Guys Upstairs - Tech

The Nintendo Wii will soon be offering a video service in order to establish a new revenue stream. Nintendo will be partnering up with the ad agency Dentsu to offer cartoons and other entertainment programs. In order to differentiate it from existing content delivery services the two companies will be be offering programs created specifically for the new service. While this may help set it apart from competitors, they should still offer existing programs akin to Hulu in order to please everyone. The service will start early next year in Japan and will not be seen overseas until late in the year.

Nintendo has already raked in more cash than it knows what to do with, so why do they need a new revenue stream? Hopefully it’s in order to fund more R&D to creating more creative and innovative ideas.

[Yahoo]

The Metal Gear Solid 4 “Gun Metal Gray” Playstation 3 was previously only available through the Konami website at a premium of $600. Last week it was reported that the bundle could be pre-ordered through Amazon for $450. The price has now been dropped to a mere $400. The bundle contains the 40GB version and will be released on November 4th.

I personally like the gun metal color more than the traditional Sony “Piano Black,” but nothing can compare to the MGS4 PS3 mod by the guys over at Morpheon Mods. The unit is even signed by Hideo Kojima himself when the world tour stopped in NYC. The front of the PS3 is a giant black laser etching of Solid Snake while the other side is decorated with the Fox Hound logo. The entire thing is covered in digital camouflage and has a laser cut Metal Gear Solid 4 marquee. It’s also lit up with 15 white micro LEDs. Best of all, this was created using an original 60GB PS3 so it’s got full backwards compatibility. It sold for $17,100 on eBay with 15% of the proceeds going to Child’s Play Charity.

[Joystiq]

Nintendo has just announced the new DS, the Nintendo DSi. The screen size has been increased to 3.25 inches and will include two built in cameras. The increased screen size has not added to the size - in fact, it will be 12% slimmer. While they are removing the backwards compatibility by removing the GBA slot, it will feature internal storage as well as an added SD slot. The system will also offer music playback and a web browser. Nintendo will also be using the DSWare system, an online store for games. [Full Specs]

It will be released in Japan on November 1 at a price of ¥189,000 (~US $178), offering both matte white and matte black versions.

[Joystiq]

There is talk abuzz about Nintendo showing early presentations of the next generation console. The next generation console will be set to release in 2011 and will have upgraded hardware from the current Wii. The aptly nicknamed “Wii HD” will feature high definition visuals and backwards compatibility. Nintendo will most likely make this similar to the upgrade from Game Boy to Game Boy Advance, where the main selling points are not changed. This means they will most likely keep the highly interactive style of the Wii.

While there is still no definitive evidence what exactly Nintendo is planning, Nintendo R&D has grown from $34 million in 2003 to $370 million. This figure was only $103 million in 2006 when the Wii was first released, meaning that it has at least tripled since then. There is also speculation about a new DS coming out which would include a camera as well as a music player.

[What They Play]

Japanese site PC Watch just released a report today stating that Sony is leaning heavily toward basing the PlayStation 4 on the same cell processor which the PS3 runs on. This is a step away from tradition for Sony, which has pushed the boundaries of processor and hardware for both the PS2 and the PS3. One of the reasons for this decision may be that it would cut down on the price of production as well as the price for the consumer.

The Cell processor has the capability to reach 32 cores based on current technological trends, but redesigning the processor would be expensive enough for Sony to most likely go with around 10-12 cores. The current plan is also for the chip to shrink from 90nm to 45 nm and only a slight increase over the current 3.2 Gz clock speed.

PC Watch reports that Sony could potentially switch to DDR3 memory over the expensive Rambus XDR used in the PS3. The low power DDR3 memory could have a decreased latency if it is coupled to the processor.

While this pushes the expected release date from 2010 to 2011, the good news is that game developers should be able to start working on games for the PS4. The delayed release of quality games for the PS3 could have been what led to at least a sluggish start for the system, something that may be avoided for the PS4.

[Electronista and Gamecyte]

Pandora is one of the most anticipated open source handheld drvices. It is a successor to the GP32 and GP2X devices from Game Park and GamePark Holdings, respectively. Pandora was developed based on a lot of input from the community and excels where the previous devices had shortcomings. The main purpose of Pandora will be to run Homebrew games as well as emulation of older computer systems and gaming consoles.

The specs listed on their site:

Preorders are limited to 3000 until the end of 2009, and you can try to get yours here, although it comes with a price tag of $330.