Monday, June 27, 2011
The Supreme Court has today upheld the ruling that video games, even violent video games, are protected under the US Constitution's First Amendment.
In the US today, the Supreme Court reaffirmed the decision that the First Amendment to the US Constitution was also applicable to video games, and that bills in Vermont and California aimed at banning the sale of violent video games would be overturned permanently. In 2005, California introduced a bill aimed at severely limiting or outright denying the sale of violent video games to minors. The bill was placed on hold, as representatives from the video game industry fought the bill, citing protection under the first amendment.
Today's Supreme Court decision confirms that video games, even those with acts of violence in them, are fully protected under the First Amendment. Games have long been vilified as being too violent, or causing kids to act violently or commit acts of violence. This is a stance that most gamers, industry professionals and supporters have vehemently denied. Avid gamers have been known to role play as their favourite characters, or take an extreme interest in the collectibles that come with popular franchises; however, outside of extreme examples of younger children, games are not often a target for reenactment.
Movies, music, even novels have contained gore and violence long before video games existed. Childrens' stories, best-sellers, even multi-award winning films have been known to contain violence, all of which are protected under the US Constitution's First Amendment. Now, thanks to the Supreme Court, video games finally fall into this same category. A small victory, or the end of one road which starts another for the detractors?
Sources:
CNET, 2
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Posted by Apollo on 06/27 at 10:36 PM
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Thursday, January 27, 2011
After all of the rumors for several years, Sony officially announced the NGP (or PSP2) at an event in Tokyo.
Along with its announcement of existence, Sony has also given us a list of features and specs that we can expect.
Features:
-Multi-touch 5-inch organic light emitting display (OLED) as the front display
-Multi-touch pad on the rear of the device
-Dual analog sticks
-Two cameras. One in front, and one in back
-Software titles on small, dedicated flash memory-based cards
-Three motion sensors, gyroscope, accelerometer and electronic compass
-Wi-Fi and 3G network connectivity
-PlayStation Network access, including ӓLiveAreaٔ, NearӔ and ActivityӔ log features Trophy Support
-NGP will be able to play PSP titles, minis, PS one classics, video and comics from the PlayStation Store
Specs:
-CPU - ARM CortexΙ-A9 core (4 core)
-GPU - SGX543MP4+
-External Dimensions - Approx. 182.0 x 18.6 x 83.5mm (width x height x depth) (tentative, excludes largest projection)
-Cameras - One in front, one in the rear
-Sound - Built-in stereo speakers, built-in microphone
-Sensors - Six-axis motion sensing system, and three-axis electronic compass
-Location - GPS and Wi-Fi service support
-Keys and Switches - PS button, power button, directional buttons (Up/Down/Right/Left), action buttons (Triangle, Circle, Cross, Square), shoulder buttons (Right/Left), right stick, left stick, START button, SELECT button, volume buttons (+/-)
Sony also mentions several popular franchises that may make its way to the NGP. These include Killzone, Uncharted, LittleBigPlanet, Call of Duty, Resistance, and more.
Source: PlayStation's Official Blog
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Posted by Nimbus on 01/27 at 04:50 PM
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Monday, September 27, 2010
Claims have recently been made that PSP2 hardware is possessed by several developers.
The PSP has been around for almost six years since its launch in Japan on December 12, 2004. Worldwide the PSP has sold over 60 million units. For a while now, people have wanted to see or hear about an upcoming PSP2. Not a new model, but a completely new unit. There have been claims from developers like NetherRealm Studios that they actually possess PSP2 hardware. There is no way to tell when a PSP2 will come out, however. It's great to know that Sony is listening to their buyers as they have begged for a PSP2 for almost 2 years now.
No software or hardware has been revealed. We can only listen to rumors and decide if we want to believe them. A popular rumor mentions that the PSP2 will have touch-sensitive buttons. Others think the PSP2 will have phone qualities like texting or even calling ability. None of the information has been confirmed.
So, for right now, don't get too hyped up about a PSP2 from rumors. Gamers should expect some confirmed information, from Sony, soon. However, this might take a couple of months.
Source: Kotaku
Posted by Nimbus on 09/27 at 04:44 PM
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Thursday, August 12, 2010
Instant Streaming Set to Get a Major Boost with Blockbuster Titles Hitting Netflix
The popular internet streaming video service, Netflix, on Wednesday unveiled a new near-$1Billion deal that will allow the service to stream films from Paramount, LionsGate and MGM studios. This means blockbuster titles such as Iron Man 2 and Star Trek will soon be available for instant streaming.
As a part of the deal, signed with Epix TV, the station owned by all three studios, Netflix will be permitted to stream films that premier on Epix 90 days in advance. In essence, three months after its' debut on Epic, it will debut and be readily available on Netflix.
Netflix is set to start streaming these Epix releases on September 1st.
Source: Kotaku
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Posted by Apollo on 08/12 at 02:58 AM
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After long-term speculation about a potential PlayStation phone, Engadget has today released a report claiming that Sony-Ericsson is presently working on a phone based on the Android Operating System.
Rumored to be a cross between the PSP Go and the Samsung Captivate, early mock-ups seem to suggest a mobile phone appearance with the PSP's d-pad and button layout in a slide-out keypad. PSP-capable titles such as God of War and LittleBigPlanet are said to be cross-compatible with the new device, while non-PSP releases, such as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, could be "on tap" for the mobile device.
Sony has yet to confirm that the phone is in the works, but could be waiting for either Gamescon or the Tokyo Game Show to announce the new device.
Source: Kotaku
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Posted by Apollo on 08/12 at 12:16 AM
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