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Giant ASIMO replica to pilot Honda's transforming Rose Parade float
Generally we're a little too, um, preoccupied on New Year's Day to bother with such trifles as opening our eyes and watching the annual Rose Parade from Pasadena, but with Honda planning an ambitious float for 2008 that will feature a gigantic ASIMO replica riding a transforming Honda Ridgeline, well, at the very least we'll be setting our DVR. According to American Honda, which provides the Tournament of Roses with hundreds of vehicles and has won numerous awards for its entries in the past, its generators will cause "the hood of the truck to fold forward to become an aircraft cockpit, the doors and sides of the truck to unfold outward to become wings, the wheels to tuck under the body, and the bed of the truck to open and take on the form of an aircraft tail section, complete with rocket engines - and even real fire." Giant robots piloting huge fire-breathing truck-planes? If this truly is a "Passport to the Future" as Honda claims, you can sign us up! Lots more pics in the gallery below, and a full seven-part, behind-the-scenes mini-documentary after the break. %Gallery-12426% [Via The Raw Feed, photos and videos courtesy of Honda]
HD DVD's online content reaches 30% of owners, on average
The HD DVD camp can still tout online connectivity as a feature Blu-ray doesn't have yet, and now they've released numbers on how many people are actually using it. According to the HD DVD Promotional Group, Universal's web-enabled discs averaged 30% of owners going online, while Transformers notched 80,000 unique online viewers with 30% logging on again to download additional content later. HD DVD-exclusive studios Paramount and Universal seem encouraged enough by the numbers that we can expect the content to continue to flow, but we've got to wonder if the added features will translate into increased sales.
Michael Bay still pushing for Blu-ray
You'd think that Michael BDA Bay might be happy with his record-breaking HD DVD release of Transformers, but he re-voiced his preference for the blue camp in a recent interview. Granted, his movie probably would have been wildly successful on either HD format, but it seems like either he's got a bit of "gift horse"/"mouth" or he's come down from the kool-aid. Talking about the format war, he said "It's short-sighted and it has delayed consumers' moving to HD (home video). As a director, my critical eye is that Blu-ray is where my money is." We totally agree with him on the format war being a real mess, but if he really wants to get feedback on which format consumers prefer, shouldn't he be pushing for a dual-format release?
Michael Bay: 'Blu-ray is where my money is'
Due to a recent exclusivity deal, Dreamworks' Transformers became an HD DVD exclusive. Michael Bay became pretty distressed at the deal, and threatened to leave production of Transformers 2.The recent release of the HD DVD has been the best debut HD disc so far -- a significant victory for those in the HD DVD camp. However, that hasn't stopped the outspoken director from declaring Blu-ray as the ultimate victor. "It's short-sighted and it has delayed consumers' moving to HD (home video)," he told USA Today. "As a director, my critical eye is that Blu-ray is where my money is. Consumers are smart, and they are going to wait it out."The exclusivity arrangement for Dreamworks' catalog expires in less than two years.[Thanks, AG23!]
Transformers HD DVD sets new high definition sales records
Paramount couldn't wait for the Nielsen numbers to announce that Transformers has become the best selling day one and week one HD title on Blu-ray or HD DVD. Blu-ray or HD DVD is important, because it appears even its 190,000 HD DVDs sold in the first week is still behind 300's week one mark of 250k combined. Still, over 100,000 of those sold on the first day and definitely make this the biggest exclusive release since Sony's Casino Royale broke the 100k copies shipped barrier back in March. Two things appear to be confirmed, that the lack of lossless audio wasn't that big of a deal to many buyers, and that HD sales are still miniscule when compared to the 8.3 million Transformer DVDs that sold in the first week.[Thanks, domerdel]
Transformers HD DVD review roundup
Transformers was one of this year's biggest blockbusters at the theater, and now its one of HD DVD's biggest weapons in the format war. With exclusive features and online connectivity, the HD DVD camp expects this disc to show why Paramount chose them, and consumers will too. The biggest part of any HD release is the picture quality, and all the reviews we've found have high praise for the 1080p MPEG-4 AVC transfer. While HighDefDigest noticed some jaggies during horizontal pans, there were no other faults to be found, impressive considering the high speed action in the film. An unfortunate casualty of all the extras on this two disc set was a high-res audio track -- a strike against HD DVD's 30GB capacity -- although the Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround mix that is present got the all-important "reference material" nod from several outlets. Paramount's much-ballyhooed special features include the opportunity to check out the CGI models in HD, all of the DVD extras in HD, and online options to download special widgets that play along with the movie or check out continually updated IMDB-style guides about the movie and its makers. Perfect its not, but reviewers seem to agree, this is a huge step forward for the format...will it be enough to keep Michael Bay happy? Read - DVD Talk Read - Home Theater Forum Review Read - High-Def Digest
Michael Bay "drinks the Kool Aid," now supports HD DVD
Ha, so much for standing up to the boss-man. Michael's latest post now says that, "I drank the Kool Aid" blah blah blah "so I think I might be back on to do Transformers 2!" Whatever, wuss.
Takara Tomy's Transformers MP3 player gets photographed
Yeah, we've got a soft spot for all things Transformers, and while Takara Tomy's Transformers MP3 player isn't the most advanced DAP on the block, the fun factor is undeniable. Thankfully, the folks over at PrimeDiary were able to wrangle one of these bad boys up for themselves and snap a few photographs. Needless to say, we're envious, but go on and click through for a couple more shots of the MP3 player fanboys just have to have.
Michael Bay responds to Paramount's abandonment of Blu-ray: "No Transformers 2 for me!"
So by now you've heard that Paramount has dropped support for Blu-ray right? Good, so has a notable Hollywood director. Michael Bay -- the man behind "Transformers," "Bad Boys," "Pear Harbor," etc. -- just threw down with Paramount in his personal blog. In a forum post titled "Paramount pisses me off!", he states, "I want people to see my movies in the best formats possible. For them to deny people who have Blu-ray sucks! They were progressive by having two formats. No Transformers 2 for me!" That's right Mike, aim your PS3 right at their coffers!Update: Ha, so much for standing up to the boss-man. Michael's latest post now says that, "I drank the Kool Aid" blah blah blah "so I think I might be back on to do Transformers 2!" Whatever, wuss.[Thanks, Pilam69 and Carl G.]
Bumblebee... in paper
Pretty friggin good Bumblebee model, right? What would you think if we told you it was done in paper? We know, right? Totally a cut above the rest. Ahem.[Thanks, Sonic]
Optimus Prime PC case mod stands nearly seven-feet tall
It's one thing to create a Transformers-themed machine that doesn't actually, you know, transform, but to assemble a fully customized Optimus Prime PC case that morphs from a menacing computer into a full-fledged robotic destroyer deserves extra kudos. Pennsylvania's own John Mangus spent some 300-hours over the course of a year building his Optimus Prime machine, which amazingly stands in at six-feet, ten-inches in height and weighs 125-pounds. It's so big, in fact, that the backs of its legs actually house lockable compartments large enough to cram keyboards (and probably printers) into. Quite honestly, this thing would be impressive without a hint of PCB residing within, but be sure and click through for another angle of what's possibly the most coveted case mod we've seen in recent memory.
MotoGP'07 and Dynasty Warriors: Gundam demos on Xbox Live
You know what's hot right now? Giant robots. Seriously, the kids can't seem to get enough of them. First you got that Transformers movie that came out earlier this month, and now you've got a demo for Dynasty Warriors: Gundam. ... And that's it. That's not really a lot, is it? Well, upon further reflection, it appears that not only is giant robot fever on the way out, but we're going to have to find some way to unload 100,000 "I Love Giant Robots" T-shirts. Great.If you need a palate cleanser, there's also a MotoGP'07 demo on Live. It's perfect for when you want to practice speeding away from creditors coming to repossess your 100,000 "I Love Giant Robots" T-shirts. ... Not that we'd ever have need for that.[Thanks, Machiavellian]
New XBLM content offers Transformers and more
The past few days' new Marketplace content has brought a few gamer pictures, themes, videos and other downloadable treasures, but be warned that most will cost you. Transformers is all the rage right now and so you can download a handful of Transformers themes for 150 Microsoft points apiece and two picture packs that run you 200 Microsoft points. Also, there's a new Carcassonne picture pack, Class Pics 110 picture pack, Ninja picture pack and a free Volkswagen gamer pic (where did that come from?) for Canadian Xbox Live members. And if themes/gamer pictures aren't your cup of tea then download the Fable 2 demo video featuring Peter Molyneux or spend your cash on some Marvel: Ultimate Alliance strategy guides. Complete list of Monday and Tuesday's new Marketplace content posted after the break.[Thanks, DjDATZ]
Breakfast Topic: Is WoW science fiction?
Yesterday we talked about similarities between World of Warcraft and other fantasy franchises. Commenting on that post, Baluki noted that "Warcraft is also somewhat unique in mixing some sci-fi elements into its fantasy universe." But not everyone thinks that's a good thing: back around the time that Burning Crusade previews were coming out, the draenei and the naaru caused quite a bit of stir among lore fans who felt that "space pallies" and "interdimensional ships" like Tempest Keep were going too far.One poster to the forums linked to this screenshot and said, "When did this turn into a friggin space game... Draenei, Exodar... hell this battleground feels more like UT Facing Worlds map than an RPG..." Drysc replied: "I believe you may be creating your own idea of what Warcraft is and has been, while it's been anything but a traditional medieval fantasy setting. The lore and history is full of interstellar travel and themes one may consider 'sci-fi'. There are warp gates that link various worlds together, planets blowing up, space traveling demons who enslave entire planets, inter dimensional ships, time travel, etc. "You say '[this] feels more like UT Facing Worlds map than an RPG... ', when RPG simply stands for Roleplaying Game. Warcraft has and always will be beyond a singular tolkienesque world, and I think those who know and understand the lore and history are more apt to recognize and accept how the story is progressing as 'clearly Warcraft'."What do you think? Are the "sci-fi" elements minimal enough that WoW still doesn't count as "science fiction" or even "science fantasy?" Or do World of Warcraft and The Burning Crusade launch the lore off the Tolkienenque fantasy homeworld and into the anomalous nebulae of Stargate, Alien, or even Transformers? Personally, I think WoW gets the balance right -- I'm happy to see some creative mixing of different themes that breaks the traditional fantasy molds. I'd like to see more sci-fi elements in future expansions too, though I doubt that's likely. WTB more WoW Lightsabers!
Soundwave Transformer gets MP3 player upgrade
As some sort of sick consolation prize for not getting to appear in the new Transformers movie, Soundwave has had his cassette tape guts ripped out and replaced with a cold, MP3 playing heart. For around $100 depending on the edition and shipping, you can purchase Takara/Tomy's Soundwave MP3 player. Instead of taking clunky tapes, the Soundwave MP3 player has a slot for SD cards, along with the usual headphone jack and music controls. And yes, it does do the whole transforming bit: there wouldn't be much point otherwise, donchafink?[Via Dosboy]
Transformers phone sports lethal theft deterrent system
As a staff member here at Engadget can attest, you never know when someone may want your mobile a hair more than you, so we've no qualms with a cellphone that packs its very own form of weaponry to fend off thieves. Of course, this completely conceptual device is highly unlikely to hit production (at least in first-world nations), but there's still something about a transforming mobile that whips out a set of chainguns and walks on its own that would convince us to pick one up. Intrigued? It gets better -- hit the read link to see this monster in action.
Haier creates Transformers-themed laptop, forgets to make it transform
Haier has created a Transformers themed notebook that on the surface could be pretty interesting for the most die-hard Transformers fans, but is really nothing more than a laptop with a big decal on the back -- hey, at least it's not a Decepticon. The specs are relatively good too, with the G70 notebook running on Intel's PM965 chipset, and featuring a 1920 x 1200 pixel 17-inch display, 2GB of RAM, a 120GB Hard Disk, and a GeForce Go 7950GTX with 512MB of VRAM. Now all Haier needs to do is to get a shipment of these within life-giving distance of the Allspark: we can almost see the "Allspark contact" CTO option on our screen right now.
Video: Transformers transforming Xbox 360
That Summer robot blockbuster movie Transformers features all kinds of technological items changing form including cars, CD players and (our personal favorite) an Xbox 360. We've known about the transforming 360 for a while, but now we have video proof! Embedded above is a clip from the Transformers movie featuring a premium Xbox 360 turning into a Decepticon right out of the box. It's a short clip, but if you listen close enough you'll hear the signature sound of the Xbox 360 starting up. Yes ... our inner geeks are more than satisfied.[Via ComNetSlash]
Anyone see the Xbox 360 robot in Transformers?
We know there's a Transformers video game out for the 360 right now, but did anyone see that brief shot of the Xbox 360 transforming into a Decepticon? We definitely saw the Mountain Dew dispenser change over and start shooting crazy missiles and what have you, but we missed the 360 -- perhaps because we're all pretty near-sighted from our 19-hour shifts blogging about gadgets seven days a week. Those daring enough to video at the theater -- hit us up!Update: Big ups to Highway Gentleman for sending in a shot! No wonder we heard it but missed it on-screen -- they loudly played the 360 bootup sound, but the box that grows arms and attacks its owner was actually only on screen for maybe a second or so. Now we'd like to know, why the hell wasn't it an Elite?
Download play is enjoyable
Gamers like download play. Hardly a shocking statement. But it seems that of all of the DS' amenities, the ability to share your games with nearby friends gets less attention than, maybe, it should.Aeropause's George Walker discovered this while in line for the Transformers movie (the new one, not the good one), when he broke out his DS to ameliorate his 2+ hour wait and found himself accosted by kids begging for some downloadable games. He suggested some Meteos, they agreed, and an impromptu fun-having event occurred.What can we learn from this event? First off, that Meteos is pretty great. We can also take away the notion that people like it when you can give them free games-- so much so, that they may even elect to play those free games with you. Try it next time you're in line for hours! Which we hope isn't soon. That sounds tortuous, even with a DS.
