Tech News Updates

Whether you’re still lugging around that old Dreamcast , or you have a new-fangled mod or an emulator of some sort handy, have heart: you’re not the only one keeping the dream alive! If the kids at Redspotgames have their way, they’ll keep publishing games for the venerable (and defunct) console — that is, according to marketing and sales director Adrian Loudero, who spent some time chatting with Joystiq at Gamescon last week. “We have seen some stuff on the PC, and we [are] talking to to the companies to see if they will agree to release on the Dreamcast,” he said. “We also have plans for 2011, maybe a new release, but this is really all I can say right now.” Attention to the beloved platform is a labor of love, obviously — the company sells “a few thousand copies” of titles it releases, and has recently started developing games for WiiWare and Xbox Live Arcade to stay afloat. Whatever it takes, right? Redspotgames has plans for further Dreamcast development originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 22 Aug 2010 21:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

Well, it looks like Nintendo isn’t the only gaming company that thinks Apple is the ” enemy of the future ” — Sony has now also taken aim at iPhone gaming in a new PSP ad featuring Kevin Butler ’s pint-sized counterpart, Marcus Rivers. In it, Marcus reminds viewers that the iPhone is built for things like “texting your grandma and calling your girl,” while the PSP is “built for big boy games,” some of which can be had for as little as $9.99. See the whole thing for yourself after the break. Continue reading Sony takes aim at iPhone gaming in new PSP ad Sony takes aim at iPhone gaming in new PSP ad originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Aug 2010 11:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

There’s no question that gaming on the Android platform has heretofore been relatively underwhelming, but that looks like it’s all about to change. It seems that Sony Ericsson — a company that has yet to even introduce an Android 2.0 device — is at work on a project to redefine gaming on Google’s mobile platform. We now know (via a trusted source) that the company is actively and heavily developing a brand new gaming platform, ecosystem, and device (possibly alongside Google) which are already in the late stages of planning. And we’ve got the goods on it. Continue reading Exclusive: Sony Ericsson to introduce Android 3.0 gaming platform and PSP Go-like smartphone Exclusive: Sony Ericsson to introduce Android 3.0 gaming platform and PSP Go-like smartphone originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Aug 2010 17:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

Sure, Jeff Bezos may be keen on keeping Kindle a ” purpose-built reading device ” (for now, at any rate), but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a little multimedia fun, right? Amazon has published two diction-centric games, Shuffled Row and Every Word, free of charge and available now for delivery via Whispernet. Both involve word creation — the former with 60 disposable letters and the latter with six or seven reusable tiles

Shocking as this might sound, there are no only a few games in which iPhone and Android users can go at each other in live multiplayer mode. Exploiting this vast void is Social Gaming Network, whose Skies of Glory aerial dogfighting title has been ported to Android (2.0 and above) while retaining the ability to communicate with iOS devices over WiFi, 3G or Bluetooth connections. Frankly, we can’t think of a better game to get the cross-platform multiplayer movement going: fAndroids and iPhoneys gunning each other down while talking smack to themselves should prove therapeutic for both parties. On a more serious note, given the tireless growth that both platforms are showing, this kind of thing should hopefully tend toward being the rule rather than the exception. Update: Our readers have sagely reminded us that Raging Thunder 2 and Homerun Battle 3D have done the cross-platform dance already. The more the merrier, we say. Continue reading Android versus iPhone live multiplayer gaming made possible in SGN’s Skies of Glory Android versus iPhone live multiplayer gaming made possible in SGN’s Skies of Glory originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 19 Jul 2010 06:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

We are far too impatient for games like Sudoku, but we can appreciate a boss hack, such as the one that recently popped up over at Trashbear Labs. This contraption uses Nixie Tubes to solve Sudoku puzzles (with help from a modified version of code provided by Edwin Chan). By far, our favorite part of the contraption is the hardware itself: sort of looks like something from a nuclear submarine, doesn’t it? Strike that: it’s more like a nuclear fun- marine! (Wow, we even groaned a little there). Video after the break, and hit the source link for all the design files necessary to build your own! [Thanks, Thomas] Continue reading Hacker uses Nixie Tubes to make Sudoku interesting Hacker uses Nixie Tubes to make Sudoku interesting originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 09 Jul 2010 17:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

It’s just a tablecloth and a piece of paper, until you pull out a Nexus One , at which point it magically becomes an arena where toy robots fire off punches. Augmented reality isn’t anything new, of course, but Qualcomm seems determined to bring it to cell phones in a big way — launching an AR game studio, sponsoring a $200,000 developer challenge, and announcing a free software development kit (which will see open beta this fall) all on the same day. The company partnered with Mattel to build the Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots proof-of-concept you see above using that very SDK, and you’ll find a hilarious video of grown men pretending to have the time of their lives with it right after the break. However, augmented reality is only half of Qualcomm’s mobile gaming plan — a rep told Pocket-li nt games like Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots are only financially viable if they can work across platforms . To that end, the company also demonstrated a simple three-player peer-to-peer title, but with — get this — a Nexus One (over Bluetooth), a Nokia N900 (over WiFi) and a Dell Latitude laptop all playing the same synchronous game. To commemorate this mishmash of awesome, the company funded another video; listen to an individual with a ludicrously bad accent give you the play-by-play after the break. Oh, and find some press releases, too. Continue reading Qualcomm demos augmented reality and peer-to-peer tech, tries to punch cellular gaming’s block off (video) Qualcomm demos augmented reality and peer-to-peer tech, tries to punch cellular gaming’s block off (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Jul 2010 02:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

We’d heard earlier that ngmoco’s new game Eliminate: Gun Range was one of the first apps to really take advantage of the iPhone 4 ’s gyroscope, and now that we’ve had a chance to play with it, we’ve got say there’s a ton of potential here. E:GR is itself just a simple shooter, but the gyroscope adds what seems like nearly 1:1 motion control to the proceedings — and since you’re moving the display itself, it almost feels like augmented reality. It’s hard to explain, since it’s so unlike any mobile UI experience we’ve encountered before, but as soon as we tried it our brains pretty much exploded with possibilities — we’re thinking drastic improvements to actual augmented reality apps like Layar , all kinds of crazy flight simulator games, much more refined GPS apps, you name it. Video after the break. Continue reading Gyroscope gunning on the iPhone 4 with Eliminate: Gun Range (video) Gyroscope gunning on the iPhone 4 with Eliminate: Gun Range (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 25 Jun 2010 05:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

We’ve been reading about it for what seems like ages, looking over images of the FCC prototype with a magnifying glass, and now Nintendo is showing it off at its E3 press conference. The company that Mario built is trumping up how superior its glasses-free technology is better than others, “a solution that lets you take 3D gaming along with you wherever you go” according to Reggie. The upper screen is surprisingly only 3.5-inches, not the wider that we’d expected. There is a slider on the side that lets you tweak the 3D effect, seemingly enabling you to adjust its depth based on your distance from the screen — or turn it off entirely. As with the current DS, the bottom is a touchscreen, and is not 3D. That’s what looks to be an analog stick on the side there, as well, that Nintendo is calling a “Slide Pad.” There is a gyro, motion sensor, it’s compatible with DSi games, and has two cameras enabling 3D photos. Nintendo is also talking up partnerships including Disney, games that are said to be playable today, at the show, with one of the highlights being a new Kid Icarus game which looks quite action-packed to say the least — and has better graphics than most of the Wii titles Nintendo has shown thus far. Nintendo has mentioned the 3DS will have the “biggest launch support ever” from third party devs, and a 3D Nintendogs should be a huge seller — if only because it has cats too. Other games include Madden , Ninja Gaiden , Resident Evil , a Batman title, Splinter Cell , and, finally, a Metal Gear Solid entry. Nintendo is also talking about how the system will seek out WiFi hotspots or other 3DS systems “without you knowing,” which sounds a bit ominous, to be honest. Systems can communicate regardless of which games are being played. It can even pull in new DLC directly from other consoles, all without a monthly fee. Still no release date or price, but Nintendo is showing off two colors, red and blue, and they’re said to be playable on the show floor. You can be sure we’ll be running there right now. Gallery: Nintendo 3DS set to expand your gaming horizons Nintendo 3DS gets official, includes 3D camera originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 Jun 2010 12:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

It’s out! eBoy’s $1.99 FixPix iPhone game christened “the greatest game ever made” by a certain Engadget fanboy is available now from the iTunes App Store. If you fail to understand the value of piecing together eBoy pixel art by manipulating the iPhone’s accelerometer, then gawd help you… you’re already dead. Gameplay video after the break. [Thanks, William] Continue reading eBoy’s FixPix iPhone game available now for $1.99 (video) eBoy’s FixPix iPhone game available now for $1.99 (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 Jun 2010 01:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink