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Mercedes-Benz aims to take hydrogen fuel-cells mainstream
General Motors' confidence in hydrogen fuel cell (HFC) vehicles seems to be sparking something of a renaissance among other automakers. In April, Toyota announced it was testing a HFC semi truck, and now Mercedes has announced a hybrid crossover utility vehicle that combines the pricey alternative-fuel tech with something a little less exotic: a battery-powered electric vehicle. The GLC F-Cell will carry 4.4 kilograms of hydrogen onboard, in addition to its 147 kilowatt lithium-ion battery. The automaker says that the the F-Cell's range can hit 437 kilometers (roughly 271 miles) with a governed top speed of 99 MPH, and that it'll charge in about 1.5 hours.
Audi wants autonomous cars to run errands while you're at work
Audi laid out its plans for autonomous vehicles and how it intends to use AI to us back in July, and now the automaker is ready to show off what it's been working on. At this year's IAA auto show in Frankfurt, Audi debuted the AIcon and ElAIne (above and below), a pair of cars capable of Level 4 autonomy (conditional, but fully automated driving) that it claims are empathetic to their drivers' needs. "They will be able to continually interact with their surroundings and passengers, and thus adapt themselves in a better way than ever before to the requirements of those on board," Audi wrote in a lengthy press release.
Nokia reveals Here Auto connected car navigation system
Nokia's no newbie to navigation, but its latest product raises its involvement to the next level. The Here Auto connected car platform is comprised of an application that can be embedded to a vehicle's navigation system, a mobile app companion and a cloud service. Any in-car navigator with the Here Auto software can offer voice-guided navigation with or without a data connection, along with 2D, 3D and street-level satellite maps. You'll need internet access to tap into the cloud service for real-time data, including traffic and weather updates, but previously downloaded maps work just fine even when you're offline. The Auto Companion mobile app complements the software and the cloud service, giving you a way to pre-plan trips or find your car through a phone. Currently, it only works on Windows Phone devices, but Espoo's developing ones for iOS and Android. Nokia has partnered with Continental (the same parts supplier working with Google and IBM) to find carmakers willing to integrate Here Auto into their navigation systems. It might take a while before we see the system hit the market, but it'll be demonstrated at the International Motor Show in Germany on September 10th.
Epic's Tim Sweeney being inducted into AIAS Hall of Fame
The Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences has announced the 16th inductee to its Hall of Fame, a catalog which already contains literal game-changers like Peter Molyneux, Sid Meier and Will Wright. To be added to that list during the Interactive Achievement Awards at the 2012 D.I.C.E. Summit in February: Epic Games founder Tim Sweeney. You've almost certainly heard of him -- if not, you've definitely heard of the Unreal Engine, which he helped create. If you haven't heard of that, what is wrong with you? The Interactive Achievement Awards, which will be presented February 9, will see Epic VP Mark Rein bestowing the honor upon Sweeney. We anticipate that his speech will include humorous jabs at one or more of Sweeney's lesser-known idiosyncrasies, as well as a heart-touching stanza about how he's not just a good boss, but a great friend. We're getting a little choked up just thinking about it.
Interview: Joseph Olin discusses DICE awards
Joseph Olin, president of the The Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences, is a busy, busy man this week. Hosting DICE and getting ready for the 13th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards tonight, which will be streamed on IFC.com (and shown on IFC's cable TV network the following week). We were curious to know a little more about what the academy has planned for its public image and who Olin is rooting for tonight. Joystiq: Do we call it the Interactive Achievement Awards ... or do we say I.A. awards? Joseph Olin: Interactive Achievement Awards. I think most people just give them the moniker "The DICE Awards." Design, Innovate, Communicate, Entertain certainly sums up why people make games. I'm comfortable with that. Is this the first year the show will be streamed live? Actually, this will be the third year it'll be streamed live. But, last year our good friends at IGN had a problem with their uplink relay on their end. So we were streaming and nothing went. So they captured and were about 30 minutes behind. As we all know, the internet is a flawless piece of technology and as reliable as the mail. So, yes, we're excited about IFC streaming it this year because they have a much better track record of streaming their content. So, we should say this is the first year IFC is streaming it? This is the first year IFC is streaming it live. Then the highlights show will be on the following Friday, the 26th.
Super Mario Galaxy receives Interactive Achievement Award
Nintendo's Italian plumber Mario caught the eye of the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences at this year's Interactive Achievement Awards, nabbing an award for Adventure Game of the Year. If there was one game that could be classified as an "adventure" back in 2007, we would definitely have to say Super Mario Galaxy.Also, Nintendo ended up walking away with another award. The winner of Handheld Game of the Year was none other than The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass. As for the other awards, none were for Nintendo or games on Nintendo platforms. So, you could probably care less.%Gallery-4735%
Call of Duty 4, Motorstorm walk away with AIAS awards
Critics really love Call of Duty 4. PS3 Fanboy's choice for GOTY took home the gold as the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences awarded Infinity Ward's shooter its most coveted award. PS3 fans that don't believe in multiplatform titles may be disappointed to hear that PS3 exclusives did not fare so well with the industry's equivalent of the Academy Awards. Motorstorm is the only game to take home an award, for Best Racing Game.See a list of PS3-relevant winners, after the cut.[Via Joystiq]
PS3 exclusives not nominated for IAA GOTY awards
The closest thing the games industry has to the film industry's Academy Awards is the IAA: the Interactive Achievement Awards. This year, PS3 has three games fighting for the honor of Overall Game of the Year -- all of them multi-platform titles. They include: PS3 Fanboy's Game of the Year, Call of Duty 4, Rock Band and The Orange Box. These are three great titles that are all available on your favorite platform. Bioshock and Super Mario Galaxy were both nominated as well.Fans of Uncharted need not worry, though. Although the game hasn't been nominated for any GOTY nods from the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences, it did get nominations in very deserving categories. The game got nods for Best Adventure, Original Music Composition, Story Development, Character Performance, Visual Engineering and Animation. Not a bad list of nominations, no? Best of luck to all the PS3 games on the list.[Via Gamespot]
Jeanne d'Arc and Ratchet fight for IAA awards
The closest thing the games industry has to the film industry's Academy Awards is the IAA: the Interactive Achievement Awards. This year, PSP has two games fighting for the honor of Handheld Game of the Year. They include: Jeanne d'Arc, Level-5's brilliant (and accessible) SRPG, and Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters. They will have to compete against Drawn to Life, Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords, and The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass. Good luck to our PSP nominees. [Via Gamespot]
BioShock scores 12 AIAS award nominations
With BioShock nothing but a sweet, sweet memory to most gamers, it's easy to forget that the industry is still piling awards on top of it. Well, nominations in this case. Nominations from the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences to be specific. The AIAS has nominated BioShock for twelve Interactive Achievement Awards this year, more than any other game this year or apparently any other year. So, if you haven't played it, you really should, lest your friends start calling you out for the philistine you are. As for other 360 exclusives, Mass Effect garnered 4 nods, including console game of the year and role playing game of the year. Halo 3 nabbed two nominations, one for outstanding achievement in online play and one for action game of the year.The IAA's will be broadcast by both GameSpot and ComCast on their video-on-demand services and will again be hosted by Jay Mohr.[Via Joystiq]
