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Arms control and free speech go to court over 3D-printed guns
Cody Wilson fundamentally altered the way we produce and distribute firearms in 2013 when his company, Defense Distributed (DD), first published the plans for a 3D-printed pistol, dubbed The Liberator, on its website. The State Department didn't take too kindly to this revelation and sent DD a letter demanding the instructions be removed as they violated a number of US Arms Export control laws. Now, two years later, Defense Distributed and the State Department are going to court over the matter in a lawsuit that potentially holds far-reaching implications for both the First and Second Amendments.
Great, now 3D-printed rifles can fire larger, deadlier rounds
In 2013, Defense Distributed created the world's first 3D-printed handgun, the .38-caliber Liberator. The following year, they unveiled an AR-15 receiver capable of firing hundreds of 5.56mm rounds without fail. This year, designers from FOSSCAD has raised the bar yet again. They've successfully crafted and test fired the receiver for a Colt CM109 modular battle rifle -- the AR-15's badass big brother. The CM109 is larger and heavier than the AR-15 as it is built to accommodate a larger caliber round: the 7.62 x 51mm NATO. The 7.62mm rounds fly farther and strike with much more force than the 5.56mm, making them far more deadly. It also means that the lower receiver (the bit that holds the firearm's moving parts) has to be both heavier and sturdier in order to handle the increased mechanical stresses and harder recoil associated with using a bigger bullet.
The NYPD is trying a more precise gunshot detection system
Zeroing in on the precise source of gunfire is next to impossible in densely packed cities like New York City. Shots reverberate off of building facades, obscuring the shooter's location and costing law enforcement precious response time. But with a newly installed gunshot detection system, the NYPD will know exactly where those shots are coming from.
Nerf's higher-powered foam guns are meant for older fans
Nerf guns can be fun if you're a grown-up -- just ask the legions of people who modded the Maverick revolver. They're not really intended for an older audience, however, which is why Hasbro just unveiled a range of Nerf blasters meant for high schoolers (and adults) who take their plastic weapons seriously. The highlight is the Rival line you see above, which shoots foam balls at nearly 70MPH -- they won't sting like paintball rounds, but you're definitely going to feel the blow. You can get the $50 Zeus MXV-1200 if you insist on fast motorized reloads, or the $25 Apollo XV-700 if you're content with lever action.
Hunt Hardcore works for beginning and experienced hunters
Hunt Hardcore offers a variety of social media type features that allows hunters with all levels of experience to share their adventures and seek help to become better hunters. The free universal app requires iOS 7.0 or later and requires users to register an account or use their Facebook account to login. The app contains a lot of the same information as the hunthardcore1.com web site. As with most social media apps, Hunt Hardcore allows users to make friends through the app and follow the new friends' postings. As users submit comments, trip stories, photos and video they receive activity points and the app then ranks users based on their point totals. You can also search users by name or get a listing of all members. Users will find a section devoted to photos posted by other users. The section contains lots of photos showing hunters in a variety of locations. Some show the hunters' kill while others show the animals the hunters were stalking. The one issue I had with this section was that none of the photos had any details about the photo such as when and where the kill took place or any other specifics about the actual hunt. The most information users will find is in the app's forum. Here the section is broken down into six different sections: Big Game Hunting, Bird and Small Game, Weapon Specific posts, State Hunting regulations, Taxidermy, and Hunting Products. Each of these segments contain numerous posts from users dealing with those specific areas. For example under the Big Game Forum you will find sub headings for Elk, Whitetail Deer, Bears, Wolves and other predators, and more. As you move deeper into the forum you can get details of hunting trips including some with photos and videos. Another section is devoted to classified listings where hunters can sell all types of weapons, tents and other camping gear, GPS devices, and a few listings for hunting trips posted by outfitters who specialize in putting hunters in a position to take down a particular species such as a New Mexico cougar, or Wyoming elk. Hunt Hardcore has some other features posted but these did not include a lot of information. One labeled Quizzes had no content, another had a blog but it had not been updated since December of 2012, and a third for polls had just three or four polls listed and just one of those dealt with a hunting issue. The others sought input from users on site logos and features. Overall if users stick to the forums and utilize the apps huge member list I think they will find Hunt Hardcore useful. Making friends with other hunters in different parts of the country or state you live in can be especially helpful. The photos and videos make interesting viewing but I wish they offered more specifics about the hunting trips.
Welcome to CES, where $50,000 can turn you into a skilled marksman
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-881708{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-881708, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-881708{width:629px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-881708").style.display="none";}catch(e){} What's holding most everyone back from being a talented sharpshooter? Lots of training. But now you don't even need that to hit a target from thousands of feet away thanks to TrackingPoint's Mile Maker sniper rifle. Well, anyone who's rich enough that is. The outfit's targeting this (pun intended? You be the judge!) massive and heavy gun at people with way more money than time: folks like doctors and lawyers who want to go on safari in Africa and come back with a zebra bust for the wall, guaranteed. If you have a spare $49,500 lying around, you could bag practically any trophy too. But doesn't that take away from the art and discipline of shooting? For TrackingPoint's answer to that question, check out our stage interview above.
There's now a steel-reinforced bullet for 3D-printed guns
Despite all the hype surrounding 3D-printed guns (good and bad), they still haven't truly taken off outside of enthusiasts. A reason for this is, perhaps, the lack of powerful ammunition -- something that's not 3D-printed or, put simply, generally made out of plastic materials. But, as Wired reports, a gentleman from Pennsylvania has already started working on a solution, for those who were looking for one anyway. Michael Crumling, a 25-year-old machinist, recently designed bullets that use a rather thick, steel shell, strong enough to keep a hold of the blast from inside without spreading any force to the weapon.
Yardarm will tell dispatchers when and where police fire guns
With the exception of maybe old Andy Taylor, most police officers in the United States carry a firearm as part of their standard equipment. Wouldn't it be nice to know when those sidearms are drawn, and why? A Silicon Valley startup called Yardarm seems to think so -- it's testing a new gun accessory that can notify police dispatchers when officers draw and fire their weapons. It's a small Bluetooth-enabled sensor that attaches to the officer's pistol and interacts with a companion smartphone. In addition to tracking the gun's action (if it's been fired) and location, it can also sort out which direction the weapon was fired and even if it has simply left its holster.
Gun company figures out how to shoot around corners using Google Glass
TrackingPoint is a startup that's building smart weapons, like rifles with targeting scopes that'll turn a rank amateur into a crack sniper. Now, the company is working on ShotView, a system that'll separate the user form the sight entirely, which is what's being demonstrated in this concept video. Pumping live video from the gun to nearby WiFi devices, the company wants smartphone, tablet and Google Glass users to be able to point their weapon around corners and over obstacles, "blind" firing with deadly accuracy. We just hope someone makes the Diane Von Furstenberg frames a mandatory accessory, or future battlefields are going to be sorely lacking in style.
Facebook and Instagram step in with age limits on firearms ads, new rules for sellers
For most, Facebook's "Look Back" videos were a whimsical retrospective covering a decade of social networking. For Moms Demand Action, an advocacy group that supports gun control laws, the nostalgic campaign was a opportunity to be heard. The group published a parody Look Back video highlighting pages and posts that use the social network to set up gun sales between private parties, some of which violated Facebook's community standards. Now, Zuckerberg and Co. have responded, announcing a handful of new policies designed to help keep posts promoting the sale of regulated goods within the letter of the law.
DUST 514 jacks up its arsenal but nerfs damage output
DUST 514's small-arms arsenal is getting a few new options with Uprising 1.8. The patch will add three new guns and reduce damage to allow for longer fights. The new guns include the Caldari Bolt Pistol, a high-DPS, small-clip handgun; the Caldari Magsec SMG, a semi-automatic with higher damage than other SMGs; and the Gallente Ion Pistol, a plasma-shooting beast that punches right through enemies' armor and shields. The devs said that they will be tweaking time-to-kill in 1.8 by reducing the power of high-level damage modifiers, taking one grenade away from what players could previously hold at a time, reducing base damage for several weapons, and applying weapon proficiency skill bonuses against either shields or armor.
Waterloo Labs uses paintball guns to make automated works of art
Waterloo Labs is at it again, but instead of concocting eyeball-controls for Italian plumbers, it's futzing with paintball guns. The team has rigged a trio of the paint-filled firearms to make automated art with a little help from a webcam, Labview software, 3D-printed parts and an awful lot of wiring. What winds up on the canvas is pulled from a 50-pixel by 50-pixel image that is fed into the Labview suite. From there, the data moves to the three servo-mounted paintball guns, which precision-fire at their target to replicate the original art. If this description sounds slightly simplified, that's because it is -- the video embedded after the break has the nitty-gritty details. While this setup probably doesn't serve a real-world purpose, it might give your favorite Jackson Pollock wannabe reason to pause.
EverQuest Next devs punt the question of guns and ninjas
Should "modern" concepts like guns and ninjas be included in EverQuest Next? At the risk of editorializing, we think guns and ninjas should be in every MMO, even the pacifistic ones. SOE took the question to the community, which was divided on the answer, and the studio tackled the topic internally as well... ending up with the team divided in a similar fashion. In a new roundtable video, the devs talk about the pros and cons of including a fantasy twist of these familiar concepts in Norrath. The main concern the team had for anything being put into EQN was that it pass through a lore filter to make sure that it wasn't going to be out of place. The devs aren't committing to a "yes" or "no" on these concepts wholesale but will be examining them on a case-by-case basis to see if there's a precedent -- and to keep their options open for now. You can check out the full discussion after the break. Don't forget to check out our EQN roundtable wrap-up while you're at it!
APB Reloaded offers more gun-borne pathogens to players
A week ago, APB Reloaded introduced a new gun that had a unique trick to it: You could only get the gun if someone killed you with it. The Colby .45 AP was a hit, and killing several players offered a special title, so the team decided to go to the next level with new guns that travel like diseases. Players who rack up kills with the limited-time Colby .45 AP can unlock two new weapons based on the Argotech Close Engagement System (ACES) platform. The ACES SMG boasts a permanent modification that increases its rate of fire while degrading accuracy, making it ideal for taking down opponents in close quarters. The ACES rifle, on the other had, has an extra-long barrel for increased accuracy and damage, turning the same core weapon into a long-range killer. If you've already got the Colby, start racking up kills to unlock the SMG and then the rifle; if you don't, the handgun can be purchased from Armas or Joker Distribution. Start infecting people with bullets!
The Daily Roundup for 05.08.2013
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
EA kills licensing deals with gun makers, keeps those guns in games [Update]
Behind the scenes, EA is dropping licensing ties to real-life gun manufacturers, but on-screen it still intends to use branded guns in its games. Most recently, EA has worked with gun manufacturers such as McMillan Group International and gun magazine maker Magpul to promote Medal of Honor: Warfighter, but now those deals are off – even though EA still plans to use name-brand guns in its shooters. "We're telling a story and we have a point of view," EA Labels President Frank Gibeau tells Reuters. "A book doesn't pay for saying the word 'Colt,' for example." EA spokesman Jeff Brown says branded weapons lend games "enhanced authenticity," which is why EA wants to keep them in its games. However, all official agreements between EA and gun companies are now severed. "The action games we will release this year will not include licensed images of weapons," Brown says. Following December's mass shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, the NRA and a handful of politicians and pundits blamed video games for encouraging gun violence. One week after the shooting, NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre said video games represented "a callous, corrupt and corrupting shadow industry that sells, and sows, violence against its own people." Brown says that the NRA's comments have nothing to do with its decision: "The response from our audience was pretty clear: They feel the comments from the NRA were a simple attempt to change the subject." EA is currently involved in a lawsuit with Bell Helicopter, who argues that use of its helicopters in the Battlefield games goes beyond fair use and infringes on Bell's trademark. A jury trial is set for June to decide the issue, which could easily apply to EA's new gun-licensing theory. Update: Jeff Brown tells Ars Technica that EA has never paid a licensing fee to a gun manufacturer, nor has it been paid to use specific branded guns in its games. EA will simply continue this practice in the future. "No other EA game or service has used licensed gun images in a game," Brown says. EA did work with McMillan and Magpul for that Medal of Honor: Warfighter campaign, a charity benefiting veterans that encouraged gun makers featured in the game to donate. Those that did were featured on a Warfighter sub-page as "authentic brands" in the game. All of the money went straight to the charity, Brown says.
Check out the weapons of Crysis 3
Bow hunting is the in thing with FPS games lately, and while Crysis 3 doesn't slack on that front, it also offers other, equally absurd weapons for exploding aliens in a hyper-stylized future environment. Why use a regular gun when you can use a 10-barreled gun infused with the power of dubstep?
The Daily Grind: Do you want to worry about ammunition?
Despite the fact that my thief in Guild Wars 2 carries pistols which appear to be capable of holding one shot at a time, I don't recall her ever reloading. Nor do I recall ever having to buy the oxcarts full of ammunition that she apparently has at all times, because it has to come from somewhere. Like many games, Guild Wars 2 does away with worries about ammunition and focuses instead on just giving you weapons that fire when you want. On the one hand, this makes sense -- ammunition in World of Warcraft was such a hassle that the designers eventually did away with it altogether. It's a break in verisimilitude for ease of play. On the other hand, removing the need for ammunition removes the possibility of special types of ammunition, and the ease of play issues could be addressed in other ways. So do you want ammunition in your game? Or would you prefer to just have an infinite quiver and focus on shooting arrows? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
New DUST dev diary has guns, lots of guns
There's a new DUST 514 dev diary video making the rounds, and this time the focus is on the title's guns. They fall into three categories (heavy, light, and sidearm), the first of which are restricted to mercs wearing heavy armor. As with DUST's dropsuits, weapons may be modified via add-ons and new skills in a similar manner to EVE Online's extensive spaceship fitting options. Producer Thomas Farrer, also known as CCP Wolfman, is your guide to the guns of New Eden, so join him after the break for the full clip.
Infinity Ward animator talks first-person flourishes
Chance Glasgo, a first-person animator at Infinity Ward, did a Reddit Ask Me Anything thread last weekend, taking on questions about the complicated weapon animations seen in games like Call of Duty and Battlefield. You should read through the whole thread if you're interested, but PC Gamer has kindly grabbed some of the most fascinating insights.Glasgo says that "most serial numbers on guns in CoD have significance" of some kind, whether it's just a reference to his workout gym of choice, or a hint to something in the game's larger mythology.He also explains that while gun aficionados will often tell him he's made some sort of technical mistake in rendering realistic weapons, the choice to do things differently is simply creative. For example, you're never supposed to point a real gun anywhere but forward even while reloading it, but following that rule would make some of these just so ... boring.
