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Millenniata's Millennial Disk should last longer than you, your memory
Considering that we're still waiting patiently for any company (we're looking at you, Call/Recall) to produce a commercially viable holographic storage solution, we're required to tackle Millenniata's newest assertion with a sprinkle of skepticism. The claim? It's specially lubricated, fortified and homogenized Millennial Disk is said to last some 1,000 years, making it the world's finest and most longevous archive solution. If it's legitimate. We're told that digital information is carved into layers of hard, "persistent" materials, and somehow, those carvings are able to stay fresh and readable for more years than you care to count. Still, we reckon the robot apocalypse will be in full effect by the time 3009 rolls around, so even if it only lives up to half of its claims, we'll still be impressed.[Via Slashdot]
The Queue: Druids are cats, too
Welcome back to The Queue, WoW Insider's daily Q&A column where the WoW Insider team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Adam Holisky will be your host today.Dear Alex,Thanks for making nearly all the comments and questions in yesterday's Queue about cats and dogs.Yours,Adam.Geekycole asked..."Do you guys have any news on a fresh realm opening up?"
Wired's vaporware column adds Hero's Journey next to Duke Nukem Forever
And everyone at the Massively offices scratched their heads at the same time and said, "Huh?" All right, so Hero's Journey has been in production for, well, forever, but just because the game isn't coming out anytime soon doesn't exactly warrant it on the vaporware list at position number 8.Especially as the game's engine, the now well-known HeroEngine, has been licensed by BioWare for this Star Wars game you might have heard about. The HeroEngine development has caught on like wildfire, and even Simutronics's own Neil Harris has said to Massively that the game is on the back burner while the engine development is in the forefront.But, they still haven't left the game entirely in the dust. They've said that the game still has a long way to come in terms of content and polishing, but they're still letting people log in and play -- even when they're not around. The website even features in-game footage and screenshots, a bit more than Duke blowing some smoke at the camera and uttering a classic Duke-ism.With all that said, Hero's Journey hasn't been pressing for release or gaining undue hype. It's a game that has been sitting in the corner, lurking, waiting for the right moment to strike. Plus, with most vaporware, we're usually left hanging -- wondering what exactly those developers have been doing with their time when they should have been developing. With Simutronics, we know exactly what they've been doing -- making a great engine. So that leaves the question, is it still vaporware if we know we shouldn't expect it?
Wired hails Duke Nukem Forever as 2008's vaporware king, baby
Wired, embracing the redundancy of doing so, has named Duke Nukem Forever as the top piece of vaporware in 2008. As we've made abundantly clear in the past, much has happened since Nukem's latest adventure was first announced back in 1997. Wired was going to leave the perennial favorite off the list this year because "even the best jokes get old eventually," but obviously thought the DNF horse -- with a DNR order -- still had enough life left in it for one more jab.Keeping the dream alive that DNF may be coming to the end of a very, very (x12) long development cycle was its appearance on the Jace Hall show earlier this year. However, that was followed up by more teaser images. Keep hope alive, Duke faithful. Keep hope alive.%Gallery-33013%
Morega's curious Qew may or may not eventually stream your media
Call us skeptical, but we're not so sure that Morega's Qew is anything more than a mere figment of someone's imagination. The outfit has a thing for showing up just before CES in an apparent attempt to drum up interest, but the outfit's Qew teaser site just screams vaporware. We're never actually shown what it is, though we're told that it can stream, archive, transport and share multimedia. Hmm, sounds a lot like the abilities of some other box we know of.[Thanks, Mark]
InPhase delays Tapestry holographic storage solution to late 2009
Wait, wait -- you're telling us InPhase Technologies may be the latest and greatest poster child for vaporware? Say it ain't so! After promising (and promising) a holographic storage solution for upwards of three years now, the outfit is delaying its dead-to-the-world Tapestry solution yet again, this time to late 2009. In theory, the company would introduce a drive that could record up to 300GB on a $180 CD-sized disc around this time next year, but with Blu-ray already up to 50GB and Royal Digital Media introducing a 100GB alternative, who's to say 300GB won't look puny by November '09? And besides, we're also hearing that GE's Polymer Systems Lab is developing a "layered approach to holographic storage" that will soon result in -- you guessed it -- 300GB discs. The difference? GE is a real company.
Cipher Complex, not quite vaporware yet
Starcraft: Ghost. The Phantom. And let's face it, Sadness, too. Video game history is littered with the corpses of titles and projects that choked on their own ambition before making it to the finish line. So much so that we've become accustomed to second guessing games that stay out of the spotlight for any considerable length of time. Of course, devs are reluctant to publicly admit defeat, leaving us to remember from time to time to poke our heads in and see if that game we saw screenshots for a year ago still deserves a place on our radar. Recently we were reminded of The Incredible Hulk developer, Edge of Reality, and its stealth action game for the Xbox 360 and PS3, Cipher Complex, which has run noticeably silent since it was first announced in 2006. So we pinged company president Binu Philip, who reassured us that despite the absence of press, Cipher Complex is still on the way. "We are still working away on the title," he told us, adding however that the team is "not currently saying anything publicly about the game." For now, it seems video game history will have to wait for its next victim -- at least until another decides to stop chewing bubble gum and just lie down. %Gallery-35669%
CherryPal $249 cloud PC delayed again, gets 8GB SSD as consolation
Continuing its long, slow trek into computing infamy, CherryPal has now let out word that its $249 Cloud PC has been delayed yet again, with the new, anything-but-certain release date now listed as November 4th of this year. In an apparent attempt to prevent a wave of cancellations, the company has also announced that the previous 4GB C100 model is being replaced with a new 8GB C114 model, and that all previous orders would be automatically upgraded to the new model free of charge. If you're ready to take the chance, you can get your order in at the link below.[Thanks, Simon K]
CherryPal's $249 cloud PC delayed for another fortnight, vaporware status achieved
Okay, so we're pretty sure a fortnight after August 7th was August 21st, and while CherryPal was adamant it would finally release its $249 cloud PC then, it has since hit another snag. This go 'round, the company is blaming a "glitch with the graphics processor," which "absolutely needed to be addressed." Comically enough, it's suggesting that the unit will now ship -- gasp! -- two weeks from now, though we're more apt to believe you'd want to make out with Android if given the chance than to trust anything coming from the doors of CherryPal.
3D Realms: 'Several hours' of Duke Nukem Forever sort of done
Is that the sound of Satan sharpening his skates? According to a new interview with Team Xbox, 3D Realms boss George Broussard implies that – dare we say? – development of Duke Nukem Forever is going along swimmingly. You know, just like it has been since ... 1998.All most kidding aside, Broussard tells the site that the developer has "several hours of fairly polished game to play," and that, "It's fun, it's in focus, we know what bits are fun and which are not, and it's just a matter of time now." But clearly, time moves a little slower in 3D Realms', er ... realm. Given that the company has already denied reports that it's coming this year, we'll have to make due with Duke Nuken 3D on XBLA "sometime in September." Of 2008. Really. Promise.[Via Big Download]
Rub your eyes: Sadness 'footage' emerges, disappears again [Update 1]
Go Nintendo's RawMeatCowboy recently received an email from an anonymous, shadowy figure calling themselves "rabbits can't be sad." That's pretty weird, but stranger still, the email contained something we almost never expected to see: footage of Nibris' "vaporware" title, Sadness. Despite the unconventional method of its delivery, it definitely looked like the real deal.We say "looked" because now it's gone, pulled down by RawMeatCowboy, who (we're guessing) was asked to remove the footage. In his amended post, RMC simply writes: "Sorry for the inconvenience, but I unfortunately have to remove this post. That is all I can say at this time."So after being relentlessly mocked (not least by us), has Nibris actually been making a game all along? Really, really slowly?[Update 1: Some enterprising soul grabbed the footage before it was pulled, and added it to YouTube -- thanks, DaisukeKiriyama!]%Gallery-12425%[Via Go Nintendo] Previously, we've had plenty of reasons to believe that Sadness is about as likely to exist as Bigfoot: just take a look at our timeline of the game to see what we mean.
Nibris Web site promises Sadness for Fall 2009
Previously on The Young and the Sadness.*A mysterious stranger, Nibris, enters the scene*Nibris: Come away with me, and I'll make all your mature-themed, Wii horror gaming dreams come true.Joystiq: Can it be? Is it true?Nibris: It is true! Just listen to my story and you'll know in your heart that it is so.Joystiq: I'm just not sure I can believe in you.Nibris: Look, I bring you concept art to prove my fidelity.Joystiq: Lies! I heard you're already planning to run out on me.Nibris: Would I release these official screenshots if I was planning to halt development?Joystiq: I just don't know what to think! *Sobs*And now, today's episode:Nibris: Look at my new Web site. I promise you, Sadness will be out by Fall of 2009. Meet me at the Leipzig Games Convention if you still have faith in me. In us.Joystiq: Sorry, dear, I've moved on. Give me a ring when you're ready to show me a playable demo.[Via NintendoWiiFanboy]
Sadness website does nothing to dispel vaporware rumors
Hold on, what's all this? A Sadness rumor that actually came true? This can't be right -- and it sort of isn't. The website is there, and it's got stuff on it, but the stuff is old and it's a pretty amateur attempt at a website. It's just, you would think that the creators of the most talked-about Wii game pretty much ever would make the effort to put together a good show, but it looks somewhat awful.The screens are old and tiny, the text is formatted all wrong (and translated poorly), and there is no trailer, although it will be "Coming soon (this vacation maybe)." Maybe? Maybe? Whatever.To top it off, the release is scheduled for Fall 2009. That is, over a year from now. On the plus side, Nibris representatives will be attending the Leipzig Game Convention this year, so if nothing turns up at E3 we might find something there.%Gallery-12425%[Via GoNintendo]
Inconsequential Sadness news #287 -- website, more details 'coming'
There's nothing left to say. Sadness is the definition of sadness, and it always will be. We'll post about this "news", oh yes -- but until a physical copy of the game is actually in a Nintendo Wii console, right in front of us and running properly, we won't be certain of its existence. Forward motion is a myth.The latest on Sadness is thus: the official website will be launched next week, along with some new images. A chap from Fog Studios (because they're so damn hazy on the details) says it's all real, and Nibris is still working away without a publisher. The lack of a publisher means a lack of a release date. If the game exists.Rest assured, if any of the above actually happens, we will let you know. We know what a promise from anyone remotely associated with Sadness is worth, so don't hold your breath.%Gallery-12425%[Via GoNintendo]
MTI Micro showcases fuel cell-powered GPS prototype
MTI Micro is edging dangerously close to vaporware status, but until 2009 comes and goes, we suspect we still owe it the benefit of the doubt. The ever-boastful company is at it once again, this time showing off a purported fuel cell powered-GPS prototype at the International Small Fuel Cells Conference in Atlanta. The Mobion-powered device promises to provide "three times as much energy as GPS devices powered by four disposable AA batteries," meaning that users could see up to 60-hours of continuous use on a large, full-color screen navigator. You'll also find an integrated USB port for using it as an energy source, so you could theoretically utilize your NAV to charge your handset / PMP / ray gun. At this point, however, we wouldn't get too excited here -- it's not like there's any guarantee that we'll ever see this thing in commercial form.[Via I4U News, image courtesy of John S.]
Nibris returning with more promises
clicky clicky Most companies choose to issue media via press releases or exclusive articles. But here we're talking about companies with actual games, not just a campaign of windbaggery and empty promises. Nibris, where they tend to focus on the latter, apparently feels releasing what is purportedly the first and only screenshot of Sadness to date (two years late, mind) to some random dude on the Internet is what makes for good PR.The IGN Wii boards have blown up over the past few days due to the unending campaign of one Nibris supporter, a single purported screenshot, and a few cryptic remarks from the Nibris president himself, who is long known to frequent message boards. The numerous threads are a mess, so we'll attempt to sum up: user Twiilight_Prince posted the above, stating it was an actual in-game screenshot from Sadness and that he had received it from Nibris. He then apparently received messages from the user posting as Nibris, asking him to remove it. He did. Someone else also posted it, and received similar messages. Eventually, the reported PMs were posted. In them, Nibris (who we assume is president Piotr Babieno) did in fact ask for the shot's removal ... and also promised that there would be screens from Sadness and a trailer next month.Now where have we heard that before? It's same to assume we're not holding our breath around here -- but here's the apparent screenshot for your perusal.[Thanks, Joe!]
Sadness: a chronology of disappointment
We had such a good time reading this, we thought we'd share for a laugh. If you're the kind of person who really splits a seam reading about Duke Nukem Forever's glacial progress, you're sure to get a laugh out of the comedy of errors that we know as Sadness. This vaporous piece of software has been teasing gamers for nearly two years and, despite that lengthy timeframe, we've yet to see even a single screenshot. Stop by Wii Fanboy's Sadness chronology and relive all those precious moments like it's your first time.
A look back through time: Sadness
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/nintendo/Sadness_a_chronology_of_disappointment'; There were several things in 2007 that made us sad. Super Smash Bros. Brawl was delayed, Project H.A.M.M.E.R. got canceled, then it didn't, then it did, and now we're just stuck with rumors that it might exist, somewhere, in some form. People told us that the Wii Zapper would make us kill our families. We got no hard drive love. Reggie didn't kick any ass, though he might have taken (down) some names (we're not sure). But the thing that's made us saddest of all is the ongoing saga of the aptly-named Sadness, the Nibris vaporware game. For all we know, we could be playing it right now; their idea of a game may be centered around stringing us along for a couple of years. It's fun for the whole family!Or, y'know, sad. So grab your tissues and journey with us through a timeline of Sadness.*Not actual Sadness concept art, because Nibris hasn't bought/commissioned it yet from artist Mark Ryden.%Gallery-12425%
Is Axiotron's ModBook actually about to ship?
For a device which has lived solely in the hearts and minds of hopeful buyers for such a long time, the ModBook has certainly seen its fair share of news. The latest dispatch comes in the form of a letter from the "Other World Computing Team," marketers for the Axiotron-made tablet Mac, detailing expected shipment dates and new configuration options which are being made available. If you believe what you read, actual ModBook hardware will be shipping to buyers starting January 11th -- of course, they've been claiming a ship date for about a year, so we recommend you take this one with a hefty grain of you-know-what.
Where's Duke Nukem been the last decade?
The door swung shut, his familiar frame lumbered in, sunk into the couch, like nothing had changed these last ten years. "Where have you been?" we screamed. "It's been ten years!""I'm looking for some alien toilet to park my bricks. Who's firrrrst?""So that's it? You come in here stinking like a wet cigar and that's all you've got to say for yourself?" He puffed on his cigar, blew radioactive smoke in our faces, and left ... Evidently, the boys at ShackNews have gotten over their abandonment issues (any pointers?) and taken a calendar-heavy look at the game's progress (or lack thereof, knowhutamean?) over the last decade of development. Most telling: the two E3 trailers, in '98 and '01, that show plenty of gameplay in what would almost seem to be a nearly complete game. Once you're done reading that, take another look at The Duke Nukem Forever List, an incredibly sobering breakdown of the things that have transpired since the game was first announced (spoiler alert: Google didn't exist yet). How much were milk and eggs back then, Grandpa? Read – A Decade of Duke: The Brief Long History of DNFRead – The Duke Nukem Forever List
