Tag Archives: Video games

The Razer Switchblade transforms the mouse and keyboard experience into the realm of portability

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This is one slick concept machine.  Razer, the maker of high-end precision gaming products, revealed a concept mobile PC designed for gamers on the go.  The Razer Switchblade is based on the Intel Atom processor and packs an ultra-sensitive, 7-inch capacitive multitouch touchscreen (1024 x 600) and a dynamic tactile keyboard.  The keyboard is the most intriguing part of the design; key layout and configuration can be changed on-the-fly based on game content and user requirements.  For example, it can serve as a standard QWERTY keyboard as you’re browsing a website inside a browser and the next minute it can morph into a keyboard made specifically to play a game like World of Warcraft where the keys become quick access points for magical potions and spells.  So how does it all work?  Easy; just like the top half of the device, the keyboard is actually a large LCD screen in disguise with physical keys layered on top of it.  Inside the custom Razer OS skin the user can tweak the keyboard to make the keys function however they want.  Customization is left up to the user’s imagination. Sure, you can make the keys display video playback controls such as play, pause, fast-forward, etc.; but Razer is a gaming company at heart and they are hoping that gamers will find the customization options to be helpful in optimizing the way they play games on the go when a full keyboard and mouse combo are not present.

As awesome as that keyboard hopes to be, keep in mind that the Switchblade is still a portable notebook.  Razer’s custom skin can be hidden to reveal a standard copy of Windows 7.  There are also USB ports (so a mouse can theoretically be connected), a mini HDMI port, and a webcam.  Bluetooth and WiFi are also inside.  The company is still determining whether or not to pack 3G capability with it.  That’s right–this concept notebook unveiled at CES 2011 is actually coming to market in the near future.  Razer is mum on exact release date and price, but you can expect to see this portable gaming machine attempt its transformation of the mouse/keyboard paradigm sometime within the next year or so.  Full PR after the break.

[Via Engadget, here & here]

Continue reading The Razer Switchblade transforms the mouse and keyboard experience into the realm of portability →

Avatar Kinect gives you more control over your Xbox doppelganger

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Microsoft has announced a new Kinect-specific update for Xbox 360 owners.  Here’s out the makers explain it: “With Avatar Kinect, you can control your avatar’s facial expression, head, and arm movements. As you talk, frown, smile, or scowl, your voice and facial expressions are enacted by your avatar, bringing your avatar to life!”  In other words, the update will give you a more detailed level of control over your avatar.  Right now the Kinect captures basic movements, such as arm flails, moving side-to-side, jumping, and ducking.  With Avatar Kinect, the sensor will be able to recognize a new slate of physical actions.  Microsoft is highlighting a virtual hangout where you can meet up with up to seven friends and converse with them using your avatars.  You’ll be able to select from 15 virtual environments.  Think of it as Wii’s Mii Plaza, except this space will allow for broader interaction (detailed avatar movements performed by you, voice support).  Avatar Kinect will hit Xbox 360s later this spring.  Look after the break to see it in action.

In related Kinect news… At CES 2011 Microsoft announced that they sold 8 million Kinect sensors worldwide during its first 60 days on the market; they sold 3 million more devices than they had predicted they would during that launch window.  More news… In a spring update, Hulu Plus will be joining Netflix, expanding users’ options when it comes to TV and movie content.  In addition, the two services will be Kinect-compatible.

[Via Xbox] Continue reading Avatar Kinect gives you more control over your Xbox doppelganger →

Call of Duty IRL

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Freddie Wong is back with one of his best action-packed videos to date!  It’s a video game first person shooter recreated in real life with some animations added for effect.  Wong used a GoPro mounted to a helmet to get the job done.  Look after the break to catch a behind the scenes look into how it all came together.

[Via Gawker] Continue reading Call of Duty IRL →

Kinect, hacked.

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Since its North American release date on November 4, Microsoft’s Kinect controller-free motion accessory has proved to be a boon for the open source community.  Over the last month or so I’ve collated the most intriguing Kinect hacks and today is the day I’ve decided to let them live free inside this post. Tinkerers are constantly throwing up their latest creations online, so expect Kinect, hacked to become an ongoing series.

First up we have Yankeyan‘s Super Mario Bros. Kinect hack.  Using OpenKinect drivers and NES emulation he’s figured out how to make the plumber’s on-screen movements mimic his physical jumps and arm flails.  It doesn’t match up perfectly, but that doesn’t make the hack any less impressive.

Now go on, hop after the break to browse oodles of Kinect hack videos; I promise they are all super inventive! Continue reading Kinect, hacked. →

OnLive comes to iPad with limited functionality, bright future

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OnLive, that gaming on-demand cloud-based service you’ve been hearing so much about, has found its way to the iPad but not in the way you might suspect.  No you cannot demo and purchase games on Apple’s ubiquitous device; what can do, however, is hook up to OnLive’s servers to watch other people play games.  With the free OnLive Viewer app you can spectate live gameplay, view and rate Brag Clips, add your favorite players to a friends list and send them messages, and view trailers for current and upcoming games.  Says John Spinale, OnLive VP of Games and Media: “Watching live games and interacting with the people playing them takes social gaming to an entirely new level. It’s unlike any other experience. And people love it.”

But this is just the beginning for OnLive on portable devices.  The company promises that the update will receive an update sometime next year that will allow users to demo, purchase, and instantly play games and create Brag Clips–so much more than just spectating.  What they’re waiting for is games to become “touch- or motion-aware” so that gameplay is more suitable for a touchscreen experience a la the iPad.  CEO Steve Perlman says that the app “is the last piece of the puzzle to unify the worlds of TV, computing and mobile all under one real-time cloud-based platform, enabling previously inconceivable experiences, capabilities and live, video-rich social interaction.”  Beyond gaming, Perlman’s plan is to have the app bring the touch-based Windows 7 OS to OnLive users, effectually porting Adobe Flash and Microsoft Silverlight to iOS and Android devices.

For now you’re stuck with spectating–but it’s not all that bad actually. Download the free app here and give it a whirl.  An Android version is currently in beta.

[Via IGN; Gizmodo]

Rockstar uses MotionScan tech to bring video game realism to a new level

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Rockstar is currently developing “a dark and violent detective thriller” video game set in the 1940s called L.A. Noire.  In addition to using motion-capture suits, the developers are utilizing a new kind of facial capture technology called MotionScan.  The suits capture character movements, and the MotionScan data “provides an unprecedented level of realism, detail, and emotion” to their facial expressions and reactions.  The game actors sit in a room surrounded by many cameras; they are dressed up for the part and speak their lines aloud as the cameras captured their facial movements from every angle imaginable.  All of this gets converted digitally and the result is a high resolution 3D model of the actor’s head.  Said result is impressively realistic and promises to make it easier to discern when an in-game character is lying; a major theme of the game is to detect when people are lying.  L.A. Noire is due out for Xbox 360 and PS3 next year.  For now, take a look at how the MotionScan tech creates the 3D models in the video above; this will certainly change the way games are made in the foreseeable future.

Did you catch Fringe‘s John Noble make an appearance in the clip?  Get a closer look at the man and his 3D composite after the break.

[Via Joystiq] Continue reading Rockstar uses MotionScan tech to bring video game realism to a new level →

2010 Video Game Awards honor Red Dead Redemption, Mass Effect 2 (debut trailers enclosed)

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Saturday night Spike aired the 2010 Video Game Awards hosted by Neil Patrick Harris.  Rockstar Games’ Red Dead Redemption beat out CoD: Black Ops, God of War III, Halo: Reach, and Mass Effect 2 for the coveted Game of the Year award; Redemption also won Best Original Score and Best DLC for “Undead Nightmare.”  Mass Effect 2 managed to prove its worthiness by taking home Best RPG and Best Xbox 360 Game; game developer Bioware was crowned Studio of the Year.  Other notable winners include: God of War III (Best Graphics, Best PS3 Game), CoD: Black Ops (Best Shooter), Halo: Reach (Best Multiplayer Game), Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Best Wii Game), and Limbo (Best Independent Game).

In addition to handing out awards, the VGAs are also used as a platform for game developers and studios to premiere titles and announce surprises about future releases.  The biggest announcements include: Mass Effect 3 is slated for a Holiday 2011 release; Professor Hugo Strange has been confirmed as Batman: Arkham City‘s main villain (in a new fantastic CGI trailer it is revealed that Strange knows Batman’s true identity); Bethesda Studios put together a teaser trailer for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, and the game’s set to release November 11, 2011; Insomniac Games’ Resistance 3 ships September 6, 2011; Activision officially announced a sequel to Prototype and it’s expected to drop in 2012; Turn 10 is bringing Forza Motorsport 4 to Xbox 360 in Fall 2010 with Kinect support; EA resurrected the SSX franchise with SSX: Deadly Descents, and gone are the cartoony graphics–they have been thrown out and a more realistic approach to the snowboarding genre has been implemented; Thor: God of Thunder will complement the superhero’s spring theatrical release on May 3, 2011; Kratos, the protagonist of the God of War franchise, is confirmed as a playable character in the upcoming Mortal Kombat reboot game (he’s a PS3 exclusive); developer Volition (Red Faction, Saints Row) is teaming up with filmmaker Guillermo del Toro (Hell Boy, Pan’s Labyrinth) to create a horror game called Insane due out at in 2013; and finally Naughty Dog closed out the show with an extended trailer for Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception and revealed it’s release date: 11/1/11.

Hop after the break to see the full list of winners and watch game trailers for the titles mentioned above.

[Via Spike; IGN; CraveOnline] Continue reading 2010 Video Game Awards honor Red Dead Redemption, Mass Effect 2 (debut trailers enclosed) →

OnLive introduces $10/month flat-rate plan for gamers

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OnLive, the gaming on-demand cloud-based service, scrapped the idea of implementing a required monthly fee back in October, but now they’re bringing it back and this time it’s optional.  OnLive gamers will have three options to play games. (1) Purchase a game in full to keep.  (2) With PlayPass gamers can buy a 3-day or 5-day rental pass to stream a full game.  (3) With PlayPack (and here’s the new addition) gamers can pay $9.99/month to gain access to an entire catalog of games.  Think of it as Netflix but for games; you pay one flat-rate per month and gain access to a bunch of full streaming games.  Nice deal, huh?

The company says the new flat-rate plan will comprise more than 40 “high-quality” games when it officially launches January 15, 2011.  Some of these games include Prince of Persia, Unreal Tournament 3, and LEGO Batman. They promise this small batch of initial games will “expand up to and beyond” the launch date.  Now check this: if you purchase the OnLive Game System (which is a $99 controller and MicroConsole bundle) you will receive free access to the PlayPack library of games until the January launch.  After this “introductory beta period” is over, you’ll have to pay the monthly subscription price if you don’t want to part with it.

Happy (video games) streaming.  Full PR after the break.

[Via Engadget] Continue reading OnLive introduces $10/month flat-rate plan for gamers →

Download 8-bit DJ Hero today!

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OK now this is neat.  One Eric Ruth, retro games enthusiast, has created an 8-bit playable version of DJ Hero for the PC.  And the 70s and 80s mashups sound pretty incredible in chiptune form.  They include Ray Parker Jr’s “Ghostbusters”/Huey Lewis & the News’ “I Want A New Drug” (demonstrated in the video above) and Queen’s “We Will Rock You”/Joan Jett’s “I Love Rock & Roll” (see it in action after the break).  There are six mashups to play using keyboard keys.  And if I must be honest here, the NES-influenced remake is more addicting than Activision’s modern take.  Go on and download the game for free at Ruth’s website; there you’ll also find a “pixel force” edition of Left 4 Dead.

Update: Reader “laus_hel” has pointed out that the game is no longer available to download from Ruth’s website.  Bummer!  But there must be other ways of finding it…

[Via Kotaku] Continue reading Download 8-bit DJ Hero today! →

Xbox Live Rewards program gives you Microsoft Points for things you do already

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Now this is what I can a steal!  Today Microsoft pushed out the Xbox Live Rewards program and essentially it doles out Microsoft Points to Xbox Live users (in the US and UK only for now) to reward them for actions they periodically perform.  Once you sign up for the free program at this website you will become eligible to receive MSP for renewing Gold memberships, Gold Family Packs, purchasing select Marketplace content, taking quick monthly surveys, and participating in promotions.  You’ll even get 20 MSP for activating Netflix on your Xbox.  Prizes range from 10 to 400 MSP depending on the performed action (again, many of which you do anyway). There really is no reason to ignore this opportunity to receive some Points.

[Via Joystiq]

Sony & Microsoft release new sales figures for their motion peripherals

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Last we heard out of the video game giants Sony had shipped 1 million Move controllers in one month, and Microsoft had sold 1 million Kinect sensors in ten days.  Post-Black Friday, the companies were eager to share the latest sales figures for these products.  As of November 2010 Sony has shipped over 4.1 million units worldwide, and Microsoft has sold over 2.5 million Kinect sensors globally in 25 days.  Now bear in mind that there’s a notable difference between units shipped and units sold.  Unlike Microsoft, Sony is not reporting actual sales results; instead they are reporting the number of units shipped to retailers.  A Sony rep says that the company won’t “disclose [their] exact sell-through number”, and that kind of chips away at their impressive and somewhat misleading stat.  Nevertheless, there’s no denying that the new motion peripherals are happily riding the Wii’s coattails this holiday season.

[Via Engadget, here & here]

Nintendo DSi goes orange and green for Black Friday

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Black Friday is right around the corner, and Nintendo know how to celebrate.  Starting November 26 you can pick up the Nintendo DSi in two brand new colors, orange and green!  The new colorful DSis will come bundled with a copy of Mario Party DS.  $149.99 is the price.  These new systems join the limited-edition red Nintendo DSi XL bundle and red Wii bundle in honoring the 25th anniversary of the Super Mario Bros. game on the NES.  Mario Party? Really? Well, at least the new colors pop.  Look after the break to see the packaging for Mr. Green.

[Via Joystiq] Continue reading Nintendo DSi goes orange and green for Black Friday →