industries

Consumer spending on the U.S. gaming industry was up slightly in the second quarter, research firm NPD reported today.

During the second quarter, U.S. consumers spent a total of $4.5 billion on gaming hardware, content, and accessories, representing a 1 percent gain over the second quarter of 2010. However, sequentially, things didn't go too well for the industry. In the first quarter of 2011, total consumer spending on video game hardware, content, and accessories hit $5.9 billion.

In the second quarter, total U.S. spending on physical game software for consoles, portables, and PCs, hit $… Read more

Creating a new car can take years of development, but Gordon Murray Design put together a running prototype electric sports car in just nine months. The Teewave AR.1 was commissioned by Toray Industries to show off its carbon fiber production.

Toray says that its process can make carbon fiber components in just 10 minutes. The Teewave AR.1 uses Toray carbon fiber for its chassis, crash structures, body, and interior. Other Toray materials make up interior surfaces and components of the car. … Read more

From 1989 to 2001, a company called Used Rubber USA operated a retail store, offering cool gear to city-dwelling hipsters, on the corner of Fillmore and Haight streets in San Francisco. The company still turns old tires into book bags, wallets or belts and other merchandise--now online only.

Recycling used tires isn't a new idea, and now a study shows that most auto repair shops recycle tires rather than send them off to a landfill.

The organization Car Care Council has been urging auto repair shops to recycle more vehicle parts and engine fluids, in a consumer education campaign … Read more

A brutal 2011 has left the solar industry dazed, damaged, and on the cusp of a major shakeout of weaker players that are more likely to shut down than be snapped up by their stronger rivals.

Solar subsidy cuts in top markets Italy and Germany prompted a 20 percent drop in the price of solar panels this year, bringing the fast-growing solar industry to a critical tipping point. Even companies that had been stock market heroes find themselves as the walking wounded, struggling to cut costs in a market awash with solar panels.

In the long run those price declines … Read more

Eleven years since its original inception, the Deus Ex series welcomes a new entry in the form of Deus Ex: Human Revolution. In a world where human augmentations have been commercialized by big business, human beings have the option to upgrade not just their bodies but also their minds. Such an ethical hot topic has created passionate factions on each side of the argument forcing players to find a balance between the two.

A franchise known for mixing RPG and action elements all while giving the player the freedom of choice, we've been anxiously awaiting to see just how such an ambitious collection of mechanics play out on current-generation consoles. Taking a special look at the game on PC is CNET Senior Editor Rich Brown.

Jeff: After just surviving a summer drought of games like the one we just experienced, Deus Ex: Human Revolution is a very welcome light at the end of the tunnel. It's an incredibly deep and layered game with a cerebral storyline that will charm even the most jaded cyberpunk enthusiast--a true complement to the game's great Blade Runner-inspired art direction.

The best way I can describe Human Revolution is a cross between Metal Gear Solid and Mass Effect. The team at Eidos Montreal borrowed the best elements from each of these franchises and made it their own, successfully weaving a game that lives up to its series' legacy of giving the player ultimate choice. This concept applies to almost everything Adam Jensen--the game's main character--does, from interrogating a person of interest to infiltrating a testing laboratory.… Read more

The large record companies have filed an appeal in their long-running copyright case against Jammie Thomas-Rasset, a Minnesota woman who was found liable for illegal file sharing.

In court documents filed with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit in St. Louis, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) says it is appealing several decisions made during the case, going back to 2008.

Last month, a federal court once again lowered the amount a jury ordered Thomas-Rasset to pay to compensate the RIAA for damages. Last year, Rasset was ordered to pay $62,500 for each of … Read more

The major film studios have forced Zediva to shut its doors, but the case is far from closed.

A federal court yesterday officially issued a preliminary injunction against Zediva, a start-up video-rental service that made a name for itself last year by employing a legally iffy business model. Earlier this month, a U.S. District judge announced his intention to issue a preliminary injunction but waited for some legal housekeeping chores to be completed before making it official.

Last week, Zediva suspended operations, and now the case moves to the next and very important stage of determining whether the company … Read more

Mitch Bainwol is out as chairman and CEO of the Recording Industry Association of America, the trade group representing the four largest record labels.

Bainwol is leaving to become CEO of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers. The RIAA announced that Bainwol will be replaced by Cary Sherman, who has served as RIAA president since 2001, after joining the organization as general counsel in 1997.

CNET and Politico reported last month that Bainwol was being pursued by the automakers' trade group in recent weeks. He will now represent BMW, Chrysler, Ford, and General Motors in Washington.

Bainwol leaves following a series … Read more

In yet another victory for Apple in the mobile arena, Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitello claims that Apple's iPad is the fastest growing platform for EA development.

The report from gaming industry Web site IndustryGamers interviews Riccitello concerning the role of consoles in today's gaming climate. Riccitello holds that while the standard operating procedure for console makers was to release new hardware every few years, nearly in unison, that model no longer fits.

"Consoles used to be 80 percent of the industry as recently as 2000. Consoles today are 40 percent of the game industry, so what … Read more