It’s 100% official. This month’s Game Informer has a cover story that proudly displays that Battlefield 3 has been in development and it’s coming to a console and PC near you this upcoming Fall 2011.

Why can’t we wait for this game you ask? We’ve come a long way since Battlefield 1942 for the PC going all the way back to 2004. We’ve seen it taken to different theaters of battle, different wars, and even making a (not as popular) trip into the future. We’ve seen the game play change as well, adding ways to command teams, fleshing out classes, and the introduction of squads with squad respawn that has truly changed the way we play the game. Take Battlefield 2, add what DICE has learned from the amazing Bad Company 2, and it’s hard not to get excited for Battlefield 3.

Head past the break for some details…

We are sure that DICE and EA Games are putting all of their eggs into this basket. Both Battlefield: Bad Company 2: Onslaught, and Battlefield 1943 (both for the PC) were scrapped to ensure that all of their resources and manpower were going towards Battlefield 3. They are using a new engine, no longer Frostbite 2.0, so any mod tools that were used on Battlefield 2 will no longer apply here. Executive producer Patrick Bach has said that, “Right now our focus is to create the best possible multiplayer, single-player, and co-op game — the core game of Battlefield 3. We’re still discussing how we handle modifications of any kind.” That can be understood, as pressure is mounting to create an almost flawless multiplayer in this day and age. Destructible environments, popular from Bad Company 2, will of course be back and better than ever in this new engine, as well as the simple structure of being able to play four different classes. Squad play will return as well, however one wonders if they’ll implement it with the commander based game play of Battlefield 2.

One thing that Bach mentioned that will get PC gamers blood pumping is, “We won’t make it for console and port it to PC — that’s not how we do things. We’re focusing on PC first, and then we fiddle with it to fit it onto consoles.” Anyone that has played as much Battlefield as I have will agree that that’s a very…very…good thing.

Source [Game Informer]

“Mini social-networking” (yeah, I just coined that term, deal with it) start-up Path has just completed its second round of raising funds. Path pulled in an impressive $8.65 million this time around. Adding to the angel investment of $2.5 million dollars that it received earlier in 2010, Path has almost raised $11.5 million dollars.

For those that haven’t heard of this start-up, it’s a social networking tool, mostly used through its app, that is meant for your “smaller social circle.” This would include your close friends and family. In fact, you are only allotted 50 friend slots, before you are denied the ability to add anyone else. The idea is interesting to say the least. I personally am not too fond of it however, as I just haven’t quite seen the worth in it.

Path has announced that they have had several hundred thousands of users share around 2 million “moments.” As expected, Path will begin to open up a bit at least. It was just announced that they will allow users to “email” these moments to others that are not in their exclusive, almost elitist, circle of contacts. I find it hard to believe that they will stay at the allotted 50 friend limit, and they have hinted that raising the limit is not something that is out of the question.

I’m still trying to wrap my head around this idea of a small social network. I might play around with the app in the near future and see if ANYONE out there is interested to share their most intimate moments and status updates with me that they wouldn’t share with anyone else on this thing we call the internet. However, I can’t seem to figure out why I need another social networking tool to the plenty that we already use on a daily basis.

Is personal interaction overrated at this point? Am I being given an excuse to not even call my close friends and relatives anymore? That’s why I think this just won’t work. Although it seems plenty of investors think so.

Source [TechCrunch]

In September we were told by Sony that “some” Playstation Plus subscribers would be invited to be a part of the Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood Multiplayer BETA. Today, Sony let us know that after some wheeling and dealing with Ubisoft, ALL Playstation Plus subscribers would be able to be a part of the BETA.

I’m not a Playstation Plus subscriber. I still have yet to find a reason to fork over 50 smackeroos annually for the Plus service. This does make things a lot more appealing, however I’m not rushing over to my Playstation to sign up….yet.

For those of you who want to see how the game works, but don’t have a Playstation or don’t have a Plus subscription, head on over to Justin.tv. I managed to catch a few people streaming the BETA. By the looks of it, this game will be one for the books. We’ve never quite seen a multiplayer in this way. That’s all I’m going to say here, as I’m sure the embargo has yet to be lifted by Ubisoft. It’s best to just have a look for yourself.

Source [Playstation Blog]

We have known for quite some time that Google’s next endeavor, after their still highly successful foray into the mobile phone market, was going to involve gracing our homes with a GoogleTV. Today was the first day that we got a true glimpse of what we’re in for. One thing we can tell, this ain’t your mom and pop’s television set.

First and most importantly, will this “Google Television” work with my TV? Do I need to buy more junk for my living room? You have two options. Once GoogleTV goes live, we are going to see an influx of “smart TV’s” that are able to support Google’s new content delivery service. One such TV that we know of will be the Sony Internet TV. GoogleTV will come preinstalled on the device. It will be completely plug and play as long as you have an internet connection. The second option, which will certainly be the more popular choice at first (I’m sure of it), will be the standalone box, such as the Logitech Revue. We’re still a bit unsure of the release dates and prices of all these devices, however the time is VERY close. Logitech is holding an event to show off its line of GoogleTV products this Friday, October 8^th, 2010. Sony is holding its event later this month. Many more vendor events will follow.

All right, cut the hoopla. What on Earth could this thing possibly do?

• SEARCH – NO WAY! GoogleTV is going to have a search function? With the GoogleTV search box you’ll be able to search the web, look for videos on the web, look for online content (TV shows/Movies/Music) that can be purchased at the click of a button, search your TV Guide, and search your DVR (DISH NETWORK ONLY), as well as any apps that you have installed on your GoogleTV.
• The Internet – Internet on TVs is nothing new. This goes back to the days of MSN TV (formerly WebTV). However, this is no watered down mobile browser. This is the internet in all its glory (Flash included Mr. Jobs).
• Apps – Can we as human beings even create anything without apps anymore? We’re one android app away from having apps on our coffee makers. GoogleTV will come pre-installed with some crowd favorites such as Netflix, Twitter, Pandora, Amazon Video on Demand to make sure you can buy all the shows/movies you want, and many more. The initial apps will most likely focus on content delivery, as this is the point of the whole thing. Google promises to support android apps early next year. So, Android app developers, grab your Mountain Dew and get ready to code your heart out.
• Remote Control – Your android phone (as well as your iPhone, believe it or not) will be able to act as a remote for your television. Even though a touch screen remote is great and all, I’m already having a nightmare about plugging my phone in constantly, because it was completely drained while I was watching TV. That will lead to you using your phone as a remote….while it’s plugged in. Kind of defeats the purpose of a remote control, doesn’t it?
• YouTube – A Google product, especially a TV, without YouTube integration sounds like a terrible idea. No worries here. YouTube will be fully integrated at launch. You can watch as much “Double Rainbow” as you want.
• DVR – If you are a Dish Network subscriber, you’ll be able to search your DVR and set recordings right from your GoogleTV interface.
• Gallery – Put all of your photos on your TV and create albums. Nothing ground-breaking, but these days it would have been absolutely absurd not to include this feature.
• Music – With apps like Pandora, Napster, and being able to create your own playlists using your music, it’s time for you to get a good use out of that surround sound. Turn it up…
• TV – Last, but not least, yes you can watch TV. Enjoy “picture in picture” features so that you can watch your cable/satellite TV while using GoogleTV. This leads us to the final and most important point that has to be made….

Do we need our cable subscription anymore? Do I need to overpay for a lot of television that I don’t even want? With access to things like Netflix on demand, and Amazon on demand, I can watch almost anything that I would otherwise. We’ve already seen previews for apps by major networks, such as TNT and HBO. Imagine an app made by “xyz” television station where you can buy episodes of your favorite shows a la carte. At an estimated 99 cents an episode, that monster cable bill is starting to look like your worst investment. This starts to get tricky, as the cable and satellite companies will try their hardest to keep your business. This might also mean that they will either begin to cap your internet access, or just plain increase internet prices to make up for lost revenue, especially when you start hogging their internet tubes with your GoogleTV. Only time can tell. But for now, this is a step in the right direction that comes straight out of the future. With endless possibilities with apps, not even George Jetson could predict what’s going to happen.

Head on over to www.google.com/tv to check it out for yourself.

Source [Google]

Since the waiting list gods thought me cool enough to become one of the “Founding Fathers” of OnLive, the first serious attempt at bringing mainstream games into the cloud, I’ve had a decent chance to get a feel for the service.  With some fairly hefty requirements, (Wired connection?  Dual-core processor?) it doesn’t look like I’ll be playing Assassin’s Creed II on my netbook anytime soon, but what they have to offer so far is promising.

The $4.95 per month premium is a small price to pay for the convenience, considering the money saved on having to buy a console or beefy gaming computer. The ability to rent games for a few days at about 5 bucks a pop is nice too.  It’s also nice to see that 30 minute demos are available without having to download anything, but save data isn’t kept so that means any banal tutorials you have to go through at the beginning will have to be re-played after purchase.

All in all, I felt like I was playing the full game, as if it were running off of my computer, and the library of games is impressive, with big-hitters such as Batman: Arkham Asylum and the aforementioned Assassin’s Creed II standing next to indie favorite World of Goo.  It’s worth keeping an eye OnLive (see what I did there?) for the next couple months, but I see a nice alternative to Steam for the casual/enthusiast gamer on a budget.

Now that everyone’s had their chance to mock the videogame industry for E3, let’s all take a step back and look at what’s going on right now.  We’re on the verge of a serious comprehensive change, and it’s painfully obvious that the industry has no idea what it’s going to be.  With Microsoft and Sony playing catch-up, and Nintendo having a hard time counting the amount of money that it’s printing, it seems that the ball is now in our court. Social gaming, mobile gaming, app stores… none of them had proportional representation at E3 this year.  People are disappointed in the keynotes that were spoon-fed to them, but what would one expect from the old guys in the game?  The new kids are in town, and now more than ever are the big players showing their reluctance to change. Did EA set up a Playfish booth this year?  Did they show off the same stuff that the 1300 employees that got laid off the same day that Playfish was bought by EA for $300 million had been working on?  I don’t want to call a move like this condescending, but surely E3 is meant to be a way for developers, publishers, and platform holders to come together to create excitement for the industry, rather than pander to the fanboys through G4 and Spike.

Source [Gizmodo] Picture

We heard earlier in the year that NHL 2K11 was going to be a Wii exclusive in 2011, to focus on a stronger NHL 2k12 for both the X360 and the PS3. Is this the wii exclusive they were talking about?

Planned to be announced later today, EA is introducing NHL Slapshot. This Wii exclusive will come with a plastic hockey stick that will house both the wiimote and a nunchuck. Apparently this will be used to shoot, check, and do all kinds of hockey-type things. Looks like we just have more plastic for the kids to lose/destroy/throw at each other.

Take a look at Wayne Gretzky getting with the times. He’s pretty into whatever he’s playing with the kids, even though the Wii, nor the TV are fully plugged in.

Whatever helps you sleep at night Wayne…

Source [Canoe.ca]

It’s been rumored for a few days that J Allard of Microsoft was going to part ways with the mega software corporation.

Sources say that the reason why Allard is fleeing Redmond, Washington is the abrupt cancellation of the Microsoft Courier. Allard was a driving force behind Microsoft’s tablet PC/notebook/journal/e-reader/coaster and it seems that Microsoft cancelling the device was the last straw for Allard.

Allard has been an enormous influence at Microsoft. It is often believed that his famous 1994 memo, “Windows: The Next Killer Application on the Internet” shaped the company’s direction, while predicting the rise of the internet. Allard took the helm for the development and design of both the original XBOX and the XBOX 360, along with the development of the Microsoft Zune.

For over fifteen years, Allard has been one of the few faces of Microsoft along with Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer. Who knows where he will go, as a mind as bright as his will not sit idle in a La-z-boy.

Until we know what his next endeavor is….Happy Trails J Allard…

Source [WSJ]

Here’s a friendly reminder that this will be your last weekend to sink your teeth into the Halo: Reach  Beta. This past almost two weeks have been great, but later this week, Bungie and Microsoft will pull the plug on the Halo: Reach Beta and we will have to wait until the game releases, hopefully, in the fall.

So as you are nursing your hangover from a crazy weekend, or you’re just getting back from church, remember that you need to play as much Halo as you can. It will be over soon.

I know I will keep playing so I can give you all a great hands-on next weekend, so stay tuned for that.

Mozilla has confirmed that they no longer plan to release Firefox 3.7. Instead, it will be released as Firefox 3.6.4, and the next major release will be Firefox 4 in November 2010, with the beta seeing the light of the internet in June.

The original plan for Firefox 3.7 was to cut down on the number of crashes Firefox experienced due to a variety of plugins. These adjustments will be part of Firefox 3.6.4. This entails OOPP, which stands for “out of process plug-ins.” This will let plugins properly run outside of the actual firefox browser, thus eliminating the possibility of your plug-ins crashing firefox.

Since this will be part of Firefox 3.7, what will Firefox 4 be all about? Looks like we will be getting a new interface. Firefox lead developer, Mike Beltzner, pointed out that users always believe that a browser works more quickly, if the design is simpler. There’s less for the users to take in, so they automatically think the browser is faster, when it’s actually just less of a thought process they have to make. It’s genius.

Here at Chips and Sticks we’ll quickly grab the beta when it releases to give you a full preview.

Source [The Register]