Lenovo-powered game console slated for December release

Gamers in China have it tough when it comes to devices like the PS3 or Xbox 360, with foreign game consoles not allowed to be sold there. The consoles, however, are widely available in the country's parallel import market. Chinese computer company Lenovo and Beijing eedoo Technology are hoping to break into this market, and have collaborated to create the iSec game console. The two companies will be releasing the system on a trial run this December and will sell for 3,000 yuan ($470). A full-scale launch is planned for "early 2012".

The console features motion-sensing technology not unlike Microsoft's Kinect device, as well as home entertainment device options like karaoke mode. According to a spokesperson from Lenovo (via CNbeta and Penn-Olsen), the console will come in red, white, and black. The companies have 130 people in the iSec development team. The software line-up for the system has yet to be determined.

eedoo CEO Jack Luo said that the company will focus on the Chinese market first, with plans to release it outside of the country if it manages to sell 1 million units. The system has yet to gain approval from the China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. Back in 2009, the system went under the moniker "eBox" before Lenovo renamed it.

source: http://asia.gamespot.com/news/6341853.html?part=rss&tag=gs_news&subj=6341853

Playstation Vita will be released on February 22!

Playstation Vita will be released on February 22, 2012. PlayStation chief Jack Tretton confirmed this evening at the Web 2.0 summit that Sony's upcoming powerhouse handheld gaming device will go on sale in the U.S, Canada, Latin America, and Europe on February 22, 2012.

Until this evening, the PS Vita's release date has been a mystery. However, the release timeframe of the Vita misses the critical holiday season and confirms a previous report that the device wouldn't arrive until early 2012.

Nonetheless, the Playstation Vita will be inexpensive at $250 for the Wi-Fi version, and $300 for the Wi-Fi+3G (AT&T) variant. For the price, the powerful handheld could do well especially as it is housed in a familiar form factor and has buzzword specifications like a 5-inch OLED touch screen, quad-core processors, dual analog sticks, dual cameras and a rear touch panel.

Can a device like the Playstation Vita be relevant in the rapidly evolving smartphone and tablet age we live in? Perhaps, if the software is truly compelling and unique enough to defeat what is out there now. The Vita will lose the hardware race by the middle of next year, save the unique inputs (e.g. the gaming buttons, touch panel, etc). Don't even get me started on the lackluster battery life. Sony is also up against Nintendo, which is a company that has dominated portable gaming handheld sales for many years with its seemingly never-ending Nintendo DS variants.

source : http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-20122320-1/playstation-vita-to-be-released-february-2012/

Mass Effect 3 Demo Release on January 2012

After suffering a delay last year, BioWare's Mass Effect 3 received an official release date during EA's press briefing at this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo in June, where the publisher announced that the role-playing sequel would arrive on PCs, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 on March 6, 2012.

Now, BioWare has announced a pre-release demo for the game in January 2012 via a post on the Bioware Social Network forums.

According to the announcement, the demo will include both single-player and multiplayer sections, and will be released in all regions where the game is being released.

BioWare also announced that players who purchased a copy of EA's upcoming Battlefield 3 on any platform, and who activate the Online Pass for the game, will automatically be granted early access to the multiplayer part of the Mass Effect 3 demo. A tool posted on www.masseffect.com will allow players to check if their EA account has been granted early access.

The exact date of the launch of the Mass Effect 3 demo will be announced in late November this year. The length of the early-access period is still to be determined. The single-player section of the demo will be available to all players on the first day of the demo's launch.

However, BioWare also hinted that there will be another way in which players will be able to unlock early access to the demo, but that this will not be revealed until late November/early December.

source