Hasta La Gadget!

Sony Ericsson’s Xperia Play is clearly all about gaming, so we weren’t surprised to see a fair amount of E3 footage dedicated to the PlayStation Phone. Minecraft was among the 20 odd games on display at the booth, and the version we had a chance to play with happens to look remarkably similar to that demo we saw pop up a couple weeks ago. The game will be exclusive to the Play when it hits online stores in Q3, but there’s no word on pricing just let — though here’s to hoping it’ll be free. In the demo we played, you select your blocks on the touchscreen — or you can just cycle through them with the circle and square buttons. You won’t find Creepers, crafting, or night mode in this version, but we’re still a few months away from the launch, so there’s a chance we’ll see those features when it’s fully baked. You’ll need to wait a bit longer before playing on your own device, but check out our hands-on video after the break for a taste of Mojang’s pocket-sized Minecraft.

Tim Stevens contributed to this report.

Continue reading Minecraft Pocket Edition on Xperia Play hands-on (video)

Minecraft Pocket Edition on Xperia Play hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Jun 2011 20:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We already got a chance to try out OnLive on the HTC Flyer early but now the company has made its plans official at E3, announcing a Player app will bring internet-streamed gaming to the iPad and Android tablets this autumn. Just as we saw, the apps allow for tablets to be used as the screen and touch / motion controller, touch / motion controller for games on an HDTV, or screen for games being played with the new universal wireless gamepad. The fun isn’t limited to just tablets though, the app will work the same way on smaller Android and iOS mobile devices. We’ll head over to South Hall and get some hands-on experience with the apps for ourselves shortly, until then you can check out an E3 trailer and all the details in the press release and after the break.

Update: We just got our hands on an early build of the tablet app on a Motorola Xoom, and we have to say it looks fairly promising — OnLive added a basic touchscreen overlay that could make sense for games that don’t require dual-analog support. Of course, you’ll want that fancy new universal wireless controller if you plan to take a hardcore FPS (like Homefront) on the go. Sadly, the tablet-as-TV-controller functionality wasn’t ready for prime time, but we did get a peek at a game designed specifically for the touchscreen interface: Ubisoft’s From Dust will have an OnLive-specific SKU. Get a glimpse at Homefront and From Dust via OnLive in the video below.

Update 2: We’re hearing that the OnLive Player will probably come to the HTC Flyer in August, and begin hitting other tablets in September and October.

Continue reading OnLive Player app for iPad and Android tablets meets the public at E3 (update: hands-on)

OnLive Player app for iPad and Android tablets meets the public at E3 (update: hands-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Jun 2011 18:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We told you what Sony’s PlayStation Vita felt like, but here it is in the glossy plastic flesh — all five-inches of vibrant OLED display, two cameras, dual analog sticks, twelve buttons, two capacitive digitizers and a D-pad. Check out the gallery below for some close-up shots, and hop on past the break for some video footage of the quad-core handheld in action.

Update: Sony just answered a few burning questions for us — mainly about those mysterious ports we spotted on the bottom and top. Apparently those top port covers will hold one slot for the official PSVita game cards, and another slot for regular removable media for downloadable content and saves, and the port that’s occupying one of those places will be removed. Meanwhile, the large socket at the bottom is a “multiport” that provides power, connectivity and might do video-out. We couldn’t get any firm details about the AT&T 3G partnership, by the way, but we’re told that there will be a special cellular plan of some sort. As you’d expect, Sony’s also not talking battery life, but a developer told us that — with the exception of graphically intensive titles like Uncharted — the company’s shooting for parity with the original PlayStation Portable.

Continue reading Sony’s PlayStation Vita: a closer look (update: burning questions answered)

Sony’s PlayStation Vita: a closer look (update: burning questions answered) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Jun 2011 16:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Continue reading Toshiba Thrive hands-on (video)

Toshiba Thrive hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Jun 2011 14:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A portable desktop tower with three LCDs mounted on its side, you say? Why yes, there is such a thing. At Computex, we spotted SSI’s camouflaged booth demoing this eccentric Spark S9T rig: a rugged ATX case sporting a handle, a keyboard with a touchpad, plus three 17.3-inch 1920 x 1080 LCD panels. As you’ve probably already guessed, the keyboard and the screens can be folded up for storage convenience. Let’s be clear, though: you’ll still need to find a wall socket to power this beastly machine, but such all-in-one solution should still appeal to video editors, military personnel, or even gamers that are regularly on the road. Alas, we couldn’t get a price for single purchases, but feel free to check out the full detail over at SSI’s website — maybe a nice postcard will get you a deal.

SSI’s rugged Spark S9T brings triple-screen computing to power-hungry road warriors (hands-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Jun 2011 10:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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