Author - Jerry Paxton

Creative Labs Launches Sound Blaster Roar

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SINGAPORE – 3 March 2014 – The reception of the recently launched Creative Sound Blaster Roar at the IT Show 2014 in Singapore was nothing short of phenomenal.  The Sound Blaster® Roar, a new concept, 5-driver high performance portable wireless speaker blew away the huge audience that throng the recently-concluded IT Show 2014 with its amazingly powerful, precision-tuned, high fidelity sound from a compact and portable booklet size, and scored a very impressive average sale of more than one unit sold per minute during the show, literally flying off the shelves within the show’s opening hour each day, making it one of the hottest selling products at the show.  The IT Show is one of the largest annual consumer electronics shows in Singapore.

The Sound Blaster Roar was made available for sale for the first time after it sneak previewed at CES 2014 in Las Vegas in January 2014.  The sneak preview at CES generated similar overwhelming response from tech reviewers and general visitors alike.  Almost every one who saw the product demonstration at the Creative booth wanted one immediately.

“Most of the Bluetooth speakers of this size that I’ve heard really can’t hold a candle to it,”
– Influential Tech Editor focusing on premium audiophile products

“First and foremost, audio performance is exemplary of a speaker of its class and size, and easily rivals and even outclasses lesser 2.1 speaker systems…… the Sound Blaster Roar offered very good clarity, smooth mids and deep, well-controlled bass.  It also exhibited very good speed and dexterity…. it represents tremendous value for money and it is a no-brainer for us to recommend to anyone who is looking for a powerful portable wireless speaker.”  Source: HardwareZone.com, SPH Magazines, 2 March 2014

Designed to rival existing home stereo systems in sound quality yet light enough to be portable, the sleek metallic Sound Blaster Roar measures only 57 x 202 x 115 mm and weighs 1.1 kg.  Dubbed the ‘Audiophile Sound Booklet’ by audio aficionados, it is engineered from the ground up with Creative’s heritage in audio technology and years of research and expertise in speaker design, and represents the pinnacle of portable wireless audio.  Its superb audio performance is set to redefine the home stereo and wireless speaker market – by combining wireless connectivity, portability, high fidelity and audio power all into one compact unit that can rest on the palm, and be brought along on-the-go for a truly mobile digital lifestyle.

“First of all, I would like to say a big heartfelt thank you to all the visitors and well-wishers to our booth for their overwhelming support of the Sound Blaster Roar, especially to those who bought the product.  With limited publicity, the reception of such a new product has rarely been so astounding.  When the legendary Sound Blaster card was launched at Comdex in Las Vegas in Fall 1989, also with little publicity, one unit was sold every 4 minutes, and everyone was already completely blown-away.  In subsequent years, this spiraled to hundreds of millions of units sold.  Are we seeing a repeat of history here?  You decide.” Said Sim Wong Hoo, Chairman and CEO of Creative Technology.

Advanced Acoustic Highlights of the Sound Blaster Roar:

  1.       The Sound Blaster Roar’s bi-amplified design sets it apart from most other portable speakers that feature only one amplifier, allowing it to produce amazingly powerful and balanced lows, mids and highs.
  2.       Far-field high frequency front-firing drivers project audio further than other portable speakers.  Audio spaciousness is further enhanced through the top-firing bass and mid-range driver and side-firing passive radiators, resulting in room-filling audio that is not audio sweet spot-dependant.
  3.       The Sound Blaster Roar’s boxer-bass-module design allows it to have a low centre of gravity that increases speaker stability.  This means that the unit will not move from its position or rattle even at high volume levels.
  4.       The ROAR button: in scenarios where audio power is of absolute importance, such as in parties or gatherings, pressing the ROAR button will instantly and significantly boost the speaker’s loudness, depth and audio spaciousness.
  5.       Housed within the Sound Blaster Roar is a high quality microphone that provides clear 360° voice pickup, making it suitable for speakerphone teleconferencing.
  6.       Integrated MicroSD WMA and MP3 Player – Plays music directly from a MicroSD Card without having to connect to the user’s smart device.
  7.       Integrated Voice Recorder – Allows for simple, one-touch audio recording directly to a MicroSD card.
  8.       High-quality aptX® and AAC codecs Bluetooth support for wireless audio playback that sounds as good as a wired connection.
  9.       NFC connectivity – One tap of an NFC-enabled smart device on the Sound Blaster Roar connect it to a device via Bluetooth.
  10.      Connects to two Bluetooth-enabled devices simultaneously – Ideal in a situation when a user is watching a movie on a tablet and wants to take a phone call on the Sound Blaster Roar from another device.
  11.      Bedtime Mode – Gradually lowers the volume level before shutting off, perfect for bedtime listening or playing back pre-recorded bedtime stories for children.
  12.      Life Saver Mode – Plays random tones and sound bytes at random intervals to keep users alert.
  13.      Dual Purpose Battery – 6000 mAH battery charges smartphones and tablets beyond providing up to 8 hours of continuous audio playback.
  14.      Siren – Comes with a built-in siren that lets user instantly grab attention when need to.
  15.      Additional Sound Blaster Functionality – Connecting the Sound Blaster Roar via USB to a PC or Mac enables advanced audio processing through Sound Blaster Control Panel, a downloadable software program specially designed for the speaker.
  16.      Size: 57 x 202 x 115 mm
  17.      Weight: 1.1 kg

For more information on Creative Sound Blaster Roar, visit

http://www.creative.com/g/p/sound-blaster/sound-blaster-roar-sr20

Konami Announces New President

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El Segundo, CA – Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. today announced Tomohiro Uesugi as its new President. Uesugi previously held the position of Executive Vice President of Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc.

“I am honored and grateful for the opportunity to serve as the head of our talented and passionate employees, and I have a deep respect for our community of fans,” Uesugi said. “We will focus on our talent and iconic brands as we continue to provide innovative products for even deeper and more enjoyable experiences to our customers.”

Mr. Uesugi brings a reputation and history as a transformational leader with a strong track record of driving revenue and promoting organizational development. His diverse experience includes a background consisting of human resources, finance, consulting, planning, and operations management. This experience will offer a unique perspective to KONAMI, which will help further the company’s brand and sales in North, Central and South America.

Prior to joining KONAMI in 2013, Uesugi served as the executive vice president of SANYO North America Corporation, the North and South American regional subsidiary of SANYO Electric Co., Ltd. the global electronics manufacturer. Earlier in his career, he served in roles at KPMG Azsa, which offers financial advisory services, and worked in Sumitomo Trust & Banking’s real estate division. He earned a Bachelor of Economics from Osaka University and has an MBA from Doshisha University.

The Makeup Show LA 2014 Photo Gallery

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This weekend, we got to check out The Makeup Show L.A. over at the California Market Center in Los Angeles, CA. An annual event, we decided to attend the show in order to scope out some of the latest special effect makeup in preparation for our Halloween themed coverage. We had a great time wandering up and down the aisles of the expo in search for special effects. While much of The Makeup Show is focused on the more standard cosmetics industry, we did find some monster makeups – mostly being applied from current and past contestants of the SyFy channel show, FaceOff!

The Makeup Show L.A. Gallery

Activision Reveals Pre-Order Bonus for The Amazing Spider-Man 2

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March 3rd, 2014 — We are pleased to unveil the pre-order bonus for The Amazing Spider-Man 2™ on PlayStation®4, PlayStation®3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, and PC. Web-heads who buy the game early through GameStop will receive theWeb Threads Suit Pack, a DLC bundle making available four sleek, super-powered suits for Spidey’s wardrobe on launch day. Each outfit offers unique combat bonuses throughout the adventure, as well as a great look for those front page shots in The Daily Bugle.

The Web Threads Suit Pack contains:

  • The cutting-edge designed, red and gold Iron Spider Suit
  • The stellar, blue and white Cosmic Spider-Man Suit
  • The all-consuming, Venom-like Black Suit
  • The pulp-style Spider-Man Noir Suit

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 will arrive April 29, 2014 in North America for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii U, Nintendo 3DS & Windows PC (digital only in North America). For more information, visit www.TheAmazingSpiderManGame.com and follow on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TheAmazingSpiderManGame.

CounterSpell Episode One Now on Machinima

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Machinima has launched its new scripted comedy series, CounterSpell, which you can check out below.

About CounterSpell

Machinima is taking a step back to its roots with the launch of a new scripted comedic “machinima” series, CounterSpell. Set in a classic video game world, CounterSpell follows two dungeon mini-bosses who choose to leave their boss fight instead of facing their scripted deaths at the hands of four RPG players. They embark on a misguided evil adventure that will likely doom the world and turn the RPG genre on its head. The series premieres this Monday, March 3 at 7 am pst (10 est).

CounterSpell was created by some of the biggest names in the YouTube and Machinima universes, including YouTube heavyweights MLGhwnt (220,000+ subs), iHasCupquake (youtube.com/iHasCupquake, 1,300.000+ subs),ImmortalHD (youtube.com/ImmortalHDFilms, 650,000+ subs), and Slyfox (youtube.com/xXSlyFoxHoundXx, 1,180,000+ subs). They are joined by some of Machinima’s top talent including Machinima’s Inside Gaming co-host Bruce Greene, Machinima’s ETC host Khail Anonymous, and Host/Writer for Machinima Realm Brett “Hundar” Hundley.

CounterSpell Episode One

Bracketron Announces TruRunner Pack

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Minneapolis, MN – March 3, 2014 – Bracketron announces TruRunner, the latest product in the company’s Xventure line for outdoor enthusiasts who want to mount, utilize, protect and carry their technology while experiencing life’s open air adventures. Perfect for recreational and competitive runners, this lightweight pack provides handy storage for your workout essentials and stays in place with a fully adjustable belt for bounce-free stability and comfort.

The pleated, weather resistant pocket is great for sports in any weather to ensure your devices stay protected. Featuring an easy-to-see, built-in reflector, the TruRunner lets you run freely down the road or trail without fear of passing cars or bikes.

TruRunner’s adjustable straps securely hold belt ends in place to eliminate slack interference and chafing for a comfortable, hands-free run. Depending on your required workout essentials, TruRunner’s pocket expands for roomy, protected storage of smartphones, cash, IDs and more.

“TruRunner is perfect for everyone from casual joggers to competitive runners who need to carry necessities but want to enjoy the convenience of a hands-free run,” says Christian Johnson, Vice President of Marketing for Bracketron. “The pack lets you focus on improving your time and enjoying your run without distraction.”

TruRunner is available for pre-order now on Brackteron.com for $19.95 and will begin shipping in May.

3D Realms Purchased by Danish Investment Firm

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Aalborg, Denmark – March 3rd, 2014 – Danish investment firm, SDN Invest, has acquired Apogee Software, Ltd d/b/a 3D Realms (not to be confused with Apogee Software, LLC – publishers of Rise of the Triad) SDN Invest is part-owner and principal investor in Denmark-based game studio and Rise of the Triad developer, Interceptor Entertainment. Effective immediately, the new CEO of 3D Realms will be Mike Nielsen. Mr. Nielsen also serves as Chairman of the Board at Interceptor.

SDN Invest was founded by Nielsen when he stepped down as CEO of Coolshop.com – a leading online retailer in Northern Europe that he co-founded in 2002 – to focus on investing in companies with potential.

“3D Realms is legendary for its contributions to the gaming industry, as both the pioneer of the shareware model and an always generous partner who has provided both funding and guidance to game studios such as id Software, Parallax Software, Remedy Entertainment, and many others,” remarked Nielsen, the newly appointed CEO. “3D Realms has also developed, co-developed, and co-financed such hits as Commander Keen, Duke Nukem, Wolfenstein 3D, Rise of the Triad, Raptor, Shadow Warrior and Prey. There are only a handful of independent studios with a better track record of original games. Yet even with this stellar track record, we hope we can take the company to new heights.”

“3D Realms has always been a defining part the PC games industry.” Added Frederik Schreiber, CEO of Interceptor Entertainment. “Getting 3D Realms under our wings is a huge step for us and we are extremely excited about the acquisition.”

Scott Miller, co-founder of 3D Realms concluded, “My long time partner George Broussard and I are extremely proud of our past, especially as developers who always tried to partner with up-and-coming studios who just needed their break. Our history shows we did that throughout the 1990s & 2000s, and I expect the new 3D Realms to continue with this tradition in full force. Our industry needs more good guys, who honor the profession and fellow hard-working developers.”

Star Lords Gets Alpha Update

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Haarlem, The Netherlands – February 28, 2014 – Development of Iceberg Interactive’s upcoming 4X space-strategy game Star Lords is progressing apace, as Arkavi Studios has provided a huge new update for its growing fan base. The new build offers gamers a streamlined, user-friendly UI, a more stable build, a more active and fleshed out domestic policies mechanic, an overall graphics update, a change in currency that encourages more exploration, and much more.

Details for the 16.0 Updated Build Include:

  • Streamlined UI (game creation screen): Players now have a single menu with three tabs: Race Selection, Galaxy Settings and Game Settings. Each of these tabs has been greatly improved from the previous menus, with less cluttered and better organized information.
  • Stability Improvement: a new series of experimental fixes will fix most (if not all) stability issues. Regretfully, some of these experimental fixes involve temporarily removing the weapon and armor ship parts from the game. These will be reinstated in a later build. It’s very important for Arkavi Studios to know if these fixes are working on a variety of PC configurations, so any feedback on whether or not the game still crashes for you is very important.
  • Domestic Policies: The domestic policies mechanic has been fleshed out and further balanced, with various random events having an impact on the population’s approval of certain policies. Now, an event message box will pop up when the majority of the population disagrees with one of your policies.
  • Bug Fixes: Among them, most (if not all) of the full-screen issues (such as the screen only displaying a part of the UI for example) should be fixed, the tutorial text is no longer out of bounds and the crashes on loading a game should be gone once and for all.
  • Balancing: Some general balancing has been done, most importantly, every player now starts with 5000 BC, to make the early game more challenging, and exploration more rewarding, with valuable space debris having a bigger impact than before.
  • Graphics Update: Improved backgrounds and updated the ship models for the Krifith Empire. More improvements in this aspect will be introduced incrementally.

In Star Lords, players take command of one race to join the struggle for supremacy in the galaxy. As the leader of an empire, players are tasked with exploring the stars, colonizing new worlds, managing an empire, and conquering whoever dares to oppose them. Within a framework of turn-based strategy and turn-based combat, Star Lords endeavours to differentiate itself by enabling players to beat their opponents by using generals, diplomacy, intelligence, trading, or plotting the downfall of enemies by financing wars against them or aiming to cause anarchy.

Star Lords is currently in the Alpha stage and available on the Steam Early Access program at $19.99. store.steampowered.com/app/246940/

Space Run Teaser Trailer

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February 28, 2014 — We are thrilled to unveil today, with a video, Space Run. This PC game mixes strategy and space ship construction in real time, borrowing certain mechanics from the “tower defense” system with numerous twists and hyper dynamic gameplay. Space Run is a nod to ’80s science fiction and pays homage to many of its tropes and references.

Space Run is a true indie title developed by a “one-man studio”, namely Sylvain Passot who, after spending 10 years in a large French development studio, decided to develop his own concept, “‘Space Run”. Although nowhere near the scale of the productions he had previously worked on, Sylvain was supported with enough resources to complete and add the finishing touches to his game, and Space Run still has plenty of surprises in store with its well-oiled game mechanics, addictive gameplay and intense, exciting missions.

We were won over by Space Run, which has already proved a hit with numerous European journalists who tested the first game levels at various press presentations earlier this year. Space Run will also be demonstrated and playable at GDC Play in the US during the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco from March 17-21, 2014, when an even more complete version will be available, as the game is set for release in May priced under $10.

We are therefore delighted to reveal a first teaser of Space Run, which takes us to the outer limits of space beyond the final frontier!

Trailer

EVE Fanfest 2014 First Round Programming Revealed

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February 27, 2014 – Reykjavik, Iceland: CCP Games, the world’s leading independent developer of massively multiplayer games, today announced the first round of programming for the tenth EVE Fanfest, the massive gathering that will celebrate eleven consecutive years of growth of the EVE Universe.

EVE Fanfest is the annual festival at which over 1,000 EVE Online capsuleers, DUST 514 mercs, soon-to-be EVE: Valkyrie pilots and their friends and family come together in Reykjavik, Iceland, for three days of celebration. This year promises to be the most expansive Fanfest yet as the three different games set in the EVE Universe converge into a single fan experience.

Unique events supplement the amazing panels, presentations, PvP tournaments, exotic local excursions, game demos, round tables, developer pub crawls, concerts, parties and unprecedented access to the development team.

Highlights include:

  • The first live demo of EVE Online’s summer expansion and more information about the long-term vision for game.
  • Reveals of what’s next for DUST 514 and a world-first hands-on opportunity with its next major evolution.
  • Exclusive hands-on with an entirely new build of the virtual reality dogfighting game EVE: Valkyrie and details about what’s in store for the game recently announced as an Oculus Rift launch title.
  • A special dedication ceremony for the “Worlds Within a World” monument to EVE players. This unique event, taking place in picturesque Reykjavik Harbor where the monument will be installed, will feature the monument’s creator, Reykjavik city officials and players from around the world.
  • The “Make EVE Real” speaker track returns with visionary scientists outlining how the science fiction portrayed in the EVE Universe might not be that far off from reality. Among the speakers is Dr.
  • Michael Meyer, who will speak about his work as the lead scientist for NASA’s Mars Exploration Program and how the Curiosity rover has changed the way mankind searches for extraterrestrial life.
  • Headlining the legendary convention finale, the “Party at the Top of the World,” are musical acts Z-Trip (US) and FM Belfast (Iceland). Z-Trip returns triumphantly from last year’s massive DJ set and FM Belfast is back again after their killer 2010 performance.
  • Further updates on CCP’s transmedia projects, such as the company’s collaboration with Dark Horse and its partnership with director Baltasar Kormákur on an EVE television series.

That’s just some of what EVE fans will be able to look forward to. Much more will be revealed between now and the end of April–including the final schedule–with several surprises in store for the event itself.