Dean Takahashi
Dean Takahashi is lead writer for GamesBeat at VentureBeat. He covers video games, security, chips and a variety of other subjects. He previously worked at the San Jose Mercury News, the Wall Street Journal, the Red Herring, the Los Angeles Times, the Orange County Register and the Dallas Times Herald. He is the author of two books, Opening the Xbox and the Xbox 360 Uncloaked.
Recent Posts
Sparkplay Media nears launch of its Earth Eternal online fantasy game
Joining the fray of free online fantasy games, Sparkplay Media is preparing to launch its massively multiplayer online game, Earth Eternal.
The fantasy game runs in a web browser, with no download required. But it also has a plug-in option that allows gamers to play… Continue Reading
China’s crackdown on virtual goods transactions could ripple through the game economy
China’s new crackdown on the fast-growing virtual goods industry has many possible outcomes, both good and bad for game publishers.
Those publishers make most of their money through virtual goods transactions. China has more than 298 million Internet users and its online games industry is… Continue Reading
PlaySpan expands into new countries with prepaid game cards
PlaySpan said today it has expanded into Brazil, Turkey and other countries with its Ultimate Game Card, a prepaid card sold in stores that gives gamers credits to spend in online games.
These cards are popular among kids too young to have credit cards and… Continue Reading
AMD stirs up hype with limited-edition processors
Advanced Micro Devices’ latest microprocessor is so rare you can’t even buy one.
The AMD Phenom II X4 42 Black Edition TWKR processor is available today. But not for you. AMD is making only 100 of these chips for super geeks known as “extreme overclockers.”… Continue Reading
F.A.S.T. brings cool 3-D aerial dogfights to the iPhone
The 3-D air combat game F.A.S.T. debuted a couple of weeks ago on the iPhone and iPod Touch.
It’s a very difficult game to play, but it’s been growing on me. That’s because I’d ordinarily think it would be impossible to do this kind of… Continue Reading
Inflated laptop battery claims may lead to class action lawsuit
A couple of weeks ago, Advanced Micro Devices blew the whistle on the battery-life claims that laptop manufacturers make in their ads. The chip maker said the battery life cited in these ads cite were based on tests done in ideal conditions that users wouldn’t… Continue Reading
Steve Jobs returns to work at Apple
Steve Jobs went back to work today at Apple. How many other CEOs can make the news just by going to work?
This is one of those days when I’d love to be a fly on the wall at the secretive Cupertino company, which has… Continue Reading
Report: Games will see strong growth over next three years
Game publishers should be able to grow revenues 9 percent a year in the U.S. and Europe as they embrace digital content and find ways to extend the consumption of games for the current generation of game consoles, a new report says.
The market for… Continue Reading
Ten unconventional wisdoms for funding startups
Serial entrepreneur Naval Ravikant was the co-speaker at the inaugural Finance4Founders dinner in San Francisco last week. The event was organized Dave McClure, who runs the Founders Fund angel fund and fbFund, and Dan Martell, founder of Flowtown. It drew about 100 or so people…. Continue Reading
AdmitOne’s new tool to make subscription-based sites more profitable
AdmitOne has built a security business with a technology, called keystroke dynamics, that can recognize who’s logging into an account by the pattern of the person’s typing.
Now it’s launching an analytics business that promises to boost business opportunities for its clients by measuring 200… Continue Reading
GridIron taps Hollywood visual artist for new workflow software
Mark Coleran has created the user interfaces for cool gadgets in movies for years. His futuristic designs have been used in movies such as Mission Impossible 3, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, and The Island. Now he’s used his talents to design a new kind of… Continue Reading
Rumors surface of a PlayStation cell phone
Sony Ericsson is reportedly working on a phone that combines PlayStation games with a cell phone. It’s not the first time that such rumors have floated, but Nikkei, a big Japanese business publication, reported that Sony has a team working on the product now.
The… Continue Reading
Warner Bros. likely to buy bankrupt Mortal Kombat maker Midway Games
The game division of film studio Warner Bros. is expected to buy Midway Games, the once mighty owner of the Mortal Kombat franchise.
The Los Angeles Times reported tonight that Warner Bros. has emerged as the only bidder for the bankrupt video game publisher that… Continue Reading
News sites collapsed from fetching ads in Jackson traffic surge
The tsunami of traffic related to Michael Jackson’s death brought down news web sites on Thursday because those sites had to wait for third-party content, such as images for ads, according to a new analysis.
Keynote Systems said in a report tonight that its analysis… Continue Reading
Sprint takes a swing at high iPhone costs with ads
Sprint has begun running ads that promote the Pre as a more affordable smart phone in the long term than an Apple iPhone.
The ads say you can save $1,200 over two years with Sprint compared to what you’d have to pay with AT&T. The… Continue Reading
Security firms warn of bogus Michael Jackson messages
If someone you know shares an email with you to click on a link to see pictures of Michael Jackson’s body, don’t fall for it.
Antivirus software vendors McAfee and Symantec are issuing warnings to consumers to watch out for celebrity death-related malware following the… Continue Reading
Sony names a deputy chief for its games business
Sony has named Kunimasa Suzuki, a veteran of its Vaio computer business, as the deputy president of its video game business.
Suzuki will report to Kazuo Hirai, president and group chief executive of Sony Computer Entertainment, which is the Japan-based game business that includes the… Continue Reading
Hollywood’s appetite for game-based movies continues with “Uncharted”
The appetite for game-based movies isn’t slowing down as Columbia Pictures plans to produce a movie adaptation of Sony’s hit game Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune.
The Uncharted game is a very Tomb Raider-like experience, except it has a guy in the lead role (Nathan Drake) instead… Continue Reading
Betfair puts its money on online horse racing in the U.S.
Betfair is wagering that the U.S. will see a surge in online gambling on horse races. The British firm is backing up that belief by expanding in Silicon Valley and refashioning its web property here as more of a gambler’s social network.
If it’s right,… Continue Reading
Digital Chocolate rolls out three iPhone games in a day
It may have been late to the iPhone, but video game company Digital Chocolate is trying to make up for lost time. Today, it’s launching three new titles for the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch.
The games include 3D Rollercoaster Rush, California Gold Rush, and… Continue Reading