Filed under: Nintendo DS, PC, Sony PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, Microsoft Xbox 360, Meta (about Joystiq)

Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness
It’s almost a no-brainer if you know me: Take the Penny Arcade “universe,” send it back in time, turn it into an episodic video game – blending old-school adventure and Final Fantasy-style turn-based RPG mechanics – and then have PA’s Jerry Holkins (aka Tycho) handle the writing while adventure-game legend Ron Gilbert pitches in with design. Oh, and then release it on every platform under the sun, including Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, Xbox Live Arcade, and PSN. Perfection.

Oh, and the first installment was really great (I’m still working through Episode 2).

Continue reading Best of the Rest: Chris’ Picks of 2008

Best of the Rest: Chris’ Picks of 2008 originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 07 Jan 2009 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Macworld

Just a reminder: at 6pm PT we’re giving away two huge bags of loot to two lucky Macworld attendees. Be at the South Hall of Moscone, just past the coat check and media registration booth (head toward the stairs) for your chance to win.

If you’re not here, don’t worry; you’ll have another chance (or two) to win stuff in a few weeks.

UPDATE: Thanks to everyone who attended! We’ll post the video of the event when it’s ready, of course. Also a big thanks to the vendors who were kind enough to supply the prizes. When we post the video we’ll have a complete list.

Don’t forget to come by Thirsty Bear tomorrow at 6pm PT and meet the TUAW crew!

TUAWWe’re giving away thousands of dollars of stuff to two lucky Macworld attendees originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 07 Jan 2009 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The 8″ VAIO P Series weighs just 1.4 pounds

Filed under: Aftermarket, Concept Cars, CES, Pontiac

The doors to the 2009 Consumer Electronics Show don’t officially open until Thursday morning, but we got a sneak preview of the setup going on in the LVCC’s North Hall. That’s where most of the automotive action will be concentrated and there are plenty of wild rides lining the halls.

You’ll notice that in most of the photos, like the Galpin Scythe (above), the exhibitors’ booths are far from complete. As the week unfolds, we’ll bring you more from the floor and attempt to get our hands on some of the best car-related tech in Vegas. For Alex, the original KITT‘s here — or at least a close facsimile — and for all you Pontiac G8 ST fans, Azentek/Navigon has a everyone’s favorite stillborn ute on hand, although it could just be a Holden Commodore with a G8 nose job. We’ll find out more tomorrow, so stay tuned.

Photos Copyright (C)2009 Chris Tutor / Weblogs, Inc.

CES 2009: The cars of CES originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 07 Jan 2009 20:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Macworld, Software

solidThinking demonstrated its flagship 3D rendering application (of the same name) that simplifies the process for conceptualizing, revising and rendering for industrial designers.

The application makes it very simple to start with a two-dimensional sketch and rapidly create a three-dimensional model of it. For instance, with two cross-sections, users can apply a contiguous skin to create a solid, and not just a series of disconnected surfaces. Users can dynamically edit the points that define the solid, as well, and solidThinking updates the object in real time.

solidThinking also features the Construction Tree, a history-like area that remembers changes to a file. With the Construction Tree, minor changes to the same model can be contained within one file, and retain the surfaces and textures for the modified object. Entire objects can be replaced as well, while surface and deformation settings are retained.

According to product specialist Darren Chilton, rendering is “stupid fast.” A demonstration using a photorealistic model of a car took less than 30 seconds to render.

solidThinking is very much a product for professionals, though, with licenses starting at $5,495 for a single computer. A USB dongle that can be moved from computer to computer (including PCs) is $6,000, and a network license for workgroups is $7,495. But, for those professionals who demand efficiency from their software, solidThinking is a strong candidate for those who want a quick, high-quality 3D concepting app.

solidThinking is at booth 3320 in the North Hall at Macworld.

TUAWMacworld 2009: solidThinking offers speed and simplicity — for a price originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 07 Jan 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Nintendo DS, PC, Sony PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, Microsoft Xbox 360, Action

Amid a slew of press releases it shot out in the hours leading up to CES 2009, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment may have stepped on Atari PR’s toes. In announcing a June 19 release date for the Blu-ray Disc release of Ghostbusters (the movie), it also confirmed a day-and-date launch of Ghostbusters: The Video Game.

The release is long on details concerning the film’s HD debut, but short on specifics concerning the game. No platforms are mentioned, although it stands to reason that the highest-profile versions — Xbox 360, PS3, PC — will be first out the door. Atari has yet to issue a release of its own concerning the game’s street date(s), but we’ve contacted it for comment on Sony’s announcement in the meantime.

Sony Pictures dates Ghostbusters game for Jun. 16 originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 07 Jan 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Etc., Celebrities

Okay. The “reboot” begins tonight, with “Don’t Stop the Knight”

MIKE AND KITT TRY TO RESCUE A KIDNAPPED FOREIGN AMBASSADOR FROM A TERRORIST IN TIME FOR PEACE TALKS–Mike (Justin Bruening) and KITT (voiced by Val Kilmer) are sent on an endless string of mini-missions by a crazy terrorist in exchange to keep Ambassador Olara Kumali (guest star Vanessa Williams) alive, but they soon realize that they are part of a bigger plan. Trying to outsmart the terrorist, Rivai (Sydney Tamiia Poitier) and a team of FBI agents find themselves in an explosive situation. Meanwhile, Sarah (Deanna Russo) and Dr. Graiman (Bruce Davison) try to fix a sick robot.

Synopsis via Knight Rider Online.

Without further ado, I’ll see you after the jump.

Continue reading Knight Rider: The Liveblog – Season 1, Episode 10

Knight Rider: The Liveblog – Season 1, Episode 10 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 07 Jan 2009 19:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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OCZ launches another line of mainstream SSDs

Filed under: Green, Nissan, Renault

The clean diesel V6 you see above will supposedly find a home under the hood of the Nissan Maxima sometime in 2010. Back in April in 2007, Nissan announced it would offer an oilburner in the Maxima, but that was before the price of diesel spiked well above gasoline. That price increase, combined with the huge drop in car sales over the past 12 months, has caused most of the non-German automakers planning US market diesels to seriously reconsider or cancel there plans altogether. That’s a shame, because if this engine is anywhere near is as good as some of the others we driven, Americans would probably love it.

The diesel V6 is a joint project between Nissan and Renault, with both companies contributing half of the development cost. It’s got all the latest diesel goodies including a 23,000 psi common rail injection system, EGR and a particulate filter to eliminate soot. About three-quarters of the total production will be used by Nissan, largely for Euro market Infinitis like the FX and G series, while Renault will install most of its share in the new Laguna coupe. If the 235 hp/331 lb-ft diesel does make into the US Maxima, it will probably get EPA numbers in the range of 25/35 mpg city/highway. Hit the jump to check out a video tour of the engine.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]

Continue reading Renault and Nissan deliver new 3.0L V6 diesel engine w/VIDEO

Renault and Nissan deliver new 3.0L V6 diesel engine w/VIDEO originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 07 Jan 2009 19:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Macworld, Software

His flagship application gave its name to an entire movement of graphical sophistication among Mac apps, so it should be no surprise that Wil Shipley’s Delicious Monster booth at Macworld Expo carries Delicious Library’s recognizable UI into the real world. Special care was taken to get bookshelves that matched the wood grain, the products on the shelves look unremarkably like themselves, and the leaves at the top of the booth are dead ringers for the ones on the DM site. The overall effect is a bit disconcerting, but still enjoyable.

We took a few minutes to discuss the booth design with one of the “Delicious Librarians,” then talked to Wil about his approach to an iPhone version of Delicious Library and his thoughts on the development challenges he faced in creating DL2. Videos in the second half of the post.

Continue reading Macworld Expo: Delicious Monster’s Wil Shipley

TUAWMacworld Expo: Delicious Monster’s Wil Shipley originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 07 Jan 2009 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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