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Boxee / XBMC now available on Apple TV
If you were curious as to why Boxee suddenly became available for OS X 10.4 users, here's your sign. The underpinnings of the Apple TV are indeed based on Tiger, thus paving the way for Scott Davilla, a developer for the aTV-bootloader project, to announce that Boxee and XMBC can now be installed on Apple's set-top-box. In order to take advantage, you'll need the aTV Flash bootloader on a bootable USB drive, an Apple TV and the software in the links below. Currently, things are setup to run on Mac only, though PC / Linux versions are promised for next week. After signing up for a Boxee invite, jump on past the break for the step-by-step guide to getting this going. %Gallery-33116% Read - ATV Bootloader siteRead - Boxee Alpha signup
Apple patent application hints at iTunes broadcasting service
Before you get all excited, we must remember that more often than not, Apple patent applications never amount to anything. That being said, this one is certainly within the realm of feasibility. A recent app dug up over at MacNN details an iTunes TV broadcast service that would theoretically beam out content to your iPod or iPhone via an adapter. The somewhat vague verbiage also mentions a "tagging" system of sorts, possibly one that could fetch content based on what you enjoy. In all honesty, we can't say we'd be champing at the bit to have some gaudy dongle hanging from our dock connector just to catch up on TV -- after all, there are far superior TV-friendly products out there than those from Cupertino -- but we can't deny that it would probably be a hit. Stay tuned, this one could get interesting.
Apple brings HD rentals to UK and Canada
In case you hadn't heard, Apple finally got around to bringing movie rentals to folks camped out in Canada and the UK. Flicks from 20th Century Fox, Walt Disney Studios, Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros. Entertainment, MGM, Sony and Lionsgate are now available on the iTunes store, with Maple Pictures thrown in for Canadians. Of course, any HD rentals will require an Apple TV set-top-box, but you totally expected that anyway, right? As for pricing, Canucks will be asked to hand over CAN$9.99 for catalog title purchases, CAN$14.99 for recent releases and CAN$19.99 for new releases, while rentals run CAN$3.99 for library titles and CAN$4.99 for new releases, with high-definition rentals priced one dollar more. UKers can purchase titles for £6.99 (library) / £10.99 (new release) or rent 'em for £2.49 (library) / £3.49 (new release), with HD versions costing one pound more. Let us know how things look, won't you?Read - Apple brings movies to CanadaRead - Apple brings movies to UK
aTV Flash voluntarily pulled until further notice
Ah, bugger. Just days after Apple Core began offering its aTV Flash on a foolproof USB stick, the outfit has officially pulled the software. Apparently there have been a few "questions arising regarding the fair use of a particular file present on the aTV Flash, and conflicting opinions as to whether or not it falls under the fair use category." In order to keep itself off of the hot seat, it has "proactively" (and voluntarily) discontinued offering the product "until further notice." Not all hope is lost, however, as Apple Core is currently working with the party in question to resolve the dilemma, and it should be keeping us all in the loop as discussions progress. Oh, and in case you're curious -- all current orders were canceled and refunded.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
aTV Flash goes commercial: plug-and-play hacks for your Apple TV
Engineering souls have been hacking up the Apple TV for a good while now, but those too scared of completely ruining their box have had to sit patiently on the sidelines waiting for someone else to do their dirty work. Enter aTV Flash, a USB flash drive which enables your Apple TV (Take 2 included) to do all sorts of fancy new tricks without any fuss. Those with the drive simply plug it in and watch as new file formats become supported, UPnP media streaming opens up and Safari-based web browsing becomes a reality (among other things). Granted, the convenience will cost you $59.95, but that's the price you pay for making your life easier (and your Apple TV a little more useful).[Via TUAW]
Apple looses minor Apple TV 2.0.1 update
While VUDU has unleashed a couple of updates for its movie STB of late, Apple has just let slip the first point update since the Take 2 upgrade. Dubbed version 2.0.1, the update adds a "Genres" tab in the My Movies list among other small tweaks. Anything particularly useful added here? Toss in your input below.[Via TUAW, thanks Ryan]
Rumor: GTA IV Achievements 1/2 found! (Sort of!)
The guys over at 360sync were rather excited last night, having found a poster on the Gamespot foums who had a list of GTA IV achievements, but not quite the list in the way that they (or you, or us) would have liked. Seems that the only info right now comes from screenshots of the game's achievement blade, which will tell us the names of the achievements, but not the requirements or the point totals. So as small as that is, we can at least have some real meat for speculation. The whole list is well worth perusing and is (of course) filled with connections and references to everything from Asassin's Creed and Bioshock, to Rockstar's own censorship troubles. You can find the full achievement list after the break, and the screens of the achievement blade in the gallery.Via 360sync%Gallery-19399%
Take 2 News: GTA DLC into 2009 & more
We reported previously that hidden in the depths of a Take 2 shareholder's announcement lurked official news of a sequel to Bioshock, but in fact that announcement held a few other interesting gems as well. First, the news that there will continue to be DLC for GTA IV through the year 2009 (the confirmed Microsoft exclusive ones are set to hit in 2008.) Second and on the Bioshock front, was of course the sequel news, but also that Ken Levine is at work on some form of original IP. The other news regards games confirmed to be releasing this year and next year, which are Midnight Club: Los Angeles, Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution, Top Spin 3, and Don King Presents: Prizefighter all for 2008, then Mafia II, Borderlands, and Bioshock 2 for 2009.
Safe update for Apple TV v2, Safari HD hacks released
There isn't (yet) a way to hack Apple TV v2 (aka take 2), but if you were patient enough to wait for the "safe" PatchStick upgrade on your hacked unit, Safari HD is ready to go. Good luck, and take care, after those weeks of waiting for the new update it sure would suck to brick that device.Read - Safe update for Apple TV v2Read - Safari HD available
How would you change the Apple TV (take 2)?
We've had our fun, now it's your turn. Considering that Apple just beamed out its (long-awaited) v2.0 software to Apple TV owners, we're quite interested in finding out what you love / hate about take 2. Head on over to Engadget Classic to give the world a piece of your mind on the matter, won't you?
Apple posts Apple TV take 2 Guided Tour
Apple isn't one to let a new product out the door without a video guided tour lately, and today's release of the Apple TV take 2 update is no exception. Nothing too shocking in the walkthrough of iTunes rentals and the new Flickr features -- when will Apple learn that all we really want is some hardcore settings menu action? -- but fans of The Anonymous iPhone Guy and John, The Classy Leopard Dude will be disappointed to see that they've been replaced by Hannah, The Pleasantly Boho Apple TV Lady. Check it out at the read link -- and if you're hungry for some real deets, you know we've got you covered.
Apple TV (take 2), take two
We got some good time in with Apple's take 2 (i.e. v2.0) software update at Macworld this year, but now that it's out we had to put the spurs to it. We'll be updating with more as we go, but for right now here's what you need to know: The update itself is under 200MB and took us under five minutes to download, but over ten minutes to install. Our first try failed out. Also, get used to seeing that loading bar screen, it cycled through about five times for us. Yep, that's a slick new video that it opens with. Did someone say 1080p output? Oh yes, it's finally enabled! Yep, it's officially software version 2.0. Although manually inputting your Apple ID with the remote is a pain, renting movies is absolutely a snap. Our HD movie was ready for playback within a minute of starting the download. Very nice. Picture quality is pretty good. Not amazing, but pretty good. Flickr integration works well (unlike on stage at Macworld), but there's no way to aggregate your contact lists's photos to your ATV. It's on a single contact basis only, meaning you can only look at your own or any one other user's photos at a time. Kind of a bummer in that regard. Plenty more details to be found here and here, as well as an informative chart of how downloads works here. %Gallery-15877%
Apple TV (take 2) update now available
A couple of tipsters have reported that the delayed Apple TV "take 2" update is finally available, right on schedule. It's reportedly a 5 minute download, but that's all the info we've got until Apple gets official about it. Let us know if it works for you.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
More details on Apple's iTunes movie / HD rentals
It wasn't exactly crystal clear during Steve's keynote today, but apparently, there's a fair bit of red tape attached to these movie rentals. First off, since the Apple TV hardware is remaining the same, users can still only expect 1,280 by 720 resolution on the high-end, and although 100 HD movies are reportedly ready to be viewed, not a single TV show can say the same. Furthermore, a note at the bottom of the Apple TV's revised tech specs points out that "Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound is not available with all HD rentals," so there's that. We've also learned that HD movie rentals will be available exclusively through the Apple TV, and considering that only rentals made from iTunes can be moved to other devices, any downloads originating from the Apple TV (including everything in high-definition) won't be making their way onto your iPod, iTunes library, etc. Depressing, we know.
Manhunt 2 still not OK for UK, says British ratings board
Despite receiving an M rating from the ESRB in the US, Manhunt 2 on the Nintendo Wii is still not appropriate for release in the UK, according to the British Board of Film Classification, who have once again rejected the title, despite changes made since the original rejection back in June.Any hope of Manhunt 2's release in the UK now hinges on publisher Take 2 Interactive appealing the decision, but not before further changes are made to the final version of the game. David Cooke, director of the BBFC has stated that the changes made to the title thus far are not sufficient, and that the game still retains the same "visceral" and "sadistic" gameplay that warranted the original rejection.It's unknown at this point whether Take 2 will once again appeal the rejection, or if Manhunt 2 is simply not meant for release in the UK.
Manhunt 2 gets AO rating from ESRB
After being rejected by the BBFC in the UK, Rockstar's Manhunt 2 is seemingly getting banned in America as well. According to Game Politics, the "murder simulator" is getting an AO (Adults Only) rating, which effectively bans it from all major video game retailers.Take Two games will certainly fight this decision as fiercely as possible in the coming days. Remember, the game's release is supposed to be only a few weeks away ...[Via Joystiq]
Take Two shareholders oust CEO
Did you catch the Take Two shareholders meeting yesterday? Don't worry if you missed it, the event turned out to be much less dramatic than we had hoped. However, it was not without some ruffled feathers, as now-former CEO Paul Eibeler was shown the door. Taking his place is Ben Feder, a former executive at News Corp, as acting CEO. Michael Pachter of Wedbush Morgan Securities expresses disappointment that the new management is giving themselves a three- to six-month window. Also, Pachter said of Feder, "he appears to have no meaningful experience managing a large organization, nor does his resume suggest that he has any practical experience in the video game industry."Game Politics has a roundup of more opinions regarding this executive shuffle. Our take, however limited in scope, is that Eibeler was a beacon for bad news. His ousting can only spell an upward trend.
GTAIV Trailer is Live 4 realz!
While the official page has worked for some of us here at Fanboy Towers, we have another alternative for you to check into. Xbox.com just added the HD trailer to the Game Detail page. After verifying your age you can check the quick teaser for Rockstar North's masterpiece. Taking place in New York Liberty City, we see a few of the more distinct locales found in Manhattan Liberty City as well as the Statue of Liberty. The narrator (whom we can only assume is the character you play) appears to have a Russian accent and is looking for a fresh start in the city that never sleeps. Graphically speaking, the lighting and character models look light years ahead of any previous GTA title and the score was very foreboding and somber, adding the perfect mood to the teaser. Simply put, we're stoked. What say you, fanboys?
Take-Two finds no buyers, to face shareholders Thursday
After postponing a shareholder meeting so as to court potential buyers, publisher Take-Two has announced that no deal has been made and the company will proceed with the shareholder meeting Thursday without any company interested in purchasing the controversy-laden publisher.How bad will the meeting be for Take Two? Game Politics predicts that several major stockholders are planning to revolt, CEO Paul Eibeler will be ousted from his position and "T2-hatin' shareholder Jack 'RICO' Thompson may gain access to the microphone and spew his particular brand of vitriol at Eibeler and Take Two management."Here's a plan: seeing as Thursday's event will be extremely entertaining, why not sell tickets to the event or broadcast the meeting, with advertising, on the internet? There's no perceivable way that the publisher will have an optimistic outcome, so they might as well monetize the entertaining disaster.
Rumor: GTA IV to be in New York City?
While we're going to categorize this as a rumor until we get a better insight upon the release of the trailer for Grand Theft Auto IV on the 29th, it definitely is worth consideration. Apparently, word on the street is that GTA IV will be taking place in New York City and have NYC stylized music. When we first got wind of this, the first thing that popped into our heads was, "Uh, wasn't the Liberty City from Grand Theft Auto I, GTA III, San Andreas, and Liberty City Stories supposed to be at the very least an homage to New York City (with a hint of New Jersey)?" If you look at the map for Liberty City from GTA I (pictured above), it's even more apparent. Or this could be a completely new direction for Rockstar, where instead of doing fictional places that are inspired by real world locations, they cut the middle man as it were, and just use the actual city. Either way, we could see a return to Liberty City, or Rockstar's rendition of the real life counter part. Which would you rather play in?
