On Gear Live: Samsung S95C: The OLED TV You Can’t Afford (to Ignore!)

  • STICKY POST

Find Our Latest Video Reviews on YouTube!

If you want to stay on top of all of our video reviews of the latest tech, be sure to check out and subscribe to the Gear Live YouTube channel, hosted by Andru Edwards! It’s free!

disney infinity

The chief creative officer of Disney and Pixar, John Lasseter, is unveiling mystery "gaming initiative" Disney Infinity on January 15, 2013 in Hollywood. Also in attendance will be John Pleasants, the principle creative advisor at Disney Imagineering. The attendance of these two suggests the enormity of Disney Infinity, which we currently know nothing about.

The New York Times interviewed Robert Iger, Disney's chief executive, in October, with Iger discussing a similar gaming initiative called Toy Box. It's possible that Toy Box has since transformed into Disney Infinity, which the NYT's described as a "console game with extensive mobile and online applications in which various Pixar and Disney characters will interact with one another for the first time."

We'll keep you posted on more news about Disney Infinity as it develops.

Read More | Polygon

Advertisement

Fifth Ave Frogger

Since we’re on the topic of childhood memories today, one of the first video games I remember being exposed to was Frogger, followed by Grand Turismo, which explains the ever present need for speed, power, and having my traffic court lawyer on speed dial. But that’s a different story in and of its self.

The Smithsonian Museum has opened its doors to video games. Among the classic video games that grace its halls are Pac-Man, Super Mario Brothers, and other household classics. However, Frogger is no were to be found in the line up.

We, along with other, more creative activists, feel that the Frogger snub is an injustice! How do you rep a 30-year-old game in modern times? Well, take Frogger to New York City and attempt to get him across a street of traffic. Oh, and make sure it's based on real time traffic flow in order to make the game near impossible to complete. If you’re not located in NYC, get a look at the action in the video below, then head on over to the Smithsonian’s Facebook page and tell them you want Frogger.

Click to continue reading Fifth Ave. Frogger makes you play against real-time NYC traffic flow


angry birds ps3 psp

The PlayStation Blog tells us that one of the most popular iOS game is coming to the PS3 and PSP this week. Angry Birds will feature 63 levels and be playable on the console. Classified as a 'mini' game, this means that it will likely not be on the scale of a full console release, and instead most likely look a lot like its iOS counterpart. Still, while many developers port console or PC games to the iPhone, this is a rare case of the reverse, where after being so immensely popular on Apple's platform, they are now expanding to other systems. Rovio, the company behind Angry Birds, announced that we will see the game on Xbox 360 and Wii soon also.

Read More | PlayStation blog

Latest Gear Live Videos

Splosion Man is one of our favorite Xbox Live Arcade games of all time, both for single and multiplayer, and we're glad there's more on the way with the announcement of Ms. Splosion Man. The game isn't set for release until Fall 2011, which is a year away, but hey, good things take time, right?


Dhalsim realistic character art

Putting the awful recent Street Fighter movie out of your mind, or even the so-terrible-it's-funny Street Fighter film with Van Damme, can you imagine what the cast of SFIV would look like if they were real? These images by Cazetta portraying some notable SF characters are so realistic looking that it's actually a little creepy. 

 

Click to continue reading Realistic Street Fighter character art

Read More | Live Door

Kinect Star Wars

One of the software engineers for Sony’s PlayStation Move, Anton Mikhailov, soke with EuroGamer on the topic of Kinect’s upcoming Star Wars game. "There's no way Kinect can do a good light saber game. Just never,” said Mikhailov.

Mikhailov then went on to brag about how a Move-compatible Star Wars game would be “damn better than Kinect’s,” even though no such game for Move has been announced.

“Technologically it's 100 per cent feasible,” continued Mikhailov on the subject of a Move Star Wars game.  "We can overlay objects over the controller in AR. You've seen that in Start the Party, and swords are a really popular one. The fidelity is certainly there to do all sorts of Star Wars kid-style action. You can very well do the light saber."

As if comparing a game in development to a theoretical game wasn’t bold enough, Mikhailov then questioned the integrity of the Kinect Star Wars demo: "I've seen the demo but it's so scripted, and wasn't it like, faked?”

Kinect’s outspoken guru Kudo Tsunoda was reportedly last seen lobbying Nintendo for the right to make the Move-Kinect rivalry “on like Donkey Kong”.

Read More | Eurogamer

Epic Citadel iPhone

While waiting to get their hands on Epic Games’ (Gears of War, Unreal Tournament) iOS only game - Project Sword - Apple gamers will be able to explore just how well the Unreal Engine runs on their iOS device. Compatible with and 3GS, 3rd and 4th gen , and the ; the Unreal Engine tech demo, dubbed Epic Citadel, lets gamers explore a castle interface with all the bells and whistles of the Unreal Engine. Such as: bump offset mapping, real time lighting, texture mapping, global illumination, and more. Epic citadel was created in eight weeks and can be downloaded for free from the App Store.

More screenshots after the jump.

Click to continue reading Epic Citadel teases Unreal Engine on iOS

Read More | Epic Citadel

Wii Fit RehabIn an effort to change the negative stigma associated with rehabilitation, many universities are opting for a more playful approach in their physical therapy routines. To this end, the Fit is employed as a “frame of reference” for college athletes. The athletes replicate a series of yoga positions, repeating each stance twice, once with their eyes closed. The next test involves shifting their weight to get on-screen marbles to fall into their respective holes. These balance scores are recorded, and in the event an athlete is injured they will serve as “base scores” for an athlete to replicate before being deemed fully recovered.

The director of research at the Ohio State Sports Concussion Program, Tamerah Hunt, had this to say:

“The athletes love it because what we’ve done is we’ve incorporated this fun game that they’re playing at home into their rehab system. But they’re also enjoying it at a time when they’re injured or at a time when their spirits are down, and they have to come into the athletic training room every day and they have to get all this treatment ... and it’s kind of a reaction of, ‘Oh, this is fun.’ ”

And who ever said all video games did is hurt people?

Read More | The Washington Post

Are you an user who is jealous of all those users’ jailbroken ability to play classic PS1 games? If so, then ZodTTD and Yongch have provided a green-eye curing elixir in the form of PSX4Droid. The duo which has brought you game emulators for iPhone and have now managed to have their PSX4Droid emulator available to Android users in the Android App store for $5.99. This means that no jail breaking is needed in order to get your hands on classic games such as Final Fantasy 7, Ridge Racer, Crash Bandicoot, and more!

While paying $5.99 for an emulator that you can find online for free may seem silly, it is still a good deal for those who don’t want to risk jail breaking their phone. And also for those who need something a bit more handheld in comparison to a netbook when gaming on the go.

Features for the Android emulator include:

  • Uses formats BIN,ISO,IMG,PBP,Z,ZNX, and Eboot (compressed too)
  • WiiMote controller works
  • Trackball d-pad
  • Memory card & save states
  • Virtual control overlays
  • Scaling modes

iPad AsphaltYesterday, many rumors were put to rest with the release of the Apple iPad. People were excited, joyful, angry, disappointed, or just plain indifferent. Whatever you stance, you had some kind of reaction to Apple’s announcement of the iPad. Is it a giant iPhone? A female hygiene product? A cool netbook replacement? That’s for you to decide.

Whatever iPad really is, and regardless of what it’s competing against, one thing is clear–Apple wants to make a dent in the gaming industry.  Developers and publishers were present at yesterday’s conference, including Gameloft and Electronic Arts (EA,) to show off their games running on the iPad, including a full-screen version of Need for Speed. EA made its presence clear, by announcing during the presentation they are to support the iPad platform with future titles built specifically for the device. This should come as no surprise to most, as EA has been a huge supporter of the and iPod touch as a gaming platform.

Click to continue reading iPad: What it means for Apple and gaming


Advertisement