Neutron, Exit Games' cross-platform multiplayer gaming service, just got upgraded with iPhone support, the company announced today.

The service is said to include real-time, turn-based and tournament multiplayer options, game lobbies and various matchmaking capabilities, buddy lists, leaderboards, profiles, in-game voice and text chat and last, but certainly not least, billing and in-game microtransactions.

?The iPhone presents a very unique opportunity for mobile online gaming as it is both specifically designed for online services and comes with the App Store, an already successful and accessible distribution channel?, said Christof Wegmann, CTO of Exit Games. ?Neutron?s support of this new and innovative mobile device will ensure that iPhone game developers have a means to take advantage of its wireless connectivity and add social gaming features.? Wegmann further adds, ?The iPhone will surely establish itself as a dominant mobile gaming platform and we?re pleased to support multiplayer and social features in games developed for the device.?

Exit Games today announced that its cross-platform multiplayer gaming service, Neutron®, is now compatible with the iPhone?. This new compatibility update allows game developers to integrate online multiplayer and social gaming features into iPhone games by using Neutron technology, as well as cross-platform capabilities between an iPhone and other mobile devices, PCs and game consoles.
Features of the Neutron multiplayer and social gaming platform include, among others:
? Real-time, turn-based and tournament multiplayer options
? Game lobbies and various matchmaking capabilities
? Buddy lists, leaderboards, profiles, etc.
? In-game voice and text chat
? Billing and in-game microtransactions
?The iPhone presents a very unique opportunity for mobile online gaming as it is both specifically designed for online services and comes with the App Store, an already successful and accessible distribution channel?, said Christof Wegmann, CTO of Exit Games. ?Neutron?s support of this new and innovative mobile device will ensure that iPhone game developers have a means to take advantage of its wireless connectivity and add social gaming features.? Wegmann further adds, ?The iPhone will surely establish itself as a dominant mobile gaming platform and we?re pleased to support multiplayer and social features in games developed for the device.?
The fully managed Neutron service platform minimizes risk and time-to-market for even the most complex multiplayer and community game development projects on all platforms. Neutron 5.0 SDKs provide a broad variety of connectivity features out-of-the-box, and together with its hosting services it enables game developers to integrate sophisticated online features at minimum time and cost investment. Neutron continues to leverage large user communities, supporting online gaming on the mobile, PC and console platforms including J2ME, BREW, Windows Mobile, Flash Lite, Blackberry

It looks like Shaun White may have a bit of competition. While Destineer's upcoming snowboarder Stoked wasn't built using the Assassin's Creed engine (and it doesn't sport a Wii version with Balance Board support), it does have some things going for it. First off, it was created with the help of snowboarding movie creator Absinthe Films.

?It?s all about defining your riding style and crafting the line that suits you,? said Peter Anthony Chiodo (?Tony?), Destineer?s Director of Product Development. ?Stoked leaves well-worn resorts behind and gives players absolute freedom to ride wherever they want and trick off of anything they can find in some of the most famous backcountry locations the world has to offer. Gameplay is focused on style and finesse, not button mashing; Destineer and Bongfish have created a game that looks and plays like a snowboarding movie.?

Adds Patrick ?Brusti? Armbruster, co-founder of Absinthe Films: ?Developing a snowboard video game has always been a dream of mine. There are endless synergies between a snowboard film production and a game developer that were just waiting to be activated. Bongfish and Destineer have realized this potential, and have shown a real passion for snowboarding, and together we?ve worked to bring snowboarding luminaries from across the planet together for this project.?

Stoked includes five famous mountains featuring over 45 square miles of open terrain in each location, hidden drop points for helicopter starts, dynamic weather, multiplayer support and tons of real world pro riders. Among the list: Travis Rice, Nicolas Mueller, Wolle Nyvelt, Annie Boulanger, Romain de Marchi, Tadashi Fuse, Gigi Ruef, and Bjorn Leines.

Stoked is scheduled for release in November. More details on the jump as well as a chunky gallery.

Ride your way to fame as a professional snowboarder! Destineer Announces ?Stoked? for Xbox 360

MINNEAPOLIS, MN ? August 20, 2008 ? Hit the mountains on your quest to become the next snowboarding phenomenon in Stoked, the open-world, back country snowboarding experience from Destineer and developer Bongfish GmbH. Coming exclusively to the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft in November, Stoked features five huge open-world mountains, changing weather patterns, and the sponsorship and cooperation of some of the most respected and influential names in the sport.

Developed in conjunction with world-renowned snowboarding movie creator Absinthe Films, Stoked captures the pioneering spirit of professional back country riders. Exhilarating snowboarding experiences are born from dynamic backcountry conditions. The riders who brave and master these conditions are the stuff of legend in Absinthe videos and the pages of snowboarding magazines. The look and style of these riders are emulated across the world. In Stoked, it?s your turn to become a legendary rider and wow the world on Xbox LIVE® online entertainment network by becoming an absolute snowboarding phenomenon.

?It?s all about defining your riding style and crafting the line that suits you,? said Peter Anthony Chiodo (?Tony?), Destineer?s Director of Product Development. ?Stoked leaves well-worn resorts behind and gives players absolute freedom to ride wherever they want and trick off of anything they can find in some of the most famous backcountry locations the world has to offer. Gameplay is focused on style and finesse, not button mashing; Destineer and Bongfish have created a game that looks and plays like a snowboarding movie.?

Adds Patrick ?Brusti? Armbruster, co-founder of Absinthe Films: ?Developing a snowboard video game has always been a dream of mine. There are endless synergies between a snowboard film production and a game developer that were just waiting to be activated. Bongfish and Destineer have realized this potential, and have shown a real passion for snowboarding, and together we?ve worked to bring snowboarding luminaries from across the planet together for this project.?

In Stoked, craft a snowboarding career with your own customizable style and ride five famous mountains featuring over 45 square miles of open terrain in each location. Discover new drop points by helicopter. Dynamic and ever-evolving weather conditions await riders as they choose where they ride and what they ride in by tracking conditions that suit their tastes.

Riders get instant drop in access to multiplayer action where they team up with friends to create a wide variety of riding experiences, both cooperative and competitive. Players can also go up against other riders on Xbox LIVE in a series of sponsored events to boost their fame!

Stoked features some of the most influential professional riders in the world: Travis Rice, Nicolas Mueller, Wolle Nyvelt, Annie Boulanger, Romain de Marchi, Tadashi Fuse, Gigi Ruef, and Bjorn Leines. An impressive line up of 30 authentic sponsors also appear in Stoked including but not limited to: Burton, Dragon, Arcus, Von Zipper, Eleven, 686, Billabong, DaKine, Electric, LibTech, Nitro, Northwave, Oakley, Quiksilver, Ride, Hart, Rome, Salomon, TechNine, Vans, Volcom, and more!

Own trick spots, show up rivals, and build your reputation. Take pictures of friends and capture video of your best moves to win the kind of attention that lands you on the cover of a snowboarding magazine. Conquer massive mountains and carve your path as a snowboarding phenomenon in the deepest, truest backcountry snowboarding video game yet: Stoked.

Stoked is scheduled for release in November of 2008. For more information, please visit www.destineerstudios.com.

Microsoft has decided that if you want to make an Xbox Live app for the iPhone, you will have to give it away for free.

The coders behind the 1337pwn Friends List were contacted by Microsoft and were told they could keep their app on the App Store — but only by reducing the price to Zero.

We have looked at a similar previously, and were fairly unimpressed, so perhaps this is a quality-verus-branding issue for Microsoft and they just don't want people to be charged for limited functionality.

It is just possible, though, that this is merely leading up to the announcement of an official Live Anywhere iPhone app. Oh, and the Zune, obviously. We wouldn't want to forget the Zune.

Microsoft: iPhone Xbox Live Apps Must Be Free [Wired Game|Life]

Typically when a Mad Catz controller press release crosses my desk I don't spend much time worrying over it. But this, this is much different. Mad Catz today announced that they've secured the license to make controllers and accessories for a number of Capcom games including Bionic Commando, Resident Evil 5 and (gasp) Street Fighter IV.

That's right, Mad Catz are making the Street Fighter IV fighting sticks. I hope that makes you as nervous as that makes me. I've never been a big fan of Street Fighter on a console. Why? Because frankly it's not a game meant for console gaming. Sure you can play around with it at home, but SF is a arcade cabinet game and it always will be. Don't bother arguing with me, I will stubbornly refuse to listen and may even start making blah, blah, blah noises.

So when I started talking to the Capcom folks about Street Fighter IV (Ok, gushing), I told them how I fully expect the console version to suck. Really suck. No Brian, they told me, that's not true. Wait until you see the controllers. They're really going to be something special. Then comes the news today, Mad Catz is making them. Lies, LIES, I tell you. But after a bit of hyperventilating I touched base with some friends in the know and have been reassured (at least they tried to) that the controllers are still going to be filled with delicious awesome.

I wait, arms crossed sternly in front of chest, to be surprised.

Press Release: Mad Catz to make Street Fighter IV line of controllers

SAN DIEGO - (Business Wire) Mad Catz Interactive, Inc. (AMEX/TSX: MCZ), a leading third-party interactive entertainment accessory provider, announced today that it has secured a license from Capcom®, a leading worldwide developer and publisher of videogames, to produce branded controllers and accessories based on the Street Fighter® IV, Bionic Commando® and Resident Evil® 5 videogame properties. The agreement gives Mad Catz North American and European rights to a range of accessories for all current videogame platforms, including the PC.

?We are excited to partner with Capcom to create branded controllers and accessories based on three of the videogame industry?s most popular and enduring franchises,? said Darren Richardson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Mad Catz. ?We look forward to offering unique and exciting accessories to fans of these games, as we continue to grow and diversify what we believe to be the industry?s leading portfolio of branded videogame accessories.?

?This is a real collaboration between Mad Catz and Capcom,? said Germaine Gioia, senior vice president, licensing, Capcom. ?We are developing a broad variety of game peripherals for a wide game-playing audience — from the casual to the most loyal, core fan. These innovative peripherals will maximize the overall experience that comes from playing Capcom games.?

About Mad Catz Interactive, Inc.

Mad Catz is a global leader in providing innovative peripherals for the interactive entertainment industry. Mad Catz designs and markets accessories for videogame systems and publishes videogame software, including the industry-leading GameShark videogame enhancements, under its Mad Catz, GameShark and Joytech brands. Mad Catz also designs and markets mice, keyboards, headsets, PC gaming controllers and other PC peripherals through its Saitek brand, and develops, manufactures and markets proprietary portable earphones under its AirDrives brand. Mad Catz distributes its products through most of the leading retailers offering interactive entertainment products and has offices across Canada, Europe and Asia. For additional information please go to www.madcatz.com, as well as www.gameshark.com, www.airdrives.com, www.saitek.com and www.joytech.net.

I am sure I will get a lot of flak for this, but I like the Harry Potter movies. It's my guilty pleasure. Hell, I even have a playlist in my iTunes called "guilty pleasures" filled with 80's hits and the Harry Potter soundtrack. With the film recently delayed to 2009, we don't know when the game will come out. However, in the meantime we have this trailer to keep you guys busy.

On the weekend of August 29-31, teams of game developers will join the OLPC Physics Game Jam in a race to create a unique physics-based game for the One Laptop Per Child XO Laptop.

An OLPC Jam is a sort of intense workathon where developers, artists, and other 'creatives' throw themselves at a problem over a short space of time. Previous Jams have created educational and medical resources for use with the OLPC in developing countries and the organizers are confident that the talented geeks putting themselves forward for the Physics Game Jam will come up with something special.

All the code will be open source, so it is not impossible that the games created in the Jam will see the light of day in web-based games or other platforms down the line.

If you have any coding, game design or artistic chops and fancy helping out, get in touch here. There are prizes — including XO laptops and other goodies — for the best creations, plus a lovely warm feeling from helping a good cause.

OLPC Physics Game Jam For an XO [Slashdot]

To: Bash
From: Crecente
Re: My Driver's License Picture? Ha. Ha. Ha.

So I was just settling in to an afternoon of blogging, cranking out posts with Stuart and Adam's help to fill in for the missing Mikes, when my iPhone rang. On the screen was the name: Mike Fahey. Uh oh. No problem, he was safely on the soil of tiny Halle, nearish Leipzig. But the thing was he was lost. He couldn't figure out, in his jet-lagged state, where the hotel was. So instead of leaving a giant Fahey to roam the countryside, terrorizing the cobbled roads and winding side alleys of Halle, I decided to walk him through getting to the hotel... from my memory of the daily trek a year ago. This is snippet of the actual conversation:

Fahey: I'm standing near the entrance for the train station. I see a McDonalds.
Me: Go outside
Fahey: OK, I see a road.
Me: Go straight, under the overpass.
Me: Turn right
Fahey: I see the stairs
Me: Go up the stairs
Me: You know this is a lot like a word adventure... ha ha ha ha ha.

Stony silence. Good times, good times.

What you missed:
iPhone Frogger Impressions
Germany - Ich Leibe Es!
Pre-Order Banjo-Kajooie: Nuts & Bolts Gets Free, Early Access to XBLA Original
BioShock Brings Challenge Rooms to PS3, Coming Oct. 21, Oct. 24
Frankenreview: Too Human
New Lego Batman Character Announced, Batgirl!
Murloc, Succubus, Lady Vashj WoW Figures Hit in April

Yesterday we reported Sony's annoucement via the PlayStation Blog that all the major upcoming PS3 music games (Rock Band 2, Guitar Hero: World Tour, and Rock Revolution) will be able to share instruments.

Not to be outdone (and concerned that the PS3 claim might imply the opposite for rivals) Chris Paladino from Microsoft used the Gamerscore Blog to confirm that the same was true of the XBox version of those games as well.

For the record, we also do that, so consider this an official announcement.

All the instruments from Rock Band 2, Guitar Hero: World Tour, and Rock Revolution will be cross-compatible.

Let's hear it for common sense and compatibility. Up next — world peace.

Speaking of Instrument Compatibility... [Gamerscore Blog]

It's good to know that the Heavy appreciates a good sandwich as much as I do. Though in my case my need for hunger-filling sammiches pushes me to hire interns in the Denver area. In the case of the Heavy? He uses his Sandvich to satisfy overwhelming hunger pangs and heal 120 health. The tidy meal does take him a good four seconds to eat, and apparently the noise of his chomping is a dead give away. Still worth it... hands down.

The Sandvich is the Heavy?s first unlockable. It tastes as good as it looks and heals 120 health. Like in real life, the decision to eat a Sandvich must not be taken lightly; The Heavy is completely vulnerable during the four second eating process, and his loud, happy sounds of vigorous chewing will draw enemies like tiny ant cowards to a picnic. OF DEATH. On the bright side, the Heavy?s Sandvich supply is unlimited, so his only real concern is being caught short while enjoying this delicious edible device. The Sandvich is a great tool for a Heavy defending an area, as it gives him the ability to replenish health between enemy waves without having to abandon his post. Similarly, an offensive Heavy without a Medic can step back from the front line and grab a quick snack before resuming his rampage. Beware, however: the Heavy must set aside his shotgun to take the Sandvich, and enemy Snipers are much more dangerous for a Heavy wielding only a minigun.

Hit the jump to see the Sandvich in action. Be warned, it's gruesome.

The world of Exergaming has seen a lot of development lately most notably with the Wii Fit.

Now InterAction Laboratories are going to see if Isometric workouts are doable on the Wii with their new controller - the Wii Sqweeze.

This prongs of this rubber-handled device are pushed together to work your upper body. It is still in development, but InterAction already have a couple of demo games — a bow-shooting challenge and something that is described as a 'Ball crushing game', which conjures up terrible images of workout sessions gone horribly, horribly wrong.

Wii Sqweeze [Exergame Lab via Boing Boing Gadgets]