Apr 24
Shooting Challenge: Color Splash
Posted in: Today's Chili
A black backdrop. A splash of color. It’s a visual that just pops. And you know what? It’s super easy to pull off on your own. (Seriously! Push yourself! Try this!) More »
Apr 24
Storybricks, a startup boasting about building the best AI (artificial intelligence) engine for online games, has just revealed that it has joined forces with Sony Online to develop the next game in the EverQuest franchise. The new EverQuest game will be called EverQuest Next, and it will be based in a “parallel world” of the game’s previous world, Norrath. The game will feature the same gameplay style as the original EverQuest, but will feature major improvements to its overall design.
Sony and Storybricks’s collaboration is fitting because Sony is developing EverQuest Next on its Forge Light game engine, which is said to be able to make in-game characters “more realistic.” Storybrick’s AI engine is boasted as the “best AI engine” because it is said to be able to give characters emotion. With their combined efforts, they may be able to produce an MMO with the next-generation of non-playable characters, a feat that many players would love to see.
In an email with TechCrunch, Rodolfo Rosini, Storybricks’s co-founder, stated that EverQuest Next wasn’t the only game that the company was focusing on, and that it had several other game studios interested in a collaboration as well. But for right now, it’s focusing all of its efforts on EverQuest. He states that EverQuest Next “could be the most important game of the next 10 years,” and that the game is already generating “significant revenue” for the startup.
Storybricks wasn’t able to release any more information about EverQuest Next, other than it being “the biggest sandbox ever designed.” Currently, because of the size of this project, Storybricks isn’t able to collaborate with any other game studio, however in the future, it plans on bringing its engine to other MMOs as well. Storybricks planned on launching its own browser-based MMO, but scrapped its plans after its Kickstarter campaign ended in failure.
Luckily for the team, a group of angel investors supplied it with enough startup revenue to help it develop its game engine. If not for those investors, Storybricks would not have come across the opportunity of working with a major company like Sony. Storybricks hasn’t confirmed an official release date for EverQuest Next, however, John Smedley, President of Sony Online Entertainment, made implications that we could be seeing the game this year.
[via TechCrunch]
Storybricks joins forces with Sony for new EverQuest sequel is written by Brian Sin & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Apr 24
The Nintendo Wii U may not have had the best quarter, but that hasn’t stopped Japan from making this already expensive video game console into an even more expensive karaoke machine.
The JoySound Festa from Xing is an on-demand karaoke system that uses the Wii U’s software, GamePad and a copy of a Wii U karaoke game called Nintendo x JoySound Wii Karaoke U. The Festa has a monitor that can tilt, a stand that looks to be around 5-feet tall, microphones, and additional content. In total, the Festa offers 90,000 songs to choose from as well as offering exercise videos, vocal exercises, clips of yoga exercises and dance instructional clips. Aside from those physical exercises, the Festa also offers puzzles and quizzes to help exercise the mind too. (more…)
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Grand Theft Auto Invades Spotify, iTunes With Complete Music Playlists, Mad Catz F.R.E.Q.7 Surround Sound Gaming Headset Up For Pre-Order, 
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Apr 24
Do you know what Extremis is? Unless you’re an Iron Man nerd, probably not. But in the Marvel Universe, it’s basically the biggest biological breakthrough ever, and a huge part of Iron Man 3. Light spoilers ahead, obviously. More »
Apr 24
There are still a lot of mysteries surrounding the next film in J.J. Abrams’s reborn Star Trek series—including who exactly Benedict Cumberbatch is playing—but now we’ve got one more piece of the puzzle. It was briefly teased in the last trailer for Star Trek Into Darkness, but via the film’s mobile app, we now have a great shot of the Dark Enterprise. More »
Apr 24
We already know that Microsoft will be revealing the Xbox 720 on May 21, which is less than a month away. However, the Redmond-based company will continue to showcase the new console that next month during E3 2013, where Microsoft will show off a handful of new games for the next-generation console at the annual expo.
According to the invite we received earlier from Microsoft, the company will be revealing a “full lineup of blockbuster games” at E3 2013. We’re guessing that the company will debut a few games for the new console during its May 21 event, but Microsoft says that they will “continue the conversation and showcase” during E3.
The new console from Microsoft will take on Sony’s recently-announced PlayStation 4 during this upcoming holiday season, and it’ll renew the stoking fire that has been burning for the past several years over which console was better: the PS3 or the Xbox 360, only this time around it’ll be the PS4 pitted up against the Xbox 720.
Microsoft’s methods for the Xbox 720 reveal are rather interesting to say the least. The company will be revealing the new console a few weeks before E3, which we’re guessing will be enough time for the hype to build up before going into E3, making the headline story during the gaming expo Microsoft’s new console. We’ll see how that plays out for them come next month into June.
Microsoft to show off handful of Xbox 720 games at E3 is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Apr 24
NASA has launched a lot of things into space, such as humans and space ships of course, but one thing we certainly didn’t expect them to launch into space were cell phones.
Yes – mobile phones have been launched into space by NASA as part of a low-budget, experimental satellite program using off-the-held components. The three smartphone that were sent into space were all HTC Nexus One devices and are currently circling the Earth at an altitude of around 150 miles inside of 4-inch metal cubes, and are expected to burn up on re-entry within the next two weeks. The mission for reach “PhoneSat” is to snap photos of the Earth to send back radio messages on a regular basis in order to learn of they can be considered to supply the “brains” for future satellites. (more…)
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: HP WindsorNot Leaked Yet Again, German Court Dismisses Nokia Vs HTC Patent Claim , 
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Apr 24
This afternoon the official word from both Deutsch Telekom and T-Mobile USA has been sounded off, this pushing past earlier leaked news reports suggesting the news: the T-Mobile-MetroPCS combination has been approved. This approval comes at the hands of the stockholders of MetroPCS, this being essentially the last major step needed to be taken before the merger deal was finalized.
Now that the T-Mobile MetroPCS deal is near finalization, both new heads of the combined company spoke up on how satisfied they were with the final approval, noting that they’re finding the merger to be a major milestone in the history of both companies. Both the CEO of Deutsche Telekom Group René Obermann and the CFO of Deutsche Telekom and Chairman of the newly-formed company Timotheus Höttges mention Apple and/or specific devices they’re looking forward to working with, too.
“We have accomplished a lot in the USA recently, for example our network modernization and the new T-Mobile USA management team, which has seen considerable success. And we have finalized the contracts with Apple and MetroPCS. The merger with MetroPCS is extremely important, since it enables us to be more aggressive in the USA.” – Obermann
“Together with MetroPCS, we will make considerable improvements to our competitive position with our combined state-of-the-art network, more powerful sales model and top devices like the Apple iPhone 5 and the Samsung Galaxy S4.” – Höttges
This deal has MetroPCS receiving a 1.5 billion dollar payment in cash from their company while a reverse stock split will occur before the company is merged with T-Mobile. The shareholders of what will have been MetroPCS will be receiving 26 percent of the new number of shares while Deutsche Telekom will hold the other 74 percent. The consolidation of the group will be effective as of May 1st, 2013, and will officially be a consolidation of the new company into the Deutche Telekom Group.
The legal name of the company, and the name the company will trade under, will be T-Mobile US, and their New York Stock Exchange symbol will be TMUS. Sound decent to you?
[via Deutche Telekom]
T-Mobile MetroPCS merger confirmation allows final close by month’s end is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Apr 24
You know you’re getting old when you start thinking how something was better back in the day. Programmer Hugues Johnson was in placed that mood recently when he wrote about the history of the Legend of Zelda series. He thought the amount of hand-holding in the beloved series has become ridiculous. So he decided to let some steam out by mocking some of today’s gaming norms.
Aside from poking fun at the spoon-feeding that is rife in today’s videogames, Johnson also ridicules DLC and – the worst aspect infecting games today – the always online requirement, aka The SimCity.
If you don’t see anything wrong with the Metal Gear image you probably don’t see the humor in any of these pictures. If that is indeed the case I recommend you watch this video. All gamers and developers must watch that video. But if you’re like me and you just want to sulk more, head to Johnson’s website to see more of his jokes.
[via Slashgamer]
Apr 24
Nikon’s D3000 came out in 2009, and even back then it was a cheap DSLR. It’s meant for beginners. In addition to the decidedly non-professional $500 price, the D3000 actually features educational menus to help a first time photographer learn the ropes. Still, it wasn’t cheap, especially for tyros or students—if you’re not sure you’re gonna stick with the hobby, it’s hard to spend what amounts to a rent payment. But flash forward to 2013, and Adorama is selling the D3000 for $210—a price even broke college students can afford. More »
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