriage licences will not be granted to same-sex couples.
Quote:Nintendo announced today that it has sold roughly half a million units in Japan, bringing global sales of its new handheld over its goal of one million units.
Japanese gamers purchased 460,000 Nintendo DS since its release five days ago (81% of the 570,000 systems available), while another 50,000 units are still being reserved for customers at retail outlets.
Nintendo spokesman Ken Toyoda expressed Nintendo's satisfaction with Nintendo DS's performance in Japan, stating that some unsold units are to be expected and can be partially attributed to retailer's control of the product supply.
Reuters notes that Sony aims to ship 500,000 PSP units in Japan when it launches next week—Nintendo and Sony will likely have similarly-sized Japanese user bases at the year's end.
250 MB storage, 10MB max attachment size (both ways I think), pop3/imap support, web support, VERY powerful spam filter (though it is in pretty absolute terms, I turned it off), e-mail search engine, lets you import e-mail from up to 3 other accounts, and oh yes, it's completely free.
One weakness is there's really no telling what the future holds for it. It could stay free forever like g-mail wants to do with all features intact, or turn into the mush that hotmail and yahoo turned into. However, it's a great service NOW and looks to stay that way for at least a few years more.
Okay, the one thing is setting up the account is a bit tricky. First off, they require honesty in your provided data. No "123 Fake Street", instead make up an address that sounds real :D. Otherwise, expect your account to be deleted within 6 hours.
Also, when setting up your e-mail software, you need to enable outgoing (smtp) authentication required, or it will fail. Also, you may need to change the port for smtp as well, depending on your isp, to 587 instead of 25. That's about it. One last bit, your log-on name is the entire address, not just the part before the @.
Anyway, not sure if this helps anyone else, but I had been looking for a new address for a long time and this does just fine.
Quote:Doom Plot Not Like the Game
But keeping the game's atmosphere is a priority.
December 06, 2004 - Doom the movie was fast-tracked to take advantage of the publicity and fanfare surrounding the release of the Doom 3 computer game, and filming has already gotten underway in Prague, capital of the Czech Republic. Polish director Andrzej Bartkowiak (Romeo Must Die) has replaced rookie Enda McCallion on the $70 million film production.
Czech news magazine Novinky.ca reports on a visit to the film set, with numerous details about the shoot. They say that although the filmmakers are keen to preserve the dark, spooky atmosphere of the videogames, much of the plot has been changed in Dave Callahan's screenplay. The original Doom and the recent Doom 3 were both about a team of space marines sent to defend a Mars research base from Hellish monsters who invade via an interdimensional portal. The movie, however, will take place not on Mars, but rather a fictional "remote planet." The film's monsters will not be minions from Hades, but humans infected with a mutagenic super-virus.
Doom the movie intends to be more of a horror flick than an action film, but with more shooting and fighting than your average scare-fare. It's beginning to sound a lot like Resident Evil in space, actually. The story will center around soldier John Grimm, the character played by Karl Urban (Eomer in The Lord of the Rings). Many scenes will be shot in first-person view, the perspective used to great effect in Doom 3 and many other first-person-shooter games.
Doom will be released in theaters on August 5th, 2005.
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![[Image: nextgen-madden.jpg]](http://www.the-magicbox.com/0412/nextgen-madden.jpg)
