Author Archives: Chris Morris

5 fascinating gaming gadgets from CES 2012

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The Consumer Electronics Show isn’t just about a bunch of drool-worthy TVs and doomed-before-they-launch tablets. Gaming is a big part of the show.

While new games aren’t announced or showcased and major new hardware announcements by big industry players don’t typically happen (even rumored ones like the Xbox 720), there’s plenty of gaming on hand. Sony and Nintendo have been busily showing off the PlayStation Vita and Wii U, respectively, and many of those fancy sets and mobile devices are geared towards those who like to play.

Read more at Yahoo! Games

Apple gets taste of Sony’s Music Unltd.

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Sony is bringing Music Unlimited to Apple’s devices.

The company will unveil an application for the streaming music service sometime in the first quarter of the year, officials revealed at a roundtable discussion with reporters at CES in Las Vegas.

Read more at Daily Variety

The 10 Coolest Gadgets at CES 2012

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Attending the Consumer Electronics Show is not good for your bank account. No matter how new your TV is or how high-tech your home might be, there’s always something better on the way — and once you see it, you often want it.

There is, however, a lot of repetition in the Las Vegas Convention Center halls. After a couple of days the myriad TVs start to run together, and it starts to seem like every booth is offering some variation of an iPhone case.

Some items rise above the fray — and these are often the ones that resonate with consumers. Here are a few of the most interesting things on display this year.

Read more at CNBC.com

Workers stage mass suicide threat at Xbox manufacturing plant

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A group of Chinese workers that make the Xbox 360 are unhappy with their jobs. Really unhappy.

Roughly 150 employees of a Foxconn Technology plant in Wuhan, China threatened mass suicide earlier this month in protest of job transfers. No workers followed through with the threat, though 45 did ultimately decide to quit, reports The New York Times.

Read more at Yahoo! Games

Falling prices may unlock 3D

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The prosumer and mass market audiences don’t tend to run in parallel — especially when it comes to cameras. But when it comes to 3D, they seem to agree on one thing: Price is king.

3D capture technology is certainly intriguing to both groups, but few view it as essential — and the cost of entry has, thus far, been rather prohibitive. As the field continues to evolve, though, that might be changing.

Read more at Daily Variety

Lightfield capture heralds new camera era

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Lightfield capture is one of the more intriguing technologies to hit the photographic world in years — and one that could eventually have a big impact on 3D filmmaking.

The tech is like something out of a sci-fi novel: Shoot a picture now and worry about focus later. It’s something that has been predicted as a possible replacement for the stereoscopic camera, since true lightfield capture would give filmmakers the flexibility to choose 3D settings in post — something that’s only possible now through post conversion.

Read more at Daily Variety

Fans finally warm to stereo vidgaming

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As the television manufacturing industry struggles to persuade consumers that 3D is the future, the videogame industry is having a little easier time of it.

Several of the hottest games of 2011 were 3D-compatible. Some, like Sony’s “Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception,” made a convincing case that the technology could add to the gaming experience and wasn’t just a gimmick. And after a sluggish start, Nintendo’s 3DS has, seemingly, finally found its footing.With the one-two punch of a price cut and a strong holiday slate of games, the 3DS surpassed first year sales of the Nintendo DS in just eight months. (The DS went on to be the bestselling game system of all time in the U.S.) Nintendo now estimates 3DS unit sales should top 4 million units by February.

Read more at Daily Variety

Google partners with OnLive

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Video game streaming service OnLive has taken another big step towards mass-market penetration.

Google has partnered with the company and will begin offering the service through all of its Google TV distribution partners. Though the company will initially offer just social features, it plans to let subscribers play popular console and PC games in the months to come.

Read more at Daily Variety

Sony: No chance of PS4 at E3

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While there are plenty of rumors about the next generation of consoles making an appearance at this year’s E3, don’t expect Sony to join the fun.

Kaz Hirai, who lords over the company’s consumer entertainment division (which includes the PlayStation unit), has definitively shot down the whispers, saying the PlayStation 4 will not be introduced at this year’s premier video game trade show.

Read more at Yahoo! Games