Upcoming gaming conferences such as the Electronic Entertainment Expo, or E3, which will be held in Los Angeles next spring, will see some action on the sexually-explicit game front. |
The International Game Developers' Association has just formed a special interest group to look into issues related to sexually-oriented video games and plans to host separate sessions at these conferences. |
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The group's main responsibility will be to provide a forum for developers of adult content. It will address issues related to the development and marketing of adult-oriented material. |
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The group will urge developers to prepare lists of games that incorporate adult content and help them categorise the lists to indicate the extremity of content. |
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The special interest group will be chaired by Brenda Brathwaite, the lead designer for Cyberlore Studios' popular Playboy: The Mansion game. |
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Xbox 360 under $300 |
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Microsoft has announced that the price of its Xbox 360 will start at $299.99 with standard $59 games. The Xbox 360 is expected to be launched in North America in early November. It will include a console, one controller, a white faceplate and an audio-visual cable. |
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For an additional $100, gamers will have an option to upgrade to the premium edition. The premium package will have, in addition to the standard equipment, a headset, remote, as well as membership to the Xbox Live entertainment and chat network. |
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It will also come with a 20GB hard drive for storing games, music, and other content downloaded from Xbox Live. |
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With the low-end version - called Xbox Core - retailing at under $300, market analysts predict this will now put pressure on Sony, which has hinted that the PS3 could retail for as much as $400 to $500 when it debuts next year. |
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Desktop Deceit |
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Technology has its downsides. International media reports suggest that the increasing popularity and affordability of personal computers and sophisticated printers is driving counterfeiting. |
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Advanced digital copying technology, desktop computers and colour printers are now said to produce about 97 per cent of today's fake $5, $10 and $20 notes in the US. |
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US government officials say that about 80 per cent of the counterfeit $50 notes are made with home computers. Earlier, counterfeiting was more complex as offset printers had to be used. |
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Today, with a couple of hundred dollars investment in tabletop colour printers, one can print high quality reproductions at the press of a button. |
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To stay one step ahead of the crooks, the US Federal Reserve Board has started using a Counterfeit Deterrence System "" a technology that shuts down printers and copiers attempting to reproduce the new $20 and $50 bills. |
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