tennis
Latest
Playing tennis the Sony way... with a racket sensor that analyzes your game (video)
Fancy yourself Nadal's or Nole's equal? We feel safe assuming you aren't, but Sony's new tennis sensor, revealed at CES 2014, wants to help you analyze your game to get you ready for the ATP tour... or at least ready to beat the folks at the local country club. The sensor itself is installed in the end of your racket's handle and is equipped with vibration and gyroscopic sensors to track where those furry little balls strike your racket's strings, along with your swing speed and ball spin generated. It also has a Bluetooth radio to send your swing data to a paired Android or iOS device. We got to take a few whacks with a sensor-equipped racquet ourselves, so head on past the break to see the results.
BBC to broadcast Wimbledon final and semi-final matches in 3D
Though ESPN 3D's imminent demise might be evidence to some that 3D TV isn't exactly killing it, BBC has confirmed that it will cover Wimbledon again this year with that extra dimension. In particular, it will broadcast selected matches, including the men's and women's finals and semi-finals, in free-to-air 3D for those with the Red Button service and supported sets. Wimbledon marked its first-ever 3D broadcast two years ago, and the BBC is also experimenting with 4K coverage this year with Sony, albeit exclusively at a live spectator "experience zone" on the finely manicured grounds. The network also said it would up its live streams from six to ten to go with its YouTube coverage -- meaning UKers who miss a single grunt will have only themselves to blame.
Five apps to celebrate the weird and wonderful world of Wimbledon tennis
It's been a wild first week at Wimbledon 2013 with 13 people dropping out, reports of slippery grass and major upsets that ousted champions like Maria Sharapova. Check out these five apps below and get your tennis fix as you watch the second and final week of this prestigious tennis tournament unfold. Wimbledon Official App [iPad; Category: Sports; Free] Get breaking news, live coverage and more from the official Wimbledon app. Riversip Tennis News [iPhone; Category: Sports; Free] Riversip Tennis News brings you a live scoreboard, videos and news from the world of tennis. It compiles its content from sources like Tennis World, We Are Tennis, Tennis Now and others. miCoach tennis [iPhone; Category: Sports; Free] The miCoach tennis app is for court-side fans who enjoy playing as much as they do watching. Use miCoach training to help improve your tennis game by measuring your speed, rallies and the distance covered during your tennis matches. It uses data from the miCoach Speed Cell and supplemental lessons from tennis star Andrea Petkovic. Hit Tennis 3 [iOS Universal; Category: Games; Free with in-app purchases] Swipe or flick your way to tennis stardom in this arcade-style tennis game. Coach's Eye [iOS Universal; Category: Sports; $4.99] Coach's Eye is a video-based training tool that records you while you play tennis and allows you to critique your form. You can review the video and add audio commentary, annotations and slow-motion to provide tips for improvement.
Sony puts micro ads on Wimbledon player, ushers in an era of 4K marketing
Sony is shipping its Bravia X9 line of 4K TVs in the UK this week, and it wants to convey the advantages of all those extra pixels. The solution? Advertising that's as finely detailed as the screens themselves. It's putting micro ads on the fingernails and uniform of tennis player Anne Keothavong as she makes her way through Wimbledon, showing how the extra detail pays off. Few of us will get to see the ads in full clarity, however -- while Sony and the BBC are recording some of the event in 4K, they're playing that footage at an experience zone on the Wimbledon grounds. We're not looking at a decisive marketing coup, then, but those left squinting at home will at least know what they're missing.
Watch Wimbledon tennis live on YouTube beginning Monday (video)
It may not be the NBA Finals or Stanley Cup Playoffs, but the world's oldest tennis tournament has a solid following as well, particularly abroad. A new Wimbledon partnership with YouTube could help boost the competition's appeal stateside; for the first time, you'll be able to access video feeds from the two-week London event, live on Google's prized streaming site. Beginning this Monday, you can catch all the action on Wimbledon's YouTube channel, with Rolex footing the bill. You'll also find interviews, behind-the-scenes segments and press conference streams on the video site, along with past match highlights and other featured content. There's a teaser clip waiting for you just past the break.
Feral Interactive bringing two Sega Sonic games to Mac
I can't say that I'm a huge fan of Feral Interactive: They're a company that specializes in porting games from other platforms over to the Mac, and I'm more interested in natively developed and published Mac games. But I have to respect them nevertheless: Feral picked up an Apple Design Award for their port of Deus Ex: Human Revolution at WWDC last week, so they must be doing something right. And now Sega has chosen them to bring Sonic the Hedgehog to the Mac platform for the first time. Feral is going to be bringing Sonic and SEGA All-Stars Racing and SEGA Superstars Tennis to the Mac App Store, with both games arriving later on this summer. In addition to porting the games, they'll also be Game Center-enabled, because Game Center will be used in Apple's next OS X update, Mountain Lion. It's also interesting that Sega has already released one of these games, All-Stars Racing, on the App Store. So Feral can probably thank the iOS platform for Sega's interest in Mac gaming. I wouldn't be surprised if it's because of Sega's success on iOS that the company is dipping its toe into the Mac App Store as well.
Adidas miCoach Speed_Cell measures your dunking prowess and serving skills
When it comes to sports gadgets, runners seem to get all the good stuff: the Nike+, the Motoactv and even the FitBit. For all the footballers, basketball players and aspiring tennis stars out there, Adidas is spreading the love with the introduction of its miCoach Speed_Cell -- a $69.99 device that measures motion and performance in every direction whether you're into tackling, serving or shooting. The gadget fits on the bottom side of compatible shoes to capture seven hours of stats including average and max speed, number of sprints, distance at high intensity levels, steps and strides. The coolest part? Your personal bests will transfer wirelessly to a smartphone, tablet, PC or Mac for post-practice critique, Sports Center style. The soccer-centric company has already released a compatible pair of cleats and has plans to put out more miCoach-friendly footwear, as well as a series of sport-specific apps allowing athletes to virtually monitor their performance. Jump, skip or dribble over to the PR after the break for the full deets.
Wimbledon NetMix lets you turn down on-court grunts in favor of staid commentary
Wimbledon, typically a quiet leafy suburb in the great urban sprawl of London, tends to get a little noisier around this time of the year as the world's top tennis players descend upon it with a grunt and a huff of exertion. It's precisely those un-British howls of effort that the BBC is offering to filter out for you with a new Wimbledon NetMix tool. It's a simple audio mixing slider, available to BBC Radio 5 Live listeners, that adjusts the balance between ambient on-court sound and the soothing timbre of commentators' voices. The technology's enabled by the guys and gals at Fraunhofer, who were nice enough to do it for free, and is being introduced in response to a great many complaints received by broadcasters about the primal screaming that's accompanied this year's matches. If the reaction to the NetMix slider is positive, it could find further job opportunities on the Beeb's iPlayer or in coverage of other sporting events.
NintendoWare Weekly: Stratego, Pro Jumper!
We're still getting used to seeing new Nintendo downloadable games on Thursdays. It feels weird. While we spend the day dealing with that cognitive dissonance, you'll be able to visit the Wii, DSi, or 3DS shop and buy some new stuff, including a DSiWare version of the Stratego board game, a 3DS Virtual Console release of the Game Boy Tennis game, and ... Pro Jumper! Guilty Gear Tangent!? That's the one about the hidden Guilty Gear character spinning on a bar of soap and defending himself with towel snaps on the way to soothing hot springs. Nope, we don't know how this is real either.
BBC picks Wimbledon for its first 3D broadcast in July
More than three years after testing out 3D production during a Rugby Six Nations match the BBC is ready to send out its first 3D broadcast during the men's and women's singles finals at Wimbledon. UK viewers can catch 3D tennis via the BBC HD feed on Freeview, Freesat, Virgin or Sky, July 2nd and 3rd. Here in the US ESPN 3D has already announced plans to air those matches, plus the men's semifinal, both live and reaired at more convenient local times. While Panasonic featured its 3D tech last week during the French Open at Roland Garros, Sony is going to be working the dials at Wimbledon along with the BBC as the network undertakes "a 3D TV editorial experiment." 3D Focus TV has more details like the channel listings and a behind the scenes look at a 3D promo shot to advertise movie theater screenings that will also be available during the event. So far Sky has been way out in front of the 3D push in the UK while the BBC is taking a more cautious approach, but since Wimbledon was one of the first sporting events aired in color on the BBC, it's no surprise this pops up as a test event in the run up to new broadcast technologies emerging during the London Olympics next year.
Top Spin 4 announced, with vintage Agassi pre-order bonus
2K Sports today announced that Top Spin 4 is coming to Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii in 2011. The next iteration in the tennis sim franchise will feature 25 top pros and legends, headlined by a young Andre Agassi -- the one with the rad hairpiece. Vintage Agassi will be offered as a pre-order bonus for the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of the game purchased from GameStop. While neither Move nor Kinect support was confirmed in the announcement, the "exhilarating" Top Spin 4 is said to feature "an uncanny level of realism" and "all-new innovative controls," according to 2K Games' president of product development Greg Thomas. Who knows -- maybe that means they just swapped the slice and lob buttons? %Gallery-101537%
CBS, Panasonic & DirecTV add US Open Tennis to 3D Demo Days lineup
Panasonic and DirecTV's n3D channel has added another event to its slate of coverage from Center Court of the US Open Championship during Labor Day Weekend and Finals Weekend. A notable shift for this production is the use of a new combination "Shadow D" camera rig developed by Vincent Pace, which Broadcasting & Cable mentions will allow one operator to control the 2D and 3D cameras at the same time. Panasonic is working with CBS Sports to add new, lower placements for the six 3D camera rigs, and a dedicated production team for the broadcast that will be viewable onsite, on DirecTV's n3D channel (103) and also at any retailers participating in the 3D Demo Days promotion between September 10-12 like Best Buy. According to HD Guru we can expect coverage between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. on the fourth, but the rest of the schedule is not yet available. This is Panasonic's second 3D tennis event of the season, but likely the first many of us will have a chance to put eyes on, especially if there's another epic Isner/Mahut three day, 11-hour match.
French Tennis Open 3D broadcasts going out across Europe
The French Tennis Open is under way at Roland Garros and, courtesy of Panasonic, all matches played on centre Court, Court Philippe Chatrier, will be broadcast in 3D to retail locations in the UK and Ireland and to Orange TV subscribers across France. This is the first time we've seen tennis offered in 3D and is the first "multi-day sporting event in Europe" to be shown live in 3D. Check out Panasonic Europe's site for more info on the 3000 retail locations expected to air the footage, and if Federer whiffs on a match point again you can see it in the highest quality available.
HSN teaches valuable lesson about Wii accessory safety
We were certain -- absolutely certain -- that the epidemic of fractured television screens which cropped up with the release of the Wii had passed. Everyone's heard the horror stories, seen the blackened eyes and witnessed the ruined electronics, we thought. Everyone now knows the methods of avoiding Wiimote accidents during their exuberant Wii Sports bouts, we thought. The Home Shopping Network recently proved the inaccuracy of this observation. The hilarity unfolds in the video after the jump. While some might grimace at the fate of the poor television featured in the video, remember that they're charging $330 for a Wii and 15 completely unnecessary controller attachments. Call it an accident, if you'd like -- we call it Karma in action.
Video: TOTO robot catches tennis balls, hopes for a deeper purpose in life
Fido conked out for the evening? Your youngster not really into "playing catch" at age 14? Enter TOTO -- a brilliant robotic contraption conceived at Reinhold-Würth University -- that can absolutely act as a suitable replacement. Short for Tracking of Thrown Objects, the camera-equipped system views and tracks incoming objects, and once said object is within catching range, it clamps down in order to grab hold. Eventually, the inventors would love to see the machine have an impact within a manufacturing facility, but considering just how effective conveyor belts have been over the past few scores, we'd say it has its work cut out for it. Video's after the break, and it's worth checking out.[Via PlasticPals]
HD Grand Slam Tennis 'delayed indefinitely' due to EA Sports Active
During yesterday's EA conference call, Peter Moore named yet another game that's been bumped out of its original release date: the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 Grand Slam Tennis. This delay is even more alarming than the constant movement of games out of this year and into Spring 2010, because, according to a statement given to Kotaku, Grand Slam Tennis has been "delayed indefinitely." The EA Sports rep assured that the game would actually come out.The delay, according to Moore, is the result of EA Sports staff being diverted from the tennis game in order to get the EA Sports Active expansion out by the holidays. As of right now, the only way to play Grand Slam Tennis is to get a Wii, which also lets you experience EA Sports Active and its upcoming expansion. How devious.
TUAW at E3: Real Tennis 2009
The last preview we've got for you from E3 last week isn't really a preview -- Real Tennis 2009 was the first game due out from Gameloft that we played in their party bus outside the Los Angeles Convention Center, and sure enough, it's out right now in the App Store for $4.99 (all of the games we played with them last week, including the impressive Castle of Magic, are due out before the end of June). As a tennis game -- Gameloft claimed it was the first on the platform, though that doesn't seem true -- it plays pretty well, though the players are controlled with onscreen buttons rather than touchscreen gestures. Serving is the only activity that tries to take full advantage of the iPhone's controls: you can target your serve with the accelerometer, and then tap the screen anywhere when the serve meter is full. The action is pretty fast, and sometimes too fast: if you don't get moving in the right direction right off the ball, your player will get to where they need to be way too late.Perhaps the most interesting part of the game lies in multiplayer: though we didn't see it in action, we were told that the game offers up to four-player WiFi multiplayer (even before 3.0 is set to make it easier for developers to do). So that's pretty impressive in and of itself -- if you can find three other people with iPhones and the game to play.
Virtua Tennis 2009 lobbed into June
Sega announced today via its message board that Virtua Tennis 2009 will miss its original May launch date. We previously speculated about just such a delay, noting that retailers had the title scheduled for June 2. According to Sega blogger RubyEclipse, "I believe the focus is on polishing up the Wii version, so I'm down for that as it means a better game in the end."Later in the message board thread, RubyEclipse says, "Right now the goal is still June 2nd," but suggests that a further delay of a week or two is possible. That would mean that the Wii version would come out at the same time as the MotionPlus peripheral, and not a week before as currently planned.%Gallery-51804%[Via GoNintendo]
John McEnroe headlines EA Sports Grand Slam Tennis
Electronic Arts is totally serious about including ill-tempered tennis legend John McEnroe in EA Sports' upcoming Wii release, Grand Slam Tennis. According to EA, McEnroe will be just one of several "all-time greats" in the upcoming title, which is expected to take to the court on June 16.Hopefully EA will package more than just McEnroe's likeness with the game. We can't think of a better use of the promised MotionPlus support than mirroring his juvenile antics on screen as we toss our Wii remote aside in disgust when calls don't go our way.
EA not waiting on Nintendo, will release MotionPlus-compat games on time
EA is determined to release its new crop of sports game, whether or not Nintendo has released the Wii MotionPlus peripheral or not. As you may recall, EA revealed the next Tiger Woods game would feature MotionPlus support, as well as a new tennis game the company is developing, and both will ship to retail on June 16, 2009. EA Sports' PR chief, David Tinson, said that both games "will be compatible, but not dependent, on WMP. They will ship with the functionality, regardless of when WMP comes to market."The peripheral is a tie-in with Wii Sports Resort, a game that was woefully absent from Nintendo's big release list yesterday. Will MotionPlus and Wii Sports Resort be on store shelves by June 16? Nintendo has yet to comment on an exact release for the Wii Sports successor, but we'll be sure to update you as soon as we hear.
