Tech Culture

It's times like this, as we dissect failures in digital entertainment technology, when we have to ask the question: Is it too soon to blame digital rights management?

Two console generations ago, problems like this would have been inconceivable, or at least wouldn't have had the kind of domino effect they do today. The current PlayStation bug (which is believed to be due to the inclusion of trophies in firmware v2.40) affected games, rented movies, and access to both Netflix streaming and the company's online storefront--all things that continue to work without issue for users of the newer PS3 Slim hardware. You'd simply never get this kind of problem back when the only thing you could use your system for was to play something off a disc or a cartridge.

Sony's PlayStation Network is on the fritz. Microsoft's Xbox Live network has had its problems. And there was that one Wii system software update that was turning consoles into pretty looking paperweights.

Though the main problem is less about progress and more about the security countermeasures put into place to keep consoles or users from doing something they shouldn't. Using digital rights management has become one of the easiest ways to do this, though it can also make things more difficult for the consumer.

And while DRM may not end up being the culprit in Sony's snafu, the situation is a startling reminder of how little control we have over these little boxes that are sitting in our living rooms. That's by design though. All three of the big console makers (Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo) use various types of security to make sure people do not run downloadable games or content that they have not purchased. Here's a brief rundown of how they work:… Read more

Massively multiplayer online video games, or MMOs, are huge on the PC. They are led by World of Warcraft, a game that has achieved the kind of success newcomers like Star Trek Online can only hope to attain.

On the console side, MMOs have yet to take root. Final Fantasy XI aside, consoles have become the graveyards for MMOs. Whether or not that will change anytime soon is decidedly up for debate. But at least one developer believes that in a few years, we will start seeing MMOs enjoy unprecedented success on consoles.

"I think it'll be two … Read more

It seems that a major worldwide firmware bug has affected most PlayStation 3s, preventing the consoles from connecting to the PlayStation Network and in many cases (including our own) not allowing for offline game play. The problem, whatever it is, comprises all PS3 consoles aside from the newer PS3 Slim.

We've been keeping an eye on the official PlayStation Twitter feed and blog that claims Sony has narrowed down the issue, though 12 hours after the bug (error 8001050F) was first reported most systems remain paralyzed. At first it seemed the crisis centralized around trophy support, while other reports … Read more

We are in a recession. Perhaps it's even a depression. But it's really not that bad. You see, someone, somewhere just spent $41,300 on a Nintendo game.

Is Stadium Events a great Nintendo game? I suspect not many people really know. Because not many people have ever played it. Not many copies were ever produced. Just after it was launched, Nintendo ordered a recall.

It could be that there are only around 200 copies floating around the world. It could be that there are only 20.

Which undoubtedly moved someone to pay such a substantial amount of … Read more

With Super Mario Galaxy 2 and Metroid: Other M already on their way to the Wii console this year, it seems that Nintendo has a full release calendar ahead. But in a recent interview with Wired, published on Thursday, Nintendo Vice President Cammie Dunaway said a new Legend of Zelda title for the Wii might also be released this year.

Dunaway said Nintendo's release calendar for 2010 is "night and day," when compared to its releases in the first half of 2009. "And from some of the things that (Nintendo chief Satoru) Iwata has talked about, … Read more

Almost every week for the last few years, it seems, I've gotten a press release or a pitch touting some company's great new Facebook games network or kids' virtual world.

And why not? Companies like Zynga and Playfish are making money hand over fist with their collections of massively popular social games, and 2D Flash games aimed at children like Club Penguin, Webkinz, Habbo Hotel, and others have garnered vast amounts of virtual world investment dollars in recent years.

But to someone who cut his virtual world teeth on more immersive, 3D environments like There and Second Life, these never-ending announcements of new companies trying to jump on the social gaming bandwagon have left me with one nagging question: Where is the innovation?

To find the answer, one has only to do what investigative journalists were always trained to do: follow the money. But while Facebook games like FarmVille and Who Has the Biggest Brain, and social worlds for kids or teens like Gaia Online make financial sense, they aren't all that satisfying intellectually.

After all, while Second Life had no end of technical problems and was about as inviting to mainstream audiences as obscure European philosophy, it had a complex economy, a deep social structure, sophisticated politics and always seemed, to me, at least, as the jumping off point for truly groundbreaking technology.… Read more

Much has been made of the Wii fitness factor, and how the Wii might actually be good for your health. Basically, those who are generally inactive are generally more active when they opt to play the Wii. This is a no-brainer, although my ability to bowl a near-perfect game without barely flicking my wrist might indicate otherwise.

But new research presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2010 suggests that playing the virtual reality gaming system might not only burn calories, but also appears to help stroke victims improve their motor function.

The pilot study of 20 … Read more

The hard times just keep slapping Blockbuster. The company announced Wednesday that it posted a $435 million loss for the fourth quarter.

The poor performance is especially hard, considering it happened in the fourth quarter--usually Blockbuster's best months. In the third quarter, the company lost over $114 million.

Back in September, the company announced that it would be closing up to 960 underperforming stores to increase its earnings by $50 million to $60 million. Blockbuster closed 374 U.S. stores last year and plans to accelerate its plans to shutter an additional 545 retail locations this year.

To revitalize … Read more

Those hoping to play games on next-generation video game consoles might have a long wait ahead, says Electronic Arts CFO Eric Brown, who recently spoke at the Goldman Sachs Technology and Internet Conference.

According to Brown, whose comments were originally reported by GamesIndustry.biz, shorter console generations of the past were the result of major upgrades to both CPUs and GPUs that allowed for drastic improvements to the consoles already available. Today, there isn't that much room for improvement, which means the time that elapses between console generations is getting longer.

"Today we have two of the three consoles that operate in full high-definition and are running games at 60 frames per second," Brown said. "If you step back and say if it's a multibillion capital dollar investment for the next generation, the question I would ask is 'if you were to produce that then what would you display it on?' There's really nothing in terms of broadly available consumer viewing technology other than 1080p flat panel televisions. And so you could upgrade in theory, but you wouldn't get the obvious graphical benefit that we saw really drove the sharp transitions in the prior cycle."

The debate over when the current generation of consoles will be replaced has been going on for years.… Read more