On Friday, Warner Bros. Games revealed a short teaser trailer for Batman: Arkham Origins that showed a small preview of Batman facing off against Deathstroke. Now the full trailer is out, and those looking for nearly five minutes of a pre-rendered Batman fighting a pre-rendered Deathstroke are in for a treat.
Here’s the official synopsis from WB Games:
Batman: Arkham Origins features an expanded Gotham City and introduces an original prequel storyline occurring several years before the events of Batman: Arkham Asylum and Batman: Arkham City. Taking place before the rise of Gotham City’s most dangerous villains and assassins, the game showcases a young, raw, unrefined Batman as he faces a defining moment in his early career as a crime fighter that sets his path to becoming the Dark Knight. As the story unfolds, witness identities being formed and key relationships being forged.
You can argue that prequel stories sometimes don’t work out, but Batman has a pretty good track record when it comes to origin stories. Even if the game does nothing to stand apart from its predecessors, the story told in Arkham Origins has the potential to be pretty good.
Batman: Arkham Origins will be out on October 25 for Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii U. A spin-off title called Arkham Origins Blackgate will launch the same day for the 3DS and Vita.
Samsung has another hit with the Galaxy S4, but not everybody buys the latest and greatest mobile devices. Some people are perfectly content with buying last year’s Galaxy S III. Luckily, they won’t have to be jealous of the Galaxy S4 for much longer as many of the same features will soon be added to the S III via software update.
SamMobile got its hands on the Android 4.2.2 update for the Galaxy S III and found that it contains many of the software features introduced with the Galaxy S 4. Unfortunately, that means many of the new features of the S4 that are dependent on hardware won’t be making it over. Despite that, there’s still some good stuff in store for those who are deciding to hold onto their Galaxy S III.
Here’s the list of new additions courtesy of SamMobile:
New S4 Lockscreen: Multiple Widgets, two Unlock effects (Ripple and Light), improved ripple effect than Android 4.1.2, ability to change clock size and set a personal message
New Screen modes (From S4): Adapt Display and Professional Photo
Daydream
Driving mode
Actionable notifications
New Additions in Notification Center
Completely revamped Settings UI (Tabbed interface – Exactly like the S4)
Addition of Voice controls (Let’s you control various parts of the phone using voice commands – Galaxy S4 feature)
Gallery modes have white background (When changing gallery modes to 3D the background changes to white)
If you’re more of a visual kind of person, SamMobile has also released a video walkthrough of the new Galaxy S III firmware:
On a final note, you can grab the firmware here if you can’t wait for Samsung to release it. The leaked 4.2.2 update is still an early build, however, so amateurs may want to wait for Samsung to release the official update later this year.
As Google I/O was wrapping up on Friday, Google was busy uploading the first of its developer videos to its YouTube channel. As part of the first wave, Google Glass developers who couldn’t make it to I/O got a chance to learn how to develop for and hack Glass.
Now Google has finally uploaded the final two Glass sessions from Google I/O – one of which deals with developing for the Mirror API while the other is a casual fireside chat with the Glass team.
First up is Building Glass Services with the Google Mirror API with Alain Vongsouvanh and Jenny Murphy:
The Google Mirror API is a simple but powerful set of RESTful APIs for building Glassware. In this session we’ll review some first principles for Glass development, paradigms of the Google Mirror API, and the rapid track from concept to prototype. We will cover both standard use cases and ones that push the boundaries of the API.
Finally, the Fireside Chat with the Glass Team brings together key members of the Glass development team at Google X to talk about their experiences:
Join several key members of the Glass team as they discuss the path that brought them here. We’ll discuss why Glass is so important to the evolution of wearable technology and how developers can most effectively engage in the ecosystem.
Valve loves its fans, and fans love Valve right back. This relationship has led to some amazing things, with the latest being Team Fortress 2: Robotic Boogaloo.
Team Fortress 2: Robotic Boogaloo is a new update hitting the popular free-to-play shooter with content that was made entirely by fans for fans.
Here’s the official word from Valve:
This update is 100% created by the TF2 community. And when we say everything, we mean everything—the in-game content, the update hub website, the animated short, the comic, even the splash images in the Steam store. Even better, everything you created avoided the classic trap of using other companies’ intellectual property. (Those of you working on a Darth Vader Pyro mask, we’ve got some bad news for you.) Plus, in a first for the Team Fortress economy, all the creators of the Robotic Boogaloo Update have decided to share the revenue earned from the sale of RoboCrate Keys. That means that everyone involved will be profiting from this update, not just the people making hats.
Those concerned about Valve stepping back from Team Fortress 2 development need not worry. Valve says that its own content will co-exist with fan-developed content from here on out.
One of the most valuable allies in the fight against SOPA last year was Google. The search giant gave millions of Internet users the tools necessary to contact their representatives to voice their opposition to the bill. Now Google is back giving tips on how developers and users can influence tech policy.
During Google I/O 2013, Derek Slater, Jen Pahlka and others hosted a session titled “Beyond SOPA: What You Can Do To Influence Tech Policy:”
From SOPA/PIPA and CISPA, to immigration and patent reform, government is taking a renewed interest in the Internet and the businesses we’re building on it — in some cases, there is even a new focus on the use of technology which can solve government problems.
As a result, government is looking for input from our community of entrepreneurs and developers about what our needs are as a community, and how they can build better public policy in our interest.
So, what are the most efficient, easy ways for you to get involved? Join us for a panel of some leaders in the Internet advocacy space to learn how you, as a developer, can get more involved in creating better policies that can affect your business.
Domino’s is no stranger to odd and bizarre marketing stunts. It’s latest – a DVD that smells like a pizza – may be one of its strangest (and most brilliant) yet.
Creativity Online reports that Domino’s Brazil has teamed up with ten video retal stores in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro to cover popular DVDs with a thermal ink that lets off a pizza smell when heated. When the movie was over, the heated DVD would give off a pizza smell to the consumer. It was also painted to look like a pizza with the message, “Did you enjoy the movie? The next one will be even better with a hot and delicious Domino’s Pizza.”
I have to admit – it’s a pretty brilliant marketing strategy. It’s especially effective in countries like Brazil where streaming services have yet to really take off. Most consumers have to rely on DVD rental stores to check out the latest movies. Making the DVD smell like pizza would definitely make me hungry, and it just might work on hungry Brazilians as well.
Google Glass may have been announced at last year’s Google I/O, but it didn’t get a proper introduction until this year’s I/O. Google devoted a number of sessions for the new hardware on Thursday, and Google has made some of those sessions available on YouTube.
First up is Developing for Glass with Timothy Jordan. He announced the Glass Developer Kit during this session, but there’s more than that:
By bringing technology closer, we can get it out of the way. This and other core concepts, design guidelines, UX paradigms, and APIs will be introduced as a baseline for Glass Development. Excellent examples will be shown and used to codify everything into a set of best practices. If you want to develop for Glass, this is where you start!
The other session is Voiding Your Warranty: Hacking Your Glass with Hyunyoung Sung and P.Y. Laligand:
Glass is ready for hacking! See what is possible with the hardware platform and how you can gain root access. Learn how to run your own experimental applications. Disclaimer: you’ll be stepping into uncharted and unsupported territory!
It was announced in February that Blizzard was returning to console development. Now some may have been disappointed that the developer was only bringing a port of Diablo III to the console, but it’s still a pretty big deal to have the fastest selling PC game of all time come to a new console.
As such, the guys at Blizzard spoke to Sony about what it’s like to develop for the PS4. In short, they really like the new console. They especially like how the PS4 (and PS3) allows them to bring couch co-op to the Diablo franchise.
I feel that I must point out that Blizzard is super cruel to keep alluding to The Lost Vikings without announcing a new entry in the franchise. We can only hope that Diablo III will be successful enough on consoles to convince Blizzard to begin work on a new entry in its best franchise.
Diablo III will be out on the PS3 later this year, with the PS4 version being out some time after.
Online advertisers have been nervous the past few weeks as Mozilla moved forward with its plans to block third-party cookies by default in its Firefox browser. Some advertiser groups have even claimed that Mozilla’s policy will “undermine American small businesses.” It seems that Mozilla listened as it has decided to postpone the implementation of its policy.
In a blog post from Thursday, Mozilla’s Brendan Eich said that Mozilla has delayed the implementation of its new anti-cookie patch in Firefox so that it can test for false positives and false negatives. As you may know, the new anti-cookie policy is meant to block third party cookies from sites you haven’t visited while leaving cookies from previously visited sites intact. Eich says that fales positives and false negatives may get in the way of how this policy is meant to work:
False positives. For example, say you visit a site named foo.com, which embeds cookie-setting content from a site named foocdn.com. With the patch, Firefox sets cookies from foo.com because you visited it, yet blocks cookies from foocdn.com because you never visited foocdn.com directly, even though there is actually just one company behind both sites.
False negatives. Meanwhile, in the other direction, just because you visit a site once does not mean you are ok with it tracking you all over the Internet on unrelated sites, forever more. Suppose you click on an ad by accident, for example. Or a site you trust directly starts setting third-party cookies you do not want.
The anti-cookie patch will be turned off by default in the Firefox 22 beta will Mozilla works on these issues. Users on the beta will be able to turn on the patch, however, and mess around with the settings. Mozilla, of course, encourages feedback as it works on it. Those who are using the Aurora release will find that the anti-cookie patch is turned on by default however.
In the end, Eich says that Mozilla’s work on the patch doesn’t represent any change to its previous anti-cookie philosophy:
We have heard important feedback from concerned site owners. We are always committed to user privacy, and remain committed to shipping a version of the patch that is “on” by default. We are mindful that this is an important change; we always knew it would take a little longer than most patches as we put it through its paces.
For those who read this as Mozilla softening our stance on protecting privacy and putting users first, in a word: no. False positives break sites that users intentionally visit. (Fortunately, we haven’t seen too many such problems, but greater testing scale is needed.) False negatives enable tracking where it is not wanted. The patch as-is needs more work.
Yesterday, Nintendo said that today’s Nintendo Direct would solely focus on games coming out this summer. That was mostly true, but the company did take time to reveal a new partnership with Sega that will either make Sonic fans very happy, or very disappointed.
First up, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata announced that the popular Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games franchise will be back in time for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. The game will be the first time the series has debuted on the Wii U with improved graphics and gameplay. The highlight was a curling minigame that takes advantage of the Gamepad.
In even bigger news, Iwata said that Nintendo has entered into a partnership with Sega that will see the next proper Sonic game – Sonic Lost World – released exclusively on Wii U and 3DS.
The final bit of news from Nintendo’s new partnership from Sega revealed that more Sega Game Gear games will be released on the Nintendo 3DS eShop in the near future.
Iwata then turned it over to Nintendo of America where they announced that The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons will be launching on May 30 for the Nintendo 3DS eShop. Each game will cost $5.99, but the price will be reduced to $4.99 each for the first three weeks to ensure that everybody can experience the game connectivity features.
They also announced a number of release dates for other Nintendo 3DS and Wii U games. Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D, which features a new world exclusive to the 3DS version, will be out on May 24. Animal Crossing: New Leaf will be out on June 9. The sole Wii U game from Nintendo of America was Game and Wario, which they say will be out on June 23 for only $39.99.
Nintendo of America gave the mic back to Iwata where he announced that New Super Luigi U, the Luigi-centric spin off of last year’s New Super Mario U, will be out on June 20 on the Nintendo eShop. The game will feature multiplayer, but will not have Mario. Instead, the game will include Nabby as a playable character. Players of the original game may remember Nabby as the character that stole items from Mario. As a playable character, Nabby is not affected by power ups, but he is also immune to all enemy attacks. Iwata says that he’s meant for players who find 2D Mario platformers to be too challenging.
As an added bonus for fans, Nintendo will be releasing a separate retail version of New Super Luigi U at retail on August 25. The retail version of the title does not require the original New Super Mario Bros. U to play. The DLC version releasing on June 20 will cost $19.99, and the retail version will cost $29.99.
Platinum Games’ The Wonderful 101 will be out on September 15. There was no price announced, but you can assume that it will be probably go for the full $59.99.
Iwata also dished out some new details on Pikmin 3. The game will feature three new protagonists – Alph, Brittany and Charlie – who are trying to collect food for their dying homeworld. As such, players will have to collect fruits and turn them into juice if they want to keep exploring. There is no time limit this time around though, and players can replay previous days to collect more fruit. Pikmin 3 will be out on August 4.
On a final note, Reggie Fils-Aime announced that Nintendo has partnered with Best Buy to bring the E3 experience to gamers in America and Canada. During the week of E3, select Best Buy locations will have exclusive E3 demos in stores for fans to play.
The next Nintendo Direct is scheduled to take place in June before E3. We’re likely to not hear much on the Nintendo front until then.
If you want to watch the Nintendo Direct yourself, you can do so below:
Netflix has been going all out to promote season four of Arrested Development. One of the better promotions is the “Insert Me Anywhere” where fans can place Tobias Funke in any scene they want. Capcom took this to its logical conclusion by placing Tobias in a variety of its classic and modern games.
I think that a variety of games, not just from Capcom, could benefit from a little Funke.
In September of last year, Boston Dynamics introduced the world to a cheetah robot that you could never hope to outrun. With a max speed of 28.3 mph, the robot would even be able to catch a sprinting Usain Bolt. Now MIT has made their own robot cheetah that’s not quite as fast, but it’s fast enough to catch you.
Of course, MIT’s cheetah isn’t just a carbon copy of last year’s robot from Boston Dynamics. The researchers have found that their robot can run much more efficiently by swapping out the pneumatics of the previous cheetah for motors. It may only be able to run at a speed of 13.7 mph at the moment, but it will be able to run for much longer periods of time. One day, it may also be able to carry its own battery.
Let’s just hope MIT never decides to equip their robot with metal teeth and an insatiable bloodlust.
Google Glass has sparked a conversation on the value of privacy ever since it was revealed last year. Those arguing for or against have become much louder in recent months, however, since the hardware is now in the hands of a select few developers. As expected, some members of Congress are now starting to chime in.
The Hill reports that the bi-partisan congressional Privacy Caucus sent an open letter to Google CEO Larry Page asking for clarification on Glass and the myriad of privacy issues it presents. The letter contains many of the same talking points that groups like Stop the Cyborgs have brought up in the past, but it seems to at least be giving Google the benefit of the doubt in this case.
Here’s some of the more interesting questions that many of us, including myself, would want answered:
“What proactive steps is Google taking to protect the privacy of non-users when Google Glass is in us? Are product lifecycle guidelines and frameworks, such as Privacy by Design, being implemented in connection with its product design and commercialization? For example, if a Google Glass customer/user decides to resell or to dispose of their Google Glas product, would there be any product capabilities incorporated into the device to ensure that one’s personal information remains private and secure?”
“In Google’s privacy policy, it states that the company “may reject requests that are unreasonably repetitive, require disproportionate technical effort … risk the privacy of others, or would be extremely impractical.” Please provide examples of when Google would reject requests on Google Glass that would risk the privacy of others? Would Google place limits on the technology and what type of information it can reveal about another person? If so, please explain. If not, why not?”
“Given Google Glass’ sensory and processing capabilities, has Google considered making any additions or refinements to its privacy policy? If so, please explain. If not, why not?”
There are a total of eight questions, but the above three are by far the most important. The last question is especially interesting as Google has run into complaints and threats of regulation when it changes its privacy policy. Even if Google were to change its privacy policy to reflect the the privacy implications of Glass, it’s a given that somebody would find something to complain about.
In addition to questions about its privacy policy, the Privacy Caucus drags the 3-year-old street view Wi-Fi data collection scandal into the spotlight yet again. They want to know if Google will be doing anything to prevent Glass from unintentionally collecting data. It’s somewhat of a moot point because Glass and the street view cars are very different. Even if Google Glass could store data from unprotected Wi-Fi sources, the paltry 16GB of onboard storage ensures that it wouldn’t be able to collect very much.
As for Google’s response to all of this, a spokesperson for the company told The Hill that Google is “thinking very carefully how [it] design[s] Glass because new technology always raises new issues.”
That’s about all we can ask for at the moment. It will be interesting, however, to see if Page actually responds to the letter. During his closing remarks at Google I/O on Wednesday, he raised concerns that the law wasn’t keeping pace with technology. Would he argue that privacy laws aren’t keeping up with what Google is trying to achieve with Glass?
Verizon is finally getting its own flagship Windows Phone device in the Nokia Lumia 928. It has many of the same features of the highly praised Lumia 920, but Nokia decided to ditch the polycarbonate chasis in favor of an aluminum one. Does the change make the 928 more resilient?
Everyone’s favorite smartphone murderer, ratedrr, has put Nokia’s flagship smartphones to the test in a head-to-head competition to see if either can survive being shot with a AK47. As expected, both phones don’t survive.
Are any Wii U games coming out this Summer? I honestly can’t remember anymore after so many were delayed earlier this year. Good thing Nintendo is going to jog our collective memories tomorrow with a Nintendo Direct.
Nintendo announced today that it will be holding a Nintendo Direct tomorrow at 7 a.m. PST/10 a.m. EST to discuss upcoming Wii U and 3DS games. This particular Nintendo Direct will only focus on the games coming out in the Summer so that means any releases from now until August. As such, you can probably expect to see more details on Pikmin 3 and Animal Crossing: New Leaf.
There’s always the potential for a surprise, however, and Nintendo may just have one in store for us tomorrow. The last Nintendo Direct seemed like it would be pretty ordinary, but the company used it as a platform to announce a sequel to The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past for the 3DS.
That being said, I don’t think we’ll see any new game announcements tomorrow. Instead, we can only hope that Nintendo decides to announce some release dates for its other promising titles like The Wonderful 101.
Nintendo will be announcing some new games next month though at another Nintendo Direct that’s scheduled to go up before E3. The company had already said that it would be going against the trend of hosting a major press conference this year by holding smaller, separate events for gamers, the press and investors. June’s Nintendo Direct will be squarely aimed at fans, and we’ll probably get to see the promised new 3D Mario game and maybe even a new Metroid that doesn’t transform Samus into a sexist stereotype from the 19th century.
As always, we’ll be bringing you all the updates from the Nintendo Direct tomorrow. If you want to watch it yourself, it will go live here.
Anonymous has a bone to pick with the oil industry.
Via various Anonymous related YouTube channels, the hacktivist group announced Operation Petrol this week. As the name implies, Anonymous will be targeting the oil industry. What’s interesting about this particular operation is that it’s not being contained to one country or area. Anonymous is calling on members worldwide to target local oil companies.
If you can’t watch the video, here are the relevant bits:
It has been a long time coming, operation petrol, will be engaged on the 20th June 2013.
This operation will include the U S, Canada, England, Israel, Saudi Arabia (only Government), China, Italy, France, Germany, Kuwait (only government) and Qatar (only government).
Saudi Arabia you have betrayed your fellow believers with your cooperation with these greedy foreigners causing much pressure on families from around the world, you allow this to happen.
You may not already know, but in the future, electronic transfer of money will be the governments ideal preferred way of all transactions by 2020.
What you do not know, is when this occurs, just like in Syria, your government will be able to have access to your funds and retirement money at anytime they wish to steal it.
The U S is known for creating war for the purpose of stealing Gold, stealing Oil and stealing Opium which they are doing in Afghanistan still to this day, but you are not aware of this, because your media are not allowed to tell you because of the censorship ban inplace about this.
If the Governments succeed with a NO PAPER MONEY system, they will have no need to steal gold, oil or opium, they will have no need for war because they will have, trillions of dollars at their finger tips, and there will be nothing you can do about it.
The pastebin release in the description further describes #OpPetrol as a predominantly Mulsim-run operation that will primarily target Middle Eastern countries that export oil. It lists a number of grievances, including claims of the government turning their backs on Islam in favor of money.
As it’s stated above, #OpPetrol will begin on June 20. We’ll keep an eye out to see if Anonymous actually attacks anything. Previous threats have often returned empty.
Google Glass Explorers have been busy developing apps for the device with the Mirror API that launched alongside the hardware. Developers may have found themselves running into some limitations, but that will be fixed in the future.
During the Developing for Glass session at Google I/O, Timothy Jordan, Senior Developer Advocate for Project Glass, announced that the Glass team is working on a Glass Developer Kit. Unlike the Mirror API, which only supports apps that push content, the Glass Developer Kit will allow for the creation of offline apps.
More importantly, the Glass Developer Kit will also give developers access to the hardware itself. Some hackers have already gained access to the hardware through software exploits, but there hasn’t been any official way to get at the hardware yet. There is no word yet, however, as to how deep the hardware access will go. Hackers have shown that Glass can do some pretty scary things so I’m a little unsure of how deep Google will let developers go.
So, when will the Glass Developer Kit be available to developers? Google says it will be out sometime in the future. We don’t know when that future is, but we’ll let you know when the future becomes now.
Jordan’s Developing for Glass session is not up on YouTube yet, but the live feed that originally aired it is. Jordan’s session starts at the 1:06 mark:
In other Glass news, Twitter has just launched an official app for Glass. Other services like Facebook, Tumblr, CNN and Evernote have also launched official apps today.
Warner Bros. Games is going to milk the Arkham franchise for all its worth later this year with the release of Batman: Arkham Origins. The title is a prequel to Arkham Asylum, and its puts players into the role of a younger Batman facing off against a number of assassins that have been hired to take him down.
Nearly a month after the game’s announcement, Warner Bros. has deemed it fit to finally release a trailer for the title. There’s no gameplay, but it’s nice to confirm that pre-rendered footage still looks pretty:
This is only a teaser of a full trailer that will be released on May 20. Even then, a pre-rendered CGI trailer will do little to allay fears that WB Games Montreal can’t make a good Batman game. The studio’s previous effort was the Wii U port of Arkham City. This will be the studio’s first AAA title developed entirely in-house.
We’ll know if WB Montreal can hold up the good name of Batman come October 25 when Batman: Arkham Origins launches across the Xbox 360, PS3, Wii U and PC. A prequel to Arkham Origins called Arkham Origins Blackgate will also be released on the same day for 3DS and PlayStation Vita.
I think we can all agree that virtual currency is the worst part of any digital marketplace. Often times, you’re forced to buy more points than what’s needed for the product in question, and then you’re stuck with 20 points that can’t be used for anything. One of the worst offenders is the Microsoft Points system, but it may finally be on its way out.
The Verge reports that Microsoft is planning to get rid of Microsoft Points with the launch of its new game console. Instead, Microsoft will focus on selling gift cards that allow consumers to purchase content across the Windows Store, the Windows Phone Store and Xbox Live Marketplace.
For those who don’t like gift cards, Microsoft will thankfully also support cash transactions via credit and debit cards. Now we can only hope that Microsoft will support transactions of any amount without having to load a minimum amount upfront. It’s pretty annoying that I have to pay $10 on Nintendo’s 3DS eShop to buy a $5 game. Microsoft would be wise to avoid that scenario at all costs.
It seems that Microsoft is planning on unveiling its new gift card system around E3. It won’t be implemented at that point, however, as Microsoft will apparently start using the new system when the next Xbox launches. We might even see the official launch of Windows 8.1 at that time. If that’s the case, Microsoft may go all out in promoting apps and the new gift cards on both the next Xbox and Windows 8.1 machines.
Sony is going to announce a new game on May 21. It’s codenamed Panopticon. There’s no word on platforms yet, but it could very well be a PS4 game. Here’s the first trailer that gives us a good look at the game while telling us absolutely nothing about it:
People are already drawing comparisons to Square’s The World Ends With You. That’s probably not the case, however, as this is a Sony Japan Studio game. The studio is already hard at work on Rain and Puppeteer for the PS3 so it will be interesting to see if this is a PS3 or a PS4 launch game. I’m willing to bet on the latter as Sony Japan Studio has typically always had a game out at or near the launch of a new console.
Either way, we’ll find out more on May 21. I’m excited to find out more, and the buzz on the Internet seems to indicate I’m not alone.