Ben Gilbert
Articles by Ben Gilbert
Samsung's latest 105-inch UHD TV isn't just curved: It bends too!
Perhaps 85 inches isn't enough? Samsung's just introduced a 105-inch curved, bendable UHD TV (21:9 aspect ratio) at its IFA 2014 press conference. That means not only is it a massive, Ultra High-Definition screen, but also that it transforms "from flat to curved" at the touch of a button. If all that sounds expensive to you, that's because it is: the non-bendable version is around $120K, so we can only imagine how much this one'll cost (Samsung didn't offer a price this morning, sadly). If nothing else, it's quite pretty! Head past the break for a closer look.
Samsung and Oculus partner to create Gear VR, a virtual reality headset that uses the Note 4 (hands-on)
Facebook's Oculus VR is creating the Rift. Sony's PlayStation is creating Project Morpheus. Google is... well, Cardboard exists. And now Samsung's getting in on the virtual reality action, announcing Gear VR at IFA 2014 today in Berlin, Germany. Gear VR is a virtual reality headset with a removable front cover where Samsung's newly announced Note 4 slips in, acting as the screen. Paired with adjustable lenses built into the headset and a comfy strap, Gear VR turns Samsung's next Note into a virtual reality machine. And what's the first thing you'll see when you strap on Gear VR? Oculus VR's handiwork. The company behind the re-birth of virtual reality is partnering with Samsung on Gear VR: Samsung handles the hardware; Oculus offers up its software prowess. Unlike Sony's, Oculus' and Google's VR projects, though, Samsung's delivering a consumer product this year with Gear VR. But is it too early?
Nintendo is making two new versions of its 3DS portable console, arriving in Japan this October
Nintendo releases recorded video presentations, known as "Nintendo Direct," pretty often. Usually they're focused on games, or they highlight an upcoming season's game releases. This morning, however, Nintendo revealed two new versions of its wildly successful 3DS portable game console. And just like the Mario series, Nintendo's not pulling any punches when it comes to naming conventions: the new 3DS is simply called "New" 3DS. And yes, there's a "New" version of the larger 3DS XL, too. As seen above, the smaller "New" 3DS has Super Nintendo-themed buttons on the right side. Just above those buttons is a new, tiny analog stick. Bizarrely, Nintendo's president Satoru Iwata compared the new analog stick to the GameCube controller's yellow C-stick (which was rarely used in GameCube games).
Xbox One's Kinect goes for $150 on its own October 7th
Ever since Microsoft cut its motion- and voice-sensor from the Xbox One package, the second version of Kinect has been in limbo. Sure, you could still get one if you shelled out $500 for the deluxe version of Xbox One, but there was no way to pick one up on its own. What if, say, a new Dance Central game for Xbox One were to be announced? Microsoft always said it would offer the device standalone, and now it's got a release date and price: October 7th for $150 ($50 less than the Windows version, for those wondering). Even better: Kinect on Xbox One comes with the aforementioned new Dance Central game. Not a terrible nod to the most important third-party game studio making Kinect games.
Uber uses its fleet to deliver food with new 'UberFresh' service
Like Uber but instead of needing to go somewhere, you want to eat lunch? UberFresh is perfect for you. Oh wait, do you also live in Santa Monica, CA? Because then it's actually perfect for you. The service starts today, and, as advertised, you'll swipe to the "UberFresh" section of your Uber app and a driver will bring you lunch. No, you don't get in the car and go somewhere; think of it like app-based food delivery. For the service's initial launch, your lunch options are limited to a single item per day (there's a menu on Uber's site right here). Admittedly, the options for the first week look pretty delicious, and the Yelp rankings for each restaurant back up Uber's choices as at least somewhat legit. There's no update to download; you just have to live in Santa Monica and open up Uber. Head below the break for full instructions, care of Uber.
Amazon buying Twitch, expanding video empire to live streaming
It's official: after plenty of rumors about both Google and Amazon buying massively popular video streaming service Twitch, Amazon announced it as official this afternoon. Amazon is buying Twitch for $970 million in cash, though it's yet to go through government approval. Amazon head Jeff Bezos is pretty excited about the deal and, apparently, about gaming: "Broadcasting and watching gameplay is a global phenomenon and Twitch has built a platform that brings together tens of millions of people who watch billions of minutes of games each month – from The International, to breaking the world record for Mario, to gaming conferences like E3. And, amazingly, Twitch is only three years old." Update: Twitch is currently streaming a live town hall meeting to discuss the deal, you can watch it here or embedded after the break.
The future of Xbox One: early access gaming, Cortana and more
Since the Xbox One launched last November, Microsoft's latest game console has changed pretty dramatically. From "going all-in" on Kinect to offering a camera-less $400 model; from focused on TV and home entertainment to appealing directly to "core" gamers. The last year for Microsoft's Xbox division has been one massive pivot. The future sounds brighter. You've already read about the updates coming to Xbox One this fall. What about beyond that? Head of Xbox Phil Spencer offered us some possibilities in an interview this week at Gamescom 2014. What about, say, a version of Steam's massively popular Early Access program, which enables developers to release games still in development and gamers to participate in the development process? "I think it does make sense. I think we have to land it the right way on console," Spencer told us. That's certainly a start!
Activision's dipping its toe into indie gaming with 'Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions'
Activision creates and publishes a small group of blockbuster video games aimed at mainstream consumers. The world's largest game publishing company handles some of gaming's most culturally impactful titles: the Call of Duty franchise, this year's Destiny, and the entire Blizzard catalog. This week at Gamescom 2014, Activision announced its first smaller effort in many years with Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions. As the name implies, Dimensions is the third entry in the Geometry Wars franchise -- a beloved series that debuted as a minigame within the first Xbox console's Project Gotham Racing 2. People like it so much in that completely unrelated game that it spawned into its own series. Sadly, the studio behind the originals (Bizarre Creations) was shuttered after a commercial flop with the critically-lauded racer Blur. Some of the folks from Bizarre are back on Dimensions, now part of a new studio named Lucid. But this isn't the return of Activision's expanded portfolio, says Activision CEO Eric Hirshberg.
Xbox One retail units acting as development kits still 'in the roadmap,' not a priority
It's been over a year since Microsoft first announced plans to help democratize game development on Xbox One. The plan at the time was to enable retail units to double as development kits. The effect of that move is twofold: it brings down the cost of dev kits (which are often thousands of dollars), and it opens up the possibility of console game development to a much broader audience. College students, for instance. The functionality was said to arrive not long after last November's Xbox One launch. Over a year later, that functionality still hasn't hit the Xbox One. Microsoft's head of Xbox, Phil Spencer, says it's still in the cards. When, however, is still unknown.
Why Activision is spending $500 million on Destiny
Yes, it's true: Activision is spending half a billion dollars on Bungie's Destiny. Yes, that's true despite Bungie's statement that, "the budget for Destiny, including associated marketing costs and pizza Wednesdays, is nowhere near 500 million dollars." And that's because, when Activision head Bobby Kotick revealed that gargantuan number earlier this year, he was speaking to the entire franchise, not just this September's game. "That number has been widely misinterpreted as a production number for the first game," Activision CEO Eric Hirshberg explained in an interview today at Gamescom. "That number is an all-inclusive number that's several years worth of investment, including marketing and several games, and a lot of up front investment in things like engines and tools that will be able to be used for years to come."
Live from Sony's PlayStation event at Gamescom 2014!
At the game industry's annual United States trade show, the Electronic Entertainment Expo, the big three console makers battle it out for your attention. At Gamescom -- the world's largest gaming trade show which draws around 350K people -- it's kind of Sony's show. Sure, Microsoft has an event. And hey, this year there were some pretty big announcements at Microsoft's event. But Europe is Sony territory, and this is the show where PlayStation is wont to make some big waves. Join us right here at 1PM ET for the whole event as it unfolds, live from Cologne, Germany.
Here's a closer look at the white Xbox One and its Call of Duty-themed brother
Want to get really intimate with the two new Xbox Ones announced at Microsoft's Gamescom 2014 press conference? Well, unless you're here in Cologne, you probably can't get that close quite yet, but we did find said consoles hanging out behind glass. Good news: the white Xbox One completely delivers on its promise. It's got white plastic! As for the Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare-themed Xbox One, well, it's absolutely what it promises: Call of Duty symbols are plastered all over the outside. Of course, that COD-themed box also has a 1TB internal hard drive while the white Xbox One is simply bundled with Sunset Overdrive. Neither box was paired with a similarly-themed Kinect, which tells us not to expect a Kinect in the box when both arrive later this year. Head into the gallery below for a closer look, and we've dropped a couple of Vines of both consoles after the break.
Alienware's 'Alpha' is a half-step toward Steam Machines
When PC gaming juggernaut Valve announced its Steam Machines initiative in Fall 2013, it was unveiled as such: "Entertainment is not a one-size-fits-all world. We want you to be able to choose the hardware that makes sense for you, so we are working with multiple partners to bring a variety of Steam gaming machines to market during 2014, all of them running SteamOS."
Xbox One gets game pre-loading starting with 'Forza Horizon 2' in September
Folks playing games on PC have enjoyed the ability to pre-pay and download games ahead of launch for years now. This console generation, the feature is finally arriving in the living room: Xbox One gets game pre-loading and pre-payments starting with Forza Horizon 2 this September. The news comes from Microsoft's Gamescom 2014 press conference, and apparently the feature is simply starting with Forza Horizon 2 before expanding to FIFA 15 and other games going forward. Of course, PlayStation 4 fans have enjoyed this feature for some time now. But hey, maybe you went for Xbox One? Now you've got the feature too! Well, soon anyway.
There is a white Xbox One console and gamepad coming this October
The rumors are true: there is a white Xbox One game console on the way, and it's arriving alongside Xbox One-exclusive Sunset Overdrive. And the console isn't the only white bit, as there's a white gamepad coming too. It'll cost $400 when it arrives this October, and it comes with the standard 500GB of storage and the aforementioned gamepad. The bundle appears to come without Kinect, though we'll be sure to ask Microsoft as soon as this Gamescom 2014 press conference is over.
'Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare' is getting a custom Xbox One with 1TB of storage
The long-running relationship between Microsoft's Xbox consoles and the Call of Duty brand is expanding into hardware: a custom Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Xbox One is in the works for this holiday. Better yet, it comes ready for all that downloadable content you're going to buy, packing a one terabyte hard drive internally. And what about Kinect? No Kinect, sadly. We say "sadly" because the bundle costs $500. Which is to say, "It costs the same amount as an Xbox One with a 500GB hard drive and a Kinect." Sure, you get Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare and you get a custom Xbox One with a larger HDD, but will $500 still be too much for mainstream folks who haven't picked up an Xbox One just yet? We'll see when it arrives on November 4th.
'Goat Simulator' is coming to Xbox One (yes, that's a real game)
You may not have heard of Goat Simulator, but yes, it's really a game. And hey, it's apparently coming to Xbox One! The bizarre "game" has you piloting a goat, causing trouble all over town. Chris Charla, head of the Microsoft indie game program at Xbox, introduced the game among a lengthy list of other indies that are "coming to console first on Xbox One." Among them is hit mobile game Threes, innovative and insane first-person shooter Super Hot, and Worms studio Team 17's latest work, The Escapists. But when will all these games arrive? It looks like at least a few will arrive this year, though no specific dates were given out at Microsoft's Gamescom 2014 presser (which is where we are right now, in case that wasn't clear). We'll have more from Microsoft's event as the day goes on!
The original BioShock is headed to iOS this summer
If BioShock Infinite's brief stopover in Rapture wasn't enough to sate your Randian desires, 2K Games' China studio is currently in the process of moving the original BioShock from last-gen consoles and PC to iOS. Like XCOM: Enemy Unknown before it, BioShock is a "premium" iOS game and thus carries a "premium" price -- that price is unknown thus far, but we'd put it somewhere in the $10 - $30 range. As one 2K Games rep told us in an interview late last week, "It is a seven year old game." So perhaps on the lower-end of that scale, then. Other than that, well, it's BioShock. Would you kindly head past the break if you'd like to know more?
CIA admits to spying on US Senate computer network
Back in March 2014, two United States senators accused the Central Intelligence Agency of infiltrating Senate computers. Worse, they accused the CIA of hacking Senate computer networks and accessing files while the Senate's Intelligence Committee was actively investigating CIA detention practices. Following an internal investigation by the CIA, it turns out that the senators were right. "Some CIA employees acted in a manner inconsistent with the common understanding reached between SSCI (Senate Select Committee on Intelligence) and the CIA in 2009," a statement issued by the CIA spokesman Dean Boyd says.
Indiegogo has a new iOS app for mobile crowdfunding
Like giving money to ambitious projects but hate using your computer? Well, that's pretty weird. We think that's weird. Thankfully for you, though, the folks at Indiegogo think that's totally awesome, and they wanna cater to your whims with a new iOS app (yes, an Android version is on the way). Guess what it's called! If you guessed "Indiegogo," you're spot on. And frankly, we appreciate your gusto. So, what can you do with said app? Well, back projects for one. There's also discovery, and you can follow campaigns as they work toward funding goals. That said, as always, buyer beware: Indiegogo projects make no guarantee of delivery. And with Indiegogo, even if a project doesn't reach its funding goal, the project owner keeps the money they raised. Wanna know even more about crowdfunding services? We've got you covered right here. And if you wanna snag the new Indiegogo app from the iTunes App Store, it's free and available here.