Video games have come far since the days of 8-bit Mario. Reports from DFC Intelligence - a consulting firm for the video game market - show that there are now 11 countries that have an annual video game revenue in excess of US 1 billion. By 2009, the industry is expected to reach US 57 billion.

The reports continue to say that among the three consoles that make up this generation, the Wii is expected to rank in first when all is said and done. DFC analyst Jeremy Miller states that:

The Wii not only has very special features and a broad demographic appeal, but Nintendo is dominant as a software publisher. For many third celebration publishers this means they will have much greater success on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, even if Wii sales continue to be strong.

So is the Wii a fad, as many others have claimed before? Not according to sales. In fact, analyst David Cole states that: “The Wii does not appear to be a fad and it has the chance to be one of the best selling systems of all-time.”

On Sony’s camp, analysts from DFC believe that the PlayStation 3 will equal the Wii in annual software sales by 2012, which would be more than halfway into its 10-year. They make no mention of how it would do with hardware sales though.

They note that the Xbox 360 is still the leading platform in “some of the top markets, most notably in the US and UK.” In this report, they make no mention of the 360’s future, but David Cole did comment last month that the 360 will come in third place in this generation.

So which is the most profitable platform for games in 2007? Amazingly enough, it’s the PC. According to a report, PC on the web game revenue alone passed US 7 billion that year, not including retail sales. That amount is expected to reach US 19 billion by 2013. I’m guessing these revenues come from MMOs, but DFC wasn’t clear on that account.

source pc.qj.net

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cool gadgets plz wacth

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Players of Valve Corporation’s Team Fortress 2 have already received a few updates recently, and here’s yet another one that’ll further fix some issues in game balancing as well as some bugs. This includes some tweaks to the Spy, among others.

If you’re somehow wondering about what’s included in this patch, just check out this complete lowdown of Team Fortress 2’s latest update:

• Fixed backburner’s flame critical hits not being recalculated after collision. This meant that it would check if the target was looking away once and after that the flame could score a critical hit again even if the orientation changed
• Added back some damage falloff to the Pyro’s flamethrower. Not nearly as extreme as it was before the Pyro class pack
• Fixed bug that caused Demomen to take a small amount of extra damage from their own grenades and fly farther using them
• Fixed spy getting stuck in players after removing his disguise
• Fixed spy stabbing and being able to go invisible instantly
• Fixed spy disguised as enemy medic being able to spam voice commands
• Fixed buffed health not decaying properly after being healed by a dispenser
• Selectable menus can now be operated with number keys even if they are not bound to slot1, slot2, etc.
• Removed the remaining speed adjustments for carrying intelligence (a couple of game modes still reduced your maxspeed)
• Fixed a buildable item placement bug where the object would not rotate after the user tried to place in an invalid location

The patch is already live, and if you haven’t updated yet, then do so; all it takes is a restart of the Steam client. More updates as they come along.

source pc.qj.net

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We’ve got a new patch notice for you this day, and this time, it’s for The Sims 2 FreeTime. This new patch repairs some bugs that are in the expansion, as well as addressing some system issues within the game.

For the full patch notes, as well as the download, feel free to check below. Do note that not all fixes will take effect on existing The Sims 2 FreeTime saved games:

• Sims will now remember which side of the bed is theirs to sleep on.
• Crash will no longer occur when users attempt to load another lot while associating a neighborhood using the Advanced Neighborhood Options panel.
• “Neon Flamingo” is no longer missing from Buy Mode.
• In Audio Options, Custom Station icon no longer blocks the Stop button.
• University Service NPCs are now able to join a dance contest in a Secret Hobby lot if they are not on the job.
• Sims will no longer pop back onto the screen when Sims walk to a Secret Hobby Lot.
• “Electrono-Ticket Machine” will now correctly turn off when you move a Home lot into the Lots and Houses Bin.
• Saved lots with an in progress dance contest will now reset correctly when placed into the Lots and Houses Bin.
• Sims can now watch UFOs with the “Astrowonder Telescope”.
• Sims can no longer mark items for sale on top of the “Upright Pottery Wheel by QuicKraft”.
• Iconic Hobbyist NPCs can now be reached by telephone after meeting them.
• “Socialus Butterfly” can now be caught for the Bug Collection.
• Sims will no longer teleport when you cancel the walk home interaction in a community lot.
• Primp interaction is no longer missing from the game.
• First woohoo memory will now occur when Sims woohoo for the first time in a tent.
• The reduced bladder effect from the “ShowMeOff Rack of Glory” will now trigger correctly when Sims are in range.
• Sims reading a book from the cooking genre will now correctly gain Cuisine Enthusiasm.
• Preoccupation will now work correctly at level 10.
• Pets will no longer chew or scratch cribs if they are in use.
• Garden Club members are now treated as townies.
• “Carefree Koi Pond by Simulated Life” no longer displays an environment score.
• Teen and Child Sims will no longer receive the unachievable Bird Watch Want.
• College Grades in German, French, Polish, and Brazilian Portuguese is now displayed correctly.
• The Sims 2 FreeTime credit section has been correctly updated.
• Violin Tip Jar will no longer cause an unusable tile after being picked up.
• Child Sims will no longer pop when asked to “Clean Up” the juice tray.
• Vampire Sim can no longer receive a Want to turn Bigfoot into a Vampire.
• Using the Draft Scene interaction will no longer apply a sketch filter to in-game camera snapshots.
• Motive decay on the “H-O-R-S-E of course Basket Ball Hoop”, “The Goal of Paul”, “Teeny Tikes Activity Table”, and “One Man’s Junk Vehicle from Mechanically Minded” objects and Go Hiking interaction has been retuned.
• “Basic Blue” and “Gripping Green” wallpapers will now appear in Build Mode.
• Sims will no longer receive a phone call for magazine subscription at level 2 Hobby Enthusiasm.
• Sims will no longer gain fishing skill points while digging for treasure.
• Sims in Custom Neighborhoods can now access secret hobby lots when sub-neighborhoods are unassociated.
• Custom Radio Stations can now be deleted correctly.
• Matchmaking Service will now function correctly when the “Dusty Old Lamp” is on the lot.
• Pregnant Sims can now browse or blog about hobbies on the computer.
• Items created from the “Upright Pottery Wheel by QuicKraft” now appreciate and depreciate correctly.
• Sims can no longer sell home lots from personal on a secret hobby lot.
• Vacation guest who is asked to Join a Sim in a tent will now properly leave the tent after an appropriate amount of time.
• Drinking Eggplant Juice no longer produces a false memory of maximizing a skill.
• Having a honeymoon and a wedding party with a child, toddler, or baby Sim in the family will no longer cause a second wedding celebration to occur.
• Servo will no longer break in vacation neighborhoods.
• Children will no longer pop when drinking Hot Chocolate.
• Female children will now be able to change into gym wear while playing with “The Goal of Paul”.
• “First Place Food Contest Ribbon” can no longer be duplicated by shift clicking.
• Watch Motion picture Interaction will no longer produce two of the same pie menu option.
• Option to “Offer Free Makeover to” “Zip Zap Zop! Classic Model Car” and “Falconeer Chopper” have been removed.
• FX cloud now appears correctly when destroying Sandcastles.
• “Ask to Join” interaction no longer appears on Iconic Hobbyists Sims when they route to user Sims while resting on a bed.
• Servo will now recharge correctly after “Tinkering” with any shower.
• Sims performing the “Join Freestyle” interaction should no longer pop.
• Text Notification no longer spam when raising Music & Dance enthusiasm by performing “Join Freestyle” interaction.
• “Hunka 711 by Hwang Motors” car design now appears correctly.
• Interaction tooltip now appears correctly when Sims use the “Teeny Tikes Activity Table”.
• NPCs will now correctly use “The GrroveLayer 90000 Professional DJ Booth by HotBeets” and “The GrroveLayer 10k Professional DJ Booth by HotBeets”.
• Memory for achieving Lifetime Want “Woohoo with 20 Different Sims” now appears correctly on the appropriate Sim.
• Romance Sims no longer lose earned platinum tombstones when moved to a community lot.
• Neat Sims will no longer be furious when told to clean up a waterballon puddle the Neat Sim created.
• Sims will no longer autonomously attempt to interact with a personal that is already in use.
• Fish, harvested fruits, and vegetables will now go to the owner’s inventory on an owned business lot.
• Foods will no longer disappear when ordering from the hotel room service.
• Graduation Celebration memory will now appear correctly when Sims have a graduation celebration.
• Sims will no longer pop while fishing.
• Medicine created from the “Simsanto Inc. Biotech Station” will now be able to cure sick Sims.
• Neat Sims will no longer have the “Lick Clean” interaction.
• “Walk to” lot interaction no longer causes Sim s motives to change abnormally.
• “Tinker” interaction is now available on the “Garbage Ninja by Kitchensations”, “Big and Brown Dishwasher by Romantic Notions”, “You Got Feets Bathtub”, and “SuperJet Corner Shower by Sleek Sensations”.
• “Stock” and “Get Leftovers” interactions are now available on “The Coldinator by Kitchensations” and “Solid Sense Fridge by Romantic Notions”.
• “Compose Contents” is now available to “Garbage Ninja by Kitchensations”.
• “Red Brick Road Walkway”, “Neutral Sand Linoleum”, “Latipsoh Green Linoleum”, “Square Squares Stone Floor in Massive Squares”, “Square Squares Stone Floor in Small Squares”, “Pristine White Marble”, “Blank Slate Flagstone Flooring”, “Sid’s Cement Flooring”, “Light Wine Stone Walkway”, “Mixed Slate Stone Flooring”, “Irregular Views Grap Stone Flooring”, and “Octogreat Teracotta Tile” floor tiles will now appear correctly in game.
• Users can now place objects in front of the “Shiny Sewn Curtains”.
• NPC Maid will now correctly route to available trash compactors.
• NPC Maid will now correctly clean the entire lot.
• Sims can now call known sales NPC they meet on a community lot.
• Sims can now serve Smart Milk to toddlers who are sitting in the “High Society High Chair”.
• Teens no longer have the option to “Birdwatch”.
• Servo will now exit correctly after swimming in the ocean.
• Body temperature no longer increases while Sims go jogging without Seasons installed.
• Sims will now autonomously use the “Good Times Changing Table”.
• Lot information will now correctly display after deleting a family from the Sim bin.
• Life Time Want “Reached Golden Anniversary” is now achievable.
• Sims will now correctly perform the Hula dance when asked to.

System/Config issues:

• ATI 2000 and 3000HD series graphic cards will now display correct photos when Sims use the personal or TV.
• Updated SecuRom version to resolve an issue where some players started their game through the launcher or clicked on the game executable, but never saw the game splash screen on monitor and fixed emulation problems players were experiencing.
• Added a new command line option blackfont to make in-game fonts appear in black.
• Updated game code in order for The Sims 2 FreeTime to be compatible with The Sims 2 Store Edition. For users who have The Sims 2 FreeTime Expansion Pack installed, this patch must be installed in order to run The Sims 2 Store Edition with The Sims 2 FreeTime Expansion Pack. This patch runs automatically if FreeTime is already on your computer and you install The Sims 2 Store Edition on top of it.

Download: The Sims 2 FreeTime patch v1.13.0.16

Buy: [The Sims 2]

source pc.qj.net

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