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Scientists make a Mobius strip of laser light
Unless you count incidents in Star Trek episodes, Möbius strips don't really occur in nature -- you have to create that freaky one-sided shape yourself. However, a worldwide team of scientists may have produced the next best thing. They've created a Möbius strip of light by manipulating the polarization of the light's inherent electromagnetic field. The trick involves firing a highly focused laser beam through a liquid crystal lens to give it a very specific polarization. When the light scatters at the focal point with the help of a nanoparticle, that polarization creates tiny, twisted loops. While these strips were made in a lab, of course, the experiment shows that they're at least possible in nature.
Joystiq Weekly: VR walker Omni, Hitman Go review, Mario Golf's season pass and more
Welcome to Joystiq Weekly, a "too long; didn't read" of each week's biggest stories, reviews and original content. Each category's top story is introduced with a reactionary gif, because moving pictures aren't just for The Daily Prophet. Okay, we have to admit that the Omni, a motion-tracking platform that associates real-life walking with in-game movement, is kind of ridiculous, right? Yeah, we do and we will - as long as we can also acknowledge how interesting the concept is. Sprinting in reality to hurry down a virtual hallway probably won't be as quick as strafing with arrow keys, but the tradeoff sounds worthwhile. Pairing Omni with the Oculus Rift would bring us closer to the hectic deathmatch action of games like Halo 4, but we could also do rhythmic leaps through stages of Runner 2 or wildly-dangerous imitations of Mirror's Edge's parkour. Hmm ... maybe Omni should be bundled with life insurance. We can ponder the benefits of treadmill controllers together, but if your brain needs a break from all that, there's plenty of gears to switch to after the break. Between a glimpse of the new Ace Attorney game, reviews for NES Remix 2 and Hitman Go, and an exploration of morality systems like those found in the Infamous and Mass Effect series, there's lots to think about beyond how physical our video games could be in a few decades.
Moebius: Empire Rising review: Elementary, oh dear
Moebius: Empire Rising is a game about history repeating itself, asking the player to investigate a string of people whose lives mirror those of famous, important figures throughout history. It's fitting that the story itself plays like a knock-off of previously written characters and storylines – most notably Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes series. The Holmes role is played by Malachi Rector, a highly intelligent antiques dealer-turned-investigator who makes it clear he doesn't want anyone to care about him; Dr. John Watson is filled in by David Walker, an ex-military man who puts up with Rector's snark in order to protect him; and Mrs. Hudson is Gretchen Stern, Rector's long-suffering assistant. Moebius plays out like bad fanfiction – the action sequences are dramatized to the point of absurdity, the characters are caricatures rather than believable human beings, and the story is predictable. Given the involvement of adventure game guru Jane Jensen, I expected Moebius to have sophisticated characters uncovering a mystery complete with adventure, thrills and, most of all, surprises. As it turns out, I've read better fanfiction.
Moebius: Empire Rising out April 15 from Phoenix Online Publishing
Pinkerton Road's crowdfunded point-and-click adventure game Moebius: Empire Rising will make its debut on April 15 for WIndows and Mac platforms via newly formed publisher Phoenix Online Publishing. Phoenix Online Publishing is the indie-focused publishing arm of Phoenix Online Studios, developer of Cognition and The Silver Lining. Moebius, indie RPG Quest for Infamy, horror adventure game The Last Door: Collector's Edition, and mobile puzzler Lost Civilization are the first games slated for release under Phoenix Online's new label, as additional projects for PC, mobile platforms, and consoles loom on the horizon. Revealed in 2012, Moebius was one of many point-and-click adventure games that turned to Kickstarter for funding, surpassing its goal of $300,000 and earning more than $435,000 in backer pledges. Developer Pinkerton Road also plans to produce a remake of designer Jane Jensen's Gabriel Knight later this year. [Image: Pinkerton Road]
Jane Jensen's Moebius gets mysteriously murderous in new trailer
Pinkerton Road Studios leaks its first story details in this newly launched trailer for Moebius, an upcoming point-and-click adventure game in which attempt to piece together the circumstances surrounding a high-profile murder in Venice. Helmed by Gabriel Knight series creator Jane Jensen, Moebius was funded last year as the result of a successful Kickstarter campaign. In the game, players control Malachi Rector, a genius antique dealer whose eye for detail lands him in the middle of a secret government conspiracy. Moebius is set to launch for Windows, Mac, and Linux in early 2014. Ports for Android and iOS are also in development.
Pinkerton Road reveals second title, uses traditional publisher model
Pinkerton Road Studios, founded by former Gabriel Knight designer Jane Jensen, has raised more than $300,000 in its Kickstarter campaign, insuring work on its first title, Moebius, can move forward. Pinkerton Road is also working on a second adventure title this year, but is using the traditional publishing model, Jensen revealed in the above update.The new game is called "Mystery Game X" for now and Jensen has revealed just three details: It's a third-person adventure; it's a dark mystery; she thinks you will be excited about it. That last one is less of a detail and more of "wishful thinking" or "early marketing," but hey, we figure she's probably right anyway.
'Moebius' could be first adventure game from Jane Jensen's new studio
Described as a "metaphysical sci-fi thriller in the vein of Fringe," Moebius is set to be the first adventure game from Pinkerton Road Studios, pending a successful outcome on its ongoing Kickstarter campaign. Early project backers pushed Moebius through the gate first, and have contributed nearly $174,000 out of the requested $300,000.The publicity surrounding the project is hinged on Jensen's prior work as designer and author for Sierra's celebrated Gabriel Knight series, in which a long-haired occult expert and demon hunter solved dark mysteries in-between sarcastic quips.In Moebius, we get an antiquities dealer named Malachi Rector, who's gifted with an ability to sense "the soul" of an object. (So, think of him as having a knack for explaining any nicks on your knick-knacks.) Rector seeks to identify the significance of a woman's suspicious death in Venice, and how that connects to a shifty millionaire named Amber Dexter.Moebius, as currently envisioned, should arrive sporting a "graphic novel look" in March 2013. Project backers have until then to fund the project and provide feedback throughout its development, possibly starting with an even-handed request to have the name "Amber Dexter" stricken from the game.%Gallery-153268%
