3D GAMING: XBOX ONE To Support 3D And 4K

Tim here, and I've got some news for XBOX users regarding 4K and 3D! The new XBOX ONE will support 4K resolution and 3D output! This was revealed last week by Microsoft's Larry Hryb in a Yahoo chat session.

In response to a question regarding whether the new console will include these features Hryb stated "XBOX ONE supports both 3-D and 4K, including 4K for Blu-Ray."

In regards to 4K adoption it is not without its hurdles. Sony Electronics in February stated that 4K videos require downloads over 100GB in file size. Whoa! That's a huge file. Considering the XBOX ONE comes with 500 GB of internal storage, that would mean about 5 4K movies could be stored on the device at that size. Also, internet speeds are not yet fast enough to speedily get 100 GB quickly when downloading.

While Sony's Playstation 4 (PS4) will support 4K output for photos and videos, it will not support 4K games. Microsoft has confirmed that XBOX ONE games will support both native 4K and upscaling to 4K.

Look out for more info regarding XBOX ONE and its 3D support on MarketSaw. Read more about XBOX ONE on its official website.

CALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS Sets New 5 Day Entertainment Industry Record Grossing Over $650 Million Worldwide!!

While I disagree with the comparison to the entertainment industry as a whole and movies in particular, you cannot dispute the astronomical numbers that this stereoscopic 3D game is pole vaulting. Very impressive indeed!

Here is the official press release:

- Largest Entertainment Launch in History Establishes New Xbox® LIVE™ Record with 2.6 Million Unique Players in One Day

- Call of Duty: Black Ops Was Best-Selling Video Game Launch of All Time on Amazon.com and at GameStop

/PRNewswire/ -- Activision Publishing, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) announced that Treyarch's Call of Duty®: Black Ops has shattered theatrical box office, book and video game sales records for five-day worldwide sell through in dollars. The game established an all-new five-day worldwide sell-through record of more than $650 million, exceeding Activision's previous five-day worldwide record of $550 million set by last year's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare® 2, according to internal Activision estimates.

"Call of Duty has become the first entertainment property in history to set five-day launch records for two consecutive years across all forms of entertainment," said Robert Kotick, CEO, Activision Blizzard. "The title's success illustrates the mass appeal of interactive entertainment as millions of consumers are choosing to play Call of Duty: Black Ops at unprecedented levels rather than engage in other forms of media. The number of people playing online and the number of hours they are playing demonstrates how online gaming has become a mainstream form of entertainment and certainly validates Activision Blizzard's leadership role in online entertainment."

"There are many reasons for the success of Black Ops, but first and foremost is the fact that our team at Treyarch delivered a truly awesome game, and in the process have established themselves as one of the most talented developers in the world," said Eric Hirshberg, CEO, Activision Publishing. "There are millions of people all over the world engaging in this community. It's our job to keep them coming back for more."

In addition to beating all previous first-and five-day box office, book and video game sell-through records, Call of Duty: Black Ops set two new records on Xbox® LIVE™.

According to Microsoft:
- More than 5.9 million multiplayer hours were logged playing Call of Duty: Black Ops by end of launch day, November 9.
- More than 2.6 million unique gamers played Call of Duty: Black Ops in one day on November 9.

"With a record breaking performance on Xbox LIVE, home to the world's largest Call of Duty gaming community, Call of Duty: Black Ops has already carved out its legacy as one of the biggest video games in history," said Don Mattrick, president of the interactive entertainment business at Microsoft. "We congratulate our partners at Activision and Treyarch and are proud to continue offering the best Call of Duty experience to our 25 million global Xbox LIVE members by launching all Call of Duty map packs first on Xbox 360."

The game also was a tremendous success on the PlayStation® 3 and the best-selling video game launch of all time on Amazon.com and at GameStop.

"Call of Duty: Black Ops has been an incredible success on PlayStation 3," said Jack Tretton, President and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment of America (SCEA). "Treyarch's latest efforts are driving unprecedented traffic to the PlayStation Network with the flagship online experience this holiday season."

"Call of Duty: Black Ops had the highest number of pre-orders of any video game to date," said Paul Raines, CEO, GameStop. "It went on to become our biggest video game launch ever, which bodes well for game sales as we enter the holidays."

Activision is excited about the performance of Call of Duty: Black Ops, but given that it is still very early in the holiday shopping season, the company remains cautiously optimistic.
Call of Duty: Black Ops is rated "M" (Mature) by the ESRB for Blood, Drug Reference, Intense Violence and Language. For additional information visit www.callofduty.com/blackops and also via Twitter @JD_2020.

About Activision Publishing, Inc.
Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision Publishing, Inc. is a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and leisure products. Activision maintains operations in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Spain, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Australia, South Korea, China and the region of Taiwan. More information about Activision and its products can be found on the company's website, www.activision.com.

Source: Activision

Gears of War FEATURE FILM ?

Variety has announced that New Line Cinema has secured the film rights to Gears of War.

If you have not played Gears of War (GoW) on the Xbox 360, then you probably don't know what the excitement is all about. Lets just say that GoW was the most intense video game yet produced for the console market and the best game of 2006.

However, and a big however, is that they had better not screw it up like Doom. Karl Urban and The Rock did a half decent job with the movie, yet it bombed critically and with the box office. Effective marketing and buzz is essential for this genre of film. Get it done!

One big advantage that GoW will have over the other 'gamer movies' that have been made: One word... CHAINSAW. It will be a gore fest to be sure, but well within the realms of fantasy--not like the Hostel series which is hauntingly possible.

Stuart Beattie (Collateral, Pirates of the Caribbean series, Derailed) wrote the treatment that won over the competing camps. Wyck Godfrey and Marty Bowen will produce and GoW's lead game designer Cliff Bleszinski will be the executive producer for the film adaptation.

Stay tuned for casting news... (Yah I know the dude looks like Tommy Lee Jones... AIN'T gonna happen. These guys are walking mountains!)