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Portable 'cold plasma' wand prototype could destroy germs in seconds
Engineers from the University of Michigan created a plasma jet wand to disinfect hospital rooms.
Kano's next coding kit is a Harry Potter wand
Harry Potter fans have plenty of replica wands to choose from. Some are designed for children, with mystical sound effects and LED lights. Others hew closer to movie props with beautifully carved handles and tips. Few, however, replicate the art of learning and performing magic. Kano, a startup based in London, is hoping to change that with its new learn-to-code Harry Potter wand kit. Like the company's previous hardware, it comes with a companion app that teaches you programming through block-based logic. This time, though, the challenges produce spells that you control on screen with a build-it-yourself plastic wand.
Microsoft Hololens patent hints at a new wand-style controller
Microsoft has been focused more on mixed reality lately than Hololens AR lately, unveiling VR motion controllers and helping Dell, Lenovo, Acer, HP and others with their MR headset launches in May. It's still on the job with Hololens, though, as Twitter user @h0x0d (WalkingCat) discovered a Microsoft patent for a wand-like interface for the headset. It looks like it could serve as a gaming gun or business pointing device, as it comes with a trigger, buttons and a finger shield.
'Maguss' wants your help bringing its mobile spellcasting to life
If you like the idea of a Harry Potter-like mobile spellcasting game and aren't that attached to J.K. Rowling's universe, you can now plunk down some cash to get it. The Maguss team has launched an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign to bring its Pokémon Go-style augmented reality wizardry to life. Pledging at least $19 (normally $25) will get you access to the beta test when it starts on December 10th. However, you'll likely want to pay more to get the full experience -- spending $39 ($49 if you're not an early bird) gets you a Bluetooth-based physical wand on top of beta access 9 days earlier. You can contribute more if you want to either get into the alpha test (November 10th) or duel your friends.
Challenge friends to real-life wizard duels with 'Maguss'
Harry Potter's brand of magic may not exist in the real world, but smartphone applications, electrical engineering and plastic wands sure do. Maguss uses all of these things, plus a badge that acts as a motion-sensing receiver, to bring wizard duels to the physical world. Maguss is on Kickstarter right now, seeking $66,191 to create and ship a kit allowing wannabe wizards to challenge friends to duels in-person and online. Players cast spells by waving the wand in specific motions -- in-person, the motion is picked up by the enemy's badge and smartphone app. Online, players conduct spells at their own badge and the motions are transferred to the rival wizard's app. In either scenario, whoever has the best wandwork wins.
Blood Pact: Looking ahead at the 5.0 warlock
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Blood Pact for affliction, demonology, and destruction warlocks. This week, Megan O'Neill procrastinates writing with dungeon soloing as she researches for two-handed transmogrification. The pre-expansion patch is coming for the PTR, and while I'll be stuck with the MoP beta client, we all still need a post about what's changing for warlocks. There's still a strong sense of familiarity when playing in Mists of Pandaria, but things have definitely changed. It'll be nice to know what to look out for when the pre-expansion patch goes live. I haven't come close to talking about everything yet, so here's a chance to see where I'm going or to suggest your own ideas.
Incantor brings World of Warcraft to real life (hands-on)
There's plenty of cool stuff to see on the floor of this year's TechCrunch Disrupt, but nothing's likely quite so eye-catching as Incantor, a mobile game that utilizes your smartphone and, naturally, a magic wand, to bring fantasy-style action to the real world -- or as the game's creators put it, to "bring World of Warcraft to real life." The wand speaks to your handset via Bluetooth, detecting your gestures and generating "spells." Hold your phone in portrait, and you'll get personal information, including your character level, spell bag, etc. Flip it to landscape, and you'll get a Google Map overlay, showing you other players in your area. There are 13 different game play modes in all, and you can play as a group or solo. Moveable Code was only showing off one wand at the show, but the company expects to make 10 available in all, representing different classes. Interested parties can find out more at the Kickstarter link in the source below. Beta testing will begin in early Q4, with widespread availability coming by year's end. The wand, which offers up feedback based on gameplay (including interactions with other players), should run you around $60 when it hits the market. You can play the game sans phone, but we're told its not quite as fun. Either way, sparring, quests and games capture the flag should get people outside a bit more than PC-based MMORPGs. Sunscreen, however, is not included. Check out a video of Incantor's creators demonstrating the game after the break.%Gallery-155977%
BlizzCon 2011: Goodbye, ranged slot
If you didn't see this coming, you haven't been paying attention: as of Mists of Pandaria and patch 5.0, the ranged slot is being dismantled. Relics are going extinct, hunter ranged weapons will become their only weapons, and wands? Those are main-hand weapons now, too. To be extra clear: Relics are going away Wands become main hand weapons (and will function as wands do now) Hunters can only equip ranged weapons (and hunter minimum range is going away) This is something we've expected for a long time here at WoW Insider, as it's a topic Ghostcrawler discussed at BlizzCon '10. It's a removal of superfluous stat sticks and that's a good thing. None of us will miss our librams with +10 to Character Sheet Clutter and absolutely no visual, no real effect, and no purpose. The news is out -- we'll be playing Mists of Pandaria! Find out what's in store with an all-new talent system, peek over our shoulder at our Pandaren hands-on, and get ready to battle your companion pets against others. It's all here right at WoW Insider!
Leaked memo says Pottermore is an online game
We've been on mystical pins and needles for the past week as the countdown continues to tomorrow's full reveal of Pottermore, a mysterious website bearing J.K. Rowling's name. The Atlantic reports that a leaked memo making the rounds spells out the truth: Pottermore will be an online game of sorts. The memo "suggests that [Pottermore.com] is a sophisticated online game that contains clues to prizes that are hidden in the real world. These are an unstated number of magic wands secreted in Britain and America, and possibly other countries." This sounds more like an ARG -- alternate reality game -- than an MMO, although we're not prepared to rule out the possibility until all is said and revealed. The article mentions that this could be a marketing tool tied into Pottermore instead of Pottermore proper. Fans who'd love to see a Harry Potter MMO still have hope that this could be the real deal, but we won't know for sure until tomorrow's announcement.
Nyko Wand+ review
For demanding gamers, initial excitement upon procuring a Nintendo Wii was quickly dampened by disappointment: the durned Wiimote wasn't nearly as precise as we'd all hoped it would be. It took a couple of years for Nintendo to step up and fix the issue, releasing the MotionPlus and finally making the Wiimote work for sword-fighting games and the like. But, that left us all stuck with a dongle hanging off the bottom, causing compatibility issues with many early peripherals. The Nyko Wand+ is the solution, putting the MotionPlus right inside a stock-size controller, as it should have been in the first place. In some ways, it's better than first-party. %Gallery-101535%
Nyko's new colored Wands available at selected retailers
Peripheral manufacturer Nyko is adding several new colors to its line of Wand controllers. Each color will be available at a specific retailer, so if you're looking for a red Wand, but have never even heard of a Fry's, try purchasing it online. The Wand colors and selected retailers are as follows: Gamestop: Green and Orange Walmart.com: Yellow Fry's: Red Meijer Supercenters: Grey The Wands are priced at about $30. The absolutely not recommended "paint it yourself" method will run you under $20 in materials.
Patent hints at next generation Apple TV
The USPTO has published seven different patents from Apple today, including one that might be found in the next generation of the Apple TV. The patent allows for a "Remote Control System that can Distinguish Stray Light Sources" -- in other words, a Wii style remote that can pick out a certain type of light source from other bulbs in the house. The patent paints some pretty wild pictures of what they must be working on at Apple HQ: it describes IR emitters mounted near a television, and then describes how to keep the remote control both "measuring its own motion" from those sensors, and able to recognize differences between those sensors and other light sources, including reflections and other features of the surroundings. Of course, Apple's not a company that tends to follow, so you have to wonder what else they're putting together if they really are planning on taking a song from Nintendo's Wii and adding it to the Apple TV's repertoire. Not that we'll ever see it for sure -- they file patents all the time, some of them already used (other patents filed today include Smart Playlists in iTunes and the "slide to unlock" feature found in the iPhone and the iPad), and some which will never see release. But it certainly sounds like something is cooking in the Apple R&D labs.
Spiritual Guidance: Playing catch up with shadow priests
Fox Van Allen steps out of the shadows every Wednesday to take control of Spiritual Guidance, telling you all you need to know to melt faces with expert precision. The era of patch 3.2 held some dark days for a shadow priest. The fights in Trial of the Crusader were definitely not built for shadow priests, especially in heroic mode. We scaled terribly with new gear. Our tier 9 gear was questionably designed. Every class has their own problems, but the problems that besieged shadow priests were bad enough to negatively effect raid performance. It wasn't hard for shadow priests to get left behind. Patch 3.3, though -- this is our time. The changes to the spec have already been detailed: buffs to our glyphs, talents, and haste-affected DoTs gave us a ten-to-twenty percent boost to our damage right off the bat. Our tier 10 gear gives powerful two- and four-piece bonuses. And best yet, the fights in the new Icecrown Citadel five-man dungeons and raids seem as if they were built for us. We add tremendous value to an ICC raid in almost every fight. Actually seeing those fights, though -- that can be a challenge. Patch 3.2 did a lot of damage to the shadow priest class's reputation. An increased emphasis on "gear score" in the game can (unfairly) get an average-geared shadow priest written off. We can't just take playing for granted -- past problems with the spec means there's a higher bar for us. If you got left behind in the last patch or even if you're a newly minted level 80, don't worry -- you can catch up quick. Here's how.
Nyko Wand+ is a full Wii Motion Plus replacement, smashing through screens this March
Nyko has what it plans to be the world's first Wiimote replacement with the Motion Plus add-on built-in. Dubbed the Wand+, the controller will retail for $39.99 and should be on shelves by March. In addition to those fancy gryoscopes, the Wand+ has a matte rubberized back and rubberized buttons that are pretty comfortable to the touch, there's a built-in camera for acting as a "regular" Bluetooth mouse, and the whole assembly is much lighter than a Wiimote / Motion Plus combo. Perhaps we won't die of acute carpal tunnel after all. Check out some action video after the break. %Gallery-81872%
Phat Loot Phriday: The Mischief Maker
This one comes to us from @Aeire on Twitter, who said we should do this item, because it's "weird and different." True on both counts!Name: The Mischief Maker (Wowhead, Thottbot, Armory)Type: Uncommon ConsumableDamage/Speed: N/AAttributes: It's a wand (though not really -- it's just an item you right-click to use up) that will sheep any friendly player or NPC, and unfortunately only in Dalaran. In other words, it's a party favor -- there's no real use to it, but if you happen to see your buddy wandering around Dalaran, you can sheep them for 15 seconds, and then wait for their "wtf?!" to roll in on guild chat. %Gallery-33600%
Nyko Wii Wands get a dash of color
Just as Nintendo finally decides to bring some of that noir goodness over to the US, Nyko pops up with no less than four new colorways for its Wand Wii remote. We're no anthropologists here, but we reckon one of these new options will do a lot better in sales than the other three. All the same, with Nintendo furnishing Japan with blue and pink Wiimotes, Nyko has played it safe and followed suit. These should be hitting Walmart right about now with an MSRP of $29.99, so look out for them at your next government-sponsored Wii bowl-a-thon. %Gallery-75714%
PS3 motion controller's launch titles will work single-wandedly
The PlayStation 3 motion controller's actual launch date is still shrouded in multiple layers of mystery, but when it finally does make it to market, Sony Worldwide Studios boss Shuhei Yoshida wants to assure you that you won't be needing to purchase two wands for any games -- at least at first. All launch titles will work with just one motion controller and camera, but there will be some options for those wanting to dual-wand -- "experiences will be enhanced if you purchase a second," he said. That does leave open the possibility of future titles mandating a dual-wand setup -- we wouldn't be surprised if some sword fighting simulators required it -- but at least you can dip your toes in first and see if that bucket of plastic game peripherals really has room for more. [Via Joystiq]
Nyko's 'Wand' controller easier to look at in different colors
Despite the interesting "Trans-Port" technology and the lower price, we'd have to say that the defining characteristic of the Nyko Wand is its ugliness. The four new colors for the device, in our opinion, help ameliorate that ugly factor. It could be because the red and blue buttons are gone in favor of a more monochrome look, or it could be because it's slightly harder to compare these to the stock Wiimote. These four color options will be available in North America and Europe this holiday season. They have already launched in Japan, along with many other colors. Nyko also announced the Charge Base IC, an induction charging dock that uses magnets to hold controllers in place, and also features a USB port for charging other items. %Gallery-70342%
Nyko drops price on Wand, ships controller bundles
Nyko announced today that its two Wand controller bundles, which include the company's weird-looking Wiimote and extension controllers, have shipped -- a bit late of the original June date, but at least they made it out before spring 2010. The Action Pak includes a Wand and a gun controller, which uses Nyko's "Trans-Port" function to include operable buttons on the gun itself (and not just a lever that hits the B button). The Core Pak includes a Nunchuk-alike with rumble.The company also announced that it has knocked five bucks off the price of the standalone Wand controller, now offering the device for $29.99. That seems like a boon to Wii owners in a hurry to acquire a full complement of four Wiimotes.
Doc Marks discusses evolution of the PlayStation motion controller
Doctor Richard Marks, known among gamers as the PhD behind the EyeToy, discussed the evolution of the Playstation motion controller technology -- revealed by Sony during E3 2009 -- with PC World. Marks said that experience with the EyeToy, along with other data, showed Sony that, while gamers did have fun experiences with the physical movement of the original peripheral, they still desired the precision and complete control in a fast, effective way. Upon this realization, Sony opted to leave the concept of control-free gaming behind and advanced to the dual-wand prototype showcased at E3 2009. "We designed our new control system to accomplish all of this. We believe the path we have chosen is an ideal combination of both spatial and action/button input," Marks told PC World.When prodded about comments made by Shigeru Miyamoto, who said he was "flattered" by Sony and Microsoft's motion-control direction, Marks respectfully agreed that -- while the EyeToy predates Nintendo's new console -- the Ninendo Wii was an important advancement that "broadened the gaming market and enabled new experiences." As for camera-only control, Marks says the tech can work but it's difficult to resonate with players who get more gratification out of using a tactile device. Attempts to uncover release details or the price-point of PlayStation's yet-to-be officially named motion controllers proved futile, but Marks promises the device to hit stores by Spring 2010.
