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Real Racing 2 HD wireless, dual-screen gaming with iOS 5 on iPad 2 hands-on (video)
It's just one week after Nintendo unveiled dual-screen gaming on the Wii U at E3, but Apple's iOS 5 beta is already bringing a very similar experience to the living room -- many months before Nintendo's latest console is expected to ship. We installed iOS 5 on an iPad 2 and Apple TV, and took the latest version of Real Racing 2 HD for a test-drive, which enables dual-screen gameplay over AirPlay without the need for Apple's $39 AV adapter. Other games, like Angry Birds, simply mirror the iPad's display (and aspect ratio) on your HDTV, but Real Racing streams 16:9 HD video. For this game (and we imagine many more to come), you use the iPad as the controller -- both while navigating through menus and in race mode -- while the game appears only on your TV (though the tablet does display some vitals, and a map of the track). There's noticeable lag between the iPad and Apple TV when using AirPlay, which may be an issue for games where timing is important, such as Rock Band, but didn't seem to set us back while playing Firemint's racing game. Overall, AirPlay offered a seamless gaming experience without a single hiccup -- surprising, considering iOS 5 just hit beta last week. It's difficult to do this hands-on justice without a video demo, so jump past the break for an exclusive look at wireless, dual-screen gaming on the iPad and Apple TV.
Real Racing 2 announces wireless iPad to TV streaming, waves at Wii U
Real Racing 2-dev (and recent EA acquisition) Firemint took the opportunity at WWDC today to announce AirPlay support for its latest iOS racer. When the just-announced iOS 5 is released later this year, it will enable AirPlay video mirroring support, which Firemint will be using to do a lot more than just mirroring; the iPad 2 will be able to wirelessly send an HD signal to your Apple TV while using the iPad 2 to handle real-time racing telemetry and tilt-based steering. Of course, this is the reverse of Nintendo's just-announced Wii U functionality, which sends a wireless signal from a console to the WiiPad. Notable differences between the two platforms include the fact that the iPad is a standalone portable device that can be used without a TV and this will be available sometime in the next four months, as opposed to late next year.
EA agrees to buy Firemint, devs behind iOS hits Flight Control, Real Racing
Electronic Arts continues to chase the mobile market, today announcing an agreement to purchase Firemint, the Australia-based developer behind iOS hits like Flight Control, Real Racing and, notably, "an attractive future slate of games." Flight Racing, anyone? While it may be true love, EA and Firemint aren't ones to kiss-and-tell; the purchase price isn't being disclosed. EA isn't just buying Firemint, however. The developer recently purchased fellow Australians Infinite Interactive, the devs behind the popular Puzzle Quest series. For its part, EA recently purchased a company called MPP, a "leader in high quality cross-platform development and porting of games for smartphones." We don't know about you, but we detect a faint whiff of synergy. Oh, here it is: "The added technical expertise of MPP, combined with the creative talent of Firemint and our EAi studio teams, fuels EA's leadership in delivering top selling, high quality games across mobile phones and smartphones, tablets and future digital interactive entertainment platforms," EA Interactive's Barry Cottle said in a press release. This courtship has ostensibly been going on for some time. Before it struck it rich on the App Store, Firemint labored in the EA Mobile mines working on the Madden NFL 3D series, a 2006 mobile release of Need for Speed Most Wanted, and something called The Sims DJ. You can't say Firemint hasn't paid its dues.
Real Racing 2, Grand Theft Auto, others on sale this weekend
A whole slew of apps are going on sale this weekend, including Firemint's Real Racing 2 (which has dropped down to half price at US$4.99) and Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars (also $4.99, down by the same discount). Adult Swim's hilarious little Robot Unicorn Attack running game is only 99 cents, on sale for both iPad and iPhone. In fact, all of the Adult Swim titles are on sale for just 99 cents, so you can look through those to see what you like. I'm not sure what the impetus is behind this sale, but it's best not to ask questions. If you need a few new games to play this weekend (and honestly, I'm not sure you do, given all of the great titles on the App Store lately -- I'm still loving Battleheart), there you go.
New games flood App Store before impending holiday release freeze
The App Store is in constant danger of new release bombardments, sure, but many companies adhere to a regular, weekly bombing run beginning each Wednesday, through the wee hours of the night (UTC), dropping their new iPhone and iPad games on Apple's marketplace while many of us are snoozing. Last night was no exception -- actually, scratch that. It was exceptional! Pending the start of the "iTunes Connect Holiday Shutdown" next Thursday -- a six-day lockout period when developers will be unable to release or update apps, including games -- an army of companies, armed with their big holiday releases (for little iDevices), launched a massive attack on the App Store last night. What began as a few warning shots yesterday grew into a full-on assault, led by Gameloft's crisp clones, NOVA 2 and Shadow Guardian, and Square Enix's surprise (and apparently rushed) port of Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light. Even Sega couldn't resist launching a few more classics in Altered Beast and Sonic Spinball. And what's this ... Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3? Hey, if Street Fighter IV worked ... Pursue our complete list of new release highlights after the break, and then make double-sure "Santa" knows you've been good enough for an iTunes gift card this year.
Another week of big iOS releases: Real Racing 2, World of Goo, lots more
As expected, the App Store has released another round of new apps, and since we're right in the middle of the busy holiday season, there are a ton of great and long-awaited games to play either out today or coming this evening. Telltale has released the first episode of its Tales of Monkey Island series on the iPad, continuing the storyline from the classic game. Gameloft's Uncharted-like Shadow Guardian will be available this evening, as will NOVA 2, the sequel to last year's popular FPS. We saw a preview of both a little while back. Sega is bringing the old Altered Beast game to the App Store, and it's probably just as bad as you remember. Eidos has surprised us with a release of the Xbox Live and PSN title Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light, arriving on the App Store for both iPhone and iPad tomorrow. Should be a good one -- reviews were excellent on the previous platforms. Aralon: Sword and Shadow HD is a really impressive fully 3D action RPG to play through, available for $6.99 on the App Store soon. Real Racing 2 is coming out this evening. I got to play an early build, and I can tell you that it's fantastic -- one of the best racing games on the App Store. Riven: The Sequel to Myst arrived on the store last night. Classic adventure title The 7th Guest is now out on iPhone for US $2.99 and iPad for $5.99. World of Goo is also due out on the iPad tonight, and this version is supposed to be one of the best. EA's Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is arriving on iOS in a streamlined version, but it's going to be on sale for just 99 cents, so that's nice. Duke Nukem 3D isn't a new game, but it (and the iPad special edition) has gone free recently. A few apps are updating for the holidays: both educational astronomy app Star Walk and destructive worm simulator Super Mega Worm have special Santa-related updates out now. Man oh man, that's a whole lot of great games to play. Most of these apps aren't quite out on the App Store just yet (though some of them are available in New Zealand, where it is already tomorrow), but they should all be live on the US store by 11:00 PM Eastern time.
Real Racing 2 coming to iOS December 16th
After a few weeks of teasing and hints, Firemint has finally revealed all about its upcoming Real Racing 2 game for iOS, and it looks extremely impressive. The first game in the series is still one of the most popular and well done racing games in the App Store, and Firemint is upping the ante high for the second go-round. Real Racing 2 will feature 30 licensed cars from brands like Ford, Jaguar, Volkswagen and McLaren, and will pit those vehicles against each other in a 16-car grid both online and offline. There will be five game modes to play through, including a full-featured career mode, and forty miles of track to race across 15 different locations. The game will also offer Game Center integration, and a number of different control options to drive however you want. Firemint was kind enough to send out an early copy of the game, so we'll be kicking the tires and running a few laps to see how it plays before release. Meanwhile if you're interested in what seems destined to be one of the best iOS racing games so far, stay tuned -- the game will be out on December 16, available in the App Store for $9.99 for iPhone and iPod touch.