RUMOR: Next Xbox to be announced next year at E3

post from Gaming Nexus on 27 June 2011 11:23:00 PM. © Gaming Nexus

by: John Yan
NEWS - This year we had the Wii U, but next year could be Microsoft's turn. BGR said they got confirmation that the next Xbox will be unveiled at E3 2012.

Supposedly, the new console has been in development since 2006. Of course, no time frame was given for launch so it could be another year off, just like how Nintendo is doing now.

Myself, I was kind of expecting for them to announce a new console next year and if this holds true, then it should be a fun year to speculate on what Microsoft will be doing. I know Microsoft wanted Kinect to push the Xbox 360's lifespan for another 5 years and it is possible to do so as the PlayStation 2 is an example of a console that was still being supported well after the successor was unleashed.

Now, the question to you is, what do you want to see in the next Microsoft Xbox? For starters, how about getting rid of their strangle hold on wireless controllers and hard drives. Probably won't happen as Microsoft makes a ton of money off of them, but one can dream.

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SCOTUS Modern Elite Force 7 Rulez

post from Brainy Gamer on 27 June 2011 11:06:02 PM. © Brainy Gamer

Today the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a California law that would have restricted the sale of violent video games to minors. This landmark ruling - and I don?t use that term lightly - goes farther than any scholarly treatise, keynote address, or impassioned blog essay in settling the case for games as a medium of artistic, and, therefore, protected expression.

For many of us, designating video games as free speech is a no-brainer. But to the broader society at large, it?s still very much an open question, just as it was when the court struck down censorship against motion pictures in Burstyn v. Wilson, a case cited in today?s ruling and widely seen as a cultural milestone.

Why is today?s ruling so important? The obvious headline is that the court ?legitimized? video games today. CNN declared on its website: ?Supreme Court sees video games as art.? The Washington Post ran with ?Supreme Court: Books as ?interactive? as video games.?

These are pithy takeaway messages, but they fail to account for significant and far-reaching issues emerging from Justice Scalia?s majority opinion. While it may be refreshing to think the Supreme Court considers video games art, other aspects of the ruling may be more consequential.

Distinctive communication

?Like the protected books, plays, and movies that preceded them, video games communicate ideas and even social messages through many familiar literary devices...and through features distinctive to the medium.? The ruling notes that while games share characteristics with other media, they must also be seen as possessing unique discursive powers worthy of protection. This is a welcome and surprisingly nuanced view coming from a set of judges, none of whom play video games.

Hobgoblin of interactivity

Today?s ruling dismisses the notion that interactivity, by itself, presents special problems. Scalia characterized as ?unpersuasive? the claim that players who participate in violent action on screen are at risk, noting that ?This country has no tradition of specially restricting children?s access to depictions of violence.? Furthermore, the ruling suggests that video games cannot lay sole claim to interactivity, noting that ?all literature is interactive. The better it is, the more interactive.?

Games don't cause violence

The court examined research presented by both sides and concluded: ?Nearly all of the research is based on correlation, not evidence of causation, and most of the studies suffer from significant, admitted flaws in methodology. ...Psychological studies purporting to show a connection between exposure to violent video games and harmful effects on children do not prove that such exposure causes minors to act aggressively. Any demonstrated effects are both small and indistinguishable from effects produced by other media.?

Grandstanding fail

The ruling chastises California for selectively targeting video games while ignoring other media that routinely depict egregious acts of violence. He notes that such policies raise ?serious doubts about whether the State is pursuing the interest it invokes or is instead disfavoring a particular speaker or viewpoint.? In other news, California State Senator Leland Yee vows to fight on.

The Playboy argument

Today?s decision also protects video games from the tyranny of the ?moral? majority. While the court displayed a clear distaste for games like Mortal Kombat (and an unmistakable elitism about its artistic merits¹), the majority opinion reiterated its support for individual choice and interpretation. Quoting United States v. Playboy Entertainment Group, Scalia writes, ?Under our Constitution, esthetic and moral judgments about art and literature...are for the individual to make, not for the Government to decree, even with the mandate or approval of a majority.?

No obscene ideas

While the court recognized the State?s legitimate power to protect children from harm, ?that does not include a free-floating power to restrict the ideas to which children may be exposed. Speech...cannot be suppressed solely to protect the young from ideas or images that a legislative body thinks unsuitable for them.?

Parents rule

At various points in the majority opinion, the justices express doubts about a ?government knows best? approach in this case. ?...punishing third parties for conveying protected speech to children just in case their parents disapprove? is an improper means of aiding parental authority. The ruling goes on to note that ?Not all of the children who are forbidden to purchase violent video games on their own have parents who care whether they purchase violent video games. While some of the legislation?s effect may indeed be in support of what some parents of the restricted children actually want, its entire effect is only in support of what the State thinks parents ought to want."

-----

Today?s Supreme Court decision attempts to address many key issues related to video games, not simply the question ?are games art?? In fact, a careful reading of Scalia?s opinion suggests that he, and perhaps others in the majority, may not consider games art at all. Scalia uses the term only once in his 18-page opinion (and it's a quote from a previous ruling). Nowhere does he argue or claim that video games should be considered art.

What the Supreme Court did say, unequivocally, today is that video games must be considered speech; and, therefore, must qualify for First Amendment protection. This, in a representative democracy influenced by powerful special interests, is a much bigger deal than the question of art.

I?ll return in my next post with a few thoughts on why I won?t be writing Justice Scalia a thank-you note just yet. I hope you?ll stick around.

1. "Reading Dante is unquestionably more cultured and intellectually edifying than playing Mortal Kombat. But these cultural and intellectual differences are not constitutional ones."

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New Destructoid Episode: Hacks, PAX, Mercs, and
Freedom!

post from Destructoid on 27 June 2011 11:05:59 PM. © Destructoid

New Destructoid Episode: Hacks, PAX, Mercs, and Freedom! screenshot

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Hey dudes, whacky awesome exciting news today.

First, hacker group LulzSec gave one last hurrah before saying the voyage of their LulzBoat had come to an end. Or something, I don't even know. Second, the United States Supreme Court ruled in favor of video games being awesome, America rules, number one! (Or something.) Tara gives us a rundown of the games of the XBLA Summer of Arcade extravaganza, and it appears that there may be a new Goldeneye 007 game in the works. What the hell is the story with the permanent save files on Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D? We have no idea, and Capcom isn't helping.

Most importantly, Destructoid Live at PAX Prime 2011 is a thing that is happening. That I might be involved with. Click here for important clues.

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Leland Yee Hopes To Keep Up The Fight

post from The Escapist : Latest News on 27 June 2011 10:39:00 PM. © The Escapist : Latest News

In spite of the Supreme Court's overwhelming rejection of a California law that would criminalize the sale of mature videogames to children, Senator Leland Yee wants to try again.

View Article

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Best NES Quadrilogy

post from 8-Bit City on 27 June 2011 10:05:50 PM. © 8-Bit City

According to 8-Bit City readers, Super Mario Bros. and Mega Man tie for the best NES Quadrilogy!

Even though I voted for Adventure Island, I can't say I disagree with everyone's decision. Thanks for participating in the poll, a new one should be active now!

Adventure Island 1-4
3 (13%)

Dragon Warrior/Quest 1-4
2 (9%)

SMB 1-3 + Lost Levels
8 (36%)

Mega Man 1-4
8 (36%)

Adventures of Lolo 1-4
1 (4%)

Lolo never had a chance. If you've got a good idea for a poll, you can email it to me at 8bitcity@gmail.com

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Free App of the Day: Cow Trouble

post from Destructoid on 27 June 2011 10:05:38 PM. © Destructoid

Free App of the Day: Cow Trouble screenshot

There's no greater achievement in life than to throw objects at cows and make them fall off a cloud, which is why Cow Trouble exists on the iPhone. With its pixel art-y style, it's a pretty charming game and it doesn't suck either!

The gameplay is pretty simple: choose objects and drop them on cows. The less drops you require to knock all the cows over, the better your score. Swipes can move an object sideways for some more puzzling, and that's about as far as I was able to play it today.

It's a fun game that might not be everybody's kind of thing, but it's free so why not give it a try by grabbing it here?

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For real: iCade for iPad now available

post from Destructoid on 27 June 2011 10:05:38 PM. © Destructoid

For real: iCade for iPad now available screenshot

At first, the iCade was a fake thing, an April Fools Day thing. A joystick and mini arcade cabinet for an iPad? How silly! But some people (thousands, says ThinkGeek) thought the idea was cool enough to actually be a real product. Now it is, and it's available at ThinkGeek.

A Ben Franklin (or $99.99) gets you desktop-sized retro cab with retro buttons and joystick. It's ready for your iPad or iPad 2 and your arcade game apps. The system is powered by two AA batteries and connects to your iPad via Bluetooth.

In preparation for this release, Atari released 100 of its Classic games for use with the iCade. Atari was able to configure the games for compatibility with the iCADE, including games like Pong, Asteroids, Centipede and many more.

I hear a test sample is on the way to my place. I'll check it out and let you know what I think.

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Peter Molyneux shits on Fable III to look humble
again

Peter Molyneux shits on Fable III to look humble again screenshot

We've talked about the Molyneux Cycle before, and I'm thrilled to report that it's back in full effect once more! With Fable: The Journey coming up, Molyneux has continued his tactic of downplaying the last overhyped game in order to further hype the next.

"It's hard to be completely honest without offending people; but I know, when I read in the middle of a review that said the quality just wasn't good enough, I actually agree with those reviews," he said, keeping the Cycle going with elegant efficiency. "I think Lionhead can't afford to rest on its laurels of its fans and produce low-quality stuff.

"We have lots of excuses, as you always do have excuses; but I don't think that's good enough. For consumers, it's very simple: there's a bright light here, and there's an even brighter light there. They're going to go towards the even brighter light -- and why shouldn't they? You just can't sit on your hands and say, 'Well, we know how to do it. It's Fable, so that's the way we do it.' You just can't do that."

Brilliant. Can't wait for him to tell us that Fable: The Journey really was on rails two months after it comes out.

Peter Molyneux On Building The Future [Gamasutra]

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DX 11 support for Crysis 2 today, map editor on
Wednesday

DX 11 support for Crysis 2 today, map editor on Wednesday screenshot

As of today, PC gamers can download the DirectX 11 Ultra Upgrade and high-resolution textures for Crysis 2, which Crytek CEO Cevat Yerli believes to be "a sneak peak of how PC gaming will evolve in the future."

Crytek recommends having a quad core CPU, 8GB of RAM, and a DirectX 11-compatible card with 1.5GB of video memory for those planning on running Crysis 2 with the new textures and DX 11 functionality. It's worth noting that the high-res textures are also compatible with DX 9 cards as well.

In related freebie news, the map editor pack is due out this week. Look for it on Wednesday.

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