Sony on notice: Gauntlet thrown by Wii U and Xbox SmartGlass

E3 2012 is racing at full steam, and already one thing is clear: Sony, for all its PlayStation 3 might, has a challenge on its hands from Microsoft and Nintendo. Whereas gaming so far has centered around a single, big screen and the most engaging, graphically-rich or multiplayer-involving titles, two of the three players have Read The Full Story

PS4 to require PS Plus membership for multiplayer play

Sony is delivering mixed blessings here at E3: while it's more than willing to avoid DRM on the PlayStation 4, it just echoed Microsoft's approach to multiplayer services. You'll now need a PlayStation Plus subscription to play online. That may be a small price to pay when both Plus and the PS4 itself are cheaper than Xbox Live and the Xbox One, but it's an unfortunate extra cost for those used to getting their multiplayer gaming for free.Follow all of our E3 2013 coverage at our event hub.Filed under: Gaming, SonyComments

Xbox SmartGlass: did Microsoft just render the Wii U controller obsolete?

One surefire way to make sure your company gets out in front of the E3 buzz? Launch a pre-pre-E3 press conference, of course. Nintendo was already set up to kick off the show on Tuesday, getting the party started according to tradition with an early morning press conference ahead of show floor opening. As it has in the past, the gaming giant was scheduled to be the third of the big three, unveiling its wares a day after Sony and Microsoft had their moments to shine. For 2012, the company made an unorthodox play, opting for a small broadcast event the Sunday afternoon ahead of the show, with Nintendo president Satoru Iwata standing alone in an unassuming wood-paneled room, giving yet another sneak peak into the world of the Wii U. Popular opinion has positioned E3 2012 as a make-or-break proposition for the company. Nintendo's had an unprecedentedly rough year, with a continually eroding sense of excitement around its aging Wii console and a lukewarm reception greeting the 3DS. And with mobile competition nabbing pretty sizable chunks from the company's casual offerings, Nintendo needs to remind people what the console can bring that handsets can't. In earnest, Iwata offered up a smattering of additional details on the Wii U, with a finalized layout for the system's tablet-esque controller, the introduction of Miiverse social functionality and the promise of a bit of mobile device compatibility.Continue reading Xbox SmartGlass: did Microsoft just render the Wii U controller obsolete?Xbox SmartGlass: did Microsoft just render the Wii U controller obsolete? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jun 2012 19:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Engadget Podcast 297: E3 Hotel Party Edition - 06.07.2012

Live, on tape, from downtown Los Angeles, it's Wednesday Night!, from room 827 of the Luxe Hotel, directly across from the seventeenth annual Electronic Entertainment Expo and six floors above a raging gamer party. It's chock full of accessories, Guinness-record-smashing tablet gaming, and stale, if not uninformative Wayne's World references. You wouldn't have it any other way, would you? Host: Tim Stevens, Brian Heater, Michael Gorman, Billy Steele Producer: Trent Wolbe Music: Orbital - Never 00:06:15 - Engadget pre-event broadcast from E3 - Nintendo 00:08:10 - Nintendo Wii U and games hands-on (video) 00:23:50 - Microsoft SmartGlass hands-on 00:35:00 - Microsoft's Marc Whitten: SmartGlass is the 'enabling technology' of IE on Xbox 360 00:48:54 - Mad Catz unleashes the Wii U accessories at E3, we go hands-on 00:52:53 - Sony's Wonderbook is PS Move-augmented reading, launches with J.K. Rowling's 'Book of Spells' 00:58:50 - Sony PlayStation Move Racing Wheel hands-on (video) 01:00:00 - HTC officially a maker of PlayStation certified handsets, PlayStation Suite is now PlayStation Mobile 01:06:00 - IndieCade at E3 2012 01:07:15 - Visualized: the Videogame History Museum's touring exhibit 01:09:48 - Visualized: what your screen looks like after 22 straight hours of Fruit Ninja 01:15:25 - NBA Baller Beats adds a real basketball to your Kinect arsenal, we attempt to go hands-on (video) 01:19:00 - Best of E3 Hear the podcast Subscribe to the podcast [iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (enhanced AAC). [RSS MP3] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in MP3) to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically. [RSS AAC] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in enhanced AAC) to your RSS aggregator. [Zune] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in the Zune Marketplace. Download the podcast LISTEN (MP3) LISTEN (AAC) Contact the podcast Send your questions to @tim_stevens. Leave us a voicemail: (423) 438-3005 (GADGET-3005) E-mail us: podcast at engadget dot com Twitter: @bheater, @tim_stevens @numeson @wmsteeleFiled under: PodcastsEngadget Podcast 297: E3 Hotel Party Edition - 06.07.2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 Jun 2012 10:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Capcom’s E3 presence will contain no playable Nintendo games

Although it may be best known for some of its graphically intensive game franchises on more powerful systems like the PS3 and Xbox 360, Capcom certainly has its hands in the Nintendo cookie jar. So there’s no doubt that the publisher will have some titles for Nintendo’s platforms to announce at next month’s E3 trade Read The Full Story

All the Most Awesome Nintendo, Xbox and PlayStation News from E3 [Gaming]

#gaming E3 is happening now: That means games. The Nintendo Wii U is crazy! And good! Microsoft revamped the Xbox with new Live TV, Bing (Bing!) and more. Sony? The NGP became the PlayStation Vita. And there's a PlayStation TeeVee. More »

Nintendo Wii U walkthrough goes live

Nintendo has bet big on the Wii U at E3 this week – new games, new social network, new classic Pro controller - but it’s the Wii U Gamepad itself that is still grabbing the most attention. The touchscreen-toting handheld is Nintendo’s key differentiator between the Wii U, Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and Sony’s PS3, and so the company Read The Full Story

Xbox 720 rumored to block used games

This may very well be the year of new gaming consoles, folks. Sony has a PlayStation event planned for February 20 where we could finally see the PlayStation 4, and it’s also likely that we’ll hear more about Microsoft’s Xbox 720 at E3 2013 in June. Rumors have already been pouring in, but several new Read The Full Story

It’s Official: The Wii U Is In Deep, Deep Trouble

Nintendo earlier this week held a keynote address at the E3 gaming expo. And although the company showed off a new Super Mario Bros. game, some 3DS titles, and a new Wii Fit, the big story out of the event was that the Wii U is in deep, deep trouble. Nintendo president of America Reggie Read The Full Story

E3 2011 wrap-up: Wii U, PS Vita, and a whole lot of motion gaming

This year's Electronics Entertainment Expo was pretty amazing, featuring plenty of fresh new hardware and some... innovative titles for serious consoles. Sony renamed its NGP to PlayStation Vita, while Nintendo unveiled its Wii successor, designated only by an extra vowel: U. Despite the (now even more) goofy name, the Wii U stole the show, its 6.2-inch touchscreen controller opening the door to a world of potentially awesome games -- and to what will surely be a whole new generation of shovelware. The show may be over, but the our coverage still burns -- just like our hearts after one last night at Daikokuya.

Liveblogs

Microsoft Sony Nintendo

Major announcements

Microsoft's new Xbox 360 UI has Bing voice search across Hulu, Netflix, YouTube, and live TV Sony introduces PlayStation-brand 3D monitor and 3D glasses, bundle available for $499 Sony's PlayStation Vita official: $249 for WiFi, $299 for 3G The Wii U, Nintendo's next console The Wii U controller, revealed!

Impressions

Sony's PlayStation Vita: first hands-on impressions Nintendo Wii U controller, first hands-on! Kinect Star Wars hands-on: Engadget and Joystiq get in touch with the Force Hyperkin SupaBoy portable SNES console hands-on Minecraft Pocket Edition on Xperia Play hands-on Forza Motorsport CSR and CSR Elite wheel and pedals hands-on Xbox 360 Wireless Speed Wheel hands-on

But that's only the beginning! Be sure to check out our E3 2011 event page for the full suite of news.E3 2011 wrap-up: Wii U, PS Vita, and a whole lot of motion gaming originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Jun 2011 10:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments