iPod and Xbox 360 to appear in Transformers?
By Ryan Block 
posted June 13th 2006 3:21AM
posted June 13th 2006 3:21AM
You know we love gadgets, and you know we love robots -- yes, they're often enough mutually exclusive, ok? -- but you know we've got mad love for the idea of the ultimate 80s robot sci-fi franchise, Transformers, taking a cue from today's most popular consumer electronics and giving them bit parts in the upcoming 2007 live-action adaptation. If a supposedly leaked Transformers script is to be believed, the iPod, Xbox 360, and even a plasma TV (or two) will fulfill some fantasies and/or nightmares by proving to be self-actuated artificially intelligent beings bent on war; of course, it would be a little too typical to say the iPod's an Autobot and Xbox is a Decepticon, so we'll leave you to the arguing as we fantasize about robo-anthropomorphising the many other gadgets we have laying about (starting with our Treos).[Via T3]
I love that they're actually including product placement at the script stage now.
Travis Bickle takes a sip of his frosty MUG™ root beer, looks at himself in the mirror and says "You talking to me? Cause I'm the only one here... and this beverage is very refreshing".
sigh.
Redpill,
Perhaps because the PS3 is not out yet as of today. Since they are filming or beginning to film at this point and have a strict schedule, they will probably be done with the live action shots before the PS3 even comes out and they can get their hands on one.
or because PS3 sucks... but no, that can't be the reason - they have put the iPod in the movie...
was soundwave an "official" sony walkman? That iPod is totally going to Soundwave. Too bad, cuz my favorite part about him were the cool transforming TAPES.
Intrepid,
How can you know that the PS3 sucks? Do you have one? Please tell me your secret, because I'd like to snag one myself.
/sarcasm
I don't get it... Neither the XBox360 nor the iPod can move in any shape or form, so what would be the point in making them into robots? If I remember correctly, all the Transformers were some type of vehicle in the original 80's series, not inanimate objects...
Chris Clark, nor do I have a 360. But like any consumer I know what is and isn't a good deal. The most expensive console in history is a bad deal.
Good deals are based on opinion. Considering Sony's losing quite a bit of money for every PS3 sold, I'd hardly say that your getting ripped off. Just because you don't want to, or can't spend $600 on a very powerful peice of consumer electronics, doesn't mean that millions of others won't.
John -- there were Transformers that were ghetto blasters, cassette tapes and hand guns.
John,
You're absolutely right. Also, the PS3 is not the most expensive gaming console in history. That title belongs to the 3DO which debuted at $700 in 1993. Adjusted for inflation that is almost a $1,000 by today's standards.
Second, as John said, value is subjective. It may be more valuable for you to get an Xbox 360 or a Wii, but other people find value in paying a $100+ premium over the Xbox 360 in order to have a Blu-Ray player. That's not even mentioning those who believe that a switch to next-generation optical drives is in order for game size and content expansion.
Note - the 3DO and Neo Geo are actually the most expensive consoles in history, technically. 3DO had the highest actual price at the time, Neo Geo is the highest price, adjusted for inflation. So the PS3 is technically the 3rd most expensive games console in history.
At any rate, John, there were many not-mobile-in-non-robot-form Transformers - boomboxes (one on each side of the battle), cassette tapes to go INTO those boomboxes, a camera, a gun (come on, Megatron! How could you forget Megatron?), and so on. These ones are just actual products. I hope they maintain scale though, so that the iPod transformer is a real tiny little robot when he transforms (I always thought it was dumb that Shockwave was HUGE when he transformed from a tiny little tape player... how the hell did that work??). As for why no PS3? I'm guessing MS paid more money to place the 360 exclusively in the movie. If this happens to be true, at any rate.
Oh, and it's Decepticon, not Deceptacon.
Dang, beaten by 3 minutes! (Note, my link for the console price study didn't work... it's here: http://curmudgeongamer.com/2006/05/history-of-console-prices-or-500-aint.html )
Several Transformers from the 80s transformed into non-vehicle disguises.
Soundwave (now called Shockwave) and Blaster transformed into tape recorders.
Laserbeak, for example, transformed into one of the tapes that would go into Soundwave.
Megatron transformed into a gun.
I also know one of the Autobots transformed into a microscope, but I can't remember which. So, it's perfectly plausible that some of the minor characters will be recreated as spying devices, such as iPods or Xbox 360s.
I doubt, though, they will change the disguises of Optimus Prime, Starscream, Megatron, or other famous characters, though.
I couldn't imagine buying an iPod then having it transform and walk off. I'd be so pissed like "Where are you going iPod!?! I won't put porn on you anymore. OK, maybe 1 file, but we both love the Tera Patrick!!!!"
Scary o_O
And now, let the geek within emerge...
Jason, for the record, Perceptor was the microscope. (What can I say, I was 12 in 1984, when all this first started...)
According to Wikipedia's site for the film (and yeah, I know the sorce can be dubious), Megatron will be a jet, not his original Walther pistol form, but Soundwave IS supposed to be a (four-foot!) boom-box.
Better, they're trying to get the original cartoon voice cast (the ones that are still alive, anyway).
Back to the main topic, I can completely see the movie making use of 360s and iPods; both as "state-of-the-available-art" at the time of the movie's filming (started about 3 weeks ago), and as a wink to the audience.
Shockwave was the purple space gun (Who didn't shrink in gun mode to human hand size like Megatron).
Soundwave was the Cassette player who did shrink when transforming to the Cassette player.
Having read some other sites it appears there is alot of product placement with the Autobots transforming into certain makes of cars.
Normally I wouldn't care but.....
Megatron will be a JET!!!????
WTF!!!!!
By hearing that, I'm kinda surprised they didn't make Optimus Prime an H1 Hummer.
If there is an iPod or xBox robot in the movie, there will be protests and riots. Generation X, our time is now!!!!!All that talk about us being lazy and good for nothings, our destinies are at hand!We must unite to stop this blatant attempt to destroy our childhoods with tacky product placements.
20 bucks says soundwave has something to do with the ipod and for the 360 well robots haft to have something to play for 4 million years god dont you guys know any thing im just kidding i hate product placement just look at irobot
look at my convers allstart 2004 ventage or the fact that every car was an audi.
i hope to god the transfromers movie is a lot better then irobot or i might just haft to turn emo
I'm sorry, what is this "haft" word you keep using, tony?
Hey I thought the most EXPENSIVE gaming console in history was the Pioneer CLD-A100. $1,800.00 if I am correct.
http://www.laserdiscarchive.co.uk/laserdisc_archive/pioneer/pioneer_cld-a100/pioneer_cld-a100.htm
Also, I anybody in here still have their ORIGINAL Transformers?
The director has already commented on at least one of the "leaked" scripts that are going around. It's a fake.
xzavier,
Until my last move in February, I still had all my old transformers. I had even cut out the "Stats" parts of the boxes... Remember, those things that could only be seen when viewed through the red transparancy that came with them? I just couldn't take them with me in the move. How I do miss them.
And does anyone else fondly remember how shocking it was that the old movie got a PG-13 rating becuase the s-word was used? It was a big deal. I wonder how the vocabulary in the new movie will stack up?
Here it comes! The flood of movie product tie-ins. It's going to be bigger than ever. It's going to be marketing madness!
btw, sorry, the iPod is a decepticon, everyone knows that.
It troubles me that Bumblebee is going to be a new 2007 Chevy Camaro instead of a VW Beetle, Michael Bay is directing and now this news of and iPod and/or a Xbox 360 are appearing in this "movie" lead me to believe this is going to be another product-placement ridden POS movie! Thanks Hollywood! (rolls eyes)
Way to go Lita! I still have some of my Transformers, Movie, comic book, and Soundtrack/OST the soundtrack K.A.! That was some good ROCK back then!
can you imagine the potential fight?
a tiny iPod jumps out of the Macbook Pro Autobot and sprouts tiny arms and legs which flail in mortal combat against an equally-pathetic-looking Xbox 360 Decepticon...LOLOL
Come on, don't be so cycical about Apple and Microsoft; one will be an autobot, the other a decepticon, however, they'll combine into a gestalt transformer that performs corporate technology espionage for both sides, levelling the playing field in terms of technological advantage, and fuelling the race for innovation on both sides of the Cybertronian war.