Author - Jerry Paxton

bēm wireless Begins Shipping Outlet Speaker

2013/02/12

CHICAGO- February 12, 2013- bēm wireless, an innovator of wireless solutions and consumer electronics, developed the ‘outlet speaker,’ a sleek, portable and powerful Bluetooth speaker which plugs directly into an electrical outlet in the home or office. This unique speaker complements the user’s lifestyle by adding a simple touch of elegance to any décor, and its small size (about the size of a juice box) takes up very little space yet boasts crystal clear sound. The ‘outlet speaker’ begins shipping today.

“Our thought behind the outlet speaker is to enhance the consumer’s everyday life. We believe big sound doesn’t necessarily need to come from a big speaker,” says Bryan Katzel, Director of Marketing and Product Development for bēm. “The beauty behind the outlet speaker is in its simplicity. Plug it in while cooking dinner without taking up any counter space, stick it in an outlet behind your desk at work to hear your favorite tunes to spark your creativity, or tuck it behind the living room couch to fill your home with great music.”

With up to 25-feet of wireless range, the user can control their music directly from an iOS device or other Bluetooth-enabled smartphones. It comes with a built-in power adapter so it never needs to be recharged: just plug in and listen whenever, wherever- It’s so simple! A USB port allows the user to charge their mobile devices while enjoying the clear sound of the ‘outlet speaker.’ Additionally, an Aux In and Aux Out gives users more connecting options to hook up multiple devices.

A soft-touch finish creates a stylish and sophisticated appearance for the ‘outlet speaker.’ Lightweight and about the size of a juice box (3” x 5.35” x 2”), the speaker is small enough to take on vacations, business trips and more. Toss it into luggage, a briefcase or a purse to bring music to your next destination.

The ‘outlet speaker’ is available in white or black. It retails for $99.99 at www.bemwireless.com. The outlet speaker along with bēm’s hi-fi audio line will be available at Amazon.com and Target.com in March.

Features & Technical Specifications

Up to 25 feet of wireless range
Built-in power adapter
USB port
Aux In and Out
3” x 5.35” x 2”
Soft-touch finish

Star Trek The Video Game Touts Best View of Enterprise Yet

2013/02/12

Jerry Paxton

News, PlayStation 3 News, Screenshots / Photos, Windows PC News, Xbox 360 News

Paramount and Namco Bandai has sent out a couple new shots of the U.S.S. Enterprise from their upcoming Star Trek The Video Game, which is due out on April 23, 2013, for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC platforms.

Official Release

For more than four decades, the U.S.S. Enterprise has been a majestic icon of adventure and excitement. On board, her crew explores strange new worlds, seeks out new civilizations …

But what fans have known of the iconic starship has largely been limited to what is seen in movies and on television. That will change on April 23 when STAR TREK The Video Game gives players a deeper and much more interactive look inside the U.S.S. Enterprise.

“One of the great joys of video games is the opportunity to take audiences to places that are only hinted at in traditional film and TV projects,” said Brian Miller, senior vice president of Paramount Pictures and executive producer of STAR TREK The Video Game. “Giving gamers the opportunity to explore the U.S.S. Enterprise is one of the more exciting aspects of our video game and one that we can’t wait to share with Star Trek fans and gamers worldwide.”

Playing as Kirk and Spock, gamers must face-off against the villainous Gorn – the formidable enemy first introduced in the classic 1967 Star Trek television episode “Arena.” Their battles will take them into familiar locations, like the bridge, transporter room and the engine room – but also deep into many areas of the ship that have never been seen on film before, including the Enterprise’s turbolift shafts, observation lounge, engineering decks and officer’s quarters.

The producers and development team of STAR TREK The Video Game worked closely with the entire creative team responsible for the re-imagined 2009 blockbuster Star Trek film to ensure what players see will look and feel remarkably authentic.

“The Enterprise is not just a ship – she is one of the most important characters in all of Star Trek. Our goal from day one was to make sure that the Enterprise looks, feels and even sounds as true to life as anything players have ever seen,” Miller said. “Hopefully, players will come away feeling as if they’re ready to be part of the crew themselves!”

Project Awakened Abilities Video

2013/02/12

Jerry Paxton

News, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News

Phosphor Games Studios have released a new “abilities video” showing off some of the character abilities in the upcoming Project Awakened, currently in crowdfunding on Kickstarter.

Video

WD TV Play Streaming Media Device Revealed

2013/02/12

Jerry Paxton

News, Tech News

IRVINE, Calif., Feb. 12, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — WD^®, a Western Digital (NASDAQ:WDC) company, and a world leader in storage solutions for the connected life, today unveils WD TV^® Play™, a versatile media player that streams popular Internet channels, as well as personal photos, music and movies from other networked devices in the home, directly to an HDTV. Priced at just $69.99 USD, WD TV Play expands upon the existing WD TV family of products, offering an engaging new app-based user interface to allow customers to easily personalize their entertainment experience.

With the Wi-Fi^® connected WD TV Play media player, customers can easily stream hit movies, view the latest viral videos, catch up on TV shows and stay connected to social networks through apps such as YouTube^®, Netflix^®, Hulu Plus™, VUDU^®, SlingPlayer^®, Spotify^®, Pandora^® and Facebook, among many others¹. Unlike many other streaming media players, WD TV Play also lets customers enjoy a variety of media they already own, such as photos, music and videos. Customers can play content located on any computer or network attached storage that has a DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) server, such as the My Book® Live™ personal cloud storage, as well as from any directly connected digital camcorder, camera or USB drive.

Wargaming Starts eSports League

2013/02/12

Jerry Paxton

Geek News, News, Windows PC News

February 12, 2013 — Wargaming announced today the establishment of Wargaming.net League for its armored MMO action game World of Tanks. With the new professional eSports league, the company aims to become a key player in the competitive gaming realm by introducing its unique team-based strategy-focused gameplay to the world of professional gaming, as well as expand the Wargaming brand to new gamers, fans, and professional eSports players.

The new league is currently scheduled to launch in the first quarter of 2013, and will adopt the format of traditional competitive gaming by way of regular regional tourneys and playoffs leading up to a Grand Finals. The competitive season 2013 will offer $2.5 million prize pool.

“The scale and popularity of competitive gaming has been skyrocketing over the last couple of years, and we have now reached the point where we can focus significant effort on advancing World of Tanks on to the global eSports scene,” said Wargaming Jonghyuk Baak, Global eSports Director. “Wargaming.net League is a groundbreaking step in our quest to bring the game’s eSports potential into the international spotlight.”

The newly announced Wargaming.net League will help to bridge the gap between the World of Tanks’ gaming communities, previously separated by geographic boundaries, and unite them into a tight-knit global eSports entity.

“Running our own eSports league allows us to truly focus on making World of Tanks not only a compelling and challenging eSports discipline, but also one that’s incredibly entertaining for spectators,” said Andrei Yarantsau, VP of Global Operations at Wargaming. “Now we have a sustainable tool to broaden our global eSports involvement in an unprecedented way: stimulate the growth of the competitive community, organize bigger and better tournaments with larger prize pools than ever, and provide our best pro gamers with completely viable career opportunities.”

World of Tanks successfully debuted as the eSports discipline at the WCG 2012 Grand Finals in Kunshan, China, and has since continued to garner interest from competitive gaming communities worldwide.

The Elder Scrolls Online Food Truck Tour Announced

2013/02/11

Jerry Paxton

E3, Geek News, News, Windows PC News

Foodies and gamers, take note, as Bethesda Softworks and Fearless Media are bringing out a special The Elder Scrolls Online food truck. The truck will make its way around the United States starting at SXSW on March 10, and finish at UC Berkley on October 4. Checkout the full schedule below!

Official Press Release

SAN FRANCISCO – Feb. 11, 2013 – Future US – a leading hybrid media group specializing in videogaming and technology properties including GamesRadar, PCGamer.com, Official Xbox Magazine, and Maximum PC – and Bethesda Softworks, in conjunction with Fearless Media, have teamed up yet again for another nationwide food truck program to feed fans of the highly anticipated videogame, The Elder Scrolls Online.

The Elder Scrolls Online food truck is scheduled to make stops at the following events and locations to serve up free food and giveaways while they last:

SXSW 2013 – Austin, Texas (March 10)
PAX East – Boston, Massachusetts (March 22)
University of Massachusetts Amherst – Amherst, Massachusetts (March 29)
Michigan State University – East Lansing, Michigan (April 12)
University of Colorado – Boulder, Colorado (April 26)
University of Arizona – Tucson, Arizona (May 3)
E3 2013 – Los Angeles, California (June 12)
Comic-Con International – San Diego, California (July 18)
PAX Prime – Seattle, Washington (August 31)
University of California, Los Angeles – Los Angeles, California (September 20)
University of California, Berkeley – Berkeley, California (October 4)

“We are extremely pleased to be working with Bethesda again on another experiential program for the Elder Scrolls franchise,” said Rachelle Considine, President of Future US. “We look forward to building upon the momentum we established last year by expanding this year’s tour to include 5 consumer events and 6 college campuses nationwide.”

Launching prior to the first stop at SXSW, The Elder Scrolls Online Food Truck Tour companion Facebook App will allow fans to stay up-to-date on times and specific locations, while also giving them the ability to invite friends, and view and share photos from each stop. This central hub, located as a tab on The Elder Scrolls Online Facebook page, is an easy way to stay connected from your desktop or mobile device.

The Elder Scrolls Online brings the award-winning Elder Scrolls experience online for the first time. Using ZeniMax Online’s Megaserver technology, players will join one connected world with a built in social network that lets them stay up-to-date with everything their friends are doing. Megaserver technology avoids the hassle of shard selection and makes The Elder Scrolls Online one of the most socially enabled games ever created. Whether playing alone, or with hundreds of friends, players can develop their own style of play as they embark upon an epic quest across Tamriel. The Elder Scrolls Online is slated for release in 2013 and is being developed for the PC and the Mac by ZeniMax Online Studios.

March of the Eagles Pre-Orders Start Now

2013/02/11

Jerry Paxton

News, Windows PC News

NEW YORK – February 11, 2013 – With its release one short week away, armchair strategists and desktop generals can get a jump on their planning by pre-ordering March of the Eagles, the latest historical strategy game from Paradox Development Studio and Paradox Interactive, makers of last year’s hit game Crusader Kings II.

Available February 18 on major digital distribution channels for $19.99, March of the Eaglesserves as a perfect introduction to Paradox’s celebrated grand strategy games with a laser focus on a single decade of play and one major focus of attention – warfare! When placing a pre-order, future conquerors of Europe will receive a 10% discount off the game, as well as a free copy ofSengoku, Paradox Interactive’s character driven grand strategy game, where you play as the head of an illustrious Samurai family in feudal Japan. To purchase March of the Eagles, head to the official site at www.marchoftheeagles.com.

Lead one of the great powers or any of the minor nations of Europe through the eventful years of the Napoleonic Wars. Research new ideas to improve your military skills, seize the objective provinces to establish your dominance, and take down anyone that stands in your way. March of the Eagles is also a cutthroat multiplayer game for players of all skill levels, as alliances shift to whoever has the advantage while always keeping an eye on the balance of power.

Pre-order March of the Eagles now, and don’t forget to tune in to a special multiplayer streaming event on at 7 p.m. GMT (11 a.m. PST) on Monday, February 11 as the development team will split into teams of four and then proceed to backstab each other, showing you how to make yourself the master of Europe. To view the broadcast, head over to Paradox Interactive’s official Twitch TV channel at www.twitch.tv/paradoxinteractive.

Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen Monster Gameplay

2013/02/11

Jerry Paxton

News, PlayStation 3 News, Trailers / Videos, Xbox 360 News

Capcom has sent out a new video today, showing off some gameplay of their upcoming Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen, which is due out on April 23 in North America and across Europe on April 26.

Trailer

Skylanders Franchise Sells Over $1 Billion Worldwide

2013/02/11

Jerry Paxton

News, Nintendo 3DS News, Nintendo Wii News, Windows PC News, Xbox 360 News

SANTA MONICA, Calif. — February 11, 2013 — Activision Publishing, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI), announced that together Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure and Skylanders Giants have generated more than $1 billion in retail sales worldwide, inclusive of toys and accessories — and the franchise reached this milestone in just 15 months.¹

In 2012, the combined sales of Skylanders Giants and Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure toys out-sold the top action figure lines in the U.S. and Europe, including Beyblades, Star Wars and Transformers.³ Additionally, through January 2013, more than 100 million Skylanders toys have been sold at retail.²

“The Skylanders franchise became the first kids’ videogame IP to cross the $1 billion mark in just 15 months4, and I think we are still just starting to realize its potential,” said Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision Publishing, Inc. “We knew that the simple, but magical idea, of bringing your toys to life in a video game could change both the video game and the toy industries, and more importantly, change the way kids play. And this fall, we’re looking forward to delivering to fans our latest break-through innovation, Skylanders SWAP Force™, which lets kids customize their own characters, bringing toys to life to a whole new level.”

Skylanders SWAP Force lets Portal Masters reconfigure 16 special SWAP Force™ characters into more than 250 unique combinations. Kids can mix and match characters’ powers and moves and then bring them to life in the game. In addition to the new SWAP Force characters, the game features 32 core Skylanders characters (16 completely new Skylanders characters and 16 new versions of fan-favorite characters from previous games) and eight new LightCore™ characters.

Fans of the franchise also can play Skylanders SWAP Force with their entire collection of toys from both Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure and Skylanders Giants, now with the added capability of jumping. The new game also delivers high-resolution graphics that bring detailed characters and rich environments to life, immersing players in the gameplay like never before.

The recently revealed Skylanders SWAP Force will be featured at Toy Fair 2013, February 10-13 at the Javits Center in New York City in booth 3061.