The fourth edition of gamescom, the world’s biggest trade fair and event highlight for interactive entertainment, ended on Sunday 19th with a great result. More than 275,000 visitors, including around 24,500 trade visitors (+14%) from 83 countries (2011: 71), experienced the eagerly awaited new products and developments from of than 600 exhibitors (+8 percent) from 40 countries (+1).

On an exhibition area covering 140,000 square metres (+15%), the exhibitors presented more than 330 global, European and German premieres (+10%). The trade fair was also extended in terms of content.

In addition to PC and console games, online and browser games, the latest themes from the industry were above all mobile and social games. Gerald Böse, Chief Executive Officer of Koelnmesse GmbH: “gamescom has once again demonstrated its international reputation in terms of business and entertainment.” More than 5,300 journalists from 54 countries reported from Cologne for five days.

Visitors to gamescom were able to experience some fantastic gaming worlds in the last five days. One noticeable trend at gamescom 2012 is that games are increasingly picking up on everyday themes, such as the complete networking of people by means of Internet-capable smartphones. In addition to PC and console games, online and browser games, other hot themes from the industry are above all mobile and social games. Browser games are taking great strides with regard to graphics and they are no longer inferior to many AAA titles.

In addition to games developed specifically for mobile applications, classic games are also conquering the smartphone and tablet PC market. For the whole of 2012 the German Federal Association for Interactive Entertainment Software is forecasting a six-percent boost in the sales of games. Dr. Maximilian Schenk, Managing Director of BIU: “The concept of gamescom has borne fruit: as a leading international trade fair, it presents all types and aspects of games for all platforms.

We would like to thank most sincerely the gamer community, the visitors, exhibitors and partners, the City of Cologne, the State of North Rhine Westphalia, our partner country South Korea and especially Koelnmesse. We can all be very proud of gamescom 2012 – and we intend to continue in the same vein in 2013.”

For Katharina C. Hamma, Managing Director of Koelnmesse GmbH, the focus is on the successful further development of the trade fair concept: “We have expanded gamescom as an international business and innovation platform and at the same time we have considerably enhanced the quality of the experience for our consumers and the community. The innovative ticketing concept for individual days of the trade fair and the entry management system worked without a hitch and contributed significantly to the improved quality of the event.”

Following the experiences of the previous year, advance ticket sales were reorganised, ahead of the trade fair, date-specific ticketing was effectively extended and offered in advance sales. The exhibition area was enlarged by 15 percent to 140,000 square metres and, in addition, one exhibition hall was converted into the entrance for consumers and community.

Around 24,500 trade visitors from 83 countries, from European and international industry, met up to do business in the halls of the exclusive gamescom business area. Our partner country South Korea presented itself as a starting point for new international business. More than 20 companies made up the shared South Korean stand.

Together with the other shared country stands representing China, France, the UK, Iran, Canada, Mexico, the Netherlands, Poland, Scandinavia, Spain, Taiwan and, for the first time, Hungary and Austria, gamescom significantly extended its international reach. The adjacent gamescom entertainment area once again turned the Cologne Exhibition Centre into the world’s biggest interactive playground.

A large number of exhibitors considerably expanded their exhibition stand areas. gamescom fans also got their full money’s worth away from the monitors and game stations. Innovations such as the “gamescom trailer cinema powered by LG” or the “cosplay village” were just two of the highlights of the comprehensive supporting programme. The latter was once again headed by the gamescom congress and the gamescom campus On particular success was the large number of games companies and educational institutions which presented the games industry as an employer to young people.

Once again this year the “Game Developers Conference Europe” (GDCE) and the gamescom festival in the heart of the City of Cologne offered the perfect framework for gamescom 2012.

As Europe’s leading conference for games development, the GDC Europe once again lured around 2,000 developers and industry representatives from Europe and around the world to Cologne. This year’s gamescom festival once again carried the world of games and excellent musical entertainment into the heart of the City of Cologne. More than 120,000 visitors partied, played and danced between Neumarkt, Rudolfplatz and Friesenplatz.

This year the range of entertainment offered by the gamescom festival was, just like gamescom itself, bigger and more even more varied. 13 bands on the main stage on the Hohenzollernring – with headliners The Donuts, Kettcar, Bosse, Thees Uhlmann & Band – provided a real festival atmosphere. On these squares and the section of the ring, the festival visitors submerged themselves in the virtual games worlds of Sony, Ubisoft, Activision and Electronic Arts, which presented numerous games stations over the entire festival area.

The next gamescom will take place from 21 to 25 August 2013.

Image Courtesy of   Barone Firenze / Shutterstock.com

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Helsinki, Finland — Umbra Software, the provider of state of the art rendering optimization middleware, have announced that Guild Wars 2, the highly-anticipated MMO from ArenaNet, is taking advantage of Umbra’s occlusion culling technology. ArenaNet has integrated Umbra’s technology into its rendering pipeline early on in the development process to make sure that the beautiful world of Tyria where Guild Wars 2 is set in is realized in the most optimized fashion possible.

“Umbra 3 provides an excellent solution for our expansive, open world environments. We are very happy with the choice we made with Umbra and the support we’ve been given by the Umbra team” said Patrick Laukaitis; the Senior Software Engineer at ArenaNet who has worked closely with Umbra’s engineering team throughout the production of Guild Wars 2.

“ArenaNet are one of Umbra’s earliest clients and closest partners, so we are excited to see the game nearing completion. Guild Wars 2 is epic in scope, so it’s been a fun challenge to meet the technological needs of Patrick and his team; they’ve really pushed us to take our middleware to the next level” stated Umbra’s Chief Technology Officer Otso Mäkinen.

Guild Wars 2, which has already garnered several most anticipated games of the year awards, is currently in beta and will be released on August 28, 2012.

Umbra 3 is a rendering and performance optimizing middleware that is used to improve frame rates and help to create visually striking game worlds.  Umbra 3 does this by optimizing critical parts of a game such as rendering, audio and game logic. Umbra automatically generates portals for game environments, no matter how large or continuous – completely taking away tedious manual work from artists.

Developers taking full advantage of Umbra’s technology include: Bungie, BioWare, Giant, Guerrilla, IO Interactive, Sony Online Entertainment, Square Enix Inc., Tripwire, NetEase, Remedy Entertainment and many others.

Umbra 3 is available for evaluations from http://www.umbra3.com

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Culver City, U.S.A. — Sony Movie Channel is honoring iconic director Stanley Kubrick during the month of July, airing seven of the legendary filmmaker’s movies paired with the documentary film, ‘Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures.’ The seven pictures include ‘Killer’s Kiss,’ ‘The Killing,’ ‘A Clockwork Orange,’ ‘Barry Lyndon,’ ‘Dr.Strangelove,’ ‘Full Metal Jacket,’ ‘and Eyes Wide Shut.’

The month-long event will air Fridays at 8:00 PM Eastern Time, 5:00 PM Pacific Time beginning July 6th with ‘Killer’s Kiss’ and ‘The Killing.’ Also airing will be ‘A Clockwork Orange’ and ‘Barry Lyndon’ (Friday, July 13), ‘Dr. Strangelove’ and ‘Full Metal Jacket’ (Friday, July 20), and ‘Eyes Wide Shut’ (Friday, July 27). ‘Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures’ will bookend the movies airing on July 6th and July 27th. The network’s celebration also includes special primetime re-airings of the films beginning Tuesday, July 24 – Thursday, July 26, as well as an all-day marathon on Sunday, July 29th. The week also marks Kubrick’s birthday onJuly 26th.

Viewers can log onto the Sony Movie Channel Facebook page, “Like” the page and gain access to an interactive companion guide starting at 3:00 PM P on July 2. The interactive book will allow fans to look through chapters related to each of the seven featured Kubrick films and find hidden extras and bonus material creatively interspersed. The site will remain available throughout the month of July.

Sony Movie Channel is the first U.S. multi-platform television network from Sony Pictures Television created specifically for the Hollywood movie fan.  Offering uncut and uninterrupted theatrical releases in stunning high definition, Sony Movie Channel showcases titles from Sony Pictures’ vast library including award-winning features, cult favorites, family comedies and gripping dramas. Programming is selected from more than 3,500 Sony Pictures films, which collectively have received 184 Academy Awards including 12 for Best Picture. Sony Movie Channel is available on DISH Network, DIRECTV and AT&T U-Verse TV on linear as well as on authenticated VOD and online platforms.

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Unlike their competitors, Sony wasted no time getting to the most important topic for any gamer during its E3 presentation: games. Unfortunately, not all of the games shown were to everyones liking.

Beyond: Two Souls, developed by Quantic Dreams, the makers of Heavy Rain, was announced at the beginning of the show. Much like Heavy Rain, story and cinematic seem to play a large role in the game and follows the protagonist, Judie Holmes, over the course of her life.

Sony fans itching for some Super Smash Bros. are fortunately in luck; PlayStation All-Star Battle Royale aims to fill that niche. Battles are based around getting points, which players can obtain through defeating others and special moves. Big Daddy from Bioshock was confirmed as a playable character; other 3rd party characters may be included.

Sony also touched on their online service, PlayStation Network (PSN), revealing that over 200 games are due for release on the service within the next 12 months, including titles like The Unfinished Swan PSN and PS1 titles available online are also headed toward the Vita.  Fans can look forward to PS1 classics like Tomb Raider and Final Fantasy 7.

In addition, PlayStation Plus members can also expect to get great deals on content and online games, a smart move that will hopefully get more people to sign up for the service.

A Call of Duty game is in development for the Vita, along with the upcoming Assassin’s Creed 3: Liberation (AC). Liberation is the first Assassin’s Creed game to feature a female assassin as the lead, has touch screen capabilities, and was built ground up for the Vita. There are also extras that can be unlocked when the game is linked up to Assassin’s Creed 3 on PlayStation 3. The games will give Vita owners something to look forward to in the coming months.

The latest flagship game in the AC series will have an emphasis on water, with controlling ships on the high seas as an important part of the game. A special and realistic weather system will also be in place in the game. Both Assassin’s Creed games will take place in America during revolutionary times.

Far Cry 3 multiplayer was also shown. The mode will include 4-player co-op and feature missions made specifically for multiplayer. Looking a little rough at this time, the game still has a ways to go in development, but looks to be a fun experience.

Sony, however, went wrong announcing Wonder Book: Book of Spells. Utilizing the PlayStation Move, players can cast spells and embark on quests in a Harry Potter themed world. The game is, however, nothing like the games fans were expecting and is more reminiscent of a point-and-click game meant for children. Many fans voiced their disapproval of the software and the lengthy amount of time devoted to it. 

Toward the end of the conference, a trailer for the new God of War game, subtitled “Ascension,” was shown. Fans of the series will be delighted to know that the game looks to follow its predecessor’s closely in terms of game-play and gore. A multiplayer mode will be included, up to 8 players can join in games of competitive team play where players will battle for control of the map. A release date of March 12, 2013 has been announced.

Sony closed its show with The Last of Us. Created by developer Naughty Dog, responsible for successful franchises like Crash Bandicoot, Jak and Daxter and the Uncharted series, the trailer for the game was by far the highlight of Sony’s conference. It features two characters, the ruthless Joel and the young but wise Ellie, trying to survive in a zombie infested post-apocalyptic world. While the concept might seem overdone, Naughty Dog breathes fresh life into the wasteland with fast and action-packed game-play.

While Sony had some high points and some low points, many fans overall were disappointed. Many games they expected to be shown or announced were not touched upon, such as Kingdom Hearts 3. Other than The Last of Us, there were no big surprises, and many hated Wonder Book: Book of Spells. Luckily for Sony, The Last of Us was enough not to alienate fans, but they definitely will not attract any newcomers with the show.

Image Courtesy of  PlayStation.Blog.Europe

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While most fighting games consist of one-on-one matches, health bars and have simple 2D stages for arenas, Nintendo’s Super Smash Bros series does things a bit differently. First appearing on the Nintendo 64 as a slow paced fighting game, its sequels, Melee and Brawl, have increased both the speed of the gameplay and the roster, bringing it from 12 to 35. Up to four characters can duke it out at once, with interactive stages and items, like laser swords and the now iconic sandbag, that can easily change the course of the match. Some do not even consider the series to be a fighting game. Truly, it is one of a kind…

…Until now. Sony recently announced PlayStation All-stars Battle Royale for the PlayStation 3 and Vita, the company’s answer to Nintendo’s acclaimed series. Much like Super Smash Bros, Battle Royale will feature some of Sony’s most well known and console exclusive  characters, including Nathan Drake, Fat Princess, Kratos and PaRappa the Rapper. Big Daddy from Bioshock fame will also appear as a playable character, opening the possibility for other third-party characters to join the mix.

Stages will be more similar to Super Smash Bros than other fighting games. Platforms, conveyor belts and other obstacles will be incorporated, making stages very hectic. Items will also appear on stages, which players can readily use by hitting the R1 button.

Despite all these similarities, though, Sony insists that their game is fundamentally different than Nintendo’s. In the game, players deal out damage to earn power points, which can be saved and then used for devastating super moves. These moves are the only way to defeat other players and earn points, and are thus performing them is the object of the game. The one with the most points at the end of the round is the winner.

Sony’s argument for originality, however, has convinced very few. Many still claim the game is a Super Smash Bros clone and some doubt Sony characters are iconic enough to warrant such a game.

While the way characters are eliminated may be different, pretty much everything else is the same. In the God of War stage shown at E3, Hades is present in the background and occasionally performs an area attack on the stage, similar to Kraid and Arwings in Metroid and Star Fox stages in Super Smash Bros. Super moves themselves are similar to “Final Smash” moves from Super Smash Bros Brawl, which are powerful, character-specific moves that almost ensure the elimination of other players. One difference, though, is that Final Smashes can only be activated by breaking a “Smash Ball” item, which appear and float around stages for a brief amount of time.

At this time, other game modes in PlayStation All-Star Battle Royale, such as a single player mode, have yet to be revealed. However, considering the direction the multiplayer mode is being taken, it is likely that a single-player mode would be reminiscent of the “classic” and “adventure” modes in Super Smash Bros.

In classic mode, players battle against computer controlled characters with mini-games occasionally thrown in, much like in a typical “arcade” mode, while adventure mode focuses more on special stages like mazes where the goal is not to defeat other characters but to reach the end of the stage. Players of Brawl will remember the epic Subspace emissary, an expanded and juiced up version of “adventure” mode complete with its own storyline that takes around a whopping 10 hours to complete.

Although PlayStation All-Star Battle Royale is undeniably and unabashedly a clone of Super Smash Bros, gamers should not automatically turn a blind eye to it. It still will probably be a fun game, and, if nothing else, will tide over hardcore Super Smash Bros players until the next one releases.

PlayStation All-Star Battle Royale is due for launch this fall, just in time for the holidays.

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Nintendo recently posted a net loss of 43.2bn yen (530 million dollars) for the 2011 fiscal year (which stretches from April 2011 to March 2012), a first for the company. These losses were in spite of their newly released 3DS handheld console dominating the Japanese market, outselling Sony’s PlayStation Vita 10:1. Last year the company reported a net gain of 77.6bn yen (959 million dollars). The companies’ losses this year were not, however, as bad as previous estimates had predicted.

Hardware sales were not able to reach predictions Nintendo announced three months ago, predictions Nintendo had reworked downward from previous estimates. Globally, the Nintendo 3DS sold 13.51 million units, the Wii 9.84 and the DS ‘family’ 5.1, while expectations had had the 3DS at 14 million units, the Wii at 10 and the DS ‘family’ at 5.5. Even though actual hardware sales did not fall too far from what Nintendo had predicted, the results are still disastrous for the company. Software sales, meanwhile, were 36 million for the 3DS, 102.37 million for the Wii, and 60.82 for the DS ‘family.’

Regarding these results, the company stated: “While [Nintendo] did post a loss for the recently completed fiscal year, the continuing momentum of the Nintendo 3DS and the global introduction of the highly-anticipated Wii U home console will drive the company back into profitability in the current year.” In a separate announcement, Nintendo predicted a net profit of $245 million for the upcoming fiscal year.

Nintendo went on to say that by the middle of its current fiscal year (around August 2012), the 3DS will cease to be sold below cost of making one, meaning they will start to see a profit from the handheld. The company also announced that New Super Mario Bros. 2, Animal Crossing and a new Brain Age series title are in the works, with the latter releasing in Japan sometime this summer. These games, along with other upcoming ones, will definitely give Nintendo a boost in software sales and help move consoles.

In addition, Dragon Quest X: Waking of the Five Tribes Online was reported to have a Japanese release date set for August 2. No release date for other regions has been announced yet. The title marks a first for the Dragon Quest franchise: never before has an MMORPG entry in the series been released. A Wii U version will follow, although at this time there is no information on it available.

Dragon Quest X is set to sell for 6,980 yen ($86), and a separate version will also be available that includes a USB flash drive for 8,980 yen ($110). A flash drive is required to play the game.

Although details are scarce, these big games look to get Nintendo out of the red this coming year and hopefully help the company reach its $245 million goal. Stay tuned at Toonari Post for more details.

Image Courtesy of   Barone Firenze / Shutterstock.com

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KAE a leading strategic marketing and research consultancy and Toluna, a global pioneer in online polls, surveys and opinions have teamed up to release a major new study illustrating how large manufacturers could lose out if Apple launches a physical TV set.

Overall, the study highlighted that 25% of consumers in the US find the idea appealing and would buy it once it becomes commercially available – compared to 30% in the UK. Consumers that already own at least one Apple device are more likely to buy an Apple TV set, 2 in 5 (US 38% – UK 43%) find the idea appealing and would purchase should the product become available.

Lee Powney, Chief Commercial Officer at KAE said: “The huge potential of an Apple TV set, although impressive, should not be seen in isolation. Such a move would be an incredibly powerful extension of the iOS platform, accessed via a more compelling device option than Apple’s current offering (Apple TV).

It would create new monetisation opportunities for developers and accessory manufacturers by bringing the Apple experience further into the home. This would strengthen both the ecosystem and the benefits that consumers derive from owning many differing Apple devices. Will Apple do this? The pressure to maintain the lion’s share of preference from ecosystem members and create additional device-to-device interaction benefits for consumers means it should do this, and must do this.”

Sony, Samsung and LG are the market-leading brands most likely to suffer should Apple decide to launch its mooted Apple TV concept. In the UK, a sizeable 38% of current Sony TV owners and 36% of Samsung TV owners claimed they find the idea of an Apple TV appealing and would buy one. In the US, the brand most at risk from the concept is LG, where 3 in 10 (31%) of owners would be likely to convert should an Apple TV become available.

Approximately 3 in 5 US consumers questioned who were very likely to buy the TV said they trust Apple to produce a high quality TV set (59%), a sentiment echoed by UK consumers (62%). Design also features highly in respondents’ reasons to purchase with over half of all those likely to buy claiming that Apple’s reputation in ground-breaking design would no doubt also be used in TV (52% in US and 58% in the UK).

MD of KAE, David Rankin,: “Although this wave of research looked only at the USA and UK, we believe that the greatest revenue opportunities in 2013-15 for an Apple TV set are clustered in the ‘home territories’ of Apple’s TV competitors – i.e. Japan, Korea and China. We’re excited at the prospect of measuring that potential and the impact that success will have on Apple’s share price.”

Consumers were asked which features they felt an Apple TV set would be equipped with: The top anticipated feature for potential customers of the unconfirmed Apple TV set is similar for both countries, which is the ability to connect to the internet (73% in the US & 75% in the UK).

The other top features selected by potential US customers were running apps on TV (44%) and the ability to synchronise automatically with other Apple devices (41%). For the UK market the other two main features expected were the ability to synchronise automatically with other Apple devices (47%) and for the device to be 3D enabled (41%).

This survey is the latest in a series by KAE conducted to assess Apple’s potential to extend into new categories. To view previous research please visit http://tinyurl.com/84uozly 

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A new rumor that sprung up late last week says that the new Playstation console, reportedly called “Orbis,” may include software preventing gamers from playing used titles or require them to pay a fee to do so by limiting the number of times the game can be installed on a console. Some PC games developers are already doing this in the form of activation limits. If the rumor turns out to be true, protests look to be on the horizon, but gamers will not be alone in these complaints.

GameStop, one of the leading video game store chains, generates 42% of its profit from selling used games. If the company does put a stop to this flow of cash and alienate gamers, Sony will likely be hurting only themselves.

Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter said, “It isn’t really in Sony’s or Microsoft’s best interests to block used games. It would benefit Activision and EA slightly, and would hurt GameStop a great deal. If Sony unilaterally did this, I could see GameStop refusing to carry their console, and sales of the PS4 would therefore suffer.”

Although the Orbis would still be readily available, the percentage of people who shop at GameStop is too high of a number to ignore. Many would likely switch to Microsoft or Nintendo consoles for the sake of convenience, especially considering the number of multi-platform games released in recent years.

David Cole of DFC Intelligence, a strategic market research and consulting firm focused on video games, remarked, “A system that tried to stop used game sales would probably turn off the core consumers that rush to trade in their old product to buy new product. In other words, I don’t think it would do so well in the core market.”

Many gamers are already showing disgust over game developers adding downloadable content (DLC) purchasable online for a fee as opposed to including the content in the game free of extra cost. Blocking used games would further enrage them. Even fans that have been with the company since Playstation’s original release could refuse to purchase the Orbis over the matter, regardless of the quality of games on the console.

“Customers would rebel. Until there’s the equivalent of a great ‘used’ digital console game trade-in program up and running, gamers will continue to like the ability to trade in discs and basically get discounts on other games,” Cole commented.

Pachter said he does not think Sony will actually go through with the plan. “If one does it and the others don’t, the one who does it will see a loss of market share,” he said. He also remarked that he thought none of the big three console makers “are stupid enough to do this unilaterally” and none of them “are evil enough to do it together.”

Although it is still too early to see if these rumors will amount to something, one thing is certain: if Sony actually does incorporate this feature into Orbis, they’ll be doing massive damage to themselves.

Image Courtesy of   nic0

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Eyelead Software [http://www.eyelead.com], a leading developer of next generation 3D entertainment applications and state-of-the-art visualization technologies, announced at GDC worldwide availability of its Bunny Maze 3D [http://www.bunnymaze3d.com] game optimized for Sony Xperia smartphones and a variety of Android smartphones powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon processors.

In Bunny Maze 3D, players help the adventurous Bunny get its stolen carrots back from evil Bunnies, in a cheerful journey through a magical world. The existing Bunny Maze 3D was enhanced to appeal to an international audience ranging from casual gamers using smart phones with a touch based interface, to game enthusiasts using the Sony Xperia PLAY controls.

Eyelead created Bunny Maze 3D on its Hive3D Development Platform [http://www.hive3d.com] for a wide variety of Snapdragon powered devices and optimized it in record time for Xperia S, Xperia ion and other smartphones from Sony with the expert knowledge provided in Sony Mobile Communications Developer World program.

“By joining this program, we optimized game performance for multiple smartphones from Sony within just a few days,” said Nikos Vassiliou, Chief Software Architect at Eyelead Software. “Furthermore, the Xperia PLAY controls provided a new level of gameplay immersion with a real physical button experience and better precision control compared to touch based devices” he added.

“The Developer World team is excited to be involved in the optimization of Bunny Maze 3D for Xperia products. As part of our collaboration with Eyelead Software, we have provided the tools, tech specs, and support needed to quickly optimize Bunny Maze 3D for our Xperia smartphones, including our new Xperia S. We are very pleased to see how the Xperia PLAY gamepad has been used to enhance game experience in this fun title,” said Magnus Ekenheim, Head of Developer Program at Sony Mobile Communications.

“Qualcomm is excited to collaborate with Eyelead Software to provide an exciting 3D mobile gaming experience for consumers with Bunny Maze 3D,” said Raj Talluri, vice president of product management at Qualcomm. “With Qualcomm’s dedication to bringing an immersive gaming experience to mobile devices coupled with Eyelead’s next generation 3D entertainment applications, we are thrilled to bring these new experiences to life on Snapdragon powered devices.”

Future generations of higher performance smart devices coupled with the cloud promise to transform the 3D gaming experience from traditional console games at home, to multi platform gameplay anywhere. Eyelead is committed to continue bringing and enabling killer 3D content for a wide variety of home and mobile devices by leveraging its advanced technology that allows production of optimized 3D content to multiple platforms in parallel.

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People often regard individuals who play video games as shut-ins who lack the necessary social skills to achieve success in life.

Jo Garcia is not one of those individuals.

Garcia, recognized by Playboy as their Cyber Girl of 2008, possesses the looks and demeanor to beat back those who question her legitimacy in gaming, as well as enough knowledge of the medium to converse with even the most dedicated players.

“I love all games, but I am a huge fan of Skyrim and Final Fantasy XII-2,” she said proudly.

Garcia has since injected her love of video games into her promotion efforts for Sony’s newest portable system, the PlayStation Vita, due to see release on February 22 of this year.

She has done this by travelling to various Vita Hill Social Clubs throughout the U.S. Her previous stops have taken her to Chicago and New York, and on February 11^th, she appeared at Miami’s Vita Hill Social Club to promote the PlayStation Vita while also spending time with individuals eager to get to know her while also getting to know the Vita’s software lineup.

Garcia expressly believes that the Vita will be a success; she admits to wanting to obtain “everything she can get her hands on” for Sony’s newest portable. In terms of games, she is most excited for Escape Plan and Uncharted.

“I think that Escape Plan is a very good game, and Uncharted: Golden Abyss is pretty sick,” she said. Jo Garcia was not the only Playboy model in attendance at the event. Leola Bell, recognized by the magazine as Miss February of this year, was present through an invitation extended to her by Playboy.

Unlike Garcia, who touts her gaming credentials, Bell is not as familiar with gaming lore.

“Unfortunately, I don’t know anything about video games,” she admitted. “However, I used to play Mario and Sonic the Hedgehog when I was younger.” Despite her unfamiliarity, Bell expressed excitement about the potential latent in Sony’s newest portable. “If I wanted a game system, it would definitely be this one. It looks really cute and well-made, and I can take it with me when I travel,” she said.

The presence of the Playboy models definitely helped in adding spice to the event; Brittany Redmon, a cocktail server and model, cited them as a key reason for attending. “I love Playboy magazine and when I heard that Jo Garcia was going to be there, I definitely wanted to attend, as I am a big fan of hers,” she said.

Danny Pena, a podcaster and host of Gamertag Radio, is also a Garcia fan; the two are in fact good friends and he specifically attended to support her efforts. Alexander Yparraguirre, a graphic designer from Tampa, FL, appreciated the opportunity to test out Garcia’s gaming talents. “I am looking forward to challenging her in Wipeout and seeing just how good of a gamer she is,” he said.

As the PlayStation Vita nears its release date, events like these will prove helpful to ensuring that the system has a successful launch. While there were some individuals at the party who remained unsure of the Vita’s potential, most of the people who had the opportunity to sample it expressed confidence in its success.

“I think that this system is definitely something that I would definitely consider either purchasing for myself or my little brother,” said Redmon.

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An e-mail sent out by Sony has confirmed that all “PlayStation Network accounts” will be renamed to “Sony Entertainment Network account” or “SEN account.” However Sony assures users that it is simply a name change and a part of their effort to establish a single, unified platform where users can get video game, movie and music content all in one place.

The email also explains some of the changes that  that will be made to the Terms of Service and User Agreement and Privacy Policy:

• New terms for parents of minor, subaccount holders regarding the limitations of chat parental controls. Your reacceptance of the Terms of Service and User Agreement and Privacy Policy affirms your consent to the sharing of your child’s data that may occur if your child utilizes certain communication functionalities on PlayStation devices such as PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita systems.
• New terms that explain the location-based services offered through the PlayStation Vita system. For parents of minor, subaccount holders your reacceptance of the Terms of Service and User Agreement and Privacy Policy affirms your consent to your subaccount holder’s user of these services on the PlayStation Vita system.
• A description of our “What’s New” section, which provides topical information about our services and advertisements.
• Information about pre-ordering content.
• The name of your “PlayStation Network account” is changing to a “Sony Entertainment Network account.”

Dear (User)

On February 8, 2012, your “PlayStation®Network account” will be renamed a “Sony Entertainment Network account” or a “SEN account” in conjunction with Sony Computer Entertainment’s PlayStation®3 system software and PlayStation®Vita system software updates. (Note, this change will not be applied to the PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system at this time.)

For general purposes, this account change is a change in name only. Your username or password will not change, nor are we asking you to change them. In accordance with this transition, some necessary naming changes will be made to the TOS and Privacy Policy.

This transition is based on Sony’s goal to enhance its unique digital entertainment offering. As a series of these activities Sony started last September, PlayStation®Network will be aligned with “Sony Entertainment Network.” This helps us get closer to our goal of establishing a global comprehensive network platform of services across games, movies, music and more, all accessible from one convenient account.

Thank you for your continued loyalty and support during this transition.

Sincerely,
The Sony Entertainment Network Team

Barone Firenze / Shutterstock.com

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With the momentum behind 4K technology continuing to build, the company that started it all – Sony – is now shipping its revolutionary F65 CineAlta digital motion picture camera.

At an exclusive ceremony held during the Sony Open golf tournament, Sony senior executives, including Sir Howard Stringer, Chairman, CEO and President of Sony Corporation, presented the first official production unit, Serial number 10001, to Otto Nemenz, president of Hollywood-based motion picture rental company Otto Nemenz International.

“The delivery of this first F65 represents a significant technological advancement for content creators and we are excited to see what filmmakers will create with this new tool,” Mr. Stringer said.

Since it was announced just a few months ago, the F65 has been in high demand by the motion picture production industry, with pre-orders for approximately 400 units worldwide. The F65 has been tested by a range of DPs and production professionals, and currently at least two major studios are planning to use it on projects that will begin shooting almost immediately upon delivery of the cameras.

“This is an extremely exciting time for the production industry,” said Mr. Nemenz. “4K is now a reality and represents the next great leap in entertainment technology. The F65 is a revolutionary camera and sets a new standard for digital production workflows.”

Sony pioneered 4K technology with its 4K digital cinema projector, and has delivered more than 10,000 projectors to movie theaters worldwide. At the Consumer Electronics Show recently, the company reaffirmed its commitment to 4K, announcing plans for new 4K home theater technologies. The F65 camera raises the bar further, with an 8K image sensor that allows productions professionals to derive “true” 4K content.

“Technologies like the F65 are the foundation of Sony’s global 4K expertise, demonstrating that no other company can offer a total 4K experience,” Mr. Stringer said. “It’s all about keeping image quality at the highest level possible – at every point from the camera to final projection. We’re proud to make this first presentation to Otto Nemenz, and we will continue working on the development of 4K technology to deliver the ultimate viewing experience to consumers around the world.”

The F65 camera’s unprecedented 8K image sensor, with approximately 20 total megapixels, offers higher image fidelity than any other digital cinema production camera. With 16-bit Linear RAW File output capability, the F65 creates the gateway to an end-to-end 4K file-based mastering workflow.

The F65 camera will be available direct from Sony and through authorized resellers.

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Are you simply born to be charismatic, or is it a learnable skill – as Meryl Streep showed the world this past weekend in the nationwide release of the movie “The Iron Lady” in which she portrayed Margaret Thatcher, who transformed herself from a smart woman with little presence into a powerhouse of a Prime Minister by changing her voice, her style and her way of carrying herself.

“Charisma is a learnable skill, not simply a gift for the favored few, and is a way of focusing your behavior and attitude for greatest impact and connection. Charisma is also what separates the merely competent from the supremely capable,” says Cynthia Burnham, America’s #1 Charisma Coach, and author of ”The Charisma Edge: A How-To Guide For Turning on Your Leadership Power”. “Margaret Thatcher did it, and so can leaders and managers in companies.”

Ms. Burnham’s step-by-step system on how to be charismatic is based on 30 years of successful business experience with corporations including SVP for the Wall Street firm UBS, and various senior positions with Gillette and Duracell, as well as independent executive presence coaching and training for Sony, Booz Allen Hamilton, Northrop Grumman, Illumina and others.

This system shows how anyone can become more authentically compelling and powerful by using “nine levers of charisma,” including such things as voice, word choice, posture, and gestures, and how you can use them to look, act and become more charismatic, all based on natural human wiring and the neuroscience of confidence.

Among the powerful first impression tips she provides in her consulting, speaking and in her book are:

• Reduce extraneous nodding. Nod decisively, or not at all. Stillness is powerful.
• End your words. Put the final consonants back on your words. Most Americans drop them, which makes their speech sloppier and less compelling.
• Lower your pitch. Low voices for both men and women are considered stronger, wiser and more believable (and also sexier).
• Pause three seconds for dignity. Wait before answering any question – from “What do you want for lunch?” to “Will you accept [e.g. three times your normal rate]” to “Will you marry me?” Waiting makes you appear more thoughtful, and also gives your brain time to formulate a powerful response.

Burnham’s coaching services will help people who want to be seen as powerful leaders who have executive presence, including:

• Corporate executives (and high-potentials) who want to move to the next level
• Leaders who want to have a bigger “voice” and a greater impact
• Leaders & managers who are great technicians but are dead in the water when it comes to being inspirational
• Leaders who want to know how to stand in front of the room and be dynamic, compelling, and unafraid
• Individuals who want to make a powerful first impression for networking or internal/external career path reasons
• Women who are struggling to be heard

Ms. Burnham will be speaking in public and private events about executive presence and the power of charisma.  Public events include:

• Speaker, January 19th, Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association of Southern California, Brandman University, Irvine, CA.
• Group sessions facilitator, February 2nd, Executive Next Practices Institute “Valued Leader” Branding Summit, Brandman University, Irvine, CA.
• Book Signing, March 18th, “Weekends With Locals,” Warwick’s Books, La Jolla CA
• Speaker, March 21st, Women In Defense San Diego Symposium, Coronado, CA
• Guest lecturer, April 30th, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, UCSD, La Jolla, CA

“When you know how to be charismatic, people want to listen to you and follow you. They say ‘Yes, I could work for her. She has a larger vision that I want to be part of,” said Burnham, who had been Senior Vice President, Director of Employee Relations & Development for UBS, the global financial services firm.

“Margaret Thatcher wasn’t always charming and she was called bossy, but she was a woman who was able to get people to follow her when there were extremely few women in power or in government. That’s charisma.”

Featureflash / Shutterstock.com

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Cloud computing is not a new premise. In fact, the late Steve Jobs relied on a cloud server as far back as 1996 as a means of protecting some of Apple’s most coveted business plans. Today, cloud-based email is limited to 3-4% of all enterprise accounts, but is expected to jump to 50% within the next nine years.

Amazon is doing it, Google is doing it, Microsoft is doing it, Twitter is doing it. But what, exactly, is it? Essentially, cloud computing is the concept of separating your applications from your personal computer’s hardware for the purpose of added safety and accessibility. Businesses that subscribe to cloud hosting enjoy ease of access to software and data for their employees from anywhere with internet signal.

In addition, if the company’s own servers are hacked, valuable data remains safe and untouched on a remote cloud server. Another aspect of cloud computing that has businesses jumping on board is the elasticity it offers. For instance, if traffic on a website suddenly explodes, such as often happens on Twitter after a significant social event, the cloud is able to grow to maintain that traffic.

An article published on Sunday by The Guardian notes that in the U.K.; “A study in the first half of 2011, which polled IT and business decision-makers across the private and public sectors, found that almost half already use cloud services.” But cloud computing isn’t exclusive to business use, and the consumer market is seeing a distinct increase in interest.

Amazon.com recently began offering account holders 5GB of free storage space from it’s cloud drive, as well as paid plans that store from 20 to 1,000 GB of data. Apple’s iCloud, which was released last June, also offers a free 5GB to anyone who signs up, and promises to bring the personal computer even further into the cloud.

Another addition to the market this past June, Google’s Chromebook actually runs an entirely cloud-based operating system. In their advertisements, Google promises that even if you throw your device into a river, all of your data will be safe.

In addition, the OS protects itself from viruses with sandboxing, a process which isolates webpages so that malware is also isolated, and no other part of the device becomes infected. Just this month, Google opened it’s first retail location, called “The Chrome Zone”, in London — the corporation’s latest attempt to compete with Apple. Several more store locations are scheduled to open in the U.K. over the next year.

So, is cloud computing truly the way of the future? The newest technologies have certainly elicited many positive reviews. Others, however, remain skeptical that information stored on a cloud network is ever completely private, and that cloud networks send up an instant red flag to hackers as an easy target.

When Sony lost the information of 77 million playstation accounts earlier this year, the fears of loose security seemed to gain some credibility. Many industry leaders agree that there are definite flaws that come along with the advantages of cloud computing. In an interview with CNN, Thomas Parenty, managing director of Parenty Consulting warned that,

There are many motivations for why an individual or a company would want to engage in cloud computing. None of them have to do with enhanced security. You have no idea who is managing the computers with your information. You have no idea where they are.

You have no idea what protections may or may not be in place to make sure your information is not stolen or disclosed or that it does not accidentally disappear.

In the end, the responsibility falls upon the individual to weigh the pros and cons of cloud computing. Is security of the highest importance, or does speed and efficiency matter more? Lynn Mucker takes a realisitc stance on the subject in an article for MSN Money: “The cloud is relatively new, and certainly not perfect.

But it is every bit as safe as giving out your credit card number when you make a purchase over the phone or online, and that’s a risk millions take every day.”

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Glocation and Greentailing – these two terms are not directly related to each other but both are popular trends in retail that refer to understanding and satisfying society and customers’ needs. Glocation and Greentailing appear in business as answers to preserve local identity and customs and to promote an eco-life style.

Over the past quarter century, the notion of glocalism has had various connotations. In the 1980s, President Akio Morita of Sony, one of the world’s most successful multinational companies, used this term to de­scribe a corporate strategy and enclosed it in one phrase, “think global, act local.”

According to the Uri Savir and Walter Veltroni organizators of First Glocal Forum in Rome in May 2002, glocalism is said to be a solution for those seeking a balance between global forces and local needs, interests and identities.  

Representatives of CERFE, an Italian economic and social science research organization, where Savir and Veltroni provide as advisors, describe glocalism as: “a social process that is especially evident in cities where it consists of the concurrent drives toward globalization and localization.”

Glocalism is also seen as “diffused social action…that can be interpreted as a kind of ideal and cultural movement oriented towards linking the benefits of globalization to local situations, and toward governing globalization also through local situations.”

Next to glocalism, the “mega-city” syndrome is defined. According to Thomas Hoog, vice chair of Hill&Knowlton (international communications consultancy company), “by the year 2015 there will be twenty-five mega-cities, nineteen of them in developing countries, and fifteen of them in Asia.

In addition to these mega-cities, there will be fifty-nine cities with populations greater than five million. Those crowded, polluted, urban centers will by and large not have the well-developed infrastructures that have sustained today’s major cities.” Big cities are like magnets with high paying jobs and self-development opportunities.

But on the other hand, cities are subject to growing disproportionate income and harshly strained infrastructures. There is need for institutional change and social adaptation to preserve local identity and customs. Providing the opportunities to act locally around the world is a way to achieve greater efficiencies, to optimize supply chains and to tailor products to local needs.

Similar to glocalism, green retailing is also progressively more popular term. It is an answer for increasing societal awareness to environmental problems such as pollution.  In practice, it means that retailers sell eco-products and adopt a number of environmentally friendly actions to preserve resources and eliminate waste in order to protect the environment.

What is going follow that customer’s consciousness about eco-friendly shopping and green lifestyle increase as an answer for new trend. Greentailing philosophy has got great influence for consumer decision making who became an essential part of the threat of global warming and increasing concern about impact that business have on the environment.

From the moment of identifying customer own needs to the moment of making purchasing decision, customer is affected by green retailing in many ways starting from eco- friendly packaging, paper bags, catchwords and ending on the totally new approach to doing business where the products and entire supplier chain are adopted to eco-rules.

Big corporations like Wal-Mart, Tesco and eBay have adopted the greentailing strategy in order to develop their business practices. In April 2010, eBay ran a campaign encouraging customers to buy products made from eco-friendly materials, or products that require less energy. During the campaign they collaborated with Team Earth and Cooler Inc. to reduce their carbon footprint.

The profits generated from the campaign were given to environmental and nonprofit organizations such as the Make it Right Foundation. Authors Neil Z. Stern and Willard N. Ander in their book Winning at Retail: Developing a Sustained Model for Retail Success, Greentailing and Other Revolutions in Retail suggest that the increasing popularity of green retailing is just an answer for customer’s needs and their tastes change.

The same authors explain that retail is nothing more than seeking what consumers want and satisfying their needs in order to stay innovative and competitive on local and world markets. Glocalism and Greentailing are answers for these needs.

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Since Japan saw March’s devastating earthquake hit, the island nation has been focusing on securing its energy supply with a focus on electric vehicles. With the Fukushima nuclear plant knocked out and many other plants affected by what has been called the worst earthquake in 300 years, widespread blackouts became common throughout the country. In response, off-the-grid electricity sources have become increasingly favored to prevent future failures.

According to the National Police Agency of Japan, the 8.9 Richter scale earthquake and tsunami that hit the Pacific coast of Tohoku severely affected five of the country’s top companies. Toyota Motor Corp., Sony Corp., Honda Motor Co.,  Nissan Motor Co. and Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. were the top five which suffered setbacks.

Nissan, the creator of the all-electric Leaf, has taken action by developing a solar charging system which stores its power in the Leaf’s lithium-ion battery. The automaker has installed 488 solar panels so far at its Japan headquarters which will provide enough power for 1,800 Leafs for a year.

Nissan suspended its operations at six plants immediately following the earthquake. Due to damages and small fires which broke out at the Tochigi and Iwaki Plant, restorations took place lasting longer only at the Iwaki engine plant which was in the quake zone. Production restarted March 24 with almost 1,300 Infiniti models lost due to damages during the quake.

While the company’s shares lost 10.1% following the wake of the earthquake, it has regained strength in shares as well as in the development. In a joint venture with Sumitomo Corp, Nissan plans to reconstruct its electric car batteries when they are traded then resold as power storage units. Plans to implement this project are estimated to begin in 2016.

“These batteries can be useful as back-up power for homes when there’s an outage,” said Takashi Sakagami, head of the joint venture, 4R Energy Corp.

In addition to helping household energy security, a second life for old car batteries is also made possible. The batteries are high capacity and composed of various heavy, precious and rare metals which would be problematic to dispose.

Increasing technology of electric cars provides an advantage that is not only beneficial to the environment but also to Japan’s energy security. With electric vehicles, each household could potentially have its own mobile power source in the event of another disaster which disables access to mass produced power.

Big power consumers on the eastern side of the island are now required to cut power use by 15 percent and households have been directed to do the same.

Other automakers in Japan are developing their own methods of bringing energy security from the car to the home. Mitsubishi Motors is developing a portable converter which will allow electric vehicles to power household electronics. Toyota is developing batteries for direct home use to power a project known as the “Toyota Home.”

These model homes will manage power usage, tap into solar power and store excess power in the batteries for night-time use. It is estimated by Toyota’s project manager, Hiroshi Okajima, to be available by the end of 2013.

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At first glance, Microsoft looks like the software behemoth that most of us have grown accustomed to just love hating. Look a little deeper and you’ll discover that not only has Microsoft changed the dynamics of the gaming world, its actively shaping the future of the industry as whole.

The story of how Microsoft was able to enter an industry dominated by Nintendo and Sony is quite a long and interesting one.

At first it was Bill Gates announcing the coming of the first Microsoft gaming console. On November 15, 2001, the original Xbox is launched along with their online platform Xbox Live, offering a vision of online gaming that was then unrivaled by its competitors.

To its credit, Microsoft realized the looming potential that home gaming consoles had vis-à-vis the online gaming world. What they did with Xbox Live was nothing short of banging open a truly fresh market for both large game developing companies as well as their smaller indie counterparts. The floodgates were then open. Today, Nintendo is scrambling to find a way into online gaming while the former generations’ market leader Sony plays catch up with its own PlayStation Network. The growth of the Xbox Live service is also showing no signs of abating, recording a 16% increase in revenue in 2010.

Microsoft is now upping its game (quite literally) in a big way with its newest entrant, Kinect.

Kinect is basically a very smart device that detects your motion and allows you to interact with your Xbox 360 without a controller. Although the peripheral received a wave of initial criticism –due to issues of lag and appeal to solely casual gamers – the numbers spoke of a different story. Kinect went on to sell 8 million units in just its first 60 days on the market. What is really mind blowing is the interest that the peripheral is generating amongst hackers wanting to manipulate the technology behind it. A team at MIT’s Media Lab fine-tuning a hologram video marks one of the more recent hacks involving Kinect. Check the top 12 Kinect hacks here.

Microsoft of course is probably reveling in on all the seemingly newfound popularity. So much in fact that they have been able to work it in their favor. Instead of pursuing litigation against individuals hacking its hugely successful new product, Microsoft is instead supporting them. In fact they are working on launching a developers kit to assist those hackers with their endeavors.

The reason why Kinect will continue to be a huge success revolves around the software used to operate the device, the “brain”. This allows Microsoft to remotely update Kinect’s mental prowess and adapt it to more complicated commands and environments.

In short, Nintendo might have introduced the first instance of motion control gaming to the mainstream, however the future seems to holding its fruits in Microsoft’s favor. If Microsoft’s achievements to date in the gaming world hints at anything, it is that they will continue to expand the market as whole, and may I dare to say yes, even dominate it.

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