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America's drone strike program needs a low-tech fix
Last week, The Intercept released a trove of classified documents (provided by an unnamed source) relating to America's use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) as weapons of assassination. These activities took place between 2011 and 2013, throughout both active combat areas in Iraq and Afghanistan and nations like Yemen and Pakistan. And while plenty of people are discussing the shortcomings of human-controlled UAVs, nobody's talking about how to fix them. Could the answer be more technology like the fully autonomous weapon and surveillance platforms that the Department of Defense (DoD) is developing? Or, when it comes to aerial assassinations, is less more?
US and Chinese firms agree on high-speed rail plan from LA to Vegas
Pledge agreements aren't the only deals being inked ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping's first official state visit to the US. A consortium led by China Railway Group has come to terms with America's XpressWest Enterprises LLC to jointly build and operate a high-speed rail link running between Los Angeles and Las Vegas. The project has already cleared its environmental impact study, obtained all of the necessary DoT licensing and right-of-way approvals, and is ready to begin building as soon as next September. China Railway has already put up $100 million in initial capital. According to China Railway, the route will span 230 miles between Las Vegas and Los Angeles proper. XpressWest's website, however, claims the tracks will stop in Victorville, California, 85 miles outside of LA, and 55 miles closer to its destination.
China asks US tech companies to follow its security policies
You know how Russia recently took the contentious step of insisting that Google and Twitter keep Russian user data on servers within the country itself, presumably to facilitate government searches? China apparently tried to pull the same stunt earlier this year with a number of American tech companies, according to unnamed New York Times sources. The document reportedly sought to have companies pledge that they would not harm China's national security and that their products be "secure and controllable", another way of saying "give us mandatory backdoor access and the encryption keys". The NY Times article does not name the IT companies targeted, however it did state that the document came from the China Information Technology Security Evaluation Center likely with pressure coming down from the country's internet regulation agency.
Billie Holiday's hologram is slated to play the Apollo theater
Joining the ranks of Tupac, Selena, Liberace and Michael Jackson, Billie Holiday's posthumous hologram is slated to play the Apollo over the holidays. And she won't be the last. The famed theater, one of the country's first racially integrated clubs, announced on Wednesday that it also plans to be the first venue in America to routinely feature holographic performances.
Japan's top oil company is building an 'Aliens' power loader
This is turning out to be an awesome week for powered exoskeletons. First, America's MegaBot clears half of its initial $500,000 Kickstarter goal ahead of next year's fight against Japan's Kuratas in a little under 24 hours. Now, Mitsui, Japan's number one oil and ore mining outfit, has announced that it plans to develop real life versions of Ripley's power loader.
ICANN reveals plan for ending America's control of the internet
Though it's called the "world wide web," the US Commerce Department has held the keys to the internet since its inception in the '90s. Last year, it agreed to hand them over to worldwide bodies and asked ICANN, the group that manages internet addresses, to come up with a plan. ICANN unveiled the much anticipated report yesterday, and has given the public until September 8th to comment on it. The gist of the 100-page document? Internet control functions will be given to ICANN and an oversight body made up of "interested parties" that has no connection to any world governments.
PlayStation Now hits Samsung Smart TVs in first half of 2015
Game-streaming service PlayStation Now is coming to select Samsung Smart TVs in the first half of 2015, meaning you'll be able to enjoy PS3 games without owning a Sony system or even a Sony TV. The Smart TV-based form of Sony's cloud-based service will roll out in the United States and Canada, according to this week's announcement. Sony says Samsung Smart TVs will support "all functionality" of PlayStation Now, including trophies, cloud saves and online multiplayer.
Chinese game market rivals US
A report from the China Audio-Video and Digital Publishing Association pegs the country's gaming revenues this year at about $18.5 billion, a 38 percent increase year-over-year, reports Xinhua. Mobile and social games saw the most dramatic increases to $4.4 billion (+145%) and $11.7 billion (+52.5%), respectively. The NPD reported the US games market hit a total of $15.39 billion last year, with the report covering 2014 expected early next year. The US market saw a one percent increase between 2012 and 2013. China is the great emerging market for the video game industry. The current Chinese sales really only cover PC and mobile, as the country only lifted its 14-year-ban on foreign consoles earlier this year. Microsoft has sold over 100,000 units of the Xbox One into the Chinese market, with Sony starting PlayStation 4 and Vita sales in the new year. Nintendo is also expected to enter China with devices targeted for the market. [Image: Shutterstock]
Smash Bros. sells over 490K on Wii U in three days
Super Smash Bros. is the fastest-selling Wii U game to launch in the United States, according to a press release issued by Nintendo today. The publisher says it sold more than 490,000 copies of the game from its launch on November 21 through November 23. The figure represents sales at retail as well as digital copies of the game. The sales data pairs well with the portable version of Super Smash Bros. for 3DS, which reached over 3.22 million copies sold as of late October. Those that own copies of the game on both platforms will receive the Pokemon character Mewtwo as a playable fighter down the road, though Nintendo may also opt to offer the fighter as premium DLC as well. Nintendo also launched its line of NFC-capable figures on the same day as Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, Amiibo, which can become pretty dastardly in the fighting game. The publisher did not offer any early sales data for Amiibo. [Image: Nintendo]
Foresee a trip to GameStop if you want the Shulk Amiibo
Shulk is the first Amiibo unearthed as retailer-exclusive in the US, according to a listing on GameStop. The figurine of the Xenoblade hero is one of 11 coming to North America in February 2015, and yesterday Nintendo said "some of our retail partners will be releasing a certain number of these as exclusive figures, so stay tuned for details." Nintendo didn't say which Amiibos are exclusive to which retailers, but we're guessing that "certain number" isn't 1. Anyhow, the other ten toys due in February are Rosalina & Luma, Bowser, Lucario, Toon Link, Sheik, Ike, Meta Knight, Sonic, King Dedede and Mega Man.
Joystiq Weekly: Vib-ribbon launches, Driveclub Review, RE: Revelations 2 preview and more
Welcome to Joystiq Weekly, a "too long; didn't read" of each week's biggest stories, reviews and original content. Each category's top story is introduced with a reactionary gif, because moving pictures aren't just for The Daily Prophet. "Better eight years late than never," PlayStation Network users probably said during this week's return of Vib-ribbon. Sure, we're not exactly in drought season, but what's stopping you from impulsively bailing on 2014's release calendar to revisit a 1999 cult classic? Beyond money and life's responsibilities, anyway. If Vib-ribbon is fair game for a 2014 appearance, can we go ahead and get our hopes for comparably-unlikely surprises? Sure, StarCraft: Ghost's indefinitely-on-hold status is probably irreversible at this point, but if Blizzard felt like continuing development in secret for years and launching it without warning, we wouldn't be upset. Valve, you're more than welcome to do the same with fresh installments in the Half Life or Left 4 Dead series. There was more to this week than feeble wishes though, including resolution news for Halo: The Master Chief Collection and Assassin's Creed: Unity, reviews for Driveclub and Neverending Nightmares, and previews for AC: Unity and Resident Evil: Revelations 2. All those and more are tidied up for you after the break!
500GB Xbox 360 Media Drive unveiled, priced $110
Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Xbox 360. Its nine-year mission: to explore strange new games, and to seek out new hard drives to put them on. To boldly go where no console has gone before - 500GB! Yes, okay, other consoles have boldly gone onto 500GB but the new box is the biggest Media Drive yet for Xbox 360. It's also $20 cheaper than the current 320GB edition, coming in at $110 on retail shelves stateside. As for when it'll hit them, Captain Larry Hyrb simply says "it's on the way," while Xbox.com lists pre-orders as "coming soon." [Image: Microsoft]
The Game Archaeologist: World War II Online
The 1990s saw the rise of flight simulators that thrived on detailed, complicated controls and handling. Such games threw out accessibility and casual-friendliness for stark-raving realism, and a certain subset of gamers really thrived on them. I tried my hand at a couple and found myself breathing rapidly when pouring through keyboard charts and doing basic algebra just to get a plane off of the ground. Not for me, I said then. I don't think there's ever stopped being absurdly complex video games that aim for immersion through detailed realism, even though that appeals to only the fringe of the fringe. Some people have their gaming standards set exactly that high and no lower, and some devs refuse to water down their visions just to sell more box units. For these people, Cornered Rat Software (CRS) created World War II Online, an overly ambitious MMOFPS that stumbled out of the gate in 2001 but has gamely soldiered on since then. Over a decade now an epic war has been raging for control over a continent, and it's been up to the fiercely loyal fans to keep the fight going. Today we're going to take a look at the guts 'n' glory of this project to both praise its complexity and curse it for the same thing. If nothing else, it was a game that could only have arisen from the early landscape of 3-D MMOs, and for that it warrants our attention.
World War II Online crowdfunds a client update
In an effort to update an aging client without breaking the developer's bank, World War II Online: Battleground Europe turned to the community to crowdfund the project -- and the community delivered. A $9,250 fundraiser on Indiegogo dedicated to the creation of a new test server, PC client, and Mac client was met and surpassed this past week. The update, which should roll out within six months, will include billing tools for Steam and improved audio and visuals. The crowdfunding campaign is now aiming for stretch goals that could add community upgrades, improved tech infrastructure, and additional marketing.
Hollywood, Amazon and your local realtor are fighting to legalize drones
In the United States it's legal for you to take your A.R Drone out for a spin around the neighborhood, but if you want to use one to shoot a car chase on a closed movie set you'd be breaking the law. The use of commercial drones is a complicated issue, in part because of how many different ways you can use them. Defense companies have traditionally been the biggest advocates for drones; but now everyone from Hollywood to your realtor are pulling for the unmanned aircraft.
Regional carriers picking up the iPhone 5s, 5c on October 1
Demand is still huge at Apple Stores and the major carriers are reporting depleted stocks of the new iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c, but that's not keeping nine of America's regional carriers from announcing that they'll be launching the latest iPhones on their networks on October 1. So far, those carriers include: Appalachian Wireless Bluegrass Cellular C Spire Cellcom GCI MTA Nex-Tech Wireless Ntelos Strata Other carriers have also announced that the new iPhones are on the way, but haven't yet announced a firm launch date. Apple's complete list of carriers that currently offer the iPhone can be found on this support knowledge base page.
Dollar Store Accessories: What ¥100 buys you
America has the dollar store. Japan has the ¥100 store. TUAW has been covering iOS accessorizing on the cheap in a series of recent posts. Today, the focus turns international. TUAW reader TokyoJoe writes, "This pic is from Daiso, one of the biggest ¥100 shop chains in Tokyo. They have a decent selection of iPhone 5 and 4S cases as well as cables and stands." Here you see just a taste of the variety on offer. The Daiso selection included many colorful options ranging from animal prints, to old fashioned book styles, to basket weaves. Have you found some great dollar store finds, whether in the US or not? Drop us a note; send in pictures; and share the low-end fun.
Apple adds free iBook offer to Apple Store app
At the beginning of August, Apple launched a new free-content program in their Apple Store app, kicking things off with a free download of Color Zen. Today the latest piece of free content has been released, and it should make parents of small children very happy. The over-the-air update allows users to download Margaret Wise Brown's children's book Away in My Airplane as a free iBook. Apple retail employees were told about the free book release this morning in a note informing them to use the release to promote iBooks and the iBookstore with customers in their stores. The book offer expires on August 28th, and is only available in the United States, United Kingdom, France, Italy and Sweden according to a source for 9to5mac.com. iBooks was announced as a major part of the upcoming OS X Mavericks release at this past June's WWDC event. It is clear that Apple is working hard to get users familiar with the app before it officially becomes a new addition to their Macs in the fall.
Gamestop, GAME to distribute shiny legendary Pokemon
Pokemon's rare 'creation trio' is coming to GameStop and GAME stores in the US and UK, where in the run-up to Pokemon X and Y fans can pick up special "shiny" versions of the legendary monsters. In case you're not 100 percent clued up on your Pokedex, shiny Pokemon have unusual alternate colors, making them collector's items in a series that is kind of completely about collecting. Participating GameStop and GAME stores will distribute Dialga, Palkia, and Giratana, the three cover Pokemon of Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum, in a series of three separate runs. We've included details for both US and UK Poke-fans after the break, who'll need to bring a DS or 3DS with them, along with their copy of White, Black, White 2, or Black 2. Our eyes, however, remain firmly set on October 12, when the first main Pokemon entries for the 3DS in X and Y will be released worldwide.
VP Joe Biden: 'No legal reason' the US can't tax violent media
Vice President Joe Biden has been on the front lines of the gun violence debate since the mass shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, in December. In January, Biden led a task force assigned by President Barack Obama to examine possible means of curtailing gun violence in the US, and his findings prompted Obama to call for scientific research into the effects of violent media on young minds. Earlier in May, Biden met behind closed doors with 20 representatives from faith-based organizations to discuss gun control and immigration, and he briefly addressed video games, Politico reports. Franklin Graham, son of evangelist Billy Graham, proposed to Biden that "media and entertainment that portray violence should be subject to a special tax, with the proceeds going to help victims and their families," according to Rabbi Julie Schonfeld. Biden replied that there was "no restriction on the ability to do that; there's no legal reason why they couldn't" place a tax on violent media, Sister Marjorie Clark told Politico. Biden again emphasized the need for more research into the subject, Clark added: "He said they really need a good scientific study, which they've done on things like smoking." During his initial fact-finding meetings in January, Biden expressed particular interest in speaking with inter-faith organizations, though he met with a wide swathe of communities, including entertainment companies, advocacy groups, youth organizations, the mental health community and the NRA.
