firstlook
Latest
Lego's new toy train is a STEM tool for preschoolers
Twenty years ago Lego introduced Mindstorms as a way to engage kids who were becoming more interested in video games and the internet than plastic building blocks. It was successful enough that the kits became a regular sight in robotics classes and competitions. Now the line is on its fourth generation, and it's been joined by other STEM-friendly Lego kits like Boost and Powered Up to bring tech skills to many different types of kids. Now Lego's educational division goes even younger with Coding Express, a set that will teach 3- and 4-year-olds the basics of programming while they construct a world of trains, picnics and wandering deer.
'Call of Duty: Black Ops 4' tweaks a familiar multiplayer formula
Call of Duty: WWII was a breath of fresh air after the weirdness what was Infinite Warfare. The return to historical battles was a welcome change after a (thankfully) brief trip to space. For 2018, the series is back in the hands of Treyarch, which means a new installment of Black Ops. The studio, along with publisher Activision, already took the wraps off the game a few weeks ago. Perhaps most importantly, the duo revealed that the single-player campaign would be replaced by a PUBG-esque battle royale mode. Of course, the popular CoD multiplayer isn't going anywhere, and that's what Activision is showing off at E3 this week.
'Sekiro' takes the 'Dark Souls' formula to ancient Japan
Woven in with Activision's anticipated E3 lineup of Destiny 2 and Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, there's the latest game from the studio behind Dark Souls. Indeed, FromSoftware's knack for creating dark and brooding gamescapes is on display once more in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, but this time that trademark look is applied to the stunning visuals of 1500s Sengoku Japan. It's not history retold, but instead a reimagined story set in that time. And based on the small piece of gameplay I've seen, FromSoftware has created quite the action-packed work of art.
'Tunic' is more than just a 'Zelda' clone with a cute fox
Tunic looks like a game that's taken a lot of inspiration from SNES era Zelda titles — and when Xbox's E3 2018 showcase is an awful lot of games with guns, zombies or unexplained apocalyptic surroundings, it was a welcome panacea. Meet the tiny fox embarking on an adorable, mysterious adventure.
Amazon goes all-in on Jordan Peele's TV shows
Amazon has signed a deal with Jordan Peele, the New York Times reports, that, going forward, will give the company a first look at any new TV series coming out of Peele's Monkeypaw Productions company. The move extends an ongoing relationship between the two companies as Amazon has already ordered two series from Peele and Monkeypaw. Last month, Amazon snagged the rights to The Hunt -- a drama about a group of people who decide to hunt down hundreds of Nazi officials planning a Fourth Reich in the US. And in April, it bought a Monkeypaw-produced documentary series about Lorena Bobbitt.
Xbox Adaptive Controller first look: A new, necessary gamepad
Microsoft stumbled into the accessibility market about three years ago, with the launch of the Xbox One Elite controller. The Elite wasn't designed to help people with disabilities play video games -- in fact, it was built for hardcore players who wanted more mapping options by adding rear paddle buttons, more sensitive triggers and interchangeable analog sticks to the classic dual-grip Xbox gamepad. It just so happened these features were also in high demand at organizations like AbleGamers, whose goal is to make gaming accessible to anyone with disabilities via education, community support and the creation of custom controllers.
Atari shows its non-functional 'VCS' console prototype at GDC 2018
Last June, venerated gaming company Atari announced that it was making a comeback. Specifically, that it would be jumping back into the console market with a retro-style entertainment system it dubbed at the time, the Ataribox. Eleven months later, we can finally see the results of the company's IndieGoGo crowdfunding campaign: Say hello to the 2600-inspired Atari VCS.
Surprise! The HomePod actually sounds incredible
"Hey Siri, what's the weather like?" That was the first of many questions I asked the HomePod Apple installed in the corner of its WWDC demo area, and the answer was the same each time: silence. Sure, the hazy light on top of the speaker ebbed and flowed -- that doesn't mean it understood anything I was saying. Spokespeople quickly clarified that this was a nonfunctional demo unit, but I did eventually hear one next to a Sonos PLAY:3 and an original Amazon Echo. Musically, it blew them both out of the water.
Sling TV's Cloud DVR records your guilty pleasures on Apple TV
Two weeks after Sling TV rolled out its Cloud DVR feature to Android and Roku users, the streaming service is now doing the same for people who own an Apple TV. "First Look," which was introduced last November, lets Sling TV subscribers get 50 hours of DVR storage by paying an extra $5 per month. Any recorded TV shows or movies can be watched across different devices, regardless of platform, and they never expire from an active account. It's great for those of you who decided to cut the cord completely, since features like this have traditionally required a pay-TV subscription or some sort of third-party hardware.
Volkswagen previews its EV future with the I.D. concept
You wouldn't blame Volkswagen if it never wanted to hear the word "diesel" ever again. The German company desperately needs to swing from dirty to clean, so it launched the ID, a new platform for its next-gen EVs. The first model is a concept car, but it will eventually be built in some form and arrive to market in 2020. The company plans to build up to 20 different models based on its "Modular Electric Drive Kit" platform, and hopes to sell up to three million electric cars by the year 2025. I saw the car when it launched yesterday, and if anything, it looks better than the futuristic illustrations that leaked earlier. That design looks sharp from any angle (except maybe head-on) and I like the idea of a sliding rear door on a hatchback, even though it'll probably get axed from the final model. The inside is pure concept, with an LED dash display, retractable steering wheel for autonomous mode, and rear cameras instead of mirrors. Though concept cars are often dark or colorful, it's likely not a coincidence that the ID concept is white with blue interior accents. In effect, VW wants to make a fresh, bright start and put the dark days of diesel-gate and emissions cheating behind it.
A first look at Sony's Alpha A99 II
In the past year alone, Sony launched three major E-mount cameras: the full-frame A7S II and A7R II, along with the A6300 -- all impressive mirrorless models. So you might think it was losing interest in its A-mount single-lens translucent (SLT) series, having just launched one, the entry-level A68, late last year. At Photokina, however, Sony unveiled the Alpha A99 II, the long-awaited successor to its flagship A99 model.
30 minutes with Fujifilm's medium-format mirrorless GFX 50S
Fujifilm made the biggest splash at Photokina with the GFX 50S, a mirrorless camera with a giant sensor stuffed into a fairly compact body. When it arrives early in 2017, the company will be in the weird position of having APS-C and medium-format cameras, but no full-frame model. So, it's a big risk: Fujifilm is introducing a new format, complete with brand new lenses, and hoping that the market is open to the idea.
Canon makes big strides with its fast-focusing mirrorless M5
Canon's 24.2-megapixel M5 is its best mirrorless camera yet, but is that enough? The company is playing to its strengths by giving the new model classic Canon DSLR-like styling and, finally, a 2.36-million-dot electronic viewfinder. It also has a new image processor and "Dual Pixel" AF that focuses five times quicker than before. However, the M5 is yet more proof that it entered the mirrorless camera game much too late. Unlike Panasonic and Sony models in the same price range, it lacks 4K video and makes do with 1080p, 60fps shooting instead. The DSLR-like body style is not its strong point either, compared to nicer-looking options from Fujifilm and Olympus. Still, it should appeal to Canon owners, who can use their existing lenses with an optional adapter, and it's interesting enough to at least give mirrorless buyers pause. However, Canon is going to need to advance its mirrorless program, stat, or it risks staying behind fast-advancing rivals. Aaron Souppouris contributed to this report. We're live all week from Cologne, Germany, for Photokina 2016. Click here to catch up on all the news from the show.
Here's our first look at Panasonic's video-centric GH5
Panasonic held its Photokina 2016 press conference today and finally spilled the beans on the 4K GH5, the successor to its popular GH4. The big news was 10-bit 4K capture at up to 60 fps, and even up to 6K -- but only for short photo bursts. We also tried out Panasonic's G85, a 4K mirrorless camera for videographers who may not want to splash out for the high-end GH4 or GH5. Finally, there's the LX10, a formidable 4K compact camera that challenges Sony's RX100 IV. Yes, there's a theme here: 4K video now defines Panasonic's lineup from compact to mirrorless flagship.
iRobot is selling off its military division
The US military might seem like an endless cash train for contractors, but it's not always so. Vacuum bot maker iRobot has sold off its defense and security division in order to focus on its core Roomba business. If you were unaware that iRobot even made military toys, the company actually got its start building military hardware for the likes of DARPA as far back as 1998. At one point, it was awarded a $286 million military contract to produce robots that can detect and disarm bombs and do other risky chores.
Punch Quest coming next week from Rocketcat and Madgarden
Rocketcat Games is the great company behind terrific iPhone games like Mage Gauntlet and the very popular Hook Worlds. Its latest title is called Punch Quest, built in conjunction with developer Madgarden. Punch Quest won't be released until October 25th, but Rocketcat kindly sent TUAW an early copy. You'll find a quick video preview of what the finished title looks like down below. Punch Quest will be available for iOS next Thursday, for the low, low price of completely free. Look for a full review here on TUAW when the game arrives later on next week!
iRobot 110 FirstLook hands-on (video)
iRobot's Bedford, Massachusetts headquarters is literally crawling (well, rolling) with robots of all shapes and sizes, from friendlier household fare like Scoobas and Roombas, to the 450-pound Warrior battlefield 'bot, which patrols the perimeter, looking for mock IEDs. The highlight of our trip this week, however, had to be the time we spent with 110 FirstLook. Sure, durability is job number one, when you're building products for the military, but the plucky little robot takes things to a whole new level. At five pounds, you can pick the thing up and toss it -- in fact, the company encourages such action. The FirstLook was built to be thrown into dangerous areas, and it's rugged enough to smash through plate glass windows to get there. The 'bot has a patch of skateboard-like grip tape on its top, opposite the bendable antenna, so you can easily grab it with a single hand. You toss the FirstLook side arm, like a frisbee, and no matter what side it lands on, the rubber treads will cushion the blow a bit. If it happens to hit the ground upside down (with the antenna on the bottom), the triangle wings on either side can be slowly extended in either direction to right the robot. Same goes for when it bounces down a flight of stairs, unharmed.
iRobot's 'throwable' 110 FirstLook bot gets drafted into the military (video)
There's something pretty damn appealing about a controllable robot that can be hurled through a window and live to tell the tale. It looks like the military brass agree; The Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization (JIEDDO) has ordered over 100 of iRobot's 110 FirstLook scouting units. Unsurprisingly, these robots are tougher than your garden variety RC vehicle. Aside from managing our desperate throws, these can survive 15-foot drops, self-right, relay radio communication over a digital mesh network and feed back video from its four built-in cameras. After a year of internal testing, the bots will get their first on-the-job trial in an "operational assessment" later this spring. Check out the (military) man-toy in action right after the break.
Able Planet reveals BT500 Bluetooth headset, NC1200 noise-cancelling headphones (first look and ears-on)
Looking for your next set of utilitarian headphones with a touch of aural-spice? While we were roaming the halls of CES, Able Planet (known for its hearing-aid-based Linx sound-clarifying technology) has given us a behind the scenes look some hand-built, pre-production models set to release later this year. Join us past the break for our overview and initial impressions. (Pro Tip: you'll want to read-on if wireless or noise-cancelling headphones pique your interest.)
Turtle Beach Xbox Chat Adapter gets the hands-on treatment, admirably untethers talkative gamers
Back at E3, Turtle Beach unveiled its wire-ridding Xbox 360 Bluetooth Chat Adapter bundled with its XP500 headset (a re-badged PX5), but there were no accounts of how the dongle performed. That's now changed thanks to Joystiq, who've gotten their lucky mitts on one of ten prototypes. Spoiler: they're really enjoying the little guy. Voice quality was reported as being "excellent" and the device easily paired with headsets. There's no annoying charging cable required either as the XBA juices off the controller, but only time will tell how that impacts battery life. The big quirk critics found was that its single button, which operates as a muting / pairing and on / off switch, was oft-engaged accidentally -- obviously not ideal for newb trash-talking. Sure, it's not totally seamless like Tritton's official digs, but Xbox aficionados should certainly be stoked about soon having options to ditch those chat cables for good.
