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11 Bit Studios' 'secret game' is... Anomaly 2
A few weeks ago, 11 Bit Studios (the creators of Anomaly: Warzone Earth and Anomaly: Korea) announced a "secret game" deal, that offered a special deal and bonuses towards an unannounced game for a small amount of money. Today that game has been revealed...and it's Anomaly 2. 11 Bit has returned to the Anomaly well and created a full-fledged sequel to the popular "tower offense" series that has you guide a convoy of vehicles around enemy towers, defending your crew and taking down the structures as you go. As you can see from the announcement trailer, Anomaly 2 ups the ante with vehicles that can turn into full war mechs, very active alien opponents and one really big addition: multiplayer. Plus, the game looks better than before, and units seem much bigger and more detailed. Sounds good to us (I bought the secret deal when it was available, and I'm glad I did). 11 Bit Studios hasn't yet announced what the "extra gaming gift" is yet, but presumably it's coming. Anomaly 2 will initially be available for PC, Mac and Linux in the second quarter of this year, but given how popular the series has been on iOS, you have to think it'll make its way to the App Store eventually, too.
EVE Online hits 500,000 subscribers, heads into second decade
Most modern MMOs launch to an initial flurry of sales followed by a steady decline in player activity, but sci-fi MMO EVE Online has lived life in reverse. The game initially failed to secure a large number of launch sales but has since grown organically into one of the most successful subscription MMOs on the planet. EVE developer CCP Games told Massively today that the game has now officially broken the 500,000 subscription barrier. Subscription numbers hit the 450,000 mark following the relaunch of EVE's Chinese server Serenity in December of last year, and they have continued to climb ever since. This new subscription milestone is attributed to the success of EVE's recent Retribution expansion and the anticipation building over upcoming console MMOFPS DUST 514, which is set on actual planets in the EVE universe. EVE is due to hit its 10th anniversary this year on May 6th, and developers have been taking the opportunity to look forward at what the coming decade will bring to the game. We caught up with CCP for a quick peek at the studio's plans for the future and to find out what kind of announcements we can expect from EVE Fanfest in April of this year.
Bungie's 'Destiny' coming to the PlayStation 4 alongside PS3 version
Activision Publishing's Eric Hirshberg took the stage during today's PlayStation 2013 event to announce that the Bungie-developed Destiny will make its way to the PlayStation 4.Bungie president Harold Ryan said that Destiny "is being developed for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4, with both versions available at Destiny's launch." Ryan also added that PlayStation gamers will enjoy exclusive content; however, he did not specify if the bonus included both current- and next-gen consoles.An early version of Activision and Bungie's contract detailed an intricate release plan, which noted Microsoft platforms would see Destiny release as a timed-exclusive.
PlayStation 4's dedicated video hardware will allow seamless video uploading, streaming, sharing
Lead system designer Mark Cerny took the stage at today's PlayStation 4 announcement event, and he's just revealed some very interesting features of Sony's newest console. Cerny said that the PS4 is equipped with always-on, always available hardware for both video compression and decompression, which means that playing and recording video won't take up the CPU during your gameplay. This makes for a lot of interesting features, like seamless uploading and downloading of video -- you'll be able to just hit the "share" button on the new Dualshock 4 controller, browse through "the last few minutes of gameplay," find what you want to send, and then upload it while you continue on through your game.Cerny also said that having this much video running around will allow players to share and view video at will: You'll be able to browse through videos of potential opponents before you play against them in a game, or view streaming videos on a PS Vita or "companion apps" on tablet hardware. Players will also be able to interact while watching each other play, or even "take over the controller" remotely via video streaming. The hardware sounds very impressive indeed. Stay tuned to the Joystiq liveblog and to the site all day today for more info on the PlayStation 4 and how it all works.
Anomaly Korea creators tease secret game, which you can preorder now
The last time we spoke with the guys from 11 Bit Studios (right before Anomaly Warzone Korea landed), they had plenty of plans for a huge desktop game they were working on (to be available for PC, Mac and Linux). And now, it appears they've announced the title ... sort of. They haven't actually said what the game is, but they have released this secret game page, that features a very short teaser trailer hinting at what they're working on. "Hinting" is about right -- there's really nothing to see, except for some troops rolling up on a weird object that seems to be alien and dangerous in some way. That's it. But if that has somehow convinced you, then we have even more news: You can preorder this secret game, sight unseen, right now. That's right -- for just US$7.49 (half off from $14.99 at the moment), you can preorder a game you know practically nothing about, and you'll get access to the game's multiplayer beta, a full copy of the game when it arrives and even an "extra gaming gift" from 11 Bit Studios. So a secret gift in a preorder for a secret game? Apparently. The game itself will be announced in full on February 28, but the sale will be over then, and the price will go back up to $14.99. So basically, they're asking you to bet $7 on whether the game will be good or not. 11 Bit is the studio behind the great (award-winning) Anomaly Korea titles, and the excellent Funky Smugglers, so hey, tossing in the $7 for whatever else you get is probably not a bad deal at all. We'll keep an eye out for just what the secret announcement is on the 28th, and let you know then.
Tim Cook's speech at Goldman Sachs Conference moved to open market slot
This is an interesting note that might not turn out to mean much, but who knows? Apple CEO Tim Cook is scheduled to speak at the upcoming Goldman Sachs Tech Conference this week, as he's done before. The talk was originally set to take place on Tuesday at 4:15pm ET, which would have placed it after regular trading ends in the stock market. But Cook's speech has instead been moved to 10:15 AM ET, which will put it right at the beginning of the stock-trading day. This has lead investors and analysts to wonder if Cook really has something to say. In the past, he's basically just waxed eloquent on Apple's philosophy and choices, but the rumor mills are ablaze with news of new products from Apple, so it's possible Cook could hint at a new announcement, or just plain make one. It does seem unlikely that Cook would use someone else's event to make a big announcement, as Apple usually likes to run its own events these days. But Apple will be streaming audio of Cook's presentation, as usual, so maybe he will have something new to tell us. No matter whether the change means a new bit of news or just a schedule conflict, we'll of course be listening in live to see what Cook has to say.
Rumor: PS4 in Japan later this year, will cost more than $400
The PlayStation 4 – which is currently expected to be announced on February 20 – will be available later on this year in both Japan and the US and will carry a hefty price, according to a translation of a report found in respected Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun. The Japanese version, says the translated report, will cost "greater than 40,000 yen," which means it will be more than $400 there.Asahi adds there will be a rush to meet sales demands on both sides of the world, but the paper doesn't specify a US price; however, the PlayStation 3 launched at $500 when it came to North America, and cost 49,980 yen in Japan, around $535. So Asahi's report suggests that whatever the next generation PlayStation's price is, it will likely be slightly cheaper than the PS3 was at launch.There's also no mention of a European launch, and the PS3's launch was indeed delayed in Europe by hardware shortages. Hopefully, Sony will clear all this up on February 20.
New Sherlock Holmes game announced, uses Unreal Engine 3
Focus Home Interactive recently announced a new game in the Sherlock Holmes series called Crimes & Punishments. In development by Frogwares, the adventure game will feature eight cases in which players will guide Holmes through "important moral choices instead of simply enforcing justice by the book."Frogwares ditched its previous Sherlock Holmes engine in favor of Unreal Engine 3 for this game, and opted for a more modern-looking Holmes, seen above. Crimes & Punishments will launch on PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 sometime in 2013. Yes, even the release date is a mystery. %Gallery-177885%
LittleBigPlanet 2: Extras Edition coming to Europe in February
LittleBigPlanet 2: Extras Edition was recently announced for Europe, and is due to release in February. Extras Edition will include the original game along with three bonus level packs and a number of costumes for Sackboy to wear.Of the packed-in level kits, the previously-released Cross-Controller Pack is included, which has players using their Vita systems to control Sackboy in the game. The other level packs bundled on the disc are the Move Pack: Rise of the Cakeling, which features PlayStation Move controls, and The Muppets Premium Level Kit. Click past the break to check out the full box art of the Extras Edition.
Ubuntu teaser counts down to January 2nd launch, hints at touch-based OS
"So close, you can almost touch it." The Ubuntu home page is currently dominated by a banner with that teaser, along with a clock counting down to 8AM ET on Wednesday, January 2nd. Our guess is that the pre-CES announcement may focus on mobile, with a touch-friendly interface possibly on the horizon. During a Slashdot Q&A in December, Canonical founder Mark Shuttleworth clued readers in on the company's plans to bring the OS to mobile devices, including smartphones and tablets, as part of a strategy to familiarize desktop users with the Linux-based operating system. While this week's announcement may fall in line with that objective, it's likely to be just one part of the equation, with 14.04 LTS not set to launch until April 2014 at the earliest. Either way, we have more than a day to go before Ubuntu's mystery is unveiled, so tune your browser to the source link below to join in on the countdown fun. [Thanks, Brian]
Brink dev reveals new PC multiplayer shooter Dirty Bomb
Brink and Enemy Territory: Quake Wars developer Splash Damage announced Dirty Bomb this morning, a new PC multiplayer shooter from the broadened developer. The teaser video showcases what looks like modern day London, except torn up by lots of people shooting and exploding the hell out of each other. The vid also reveals Dirty Bomb uses a version of Unreal Engine.The only other Dirty Bomb info comes via Splash Damage's publishing partner Warchest, whom players will likely need to register with to play the game given the "reserve player name" link on the teaser website.The London-based developer will be hoping its newest major project is better received than its last one, although the underwhelming critical reception Brink endured wasn't matched by its last estimated sales figure of 2.5 million. The studio has since undergone a re-organization, including the launch of new publishing arm Warchest.
Everspin throws first ST-MRAM chips down, launches commercial spin-torque memory era
Who says scientific breakthroughs never amount to anything? Everspin has followed up on research developed by IBM, TDK and German researchers years back and released the first commercial spin-torque magnotoresistive RAM (ST-MRAM) onto the market. The technology works by taking advantage of electron "spin" to store data in a magnetic, rather than electronic state, providing non-volatile memory that doesn't wear out. The company said the first chips were about 50 times the cost of flash memory by size, but where a typical NAND module can perform about 800 iOPS, ST-MRAM is capable of 400,000 -- making it ideal for SSD caching and other demanding applications. Everspin has started shipping working samples of the 64Mb DIMMS in a DDR3 form factor, saying that future versions will scale to gigabyte capacities and faster speeds -- keeping Moore's Law hurtling inexorably forward. Check the PR after the break for the company's spin on it.
New product information now available on Apple.com
Apple has posted new information and new specs about all of the products announced today over on its website. The new iPad mini is probably the biggest news of the day; Apple has squeezed down the iPad into a smaller package, while still holding up the same resolution as the iPad 2 and the same great experience. The price seems a little high to us, but we'll have to see how the new device does when it ships in November. The brand new iMac is gorgeous, probably the most surprising release today. Apple's brought all of its mobile engineering knowledge to bear on a new desktop computer that seems like a bargain starting at $1299. The 13-inch MacBook Pro got a revamp, as well as a Retina display to match its 15-inch brother. The new laptop looks great, and be sure to check out Apple's material on the Fusion Drive option in these new computers. It's a wild combination of hard drive and flash memory that should make loading apps and data faster than ever. The Mac mini also got a very nice update, and don't forget to check out the new server version preloaded with Apple's server apps. And, finally, the iPad got revamped for a fourth generation, less than six months after the third generation was announced. This update was a little surprising (especially for third-generation iPad users), but it makes sense that Apple would want to make sure the full-sized iPad was updated to match its new little sibling. If you already have a third-generation iPad, this probably won't do much for you. But for anyone looking for a new iPad, the latest version looks to be more powerful than ever. All great stuff from Apple today, and be sure to check out the product pages for some neat Easter eggs with the images. These products will ship very soon, so in the meantime, the best we can do is pore over all of Apple's materials on the website, and poke around the couch to find enough money to afford them all.
Talkcast: Looking ahead to iPad mini, earnings and more
It's Talkcast time again, and it's a doozy -- we're on the brink of a new product announcement and a quarterly earnings report, and that just gets us to Thursday. What will we see at Wednesday's announcement? Will there be pie? Plus a hands-on assessment of the current flagship in mini tablets (for the next few days, anyway), the Google/Asus Nexus 7, from the perspective of an iPad owner. It's going to be nothing but fun -- and better if you join us. To participate, you can use the browser-only Talkshoe client, the embedded Facebook app, or download the classic TalkShoe Pro Java client; or just call in. For the web UI, just click the Talkshoe Web button on our profile page at 4 HI/7 PDT/10 pm EDT Sunday. To call in on regular phone or VoIP lines (Viva free weekend minutes!): dial (724) 444-7444 and enter our talkcast ID, 45077 -- during the call, you can request to talk by keying in *8. If you've got a headset or microphone handy on your Mac, you can connect via the free X-Lite or other SIP clients (aside from Skype or Google Voice); basic instructions are here. Talk to you tonight!
Mew-Genics is the next Team Meat game
Team Meat's next game is called Mew-Genics. The game is described as "randomly generated" and will involve cats in some way, purr per Team Meat's announcement blog.Super Meat Boy creator Edmund McMillen said the project is the strangest he's ever worked on, and that platform announcements, gameplay details and screens for Mew-Genics will be revealed soon.
Media invitations for October 23 Apple event are in the air
A few minutes ago, Twitter lit up like a jack o'lantern with word that Apple's long-anticipated email invitations to the October announcement event have arrived in inboxes near and far. The media event, to be held at the California Theatre in San Jose, will serve as the finale for months of speculation on the widely rumored "iPad mini" shrink of Apple's market-leading tablet computer. Engadget's got the invite graphic -- "a little more to show you," indeed. Macworld chief Jason Snell points out that the last Apple event to be held at the theater was the iPod photo launch featuring U2's performance. In case you're in the market for more than a teensy iPad, 9to5Mac suggests that new Mac minis and a new 13" Retina MacBook Pro will be sharing the stage. As Erica noted this weekend, the launch of a scaled-down iPad could mean big things for the textbook market. Publishers are rumored to be part of the 10/23 event, as are game developers. We'll be here with our popcorn and nachos come October 23, so stay tuned!
Apple announces 'Special Event' for October 23rd -- we'll be there live!
Apple has just invited members of the press to attend a product launch on October 23rd, where we assume the long-rumored iPad mini will be unveiled. The event will go down merely weeks after Apple took the wraps off of the iPhone 5 (and strangely enough, the Foo Fighters played their last show for the foreseeable future). It's quite unlike Apple to throw two product parties in the fall, but if an entirely new iPad is being revealed, it may be a scenario that becomes more familiar in years to come. At this point, we're left with far more questions than answers: will the iPad mini really ship with a Lightning port, while the Retina iPad -- which was only introduced in March -- continues to ship with the "old" Dock Connector? Will Apple really continue to refresh its two iPad products at different intervals? Will the (presumed) AT&T iPad mini actually include mobile hotspot functionality? And while we're at it, is Apple really going to throw a "one more thing" into the mix by bumping its 13-inch MacBook Pro into Retina territory? After all, tossing "little" into the invite could allude to a smaller iPad and an update to an already-small laptop. We'll be there to bring you the blow-by-blow as it happens, so feel free to go ahead and take next Tuesday off. We'll sign the approval form.
Samsung Galaxy S III mini pops up, we go hands-on (video)
When word first started trickling out that Samsung planned to make a mini version of the Galaxy S III, it had the air of plausibility -- we've heard from many a person about the too-large size of that phone for their hands. Then, a press invitation confirmed that "something small" was in the works, and finally mobile chief JK Shin confirmed that a smartphone of that name would be announced today in Frankfurt, Germany. Now Samsung's spilled all the beans, and revealed the new Galaxy S III mini, a slightly paler version of its bigger brother in specs as well as screen size. Our own short time with the phone certainly revealed that its pushing all the same "inspired by nature" buttons of the original Galaxy S III (and the Galaxy Note II), with the same exact rounded pebble shape and layout. The German marketing rep we spoke to said his company's research found that users wanted the same phone design as the 4.8-inch Galaxy S III, but in a smaller form factor -- to more easily fit smaller hands and pockets. Samsung said those folks don't necessarily need or want the most powerful phone they can get their hands on and are content to have mid-level specs -- so the mini carries a 1GHz dual-core processor, 1GB RAM, a 4-inch, WVGA AMOLED screen and 32GB max of memory. It remains to be seen if those specs will dilute the Galaxy S brand, but in any event, we found the phone certainly doesn't cramp our regular-sized hands like its older brother can (let alone the Note II), and the comfortable shape of the original works even better in a mini size. The button placement is identical to the larger handset, and the phone will come out of the box with nearly identical Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean functionality -- with the added Samsung TouchWiz twist, of course. That includes new niceties like the multi-screen option, and a brief play with the phone shows the same butter factor, even with the lesser dual-core processor. So might this mini-me Galaxy S III model sway you over to the Samsung Galaxy family if you disdain the giant screen of its predecessor? Check out the gallery below to see how the size compares with the rest of the family, and a hands-on video and interview with Samsung Germany rep Mario Winter, both after the break.
Samsung announces Galaxy S III mini: 4-inch Super AMOLED display, 1GHz dual-core CPU, NFC
Samsung has just announced the Galaxy S III mini, a 4-inch David version of its Goliath big brother -- will it be worthy of its name? The rumor mill churned out that it might be a dumbed down version, but an oblique comment by mobile head JK Shin suggests otherwise -- either way, we're on the scene in Frankfurt, Germany to give you the long (and short) of it. According to the spec sheet we just received, this Android 4.1 phone features a dual-core 1GHz chip (which is good news for the 1,500mAh battery), 1GB RAM, 8 or 16GB of internal storage plus an extra 32GB maximum via microSD. The 4-inch Super AMOLED screen comes with a WVGA resolution, while the main camera takes five-megapixel photos plus 720p video, and there's a VGA front-facing camera as well for fans of video chats. There's obviously the usual bundle of radios as well, including 802.11a/b/g/n WiFi, GPS, GLONASS, FM radio, Bluetooth 4.0 (LE) and even NFC, but for now, this 111.5-gram TouchWiz device will only support HSPA 900/1900/2100 networks along with EDGE 850/900/1800/1900. Update: Our hands-on with the phone is live! Richard Lai contributed to this report.
Samsung mobile head confirms 4-inch Galaxy S III mini announcement tomorrow
It looks like the rumored Samsung Galaxy S III mini is real, and it will make its debut at an event in Frankfurt, Germany tomorrow. Mobile chief JK Shin said that the company believed there was demand "in Europe" for a cut down 4-inch version of the popular smartphone, which would otherwise carry the same specs of the original. That would give the company a high-end smartphone with an iPhone 5-esque form factor for folks who don't want to wedge the original 4.8-inch model into their pockets. Pricing and stateside availability wasn't mentioned, but Shin did say that launching the product in Korea was also "under consideration." Naturally, we'll have a lot more to report about it on October 11th, so stay tuned. Update: We've reached out to Samsung's PR folks and they've doubly confirmed the story: "we'll unveil the 4 inch Galaxy S III Mini in Germany on October 11th."
