Joystiq

$15,500 not enough for Sega Pluto prototype

Jordan Mallory — Sat, 11 May 2013 15:00:00 EST

Roger Vega (aka YouTube user kidvid666) continues to have trouble unloading his purported Sega Pluto prototype console, one of only two rumored to exist in the world. The auction, originally listed on eBay earlier this month, has ended with a final bid of $15,500 and its reserve price unmet. As such, no money will exchange hands and Vega's Pluto will stay where it is.

This is Vega's second attempt at selling the device. His first auction, listed on vintage gaming auction site GameGavel, also failed to meet its reserve with a high bid of $7,600.

It may seem odd that no one is willing to drop more than 15 large and some change on what may be the rarest game console in existence - especially considering how much people have paid in the past for other historical relics - but the world of gaming archeology is more complicated than that. Since a Sega Pluto had never been seen in the flesh until a few weeks ago, one has subsequently never been sold at auction before, and therefore there's no established perception of the device's market value.

Also, removing the Sega Pluto from its pedestal will trigger a giant spherical boulder to drop from the ceiling and chase whoever wins the auction, which could be a bit of a deterrent.

$15,500 not enough for Sega Pluto prototype originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 11 May 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The surrealistic Dragon's Dogma tech demo

Jordan Mallory — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 19:00:00 EST

What you're looking at is an internal Capcom video made by the team behind Dragon's Dogma, designed to demonstrate the ease with which the game's character creation system can make universal use of animation data, regardless of a humanoid creature's size or configuration.

Aside from being an effective measure of the technology's capabilities and a surprising glimpse into the lighthearted nature of Capcom's internal development process, it's also a surreal, often hilarious and pointedly bizarre carnival sideshow of bulging eyeballs and dancing cyclopes.

As you may have noticed, it doesn't really look like footage from a fairly recent game, and there are two main reasons for that: First of all, this is an internal production that was never originally intended for mass consumption. Moreover, this is an early prototype from five years ago, when development on Dragon's Dogma was first underway, and the game still went by its original codename: BBS-RPG.

You may have also noticed that this video has no sound, which is more of a legal issue than an effort to enhance the production's already potent hypnagogic qualities. Since Capcom never intended for this video to be distributed to the public, it had to have its uncleared soundtrack removed before the developer could share it with us. If you're willing to have two tabs open, however, we thing we've found an elegant alternative.

The surrealistic Dragon's Dogma tech demo originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 25 Apr 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rumor: Rare 'Pluto' prototype variant of Sega Saturn shown

JC Fletcher — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 13:30:00 EST

Someone claiming to be a former Sega employee, calling himself Super Magnetic (after the Dreamcast game) posted pictures on the ASSEMbler forums of a device purported to be the previously unseen "Sega Pluto," a prototype Sega Saturn variant with a built-in NetLink modem. The modem was released separately, and allowed web browsing along with online play of games including Duke Nukem 3D and Virtua Racing.

Super Magnetic says that this prototype, which runs North American Saturn firmware, is one of only two ever made. The American firmware, and Super Magnetic's having found this at his job at Sega of America in the Dreamcast era, both suggest that this hardware design is from Sega of America, much like the 32X.

A prototype for another unreleased Sega combination system, the Genesis/32X "Neptune," was on display recently at GDC's Videogame History Museum. Previous Sega combos include the JVC-designed X'Eye, the CDX, and the Tera Drive, which combined a Genesis and a PC.

Rumor: Rare 'Pluto' prototype variant of Sega Saturn shown originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 18 Apr 2013 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Prototypes show the evolution of XCOM: Enemy Unknown

David Hinkle — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 15:30:00 EST

XCOM: Enemy Unknown art director Greg Foertsch conducted a GDC 2013 panel called Art Direction Autopsy: XCOM: Enemy Unknown. Foertsch shared a few internal videos chronicling the different directions considered by Firaxis Games, and was kind enough to share those videos with Joystiq.

Above, you can see a video with a more survival-horror slant - a prototype with methodical pacing, centered around a lone farm house wrapped in dark atmosphere. Jump past the break for two more prototype videos.

Continue reading Prototypes show the evolution of XCOM: Enemy Unknown

Prototypes show the evolution of XCOM: Enemy Unknown originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 12 Apr 2013 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tim Keenan's paper prototypes invade the PAX East tabletop summit

Jessica Conditt — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 20:15:00 EST

A Virus Named Tom developer Tim Keenan stepped out of his comfort zone during PAX East - literally - to set up shop in the tabletop gaming summit, with two paper prototypes of ideas for his next big project. At the end of a long row, in the heart of tabletop territory, Keenan demonstrated the mechanics behind Scavenger, a top-down, rolling tower defense game set in space, and Chess the Gathering, which played exactly how it sounds and definitely won't have that name if it enters official development.

Chess the Gathering featured an iPad showing off the game's digital prototype, including a level editor. The gameplay is a spatial representation of Magic the Gathering, on a chessboard and with a myriad of creatures and "twins." For a rundown of Chess the Gathering, check out Keenan's YouTube playlist, and sign up to get an early (digital) prototype here.

Keenan convinced a pair of Magic fans to play Chess the Gathering, and as we talked, they remained riveted on the rudimentary gameboard, cards and characters. When they finished, they concluded that they loved it. "If this were a board game, I would buy it," one of them said.

Scavenger tells the story of a Han Solo-esque character as he travels the galaxies looting spaceships, attempting to pay off his debt to vicious collectors. It's a top-down, tower defense game where the protagonist sits in his spacecraft and sends out drones to infiltrate the victim ships. The player defends his own ship from enemies, while directing drones throughout the other ships, in search of money. See the Scavenger playlist here.

Keenan has a third game in the works, an action title that he said wouldn't work well as a paper prototype. He and his wife, Holly, plan to ask the community which project sounds best, and then launch a Kickstarter to develop that game under their studio, Misfits Attic. Currently, the Misfits are working on the Vita port of A Virus Named Tom.

Check out the paper prototypes for Scavenger and Chess the Gathering in the gallery below.

Gallery: Tim Keenan (PAX East 2013)

Tim Keenan's paper prototypes invade the PAX East tabletop summit originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 02 Apr 2013 20:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung's mobile controller prototype is kinda adorable

Jordan Mallory — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 20:45:00 EST

Samsung just officially unveiled its latest flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S 4, and revealed the existence of this adorable little prototype wireless mobile controller. Communicating with the phone via bluetooth, the pad has an adjustable sliding cradle as well as four familiar-looking face buttons.

The controller runs on triple-A batteries and interfaces with a pretty slick looking arcade app, as demonstrated by the above hands-on video from our friends over at Engadget. Expected at retail sometime this summer, Samsung's prototype has yet to earn itself an official name or price point. The Galaxy 4 S, meanwhile, will be available sometime near the end of April.

Samsung's mobile controller prototype is kinda adorable originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 14 Mar 2013 20:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dreamfall Chapters shows off prototype footage, early UI

David Hinkle — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 01:30:00 EST

Martin Bruusgaard, lead designer on Dreamfall Chapters: The Longest Journey, introduces us to some prototype gameplay footage in today's Kickstarter campaign update. The presentation is admittedly a bit rough around the edges, but indicative of what players should expect of the final product should Dreamfall Chapters reach its funding goal on Kickstarter (it's nearly there with 23 days to go).

Bruusgaard says the game will have fully explorable and varied environments, though all the prototype shows is a wooded glen and some gerbil guy ... thing. Programmer Quintin Pan also jumps in to demonstrate the control system, which allows for free movement yet incorporates a traditional point-and-click control model for interacting with the world.

On top of the prototype video, developer Red Thread Games has announced that Sarah Hamilton has signed on for Dreamfall Chapters: The Longest Journey. Hamilton voiced protagonist April Ryan in the previous two games, The Longest Journey and Dreamfall: The Longest Journey.

Dreamfall Chapters shows off prototype footage, early UI originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 15 Feb 2013 01:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Double Fine's Amnesia Fortnight prototypes collected in boxset

JC Fletcher — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 11:45:00 EST

The Double Fine Amnesia Fortnight game jam resulted in a series of prototypes for games to be made later. And yet, you can buy those prototypes in a fancy boxed set even before the games exist!

The new $30 collection includes the five games from the most recent Fortnight: Autonomous, Black Lake, Hack 'n' Slash, Spacebase DF-9, and The White Birch, along with the documentary about the event by 2 Player Productions. Also included are the prototype versions of Brazen, Costume Quest, and Happy Song, and an original soundtrack. All of this was originally released in the Amnesia Fortnight voting Humble Bundle dealie.

For an extra $15, you can get a slipcase for one of the prototype games, signed by that game's project lead. For $70, you can get the boxed set and signed covers for all five games. Or, if you want zero boxes instead of many, you can download the set for $9.99.

Double Fine's Amnesia Fortnight prototypes collected in boxset originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 01 Feb 2013 11:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Renegade Kid's lost Crash Bandicoot DS prototype revealed

JC Fletcher — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 16:15:00 EST

Prolific DS/3DS developer Renegade Kid made a demo for a Crash Bandicoot DS game years ago. The test for Crash Landed was done in 2008 or 2009 for publisher Activision, according to Nintendo World Report's source, but the game was not picked up. Several Crash games were made for DS, but this was not one of them.

Now, for the first time, video of the unfinished (barely started!) demo has surfaced on YouTube. Renegade Kid co-founder Jools Watsham verified the existence of the demo, calling the video "a blast from the past" and revealing that the demo took two weeks to make.

Renegade Kid's lost Crash Bandicoot DS prototype revealed originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 11 Jan 2013 16:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Primal Rage 2 footage surfaces, breaks our heart

Jordan Mallory — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 18:00:00 EST

Primal Rage 2 is one of the more mythical cancelled games of yore. Plenty of rumors and legends surround its life and death, but there's very little in the way of concrete, verifiable information when it comes to what the game was actually like. Now though, thanks to some new off-screen footage captured from a working prototype version, we have a slightly better idea of what could have been.

As shown in the video above, Primal Rage 2 maintained the claymation aesthetic found in the original game, though the character models and their various animations look much more fluid than Primal Rage's Harryhausen-esque staccato jitters. Furthermore, the combo system appears to have been improved and expanded, though to what extent is difficult to ascertain.

Essentially, it looks like everything we ever could have wanted. Finding absolute proof that we're not living in the best of all possible universes wasn't really on our "To Do:" list today, but here we are. Someday we'll open a worm hole to the bubble universe where Primal Rage 2 was released, and it'll be so great. Provided everyone in that universe breathes oxygen, of course; alternate universes can get complicated.

Primal Rage 2 footage surfaces, breaks our heart originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 29 Dec 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Steam Holiday Sale, day 9: Assassin's Creed, Prototype, Left 4 Dead franchises and more

Jordan Mallory — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 16:00:00 EST

The majority of mainstream shopping holidays have now reached a complete stop, but the sales live on - especially in the case of Valve's annual Steam Holiday Sale, which today enters its ninth day of dealing out discounted digital sundries.

PC gamers can save 25 to 75 percent on every game in the Assassin's Creed series, 75/50 percent off Prototype and Prototype 2 respectively, get Left 4 Dead and Left 4 Dead 2 for a cold dead $7.49, Limbo for a spooky $2.49, Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion for an astronomically low $13.59 and Just Cause 2 for a justified $3.74.

Yesterday's deals also remain active for another 20 hours or so, including LA Noire for $4.99, FTL for $4.99 and 33 percent off XCOM: Enemy Unknown. As always, flash sales and community choice sales change throughout the day.

Steam Holiday Sale, day 9: Assassin's Creed, Prototype, Left 4 Dead franchises and more originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 28 Dec 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Molyneux hopes to have Godus prototype available on Friday

Jessica Conditt — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 21:00:00 EST

Peter Molyneux and his experimental game studio 22 Cans hope to have a prototype of project Godus available tomorrow, December 14, the famed creator tells Ars Technica.

"I've seen the prototype, I've actually played it... I've got a few changes I'd like to be made, but the progress has been pretty constant, so Friday is going to be the time when we show the rest of the world what the prototype is," Molyneux says.

Godus is a reimagining of Molyneux's breakout 1989 god game Populous, and the new prototype should be available for PC and mobile download. Earlier this month, Molyneux told us he hoped to have a prototype out by Christmas.

"[The prototype] is not the most beautiful piece of computer interaction ever, but you knead it and you touch it and you get the idea that sculpting the landscape is amazing, seeing things react in the landscape is incredible, and it's definitely going to work," Molyneux says.

The Godus Kickstarter has seven days to raise £180,000, to reach its goal of £450,000.

Molyneux hopes to have Godus prototype available on Friday originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 13 Dec 2012 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Prototype series going for $9.99 on PC at Amazon

Sinan Kubba — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 09:30:00 EST

If you like your carnage big and your savings bigger, you'll have designs on the Prototype Pack on PC, now on sale at Amazon for no more than $9.99. The bundle contains both Prototype and Prototype 2, the latter released earlier this year. Frankly, ten bucks would be a surprisingly low price for the sequel on its own, let alone bundled with the first game.

Prototype hasn't been a popular series at retail, with lackluster sales contributing to "significant" layoffs at developer Radical Entertainment. While Richard felt Prototype 2 has far too much inanity in its plot, his review shows he still enjoyed its destructive qualities.

Prototype series going for $9.99 on PC at Amazon originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 15 Nov 2012 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Get your own prototype copy of The Legend of Zelda for just $150K

JC Fletcher — Mon, 30 Jul 2012 10:30:00 EST

Do you want the most expensive NES collectible imaginable? Forget that Stadium Events business, and check out this $150,000 auction for a US prototype of The Legend of Zelda. eBay seller tjcurtin1 has a Nintendo of America prototype, dated "2-23-87," up for auction, with a sealed copy of the retail release thrown in for good measure.

"This is a complete version to my knowledge," the seller says, "and as far as I know does not differ from the released version." That means it lacks the differences found in the Famicom Disk System prototype that was released freely online, and is thus valuable solely as a collectible. Keep that in mind while applying for loans.

Get your own prototype copy of The Legend of Zelda for just $150K originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 30 Jul 2012 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pre-Blitz: Harmonix on building a new Rock Band from scratch

JC Fletcher — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 12:00:00 EST

Harmonix team members Matthew Nordhaus, Chris Foster, Brian Chan, and Jyllian Thibodeau explained the development process that led to Rock Band Blitz, by way of showing us previous versions and iterations of the game. Collectively, these prototypes were referred to as "Pre-Blitz," and epitomized by a brief video of a version that keeps the social basis of Blitz, but with a very different aesthetic.

While the final game ended up featuring a sort of rainbow note highway in a musically reactive city, this version is a much sunnier, somewhat more literal "highway" style environment. Somewhere between these two, the team thought of having the music make the city spring up building by building, but that didn't make it.

At one point it wasn't even decided where the music would come from. A DLC strategy was important to the team, but it wasn't certain that the game would be a Rock Band game. When it was decided that it would be, the source of music became obvious. And then the team had to convert all the songs from five lanes per instrument to two -- which, Nordhaus explained, made the game way too easy in lower difficulties. Finally, against his better judgment, the team playtested a game with only one difficulty, and it worked.

Senior designer Brian Chan explained that the game lost the "track-locking" mechanic from Amplitude and other handheld Rock Bands, in favor of a system that allows players to build "levels" in individual tracks. This allowed people to play in a much more freeform manner instead of following a prescribed, single best scoring pattern.

Even the specifics of the controls were in question, with considerations like gestural controls for each instrument. Above is an idea for keyboard controls that used left, right, and a button press to simulate keys.

Pre-Blitz: Harmonix on building a new Rock Band from scratch originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 07 Apr 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Indie Royale bundle offers bonus Explodemon prototype

JC Fletcher — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 08:00:00 EST

The Indie Royale "April Fool's" bundle includes Defense Grid: The Awakening, Hack, Slash, Loot, Alien Zombie Megadeath, Astro Tripper, and Explodemon. It also includes, as a bonus, exclusive access to the past.

A new surprise unlocked for the bundle yesterday is a 2005 prototype for Explodemon, used in level development of the final, polygonal version. This historical document is playable in Windows.

If you exceed the average pay-what-you-want price, you also get Sexy-Synthesizer's chiptune album Rock - Deluxe Edition. If you're considering the bundle, be sure to get this.

Indie Royale bundle offers bonus Explodemon prototype originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 07 Apr 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Double Fine made this bizarre and hilarious prototype for a Kinect adventure game

Ben Gilbert — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 09:30:00 EST

Double Fine's Tim Schafer was the guest of honor last evening at New York University's Game Center, joining Zynga New York's creative director (and NYU professor) Frank Lantz for an "Inside the Gamer's Studio" conversation. Schafer, however, brought more than just good conversation. He showed off two separate versions of a prototyped game that Double Fine ended up shelving. The prototype, ~~for no reason at all~~, is dubbed "*Specs."

In the first video (seen above), rudimentary concepts for the game are introduced. Two convicts sit in a prison cell, a shiv on the floor between them. The player character isn't one of the two convicts, or even the shiv, but instead a possessed amulet that's using its power of influence to guide the actions of those around it (inanimate objects included). As it turns out, one of the two convicts has said amulet in his hand when the prototype kicks off.

The two emotions that the amulet can produce - love and hate - are represented by blue and red cursors on-screen, each mapped to one of your hands. With just two emotions, a handful of set pieces to interact with, and a Kinect, a variety of potential outcomes with varying levels of hilarity ensued.

*Double Fine senior gameplay programmer Anna Kipnis explained the name via Twitter. "We name prototypes after Chinatown bars at DF (running out of bars now)," Kipnis said, in reference to San Francisco's Chinatown. "Psychonauts was Li Po. Brütal Legend was my favorite bar in Chinatown, Buddha Bar." So there's that! This is "Specs."

Continue reading Double Fine made this bizarre and hilarious prototype for a Kinect adventure game

Double Fine made this bizarre and hilarious prototype for a Kinect adventure game originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 23 Mar 2012 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Super Meat Boy's super boys explain what it means to go mobile

Jessica Conditt — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 19:15:00 EST

Yesterday Edmund McMillen and Tommy Refenes of Team Meat dropped a gigantic, raw bomb on Twitter (gross), announcing their plans to strip down Super Meat Boy and rebuild it completely for mobile touch devices. They were vague on details apart from an intent to create a brand new game in the Super Meat Boy universe, and that they definitely wouldn't use "shitty touch controls."

We thought they were being coy, but it turns out they don't know much more about the touchscreen version than we do. It's still in the engine phase of development, McMillen told Joystiq, and they're pretty much winging it, playing with things that work and throwing out ideas that don't -- even if that includes the entire game.

"I mean, honestly, this is simply a challenge for us," McMillen said. "It's easy to poo-poo a new system because of its horrible use of touchscreen on ported titles; it's harder to attempt to try and figure out a design that works and make something worth checking out.

"So that's basically what we are doing -- no idea how it will turn out -- but Tommy and I wanted to jump back into dev again with something that isn't going to take a year-plus to make, so prototyping this idea seemed most appropriate and inspired."

Continue reading Super Meat Boy's super boys explain what it means to go mobile

Super Meat Boy's super boys explain what it means to go mobile originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 10 Feb 2012 19:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Super Meat Boy to be torn apart, rebuilt for touchscreen devices

Jessica Conditt — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:30:00 EST

Super Meat Boy has seen success on Xbox Live, PC and Mac, but as is often the case while playing SMB, Team Meat have decided that's not good enough. Edmund McMillen and Tommy Refenes of Team Meat announced via Twitter today that they're rebuilding Super Meat Boy from scratch for a potential launch on mobile touch devices.

In a six-part tweetfest, Team Meat disclosed the following details: The touch title will be remade from scratch and won't play like Super Meat Boy; it will be a larger, more traditional game, unlike titles such as Doodle Jump; and they promised it won't use "shitty touch controls."

"if you liked SMB im sure you will enjoy this (if its good enough to continue on :) ) we just had a few cool ideas and wanted a challange," one of Team Meat's tweets reads.

Team Meat said that if the project fails and turns out to not be any fun, they'll scrap it and move on to the next idea, which we can only assume is a Super Meat Boy live-action point-and-click adventure title in 3D. Those adventure things are all the rage these days, we're told.

Super Meat Boy to be torn apart, rebuilt for touchscreen devices originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Man ransoming unreleased Resident Evil GBC prototype ROMs to the Internet

Jordan Mallory — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 18:00:00 EST

Two prototype versions of the Game Boy Color port of Resident Evil are waiting in the wings for an imminent release; news that strikes us as rather serendipitous considering that we were just talking about that game last week. Like all great news, however, there's a bit of a catch.

We're not talking about something awesome and legit, like an official 3DS eShop release, we're talking about ROMs. What's more, the ROMs for these two prototype cartridges, one containing most of Jill's campaign and the other containing an earlier build, will only be released to the internet if the anonymous seller's "fundraiser" reaches its $2,000 goal by the end of February.

Now, that sounds more like extortion than a fundraiser, but the third party running the sale maintains that the benefactor in question is actually taking a substantial loss at that price point. That sounded reasonable at first, but the more we think about it, the less we buy it.

It's true that some rare games can sell for tens of thousands of dollars, but those games tend to exist in extremely limited quantities and also tend to be remarkably verifiable; Stadium Events for the NES and the European version of Kizuna Encounter for the Neo Geo immediately spring to mind. Those are actual games, though, and not ROMs. Unless this collector destroys these cartridges after the ROMs are posted, the $2,000 entry fee is nothing but pure profit, since the cartridges can still be sold afterwards.

Don't get us wrong, we love the idea of preserving the gaming industry's wackier moments. What we don't love is the idea of someone coercing a substantial amount of money from a dedicated fan base by ransoming the distribution of a product that they have no right to distribute. To paraphrase a brilliant professor of archeology, "They belong in a museum!"

Man ransoming unreleased Resident Evil GBC prototype ROMs to the Internet originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 29 Jan 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kinect sensors being tested for use in laptops [Update: Microsoft responds]

Jordan Mallory — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 12:00:00 EST

As far as we're able to tell, Microsoft envisions a future where powerful businessmen and hipster ultrabloggers (like ourselves) flail wildly in front of our laptops while on crowded public transportation. Yes, the Kinect's array of cameras and sensors is being tested on various prototype Windows 8 laptops, according to a preview by The Daily.

On the laptops seen, the Kinect's cameras were placed above the screen, where you would normally expect a small webcam to exist; rows of what appeared to be LEDs lined the bottom of the screen. Beyond gaming applications, Kinect sensors integrated into a laptop could be used to navigate Windows 8's Metro UI, in a fashion not entirely dissimilar to navigating the Metro-esque interface on the latest Xbox dashboard. Additionally, a Kinect-equipped device could also be used for something actually useful by providing the disabled with another means of interacting with a computer.

Just like it does with its software, Microsoft be will licensing the Kinect technology out to hardware manufacturers, who will then implement it into their laptop designs. Considering the Kinect's rather expansive deadzone, we're interested in seeing how the technology functions in such an up close and personal application.

Update: We've received an interesting statement from Microsoft after inquiring about seeing the prototypes ourselves: "Kinect has changed the way we think about the future of games, entertainment, education and business. We're always thinking about what is next and how we can push the boundaries of our technologies to transform how consumers interact with our products and experiences. Beyond that we don't comment on rumors or speculation." Interesting indeed.

Kinect sensors being tested for use in laptops [Update: Microsoft responds] originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 27 Jan 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Razer's 'Project Fiona' is a gaming tablet prototype ... and it plays PC games

Ben Gilbert — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:10:00 EST

Perhaps the PlayStation Vita's leggy 5 inch screen just isn't enough for your dedicated gaming portable needs. Perhaps -- and this is just a theoretical, of course -- you think Sony's promise of console quality games on the Vita isn't nearly as important as full-on console games on the go. Enter Razer's "Project Fiona PC Gaming Tablet." It's merely a prototype (at least for now), but this may be the go-to portable for you at some point in the future, fictional crazy person.

Razer unveiled the prototype concept this week at CES, ending an ambiguous, weeks-long promotional campaign (seen after the break). According to a press release issued by the hardware company, the Project Fiona tablet comes with an Intel Core i7 processor, and is capable of running "current-generation PC games" -- Firefall, Assassin's Creed: Revelations and H.A.W.X. 2 are shown in the teaser, offering examples of some titles that will apparently work on the device -- surprise surprise, Ubisoft is jumping at the chance to showcase its wares on a new gaming device. Razer claimed in the announce that "many" PC games will "run natively" on the device without any need for specialization.

Beyond being a super powerful gaming tablet, Project Fiona also keeps up with the Joneses by including "ultra-precise accelerometers and a highly sensitive multi-touch screen," which is intended to give developers a chance to cater their PC games to the device. It also has now de rigeur forced feedback, so you can rumble while commuting.

Unlike Razer's previous gaming prototype, the Switchblade, the company isn't giving out a hard price for Project Fiona, but said it'll be "under $1,000" when it's expected to launch in "Q4 2012."

Gallery: Razer's 'Project Fiona' PC gaming tablet

Continue reading Razer's 'Project Fiona' is a gaming tablet prototype ... and it plays PC games

Razer's 'Project Fiona' is a gaming tablet prototype ... and it plays PC games originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NerdHeist 2011: Razer Blade prototypes stolen from Razer R&D

Jordan Mallory — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 20:00:00 EST

After what we can only imagine was an exciting and Hollywood worthy laser-grid-circumnavigating vault heist, two experimental Blade prototypes have been stolen from a Razer research and development laboratory in the San Francisco bay area, according to a Facebook post made by Razer CEO Min-Liang Tan.

It's unclear as to whether or not these were the only two prototypes, but it's safe to say that any loss like this is a significant one, and that the prototypes are worth far more than the $2,800 retail price originally quoted for the laptop. Tan is asking for anyone with information about the theft to send an email to cult at razerzone dot com.

The Blade, revealed earlier this year at PAX, makes use of a proprietary user interface and LCD touchpad; trade secrets which Razer must desperately (and understandably) want to keep out of the hands of the competition. We're not saying this was corporate espionage, of course, but we are heavily implying that.

Gallery: Razer Blade (Announcement)

NerdHeist 2011: Razer Blade prototypes stolen from Razer R&D originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 14 Nov 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New Prototype 2 trailer explores the power of tendrils

Jordan Mallory — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 11:45:00 EST

As far as the destructonamiacs here at Joystiq are concerned, Prototype's sandbox mayhem was one of, if not the main selling points for the title. Judging by the latest trailer for Prototype 2, it looks like Radical Entertainment knows exactly what we want, in a big way.

New Prototype 2 trailer explores the power of tendrils originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 17 Jul 2011 11:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Prototype 2 preview: To Heller and back

Mike Schramm — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 20:20:00 EST

We're just going to throw this out there, harsh as it may be: Does Prototype, 2009's open world New York-based superhero fantasy title, really need a sequel? Sure, there was some fun to be had in Alex Mercer's shoes, pulling off some over-the-top (and often just overwhelming) proto-moves, navigating a New York under alien and military siege. But by the end of the first game, we'd taken out tank after tank after tank, gutted Supreme Hunter after Supreme Hunter, and learned everything we needed to know about Blackwatch and the Blacklight virus, didn't we? There was a lot of game in Prototype -- repeated, some might say, more than even its fans wanted.

Ken Rossman, the studio head at Radical Entertainment, obviously believes we do. He and his studio are hard at work on Prototype 2, and when we spoke with him at a pre-E3 event a little while ago, he made his case as to why we want to return to this world. The main problem with Prototype, he told us, was that "it had two volumes: 1 and 11. And really there was nothing in that middle range, so either you were in disguise and the world ignored you, sometimes, or all of a sudden you kicked the hornet's nest and the world's on fire. So that was something that we acknowledged and we were like, 'That's something that we need to figure out in a better way.'"

Gallery: Prototype 2 (6/5/2011)

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Prototype 2 preview: To Heller and back originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 05 Jun 2011 20:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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3DS producer reveals Wii-based, arts-and-crafts 3D prototype

JC Fletcher — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 03:00:00 EST

Previous "Iwata Asks" interviews have brought up several previous 3D prototypes from Nintendo, including GBA and GameCube-based versions. During his talk about the 3DS's development, hardware producer Hideki Konno revealed another prototype, designed before the 3DS was even a glimmer in Nintendo's collective eye.

Nintendo wired up a glasses-free 3D display to a Wii, and set it up on a cart to wheel around the company for demonstrations. And then, because it wasn't hacky or impractical enough, the team hooked a proof-of-concept version of the 3D depth slider to a Nunchuk -- with hot glue.

Gallery: 3DS prototype images (GDC 2011)

3DS producer reveals Wii-based, arts-and-crafts 3D prototype originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 02 Mar 2011 03:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft shows off prototype avatar that will haunt your dreams

Ben Gilbert — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 04:00:00 EST

Microsoft's chief research and strategy officer Craig Mundie wants to show you the haunting bridge his team has built over the uncanny valley. Employing Kinect hardware and custom PC software, the research team at Microsoft has created an unnervingly realistic new avatar that can handle text-to-speech when combined with a script and can recognize the words in any order.

"This is a way to create a synthetic model of people that will be acceptable to them when they would look at them on a television or in an Avatar Kinect kind of scenario," Mundie told USA Today in a video interview. "There's no reason that we couldn't do that in real time by feeding the information that we get from a Kinect sensor, including its audio input and its 3D modeling, spacial representation, and couple that to the body and the gesture recognition in order to create a full body avatar, that has photo realistic features and full facial animation," he added.

This impressive (if not somewhat terrifying) demo is still very much in the prototype phase, however, and Mundie said it would be "some time before we see it show up in products." We're just hoping those first "products" aren't T-1000s.

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Microsoft shows off prototype avatar that will haunt your dreams originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 25 Feb 2011 04:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PSN Tuesday: eh-eh-eh-eh-eh-eh X-Men Arcade

Alexander Sliwinski — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 18:10:00 EST

For those who don't have all the X-Men Arcade tracks forever burned into their brain, here's the reference for the headline. This week's PSN update is packed with downloadable superheroes. The full game of Prototype is available, along with the aforementioned X-Men Arcade and the flipping good Marvel Pinball.

Also available is emo Prince from Warrior Within who, when he isn't slicing up bad guys, is constantly cutting himself as an ever-present reminder of his pain for not selling enough copies of The Sands of TIme, the result of which forced him to wear "man-scara" in the sequel. Check out the full PSN update after the break.

Choose your platform to view the corresponding release list:

(Note: Continue past the break to view both release lists.)

Continue reading PSN Tuesday: eh-eh-eh-eh-eh-eh X-Men Arcade

PSN Tuesday: eh-eh-eh-eh-eh-eh X-Men Arcade originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 14 Dec 2010 18:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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'Murder Your Maker' VGA teaser site updated with Prototype footage

Griffin McElroy — Sat, 04 Dec 2010 17:30:00 EST

Last week, Activision uploaded a teaser site featuring the tagline "Murder Your Maker," which we hypothesized was hinting at the reveal of a new installment in the Prototype series during the Spike VGAs. A brief video which was recently added to the site appears to confirm our suspicions.

Continue reading 'Murder Your Maker' VGA teaser site updated with Prototype footage

'Murder Your Maker' VGA teaser site updated with Prototype footage originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 04 Dec 2010 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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'Murder Your Maker' teaser site hints at VGA reveal

Griffin McElroy — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 12:30:00 EST

Earlier this week, a mysterious Spike VGA 2010 site asked its visitors to consider the secret meanings of two mysterious and secret phrases: "MURDER" and "LOOK CLOSER." Today, a new teaser site offers a few more clues. The page, titled "Murder Your Maker," features the image seen above: A bald man, staring at a wall covered in maps, newspaper clippings and delicious strands of black licorice. Or, wait. String. Yeah, that's definitely string.

The "Murder Your Maker" tagline has led some theorists to believe we're looking at a teaser for a sequel to last year's super violent, open-world title, Prototype. Alex Mercer certainly has some daddy issues, but our money is on that new God of War game, where Kratos is literally tasked with killing God.

Oh, Activision runs the website? Well, in that case ... does "Bloodhunt" sound about right?

'Murder Your Maker' teaser site hints at VGA reveal originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 26 Nov 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First Kinect prototype cost Microsoft $30,000

JC Fletcher — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 12:25:00 EST

Grumbling over the prospect of spending $150 on a Kinect sensor? At least you didn't have to drop $30,000 to get your Sonic Free Riders on. The NYT reports that the first Kinect prototype cost Microsoft that much to build -- which kind of makes the fact that Microsoft was able to get that technology into a $150 box (on each sale of which, the Times' Ashlee Vance notes, MS will profit) a bit more impressive.

The article provides a tidbit of new information about how the device recognizes people. In the case of identical, identically-dressed twins, the Kinect's software will evidently distinguish between the two by asking each to identify him or herself. "'If it can't disambiguate, we say, 'Please tell us if you are A or B,'" Xbox director of incubation Alex Kipman said. "Then, you end up with the equivalent of a different bar code." You'll be able to turn your family into bar codes on November 4.

First Kinect prototype cost Microsoft $30,000 originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 25 Oct 2010 12:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Rez 2 prototype was in the works, Project LMNO canned

Ben Gilbert — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Weird But True, Opinions, New In Pop Culture

According to industry vet Jake Kazdal, immediately following the completion of Rez, a small group of developers at United Game Artists worked on a prototype for Rez 2. Kazdal -- a man who's worked everywhere from Nintendo to Irem to Sega, and is currently developing Skulls of the Shogun -- also explained on the latest 8-4 Play podcast that another game he worked on, Steven Spielberg's now mythic "Project LMNO," has been cancelled. EA confirmed as much, telling Joystiq this afternoon, "While EA maintains its relationship with Steven Spielberg, we ceased development of LMNO."

We pushed EA for clarification about the status of any projects in development with Spielberg and were told again, "EA maintains its relationship with Steven Spielberg. EA has ceased development of LMNO. EA continually monitors development resources and adjusts resources as appropriate. No new title announcements."

Continue reading Report: Rez 2 prototype was in the works, Project LMNO canned

Report: Rez 2 prototype was in the works, Project LMNO canned originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 11 Oct 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Assassin's Creed 2, Dragon Age: Origins win Canadian game awards

David Hinkle — Thu, 06 May 2010 17:00:00 EST

We like to playfully rip on Canada every now and then (America's hat!), but we must admit that The Great White North knows how to make some quality games, evidenced by the winners at the inaugural Canadian Videogame Awards ceremony. While Game of the Year went to Bioware's Dragon Age: Origins, Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed 2 made out with the most awards, winning Best Console Game, Best Visual Arts, and Best Game Design, and sharing the award for Best Technology with Radical Entertainment's Prototype.

That's not to say all of the awards went to the triple-A titles, as Toronto's own darling, Capybara Games, received nods for two of its titles: Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes, which won Best Handheld Game, and Critter Crunch, which secured victory as the Best Downloadable Game. Maybe now that cute little guy will stop crying so much!

[Thanks, Alan Strangis]

Assassin's Creed 2, Dragon Age: Origins win Canadian game awards originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 06 May 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Xbox 360 copies of Singularity to offer free Prototype 'for a limited time'

Ludwig Kietzmann — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 15:30:00 EST

Here's a real concern everyone should be cognizant about: Just how many times can you reduce people to decrepit, withered husks writhing in agony until it starts getting a little ... old? Wouldn't it be nice if, between face-melting blasts of temporal energy, you could resort to dismemberment, impalement and tentacular catastrophe? What if you didn't have to suffer the slightest penalty or inhibition for spending the day shooting and stabbing anonymous meatbags, just as your desires dictated?

We'll likely never find out, but you can do all of that stuff in a video game if you buy Singularity on Xbox 360 and take advantage of a limited-time mail-in offer for a free copy of ~~Infamous~~ Prototype. Raven's time-twisting shooter is out on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC on June 29th.

Gallery: Singularity

Xbox 360 copies of Singularity to offer free Prototype 'for a limited time' originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 28 Apr 2010 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone 4th-gen prototype lost and found in the wild

Griffin McElroy — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 12:51:00 EST

What you see above might just be the fourth generation iPhone. The pictured prototype was reportedly lost in a Redwood City, Calif. bar and found its way to Gizmodo for immediate deconstruction. Though the phone has been remotely deactivated, preventing its fortunate locator from running any Apps on it, there are a few external design changes that may have some implications as far as the device's gaming capabilities are concerned.

The foremost of these changes is a new, front-mounted camera, which will make DSi porting much easier -- in other words, "put your face in the game" gimmickry could become common in new iPhone games. Also, according to Gizmodo's preliminary findings, the new hardware's screen appears to have a higher resolution than the 3GS screen (at least, it's smaller in size). The back of the prototype does not reveal the amount of internal memory in the device, but previous reports have suggested the next iPhone will have up to 80GB of space (which would be a stupid silly amount of games). Additionally, there's a larger battery installed in the lost-n-found unit than the one in the 3GS.

Finally, the prototype sports a new shell with a flat back, which apparently feels "freaking amazing." That's always a good thing for handheld gaming, right?

[Via Engadget]

iPhone 4th-gen prototype lost and found in the wild originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 19 Apr 2010 12:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Luxoflux shuttered as layoffs hit Activision dev studios, publisher confirms

Ben Gilbert — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 18:55:00 EST

Reports began circulating this morning about major layoffs at a handful of Activision-owned development studios, affecting as much as half of Radical Entertainment's staff (Prototype), an undisclosed amount of Neversoft employees (Guitar Hero, Tony Hawk), and the entirety of Luxoflux (Tranformers). An Activision rep confirmed two former studio layoffs to us this afternoon, though a representative didn't city any official numbers -- the rep also told us he could "confirm the closure of Luxoflux."

The full, significantly more vague, company statement given out to everyone reads: "Activision Publishing continually evaluates its resources to ensure that they are properly matched against its product slate and strategic goals. In 2010, the company's SKU count will be smaller than in 2009 driven in part, by a decrease in the number of music-based games we will be releasing. As we discussed on our earnings conference call yesterday, we are directing our resources against the largest and most profitable business segments, and as part of this initiative, we are realigning our resources to better reflect our slate and the market opportunities. At the same time, we are increasing our digital/online capabilities as we expect that digital/online will continue to become a more meaningful part of our business model in the years ahead."

Luxoflux shuttered as layoffs hit Activision dev studios, publisher confirms originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 11 Feb 2010 18:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Natal prototype model revealed (it's either adorable or terrifying)

Griffin McElroy — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 11:05:00 EST

The image above could serve as kind of robotic Rorschach test. What do you see? A cute little tripod help-o-bot, whose head is cocked curiously to the side, as though it's studying its new master to better serve his or her robotic needs? Or is it a three-legged killing machine, who's observing his new master's weaknesses, which it plans to exploit with its now-charging eye lasers?

Sadly, the answer's not as provocative as either of those two choices -- its actually a photo of a Project Natal prototype, as nabbed by the Seattle Times. According to the report which includes the photograph, Natal units and iPhones are being produced in the same factory. We're terrified of the thought of these two consumer electronics cross-pollinating -- we're pretty sure that's how SkyNet got started.

[Via Siliconera]

Natal prototype model revealed (it's either adorable or terrifying) originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 04 Feb 2010 11:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft patents EMG muscle controller, is one step closer to Air Guitar Hero

Ben Gilbert — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 14:04:00 EST

Our elderly readers may remember all the way back in October of 2009 when we showed you the first video of Microsoft Research's muscle-based game control interface. While it'd be a safe bet to say that the project is still very much in the prototype phase, the experimental division of Microsoft recently filed a patent application for the "Wearable Electromyography-based Controller for Human-Computer Interface", effectively bringing us all one step closer to a future with fully realized air guitar.

Sure, the interface could be used for "computer stuff" or something we suppose, but what'd be the fun in that? Though, as Engadget points out, we're not likely to see anything more solid on this in the near future -- most Microsoft Research projects are "pretty far from market." That being said, a combination of muscle sensor-based control and the not quite 1:1 video capture of Project Natal could produce some rather intriguing results. Your move, Big M.

[Via Engadget]

Microsoft patents EMG muscle controller, is one step closer to Air Guitar Hero originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 04 Jan 2010 14:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Prototype Wii game found in developer portfolio

JC Fletcher — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:40:00 EST

The website for Eric Testroete, who recently made the rounds for his "big head mode" Halloween costume, shows work-in-progress screens of an unannounced Wii war game he animated for MLB Superstars developer Deep Fried Entertainment. The game uses an almost top-down, zoomed-out perspective, and appears to put the player (or players) in control of jeeps equipped with machine guns.

As Kotaku notes, it looks rather like Konami's Jackal, prompting the site to speculate that it's a ReBirth made for Konami, like the recent Castlevania, Contra, and Gradius games. If true, it would be the first ReBirth title not to be developed by M2 in Japan. Of course, the American side of Konami is also working on refreshes of old Konami franchises in the form of Rocket Knight, so there is precedent.

Gallery: Undisclosed Deep Fried Entertainment game (Wii)

Prototype Wii game found in developer portfolio originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Steam slashes price on Prototype until August 13

David Hinkle — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 16:15:00 EST

Fans of Barry Pepper and blowin' the crap out of everything in sight need to pay attention to this next string of words: Steam is discounting Prototype by 20% until August 13, bringing the game's price down to $40. While the story is largely forgettable, there's big value in elbow-dropping tanks and throwing air conditioners into helicopters. Oh, and consuming everyone in Manhattan ain't too bad a time, either.

Steam slashes price on Prototype until August 13 originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 06 Aug 2009 16:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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