Nintendo confirms Wii 2 unveiling in June for 2012 launch

Nintendo will show a playable model of the next-generation Wii gaming console at E3 Expo in June. The company confirmed the reveal date in a short statement earlier today and although there's still no official word on exactly what the successor to the Wii (said to be codenamed "Project Cafe") holds in store, the rumors are gaining momentum.

The Wii has sold 86.01 million units since its release in 2006. It pioneered the new era of motion-control gaming, but with Sony's Playstation Move and Microsoft'sKinect entering the arena in recent times, the need for the long awaited update is even more apparent.

There's plenty of speculation out there as to the hardware make-up of the Project Cafe console, and many of the rumors are becoming more plausible as the unveiling approaches. The Wii 2 is almost certain to have HD gaming – bringing it up to speed with the competition – and could also support stereoscopic 3D. IGN reports that the new Wii will be be backwards compatible with current Wii software and run on a custom-built triple-core IBM PowerPC chipset and AMD's R700 GPU architecture.

The controller is unlikely to bear any resemblance to the current version (pictured) with the possibility it will integrate a front camera and a 6-inch touchscreen that can accept streaming content from the console. The Nintendo 3DS could also get a gig as a controller for the Project Cafe machine.

Nintendo's move to HD also presents an an opportunity for the company to improve its relationship with third party developers and development kits have reportedlyalready been sent to major publishers such as Electronic Arts, Ubisoft and Activision.

And the price? There's rumors on that front too – IGN suggest figure in the US$350-400 range.

We look forward to confirming (at least some) of these rumors during E3 Expo, which runs from June 7-9, 2011 in Los Angeles.

Credits to: Gizmag

EVO 2 gaming console to bring Android games to TV

Google's Android mobile OS is certainly an open and free system attractive to many producers, even those whose products are not portable at all. One of the newest and quirkiest inventions of this kind is a recently announced gaming console called EVO 2 by Envizions. It's actually the company's second attempt to conquer the gaming console market, though many readers probably haven't heard of Linux-based EVO 2's predecessor.

Credits to: Gizmag

The Nintendo Wii U revealed

Nintendo took the wraps off its new Wii U console at E3 today, sporting a controller as unique as we've come to expect from the company that brought us the Wii and the DS. With a 6.2" touchscreen, dual-analog sticks, D-pad, four face buttons, four triggers, front-facing camera, microphone, and motion controls (gyroscope and accelerometer), it's safe to say we'll see some innovative game mechanics invented to make full use of this thing.

The graphics capabilities appear to be on par with the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Games can be played with or without a TV, which will likely save countless domestic arguments across the globe, and the Wii U is backwards compatible with Wii software and accessories.

Confirmed titles include Smash Bros., New Super Mario Bros. Me, Lego City Stories, Tekken, Assassin's Creed, Darksiders 2, Batman: Arkham City, Dirt, Aliens: Colonial Marines, Metro, Battlefield 3 and Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge.

Credits to: Gizmag

Study suggests that relaxing video games make players happier

Although you might have a big grin on your face as you're blowing away your opponents when playing Halo, you would actually be happier if you were playing a game like Endless Ocean, in which you interact with marine life - at least, that's what Ohio State University's Brad Bushman will tell you. The professor of communication and psychology conducted two studies, each with over 100 subjects, and has concluded that playing relaxing, nonviolent video games leaves people in a happier, more sociable mood than if they had played fast, violent games.

Bushman has looked into the effects of violent video games in the past, and believes that they cause aggressive, antisocial behavior in their players. Until now, however, he didn't know if the opposite was true of relaxing games - mainly, he says, because there have been so few of them to test.

In his first study, a group of 150 Ohio State students were each randomly assigned to play one of three types of Wii games for 20 minutes - a relaxing one, like Endless Ocean; a neutral one, such as Super Mario Galaxy; and a violent game, such asResident Evil 4. Afterwards, they were told that they were going to compete against another, unseen competitor in a reaction time game.

The players had to push a button when prompted, and whoever pushed theirs first won some money, whereas the loser received a blast of noise through a set of headphones. The test subjects were then asked how much money their opponent should get if they won, and how long and loud their noise blast should be if they lost. Players of the violent game chose to award the least money and deliver the loudest, longest noise, while players of the relaxing game chose to give the most money and the least noise. Subjects who played the neutral game came out somewhere between the two extremes.

And no, there wasn't actually another player getting deafened somewhere.

In the second study, a group of 116 students were once again asked to play one of the three types of games for 20 minutes, and then complete a questionnaire that rated their mood. Those who had played the relaxing game rated themselves as feeling more happiness, love, joy and related positive emotions than the ones who played the violent game.

Once the students had finished filling out the questionnaire, the person administering the test asked if they could help sharpen some pencils for the next batch of test subjects. Students who had played the relaxing game tended to sharpen the most pencils, while those who had played the violent game sharpened the least.

"Relaxing video games put people in a good mood," said Bushman. "And when people are in a good mood, they are more inclined to help others, and that's better for everyone."

Credits to: Gizmag

Microsoft unveils Xbox 360 Wireless Speed Wheel

Although cordless, the Wireless Speed Wheel appears not to be a motion controllereither (no word from Microsoft on whether the device needs a Kinect to work). It would seem that it's not designed for driving fanatics, as there are "trigger buttons for gas and brake," meaning no physical foot pedals at all. It will also take some time to get used to the lack of any steering wheel attachment. The shape of the device itself is more like an airplane yoke, than a steering wheel.

The new Xbox controller offers haptic feedback with rumble, and standard controller buttons on both ends. Green lights on those ends also provide visual cues for players. The controller will be compatible with all Xbox 360 racing games out of the box.

Credits to: Gizmag

Sony reveals more details on PS Vita

US Carrier, 3G

One of the two PS Vita versions offers 3G connectivity and the device will be sold through cell-phone provider AT&T exclusively in the US - but no word on AT&T data plans and pricing yet. Vita cannot be used as a cell phone and the VoIP support is unclear. Sony also says the console will not be region specific.

Games medium

There's no Universal Media Discs (UMD) support, instead there will be a new format of an unknown name and capacity which the FAQ section says will be "a small flash memory based card." That means it will be possible to store save games directly on the card, as well as additional game content data. Sony also clarified the compatibility issue - there are no plans on making PS Vita compatible with PS2 and PS3, though it will be possible to play PSP titles, minis and PSone classics.

No 3D, no gaming on the TV

Nintendo decided to feature the stereoscopic 3D technology (glasses-free) in its newest handheld console Nintendo 3DS, but Sony studied the glasses-free 3D technology and decided not to install it, focusing on the features and spec instead.

PS Vita does not support HDMI or video output in any form. That means it won't be possible to play games on bigger screen in contrast to PSP 3004, which supports video out.

New research tool predicts what online gamers will do next

Is there such a thing as free will, or are our actions predetermined by the way our brains work? If recent research conducted at North Carolina State University is anything to go by, it might seem that the latter is more likely to be true - at least when it comes to gaming. After analyzing the behavior of 14,000 players of the online role-playing game World of Warcraft, an NCSU team was able to predict the future actions of those players with up to 80 percent accuracy.

In World of Warcraft, players earn virtual badges for achieving various goals. The researchers analyzed data on which badges individual players had earned, and in what order. Patterns began to emerge, in which certain achievements were shown to have a recurring correlation with other specific achievements - if a player did A, then X number of steps down the road, they were likely to do B.

These related achievements tended to bunch into groups known as cliques. Any player that had attained some of the achievements in one clique were found to be likely to pursue other achievements in that same clique. Any one clique could consist of over 80 different achievements.

Some of that predictability, of course, could simply be due to logistics - once players achieve a certain status via specific actions, they are then able to perform certainnew actions, so they proceed to do so. Some of the linked achievements within cliques, however, appeared to have no obvious logical connection - earning a badge for skill in unarmed combat, for instance, was shown to have a high correlation with earning a badge for world travel.

"A good game stands on its own," said Dr. David L. Roberts, an assistant professor of computer science at NCSU. "If you want to improve it, you have to make sure players will like any changes you make. This research can help researchers get it right, because if you have a good idea of what players like, you can make informed decisions about the kind of storylines and mechanics those players would like in the future."

"This work could obviously be used for World of Warcraft or other MMORPGs [massively multiplayer online role-playing games], but it also applies to any setting where users are making a series of decisions. That could be other gaming formats, or even online retailing."

Credits to: Gizmag