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Phosphor's Reveal wristwatch uses Swarovski crystals to tell time, bedazzle you
The Phosphor brand has usually been associated with E Ink watches in the past, but they're taking the off-the-beaten-path timekeeping technology in a very different direction this time around with the introduction of the new Reveal line. Of course, glittery little stones are no strangers to the surfaces of watches around the world, but with the Reveal, they play an active role: Phosphor is using what it describes as "proprietary Micro-Magnetic Mechanical Digital technology" to rotate Swarovski crystals into place to form digital time readouts on the thoroughly encrusted face. Think of it like an extremely low-res E Ink, we suppose... but with shiny rocks in place of electrically-charged granules of white and black pigment. The models are available in six styles -- four for women, two for men -- starting today from $199 and up. Follow the break for the full press release.
Tyria Evolved: Massively's analysis of the Guild Wars 2 Guardian
Today ArenaNet has unveiled the Guild Wars 2 Guardian. After nearly a full week of wild speculation, we've finally got the details on the fifth class. Interestingly, this reveal followed a similar pattern as the Necromancer reveal in that by the time today's details arrived, it was a surprise to exactly nobody. The Guardian had been revealed after a fashion in Edge of Destiny, then leaked by PC Gamer last week. In the ensuing fan frenzy, Regina Buenaobra stepped in to announce that the full reveal would happen on the 27th. Now that we've finally got the full scoop on the Guardian, follow along after the jump and take a look!
RIFT reveals details on the Mathosian Empire
With the next beta event for Trion Worlds' upcoming fantasy MMO RIFT scheduled to begin on January 25th, new information on the game has been flowing thick and fast. In the latest reveal, Trion has released details and screenshots of the Mathosian Empire. Nestled in the mountains, the Mathosian Empire was an ancient and powerful faction of human hunters ruled over by King Jostyr Mathos. Using Dwarven steel and Elven magic, the Mathosians took war to the dragons, banishing them in the name of keeping the flatlands of Telara safe. The empire's rule spread across the RIFT map, and they constructed great cities like Port Scion. With King Jostyr's passing, the Mathosian Empire fell into a vicious civil war between his sons Aedraxis and Zareph. The Shade War, as it came to be known, resulted in the fracturing of the ward seals keeping Telara safe from the destructive influence of the planes. With the seal broken, the empire now lies in ruin, with the mighty Port Scion now overrun by the Deathtouched and dangerous planar openings now ravaging Telara. Trion has released several new screenshots of what remains of the Mathosian Empire, which can be found in the gallery below. %Gallery-101448%
En Masse unveils third TERA race and class series entry
It's been a while since we've been treated to an update of En Masse Entertainment's TERA Race and Class series. Happily, today marks the third installment, and it's all about Humans, Mystics, and Sorcerers. If you're in the mood for early Christmas presents, we've got them in the form of a new TERA screenshot gallery, a gameplay video of Sorcerers blowing stuff up, and a few blurbs about races, classes, and quests. TERA is currently gearing up for its Korean open beta, with a European and North American launch expected in 2011. Join us for all the juicy details after the cut. %Gallery-105090%
Double Fine reveals puzzle adventure Stacking for spring of 2011
It seems you can't spit without hitting a digitally distributed puzzle adventure about Russian nesting dolls these days, and now Double Fine is adding to the pile with its next release. The just-revealed Stacking is slated to arrive in spring of next year on XBLA and PSN. The game, set in the 1930s, lets Charlie Blackmore (the world's smallest Russian nesting doll) slip into the husks of other local matryoshkas and use their abilities to solve puzzles in the world. Details are scant, but you can get a taste of Charlie's world in the debut trailer just after the break.
TERA reveals second race and class series installment, achievement info
En Masse Entertainment is back with another carefully rationed dose of TERA information that manages to stave off our withdrawal pangs -- even if it isn't the large-scale expose we'd like. This time around, TERA's North American publisher presents a brief look at the game's achievement system as well as the latest installment in the ongoing race and class series. Join us after the cut for a bit about the Amani race as well as the Lancer class. Don't forget to check out the gallery of new screens below and the Lancer-focused video after the break. Finally, look for Massively's exclusive TERA lore reveal later this week. %Gallery-105090%
Phantasy Star Online 2 announced at the Tokyo Game Show
Phantasy Star Online is dead -- long live Phantasy Star Online 2! Sega just announced the sequel to the hit MMO during a livestream event at the Tokyo Game Show. Slated for release in 2011, PSO2's unveiling was a surprise to just about everyone. Phantasy Star Online released for the Sega Dreamcast 10 years ago, and launched a series of updates, iterations and sequels (including Phantasy Star Universe). While Sega was reluctant to show any gameplay or release any other details, the mere existence of the above title screen should send fans into a happy frenzy. You can read the announcement at PSOWorld and watch the livestream video below.
Portal receives radio patch, tunes in hints of a sequel
Valve has released a new patch for Portal on Steam, and the patch notes say only that it has "changed radio transmission frequency to comply with federal and state spectrum management regulations." A curious note, especially since Portal, as a computer game, doesn't actually transmit anything over the radio. That got the forum train a'moving on the Steam boards, and they eventually discovered that radios have been added to each level of the game which, when carried to the correct spots in each level, will tune in a series of coded messages. Connecting to all (or any, according to some reports) of the 26 messages in the game will supposedly unlock a new hidden achievement called "Transmission Received." At least, we think so -- as of this writing, no one seems to have unlocked it yet. Some of the messages are morse codes that range from the technical ("External data line active") to the silly ("Beep beep beep beep"), and some are encoded images of numbers and equations ("B.dA=3"), but the whole thing appears to be hinting that AI antagonist GLaDOS may have transmitted information or part of herself out of the Aperture Science facility before the first game ended. Which would probably mean that a sequel reveal is imminent. We'll stay tuned for more information -- we didn't really expect to hear from Valve at GDC next week, but a Portal 2 reveal would make our San Francisco visit that much nicer. [Thanks, Rob!]
Platinum Games' fourth game to be announced on this week's GTTV
Here were are again, folks, for another edition of "Turn a Tweet Into a Full Post." This time we've got word from the always exciting Twitter feed of Geoff Keighley that this week's episode of GameTrailers TV will reveal the fourth game from Japanese developer Platinum Games. So far, after inking a publishing deal with Sega in 2008 for four games, all we've heard of the mysterious fourth title is that it will be headed up by Resident Evil designer Shinji Mikami. Considering the somewhat confusing wording of Keighley's tweet, we asked the man himself to clarify what we're going to see on Thursday evening. "It's an exclusive reveal trailer for the game inside the show this week. The news breaks during GTTV on Thursday night. We're really excited to have the Japanese developers/publishers working with us on reveals like this." He also pointed out that this countdown on Platinum Games' Japanese website has been counting down towards Thursday's reveal -- aha! For all the steaming hot scoops, you'll have to peep the show when it airs this Thursday evening/Friday morning at 12:30AM ET.
Deadliest Warrior video game announced during VGAs
Oh, you've never heard of the television show known as Deadliest Warrior? We'll break it down for you: Each episode pits two different types of warriors from different time periods against each other to see who would win in various forms of combat. For instance, one episode might show the results of a Ninjas vs. Spartans throwdown. One might show how a conflict between Marines and Medieval Knights would resolve itself. Robots vs. Wizards? A bit less likely, but still within the realm of possibilities. The VGAs brought great news involving this series -- Pipeworks Software is making a downloadable video game based on it. The announcement was accompanied by a lava-hot trailer showing a battle between a ninja and a heavily armored knight, which we've posted after the jump. What? Who wins? The ninja does. Of course.
New Star Wars game debuting during Spike Video Game Awards
Well, crap. Now we have a reason to watch the Spike Video Game Awards. See, while we can live without the WORLD EXCLUSIVE trailers for next year's big releases, we don't think we can skip out on the unveiling of a new Star Wars game in good conscience. According to the latest teaser, viewers of the 2009 Spike VGAs will be able to find out "what's next" for the Star Wars gaming franchise. We've got our fingers triple-crossed for a new Jedi Outcast entry, but have also prepared our hearts for the icy embrace of Super Bombad Racing 2.
Pantech Reveal and Impact revealed with impact
We've just checked out Pantech's new pair of messaging-friendly phones for AT&T, the Reveal and Impact; one of them left an "impact" on us, and we'll let you guess which one (hint: it's the one that would result in a pun occurring). Yeah, the Reveal was a pretty cheap-looking set -- and we're not sure we understand the value of eating of screen real estate with a dedicated numeric pad just so you don't have to slide the phone open to dial -- but the Impact (pictured above) was a genuinely intriguing phone. Up front you've got a glossy black surface that lights up to reveal a basic monochrome display and a numeric pad; pressing buttons on the pad triggers haptics so you can sorta feel your way around. Opening the phone up produces a full QWERTY keyboard with dedicated buttons for key functions (messaging, for example) and a color display with stereo speakers on either side. It's not a huge widescreen like you might find on something like an enV Touch, but it's still pretty big, plenty vibrant, and serviceable for the full HTML browser that AT&T's touting in these new devices. Pantech tells us that the Impact will go for "under $80" when it ships next month, so we'd argue that makes it a heck of a bargain in light of the unusual, slick design and the dual displays. %Gallery-75041%
AT&T touts Opera-powered full web browsing with new phones from Samsung and Pantech
AT&T wants you to know that you don't need a smartphone just to get a rich, full web experience from your handset -- theoretically, anyway -- with the introduction of four new models from longtime partners Samsung and Pantech alongside a new featurephone browser. First up from Samsung comes the Flight (pictured left), billed as a "next-generation messaging device" on account of its full QWERTY portrait slide paired with a full touchscreen up top; it'll be available next month for $99.99 on contract after rebate -- that is, if you didn't buy it on Craigslist already. That silvery slate in the middle that's more likely to be catching your eye is the Mythic, rocking TouchWiz on a 3.3-inch display along with AT&T Mobile TV, making it a fitting successor to the Eternity and big brother to the Solstice; like the Flight, it swings onto retail next month, but you'll be paying a stiffer $199.99 on contract after $50 rebate. Turning our attention to the Pantech side of the table, we've got the Reveal (pictured right) that lets you have it both ways with a numeric keypad up top twined with a QWERTY slider underneath. It's 3G-capable, AT&T Navigator-equipped, and available for your enjoyment on October 18 in red and blue. Finally, the Impact (not pictured) has an OLED touchscreen up front, but when the texting gets hot and heavy, the phone opens up to reveal a second display along with a QWERTY keyboard. It'll be available in pink and blue, though neither pricing nor availability are being announced just yet. Gluing everything together is AT&T's new mobile browser, described as "a rich hybrid experience that gives you a HTML experience similar to your PC browser at home" that "works really well on a feature phone." Additionally, users visiting att.net from their PCs will be able to send bookmarks to their phones' mobile portals -- kind of a neat trick, especially when you're trying to minimize the number of URLs you have to mash out on an on-screen keyboard. Of course, featurephone browsers have a reputation for generally sucking, so considering that AT&T bills its new line of devices as "full web browsing phones," it'll be interesting to see how close they actually come to delivering on the claim; it's said the phones use "advanced data compression from Opera Software," which we're thinking is very likely some variation of Opera Turbo -- not a bad start.
Breakfast Topic: What BlizzCon announcement are you waiting for?
BlizzCon is just a day away now! WoW.com staffers are gonna be haunting the grounds in full force and are likely to leave some ectoplasmic residue (read: drool) on a number of demo tables and panel floors, depending on what's announced and shown at the event. And the announcements are, at least for most everyone but Blizzard, still a mystery. Popular opinion (and the ability to put two and two together) seems to indicate the unveiling of a new WoW expansion, but why stop there? After all, there are three other games that Blizzard is working on -- or so they say -- so it's quite possible that we'll see some big ol' infodrops about those titles too.Or maybe Blizzard will through us for a loop and treat us to two days of Premonition raids and panels about J. Allen Brack's ponytail. It is a mystery!So what are you holding out for? StarCraft II release date? Diablo 3 bombshell? Next-gen MMO reveal? Glossy eight-by-tens of Zarhym in shades and a leather jacket (so dreamy)? BlizzCon 2009 is coming up on August 21st and 22nd! We've got all the latest news and information. At BlizzCon you can play the latest games, meet your guildmates, and ask the developers your questions. Plus, there's some great looking costumes.
Eidos Montreal to announce second project on May 11 (probably Thief)
Fresh-faced development studio Eidos Montreal is currently hard at work on its inaugural project, Deus Ex 3, but that doesn't mean it's incapable of multitasking -- according to an ad in the upcoming issue of Edge Magazine, the studio is set to reveal its second project on May 11, which just happens to be the day before GDC Canada kicks off. The project's identity is difficult to ... well, it's unclear -- yeah, it's Thief. It's going to be a Thief game, guys.The ad does more than hint at the identity of the title -- it references accolades from GameSpy and GameSpot which have been laid upon the Thief franchise, and even seems to feature the Thief logo, somewhat obfuscated by a sticker mentioning the May 11 reveal. Unless we're being fleeced with unprecedented gusto, you can expect to hear more about Eidos Montreal's kleptomaniacal second project in exactly one week.[Via VG247]
The Daily Grind: What announcements do you expect at GDC this week?
The Game Developers Conference is all this week and we'll be there to report the latest MMO news on your favorite games, old and new. Last year's conference revealed some exciting news on fresh projects like Love, as well as unexpected hits like the reveal of APB. As we gear up for a week of interviews, panels and hands-on play time, we can't help but wonder what the big announcements will be for this year. We already know about Funcom's unveiling of The Secret World, as well as goodies from Blizzard, Mythic and CCP, but what secrets lie in store for us hungry MMO news junkies? Let us know what you think will be the biggest surprises of GDC 2009.
Compact-esque LG Reveal and Shimmer Kit primping for Bell launch
The shock! The horror! We're beginning to see signs of an absolutely impossible trend, one that just cannot be coming to fruition. Merely hours after spotting the compact-like Samsung CLEO comes an obvious rival: the LG Reveal. The chic flip phone is said to boast a full QWERTY keypad (for realz?), a black or purple motif, a 2.0-megapixel camera, built-in Bluetooth and a 2.4-inch display. Also of note, the handset will be offered with an exclusive Swarovski Crystal Bluetooth headset as part of the LG Shimmer Kit, and each one of these packages will lead to a $5 donation to Fashion Cares. Mum's the word on pricing / exact availability, but we'd bet dollars to donuts that yet another makeup compact-turned-flip phone appears before too long. Even if it's just in our nightmares.[Via mobilesyrup]
Survey reveals some potential new devices for AT&T
A reader was sent a rather revealing "consumer survey" this week, and though the carrier (or manufacturer) responsible for commissioning it wasn't revealed, we're thinking AT&T may have been behind this one. Why's that? Well, several phones -- most real, one rendered -- were shown during the course of the survey, and one of the devices was an AT&T-branded Pantech QWERTY slider that we've straight up never seen before, so unless there's some funny business going on, no other carrier should have access to that intel. In fact, the whole survey was focused on text messaging and text-centric, QWERTY handsets, asking questions about what sorts of form factors and features customers would like to see to improve their messaging experience. Also pictured were a Sidekick Slide (presumably for comparison's sake), a Samsung QWERTY slider sporting looks similar to the i620 and i640 (minus Windows Mobile, seemingly), and a rendered, unbranded device touting a gargantuan display and a number of available colors. The reader was asked what name they thought best suited this particular phone, and the choices were "Blaze," "Quickfire," and "Reveal." Needless to say, we're not so sure how we feel about putting an "AT&T Blaze" in our pockets -- but if it happens, at least we know who to blame.[Thanks, anonymous tipster]%Gallery-23871%
