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5. The iPad 2 Is Unveiled
The Cult of Apple was overjoyed on Wednesday to hear their lord and prophet Steve Jobs announce the iPad 2. Releasing at the same price point as the original ($499), iPad 2 supports the much desired Facetime with built-in cameras on the front and back of the device. Garage Band and iMovie will also soon be available, as will a new fold-up case. All that is nice, but why should gamers care? Just a little something called "dual core processors that make the iPad 2 nine times more powerful than its predecessor." Coupled with the fact that the announcement came at a major gaming conference, we can be sure that Apple has grand plans for the iPad as a gaming platform.
4. Nintendo Teases 3DS Updates, New Super Mario Game
During the GDC 2011 keynote speech Wednesday morning, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata announced that a May firmware update would bring a host of welcome improvements to the soon-to-be-released 3DS handheld, including a new eShop (which will port over any regular DS games already owned), access to free Internet hotspots, and Netflix Streaming. Now you can not only get a headache from playing 3D games on a console you keep in your pocket, you can get the complete 3D headache experience with movies too! Oh, and also? NEW SUPER MARIO GAME. We don't know what that tail is all about, but we're gonna guess Darkstalkers cosplay.
3. "Minecraft" Takes Home More Awards Than It Has Developers
The two-part award ceremony that serves as a centerpiece of the conference began with the 13th Annual Independent Games Festival awards. Dozens of creative (and bizarre) games were showcased, a can’t-miss mixtape of avant-garde game design, all worth checking out. The heavily favored Minecraft took the top honors; designed by one man, Markus ‘Notch’ Persson, it's become the perfect indie success story, selling millions of copies despite still being in beta. Not bad for a pixely game about...well, blocks.
The IGF awards were followed by the 11th Annual Game Developers Choice Awards, hosted by the immensely entertaining Tim Schafer (Brutal Legend, Costume Quest). Plenty of AAA games got their due (though Minecraft took some prizes here, too), Peter Molyneux of Fable fame received the lifetime achievement award and—to the sound of riotous cheers and tipped chairs—Rockstar San Diego claimed Game of the Year for Red Dead Redemption. Take that, Mass Effect 2!
2. Unreal Engine 3 Blows Everyone's Face Off
The expo floor of GDC is abuzz over the tech demo of Epic Games' Unreal Engine 3 (we had a tough time climbing over all the jawbones piled up around their booth). The potential on display in this engine, which powers countless upcoming games from Gears of War 3 to Batman: Arkham City, is staggering. Along with NVidia’s APEX clothing tools, the demo is a blistering visual tornado: depth of field, motion blur, pores (you know, those things on your face? They rendered some of them just to give a sense of the level of detail the engine can handle), neon glows on rainy streets, and trench coats that don’t stick to your legs. The environments presented seem to go on forever. Unreal Engine 3 is more real than reality. With this, who needs 3D?
2. Battlefield 3 Blows Everyone's...Remaining Body Parts Off
The biggest videogame announcement (that we can talk about, anyway) was the Battlefield 3 gameplay reveal. Whether it is the jaw-dropping character animation, the frenetic action, or the beautiful destruction, DICE has pushed their flagship title into exciting new territory. EA clearly has its sights set on having the top first-person military shooter—and if the final product matches these first glimpses, a new king may be crowned this fall.