In the market for a new Audio/Visual receiver and want to make sure it will be future proof for at least a few years? Then look no further than the just announced Sony STR-DN1010, the company’s first 3D offering:
Featuring HDMI 1.4 3D pass-through technology, ample high-definition connectivity and compatibility with all of the latest Blu-ray Disc audio formats, the new STR-DN1010 AV receiver is designed to create a simple solution for controlling any high-definition or 3D capable home theater.
The 7.1 channel STR-DN1010 AV receiver (110 watts power per channel @8-Ohms, 1kHz, 1% THD) features full high-definition 1080/24p support and seven HD inputs in total (four HDMI and three component) allowing for connection to a wide variety of HD devices. The receiver’s HDMI 3D pass through technology supports 3D video from connected devices and passes them through to a 3D compatible high-definition television, while decoding high-resolution audio codecs.
The receiver also features an icon-driven menu system for simple device and content navigation and has the ability to upscale analog video sources to 1080p resolution via HDMI. The model also boasts a sleek piano black gloss design that matches Sony’s line of Blu-ray Disc players and televisions.
The STR-DN1010 is compatible with all advanced audio codecs, including Dolby TrueHD, dts-HD Master Audio and features wireless 2nd zone capabilities through Sony’s S-AIR wireless technology. With the addition of an S-AIR transmitter (model EZW-T100) and separate S-AIR speakers (sold separately), the receiver can also drive wireless audio in up to 10 additional rooms.
The STR-DN1010 receiver also features a Digital Media Port (DMP) input for simple connection to external sources including an iPod and iPhone (compatible DMP accessories required and sold separately) and is compatible with both Deep Color and x.v.Color.
The STR-DN1010 AV receiver will be available this June for about $500.
Darwinia+ is finally available on Xbox Live Arcade after an extended development cycle of over four years. Darwinia+ was created by Introversion, one of the best independent game developers on the planet with several classic (and award-winning) PC games under their belt, including Darwinia, Multiwinia, Defcon and Uplink.
Darwinia+ gets nearly everything right on the Xbox, albeit with a few caveats. First off, the price is simply too high. I personally think 1200 points is a great value considering how much gameplay is on offer, but I’m in the position of being a self-professed Darwinia-freak and as such, have a complete understanding of the game and its concepts. This places me in the minority. Most Xbox 360 players will have never heard of Darwinia and will be quick to disregard it based on nothing more than its retro-graphics. Too bad, their loss.
A lower price-point of 800 would have made impulsive and/or exploratory purchases far more likely. At 1200, Darwinia is pricing itself away from experimentation and distancing itself from gamers who may not be able to perceive the game’s value based on the trial version. Additionally, Microsoft has been discounting a considerable number of games lately and players are well aware that a discount will hit Darwinia at some future date, so fence-sitters are prone to remain on their asses until the price comes down.
My second problem with Darwinia is the camera-scheme that kicks in when controlling a Squad. It does its best to position itself correctly, based on the elevation of nearby terrain, but it’s not what I would call perfect or some semblance of perfection. Fortunately, you can work with it and bend it towards your will by releasing control of your squad and repositioning the camera at a better angle, though it doesn’t completely resolve the problem.
True resolution of the Squad Tracking Camera issue will only be found in a patch and I see it working as such: Darwinia currently has two ways of selecting available squads/engineers, via bumper-buttons or directional-pad (left-right). You only need one scheme, so drop the bumpers for squad selection and use it for rotating the camera while the directional pad cycles through units. Problem solved. I waive my consultation fee.
While the camera is a minor problem at best and one that can be dealt with, the price is less surmountable. What you need are valid reason to buy Darwinia+, reasons that may not be entirely obvious in the limited trial version. Without further ado…
Top 5 Reasons to Buy Darwinia+
1. Purchasing Darwinia+ Saves a Small Game Company From Extinction
Not every publisher can be (or wants to be) Bungie and Ininfity Ward. Some companies actually take pride in creating small, challenging games that are packed with more ideas and love than titles costing four times as much. Unfortunately, taking the road less travelled means imminent bankruptcy is always around the corner. In the case of Introversion, Darwinia+ took far too long to create for the Xbox 360 and this consumed resources. Now Introversion is in the nasty position of needing Darwinia+ to sell well or their doors will close for good.
I think that we’ve spent four years developing a game which is a hell of a long time and expensive. I think it would be disingenuous for me to say we haven’t had a hit yet – I think we’ve had four. We’ve done well. What happened though is we were so young and inexperienced when we started out that we didn’t know how long this project was going to take. We didn’t really attack it in the way that we would attack it now.
We don’t need Darwinia+ to be a massive runaway success. We know the figures that Space Giraffe did and they’re not particularly high. As long as we do as well as Space Giraffe we’ll be OK, so we’re kind of hoping we’re going to hit that sort of level. At the same time, I didn’t drive here in my Bentley which is kind of the reason we started Introversion! I’d like a game that just goes stellar, of course I would. But in terms of Darwinia, this was the best game we released from a critical perspective and I really hope that the 360 players enjoy it as much as the PC gamers did.
2. Only Cool People Love Darwinia+
Let’s take a look at some comments appearing in various forums related to Darwinia+.
“I was really looking forward to this game, because I liked the very original Trailer. But now that I plyed it for about 10 Minutes….NO. Not worth 400 Points in my opinion.”
“yeah it dosnt look too good…thanks for sharing the info anways!”
“This looks like crap. Ill be passing for sure.”
What do these people have in common besides deactivated spell-checkers? Correct, they’re not cool. They are simple-minded. You do want to be cool, don’t you? Cool people play Darwinia+.
Darwinia is one of those games that’s beloved by game designers, much like the movies of Kubrick and Hitchcock are worshipped by filmmakers. It’s an “insider’s” type game, an experience that bathes in retro game references and aesthetics. The more well-versed you are in the history of games, especially games of yore, the more you will appreciate Darwinia+.
3. Darwinia+ is Packed With More Gameplay Than a Year’s Worth of XBLA Releases Combined
Darwinia+ is two games in one; a single-player campaign that is deep and involving, plus Multiwinia, a multiplayer version of Darwinia that has a ton of great game modes, like Capture the Flag and Domination. Two completely different experiences that shine brightly as self-contained games.
When one looks at some of the crap that has hit XBLA lately, shit games like KrissX, Polar Panic, the truly awful and over-priced 0 Day Attack on Earth (1200 points, Square Enix? For a crap shoot ‘em up?), Puzzlegeddon, Zombie Apocalypse, and on and on and on. One uninspiring, derivative hunk of digital trash after another, made by companies with barely passable talent, over-priced at any price.
Darwinia+ will challenge all of your faculties, from your twitch-abilities to puzzle-solving, from tactical decision-making to paying for terrible mistakes. It can be punishing, sometimes confusing, but always a joy to behold and explore as the pieces begin to come together.
4. Purchasing Darwinia+ Makes it More Likely We’ll See Introversion’s Next Game: Subversion
Introversion has been quietly working on their next game for several years. Named Subversion, very little is known about the project but one can be assured it will be original and daring. One of the much-touted features of Subversion is the way it can generate a random city from scratch, evidenced by the tech-demo below.
Want to play this game at some point? Then purchase Darwinia and support the creation of Subversion.
#5. Supporting Darwinia+ Ensures More Creative, Independent Games on XBLA
If you’re sick of Frogger ports and half-assed arcade games stinking up XBLA because MS is determined to have one new release every week, quality be damned, then it is your duty to support top-notch games like Darwinia+. It’s bad enough that Jeff Minter’s excellent Space Giraffe was never given a chance on XBLA, thanks in part to critics who shouldn’t be employed as critics because anything new and daring tends to freak them out. Don’t let this happen again with Darwinia+. If you’re a fan of this game, do your best to explain its gameplay and spread the word. Tackle forum trolls and shine a light of honesty on the greatness of Darwinia+.
If my little article here can sell just one more copy, then I’ll be happy. Darwinia+ truly is a magical game, made with love and passion, awesome ideas and beautiful design. It’s pure gameplay and pure genius.
One Final Word of Advice for Introversion
If I were you, I’d begin porting my past (and future) game to the iPhone and the mobile market, especially the forthcoming iPad, where your style of games would really shine. A Darwinia+ version running on the Apple iPad would be orgasmic. It would sell. You’d make a ton of money, probably far more than you’ll make on Xbox, what with it’s less adventurous and far more juvenile player-base that is less-likely to give your creative games a chance. I mean, c’mon….why isn’t Defcon on the iPhone? What are you guys waiting for?
Have doubts about the iPad as a gaming platform? Don’t think the PSP and DS have much to worry about? Think again. With its custom A4 chip running at a blistering 1 gigahertz, the iPad is more than capable at displaying impressive 3D, ushering in a whole new age for portable gaming. Expect the Unreal engine to be ported to the iPad, with other competitors soon to follow. iPad is the real deal. I can’t wait to see the iPad running a dedicated Dungeons & Dragons table-top RPG app or a game like Populous, two areas where the iPad can really deliver a new and unique experience.
You up for a little 3D Madden Football in the future? EA thinks you will be and is hoping the sports genre will usher in a new era of 3D gaming. EA seems to think sports games will be the key to early acceptance of 3D gaming technology, but I beg to differ: first-person shooters will be the big lure, not Madden. Here is EA Sports head-honcho Peter Moore:
“None of the games I’ve seen [so far] have been built that way – they’ve been regular games running in 3D. The real secret sauce will be when somebody says: ‘I’m going to build this game specifically for a 3D platform.’
“Absolutely. I’m not making any announcements, but it’s no coincidence that of the 3D [TV] broadcasts I’ve seen in the last two years, I can count the NBA All-Star event in Las Vegas, while ESPN has announced 3D programming – perhaps even a full channel. There have also been a number of announcements around the [football] World Cup, with some games broadcast in 3D.
“This is reminiscent of where we were with HD five or six years ago. It seems like a lifetime ago now, but you’d go to CES and be in awe of HD – and it was sports games that showed up the technology.
“I think there’s great opportunity for EA to bring sports to life in unbelievably imaginative ways, once we can grasp what 3D means to us.”
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