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MacBook (PRODUCT) RED already in production?
Color me crazy, but the MacBook in this music video looks a lot like it could be one of those (PRODUCT) RED MacBooks that have been rumored before. Of course, it could also just be a ColorWare job to stir up some hype - though who exactly is doing the stirring is anyone's guess. You'll know more as soon as we do.
More rumors of other RED Apple products
It seems that due to the release of the iPod nano (PRODUCT) RED last week, September's rumors of other Apple products going the RED route are circulating again. Think Secret has a few 'sources' reporting that Apple and Bono have been kicking around the idea of RED iMacs and MacBooks, though their fate is probably very dependent on the success of the iPod nano (PRODUCT) RED (man, I really wish I didn't have to type all that). Unfortunately, Think Secret doesn't have even speculation as to how soon we could see other RED Apple products, or even if they could land before the holiday season. Guess you'll just have to play your cards right until we hear more.
Verizon's Chocolate color palette getting bigger?
If neither white nor the original black are working for you, word on the street has Verizon and LG preparing two additional colors of their VX8500 Chocolate slider: red and green, putting a full them one third of the way to a lock on the primary color wheel. Though we don't have information on when the colorful duo will be released, we previously reported that we can expect the white variant before Thanksgiving, so if the intel is legit, it would stand to reason that these would come at about the same time.[Thanks, Tip]
Motorola's RED MOTORAZR V3m coming to fight AIDS
So what does Bono do after taking the iconic MP3 player RED? Why, take the cellphone-equiv RED too, naturally. Right on cue, Sprint and Motorola just announced their joint effort to the fight of AIDS in Africa, the (PRODUCT) RED MOTORAZR V3m. The V3m will launch with Sprint sometime in November for $305, or $65 with a two-year agreement and will come preloaded with five RED screensavers and even a red headset so everyone knows just how generous you are. Or aren't, since the press release only states that "Both Motorola and Sprint will contribute directly to the fund with each RED MOTORAZR sold at Sprint." Come on guys, this isn't just a thinly veiled attempt at marketing your NFL Mobile and Sprint Music Services is it -- we're talking a cut of the phone sales and at least 5% of call charges like the UK's RED SLVR right? Expect more announcements from Moto as it looks like you'll be able to go RED with the MOTOSLVR and MOTOKRZR on Sprint when these launch for undisclosed prices in November as well. [Thanks, r0fl]
iPod nano (PRODUCT) RED now shipping
Go and get it! Right on schedule, the iPod nano (product) RED is now available on the Apple store for $199. That's the same price as the other 4GB iPod nanos only with RED, Apple will donate $10 from each purchase to the Global Fund to fight AIDS in Africa. Besides, that red is hottastic, so what's keepin' ya?[Thanks, Stephen and Steven]
Bono and Oprah confirm iPod nano RED in Chicago
Welp, looks like those iPod nano Reds have been confirmed -- Bono and Oprah (Bonoprah?) congregated to the North Michigan Ave. Chi-town Apple Store to catch this amazing photo op. Hocking AIDS curing portable audio players never looked so fun.Oh yeah, caption contest! Naw, you can't win anything, but it's not like we can't have a little fun at their expense.Ryan - "Ms. Winfrey, Mr., um Bono, may I interest you in some iSplitters?"Pete - "I wish we could afford a second iPod!"Paul - "Yeah, I'm starting to have second thoughts about Vertigo as well."Cyrus - Oprah: "Do we really have to listen to all of 'Under a Blood Red Sky' right now?"Evan - "Sorry, Oprah; even as a book-on-tape, The Uncommon Wisdom of Oprah Winfrey still isn't very compelling"[Via MacRumors]
G.R.A.W. composer returns for Red Steel
While it could be considered unimportant news to some, we feel that musical composition and score are just as important to a game as its story and graphics. It's often overlooked, however we're happy to report that the gentleman responsible for the musical composition in Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter is also taking over the duties for the company's upcoming flagship Wii launch title Red Steel. Tom Salta used a variety of Japanese instruments in sculpting the score to Red Steel, instruments such as the Koto, Shamisen, Shakuhachi and Taiko. We look forward to dispatching Yakuza (and tapping our feet during) when the game releases in December.[Via Go Nintendo]
Sprint to announce red BONORAZR on Friday?
It's no secret that Sprint will be going all Moto on us in the next few weeks, but we didn't realize how soon -- or how red -- their initial offering would be. Sources are telling us that Sprint will be announcing a red RAZR (the V3m, we're guessing, like the mockup above) to benefit AIDS charities, presumably in cooperation with Bono's Red organization, much like the red SLVR before it. Normally, we'd lash out at Sprint for being so late to the RAZR game with this one, but since it's for a good cause, we're going to bite our tongues just this once.
First official public RED footage
You know the RED camera that has been making all the noise lately? Well, the first public footage of what the cam can do has been released to the public via their website. The clip weighs in at just over 100MB's at 1k resolution but is well worth your bandwidth. You may want to give the servers some time though as they seem to be slammed right now and while the clip is downloading on our systems, it is 1998 dial-up slow. Give it a chance though as this camera is suppose to revolutionize the industry. [via DVguru]
RED Digital Cinema burglarized, $100k reward for leads
We first heard about RED Digital Cinema at the NAB conference last April, where the company was showing off a $17,500 behemoth of a camcorder that shoots 11.4 megapixels at up to 60 fps and comes packed in a futuristic magnesium-alloy case. Earlier today we received word that the southern California-based startup experienced a break-in on Saturday night local time, wherein documents relating to the upcoming Red Digital Camera and possibly even some hardware were stolen. Founder Jim Jannard has posted on DVXUser.com a reward of $100,000 for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the perpetrators, although if this is in fact a case of corporate espionage, the damage may have already been done.[Thanks, Curt & Glenn]
Samsung SDC-MS21: a new addition to the Miniket line?
You'll have to forgive us, as our Dutch is a bit rusty, but perhaps some of you Netherlands-based folks can help us decipher this new Samsung SDC-MS21 that GadgetZone.nl spotted at IFA. Fortunately, specs can be understood in any language: this one features 6 megapixel, 2.5-inch screen, 3x optical zoom, ISO 1600, MP3 playback, SD card slot, 640 x 480 video at 30 fps. We're also pretty sure that the SDC-MS21 can be used as a voice recorder and a webcam, and also appears to us like it's an upgrade or possibly an addition to the Miniket line that we saw last year. Oh, and one more detail that we were able to glean from hours of pouring over our Dutch dictionaries and grammar books: it's red.[Thanks, Robert]
TGS 06: New system colors spotted [Update 1]
It looks like Sony may consider bringing out some flashier PSP designs. While these aren't "official" yet, Sony rarely shows system colors that never materialize. This camo PSP looks especially hot, and will be a must-have for a true SOCOM fan. Hopefully, it won't fall under Sony's "Signature" line of systems, or you'll most likely be unable to afford it. Other pictures from Dengenki showcase more traditional blue, yellow and red systems, which can be seen after the cut. Me? I like the yellow one the best.Will Sony ever officially announce these system colors? And if they do, will they ever bring them to the States? (Hey, we still don't have the white PSP.)See also:A closer look at the pink PSPGetting intimate with Kacho-Fugetsu[Via PSP-Vault][Update 1: Now features Silver PSP]
Red Steel interview reveals more on locales and controls
Creative Director for Red Steel Nicolas Eypert recently took part in an interview with Shacknews to discuss some things about the game's content. Nicolas reveals that while the game will feature a lot of environments in Japan, you'll be able to visit some American locales such as a tuning garage and massage institute. Japanese areas in Tokyo are confirmed to include a harbor, geisha neighborhood, and gambling area. In discussing weaponry in the game, Eypert stresses that all of the usual firearms you'd expect will be included:"You have all the standard weapons you like in a shooter: shotgun, assault rifle, pistols, grenades... The thing is that we adapted the controls for the Wii. So now you can directly launch a grenade as if you had it in your hand. You can launch it from above or roll it on the floor. That completely changes the way you enjoy the weapons."Sounds great! Head on over and check out the two page interview for more on the game's controls and focus mode, the bullet-time-like game mechanic that allows you to slow down time for greater accuracy.
Apple to ink deal with Bono for RED iPods, MacBooks and iMacs?
Think Secret is reporting that Apple might be working on a deal with Bono to produce some red products to help promote and support the U2 philanthropist's RED, an AIDS awareness charity. The idea is that RED cuts deals to produce exclusively red items from which a portion of the sale is donated to The Global Fund, an org that helps women and children in Africa who have been affected by HIV/AIDS. Keep in mind, however, that nothing has been signed yet, and while I personally think it would be really cool to see something like this happen, I'm skeptical as to whether a red Mac would fly in a store next to predominantly white and black brethren.But don't call me a hater; I'm as interested to see what happens with this as the next guy, and I think it would be a great gesture on Apple's part for the cause.
Heroes of the Pacific sequel coming to the Wii
Unless you're one who owns multiple consoles from the last generation or enjoy gaming via the PC, it's likely you've never played Heroes of the Pacific. While the game had some interesting segments, it was lacking in the kind of gameplay critics laud. According to Australian blog The Age, a sequel is in the works for next-gen consoles, including the Wii.According to the post, IR Gurus have completed 6 months of pre-production on the sequel Heroes Over Europe, which is to be published by Red Mile Entertainment. Sadly though, nothing is said about the Wii version of the title specifically, leaving us to speculate on how the Wiimote will be utilized.
Rumor: Nintendo deliberately lying to us?
What's that little ActuJV? You have some "inside sources" at Nintendo? What are they telling you, hm? Nintendo's been purposefully withholding information on their system's specs in an attempt to blow us away with the graphical capabilities of their system at the next press event? Should I make a Ferris Bueller joke now?The next event referenced is set for the 14th of September and taking place in New York city. While this would be an excellent explanation for the graphics of some games, we can hardly believe that Nintendo would purposefully make trailers for other titles such as Metroid Prime 3: Corruption and Super Mario Galaxy look worse than they actually are.[Via Joystiq]
Ubi dishes out more Red Steel info
Sure, we know a bit about Red Steel, Ubi's Yakuza-killing FPS where you're in charge of saving your bride-to-be through a violent combination of sword and gun play. Yeah, old news. But did you know that, during a nice dinner in America, Japanese Yakuzi spray up the place in an attempt to get your future bride's father's ancient sword, instead fatally-wounding him and abducting her, fleeing back to Japan? Oh, no? Not so smart now, eh?Once you get to Japan, you'll also enlist the constant aid of Otori, who teaches you the art of sword combat, and Harry, night club owner and your primary source for learning the way of the gun. There are also other characters listed in Ubi's press release, along with a run down of their research into Japanese architecture and culture. The team also attempted to gain an American perception of the culture through visits to various Japanese centers in major US cities. With so much time put into making the atmosphere believable and realistic, let's hope they found some time to improve the game's controls.
Red Steel development costs might surprise you
A French news site is reporting that the biggest third-party title for the Wii, Red Steel, will incur costs of around 10 million Euros in development. Now, for you American folks, that's roughly 12.65 million buckaroos. It may seem like a lot, but in the grand scheme of things, it isn't that big of a deal.Think about development costs for both the Xbox 360 and PS3. Imagine if this game was being developed on either of those systems, we could easily see that doubled (maybe even tripled in the case of the PS3), due to excessive costs associated with creating those photo-realistic HD graphics. Also, this game has been in development for under a year and will launch with the console during the fourth quarter of this year, which again would make costs rise significantly would it be made for the other two systems, as even more man power would have to be dedicated to pushing the game out on time.Now, if the development cycle were a little longer, say 2-3 years, we'd see a significant drop in the development cost, but as it stands now, should this figure be correct, $12.65 million US is not that much money to produce a AAA title.[Via Zogdog Forums; Thanks Danger-P!]
Publishers missing out on Wii revenue
Well, duh. Ubisoft was the only publisher who saw potential in the console, potential enough to create a new IP and take a chance on Nintendo's next-generation gaming system, a console that had been merely shrugged off as another GameCube. In speaking with TheStreet.com, James Lin, an industry analyst and consultant for Simba Group, commented that a lot of publishers were "caught off guard" and "weren't expecting anything." Ubisoft, obviously, stands to gain a significant amount of revenue when their game Red Steel releases alongside the console.Only time will tell how publishers will see the Wii. Should the console be a success this holiday season, which we think it will be, then Nintendo should gain a significantly larger third-party presence on their console than the GameCube enjoyed. Last chance here guys, better get on board.[Via Next-Gen]
Ubi director makes interesting comment about Red Steel local multiplayer
While covering Red Steel during an interview with Ubisoft's creative director Nicolas Eypert, Gamepro managed to squeeze an interesting comment from the Ubi director. This interesting tidbit, reads:"[You'll] have up to four players. If they play together in split screens we can only say that the fight will not be only on screen."So what could this mean, exactly? Are we reading too much into an innocent comment or is he just teasing us about future aspects of the game yet to be announced?[Via Joystiq]
