Gizmodo’s Jason Chen has written a superb hands-on of the Google Nexus One. If you’re interested in the phone or are merely curious about what’s next for Android, I highly suggest giving it a look. If you don’t have the patience, here’s Chen’s conclusion:
If you want Android phones, this is the one to get, provided Google goes ahead with the rumored plans of either selling it themselves or partnering with T-Mobile in a more traditional role. Droid, shmoid; Nexus is the one you’re looking for.
*sigh* It doesn’t have a keyboard, but I’m totally loving the screen, processor, and noise-cancelling features. It does support T-Mobile’s 3G frequency and RIM’s BlackBerry Internet Service has been spotty this month so perhaps it’s time for an upgrade in January (provided the phone goes on sale as rumored)!
Capcom has delayed the release of Super Street Fighter IV, Lost Planet 2, and Monster Hunter 3 (Europe and North America) for financial considerations. The games were set to be released in the company’s fiscal fourth quarter, which ends on March 31, 2010. Instead, the games will be released during its next fiscal year to spread out earnings, which is great for shareholders but sucky for gamers.
Idealistically, I hope the additional time allows for more polish and features to creep in. From a financial standpoint, the move makes total sense. I’m actually surprised the industry didn’t see more release manipulation in 2009 considering that the entire world knew that the economy was dire and wasn’t getting better any time soon.
I’m a little bummed that Super Street Fighter IV won’t be available to me in March, but something tells me that I’ll have my hands full with a little game from Square Enix. Any of you disappointed by the delays?
AnandTech’s Anand Lal Shimpi (who the hell names a site after himself…oh wait…never mind) was visited by Epic Games vice president Mark Rein and received a demo of Unreal Engine running for iPhone. Lal Shimpi wrote:
I got together with Mark Rein last week and he showed me an Unreal Engine 3 tech demo running on a 3rd generation iPod Touch. The same Unreal Engine 3 that powers Gears of War 2, running on an iPod Touch. The engine also works on the iPhone 3GS, and Mark tells me that we’ll see it on another mobile platform at CES (hmm…).
Obviously this is huge for the iPhone and iPod Touch platforms. Unreal Engine is the most popular in the business and Epic’s relationships — both with developers and publishers — are far reaching. Ultimately, I expect better looking games coming from numerous Unreal Engine licensees — companies that most enthusiast gamers are familiar with, as opposed to newcomers like ngmoco. Core gamers that are also iPhone and iPod Touch users (like many of you guys) are more likely to buy a game from a developer or publisher they know rather than a new company. Better looking games from the traditional players? I’m down! And I’m sure many of you will be too.
But wait, there’s more! Lal Shimpi also pointed out:
This isn’t a platform specific thing, it’s about bringing Unreal Engine 3 to the entire portable market.
Of course it is. Mobile processors like the Nvidia Tegra and Qualcomm Snapdragon are taking portable power to new heights. With great power comes great responsibility fantastic potential for mobile gaming. The next generation of mobile gaming devices will continue to push the envelope. Sony’s PlayStation Portable took portable graphics to a new level, but I don’t think it will be alone in the next generation. With Nintendo’s next handheld rumored to be Tegra powered, expect better looking mobile games on several platform.
Whether you’re talking about the next generation Nintendo handhelds and Sony PlayStation Portables or multifunction devices like the iPhone or Zune, mobile gaming is poised for a giant step. Naturally, to make great games you need great tools. This is where Unreal Engine comes in. For hundreds of developers, Unreal Engine is familiar and powerful. Having it work on mobile platforms like the iPhone is tremendous.
Then there’s Mark Rein’s involvement. The dude knows how to build relationships and sell his company’s engine. He’s so convincing that he once sold me time in a tanning salon. Okay, that’s not true, but I’m pretty sure he could do it.
Simon Cowell announced that he intends to leave American Idol after season nine. This is terrible news for AI. Cowell is — by far — the most entertaining part of the show, especially now that Paula Abdul is gone. VoteForTheWorst has reported:
It’s clear that Simon wants out so he can bring X Factor over to America and not have to worry about Idol, since he’ll be making s*&^loads more money producing X Factor (if it’s successful). Simon always said he’d leave the show if Paula left, so it looks like the producers are helping American Idol implode on itself.
Although I’ll miss Paula’s wacky and nonsensical comments, I’m still looking forward to the new season starting in January. After that…I don’t know. I can’t imagine the show without Simon. The best thing about Randy Jackson is that he played with Journey. Kara DioGuardi is pretty useless. It remains to be seen what Ellen Degeneres will bring to the table. None of that matters though. I’m pretty sure I’m done with Idol if Simon walks.
For the second time in the last week, Research in Motion’s (RIM) BlackBerry Internet Service (BIS) is down. Millions of users in North America have had issues with various BlackBerry functions. Down times have been reported by users on various American and Canadian carriers. For a company that prides itself on rock-solid service, these recent interruptions are alarming.
Using my BB 8900 on T-Mobile in Los Angeles, service has been sporadic all day — both on GSM and UMA. While I love how my BB works as a phone and email device, these recent interruptions have my eyes wandering…maybe towards the Google Nexus One.
Major Nelson has announced that Microsoft has launched a “music store” section of Xbox Live. The marketing guy wrote:
Later today when you sign in to Xbox Live, watch for the brand new Games Music Marketplace. Look for specific Music stores for games like Rock Band, Guitar Hero and Lips.
I love this idea. There are a ton of songs for music games and anything that makes them easier to find is a fine addition. Of course this means that it will be easier for me to drop money on DLC songs too. Crap.
Here are two excellent videos that will give you a behind-the-scenes look at the voice-over sessions for Atlus’ Trauma Team. The first video introduces you to the voice actors in the game, while the second clip takes you inside the VO sessions at PCB Productions. If you were ever curious about the inner workings of videogame voice acting then you definitely want to check these videos out!
The January 2010 issue of Playboy is looking completely awesome — it features the sexy Tara Reid (naked) and a bunch of female videogame characters (also naked). The (naked) gamer girls include Heavy Rain’s Madison Paige, Hecuba Manaros from God of War III, Skylar St. Claire from The Saboteur, Beatrice Portinari from Dante’s Inferno, and Bella Antonelli from Mafia II.
Tara Reid has a special place in my heart and it all started at a videogame event. I’ve had a crush on her ever since I saw her throw a huge tantrum at a PlayStation 2 anniversary party in Los Angeles. Security wouldn’t let her into the after-party and she was cursing up a storm. She demanded that the hotel let her into the party or get her a limo. After a few minutes of swearing like a sailor, her limousine arrived. It was pretty hot.
A few weeks ago, I told you about Pandora, a powerful open-source handheld coming in 2010. The team has unveiled a video of the system running Mario 64 and other Nintendo 64 classics. It’s pretty cool stuff that’s worth a peak.
For the most part, you guys don’t talk much about the PSP and DS systems. Is Pandora more to your liking?
Although Google Wave can be useful for office collaboration, it’s far more entertaining as a tool to make funny videos. Here’s a short clip that sums up 2009’s major events using Wave. It includes Barack Obama becoming president, the swine flu causing a global panic, the Susan Boyle phenomenon, Kanye West being a dick to Taylor Swift, Michael Jackson’s death, the NY Yankees winning the world series, Manny Pacquiao’s brilliant boxing, and much more.
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. The first video introduces you to the voice actors in the game, while the second clip takes you inside the VO sessions at PCB Productions. If you were ever curious about the inner workings of videogame voice acting then you definitely want to check these videos out!
Madison Paige, Hecuba Manaros from 
, Skylar St. Claire from 
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