trancekr in the wonderland

2008/03/17   John Carmack on id Tech 6, Ray Tracing, Consoles, Physics and more
2008/03/14   2월 NPD 집계 [3]
2008/03/10   Xbox 360 유럽 가격인하 보도자료
2008/03/10   유럽지역 Xbox 360 가격인하 [2]

존 카멕의 장문의 인터뷰 입니다. 인터뷰 내용은 아래 링크를 참고하시기 바랍니다.

http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=532

John Carmack on id Tech 6, Ray Tracing, Consoles, Physics and more

Author: Ryan Shrout
Date: Mar 12, 2008
Subject: Graphics Card
Manufacturer: General

Ray tracing for more than rendering

In recent months a lot of discussion has been circulating about the roles of ray tracing, accelerated physics and multiple-GPU configurations in the future of PC and console gaming. Here at PC Perspective we have heard from Intel on the subject many times and just recently sat down with NVIDIA's Chief Scientist David Kirk to discuss the ray tracing and rasterization debate.

Many of our readers, as well as comments across the web, asked for feedback from the developers. It makes sense - these are the people that are going to be spending their money and time developing games to sell on next-generation architecture so surely their opinions would be more grounded in reality than a hardware company trying to push their technological advantages. With that in mind, we spent some time talking with John Carmack, the legendary programmer at id Software famous for Wolfenstein, Doom, Quake and the various engines that power them. What started out as a simple Q&A about Intel's ray tracing plans turned into a discussion on the future of gaming hardware, both PC and console, possible software approaches to future rendering technology, multiple-GPU and multi-core CPU systems and even a possible insight into id Tech 6, the engine that will replace the id Tech 5 / Rage title.

The information that John discussed with us is very in-depth and you'll probably want to block off some time to fully digest the data. You might also want to refresh your knowledge of octrees and voxels. Also note that in some areas the language of this text might seem less refined than you might expect simply because we are using a transcription of a recorded conversation.

2월 NPD 집계..하드웨어 / 소프트웨어 판매량입니다.

1월에 이어서 PS3가 Xbox 360을 앞질렀습니다. MS는 이미 데미지 콘트롤을 해왔던 터라 놀라운 결과는 아닙니다만 이곳 저곳에서 이 숫자를 가지고 양기종 팬들간의 치열한 공방이 이어지겠네요.

한편 소프트웨어에서는 여전히 Xbox 360 세상입니다. 특히 Call of Duty 4는 거의 국민 게임이 아닌가 싶을 정도로 계속 1위를 고수하고 있습니다.

그리고 로스트 오디세이가 20만장을 넘겨 7위를 기록중...사카구치훃...일단 이름값은 한건가...

PlayStation 2 351.8K
PlayStation 3 280.8K
PlayStation Portable 243.1K
Xbox 360 254.6K
Nintendo DS 587.6K
Wii 432K

Top 10 SW
Top-Selling VG Software - February 2008
RELEASE TOTAL U.S. RANK
TITLE PUBLISHER DATE UNITS

360 CALL OF DUTY 4: MODERN WARFARE* ACTIVISION 7-Nov 296.2K 1
360 DEVIL MAY CRY 4* CAPCOM USA 8-Feb 295.2K 2
WII PLAY W/ REMOTE NINTENDO OF AMERICA 7-Feb 289.7K 3
PS3 DEVIL MAY CRY 4* CAPCOM USA 8-Feb 233.5K 4
WII GUITAR HERO III: LEGENDS OF ROCK* ACTIVISION 7-Oct 222.9K 5
NDS MARIO AND SONIC: OLYMPIC GAMES SEGA OF AMERICA 8-Jan 205.6K 6
360 LOST ODYSSEY MICROSOFT 8-Feb 203.6K 7
360 TUROK TOUCHSTONE 8-Jan 197.7K 8
PS2 GUITAR HERO III: LEGENDS OF ROCK* ACTIVISION 7-Oct 183.8K 9
360 ROCK BAND* MTV GAMES/ELECTRONIC ARTS 7-Nov 161.8K 10

"Even following a red-hot 2007, the video games industry shows no sign of letting up as year-to-date sales through February are up 12% over last year. Taking the extra week of sales included in the 2007 figures, on a comparable weeks basis, 2008 is up approximately 26% over last year (through February)."

"As one would expect moving into this portion of the console lifecycle, the focus is once again upon software sales. Software sales are up 47% for the month of February and 43% for the year on a comparable weeks sales basis. With several marquee titles still to come in the front half of the year, the industry is poised to achieve another year of record-breaking sales despite difficult economic conditons."

"While hardware inventory issues at retail may still be lingering post-holiday, the fact that all now-gen systems generated significant year-over-year hardware sales increases indicates the situation is coming into balance faster than it did last year."

"I was most surprised by the PS2 hardware sales numbers this month. While it certainly has earned its spot among the now-gen slate of console systems because of it staying power in the marketplace, the fact that it realized such significant growth this month is really a testament to its broad adoption and the response of consumers to promotional activity at retail."

전 SKU가 80유로씩 가격 인하가 되었습니다. 이번주 금요일 부터 적용이 됩니다.

과연 이것이 다른 지역에도 곧 적용이 되는 것인지 아니면 유럽지역 한정인지는 좀 더 두고 봐야겠습니다.

http://gamerscoreblog.com/team/archive/2008/03/10/emeaannouncedrop.aspx

Everyone's Invited to Experience Xbox 360 as Microsoft Lowers Estimated Retail Price in Europe

With Estimated Retail Price Starting At €199.99/£159.99, Even More European Consumers Can Enjoy The Definitive High-Definition Gaming and Entertainment Experience

LONDON - Monday 10th March, 2008- Microsoft today announced it is lowering the estimated retail price (ERP) for its Xbox 360™ family of consoles in Europe. Now with an entry-level ERP of €199.99/£159.99, Xbox 360 is a mass market entertainment proposition with something to offer for every interest and budget.

From Friday, 14th March, Xbox 360, which includes a 20GB hard drive and one wireless controller, will have an ERP of €269.99/£199.99 – a saving of €80/£50 on the current ERP. The Xbox 360 Elite, which comes with a massive 120GB hard drive enabling consumers to store huge quantities of content downloaded from Xbox LIVE™ Marketplace as well as their own music, will have an ERP of €369.99/£259.99 – a saving of €80/£40. The Xbox 360 Arcade console, perfect for those wishing to make their first foray into the gaming and entertainment world of Xbox, will have an ERP of €199.99/£159.99 – a saving of €80/£20.

Xbox 360 is the number one next-gen console in EMEA, owning 42% of the market in terms of life-to-date revenue. Xbox 360 continues to enjoy the highest software attach rate of any game console in Europe with more than 7.0 games sold per console (PS3: 3.8; Wii 3.5) after 26 months on the market .

The new ERPs are part of Microsoft’s ongoing strategy to open up the ultimate in high-definition gaming and entertainment to an even wider audience, with an offering for everyone:

* Best Choice for Families:
o Xbox 360 grows as your family does, offering games and entertainment for every member of the family – from movies to games to music videos.
o With over 150 3+ rated games and unparalleled parental controls, parents can feel good about their kids playing Xbox 360
* Most Diverse Entertainment:
o Xbox 360 offers great choice in high-definition entertainment
o Xbox Live Video Store offers a wide variety of movies to download, both in HD and SD, enabling great entertainment in the living room at the press of a button
o It’s easy to view and enjoy video and photos on Xbox 360 as well as connect wirelessly to share content with a Windows Media Center PC
* The Best Games:
o There will be over 1,000 games available on Xbox 360 by the end of the year, with something for every skill level, interest and taste.
o New community games allow gamers to sample the best of indie games, providing innovative new ways to play and enjoy
o Blockbuster franchises like Grand Theft Auto IV, with exclusive downloadable episodes on Xbox LIVE, and Rock Band make Xbox 360 the place to be this Spring
o Xbox 360 exclusives for 2008 include Fable 2, Gears of War 2 and Too Human, setting new standards for next-generation gaming

“Xbox 360 is now mass market in Europe,” said Chris Lewis, Vice President, Microsoft Interactive Entertainment Business Europe. “We have reached and surpassed several key milestones that form part of our long term strategic plan to achieve critical mass in Europe; and our portfolio now offers the kind of mainstream entertainment experiences that secure wider appeal for Xbox 360. These factors allow us to execute on our strategy to widen the market for Xbox 360, as planned.

“We continue to offer intense, immersive gaming experiences for gamers – but now we’re priced in a way that will allow new consumers to find out for themselves why Xbox 360 is the ultimate in high-definition entertainment.” said Lewis. “History shows that €199/£159 is the price point where a console’s audience begins to expand, and with these new ERPs in place we’re ready to bring more consumers into the Xbox 360 world.”

소문대로 유럽지역 가격인하가 있을 모양입니다.
아래 사진은 네델란드의 광고지라고 하는데 가격인하는 3월 13일 부터 적용된다고 합니다.

360 Arcade - from €279,95 to €199,95
360 Premium + 2 games - from €399 to €299,95
360 Elite - from 449€ to €399,95