Nearly 200 hardware and software makers gathered for the four-day Tokyo Game Show at Makuhari Messe convention hall, where gamers had their first chance to try out Sony’s next generation Vita console.

Gree, a rapidly growing Japanese social networking service set up in 2004 offering games for mobile phones, made its debut at the show with one of the biggest booths.

As models dressed as game characters walked around the hall amid the clatter of electronic noise, the mood was far from the kind of Japanese restraint that followed the March 11 earthquake and tsunami six months ago.

Nintendo did not take part in the annual event, but held its own showcase on Tuesday as it looks to revive sales of its struggling 3DS console that boasts three-dimensional images without users having to wear special glasses.

One of the big attractions was Sony’s Vita console, which does not hit stores in Japan until December 17.

Among the titles the new console boasts is Reality Fighters, in which players can create their own combat avatar.

The game allows users to map their face using one of the Vita’s two cameras, select from a range of body shapes and weapons and even use their current surroundings as the backdrop for the battle.

The Vita is the latest step in Sony’s drive to push a library of content through its game consoles, smartphones and tablet computers as it faces competition from Apple’s iTunes and App store and hardware rivals such as Nintendo.

The PS Vita features a five-inch (12.7 cm) multi-touch OLED (organic light emitting diode) screen with a pad on the back for “touch, grab, trace, push and pull” finger motions. The handset also has front and rear facing cameras.

Users will be able to use the device to watch videos, listen to music, connect to internet sites and social media networks such as Facebook and Twitter.

The Vita’s launch comes as both Sony’s PlayStation and Nintendo’s gaming models are under increasing pressure from cheap smartphone games that can be quickly downloaded and played, as well as social networks.

Nintendo cut the price of its 3DS game console by up to 40 percent only six months after it launched due to weak sales.

On Tuesday it announced some upgrades to the device, a new pink version targeted at women and 30 new game titles to help drive hardware sales.

Reflecting the popularity of social games, the number of game titles for smartphones rose to 98 at this year’s show from 50 in 2010, and those for tablet PCs, such as Apple’s iPad and Android-powered machines, hit 29 from 18.

“Video games used to be the domain of keen users willing to spend tens of thousands of yen,” said Yoichi Wada, chairman of the Computer Entertainment Supplier’s Association, the organiser of the event.

But the market is now expanding for casual users as smartphones gain popularity, Wada said in a keynote speech.

Yoshikazu Tanaka, Gree’s founder and chief executive officer, said the company was expanding its global operations, building offices in such places as San Francisco and London.

“Our vision is to create services that can be used by one billion people,” in the next three to five years, he said.

“Smartphones are offering the opportunity. We should get the chance to please one billion people and change their lives.”

On show Thursday were blockbuster franchises such as Metal Gear Solid and Monster Hunter as well as more unique applications.

One app helped people coordinate their daily outfits. Also popular were musical games exploiting the popularity of pop stars such as girl group AKB48 or virtual ones such as hologram idol Hatsune Miku, aimed at young Japanese men.

The Tokyo Game Show opens to the public from Saturday. Organisers expect up to 190,000 people to attend.

- AFP

Mumbai:

The need to elect a new person to head the IPL arose after incumbent Chirayu Amin expressed his desire to step down from the post.

“Chirayu Amin wants to step down from the chairmanship of IPL because of his commitments. So a new chairman would have to be elected at the AGM. This is one of the items listed on the agenda of the meeting,” sources said.

Amin took over the reins when the IPL was rocked by the Lalit Modi fracas that saw the then prime mover of the league being sacked at the end of the third season in 2010.

The indications are that Rajiv Shukla, currently vice president from the Central Zone, would become the new chief of this important sub-committee of the BCCI.

Sources, however, said that the appointment of a CEO, as speculated in the media, to run the Board’s affairs is not a listed item on the agenda of the meeting which would pass the annual accounts and annual report of the secretary.

President-elect N Srinivasan, who would complete his term as the Secretary of the Board, is poised to take over as the new chief from incumbent Shashank Manohar who would step down after the completion of his term at the helm.

The appointment of the new selection committees including the senior panel, is also one of the important items on the agenda of the meeting along with the election of various office bearers.

Among the senior panel members, North Zone’s Yashpal Sharma has completed his tenure and would be replaced but it is still not clear whether there would be other changes, including that of the Chairman — a post currently occupied by Krishnamachari Srikkanth.

The selectors were under fire from various quarters outside the Board for the poor display of the Indian team in England so soon after winning the coveted World Cup on April 2.

The team was whitewashed 0-4 in the Test rubber, clearly outplayed in all departments and beset by a spate of injuries to several key players, to lose its top ranking in the most important format of the game.

Later it was beaten in the ODI series too by hosts England who are not among the top teams in the 50-over format for quite some time.

There are also clear indications Orissa Cricket Association Chief, Ranjib Biswal could become the new secretary as he, apparently, has the backing of both Manohar and Srinivasan.

Former Joint Secretary and incumbent treasurer M P Pandove’s name is also doing the rounds.

But it remains to be seen whether he has sufficient support among the members as he is the secretary of the Punjab Cricket Association headed by I S Bindra who is close to the Board’s persona non grata, Modi.

Things would become clear on September 18 evening when the nominations for the various posts are filed and the withdrawals too, if necessary, are gone through on the same day.

Cardiff:

“I have tossed more because the ball hangs (in the air) a bit more here. It’s better to look for help in the air than from wicket. It’s better than I go after him (batsman) than he coming after me. It doesn’t help if you sit back. I would rather live by the sword and die by it,” said Ashwin who has picked up six wickets from four matches at 21.00.

Ashwin said he suffered from trepidation before leaving for England for the one-day series. “This is the experience I will always cherish. I will put it in my back pocket as I might have to come back here and do well for India. I have loved every bit of experience. They have hit out, I have picked wickets  I will treasure it all.

“It’s not easy on English soil as spinners. The practice game really helped. I wanted to go in a certain fashion and I’m happy I could execute what I had planned.”

The tall off-spinner emphasised that he attached himself more to the team’s success than his own. “If you attach to team than to yourself personally you’d have more success than failure. You would enjoy more success. I feel this team has a lot in it to keep winning for a longer period of time.”

Also, rather than lamenting the close losses in the last two games, Ashwin wanted to look at the bigger picture. “They played better cricket than us. They were more gutsy than us. If a couple of things had gone our way, they would have felt as we feel now.

“But then you can lose a few battles but a war has to be won in the end and we would rather look at bigger picture and prepare with the 2015 World Cup in our mind. It’s a process we have been sticking to. We go to a game well planned and well oiled and we look to win. Make no mistake we are as desperate to win as everyone else is.”

To stress his point, Ashwin cited the example of Rahul Dravid who is retiring from one-day cricket tomorrow but came an hour before everyone else to have extra nets at Sofia Gardens this morning.

“Dravid is the best example we can get. In the last two years I have been playing, I hadn’t played a single game with Dravid who’s been my childhood hero. I hope he gets a hundred and finishes his one-day career on a high.”

Ashwin believed that India could have done well had the second Test gone in their favour last month. “We have played well in patches but it hasn’t gone our way. In the second Test, we had made a fair progress. It was a fifth Test in a row and ultimately we buckled up. We needed an inspirational Test to stay alive. Once that happened, it was an uphill task from then on. It was difficult to catch up with England.”

The Chennai bowler doesn’t like the fact that he has been labelled as a one-day bowler. “The IPL has showcased a format which is visible on TV. I started for Tamil Nadu and won the best bowler award in a four-day competition. It just tells me I am good enough.”

The competitive cricketer believed England wouldn’t find it easy when they tour India next month. “It’s bound to be different. There would be more people in the stands. It wouldn’t be like you can play on the up as they do in England. Conditions would be different. We might enjoy an upper hand. We might do better.”

Asked to explain the Indian team’s absence in the ICC awards function in London the other night, Ashwin said as players, the team needed direction from the authorities. “It depends on authorities what they want us to do. From a player’s point of view, it was another day off for me.”

- PTI

However, in sharp contrast, the stock listed at Rs. 68 on the National Stock Exchange, 17.24 per cent higher than the issue price.

However, within minutes, the stock saw the initial gains registered on the NSE erased and it tumbled 37.67 per cent to Rs. 36.15 at 1125 hours.SRS had entered the capital market through an IPO with a price band of Rs. 58-65 per equity share.

The company raised Rs. 225 crore through the issue, which will be used for setting up cinemas, food courts and restaurants, retail stores and jewellery manufacturing facility.

At present, the firm operates 23 SRS Value Bazaar retail stores, 15 food courts and 30 cinema screens in North India. The company also operates five jewellery retail and wholesale outlets and a jewellery manufacturing unit in Delhi.

The stock was later trading at Rs. 36.25 on the BSE at 1125 hours.

- PTI

Trading sentiment remained bearish after gold fell in the global market, as the world’s major central banks moved to ease funding for European banks in a coordinated effort to solve Europe’s debt crisis, reducing appeal for the precious metal as an alternative investment.

Sluggish demand at existing higher levels in the spot market further fuelled the downtrend.

At the Multi Commodity Exchange, gold for delivery in October month fell by Rs. 224, or 0.82 per cent, to Rs. 27,246 per 10 grams, with a business turnover of 1,720 lots.

Likewise, the metal for delivery in December lost Rs. 224, or 0.81 per cent, to Rs. 27,570 per 10 grams, with an open interest of 152 lots.

Meanwhile, gold declined by $23 to $1,766.80 an ounce in Asia.

- PTI

A bench of justices Dalveer Bhandari and A K Patnaik directed the CBI to file its reply within two weeks on the bail pleas of Satyam’s former employees G Ramakrishna, D Venkatpathi Raju and Ch Srisailam and Satyam’s former internal chief auditor V S Prabhakar Gupta.

They had approached the apex court against the August 30 order of Andhra Pradesh High Court which had rejected their bail pleas.

The prime accused in the case — Satyam former chief Ramalinga Raju and his brother and former MD B Rama Raju are still in judicial custody.

Besides Raju, B Rama Raju, and the four Satyam employees, the firm’ former Chief Financial Officer Vadlamani Srinivas,and former PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) auditor Subramani Gopalakrishnan are currently lodged in Chanchalguda Central Prison in Hyderabad.

The accused had sought bail on the grounds that the trial in the Satyam scam was not completed within the Supreme Court-stipulated deadline of July 31 and all the prosecution witnesses have been examined.

The apex court had in October last year, while cancelling Raju’s bail, stated that the accused could file another bail application only after July 31, 2011, if the trial in the case was not completed in the local court.

Raju, the former chairman and founder of Satyam Computer, had surrendered on November 10 last year before a Hyderabad court adjudicating the nation’s biggest corporate fraud, allegedly to the tune of Rs. 14,000 crore.

Of the ten accused in the case, B Suryanarayana Raju, who is Raju’s brother, and T Srinivas, a former auditor of PWC had been granted bail by different courts earlier.

- PTI

New York: 

Eleven Husain paintings were on sale at Sotheby’s, which presented Modern and Contemporary South Asian Art including Indian Miniature Paintings as part of its week of Asian art auctions.

However, proceeds from the Sotheby’s auction paled in comparison to those generated at Christie’s two days ago, where a single Husain work was sold for $1.14 million.

At the Christie’s auction, Sprinkling Horses went under the hammer for $1.14 million, one of the highest amounts ever paid for the late master’s work.
It was among the 13 paintings that were auctioned at Christie’s sale of South Asian Modern and Contemporary Art. The 13 paintings were sold for a total of $4.2 million.

A legendary artist, whose work often landed him in controversy, Husain passed away in June this year at the age of 95. He was among the first and few artists from India to be in the ‘one million dollar club’.

His Empty Bowl at the Last Supper was sold for $2 million in 2005, which was at that time the highest sum ever paid for a work of modern Indian art.

In 2008, Husain’s Battle of Ganga and Jamuna: Mahabharata fetched $1.6 million, setting a world record at Christie’s South Asian Modern and Contemporary Art sale.

- PTI

The 42-year-old star, who has starred in ‘X-Men’, ‘Van Helsing’ and ‘Australia’, admits he is often surprised that he still gets roles in the industry, Contactmusic reported.

“When I started acting I wasn’t very good so I’m constantly just thrilled I’m not being kicked out,” he said.

Jackman, who plays Wolverine in the ‘X-Men’ franchise and  appears as a former boxer in ‘Real Steel’, likes to play hard men in movies because they make his life more interesting.

“I love playing flawed characters because I think drama films are about conflicts. I enjoy playing tough guys in movies because I’m really pretty boring in real life. I just get to be much more interesting on screen,” he added.

But the Australian hunk prefers stage acting which he is set to do later this year when he returns to New York to star in ‘Hugh Jackman, Back on Broadway’.

- PTI

The 46-year-old actor says he has become sober and calmer after his public meltdown, which prompted many fans and friends to question his mental state, reported Aceshowbiz.

“I don’t really know what happened. It was one of those things where the planets were aligned, perfectly or imperfectly. I said some stuff and then it caught such traction globally and instantly that I couldn’t really put out the fire… From one moment to the next, I didn’t know what was going to happen. It was pretty exciting.

“Looking back on it, I don’t think I would trade it, but there are portions of it I would have amended a little bit,” he said.

Sheen reveals he learnt a valuable lesson amid the media firestorm – to appreciate his family, including ex-wives Denise Richards and Brooke Mueller, who he recently holidayed with in Mexico.

“I’m seeing my kids a lot more, mending fences with Denise and Brooke, just trying to move forward and prioritise what matters. I think that’s where the life is. It’s not the giant TV deal or the big party or the award or whatever, it’s the memory of your child’s smile at the end of the day that sort of brings that one lonesome tear,” he added.

- PTI

Released on Friday, the film starring Amitabh Bachchan, Saif Ali Khan, Manoj Bajpayee and Deepika Padukone, is described as a well-crafted film on the need for education. The film was said to be made for Rs 42 crore.

“The occupancy stayed around 60-70 per cent. The film did not release in Uttar Pradesh. The response in Delhi was average. On Saturday-Sunday cops had stopped the screening of the film in Gurgaon due to security issues, so it did affect the business,” said a source from PVR Cinemas.

Yogesh Raizada, corporate head (Cinemas) of Wave Cinemas, said: The response to the film was not as good as we expected. We were expecting that the occupancy would be 100 percent as it was a long weekend but the occupancy has been 70 to 80 per cent. It might be because most of the people went on vacation. The film is likely to pick up in the second week.”

Prakash Jha had anticipated losses when the film was banned in three states — Andhra Pradesh, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh for fear of anti-Dalit comments in the movie.

Though the ban was lifted in Andhra Pradesh on Saturday and in Punjab on Monday, it is still on in Uttar Pradesh, which has the maximum Hindi speaking audience.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Uttar Pradesh government to file its reply by Thursday to filmmaker Prakash Jha’s petition seeking a stay of the ban.

“The film did not release in Uttar Pradesh as a result there was a 50 per cent drop in our business,” said Puneet Sahay, senior manager for programming and operations at Spice Cinemas, Noida.

“We were running old films and it’s occupancy was also around 25 per cent. We were looking upto Aarakshanas it was a long weekend but due to the ban we have indeed suffered losses.”

- IANS