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Fubo Sports Network will stream live sports and original shows
FuboTV is bringing original programming and live sports to its free Fubo Sports Network. The channel will feature shows hosted by popular sports personalities including former ESPN and Fox Sports reporter Julie Stewart-Binks and former LA Galaxy plyer Cobi Jones. Fubo Sports Network will also broadcast live action from Liga MX, the top soccer league in Mexico, as well as major events in cycling and horse racing.
Horse Races Now for iOS keeps you up to date with the latest racing info
Horse Races Now is a handy free app that can turn your iPhone into a complete racing program. After signing up for a free account, you can look at the racetrack info closest to you, or anywhere else in the US. The app features live streaming video, and race replays go back up to two years. You can set your favorites up (tracks, horses, jockeys) and get push notifications of the latest results. A search engine provides access to info and replays from every North American track. Notifications include Entry, Call to Post, At the Gate, Results, Replay and Chart and Workout. The app is easy enough to use, and includes a help screen. I'm not wild about signing up, even for a free account, because from reading the provided privacy policy it's likely some unwanted email will follow. Happily, you can opt out when those mails arrive. The app gets good reviews, and it is complete and easy to use. Some tracks don't send their video feeds, which can be frustrating, but the app developers don't have much power over that. It's up to a particular racetrack. If you are a horse racing fanatic, then this app will give you a lot of useful information. It requires iOS 5 or greater. It is optimized for the iPhone 5, but is not a universal app.
Rise and Shiny: Star Stable
Star Stable is what many would refer to as a "kid's game." More accurately, it could be described as a game for tween girls who love horses, but during my time with the game, I found that most of the players I met and talked to and most of those I saw on the official Facebook page seemed to be between the ages of 17 and 40. The players I chatted with in game and during my livestream of the game were over 19 (some well over), so it would be most accurate to describe the game as a linear world of adventure for horse-lovers to explore. While on horseback. With other players on horseback. There, perfect. There is the slightly glaring issue of every character's being gender-locked as a female rider, but I have no issue with it. The MMO stems from single-player games about a young girl and her horse, as I understand it, so playing as a girl fits perfectly. No "sexism" banners need be waved; for every one example of a game like Star Stable I can show you 100 examples of games that force women to play as men or represent them as scantily clad weaklings. So how much fun is it to ride around on virtual horses all day? Pretty darn fun.
Google doodle gets animated to honor zoopraxiscope creator
Long before there was Flash animation in the world, Eadweard Muybridge gave us the Zoopraxiscope, a simple stop-motion device considered by some to be the first-ever movie projector. Created in 1879, the player features spinning glass disks that give displayed images the illusion of movement. Muybridge, born this day in 1830, photographed a galloping horse to help settle the question of whether all four of the animal's hooves leave the ground at the same time while galloping (they do), later animating the image via his new invention. That movement can be set in motion with a click on today's Google doodle.
Exclusive: Funcom details Age of Conan's 2.1 social events
Age of Conan's 2.1 update is on the way, and today we've partnered with Funcom to bring you an exclusive look at the patch's new dynamic social events. While 2.1 is also bringing a new queue system for PvP minigames as well as a new 12-player minigame map (The Call of Jhebbal Sag), the devs seem to be expanding AoC's gameplay beyond the combat-centric confines of most themepark MMOs. While we've touched on the social additions in our weekly AoC-focused column, today's piece from Funcom itself paints a definitive picture of how the new content works. Join us after the cut for Funcom's look at the guild event and horse racing mechanics as well as some exclusive screenshots.
Age of Conan director's letter details new content
Funcom executive producer Craig "Silirrion" Morrison has returned with his monthly development update, and the August edition features a fair number of juicy tidbits regarding new Age of Conan content coming this Fall. In addition to the Dreamworld game engine update, fans of Funcom's Hyboria can look forward to a new 12-on-12 PvP minigame, new PvE zones, additional raid content, and social/guild content. The new PvE zones will open up in Khitai's Pai Kang, and will take the form of two new districts in the imperial capital city. Raid content will include additional Tier 4 instances with three new encounters, as well as further additions that Morrison says may or may not make it into the Fall update package. Finally, new guild city NPCs will allow members to host social events including treasure hunts, demon hunts, and storytelling competitions. Players will also be able to sign up for horse racing, and top tier guilds will gain access to an exclusive area on the rooftops of Old Tarantia. Morrison's letter steers clear of more concrete details (as well as specific dates), but stick with Massively as we'll be bringing you all the latest Age of Conan news as Funcom starts rolling out new content.
Mitsubishi unveils latest Diamond Vision LED HD screens at Nakayama Racecourse
Just in time to remind us that immense LED HDTV screens aren't only in Texas, Mitsubishi has announced it's installation of (the likely less-problematic) Turf Vision 1 & 2 at Nakayama Racecourse. At around 4,000 square feet, the larger Turf Vision 1 isn't quite as daunting as the pair of screens hung at Cowboy Stadium or as long as previous world beater still residing at Tokyo Racecourse, but as you can see from the pictures, what other screen would be right to view footage beamed from that track to this one? These screens go live September 12,we'll save a few betting slips for you.
Runes of Magic introduces horse racing
Frogster America has announced today the implementation of an all-new horse race minigame in Runes of Magic entitled Windrunner, allowing players to compete against seven others in an obstacle course on horseback. For the price of a few Phirius tokens (obtainable through the completion of daily quests), players will face "treacherous traps full of magic" such as slow-down effects, spider webs or even speed boosters. Winners will receive a pot full of Phirius tokens that can be used both in the game world and in the item shop. To enter, simply talk to the NPC Michelle Lang in Varanas City for complete instructions. Also be sure to check out the promotional video for the race over at the Runes of Magic main site. Best of luck!
Whip it! Whip it good! Pocket Jockey for iPhone is spanktastic
When this app made it into the TUAW mailbox this afternoon, it raised a bit of a ruckus. You'll see why if you continue to the video in the second half of the post. Pocket Jockey (click opens iTunes) is a US$0.99 horse-racing game that can provide a workout while you play. You can race against friends or the iPhone three different ways: Jump up and down while holding the iPhone in front of your face, then "whip" your horse by flicking the screen. Bouncing your legs like you're on the back of a horse after putting the iPhone in your back pocket. You can, ahem, whip the horse by spanking yourself. Tap the screen, and whip the horse by flicking the screen. Multiplayer mode works with another player who is on the same WiFi network. Be sure to watch the video to get a feel for how the app works; TUAW is not responsible for injuries incurred while playing this game (or, for that matter, ridicule incurred). There's no word on whether or not you can help your opponent's horse run faster by spanking her or him. We leave this as an exercise to the reader.
Churchill Downs launches HD simulcast next season
Next time you head to the track, whether at Churchill Downs or "select off-track betting locations and racetracks" expect a clearer look at the action, with more than 100 HDTVs installed in several areas and a 16:9 high definition simulcast, the first racetrack in the U.S. to do so. Of course that still doesn't compare to a Japanese racetrack that once upon a time boasted the biggest HDTV, and while it will probably make raceday more exciting when the 2008 Fall Meet kicks off October 26, explaining how you lost the car payment on a "sure thing" isn't any easier in HD.[Via Courier-Journal]
Family Jockey includes more than just the Equidae family
Namco Bandai's Family Jockey is starting to look like the Mario Kart of horse racing -- a wacky party game with a bunch of crazy items. And much like the cars in Mario Kart vary from go-karts to miniature hot-rods to baby carriages and such, the steeds in Family Jockey range from horses to ... non-horse animals. In addition to horses of various shapes and sizes (including a red-eyed monster horse), you'll be able to ride a donkey, a giraffe, a lion, and a zebra, making the track look pretty much like a carousel. In addition to the animal wackiness, there are items like a milk bottle that can turn your horse temporarily into a cow who just wanders around and a carrot that slows your horse down.The most delightfully non-sport-of-kings-esque: the new "Pac-Man Battle," in which jockeys must race to keep ahead of a giant Pac-Man who threatens to devour them.
LotRO Harvest Festival horse racing video, a how to
Unless you've had your head under a rock for the past couple weeks, you've probably heard all about the Harvest Festival that Turbine is hosting in Lord of the Rings Online. There's drinking, dancing, but perhaps most important of all, horse racing. As we've reported previously, the festival was extended an extra week because of an unexpected bottleneck on the horse racing game, which can net players a token redeemable for a special harvest festival horse. In the spirit of helping players get those tokens before the festival ends, here's a helpful video guide from the folks at LotroLife.
LotRO celebrates the Harvest Festival
There are a lot of Fall seasonal festivals going on in MMOs right now. From WoW's Hallow's End with its flying broomstick mount and Headless Horsemen event to City of Heroes' Costume Contest. Lord of the Rings Online is celebrating the season in its own way with Middle-earth's first annual Harvest Festival. Announced today, but starting on Friday, October 26th and running through November 11th, Tolkien lovers can enjoy a number of unique events.
Dart-shooting contraption uncovered at Hong Kong horse racing track
It looks like some horses at Hong Kong's Happy Valley Racecourse narrowly averted a nasty surprise at the starting gate last week, after an elaborate remote-controlled device was discovered buried in the track prior to the start of last Wednesday's race. According to The New York Times, the contraption was rigged to shoot a dozen liquid-filled darts into the horses as they left the gate, although officials have apparently yet to determine exactly what the liquid consisted of. They're also not sure of the motivation of whoever is responsible for the device, although the speculation seems to be that it was an attempt to fix the race. Those with knowledge of the foiled plot could be in for even bigger winnings, however, with police now offering a $128,000 reward for anyone with information leading to an arrest.
DS soon to be playing the ponies
Love horse racing sims? Dying for one on the DS? Winner's Circle is coming soon, and there are some new screens and Famitsu scans available for your viewing pleasure. In Winner's Circle, players do it all, from raising their horses and training to taking the reins as the jockey. There are three races in which would-be pros can test their mettle. Looks like this one is Japan only for now, but they've been bringing over some unexpected titles. Maybe this one will see a release outside of Japan.Scans after the jump.
