Hasta La Gadget!

This month we had a chance to take a look at an early screening of the upcoming blockbuster action film The Amazing Spider-Man, and what little we can tell you at the moment includes this: the visual effects here take the cake. While the refresh of the Spider-Man movie series has a story that is thrilling in its relative newness, it’s the mise en scene that will strike you hardest. If The Avengers proved to us that its prime time to bring the Marvel Universe to the big screen in a massive way, Spider-Man is the knife that cuts all the sweetest bits of this delicious visual cake and serves them up with the friendly neighborhood kid this superhero was always supposed to be.

There’s not a whole lot we can say about the individual characters without giving away the plot of the movie. That said, there’s no holding back the fact that Spider-Man takes the great high-flying feeling you get in the first three movies and keeps ahold of it fully. Though instead of seeing Peter Parker doing all manner of rubber-bodied wobble-flips like we saw in Spider-Man 1, 2, and 3, we’ve suddenly got a whole new generation of web-slinger in which he looks one heck of a lot more real, and feels that way too.

You’ll find Peter learning his skills fin a complete reboot of the Spider-Man storyline, with his physical transformation being shown clearly in his bent-body calamitous crashes and bloody bashes galore. This movie has Andrew Garfield getting cut and bruised more than the other three Spider-Man movies combined, and the audience is certainly going to have a great time while he does it. The most important thing this movie does is make you believe that Spider-Man is born of the same kid hero that went big in the 1960s when an adult hero was the only kind there was.

As far as the presentation goes, this is certainly a film you’re going to want to see in IMAX 3D. The screening we had a peek at today was presented on one of these massive screens with stadium seating, (the only kind any theater should have these days, of course), and RealD 3D. While I’ll never get over how odd it is to wear 3D glasses of any kind, or that these glasses make the whole movie just a bit less bright, the third dimension here is top-notch.

Have a look back at our talk with 3ality Technica about their involvement with Prometheus to see what kind of gear the crew was using to make The Amazing Spider-Man’s 3D camera setup a reality. This film was made with a couple of RED cameras on every shot where there’s 3D, with 3ality Technica’s gear allowing the filming of this movie to be no more difficult than a 2D movie would have been – and it shows. There’s no holding back here when it comes to effects shots and all manner of building-crawling angles here. Expect a ride, and you shall receive it.

We’ll be having a more involved look and review of The Amazing Spider-Man once the film is actually out in theaters early next month. Meanwhile, stay tuned for several more features – including interviews of all the stars and some of the crew, too – we’ll be producing right here in the main news feed in our fabulous [Entertainment portal] – web-slinging action coming at you for weeks!

The Amazing Spider-Man movie: our first look is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Sony has released the much anticipated YouTube app for its PlayStation Vita portable gaming device. The app takes advantage of the handheld’s large 5-inch high-resolution display and 3G capabilities. It will be available for download later today via the the PS Vita Store on PSN.

The YouTube app for the PS Vita will offer features including recommended videos, search, viewing history, and add to favorites. It can play high definition video up to 720p. An HD button will appear when playing these videos, which you can tap on to switch from HD to SD.

Videos can also be viewed in two modes, full screen and small screen. The full screen mode overlays a control panel towards the bottom of the screen, while the small screen mode shows the video on one side with the suggested videos, comments, and information accessible on the other side. The like and dislike buttons are also available in this mode.

[via PlayStation Blog]

PS Vita’s YouTube app arrives is written by Rue Liu & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again and that’s exactly what Google has done with Google TV. With the second generation of Google’s software hitting older hardware and some TVs, it only makes sense that Sony would revise its hardware and fill the void left when Logitech decided to leave the party. The $199 NSZ-GS7 from Sony might be the perfect little box for those hoping to internet-enable their TV without actually replacing the TV itself. How well it does at that is exactly what you’ll find if you click through.

Continue reading Sony NSZ-GS7 Google TV review

Sony NSZ-GS7 Google TV review originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jun 2012 11:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony’s third-generation console is primed for new firmware, set to arrive later today and looking to be an audio-centric refresh. Version 4.20 improves support for Sony’s PlayStation 3 Wireless Stereo Headset, which had some troubles with the last update. You can now turn off the option to hear your own voice ringing through your head, or pick from five different volume levels. There’s also a new option to add virtual surround sound on Blu-ray and DVD playback to the ear-warmers, as well adjustments to how long the whole system will run before shutting itself down and the ability to save files in bulk. Hit up the official source for the full update rundown.

PSA: PS3 firmware update landing today originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jun 2012 06:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sleep easy tonight, boys and girls – there will be a new PS3 System Software Update 4.20 tomorrow for your beloved PS3 console, where this particular update will feature a bunch of minor updates that will help strengthen functionality while improving your overall experience. The previous update, version 4.10 which came out a few months ago, allowed you to throw in a feature which let you hear your own voice via the Wireless Stereo Headset whenever you play multiplayer modes. This kind of audio feedback is known as “sidetone”, and Sony is pleased to announce that system software update 4.20 will bring about an improvement to sidetone audio performance as it enables you to select one out of five levels for microphone audio, with the option to turn the feature off completely if you do not want your ears enjoy such an experience.

Folks who rely on a Wireless Stereo Headset when watching their favorite movies on Blu-ray or DVD on the PS3 will definitely welcome PS3 System Software Update 4.20, as it opens up a whole new world of audio performance with the enabling of virtual surround sound functionality, delivering a superior audio experience in the process. Not only that, you can also set the amount of time that the system will wait before it turns itself off automatically.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: E3 Press Conference Wrap Up, PlayStation Home 1.65 Client Update ,