This Week in Gaming Mar 9-15, 2008

A mixed week for gamers; nevertheless, sit back and enjoy the ride as we take you through a whirlwind tour of what happened or didn't this week in the world of gaming.
Capcom announced releasing their next edition, "Lost Planet: Extreme Condition Colonies" on both Xbox 360 and the PC on May 27th. Essentially the same game, plus a few perks, the game saw a recent release on Sony's PS3. The highlight of this iteration is the all new modes for a single-player campaign; these include: Score Attack, with each enemy and destructible object having points assigned, and players awarded different points basis how they defeat the enemy; Trial Battle, where players take on each of the game's Bosses, one after the other; Off limit, a roller-coaster ride of sorts -- complete with super-charged weapons, unlimited ammunition, and increased speed of movement; New online modes; and Cross-platform battles, where Xbox 360 owners join forces or play against PC gamers. Meanwhile, we think gamers won't be too excited about this one; all the same the game will carry a price tag of $30. Creators of the wildly popular 'Burnout Paradise' series, Criterion, announced they will add more cars to the existing collection via DLC or downloadable content; Islands expansions will be free. Recently announced by Criterion Head Honcho, Alex Ward, Islands or the new DLC areas, are intended to give more head room to gamers to race in open-ended 'Burnout' environs. Now, Islands will come free to download and play. Good news this, and coming from an EA studio, surprising!
A big blow for PC gamers the world over: Epic President, Tim Sweeney's announcement that the next version of their legendary 'Unreal Engine' will be developed primarily for gaming consoles (Xbox 360 and PS3) and their successors. Considering Unreal built a reputation and a cult following around their amazing game engines that made PC games look 'unreal', this kind of capitalist twist (consoles making more moolah) to the story is surely going to disappoint PC gamers. Sad that the PC has been relegated to secondary citizen status when Unreal 3 Engine forms the backbone of some of the highest-selling PC games. If it's any consolation, Unreal Engine Next is unlikely to surface till about the next five years.

Lastly, this one's the mother of them all: for weeks after Toshiba declared the HD DVD format dead, Microsoft kept everyone guessing whether they would or wouldn't ultimately go with the rival Blu-ray format. Just a few days back, it was reported that Sony and Microsoft are in talks for the latter to add Blu-ray support to their Xbox 360 gaming console. Finally there it was: Microsoft confirmed they are trying to figure out the best way to connect with Blu-ray. They are also working on ways to include device driver support for Blu-ray drives in their Windows operating system. So why we wonder, did Group Product Manager for Xbox 360, Aaron Greenberg, recently tell Reuters that "Xbox is not currently in talks with Sony or the Blu-ray Association to integrate Blu-ray into the Xbox experience."Source

N1 Wireless Router by Belkin In India...!!!!

Belkin Asia Pacific Limited, has announced the launch of the N1 Vision wireless router in India. Offering an extended operating range of 1600 feet, the N1 Vision wireless router seeks to offer the best user experience, through its plug-and-play "CD-less" installation and simple network security setup. Designed for streaming music, videos and photos, playing online games, emailing, web surfing, emailing or simply chatting with friends online, the Belkin N1 Vision wireless router is packaged in a new, sleek and sophisticated design that offers the best in networking performance with its wireless 802.11n 3x3 MIMO radio design and wired gigabit ports.
Belkin Asia Pacific Limited, has announced the launch of the N1 Vision wireless router in India. Offering an extended operating range of 1600 feet, the N1 Vision wireless router seeks to offer the best user experience, through its plug-and-play "CD-less" installation and simple network security setup. Designed for streaming music, videos and photos, playing online games, emailing, web surfing, emailing or simply chatting with friends online, the Belkin N1 Vision wireless router is packaged in a new, sleek and sophisticated design that offers the best in networking performance with its wireless 802.11n 3x3 MIMO radio design and wired gigabit ports.Source

D/A Clock: Time for Coolness

Every once in a while, a clock comes out that is so cool, you can’t help but wonder why you haven’t see it before. This is certainly the case with the D/A clock. I’m not certain what the D/A stands for, but it has one of the most unique, yet obvious, looks for a clock.

I’m not certain whether you can see this from the photo, but this clock has special sections that physically rise up to show the digital time. This clock is made of wood as well as Dupont Corian, which is used on countertops.

The clock is the product of designer Alvin Aronson, who is a student at the Rhode Island School of Design, and he is destined to be at the top of his class. If Mr. Aronson can produce designs like these as a student, the he has a bright future ahead of him outside of college.Source

Finally Microsoft, Yahoo meet up this week......

All's not over on the Microsoft-Yahoo! front. First, the Wall Street Journal reported (quoting an unnamed person familiar with the deal) that both companies had met earlier this week on Monday to discuss Microsoft's impending takeover bid for Yahoo!. Now, Reuters has reported the same, quoting two anonymous sources familiar with the matter. The meeting is significant because it's the first to happen since Yahoo! famously spurned Microsoft's unsolicited $45 billion bid in Jan this year, calling it "inadequate". According to one of the Reuters sources, the meeting was not a negotiation and no bankers were present. Apparently, it was intended to allow Microsoft present their vision of a 'combined company' while Yahoo! executives mostly listened. As per the Wall Street Journal, financial terms of the deal weren't discussed during the meeting, neither was it clear which executives participated. Spokespersons for Microsoft and Yahoo! meanwhile haven't commented on the matter yet. Since Yahoo! rejected Microsoft's bid, neither has Microsoft fattened its offer nor have any other bids been made public leaving the two companies in an impasse. Importantly, the value of the original offer has declined from $45 billion to less than $42 billion with the value of Microsoft's shares having fallen since. Yahoo! meanwhile has been in much-publicized discussions with News Corp and Time Warner's AOL. However, News Corp Chief Executive Rupert Murdoch has clearly said he will not fight Microsoft for a Yahoo! deal. While AOL has just made a $850 million offer to takeover social networking Web site Bebo. According to some in the know, even Yahoo!'s meeting with Microsoft is part of its strategy to keep all options open.Source