Entries tagged with seattle - Channel 10

A look back at my life with Bill Gates

Tina — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 15:32:00 GMT

So my boss, Bill Gates is officially gone. Not like, gone, gone. But he won't be in the office everyday anymore. He has taken on another ambitious and important project and has chosen to spend more time on the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Bill and I always got along great. I think he really enjoyed working with me.

Rock Band 2 coming this September

Tina — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 12:28:00 GMT

Harmonix, the world’s premier music video game company in the world, and MTV Games, a part of Viacom’s MTV Networks along with marketing and distribution partner Electronic Arts are taking the groundbreaking music platform that forever changed the face of music video games to the next level this September with the release of Rock Band 2. With the original providing millions of players a new way to interact with the music and artists they love, Rock Band 2 is the next evolution of the franchise that redefined the standard for music games.

Rock Band is the groundbreaking platform that allows music fans and gamers to interact with music like never before - challenging players to put together a band and tour for fame and fortune while learning to master lead/bass guitar, drums and vocals.

Rock Band 2 builds upon its foundation as the first music game to introduce co-operative band gameplay, multiple instruments, a robust online multiplayer experience, an unrivaled offering of downloadable content and raises the bar by delivering an entirely new level of depth, connectivity, authenticity and features including:

Backwards compatibility with Rock Band downloadable music content. All previously purchased tracks will immediately load into your Rock Band 2 song list. No need to re-purchase or re-download.
The biggest and most diverse soundtrack ever featuring some of rock’s most prolific acts, comprised entirely of master recordings.
Major new and dynamic online modes that will connect the entire Rock Band community in more ways than ever before both locally and globally.
More variety of instrument choices than ever before with new and improved drum and guitar peripherals, enhanced functionality and innovative new designs - all fully compatible with the original Rock Band instruments.
And much more.

"As successful as the original Rock Band continues to be, we've now had the benefit of the last eight months to listen to our fans' requests and to build upon that foundation," said Alex Rigopulos, co-founder and CEO of Harmonix. "Rock Band 2 is a second-generation band game that will elevate the music game experience to the next level."

Rock Band 2 will make its debut on Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft this September and have an exclusive launch window in North America. Rock Band 2 will be available for additional platforms later this year.

“We expect Rock Band 2 to continue to drive an amazing social music experience on Xbox 360, said David Hufford, senior director, Xbox Product Management for the Interactive Entertainment Business, Microsoft. “We look forward to supporting Rock Band 2 on Xbox 360 as gamers continue to download hundreds of new music tracks from Xbox LIVE so they and their friends can perform the rock music they love most.

More details regarding features and music for Rock Band 2 will be revealed at the 2008 E3 Media & Business Summit. Rock Band, the first installment in the franchise, garnered more than 40 awards including Game Critics Award: Best of Show E3 2007.

In addition, Harmonix and MTV Games today announced that The Rock Band online music store recently surpassed 15 million paid downloads since the game’s launch in late November 2007. With more than 200 tracks available to date via download purchase (complete list of tracks at http://www.rockband.com/dlc), the massive Rock Band Music Store allows players to preview and purchase downloadable individual music tracks, packs and albums from the vast selection of offerings available as they build their own custom Rock Band library.

Rock Band 2 is rated “T” for Teen (lyrics, mild suggestive themes) by the ESRB.

For more information on Rock Band and Harmonix Music Systems please visit www.rockband.com and www.harmonixmusic.com.

NBA Live Chooses 2009 Cover Athlete

Tina — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 12:24:00 GMT

We know the curse of being the cover boy for Madden but gracing the cover of NBA Live hasn't proven to be such a BAD career move. The cover athlete and spokesman for NBA Live in the UK is Chicago Bulls forward - Luol Deng. Deng, raised in the UK from 1993, has played in the NBA for three years and is a vital part of the Great Britain national team. This is the first time the UK has worked with a local athlete and highlights the continued growth of the NBA in Europe.

Deng is joined by some of the NBA’s biggest international stars on packaging around the world, including Los Angeles Lakers Pau Gasol (Spain) and Toronto Raptors Andrea Bargnani (Italy).

For the TOP SPOT San Antonio Spurs point guard Tony Parker will be the cover athlete and spokesman for NBA LIVE 09 globally. In his seven NBA seasons, the 26 year old is a two-time NBA All-Star, has three NBA championships and was named the 2007 NBA Finals MVP. Parker will be the first European born (France) global cover athlete of NBA LIVE. Off the court, Parker is an avid gamer and won an NBA LIVE 08 tournament against fellow NBA stars at the EA SPORTS All-Star Challenge last February in New Orleans.

NBA LIVE 09 is back with new features like Pick and Roll Control, Defensive Lockdown Control, Signature Playcalling and Quickstrike Ankle-Breakers that will make the NBA LIVE experience fun from beginning to end. For those in need of some extra coaching, NBA LIVE 09 takes you to training camp with the NBA Academy that gives you a chance to hone your skills.

Now featuring 24 authentic FIBA teams with realistic team play styles and rosters, NBA LIVE 09 features a FIBA World Championship Mode using FIBA tournament structure, rules and court dimensions. Take your game online with 5 vs.5 team play, where 10 people can play together on 10 different consoles around the world.

NBA Live 09 is coming to the Xbox 360 this October.

Making of "The Incredible Hulk" Xbox 360 Game

Tina — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 20:12:00 GMT

Some of you may have recently gotten your hands on Sega's new "The Incredible Hulk" game. And may be asking who are the voices behind the green giant and his fair lady? Never fear, the behind-the-scenes making of video is here.

This celebrity-filled video is focused on the stars behind the characters in the game, all being voiced by the actors who played them in the upcoming movie - including Liv Tyler, Tim Roth, and William Hurt. Featuring behind-the-scenes footage from the recording sessions as well as interviews with key members of the cast, this video goes into the studio to see first-hand the elements that brings this multi-platform game to life.

Video Games Live announces 50 new shows

Tina — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 07:22:00 GMT

Video Games Live is an amazing video game concert co-founded by a friend of mine Tommy Tallarico. They have just announced new tour dates in several different countries. If you get a chance to check it out it's a must see. Here's a link to an interview I did with Tommy about Video Games Live a few years ago and below is all the new info.

Continuing its blockbuster award-winning world tour and coming off a major industry achievement of selling out its debut performance on Broadway in New York City, Video Games Live is proud to announce 50 shows in its effort to confirm to the world how culturally significant and artistic video games have become.

The Video Games Live tour created in 2002 by renowned video game composers Tommy Tallarico and Jack Wall, has become the top selling game concert in the world having already performed to more than 200,000 people around the globe including the U.S., Canada, England, Mexico, Brazil, New Zealand, Spain and Korea. To date, Video Games Live has performed across five different continents and has held over 40 record-breaking shows since last summer. In addition to their touring success, EMI Classics will be releasing the Video Games Live album (entitled Video Games Live: Volume One) worldwide this summer.

Proudly presented globally by leading peripheral manufacturer Razer (https://mail.microsoft.com/OWA/redir.aspx?C=d55c8449e4534a419c32501f2e5902b9&URL=http%3a%2f%2fmk1.netatlantic.com%2ft%2f5239028%2f38807049%2f16292%2f0%2f), Video Games Live is best described as utilizing the power and emotion of a symphony orchestra mixed with the energy and excitement of a rock concert combined with the cutting edge visuals, technology, interactivity and fun that video games provide.

The highest and most prestigious level of symphony and venue quality continues with the announcement of some of the world’s most renowned orchestras and local theatres, arenas and stadiums. To further attract the biggest audience possible, Video Games Live also partners with some of pop-culture’s most important conferences and conventions.

CURRENT TOUR DATES

Winnipeg, MB	June 5, 2008	Centennial Concert Hall
Las Vegas, NV	June 14, 2008	Henderson Pavilion	Las Vegas Philharmonic
Toronto, ON	June 21, 2008	Younge-Dundas Square	Future Shop
Glasgow, Scotland	June 26, 2008	Royal Concert Hall	Royal Scottish Symphony
Paris, France	June 29, 2008	Porte de Versailles	Blizzard WWI
Houston, TX	July 10, 2008	Jones Hall	Houston Symphony
Austin, TX	July 11, 2008	Long Center
Austin, TX	July 12, 2008	Long Center
Louisville, KY	July 18, 2008	Kentucky Arts Center	Louisville Orchestra
San Diego, CA	July 24, 2008	Embarcadero Park	San Diego Symphony
Taipei, Taiwan	August 10, 2008	Pan-Chiao Stadium	Taipei Philharmonic
Taipei, Taiwan	August 11, 2008	Pan-Chiao Stadium	Taipei Philharmonic
Indianapolis, IN	August 15, 2008	Hilbert Circle Theatre	Gen Con & Indianapolis Symphony
Indianapolis, IN	August 16, 2008	Hilbert Circle Theatre	Gen Con & Indianapolis Symphony
Leipzig, Germany	August 20, 2008	ARENA Leipzig	Leipzig Games Convention
San Jose, CA	August 26, 2008	Performing Arts Center	NVISION 08
Brookville, NY	September 20, 2008	Tilles Center
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	October 5, 2008	Canecão	Petrobras Sinfônica
Birmingham, Alabama	October 9, 2008	Jefferson Complex	Alabama Symphony
Beijing, China	October 18, 2008	Beijing Stadium	China Opera Symphony
Vancouver, BC	October 29, 2008	Orpheum Theatre	Vancouver Symphony
Kansas City, MO	November 1, 2008	Midland Theatre
Chicago, IL	November 15, 2008	Chicago Theatre
Lisbon, Portugal	December 6, 2008	TBA
Lisbon, Portugal	December 7, 2008	TBA
Paris, France	December 18, 2008	Palais des Congress
Newark, NJ	Dec. 27, 2008 (2PM)	NJ PAC	New Jersey Symphony
Newark, NJ	Dec. 27, 2008 (8PM)	NJ PAC	New Jersey Symphony
Burlington, VT	January 17, 2009	Flynn Center Perf. Arts
Seattle, WA	January 24, 2009	Paramount Theatre
Kitchener, ON	March 13, 2009	Centre in the Square	Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony
Kalamazoo, MI	March 20, 2009	Miller Auditorium
Sarasota, FL	March 28, 2009	Van Wezel Hall	Florida W. Coast Symph.
Richmond, VA	April 25, 2009	Landmark Theatre	Richmond Symphony
Calgary, Canada	May 15, 2009	Jack Singer Hall	Calgary Philharmonic
Calgary, Canada	May 16, 2009	Jack Singer Hall	Calgary Philharmonic
Boston, MA	TBA	TBA
Philadelphia, PA	TBA	TBA
Atlanta, GA	TBA	TBA
San Francisco, CA	TBA	TBA
São Paulo, Brazil	TBA	TBA
London, England	TBA	TBA
Hong Kong, China	TBA	TBA
Shanghai, China	TBA	TBA
Tokyo, Japan	TBA	TBA
Singapore	TBA	TBA
Seoul, Korea	TBA	TBA
Moscow, Russia	TBA	TBA
Norway	TBA	TBA
Sweden	TBA	TBA

TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW!

For complete tour and ticketing information please visit www.videogameslive.com. To suggest a particular song or city to perform in, please sign up to the VGL mailing list.

More tour dates for the 2008 and 2009 season are being added weekly. There will be over 50 shows in 2008 and more than 70 shows planned for 2009.

About Video Games Live™ (www.videogameslive.com)
Created by two industry leading video game composers Tommy Tallarico and Jack Wall, Video Games Live™ (produced under their company Mystical Stone Entertainment, LLC) is the front runner in the field of live game music performance. Video Games Live, an immersive concert event celebration, features music from the best video games performed by top orchestras and choirs around the world combined with synchronized video footage, lighting, special effects, interactivity and live action to create an explosive and unique one-of-a-kind entertainment experience. The debut performance launched on July 6th, 2005 at the world famous Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles with the LA Philharmonic with over 11,000 people in attendance making it the largest video game concert in the world.

Goooooooool!! Microsoft meets the Brasilian National Soccer Team

Laura — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 00:12:00 GMT

Our home town of Seattle was fortunate enough to host a friendly soccer (futbol) game between Brasil's national team and Canada's national team. With David Beckham inspiring a new passion for Soccer in America, this was huge. Not only that, but apparently Microsoft has a HUGE Brasilian community. I decided to invade it....watch.

"Aces of the Galaxy" and "Roogoo" coming to Xbox LIVE Arcade tomorrow

Tina — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 13:21:00 GMT

Retro arcade space shooter “Aces of the Galaxy,” and enjoy a new type of action-puzzler, “Roogoo,” both launching on Xbox LIVE® Arcade this Wednesday 4th June, 2008 at 09.00.

Enjoy the frantic action of “Aces of the Galaxy,” an old fashioned arcade adrenaline-pumping shoot-em-up that allows players to save the Universe from the wicked Skurgian Empire. Players annihilate enemy ships with an impressive arsenal of upgradeable weapons including high-powered missile launchers, devastating torpedoes and the relentless chain gun. Battle intense waves of enemy Skurgians against a breathtaking outer space backdrop, and choose to fight alone or join up with a friend at home or via Xbox LIVE.

“Roogoo” takes puzzles to a whole new level. Help the Roogoo defeat their enemies, the evil Meemoo, in “Roogoo,” a new and innovative action based-puzzler with addictive gameplay. Players line up multiple platforms on different levels to allow shaped blocks to pass through and once enough stack up, that particular shape closes off. A simple premise becomes more complicated as Meemoos begin to obstruct players' paths and butterflies attempt to steal blocks away. Players must swivel, roll and boost their way through 45 puzzle-filled levels alone or with up to four friends in cooperative party mode play. For those with a more competitive spirit, “Roogoo” offers a two-player multiplayer mode over Xbox LIVE where players battle to solve the same puzzle and can build up attacks to defeat their competitors.

Where can I get theses games from?

"Aces of the Galaxy" will be available worldwide for 800 Microsoft Points.

More information is available at:

http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/livearcadexbox360
http://www.acesofthegalaxy.com/

“Roogoo” will be available for 800 Microsoft Points.

More information on “Roogoo” is available at:
http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/livearcadexbox360

Softkinetic - Changing the way you play games

Tina — Tue, 27 May 2008 18:47:00 GMT

Softkinetic is the leading provider of natural interfaces that transform the way people interact with the digital world.

They enable fully immersive, transparent and intuitive user experiences by providing a 3D real-time gesture recognition middleware to Interactive Digital Entertainment, Consumer Electronics, Industrial Applications and Fitness Equipment manufacturers.

Softkinetic operates with a single depth sensing camera, requires no marker (no gamepad, no wiimote, no special gloves or clothing, no headset - nothing), and works under all lighting conditions and scene settings (at home, in a fitness center, an amusement park, a classroom, a game cafe, an industrial simulation room - anywhere.)

Live Search for Mobile: Part Two

Tina — Tue, 20 May 2008 09:57:00 GMT

In part two of "Live Search for Mobile" I spend some time exploring Live Search with Andrew Bell.

Live Search for Mobile has just released the latest updates to our browser-based mobile search at m.live.com. One of our major efforts was to bring the power of product search to the convenience of a mobile phone. Think about how much time people spend shopping in brick-and-mortar stores — without the ability to do the product research they're accustomed to from their PCs.

We took the great product search features from Live Search and made them easy to use on your mobile phone. You'll see a list of popular products, user ratings, and price comparisons from online stores. You can also research products by reading a detailed overview or consumer reviews. Now the next time a consumer electronics device catches your eye in a store, you'll be able to get the detailed rundown on its performance, read the consensus wisdom of the Web, compare it with similar products, and even make sure it's being offered for a good price — all before you make that impulse buy. Now you can spend wisely, wherever you are.

Another of our favorite features this release was developed specifically for our friends abroad — those in the United Kingdom and Japan. Searching for nearby businesses is one of the most popular and most valued types of mobile search today. But most existing browser-based search services require the user to first type in their location — easy if you're always in the same place, but a chore when you're out and about, and a real challenge if you don't know exactly where you are.

With this new feature, users can simply click Find my Location, and their location will be set based on their proximity to cellular towers. Then they can get the most relevant nearby results for all their searches.

ShutterSpeed Episode 01

Nic — Mon, 19 May 2008 13:50:00 GMT

Welcome to the very first episode of ShutterSpeed the Channel 10 Digital Photography and Imaging Show.

On each episode of ShutterSpeed we'll help you understand your camera gear so that you can take better photos and show you new and cool ways to edit, share and display your images.

In this first episode Tim Grey, Michael Palermiti & Bill Crow join me in the studio to discuss online video storage and photo editing tools. We also get back to basics and talk about the principles of photography and what to look for in a digital camera.

I also visit the home studio of award winning photographer Phil Borges. Phil shows me the equipment he uses in the field - including his home-made lighting rig - and talks about some of the techniques he uses to capture his magnificent portraits.

We hope to make ShutterSpeed a regular series here on Channel 10. For comments on the program or ideas and suggestions for future episodes please email us at Zune Spring Update Version 2.5 but the Zune team got a bit creative and threw us a few other tidbits. Here's a look at all things "inner" Zune.

Zune Spring Update Version 2.5 - the info

Tina — Tue, 06 May 2008 01:59:00 GMT

Gapless playback

Zune users will now be able to listen to an album without the brief gap between tracks, both on their Zune and the Zune software. Now play the album and the feature is automatically turned on. This is especially important for the continuity of live or electronic music albums.

Improved Sync

When your Zune is close to full, you’ll be able to manage the content to sync or remove with an easy to understand display, which highlights items taking up the most memory.

Organize Your Collection

In addition to sorting your music collection by artist or album, you cannow sort by genre. While browsing by genre, you can further sort your music by artist, album, or release year.

Editing Album and Trac k Information

Want to change the artist name on a song? Drag and drop the song to the artist. Want to change the genre of an album? Drag and drop the album into the new genre – the Zune software will update to reflect your changes.

The advanced metadata editing features make it easy to edit multiple tracks or survey album and artist information. Display info about any album in your collection; right click and select ‘find album info’ and quickly find the song names, the release year, the genre and more. You can quickly and universally apply these changes.If you have an image saved to your clipbook, you can paste that image toreplace the album art on any album in your music collection. You can click multiple albums and edit them all at the same time – just select them and the software will guide you through it. By right-clicking on any given song, you can quickly edit the artist, album, song title, genre and more.

Sync Groups

Sync groups allow you to have the benefits of automatic sync, for specific sets of content. When you drag and drop an album, artist, a Zune Card, or playlist from your Zune software to your Zune, a sync group is created. Your Zune can always have the latest versions of the media you love, because now you can create sync groups to control the content that syncs with your Zune. These are based upon rules that you specify (much like auto playlists) so that when you connect your Zune, any content that matches one of these rules will be added or removed from your Zune automatically.

Gapless playback

Improved Sync

Sync multiple Zune players at once – convenient for households with multiple Zune owners.Drag and drop to queue up content ready for syncing with an unconnected Zune. Once that Zune is connected or comes into range of a trusted Wi-Fi network, the content will automatically update to your Zune. When your Zune is close to full, you’ll be able to manage the content to sync or remove with an easy to understand display, which highlights items taking up the most memory.

Organize Your Collection

In addition to sorting your music collection by artist or album, you can now sort by genre. While browsing by genre, you can further sort your music by artist, album, or release year.

Making Games...before Popfly Game Creator

Tina — Fri, 02 May 2008 15:02:00 GMT

The Popfly Game Creator offers a fun and easy way to create and share personalized games. Creating a game with Popfly is as simple as selecting actors, specifying a scene, and then defining behaviors that bring the game to life. With just a few clicks and some creativity you can author your first game- all without writing any code!

But wait! What was life like before Popfly Game Creator? We have all heard horror stories about what these legendary game characters were like to work with....but is it true? Was creating games before Popfly really as hard as people say. See for yourself.

Links to individual popfly pieces:
Pong
Mario
Gangsta
popfly videos over at popfly.

Office Labs: Project "InkSeine"

Tina — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 12:06:00 GMT

The goal of the InkSeine project is to completely rethink the user interface for tablet computers. Some people have described InkSeine as "Windows Journal on steroids." But InkSeine goes well beyond Windows Journal, particularly in its features to search from ink and to easily drag hyperlinks for documents and web pages into your notes.

Many people ask us how InkSeine relates to Microsoft OneNote. InkSeine is complementary to OneNote. OneNote is a great tool with many useful features that you will not find in InkSeine. But InkSeine's user interface is like nothing you have ever used with your pen before. It takes inking on your Tablet PC to a new level.

Check out Office Labs: Community Clips too.

Office Labs: Project "Community Clips"

Tina — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 14:31:00 GMT

Community Clips is a portal for viewing, sharing, and discussing informal "how-to" videos (screencasts) on Microsoft Office products. It also includes a client application for easy recording of screen views and voice.

How to: Shoot and Edit a Time-Lapse Video

Tina — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 18:00:00 GMT

We see it all the time. The passing of the night sky in an episode of "Survivor". The quick steps of pedestrians making their way through a crowded street corner. I've been asked by a few poeple about shooting Time-Lapse video, and just for the record I'm no expert but I can tell you how I shot and edited this video.

First, I wanted to film something that had an ending. It doesn't have to have an ending but I find it more interesting. So I threw some birthday candles in a skinny cow ice cream sandwich. With the knowledge that both the candles and ice cream sandwich would eventually melt and thus, giving me an ending. I mounted my Panasonic DVX100B camera onto a tripod and set up my shot against some tile in my kitchen. You want your shot to be as still as possible so I suggest either using a tri-pod or set your camera on a pile of books or something else flat.

I lit the candles and then recorded the candles and ice cream melting in a normal speed. It took roughly 30 minutes for both of them to melt.

Almost all digital video cameras have the ability to do an interval recording. And this is the most common way of shooting a Time-Lapse because who wants to sit at there camera for two days and watch a flower bloom while switching tapes and batteries. You might record every 20-30 seconds and record up to 2-3 seconds of video each time. I didn't need to do this for this piece because it was so short to begin with.

I then imported the footage into Premiere Pro 2.0 because that is what I use to edit.

I then brought my footage into the time-line. Then I right clicked the clip I wanted to speed up and then I chose speed/duration...I then chose to speed up the footage by 7000 percent. I tried many different numbers but this particular percentage seemed to have the best effect.

I then went to soundrangers.com and searched for a tune that set up the melodramatic vibe I was going for.   Once I found it, I then imported the MP3 into the video. I then exported the entire movie and there you have it. A thirty-seven second movie that tells a story. Time-Lapse style.

I've never shot a true time-lapse using a still camera, but Nic Fillingham is our resident digital camera expert so maybe he can give us a quick tip on how to do it.

If you have any other tips or I missed something feel free to chime in.

See the Windows Mobility Smackdown at TechReady 6 on Channel 8

MaxPowerhouse7 — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 18:31:00 GMT

From Channel 8:

Every 6 months, Microsoft holds an internal-only conference called TechReady for our technical team in the field. It's an amazing convergence of people from all over the world coming together to learn about our technologies directly from the product teams as well as to give feedback about what customers are saying. In fact, it is not uncommon to see a product manager and a technology specialist getting into a heated debate about what's working, what's not, and where things should go in the future.

Although this is usually for-Microsoft-eyes-only, I managed to get you guys a sneak peek at one of the most highly anticipated sessions every year: the Windows Mobility Smackdown! This draws a huge crowd that literally lines up an hour before the session starts just to get a seat at all... and man do people go nuts for this one. The product team unveils some of the coolest Windows Mobile features, literally throws prizes into the crowd, and some lucky few walk away with a brand spankin' new Windows Mobile device.

Check out the video over on Channel 8.

A great video blogger...Wine Library TV

Tina — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 20:18:00 GMT

Every once in a while you come across a video blogger that really catches your attention. A collegue of mine Loke Uei Tan invited wine video blogger Gary Vaynerchuk to Redmond to attend an MS Mobile event. Gary runs a daily wine blog and even if you don't care anything about Cab's or Syrahs Gary is a great example of a great video blogger. He is absolutely passionate about his topic, he's enthusiastic and he gets right to the point. Check out a little bit from Gary's blog and then grab a snack, put your feet up and listen to Gary's story courtesy of Loke.

How To - The creation of an Imagine Cup video

Tina — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 19:28:00 GMT

I stopped by Worktank last week in downtown Seattle to check out the making of a really interesting Imagine Cup video. I personally have down the basics of editing but animating, not so much. Rick Wallace is the art director on the project and took some time to chat with us on how he strung the whole video together. From handdrawing the storyboards to creating movement with Adobe After Effects the entire process took him roughly six weeks. I hope you enjoy.

Why your Xbox games look so good

Tina — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 19:00:00 GMT

I spoke with Anthony Brown from Seven Group Digital Media this weekend at the Elan Awards in Vancouver and he gave us a peek behind video game development that you may not have seen before. Long before you pop the disc in your Xbox, many games make a pass through a rendering farm, which crunches the bits and makes your games look so good. For Seven Group, Anthony has chosen Microsoft Windows Compute Cluster Server 2003. Render Farms have always been an integral part of a game studio and now with special effects and animation becoming such a huge compute task they now require High Performance Computing (HPC). That's where Microsoft’s CCS comes in. Anthony breaks down HPC and CCS for us.

Life At Microsoft - The Truth Revealed

Tina — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 14:18:00 GMT

People often stop me in the streets to ask "Hey Tina, what's life "really" like at Microsoft? Sometimes I can't even walk outside my house without somebody standing there with a giant neon sign that blinks "What is life "really" like at Microsoft"? Instead of answering every individual separately and so you can save your money on those neon signs. I decided to create a video that would answer that simple yet complex question. I want to throw out a special high-five to the following because without them and a lot of beer this video never would have happened.

Duncan Mackenzie, Erik Porter, Mike Sampson, Scott Davis, Grant BlahaErath, Dan Fernandez, Max Zuckerman, Adam Kinney, The Dalai Lama and Britney Spears

TN Games - Gaming Vest and Helmet

Tina — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 10:15:00 GMT

I dropped by TN Games last week to check our their TN Games' 3rd Space™ Vest. The vest allows you to feel the impact of punches, kicks, bullets and blasts that happen to your character in the game. The vest communicates with compatible games to give precise, 3 dimensionally accurate impact where it happens, as it happens. Impacts from in front of you, you feel in the front. Impacts from behind you, you feel in the back. I also had a chance to check out the helmet which will available later this year. And if your a developer TN Games has made enabling 3rdSpace into game titles easy. A simple, yet customizable, API can be integrated into any game with minimal effort. TN Games provides game developers full support so if you want it check out their site.