TOU Newswire: The Feed
Xbox 360 to allow downloading of user-generated games
PlayStation 3 will go BD Live this summer
Price of Xbox 360 HD-DVD Player Slashed to $49
PS3, Home Not Affected By Harrison’s Resignation
PlayStation Bounces Back: Super Secret Title Previewed at GDC
Buzz: E3 Screen Hints at In-Game PS3 Soundtracks and Resolution Access
Gaming sites, forums and blogs are buzzing with what appears to be a sneak peak into some highly wanted features for the Playstation 3. Apparently during some of the E3 demonstrations an image captured some new options listed on screen when pressing the PS3 button on the controller. 
New in the unconfirmed image is the addition of a “Select Music” option. This hints towards the idea that with a future firmware update enabling this feature, PS3 users will be able to have universal access to their music even when playing a game. This has been an often requested feature by gamers and one that, according to PS3 engineers was already available if developers specifically programmed in this function. In an English translation of the original Japanese interview, SCE CTO Kawanishi stated, “PS3 already has such function in the system software. It is up to the game developers to use the function. Same goes for pictures and videos.” If it proves to be true that this has been added to the PS button menu, it would appear to show that this is one of the capabilities of the PS3 that Sony has determined is worth making standard across the console.
Also seen in this image is an “Adjust Screen Settings” option. This feature would appear to give PS3 users universal access to their display resolution settings. Although this feature can also be individually added into in-game menus by developers (e.g. Gran Turismo HD Concept has an in-game resolution option), this addition should make various videophiles happy and should help ease problems caused by some games (Rainbow Six Vegas) that perform better in a different resolution than one has selected in their PS3’s main display settings.
However, all this is speculation seems based on alleged information that the E3 PS3s were running firmware version 1.9 and that this image is “real”. The most recent firmware for the PS3 is available to the masses in version 1.82.
Survey: What Online Shooter Developers Need to Know!
Survey Launched: 7-17-07
TAKE SURVEY: The Online Shooter: Multiplayer Priorities
Please feel free to distribute the link to the survey to any and all.
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Note: Online gaming is becoming the focus of many developers. With the Xbox Live MarketPlace & the PlayStation Store more and more focus is being placed online. As a result many developers are making attempts to integrate some form of multiplayer into their titles.
Here at the [TOU]Newswire we want to make sure they get it right and you get what you want! The survey itself is not geared towards one particular shooter, rather all different styles were taken into account. We will be looking for responses from members of a wide range of related sites in hopes that the results will reflect the various desires of all types of online shooter fans.
Survey: SOCOM Confrontation - Pre-Release Feedback
Survey Launched: 7-16-07
TAKE SURVEY: SOCOM Confrontation - Pre-Release Feedback Survey
Please feel free to distribute the link to the survey to any and all.
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Note: As the TOU Newswire continues our beta roll out, part of our mission statement is to provide quality information both for and about developers. Beyond news stories focused on online gaming, stay tuned for “Developer Watch” articles and editorials coming in the near future.
Here in the Survey Zone, we’re proud to host this first very brief and focused survey that spawned from some of the new information that came from our recent interview article with Seth Luisi about SOCOM Confrontation as well as some requests from the “hard core” SOCOM fans.
As fans eagerly await more information about the first PlayStation 3 SOCOM title, it is obvious that some are showing early concern about what they’ve seen so far. So, let us try to put some numbers and percentages to those concerns!
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*Coming soon: Online Multiplayer Shooter Priorities Survey (Check back very soon)
Unseen SOCOM Confrontation Video from E3 2007
Published: 7/12/07 9:52am PST
It has come to our attention that although the PlayStation Press Event at E3 did their presentation on four unique screens, much of the video being show is only of one of those screens.
Hopefully some of the more established gaming press will be getting feeds from the multiple screens, but the TOU Newswire did capture some of the multi screen presentation, hopefully providing you with footage you haven’t seen anywhere else.
This footage was captured in HD however the below is a standard def upscale only (for file size purposes). If demand warrants we’ll update with an HD version later.
Click Image or Right Click to download .mp4 file (9mb file)
SOCOM Confrontation: Various Details from Seth Luisi
Author: blykmik
Published: 7/11/07 — 7:00pm PST
The TOU Newswire was fortunate enough to get our first interview today at the PlayStation E3 Press Event. As is well documented by now, this year’s E3 was a “drastic departure” from the previous convention. Instead of a centralized convention and event, developers at E3 are now spread around a number of various locations, venues and hotels in the Los Angeles area.
Sony held their PlayStation Event at Culver City Studios, a movie studio lot and took over stages 15 and 16 to hold both a press conference and a mini floor show complete with playable demos of some of their titles.
Prior to the press conference, industry insiders and journalists mulled around enjoying the Sony provided cocktails and hors d’Oeuvres. It was during this reception that the TOU Newswire caught up with Seth Luisi (Director of Development at SCEA). After politely interrupting him, I asked if he would be willing to answer a few questions about Confrontation for the fans of the SOCOM franchise.
This wasn’t the time for press interviews and it was a bit awkward of a moment but Mr. Luisi agreed to run through some questions with me. I did ask if it would be OK to record the interviews (as I’ve done at past E3 events - 2006 Day 3, 2006 Day 2, 2005), but he said he would then he’d have to get “PR” involved. I took that as a no and grabbed some note paper and began peppering him with questions.
It should be said up front that Seth Luisi didn’t seem to want to give a lot of hard details and specifics, but he was at least willing to speak with me and share as much as he felt comfortable with. I asked if there would be a specific showing of SOCOM Confrontation anywhere at E3 (besides the video clip in the presentation) and he said, “We still haven’t decided that yet.”
SOCOM Confrontation
Over The Shoulder View - One of the first questions I asked was about the new camera angle seen in videos of Confrontation gameplay. Read more
Hello World! TOU Gaming Newswire pre-Beta Site Launched
This is just a quick hello as we begin to roll out the TOU Gaming Newswire.
This site will be a unique place for focused gaming news with a heavy emphasis on online console gaming, organized gaming clans and game developers. We hope to provide a resource for gamers interested in what is happening in online gaming and why.
We have a “Developers Watch” section of the site which will be dedicated to profiles on video game developers and what they are up to. Look for feature stories, interviews and reviews here in the near future. We look to open some informational doors to the online video game development process and put the spotlight on developers who succeed as well as those that fail.