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The Daily Roundup for 05.21.2013
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Twitch video platform for gamers comes to Xbox 360, watch and play from the same place (video)
How does a dedicated gamer relax when they're finally beat on Call of Duty? Surely by watching others suffer the same fate, right? Well, now that just got even easier with an official Twitch app for Xbox 360. The game-centric video service finds a natural home on the console, which could go some way to augment the platform's already 34-million strong audience (or at least prevent hundreds of wasted gaming calories used when switching screens). It's not clear if there will be the option to bring your premium credentials along with you. But, we do know the app will bring access to the top 300 live Twitch channels, albeit initially only for Xbox Live Gold subscribers. Still, as a dedicated gamer, you probably already are one, right?
Microsoft announces Xbox 360 holiday bundles and $50 off promo for US market
With this year's holidays being just around the corner, it's only natural for companies to start tempting potential customers with cash-saving, too-good-to-pass deals. With that in mind, Microsoft, via the informative Major Nelson, announced earlier today its 2012 Xbox 360 holiday bundles in hopes of luring some folks in; among these are a 250GB console with Kinect, Dance Central 2, Kinect Sports, Kinect Adventures and one month of Xbox Live for $400, while there's also a 4GB, $300 option that comes with the same Gold subscription, Redmond's motion-tracking peripheral, Kinect Disneyland Adventures and Kinect Adventures. In addition, the Surface maker said retailers should start offering the console for $50 off MSRP, and that this limited time deal will also apply to the Halo 4 bundle which is due to come out on November 6th. Better yet, these new bundles and promos are available now -- so, for those living in the US, now could be a good time to snag one of Microsoft's renowned consoles.
Visualized: Mars' Gale Crater in seamless 360 degrees
Have you been lapping up every pixel Curiosity sends back, but wishing you could somehow see those panoramas as nature intended? Well, thanks to kind 360 Cities user Andrew Bodrov, you can. The controls take a little getting used to, but persevere and you'll be rewarded with a view as if you were atop Curiosity itself. We're already imagining the fun if this was in the next Google Maps update, who knows what might turn up. Land on the source for the mind-blow.
GAEMS announces new Sentry Xbox 360 suitcase, teases Project Vanguard
How could we forget the GAEMS personal gaming environment? Looking something like a cross between a laptop from the eighties, and a bomb disposal unit, the all-in-one Xbox system was always going to make an impression. Well, with E3 just around the corner, it looks like there might be another model on the way. All we know at the moment is that it's called "Sentry," and will have more of a personal entertainment leaning. This being based on the fact that on top of the Xbox gaming, GAMES only went as far to tease that services like Netflix, HULU and YouTube will be increasingly central to it. The firm is also revealing a new device with the working title "Project Vanguard," about which it's even more secretive. Either way, better make more room on that luggage rack.
Defiance could link up an Xbox 360 with a PS3 -- but can't
In this slowly unifying world of technology and gameplay that we live in, it seems weird how we still have the segregation between consoles in the online space. Trion Worlds put on a private demonstration on development hardware to show just how that barrier can be easily knocked down. Unfortunately, the console companies involved will never let it happen. The game in question is Trion Worlds' upcoming Defiance, an MMOFPS that will interact with the Syfy television series of the same name. Trion showed a crowd how it's entirely possible for one player on an Xbox 360 to fight against or with another player on a PlayStation 3. Trion Global Brand Director Alex Rodberg said that while this cross-platform mingling can be done, it's extremely unlikely that such a thing would ever reach live servers: "Microsoft won't let Sony players play against them." A Microsoft spokesperson agreed with that sentiment: "We have a high level of expectation for our game developers to ensure that all Live experiences remain top notch. Because we can't guarantee this level of quality, or control the player experience on other consoles or gaming networks, we currently do not open our network to games that allow this cross-over capability."
Microsoft spoiling Canadians, Germans as Xbox Live gets more local stations
Remember when Microsoft couldn't stop dropping names of companies it was partnering up with to bring media to your Xbox 360? Well, days after CES drew to its natural conclusion, Redmond's gaming division is throwing a few more "locally relevant" names out for users in Canada and Germany. If you live in the cold bit to the north of the United States, you can expect to see Astral Media's Disney XD and Real Sports / Maple Leaf Sports rolling up on your console from today, while German gamers will be able to get teutonic mitts on Mediathek/ZDF at the same time. There's more details in the press release after the break, where Microsoft promises that we've not seen the last of its continued entertainment expansions.
Panoramic ball camera gives a full 360-view of you nervously throwing it in the air (video)
Yes, it isn't the first ball camera we've seen, nor is it the first camera to hawk 360-degree panoramas. But, the Throwable Panoramic Ball Camera marries these two concepts together, and packs them into a sturdy-looking sphere made mostly of foam. This shields the 36 fixed-focus phone camera modules, each capable of taking two megapixel snapshots. These are then stitched together to create full panoramic works like the shot above. Somewhere within that squishy core is an accelerometer to measure the apex of its flight, and where the camera array will capture its image. The big question is, can it survive a few rounds of keepie-uppie? You can take a closer look at the ball camera's 36 x two megapixel images in the video below. Now, do you think there's any chance of getting one for the next Engadget meet-up?
Splitfish FragFX Shark 360 starts shipping for your first-person shooting pleasure
What better way to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Halo than the release of a new way to first-person shoot people on the Xbox 360? Splitfish today announced that its FragFX Shark mouse / analog stick hybrid controller device thingie is finally hitting the Microsoft console. The peripheral offers in-controller setup, customizable precision and should give you around 50 hours of play time on two AA batteries. The $80 device uses 2.4GHz wireless, but, as outlined before, requires a wired controller to get in on the action. More info in the press release after the break.
Xbox 360 to go forever matte as glossy is discontinued, fingerprints look for a new home
Say it ain't so! Within the next few weeks Microsoft will be phasing out its 250GB Xbox 360's glossy finish in favor of the murdered-out matte currently found on its 4GB models. Major Nelson recently took to his blog announcing the news amid apparent speculation that the pricier variant would actually be offered in both flavors. If you're a fan of shiny things -- and a lover of fingerprints -- Major says you'll still have time to pick one up as stock is shuffled, and also noted there'll probably be glossy limited editions in the future. Rest in peace dear glossy friend, our microfiber cloths won't know what to do with them themselves.
Topcon's IP-S2 Lite creates panoramic maps in 3D, spots every bump in the road (video)
You'd need only a smartphone app to pinpoint every pothole on your block, but to map out more severe structural damage, you'd probably need more sophisticated equipment -- which is where Topcon's IP-S2 Lite comes in. Unveiled at last week's 3D & Virtual Reality Expo in Tokyo, this road condition evaluation system is comprised of a 360-degree camera, GPS and an inclinometer. After using its camera to capture images at 16 frames per second, the IP-S2 analyzes the properties of every shot and uses this information to create 3D video footage. The contraption can also measure the height, distance and surface area of any given frame, allowing engineers to insert computer-generated images into the video (as pictured above) and to construct more accurate maps of disaster-stricken regions. In the wake of this year's devastating earthquake, for example, Japan's Geospatial Information Authority used this technology to map coastal areas of the Miyagi Prefecture, giving officials and rescue workers a better idea of the damage inflicted upon the region. You can find out more about the IP-S2 in the video after the break. [Thanks, Don]
N-Control Avenger Xbox 360 attachment makes it look complicated, we go hands-on (video)
At first glance, the N-Control Avenger looks like the fevered dream of a quirky lunatic, destined for fame and failure as a legendary crapgadget. When one showed up on our doorstep, we were admittedly skeptical. Could a lever- and pulley-laden Xbox 360 controller clamshell really give us a competitive edge? Wouldn't all the extra bits and pieces only result in a cumbersome mess? Is this doodad really worth the $50 asking price? We went hands-on to find out, and boy howdy, were we surprised. %Gallery-126392%
Xbox 360 Wireless Speed Wheel will arrive in early October for $60, give you something to hold on to
Microsoft's Kinect motion controls may be infiltrating all sorts of games at this year's E3, but the Xbox maker isn't neglecting those in need of a more tangible control scheme. A new Wireless Speed Wheel has just been revealed, with a reasonable $60 price tag and an early October launch date. As you see above, it's technically three-fourths of a wheel, but that does allow for extra green bands of lights to be applied and, slightly more importantly, a set of directional and action buttons to be added to the handles of this steering implement. There's a rumble pack inside for force feedback and a pair of trigger buttons on the underside for smashing the gas or dabbing the brakes. Another image after the break.
Splitfish FragFX Shark to surface for Xbox 360, make friends with wired controller
Splitfish is finally bringing its flagship PC and PS3 mouse controller to the Xbox, albeit packing an odd wireless caveat. Although the FragFx Shark 360 is billed as an identical twin to its PS3 counterpart, this half-gamepad and rodent combo, much like a XIM adapter, needs a wired Xbox 360 gamepad to act as an intermediary between itself and the console. That wired controller plugs into the Shark's wireless USB dongle; the macro-equipped "fragchuck" and mouse themselves are completely untethered. It sounds a little janky, but if your faith in mouse superiority is strong, you may be forgiving it for its faults come late August. Hit the break for a full list of features and glittery PR wonder.
20 gigapixel, 360-degree panorama of Wembley Stadium is among world's largest, most detailed
Jeffrey Martin is a busy man. Having already shot an 80 gigapixel panorama of London's skyline and a 40 gigapixel peek inside a Czech library, he has now turned his attention to England's hallowed Wembley Stadium. The recently rebuilt home of football served as the stage for a new 360-degree panorama, shot during the FA Cup Final this Saturday, which spans 10 20 gigapixels in total and has been made available online at the source link below. Recording was done using a DSLR mounted to a custom robot rig that would continually pump out imagery to an equally exclusive Fujitsu workstation equipped with 192GB of RAM and 24 processing cores. All that grunt was used to automatically stitch more than 1,000 high-res images together, earning the finished product the honor of being one of the world's largest 360-degree sports panoramic photos. Give the source a bash to tag yourself if you were at the Final or to check who else was there. [Thanks, Adam] Update: We originally had this at 10 gigapixel, going from information on the FA's website, but it turns out to be a 20 gigapixel pic. Its claim for being the largest sports panorama may actually be disputed by Essendon FC in Australia, who managed to pull together a 20 gigapixel image of their own at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in late April. You can see that jumbo pic here, or check out a couple more from Daytona and the NCAA Final Four this year.
Xbox 360 Update Preview discs are in the mail
If you signed up the Xbox 360 preview program it's time to start camping out by your mailbox and pestering your delivery person -- the update discs are shipping. A few lucky gamers now have their sneak peak at the next Xbox Live update and free copy of Halo: Reach in hand, and one was kind enough to send us the shot above to prove it. The disc bears a serious warning though: do not try and install it on a non-preview approved system. Doing so will completely disable Xbox Live until the update is officially released, which may be months away. So, if your friend got a disc don't even think about trying to mooch your way into the beta program. After all, what fun is playing Halo if you're stuck trying to save Reach by yourself? [Thanks, Adam]
Modder turns RROD-stricken Xbox 360 into PS3 arcade controller, awesomeness
In the most recent of Xbox 360 hacks, a modder named Morris has crafted a PS3 controller out of none other than -- as ironic as this may seem -- a dead Xbox 360. That's right, somewhere out there, a PlayStation 3 has slain its mortal enemy, mercilessly gutted the internals and now has a modded Xbox as its eternal slave. The case contains all of the buttons you need to partake in a classic beat-'em-up -- a joystick, the four PlayStation buttons, R1 and R2. There's plenty more to gander at in the source link and enough in the way of detail and instruction to get started on your own arcade stick too.
GAEMS Xbox 360 traveling case gets sleek redesign, still won't help you spell correctly
The last rendition we saw of the GAEMS console-carrying case looked more like a giant lunch box than a solution to your portable gaming needs. If you're still interested in bringing your Xbox 360 on the road, the company has redesigned the case and it now supports the fat and slim versions of the 360 and even the PS3-skinny. What's new in this compact carrying case is the fact there's actually room to store the console, controllers and power brick. It comes bundled with a remote, HDMI cable and power supply to power the speakers and LED screen. If you're road trippin' any time soon and want this beast, you can save yourself 20 bones by pre-ordering before April 20th and you'll receive the $300 case come June.
N-Control Avenger Xbox 360 attachment gets a CES overview (video)
The scariest looking peripheral at CES 2011? Possibly. But for those looking to gain a split-second edge on the competition, the N-Control Avenger just may be the solution Xbox 360 gamers have been looking for. Announced just a couple of months ago, the company was here in Las Vegas to actually demonstrate a fully functional model. But simply, it straps onto your first-party 360 controller, adding triggers, straps, cables and all sorts of other contraptions that aim to give you improved alternatives to pressing buttons (while freeing your thumbs up to more accurately operate the analog joysticks). Enough talk -- hop on past the break to see how exactly this $60 shell gets down to business. %Gallery-113452%
Microsoft to announce 'Avatar Kinect' at CES?
There isn't much to go on here, but a supposed snapshot from Microsoft's CES keynote has surfaced with the name Avatar Kinect displayed front and center. So, what is that, exactly? Chances are it's not the Avatar Kinect we were dreaming of earlier this week, but if we had to guess from the picture and the name alone, you'll probably be awkwardly moving your body to see just how well your on-screen representation can mimic the motion. Winrumors goes a step further, claiming (without citing any sources, though) that there'll be a separate channel for the Avatar coming via an Xbox Live software update. Nothing's confirmed here, but given Microsoft's CES keynote is tomorrow, this rumor's shelf life is thankfully pretty short.
