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SWTOR panel at SXSW touches on Hutt expansion and other updates
If you weren't able to make it to Austin to catch the Star Wars: The Old Republic panel at the SXSW Interactive Gaming Expo this past weekend, we've got you covered; here's a video of a good chunk of it so you don't have to miss out. Of course, we also understand that some of you might be pressed for time due to things like, oh, maybe work, so you can't kick back and watch it all at once right now. For those, we've got a synopsis of the highlights to tide you over. The devs opened with a few words about the upcoming Rise of the Hutt Cartel expansion. Sadly, no date announced, but they did mention the bonus items coming with each pre-order. Folks who spring for the expansion early (which is $10 cheaper for subscribers) will get a holostatue, a pet, and an exclusive title. The devs also emphasized the new content coming with the expansion, including gear, abilities, and two storylines on the new planet -- one for the Republic and one for the Empire. During the audience Q&A session, the devs also revealed that the cartel market update expected today will offer a cartel pack with almost entirely new items instead of repeats. All of the items can also be sold via auction. There are more tidbits to be had in this video, so pull up a chair and watch the final 22 minutes of the panel after the break. [Thanks to Jose for the tip!]
TESO food truck hits the road in March for US tour
If The Elder Scrolls Online were to serve snacks to players, what would be on the menu? Now you can find out! On March 10th, the TESO food truck will start a cross-country jaunt across the US to bring tasty treats and swag giveaways to fans. Starting at the South by Southwest (SXSW) festival in Austin, Texas, the truck will make 11 stops over the year at various conventions -- including PAX and PAX East, E3, and Comic-Con -- as well as a number of universities. Joining the kick-off festivities in Austin will be composer and singer Malukah. For more details on other tour dates, check out the official announcement.
3M develops augmented reality post-it note app
The popular South by Southwest music, film and interactive conference starts today, and 3M will be on hand to introduce a new augmented reality post-it note app, says Mashable. The app was created with the help of well-known AR developer Metaio, and the idea behind it is clever. It lets you create a virtual post-it note with text and images and stick it to a real wall. Anyone with the app can walk by the wall and see all the notes that people have posted. You can't test it out for yourself yet, as the app is still in the approval process, but you can watch a demo in the YouTube video below.
The Boondock Saints cast to announce mysterious gaming thing at SXSWi [update]
Update: A flyer for the event (added below) mentions Austin-based Critical Mass Interactive as part of the panel. A quick trip to the developer's website resulted in the banner image above, which pretty much removes any doubt about what this announcement could possibly be for. According to its LinkedIn profile, Critical Mass Interactive handles outsourced art, design and programming duties for other developers, listing The Outfit and The Incredible Hulk among its past projects. Joystiq has learned that cast members from the 1999 cult classic film The Boondock Saints will be making some manner of gaming announcement during the ScreenBurn Arcade portion of next month's SXSW Interactive festival in Austin, TX. Now, whether that announcement is actually Boondock Saints related is anyone's guess, but that seems like the logical conclusion. At the moment, all we know for sure is that Norman Reedus (aka Murphy MacManus) will be in attendance.We've got our money on it being one of those cross-over fighting games the kids seem to like so much these days; Boondock Saints vs. Pulp Fiction: Bullet Break Valencia, or maybe Boondock Saints vs. Snatch: Sceptered Isle Showdown. We're also not entirely counting out Willem Dafoe: Boy Detective, but we feel pretty good about the fighter thing.%Gallery-148453%
Companies to watch, from the SXSW trade show floor
After a tour of the SXSW trade show floor, here are some of the companies we'll be profiling in the coming weeks. Of course, there's always a mix of companies at SXSW: some film, some music, many web services -- but far fewer social media companies than last year. We've covered RedLaser and LaCie in the past, and while LaCie has new products (more hard drives, surprise!) and RedLaser has gone local, I'm going to focus on a few mobile apps and accessories you might not have heard of yet. On the hardware front, there's a portable second monitor solution called CINQ on display. The CINQ attaches to your laptop screen with a sort of clamp, and it only needs a USB port to get video and power. It supports 1280x720 resolution and weighs a mere 15 oz. For a 10.1" secondary screen, that's not bad. I felt the backlight was a bit weak, but as someone who often enjoys working with two screens, it might be a portable solution for frequent travelers. Then again, at US$249 (and not available until a few months from now), it won't be cheap. Perhaps the most intriguing and useful product I saw was from a company launched a couple of weeks ago. LifeProof enters a shockingly small market of durable, water-and-dirt-proof iPhone cases. Nowhere near as bulky as similar offerings from OtterBox and Griffin, the LifeProof case is shockproof (tested to 2 meters), waterproof down to 6 feet and keeps sand, mud and grit away. Based on the demo units sealed in with various elements, and my examination of the case, I would say this is an excellent "every day" use case for people who work outside. It also looks ideal if you climb, mountain bike or swim regularly. Shipping in a few weeks, the LifeProof case will cost $69.95. I also had a quick chat with one of the three indie developers of TapCity, what looks to be a fun game coming soon available now on the App Store. You're able to "take over" locations, earn "rent" as people check in, or conduct battles for locations -- all with cute cartoon graphics of real places around you. No word on how many cities will be supported at launch, but we'll try to get a look at it soon.
SXSW debuts Propeller indie game awards this March
Between schmoozing with record company executives and debating the merits of Lester Bangs, you may want to take a breather at South by Southwest to play a video game or two. Beyond relaxing in the ScreenBurn Arcade, you'll have a chance to demo games submitted to the first annual SXSW ScreenBurn Independent Propeller Awards. Indiepub Games is sponsoring the event, where finalists for "Best Art, Best Audio, Best Design and Technical Excellence" will show off their games from March 11 - 13. If you're a developer interested in competing, submissions are open now through February 18 -- finalists get a free flight and accommodations to SXSW at the very least, where they'll be tasked with impressing attendees. One grand-prize winner will be decided on March 13, closing out the awards as well as the first annual SXSW ScreenBurn Game Developer's Meetup (a series of "informal round tables, impromptu talks, and a barrage of industry war stories").
Garriott's Mission trailer offers a sneak peek before SXSW
You may love him, or you may hate him; but nobody can deny the influence Lord British has had on the MMO industry. Many feel that Ultima Online was a shining example of MMO mechanics, not since repeated in quite the right combination. Later, Richard Garriott went on to create Tabula Rasa for NCsoft -- a game beloved by some, reviled by others. As part of his own trip to space, he launched Operation Immortality, in an attempt to draw more interest to Tabula Rasa. He went up in space, he came back down, NCsoft released him. We all know the story by now. But what you may not know is that Garriott had a crew filming the entire time he was involved with the space program. They've compiled the footage into a documentary called Man on a Mission, which is slated to be released later this year at South by Southwest. However, for those who would like a little taste what life was like for Garriott during those hectic days juggling public appearances and training in Russia, you can check out the trailer on his Facebook page now. [via GameSetWatch]
TUAW: On the ground @SXSW
Over the years, Texas has been associated with many things: big guns, big hair, big hats, big hearts and pretty much big everything else. In recent years, Texas, and in particular the city of Austin, has also been known for hosting one of the fastest growing film, music and interactive festivals in the country. That festival is, of course, South by Southwest. Or, as its more commonly known to those "in the know": SXSW.Along with our pals at Download Squad, TUAW will be bringing you some of the sites, sounds and Mac-related news from the Interactive and film parts of the fest starting today and running through next week. So, check back here at TUAW and at Download Squad for all the latest.Also, be sure to follow our team of intrepid bloggers on Twitter to get even more scoop on the fest. Here's the details: Nik Fletcher - @nikf, Christina Warren - @film_girl, Grant Robertson - @grobertson, Victor Agreda, Jr. - @vagredajr and me, Chris Ullrich - @chrisu.
WoW Moviewatch: Second Skin Trailer and SXSW
With my move to Austin complete, all that's left is to dominate South by Southwest (SXSW) this weekend. Pure West will be premiering their MMO documentary, Second Skin, on Friday, March 7th. Yours truly will be there to get the goods on all the WoW action.Tune in this weekend for SXSW tips on video editing, sound formatting, and a slew of other fascinating topics. In the meantime, check out the high resolution version of the trailer.Previously on Moviewatch ...
DirecTV showing South by Southwest Music Festival on The 101 HD
Just days after DirecTV announced the Supreme Court of Comedy series that would soon be hitting The 101 in HD, the firm has now found yet another way to utilize the exclusive channel to its benefit. About a month from now, DirecTV will enable subscribers to listen in to all three days of the South by Southwest Music Festival in Austin, Texas, and yep, each day will indeed be broadcast live in beautiful high-definition. This year's SXSW Live will reportedly feature "24 live performances, backstage interviewees, behind-the-scenes coverage and commentary by music industry experts," and if that wasn't enough, an "interactive feature" will be available via DTV remote controls providing band schedules, information and history. Sound good? Feel free to tune in March 13th through 15th -- things will get kicked off each evening at 5:00PM EST.
Cinemassively: Second Skin Trailer
Here at Massively, we've been anxiously awaiting for Second Skin. One of my personal friends, Nexeus Fatale, was a subject in this documentary about MMOs and I've been hearing about it for at least a year. The wait finally appears to be over as they are hoping to premiere it at SXSW in March. However, Pure West released a trailer today to whet our appetite!The trailer itself mainly focuses on World of Warcraft players as they fall in love, develop gaming addictions, and as they work together in guilds. However, I did spot two scenes with Nexeus and a short blurb from Tony Walsh, of Clickable Culture. They represent the Second Life aspect of the film, which was sadly neglected in the trailer. If you enjoyed the preview, you can check out the hi-res versions on their site.
Tracking Second Life Twitterers with Tweet Scan
I first heard of Twitter, a site where you can post mini-entries of 140 characters or less, right before SXSW. In Austin, using it was practically mandatory, or you wouldn't know where anyone was. After that, it tapered off, but then suddenly everyone in Second Life was using it. However, because there's not really a search function, it's been difficult to tell who from SL actually uses Twitter.Sure, you could always use Twitter Tracking, but if you value your text messages, or have trouble with the IM client, it's hard to follow. There was once a way to find people through your Gmail contacts, but that's been disabled. Enter Tweet Scan, which allows you to search for up to five keywords and have their results delivered by email.A quick scan of Second Life turns up many people I don't have on my list. I was also able to sift through tweets about Massively, to see what our readers think. While it's not perfect, and some results will be erroneous, it can certainly make it easier to find your friends. Don't forget to sign up for inbox delivery![Via VTOR]
