CARLSBAD, Calif.--D6 is getting ready to rock.
Activision CEO Bobby Kotick is speaking at the conference here, with host Kara Swisher promising the keynote will wrap up with a star-studded demo of the next Guitar Hero.
Paula Abdul was the 'judge' for a demo of the new Guitar Hero World Tour.
(Credit: Dan Farber/CNET News.com)Before that, though, Swisher and Kotick are discussing where gaming is now and where it is headed. Kotick noted that the current machines have broadened the notion of console gaming, each in its own way.
The PlayStation 3 has brought cinematic video quality to gaming, adding the opportunity to have emotional ties with the characters, he said. The Xbox 360 added deep online collaborative gaming abilities, while the Wii's physical interface is bringing in new and different groups of people into gaming.
Kotick also noted that the current models have succeeded in bringing Internet to the TV even after many other efforts, such as Media Center PCs, have failed.
Eventually, there will be a $99 box that takes the notion even more broadly, he said. "That will be the device that is likely to bring the Internet to the television."
Asked by Swisher whether we will all need virtual reality helmets to play games, Kotick said we are probably safe at least until the next generation of hardware comes with more processing power.
Skateboarder Tony Hawk competes during a demo of Guitar Hero World Tour.
(Credit: Dan Farber/CNET News.com)Swisher also pushed him on why there is so much carnage in video games. "We try to stick to violence against small animals," he said, adding that half the gaming population is over 18. That said, he noted that his rival's Grand Theft Auto did $500 million in sales out of the gate.
Lastly, Swisher asked Kotick, a Yahoo board member, about l'affaire Microhoo.
"Jerry (Yang) and Sue (Decker) are going to be here later today," he said. "I hate to steal their thunder."
He joked that he had tried one method of playing peacemaker. "I tried to get the four of them to play the new Guitar Hero together."
Update: Kotick brought out American Idol judge Paula Abdul to judge a competition for Guitar Hero World Tour, the new version due out this fall that adds drums and a microphone (a la Rock Band). Among the contestants: Skateboarder Tony Hawk.
Click here for full coverage of the D: All Things Digital conference.
- Activision sued over 'Guitar Hero' for Wii--Suit follows admission by Activision that the Wii version of Guitar Hero III was outputting mono, rather than the advertised stereo sound.
- Office 2007 SP1 autoinstalls confuse Vista, XP users--While most users won't get the Office service pack automatically for some time, beta testers of Vista Service Pack 1 are having the update pushed automatically.
- Microsoft's Ministry of Truth--Blogger Long Zheng noted last week that Microsoft is hiring for a Director of Windows Client Disclosure, a position designed to making sure there are "zero surprises," when it comes to operating system news. Eek.
- Facebook Business Solutions--A funny parody of Facebook in the wake of its "Beacon" fiasco. Read this now, before Facebook's lawyers get it taken down.
Hanukkah came early at my house Sunday.
After an unspectacular debut in the office Friday, I added Guitar Hero 3 to my holiday wish list. Luckily, my partner, AJ, obliged and got me the Wii game Sunday. After putting the virtual guitar together, I was off and strumming.
The embarrassment of getting repeatedly booed off the stage was fresh in my mind as I unpacked the guitar and set to practicing. Luckily, things came more easily in the privacy of my home and, with only a couple of tries, I managed to complete both "Slow Ride" and "Hit Me With Your Best Shot."
News.com's Ina Fried was a bit tragic on the accordion, but finds Guitar Hero more to her liking.
(Credit: Ina Fried/CNET News.com)Sure, both tracks are from the easy level, but this was no small feat. My prior musical career consisted of three tortured years in late elementary school when I took up accordion. Took up is probably the wrong verb. My parents said I needed to learn an instrument. I wanted piano, but somehow wound up with a squeeze box.
Basically, the accordion required me to play the piano with one hand, hit a bunch of random buttons with my left hand and then move the thing in and out. Not a great choice for a tiny, tone deaf, uncoordinated kid. My teacher, Ms. Scary--that was her real name, at least the one she went by--gave it her best, but I was the black sheep of the yearly recitals.
That said, maybe it comes in handy now that I have to fret with one hand while strumming with the other. I did manage to hit 50 notes in a row at my peak Sunday.
Plus, unlike with the accordion, I'm actually motivated to practice. Look out, Bonnie Raitt.
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