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Intel's latest acquisition is a $2 billion push into AI
Intel just spent approximately $2 billion to acquire Israel-based AI firm Habana Labs. The partnership will "turbo-charge" Intel's AI offerings for data centers, Intel said in a press release.
MoviePass is dying, but its former leader wants to resurrect it
Just days after MoviePass shut down, one of the key players behind its initial success and subsequent failure wants to purchase it. Ted Farnsworth announced today that he's made an offer to acquire MoviePass -- along with related assets belonging to its parent company Helios and Matheson Analytics Inc. In a press release, Farnsworth said he's proud of MoviePass and has no intention of walking away now.
Mark Zuckerberg apparently tried to buy Panic, the creator of Playdate
Buried in Edge Magazine's exclusive feature on Playdate, is an interesting revelation. Apparently, Mark Zuckerberg once expressed interest in buying Panic, the developers behind the new handheld, hand-cranked console. Perhaps even more intriguing, Panic co-founder Cabel Sasser didn't respond. He didn't want to be part of another Silicon Valley software company gobbled up by a giant.
Lumines changes hands, returning on iOS and Android
Mobcast acquired the Lumines and Meteos properties from Q Entertainment, the Japanese smartphone game developer announced this week, as translated by Gematsu. Additionally, a new Lumines game is on the way for iOS and Android, and will be a collaboration with the colorful puzzle series' creator, Tetsuya Mizuguchi. Mizuguchi will work on the latest Lumines at his new California-based studio, Enhance Games. The Rez and Space Channel 5 creator co-founded Q Entertainment in 2003 following his departure from Sega. Mizuguchi left the developer in March. The last Lumines game to launch was 2012's Lumines: Electronic Symphony (seen above). [Image: Q Entertainment]
Way of the Samurai 4 journeys to PC via Steam this year
UK publisher Ghostlight announced that it will publish a PC version of Acquire's open-world action game Way of the Samurai 4 via Steam. Released for the PlayStation 3 through PSN in 2012, Way of the Samurai 4 takes an open-ended approach to its 19th-century Ronin narrative. The game places a heavy focus on character customization, and players can divide their allegiances between three factions during their quest, resulting in several different endings. Previous series entries saw release for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 2, and Ghostlight's upcoming release marks the first time the franchise has hit PC platforms. Ghostlight notes that Way of the Samurai 4 will hit Steam "later this year." [Image: Acquire]
Akiba's Trip 2 brings the full monty, including PS4, to North America
Akiba's Trip 2 AKA the helpfully named Akiba's Trip: Undead & Undressed is confirmed for PS4 in North America. Acquire's action-RPG leaves its hat on the PS4 sometime this holiday season, after arriving on PS3 and Vita on August 12. One of this year's more intellectual games, Akiba's Trip 2 tasks you with taking the clothes off vampire-like enemies terrorizing Tokyo. Because you want to shine sunlight onto their vampiric skin, of course. There's no other motivation than that, as the above NSFW trailer clearly shows. [Image: XSEED]
Undead & Undressed strips down vampires in Europe this fall
Europeans get to stumble over orders of Akiba's Trip: Undead & Undressed when it arrives in the region courtesy of NIS America. As for the when, the press release we received this morning only specified an autumn window, but one sent earlier noted a release date of October 10. Either way, Europe will get its share of strippable zombies soon enough. Last we heard, XSEED plans to get Undead & Undressed in North America later this summer. Released as Akiba's Trip 2 in Japan, Acquire's action-RPG is set in Tokyo's otaku central, Akihabara. Your mission is to take down a group of vampiric Synthisters that are terrorizing the area by shining sunlight directly onto their skin. That's your excuse reason for stripping them down, hence the game's name - by the way, there are both male and female Synthisters in the game, as a NSFW trailer of the Japanese version shows. The Western E3 trailer below the break is equally NSFW.
Akiba's Trip: Undead & Undressed getting buffed up on PS4 in Japan
The subtly christened Akiba's Trip: Undead & Undressed is coming to PS4 in Japan, but there's no word yet on North America getting a peep. XSEED previously announced it's bringing the game stateside this summer for PS3 and Vita, and we've reached out to see if we can expect the same for the PS4 version. Known as the more transaction-friendly Akiba's Trip 2 in Japan, the Acquire-developed adventure is set in Tokyo otaku haven, Akihabara. There, a bunch of vampire-types called Synthisters are having the locals for lunch, but you can stop these monsters by exposing them to direct sunlight. Apparently, the best way to get some sun on Synthister skin is to get that skin out in the open. In brief(s), you're stripping vampiric demons down to their underwear so you can send them back to the nether regions - sorry, Netherworld. According to a Siliconera translation of Famitsu's report, the new PS4 version offers enhanced visuals and faster load times, and it can also display more characters on the streets of Akihabara. It's due to hit Japanese retail shelves on July 3. [Image: Famitsu]
XSEED is bringing Akiba's Trip 2 to North America this summer
Following Senran Kagura Burst, XSEED is localizing more clothes-ripping action for North America in PS3 and Vita game Akiba's Trip 2. The action-RPG is titled stateside as Akiba's Trip: Undead & Undressed, and it's due on retail shelves sometime this summer. It's an interesting localization given XSEED's reluctance to bring the first game (released on PSP) stateside, but as the publisher points out, the sequel features a standalone story. It's set in Tokyo's electronics hub of Akihabara, where vampire-like Synthister creatures are feasting on the otakus. If you feel like stopping that from happening, you can destroy the Synthisters by beating them up and, yup, removing their outerwear - no they don't die from embarrassment, but from being exposed to the sun. For the record, a NSFW trailer of the Japanese version shows male and female Synthisters prowling the streets of Akiba, so no vampires are safe from a strip. The North American version is confirmed to feature Japanese audio, but XSEED says it's looking into dual audio.
North American Vitas getting Murasaki Baby, No Heroes Allowed this year
Sony recently confirmed the appearance of two Vita games this year in Murasaki Baby and No Heroes Allowed: No Puzzles Either. The latter will launch this spring while the former will arrive in North America "later this year." Murasaki Baby, a twisted touch-based adventure from Italian indie developer Ovosonico, has players protecting a little girl from nightmarish threats. We spent a little time with the game in October and determined that it's "about as bizarre as could be." No Heroes Allowed: No Puzzles Either is the fifth game in the series, one of the previous being No Heroes Allowed for PSP. No Puzzles Either draws a few comparisons to mobile puzzler 10000000, as it challenges players with 64 levels of match-three-style puzzles to defeat over 200 enemies. [Image: Ovosonico]
Persona-like dungeon crawler Mind Zero coming to Vita this spring
Aksys Games confirmed that it will release an English-language version of Acquire and ZeroDiv's PS Vita dungeon-crawling RPG Mind Zero in North America and Europe this spring. Similar in premise to Atlus' Persona series, Mind Zero stars a high school student who forges a pact with a "Mind," a supernatural being that grants its partner special abilities and magic attacks. Party members come equipped with unique Minds, which players can switch out and call upon to exploit enemy weaknesses in battle. Mind Zero will be priced at $39.99 when it launches at retail and digitally via the PlayStation Network in North America. Aksys will skip a retail release in Europe, opting instead to launch the game exclusively as a digital download.
Bloomberg: If Aereo wins in court, cable companies might buy it or build clones
While TV broadcasters like CBS and Fox continue their legal battle against Aereo and its leased microantenna-to-internet streaming scheme, Bloomberg reports cable companies are watching more closely than ever. Since they're currently paying retrans fees for a lot of the same content networks broadcast over the air (and that Aereo is catching, then streaming to its subscribers on various devices -- web browser, Roku, Apple TV via AirPlay, iOS and most recently Android) if Aereo wins, they might see it as a way out of deals said to be worth billions of dollars over the years. Specifically, the usual unnamed sources name Time Warner Cable, Charter and DirecTV as candidates to build their own versions of the technology, with TWC mentioned as considering a purchase of the company. One thing that could complicate any potential end run however, is the fact that said broadcasters also own a number of cable channels. CBS has Showtime (as seen during its showdown with Time Warner Cable earlier this year), Fox has Fox Sports, FX, FXX and more, ABC brings ESPN and Disney to the table and Comcast-owned NBC attaches USA, Syfy and a few others to its umbrella. Time Warner Cable namechecked Aereo during its dispute with CBS, while Fox's CEO threatened to make the channel pay-TV only if it can't get the service shut down. For now though, the lawsuits still fly back and forth and Aereo's footprint continues to expand, if this ever means your cable bill might shrink a bit then we'll let you know.
eBay acquires price comparison engine Decide; will shut its services down by month's end
Credit where it's due: eBay recognized that the online auction train wouldn't keep chugging along at a breakneck rate, so it's snapping up complementary companies in order to better bolster its portfolio. A few years, PayPal; today, Decide. The three-year old company was engineered to give overwhelmed consumers a way to more easily see what products were worthwhile and which weren't -- from there, it helped to find the best deal, completing the process. (In the effort of full disclosure, gdgt -- now under the same umbrella as Engadget -- competed with Decide and was acquired in February of this year.) eBay's evidently hoping that Decide's predictive analytics will "help over 25 million eBay sellers make smarter decisions and be more successful," while the Decide team will be headed to eBay's Seattle offices. As these things tend to go, Decide's services, website and mobile apps will no longer be available after September 30th, which is pretty awful news for those of you who dug it. For those curious, paying members will be reimbursed for their subscriptions, but you're on your own for any tissues required to sop up the tears.
Apple acquires Embark, a transit app it recommended during the iOS Maps disaster
Remember that time Apple launched a new iteration of iOS with a godawful mapping app? Shortly after that, it also recommended that users in major metropolitan areas lean on third-party apps for mass transit navigation, given that iOS Maps had no such functionality. As it turns out, Embark was one of those app makers, and it has very much enjoyed the influx of attention that has arrived thanks to Apple's gaffe. Now, however, the small team will likely not be toiling on future Android apps, as Jessica Lessin is reporting that Embark has been acquired by Apple itself. It's unclear how much money changed hands, but one could surmise that Apple will be using Embark's technology to bolster its own mass transit routing -- an area where Google currently rules the roost. Will proper integration happen prior to iOS 7's release this autumn? It's doubtful, but we've sure seen crazier things happen.
Rain drops on PSN this October
Rain, Sony Japan Studio's adventure game that has players guiding the silhouette of an invisible boy through a downpour, will launch on October 1 through PSN, Sony announced. The PS3 exclusive game will cost $14.99. Those who pre-order Rain before September 30 will also receive a dynamic theme, 5 avatars, a musical montage and static theme in addition to "a few pieces of exclusive content." Aside from letting Rain's release date slip, Sony also offered up a new developer diary video for the game, which is centered around its music.
Soak up the world of Rain in new developer diary
This developer diary video for Rain explores the ways players will interact with and affect the game's wet environments when it launches this fall on PS3.
Rain: Boy meets invisible girl
The concept at the heart of Rain is magical. Looking out his window, a boy witness an invisible girl, her silhouette revealed by the rain as she runs splashing through the night. She's followed by another invisible entity outlined by the rain, a ferocious bipedal monster, which is referred to only as an "unknown." Fearing for the girl's life, the boy chases after her, following her and the monster through a strange door of light. Emerging on the other side, the boy finds himself in different though familiar world. It looks like his own, a seemingly European city filled with alleyways, though this world is cloaked in perpetual night and never-ending rain. In this world, he too is invisible, his presence revealed only by the rain pattering against his body. The boy sets off in search of the girl, looking for answers. Is he cursed to remain invisible? Can he ever return to his own world? Those will have to wait though, as the boy is soon running from a pack of different four-legged monsters. He quickly discovers that invisibility has its advantages. By hiding under structures so that the rain doesn't give away his position, the monsters can no longer see him. Normally, this sort of storybook world would be right up my alley (see: my Unfinished Swan review), but I'm afraid Rain's big trick may be its only trick.%Gallery-189816%
Rain drops onto PSN this fall
And now the weather: PSN can expect Rain sometime this fall. The Sony Japan Studio game, reminiscent of Ico, sees you play as a boy who's only visible as a silhouette outlined by rain. He finds a girl like himself being chased by similarly invisible monsters, and the pair work together as they try to escape the perils of the night. With Sony Japan Studio forecasting Rain to arrive in a matter of months, it's no shock we'll be seeing more of the game in a couple of weeks time at E3.%Gallery-189816%
Jawbone acquires health-tracking pioneer BodyMedia, opens API to developers
Did your vibrating fitness bracelet wake you up on time? Good, because Jawbone has not one, but two pieces of news to share this morning. First off, getting the corporate news out of the way, the company's buying BodyMedia, perhaps best known for its wearable fitness trackers (yep, similar to what Jawbone's already making). In fact, though, BodyMedia's been in the health-data business since 1999, with a particularly strong foothold in the medical industry -- a market Jawbone hasn't reached yet, but would like to. As you can imagine, once the deal is finalized and Jawbone brings on BodyMedia's 60-odd employees, the plan will be to improve Jawbone's existing apps, and maybe even break into healthcare. In the meantime, we're told Jawbone will continue to sell BodyMedia's fitness monitors, but the company hasn't said either way if it plans to keep them around indefinitely. Speaking of improving the current Jawbone apps, the company is also opening up its API to developers so that they can use Jawbone stats in their applications, as well as share their own data back with Jawbone. For now, the Up platform is open only for iOS, though a company rep told us an Android version is in the works too. (No exact ETA there, sorry.) At launch, there will be 10 apps on board, including notables like RunKeeper, Withings and MapMyFitness. What's neat is that users can manually disable a connection with these apps anytime they want, and when they do, these third-party developers are required to delete user data from their servers. Again, no word on when this will be available for Android, but for now, at least, the iOS platform is open to developers worldwide. Hit the break for more info, along with a full list of the apps you can sync with your Up band right away.%Gallery-187158%
Amazon acquires Goodreads, aims to make better recommendations for Kindle users
So, Amazon has a reading platform called Kindle. Goodreads has a platform that makes fairly excellent suggestions when it comes to reading materials. You probably see where this is going. This evening, Amazon announced that it was acquiring one of the more popular reading recommendation engines, and while the outfit isn't making clear what it plans to do with the technology, it shouldn't take a scholar to see how it'd bolster Amazon's Kindle reader line as well as its array of Kindle apps. (What'll happen to Shelfari, however, is perhaps a bigger mystery.) Russ Grandinetti, Amazon's vice president of Kindle Content noted that "Goodreads has helped change how we discover and discuss books and, with Kindle, Amazon has helped expand reading around the world -- together, we intend to build many new ways to delight readers and authors alike." It's entirely likely that this will add another social angle to the Kindle framework, further establishing an ecosystem where friends could see suggestions based on what they're independently reading through their own Kindle accounts. The companies are expecting the deal to be finalized in Q2, which suggests that we'll see a proper integration just as back-to-school season begins. Right, guys?
