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Garmin Oregon PNDs make an early appearance
It's been a while since Garmin dropped any new gear on us, but it looks like we're about to get a whole new series of nav units soon -- Buy.com and Amazon just put up listings for the Garmin Oregon 200, 300, and 400. The new boxes are a little smaller and lighter than the Colorado series, with a rugged, waterproof casing, 3-inch 240 X 400 sunlight readable touchscreens, customizable user profiles, and the ability to transfer waypoints, tracks, routes, and geocaches between units. We're assuming pricing will change when these things get real, but for now the 200 is listed at $420 and the 400C is listed at $558. It's not exactly clear what the specific differences between the line is, except that the 400 will come in several flavors, with the 400C variant sporting BlueChart g2 marine maps for the coastal US and Bahamas. Hopefully we'll get some more details soon, as these bad boys seem ready to go.[Via GPS Tracklog]Read - Oregon 200 listingRead - Oregon 400C listing
Warner bringing 300 (again), JFK and Casablanca to Blu-ray this fall
Blu-ray 300 fans should finally experience those HD DVD-exclusive bonus features, since Warner has announced a Limited Collector's Edition release of the best seller this fall, along with JFK and Casablanca. Also notched in the "confirmed" column is Band of Brothers, although there's no word if any/all of these flicks will be among those getting the BD-Live treatment. We'll keep an eye out for any new announcements, as much as we enjoy watching people getting booted into a bottomless pit, we're not sure if rehashed PiP and ringtones alone will have buyers reaching into their pockets again.
Upcoming MMO movies (and why they'll suck)
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/pc_games/Upcoming_MMO_movies_and_why_they_ll_suck'; Dorothy Parker once said "The only 'ism' Hollywood believes in is plagiarism." While not technically plagiarism, the practice of mining popular properties of other media is a time-honored mainstay of Hollywood's. Why invent a new franchise when you can adapt one that already exists? Well, if we're talking about translating videogames to cinema, there are at least 3 reasons against that we can think of right away: Street Fighter: The Movie, Double Dragon, and Doom. Oh, and the entire body of work of Uwe Boll.With such a history of failure, why does Hollywood keep banking on videogames as good sources of material? Because it's always desperate for the next big hit, and adaptation is seen as being easier than originality, even though by now it's apparent that it's not quite as simple as it seems. An even better question is: why exactly don't these translations work? What is it about games that makes for poor films? Let's see if we can answer this question and assess the potential success/failure of some upcoming MMO movies.
Mio's Moov GPS units hit the States
If you've been waiting on the edge of your seat for Mio's new GPS satnavs to hit the States, it's time to break out the party favors. The PND-maker has just launched its Moov 200, 210, 300, and 310 touchscreen GPS units in the US, all equipped with SiRFstar III chips (with SiRFInstantFix II technology), pre-loaded maps of the US and Puerto Rico, and real-time traffic reports (on the 310 and 210). Prices range from $179.95 for the 3.5-inch 200, up to $249.95 for the 4.3-inch 310, and all four should be available on April 1st.
Glory! Freedom! This is PATAPON!!!
We do not know who made this incredible fan art, but we want to know you. This Patapon piece is inspired by the blockbuster action movie, 300. Not only does the piece accurately recreate one of the film's most iconic moments, it does so with the blood-curling beat of the Patapon tribe: Pata-Pata-Pata-Pon.Update: canecodesign is the artist. Check out the DeviantART page.
WoW Moviewatch: Voyage
From the WoW machinimator that brought you 300 Moonkins comes Voyage, a mixed-media adventure. Voodooray blended music, machinima, and clips from both music videos and real movies to create an alternate reality. In fact, it's so convincing that he had to post what he did to it for us to believe him!He included scenes from 300, Underworld, and two different music videos. In some of them, he even digitally removed the real actors! Look out for cameos by Salma Hayek, Baron Soosdon's Nikita, and a crazy looking bird.[Via Warcraftmovies.com]Previously on Moviewatch ...
Europe: Next week brings a 300 for 100 rental offer
New European (and possibly Canadian) Xbox Live members are in for a video rental treat next week. A treat so satisfying it'll make you bring back the once over used "this is Sparta!" phrase.In celebration of the launch of the Video Marketplace to new markets, Microsoft and Warner Bros have partnered up to offer the movie 300 at a super discounted rate for 24 hours. Starting December 28th through the 29th, 300 will be available for rental in Europe for the try me price of 100 Microsoft points. Sparta screaming worthy, no? The tipster email doesn't detail whether the 100 point price tag applies to the SD or HD version and doesn't exactly outline which countries the discount will apply to. But a discounted viewing of 300 is a discounted viewing. Hopefully a little more info will roll in by next week and hopefully our Canadian friends will get in on a cheaper (fingers crossed) HD viewing of 300. Sparta lives![Thanks, Boff]
First ever High-Def Disc Awards conclude
Earlier this summer, The Departed and 007: Casino Royale swept up the spotlight at the first Entertainment Merchants Association's Home Entertainment Awards to hand out honors for high-definition titles, and now the first ever High-Def Disc Awards have doled out their own laundry list of victors. Presented by Home Media Magazine in cooperation with The Hollywood Reporter and the EMA, the awards were decided upon by a panel of critics / bloggers, and 300 was the only film to take home more than one award. Notably, of the two it won, one (Title of the Year) was on Blu-ray and the other (Best Bonus Feature) was on HD DVD. Other winners included Ratatouille for Best Animated Film, Transformers for Best Audio Quality and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest for Best Picture Quality. Hit the read link for the full rundown, and don't be shy in voicing your support / outrage at the selections.[Via FormatWarCentral]
WoW Moviewatch: Van Helsing Trailer
While the movie Van Helsing may have come and gone, the unholy union of WoW machinima and American movie trailers lives on. In the past we have profiled WoW-created trailers of The Omen, and, of course, 300, Moonkin style. Now it's Van Helsing's turn to be immortalized.Previously on Moviewatch...
Transformers HD DVD sets new high definition sales records
Paramount couldn't wait for the Nielsen numbers to announce that Transformers has become the best selling day one and week one HD title on Blu-ray or HD DVD. Blu-ray or HD DVD is important, because it appears even its 190,000 HD DVDs sold in the first week is still behind 300's week one mark of 250k combined. Still, over 100,000 of those sold on the first day and definitely make this the biggest exclusive release since Sony's Casino Royale broke the 100k copies shipped barrier back in March. Two things appear to be confirmed, that the lack of lossless audio wasn't that big of a deal to many buyers, and that HD sales are still miniscule when compared to the 8.3 million Transformer DVDs that sold in the first week.[Thanks, domerdel]
Metal Gear Solid 4 has over 200 developers
How much manpower is Hideo Kojima throwing at Metal Gear Solid 4 to ensure quality? Over 200, according to Kojima Productions' Ryan Payton. In an interview with Gamasutra, Payton noted how important the game is to Sony, remarking that "the way things are turning out, this could be the first 'must have' PlayStation 3 title on store shelves. Or, if not the first, then the second or the third."For clarification, Payton said that the massive team are all working in the same location on the same title, making the size all the more impressive. He did note, however, that following the release of MGS4 the team size will likely get "a little bit leaner and meaner."Although not confirmed, we suspect Kojima Productions currently has the following quote written above its front doors: "No retreat, no surrender. That is Kojima law. And by Kojima law, we will stand and fight...and die. A new age has begun: an age of freedom. And all will know, that 200 developers, gave their last breath to defend it!"
Blu-ray sales growing, PS3 getting interactivity update
Blu-ray is, once again, dominating over HD DVD. One film in particular - the new record holder for highest selling dual format HD movie - was recognized as being a huge boon for the format. 300 on Blu-Ray outsold its HD-DVD counterpart by a ratio of 2:1. Total sales now exceed 400,000 across both platforms. 300, in particular, resonated quite well with the PS3 demographic. PS3 will also receive a firmware update in the future which will "boost its Blu-ray interactivity functionality." Hi-Def Digest thinks it might be be an upgrade which allows the PS3 to support Blu-Ray Profile Spec 1.1. Currently, many Blu-ray discs are crippled by the lack of Java interactivity. A simple firmware update should make Blu-ray even more competitive and give it access to high definition content that's been exclusive on HD DVD.[Via N4G]
Everquest movie moving forward (directly to video we presume)
Since the Gears of War movie wants to be like 300, it should be no surprise that the EverQuest movie wants to be like 300 as well. In fact, they've hired 300 screenwriter Michael Gordon to try and bring some of his magic to the script. Hopefully that doesn't mean someone will be shouting "THIS! IS! EVERQUEST!" throughout the film.Unlike Stuart Beattie, who is writing Gears, Gordon doesn't have an impressive set of credits to his name, other than 300. Couple that with the waning popularity of EverQuest every year, and the World of Warcraft film that is being readied, and it smells like a recipe for video store shelves and Netflix accounts.However, we could be wrong and this could smash box office records, sweep the awards, and bring tears to millions of eyes around the world. We're just sayin' ...
HP's iPAQ 312 Travel Companion gets hands-on treatment
It was but a few weeks ago that we got wind of HP's iPAQ 300 Series Travel Companion, and now the folks over at AVing have had the chance to wrap their palms around the slim navigator and browse its features. Granted, you're already well aware of the 312's specifications, but if you're interested in taking a closer look at the exterior (and the 3D maps, too), feel free to tag the read link for the full spread.[Thanks, Robert M.]
300 in Toshiba HD DVD bundle drops DVD side
Here's an interesting one. Reportedly, the copy of 300 that comes bundled alongside the Bourne Identity in any of Toshiba's third-generation HD DVD players completely omits the DVD side found on the traditional combo disc. Granted, the content on the HD DVD side remains exactly the same, but since the vanilla DVD held exclusive audio commentary, it seems that this particular disc adds "its own exclusive picture-in-picture video commentary" to compensate.
Winner of the super rare signed 300-Edition Xbox 360 Elite!
We know you've been dying to find out who's taking home that super rare signed 300-Edition Xbox 360 Elite. Well, you can all officially bum rush Erik Burgardt, since he's the lucky sucker taking this thing home.Just for good measure, in addition to the signed Xbox and 300 HD DVD, Microsoft also hooked him up with a copy of Forza 2, Crackdown, a year's Xbox Live service, and 1600 Microsoft points. Congrats Erik, everyone -- including and especially us -- is incredibly jealous.
THIS. IS. SPARKETPLACE! 300 on XBLVM
300 is on Xbox Live Video Marketplace for Live members in the U.S. It's available in both Standard Definition and High Definition, the HD rental weighing in at 5.3 GB. Really, that's all we gotta say about it. Er ... go download it now? Seriously though, it's really an epic film that we enjoyed in theatres, and having the HD DVD allows us to appreciate the quality of its digitally distributed cousin.[Thanks, J.R.]
Last chance: Win a super rare signed 300-Edition Xbox 360 Elite and 300 HD DVD!
They don't come any freer than this, but time's running out: today's your last chance to sign up for one of twenty super rare limited edition Xbox 360 Elites we're giving away, signed by 300 creator and comic legend Frank Miller, as well as Zack Snyder, director of the eponymous film. The fun ends at 11:59PM tonight, so get on over to the contest post and do your thing.
Reminder: Win a super rare signed 300-Edition Xbox 360 Elite and 300 HD DVD!
Still haven't entered to win one of twenty super limited edition 300-themed Xbox 360 Elites we're giving away? Yeah, the ones signed by 300 creator and comic legend Frank Miller, as well as Zack Snyder, director of the eponymous film. Not sure what you're waiting for, the contest ends tomorrow, and potential next-gen console-earning heroic acts don't sprout on trees. Hit up the read link for the instructions.
300 on Blu-ray sells a ton, 300 on HD-DVD... not that much
According to Time Warner, 300 has quickly become the fastest selling high-def movie of all time, shifting more than a quarter million copies since its release a little over a week ago. The Spartan epic, easily outpaced The Departed and Casino Royale which both took a couple months to hit just 100,000 sold.When broken down between format types, 65% of consumers picked up 300 on Blu-ray, while 300 on HD-DVD accounted for only 35% of the sales. According to the USA Today article, this mirrors sales for the year with Blu-ray handily trampling HD-DVD with solid 2:1 sales. The HD-DVD cabal can pretend that PlayStation 3 sales don't impact the high-def format war (a point they try to make in every single press release they send out), but it's clear that they're wrong. The PS3 has made a huge impact on the ridiculous format war, and this latest piece of info just drives that home. The real question at this point isn't "Who will win?" but instead "How long until Universal and Toshiba just give up and go Blu?".
