You don’t nab the exclusive rights to create Xbox 360 branded headphones and not put some theoretical hutzpah into it: at E3 this week, Mad Catz is showing off a trio of co-branded Tritton / Xbox 360 cans , or at least a trio of fragile plastic facsimiles. These three mock-ups the Catz crew showed us represent the physical design of the Warhead, Devastator, and Detonator models of the co-branded line of headsets — sporting wireless Dobly 7.1 surround sound, wireless analog, and USB connectivity, respectively. While all three models promise a slew of special sound features, the two wireless models have an exclusive shine: Xbox 360 microphone support without tethering themselves to the console’s controller. Not that we got to hear for ourselves; the mock-ups were non-functional, and fragile enough that show staff wasn’t feeling our enthusiasm for an ears-on demo. Still, we could dig ditching headset-to-controller leashes. Check out the gallery below to see all the bells, whistles, and switches, or hit the break for some meaty PR. Gallery: Mad Catz’ co-branded Xbox 360 / Tritton headsets: eyes-on Continue reading Mad Catz co-branded Xbox 360 / Tritton headsets: eyes-on, ears-off Mad Catz co-branded Xbox 360 / Tritton headsets: eyes-on, ears-off originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Jun 2011 22:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Sony Ericsson’s Xperia Play is clearly all about gaming, so we weren’t surprised to see a fair amount of E3 footage dedicated to the PlayStation Phone . Minecraft was among the 20 odd games on display at the booth , and the version we had a chance to play with happens to look remarkably similar to that demo we saw pop up a couple weeks ago . The game will be exclusive to the Play when it hits online stores in Q3, but there’s no word on pricing just let — though here’s to hoping it’ll be free. In the demo we played, you select your blocks on the touchscreen — or you can just cycle through them with the circle and square buttons. You won’t find Creepers, crafting, or night mode in this version, but we’re still a few months away from the launch, so there’s a chance we’ll see those features when it’s fully baked. You’ll need to wait a bit longer before playing on your own device, but check out our hands-on video after the break for a taste of Mojang’s pocket-sized Minecraft. Gallery: Minecraft Pocket Edition Hands-On Tim Stevens contributed to this report. Continue reading Minecraft Pocket Edition on Xperia Play hands-on (video) Minecraft Pocket Edition on Xperia Play hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Jun 2011 20:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Wait, Vizio’s concocting a tablet? For those with chronic short-term memory loss, you may have forgotten that America’s so-called low-cost TV leader branched out a bit during this year’s Super Bowl, but it’s been dead quiet on the tablet front ever since dropping the Via and sticking with Tablet . Looks like that’s about to change, though — a courteous tipster handed off the screenshot you see above, highlighting the appearance of a ‘VTAB1008′ within Walmart’s inventory system. The device was just added a couple of weeks ago, and while we’re still no closer to knowing if Vizio’s done the right thing and settled on Honeycomb, we do know that it’ll be pricing this thing competitively. How competitively? $349… competitively. We’ll keep you abreast of any release dates we see, but for now, catch up by having a gander at our preview video from a few months back. [Thanks, Anonymous] Vizio Tablet (VTAB1008) priced at $349 within Walmart’s system originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Jun 2011 19:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Sure, all the morning’s news may have been surrounding a vowel-augmented console from Nintendo, the Wii U , but a certain other Nintendo console that has fewer vowels is also seeing some well-deserved love here at E3 2011. It’s the classic SNES, and its been reborn as the SupaBoy, courtesy of Hyperkin. It’s a handheld version of the console that’s basically intended to fulfill a gamers’ desire for portable classic gaming but without having to ask for advice in the Ben Heck Forums. Click on through for some impressions of this handheld wunderconsole. Gallery: Hyperkin SupaBoy Hands-On Continue reading Hyperkin SupaBoy portable SNES console hands-on (video) Hyperkin SupaBoy portable SNES console hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Jun 2011 18:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Europe’s first solar powered train tunnel goes live on Belgian high-speed line (video)
June 7, 2011 No Comment
The train ride from Paris to Amsterdam may not be the most scenic of European railway routes, but it’s the only one capable of harnessing the awesome power of the Sun — for two miles, at least. Yesterday, engineers in Belgium officially switched on Europe’s first solar-powered train tunnel, spanning a 2.1-mile stretch of the rail line connecting the City of Lights to Mokum. The installation’s 16,000 solar panels will be used to provide 50 percent of the energy needed to power nearby Antwerp Central Station and to provide extra juice for both high-speed and traditional trains. Originally developed to help protect travelers from falling trees in an ancient forest, the project is expected to produce up to 3.3MWh of electricity per year, while decreasing annual CO2 emissions by about 2,400 tons. Speed past the break for some aerial footage of the artery, along with a brief PR from Enfinity — the Belgian renewable energy company that helped bring it to life. Continue reading Europe’s first solar powered train tunnel goes live on Belgian high-speed line (video) Europe’s first solar powered train tunnel goes live on Belgian high-speed line (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Jun 2011 17:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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We’ve been waiting for nearly an entire year to carve up battle droids with a Kinect-controlled lightsaber, and we got the chance last night, donning virtual Jedi robes alongside our friends at Joystiq and calling upon our inner midi-chlorians in a series of brief co-op fights. The interactive demo of Kinect Star Wars version is a fairly scripted affair — your light side avatars automatically dash from encounter to encounter with the occasional cutscene between, without any prompting from you, and when you get into a melee, the computer controls which enemies you face as well. Still, there are quite a few maneuvers available once combat begins in earnest. You can swing your right hand to swipe with the lightsaber, bring up your left for a powerful Force Push, jump to flip over hapless destroyer droids, step forward to dash directly at a foe, and tilt your body to dodge and flip. There’s a bit of a delay between the time you gesture and the time the game recognizes your actions, but it generally seemed to follow our saber strokes, and a product manager tells us a lag fix is inbound. Long story short, we can’t tell you quite yet if your 1:1 slicing fantasies will be fulfilled. Kinect Star Wars hands-on: Engadget and Joystiq get in touch with the Force originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Jun 2011 15:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Walmart temporarily drops iPhone 4 price to $147, not that you’ll be able to find one
June 7, 2011 No Comment
Quick! Someone tell Walmart Black Friday isn’t for another five and a half months. With no new iPhone in sight , the retailer is selling the 16GB version for $147 on contract — the kind of stunt we’d expect it to pull in an effort to reel in holiday shoppers. Why do we sound so unappreciative, you might ask? Easy: because you probably won’t be able to get your hands on one. The sale, which applies to AT&T and Verizon models, lasts until June 30, and only an unspecified number of “select” stores will even be participating. No word on how many discounted phones Walmart has to shill, but both the black and white versions are sold out online, which doesn’t exactly bode well for your chances of scoring one in person. Walmart temporarily drops iPhone 4 price to $147, not that you’ll be able to find one originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Jun 2011 15:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Sadly we weren’t able to get our hands-on the new console that’s going to come along with the Wii U controller . Every operational unit is clad in shimmering Lucite and locked away. But, from what we can see peering through the glass it’s more or less a curvaceous Wii. It’s a little bit chubbier, maybe a hint taller, but the design is much the same: glossy white and a big disc slot. Nintendo definitely isn’t giving up on physical distribution for this round. All that we can see beyond that is a power button, a reset button, a red sync button, and a little flip-down door much like on the Wii. What’s behind the door? Memory cards? More buttons? Magic? Feel free to speculate wildly in comments. Gallery: Nintendo Wii U Console Eyes-On Zach Honig contributed to this report. Nintendo Wii U console eyes-on originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Jun 2011 14:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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We just elbowed our way through the crowds and managed to get our first hands-on time with Nintendo’s revolutionary new controller, the Wii U . As you can see in the images, it’s a rather different thing than even the company’s typically unusually styled contraptions. The dominant feature is the center-mounted 6.2-inch touchscreen, which actually looks really good. We’d expected Nintendo would cheap out to keep costs low, but that doesn’t appear to be the case, at least not in our first impressions. Join us after the break for more details. Gallery: Nintendo Wii U Hands-On Continue reading Nintendo Wii U controller, first hands-on! Nintendo Wii U controller, first hands-on! originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Jun 2011 13:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Woah! The rumors turned out to be true: a 6.2-inch screen will be built into the controller for Nintendo’s next-generation Wii U console . It’ll also feature a microphone, a gyroscope, dual analog controls, two shoulder buttons and two triggers, a front-facing camera , a stylus, and yes, it’s a touchscreen, too! Satoru Iwata was careful to warn that the Wii U’s controller was “not designed to be a portable game machine,” even if it shares some characteristics with handhelds. You will , however, be able to game and video chat even without a TV. The Wiiu controller is backwards compatible with all current Wii accessories. Developing… see our liveblog for the very latest! Gallery: Nintendo Wiiu Controller Continue reading The Wii U controller, revealed! (video) The Wii U controller, revealed! (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Jun 2011 12:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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