Gamers Rejoice: Rhythm Game Instrument Compatibility!

August 21, 2008August 21, 2008| schommerschommer| 0 Comment| 8:34 pm
Categories:

Compatibility. This is all we’re really asking for when it comes to rhythm gaming on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii. So far it seems Microsoft isn’t just on board, but enforcing compatibility between instruments from Rock Band 2, Guitar Hero: World Tour and Konami’s Rock Revolution. Sony has also confirmed this behavior on their blog.

What does this mean for gamers? It means we’ll be able to go out and buy the franchise of our choice and not feel we’re locked out of other rhythm games. You can choose the accessories that work best for you and enjoy all the games each developer provides.

This enforcement keeps the developers/publishers in check because they’re going to be highly competitive and looking for any advantage to lock the customer into their product, that’s just business. Having a moderator to say “play nice” is important for the console makers as it allows their customers to be happy and purchasing all this licensed great content. Microsoft and Sony will make more money if customers don’t feel they can only buy a single product.

It’s not about the accessories, it’s about the games. Accessories may make a game better so let the customer decide which will be better and may the best company win!

As for Nintendo? As long as their accessories always use Wii Remote controls everyone is fine, once they break this protocol they’ll have to build their own enforcement or start to lose the edge other console makers are sharpening.

(Thanks, GamerScoreBlog)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Post

Mega Man 9 – Actual Teaser FootageMega Man 9 – Actual Teaser Footage

Here is the first teaser footage, badly encoded with tons of words overlying the action but you get the idea. It’s total 8-bit retro feel with classic NES style sound effects. This instantly rockets you back to your youth in front of the cartridged based square box of an entertainment system.

Is this going to have lasting appeal? Will development shops open up to re-create the retro style gaming platforms on new hardware? This WiiWare title should do well considering it is new content created using the old virtual console NES look and feel. If gamers are eating up classics this should do extremely well.

Or, is this effort a total waste of time. Mega Man fans should fall in love as Mega Man 9 is like going 80’s style..

Read MoreRead More

Expert: Sony Negligent In PSN SecurityExpert: Sony Negligent In PSN Security

An expert has given testimony to the US House of Representatives Subcomittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade during its commencement on hearings on the “unauthorized intrusion” on Sony’s PlayStation Network and Qrocity service, stating Sony knew that their security software was dated and lacked any sort of firewall against hacking.

Cybersecurity expert Dr. Gene Spafford’s testimony stated that security experts discovered discussions on forums that talked about how the PSN’s security was lacking. The threads revealed that the network was using old versions of the Apache Web server software, which “was unpatched and had no firewall installed.”

Worse, two to three months before the attack, the vulnerability was reported “in an open forum monitored by Sony employees,” but the company took no action to rectify the situation. If the testimony is accurate, Sony could be slapped with a serious criminal negligence charge.

The Sony intrusion alone compromised 100 million accounts both on the PSN and its Qriocity service, according to Spafford. He also cited the total cost of the breach to Sony, credit card companies, and other outfits, at $21 billion. Thieves in credit-card theft forums actually complained that the PSN breach was so great that it was depressing the price of such information by a “factor of five or 10” on the black market.

Spafford didn’t reserve his accusations for Sony, either. He stated that law enforcement is ill-equipped to handle cyberterrorism and cyberthieft. Additionally, most companies are not equipped with enough security measures because “investing in security measures affects the bottom line. They don’t understand the risks involved by not investing in security. … So when they are hit, they pass that cost along to their customers, and to the rest of society.” In other words, a classic case of being penny wise and pound foolish.

Spafford’s proposed solution to future security is to limit the amount of data kept by companies such as Sony and to “age the data” so it expires after a certain time.

C-Span posted the video of the testimony here.

(Thanks, GameSpot.)

Read MoreRead More