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Nintendo is making an artwork-clad ‘Diablo III’ Switch
In a hellion cross-promotion, Activision Blizzard and Nintendo have partnered up to release a special edition Switch console for Diablo III exclusively at GameStop. The bundle will include the 2012 game, plus its two expansions, Rise of the Necromancer and Reaper of Souls. Included in the set will be a black and gray Switch console -- and dock -- featuring Diablo III artwork, a carrying case, as well as the standard trove of of items and accessories, like Joy-Cons, a grip and an HDMI cable. But it wouldn't be a third-party Nintendo cross-promotion if it didn't include some iconic, (and somewhat out-of-place) character cameos. These include items from The Legend of Zelda, such as Ganondorf's Transmog Armor, a companion Cucco pet, and a Golden Triforce Portrait Frame. Of course, these in-game items will only found in the Switch version of the game. Regardless of the non-canon items, the game itself is a faithful port, and will likely be a fun romp on a flight. Hopefully it will be enough to hold you over until the next Diablo thing comes out. The Diablo III: Eternal Collection Switch bundle will be available at GameStop on November 2nd.
Nintendo unveils a 'Minecraft' Creeper 2DS XL special edition
Nintendo's 2DS XL is not just a throwback 3DS console (without the 3D), but also a blank canvas for special editions like the Zelda Link Shield version. That goes triply for Japan's equivalent 2DS LL version, where Nintendo just launched three new creative models. The first is a Minecraft "Creeper" edition, named after the baddy with the nasty habit of exploding in your face. The textured shell nicely captures the Creeper and Minecraft vibe and comes with a pre-installed version of Minecraft: New Nintendo 3DS Edition, naturally.
'Red Dead Redemption 2' has a fancy special edition without the game (updated)
Red Dead Redemption 2 is slated to be one of this fall's biggest games. So much so that franchises that typically are released in November are getting bumped to October, in advance of RDR 2's debut on the 26th. Developer/publisher Rockstar Games is starting the hype train ahead of E3, spilling details on the game's fancy special edition, ultimate edition and collector's box sets.
Ogling Apple's Product RED iPhone 8 Plus
Continuing a tradition that began with a special edition iPod Nano in 2006, Apple is gearing up to sell Product RED versions of the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus in stores tomorrow. To commemorate the occasion, we've taken possession of a new iPhone 8 Plus to ogle and, erm, yeah: it's red. A really nice, deep red. Unlike last year's Product RED phones, Apple did the right thing and paired the deep red glass-and-metal frame with a black front. (That unfortunately means we can no longer crack jokes in Slack about 2017's "Canada edition" iPhones.)
Hasselblad's V1D concept is a modular 75-megapixel camera
With Chinese company DJI as an investor, Hasselblad appears to (mostly) be moving away from its period of treating cameras like jewellery. Following the launch of the the first-ever medium-format mirrorless camera, the X1D, it has revealed the V1D concept camera. Its aim was to build a 75-megapixel shooter that resembles its classic Hasselblad V, but can be customized to suit the user.
'Hyper Light Drifter' special edition comes with a SNES cart
I know what you're thinking -- another special edition for an indie game? Sure it's been done before, many times, but the Hyper Light Drifter Collector's Edition looks pretty sweet. It comes with a cyan "SNES cartridge," a 24-page manual, a 24-inch by 18-inch world map poster, a box to store it all in and a digital code for the game. That manual is particularly welcome; a full-color booklet with information on enemies, drifters, and tons of beautiful artwork. The SNES cartridge is in quotes because it's just a non-functional piece of art. Also it's a North American-style SNES cartridge, so if you owned a European or Asian console, it won't look very familiar to you.
Indie puzzler 'Fez' resurfaces with a $100 special edition
We aren't getting a sequel to the adorable retro indie puzzler Fez well... ever. But that doesn't mean developer Polytron is out of things to sell fans. The Canadian company hopes the wound it opened by canceling the sequel won't deter you from dropping $100 on a special edition of the game that features a rather handsome hardcover notebook, "bound in red canvas with debossed gold foil inlay presented in a matching slipcase," download codes for PC and OSX versions of the game and a copy of its killer soundtrack from composer Disasterpeace.
Sorry, Bethesda can't make any more 'Fallout 4' Pip-Boys
The special edition of Fallout 4 comes with a pretty spectacular piece of swag: a real-life Pip-Boy that works with your smartphone. Understandably, the $120 bundle sold out almost as soon as it went on sale, but as much as the game's publisher wanted more of your cash, it's admitted that it simply can't make any more. Bethesda's Pete Hines has told GameSpot that the factories that produced the device were working at full-tilt, but simply couldn't fit more manufacturing runs into their production schedules.
Xbox One 'Independent Developers Pack' revealed with new controller
It's not E3 yet, but Microsoft has taken the wraps off of this limited edition "Independent Developers Pack" Xbox One, in Australia of all places. Besides packing download tokens for five ID@Xbox (Hand of Fate, Threes!, #IDARB, The Jackbox Party Pack, and Never Alone) and DLC add-ons for two others (Warframe, Smite beta) it also has the new Xbox One controller with integrated headphone jack that we've been expecting. In Australia, the bundle is priced the same as any other Kinectless XB1 pack, at $499AU. There's no word on a launch for the US or anywhere else, but with the big gaming conference just a couple of weeks away, we should hear more soon. Update: It looks like Microsoft removed the reference to a new controller from its store page, but we have a picture of the listing as it originally appeared after the break. That detail may not have been intended to leak this early, but we'll check to see if there's any other information.
HTC to show its soft side with Hello Kitty edition Butterfly s
The number of times Hello Kitty's popped up on Engadget over the years is quite astonishing, and thanks to HTC, the cat leaves yet another paw print here. Earlier today, our Taiwanese brethren received an invitation (embedded after the break) for next Monday's launch of the Butterfly s Hello Kitty limited edition. Interestingly and perhaps unsurprisingly, the cartoon character is seen wearing a uniform similar to that of EVA Air, a local airline that now operates five Hello Kitty edition planes. Later on, a Mobile01 forum user followed up with what appears to be a spy shot of said phone's printed ad, as shown above. Here you can see the feline's head -- with her butterfly hair clip highlighted for obvious reasons -- dominating the white back of the 5-inch phone. And with that cute wallpaper, we assume there will be other Hello Kitty features on the software side as well. All will be revealed next week, of course. Meanwhile, we're secretly hoping HTC's also planning on a One Max with a glowing arc reactor stuck on the back.
Microsoft's employee-only white Xbox One colors us green with envy
There are certainly benefits to working for Microsoft beyond a steady paycheck. We've seen the company gift employees with phones and tablets and, if the picture above proves legit, a lucky bunch will receive a free Xbox One on launch day -- in an exclusive white and silver-grey hue, no less. In addition to a console etched with "I made this" and "launch team something," they'll get one year of Xbox Live and all first-party games (if we're understanding "1P" correctly) gratis. According to the picture, which surfaced on NeoGAF's forums and Reddit, this special edition Xbone will be given to full-timers (as of July 12th this year) in MS's Interactive Entertainment Business who are still employed at launch. This is just a rumor, of course, but if some Photoshop trickster cooked this up, we'd think they'd go as far as making the Kinect white, if only for consistency. Or, maybe that's what we're supposed to think.
Microsoft preps standalone gold Xbox 360 controller, brings new glitz to old consoles
Redesign notwithstanding, the Xbox 360 is clearly in its twilight years. Wouldn't it be nice to give the system a retirement gift? Microsoft thinks so, as it just unveiled a stand-alone gold version of its Chrome Series controller. The wireless gamepad shares the same transforming D-pad as past special editions, but ups the flashiness by a factor of ten -- and won't require that you buy a Star Wars-themed console at the same time. Microsoft ships the $55 gold controller worldwide this August, although it will only be available at a handful of stores, including GameStop and the Microsoft Store in the US.
HTC One S 'special edition' comes draped in white, boasts 64GB of storage
HTC previously showed off a special edition One X geared toward fashionistas in New York City, and now it's time for a slightly lesser-specced member of the numero uno family to get a somewhat similar treatment -- we're talking about the One S. And while the most noticeable characteristic of this "special edition" slab is obviously its new white livery, HTC has also made internal improvements by loading the 4.3-inch device with 64GB of internal storage -- which should pair nicely alongside that 1.5GHz, dual-core S4 CPU and 1GB RAM. The only bad news is this unicorn type is expected to only be available in Taiwan, and mum's the word on when, or if, it'll ever make a trip outside the company's home turf.
Apple's Jony Ive tapped to design one-off Leica M for charity auction
In case the newly announced Leica M simply isn't astronomically expensive enough -- or charity-minded enough, as it were -- Apple's senior VP of design Jony Ive is working with the German photography company on a one-off version set to be auctioned for charity. Given the M's baseline price of €6,200 (about $8,100), we're guessing the one-of-a-kind version designed by one of the world's most influential designers is going to fetch a pretty penny at auction. Like, "sell off one of your extra homes" kind of money. Leica head Dr. Andreas Kaufmann announced the collaboration last night during a Leica event at Photokina -- an event that Ive himself was reportedly set to appear at -- where he said that the auction will be done with U2 frontman (and longtime friend of Ive) Bono Vox. The latest Leica M debuts in early 2013, though we won't see the fruits of Ive and Leica's collaboration for some time as the camera's design has yet to begin.
Leica X2 gets à la carte, Paul Smith editions to help you stand out from plebeian photographers (update: hands-on)
Let's say you've been considering a Leica X2 for the mix of a big APS-C sensor and retro styling, but a $1,995, fixed-range compact camera just isn't exclusive enough. Leica has you covered with two extra-rare editions that rise above the pack. Provided you don't mind someone else designing for you, the Edition Paul Smith spices things up with a mix of black, green and orange that reflects the UK fashion designer's love of stripes and wilder colors. Is the small 1,500-unit batch of Paul Smith cameras still too common? There's now an à la carte X2 option to limit the production run to exactly one. After picking from black, silver or new titanium colors for the main body, you can choose from a set of leather trim colors and get custom engraving to hedge against the unlikely event that anyone confuses your X2 with someone else's. Prices aren't immediately available for the October launches of both cameras. Not that it matters much -- if you're willing to even consider a special edition Leica, you already know that it's within your price range. %Gallery-165713% Zach Honig contributed to this report.
HTC One X Cushnie et Ochs available on eBay, mobile-minded fashionistas ready their wallets (update: auction closed)
Remember that special edition One X for AT&T with the Cushnie et Ochs-approved exterior, and how HTC said it would never go on sale? Well, while HTC is sticking to its word, one of the 150 souls who grabbed one at MADE Fashion Week has decided to give the rest of us a crack at buying it via eBay auction. For folks interested in owning the half ebony, half ivory handset, the bidding currently starts at $360 -- though you can expect the phone to fetch a far greater price when the auction ends six days from now on September 17th. Update: Looks like you've missed your chance, as the eBay auction has now been ended. We're not sure whether the seller got an offer they couldn't refuse, or a strongly worded letter from HTC. Either way, show's over. [Thanks Dominic]
HTC shows off Cushnie et Ochs edition One X ahead of New York Fashion Week (update: not for sale!)
In the last HTC Frequencies media summit, the company didn't shy away from the possibility of exploring different color options for its flagship devices, but never did we expect it to come out with such a simple yet eye-catching combination of black and white on the same body. Courtesy of Frequencies II today, what we're looking at here is an HTC One X (on AT&T) with a bit of love from fashion label Cushnie et Ochs: the design simply consists of a two-part chassis instead of a unibody shell, so we could just about feel the seam along the center of the backside. Other than that, this is a surprisingly attractive device, especially with the preloaded wallpaper that matches the shell colors -- we like the effect of it moving along horizontally as we swipe between home screens. There's no word yet on availability, but keen fashionists should see this pop up at Milk Studios during the New York Fashion Week in a few days. Update: Bad news, folks: we've just had confirmation from HTC that this funky phone will not be available for purchase. Only certain celebrities will receive one as a gift. %Gallery-164368%
Acer Iconia A510 Olympic Tab now on sale in the UK for £349, gold medal not included
Aligning perfectly with what we'd heard a few weeks ago, it looks like Acer's Londonized Iconia A510 will finally be hitting UK doorsteps, just in time for next month's Summer Olympics. To give you a quick refresh, this special edition Olympic Tab boasts a Tegra 3 CPU, 1GB of RAM and 32GB of built-in storage -- though, we can't leave out any mention of that fancy Olympic logo on the tablet's rear and those Eurosport channels to help you stay on top of the action coming from the renowned event. For all that, you'll have to shell out £349 (around $550) at Carphone Warehouse, where it's now up for grabs and being shipped gratis to folks who want to show off their Olympian support.
Porsche Design P'9981 BlackBerry screeches into Canada
Hear that, Toronto-based readers? That's the sound of Porsche Design's P'9981 BlackBerry doing donuts at a store near you (well, relatively speaking). Fresh from satisfying many a midlife crisis in London, the luxury phone is now available in Canada via the fancy Porsche Design boutique store in Toronto's Yorkville neighborhood, according to MobileSyrup. Folks willing to pay the pinky-raising premium price of $1,899 essentially get a BlackBerry 7 OS phone featuring upscale Porsche Design touches like a metal keyboard, stainless steel frame and leather-wrapped back cover. Still need to do some tire kicking? No worries -- you can take the phone out for a virtual test drive with our P'9981 review.
TUAW TV Live pre-keynote community chat
Happy Dub-Dub-Dee-Cee Day! All of us here at TUAW are breathlessly anticipating what words will trickle from the lips of the like of Tim Cook, Scott Forestall, and Phil Schiller in just a few short hours. To build up the anticipation, we're having a special edition of TUAW TV Live and would love for you to join in on an IRC chat. Joining me today for an hour of chat about what exciting things might be appearing from Apple is Erica Sadun, who will also be running our metaliveblog of the keynote at 1 PM ET today. Today's video stream is an experiment -- we'll be using an embedded YouTube stream so this will not be visible on Ustream or Justin.tv. You can watch the event here or by viewing the tuawvideo channel on YouTube. As for the live chat, feel free to use the embedded chat client below or your favorite IRC client. Join us in the #tuaw chatroom on irc.freenode.net, where Kevin Avila (eddienull) will be moderating.
