When the writer/director of the upcoming Warner Bros. Pictures film, 300, Zack Snyder was asked by Yahoo Video Games, about his intentions of churning out a game based on his adaptation of Frank Miller's graphic novel, he had this to say:

At first I wanted to do a larger platform game, but it takes a while for the Hollywood machine to pull a trigger on something like that. ...We wanted to do Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, but everyone has in mind what they want to do with marketing and everything. By the time they get around to pulling the trigger and they want a day and date with the movie, we ended up with the PSP. I'm completely happy with the game we made. I think it's cool.

So there you have it folks, the reason for why 300: March to Glory ended up on the PSP.

What's nice about the PSP game, is that Snyder was very involved with the development of the game. It seems that Snyder actually played through the game, and worked closely with Collision Studios to ensure that the game retains the organic low-tech feel that the movie has.

A specific example of Snyder's influence on the game would be the waving capes on the characters in the game. Despite the fact that Collision could've used the memory (used for the waving capes) on other things, they tried their best to ensure that Snyder's vision for 300 is still there.

 

Before we go, if you're curious about what other graphic novel Snyder chosen to bring to the world of the cinema and video games. Here's a little teaser:

The next movie I'm working on is Watchmen. ...Because of my experience with 300, we've been talking about doing a big game for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 that's consistent with the movie's satire. It can't be just a straight-forward game. It has to be more sophisticated, like the movie is. That's the kind of challenge we face when you make a game from a movie.

Alan Moore's Ozymandias in an Xbox 360 game? Sign me up.

There sure ain't a bigger critic than a fan. That's why Microsoft is asking you for your suggestions as to the future of the Xbox 360, Xbox.com and Xbox Live. Yep, they want your ideas. And for sure, they are not gonna be ignored.

Ozymandias aka Andre from the XBox team has this to say, "...we're looking at a future where multiple devices will be able to connect into [Live on Windows]. My question to you is what big features would you want to see out of Live in the future?" Apart from that, he's also asking for suggestions on the devices based around the future of Live anywhere.

Major Nelson add, "With your input, you have helped mold what the service is today. You talk, we listen...that's one of the ways we get feedback. I get a couple of hundred emails each week suggesting new Xbox Live features and I pass those onto the developers here in the building...so we are listening."

So there. Feel free to pitch in your ideas via their blogs, Ozymandias's and Major Nelson's.

Andre Vrignaud, otherwise known to the net as Ozymandias, pulled a Nostradamus of his own recently with his predictions for 2007. Being a Microsoft spokesperson though, you'll have to admit that some of his predictions are somewhat pointed, even if they do happen to be very logical.

We'll tread lightly here with one of the somewhat obvious Microsoft-favored predictions as an example:

By the end of 2007, total lifetime unit sell-through of home consoles will be led by the Xbox 360, followed by Nintendo’s Wii, with the Playstation 3 third. This order will also be true of units sold-through solely in 2007 (ie, not lifetime sales).

There's enough evidence to make that prediction viable, though we'd have to say the Wii is catching up far quicker than anyone expected. Since the total number of PS3 units created does happen to be far less than the total number of Xbox 360 or Wii units sold, Sony is the obvious dark horse for a 2007 sell-through victory.

Here are the rest of his predictions. Take a good note of his PSP-related predictions, as our own Chris L. made a fearless forecast similar to Ozy's. As for everything else, just remember that this is all speculation rather than fact, though you're quite free to put in your own two cents on the predictions he's given.

The original PSP (with memory stick) will be discontinued, and replaced by a new model with an integrated hard drive. The new model will enable connectivity to the Playstation store via internet connection, and allow you to purchase and download both emulated PS1 and native PSP games directly. Over time (meaning not in 2007), it will also allow you to purchase music and movies from the Sony store.

The future will have... ROBOTS! More of Ozymandias' insights and predictions after the jump.

It was just a while ago when we all agreed that Microsoft will definitely issue statements regarding its rival companies. And now here goes the mighty corporation again. This time, it's Xbox Live Director of Technical Strategy Andre Vrignaud's turn to comment on the apparent problems the PS3 is having with certain HDTV units.

"It appears there's no internal hardware scaler in the PS3. As reported, it appears the PS3 is unable to output a consistent signal to your TV based upon your desired selection," wrote Vrignaud in his Ozymandias blog. The official even claimed that he wanted to play Resistance in 1080i (He has a PS3?).

Unfortunately, the console drops down to a lower-common denominator of 480p, in case the game doesn't support it. Vrignaud continued that he was prompted to quit, go to the dashboard, change the PS3's resolution to 720p and then relaunch the game.

Also, according to Vrignaud, older HDTV doesn't support 720p, just 480i/480p and 1080i. So owners of the said units are forced to play in 480i/p because they are unable to scale the output to 1080i. "This smells of the console being rushed to market, and I'm not holding out any hopes for any significant fix. It's bad, and feels like something Sony would have fixed if possible," said Vrignaud.

It is expected that Microsoft employee's wouldn't think much of Sony's PS3 or Sony's Online service. It's normal. They are working for a company that's in direct competition. But just for the sake of clarity, let's take some time to look at the actual points raised by Microsoft employee Andre Vrignaud (better known as Ozymandias on his blog) regarding the lack of efficiency of Sony's online service.

This starts with the lawsuit that Xfire has brought against Gamespy. You see, Xfire believes that GameSpy Comrade's "Buddy Sync" feature is infringing on its copyrights. How does this connect to the PlayStation Network? Vrignaud says this: "This suit highlights how busted Sony's PS3 online network is, and how companies are fighting to position themselves to take advantage of this financially."

He means that online middleware companies are trying to position themselves to become the eventual de facto solution that publishers will use when online on the PS3. It's the same with the web: These companies are trying to get momentum and a large enough user base that will cause them to be the "PS3 online" solution of choice.

How is the PlayStation Network busted? Why does the PlayStation Network need "solutions" from middleware companies? Well, Vrignaud gives several reasons. In his blog he wrotes:

Even though I already have a "Sony ID", I may have to create a new "Resistance ID" (because Insomniac's Resistance has it's own list) to play. And then start thinking about just how broken the experience is when you try to invite someone to a game. Do you send it via the Resistance UI? What screenname do I send it to? If I want to add you to my "Sony ID" friends list, do I need to send you an in-game message to ask you what your real "Sony ID" name is? What about game invites? How does that work across even just these two IDs?

You think that's bad? Now let's open up a few more games from different publishers. Each of these publishers had to make a choice of what online interface to use - again, because Sony's online network just isn't ready.

Yep, his problem is with Sony's PlayStation Network, is that it is just isn't ready. Publishers will have to either write their own communications interface or license Xfire, or GameSpy, or Quazal, or Demonware. That means many potential networks with different namespaces, and an inherent lack of ability to communicate (chatting, voice, invites, finding friends, etc.) between them.

He further inquires as to what could happen if each publisher doesn't stick with the same online solution for all of their games? This is very likely as most publishers use different developers - so even across a single publisher, you may find fragmented communities.

So what's the point of the Sony ID according to him? The Sony ID gives you a lifeline to be see friends when they are online... but only in the crossbar UI.

Andre Vrignaud, otherwise known as Ozymandias on the Xbox Live circuit, recently wrote an essay on his blog in response to a reader's question on mods and console modding. Specifically, the reader asked Andre his opinon on mods, and whether they had a positive or negative effect on the Xbox. While the piece is against modding in general, which might be disagreeable to many QJ readers, his article does serve as food for thought, especially since Vrignaud also helps manage strategies for marketing the Xbox and Windows gaming platforms and thus have a point of view most modders and readers do not get to see.

For instance, one thing most of us don't really get to understand is the reasoning behind the high cost of games. He mentions that it is due to the way the gaming industry is situated, business-wise. Consoles are sold for less than the price of their manufacturing costs, and it is the sale of the additional products, whether they be games, additional hardware, or services like Xbox Live, that make up for this and keep the gaming industry afloat. With piracy, it becomes more difficult to recoup their losses from manufacturing and make an actual profit for further development.

The only other alternative would be the opposite, selling the games for cheap and the consoles at a price that makes up for manufacturing and allows for profit. This leads to the prices of consoles being around the price of PCs, and comparatively speaking, for the same price, a console would be able to do a lot less than a PC can. That doesn't make for good business.

On the whole, Vrignaud's response was against modding for some very valid reasons, and while we do post articles on mods and modding, Ozy's blog gives us a lot to think about. He has an insider look on these things, and at the same time, he also mentions that even Bill Gates is intrigued by the possibilities of mods and homebrewed games, as shown by the ton of mods available for PSPs out there.

The problem definitely lies in finding a way to reconcile both points, in allowing for mods to showcase homebrewed talent while protecting the intellectual property rights and investments of those who made the games we love. The opportunity now lies in seeking out that middle path so that modding can become an avenue for creativity and technical skill without killing the industry it wants to be a part of.