While the recently posted Lil’ Guardian Pyro short won the top honor from the 2013 Saxxy Awards, there were several others that won in different categories. Check out the winners for best Short, Action, Comedy, and Drama.
Microsoft released a video for the Project Spark Windows 8 Beta; and the Xbox One beta is expected in early 2014. Check out www.projectspark.com to sign up for a free Project Spark Beta Key.
One could be forgiven for looking at this video and thinking it is an April Fool’s Day joke. It’s quite real, however: Amazon is working on technology that could make deliveries in a matter of minutes to your door, rather than days!
The holidays are a time of family and togetherness, but that can mean as much stress and tumult as joy. A traditional family tree topper has seen it all, but she’s also seen how movies on Netflix bring everyone together!
{video link marked “private”}
Next year should be an interesting one for PC’s, as far as a report from IDC is concerned.
The forecast indicates that 2013 sales for PC’s will fall approximately 10.1 percent, a slightly higher percentage rate than the 9.7 it previously reported.
With The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug set to hit theaters in just a few days’ time, Warner Bros. is running full steam on promotions for the film. For its latest one, the company has announced that it is teaming up with Microsoft for a cross-platform campaign that will provide fans with a key goodie from the film.
This offer revolves around a free 3D printer blueprint of The Key of Erebor, a specific item used in the film. It will run across various Microsoft devices, including the Xbox 360, Xbox One, MSN and Windows 8, and will provide information about key characters, events and artifacts, as well as actor biographies and other behind-the-scenes information.
Fans interested in a free blueprint download for the 3D model can access it and reproduce the item for the cost of the print. It will be available for download on the same day as Desolation of Smaug, on December 13.
Owen Sagness, General Manager for Microsoft Advertising and Online UK, stated, “By offering fans a blueprint for a 3D model of one of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug‘s ‘key’ artifacts, we’re providing a genuinely valuable and unique experience that puts the consumer first, while continuing to deliver for the client and push the boundaries of what is creatively possible using new technology.”
Source: 3Ders
Sony’s Vita TV allows you to play PS Vita titles on your TV, as well as stream services like Netflix, for about $99. Even though the device hasn’t gotten off to the strongest sales in Japan, Sony is still considering releasing its television-friendly Vita TV device in Western markets, according to Sony Computer Entertainment’s Andrew House.
Talking with Eurogamer, House stated that Sony still has plans to release the device on other markets, despite the fact it only sold 42,000 units during its launch week in Japan.
“The positioning of Vita TV may be different between Japan and some of the other markets,” he stated.
The $99 hardware, which enables playing of Vita, PlayStation Portable and PS One games on HDTV’s, could still find a niche in the market. “We think there’s a great opportunity to broaden the market, because you essentially remove the need to make the console purchase in order to have access to that experience,” added House. “It may sound counter intuitive, because, aren’t you replacing a business that is your bread and butter But part of being an innovative company is being a pioneer in new forms of distribution of content, and we would like to be there first and take a leadership role.”
The Vita TV device is currently only available in Japan.
Source: Eurogamer
Southeast Asia’s gaming market could very well be in for a financial boom, if a report from Niko Partners has anything to say.
Lisa Cosmas Hanson, managing partner for the group, stated that the region – including Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam – will reach a whopping $1.2 billion over the next few years.
The gaming market currently hovers around $661 million in revenue, based around 85 million gamers. However, Niko believes the number of gamers will see a huge increase, to 132 million, by 2017.
Not only that, but mobile gaming isn’t the only part of the market expected to rise. PC games will also play a huge role in the market increases. “Mobile games are booming in Southeast Asia as they are worldwide, yet client-based PC online gaming remains vibrant and will continue to experience aggressive revenue growth over the five-year forecast period,” said Hanson. “We were surprised to find out that many Southeast Asian hardcore PC gamers ignore mobile gaming all together, a major behavioral difference from the Chinese gaming population.”
Source: VentureBeat
Not to be outdone by Mountain Dew, Doritos and Chef Boyardee, McDonald’s has announced its own special promotion revolving around Microsoft’s Xbox One game console.
The fast food company has announced that it will give away 14,000 Xbox One consoles, with a copy of the racing game Forza Motorsport 5 included. To win, users need to pick up a medium fries, Quarter Pounder or Premium McWrap, and peel off the included stickers.
The win ratio for the contest is 1:1, so people will walk away with something from the contest, though not necessarily a game system. Other prizes include downloadable games for Xbox Live Arcade, as well as a month of Xbox Live Gold subscription and an Xbox Music Pass.
“With the excitement of the holidays around the corner, McDonald’s wanted to pair the bold, spicy flavors of the Southwest Chicken Premium McWrap and Bacon Habanero Ranch Quarter Pounder Burger with a chance to win this season’s hottest gift, the Xbox One. Through our partnership with Xbox, everyone wins something for Xbox,” said McDonald’s in a FAQ.
Source: McDonald’s
The PlayStation 4 is a sleek little system, a black unit with a futuristic, slanted design that makes it rather simple to activate and put in games. Still, we can’t help but wonder…what if it was modeled after an Atari 2600
After Oculus VR’s John Carmack posted a picture of an Atari 2600 sitting on top of a PlayStation 4, a designer by the name of “Phantom Fighter” took it upon himself to design a custom PlayStation 4 system via Photoshop with the classic wood grain design of the 80’s console, as well as a controller that features black design with red buttons, and circular pads similar in design to the original Atari 2600 controller.
Though the system modification isn’t real, it certainly leaves us wondering who could rebuild a model in real life. Don’t be surprised if someone makes a skin that would work wonders for the PlayStation 4.
Source: The Food Sucks
