10 favorite gadgets of 2009

If you're still looking for a gift, the Times' Technology staff has compiled a list of our 10 favorite gadgets of 2009. Check out the full list, with details.

Review: DJ Hero is a standout in overcrowded field of music video games

Like the Guitar Hero games it's based on, "DJ Hero" requires gamers to tap a colored button at just the right time. Credit: Activision

Grandmaster Flash. DJ Shadow. Z-Trip.

Most hip-hop heads revere these names as turntable legends. But it’s likely most video gamers have no clue who these guys are.

Activision, the publisher of the highly successful Guitar Hero franchise, is hoping to change that with its new title, DJ Hero.

The music and mixes of these notable turntablists are featured in the game along with more than 100 licensed songs, which make up more than 90 unique mixes.

Having a familiarity with actual DJing is not necessary to enjoy DJ Hero.

In fact, DJ Hero replicates the work of a real DJ about as much as Guitar Hero replicates what a real guitarist does -- which is to say not much at all.

But that’s not the point.

Simple, straightforward is what DJ Hero is about, and it succeeds in...

Tony Hawk is back in the game with Ride

 

Tony Hawk, the renown skateboarder who landed the notoriously difficult "900" maneuver a decade ago at the X-Games, next Tuesday comes out with Ride, the latest title in the blockbuster video-game franchise that bears his name.

This time, the 41-year-old is adding a new trick to his virtual routine — a skateboard controller that looks like the real thing -- but without the wheels. Loaded with high-tech sensors, the controller gets players off the couch and doing flips on the floor. Hawk gives a demo that you can watch by clicking on the video above, composed by Times videographer, Don Kelsen.

Will it be enough to revitalize the 10-year-old series?

Hawk’s past titles have sold about 43.5-million units worldwide, generating more than $1.5 billion dollars in sales for its publisher, Activision Blizzard, according to market research firms NPD Group and GfK Chart-Track. But sales and critical scores slipped for the last two iterations, Tony Hawk's Proving Ground and Tony Hawk's Project 8.

So, two years ago, both Hawk and Activision decided to take a different path. They switched from the franchise’s longtime developer, Neversoft Entertainment in Woodland Hills, to Robomodo in Chicago. And they added a sophisticated controller.

Hawk, whose home in Encinitas, Calif., has a custom-built 4,000-square-foot skate park, spoke with us today about his latest title and whether he thinks players will spring for the $120 game when it comes out on Tuesday.

Here’s an edited version of the interview.

Tell me about what you went through to create the skateboard for the game.

We have a graveyard of prototypes. The first version was a blank skateboard with the equivalent of a Wii remote. We tried roller balls that you could slide your foot on and digital compasses that can tell which direction your board is pointed in. We also tried adding a camera. We also had a board with buttons that you could step on, like with Dance Dance Revolution.

With one of our first prototypes, I tried to do a kick flip on it. It’s a maneuver where you jump in the air and make the board do a full rotation. The board snapped in half.

How does the skateboard controller compare with the Wii Fit Balance Board?

The Balance Board only measures weight distribution. Our controller captures every motion. Every time you...

Activision CEO forecasts flat industrywide game sales for holiday quarter

Activision CEO Robert Kotick. Credit: Lori Shepler / Los Angeles Times.

Video game sales this holiday aren't likely to top last year's, said Robert Kotick, chief executive of Activision Blizzard Inc., the world's largest video game software company.

"If the consumer materializes and spends money, we'll do well," Kotick said in an interview today. "If not, things will be a challenge. And today, you really have no way of knowing what will happen. Shopping season hasn't kicked off. Consumers saw significant discounts last year after Black Friday, and they're waiting for it to happen again this year."

Kotick's sober remarks came just before the company released its third-quarter earnings report. Although sales were down 1% to $703 million, Activision swung into a $15-million profit, up from a $108-million loss in the same quarter last year. It earned a penny a share in the quarter ended Sept. 30, compared with an 8-cent loss a year earlier. The numbers beat Wall Street expectations on a non-GAAP basis.

Activision -- anchored by a trio of blockbuster franchises including Guitar Hero, Call of Duty and World of Warcraft -- has been better prepared to weather the economic storm that has eroded software sales and dampened consumer's appetite for game consoles and other consumer electronics.

This quarter, the Santa Monica-based game publisher released DJ Hero last week, followed by Band Hero on Tuesday. Upcoming titles include Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2, due out next week, and Tony Hawk Ride on Nov. 17.

More after the company's earnings conference call with senior executives.

-- Alex Pham

Follow my random thoughts on games, gear and technology on Twitter @AlexPham.

Video game sales slip 6th month in a row

Madden NFL 10 tops chart of best-selling games. Credit: Electronic Arts.

Boom! Not even John Madden and his trademark expressions could avert the crash in video game sales in August, which fell 16% from a year ago.

The drop was the industry’s sixth consecutive monthly decline, according to a report released today from market research firm NPD Group Inc.

That means sales of games and game consoles must grow 14% in the last four months to the year in order for 2009 sales to be flat with 2008, said NPD analyst Anita Frazier.

Last month, even sales of Madden NFL 10, a popular football simulation game developed by Electronic Arts Inc., were down from a year ago, prompting EA Chief Executive John Riccitiello to say, “It is discouraging that one of our highest-rated and best-marketed Madden titles in years is facing strong headwinds.”

Here are last month’s top-selling titles:

1. Madden NFL 10 (Xbox 360)
2. Wii Sports Resort (Nintendo Wii)
3. Madden NFL 10 (PlayStation 3)
4. Batman: Arkham Asylum (Xbox 360)
5. Batman: Arkham Asylum (PS3)
6. Madden NFL 10 (PlayStation 2)
7. Dissidia: Final Fantasy (PlayStation Portable)
8. Wii Fit (Wii)
9. Mario Kart (Wii)
10. Fossil Fighters (Nintendo DS)

Source: NPD Group Inc.

-- Alex Pham

Follow my random thoughts on games, gear and technology on Twitter@AlexPham.

No, Blizzard's DRM doesn't require players to always be online

Chill out, folks. You will be able to fire up your laptops and play StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty on the plane.

Last week, when we wrote about the anti-piracy efforts Blizzard Entertainmentwould be taking next year with StarCraft II, fans fumed. (Many assumed, though Blizzard would not confirm, that the same anti-piracy mechanisms would also be used for Diablo III, which the Irvine game developer said would come out sometime after StarCraft II.)

The stipulation that players must verify their copies of the game over the Internet by phoning home to Blizzard wasn't sitting well.

The concept reminded users of the bad taste left by digital-rights management locks that plagued the early days of legitimate music downloads, with Apple's iTunes at the forefront.

To clarify, you will indeed need an Internet connection when you first install the game. You'll also need a connection to play with other people. (To the chagrin of many players, Blizzard won't include LAN support-- the ability to play with others on the same computer network, such as at a dorm -- without going online.)

But you can freely disconnect and play single-player or challenge modes, wrote Blizzard spokesman Shon Damron in an e-mail. Obviously, you won't get ...

Rock Band abandoning hardware, Guitar Hero focusing on new audiences

A screenshot from The Beatles: Rock Band. Credit: MTV Games.

The music video game genre has been in a profound slump this year, with sales down 46% so far, according to the NPD Group.

Part of that is due to the recession, of course, but part of it may be waning consumer interest in Guitar Hero and Rock Band. The games' publishers, Activision Blizzard and MTV Networks (owned by Viacom) have seen the impact on their bottom lines and are taking big steps to shake up their businesses as a result.

As a story in today's Times explains, the biggest change comes in the form of The Beatles: Rock Band, a risky bet worth tens of millions of dollars in royalties alone.

But as MTV launches the game with its distribution partner, it's also implementing a new strategy: Flee the hardware business. Sure, there's a limited-edition, $250 hardware package, but quantities are limited. And there's a $160 "value bundle" featuring original Rock Band hardware that MTV is eager to get rid of.

If you're new to music video games and want controllers for The Beatles: Rock Band, MTV has a preferred solution: Buy Guitar Hero.

“The opportunities around hardware are really limited,” said Scott Guthrie, general manager of MTV Games. “We are getting into a focus on software and [downloadable song] revenue streams.”

MTV Games senior vice president of electronic games and music Paul DeGooyer puts it even more abruptly: “Let others take on the burden of getting those super-tight margin instruments out there."

The "others," of course, is really one company, Activision Blizzard. And its CEO Bobby Kotick admits it's time for a change as well.

BlizzCon overflows with excitement after attendees play StarCraft II and Diablo III

Hundreds of fans play an early version of Diablo III while many more fans wait in line. Credit: Mark Milian / Los Angeles Times

When Activision Blizzard announced it was pushing back the release of its hugely-anticipated computer game StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty to 2010 from this year, fans began to worry that maybe the game's development wasn't as far along as they had expected.

Blizzard Entertainment, the game's Irvine-based developer, put those concerns to rest with a fully playable multiplayer version of the game that was presented to media and fans at its annual BlizzCon event at the Anaheim Convention Center.

The initial buzz among the conference's 26,000 attendees revolved around World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, the expansion to the massively multiplayer online PC game. But once gamers got their hands on the sequel to the most popular real-time strategy game for the PC, BlizzCon shifted its focus to StarCraft II.

The game feels complete. We didn't run into any bugs or oddities during several game sessions. Each faction appeared delicately balanced with teams able to achieve victories using a wide variety of tactics and mercenaries. The first batch of feedback from fans was overwhelmingly positive, developers at the show said.

In reality, the sequel isn't all that different from the original StarCraft, which first stormed store shelves in 1998. That's kind of the point, Blizzard Chief Operating Officer Paul Sams said. "The original formula is important," he said Saturday in Anaheim. "StarCraft is all about speed. It's all about big armies and the competition."

The competitive aspect is a big reason for the delay. Blizzard is prepping a new version of its online gaming platform ...

Activision and Double Fine settle lawsuit over Brutal Legend game [Updated]

Activision and Double Fine have buried the hatchet over Brutal Legend. Credit: Double Fine

Activision Blizzard this afternoon confirmed it had settled with Bay Area game developer Double Fine over the release of a highly anticipated heavy-metal music title, Brutal Legend, featuring actor Jack Black.

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FOR THE RECORD:
Video game settlement: An earlier version of this blog post and an Aug. 7 article in the Business section about Activision Blizzard Inc. reaching a Superior Court settlement with Double Fine Productions Inc. over Electronic Arts Inc.’s planned release of Double Fine’s video game Brutal Legend said that Activision probably received little or no compensation and may have settled to avoid losing in open court. The Times had no knowledge of the settlement terms and should not have speculated on the amount paid or the motivation for settling.

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"We have settled the lawsuit," said Activision spokeswoman Maryanne Lataif. "However, the terms are confidential."

The two companies have been embroiled in litigation since June, when Activision filed a lawsuit to prevent Double Fine from releasing the game in October. The title had originally been part of the games portfolio of Vivendi Games, which last year merged with Activision.

Believing that as part of the deal Activision had declined to publish Brutal Legend, Double Fine partnered with Electronic Arts to complete and publish the game. Activision's lawsuit threw a monkey wrench in those plans with the contention that Activision still had the publishing rights to the game. An EA spokesman likened the situation to "a husband abandoning his family and then suing after his wife meets a better-looking guy."

But tensions seemed to subside when a court hearing, set for this morning in Santa Monica, was canceled. Now it appears the Brutal Legend show will go on as scheduled.

[Updated at 6:30 p.m.: A person familiar with the settlement, who requested not to be identified because the details are being kept confidential, confirmed that Brutal Legend would be released in October, as Electronic Arts had previously planned. The settlement ends all litigation involving Double Fine, EA and Activision over the game.]

-- Alex Pham and Ben Fritz

Follow my random thoughts on games, gear and technology on Twitter @AlexPham.

StarCraft II pushed out to 2010 [Updated]

Artwork from StarCraft II, a sequel to the 1998 real-time strategy game. Credit: Blizzard Entertainment.

StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty, the highly anticipated game from Blizzard Entertainment, is now expected to launch in the first half of 2010. The game had previously been expected to roll out this year.

The delayed launch will "coincide with the relaunch of [Blizzard's] upgraded Battle.net online gaming service," according to a press release from parent company, Activision Blizzard. The original game, released in 1998, has garnered a fiercely loyal following, having sold more than 11 million copies.

The reason for the delay, it seems, is the Battle.net revamp, according to a statement from Blizzard:

Over the past couple of weeks, it has become clear that it will take longer than expected to prepare the new Battle.net for the launch of the game. The upgraded Battle.net is an integral part of the StarCraft II experience and will be an essential part of all of our games moving forward. This extra development time will be critical to help us realize our vision for the service.

The Santa Monica game publisher also said it will push out the release of another game, Singularity. Without those two titles, Activision said its revenue for the year would decline to $4.05 billion, down from a previous estimate of $4.3 billion.

For the second quarter, Activision posted revenue of $1.038 billion, roughly even with $1 billion from a year earlier. Net income rose to $195 million, or 15 cents a share, up from $28 million, or 5 cents a share, last year.

-- Alex Pham

This post has been updated to include a statement from Blizzard Entertainment and more details from Activision's second quarter financial results.

Follow my random thoughts on games, gear and technology on Twitter @AlexPham.