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AirPods Pro are down to $175, plus the rest of the week's best tech deals
This week's best tech deals include $75 off the AirPods Pro, $50 off the Beats Studio Buds and up to $325 off Solo Stove smokeless fire pits.
Hints about the arthouse horror game created by a NIN guitarist and AAA veteran
Robin Finck and Cory Davis founded Eyes Out, a studio focused on experimental audio.
Strega is a compact modular synth for crafting dreamscapes or hellscapes
Strega (Italian for witch), is a complex drone machine built in collaboration with Alessandro Cortini of Nine Inch Nails fame. It can sound like a hazy memory or a night terror.
Kinect's value to artists overshadowed its gaming roots
The Kinect is officially dead. But the reality is that Microsoft signed the do-all sensor's fate years ago. Faced with slumping hardware sales in 2014, then-new Xbox chief Phil Spencer had a decision to make. Microsoft could either drop the price of the Xbox One, or continue letting Sony and the $400 PlayStation 4 eat its lunch. So it stopped bundling the Kinect with the console and cut $100 off the asking price. It worked. Microsoft doubled sales the next month, and this move has set the tone for Spencer's tenure: reversing the string of bad decisions Microsoft made leading up to Xbox One's debut. To illustrate the sensor's waning importance to Microsoft, the Xbox One S didn't have a dedicated Kinect port on the back when it was released in 2016. It's the same with the upcoming Xbox One X, except Microsoft isn't offering a free USB adapter anymore. The writing has been on the wall for a while now. If this week's news was surprising, you probably haven't been paying attention. The truth is that Kinect's greatest successes had nothing to do with gaming. Hackers adopted the sensor with open arms, using it for everything from interactive art installations to motion capture and even trippy stage shows for massive bands like Nine Inch Nails. Why? Because for the tech that's on board, Kinect was relatively inexpensive and easy to use.
What we're listening to: Nine Inch Nails, 'Men in Blazers' and Kitty
Welcome back to IRL, our series dedicated to the things that Engadget writers play, use, watch and listen to. This week, we're focusing on music and podcasts, from Tumblr-Wave to Trent Reznor. First up, Managing Editor Terrence O'Brien uncovers some hidden SoundCloud gems.
Nine Inch Nails' latest video taps into gaming legend
Nine Inch Nails mastermind Trent Reznor's current interest in video games goes beyond remastering the Quake soundtrack for vinyl and using Kinect on tour. The video for NIN's new single "Less Than" uses the retro PlayStation VR game Polybius as its main attraction. The on-screen action ramps up in time with the music, lyrics flying toward the viewer, building to a crescendo at the two-minute mark where all hell breaks loose.
Nine Inch Nails guitarist Robin Finck on his first video game soundtrack
Robin Finck's slow entry into the video game industry began, as he puts it, "a hundred years ago." Around that time, Finck -- best known as the guitarist for Nine Inch Nails -- ran into Devolver Digital co-founder Mike Wilson in a fairly unconventional place. "Mike Wilson and I camped adjacent one another at Burning Man," Finck explains. "I think he was dressed in shades and a flag and not much more, save the dust."
Rock Band Weekly: The Band, Allman Brothers, NIN, Dragonforce, etc
Fun fact: The Band and The Allman Brothers Band were originally one group called "The The Allman Brothers Band Band." Their power was so great that a fellowship of 70s artists (Tom Petty, Neil Young, etc) was formed to split them asunder. Should they ever reunite, darkness will fall on Middle Earth.
Joystiq interviews Trent Reznor
Joystiq has an excellent interview with independent noise harnessers, Trent Reznor and Rob Sheridan, of Nine Inch Nails fame. Unlikely guests for the 'stiq until they begin reminiscing about their Pong roots and flame-baiting the PS3 and Xbox 360 faithful. They also hint at near-term plans to develop "some entertainment-based video game–type stuff" while lambasting a record industry looking to Rock Band and Guitar Hero for its salvation. You get the idea, gaming nerds nerding-out about gaming only using a few more expletives than moms would probably like. The interview goes much deeper than you might have realized. The "lost questions" are now posted on Dustin Burg's personal blog. There you'll find Trent (a man who successfully trail-blazed riches at the dawn of the digital age without major label support) and Rob discussing modern music distribution techniques, the limitations of social media for engaging fans, and software application development on modern smartphones. Fascinating insight for both consumers and the industry executives controlling the music, video, and apps we crave from the artists that create them. For example, in discussing why people steal music, Trent soberly notes that, "People aren't stealing music to make money. They steal because they love music." This isn't about bootlegging anymore. Accepting this, Reznor chose to engage his fans in a new way instead of fighting them: "...that's why we released our recent records for free. That's why we came up with the pricing tiers that we did, giving people something that had value for their money if they wanted it. But we gave it away for those who aren't going to pay anyway and figured that maybe we can at least get their email address and let them know when our next record is coming out. Or, maybe, we can let them know when our next concert is coming up." Pretty savvy. More after the break.
Interview: Trent Reznor
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/arts_culture/Trent_Reznor_and_Rob_Sheridan_talk_games'; Wait. What? Trent Reznor? As in "Mr. I'll Give Away My Music," "Mr. Brutal Honesty," Mr. NINE INCH NAILS? What's he doing on Joystiq? Prior to taking the concert stage this month, The Trent Reznor, along with NIN Creative Director Rob Sheridan, opened up to us about their gaming pasts, the direction they see the industry headed in, and whether or not Trent will have a role in shaping that future.Continue reading for Joystiq's first-ever NINterview ...
Rock Band Wiikly: NIN, Weezer, Dead Kennedys, more
Rock Band Wiikly's main attractions this week are the geeks who became chic and the manorexic musical visionary-turned-slice-of-beefcake. Weezer, Nine Inch Nails and many other bands are added in this week's update of 16 tracks to the Wii music store. Find the full list after the break. Individual songs (200 Wii points apiece) "One of THOSE Nights" -- The Cab "Hands Down" -- Dashboard Confessional "California Über Alles" -- Dead Kennedys "Holiday in Cambodia" -- Dead Kennedys "Police Truck" -- Dead Kennedys "All Right Now" -- Free "Burn" -- Nine Inch Nails "Capital G" -- Nine Inch Nails "Last" -- Nine Inch Nails "They Say" -- Scars on Broadway "This is it" -- Stained "Electric Crown" -- Testament "Yomp" -- thenewno2 "Dreamin'" -- Weezer "The Greatest Man That Ever Lived" -- Weezer "Troublemaker" -- Weezer All tracks are masters and will be downloadable tomorrow, June 23.
Apple caves: NIN App Store update approved 'unchanged'
We don't know why and we don't know how. We only know that Trent Reznor is saying that the updated iPhone NIN application has finally been approved. In his tweet Trent states the following:NEWS FLASH: Apple has approved the NIN iPhone app update. Should be live in a few hours.Whatever the reason for the turn-around -- Trent's expletive-ridden rant or the fact that the developer at one point had pulled any links to the offending "Downward Spiral" album -- let's hope these nerd-fights end once the App Store gains some parental controls.Update: Reznor followed-up with this, "The NIN iPhone app is unchanged, the "issues" seem to have been resolved." Looks like Apple caved under intense criticism.
Trent Reznor rips Apple, rates smartphone OSes
Why should you care about what Trent Reznor has to say about Apple or smartphones in general? Well, for one thing, the front-man for Nine Inch Nails is a digital music visionary who's gone it alone and found gold in the deep coffers of the Internet. And that little device in your pocket just happens to be the future of mobile computing and converged media players. The story begins last week when Apple rejected an update to the official Nine Inch Nails iPhone application on the grounds of "objectionable content" (read: too many F-bombs). In this case, as it was in the rejected Tweetie update, the offensive content isn't actually part of the application; Apple's concern is with the song "The Downward Spiral" that can be streamed to the updated NIN iPhone App. The stupidity of this is palpable, but the hypocrisy is best described by Trent himself in a forum post over at NIN.com. Steel yourselves: unlike Apple we haven't censored the material -- so if naughty words can hurt you then by all means, don't click through to the full quote after the break. But Mr. Jobs, old pal, if you're listening... Trent may not be Bob Dylan, but he is the voice of the digital music generation.
NIN crowd sources concert film with 400GB of raw HD footage
When NIN was forced to abandon its film plans for Lights in the Sky, we thought the already-filmed parts were headed for the wrong can, but Trent Reznor has decided to break from the "take my ball and go home" attitude by putting the footage up online. Opening up a public domain wellspring for fans to create some great content, the 400GB of unedited HD data from three shows (Victoria, Portland and Sacramento) is available as a torrent. Don't fire up that download just yet -- Reznor warns that beyond the drive-crushing size of the content, this is totaly unproduced and not really the sort of thing for casual viewers seeking a finished product. For those of you with serious editing rigs and a yen for film production, clear off some space on the RAID and hit the link for torrent details.
NIN begrudgingly pulls the plug on 3D film tour
Man, talk about a buzzkill. Trent Reznor himself has come forward on his official website to announce that there will be no 3D tour film as previously planned. Much like what happened in the heralded U23D, Nine Inch Nails had planned to film a show in 3D with James Cameron's team for a theatrical release as well as eventual release on DVD / Blu-ray, but unfortunately, an unnamed record company pulled the rug out from under the plan at the last moment -- or, that's Trent's side of the story, anyway. On top of that disappointment, we're also told that the current North American tour is likely "the final tour for NIN on this scale." We can hear the collective weeping from here.[Via Billboard]
First Look: Tap Tap Revenge Nine Inch Nails Edition
If you enjoy Tap Tap Revenge and you're a fan of Nine Inch Nails, you're in luck. Tapulous has released Tap Tap Revenge Nine Inch Nails Edition (iTunes link). Featuring 13 tracks picked by NIN frontman Trent Reznor, it's the first game on the iPhone that had my wife playing through toothbrushing time with the kids. After getting the device back I discovered there's a giveaway that you enter when you post scores of 150,000 or higher online. The prize? A signed Les Paul guitar and tickets to the NIN show of your choice. On top of all this, the game feels more responsive and flows better than the original Tap Tap Revenge. Tracks from Ghost seem made for Tap Tap, adding to the gameplay instead of distracting from it. The app costs $4.99, and is worth it if you're a fan of the later works of Nine Inch Nails or you love punching the screen with your index finger for hours.%Gallery-35759%
Shinedown upon NIN in this week's Rock Band DLC
We've got a couple of more songs than the usual 3-track-fare in this week's Rock Band DLC. In addition to The NIN Pack, you also get two songs from Shinedown. As usual, tracks will be on the PSN starting Thursday. The Nine Inch Nails pack is $5.49 while each individual song can be purchased at $2.00: "Burn" -- Nine Inch Nails "Capital G" -- Nine Inch Nails "Last" -- Nine Inch Nails "Devour" -- Shinedown "Junkies For Fame" -- Shinedown Harmonix aims to "have 500 songs ... by holiday," so we better get used to getting more than three songs per week, not that we are complaining.[Via Joystiq]
Rock Band Weekly: Nine Inch Nails and Shinedown
Although we'd gotten used to three songs being added every week to Rock Band's music store, Harmonix told us this week a little bit more could become the norm as the developer pushes to have 500 songs by the end of the year. This week, the band Trent Reznor built and Shinedown add some songs to the library.Nin Pack (440 MS points / $5.49) -- Also sold seperately (160 MS Points / $2) "Burn" "Capital G" "Last" Individual Shinedown tracks (160 MS points / $2) "Devour" "Junkies For Fame" Videos for the tracks can be found after the break. The consoles return to a regular DLC schedule next week (following this week's Tuesday release of The Who pack), with songs being available next Tuesday and Thursday on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 respectively.
Video: Flawless 'The Perfect Drug' drumming
In news that isn't timely but is still very important because of the "holy crap!" reaction it gets, we bring you video of IBitePrettyHard drumming to Rock Band's "The Perfect Drug" DLC at 100% perfect, no faults and completely flawless. A 1,893 note streak? In-freakin-credible! Note that this video is not to be confused with the other expertly drummed "The Perfect Drug" video we posted about this past February, because it wasn't 100% perfect. Also, this new video shows not only the notes being played but the player's drum movements, which is rather interesting. Man, if only we had an ounce of Rock Band talent ...[Via Digg]
Rock Band Weekly: Nine Inch Nails three-pack
This week's batch of Rock Band DLC is a triumvirate of Trent Reznor's industrial flare. It was noted in an copy of Official Xbox Magazine from late January, although for a March 18 release. The songs (all master tracks):Nine Inch Nails pack (440 MS points / $5.49) March Of The Pigs -- (160 MS points / $1.99) The Collector -- (160 MS points / $1.99) The Perfect Drug -- (160 MS points / $1.99) The songs will be available next Wednesday for Xbox 360 and Thursday for PlayStation 3. Videos of each found after the break.
