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Age of Wushu video pits Beggar vs. Tangman
Already suffering from Age of Wushu withdrawals now that the closed beta has closed? If so, you can get pick-me-up doses of it by watching various videos that show off the game, from a how-to kidnap clip to looks at the different schools. That's not enough, you say? Then how about feasting your eyes on a match-up between Beggars and the Tangmen? Check out the one-on-one duel between members of these two sects in the video past the cut. And if that still isn't enough, check out Massively's recent Age of Wushu livestream with a special dev guest star and keep checking back for all your sandbox kung-fu news.
DVR alert: Dishonored on Face Off tonight
Syfy's special-effects makeup competition, Face Off, will feature Dishonored on tonight's episode. The artists will be tasked with creating creatures and makeup that evokes Arkane's steampunk-inspired setting of Dunwall.Given the stylized looks of Dunwall's citizens, it'll be interesting to see how the contestants avoid going overboard. Face Off is on at 9PM Eastern/Pacific.
Syfy for iPad app adds Sync feature, second screen content launches Tuesday with Face Off (video)
We're still not sure about the Sci Fi / Syfy Network name switch, but whatever you call it the network is the latest to jump on the trend of second screen features. Currently available on the latest version of its iPad app (and listed as "coming soon" for Android tablets on the official page an in the demo video embedded after the break), Syfy Sync will work with certain shows to pull up interactive content on your mobile device along with whatever is playing on TV. The first show to get the treatment is the season premiere of Face Off airing August 21st. Naturally, there's a social media element as well, with sharing to Facebook and Twitter, as well as integrated GetGlue check-ins. Whether or not you dig the second screen aspects or are just waiting for some better shows to come on, there are other upgrades with a new UI as, show related photo galleries and support for AirPlay to play the app's video clips on your TV. Syfy for iPad 2.0 with sync is available for free in iTunes, we'll let you know when the Android version is upgraded and if similar features head to any other mobile platforms soon.
Face-Off mode coming to Modern Warfare 3 on PS3 June 15
PS3 players eager to get intimate with Modern Warfare 3's latest mode, Face-Off, will get their chance come June 15, the Infinity Ward Twitter account has revealed. Face-Off will be free for all Modern Warfare 3 players on PSN.Face-Off is a team-based match type designed for small numbers of players. Along with the free mode, PS3 players also get two free maps designed specifically for the new game type: Erosion and Aground.%Gallery-155256%
Modern Warfare 3's 'Content Collection 2' now on Xbox Live
Another pair of maps drops into Modern Warfare 3's new Face Off mode today, namely "Lookout" and "Getaway." Content Collection #2 also adds three new general purpose multiplayer maps and two new Spec Ops missions, all for 1200 MS Points ($15).This content is available to all Xbox Live Gold subscribers. A Call of Duty Elite subscription is not necessary to use this content in Modern Warfare 3.
Behind the scenes of Modern Warfare 3's 'Face Off' DLC and Content Collection 2
Modern Warfare 3's upcoming Face Off mode isn't set hit to Xbox 360-enabled living rooms until next Wednesday, May 16, but it's never too soon to start using promotional materials (like the behind the scenes video above and screenshots below) to start memorizing map layouts. This is war, dammit, and you need every possible advantage you can get to survive. Don't come crawling back to us when you've been blasted to the bottom of the leaderboards, riddled with shame bullets from the hand cannons of someone who actually took the time to prepare.... Watching the video because you enjoy development diaries and/or have a casual interest in Modern Warfare games is also acceptable.%Gallery-155256%
Modern Warfare 3 getting free 'Face Off' mode, non-free Content Collection 2
A new way of murdering your friends and/or strangers is coming to the Xbox 360 version of Modern Warfare 3 on May 15, in the form of "Face Off" mode. Face Off has been designed for 1v1 or 2v2 firefights, with its four maps built specifically for small, close-quarters battle between a small number of soldiers. The two free maps launching with the new mode, Aground and Erosion, take place on a beached ship on the coast of Scotland and on the Italian coast during a volcanic eruption, respectively. PlayStation 3 and PC dates for Face Off have yet to be determined.A new Content Collection is also on its way, available to Call of Duty Elite subscribers on May 15 and everyone else (with an Xbox) on May 21. Content Collection 2 includes three new multiplayer maps (Sanctuary, Foundation and Oasis), as well as two new Spec Ops missions (Iron Clad, Kill Switch) and the other two Face Off maps, Getaway and Lookout. As per usual, PS3 and PC dates are indeterminate, but everyone is welcome to take a peek at the new jams courtesy of IGN's trailer above.
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 and AMD Radeon HD 6870 square off in dual-card showdown
Whether you're an NVIDIAn calling it SLI or a Radeonite referring to it as CrossFireX, a multi-card graphics setup is nowadays almost a prerequisite for experiencing the best that PC gaming has to offer. It'd be negligent of us, therefore, not to point you in the direction of the Tech Report crew's latest breakdown, which takes an investigative peek at dual-card performance on NVIDIA's latest and greatest GeForce GTX 580 and naturally compares it to a wide range of other alternatives on the market. AMD's latest refresh, the Radeon HD 6870, is among those options, though it's worth remembering that the company's real high-end gear isn't due for another couple of weeks. All the same, most people will be buying their holiday rigs right around now, and if you want an exhaustive guide as to what's what on the graphics front, the source link is your best, um... source.
Nokia N8 vs. iPhone 4: camera showdown
What's the first thing you should do when you get the N8? Considering it packs the biggest image sensor embedded in a phone yet, Carl Zeiss optics, and an eight-digit pixel count, it seemed obvious to us that the answer was to take it on a picture- and video-taking stroll around London. On our way out we saw our iPhone 4 looking all sad and lonely, so we went ahead and brought it along as well. Below you shall find one gallery of pure, unadulterated N8 sample shots, another interspersed with the iPhone's results for comparison's sake, and a final one with side-by-side 100 percent crops from each image taker. Once you've digested all of those, we suggest hopping past the break and tucking into some tasty video comparisons for dessert. Naturally, all the images are entirely unretouched (but for our masterly watermarking) and the iPhone 4's HDR hocus pocus has been left off. We've also provided a zip file containing all the full-res imagery shot with the N8 in a link below. A quick note is also merited about the N8's resolution. The sensor's display ratio is 4:3, which means that full 12 megapixel shots are only available in those dimensions. The camera software, however, defaults to shooting 9 megapixel snaps at the increasingly popular 16:9 ratio -- this is done simply by cropping away the "excess" bars at the top and bottom of the image, meaning that the 9 megapixel images are giving us identical performance as the 12 megapixel ones, they're just chopped down (from 4000 x 3000 to 4000 x 2248) for the sake of convenience. Now, on with the show!%Gallery-103838%%Gallery-103849%%Gallery-103858%
iPhone 4 Retina Display vs. Galaxy S Super AMOLED... fight! (updated)
If the title of this post isn't enough to entice you, we don't know what else to say. We've gone and run some sunlit comparisons between Apple's brand spanking new phone's Retina Display and Samsung's equally fresh and exclusive Super AMOLED panel on the Galaxy S. We don't know if we'll be able to settle the argument, but we're certainly going to subject both superphones to an expansive visual inspection. Follow us after the break for video exploration of this most pressing topic. Update: Due to the Galaxy S having a separate setting for browser brightness, which we didn't max out in the original investigation, we've gone back and collected some truly 100 percent illuminated pictures. See the gallery after the break. Keep in mind that this shouldn't discredit most of the work done here, as we were more interested in pixel-level detail than brightness.%Gallery-96227%
Eight ways the iPad pwns the iPhone
When Steve Jobs introduced the iPad in January, he talked about defining its niche. He explained that the iPad sits somewhere between an iPhone and a laptop and is meant for the same kind of use that is currently served by netbooks. Despite that, we have been exposed to a lot of buzz about the iPad being nothing more than an oversized iPod touch. And although the hardware is, essentially, just that -- a bigger version of the touch, running the same apps from the same App Store -- there's more to it than that simplified explanation. Yesterday, TUAW explored eight use cases wherein the iPhone provides a better solution than the iPad, examining the iPhone-specific niche and situations where the iPhone took first place in usability. Today, we're turning that comparison on its head. Of course, there are situations for which the iPad is better suited than the iPhone. Here is our incomplete list of how the iPad outshines its sibling. Read on for the list...
Eight ways the iPhone pwns the iPad
We love our iPads. We wouldn't dream of giving them up. And yet, there are ways and situations where the iPhone simply works better. Without taking potshots at our beloved iPad, here is TUAW's respectful list of mega-win scenarios where the iPhone takes first place in usability. Making phone calls. Yes, you can use line2 to convert your iPad into a quasi-phone that accepts incoming calls, or fire up the Skype app, but for real-world use, nothing beats a device that you can stick into your pocket and then forget about. It rings, you answer, you talk, you hang up. It's a lot easier to use an iPhone than an iPad to make phone calls. Grocery lists. I don't know if you've tried hauling around an iPad in your shopping cart at SuperTarget or Publix, but it doesn't work very well. It's the pocket size, again. The iPhone form factor provides a better match to tracking your chores with on-the-go use than the iPad can. Small wins for this one. Read on for more of our list...
Japanese Nintendo downloads: WiiWare ReBirth
WiiWare is officially back in Japan, with one of the most content-rich updates we'd ever seen. Just Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth would be enough to make this week remarkable, but Game Arts' Shadow Walker and Bit.Trip VOID are available as well, along with an oddity from D3!Not enough? How about four Virtual Console games, including a Sonic & Knuckles with the lock-on feature intact? Or a budget DSiWare game about blowing up asteroids to save the Earth? @SIMPLE Series Vol. 5: THE Judo (WiiWare, 1-2 players, 700 Wii Points) Castlevania: The Adventure ReBirth (WiiWare, 1 player, 1,000 Wii Points) Bit.Trip: VOID (WiiWare, 1-4 players, 500 Wii Points) Shadow Walker (WiiWare, 1 player, 1,000 Wii Points) Championship Lode Runner (Famicom, 1 player, 500 Wii Points) Sonic & Knuckles (Mega Drive, 1 player, 600 Wii Points) Face Off (Arcade, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points) Rolling Thunder 2 (Arcade, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points) Earth Saver (DSiWare, 1 player, 200 DSi Points) Puzzle Selection Monthly Crossword House vol. 6 (DSiWare, 1 player, 500 DSi Points) Hills and Rivers Remain (DSiWare, 1-4 players, 800 DSi Points)
