Tech Editor Goes Missing: CNET Editor James Kim Lost In the Great Northwest

This Fall must have left CNet's James Kim exhausted. His beat, the MP3 player, had been a busy sector of gadget-dom since August. So he finished his Zune review, and this past weekend went for a vacation drive up to the great Pacific Northwest with his wife, Kati, and two daughters, Penelope and the seven-month old Sabine. They haven't returned.

A few minutes before Saturday's sunset, somewhere on the Gold Coast, James called a hotel clerk to confirm their reservations at a small inn. The innkeeper expected to see them before midnight, after they passed through the coastal range via Highway 38. That road would have eventually brought James to US 101 and then, over the Golden Gate on Sunday. But investigators believe that James and family never made it out of the mountainous pass. Weather reports say it was raining last Saturday, and in the nearby low lying town of Eugene, it would dip to 35 degrees -- roads could have been frosty up in the hills. As of 9am this morning, investigators are searching looking for any trace of the family, or their silver Saab. The car has the license plate "DoeSF," the name of the boutique clothing store Kati and James own together on SF's Lower Haight.

Cross your fingers for James and his family. And if you hear anything, please call the San Francisco police immediately at 415-558-5508 during normal business hours and at 415-553-1071 after-hours. The Portland Police Bureau's Missing Persons Unit can be reached at 503-823-0446. Here's the official police report.

Gizmodo

People are playing Halo 3 on Xbox Live right now

These Xbox Live users spotted playing Bungie's infamous "Pimps at Sea" (screen shot at the link) were most likely Microsoft employees but at least this is proof of Halo 3 in the wild. With the public beta due out in a few months this isn't too surprising to see. It would be cool to see Bungie actually develop "Pimps at Sea" at some point though.

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Namco: 500,000 PS3 games required for profit

The software available for any console is crucial to its success. According to a report on the Bloomberg news service, developers may be thinking carefully about making games for the PlayStation 3 because of the number of sales required to put the projects in the black.

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Electronic Arts CEO calls on Sony to introduce lower PSP price point

Electronic Arts boss Larry Probst has said that Sony should consider slashing the price of PSP and introducing a new, smaller model in order to boost sales.

Speaking in an interview with Newsweek, Probst said, "I think what moves the needle is a new form factor that's smaller than the existing unit, at a lower price, and hopefully that price is US$100 or lower.

"I think the price point needs to be lower, and I think you're going to see that next year, along with a different form factor," he added.

GamesIndustry.biz

CoD3 Hardware Comparisons

Gametrailers.com is running a lovely video comparing Wii, PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of Call of Duty 3, side-by-side. We won’t spoil the fun by offering any judgments. See for yourself.

Next Generation

Analyst: Sony Shuffle Marks Hardware Exit

A report in the Financial Times cites an analyst who takes the highly controversial view that today’s management shuffle at Sony Computer Entertainment indicates that the company will go software-only in coming years.

Next Generation

Sony Cans Gran Turismo HD; Skips to GT5

Via the Japanese Gran Turismo website, developer Polyphony's CEO has announced that Gran Turismo HD will only be available as a downloadable demo from PlayStation Store and will not be released as a full product.

Polyphony’s CEO and producer of the GT series, Kazunori Yamaouchi says the company has decided to focus directly on Gran Turismo 5 while offering consumers a work-in-progress via the GT-HD Concept demo. That will be available for download in Japan on December 24.

He said “GT-HD Concept” features 10 cars, one course with two layouts, time Attack and drift trial modes. It also delivers a full HD visual experience reinforced with the new engine being developed for GT5. It has no online support other than a network ranking. The online experience will come with GT5."

Next Generation

IGN: Sonic the Hedgehog Review

The reinvention of Sonic the Hedgehog is a worthwhile pursuit. Having said that, any attempt will end in failure if developers forget what made the series special in the first place. Sonic fans want to rocket through loops and turns without having to struggle with camera and control problems just to say on track. But that's exactly what they'll encounter in Sonic's first outing on next-generation systems. It offers a few good ideas, and a handful of exciting moments, but none of this helps the game recover from a catastrophic loss in control.

IGN

Graphical comparison of 'Call of Duty 3' on the Wii, PS3 and Xbox 360.

Interesting video, and it shows the power of the three consoles very well. Even though it's only early days, it shows that there is a heck of a lot of promise for the future, and I for one can hardly wait.

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Xbox 360 Dashboard Update (aka the 1080p fix)

Improved support for HD video output over VGA, including 1080p resolution and other things.

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A PC that looks like a Wii

"Shuttle has just released a rather Wii-looking ultra small PC, named XPC X100. The shape and size is a lot like the Nintendo Wii, and it even features the same type of CD/DVD drive." This computer has a great resemblance to Nintendo's console.

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New Halo 3 commercial and public beta sign-up on Monday!!

Microsoft and Bungie will be unleashing the new Halo 3 spot (created by Digital Domain) on Monday during Monday Night Football. They will also start taking sign-ups for people who want in on the public Halo 3 beta.

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Analysts: Sony Shuffle Marks Hardware Exit

A report in the Financial Times cites analysts who say today’s management shuffle at Sony Computer Entertainment indicates that the company will go software-only in coming years.

Next Generation