Hasta La Gadget!

This week the Kickstarter phenomenon known as OUYA has reached $5 million dollars pledged for their Android-based gaming console with 22 days left to go. This amount of cash for a project such as this is fantastic on its own, but given the group’s $950,000 goal at the start of the project, it’s become a whole new animal since it started less than a month ago. With more than 5 times their original seed money request, it’s time for the developers and engineers behind the project to seriously reconsider their futures in their respective fields – things are looking up!

This gaming console is set to feature an NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor, the creators of whom have already been in contact with the OUYA crew to speak on how they’ll be able to make it happen. The final look and functionality of the system is not solidified, but from what we’ve seen, it’s going to be a lovely silver metal box attached wirelessly to some classic-looking bluetooth gaming controllers and via HDMI to your HDTV.

The whole project is being touted as completely open-sourced and made for those who love free-to-play games galore. Developers galore have pledged their allegiance to the future release of the hardware, while gifts given to users wanting to help out with the production of the device have already been dried up for a week. Now we only need to wait to see if the device actually reaches the light of day – or if the developers are in one whole heck of a lot of trouble in a huge stack of cash with nowhere to put it all.

Feel free to jump in on the fun on [OUYA’s Kickstarter] right now!

Check out the timeline below to get the full scoop on the creation of this device, paying special attention the column entitled: with $3m OUYA’s problems are just starting.

OUYA Kickstarter blasts past $5m mark is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Sick and tired of waiting around for some exascale computing? So’s the Department of Energy. The agency has offered up a $12.4 million contract to NVIDIA as part of its FastForward program, an attempt help speed up exascale development. The chipmaker will be using the two-year contract to help develop architecture for an exascale computer that operates at a “reasonable power level,” in order to “advance the frontiers of science.” Possible implications for exascale computing include the study of climate change, development of efficient engines, the search for disease cures, according to NVIDIA — not to mention “reasons of national security and economic competitiveness.”

Filed under: Science

NVIDIA scores $12.4 million contract from the DOE to help FastForward exascale computing originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Jul 2012 13:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Believe it or not, there’s a potentially cheaper (and more customizable) way to get NVIDIA’s quad-core Tegra 3 into your life than to spring for a Nexus 7. Kontron is readying a rare Mini-ITX motherboard, the KTT30, that combines the ARM-based chip with expandable RAM and a trio of mini PCI Express slots for expansion like a micro SATA drive or a 3G modem. The external ports are more the kind you’d find on a do-it-yourself x86 PC, too: full-size HDMI, USB and even Ethernet make a show at the back. The only hurdles are an unusually throttled back 900MHz processor speed and, quite simply, the lack of release details. Kontron hasn’t promised more than a release “coming soon” — with much more complete Tegra 3 devices now hitting the $199 mark, though, we can’t see the KTT30 putting much strain on any budding hobbyist’s wallet.

Filed under: Desktops

Kontron preps first Tegra 3-based Mini-ITX board, homebrew gets an ARMful originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 15 Jul 2012 23:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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July 16th? Why wait? A full three days prior to the previously scheduled US release date, ASUS’ Transformer Prime TF700T is showing as “in stock” right now from Office Depot. For those who’ve managed to forget about it’s amenities since its original unveiling some six months ago, this one’s packing a 10.1-inch (1,920 x 1,200) display, Android 4.0, Bluetooth 3.0, 802.11b/g/n, 32GB of internal storage and NVIDIA’s Tegra 3 keeping the gears turning. As expected, $499.99 is the asking price, with an estimated delivery of “Just as soon as shipping partners get back to work next week.” Oh, and scalpers — it’s limit two per customer. Just a heads-up.

[Thanks, Tony]

Filed under: Tablet PCs

ASUS Transformer Prime TF700T showing ‘in stock’ at Office Depot, days before scheduled US release originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Jul 2012 20:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Earlier today, Verizon and GameTanium released info on their new game subscription service for mobile devices, this once again proving that the world is still, despite all other greatnesses, unable to reconcile with the high cost of smartphones and tablets. We’re in a place right now where it’s actually quite normal, at least across the USA, for a person to own a mobile device that has access to the internet. What isn’t normal is the idea that a person would own one of these magical tiny computers without a little bit of some video game action embedded within.

The service that Verizon and GameTanium have released today is one in which you can add just a bit more to your monthly data bill in exchange for unlimited access to a vast set of games that would normally cost a one-time fee. This makes access seem invisible while the cost shows up on your monthly bill. Much in the same way that the world has become addicted to using credit cards because you don’t physically see your money leaving your account, so too has carrier billing become an awesome way for carriers (such as Verizon) to create a friendly environment for max cash transfers.

This game hub they’re promoting is part of a much greater wave of similar techniques.

NVIDIA did it, Qualcomm is still trying to do it, and several other groups have their own game hubs for Android devices in an effort to make the whole app-finding experience easy enough for the common person to access. At the carrier level, it’s set to work, leading skeptical prospective smartphone buyers to see the value in owning a device that costs them tens of dollars a month rather than fives.

If you’re on the fence about buying a smartphone instead of a feature phone with nothing more than text and voice, a package full of games is just the ticket to drive you in. Smartphones have had one or two games on them since the dawn of the smartphone in general, now Verizon and GameTanium are taking this method up a notch.

Will it work?

It sure as heck is working for NVIDIA.

As for the carrier end of things, we’ll see over the next few months. We’re staying in close contact with Verizon on this one, so we’ll let you know!

Video Games drag us kicking and screaming into the mobile future is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.