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A Boy and His Blob detailed in latest Nintendo Power
Remember earlier today when we revealed the first image of A Boy and His Blob from Nintendo Power's exclusive story? Well, we lied a little bit when we said that the pixelated image you saw then wasn't going to be revealed until March 5. No folks, we got the full details (well, the first full page of details at least) early from our good buddies at Nintendo Power, and are happy to report that A Boy and His Blob looks to recreate all the enjoyment you had with the original. Jellybean-related gameplay and the game's story are back for a second run in the Majesco-published, WayForward-developed Wii game and it's set to hit retailers this Fall, according to the NP piece. WayForward, known for recent WiiWare horror/puzzler LIT and technologically impressive Shantae for Game Boy Color, will be hand-drawing all the (yes, 2D) visuals. It's also adding to the original's defensive and puzzle-solving jellybeanery with beans that turn your blob into various offensive items (some examples given are anvil dropping and ground removing). If you want more details (and an interview with the game's director) you'll just have to wait until you get your grubby little mitts on the April issue of Nintendo Power.
Philips Cinema 21:9 HDTV, 9000 Series and Net TV get detailed
While it doesn't much matter to Yanks, Philips has some pretty stellar things going on across the pond. MyTechnology was able to attend an overseas showcase where the company finally divulged some of the Cinema 21:9's deepest, darkest secrets alongside tidbits on the soon-to-launch Net TV service and 9000 HDTV series. As for the 56-inch Cinema 21:9, it will reportedly ship with a 2,560 x 1,080 native resolution panel, Spectra Ambilight technology, a one-millisecond response time, 200Hz Clear LCD, 80,000:1 contrast ratio, Net TV integration, five HDMI 1.3 ports, DLNA support and inbuilt WiFi. The 9000 Series, which will also come equipped with Net TV, is rather expansive, so we'll hand you off to the links below to digest the rest.Read - Cinema 21:9 detailsRead - 9000 Series / Net TV details
RIM's BlackBerry Storm 9500 / 9530: details galore
RIM's BlackBerry Storm 9500 / 9530, which is more affectionately known 'round these parts as the Thunder, is definitely within striking distance. Still, just because you don't have too much longer to wait doesn't mean you aren't anxious to get your hands on as many details as possible beforehand, right? The Boy Genius has managed to procure a few mundane stacks of PowerPoint slides that just so happen to contain some pretty scrumptious information on the touchscreen-based BlackBerry, and while there aren't any mind-melting surprises in there (like, confirmation that it can indeed read and reply correctly to each e-mail automatically), it's not the kind of data any real RIM fan would want to overlook. Go on and hit the read link, what exactly are you waiting for?
More details on RED's DSMC (Digital Still & Motion Camera)
You heard that Nikon busted out a DSLR with a 720p movie mode, right? Even that is going to pale in comparison to RED's alternative, or at least that's what RED would have you to believe. In a recent post over at the REDuser forums, Jannard points out that its DSLR "replacement" should be ready to rock by late 2009, and while an official name has yet to arrive, it's going by DSMC (Digital Still & Motion Camera) for the time being. Also of note, Jannard casually mentioned that this piece would be more advanced than Nikon's D90 and an undisclosed 1080p DSLR from Canon; that's the first we've heard of such a beast, but given the natural progression of technology, we suppose it fits. C'mon guys, 3K 4K 5K shooting in a DSLR, we know you can do it.
USB 3.0 gets seriously detailed
Just last week, Intel gave AMD, NVIDIA and a whole host of friends what they had been clamoring for: 90% complete USB 3.0 controller specifications. Now, the cool cats over at MaximumPC have churned out an encyclopedic writeup that details USB SuperSpeed remarkably well. The highlights include assurance that USB 3.0 will be backwards-compatible with USB 2.0 and that it'll provide transfer rates up to ten times more than USB 2.0's 480Mbps limit (that's 4.8Gbps). Furthermore, we're told that uploads and downloads are kept on separate lanes, the cables are thicker, it will charge more devices more quickly, and it will be much more mindful of energy waste. Go on and get yourself completely schooled in the read link below.
Windows 7 in-depth technical info to be divulged in October
Windows 7, in large part, has remained fairly elusive thus far. Granted, we wouldn't expect anything different given that it's still years out from being formally titled and pushed to market, but it's still great to hear that we'll be hearing more shortly. The new Engineering Windows 7 (E7 for short) blog, which is penned by engineering managers Jon DeVaan and Steven Sinofsky, points to two upcoming conferences in which "in-depth technical information about Windows 7" will be revealed. The Professional Developers Conference (PDC) on October 27 will the first of the two, and the aforementioned duo has promised to keep a steady stream of details flowing on their blog during the run-up. Are you on the edge of that seat yet?[Via CNET]
Details flow about The Ultimate Matrix Collection on Blu-ray
We know you're hungry for every last morsel of information on Warner's hotly-anticipated Ultimate Matrix Collection on Blu-ray, so here goes. Warner Home Video just released information confirming that the data we already had was true, and that a seven-disc BD box set would be landing on (and shortly departing from) store shelves on October 14th. Aside from housing the complete trilogy with lossless 5.1 Dolby TrueHD audio, the package will also include an hour of special features on each film. More specifically, you'll see the studio's In-Movie Experience alongside The Animatrix (which is debuting in high-definition here), 35 more hours of undisclosed bonus material and a digital copy of The Matrix. Yeah, $129.95 is still the asking price, but you know it'll be going for a bit less on launch day.
Luminus Devices' PhlatLight technology gets detailed
Today, Samsung is the only TV maker with sets containing Luminus Devices' PhlatLight, but according to a new report detailing the technology, that could be a-changin'. We heard that this stuff was taking home some fancy award earlier this year, but now we're getting a real in-depth look at what all it can do to make our lives better. Aside from having the potential to last the entire lifetime of the TV (over 60,000 hours) and "deliver a consistent picture without fading," PhlatLight essentially "combines the benefits of both LED and laser technologies." There's plenty more on the technicalities waiting in the read link below, but those focused on end products will be delighted to know that this system is slated to arrive in front projectors and pocket projectors in the not-too-distant future.
MSI Wind gets detailed further
With just days remaining before MSI's Wind becomes available in the US, wouldn't you like to know as much as humanly possible now to better form your potential purchasing decision? Great, we had a feeling you would. According to CNET's UK branch, MSI's promising subnote will ship with 1GB of RAM, an 80GB hard drive, 802.11b/g WiFi, Bluetooth, a trio of USB ports, 4-in-1 multicard reader, VGA output and a 3-cell battery that will theoretically provide 3- to 4-hours of life. You'll also find a 10-inch 1,024 x 600 resolution panel, and just like the TurboBook GX600, a dedicated button to activate TurboDrive and overclock the CPU by "about 20-percent" (wait, what?). Check out the read link for all the gory details.[Thanks, T.I.]
Gears of War 2 details emerge from X360 magazine
Though other shooters have surpassed it in terms of Xbox Live activity, we still hold a dear, dear place in our heart for the multiplayer portion of Gears of War -- a place intricately carved by an enemy chainsaw. Sure, the character advancement of Call of Duty 4 and Vegas 2 led to a more compelling overall experience, but they lacked a certain panache that only a well-timed curb stomp can supply.Imagine our excitement when we caught wind of the intimidating flood of details for the sequel's multiplayer component in the upcoming issue of UK's X360 magazine. There's a full list of said details on our Microsoft-related sister site, but to inspire you to continue reading, here's a few tantalizing buzzwords you'll find behind that link: Meatflag, Poison gas grenade, Flamethrower, Ten person multiplayer, Chainsaw duels, and last but certainly not least, Verandas. If that didn't sell you, we don't know what will.[Via X3F]
City of Heroes to sell character slots
Seems like we missed this intriguing little bit of info, but just in case you did, too, City of Heroes devs have announced that shortly after the release of issue 12, they're planning to start selling extra character slots for an extra fee.It's not exactly a new idea -- Guild Wars will sell character slots for a whopping $10 per, up to a limit of 26 beyond the four offered with each purchased edition of the game. City of Heroes doesn't mention a price yet, obviously (or a date when the slots will be on sale), but that seems high, so we'd expect it to be lower than that.For a certain number of players, the ability to have extra characters is probably very valuable, while for others, it's not something they'd pay even cheaply for. In that way, it's actually a good idea for games that might need a little extra help staying afloat -- it's one more source of revenue directly from fans extremely interested in keeping the game alive.[Via KTR]
Arena Tournament details
Blizzard provided further details on the much anticipated 3v3 tournament. A mere $20* entry fee per player will give you a shot at the $75,000 grand prize. That's $25,000 a piece (unless you have more players on your team), which is not too shabby. Second place will net your team $30,000 and the third place team will get $15,000. There will also be monetary rewards for regional finalists. Your entry fee will grant you access to the arena server for the entirety of the six-week qualifying tournament. You will be able to create up to three characters on the server. This tournament will be about skill rather than gear. You may select your weapons and armor from arena and raid epics. You will also be able to select honor-based rewards and enchantments for your items. If you don't like your original selections, respecs and gear will all be free of charge.
Nikon D60 DSLR press release leaked
Well folks, that Nikon D60 DSLR we'd heard whispers about way back in the crazy, carefree days of December 2007 appears to be on the verge of coming to light at this year's PMAs. Digital Photography Review has gotten a leaked press release from the company concerning the new shooter, and now we've got a sheet of specs to backup the rumors. It looks like the 10.2-megapixel camera will be sporting a number of improvements, including a 0.19-second power-up, continuous shooting mode at three frames per second, Nikon's 3D Color Matrix Metering II, compatibility with AF-S and AF-I Nikkor lenses, RAW image handling, in-camera retouching capabilities, and a slew of other, incredibly technical functions that the true camera-geek will surely salivate over. Our suggestion? Hit the read link, and take your good old time poring over the details.[Via Photography Bay]
ESPNews HD finalizes graphics package
If you're anything like us, you can't wait for March to arrive. And if you're one of the many who are waiting oh-so-impatiently for ESPNews HD to launch, here's a few more details to chew on while you pass the time with NFL playoffs, conference play in NCAA men's hoops and the rest of the college bowl season. Reportedly, the channel has finalized its graphics package, and we're told that the high-definition flavor will sport a "scrolling scoreboard on the left side of the screen, with tabs of specific leagues and topics across the top of the screen." Additionally, the bottom of the screen will be reserved for "breaking news and advertising," and while the video feed will be the same for SD and HD, the latter will boast more on-screen data / scores / news. For what it's worth, the SD channel will also undergo a makeover that makes it resemble the HD sibling, but only those viewing in HD will get the benefit of the new scrolling scoreboard. [Read link requires subscription]
Breakfast Topic: What details did you notice in 2.3?
We've talked about the happy surprises of Patch 2.3 before, but today I'd like to ask you about some of the tiniest things you notice are different in the game right now, perhaps little bug-fixes or graphical updates -- some kind of change you haven't heard others mention before.For my part, In the time just before and after Patch 2.3, I was busy working on the Netherwing quests in southeastern Shadowmoon Valley. I was having a great time with them, but a few things annoyed me. As a hunter, my pet wouldn't despawn properly when I summoned the temporary dragon mount that shows up whenever you go to do your daily quests on Netherwing Ledge. Sometimes, when my mount would change from a gryphon to a dragon in mid-flight, and my pet would fall to his death in the chasm below. This has now been fixed! Also I noticed then that everyone who was sitting on their Netherwing mounts on the ground was sitting a little bit tilted off to the side, and now everyone is sitting straight up again! Finally, the Netherwing mounts now trail their glowing nether energy effect as you fly around with them, and it's quite pretty.Yes, that's a lot of Netherwing details, I know. But all of us notice the changes we happen to be focusing on at the moment, right? What were you focusing on, and what little things did you notice on patch day?
World of Warcraft - Threat or Menace?
Fresh from the pages of the Sydney Morning Herald comes the news that World of Warcraft, and indeed all massive multiplayer online games, is unethical. Jonathan Blow, developer of the game Braid, recently spoke at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image's FreePlay conference. Some of the things he said about MMO's are interesting, and some of the conclusions he reached seem erroneous to me.Developers should provide activities that interest players "rather than stringing them along with little pieces of candy so that they'll suffer through terrible game play, but keep playing because they gain levels or new items", he says.Well, so far so good. I don't really think anyone could disagree with that statement. Mr Blow believes developers need to think about what their games are teaching players when they reward them for performing certain actions. "That kind of reward system is very easily turned into a Pavlovian or Skinnerian scheme," he says. "It's considered best practice: schedule rewards for your player so that they don't get bored and give up on your game. That's actually exploitation." Somewhat hyperbolic, but essentially accurate in terms of what the system is doing to get you to keep playing. Is it exploitation? Well, clearly Jonathan thinks so. We'll come back to why I don't agree in a moment.
Getting complaints in early
I love this post on the EU forums: Ahjua complains that as a casual player, it would take him months to grind the items, find the groups, and get the gear necessary to unlock the new Death Knight hero class. With a social life that only lets him play a few hours a night, he'll never get it all done!Whoops, except that the quest itself hasn't even been invented by Blizzard yet. They haven't said that it requires rep, or gear, or running instances, or really anything at all. We know absolutely nothing about it, and yet this guy feels the need to complain that it's already too hard.Hopefully, he's just joking (if not, maybe he's just misinformed). But just as I've asked for patience on the PTRs, it's important to realize that everything we heard about this weekend is a long, long way off. In fact, I almost wonder why Blizzard released it so early-- if they've got Zul'Aman, voice chat and guild banks, another raid instance (probably the Sunwell), and maybe even another 5 man coming out before the expansion, why are they trying to get us all excited about Wrath of the Lich King? It's OK to be excited about the new expansion (I am), but it's not OK to pass final judgement on something that hasn't even been created yet. Let Blizzard do their thing, and then when we know details about the quest and what it actually entails-- then it'll be completely fine to complain that it's too hard for casuals.
New details emerge on Star Trek: TOS HD DVD
We know, the wait is most definitely not enjoyable, but here's a few more details to hopefully tide you over until Star Trek: The Original Series is finally launched on HD DVD. Reportedly, the disc will feature "never-before-seen footage exclusive to the next-gen edition," including behind the scenes 8-millimeter footage taken during the original production of the show. Additionally, it's being hinted that the studio is planning to give Comic-Con attendees a "first peek" at the long-awaited release on July 26 at a special event, and while there's still no word on this title making its way to Blu-ray, we'd be fairly surprised if it didn't make the jump in due time.
Zatz gets cozy with Moxi's forthcoming DVRs
Unfortunately, we can't fill you in on hard pricing or availability information on Moxi's impending DVR lineup just yet, but Mr. Dave Zatz was able to get a feel for what they'll be like when that time finally comes. Swinging through Digeo's office, he was able to spend a little time with the firm's Home Cinema HD DMR -- which sports both ATSC and NTSC tuners, an integrated 5.1 audio amplifier, and strangely lacks CableCARD support -- and the Multi-Room HD DMR (read: the impressive one). The latter unit is CableCARD-friendly, comes bundled with a Moxi Mate extender for multi-room viewing, and will support HD streaming via 1394 over coax. Both devices include a built-in CD / DVD drive (no high-definition options?), can interface with networked PCs, and even feature eSATA expansion ports for upping the storage. Of course, nothing official has been leaked, but Zatz got the impression that a "fall release" was in the realm of possibility. Tag the read link for more of the hands-on goodness.
AMD's low-power Phenom X2 GE-series CPUs seen in latest roadmap
AMD's high-powered Phenom lineup should still be residing in the forefront of your memory, but the company has now loosed details on a series of processors that cater to the more energy-conscience crowd. The Phenom X2 GE-series CPUs currently consist of a trio of units, each reportedly scheduled to land sometime in the first quarter of 2008. The chips all sport thermal design power (TDP) ratings of 45-watts, and while the GE-6400 will clock in at 1.9GHz, the GE-6500 adds 200MHz but lags behind the flagship 2.3GHz GE-6600. The whole lot touts 2 x 512KB of L2 cache, 2MB of L3 cache, and an (estimated) 3,200MHz HT3 bus, so go on and start pinching those pennies for the moment these land in a Socket AM2+ motherboard near you.
