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A Mild-Mannered Reporter: What City of Heroes needs for its ninth year
The past year of City of Heroes has been in no small part defined by the free-to-play revolution moving into full swing. 2010 was the year in which it became clear that free-to-play could work; 2011 was the year in which nearly every game moved over to the new model, with only a handful of stalwarts clinging to the subscription-only model. Unfortunately, this also means that the once-present divide between business models no longer exists, and by and large there's less sense that free-to-play games are inherently worse than subscription games. The imaginary barrier simply doesn't exist as it used to. What does that have to do with City of Heroes for its next year of development? Almost everything. I've talked about how the game has two obvious and direct competitors in the superhero genre, but now they're all competing with the same business model. They all have the same initial outlay, instead of City of Heroes being the oldest, most respected, and cheapest option. In order for a game to be successful, and it no longer has to convince players that it's worth $15 a month for a few months -- it just has to convince you that downloading it and giving it a shot is worth the effort. That means flash, fun, and a quick dose of what you're looking for.
Reset trailer is almost as interesting as its single-player co-op gameplay
The above debut trailer for Theory Interactive's Reset is made entirely with a unique in-game engine, Praxis, and doesn't include any added effects, CGI or Peter Jackson-level motion capture. We swear. Well, Theory Interactive swears, so they're the ones that will have to deliver on this hefty promise. If the trailer isn't tantalizing enough, Reset's gameplay premise is captivating too. In this first-person puzzle game, players have the ability to travel back in time to solve puzzles cooperatively with themselves, meaning the phrase "single-player co-op" makes an impossible amount of sense. Theory Interactive comprises just two people, Alpo Oksaharju and Mikko Kallinen, but we're inclined to believe it's really just one person and his future self, who has brought back advanced innovations with the sole purpose of crafting this wonderfully entrancing debut game trailer. And, we hope, a game to live up to its promises.
Could future PureView devices support 4K video?
As we eagerly await the arrival of the 808 PureView, video professionals are pondering the usefulness of that 41-megapixel sensor. On paper, it's capable of shooting continuously-focusing 34-megapixel video that's then resampled down when compressed, but blogger James Burland wonders what it could do with less resampling. He claims that a member of Nokia's imaging team told him that shooting at 4K "might be possible," although there are plenty of issues that prevent it being achieved on the 808 handset itself. The hardware wouldn't be able to handle the storage or processing requirements, so it's unlikely Peter Jackson will be shooting on a Symbian-powered device any time soon -- but in any case it's an interesting pointer to the future of cellphone cinematography.
PAL-V ONE makes maiden voyage, gives new meaning to 'Flying Dutchman' (video)
The Netherlands made a lot of noise in the tech world last year for stuff like net neutrality and the legal herping and derping between Apple and Samsung. Now it's making some noise of the whirly kind after the successful maiden flight of its very own flying car. Dutch company PAL-V christened its flying car the, uh, PAL-V ONE -- short for Personal Air and Land Vehicle. Like the Terrafugia Transition flying car, the PAL-V ONE also sports a push propeller, which it uses for forward speed. The Dutch flying car, however, doesn't have side wings and relies on an auto-rotating rotor to create lift instead. The vehicle -- which supposedly complies with all air and road traffic regulations in major markets -- chugs good, old regular gas (biodiesel and bio-ethanol versions are planned as well) for a range of 350 to 500 kilometers in the air and about 1,200 kilometers on the ground. For more adventurous land drivers, the PAL-V ONE also features a "cutting-edge system" for tilting at windmills, allowing it to power through curves like a motorcycle. See it in action in the video after the break, along with some company PR.[Thanks, Barry]
Terrafugia Transition production prototype completes first flight, set to land at NY Auto Show this Friday
Terrafugia's Transition could finally be making its way to the production line. The "flying car" has journeyed far beyond the concept phase, achieving its compulsory nod from the DOT last summer, and now reaching production prototype status. On March 23rd, the latest Transition flew past one more hurdle, completing its first airborne trial. The hybrid vehicle rolled down the runway at Plattsburgh International Airport in New York before ascending to 1400 feet -- the entire flight lasted a mere eight minutes, and marks the first of six planned phases of flight testing during the aircraft's voyage past experimental stage. There's still no word on when the Light Sport Aircraft will be making its way to soon-to-be Transition owners, but those hankering for a preview can catch a glimpse of the craft at the New York Auto Show from April 6th through the 15th. You can also taxi past the break for a tail-level view of the test plane's trek to takeoff.
Visualized: futuristic AMELIA aircraft (theoretically) soars through NASA wind tunnel
It's the Advanced Model for Extreme Lift and Improved Aeroacoustics, and it's the brainchild of many, many intelligent beings planted at California Polytechnic State University. The aircraft has been in design courtesy of a grant from NASA, touting engines above the wings and the ability to achieve shockingly short takeoffs and landings. And did we mention it looks sexier than a freshly-washed 787? Yeah.
Future US eliminates 19 jobs, not shuttering any brands
Future Publishing US eliminated 19 jobs today as part of overall changes taking place at the company. None of its brands, which include Nintendo Power, PlayStation: The Official Magazine, OXM and @Gamer, will be discontinued."Future US is currently working to reposition itself in the marketplace to transform the company from an old school publisher to a hybrid publisher," Future COO Rachelle Considine told Joystiq. "While many 'old school' publishing companies and outlets have folded completely, Future US is in process of retooling and reshaping the organization to succeed, and thrive in the digital era."Future announced late last year that it was merging its US and UK operation, following the resignations of its CEO and CFO.
Samsung gets tired of neighbors watching its Transparent Smart Window, installs blinds
Sammy's transparent OLED displays may not be the freshest piece of tech at CES, but its still pretty dang awesome. We first saw Samsung's 46-inch 1920 x 1080 digitally augmented window back in March, but dropped by its CES booth for a second look. Although the touchscreen window still teases to fulfill our fevered sci-fi dreams, not much has changed -- it's still clear, it's still loaded with widgets, and it's still not anywhere near being installed in your home. Samsung told us this was still a concept device, although they did mention that the technology could be scaled down for use in military visors and heads up displays. Hit the break to see a video demo of a few new apps, including a rather slick set of digital blinds.Joe Pollicino contributed to this report.
Sony Vaio Hybrid and Slate tablet concepts showcase new form factors, flexible materials (video)
Black, bezeled and rectangular? That's pretty much the go-to design for tablets nowadays. But lately Sony's been straying from the pack and taking a different aesthetic tack, which it recently showcased with the Tablet S and P. On the showroom floor at CES, however, the company had two newer models secured behind glass to give consumers a sense of future form factors. These prototypes -- known prospectively as the Hybrid and Slate -- fall under the Vaio brand and clearly highlight an exciting direction for the Japanese electronics giant's impending offerings. The Hybrid's most distinctive feature is its marriage of laptop functionality with tablet portability. Sliding the unit up and locking it into place reveals a keyboard in front (shown with a dedicated Windows button) and an expansive speaker grill behind. The company wouldn't elaborate on the materials used in the enclosure, but that sparkly, copper color manages to toe the line between cheap and space age -- a definite contradiction, for sure. At the base of the 11-inch unit is a dock that fits an included stylus, as this tablet is being designed to support touch pen input, in addition to the typical capacitive touch. None of the ports on the device are final, but when and if it ever ships, you can expect the usual array. For a true glimpse into the next generation of tablet manufacturing, you need only look to Sony's tablet Slate -- the real stunner of this conceptual duo. With its use of a smart, soft touch flexible material -- the company refused to elaborate on just what -- that extends from the unit's back for easy table top mounting, it's easy to see a product like this setting consumers' interest on fire and nabbing that lust-worthy tech crown. Unfortunately, this particular scifi casing is more than likely a few years off, but it's good to see the company innovating and attempting to break free from the shackles of ordinary builds. The Slate is also designed to work with a wireless keyboard that shares the same intelligent material and appears to incorporate a touch interface. Click on through the galleries below for a tour of these two proof of concepts and make sure to click on past the break for a brief video tour.
ESA members asked individually about SOPA, some respond
Rock, Paper, Shotgun collaborated in obtaining responses. The Entertainment Software Association's support of the "Stop Online Piracy Act" has led us to ask every member of the video game industry's lobbying and political group to publicly declare its stance on the bill. The ESA's continued support means every member, by proxy, is a supporter of the bill. Some companies have pulled their logos from supporting SOPA documentation to dodge ire, while others are hiding behind rhetoric, as you'll see below. Joystiq contacted every member of the ESA and requested a declarative statement on SOPA. After the break we've listed the responses we've received, along with others we found. We continue to seek clarity on this issue from every member of the ESA. This will become the page we update as we receive responses and clear declarative statements, so feel free to bookmark. (Joystiq does not support SOPA, nor does our parent company.)
Star Wars: The Old Republic's hype train barrels onward
December 20th is finally here, and Star Wars: The Old Republic is as live as it's going to get. The title's official launch has sent ripples through the interwebs, and MSNBC, Gamasutra, and Kotaku all have new features highlighting various facets of the new title. Gamasutra has a few words with BioWare co-founder Greg Zeschuk and creative director James Ohlen regarding the game's post-launch strategy. Zeschuk claims that the team is "really busy working on future SWTOR content as well as continuing to improve the service. This will never end." Never is quite a long time, we think, but we'll see how that goes. Meanwhile, MSNBC sits down with SWTOR's Lead Writer, Daniel Erickson, about BioWare's much-touted story pillar. He claims that the game's 20 writers worked together for a total of over 60 man-years of labor on the game's story and writing. And lastly, Kotaku has another few words with Zeschuk. When asked if SWTOR could potentially make a move to F2P like, say, DC Universe Online, Zeschuk replied, "Free-to-play works best when a game is built that way from the ground up... We're not saying never ever, but we certainly have no plans like that in the foreseeable future." For the full features, click on through the links below.
Star Wars: The Old Republic looks to the future [Updated]
You may think that now that Star Wars: The Old Republic's early start underway and moving nicely, the developers over at BioWare are sitting back and enjoying a celebratory glass of champagne (or bottle of whiskey). You would be wrong, however, because a new post on the official site shows that BioWare is already looking toward the future. But what can players expect from the future of The Old Republic? Guild functionality is high on the priority list, and players can expect everything from guild banks to guild capital ships in the future. UI customization is also "a very big priority" to BioWare. The studio also has "an entire team dedicated to adding content and features to [PvP]." The space system, the legacy system, and the galaxy as a whole are also on board for future updates. For the full details, just head on over to the official SWTOR site. [Update: The team has also just posted an address to those who are not yet part of the early access pre-launch. We've included the contents of the message behind the break. Thanks to Onyx for the tip!] Star Wars: The Old Republic is finally here, and the Force is with Massively! We've prepared a Hutt-sized feast of class introductions, gameplay guides, lore roundups, and hands-on previews to help you navigate the launch period and beyond. And don't forget our weekly SWTOR column, the Hyperspace Beacon!
Future Publishing combining UK and US branches
Following the departure of its CEO and CFO, Future Publishing's new CEO, Mark Wood, has a plan: The UK-based company will combine resources with its US branch, merging the two together. Wood hopes this move will "enable us to operate more efficiently and return the U.S. business to profitability." Future's US branch is responsible for Nintendo Power, PlayStation: The Official Magazine, OXM and @Gamer, among others. Future has been planning to shift its resources away from print to online for a few months now, following significant year-over-year losses. "The changes will also mean that we can accelerate our transition to a digital business model and start to sell our entire range of digital content to high-value audiences in the U.S. and other key markets," Wood added.
Former Apple interface expert rants on Microsoft's "Vision of the Future" video
A few weeks ago Microsoft came out with a future of productivity video proposing a very touchscreen-based future for us humans. A former human-computer interface inventor for Apple, Brett Victor, has picked apart this video in a beautifully designed "rant" on his site, essentially taking Microsoft to task for proposing a limited, iterative future in 2019 -- calling it hardly a "vision" at all. While I enjoyed the Microsoft video, and picked it apart myself for other reasons (yeah, you're gonna get to do all this stuff is everyone is a Microsoft customer, basically), Victor makes some important points. Chief among them is summarized by this sentiment: With an entire body at your command, do you seriously think the Future Of Interaction should be a single finger? Microsoft seems to disavow any knowledge of our bodies and its incredible array of of sensory abilities. As Victor explains, current touchscreen tablets and smartphones are limited to an interaction he calls Pictures Under Glass. What can you do with these? Basically every interaction you have on your iPad or iPhone is simply sliding your finger around. Siri is the next step in a sense, because you're now using your voice and ears to interact with the device. But still, most interactions are now being relegated to a finger. And Microsoft's video shouldn't be called a vision for that, Victor proposes, and I agree. Just go back and read about the death of the Courier at Microsoft. Meant to feel more like a book, that is something that will engage more than just the tip of your finger. Think about real world objects that could change, think about embedded computers that never need show you some Metro-tiled interface, but rather give feedback through simple colors, or movement or even smells or sounds. Those are truly different, truly beyond what we see today, and none of it is reflected in this rather boring Microsoft video. In the end if feels more like a selling point for their Metro UI than a real vision. I would have expected better from the company who made the Kinect -- one of the most fun, amazing gaming accessories I've ever used. Read Brett Victor's rant, however. He does an incredible job of explaining (through images as much as words) how we should be rethinking human-computer interaction, and how Microsoft's video shouldn't be a "vision" for anyone but the most staid, conservative of thinkers. Compare the intuitive leaps captured in this video with what Alan Kay managed to whip up upon seeing a tiny prototype of a flat screen display in 1968. I won't spoil it, but it could blow your mind (let's just say he was decades ahead of his time). With our vast imaginations, we can do better as a species to envision a more amazing future, I think.
Ericsson-sponsored 'On The Brink' mini-film puts connectivity in perspective
Every so often, a film (or short) like this crops up. Be it from AT&T in 1993, or Microsoft every couple of years, there's just something amazing about dreaming of the future. This go 'round, we've got an Ericsson-sponsored piece dubbed "On The Brink," which touches on the past, present and presumed future of connectivity. Want an informed look at what our planet might look like once ubiquitous broadband is a reality and cats are more powerful than presidents? Hop on past the break and mash play. (After you set aside 21 minutes, not including buffering.)
Nokia's Humanform concept phone, not shaped like us (video)
We barely recovered from Nokia's futuristic concept buffet at Nokia World, but a new video has unearthed the deceptively named Humanform. Fortunately not shaped like a dolly, this teardrop device cooked up Nokia's in-house labs supposedly uses some as-yet unexplained nanotechnology, with a bendable transparent display and a fully touch sensitive casing. The segmented design also channels some Wiimote-esque gesture features and twist controls seen on the phone behemoth's Kinetic Device. An inert Humanform shell was also on show alongside it last month, although it didn't do much aside from bending. See if you agree with Nokia's vision of the mobile future after the break.
MacTech 2011: What keeps Aaron Hillegass up at night
Big Nerd Ranch founder Aaron Hillegass took the stage at this week's MacTech Conference 2011, and his talk was labeled, simply, "Going Mobile." That's a big topic, so after going through a few reasons why business and individuals might be for and against making mobile apps (all pretty standard discussion in the industry around the App Store), he discussed his concerns about the mobile industry; the things that "keep me up late at night." What followed were a few questions (mostly unanswered) that Hillegass has been thinking about, relevant to IT professionals, developers and really anyone who's used Apple's mobile products. Hillegass' talk was surprisingly honest -- he tackled quite a few issues during the short speech, some of which will likely take a long while for everyone to figure out. He started by asking how developers can benefit from the "power struggles in the industry." So far, Hillegass said, Apple, Google and others have benefited from app developers. Apple has sold a staggering number of iPhones, thanks in part to the hard work of app developers. Of course, Apple has compensated those developers, some very well. But Hillegass wonders if the relationship could go the other way. Instead of making developers work for Apple and then even harder to make their apps compatible on Android and other platforms, is there a way to make that competition between the platform companies work for developers? Hillegass didn't have an answer just yet. He also talked about the death of privacy, pointing out that Apple, developers, and humanity in general are collecting mountains of data all the time. What we all us it for? He suggested first that maybe we just didn't need it -- maybe creating too much data, just like creating trash in real life, would adversely affect our environment in ways we didn't suspect. Hillegass then flipped the other way, and suggested that maybe just agreeing amongst ourselves that privacy was finally dead and actually using that data to make the world a better place would be more helpful than hurtful after all. The relatively tame example he gave was about movie theater previews and how, because they were usually targeted at the audience in the theater, are often more interesting than TV commercials. But Hillegass hinted at bigger things -- he seemed to suggest that letting go of privacy might open up a lot more doors, even if he himself didn't know yet what those were. The talk got deeper from there. Hillegass wondered if instead of dealing with reality directly, our work with Apple's devices and computers in general was putting us in touch with a sort of "simulacrum" of reality. Instead of meeting with friends and family, we were communicating via Facebook profiles and social networking services. Hillegass wondered if the small rewards of games prevented us from really committing to achieving something great. He shared a story about reading Mrs. Frisby and The Rats of NIMH to his son, and realizing that while he loved the book as a kid, his attention span had shrunk since then -- even he wasn't able to sit through long passages of description without a lot of action. "My attention span is shrinking," said Hillegrass. "I think that's a problem." And with almost a tone of fear and anxiety, Hillegass wondered how humanity will keep its capacity for empathy when, thanks to our vast networks of communication, we can often be surrounded by people who are exactly like us. He pointed out that most of the people in the room here at MacTech looked and acted very much the same, and said that because of the Internet, people could find communities of like-minded individuals more quickly and easily than ever. Is that a good thing necessarily? He didn't know. Finally, Hillegass pointed out that because of how quickly mobile applications and technology are changing and improving, users and developers are involved in what's basically an evolving relationship. He told the story of the cheetah and the gazelle, and why evolution has made both animals faster over the years -- gazelles who aren't fast enough will get eaten by the faster cheetahs, and cheetahs who don't run won't get food they need. In fact, things have moved so far, said Hillegass, that cheetahs can't even eat too much once they do catch a gazelle, because it will slow them down in the future. Users, too, are getting more and more demanding of mobile apps, just as developers are getting better and better tools to make them. When the App Store first started, fart apps were "good enough" to make money, but the bar has risen higher and higher over the years. For all of his questions, Hillegass did end on a positive note -- he told the story of Beethoven the composer, who made some of the greatest musical pieces for piano ever written, and Broadwood, an inventor who improved the piano, expanding its versatility and range even as Beethoven pushed him to do more with his genius. Developers in the room, said Hillegass, were the Broadwoods of the world. And he and they were both working on apps that would then be used by Beethovens to make something really incredible. Apps and the app market are such a growing entity at this point in time that it's hard to see just where they'll end up, even a few years in the future. But for all of his questions, Hillegass was convinced that the progress was worth it. "We are trying to create the piano for the next Beethoven," he said as he finished his talk.
Trio of Microsoft projectors lets you get quasi-physical with AR interaction (video)
You have to hand it to the tireless folks toiling away within Microsoft's Research department. They're hard at the task of making tomorrowland today's province. Perhaps spurred on by the rapturous response to their HoloDesk, the Cambridge gang's previewing yet another virtual reality, and this time it's a handheld trio. The palm-friendly devices, split up into camera, room and SLAM models, incorporate pico projectors, coaxial IR cameras, inertial measurement units (IMUs) and the company's Kinect (for the latter two only) to project augmented visions onto surrounding surfaces. If you've been honing your shadow puppetry game over the years, that oft-used skill's about to get very useful. The environmentally aware (no, not the Go Green! kind) systems allow for shadow- and touch-based interaction with the CG overlays, offering pinch functionality, icon selection and even painting -- don't worry, it's definitely removable. This neat tech hat trick could one day soon spare you a trip to IKEA, letting you test out potential decorative pieces from the comfort of your home. Unfortunately, we can't get handsy with the futuristic projectors just yet, so the video after the break will have to suffice. [Thanks, Pradeep]
Future Publishing CEO and CFO quit
With the end of Future Publishing's fiscal year fast approaching on November 24, and the news not expected to be good, the company's chief executive Stevie Spring and chief financial officer John Bowman have resigned. "The recent restructuring which positions the company for its digital future has allowed the Board this opportunity to achieve substantial savings by eliminating an entire tier of corporate overhead," Future said in a statement. The company's stock has dropped 60 percent this year. The company ominously announced late last month that it was "considering a wider range of strategic options in respect of its US operations." Future US's magazine business currently includes all three official console magazines, PC Gamer and Best Buy's @Gamer. The company stated in July it plans to take the US to a primarily digital model.
Microsoft cracks open a window to the future, anticipates our laziness (video)
In the future, we'll all be slaves to rectangles. No, really. Well, at least that's the prognosis, albeit sanitized, Microsoft has slickly pieced together in its Productivity Future Vision concept video. It's a mostly seamless world where all of our interactions are made to be mobile, virtual, efficient and white-washed, but it actually just reads as too darn fussy and overcomplicated. Sure, we could get behind contactless payment, tablets with holographic displays and eyeglasses that translate conversations when you've just stepped off a red eye into some foreign destination -- that's all incredibly useful. But car windows with agenda overlays and transparent refrigerator door displays? Some things are better left lo-tech. For Redmond's part, the company's merely aiming to project ways these various implementations of "real technology" will intersect and "actively assist" us with our harried lives. Take a peek at MS' sanctioned tomorrow land and its sparse piano soundtrack after the break.
