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Epic plays the new Unreal Tournament (and you can, too)
Epic Games has shown off the first playthrough of its upcoming Unreal Tournament reboot/sequel/thing-we-haven't-had-since-2009, and the results are ... well, it's got a ways to go. But that's okay, because as you may have heard, Epic wants you to help shape the game as it's developed. And now, you can. According to a post on the Epic Games community site, those who subscribe to Unreal Engine 4 can download the prototype on display above, while intrepid coders can even create their own prototypes. Not a fan of the weapons available, or think the character models move just a hair too slow or fast? Build your own version and submit it for the community to test. While calling what's on display and available to download a fully-fledged game would be generous to say the least - the devs in the video seem genuinely surprised when the build keeps track of score and recognizes a winner - it is still, nonetheless, the bones of what will one day form a complete skeleton. A skeleton which will subsequently develop meaty, bloody bits that will presumably be blown away by Flak Cannons. [Image: Epic Games]
Google designs new self-driving vehicles that lose the steering wheel and pedals
Google has been tweaking its self-driving car project for years, but now it's taking another big step. Later this summer it will start testing prototype vehicles it's designed from the ground up, instead of merely retrofitting existing vehicles. Announced tonight the the Code Conference, the new prototypes aren't equipped with a steering wheel, mirrors, pedals or other vestiges of vehicles gone by, and for now are limited to a maximum speed of 25MPH. As explained in an early preview to Re/code, the car is driven entirely by computer, with backup automated systems for brakes and steering that would take over in case of a failure of the primary setup. So far, Google says it's not planning to sell the vehicles itself, but is looking for "friends and partners to bring them to market. Following rumors from late last year, the automated cars could partner with a "friend" like Uber for a delivery service that runs on autopilot. Take a peek at test drives and demo videos explaining how the cars work after the break.
Hand-held malaria tester sequences DNA, suggests meds quickly
Despite how far we've come with technology, malaria is still a serious threat for huge chunks of the developing world. A prototype tool from UK-outfit QuantuMDx, however, could help stave off mosquito-related deaths by giving health-workers the power to diagnose the disease in 10 - 15 minutes. As the team tells it, typical DNA sequencing can take days, weeks or even months, but its "lab on a chip" can rapidly diagnose a disease and accurately predict which drug and what dosage to administer -- all based on the parasite's genetic code. That last bit is key because malaria has a nasty habit of being resistant to medications.
Duskers ditches the paper prototype to bring survival horror to space
The last time we spoke with Misfits Attic founder Tim Keenan about this game, it was called Scavenger, and it was a paper prototype starring tower-defense mechanics and a Han Solo-esque character traveling the galaxy to pay off his debts. Now, it's called Duskers, and it's darker. The game has migrated to the screen, and it's no longer tower defense; instead, it's a roguelike with RTS and dungeon-crawling aspects in a survival-horror setting. "You pilot drones into derelict spaceships to find the means to survive and piece together how the universe became a giant graveyard," Keenan explains in his pitch video. In Hollywood terms, Keenan compares Duskers to The Road and the original Alien. The art in the pitch video is temporary, but the mechanics are nearing their final forms. Players must use power-ups and abilities to outsmart and avoid enemies waiting behind various spaceship doors. "The game's strongest moments come when you feel that there is no solution to a problem, but then by creatively thinking about what upgrades you have and the predicament you're in, you have this MacGyver-type moment where you come up with a plan," Keenan says. Keenan is looking at funding options for Duskers (Kickstarter is the "worst case" option), but the tentative plan is to get it on Steam Early Access for PC this year, with a full launch in 2015, he tells Joystiq. So far, his previous game, A Virus Named Tom, has kept the lights on, but it's not quite enough to fund a second game. Misfits Attic has a few projects in the works right now.
Chaos Reborn playable prototype released to backers
XCOM series creator Julian Gollop has released a new playable prototype version of his crowdfunded strategy game Chaos Reborn as the project enters its final days on Kickstarter. Available exclusively for backers, version .11 of Chaos Reborn gives an early look at the game's multiplayer component. The release follows up on Chaos Reborn's recent approval at Steam Greenlight, and a final version is set to launch next year. Currently, Chaos Reborn has earned over $134,000 toward its initial funding goal of $180,000, with eight days remaining in the campaign. [Image: Julian Gollop]
The Sun at Night studio announces Murder at Mystery Manor
The Sun at Night developer Minicore Studios announced that it's currently prototyping Murder at Mystery Manor, an online multiplayer investigation game that puts players at the heart of a low-poly murder mystery. Similar in setup to the classic board game Clue, Murder at Mystery Manor challenges players to unanimously identify a murderer among their ranks by piecing together clues and communicating discoveries with one another. Unlike Clue, however, the player who is assigned the role of the murderer at the beginning of each game must successfully break away from the group and kill an assigned target without being seen by other players, adding a layer of deception to gameplay. Murder at Mystery Manor is in development for PC platforms, and a release date has not been announced. Minicore is also developing The Sky Below, a direct sequel to last year's The Sun at Night. [Image: Minicore Studios]
This Apple portable desktop prototype would make you the ultimate hipster at Starbucks
MacBooks are great and all, but this 1980s prototype for a portable computer definitely challenges today's portable Macs for overall cool factor. Less a laptop and more of a desktop-on-the-go, the prototype is housed at Frog Design in San Francisco. You'll never get your hands on it, but just imagine dropping by your local coffee shop while carrying this sexy machine at your side. Slap it down on a table, prop up the before-its-time flat panel display, and watch as the stares come fast and furious. I can't imagine typing on the strange, angular keyboard, but it certainly fits the machine's retro-futuristic vibe. Of course, you'd probably need to hunt down an open power outlet before long, as I can't imagine something so unflinchingly 80s would have gotten very good battery life. [Photo credit: Ian Lamont, In 30 Minutes guides]
NASA reveals three spacesuit designs, wants you to choose a favorite
Looks like NASA wants to add more zing to its futuristic Z-series spacesuits, because the agency just revealed three far-out outer shell designs for the newest prototype. The new model (called the Z-2) is a follow-up to NASA's Buzz Lightyear-esque Z-1 spacesuit prototype, which was named one of Time Magazine's Best Inventions of 2012. There are several differences between the two, including the quality of their upper torsos: while the Z-1's is soft, the Z-2's is hard and impact resistant. Another interesting tidbit about the new suit is that its creators used 3D-printed hardware during the development and sizing phase.
Apple engineer explains where the iPhone came from
Offering a rare interview in the run-up to another legal fray between Samsung and Apple, the senior engineer behind the iPhone has explained where it all started, part of Apple's plan to communicate how groundbreaking the original iPhone was. Talking to the WSJ, Greg Christie explained how the secret project, Purple, brought the iPhone to life. At some point, the former Apple boss told him straight: the team had two weeks, or he would assign the project elsewhere. "Steve had pretty much had it... He wanted bigger ideas and bigger concepts." In the end, the "shockingly small" team had outlined a touchscreen phone with swipe-to-unlock, no physical keyboard and all the music-playing features of the company's iPod series. They ran early software tests on a plastic touchscreen, hooked up to a dated desktop Mac [seen above] -- an effort to emulate a low-powered mobile processor.
Mirama hopes to replace your smartphone with a headset, your camera button with a finger gesture
Mirama wants do away with the the camera button on your smartphone. In fact, don't even get the smartphone out to begin with. Its prototype headset lets you frame and take a picture using your hands and its built-in camera. No buttons, no vocal cues, not even a wink. Other gestures, registered by the camera sensor, add the ability to confirm or cancel (thumbs up and down, respectively) while you can even attempt a hand-written message ... if you have the right level of motor control. (Our own gestured penmanship during a quick demo proved we didn't.) The cameras on the left and right, meanwhile, offer a constant stream of what you'd be looking at if you weren't wearing the headset. Gestures (well, your hands) then appear in bright cyan on top of the video feed.
Sony's early VR headset prototypes looked pretty silly
Head-mounted display, movement sensors.... done. Sony Computer Entertainment's Shuhei Yoshida says that the company's been working on its Project Morpheus VR hardware for over three years and it's fair to say it's come a long way: the early model above features three Move controller modules, attached in what could be described as the Mickey Mouse formation. It's somehow cute, but also hilarious.The luminous pearl-finish headset revealed on stage is apparently still nowhere near complete, although SCE appear to have taken on board some of the design cues of Sony's existing head-mounted display series. There's more pictures after the break, with Yoshida himself channelling some Star Gladiator vibes with two different prototypes.
Pictures leak of the Motorola-made Google smartwatch that might have been
You may not have to wait until later this year to see a smartwatch from Google or Motorola -- in fact, you may be looking at a jointly developed watch right now. Android Police claims to have photos of Motorola-built prototype wristwear from 2013, nicknamed Gem, that was intended as an official Google device. The gadget runs Android and includes both dedicated controls for fitness and voice commands. It also mentions a "3 Bit mode" that may have been meant to save battery life by reducing the on-screen color palette. Unfortunately, it's not clear whether we'll ever see a finished version of Gem as we know it. The watch would likely need changes before it shipped, and Lenovo's acquisition of Motorola's phone business casts doubts on the whole project. If you're only looking for a possible peek at Google's early watch strategy, though, you'll get your fill at the source link.
We get touchy-feely with Fujitsu's haptic sensory tablet (video)
Since Fujitsu's prototype Haptic Sensor Tablet revealed yesterday is all about touch, describing it will be like trying to explain how a steak tastes. But here goes: It works by emitting ultrasonic vibrations below the touchscreen, which can be pulsed with varying force on any region of the screen. Those oscillations actually push your finger off the surface of the tablet and, depending on the strength, can give different tactile sensations. For instance, a high-pressure layer of air can reduce friction, making the surface of the screen seem slippery. By contrast, rapidly varying the pulses can make the display seem rough or even bumpy. At least, that's the theory. After trying it, we found some illusions like the slippery surface to be very convincing. Different textures could also exist on different regions of the screen at a resolution of several pixels. That made other simulations, like the clicking of a combination lock or DJ app volume control uncannily accurate. But the rough-texture test felt more like the screen was just sticky, and the bumpy experience was even less convincing. When touching the crocodile skin, for instance, it just felt like I was moving my finger over slippery and then clingy patches. When using it, there's also an unnatural, mildly disconcerting buzzing sensation. All said, though, it was still a lot of fun, and it's hard to see how you could get much more realistic than that with a smooth, 2D surface (as opposed to the popup overlay on the Tactus display, for instance). There's a video after the fold showing it in action, but we apologize for the occasionally poor sound quality -- as you'll see, each time the haptics activated, it messed up our camera's microphone.
Alcatel's 'smartbook' concept: a laptop powered by a smartphone over the air (video)
At MWC, Alcatel was kind enough to give us a preview of its working "smartbook" prototypes. The idea isn't too far off from Motorola's doomed Lapdock or the first-gen ASUS PadFone, where an Android phone powers an otherwise brainless laptop. What's different with Alcatel's implementation is that instead of having to physically dock the phone somewhere, you hook it up to the laptop wirelessly: video signal over WiFi, and keyboard plus trackpad input over Bluetooth. What's more, the final product will let you use the two screens somewhat independently -- at least you'll be able to see the caller ID on the phone for incoming calls. The pairing process itself is also quite interesting: instead of using an NFC coil, the laptop showcases MediaTek's cheaper Hotknot technology, which involves a little capacitive pad at the bottom right of the keyboard. The signal from the capacitive coupling between the pad and any phone's touchscreen is what helps identify the devices; so in other words, even non-NFC phones can be supported. Update: We now have a hands-on video after the break.
Fujitsu plans to launch feel-o-vision haptic tablets by 2015
Back in 2012, we were all excited at the idea of haptic technology -- touch screens that fool you into thinking that you can feel what's on display. As quickly as we saw Senseg and NEC's implementations, however, haptic fell out of the mainstream. Now, however, Fujitsu is working on an ultrasonic system, that varies the friction between your finger and the glass, which could be ready for prime time. In the demonstration, users are apparently able to pluck the strings of a Japanese harp, turn a combination lock and even stroke an Alligator. The company has knocked together a prototype in time for MWC, and Fujitsu has a goal to get the tech into commercial hardware by 2015 -- assuming, of course, that realistic lizard stroking is the one feature you've been waiting for.
Immersion prototype headset tracks gamer rage, ramps up difficulty
Seattle-based designer Sam Matson developed a headset that tracks "gamer rage" and adjusts a custom game's difficulty to compensate for it. Dubbed "Immersion," Matson's headset uses an optical sensor that reads "minute color changes in the user's ear tissue to approximate a pulse." Matson's prototype headset includes both audio input and output channels in addition to the heart rate monitor, relaying information via bluetooth to a hacked Xbox 360 controller. He developed a custom shooter game using Unity that ramps up the difficulty as the player's heart race increases, encouraging the player to stay cool and collected. The Immersion headset isn't a commercially available product, and it's uncertain if it ever will be, but Matson does offer a few glances at the prototype model on his website.
Microsoft built 75 Xbox One prototypes before settling on its finished design
Gadget design is rarely a simple process, and we now know that the Xbox One is no exception to the rule. Microsoft designer Carl Ledbetter has revealed that the game console went through many 3D-printed incarnations before the company settled on a final product; there were 75 system prototypes, 100 for the Kinect and 200 for the gamepad. The development team spent a long time finding a balance between familiar Xbox design cues and the desire for an always-on media hub, Ledbetter says. Whether or not you think Microsoft achieved its goal, it's clear that the Xbox One's current look was never guaranteed.
Remastered Sonic the Hedgehog 2 hits Android, iOS tomorrow with bonus Hidden Palace Zone
Longtime Sonic the Hedgehog fans can look forward to a key piece of series history surfacing in the upcoming remastered iOS and Android versions of the classic 16-bit platformer Sonic the Hedgehog 2, as the new mobile ports will include a finished, playable version of the game's long-lost Hidden Palace Zone. Originally planned as a bonus level showcasing Sonic's transformation into Super Sonic after collecting the game's seven Chaos Emeralds, the Hidden Palace Zone was scrapped midway through Sonic 2's development. The level's remnants later surfaced in a prototype version distributed as a downloadable ROM file, sparking fan discussion and speculation for years afterward. The mobile version of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is developed by Sonic Retro members Simon Thomley and Christian Whitehead, creator of the "Retro Engine" that powered the multiplatform Sonic CD port released for Xbox Live Arcade, the PlayStation Network, PC and mobile platforms in 2011. Whitehead is known to incorporate cut content in his modern-day Sonic ports; the recent Sonic the Hedgehog remake for iOS and Android featured an expanded debug mode giving access to items scrapped from the original game, and his Sonic CD adaptation hinted at a revival for Sonic 2's lost Dust Hill Zone. The Hidden Palace Zone is featured in Sonic the Hedgehog 2's upcoming Android release, and is included in a free update replacing Sonic the Hedgehog 2's previous port on iOS. Both the new Android version and the iOS update are launching tomorrow.
Google Glass mod gives you control over home appliances with one touch pairing
The beauty of Glass is that we're just barely scratching the surface of what Google's smart eyewear can, and eventually will, do. Leave it then to the brainiac undergrads at UC Berkeley's CITRIS lab to show us one possible direction that sees the wearables modded for at-home convenience. By adding an IR emitter to the side of Glass, the Berkeley team was able to demonstrate remote control of home appliances by pairing them with an Xbee 802.15.4 WiFi radio and microcontroller. The controls for the setup are simple. A user need only look at the intended appliance to bridge a connection -- made possible by an IR-transmitted device ID -- and view toggles for control. We know what you're thinking: how does Glass select one appliance from a cluster of nearby devices? To accommodate for this hassle, the team's made it so that the heads-up display will show the user a numerical range of selectable devices and a blinking, blue LED on the intended target when pairing is successful. Users can also swap between appliances by swiping down on Glass' touchpad or allowing for a connection timeout. Yes, it's still early days for cumbersome Glass prototypes like this one, but we'd bet the farm you'll be turning on the AC with the blink of an eye before long. You can check out the demo video after the break for proof of this Glass concept.
Motorola's modular phone prototype is almost ready, final product might be sold on Moto Maker
Sure, Moto Maker makes it easy to deck out your phone with a fresh paint job, but the company's CEO has bigger goals in mind for the customization engine. Speaking with YouTuber Marques Brownlee, Dennis Woodside envisioned a Moto Maker capable of customizing not just your smartphone's color scheme, but its functionality too. He was talking, of course, about Project Ara. "The idea is you have a skeleton that holds together a set of components and the components slide in and out," Woodside told Brownlee, explaining the modular cell phone project that was revealed in October. The CEO said that a prototype is "pretty close" to being ready, and the final product could find its way to Moto Maker. "Ara is much further out, but you can see how those two things tie together and how, as we introduce new materials into Moto Maker, we're going to pursue that theme across our product line going forward." It's a vague prediction, but it is encouraging to hear that the customization platform might eventually grow beyond its one phone trick.
