General Gaming Article

General Gaming Article

Leaked Lenovo Roadmap Reveals Upcoming Ultrabook Plans For 2012

Posted: 13 Nov 2011 05:32 PM PST

Thinkpad X1Ultrabook's announcements have been have been fast and furious going into the holiday season, but Lenovo fans who may have balked at the X1's inferior battery life might have something worth waiting for. According to a leaked company roadmap supplied to channel partners, Lenovo plans to offer an Ivy Bridge Thinkpad in either May or June of next year, and these puppies will be aimed directly at high end business users, as opposed to the IdeaPad's which are targeted at consumers.

The roadmap doesn't give us much in terms of concrete specs, but it does claim they will offer a $1,300 13-inch model to replace the X1, along with a mainstream laptop priced closer to $800. They also mention that non Ultrabook ThinkPads will be upgraded to Chief River in March or April of next year, suggesting Ivy Bridge is just around the corner.

As a side note the presentation also references Windows 8, which they claim is expected to be ready by the fall of 2012. 

Nintendo 3DS On-Track to Beat DS First-Year Sales

Posted: 13 Nov 2011 01:24 PM PST

3DSWhen the Nintendo announced that 3DS sales weren't living up to expectations, 3D skeptics were quick pile on. The company responded by sharply cutting the price, and while I have to admit even we were skeptical, it seems to be exactly what they needed to change their fortunes. According to the NPD group, the system has sold an impressive 1.65 million units in the USA year to date, putting the handheld on track to outsell its predecessor the Nintendo DS during the same period. 

With Nintendo on shaky financial footing, this holiday season could be make or break for the gaming giant's hardware endeavors. In its first year on the market the DS sold over 2.37 million units, but over half of these were during the holiday season. If the trend continues, the 3DS could sell upwards of 2.8 million, which is a pretty healthy installed base to bring 3rd party developers back on board. 

First party titles will no doubt give the system a boost, but we have to wonder if kids are really looking for a 3DS under the tree this year. Parents looking to load up a gaming device with shovel ware have no doubt taken a liking to Apple's $0.99 pricing structure, and the original DS never had to compete with the iPod Touch.

Logitech Loses $100 Million on Google TV

Posted: 13 Nov 2011 12:40 PM PST

Burning MoneyA few days ago we reported that Logitech was suffering from a bit of early adopter's remorse with regards to its hard six bet on Google TV, and now we know why. According to an interview conducted with Logitech's new CEO Guerrino De Luca, Logitech lost somewhere in the neighborhood of $100 million trying to peddle the Revue. "To make the long story short, we thought we had invented sliced bread, and we just made them," De Luca told analysts. "We just built a lot because we expected everybody to line up for Christmas and buy these boxes for $300, and that was a big mistake."  

De Luca left the door open a crack for possible future partnerships with Google, but will likely proceed with caution considering that he was put in charge to replace ex-CEO Gerald Quindlen who took the fall for such a huge write down. 

All this talk about Logitech and Google TV makes us wonder how D-Link has been making out with the Boxee Box. We haven't heard a peep out of either party since the hardware came out more than a year ago, but I suppose only time will tell. 

Apple Offering Up Free Replacements for all First Generation iPod Nano Owners

Posted: 13 Nov 2011 11:40 AM PST

iPod NanoIf you picked up a first generation iPod Nano back before it went mainstream, it's time to turn your drawers upside down and find yourself a shipping box before it explodes. Almost 6 years after it was introduced, Apple is finally expanding its battery recall program beyond Korea, and is offering everyone a free trade up to the new design. Why wait so long you ask? According to an Apple spokesperson, the likelihood of a problem increases as the battery ages.  

The issue which was first discovered back in 2009 has to do with overheating battery packs, and in some rare cases, can even lead to a fire. The first generation Nano's were sold between September 2005 and December 2006, and as long as your player is still in one piece, is eligible for a replacement. Owners should head on over to Apple's replacement page to get the process started, but be warned if this is still your primary music player. We are told the replacement can take up to 6 weeks to process, so hopefully you've got something else to fall back on. 
Posted by Shri Krishna

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