Aether
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ICYMI: Better walking bot and an anti-aging breakthrough
try{document.getElementById("aol-cms-player-1").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: Georgia Tech overhauled its DURUS robot to walk with a human-like gait that makes it the most efficient bipedal robot. Scientists at the EPFL did some solid research into the pomegranate fruit that shows it can counteract disease and extend the life of worms by 50 percent and endurance in rodents by 40 percent. Human trials are happening now. You can see the latest 3D bone printer here and what the FBI has been doing with iris scans, here. As always, please share any interesting tech or science videos you find by using the #ICYMI hashtag on Twitter for @mskerryd.
Aether's music-streaming 'Cone' now lets you ditch the Rdio subscription
When I tested Aether's "Cone" music player I was intrigued, but cautious, about the idea. At $400 (plus a required Rdio subscription) it was a hard sell for many -- especially with strong competition. Today, Aether shows that it's working on making its "thinking" speaker a better deal. Starting today, the Cone will play Rdio's free/ad-supported service, meaning you don't need to shell out any cash every month if you don't mind commercials. The white/silver version is also now on sale (which might suit your pad that little bit more). Lastly, UK availability and a much needed web-setup option mean those without an iPhone/the wrong OS/wrong zip code are no longer left out. While many might wish for a broader range of supported music services (currently Rdio and Stitcher are the only ones), Aether is at least showing signs of intent to keep up with the likes of Sonos -- a company that's issued several usability updates recently. It's up to you whether it's now worth a "spin."
Aether's Cone speaker is a fresh spin on music streaming
The first HiFi I had all to myself was a hand-me-down Sony music center (something like this). It was a mix of faux-wood panels and brushed metal, with three media options: cassette, vinyl and radio. Then the '90s mainstay "all-in-one" HiFi (and CD!) became my main music hub for many years. These days, it's a very different game. If you're not running a networked system, connected to your favorite streaming services, then, frankly, you're doing it wrong. But, what if you don't want an all-encompassing solution from the likes of Sonos or Bang & Olufsen? You could go with Bluetooth speakers, but that's a whole different proposition altogether (and a bit of a minefield). Then there's the Cone by Aether. It's portable, networked and works with streaming services. At $400 (the same price as Sonos' Play:5 speaker), it's going to have to have a few tricks up it's sleeve to lure in potential buyers. I have a fairly large gap in my music room though -- can this fill it?
Edmund McMillen game collection escapes the basement in August, finds solace on Steam
Before he made a game about a boy with no skin and a fetus with a monocle, Edmund McMillen of Team Meat created a game about a young emo boy and his interplanetary adventures, one about a lonely man traveling through time and another about puking, along with a few others. Eight of these titles will be available on Steam in late August as a bundle called The Basement Collection, for $4.The Basement Collection will include Time Fcuk, Aether, Spewer, Grey Matter, Meat Boy (flash prototype), Triachnid and a locked, secret title updated with new content, soundtrack, difficulty modes and achievements. Each game will come with bonus content such as development sketches and early prototypes, and The Basement Collection will feature four "very large bonus unlockables that should make fans of my work quite happy," McMillen writes.The Basement Collection will also come with a free soundtrack with bonus indie remixes. Try out (i.e. "play") all of these titles for free via McMillen's Newgrounds page now, if you can spare a moment for puketastic, interstellar, time-traveling fun.
IndieCade 2009: The finalists
IndieCade 2009 was held in Culver City, CA this past weekend, and the local art galleries and restaurants were filled with independent games and their developers from all over the world. The festival billed itself as the "video game Sundance" and lived up to this self-made reputation, putting 29 different indie games on display, both throughout the weekend and during a Thursday night opening ceremony MC'd by Uncharted 2's Richard Lemarchand (shown above with festival founder Stephanie Barish).We've rounded up the festival's finalists in the gallery below. You may be familiar with a few of them, including Twisted Pixel's The Maw and a selection of well-known iPhone titles, but all of these titles deserve your attention -- and a playthrough!%Gallery-74606%
An introduction to the Daeva
MMORPG.com have a new developer journal for Aion, NCSoft's new MMO which is due to make it to the west later this year. Aion launched in Korea last year and has already proved highly popular. This journal introduces us to the Daeva, humans who have undertaken a sudden mystical evolution.Daevas are revered by the people of Atreia and are created when the invisible lifeblood of Aion, Aether, infuses a human. This often happens to somebody who is undergoing trauma or pain. The human will then sprout feathery wings, break free from the bonds of gravity and mortality and become the first line of defense against the invasions from the Balaur and incursions from Daevas from the other side of the world.You can read the full developer journal at mmorpg.com.
The Joystiq Free Game Club: Closure
We usually use this space in the Free Game Club post to expound a bit on the gameplay of the week's subject. But we're not going to do that this time. No, the last thing we'd want to give away is the delightful, mind-bending mechanic that Closure is built around.Instead of spoiling all the fun, we'll spend our time trying to convince you that you absolutely need to check this game out. Would it sway you to know it was created by Tyler Glaiel, half of the team behind the delightful Aether? What if we informed you that it had a gorgeous, willowy look to which the above screenshot can't do justice? Would that make you more likely to click?If you're still not swayed, continue and read the comments below from readers that have come before. Who can you trust, if not the Joystiq BioMass?
It's time to get on the Edmund McMillen bus
Like most of you, we were thrilled to see an indie like Jonathan Blow get his big break with Braid. But unlike most of you, we had the added benefit of smug satisfaction from having been "totally into him" before he had his break. It's like those people who say they liked The Strokes before they hit it big, except we're not lying. Now, we're offering you a chance at that kind of cred for the low, low price of $10. That's how much it'll cost you to pick up This Is A Cry for Help, a disc full of the complete works of Edmund McMillen. You'll get the delightful Aether of course, along with more than 16 other games, as well as some animations and comics. We've put a trailer after the break, take a look and see if you're not convinced that he'll be the next big thing. Get there before the rest of the world and don't say we never did anything for you.
The Joystiq Free Game Club: Aether
Oh boy, do we ever love Aether, and we bet you're going to as well. Simply put, it's the story of a boy dealing with feelings of alienation as he discovers (with the help of his pet monster) that he is, in fact, not as alone as he once imagined.As the game begins, you leave your home planet on the back of your beast, which gets through the universe via his long, elastic tongue, allowing him to snap to nearby clouds and planets and then hurtle to the outer reaches of the galaxy. There you'll find several planets, each with their own unique puzzles to solve, requiring a combination of quick reflexes and some non-linear thinking. It's all presented in attractive, washed out pastels and with a hauntingly otherworldly soundtrack.It's everything you want an "art game" to be, with a unique visual style, a creative gameplay mechanic and a real sense of an artist's touch (two, in this case, Edmund McMillen and Tyler Glaiel). It's a uniquely personal, touching game that we can't wait for you to try and share your thoughts on in the comments.
