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Skate It trailer: watch it
Aside from the eerie lack of people around, there's no indication in this Skate It gameplay footage of any cataclysmic event in San Vanelona. The parts of the city shown are intact, undamaged, and even nice and clean. Of course, when the city is full of benches, rails, and, uh, skate parks, there's plenty to do even without widespread destruction.The action in this trailer seems pretty fast-paced and smooth, with one trick connecting into the next rather quickly. That means that you may be able to get a little bit of a workout from all the frantic Balance Board leaning!
Skate It trashes a city for your amusement
The Wii and DS versions of Skate It ostensibly take place in the same fictional San Vanelona locale as the PS3/Xbox 360 game, but, as this video illustrates, the city is far from identical. "A series of freak disasters" -- apparently including alien attacks, lightning storms, and a monster -- has devastated the city's structures, causing all of the non-skater population to evacuate and turning the city into a wasteland of awesome ramps.We think this is a brilliant move on the developers' part. It allows them to make any kind of wacky skating structure they want, as long as it kind of looks like it used to be a building or a bus or something, and it explains a lack of processor-taxing crowds. Apparently you'll get to move stuff around and customize the area, as well!
See first screens of Skate It on Wii and DS
Honestly, this post went up for two reasons: We really wanted to use the above image again. It's like Tim Curry is clawing his way out of the page! We genuinely thought you'd be interested to see some screenshots of the Wii and DS versions of EA's well-received Skate. Skate It promises to fully adapt the franchise's controls for Nintendo's platforms, with the Wii version supporting both the Wii remote and the Wii Balance Board, ideal for "the full on immersive types." %Gallery-22651%%Gallery-22652%
Skate It: EA announces it
A month after IGN (basically) leaked the existence of a Wii/DS version of Skate, IGN has revealed it -- for real this time! Developed by Skate developers Black Box and EA Montreal, Skate It is a spinoff from the PS3/Xbox 360 game, although since it doesn't have a storyline or anything, whether it's a continuation or a sequel or a spinoff or whatever doesn't really matter. It is based on the same engine.The Wii version will use Wiimote motion controls, of course, but it will also use the Wii Balance Board! Check after the break for a trailer demonstrating the controls, and hit the link for IGN's interview with producer Scott Blackwood.
Black Box Lightshow flickers its LEDs to the beat
Nah, the Black Box Lightshow won't welcome you home, do your laundry or keep you updated on scores around the league, but it will keep your eyes fixated when connected to an audio source. The unit was reportedly based on a design conjured up while Rosendahl was still in college, and it basically emits a LED lightshow by "displaying the top half of the waveform of each channel with their zero levels in the center." The two knobs on the left control the amplitude and the sweep speed, and of course, the bass notes tend to have the most noticeable effect. Hypnotic, indeed.[Via MAKE]
Joy Corp intros MD-3000J GPS / black box device
It's far from the first such device, but we suspect Joy Corp's new MD-3000 unit will also be far from the last GPS / black box combo device we see, especially if incidents like these keep up at the pace they have been. As with similar devices, this one keeps the video rolling at all times, in this case recording 12 seconds before a crash and six seconds after, as well as other information from your vehicle if all those wires are any indications. What's more the device also promises to warn you in advance if it thinks your headed for disaster, and if you feel like taking a rest (or a risk while driving) you can take advantage of its PMP and DMB TV functionality. As you might have guessed, this one is strictly Korea-only, where it'll set you back the local equivalent of $1,100.[Via Gadget Lab]
Clarion DRC-3 DriveEye captures vehicle crashes
It's been a tick since we've seen a new in-car accident recorder hit the market, but just in case none of the previous flavors caught your eye, Clarion's DRC-3 DriveEye can certainly do the trick. Per usual, this wee camera attaches to your windshield, and when an impact or sudden braking / acceleration is detected, it captures the 20 seconds before and after the event. Moreover, the built-in power backup system ensures that your recordings stay in tact regardless of electronic failures within the vehicle, and just in case you feel like logging a few frames of that Lambo ahead, the manual recording button allows you to indulge. ¥49,800 ($411) gets you the camera, a 128MB CF card, and all the sensors and switches needed to rig this up, but here's to hoping you never actually need it for legal proceedings.[Via Switched]
Mercury "Black Eagle" GPS unit boasts built-in black box
While GPS units seem to be getting increasingly indistinguishable from one another these days, Korea manufacturer Mercury's latest device looks like it won't have much trouble standing out, with it boasting an integrated black box to record the final moments before an accident (GPS induced or otherwise). Apparently, the system uses a camera to track vehicles in front of you, with it able to detect when a car's break lights go on. If there's an accident, the system kicks in to store 12 seconds of video before from the accident and six seconds after -- it'll also try to warn you if it thinks you're headed for an accident. Otherwise, you'll get pretty much all the other features you'd expect, including the usual array of PMP functions and built-in DMB TV capabilities, which should make that black box all the more important.[Via Navigadget]
Black Box DVR may be the world's smallest... DVR
Have you been hankering for a really tiny DVR with a wired, hidden camera attachment? Have you had trouble finding one for less than three large? Well fret no more, because Mini Gadgets Inc. has got you covered -- and by covered, we mean they make what you're looking for, buddy. The Black Box DVR is a personal video recorder which features a tethered camera, and can utilize a miniSD card up to 4GB. The company's website claims it's the world's smallest DVR under $3000, and we're inclined to agree -- at 2.28 square inches, it doesn't get much smaller. The device can record 640 x 480 video at 30fps, and includes a "long lasting" Li-Ion battery, for when you're on the go... shooting secret videos. Available right now for the shockingly low price of $499.95.
Want a new way to skate?
Tony Hawk, your days are so numbered! Actually, it would be more appropriate if we were to say "arcade-style skating games, your days of off-the-wall tricks are numbered!" See, the upcoming PS3 and 360 title skate isn't like Tony Hawk games and others in that it plays more like a skating simulation. Gran Turismo for the X-Games, so to speak. For those instantly turned off by the mention of a sim, don't worry. Black Box is still approaching skate like a video game, so they'll let you have quite a bit of fun. We'll tell you how. The dual-analog control scheme is innovative and a huge draw for those trying to find something new in their skating titles. Create your own skater isn't limited to five standard skins, but a completely unique character for every player. skate sports 40 brands of apparel, so mixing and matching your dress is just the start. Roll up the sleeves, perhaps roll up one pant leg, tilt that hat sideways ... it's possible. Skateboard physics are paramount -- choosing between soft and hard wheels greatly affects your performance. Along with altering your trucks (tighter or a bit more on the loose side) is a good idea when taking on specific challenges. Sounds intense? It is. No stats, no set tricks, nothing locked away. The experience depends solely on your ability to perform tricks using the unique control scheme and manipulating the physics to your advantage. There's no hokey-pokey story to play through -- more like the Quest Mode in Virtua Fighter 5, with an open world like Grand Theft Auto. Gain clout by owning skating arenas, win competitions and just create your own story. Wanna be an underground legend, or a magazine-cover mogel? Your choice. It sounds like a very ambitious project and we're extremely interested to see how it pans out. But we want to know what you guys think -- will taking a more realistic approach to a mostly arcade-inspired genre breathe new life into it? We'd like to imagine so.
Half-Life 2 Orange Box -- console owners get a steal [update 1]
For the uninitiated, Valve initially intended to release Half-Life 2 in two different options for the consoles. One was the Black Box that contained HL2: Episode 2, Portal, and Team Fortress 2. The other is the Orange Box that contained the aforementioned plus Half-Life 2 and Episode 1 expansion. Notice our tenses. One was. One is. That's right -- the Black Box is gone. Doug Lombardi, Valve's marketing director confirmed it. "The Black Box has been cancelled. We're going to have one package, The Orange Box, available on the PC (US$49.99) as well as the 360 and PS3 (US$ 59.99)." While we're sad to see a cheaper alternative go down the garbage disposal, it's for the better. Getting the whole package is always a better alternative to getting a partial package. The only ones who seem to get screwed here are the PC owners. If they've already got the original game, they've got to buy it again if they want to get all three new products. Buying them separate might prove more expensive, anyway. Well, at least the console-lovers get everything at once, right?[Update: Changed the title of the article to better reflect the idea of the post -- indeed, the Black Box was due out only on PC, as it would be silly to not give console owners the actual game. But console owners get a fantastic deal with the Orange Box, no?]
Half-Life 2 Black Box gone, only Orange Box remains
The PC's Black Box bundle of Half-Life 2: Episode 2, which was to include HL2:Episode 2, Portal and Team Fortress 2 had a head crab dropped on it today and is no more. The $49.99 Orange Box is the only thing that will be offered to PC gamers and it will include the original Half-Life 2 and HL2: Episode 1, along with everything else that was to be in the Black Box. Xbox 360 and PS3 owners will be charged $10 more than that for the same thing as PC gamers, swallowing the standard "next-gen" price of $59.99.Valve's Doug Lombardi says it's not so bad, "Those who purchase the PC version of The Orange Box will get three separate Steam product codes: One for the three new games, one for HL2, and one for Episode One. This way a PC Orange Box owner can give away their Half-Life 2 or Episode One unused Steam product codes if they don't need a copy of those games. We are excited to deliver the highest value of new gaming content ever offered in one box."Now that's some slick spin. PC Half-Life gamers have to spend $10 on top of the deceased Black Box price ($39.99) to buy this thing they probably don't need... so they can give it away. We're sorry, what? Can people just take Half-Life 2 and HL2: Episode 1 out of the box if they don't need it and take $10 off the top? If you're a believer in digital distribution, none of this will affect you because everything will be downloadable through Steam, which if you already own Half-Life 2, you've already got. It's just such a strange thing to remove the choice for retail shoppers and leave them the more expensive package.See also: Team Fortress 2 gets cheeky
SET readies in-car black box / crash recorder for release
Although Sindan Electrical Trading (SET) prefers to draw similarities between its forthcoming RoadBOX Driving Recorder and the infamous black box contraptions that are finding their way into vehicles everywhere, this accident recorder actually relates more closely to the DREC1000 and TS-1L. Slated to hit the Dubai market in mid-March, this in-car recording device is mounted atop and inside the vehicle's windshield where it continuously captures video of whatever's happening in front of the car. If an impact is detected, or if the driver slams on brakes, the machine stores the video, as well as acceleration data, 14 seconds before the incident and 6 seconds after. As expected, the video file and speed data can be transferred to a computer via USB (if the box isn't too mangled, that is), and specialized software creates charts to match the acceleration / braking data and get closer to the "truth" behind an accident. Interestingly, it seems the company is actually marketing these to corporations who rely on employee-driven vehicles as a way to accurately place (or remove) blame on peon screw-ups while behind the wheel of a company car. Nevertheless, those of you interested in making any future traffic cases a bit easier on a lawyer (be it yours or the other guy's) can snap this up in about six weeks for Dh1,500, or around $176.[Thanks, Paul S.]
Nokia's aeon "full surface screen" cellphone concept
Nokia's research and development team have kicked it up a gear with an attractive "aeon" concept phone showing up in the R&D section of the company's website. The most prominent design feature of aeon is a touchscreen that stretches over the full surface area of the phone, similar to BenQ-Siemens's Black box concept phone we saw recently. Currently mobile technology isn't quite up to realizing this fantasy, but we'll sleep better tonight knowing that at least one of the cellphone industry's biggest names shares the same dream as we do -- BenQ's dream didn't count, unfortunately.
The BenQ-Siemens Black Box concept phone that never was
You know, it's too bad that BenQ-Siemens' European operations had to go under before it managed to get this slick handset out the door. From what we can make out based on these photos spotted on a Czech website, BenQ-Siemens had developed a "Black Box concept phone," which took home some Chinese design award earlier this year. The idea apparently is to turn the phone into one large screen, and change function depending on whatever application you need at the time: a calculator, an FM radio, the phone itself (duh), and something that looks like a game involving a goldfish and possibly a bathtub drain (we're not really sure). You know, this reminds us a lot of that possible iPhone patent we spotted earlier this month -- hopefully Apple can pick up where BenQ-Siemens left off?[Via Slashphone]
Drivers to be notified of vehicular black boxes in 2011
Since the National Transportation Safety Board "recommended" that all new vehicles be equipped with some form of black box -- more appropriately known as an Event Data Recorder (EDR) -- manufacturers have slowly but surely been sneaking them in. Deliberately or otherwise, a vast majority of automakers have neglected to inform customers that their vehicle has such a device installed in it, and as you'd probably expect, it's driving privacy advocates up the wall. As these EDR boxes become more popular, some form of control and notification system apparently needed to be devised, thus the NTSB stepped in and threw down some uniform regulations. Beginning in 2011, all automakers must include "information in the owner's manual" about the specific data that the EDR collects. Fortunately for car companies, the mandate goes a step further by standardizing the data collected by each box, so everyone's privacy is invaded equally. We'll just have to wait and see if those newly disclosed deets include a step by step guide to de-activating the incriminating evidence data collection, but we don't have a good feeling about all that.[Via Slashdot]
Is HDTV in David Stern's black box?
An even bigger mystery than who will go #1 in this year's NBA draft has emerged. A mysterious black box is on NBA.com, accompanied by the cryptic message that when David Stern unveils its contents it will "change the way you see the game". A big and unusual promise. Of course, we hope it contains high-def skycams for every NBA arena, or maybe a Bill Walton verbal restraint device. We certainly hope something 720p or 1080i is coming this way, but unfortunately we will have to wait. June 28th 11:30 a.m. all will be revealed (and likely be wildly underwhelming, but we're still excited).
