New iPad Mini May Be Delayed

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Apple has seen better days. The company recently ran into problems with its latest mini-tablet, the iPad Mini, which is rumored to be forcing its delay from release this month.

According to sources that work in the company’s supply chain, the problem lies within the high-resolution “Retina” display, which is one of its key features. The tech was expected, especially considering that rival tablets from Google and Amazon will be implementing such technology in their new models.

“If they don’t put in Retina…there will be howls,” said Frank Gillett, an analyst with Forrester.

Supplies for the high-resolution screen are supposedly limited, leaving very few devices to be sold during the holiday season – if any are released at all. A possible reason includes certifications amongst panel producers, who are following strict power-saving protocols when it comes to device building.

Apple had no comment on the fate of the new iPad Mini, which has yet to be announced.

Source: Reuters

‘Sonic The Hedgehog’ Gets Animated

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Sonic the Hedgehog may not be a stranger to video games or cartoon shows – he’s appeared in five since his debut in the 90’s – but Cartoon Network is bringing him back in a big way anyway.

Sega has announced that they had made a deal with the cartoon channel to air a new “character-driven comedy” called Sonic Boom. The series will be aimed at children age 6 to 11, and feature a unique animation style that fits Sonic almost to a tee.

“Sonic Boom is a character-driven comedy that leaves a trail of robot wreckage in its smoldering wake,” said the announcement. “The series centers on Sonic, his best friend and sidekick, Tails, their never-ending search for adventure, and their battles with Sonic’s arch-nemesis, Dr. Eggman. Rounding out the ensemble are fan favorites Knuckles and Amy Rose, plus a rogue’s gallery of enemies – some familiar to Sonic fans and some brand-new.”

The series will make its debut mid-next year. In the meantime, fans can check out Sonic: Lost World when it releases for the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS on October 29.

Source: Computer and Video Games

Leak Points To Logitech iPhone GamePad

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With the release of the iPhone 5c and 5s models, peripheral makers are trying to find ways to make the experience of using these devices even better. Today, it’s reported that Logitech is working on something that will make playing games on the device even easier than before.

According to an image tweeted out by @evleaks, Logitech’s Gamepad is a reality. The device allows you to plug your iPhone model into the center, then use a digital control pad and buttons to play certain games through Bluetooth connectivity. Shoulder buttons are also included for extra functionality.

Logitech had no comment on the device, but it wouldn’t surprise us if one was being made. It would definitely make the iPhone 5 models more practical when it comes to playing games.

Source: Polygon

To Create And Play In L.A.

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Editor’s note: IndieCade organizers are offering discounted passes for [a]list daily readers – see details at the end of the article.

Video games are getting their annual Hollywood close-up this weekend as IndieCade descends on Los Angeles for the fifth year in a row.  The event started in 2008 as a showing of about two dozen independently developed games at an art gallery in Bellevue, Washington.  Since relocating to the epicenter of entertainment, its aspirations have grown.  It’s now attracting big game companies, with Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo and Activision standing behind this year’s show.  And while the focus with most exhibits is on future talent and unknown games, the show’s highlights are studded with presentations by seasoned game makers and high-end game tech on display.

According to one of IndieCade’s founding members, the event is now embracing its role in raising awareness that games are not only a dominant cultural force but the future of entertainment, and doing it under the shadow of film and TV companies.

“What we have here with IndieCade is the clarion call — trumpets blaring — that this century that we’re living in right now is going to be about games,” said Robert Nashak, one of the original organizers of the event. “If the 20th century was about movies, the 21st century is going to be about games.”

IndieCade was founded by Stephanie Barish, a digital media academic who recognized an opportunity to create a showcase for startup developers just as digital distribution began broadening the market for smaller games.  The first event took shape in 2008 with the gallery showing in Bellevue.  It made the jump to the Los Angeles area the next year after Barish had a chance encounter with the mayor of Culver City, a Westside L.A. community well-known for its cluster of TV and film production companies.  That proximity to the traditional entertainment industry gave the show a newfound identity, something the Los Angeles Times helped define when it welcome its regional debut with the headline, “IndieCade, the video game industry’s Sundance.”

Nashak said that’s exactly what IndieCade is now aspiring to be.  But unlike Sundance, which represented independent filmmakers wanting to get out of the L.A. film industry fishbowl, IndieCade wants to make a splash right in the middle of it.

“The spirit of it is like Sundance,” he said, adding, “We’re locating ourselves here because one, L.A. is the center of the TV and film industry, we know that.  But two, it’s also the center of, on so many different levels, the commercial games industry.  This is where E3 happens, this is where Activision-Blizzard is, one of the largest publishers in the world right now, and it’s also where Riot Games is, [makers of] one of the most of, if not the most, popular online games right now.”

Nashak, whose background bridges games and traditional entertainment, pointed out that he’s taking an active role in taking IndieCade to the next level.  The show has expanded to exhibits at major game industry trade shows E3 and GDC, and has organized offshoots such as IndieCade East {link no longer active}.  With this upcoming main event, which spans across theaters and different venues in Culver City, the show has grown to more than 100 exhibitors, and it’s anticipating thousands of attendees.

“As an organization, our goal is to really, really drill down and figure out what can we do to help game developers get out there, get known, get discovered.  What can we do to get the word that many games are about artistry,” Nashak said.

Yet IndieCade’s newfound goal to elevate games in the eyes of major entertainment companies is also coming through. The presence of big game makers is undeniable this year.  And based on press coverage and the conversation with Nashak, one of the areas of game development taking center stage this weekend is projects aimed at the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset.  The headset has captured a lot of attention in the game industry and is badly in need of innovative new content, but developing for it isn’t exactly the kind of undertaking you’d expect from tiny indies and garage groups.

“We had this moment in the ’90s when VR was all the rage and everyone was talking about virtual reality, and now it’s come back to the fore thanks in large part to Oculus Rift and all of the buzz that’s generated,” said Nashak.  “What you’re going to see at IndieCade, which we’re really excited about, is companies that have built up startups around the Oculus to really bring that technology to the next level.”

One example is Project Holodeck, a L.A.-based company that has developed full-body motion sensors and game controllers that deepen the Oculus Rift experience into nearly total immersion.  It’s the kind of technology and experience-facilitator that should excite anyone who considers themselves creators of story worlds, whether they’re creating those worlds for film, TV or games.

Nashak teaches a course on business management and entrepreneurialism in games at the USC Film School’s Interactive Media and Games Division.  He says that crossover mentality is part of what he’s trying to pass on to this coming generation of entertainment creators.

“The people interested in film and TV only think about film and TV, and the people interested in games just think about games,” he said.  “What I’m trying to get people to think about is, how do you think holistically about entertainment media.  Thinking about cross-platform story world development from the get-go – I think that’s what we’re trying to get people to understand.”

 

‘World Of Warcraft’ Film Slated And Dated

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We’ve known about the movie in the works based on World of Warcraft for a long time, but now the project is getting real. The release date, revealed by the game’s official Twitter feed, is December 18, 2015. Universal will be distributing the film, which is being created by Legendary Pictures.

The Warcraft film has been in development since 2006, now with Duncan Jones, director of Moon slated to helm the project. The movie begins production in early 2014 and is said to be based around the Warcraft novel by Jeff Grubb, The Last Guardian, with Colin Farrell rumored as the lead.

Source: Eurogamer

Daring Options For Nintendo

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Recently Nintendo released two key bits of information about its future. The first was that production of the Wii in Japan is halting, and the second is that Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze will be delayed into February of 2014 from its original December 2013 ship date. Now, it’s true the Wii is still being produced for other regions, and that a couple of months delay for a game is hardly unusual. Still, these are disturbing signs that all is not well with Nintendo, and it may be time to look to more daring solutions than just releasing hardware in a new color.

The hardware situation for Nintendo is not encouraging. The Wii U has fallen flat since the initial flurry of enthusiasm, and sales have yet to reach significant levels even with the price cut to $299. The Wii is slowing down so much that Nintendo is giving up on it in Japan, and other regions are probably not far behind. Most households now have an HDTV, and they want a console that gives them HD graphics.

The 3DS is a bright spot, but with every month the pressure on it from smartphones and tablets increases. Take a look at a typical smartphone screen, and compare it side-by-side to a 3DS. Even with revered brands from the past, the 3DS is just not competitive on a hardware level.

The Wii U is suffering in comparison to not just the PS4 and the Xbox One, which are obviously capable of far better graphics and have dozens of titles coming, but even to the PS3 and the Xbox 360. Looking at a PS3 or an Xbox 360 and the titles available this holiday for them, the average consumer will easily choose them over a Wii U — and save some money in the bargain. How can Nintendo regain an edge

Here’s where it’s time to think outside the box somewhat, as Nintendo just did with the 2DS. This hardware plays all 3DS titles, yet reduces the price by eliminating the 3D screen and saving money on hinges. Essentially, Nintendo is admitting that the 3D display screen of the 3DS, the very reason it bears that name, is not a particular selling point. Most players keep the 3D switch off and never even think about turning it on any more. Wisely, Nintendo is offering the 2DS at $129, and most observers expect it to be a big hit this holiday season by offering great 3DS software at a more reasonable price.

The Wii U is expensive primarily because of the Gamepad, the attempt by Nintendo to co-opt the growing desire for tablets. Yet the Gamepad, considered as a tablet, isn’t very good. It has a low-resolution screen, poor touch capability, and it’s not even self-contained — you have to have the base unit of the Wii U close by and turned on. Nintendo thought the Gamepad would bring unique gameplay opportunities to the Wii U, yet both Microsoft and Sony have gone Nintendo one better by allowing easy access to their new consoles by any tablet or smartphone owner. That’s pretty much everybody these days, at least everyone who might buy a game console. If I can use the high-resolution, powerful tablet I already own with a PS4 or an Xbox One game, why would I find the Wii U’s Gamepad compelling?

Here’s the solution for Nintendo: Pull a 2DS with the Wii U. Eliminate the expensive Gamepad controller and the Wii U becomes an inexpensive console, easily capable of being sold at a profit for $199 or perhaps even $149. With the right software support, Nintendo could easily handle use of tablets and smartphones as Gamepad controllers. Sure, they would lack the buttons of the Gamepad, but Nintendo could sell the Gamepad separately. There would still be the Deluxe Edition of the Wii U on sale, as well. (While they’re at it, Nintendo might want to boost the horsepower of the CPU to make even better games possible.)

Even sneakier, Nintendo could allow you to play those Wii U games on your smartphone or tablet remotely, just like you can play Wii U games with a Gamepad in another room. (Yes, it would be nice to play at any distance, but lag would make that impractical.) This means the Wii U Essential edition would be very competitive against both old and new consoles from Sony and Microsoft. Nintendo could finally offer HD graphics at a very competitive price, on par with (or, it should be, less than) the PS3 and Xbox 360. The price-performance equation would now be better than Sony and Microsoft, not worse.

However, even this radical re-invention of Nintendo’s hardware couldn’t possibly succeed unless Nintendo can get its act together with important software releases. The delay of DKC: Tropical Freeze is only two months, but it’s the most important time of the year. This will likely cost Nintendo some serious Wii U sales over Christmas, and make it that much harder for the Wii U to get some momentum.

Nintendo’s major software releases have been getting fewer and farther between, and that’s exactly the opposite of what the company needs to have happen. So far, the biggest titles for the Wii U has been Pikmin 3, and perhaps now Wind Waker HD. That’s only two in almost a year’s time. We do have more system exclusives to look forward to: Super Mario 3D World, Mario Kart 8, Super Smash Bros. The quality of the hardware and its pricing isn’t as important as the quality and frequency of the game releases. Whatever hardware strategy Nintendo adopts, it needs to have a reliable schedule of key exclusive games appearing to make that hardware successful.

Nintendo can survive hardware that’s not great — just look back at the GameCube. After a while Nintendo realized that the console wasn’t getting traction, and so they created the Wii to overhwelming success. If Nintendo doesn’t want to try the cost-reduced Wii U strategy, it will probably just introduce a new console somewhat sooner than it otherwise would have.

In either case, though, Nintendo has to prioritize getting its top game franchises out on a regular basis. Gamers aren’t going to buy a console without believing there will be at least one or two must-have software titles coming every quarter. Without third-party support, Nintendo has to make that happen with internal development. Nintendo should unleash some of its massive cash stockpile, and some proven management talent, to make that happen. If there’s not a first-class release schedule that people can depend on, the company is in serious trouble for the future.

Clutter A Honda, Get Sucked

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Honda has been calling a lot of attention to the available built-in vacuum featured in the 2014 Honda Odyssey, billing it as the first of its kind in a minivan. Now, the company has found a unique way to highlight the feature, taking the opportunity to send tweets aimed at popular brands whose products tend to clutter car interiors.  Honda sent tweets tagged with KitKat, Lego, Burger King and others to let them know they are no match for the family van’s new feature.

Honda has been unafraid to incorporate brand-speak in these hilarious tweets, and as a result they have been getting retweets and responses. This smart campaign increased the audience of the tweets beyond Honda’s 176,000 followers. It’s easy to see why other brands would want to get in on the action:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Twitter campaign syncs perfectly with Honda’s new TV spots. Watch as fated leftover snack items chat about Honda features before they get sucked away by the power of the Odyssey’s vacuum:

 

{video link no longer active}

 

Source: Adweek

Design At High-Speed With Google

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Google Web Designer is designed to allow creators to make ads in record time. Appropriately, this ad was recorded at a time lapse that shows the entire process as quick and easy.

 

Upstart Tablet Aims High

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The tablet market continues to grow at an amazing rate with recent IDC estimates putting it at an annual growth rate of over 27 percent, with 227 million tablets expected to ship in 2013. IDC expects the tablet market to grow by almost 80 percent over the next four years. The fourth quarter of this year will see more tablets shipped than PCs, and this will occur on an annual basis by 2015.

Apple’s iPad continues to dominate the market (with new models expected to be introduced soon), but Samsung, Amazon, Google and others present a growing challenge. For the most part, though the feature set of tablets is quite similar — a touchscreen, a variety of sensors, front and back cameras, and perhaps a slot for a memory expansion card or perhaps HDMI out in some cases.

One new entrant in the tablet market aims to shake up that model. German game peripherals maker Sunflex is introducing the unu tablet this fall as a combination of a tablet, a smart TV, and a gaming console. The [a]list daily spoke with Nicki Repenning, vice president of business development about the unu tablet.

He explained that they thought of the tablet as being in its earliest stages, and dreamed of how they could evolve it to the next level. “If the tablet is in its infancy, what could you do to develop it further? How could you bring it to the next level? Right now it’s something you use for yourself, it’s not a social device.,” said Repenning. “It’s not something you can use with everyone. How can you make it the hub of your whole entertainment system throughout the house?”

The idea is simple, but proper execution is not. Getting the details right is important, and Sunflex has done its homework. The hardware portion is a 7 inch Android 4.2 tablet, with a 1280×800 screen, a 1.6Ghz quad-core processor, 8GB of storage expandable to 72GB with an SD card, and a 5MP rear camera with a 2 MP front camera. This comes with a docking station for your TV, an HDMI cable, and an airmouse remote that allows gesture control on the TV as well as a full QWERTY keyboard. That package weighs in at $199.99 retail, a feature that’s extremely important in a very competitive market. There’s also a Gaming edition, which includes all of the above hardware plus a Bluetooth game controller for $249.99.

“We wanted to play more traditional games as well as casual games, so we included a high-end Bluetooth wireless controller,” said Repenning. While the number of Android games that make good use of a controller is small, Sunflex is making it easy to adapt existing games to the system. “We’ve included three different SDKs so it can handle any controller game, and there’s a button mapping function built in to emulate as if you were touching the screen,” said Repenning. The airmouse can be used to play gesture-controlled games on the TV screen, such as Angry Birds or Cut The Rope.

The pricing makes the unu tablet competitive against major players like the Kindle Fire HDX at $229, or Google’s Nexus 7 at $229. Of course, the tablet has to be in front of people when they make a buying decision. Sunflex has distribution with major retailers including Best Buy, GameStop, WalMart, Newegg, Amazon, and Office Depot. Unfortunately, the product won’t be in most of those stores before Christmas, but it will be featured on store web sites. Alone among major retailers, GameStop will have the unu tablet in stores for the holidays — which is good, considering the tablet’s strong gaming positioning.

Marketing is the biggest challenge facing an upstart tablet, and Sunflex knows it’s got a fight ahead for visibility. Initially, PR will drive early awareness, along with Google advertising to drive inquiries to the pre-order site. “This is step one,” said Repenning. The company will follow that up with appearances at events, participation in awards competitions and more. “In December a marketing campaign is planned, with videos built around the theme of ‘more fun simply won’t fit’ to be posted on YouTube and using social media to create awareness.” The process won’t be easy. “It’s an uphill battle,” admitted Repenning.

The key differentiator for the unu tablet is its three capabilities in one unit. First is the ability to turn your ordinary HDTV into a smart TV, with all of the benefits. That’s better than a smart TV in one sense — you can move the docking station to a different TV, or buy a second docking station. Second, the unu is a gaming console that can compete with Ouya, with a powerful CPU/GPU combination and the HDMI capability along with the wireless controller. Finally, it’s also a competitively priced Android tablet.

The difficulty ahead for the unu tablet is purely a marketing one, and it’s an issue that will have to be addressed without the massive warchests available to a company like Amazon or Google. Can Sunflex generate enough viral interest, social media and SEO juice to generate some significant sales Is it possible for a hardware product from a small manufacturer to really get noticed amongst the giants The challenge is enormous, and it will be interesting to see the outcome next year.