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How do you promote a new banknote? With 'Tetris,' of course
If there's one thing that kids love more than Tetris, it's learning about the security features built into new banknotes. Thankfully, the folks at the European Central Bank have devised a way to combine both of those pursuits in the form of Tetris New 20 Euro. The browser-based title is a variation on the block-dropping classic that sees you learn security facts about the new 20 Euro note as a reward for finishing a level. For instance, did you know that the portrait of Europa (pictured) becomes a transparent hologram if you hold the note up to the light? Put it this way: with trivia this good, no-one will be able to resist you hitting on them at the club this weekend.
Engadget Eurocast 054 - 2.14.14
The Eurocast crew is back after an unintentional week off and ready to dig into all those tender news morsels that were served up during their hiatus. They explore Microsoft's future under the freshly tapped CEO Satya Nadella and discuss Sony's thinking behind the sale of its VAIO PC business. Sharif also exposes his prankster nature with fraudulent buffering tricks and Matt gets creative with his Chromecast setup. It's a full house this time around, so head on down to the streaming links below to catch this week's edition of the Engadget Eurocast. Hosts: Dan Cooper, Matt Brian, Sharif Sakr, Steve Dent Producer: Jon Turi Hear the Podcast:
Super Mario 3D World scratches up Japan, Europe in late November [Update: Trailer!]
Super Mario 3D World will bring kitty-cat versions of Mario, Luigi, Peach and Toad to Japanese and European Wii U consoles on November 21 and November 29, respectively, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata announced during this morning's Nintendo Direct festivities. Meanwhile, the game drops in North America on November 22.
Xbox One voice commands available in 5 markets at launch
The Xbox One's ability to listen to your sultry, sensuous voice and translate those mouth noises into a command to watch New Girl on Netflix will only function in five markets at launch. Specifically, those markets are the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, France and Germany. This means that Xbox Ones sold in Australia, Austria, Brazil, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Spain and New Zealand will be without this functionality on launch. The news was mentioned at the very bottom of this lengthy Xbox One overview on Xbox.com. No further information was given beyond the fact that "Xbox voice commands will not be available in all markets on the product release date," so exactly when voice commands will make it to the remaining launch markets is anyone's guess. Earlier this month, Microsoft scaled the Xbox One's launch from 21 to 13 territories, with later reports citing Kinect localization as the main reason for this delay.
Prettied-up pastel SNES consoles now on sale
Okay so, we've got some good news and some bad news. The good news is that a French retailer called Lekki has started selling four different shades of gorgeously refinished Super Nintendo console, each with its own matching controller and bonus Super Mario World cartridge. Hooray!The bad news, for us non-Europeans at least, is that these are PAL systems, which means that your dust-covered, attic-stored boxes of old SNES carts won't work, and therefore you'll need to either find a good import shop, or only ever play Super Mario World. If you are European though, or you've run out of holiday gift ideas for the retro-gamer in your life, the consoles will set you back €150, which is essentially $200.
Sony warns of 'huge' earnings impact from sagging Euro
Sony said it expects a "huge impact" on earnings as the euro declines -- many of Sony's exports are to European countries, some of which are on the edge of defaulting on an international loan. The euro currently sits at a decade-low against the yen, and as Sony generally doesn't buy from Europe, it doesn't have a defense against the euro's descent, Sony corporate treasurer Hiroshi Kurihara told Bloomberg. "There are no countermeasures that we can take for the moment," Kurihara said. "There is a huge impact on our earnings." Sony CEO Howard Stringer has apparently shut down some factories and is pushing Sony to build new products, such as tablets, in an attempt to avert a monetary crisis. Samsung, based in South Korea, is benefiting from the weakening of its own currency, the won, because in economics, failure is success.
BioWare delaying Star Wars: The Old Republic's European testing
International issues with Star Wars: The Old Republic started cropping up more or less as soon as the pre-order began, and they're apparently persisting. It's recently been officially announced that European testing invitations have been delayed, missing the initial weekend and being postponed for an unspecified length of time. Fortunately for the players who are no doubt sore over the delay, an explanation was included with the announcement, which kicks off by pointing out that a new build and an associated character wipe are on their way for later in the week anyway. The new build will require testers to re-download the entire client, and with the client requiring a 27 gig download, it was suspected that any players presently invited might finish the download only to have to start an entirely new download immediately afterward. Localized French and German versions of the game will be included in the new build, which further contributed to the decision to ultimately hold off on the European testing. It's cold comfort to would-be testers left out of the game, but at least it isn't without some logic.
iPad 2 launches internationally tomorrow, we check the prices
Despite frantic rumors to the contrary over the past two weeks, the iPad 2 will be launching tomorrow (March 25) in 25 other countries around the world. From the European continent to Australia, the UK to New Zealand. If you happen to be from the future and today is already March 25, the online ordering has begun, and at this point, you can expect to wait 2-3 weeks for your order to arrive. How much are you going to pay for your iPad 2 and accessories? It depends on the country, of course. We've scoured the online Apple Stores for a number of countries to find the pricing for you, and the results are in the table above. Note that this is not a complete price chart; we're just doing a price comparison of representative iPad products. UK iPad 2 fanatics can also buy subsidized devices from T-Mobile UK, which will be selling 16 GB Wi-Fi + 3G devices only at a price of £199 upfront plus £25 per month for existing customers or £229 upfront plus £27 per month for new customers. That's with a 2-year contract featuring 1 GB of data per month plus 1 GB of "quiet time" (12 AM - 10 AM) data usage. We look forward to hearing from TUAW readers around the globe who are waiting in line at their local Apple Stores to pick up an iPad 2 and accessories. Be sure to send us pictures! [via RazorianFly, MacStories]
Echoes of the Dead update launches on Lord of the Rings Online's Euro shards
Better late than never, eh? Lord of the Rings Online's Update 2: Echoes of the Dead has been out for a couple of days in the States, and Turbine's European servers are finally joining the long-expected party today. Much like its American counterpart, the Euro version of Update 2 will be dropping the reviled radiance system and also spicing up Monster Play PvP with an initial round of tweaks. Minstrels, Burglars, and Hunters have also been given a bit of a facelift, and Legendary Items are on the receiving end of some developer love. Finally, Volume III: Book 3 continues LotRO's epic story quest line, and the Volume II epic arc has been revamped to make it more solo-friendly. These are just a few of the changes in store for denizens of Turbine's Middle-earth, and you can read the full release notes on the official Codemasters forums.
160GB PS3 Slim, 320GB Move bundle coming to US and Europe this fall
The leaks weren't wrong, they just weren't the whole story. A 160GB PlayStation 3 Slim is indeed coming to the US -- Europe, too -- but additionally, there's a heftier 320GB Sports Champions Move bundle. The former standalone console is available now stateside for $299, and according to the GamesCom press conference, Europeans will have to wait until October for 299 Euros. As for the biggie, which includes the game and one-player Move package, that's due out September 19th in US (or September 15th across the pond) for $399 and 349 Euros, respectively -- just in time for holiday shopping sprees.
Report: UK retailers increasing price of Xbox 360 Arcade, accessories
UK-based gaming site Eurogamer is reporting that retailers will be jacking up the price of the Xbox 360 Arcade unit, from its current price of £129.99 to the thanks-it's-more-expensive price of £159.99. In fact, even more value is lost when you remove the five free XBLA games that came bundled in the Arcade package; these retailers are stating they will no longer be included. Before you start lighting your torches and taking to the (quaint, cobblestone) streets, keep in mind that this isn't being done because Microsoft just wants more of your colorful money (which we're sure it does). It's due to the poor exchange rate of the pound compared to the Euro, which will also drive Microsoft to raise the price of Xbox accessories £1 to £2 a piece. See how we softened the blow of that last bit of news there? We're finally getting some mileage out of that How to Break Bad News the Good Way training course!
Strong Yen could see lack of Wii bargains this holiday season in U.S.
Analysts think that due to the continuing decline of the U.S. dollar and the 13-year high for the Japanese Yen, you won't be seeing too many hot deals on Nintendo's Wii this holiday season. With the Yen being so high, it drives up the cost of Japanese goods for U.S. retailers. And, seeing as how the U.S. economy has been in such bad shape all year, merchants have discounted their goods to offset that fall to a point where they can't afford to lower prices to attract customers any more.Wii Fit, one of the items analysts see as being a must-have this season, could be most affected. With the profit margin on it so small (same goes for the Wii console itself), retailers can't afford to cut prices. One positive thing to come out of this, however, is that the Euro has been on a decline, as well. This means that Nintendo should be shipping more to the U.S., whereas in the past, Nintendo focused on Europe first.%Gallery-23454%
Analysts see into future, expect 650k US sales for WAR's first month
Here we go again, it's time for people to start predicting the sales of the next big MMO. So get out your thinking hat and grab ahold of your pie charts and bar graphs! Hm, somehow that sounded a lot more exciitng before we said it. Anyhow, Warhammer Online is nearly at launch day and has been given a 650,000 sales prediction for the first month in the United States from Lazard Capital Markets senior VP, Colin Sebastian. It's important to stress that this is for the US territory only, which means that's kind of a high prediction.Our guess for the reason behind the European exclusion is because it's a bit of a wildcard. Warhammer being a much bigger property over there means its sales could land almost anywhere. It could also be because Lazard Capital Markets only deals in US sales predictions, but we like to think they're scared of Europe, instead. All in all with first month US sales being predicted at over half a million, we have to assume many are expecting Warhammer Online to perform pretty impressively overall.
Pachter: American Wii Fit shortages due to weak dollar
Americans have been buffeted with news of our nation's pending recession and the devaluation of our dollar for months now, but in a market with such standardized prices, the American video game industry and game consumers haven't really felt the effect of our economic instability. However, according to industry analyst and prognosticator extraordinaire Michael Pachter, our pecuniary puniness is the cause for the current American Wii Fit shortage -- nearly four times as many copies of the title made their way to Europe, where the Euro, unlike the dollar, is gaining strength.In Pachter's own words, "We're seeing companies ignore their largest market simply because they can make a greater profit elsewhere." You don't need to be a revered industry analyst to notice that -- the title, which sells for $90 in the U.S., is speedily selling for the equivalent of $140 in Europe. Pachter also remarks that Americans can afford to wait for future shipments of the title, as Nintendo knows "that Americans will be just as fat a few months from now." Words hurt, Pachter. Words hurt.
Europe gets two new bundles (sorry, no MGS4)
When we heard about the MGS4 bundles a couple days back, we were wondering if Europe would be getting the same treatment. Apparently, Europe won't be seeing the 80GB MGS4 pack, but instead will be getting two new bundles in its place.The first pack is the "movie bundle" set for a March 19 release. It includes three Blu-ray flicks: Spider-man 3, 300, and Casino Royale. The second includes a copy of Gran Turismo 5 Prologue; this one should hit Euro retailers by March 29. Both bundles are 40GB models (the only ones available in Europe) that come with the regular €399 price tag.It's pretty sneaky of Sony to introduce a Blu-ray movie pack, especially with HD DVD out of the picture. It certainly is an intelligent tactic. To see the movie bundle pack shot, hit the jump.
LG's LN800 navigator headed to Europe?
LG's LN800, which is already available in certain locales such as Australia, is reportedly headed to Europe. Word on the street claims that this LN700 successor will feature a four-inch 320 x 240 resolution display, a SiRFstarIII GPS chipset, NAVTEQ maps, a 276MHz Centrality Atlas 2 processor, 64MB of RAM, an SD expansion slot, integrated speaker, three hours of battery life, text-to-speech, and a built-in image viewer / audio player. Additionally, the LN800T (which includes a RDS-TMC traffic receiver) should land right alongside its lesser-spec'd sibling later this month, and while the LN800 can purportedly be had for €200 ($277), the LN800T will require €100 ($139) more. Click on for a shot of the back.
Metz unveils 100Hz Linus 32 LCDs, includes hybrid tuners and HDD
Amidst the onslaught of releases surrounding IFA comes one from Metz, which is introducing a pair of feature-laden LCD HDTVs for the European market. The 32 HDTV 100 and Linus 32 HDTV 100 R both tout 100Hz technology, integrated "double-hybrid tuners" for cable and aerial (DVB-C / DVB-T) reception, Dynamic Motion Compensation to nix the jaggies, and two "externally accessible input slots for CA modules with smart cards that open up the possibility of being able to receive various pay-TV channels." Moreover, the "R" model comes equipped with a 160GB hard drive, which enables users to store up to 200-hours of SD content, 30-hours of HD programming, or any combination of the two sans a traditional DVR. You'll also find a trio of HDMI ports, DVI, and even a USB interface for loading up photo slideshows. Mum's the word on pricing at the moment, but both of these sets should be hitting the streets next month.[Via Messe-Berlin]
European price cut leaked by SCEAu Managing Director?
We know an announcement is coming from SCEE this Thursday that is "related to the US price cut", but SmartHouse News claim that they already have the scoop. Michael Ephraim, Managing Director of Sony Computer Entertainment Australia has reportedly confirmed that PAL regions will be seeing a price cut of "as much as 17%".While this is potentially great news, and 17% would bring the PS3 down to a much friendlier price of £350 in the UK (making it the cheapest Blu Ray player available), we're not going to hold our collective breath. One way or the other, we'll know on Thursday.[Via NeoGAF]
Europe's PlayStation 3 motherboard on display
Typically, we don't single out just one aspect of an entire console or gizmo, as it's always a beautiful sight to see a perfectly assembled console do its thang in reverse, but Sony's European PlayStation 3 is a different animal. If you'll recall, the American PS3 features a neatly attached PS2 chipset to make sure that backwards compatibility was all but a minor issue, but even after countless delays and a staggeringly high price point, Europe's unit was hamstringed still. While we'd heard that the late-coming PS3 would sport limited abilities in the PS2 department, it still made us cringe when those whispers were proved true, and now its time to witness just how bare this motherboard looks as it uses emulation to crank up a few (literally) PS2 titles. Grab your tissues, and click on through for a few more shots.[Via PS3Scene]
Europe's PS3 to have limited PS2 backwards compatibility?
We'll admit, we're feeling starting to feel for you folks in Europe, as not only do you now have to actually pay attention to where you're driving, but the PlayStation 3 you were planning on snagging exactly one month from today might be hamstringed right out of the box. According to comments made by David Reeves, president of SCEE, support for PS2 titles will indeed be limited, as he stated that "rather than concentrating on PS2 backwards compatibility, company resources will be increasingly focused on developing new games and entertainment features exclusively for PS3." It seems that original PlayStation titles won't be hindered all that much, but the situation looks fairly dire for your current PlayStation 2 discs. The actual list of compatible titles won't be published until launch day, and while it was noted that future titles could be added through PlayStation Network downloads, a Sony spokesperson purportedly stated that "backwards compatibility is not going to be as good as in the US and Japanese models." The reason, while still not pinpointed, could potentially be linked to the Euro-spec'd PS3 rocking a "new chassis" designed to bring manufacturing costs of the console down, which might have demanded some hardware cutbacks somewhere along the line. Regardless of the "why," it looks like UK users could get snubbed by Sony once again, so we seriously hope your PS2 won't mind sharing cabinet space with its newfangled sibling come March 23rd.[Thanks, Stoo and Ryan]
