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We've previously reported on the NaturalMotion's Morpheme Animation Package for the PS3, 360, and PC. Well, here's a little more on NaturalMotion's animation package that's supposedly set to improve work-flow for next-generation game developers.

NaturalMotion has announced that it will demonstrate Morpheme publicly for the first time during the 2007 Game Developers Conference at booth number 118.

Anyhow, just in case you folks were to lazy to click on that link to the previous report, Morpheme consists of two components: Morpheme:run-time and Morpheme:connect. run-time, is a run-time engine optimized for Sony's PS3, Microsoft's Xbox 360, and the PC, and ships with full source code. :connect, on the other hand, is the much touted 3D authoring application, that will streamline production work of videogame animators.

Morpheme is designed to seamlessly integrate with other 3D middleware technologies, and is even set to complement NaturalMotion's Euphoria Engine - which Rockstar loves oh so much, by the way.
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GDC 2007: Autodesk to feature latest software

Spoiler:
Autodesk Inc. – the folks known for their 3D design software like Maya and AutoCAD, has announced that they will debut the latest 3D rendering products at this year's Game Developers Conference. The software includes: Autodesk Maya 8.5, and Autodesk 3ds Max 9 Extension 1: Productivity booster.

At GDC 2007, They will also be holding demonstrations of their Autodesk MotionBuilder character animation software at their booth. They will also present Autodesk's Location Services, which is set to allow game developers to create mobile games that will take advantage of the Global Positioning System (GPS) capabilities of mobile platforms.

They also announce that Harmonix Games, Insomniac Games, Relic Entertainment, TikGames, and Ubisoft will be at their booth to reveal development secrets behind their masterpieces.

Why is this bit of news relevant to you gamers? Well, considering that a lot of the stages in Final Fantasy XIII are built in Maya...


Jack Talks Back: Sony on critics, competitors, and the PS3


Spoiler:
Tretton talks turkey

* 1. PS3 criticism, price, and PS3 sales

* 2. New controllers? HD upgrades? The PS2?

* 3. Jack Tretton in pictures

Bro Buzz: The PS3 is as much as multimedia machine as it is a games console. How is Sony doing when it comes to spreading that message?

Jack Tretton: The honest answer is that it's a struggle for us as a company, as it's a struggle for any gaming company. You want to stay true to your roots as a gaming company. At the end of the day, the reason why this machine will be successful is because it's the ultimate gaming system. But I think we do the industry and the technology an injustice if we assume that all gamers care about is gaming and that they don't do anything else with their time. Because our roots have been in creating hardware and software and peripherals, we rely on other companies within the Sony corporation to help enunciate that vision.So we're finding ourselves wearing more hats than we have before.

And I'll be the first to admit that it is not our field of expertise.I think creating the technology is something we do well, but explaining the applications of that technology is something we've gotta get better at.

$599 is a lot of money, but it's the world's worst-kept secret that we're selling it at a significant investment from Sony. We're investing along with the consumer."
--Jack Tretton, CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment America

Vicious Sid: Switching gears here, but I'd like to talk about media coverage of the PS3.

The example I always give is this: before the launch, Sony was criticized for not meeting supply. But now that it's launched, you can find them in stores and suddenly the critics say PS3 isn't selling out. It almost seems like Sony can't win.

In short, do you think the PS3 is getting a fair shake from the media, particularly internet blogs?

Jack Tretton: That's a great question. As I look out at the world in general, leadership comes with a price. People admire leaders, but there's a fair degree of envy, of wanting to see [leaders] stumble. I think you're right: there's a definite case of "you're damned if you do, you're damned if you don't" in that the glass is always half-empty.

The good news is, [the criticism] isn't an accurate reflection on the success of the company, or of consumer's satisfaction [with the PS3]. I think if you talk to the million people who bought the PS3 in North America, you'll find overwhelming satisfaction.

We have a new phenomenon as well in recent years, something we didn't have during the PlayStation or PlayStation 2. And that is everybody is a journalist - if you have a PC, then you're a journalist. There are a lot of people weighing in with opinions who are just individual consumers, a very small and vocal group of consumers, that just want everything for free. I'd love that to be the case, but that's not how the world works.

Vicious Sid: What does Sony need to do to make the PS3 as big as the PSX and PS2?

Jack Tretton: Never resting on our laurels. With the PlayStation, we ushered in a new demographic, a more diverse gaming experience, and 3D graphics where people were used to 2D. And we could have said "we were successful there, so let's do a [PlayStation 1.5] and see if we can milk this audience a little bit longer." But we decided that we really needed to go back to the drawing board and provide that "wow" factor for the PS2.

Consumer expectations keep rising higher and higher. The easy job would be making a PlayStation 2.5, selling it for $199 or $299, and making it a clearl improvement over the PlayStation 2 but only marginally better. [We could have said] "We're already the market leader, we've got the momentum, so why take risks?" But we've never been about that. So we're going to take some risks and give consumers the technology that they'll need for the next ten years.

A lot of people in early 2007 are saying "Well, I don't need the PS3's technology." But we know, given where technology's headed, that they're going to want it. And they'll want to invest in it, and they'll pay more for it than they would with the PlayStation 3. You're already seeing it now, where people are adding new configurations to hard disk drives, movie players, and so on. That's technology that [we integrated into] the PlayStation 3.

By including Blu-ray in the PS3 we're taking some lumps in the short term so we can say 'I told you so' in the long term."

Vicious Sid: Let's talk online strategy. What does PlayStation Network have that Xbox Live doesn't?

Jack Tretton: First and foremost, it's free. And there's no "free, but..." You plug it in, log onto the network and you're immediately downloading demos and movie content. You're able to play Resistance: Fall of Man against people all over the country. You're having a robust online experience without signing up for some service [like Xbox Live]. There's content available for purchase, if you want to download something like Blast Factor, but that's your choice. There's no cost of entry.

But the caveat is, we're only a few months into the PS3 online experience. By no means have we revealed our entire hand in what we intend to bring to consumers. The online experience is very robust right now, but honestly it's nowhere near where we want it to be. It's still in the very early stages. It's the grand opening of the store and the paint's still drying, we're still hanging up all the merchandise. You'll see that evolve very quickly.

Ultimately, the consumer will be able to choose what interests them, and they won't be force-fed: they can go from publisher to publisher, from business model to business model, and find the one that interests them. Some players may only care about SOCOM, and they don't want to pay for another game that they're not interested in. As a consumer, that's how I prefer to buy. I don't like to order my food before I go into the restaurant, I like to look over the menu and decide how hungry I am and what I want to eat.

You will see peripherals coming from SCEA that will address the interests of the U.S. consumer. I don't have anything to tell you specifically, but we're open to changing the Sixaxis controller."

Bro Buzz: What are your thoughts about the PS3's price? Is it too high?

Jack Tretton: A lot of the technology that we offer consumers they may not realize they need yet. But to show them the kind of games that we'll ultimately show them, then they need this technology: the Blu-ray drive and the 60 gig hard drive. $599 is a lot of money, but it's the world's worst-kept secret that we're selling it at a significant investment from Sony. The consumer is investing for $599, but we're investing along with them. We're hoping that investment will return profitability to us over time as we manufacture more and more units.

For [$599], the consumer will see that paid off in time in spades. You could get a machine that costs less money, but if you're not happy with the games or if the system becomes obsolete in less than five years, you won't think about how much you saved but how much you wasted. Those PlayStations and PlayStation 2s paid off for ten years, and [so will the PS3]. I'll stack our $599 price tag and our technology against our competition all day long. In the end, consumers will find they got a great deal of value. I won't deny that $599 is a lot of money. It's clearly an investment. I won't tell you I've got [$599] in my back pocket. But I'm also a big believer in "you get what you pay for."
Source: http://www.gametrailers.com/viewnews.php?id=4203

PT2: http://www.gametrailers.com/viewnews.php?id=4202
===Thanks to Game



March 6th
Quote:

Reports say that Sony PlayStation has the following activity lined up for the 2007 Game Developers Conference:

Phil Harrison, president of the worldwide studios to deliver a keynote speech titled 'Game 3.0: Developing and Creating for the 3rd Age of Videogames.' His speech will concentrate on UGC and community, complete with demos of new services and games.

"This is a very exciting time to be part of the game development community. Advancements in technology combined with new consumer trends mean the industry has a great opportunity to create engaging new entertainment experiences for the world," said Phil Harrison. "I believe we're at the threshold of a new era in creative game development that's destined to drive our industry growth through the next decade or more."

Sony PlayStation plans to champion new development tools for the PS3, PSP and Network. Some of the exclusives include:

- Tuner for PS3 - a profiling tool enabling developers to improve code performance.

- Unreal Engine 3 - Epic's next-gen game engine technology for genres such as fighting games, shooters and multiplayer online RPGs.

- High-Level Graphics Package, PSSG (PS3 optimized cross-platform graphics engine and tool-chain) production-ready extensible scene-graph framework which is written to take advantage of the PS3's strengths.

- Pioneering profiling and analysis tools and physics technologies

- Developing with Linux on PS3

- Demonstrations of downloadable titles from the Network including flOw, Blast Factor and Calling of Cars.

- Sony Computer Entertainment developers, engineers and other specialists will also be hosting various education panels to support and encourage the creative innovation of developers and publishers.


Source: http://threespeech.com/blog/?p=307

CONFIRMATION

Spoiler:
Sony has confirmed that Phil Harrison will be showing off new services and games for PS3 when he delivers his keynote address on Wednesday, 7th March, at 18:30 GMT.

We'll be bringing you Live Text from the presentation as it happens, so make sure you're here for kick off.

His speech will cover the key components of what Sony is calling "the third era of videogames", focusing on community, user-generated content, collaboration and commerce.
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Sony was unavailable to comment on what the games and services might be, though speculation about PS3 "Home", an avatar-based achievement system for the community, continues.

"This is a very exciting time to be part of the game development community," promises Harrison, president of worldwide studios, Sony Computer Entertainment. "I believe we're at the threshold of a new era in creative game development that's destined to drive our industry growth through the next decade or more."

Following the speech, Sony's booth on the GDC show floor will be demonstrating downloadable PlayStation 3 titles, as well as showcasing the versatility of Unreal Engine 3 - which will be powering shooters as well as online adventures, we're told.

GDC is primarily for developers, of course, so Sony will be showing off plenty of stuff that's of more interest to people who make games than people who play them - creating content for PS3 using Linux will be a hot topic, as will swanky new graphics software, physics and analysis tools.

Something for everyone then. Just make sure you're here tomorrow at 18:30 to catch the action as it happens.
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LIVE TEXT FEEDS

Quote:
http://www.eurogamer.net/index.php


PM me if you have any other live txt sites and different time zones.



GDC: Sony Pre-Keynote Reaction




Spoiler:
http://gdc.gamedailyxl.com/2007/03/07/gdc-sony-pre-keynote-reaction/