zipper
Latest
'Sartorial robots' zip your clothes up for you
We hope you remember this tiny machine in the far future (while in a high-tech hotel served by a cadre of robots), because this might be how "auto-zippers" begin. Part of a project called Sartorial Robots, which an MIT student started a couple of years ago, this teensy contraption was designed to close zippers as it travels along their surface. It's obviously not small enough to zip your fly up right now, but it can already work on sleeves, jackets or random patterns of cloth with zippers attached. Now, some you of you might be thinking: "If you're too lazy to zip up your own damn jeans, then you've got serious problems." True, but the technology could be used on clothes for people who actually need it: quadriplegics, amputees or those with illnesses that affect one's motor skills. It could also be used on hazmat suits -- or even dresses, because sometimes a woman wants to get dressed without turning into a contortionist in the process.
MAG shutting down in January
MAG used to be a thing here at Massively. We wrote about it a fair amount way back in 2010, and some of us played a fair bit of it around that same period. Sadly, Sony has decided to shutter the PlayStation 3 shooter effective January 28, 2014. The news came via the official PlayStation Twitter feed earlier today. MAG development studio Zipper Interactive closed its doors in March of 2012.
Google Doodle celebrates Gideon Sundback, unzips knowledge about your favorite wearables
We've covered no shortage of wearable gizmos over the years here at Engadget -- in fact, we've given 'em their own category -- but we most certainly haven't spent enough time praising one of the pioneers of the segment. Thanks to a highly pleasing Google Doodle, we're given the perfect chance to take a harder look at one Gideon Sundback, the electrical engineer responsible for developing the zipper. It's been called a "fly," prominently featured in an Outkast song and positively shunned on the Snuggie, and it's also a huge, huge part of worldwide culture. For those looking to learn more about the man, the myth and the mystery, head on down to the Wikipedia link below; if you just want to unzip your browser, well... click here.
Unit 13's debut trailer introduces the usual operatives
When Unit 13 arrives "near" the PlayStation Vita's February 22 launch date, it'll come with a quartet of selectable, familiar operatives. Can you spot the tank?
SOCOM 4 launch trailer is going to sneak up and stab you
Sure, there are plenty of guns in the launch trailer for SOCOM 4, but there are just as many (if not more) lethal sneak-up-and-stabs going on. There's also something about a "story" or whatever, but we're much more interested in clandestine assassinations.
MAG joins PS3 'Greatest Hits' library this week
Haven't picked up a copy of PS3's massively multiplayer first person shooter, MAG? If you wait just a few more days, you'll be able to get the Greatest Hits version for only $29.99. Available on September 28th, the budget re-release comes just in time for the big 2.0 patch, which adds support for PlayStation Move motion controls and a whole slew of online fixes and tweaks. Considering Zipper's upcoming game, SOCOM 4, won't be available until 2011, this may be a good way of satiating your tactical shooting urges. [Thanks, frank!]
MAG offers extra character slots, on the cheap
If you're an altoholic playing Zipper Interactive's MAG MMOFPS, chances are you're probably a fan of the recently announced extra character slot promotion. The new service debuted yesterday, and allows players to create two new in-game avatars. For $.99 (US), you can purchase one of the two slots and take it for a 30-day trial run. After your free month is up, you can opt to subscribe the new characters or keep them for a rainy day, locked up tight in cold storage, where they'll retain any gear and advancements you may have acquired. Check out all the details on the official MAG blog.
MAG patch 1.07 due out next week
MAG's next patch, due out next week, will bring some very welcome free updates to players. While the full patch notes aren't available yet, the MAG team has provided a short list of updates to hold fans over for a bit. MAG v1.07 will bring a number of fixes, content changes, and additions to the game, including a new happy hour feature. Happy hour is a double XP bonus that's applied to the first hour of every player's gaming session in a 24-hour period, giving you a little boost to start off with. You'll also find better lighting, redesigned maps, a new faction neutral Supression gameplay mode, and new code that allows for faster patching. Check out the current patch notes on the MAG site, and keep an eye out for the complete notes, available nearer the time of the update.
New SOCOM 4 screens released, Operations Commander detailed
Operation Commander Cullen Gray has been through a lot. In his 36 years, he's seen military action the world over, been field-trained with various Special Operations units, worked with NATO and now he's about to star in a popular war-based video game franchise. SOCOM 4 has the fictional Cullen Gray acting as an addled operation commander who "will pursue success at all costs." The EU PlayStation blog has a rundown of Gray's entire dossier and a handful of new images (seen in the gallery below). And if you're wondering who it is that he resembles while you're browsing the images, it's obviously Lost's Matthew Fox. WE HAVE TO GO BACK, CULLEN! %Gallery-92173%
Hands-on: SOCOM 4 (with PlayStation Move!)
There are two questions I'll try to answer with this quick hands-on preview. Firstly, is SOCOM 4 the true sequel to the SOCOM franchise we've been waiting for? Secondly, does the PlayStation Move controller work as intended? It's hard to answer the first question, especially within the constraints of a ten-minute demo. What I can say is that even in this early state, SOCOM 4 looks very good, sporting incredibly detailed environments. While the early code has a noticeably choppy framerate, there was already a large number of objects in the environment. Whether it's a car, a trash can, a thrown-out mattress, there are tons of objects to take cover behind in the world. Controlling your squad should be familiar to anyone that's played a recent SOCOM game. Holding L1 on the Move allows you to slightly slow down time and direct your team to move to position and await orders. You can even call in an airstrike by holding down the Move button and holding Down on a target. After sneaking down an alley, we were able to catch a large squad of soldiers lounging in an open field. They had no idea what hit them as the bombs dropped. %Gallery-87398%
Take aim at big prizes in MAG tournament
Amidst all the debate about whether or not MAG qualifies as an MMO, not to mention the recent Playstation Network brouhaha, it might be easy to lose sight of the actual game underneath everything. And it'd be a shame if you did, because you'd be missing out on a tournament centering around MAG run by Major League Gaming's Gamebattles site. The prizes? Straight-up cash money. Well, straight-up Sony Style gift cards and Playstation Home items, which is just about as good. (Although you can't rifle through a $1500 gift card like a pack of twenties.) Here are the details: the tournament will have three phases, with each lasting one full month. Each phase is a contest to earn the highest score in a different area -- MAG XP for March, headshots for April, and total kills for May. There will be leaderboards available on the site, as well, to help track how well you're doing compared to all the entrants. If you think you've got what it takes to make the top of the charts, head on over and take a look at the official entry rules. And no matter what, it couldn't hurt to give it a shot.
MAG: Massive Amount of Game data
Click to MAG-size. There's been some confusion about MAG, Zipper Interactive's 256 player super-multiplayer game. Some had wondered if the game would be made available as a PSN download, similar to Sony's other online efforts, like Warhawk and SOCOM Confrontation. However, Jeremy Dunham replied on the PlayStation.Blog confirming that the game will be "disc-based only." Dunham also added that "the game is so huge when moving everything off-disc, your hard drive is secretly thanking us." Anyone that participated in the beta will likely complain about the massive amounts of data that had to be downloaded during each game update. Considering the beta is but a taste of what's to come in the full game, the necessity for a retail-only release seems all the more evident. %Gallery-51370%
Newest MAG trailer airdrops televisions into battle
There's nothing quite like seeing thousands of home theater setups falling from the sky, as evidenced above by the latest trailer for PS3-exclusive MAG. Aside from reminding us of the not-quite-an-MMOs impending release date, the video shows off a variety of different gameplay types, and asks if we have it in us to earn our fellow players' trust. We suggest that those of you looking to enroll with the toughest, most ragtag group of rumblers this side of the Colorado sign up right here. Can you earn our trust? (Hint: You earn our trust by leaving friendly comments ... and maybe sending us booze. Maybe.)
Face off against Zipper Interactive in MAG beta's closing ceremonies
Got some complaint about MAG that you'd like to directly file with the game's creators? You'll have your chance to do so this Friday, when a number of Zipper Interactive staffers will join in the Shadow War as part of the beta's closing ceremonies. All you have to do is join in a fight, and keep an eye out for squads using the clan tag [ZIP]. According to the developer's blog, they'll be playing for two hours starting at 9 p.m. EST. Remember, present your suggestions in a courteous, congenial manner. For instance, "hello, Zipper Interactive employee. I think the game would be improved by limiting the number of times a first aid kit can be used in a single spawn. Thank you so much for listening. I'm going to fire bullets at you now, okay?" [Via CVG]
Sony accepting applications for European MAG Beta
PlayStation.Blog recently dropped an announcement that will send European fans of acronyms and large-scale combat through the roof. Zipper Interactive is going to be handing out 16,000 beta codes for MAG to those living in Europe over the course of the next few weeks. To apply, go to the blog's "Competition" page and fill out the appropriate info. It's first come, first serve, so ... come! Be served! If you're not fortunate enough to live on the West-Eurasian Peninsula, take solace in the fact that Zipper's going to eventually need to enlist everyone on the planet to test out the game's enormous server load. Also, remember that we've got freedom and liberty and stuff.
Sony details MAG pre-order bonuses: where to get what
Following a weekend of 256-player mayhem at PAX '09, Sony has unloaded more details on the pre-order campaign for its "massive action game," MAG, which releases on January 26, 2010. First up are three exclusive in-game characters, each corresponding to one of the game's three PMC armies -- with custom gear -- and available via a different retailer. GameStop has the S.V.E.R. soldier contractor for offer while Game Crazy is offering the Raven recruit -- we're not sure why, but Sony's keeping the wraps on where you can pre-order to receive a Valor grunt.Reserving the game via Amazon will grant you access to your very own S.V.E.R. "personal space" (read: apartment) in PlayStation Home. If you want the most alluring incentive, however, it's back to GameStop for access to the public beta of MAG beginning October 10. (Qore subscribers will be let in on September 17.) Initially, the beta servers will only be online during specific play windows, but Sony has confirmed that they'll be up-and-running 24/7 after November 9.If you want all of the goodies, you're going to need to mount your own MPC ("massive pre-order campaign").
Hands-on: MAG's 256-man multiplayer
I, like most people, have never participated in a 256-player virtual battle (or, due to its uncannily enormous amount of participants -- is it a war?). Though Zipper Interactive's MAG is built on incredibly strong first-person shooter foundations, incorporating fast-paced combat and a plethora of unlockable character modifications, the takeaway impression from my recent time with the game during a Sony preview event at PAX is, as you might guess, it is enormous.The game does an excellent job of partitioning players off into smaller, 8-man squads. Though most of your contact is with your immediate teammates, there's a constant sense that you're part of something bigger. There's nothing intangible about the cause for that feeling -- you are a cog in a much larger military machine, rewarded for spinning in accordance with your higher-ups' orders.
MAG Public Beta enrollment begins
A lucky few individuals will discover this invite for the MAG beta in their inboxes. The e-mail includes a unique code used to access a closed application form. According to the beta enrollment page, Sony "will be adding people in waves." If you don't see an invite in your inbox right now, don't worry: you may be invited later. "If you do not receive an invite for the first wave you may still be invited in a following MAG Public Beta wave."Sony has already conducted a closed beta for MAG for over a month. The expansion of the beta to the public gives us hope that maybe -- just maybe -- we'll be able to see MAG's 256-player online battles hitting the PS3 sooner rather than later.
Sony conducting MAG beta, you'll never get in
With the grand scope of the battles featured in Zipper Interactive's MAG, you'd think it'd require a hefty, server-straining beta test. For now, though, it seems Sony's keeping it small -- a few people have seen their PSN friends participating in a MAG beta (as evidenced by the image above). All of these friends have something in common -- they're all on Sony's payroll.Sony confirmed to CVG that an internal MAG beta is being conducted. Sure, this news has no bearing on you (unless Kaz Hirai signs your paychecks) -- still, it looks like we're that much closer to getting to play the game ourselves.
Retailers say not to expect MAG until early 2010
Various US retailers have changed their estimated release date for upcoming PS3-exclusive shooter MAG. The general rule of thumb is that if a single retailer has a funky listing, it's usually an error -- but when two or more retailers have MAG listed as releasing in January, something begins to smell fishy. Of note is the fact that both GameFly and GameStop are listing different January dates.While Sony hasn't "made any announcements in regard to a date for MAG" and is "assuming that the retailers are speculating in an effort to start preorders," we were told by a Sony rep at E3 that MAG would be part of the company's Christmas lineup. Without it, we're looking at Ratchet and Uncharted having the entire Christmas stage to themselves. Another interesting thing to note is that European retailers Play and Game have the game listed for a November release. In short, we have no idea when this game is coming out, but at least we're not the only ones.
