Yahoo! News: Technology - Video Games
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Technology - Video Games

"World of Warcraft" has rivals racing for new worlds (Reuters)

Reuters - "World of Warcraft" has become a phenomenon among role-playing interactive online games with its unrivaled success leaving competitors racing to draw gamers into new virtual worlds.

'World of Warcraft' Has Rivals Racing for New Worlds (PC Magazine)
PC Magazine - "World of Warcraft" has become a phenomenon among role-playing interactive online games with its unrivaled success leaving competitors racing to draw gamers into new virtual worlds.
Japan's top filmmaker takes swipe at comic-mad PM (Reuters)

Reuters - Japanese Oscar-winning filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki criticized Prime Minister Taro Aso's penchant for "manga" comic books Thursday and said children should spend more time experiencing nature than getting engrossed in video games and TV.

New Xbox Experience Launched To Battle Sony's Offering (NewsFactor)
NewsFactor - Microsoft launched its New Xbox Experience on Wednesday, expanding the existing service to compete with Sony in turning the video-game console into an entertainment hub.
Idle Game Consoles Costing Consumers $1B/Year (PC Magazine)
PC Magazine - Feeling the pains of your monthly utilities a bit more in these troubled economic times? You might want to think about switching off your gaming system every so often.
Sony PSP Infringes Agere Patent, Court Finds (PC Magazine)
PC Magazine - In a case dating back to July of 2006, Sony has been ordered to pay $18.5 million to Agere Systems after a jury found Sony guilty of infringing on Agere's patent for a "wireless local area network apparatus."
Microsoft's 'New Xbox Experience' Goes Live (PC Magazine)
PC Magazine - Microsoft on Wednesday unveiled a revamped Xbox gaming console that includes streaming HD movies from Netflix, a revamped dashboard, and movie and game purchases via Xbox.com.
National Geographic Launches Video-Game Division (NewsFactor)
NewsFactor - National Geographic on Tuesday announced a new twist for the science and educational organization -- video games.
National Geographic discovers videogames (AFP)

AFP - National Geographic, the monthly magazine famed for its glossy photographs and stories from obscure corners of the world, is venturing into videogames.

Game news: Xbox 360's new look (AP)
AP - Real news from the virtual world:
National Geographic enters the sea of video games (Reuters)
Reuters - National Geographic is getting into the video game business. Through its for-profit unit National Geographic Ventures, the nonprofit National Geographic Society is set to announce Tuesday that it has created National Geographic Games.
National Geographic getting into video games (AP)
AP - National Geographic, best known for its yellow-framed magazine and often breathtaking nature shows, is getting into video games.
Video-Game Consoles Weather Economic Storm (NewsFactor)
NewsFactor - The economy may be slowing, but the video-game industry seems to be wearing its bulletproof vest -- with the notable exception of Sony.
MySpace Japan bets on world demand for J-Pop (Reuters)

Reuters - Banking on the global appeal of Japanese pop and video games, social networking site MySpace said it would more than double the number of artists on its Japanese pages to get more clicks internationally.

Sector Snap: Activision, EA decline (AP)
AP - Shares of Activision Blizzard Inc. and Electronic Arts Inc. declined Friday after October's video game retail sales report from the NPD Group showed a disappointing performance in the music genre.
Microsoft: Your Retirement's Gone, So Buy an Xbox! (PC Magazine)
PC Magazine - The latest effort to spin the recession comes from Microsoft, who commissioned the "Xbox 360 Holiday Entertainment Survey 2008". As you have probably guessed, the study concludes that the economic crunch translates into this being a great time to buy an Xbox 360.
No Nintendo game this Xmas? Blame Somali pirates (Reuters)
Reuters - Alarmed at the growing number of attacks off Somalia, international merchant shipping is edging closer to doing the unthinkable in peace time: by-passing one of world's most vital trade routes.
Game Makers Predict Great Holiday Sales (PC Magazine)
PC Magazine - Videogame sales are expected to be strong this year and in 2009, despite the economic troubles that have hurt some retail stores that sell the games, industry executives said on Thursday.
Microsoft Aims at Valve's 'Steam' Downloadable Games (PC Magazine)
PC Magazine - Steam in its current form -- a PC game store and Xbox Live-esque community service -- does a lot of what Microsoft talked about doing years ago.
Videogame makers predict jingle bells at registers (Reuters)

Reuters - Videogame sales are expected to be strong this year and in 2009, despite the economic troubles that have hurt some retail stores that sell the games, industry executives said on Thursday.