Author - Jerry Paxton

Mad Catz S.T.R.I.K.E. 5 Keyboard Announced

2012/10/23
Jerry Paxton
News

San Diego – October 23, 2012 – Mad Catz Interactive, Inc. (“Mad Catz”) (NYSE MKT: MCZ) announced today the S.T.R.I.K.E.5 Professional Gaming Keyboard for PC.  Now available in limited quantities on the Mad Catz store, the S.T.R.I.K.E.5 has been designed with the competitive gamer in mind, featuring a modular design and OLED Command Module placing gamers at the heart of the experience.

“Our range of S.T.R.I.K.E. keyboards has captured the imagination of passionate gamers and we are pleased to expand the range with the newly announced S.T.R.I.K.E.5.” said Darren Richardson, the President and Chief Executive Officer of Mad Catz Interactive, Inc.  “The S.T.R.I.K.E.5 is part of our strategy to grow our market share with best in class products for all gamers.”

The S.T.R.I.K.E.5 features a modular design allowing gamers to rearrange the configuration of the keyboard modules to better suit their preferred method of play.  Alongside dedicated buttons for macro commands and media controls, the unique E.Y.E.™ OLED Command Module functions as the brains of the keyboard, allowing gamers to adjust multiple aspects of their gaming environment including speaker/microphone volume, backlighting brightness, multiple Respawn Timers and a game, website and application launcher.

Family Guy: Back to the Multiverse Screens

2012/10/23
Jerry Paxton
News

Here are some new screenshots from the multiplayer component of Activision’s upcoming Family Guy: Back to the Multiverse – enjoy!

Screenshots

Square Enix Signs Multi-Game License with Unreal Engine

2012/10/23
Jerry Paxton
News

CARY, N.C. (OCTOBER 23, 2012) – Epic Games, Inc. announced today an agreement with Square Enix Co. Ltd. granting Square Enix a group-wide license to develop multiple games with Epic’s award-winning Unreal Engine 3and its breakthrough Unreal Engine 4 technology.

Epic Games Japan, which is providing local support, worked directly with Square Enix on the new license. This sweeping agreement will supplement Square Enix’s proprietary software and ensure the studio is armed with the most powerful game development tools and technologies available across all major platforms.

“Epic has a strong relationship with Square Enix, and it’s an honor to provide their creative and technical talent with the best game technology available for licensing,” said Taka Kawasaki, territory manager of Epic Games Japan. “We look forward to supporting their developers with world-class tools for years to come.”

“Demons’ Score” for iOS and Android, developed by iNiS and published by Square Enix, was created with Unreal Engine 3.

13 inch Macbook Pro Now with Retina Display Announced

2012/10/23
Jerry Paxton
News

SAN JOSE, California—October 23, 2012—Apple® today introduced an all-new version of its popular 13-inch MacBook® Pro featuring a stunning Retina™ display and all flash storage in a new compact design. At a mere 0.75 inches and 3.57 pounds, the remarkably portable 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display is 20 percent thinner and almost a pound lighter than the current 13-inch MacBook Pro.

“The 13-inch MacBook Pro is our most popular Mac, and today it gets completely reinvented with a new thin and light design, fast flash storage and a gorgeous Retina display,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “With vivid colors, razor sharp text and more pixels than anyone else’s 15 or 17-inch notebooks, the Retina display completely changes what you expect from a notebook.”

The new MacBook Pro packs more than 4 million pixels into its 13-inch Retina display, nearly twice the number of pixels in an HD television. At 227 pixels per inch, the Retina display’s pixel density is so high the human eye is unable to distinguish individual pixels at a normal viewing distance, so images look sharp and text looks like it does on the printed page. With four times the pixels of the current 13-inch MacBook Pro, you can view and edit video in pixel-accurate 1080p and see a new level of detail in high resolution images. The 13-inch Retina display uses IPS technology for a 178-degree wide viewing angle, and has 75 percent less reflection and 28 percent higher contrast than the current generation.

Featuring flash storage that is up to four times faster than traditional notebook hard drives, the all-new MacBook Pro is extremely responsive, whether it’s waking from sleep or launching your favorite apps.* Fast flash storage combined with the latest Intel dual-core processors gives the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display plenty of power to run your most demanding apps with ease.

The 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display features 2.5 GHz Intel Core i5 processors with the option to choose faster 2.9 GHz Intel Core i7 processors, Intel HD Graphics 4000, 8GB of 1600 MHz memory, and up to 768GB of flash storage. Two Thunderbolt and two USB 3.0 ports allow users to connect to multiple displays and high-performance devices, and a new HDMI port offers quick connectivity to an HDTV. The 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display also features a FaceTime® HD camera, dual microphones, improved speakers, three-stream 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, and a MagSafe® 2 power port.

The 13-inch MacBook Pro battery delivers up to 7 hours of wireless productivity and can remain in standby for up to 30 days.** With the all new Power Nap feature in OS X® Mountain Lion, your MacBook Pro with Retina display stays up to date while it sleeps. Power Nap automatically refreshes Mail, Contacts, Calendar, Reminders, and Photo Stream, and when the notebook is plugged in, downloads software updates and backs up your Mac® using Time Machine®.

Continuing Apple’s commitment to energy efficiency and the environment, the new 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display meets stringent Energy Star 5.2 requirements and achieves an EPEAT Gold rating.*** Each unibody enclosure is made of highly recyclable aluminum and comes standard with energy efficient LED-backlit displays that are mercury-free and made with arsenic-free glass. Apple notebooks contain no brominated flame retardants, are PVC-free and are constructed of highly recyclable materials.

The new 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display ships with OS X Mountain Lion, bringing Messages, Notification Center, system-wide Sharing, AirPlay® Mirroring, Dictation, Game Center and the enhanced security of Gatekeeper to your Mac. With iCloud® built into the foundation of OS X, Mountain Lion makes it easier than ever to keep your content up to date across your Mac, iPhone®, iPad® and iPod touch®.

Pricing & Availability
The 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display is available with a 2.5 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor with Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.1 GHz, 8GB of memory and 128GB of flash storage starting at $1,699 (US); and with 256GB of flash storage starting at $1,999 (US). Configure-to-order options include faster dual-core Intel Core i7 processors and flash storage up to 768GB. Additional technical specifications, configure-to-order options and accessories are available online at apple.com/macbook-pro. The 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display is available today through the Apple Online Store (www.apple.com), Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers.

*Testing conducted by Apple in October 2012 using preproduction MacBook Pro with Retina display configurations. For more information visit apple.com/macbook-pro/features-retina/.
**The Wireless Web protocol testing was conducted by Apple in October 2012 using preproduction MacBook Pro with Retina display configurations. Battery life and charge cycles vary by use and settings. For more information visit apple.com/macbook-pro/features-retina/.
***Claim based on energy efficiency categories and products listed within the EPA ENERGY STAR 5.2 energy database as of October 2012. EPEAT is an independent organization that helps customers compare the environmental performance of notebooks and desktops. Products meeting all of the required criteria and at least 75 percent of the optional criteria are recognized as EPEAT Gold products. The EPEAT program was conceived by the US EPA and is based on IEEE 1680 standard for Environmental Assessment of Personal Computer Products. For more information visit www.epeat.net.

Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices with iPad.

Apple’s iPad Mini Announced

2012/10/23
Jerry Paxton
News

SAN JOSE, California―October 23, 2012―Apple® today introduced iPad® mini, a completely new iPad design that is 23 percent thinner and 53 percent lighter than the third generation iPad. The new iPad mini features a stunning 7.9-inch Multi-Touch™ display, FaceTime® HD and iSight® cameras, ultrafast wireless performance¹ and an incredible 10 hours of battery life²―every inch an iPad, yet in a revolutionary design you can hold in one hand. Apple today also announced the fourth generation iPad featuring a gorgeous 9.7-inch Retina™ display, new Apple-designed A6X chip, FaceTime HD camera and ultrafast wireless performance. Both iPad mini and fourth generation iPad come with iOS 6, the world’s most advanced mobile operating system with over 200 new features.

“iPad mini is every inch an iPad. With its gorgeous 7.9-inch display, iPad mini features the same number of pixels as the original iPad and iPad 2, so you can run more than 275,000 apps designed specifically for iPad,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “iPad mini is as thin as a pencil and as light as a pad of paper, yet packs a fast A5 chip, FaceTime HD and 5 megapixel iSight cameras and ultrafast wireless―all while delivering up to 10 hours of battery life.”

iPad mini comes in a beautiful new aluminum and glass design that is just 7.2 mm thin and weighs only 0.68 pounds. The 7.9-inch Multi-Touch display delivers the same iPad experience users have come to expect, in a design that has 35 percent more screen real estate than 7-inch tablets and up to an astonishing 67 percent more usable viewing area when browsing the web. The dual-core A5 chip delivers responsive graphics and a fast, fluid Multi-Touch experience, while still providing all-day battery life.

iPad mini features a front-facing FaceTime HD camera and a 5 megapixel iSight camera on the back with advanced optics for taking sharp still pictures and recording full 1080p HD video. The iSight camera includes video image stabilization and both cameras feature backside illumination to let users capture great pictures in low light. iPad mini also allows easy sharing of photos with friends and family using iCloud’s Shared Photo Streams.

iPad mini features dual-band 802.11n Wi-Fi support for speeds up to 150 Mbps,³ which is twice the Wi-Fi performance compared to previous iPad models. iPad mini is available in Wi-Fi + Cellular models which are world-ready with built-in support for ultrafast wireless standards, including LTE¹ and DC-HSDPA, so you can browse, download and stream content fast from wherever you are. iPad mini data plans will be available with no contract so you can simply sign up and activate service directly from your iPad.⁴ The Personal Hotspot feature means you can share a fast cellular data connection via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or USB with up to five other devices such as MacBook® Pro, iPod touch® or another iPad.⁵

The new fourth generation iPad features the amazing 9.7-inch Retina display and includes a new Apple-designed A6X chip that delivers up to twice the CPU performance and up to twice the graphics performance of the A5X chip, all while delivering an incredible 10 hours of battery life in the same thin and light iPad design. Other new features include a FaceTime HD camera, twice the Wi-Fi performance when compared to previous iPad models and support for additional LTE carriers worldwide.⁶

iPad mini and fourth generation iPad both feature support for the Lightning™ connector that is smaller, smarter and more durable than the 30-pin connector. Lightning connector accessories are available to support cameras, SD cards and VGA or HDMI digital video.⁷ Existing iPad Smart Covers and the iPad Smart Case are compatible with fourth generation iPad, and new polyurethane Smart Covers custom-designed for iPad mini are available in pink, green, blue, light gray, dark gray and (PRODUCT) RED for $39.

iPad runs over 700,000 apps available on the App Store℠, including more than 275,000 apps designed specifically for iPad, from a wide range of categories including books, games, business, news, sports, health, reference and travel. iPad also supports the more than 5,000 newspapers and magazines offered in Newsstand and the more than 1.5 million books available on the iBookstore℠. The iTunes Store® puts the world’s most popular online music, TV and movie store at your fingertips with a catalog of over 26 million songs, over 190,000 TV episodes and over 45,000 films. The new iBooks® app for iPad lets users read ebooks in over 40 languages. iBooks also lets users experience an entirely new kind of ebook that’s dynamic, engaging and truly interactive. Ebooks created with Apple’s new iBooks Author offer gorgeous, fullscreen ebooks with interactive animations, diagrams, photos, videos, custom fonts, mathematical expressions and much more.

Pricing & Availability
iPad mini with Wi-Fi models will be available in black & slate or white & silver on Friday, November 2, for a suggested retail price of $329 (US) for the 16GB model, $429 (US) for the 32GB model and $529 (US) for the 64GB model. The fourth generation iPad with Wi-Fi models will also be available on Friday, November 2, in black or white for a suggested retail price of $499 (US) for the 16GB model, $599 (US) for the 32GB model and $699 (US) for the 64GB model. iPad mini and the fourth generation iPad will be sold through the Apple Online Store (www.apple.com), Apple’s retail stores, and select Apple Authorized Resellers in the US, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK.

iPad mini with Wi-Fi + Cellular and fourth generation iPad with Wi-Fi + Cellular will start shipping a couple of weeks after the Wi-Fi models, beginning in the US on AT&T, Sprint and Verizon. iPad mini with Wi-Fi + Cellular will be offered for a suggested retail price of $459 (US) for the 16GB model, $559 (US) for the 32GB model and $659 (US) for the 64GB model. Fourth generation iPad with Wi-Fi + Cellular for AT&T, Sprint and Verizon will be offered for a suggested retail price of $629 (US) for the 16GB model, $729 (US) for the 32GB model and $829 (US) for the 64GB model. Additionally, iPad 2 is available at $399 (US) for the 16GB Wi-Fi model and just $529 (US) for the 16GB Wi-Fi + 3G model where they are sold now.

Customers can begin pre-ordering all models of iPad mini and all models of the fourth generation iPad on Friday, October 26 through the Apple Online Store in the US, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK.

¹LTE is available through select carriers. Network speeds are dependent on carrier networks. Check with your carrier for details.
²Battery life depends on device settings, usage and other factors. Actual results vary.
³Based on theoretical speeds, actual speeds may vary.
⁴Only available on some carriers.
⁵Personal Hotspot requires supporting data plan. Customers should check with their carrier for availability.
⁶LTE is available through select carriers.
⁷Sold separately.

Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices with iPad.

Spacetime Releases Updates to their Legend Game Series

2012/10/22
Jerry Paxton
News

Spacetime Studios has announced some cool new holiday updates for Star Legends and Dark Legends, in addition to the new expansion for Pocket Legends. Checkout information on each of the game updates below!

Pocket Legends

PL players’ latest expansion is titled Blacksmoke Mountain.  In this adventure, characters will journey to the burnt slopes of Blacksmoke Mountain and descend into the fiery bowls of the underworld to confront lava beasts and an iconic fantasy threat: a Dragon.

Also includes:

  • Level cap increase to 76
  • New adventure areas
  • New quests
  • New gear
  • New drops

With this expansion Spacetime has also included a new promo code which grants the Fire Ward Horns vanity item.  Promo code: underworldwarrior

Star Legends

A new Holo-ween quest line has been introduced that send players across the galaxy on a spooky adventure.   Players can try on many different costume looks for their characters including cowls, cloaks, robes and gowns of invisibility which can be found by defeating boss monsters (Level 26 and up.)

Players who complete the 2012 Holo-ween quest line have a chance of seeing the mysterious wraith menacing the verdant fields of Tarasa Colony on STS-25. Who is he? Where did he come from? Better question – what does he drop as loot?  When the season is gone, the Wraith will move-on.

Dark Legends

DL players can join the frightful fun in the new Dark Harvest event.  Ghosts will have an increased presence in the haunted game world, with special orange ghosts carrying unique Dark Harvest costumes and loot.  Players can dress their vampire up in ghoulish fashions pulled from their favorite horror films.

Razer Introduces Four New Surfaces

2012/10/22
Jerry Paxton
News

CARLSBAD, Calif. – Oct. 22, 2012 – RazerTM, the world leader in high-performance gaming hardware, today launched its new 2013/2014 lineup of mouse mats: the Razer Invicta, Razer Manticor, Razer Destructor 2 and Razer Megasoma 2. These mats were engineered with new construction methods to provide an unprecedented level of finish, and were treated with all-new performance-boosting sensor-reactive surface coatings, selected after extensive research into the most precise and responsive treatments and materials.

“Most gaming mouse mat companies today fill their boxes with marketing jargon and slap an image of a pro-gamer on the side of the package; however, designing a true gaming surface requires in-depth knowledge of mousing sensor technologies, extensive testing and validation by professional gamers,” said Min-Liang Tan, CEO of Razer.  “For the first time ever, we are letting gamers in on the design process of a Razer gaming mouse mat, and sharing the inside track on how our industry leading user interface technology and experience allows us to design the very best gaming surfaces in the world.”

All Razer surfaces are optimized for optical, laser and dual-sensor mouse tracking performance, and they are put through rigorous qualitative processes, including mouse sensor lift-off, acceleration and precision tests.  Robot arms move mice across the mats, monitoring the devices to ensure surface textures meet Razer’s strict requirements for precise glide and control.

Razer also offers an unfair gaming advantage by allowing users to optimally calibrate their Razer gaming mouse to mouse mat.  Through Razer Synapse 2.0, a pioneering cloud-based software, the user’s gaming mouse will record the mat’s specific texture and details in order to enhance mouse responsiveness and in-game accuracy.

In conjunction with the launch of these four new mouse mats, Razer is also presenting a making-of video that delves into the design, technology and craftsmanship of the incredible Razer Invicta.  Interested parties may watch the video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdaMfLoatGs or learn more about the science behind Razer surfaces at www.razerzone.com/scienceofsurfaces.

Razer Invicta – Versatility of Choice

The Razer Invicta offers gamers a choice between ultra-fast mousing speed and meticulous control, all on one mat.  Users are able to flip between a slick-smooth surface and a rough one to get the exact play style to match a game, whether it requires accurate headshots or twitch gameplay.

Razer Manticor – The Smoothest Glide Yet

The Razer Manticor is uniquely stamped and sandblasted out of a single sheet of aircraft-grade aluminum to offer the smoothest, most effortless glide under one’s gaming mouse.

Razer Destructor 2 – Maximum Precision and Feel

The Razer Destructor 2 builds on the success of its predecessor by delivering enhanced, ultra-precise mouse tracking with an all-new sensor-reactive surface coating. It offers optimal reflective quality for next-gen sensors, while its proprietary micro-textures provide a more comfortable mousing experience.

Razer Megasoma 2 – Soft Touch, Hard Control

The Razer Megasoma 2’s highly stable silicon surface is a revolution of engineering, bringing together the consistent precision of a hard mat, with the exquisite comfort of a soft one.

Making Of Video

Images