chair
Latest
This Wednesday: Undertow washes ashore on XBLA island
Although the hubbub may be about the new, downloadable Halo 3 maps socking it to you next month, Microsoft also used today's announcement to remind us that we'll finally be seeing Undertow on the Xbox Live Arcade this week. As you can see from the above trailer, it's basically BioShock meets Aquaman meets shooting things. ... Or something. But this XBLA release got our old friend Stephen Totilo wondering: How do publishers make the most of their 50 XBLA megabytes? He got the answer to his question recently, via a pie chart from developer Chair Entertainment. If you're part of the tiny subset of the human race curious about this sort of thing (yes, that includes us), you can check out the breakdown right here.
Undertow will swim to the XBLA Nov 21st
Undertow, the 3D sidescrolling, XBLA swimming adventure of Atlantis saving fun now has an official release date, so get out your waterproof writing instrument and mark your calendar. Developer Chair Entertainment promises a November 21st Undertow release which they announced with the help of a new game trailer (embedded above). Note the spiffy cutscenes, the underwater havoc, splitscreen gameplay and the chick who proclaims "Atlantis must not fall!" This could be a keeper fanboys and lucky for us, we only have to wait a few more weeks to see.
Undertow devs: nothin' but Unreal from now on
Independent developer, Chair Entertainment, has signed an exclusive agreement with Epic to use its Unreal Engine 2.0. Chair is currently in the Xbox 360 spotlight for its Xbox Live Arcade title, Undertow. According to the agreement, Chair will use Unreal Engine on all of its current and future projects. What exactly these projects are remains a mystery, as Undertow is currently the only Chair project of which we are aware. Whatever Chair's future plans, Undertow remains an intriguing project, cramming CTF gameplay, a campaign mode, and Unreal graphics into an impressive 50MB package.Check out our new Undertow gallery below.%Gallery-4130%Update: Chair will continue to use the Unreal Engine for its products, not the Unreal Engine 2.0 specifically.
Indie dev Chair signs exclusive deal with Epic, new Undertow images
Despite 2005's disastrous Advent Rising, which was built on Unreal Engine 2.0, Chair Entertainment will continue to use Epic's tech ... for-ev-AR. The indie developer has signed an exclusive deal with Epic to license Unreal Engine for all current and future projects. While the deal extends across the PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 platforms (no Unreal for Wii, remember?), Undertow, Xbox Live Arcade's submerged shooter, is the studio's only project known to be in development (not that we've been holding our breath for the rest of the canned Advent trilogy). As previously disclosed, Undertow will feature both a 15-level campaign (with co-op support) and a pair of 16-player multiplayer modes, packed tight like shredded tuna into the old 50MB XBLA standard. Undertow is tentatively scheduled for release this summer. [Via press release] %Gallery-4096%
Bose patent app sees electroacoustical transducers in our chairs
While finding hidden speakers tucked neatly away in one's headrest, rocking chair, or gaming seat isn't exactly surprising, Bose is hoping to integrate the technology one step further by getting "surround sound" into practically every seat imaginable. According to a patent application filed by the company, it's hoping to develop an audio system that includes an "electroacoustical transducer mounted in the back of a seat" so that surround sound is radiated and focused around the ears of the listener. Obviously, said technology could be placed into cars, recliners, office chairs, and beach loungers with relative ease, and while musical entertainment is clearly the primary candidate for use in such a system, the filing also mentions possible telephone integration. Unsurprisingly, Bose didn't mention any details surrounding RMS ratings, frequency ranges, or driver sizes.[Via Wired]
Reee chair made from recycled PlayStation 2 consoles
Where do old PS2s go to die? Well, apparently they go right underneath your lazy, game-addicted ass now that Britain's pli design is introducing a chair with a seat and back made entirely from recycled PlayStation 2 casings. Suggested retail price for the Reee chair is £99, which is actually MORE than you'll pay for a brand new PS2 these days, even in Britain.[Via Inhabitat]
Unreal Engine 3-based Undertow coming to XBLA
After the big budget (and disappointing sales) of Advent Rising, Chair Entertainment has set its sights on the much more manageable Xbox Live Arcade platform with their latest project, Undertow. Like RoboBlitz (oh, and Gears of War), Undertow uses Unreal Engine 3 to bring the pretty. The game will feature a 15-level single player and co-op campaign and two multiplayer modes for up to 16 players, but how does it play? IGN does their best Hollywood pitch, describing it as "Geometry Wars meets Battlefield," 3D graphics with 2D gameplay. Undertow is scheduled to be released on Xbox Live this summer ... if the certification gremlins don't get in the way.
Danielle Sobik's electroluminescent couch encourages nearness
Although today's not exactly a good day for some furniture manufacturers, Danielle Sobik's electroluminescent couch is looking to cure the boring couch blues by offering touch / location-sensitive lighting in an ultra-mod sofa. Clearly designed with the female in mind, the couch emits blue flower patterns when a couple is sitting apart from one another, and as the two move nearer, the patterns change in relation to their proximity. Once the two are close enough to finally get over that gripe they had earlier, the deep blue colors begin to turn to a light pink, presumably aiding everyone in just getting along. Nah, it doesn't look like Danielle has landed a deal with Berkline just yet, but this would definitely be the perfect seating location when typing away on your Luxeed keyboard. Psychedelic, man.[Via ShinyShiny]
Matsushita recalls 68,000 potentially fiery massage chairs
We're all very aware of how often Li-ion batteries have been on the literal hot seat over the past year or so, but now it looks like Matsushita has yet another recall to deal with outside of those overheating laptop batteries. The company best known for its Panasonic brand has recalled 68,762 of its electric massage chairs after two cases were reported of the "internal motor burning out" and sparking fires. Thankfully, no one was injured while getting all the kinks worked out of their spine, but considering there are much safer ways to heat your bottom while kicked back in a recliner, we doubt the unadvertised warming functions were appreciated. So if you just so happen to own one of these vibrating chairs, you should probably make haste in pulling the plug and phoning Matsushita for an RMA number.[Via Fark]
Sanyo massage chairs also detect lies?
Sure, there's quite a few ways to sniff out fibs for those who just can't "read" body language all that well, and there's certainly a entire market saturated with massage chairs that supposedly coax your muscles in return for a hefty sum of cash, but it looks like Sanyo's lineup of massage seats just might sport a hidden agenda. According to Sanyo's ever-descriptive website, its array of massage chairs sport "physical shape sensors, power recline, and GK roller technology" among other things, but the standout feature is the "stiffness detection sensor" that "locates areas of physical stiffness and gauges fatigue by changes in skin temperature, perspiration, and pulse." Interestingly enough, those three measurements are the things lie detection tools are made up of my friend, so if you've got the 1337 skills to wire up a massage chair to some swank analytical software, you could potentially extract just about any truth you ever wanted while the culprit simply enjoys the ride.[Via CNET]
DS Fanboy review: Sumo beanbag chair
What's awesome about the DS? Well, a lot of things -- but one of the best is that it's portable and can go wherever you can go (within reason, of course). But what about those times when you really want to play at home? Where do you sit? Sumo wants the answer to be in -- or on, or around -- one of their luxury beanbag chairs, and to that end, they sent us a chair to check out while we were getting some DS on.And before going into the details, let me just say -- this chair is great for DS gaming at home. Those long runs of Final Fantasy III, the ones that make your arms hurt and your eyes weary? Get up, kick the chair into a different position, and settle in ... it's like a whole new world. For shorter, more intense sessions, like getting your butt kicked on a Tuesday night in Mario Kart, I favor the upright position in the photo -- feet planted, lots of room to move, serious posture. That's my gaming pose. Grrr! So of course, I'm not as relaxed as Sumo's model. Oh well. So what's the deal with these chairs and why should you care? After all, it's just a beanbag chair, right? Wrong. Sumo is like the Lexus of the beanbag chair, with a price to match. Currently, during their holiday sale, the Sumo Omni goes for a cool $129 -- which is a lot for what we consider casual, slacker furniture. So the essential question here could be: is it worth it?
Swiss designers create LED-based assembly instructions
Sure, step-by-step instructions by some of the best modders we've ever seen can help you turn your Jaguar into a portable or stuff a Linux box inside an Apple monitor, but what if that newfangled computer desk just magically assembled itself as soon as you got it home? While we're not quite there just yet, a group of Swiss gurus have devised a prototype system that utilizes multiple series of LEDs that glow and fade based on user input, direction, and tasks remaining. Designed to be used on typical flat packed tables, chairs, and other forms of IKEA-derived furniture, the diodes act in "proactive fashion" and "adapt to each movement the user makes" in order to guide the assembler to screwing the right bolt in the correct location and in the appropriate order. While there are far too many specifics to get into here, be sure to hit the read leads for the full skinny, including a comparison to the often used "paper and frustration" method. [Warning: PDF links]Read - LED furniture assembly explainedRead - LED furniture design details[Via infosthetics]
Ronda's Media Chair revokes desires to visit the outside world
If you think the weekend was meant for kicking back in your ZipConnect Massage chair, or that uber-comfy Aeron apparatus for those fortunate enough -- we completely agree -- but Ronda's Media Chair makes even the most technologically advanced seats look like child's play. Sporting a stylish, modern design with questionably tall armrests, the Media Chair comes pre-loaded with a personal computer and a good reason to never leave the safe, familiar confines of your living room. Hanging off a polished aluminum swing arm is a fanless PC packing a 1.0GHz Intel Celeron processor, 512MB of RAM, Intel's 855 GME integrated graphics set, 20GB hard drive, built-in stereo speakers, USB 2.0, and the obligatory Ethernet / WiFi connections. You also get a 10.4-inch 800 x 600 resolution display, mini keyboard with integrated mousing device and "background illumination," and can get connected even in remote locations thanks to the optional UMTS unit. While we aren't quite sure how much coin you'd have to lay down to pick up this masterpiece of furniture design, we're sure the feeling of having everything you need all within arm's reach is indeed priceless.[Via Uber-Review]
DIY gaming chair for $80, BYO wheel/pedals
This'll be the second DIY gaming project requiring welding skillz this month! If you shied away from the DIY DDR dancepad due to lack of welding equipment, tool-blog Toolmonger has some suggestions. First, check out their awesome guide to inexpensive welders (they settled on the $380 Hobart's Handler 125 EZ), then head over to their guide on how to build a totally badass gaming chair with $80 worth of materials. That covers the chair, steel, and paint; it's bring-your-own-steering-wheel-pedal-set. The best part? Even though they've spelled it all out for you, you're still not going to do anything about it ... but you could enter their contest to win the thing! Just make a comment somewhere on Toolmonger before July 31, and your lazy ass might win an awesome chair to stick it in.[Via MAKE: Blog]
The Robotic Chair -- no, really
We can't quite tell if the goal of this self-assembling robotic chair is art, or just to freak us out, but it seems to succeed on both accounts. Conceived by Max Dean and built by Raffaello D'Andrea, the creators of "The Table: Childhood," another robotic art installation, the robot chair can fall apart spontaneously, and then drag itself across the floor and reassemble. It's all very exciting stuff, but we guess you could watch the video and decide for yourself.
The Nethrone
Seems like everybody is rolling out their concept of the next high definition media chair these days, my question is why do they all seem to look like they came straight from the dentist's office?This entry is called the Nethrone, designed for computer use, gaming and net surfing, not only has an HDTV and space for an Xbox 360, it is also totally adjustable and features integrated massagers. [Via Luxist]
