Perhaps the biggest news post-console reveal here at Sony's E3 presser: the PS4 will play used games without any restrictions or authentication. In broader terms, that means that when you purchase physical media, that disc can then be traded-in at retailers like GameStop, lent / sold to friends or kept forever as part of your enduring library. What's more, unlike Microsoft's controversial Xbox One 24-hour offline gaming window, PS4 owners will not have to connect to the internet in order to continue playing games. Effectively, that makes the PS4 fully playable offline; it also arguably hands the E3 2013 crown to Sony. For a brief instructional (and intentionally cheeky) demo on how this used game process works, check out Sony's homemade video after the break.
Filed under: Gaming, HD, Sony
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Google TV is getting a refreshed YouTube app to go along with its update to the latest versions of Android and Chrome. The video-streaming service now features a sleeker UI, complete with playlists displayed under the video discovery and subscription tabs and larger thumbnails for previewing content. The update also lets you subscribe to a channel with just one click, and it's now easier to share a clip via Google + as well. Other additions include more in-depth playback controls and support for paid subscriptions. Google TV owners can download the update now -- just hit up the source link below.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Software, HD, Google
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Via: Android Police
Source: YouTube for Google TV (Google Play)
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Not exactly earth-shattering news in the weeks leading up to E3, but Nintendo Japan announced some nice little additions to its Google-powered Wii Street U. The panoramic mapping service is getting support for the proprietary Miiverse social network, letting you share favorite locations and tag images with emotions like "amazing," "beautiful," "fun" and "scary." And for those times when you don't want to give too much away, you can set things to "spoiler." More update spoilers can be found in the source link below.
Filed under: Gaming, GPS, Nintendo
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Via: Neogaf
Source: Nintendo (translated)
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Ballmer and Co. have just laid out what changes Office Web Apps will see over the next year and beyond, and it's honing in on social features and more. Sure, the productivity suite already has collaborative document editing, but Microsoft is vowing to include real-time collaboration รก la Google Drive, where users can see who's currently working on a document while changes appear on the fly. The PowerPoint Web App is already packing the revamped experience, and the Office team promises that the real-time co-authoring will become faster as time goes on.
The OS titan also says it'll incorporate a range of other improvements, including simplified file management, shortening launch times and even a find and replace feature for the Word Web App. In addition to the tweaks, Microsoft revealed that Android tablets will finally be able to access its online suite of tools, as it'll begin supporting the mobile Chrome browser. The firm's given itself the loose timetable of "over the next year and beyond" for the feature rollout, so avid users should sit tight for now.
Filed under: Software, Microsoft
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Source: Office 365 Blog (Microsoft)
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Select Ford owners with Android phones have been rockin' out with Amazon Cloud Player and their in-dash Sync systems for the better part of three months. Now, iPhone and iPod touch users are invited to join in on the fun. The latest version of Amazon's app for iOS, 2.1.0, enables wireless streaming and control with Ford's AppLink platform. The service joins a handful of competitors, including Spotify, which announced its own compatible app in late February. The refreshed iOS app also brings playlist and VoiceOver updates, so even if you don't drive a Ford, it might be worth the download. You can snag it right now at the source link below.
Filed under: Software, Amazon
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Via: 9to5Mac
Source: Amazon (iTunes)
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If you're looking for more virtual worlds to explore using the Oculus Rift, MTBS3D forum user StellaArtois has developed something that might strike your fancy: a Minecraft mod dubbed Minecrift that bakes in support for the virtual reality headset. The modification still needs refining, but it already incorporates head tracking and warping. Not only did the intrepid forum goer grapple with the OpenGL API to devise the solution, but they also created the altered software before their own Rift dev kit arrived, relying on others to provide feedback for tweaking.
Mojang has has expressed interest in the VR headset and already has one in house, but official support for the Rift doesn't seem close at hand for Minecraft."Would take a lot of work to get it working for Minecraft, but not impossible - especially with the new launcher," Mojang dev Nathan Adams tweeted yesterday regarding the Rift. Click the first source link below to give the mod a shot or head past the break to see it in action.
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Via: Road To VR
Source: MTBS3D, @Dinnerbone (Twitter)
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Couple of key updates for the 1.1 version of Twitter's pithy video app, Vine. First up is support for front-facing cameras, for those who can't get enough short web videos of themselves. Tap the icon in the lower-left corner of the app and it will toggle between your phone's cameras. Also new is mention support, so those tagged with an @ will get a notification when you drop their names into a post. The latest version is available now from iTunes -- perhaps a short video of you downloading the update is in order.
Filed under: Software, Mobile
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Via: Vine
Source: iTunes
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Don't get too attached to that collection of TecTiles if you're upgrading to a Galaxy S 4. AnandTech has discovered that Samsung's newer phone includes an NFC chipset that can't read the older TecTiles, which rely on a less common tag type to register our taps instead of the NFC Forum's standards. Customers aren't being left in a bind, however. Samsung has confirmed that it's about to release a follow-up, TecTile 2, which adheres to the official format while supporting the company's older NFC-equipped phones. The fully modernized tags will be ready sometime in the "coming weeks." That doesn't offer much immediate relief for GS3-to-GS4 upgraders whose TecTile layouts have suddenly been reduced to decorations, but those buyers should at least get the replacements they seek before long.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Samsung
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Source: AnandTech
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First, the bad news. Facebook Home isn't coming to iOS anytime soon due to the underlying technologies that restrict the way apps interact with the iPhone's operating system. Now, the good news: Facebook is pushing an update to its iOS app right now that'll add support for chat heads. Mike Schroepfer, CTO and vice president of engineering at Facebook, just announced the news here at D: Dive Into Mobile, and if all goes well, you should see the update hit your own device later in the day.
According to Schroepfer: "The goal from the beginning was to get this experience into everyone's hands. As part of that, we're shortly going to announce an update to our iOS app that'll add chat heads. Multiple messages, multiple threads, same design, etc. You have to be within the app -- that's a limitation of iOS. You can't draw across other apps when you aren't in the app."
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Facebook
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Source: iTunes, Facebook
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Not one to leave its business customers out of the loop, Google updated its Chrome for Business browser today with a couple of new features: legacy browser support and cloud-based management for Google Apps. With the former, those who are obliged to use older apps at work (poor you) will be automatically switched to an alternate browser when needed, while the cloud-based management allows employees to log in to their Google Apps for Business or Education accounts from any device. Of course, both features require the approval of your friendly neighborhood IT administrator, so do remember to offer him or her a token of appreciation the next time their special day rolls around.
Filed under: Internet, Google
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Source: Google Enterprise blog
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Oculus Rift's Tuscany demo was built with a good ol' fashioned keyboard and mouse setup in mind, but now it's unofficially scored support for motion controls. Sixense, the outfit behind Razer's Hydra, has cooked up a custom version of the Italian-themed sample for use with their controller, and it gives gamers a pair of floating hands to pick up and manipulate objects. Originally shown at GDC, the tweaked experience is now up for grabs, and can even be played by those who don't have a Rift -- albeit with just the controller's perks.
Booting up the retooled package offers users a new 3D menu, giving them options for arm length, crouching, head bobbing and a crosshair. It's not the first project to combine Rift with Hydra, but it certainly helps illustrate the potential of such a setup. Sixense says it plans to release updates and the source code, and it recommends folks sign up for their project-specific email list and keep an eye on their forums for word on availability. Hit the source links below for the download, or head past the break to catch Road to VR's hands-on with the Hydra-friendly Tuscan villa.
Filed under: Gaming
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Via: Road to VR
Source: Sixense (1), (2)
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Epic Games isn't just offering up its ubiquitous current-gen game creation tool Unreal Engine 3 to Oculus Rift developers, but also its next-gen tool, Unreal Engine 4. Epic Games VP Mark Rein told Engadget as much during an interview at this year's Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, repeatedly stating he's "super bullish" on the Rift, all the while rocking an Oculus pin on his exhibitor lanyard. "Oh, for sure," he said when we asked about UE4 support for the Rift. "We're working on that now." The Rift dev kit was demoed at CES 2013 running Unreal Engine 3's "Epic Citadel" demo, and Epic's offered support to the Oculus folks since early on, making the UE4 news not a huge surprise, but welcome nonetheless.
The next-gen game engine was being shown off at GDC 2013 with a flashy new demo (seen below the break), as well as a version of its "Elemental" demo running on a PlayStation 4 dev kit (shrouded behind a curtain, of course). Rein was visibly excited about that as well, unable to contain random vocal outbursts during the presentation. "It's a war out there, and we sell bullets and bandaids," he jokingly told us in an interview the following day. The quote comes from coworker and Epic VP of business development Jay Wilbur, and it's fitting -- Epic only makes a handful of games, and the company's real money comes from game engine licensees. In so many words, the more platforms that Unreal Engine variants can go, the better for Epic (as well as for engine licensees, of course). "It's a good place to be -- we try to support everything we can. We have to place some timed bets on things that we feel are gonna be the most important to licensees, and also to us where we're taking games. But because the engine is portable -- it's written in C++ -- a licensee can take and do whatever they want," he said.
Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals, Software, HD
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