Here’s what it’s like to play Destiny, Bungie’s first game since Halo
Bungie has been shy about revealing the nuts-and-bolts gameplay of Destiny, its first game since it stopped working on the Halo series. Today, though, the company has thrown open the kimono. In addition to offering its own gameplay video, it gave Joystiq and other outlets a chance to try the title for themselves. Not surprisingly, the online RPG-influenced first-person shooter plays quite a bit like the company’s best-known work; if you’ve spent years blasting Covenant forces in Halo, you’ll adapt well to the new title. The biggest additions outside of the social component are “focuses,” or superpower-like abilities that give each character class a major advantage in battle.
We’re not seeing quite everything just yet. The hands-on time didn’t give much opportunity to see the broader online experience, such as the public player spaces and large-scale missions. However, the studio says that we’ll see more at E3 in June — you’ll likely have your fill by the time Destiny is available on September 9th. If the early hands-on time isn’t enough to tide you over, though, you can also check out Joystiq‘s interview with Bungie exec Pete Parsons and get a tour of the developer’s artwork-laden Bellevue offices.
Filed under: Gaming
Source: Bungie, Joystiq (1), (2), (3)
Watch this: Microsoft digs up long-buried E.T. games
This weekend, Microsoft’s project to find E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial videogames buried in the desert succeeded. The video game crash of the early 80s spawned the legend of a movie-licensed game for the Atari 2600 — developed in just five and a half weeks — that was so bad its publisher decided to trash thousands of copies rather than try to sell them, and now things have come full circle. We’ll have to wait for the AtarI: Game Over documentary on Xbox to get the full story, but there’s a new five minute video ready to take you through the crucial moments of the dig and the people behind it, including the game’s designer, Howard Scott Warshaw.
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, Microsoft
Source: Xbox (YouTube)
KitKat update heading out to Verizon Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition
Owners of the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1, the 2014 edition, on the Verizon network are in for an update to their tablet. Verizon has announced that Android 4.4 KitKat is headed to consumers in a typical staged roll out fashion starting today. The update brings in software version KOT49H.P605VVRUCNC2. Along with the bump in Android OS versions, you will also see the following:
UPGRADE THE OS TO ANDROID 4.4 (KIT KAT)
• Immersive Mode automatically provides full screen viewing
• Faster multi-tasking
• Print services for HP ePrint, Google Cloud Print and
other printers in the Google Play Store
• Multi-User Mode allows you to create user accounts and permissions
for others to set up and customize their apps, wallpaper and so on
KEY DEVICE ENHANCEMENTS
• Delay in opening S-Note file from Home screen widget fixed
• Tab bar in portrait mode flicker issue in Google Chrome fixed
• Fixed Google Account sign in error during Setup Wizard
• Fixed access limit for enforcing PIN or Pattern attempts when
unlocking the tablet
• Fixed issue where decryption password failure did not erase SD card
Like all staged roll outs, you may or may not see the update hit your device right away. you can head into the settings > about device > software update > check for new software update to see if it is there waiting for you right now. Before you do that though, make sure you have some time to kill on a solid Wi-Fi connection and over 50% battery life. nothing is worse than seeing the update but not being able to do anything about it right now.
Via Verizon G+ Page
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Sprint’s LG G Flex starting to receive KitKat update Today
Following a few short weeks behind AT&T, the Sprint LG G Flex is starting to see their dose of KitKat goodness. The update carries a version number of LS995ZV6 and is going out in the typical staged roll out that begins today and is supposed to finish by May 7th.
Sprint’s update about the software is pretty bleak. They simple say:
Enhancements/Fixes
– OS upgrade to Android 4.4 (Kit Kat)
That is it. We expect some similar changes to the Sprint version that the AT&T version received though, like an updated user interface, improved battery efficiency, faster processing speed printing in the cloud and the Knock Code. That could be wrong though. Anyone with a Sprint branded LG G Flex see the update yet and want to confirm some of those things?
Source: Sprint Via AndroidPolice
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Sky’s next set-top box rumored to do away with satellite dishes
Between building its own fibre network and selling a £10 internet-connected Now TV box, it’s clear that Sky considers satellite TV as a dying technology. According to The Telegraph, the company is now looking to build an internet-connected set-top-box that’ll deliver all content, including live TV, over the internet. Dubbed “Project Ethan,” the goal is to develop a system whereby all of Sky’s programming is available through the cloud, letting you pause TV and — if you like — resume it on a smartphone. The paper also reports that Sky is working on a refreshed Sky+HD box that’s better suited to 4K. According to the newspaper’s sources, Project Ethan was previously named “Project 2016,” so perhaps we won’t have long before the company is ready to show off what’s in store for the homes of the future.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD
Via: Pocket-lint
Source: The Telegraph
Disney experimenting with 3D printing teddy bears in felt
We’re 3D printing pretty much everything these days, at least in laboratories. So why not venture out into cuddly materials? Disney Research is looking into leveraging the technique to create soft toys that children can snuggle without fear of scratching their sensitive skin. The prototype machine uses wool felt and a sewing machine like needle mechanism to connect one layer to the next. The result is a soft and pliable creation based on a standard CAD model that could be used with any other 3D printer. More importantly though, the felt can be layered around other materials to introduce stiffness, embed electronic hardware or even create moveable appendages. So you could create a completely custom teddy bear that hugs your child and speaks. It’s a little early to say that Buildabear should be worried, but we would be resting on our laurels if we were them. Check out the video of the felt 3D printer in action after the break.
Filed under: Misc
Source: Disney Research
Plastic HTC ‘M8 Ace’ aims at Galaxy S5 with same specs, lower price
HTC may have poked fun at its competitors’ plastic flagship devices in the past, but it looks like the Taiwanese company will soon be offering one as well. And no, we’re not talking about the Butterfly line here. According to a reliable source of ours, HTC’s upcoming “M8 Ace” — which was teased by @evleaks earlier this month (as pictured above) — will actually feature a plastic unibody instead of aluminum. Additionally, the M8 Ace will apparently pack almost identical specs as the Galaxy S5, including a 5-inch 1080p display plus a 2.5GHz, quad-core Snapdragon 801 SoC. But here’s the twist: HTC’s phone will be much more affordable, which could pose a huge threat to Samsung if true.
What remains to be seen is whether the M8 Ace will also get the M8′s Duo Camera feature. According to an earlier rumor by Chinese site TMTpost, a phone matching our source’s aforementioned description could launch next month for as cheap as CN¥3,000 (about $480) unsubsidized, which would be quite attractive; though we’ll have to wait and see what the camera situation is.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, HTC
Apple Expected to Release Updated MacBook Airs Tomorrow
As was initially reported last week, Apple’s updated MacBook Air may launch this week, possibly as soon as tomorrow.
Shipments of new 11 and 13-inch MacBook Airs are currently arriving in Apple Stores across the country, according to 9to5Mac, with plans to put the computers on display beginning tomorrow morning.
The MacBook Air refresh is expected to be minor and could arrive with little fanfare. Updated MacBook Air computers may include a slightly improved Haswell processor with a small speed boost and few other changes.
Tomorrow’s 11-inch and 13-inch Airs are codenamed J41A and J43A, respectively, and their SKUs are simply a variation to the current MacBook Air SKU labels. For example, the entry 13-inch MacBook Air of today is known as “MD760LL/A”, while this week’s refreshed version is known as “MD760LL/B.” It’s unclear if Apple will even promote the updated Airs.
Though Apple is planning just a minor MacBook Air refresh for this week, the company is also said to have a second 12-inch MacBook Air in the works that will be released later in the year.
The 12-inch MacBook Air is expected to feature some major design changes in the form of a slimmer chassis without fans, a Retina display, and a buttonless trackpad.
It is unclear when the tomorrow’s updated MacBook Airs might make their first appearance, but it is possible Apple will take its online store down tonight in order to update inventory ahead of an in-store release tomorrow.
CREDO Mobile to carry $149 Galaxy S5 on May 1
Sprint mobile virtual network operator CREDO Mobile on Monday announced the upcoming availability of the Samsung Galaxy S5. Starting from May 1, the flagship handset will be offered for $149.99, some $50 lower than some of the bigger players. The deal, as you might expect, does require a two-year service agreement and only lasts through the end of the month. Like other wireless providers, CREDO will toss in some bill credits good for up to $350 per line (up to five lines) for those who break a contract. Because CREDO piggybacks off of Sprint’s network, this version of the Samsung Galaxy S5 is tri-band 4G LTE ready.
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Alleged first look at LG G3 backside
LG will once again employ the rear volume and power button configuration for the successor to the G2 smartphone. That is, of course, provided these recently leaked photos prove to be legitimate. In one image we see what appears to be the back side of the device while the other alleges to be a protective case for the phone.
Assuming the image of the smartphone is real, the buttons have undergone a slight change in layout and look. Not that we would expect otherwise. Flanking the camera we have two objects, one of which we figure is a flash. The other, as some point out, could be a fingerprint sensor or hear rate monitor.
It’s worth pointing out that the case does not look like it would match up perfectly; proceed with caution. Otherwise, we’re cool with the look and think it works well for LG.
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