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Nokia X10 Symbian S^3 QWERTY slider revealed in leaked documentation?
Some supposed Nokia X10 "release documents" have been caught on video and are now making their presumably illicit way around the web. Of course, this would be pretty trivial to fake, so do please put on your skepticism pants before reading further. The docs detail a QWERTY sliders handset dubbed the X10, a seeming followup to Nokia's capacitive-equipped X6, but which runs Symbian S^3. In fact, it claims to be the first phone to do so, with a ARM Cortex A8 600MHz processor to help it out in such a mission, along with 256MB of RAM, 32GB or 16GB of internal storage and a 3.2-inch AMOLED capacitive touchscreen. The 5 megapixel camera listed is a far cry from the 12 megapixel N87 flagship that Nokia's said to be prepping for this new OS, but we're happy to see a front-facing camera for 15 fps video calls. Don't believe a word of it? We hardly blame you, and you can check out the video for yourself after the break to confirm or allay your suspicions.
Hands-on: Alan Wake
During last week's X10 event in San Francisco, I previewed the latest build of Remedy's third-person supernatural action-thriller, Alan Wake. The scene I played takes place later in the game (as opposed to the beginning), so any chance of getting wrapped up in the mystery of the over-arching storyline was not happening; not to mention the demo was relatively short and, oh, the fact that I was preoccupied by the axe-wielding maniac chasing me. A representative gave me a brief recap of the preceding circumstances (I won't spoil it for you) that had landed protagonist Alan Wake in the specific location of the demo level, where the scene kicked off with a "Previously on Alan Wake ... " montage -- like we'd seen before at E3 2009 -- but most of it made little sense out of context. The only thing I was sure of was that I needed to escape from the car I'd just crashed after swerving to avoid someone in the road (who, of course, vanished when Wake looked in his rear-view). After I climbed out, Wake's voice-over cued me to head through the woods to reach a gas station for help. That's when things started to get really weird. %Gallery-85310%
Fable 3 co-op to bring full characters, dogs, weapons into friends' games
If there's one thing we could've used in Fable 2, it was a more fleshed-out co-op system. Sure, we could see our friends' orbs floating about Albion and we could even invite them to play as a one-off character in our world, but it was one unable to collect experience or have any lasting impact on our game. As you might image, Lionhead's head lion Peter Molyneux is ready to deliver just that in Fable 3. Molyneux told the 4Guys 1UP podcast: "I heard you all about co-op. You want to have your own hero come into the world. Okay, fine, you can have that definitely." Detailing the system further, he admitted that the player's dog and weapons will also be available in co-op. "When you come into my world, you come in as your hero, with your dog, with all your unique weapons, self-crafted weapons. I heard you -- you don't wanna be tied to my camera, you wanna go off and do your own thing in my world. Fine, fair enough." That said, he warned about "consequences" from bringing in said friends to your own version of Albion. "It means careful who you invite in, 'cause they can screw the whole thing up, man!" And then, when the possibility of using the new "touch" functionality came up, things took a turn for the weird. "Yes you can use touch with your co-op partner. Yes you can walk down the street hand-in-hand. Yes you can drag your co-op partner to your dungeon and see what happens. Absolutely." Keep in mind, folks -- what happens in the dungeon stays in the dungeon. Rawr! %Gallery-85302%
Savant: iPad to "Redefine home automation"
Automating one's home with a Mac isn't new. Indigo has been around for a while, as has XTension. Heck, you can even feed your dog remotely. The folks at Savant offer a way to control your home or office's entertainment system, climate, security cameras, lighting and more with an iPhone or iPod touch. To say that they're excited about the iPad would be an understatement. In an interview with Electronic House, Savant president Jim Carroll called the device's release a "...watershed moment." He also confirmed that his company is working on an iPad app, including some "pretty cool" plans for the device's large screen. For now, home automation can be expensive, but Carroll believes that the iPad will change that. With a device that starts at US$499 (and should only get cheaper) and runs App Store apps, more and more people will be able to take advantage of this technology. Of course, that doesn't mean your home will be as cool as Daniel Graystone's overnight, but it's progress. At the very least, imagine a beefed-up version of Apple's Remote app that went beyond Apple TV and iTunes sharing. We're living in the future!
Interview: Remedy's Matias Myllyrinne on Alan Wake
X10 was a special day for Remedy's long-in-development Alan Wake: the release date was announced at last, officially bringing the psychological thriller within a few months of release. On this occasion, Matias Myllyrinne, managing director of Remedy, shared his thoughts with Joystiq about episodic gaming, the inevitabillity of digital distribution, and high-profile competition. Joystiq: It was announced earlier that there would be episodes of Alan Wake. Matias Myllyrinne: It was just announced in CES by Robbie Bach. Did you guys take a look at the experiment with Fable 2? That was surprising. What are your thoughts on that? I think it's interesting to see how those new forms of enjoying entertainment -- how to distribute that, and get through to people in the way they want to enjoy it. I think it'll be really cool to see what happens with the Fable episodic delivery stuff. I think the jury's still out on how people want to consume media such as games. I think it's also an evolving thing, as well. If you think back to music, it's not that long ago that we all bought CDs. That changed. I thought it would happen like in two years, but it actually took more like seven for the music industry to shift and tilt. %Gallery-85310%
Sony Ericsson X10 mini and X10 mini pro hands-on with video
We're kinda chuffed about Sony Ericsson's showing this year at MWC, and between the three launched sets -- Vivaz pro, X10 mini, and X10 mini pro -- this little QWERTY stands out as the best of the bunch. The idea behind the X10 mini series, of course, is to have all the features and functionality of the larger X10 in a small package designed with one-handed use in mind. The keypad is surprisingly pleasant and not cramped (provided you aren't equipped with baseball bat-sized fingers) as it looks and the key feedback is really great. The UI is generally snappy in most apps we saw, though we did see a bit of sluggishness while playing with the Timescape feature; with some months til launch, we can at least hope for some improvement there. The phone's back is soft touch plastic -- the mini is a smooth plastic, by contrast -- and the face is the glossiest finish imaginable. As you can guess, that means it's a fingerprint magnet -- so if you worry about that type of thing, bring a cloth to keep it lovely. We're absolutely stoked to get our hands on one of these for review for you as soon as possible, but until that fateful moment arrives, the gallery and vid after the break will have to do.%Gallery-85470%
Sony Ericsson outs Xperia X10 mini and Xperia X10 mini pro
We'd heard a few whispers of Sony Ericsson's Xperia X10 mini, but frankly, the X10 mini pro here comes as a bit of a surprise. The sets are nearly identical with the exception of launch colors -- the mini will ship in black, pearl white, lime, pink, red and silver, while the mini pro features just black and red -- a minuscule size difference, and the pro packing a QWERTY keyboard. The X10 twins run Android 1.6 (though with the time to market gap we've come to expect from SE this could change) on a 600MHz Qualcomm MSM7227 and will ship in both North American and global 3G variants with quad-band EDGE, WiFi, Bluetooth, and a pack-in 2GB microSD card. As far as OS tweaks are concerned, Sony Ericsson's Timescape is being touted as a major feature that enables all your communications with contacts to be accessed in one place making it simple to access to call history, Facebook, Twitter, messaging, and the like. Four-corner control also gets a mention and is basically user-customizable shortcut icons placed -- not surprisingly -- in each corner of the device's 2.5-inch QVGA touchscreen display. Both phones' launch dates are set for sometime in Q2 this year.
Interview: Aaron Greenberg talks Xbox 1 Live shutdown, hard drives, and Games on Demand
If you thought the jam-packed Xbox lineup on display at the X10 event was exciting for you, imagine being one of the people in charge of it. Microsoft's Aaron Greenberg got to watch reactions to the lineup at the event all day -- except, of course, for the time he took out to speak to us about the crowded game schedule, Project Natal, and more. Greenberg remained genial even when faced with familiar questions about the ramifications of the removal of Xbox 1 Live support, and with random, odd questions generated from Joystiq's interview brainstorming session, such as: Joystiq: Can you make Kudo in Kodu? Aaron Greenberg: What? I don't know. Don't worry about it. Does not compute.
X10: The Recap Post
.nounderline a { text-decoration: none; } Microsoft's X10 press event has come and gone, and with it came a stack of Xbox-related news, trailers, screenshots and more. It was so much content, we nearly broke the Internet! Alright, that's probably inaccurate but we have to assume we were close. In case you missed anything, we've wrapped it all up and have it here for you in one tidy, little package. Alan Wake | Dead Rising 2 | Fable III | Final Fantasy XIII | Halo: Reach Left 4 Dead 2 | Modern Warfare 2 | Splinter Cell: Conviction | XBLA Block Party %Gallery-85281%
X10: A perfect storm of Perfect Dark media
It's been a crazy 48 hours, thanks to all of the news coming out of X10. Attendees were greeted with various playable demos, a box full of mullets and, in the case of this post, the above trailer and gallery full of screenshots for Rare's upcoming XBLA port of Perfect Dark. Featuring graphics of up to 1080p and small grey alien sidekicks named Elvis, it's one of the more high-profile games coming to Xbox Live Arcade as part of the Block Party promotion. %Gallery-85318%
Interview: Marcus Lehto on Halo: Reach, Firefight, and ending at the beginning
Bungie's Marcus Lehto was grinning like a proud papa when we had a chance to chat with him during X10. The Halo: Reach creative director had been demoing his baby continually for around eight hours, but seemed excited just to be able to tell us more about the studio's final Halo game, his presentation of which had totally wowed us earlier in the day. We reached out, shook his hand, said Halo (okay, not really) and got cracking with our questions. Joystiq: As a game that is intended to cap off Bungie's work on the Halo series, how do you end a story by going back to the beginning? Marcus Lehto: What we wanted to do is kind of bring everything full circle. Going back -- to a prequel -- to delve into the stories of the Spartans on planet Reach and to tell their stories; What they did, what they did that transpired and led to the events of Halo 1, was such a cool thing for us to tackle. That's the thing that really got us excited about [Halo: Reach]. We came up with an amazing story tell tell. For us, like I said, it does literally bring things full circle for us because we're doing things in Reach -- and telling this story -- that really help us encapsulate the entire series and make sense of everything. %Gallery-64713%
Fabled interview: Peter Molyneux at X10
It doesn't take much for Fable III designer Peter Molyneux to get going on and on about his latest project. We even managed to squeeze in a few questions for the Lionhead boss, who was on hand at yesterday's X10 media event to unveil his studio's next grand fable. Of course, it just wouldn't be polite to kick off a conversation with Molyneux without first checking in on the little one. Joystiq: So, how's Milo?
Halo: Reach ViDoc heads Once More Unto the Breach
Coinciding with the info avalanche at X10, Bungie has released a new Halo: Reach video documentary (aka "ViDoc"). There's something for every Halo fan here: Spartan customization, new weapons, huge maps, new music, and plenty of human-on-alien warfare. A few things to look out for include a grenade launcher, stealth kills and a Spartan actually sprinting. You'll even get an un-textured peek at the huge battles Bungie demonstrated during X10. A full squad of marines, Spartans and 30 Covenant duking it out all at once? Yes, please. Once you pick the video apart -- and we know you will -- be sure to post your OMG megaton discoveries in the comments. Once you're done doing that, go download the ViDoc from the Xbox Live Markeplace and watch it in HD. Shortcut: Download the 'Once More Unto the Breach" ViDoc to your Xbox 360 [via Xbox.com]
X10: Splinter Cell: Conviction hands-on
There you are, old Sam Fisher, minding your own business at some unknown cafe when the waiter brings you a cell phone and Bluetooth earpiece, compliments of the caller. It's Grim, it's Third Echelon, and it's the end of his vacation. Some thugs have managed to upset his vacation -- now we know why he's always carrying 12 rounds and a pistol. %Gallery-85308%
XBLA Prices: Perfect Dark, Toy Soldiers, Scrap Metal
A press release from Microsoft has revealed the pricing of all games offered in the upcoming March XBLA Block Party promotion. Think of the Block Party as Microsoft's first-quarter crack at the Summer of Arcade, combining a month of releases under one convenient promotional banner. According to the press release the pricing for each title will be: Perfect Dark -- 800 ($10) Toy Soldiers -- 1200 ($15) Scrap Metal -- 1200 ($15) Xbox Game Room -- Free to download (Each title costs 240 [$3] per single license, 400 [$5] for use on PC and Xbox 360, or 40 [50 cents] per play) %Gallery-85318%
Still awake? Alan Wake screens from X10 light up your evening
click for our gallery, unless you're s-s-s-scared You didn't think the X10 news was over, did you? Alan Wake, as you know, is always fashionably late to the party, and these latest screens are just another example of that fact. In them we get another quick glimpse at the havoc occurring in the small town of Bright Falls. Alan Wake is scheduled to hit Stateside on May 18, in multiple flavors.%Gallery-85310%
We've exfiltrated these new Splinter Cell: Conviction screens from X10
click to interrogate higher-resolution screens Thanks to a hush-hush covert op, we've extracted a handful of new Splinter Cell: Conviction screenshots to whet your appetite. Oh, okay. They were just given to us during the X10 event in San Fransisco -- but we can dream, can't we? With Splinter Cell: Conviction (finally) hitting stores this April, these images only serve to anger us at the game's numerous delays. Also, these images are so crisp, we're not even sure they are real. If they are, someone needs to do something about that that horrific green couch (above). That is so last year. %Gallery-85308%
X10: Welcome back to Albion, Fable 3 screens emerge
albion my way, just as soon as you click through to this gallery Microsoft has just sent off a handful of screens for the upcoming Lionhead adventure, Fable III. Featured in the images is a gruff-looking anti-hero, who has clearly lost more than a few followers from a slew of evil decisions. The pirate isn't all bad, though; one image shows the gun-toting maniac playing with his son ... unless, of course, kidnapping is a brand new Fable III feature. %Gallery-85302%
Bungie: Halo Reach multiplayer takes 'big risks'
When asked if Bungie was sticking to the tried-and-true multiplayer formula in the upcoming prequel Halo: Reach, creative director Marcus Lehto told Joystiq the developer would be taking some "pretty big risks" for its final Halo title. "While we'll still have all of the good stuff that players have come to know and love about Halo, we've made that better and given them new features on top of that," Lehto said.Lehto wouldn't detail the new risky features, but he would confirm players would see the "new multiplayer features" during the Reach multiplayer beta; beginning May 3. Lehto also reiterated that "currently" the multiplayer beta would only be accessible through a Halo 3: ODST disc.Brainstorm with us, folks: What new features do you hope for in Halo: Reach multiplayer?%Gallery-64713%
X10: Lost Planet 2 screens feature Marcus, Dom, and Wesker together
click to lose yourself in the galleryIf you're a huge Resident Evil nerd and a huge Gears of War nerd (a nerd squared, if you will) and are considering pre-ordering Lost Planet 2 solely for fan service, your head is about to explode. In these latest screenshots out of X10, the downloadable Albert Wesker, Marcus, and Dom appear together for the first time. It's like seeing all of your favorite Hanna-Barbera characters interacting with each other in the Laff-a-Lympics, except instead of Scooby-Doo and Yogi Bear, it's a bunch of giant dudes with guns. %Gallery-85282%
