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Vizio 'Versus' offers two-player head-to-head gaming on one screen (video inside!)
At Vizio's CES suite, the HDTV manufacturer was showing off its "Versus"-enabled television. The tagline is "head-to-head gaming" and the feature is that simple. The set uses a 3D panel to drive two images, so two players can play the same game head-to-head. Like 3D gaming, the software needs to support the functionality; thankfully, if the game already supports stereoscopic 3D, it only needs a "small interlace tweak" to support head-to-head gaming. It works like this: Instead of rendering two unique 540p images to create a single "1080p" 3D image, it renders two distinct gameplay streams and uses specially keyed glasses (ours were marked "L" and "R") to isolate each player's display. The game on display was Ubisoft's Shaun White Skateboarding, which already supports stereoscopic 3D. A Vizio representative said they've been working with Ubisoft and Electronic Arts on supporting the feature and are licensing the technology to publishers at no cost in an attempt to drive adoption of their standard. Vizio's also hoping that other TV manufacturers using the same passive 3D technology will license the tech at, presumably, a less altruistic rate. Also not discussed: Sony's recently published patents, which certainly seems to cover this ground.
NHL Winter Classic game will be in 3D New Year's Day, find out where to watch
Whether or not you've been keeping up with HBO's 24/7 episodes, most hockey fans know that the yearly outdoor Winter Classic is scheduled for tomorrow between the Penguins and Capitals, but you may not know it will also be broadcast in 3D (the second one this season.) According to the NHL's page it will be available "worldwide" and we've confirmed Comcast, Cox, DirecTV, Cablevision Shaw and Telus are on the list. They're likely not the only ones, with Versus broadcasting if your provider has a dedicated 3D event channel and the sports network (especially if they broadcast the Oregon/Cal football game earlier this fall) it's a good bet it will be on but we'd check with them first. Here's hoping that next time around (the Heritage Classic game in February will be in 3D too) there's a slightly more coordinated effort to let those who might be interested in watching know where and how to tune in.
Jawbone Jambox vs. Soundmatters foxL v2... fight!
Two portable speakers clamber into the ring, each boasting big, beautiful sound for their diminutive size. Both cost $200. Both have the same technology inside. The Jawbone Jambox and the Soundmatters foxL v2 with Bluetooth each want to be your wireless audio wunderkind, blasting music and taking Bluetooth calls. At best, you're only going to buy one. Which speaker should you choose? Following our Jambox review, we got our hands on a foxL and put the two head to head, and after the break you'll see which one came out on top -- both literally and figuratively. %Gallery-111933%
iPad versus Kindle: even the Supreme Court can't decide (video)
Supreme Court judges are supposed to be some of the sagest dudes and ladies around, but even they can't agree on which e-reading device is best. Amazon's multimillion-selling Kindle is the weapon of choice for newly appointed Justice Elena Kagan, however old pro Justice Antonin Scalia prefers to battle the bulge of briefs using his iPad. Who will prevail in this titanic struggle? Probably good old paper, actually, as both are said to use their electronic devices as supplements to, rather than replacements for, the old fashioned reading method. See the video revealing these shocking facts after the break.
Versus schedules first 3D broadcast: Oregon/Cal college football November 13th
ESPN 3D won't be alone in its broadcasts of college football and other sporting events for long, now that Versus has announced it's launching 3D broadcasts (just two years after getting its own fulltime HD channel) during two college games November 13th. The first game, TCU/San Diego State at 4 p.m. will be the first ever to feature iRL3D that lets viewers on PCs view highlights in 3D on Versus.com, while it will launch a full 3D broadcast during the second game , Oregon/Cal at 7:30 p.m. Multichannel News has the details, quoting VP Mark Fein saying the network decided this was the time since the broadcasts feature two teams currently ranked in the top 5. Like ESPN's broadcasts, the 3D version will have its own announcers and Versus says it's already signed up Comcast, Cox, FiOS and Time Warner to broadcast the game and is negotiating with other carriers. No word yet on exactly which channel the broadcasts should appear on, but we'll keep an eye out.
Panasonic Lumix GF2 vs. GF1... fight!
If yesterday's preview of the GF2 wasn't enough for you, here's a little more eye candy to feast upon. We paired up Panasonic's all-new Micro Four Thirds shooter with the GF1 that preceded it and collected a nice little gallery for your perusal below. The major difference between the two is in their dimensions -- the GF2 feels a lot closer to your typical compact camera -- though there are plenty of smaller modifications as well, such as the refashioned grip on the camera's right side, the replacement of the jog dial up top with a stereo mic array, and the introduction of a luminous iA button for switching on the intelligent auto mode. The back of the GF2 is also quite a bit tidier, which has been achieved mostly by eliminating some buttons in favor of the touchscreen interface. Check it all out below or jump past the break for some video action. %Gallery-106820%
Nokia N8 vs. iPhone 4: camera showdown
What's the first thing you should do when you get the N8? Considering it packs the biggest image sensor embedded in a phone yet, Carl Zeiss optics, and an eight-digit pixel count, it seemed obvious to us that the answer was to take it on a picture- and video-taking stroll around London. On our way out we saw our iPhone 4 looking all sad and lonely, so we went ahead and brought it along as well. Below you shall find one gallery of pure, unadulterated N8 sample shots, another interspersed with the iPhone's results for comparison's sake, and a final one with side-by-side 100 percent crops from each image taker. Once you've digested all of those, we suggest hopping past the break and tucking into some tasty video comparisons for dessert. Naturally, all the images are entirely unretouched (but for our masterly watermarking) and the iPhone 4's HDR hocus pocus has been left off. We've also provided a zip file containing all the full-res imagery shot with the N8 in a link below. A quick note is also merited about the N8's resolution. The sensor's display ratio is 4:3, which means that full 12 megapixel shots are only available in those dimensions. The camera software, however, defaults to shooting 9 megapixel snaps at the increasingly popular 16:9 ratio -- this is done simply by cropping away the "excess" bars at the top and bottom of the image, meaning that the 9 megapixel images are giving us identical performance as the 12 megapixel ones, they're just chopped down (from 4000 x 3000 to 4000 x 2248) for the sake of convenience. Now, on with the show!%Gallery-103838%%Gallery-103849%%Gallery-103858%
Plants vs. Zombies XBLA getting co-op, versus mode [update]
According to a recently revealed list of XBLA Achievements found over at Xbox360Achievements, it seems that the upcoming XBLA iteration of PopCap's zombie gardening game Plants vs. Zombies will be getting a new versus mode, as well as the inclusion (in some form) of co-op play. Two separate Cheevos indicate as much -- the first named "Versus vs. Versus" (fittingly enough) and the second named "ZFF's 4 Evr" (earned by bowling "a winner with a friend in Co-Op Wall-Nut Bowling"). The real question is, of course, whether or not everyone's favorite crazy gardener be a playable character -- we can only dream, folks. Update: A recent press release from PopCap confirms it: Plants vs. Zombies will have a Co-op mode, as well as a Vs. mode. Ed Allard, PopCap's head of worldwide studios, says, "The two new multiplayer modes allow gamers to work cooperatively to defeat hordes of invading zombies, or go head-to-head in a true 'plants vs. zombies' challenge." For more on the Xbox 360 version, check out our announcement post here.
iPhone 4 Retina Display vs. Galaxy S Super AMOLED... fight! (updated)
If the title of this post isn't enough to entice you, we don't know what else to say. We've gone and run some sunlit comparisons between Apple's brand spanking new phone's Retina Display and Samsung's equally fresh and exclusive Super AMOLED panel on the Galaxy S. We don't know if we'll be able to settle the argument, but we're certainly going to subject both superphones to an expansive visual inspection. Follow us after the break for video exploration of this most pressing topic. Update: Due to the Galaxy S having a separate setting for browser brightness, which we didn't max out in the original investigation, we've gone back and collected some truly 100 percent illuminated pictures. See the gallery after the break. Keep in mind that this shouldn't discredit most of the work done here, as we were more interested in pixel-level detail than brightness.%Gallery-96227%
Court rules against Comcast, Cablevision on new FCC program access rules
Comcast and Cablevision's quest to keep the HD feeds of the networks they own off of satellite and telco services was again dealt a loss Friday when the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia upheld new FCC rules requiring them to share. Neither found that pleasing, with Comcast citing the continued exclusivity of NFL Sunday Ticket and NASCAR Hot Pass to DirecTV, while Cablevision whined about its latest spat with ABC. This might not be the end of things however, as the court voted the FCC could later rescind the rule if it decides it "is no longer timely," and it will likely play a part in the ongoing discussions over Comcast's proposed purchase of NBC.
Left 4 Dead 2's Versus mode getting bots, auto-spawn tweaks
Question: What's the only thing scarier than a looming horde of normal-speed zombies? Answer: A looming horde of normal-speed zombies with robot brains. That's the kind of nightmare we'll soon be facing once Valve puts the finishing touches on an update for Left 4 Dead 2, which will add Infected bots to the game's Versus mode to help balance out one-on-one games. In addition, Valve's doing some tweaking to the zombie auto-spawning which occurs during the finale events in Versus mode. Apparently, the developer decided that the average 34.56% chance of survival for the human team was a little too low, and is trying to balance things out by disabling auto-spawning during the campaigns' climaxes. Of course, none of that will matter when the human team is attempting to escape from robot zombies. %Gallery-64704%
Valve adds 4 vs 4 competitive matchmaking to Left 4 Dead on Steam
With the release of Left 4 Dead 2 just on the horizon, Valve is making good on its promise to keep up support for the first game ... on Steam, anyway. Valve has flipped the switch on a new update, which adds Team Versus 4 on 4 competitive matchmaking to the mix -- something Valve has been promising was in the works since April of this year.The update also fixes a pair of bugs in the game, dealing with a nasty game-crashing glitch that would occur as a result of a certain 'Crash Course' achievement (there's a joke in there) being unlocked and an issue where bots and computer-controlled special infected were being reported in the 'View Game Info' screen.[Via Big Download]
Left 4 Dead PC patch reclosing doors in 'Crash Course' DLC [update]
Aside from fixing pressing issues like "campaign image not updating correctly when creating a lobby" and increasing "the reliability of the Steam Group server display," Valve's recently released PC patch updates a crucial issue with Left 4 Dead's latest DLC: keeping doors closed. Apparently, during Versus mode in the game's "Crash Course" DLC, players were able to release teammates from "rescue closets," assuredly stopping rampant R. Kelly syndrome. The game may be fixed, but will that cure your urge to micturate on people? Only time will tell.%Gallery-22771%
Microsoft details October's Xbox Live Deal of the Week specials [update]
Update: Houston, we have prices! As you already know, this week's Xbox Live Deal of the Week is none other than Prince of Persia's 'Epilogue' DLC. We're not here to talk about that, though -- instead, we're here to give you the heads up on what the rest of this month has in store for penny-pinching purchasers looking for goodies on Xbox Live. So let's get to it: October 12 Hasbro Family Game Night (Battleship, Connect 4, Scrabble, Yahtzee, Boggle and Sorry! Sliders discounted to 400) October 19 Resident Evil 5's Versus mode (discounted to 240) October 26 Fable II Pub Games (discounted to 400) Pub Games is the only title with its planned discount listed, so you'll have to wait until the appropriate time to know how much the others are discounted for. We're sorry we boggled your mind with savings, only to battle your ship -- ah, forget it, that joke could never work.
All United Football League games will be on in HD on Versus and HDNet
When there is one sport far and away more popular than any other, its no surprise that everyone wants to get in on the action. Case in point, almost twice as many people tuned into watch a pre-season scrimmage NFL game on Sunday night than did to watch two of the most popular MLB teams play each other in a race to the playoffs. The newly formed United Football League (UFL) is hoping to cash in on some of those fans. The league consists of four teams and thirteen games (including playoffs) that will be broadcast in HD on Versus and HDNet starting on Saturday October 10th. While we'd rather see a new spring league formed, we can't ever get enough football so we'll be tuning in to check it out in the hopes that it makes it to a second season. Although we do question any league that would purposely schedule games against Saturday night college football.Read - NFL Preseason Ratings vs MLBRead - UFL ScheduleRead - HDNet to carry UFL games.
Leaked AT&T doc slams the Palm Pre
Need more proof that Apple (and AT&T, by proxy) is taking the Pre kind of seriously? Enter this internal document from the iPhone carrier exposing the Palm phone for what it really is -- a second-rate claptrap that is doomed to failure because of its inferior and stupid design. Among the highlights in this no-holds-barred slamfest -- similar to this Verizon / G1 hit piece -- is the comparison between WiFi (somehow the Pre has "limited WiFi access" because it can't connect for free in Starbucks), and the nasty burn which points out that the Pre is available "in black only." Ouch... Palm might want to stock up on aloe vera. In truth, though, the doc does point out some issues with the Pre that are very real, namely its lack of roaming capabilities outside of the US and an SDK which thus far won't allow for CPU-intensive apps like 3D games. It's significant that AT&T has deemed the phone worthy enough to address (internally at least), but it's also significant to see just how far the company seems to be reaching on a handful of these points. Just remember guys -- competition is a good thing.
Capcom insists RE5 Versus wasn't on the disc
Resident Evil 5 controversy -- much like a zombie -- refuses to die but Capcom says claims of charging gamers for on-disc content are false. Already taking shots for charging for content gamers expected in the retail release, Capcom was recently accused by IGN of charging for its Versus DLC, claiming the content was already on the disc. The controversy stems from the DLC's file size, which sits at a slim 1.8MB on Xbox 360 and 351KB for PS3. According to Capcom's VP of strategic planning and development, Christian Svensson, the file size is because all assets for the DLC are being pulled from the retail disc; however, the download itself is programming code that "does not exist on the disc." "Keys are 100K or less. It is not a key," Svensson replied to a forum thread regarding IGN's claim. We're not programmers but it sounds feasible for file size to remain slim for content that pulls all assets from the disc, but you're the consumer. Do you believe Capcom?[Via Siliconera]
Capcom VP explains RE5 multiplayer development, calls complaints 'BS'
Although Capcom had previously responded to the flack it's received for the $5 charge on the Resident Evil 5 "Versus" DLC, a VP for the publisher has had enough with all the complaining and is calling "BS." Christian Svensson, VP of strategic planning and business development, explains on the company forums that people are getting plenty of bang for their $60 and says that if people don't see the value in the secondary offering that, "the choice is simple, don't purchase it."Svensson goes on to explain that paid DLC at Capcom has its own budget, with its own profit and loss analysis. He emphasizes that without this method, the Versus content wouldn't exist in the first place, because it "did not fit within the production budget of the base product." He continues that to hit the sweet spot of DLC releasing within 3 to 6 weeks of initial launch that development on these products starts before the actual product hits shelves.Although the whole situation definitely has some debatable points, Svensson certainly hit the nail on the head when he said if consumers don't agree with what Capcom did: Don't buy the product.[Via Kotaku]
Resident Evil 5 'Versus' DLC dated and priced in Japan
If you're a member of the enraged masses protesting the pricing of Resident Evil 5's 'Versus' DLC pack, which adds new online co-op and competitive options to the game, we doubt this news will do anything to soothe your frayed nerves -- Capcom recently revealed the DLC's price for Japan: 160 on Xbox Live, or ¥250 on PSN. That's less than half of the North American cost for the same content.However, if you're still planning on picking up the additional modes, you might be interested to hear the Japanese DLC received a release date that's far less vague than our "in a few weeks" release timetable -- Japan will be able to participate in immobilized online combat as of March 26. Why the disparities in pricing and dating in the two regions? We're not sure -- though we suspect some sort of zombie trade tariff is involved.
Capcom defends charging for Resident Evil 5 'Versus' DLC
Unsurprisingly, Capcom's recently announced "Versus" DLC for Resident Evil 5 is raising quite a stink from players who are convinced they're being nickeled-and-dimed, paying for content that should have been included in the game in the first place. Capcom recently braved the slings and arrows of their incensed fanbase to defend the five-dollar update -- they claim that the price covers development of the new features which go "above and beyond the initial scope" of the game, as well as bandwidth costs associated with implementing additional online multiplayer offerings.Capcom explained the "Versus" pack, which will bring four-player co-op and competitive online modes to the game within "a few weeks," isn't just an unlock patch for content already included on the RE5 disc -- despite the fact that it's composed entirely of assets from the core game. How about it, gang? Have you come down from your blinding, Majini-esque rage?
