Thursday 12 August 2010

Microsoft Creates Mobile Game Studio For Win Phone 7    [ 12-08-2010 16:31 ]

Author: Ivanov Konstantin   Source: IntoMobile     Translation by: Paul Smith     

Microsoft are getting pretty serious about their upcoming Windows Mobile 7 platform and the latest salvo they've fired is on the gaming front. The company have posted up advertisments for developers to fill the roles at a newly created department, Microsoft's 'Mobile Gaming Studio'. The new studio will be a sub-division of Microsoft's existing Games Studio which focuses on producing games for the XBOX 260 and of course Windows.

The move should come as no surprise to anyone with even a passing interest in how smartphones have change dover the past few years. Apple has so far been leading the pack in terms of mobile gaming with several big names having developed high quality content for the iOS platform. Android too has been marching along steadily, but has lacked quality although that may soon change if the rumours of Sony Ericsson's PlayStation smartphone are to be believed. For Microsoft, starting from behind with Windows Phone 7, it will be crucial to get such an important area as mobile gaming right first time and you certainly have a lot more control and influence when you have your own studio banging out titles for you.

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Video: Dell Thunder Captured On Video    [ 12-08-2010 16:21 ]

Author: Irina Turina   Source: Engadget via Gizmodo     Translation by: Paul Smith     

The Dell Thunder has had an outing on video and seems to confirm earlier leaks, which said it would feature a 4.1" screen and run Android 2.1 (Eclair). This time around though we get the addition of an 8 MP camera with LED flash and support for 720p video recording and we're looking at a 800x400 resolution for that screen. The battery also gets a mention, coming in at a hefty 1400 mAh and it's removable to boot. The video claims the launch will take place in Q4 of this year so not too long to go then. Check out the video below.

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Sony Ericsson To Release Android 3.0 PlayStation Smartphone    [ 12-08-2010 16:16 ]

Author: Ivanov Konstantin   Source: Engadget via SE-NSE     Translation by: Paul Smith     

Sony Ericsson fans have long clamoured for a PlayStation branded handset and according to information obtained by Engadget that looks to be about to become reality.  The Japanese-Swedish joint venture are apparently working on a new gaming platform for Android that should, if the rumours prove correct, revolutionise gaming on Android. In addition to the gaming platform itself Sony Ericsson are said to be developing an entire ecosystem to support it alongside Google and there is a handset in the late stages of planning.

The handset is said to be a cross between the Samsung’s Captivate and Sony’s PSP Go. In other words it's a slider phone with the sliding mechanism working in landscape mode and containing gaming controls instead of a keyboard i.e a d-pad, a "long touch pad", the familiar PSP buttons, and shoulder buttons. The device has a large display, between 3.7″ and 4.1″ and will be WVGA resolution or better. There will be a 5 MP camera although this is not definite yet so it may get a boost before launch. Under the hood it will be a 1 GHz Snapdragon running the show.

The handset will be mostly black in colour, but with silver highlighting and the game pad area will be white and silver. Engadget are quoting those who have seen the device as describing it as "pretty damn sexy".

Perhaps surprisingly for Sony Ericsson this new device will be running Android 3.0 (Gingerbread), which will mean it's one of the most advanced Android handsets available when launched (if soon). Sony Ericsson will be providing a customised skin, perhaps similar to the skins seen on the X10 range of handsets. The Android Market will gain a new section to offer the games that will be available for this new platform. These games will initially only be available for this Sony Ericsson handsets, but should become available for other Android handsets if they meet the hardware specifications and button configuration requirements.

Looking at the games that will be available they are said to be in the league of PSX and PSP games in terms of graphics i.e. Android is getting 3D gaming. It's mostly older titles being talked about just now, but there are some new ones too. The titles include God of War, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and LittleBigPlanet. There are also apparently ideas for game titles that incorporate augmented reality.

October is being spoken of as a possible release date for this handset (and consequently the new gaming platform), but Engadget do point out that this is unconfirmed. It's also wise to remember that Sony Ericsson have a pretty poor record when it comes to getting products out on time.

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