Author - Jerry Paxton

Planets3 Exceeds Kickstarter Goal

2014/04/04
Jerry Paxton
News, Windows PC News

ConceptTree_planets-3

March 4 2014, Cannes, France – Cubical Drift are proud to announce that the KickStarter for Planets³ has exceeded its initial funding target of $250,000!

‘We are incredibly grateful to every backer we have for believing in our dreams of a Cubical world. The kind words, encouraging each other and helping us to get featured on websites all over the world has helped us to fund. Without you guys, there would be no Planets³. The love for our game is both very heartwarming and endearing – we can’t thank you enough.“, said Michel Thomazeau, Planets³ Project Director.

“Planets³ is something we have all worked hard on to get to this and now we can continue on and see this through to completion. We are very happy with the reaction from the games media press and public and very motivated to make P3 live up to everybody’s expectations.”

Planets³ is a beautifully presented, unique mix of adventure, RPG, dungeon crawler and building. Set in a multi-player universe, players can shape their own adventure and visit multiple planets, each composed of nearly 30 trillion blocks. Truly breath-taking landscapes and environments will be achieved through voxel-based graphics and the “Long Distance Display Engine”.

Progress through the game is achieved through “levelling-up” their character, embarking on various story-driven quests, tool-building and habitation and vehicle crafting. All of these things contributing to ever-deeper exploration of the planets in the vast universe.

Planets³ also offers side quests allowing players to unlock secrets of the game’s world and to find special items only reachable in secondary storylines.

About Cubical Drift
Created in 2013, Cubical Drift is an independent video game studio bringing together video game “passionates”, each of them being an expert in their field.

Planets³ is the studio’s first project, which is ambitious both from a technical and artistic point of view. The studio foresees a 5-year schedule with the release of an extension within 3 years after the initial release, and its development onto console and mobile platforms.

For more information on the game: http://www.planets-cube.com

BenQ Releases RevolutionEyes G Series Displays

2014/04/04
Jerry Paxton
News, Tech News

GW2760HS

COSTA MESA, Calif. — April 3, 2014 — BenQ America Corp., the fastest growing display brand in North America1, today introduced its new GW and GL Series of mainstream monitors. Equipped with BenQ’s pioneering RevolutionEyes™ technology for exceptional monitor performance, the elegantly thin GL2460HM, GL2760H, and GW2760HS displays bring together best-in-class image quality with ZeroFlicker™ and Low Blue Light settings for enhanced visual comfort encased in stylish silhouettes to enable amazing onscreen experiences while adding a touch of sophistication to any home office or workspace environment.

“Our new G Series monitors are prime examples of BenQ’s value on innovation,” said Bob Wudeck, Associate Vice President, Strategy and Business Development at BenQ America Corp. “Featuring a clean look, super crisp dynamic contrast ratios, and BenQ’s RevolutionEyes technology with exclusive features such as ZeroFlicker and Low Blue Light, we now offer users the best viewing experience for peak performance in any application and across our entire monitor lines.”

Designed to blend perfectly within any living space or office décor, BenQ’s GL and GW monitors feature stylish attributes such as high gloss frames, curvaceous stands, and extremely slim bezels, which enable sharper-looking multidisplay configurations when monitors are placed side-by-side. Available in 24- and 27-inch sizes, the TN (GL2760H and GL2460HM) and VA (GW2760HS) LED displays are also engineered to augment the onscreen experience. While the GL2460HM and GL2760H provide dynamic contrast ratios of 12M:1 and rapid 2ms GTG response times, the contrast ratio rises to 20M:1 on the 4ms GTG GW2760HS monitor — enabling faster pixel rates and smoother overall picture performance on the entire series.

Now available on all BenQ monitors, BenQ’s RevolutionEyes technology brings exceptional monitor performance and better visual comfort across the G lines. Led by BenQ’s market-leading ZeroFlicker innovation, the monitors eliminate backlight flickering at all brightness levels to give users more comfort while allowing them to spend longer periods engaged in everyday applications. Also equipped with BenQ’s exclusive Senseye® technology, the G Series features preset calibration settings including BenQ’s proprietary “Low Blue Light” mode, which reduces blue spectrum light to protect eyes using specific settings designed for multimedia, web surfing, office, and onscreen reading. Using “SmartEco” mode, the monitors provide a better balance of performance and energy efficiency for energy savings of up to 44 percent.

To enable complete digital entertainment, BenQ’s G Series monitors include a pair of 1-watt built-in speakers (GL2460HM and GW2760HS) and high-speed HDMI® inputs, in addition to D-Sub/DVI ports. The slim monitors feature an intuitive OSD menu with a controller cleverly concealed behind the screen to maintain the monitors’ sleek design, and support the Windows® 8 operating system.

Available in early April, BenQ’s new GL2460HM, GL2760H, and GW2760HS monitors retail at $249, $379, and $399, respectively. More information on BenQ’s full line of RevolutionEyes monitors is available at www.BenQ.us.

IK Multimedia Launches AmpliTube Orange for iOS

2014/04/03
Jerry Paxton
Mobile News, News

atorange_ipad_amp_thundrverb_200_full

April 3, 2014 – IK Multimedia, the leader in mobile music-creation apps and accessories for iOS devices, is pleased to announce a new iPhone, iPad and iPod touch app that will delight Orange Amplifier fanatics around the globe: AmpliTube® Orange® for iPhone/iPod touch and iPad.

Officially licensed and developed in close partnership with Orange Amps, AmpliTube Orange is a real time mobile Orange Amplifier and effects studio featuring digital models of 5 classic and modern Orange guitar amplifiers and one Orange bass amplifier. Each amp and cab model has been meticulously recreated in both looks and sound to deliver spot-on Orange tone any time, everywhere.

Orange Appeal
Derived from the fan-favorite desktop version of AmpliTube Orange, the app offers 5 guitar amps and one bass amp. Guitar amps included are the 40th anniversary reissue of the single channel “pics only” original OR50, the ultra-versatile “dirty” channel of the Rockerverb 50 MKII with multiple gain stages, the dual-channel 200-watt Thunderverb 200, the simple yet powerful original Tiny Terror “lunchbox amp”, and the straight ahead “British voiced” AD30. For bass players, AmpliTube Orange also spotlights the single channel vintage inspired AD 200 Bass MK 3 offering a huge range of bass tones from ultra clean to pure dirt and grit.

AmpliTube Orange also features perfectly matched Orange speaker cabinets as well — the 4×12” PPC, 1×12” PPC, 2×12” PPC, 2×12” AD30 and the 1×15” OBC. The cabinets are individually selectable, so they can be mixed and matched with other amp heads for different sound possibilities.

Stompbox Effects Mania
Even though Orange doesn’t make stompbox effects, IK Multimedia has created 4 vintage styled Orange-inspired effects to makeAmpliTube Orange a versatile stage and studio suite. Players will find four staple effects: a “Noise Filter” for keeping the hiss down when the gain is cranked; the “Highway Drive” vintage inspired overdrive pedal with crunch, level and tone controls, the “Echo Trip” delay pedal with feedback, delay time, level and tone controls, and “The Shaker” tremolo pedal with rate, depth and inspirational “shape” control.

Recording Studio
After dialing in their favorite tones, players can start recording thanks to AmpliTube Orange’s built-in recorder. The recorder section can be expanded via in-app purchase (4 tracks on iPhone/iPod touch, 8 tracks on iPad) for multi-track recording and composition. The full recorder features a bounce function that frees up tracks for limitless recording, and a master effects section with global reverb, EQ and compression. Players can record complete compositions without leaving AmpliTube Orange.

AmpliTube Orange is also Inter-App Audio and Audiobus compatible, so it can be used as an input or effect in other compatible audio apps like GarageBand, making it perfect for injecting Orange tone into other audio environments.

Practice Buddy
AmpliTube Orange is also the perfect practice tool, thanks to its built-in “Song” section. The Song section allows a user to import any audio from their device iTunes library and play along. It features a “no voice” button that cancels the center portion of the stereo field (where most vocals and leads are placed) making soloing over existing recordings a breeze. There’s also a speed control that allows users to slow down (or speed up) audio material without changing pitch, allowing players to learn difficult passages or enhance their speed and precision.

Standalone or AmpliTube in-app
AmpliTube Orange is available as a standalone app from the App StoreSM, an “in-app” purchase bundle within AmpliTube, or individual amps and effects can be purchased a-la-carte as in-app purchases within AmpliTube. This gives players the flexibility to choose the bundle or individual models as their needs change.

Plugging In and Control
With IK Multimedia’s range of interfaces and controllers for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and Mac/PC, getting a guitar signal toAmpliTube Orange is as simple as plugging into an amplifier. iRig HD and iRig PRO are the newest digital interfaces that allow players to plug into an iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and a Mac or PC and deliver pristine quality pure guitar signal. iRig BlueBoard is the advanced Bluetooth® pedalboard that allows for control of presets and sound parameters in AmpliTube, wirelessly, from the floor, without laying your axe down.

Pricing & Availability
AmpliTube Orange is available now on the App StoreSM in two versions: AmpliTube Orange for iPhone/iPod touch and AmpliTubeOrange for iPad for $14.99/€13.99 each. The 4–Track recorder and 8-Track recorder with master effects section on iPhone and iPad cost $9.99/€8.99 and $14.99/€13.99 respectively as an in-app purchase.

AmpliTube Orange is also available as a bundle for existing AmpliTube users for $14.99/€13.99 as an in-app purchase. Individual gear models are also available for in-app purchase, price ranging from $2.99/€2.69 to $6.99/€5.99.

www.amplitube.com/orangeiphone
www.amplitube.com/orangeipad

AOC Launches 24 Inch 144Hz Gaming Monitor

2014/04/03
Jerry Paxton
News, Tech News

aoc-144

Fremont, Calif. – April 3, 2014 – AOC, a worldwide leader in monitor display technology, today announces the 24-inch 144Hz Gaming Monitor (G2460PQU). Designed for high-performance gaming, the AOC G2460PQU delivers a refresh rate of 144Hz and response time of 1ms for ultra smooth, crystal clear visuals that give gamers decisive advantages including reduced input lag and more frames per second.

The AOC G2460PQU is the ultimate gaming monitor with ample connectivity options and a sleek design to meet your competitive gaming needs. The wall-mountable monitor has a black hairline textured design with a sleek red bar at the bottom bezel, and comes with Display Port, HDMI, DVI-Dual Link, VGA, with four USB 2.0 ports. The USB hub includes a fast-charging port for mobile devices that is three times faster than a standard USB port. Plus the monitor’s four-way adjustable stand allows gamers to change the monitor height by 130mm, swivel left and right, tilt the screen angle, and pivot 90 degrees to landscape or portrait view to maximize the gaming experience. The AOC G2460PQU is now available for $399.99 at national CE retailers. The display is backed by AOC’s three-year warranty as well as the EASE exchange program.

The AOC 144Hz Gaming Monitor’s 24-inch screen displays up to 16.7 million colors with a maximum resolution of 1920×1080, perfect for HD games and movies. The monitor’s direct-insert, easy-access ports make it simple to connect to USB devices, Blu-ray players, game consoles and more.

 

The AOC G2460PQU allows you to switch between seven different screen sizes: 17” Pillar Box (5:4), 19” Pillar Box (5:4), 19” Widescreen (16:10), 21.5” Widescreen (16:9), 22” Widescreen (16:10), 23” Widescreen (16:9) and 24” Widescreen (16:9). With these options, the display provides the best possible view for any application or game. The VESA-compatible monitor can also be unscrewed from the stand and mounted to the wall. Button controls are located on the underside of the display and dual USB ports are conveniently located on the right side of the panel. The monitor’s back also has a hook to keep cables together and organized.

Key Features

  • Screen size- 24” Class Widescreen, 16:9 Aspect Ratio
  • Contrast Ratio- 80,000,000:1 (dynamic)
  • Brightness- 350 cd/m2 (typ)
  • 1920 x 1080 resolution @ up to 144Hz
  • 1ms response time
  • VGA, DVI-Dual Link, HDMI, Display Port, 4 USB 2.0 ports (includes 1 fast charger)
  • 7 different display modes
  • Sleek-design with tilt, pivot, and height adjustability

Kalypso Media Creates Mobile Division

2014/04/03
Jerry Paxton
Industry News, News

SimonHellwig_March2014_01

Ridgewood, NJ– April 3rd 2014 – Kalypso Media has today announced a newly created sister company within the Kalypso Media Group. Kalypso Media Mobile GmbH, based in Berlin, will focus on creating mobile entertainment for iOS and Android platforms for tablets and/or smartphones with at least three games scheduled to release in 2014.

“Kalypso has a lot of great IP, such as Tropico, Dungeons and Port Royale, within its portfolio and it is really about time to follow the trends of cross-platform-entertainment and cloud-gaming. Strategy and simulation games are especially under represented – specifically within the premium-price-segment –at the moment. This is a fast growing market and we think, as a part of our product diversification strategy, our games and brands deserve to become playable anywhere, anytime“ commented Simon Hellwig, Global Managing Director of Kalypso.

The first product will be announced very soon and Stefan Marcinek, Global Managing Director added: “We are of course looking to port and/or re-design our own IP for mobile platforms such as tablets and smartphones, but we will also release new and innovative games and concepts that fit perfectly on these devices. In the beginning, we will of focus on paid content but we are also looking into the Free-to-Play model as this will also play an important role in our growth strategy“.

Kalypso will also announce the responsible executives at Kalypso Mobile very soon – interested candidates in publishing, mobile marketing and mobile producing are welcome to send their CV to jobs@kalypsomedia.com .

Defense Grid 2 to be Playable at PAX East

2014/04/03
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, News, PAX, Windows PC News

defense-grid-2-concept-level_0003

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. – Apr. 3, 2014 – Defense Grid 2, the sequel to the 2008 tower defense critical hit, will be playable on Xbox One for the first time at PAX East in Boston later this month. The game will also be playable for PC players to experience at the show. Representatives from developer Hidden Path Entertainment will be on hand to demo a single-player map from the game at the 505 Games booth (#396), giving attendees a taste of the new standard in tower defense.

Hidden Path CEO Jeff Pobst will join veteran game journalist Russ Pitts, Polygon, for a candid conversation on the merits and pitfalls of embedded journalism. The talk takes place Sunday, April 13th at 11AM in the Condor Theater.

Full panel details can be found here: http://east.paxsite.com/schedule/panel/embedded-game-journalism-the-making-of-defense-grid-2

Wargaming .net League Grand Finals Begin

2014/04/03
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, News, Windows PC News

WGL_Logo_Grand_Finals_2014

April 3, 2014 — Wargaming is happy to announce the beginning of the first ever Wargaming.net League Grand Finals that will be held at the Multikino Zlote Tarasy in Warsaw, Poland, with the festive Opening Ceremony commencing at 12:00 CET on April 4.

“In its first year, the Wargaming.net League has attracted over 200,000 competitive gamers worldwide, becoming a well-recognized brand, comparable to established eSports organizations,” said Mohamed Fadl, eSports Director of Europe and North America at Wargaming. “The Grand Finals in Poland are going to be the ultimate culmination of three seasons of intense competition, and we cannot wait to finally crown our very first world champion.”

Each regional team with the most points (Virtus.pro, JL Sports, Fnatic, Na’Vi, PVP Super Friends, ARETE) will go straight to the playoffs, while the other six tank squads together with two wildcard teams will have to fight it out for a chance to compete in the playoffs. The seeding ceremony has them divided into Group A (Synergy, Team WUSA, SIMP, Lemming Train) and Group B (NOA, U Are Dead, The RED Rush: Unity, Energy Pacemaker).

The three-day tournament will be streamed live on Wargaming.net League Twitch channels:

The Grand Finals will feature a variety of prizes for spectators, including stage giveaways, invite and bonus codes for World of Tanks, as well as exclusive goodie bags for the most avid spectators. Live stream viewers will be able to win invite and bonus codes during match streaming.

The event is organized in cooperation with Warsaw city authorities and sponsored by Razer, Alienware, and PayPal.

“Wargaming has elevated military combat gaming with World of Tanks to all new levels, the community around the game is expanding worldwide like wildfire, and the Grand Finals will mark the first time that all the global regions will be united in a single, winner-takes-all tournament,” says Min-Liang Tan, Razer co-founder, CEO and creative director. “With some of the world’s top eSports athletes included among the title’s 80 million registered players, we’re excited to back-up our World of Tanks DeathAdder and Goliathus offerings with support of this year’s World of Tanks grand finale and wish all contestants GLHF.”

For more information on the Wargaming.net League Grand Finals, please visit:

Divoom Voombox-Outdoor Bluetooth Speaker

2014/04/02
Jerry Paxton
News, Reviews, Tech News, Tech Review

outdoor-all3.jpg

Divoom’s Voombox-Outdoor rugged Bluetooth speaker is one of many of these types of speakers on the market right now. What sets it apart from the rest of the pack, however, is its great build quality and Blueooth 4.0 connectivity for increased battery life. Going into the speaker design itself, the Voombox-Outdoor features 5 drivers and an output of 15W. For its small size, it puts out some nice sound volume. Unfortunately, its low end sound is a bit muddled, however its mid and high ranges make up for the issue. Again, the Voombox-Outdoor has some great volume going for it, and its internal battery lasts about 12 hours on a full charge.

Visually, the Voombox-Outdoor Blueooth speaker is about 7 inches long and 4 inches tall and about 3 inches wide. It’s small enough to fit inside a backpack pouch without any trouble but too big to carry in a pocket. The size actually works out well given the sound output and function. This is not the type of speaker you casually stroll with. This speaker is meant to put up with abuse and to be out there, in the elements with you, as you take on mother nature. Even better is that it only weight 1.5 lbs, give or take an ounce or two, so it won’t weigh you down too much. Just in case you want to wear the speaker unit, there is a wrist strap included in the box that you can attach to the speaker’s side.

Divoom-Voombox-Outdoor-edit

These speakers are labeled as “weather resistant”, meaning they can withstand water, snow, dirt, and spills. This means they are a great speaker system to set on a rock if you are at a camp site or on the sand if you are enjoying a day at the beach. Taking calls while enjoying the outdoors is no problem for the Voombox-Outdoor, as it has the capability of acting as a speakerphone unit, with a built in microphone. Call quality is decent, with callers coming in loud and clear. For the color conscious out there, the Voombox-Outdoor is available in Blue, Black, Red, and Green housings, and the color does not change the speaker’s performance characteristics.

Overall, Divoom’s Voombox-Outdooor Bluetooth speaker unit is an excellent choice to take with you on the road. It is rugged enough to take a beating while also providing decent sound quality with plenty of power. The Voombox-Outdoor is available now for a reasonable $99.99 at retailers like Amazon.com.

[easyreview title=”Divoom Voombox-Outdoor Bluetooth Speaker Review Score” cat1title=”Overall Score (out of 5)” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”4″ ]

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Razer BlackWidow Ultimate with Razer Green Switches Review

2014/04/02
Jerry Paxton
News, Peripheral Review, Peripherals News, Reviews

razer-blackwidow-ultimate-gallery-01

Recently, I was able to evaluate one of Razer’s new BlackWidow Ultimate gaming keyboards featuring their new Razer Green Switch keyboard keys. Most of this latest iteration of the BlackWidow Ultimate is largely unchanged from its 2013 version (which used a different brand of mechanical key switches). The keyboard is a large size, measuring about 18.5″ in length and 6.5″ in width and weighs in at a little over 3 lbs. For its size and weight, however, you can definitely feel the craftsmanship that went into building it. Razer has clearly built the BlackWidow Ultimate to be their flagship keyboard and it shows in all its black, sleek lines and crisp, vibrant back-lighting.

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Official Specifications

  • Razer™ Mechanical Switches with 50g actuation force
  • 60 million keystroke life span
  • Individually backlit keys
  • 10 key roll-over anti-ghosting
  • Fully programmable keys with on-the-fly macro recording
  • 5 additional dedicated macro keys
  • Gaming mode option
  • Audio-out/mic-in jacks
  • USB pass-through
  • 1000Hz Ultrapolling
  • Razer Synapse 2.0 enabled
  • Braided fiber cable
  • Approximate size: 475mm/18.72” (Width) x 171mm/6.74” (Height) x 20mm/0.79” (Depth)
  • Approximate weight: 1500g/3.31lbs

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System Requirements

  • PC with USB port
  • Windows® 8/ Windows® 7 / Windows Vista® / Windows® XP (32-bit) / Mac OS X (v10.6 to 10.9)
  • Internet connection (for driver installation)
  • At least 200MB of hard disk space
  • Razer Synapse 2.0 registration (requiring a valid e-mail), software download, license acceptance, and internet connection needed to activate full features of product and for software updates. After activation, full features are available in optional offline mode.

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f9-key

Meanwhile, inside this gaming keyboard lies the new Razer Green Switch keys – but, for all the marketing hype, one must ask if they are worth it? Thankfully, the key switches found within the Razer BlackWidow Ultimate are crisp and have a very small amount of movement needed before the keys are activated with an audibly-satisfying clicking sound. In fact, that distance required to activate the key switch is a scant 1.9mm – as opposed to most mechanical key switches which activate at 2.2mm. The coolest thing that I found with these new key switches happens when I have to double-tap a key. Usually, double-tapping a mechanical keyboard key has a strange disconnect to it due to the distance the mechanical key switch needs to reset itself. With these new key switches, double-tapping a keyboard key is very responsive and the reset distance has been greatly decreased. It feels a lot more like double-tapping a membrane based key, but with the tactile response of the mechanical type.

Setting up the BlackWidow Ultimate has always been a snap, going all the way back to its initial release in 2010. Now, however, setting up your profiles and custom configurations is all the more so with Razer’s Synapse 2.0 cloud-based control suite. Using Synapse 2.0, you can store and load profiles no matter what computer your plug your keyboard into – so long as you can access the Internet to interface with Razer’s servers.

razer-blackwidow-ultimate-gallery-05

The five macro key array is still located to the left of the QWERTY key layout, and the numeric keypad to its right. Like its preceding keyboards, the BlackWidow Ultimate features an audio output jack, microphone input jack, and USB pass through port on its right wide, and the keyboard features a heavy braided cord which is very durable. While durable, the heavy cord does sometimes get in the way as it doesn’t easily bend and I hope at some point Razer will use a softer braiding material.

Overall, Razer’s latest iteration of the BlackWidow Ultimate gaming keyboard is an absolute brilliant piece of hardware with four years of tried and true use behind it. It’s new features make it all the more awesome and user-friendly, whether you are typing your memoirs or playing multiplayer matches of Call of Duty: Ghosts with some friends. The Razer BlackWidow Ultimate retails for $139.99 over at Razer’s official website and is available now – both this and a “Stealth” variant which uses quieter mechanical keys.

[easyreview title=”Razer BlackWidow Ultimate with Razer Green Switches Review Score” cat1title=”Overall Score (out of 5)” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”4″ ]

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