Xbox console ban is 'permanent'

 

The ban may have been timed for the release of Modern Warfare 2

Thousands of Xbox 360 owners who have been cut off from Microsoft's Xbox Live service will have to buy a new console if they want to play online again.

Microsoft told BBC News that banned machines will be permanently barred and "unable to connect to Xbox Live".
A message displayed on affected consoles said there was "no recourse for terms of use violations".
Microsoft has barred as many as 1m gamers from Xbox live for modifying their consoles to play pirated games.
"Users of banned Xbox consoles can recover their profile to another, unmodified Xbox 360 console to resume their Live service," the firm told BBC News.
"The banned console will be unable to connect to Xbox Live."
However, modified consoles will still work offline.

'No recourse':
Microsoft said barring gamers was part of an ongoing drive to curb piracy.
But a statement from them suggests this latest wave was timed to prevent people from playing pirated versions of the widely-anticipated Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.
"We can assure you that if an Xbox Live member follows the Xbox Live terms of use, purchased a retail copy of Modern Warfare 2 and played the game on an unmodified Xbox 360, no action will be taken," the firm said.
Microsoft said that it had banned a "small percentage" of the 20 million Xbox Live users worldwide.
Many gamers modify their consoles by installing new chips or software that allows them to run unofficial - but not always illegal - programs and games.
Some BBC News website readers claimed that they had "modded" their consoles to allow them to make back-ups of games that they had already bought.
"Discs are very fragile things and some users like to have their games backed up," said Donald Glass of Aberdeen.
"After all you will have paid £40 for a new disc. It is my opinion that once you buy a disc you should be allowed to do whatever you want with the media as long as you do not break copyright laws."
Microsoft has not said how it was able to determine which gamers to disconnect.
"We do not reveal specifics, but can say that all consoles have been verified to have violated the terms of use," the firm said in a statement.
It said that gamers who had been barred were using their modified consoles to "play illegally pirated games".
"We believe that even one modified console on the system is one too many".
Industry figures suggest that piracy may cost the video game industry as much as £750m a year.
Reports have speculated that new "mods" could soon be on the market that allow gamers to get round the blocks.

`Call of Duty' game shoots to make history

 

`Call of Duty' game shoots to make history

Forget the buzz over the next "Twilight" film or James Cameron's "Avatar." The biggest entertainment hit of the holiday season may come on Tuesday, when "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2" hits stores.

The video game published by Activision Blizzard Inc is the most highly anticipated of the year, winning accolades from gaming blogs and Wall Street analysts alike. But it also arrives at a time when the weak economy is punishing sales across the video game industry.
Activision has plenty riding on the launch, and much to lose if the game falls short of expectations. Shares of the company have risen around 30 percent this year, outperforming chief rival Electronic Arts Inc's 18 percent gain.
"This is the one game that could buck the economic trend for the holiday season," said MKM Partners analyst Eric Handler. He estimates the title will account for 16 cents of Activision's earnings per share in the December quarter, and more than one-third of the publisher's bottom line.
Analysts say "Call of Duty's" audience of hard-core gamers, generally young men, are likely to hit stores in droves to pick up the $60 game. Activision is partnering with 12 retailers including GameStop Corp and Best Buy Co for more than 10,000 midnight store openings in North America.
Sales estimates range from 11 million-13 million units by end-2009, which would put the game in rarefied company.
Activision said preorders set a record. The shooter game is likely to be "one of the largest entertainment launches of any media of all time," CEO Robert Kotick said this week.
MKM's Handler expects "Call of Duty" to sell close to 5 million units on the first day, and 7 million-8 million in the first week. That would beat last year's blockbuster "Grand Theft Auto IV" from Take-Two Interactive Software Inc, which sold 3.6 million units on the first day, and 6 million in its first week or more than $500 million in sales.

MILITARY GAME:
The new game is the sixth installment in the "Call of Duty" franchise, which was launched in 2003.
It boasts stunning cinematography, with gamers portraying elite soldiers hunting down targets in South America, Russia, Kazakhstan, and Afghanistan.
Players navigate through modern scenarios, ranging from shooting while racing on life-like snow mobiles, or stealthily moving through arid locales, hunting down enemy snipers and avoiding helicopters overhead.
"Call of Duty" carries a rating of "M," meaning the content is suitable for those age 17 and older.
Some critics point fingers at the video game industry for often graphic depictions of bloodshed -- especially after sensational acts of public violence. But while the "Grand Theft Auto" series has been criticized by some for glorifying crime, "Call of Duty" has not been similarly condemned.
Next week's release comes at an awkward time. On Thursday, 13 people were killed and 30 wounded in a mass shooting at Fort Hood in Texas, the biggest military facility in the world. An army psychiatrist trained to treat war wounded is suspected as the gunman.
When asked if the shooting would affect the launch, Activision said it was still moving forward and there was nothing to suggest a connection between the Fort Hood incident and video games.

MIDNIGHT OPENING:
Despite the economy, U.S. video game software sales are expected to grow to $19.5 billion in 2013 from $14.7 billion in 2008, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers. That makes it a bigger entertainment ticket than Hollywood's $9.6 billion in 2008, according to industry website boxofficemojo.com.
Much like a summer blockbuster movie, shooter games like "Call of Duty" tend to have a massive crush of sales in the first few days as eager gamers flood stores to get their copy.
"By all indicators, we anticipate 'Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2' will be the biggest entertainment launch of 2009, as well as the biggest video game launch in GameStop's history," said Tony Bartel, executive vice president of merchandising and marketing for GameStop.
The video game retailer will open 4,200 outlets on Monday night, some as early as 9 p.m. Some stores will feature promotional appearances by celebrities and athletes.
Other popular games this year, such as Nintendo Co Ltd's "Wii Fit" or the "The Beatles: Rock Band" from Viacom Inc's MTV, have appealed to more casual gamers and include women and older people in their target demographic.
The new "Call of Duty" has scared off Activision's competition, some analysts say.
"A lot of publishers and developers have pushed their titles up either well before the release or to after the holidays, and what that does is just add to 'Call of Duty's' success," said EEDAR research group analyst Jesse Divnich.

Health games become serious business

Videogames were once blamed for rising obesity rates but are now being championed by the medical industry and for use by government departments for their health benefits.

Games like Electronic Arts' "EA Sports Active" and Nintendo's "Wii Fit" have got players of all ages moving -- and game developers and investors looking for hot new titles to cash in on this booming segment of the market.
Big John Games' upcoming "Butt Kicker" Nintendo DSi game will provide an action-based environment in which players fight against cigarettes and "Karate Bears" for Wii teaches players real karate routines using the Wii's motion-sensor controllers.
With interest in health games rising, the fifth annual Games for Health Conference in Boston expanded to 390 people this year from 100, including developers, investors and medical experts, while numbers at many other conferences are down up to 40 percent.
"Healthcare is 18 percent of the GDP of the United States and so games for health is probably the largest sector of activity in the serious games field long-term," said Ben Sawyer, co-founder of The Games for Health Project.
"If you add up the 18 month sales of "Wii Fit" and the sales of "EA Sports Active," Konami's "Dance Dance Revolution" and other healthy games, the worldwide retail numbers are over $2 billion."
Dr. Michael Levine, executive director of the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop which fosters innovation in children's learning, has just released a report looking at how digital games can play a beneficial and educational role in health care.
"The White House should launch a national initiative to promote research and development of proven games," said Levine.
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, whose mission is to improve the health and healthcare of all Americans, has also called for a public engagement campaign supported by the president, Congress and the federal agencies to teach parents, teachers and health providers about the healthy side of gaming.
"States' governors should direct their school technology officers to look at innovations like "Dance Dance Revolution" and "Wii Fit" as a way to extend the reach of physical education and comprehensive health education," said Dr. Debra Lieberman, director of Health Games Research for the foundation.
The Games for Health Conference also showcased how videogames are being used to help doctors and patients alike.
Serious games developer Virtual Heroes is working on a new first-person shooter sequel for Hope Lab's popular "Re-Mission" game, which has been distributed to cancer patients in 81 countries since 2006.
"We're taking their existing concept and trying to raise the fun bar and creating more lifelike and enjoyable environments within the human body," explained Jerry Heneghan, CEO of Virtual Heroes.
"Players will take control of Roxy, the protagonist, and have new weapons to battle cancer with thanks to input from cancer patients."
Virtual Heroes is also updating its HumanSim technology with a new human physiology engine, technology has been used by Duke Medical Center's nursing school to train nurses virtually.
Heneghan said he hopes this software will inspire gamers to turn to careers in healthcare and make people in the medical profession more proficient with more grants and funding flowing into universities for health games.