Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com Joystiq http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://www.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Behind the scenes of Quantic Dream's 'Kara' tech demo]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/26/behind-the-scenes-of-quantic-dreams-kara-tech-demo/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/26/behind-the-scenes-of-quantic-dreams-kara-tech-demo/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/26/behind-the-scenes-of-quantic-dreams-kara-tech-demo/#comments
Have you thought about just how Quantic Dream pulled off that "Kara" tech demo on the PS3? If your answer, like ours, was that they actually built a female android and taught it how to speak all those languages and sing, then you're wrong. They didn't do that at all. Female androids don't exist in real life. Sigh.

No, instead they hired an actress named Valorie Curry (actually three different women -- Curry for acting, one for the German and French, and another to sing) to come in and do motion capture for the part, and refined and developed her performance over a series of about eight months before finally capturing it for the tech demo.

You can see the whole process in the video above, and watch the original tech demo below. Yeah, we guess it's cool and all that they put so much care and work into such a quality video -- but not as cool as a real female android. Sigh again.

Continue reading Behind the scenes of Quantic Dream's 'Kara' tech demo

JoystiqBehind the scenes of Quantic Dream's 'Kara' tech demo originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 26 Mar 2012 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>actresskaramotion-captureperformanceplaystationps3quantic-dreamtechtech-demovalorie-curryMon, 26 Mar 2012 21:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Fallon promises game premieres 'movie premiere' status]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2009/02/27/fallon-promises-game-premieres-movie-premiere-status/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/02/27/fallon-promises-game-premieres-movie-premiere-status/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/02/27/fallon-promises-game-premieres-movie-premiere-status/#comments
This Monday, "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" begins and Conan O'Brien ascends the ranks of late nightdom into the much-vaunted "Tonight Show" position. Why is this exciting news for you, you ask? Because Fallon loves Felicia Day! Wait, no, that's not it. It's because Fallon, like Engadget's Josh Topolsky, is a big fan of comically oversized iPhones. Wait, that's not it either.

No friends, it's because, speaking with Canada.com, Fallon said, "We're going to treat a video game premiere as if it was a movie premiere. My generation grew up with the computer. We grew up with the Internet. We live in a video game type of world - video games are second nature to us. Games make more money, as an industry, than the film industry." He's certainly got a point. We'll be on the lookout for Mr. Fallon's promises on March 2nd, when his show premieres. And ya know, Jimmy, if you're ever looking for experts in the gaming field ... your friends at the 'Stiq are always available.

JoystiqFallon promises game premieres 'movie premiere' status originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 27 Feb 2009 20:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>engadgetFelicia-dayjimmy-fallonjosh-topolskylate-night-with-jimmy-fallontechFri, 27 Feb 2009 20:20:00 EST<![CDATA[Face to interlace: Up-close view of PSP Brite]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/31/face-to-interlace-up-close-view-of-psp-brite/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/31/face-to-interlace-up-close-view-of-psp-brite/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/31/face-to-interlace-up-close-view-of-psp-brite/#commentsFiled under:


Out of all the frightening images we've been subjected to this Halloween, this one easily ranks as the most terrifying. It's an intensely intimate view of the PSP Brite (or PSP-3000 if you want to get all technical) and the screen that's drawn some disapproving squints in recent weeks.

The folks at Logic-Sunrise have apparently peered at the brighter screen (magnified by a factor of 40), pinning the blame for the perceived interlacing issue squarely on our ex-friend, the now horizontally lined, observable darker blue pixel. Oh, when we're done with you, pixel, you'll be all shades of black and ... well, blue.

[Via Engadget]

JoystiqFace to interlace: Up-close view of PSP Brite originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 31 Oct 2008 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>InterlacingPSPPSP-3000PSP-BriteTechFri, 31 Oct 2008 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[FFV: A plumber and his DS]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/22/ffv-a-plumber-and-his-ds/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/22/ffv-a-plumber-and-his-ds/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/22/ffv-a-plumber-and-his-ds/#commentsFiled under:


If there's one thing in this life we understand, it's the love for small gadgets that people often feel and exhibit. Heck, we turned an obsession into an actual job. That's how strong our love of the DS is.

And, as one might imagine, Nintendo's iconic character Mario has a fondness for the DS, as well. You love your DS, Mario. You love it until the end of time.

JoystiqFFV: A plumber and his DS originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 22 Feb 2008 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>disassembleddisassemblytaking-apart-dstechFri, 22 Feb 2008 19:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Become the Dr. Frankenstein of the DS world]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/12/18/become-the-dr-frankenstein-of-the-ds-world/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/12/18/become-the-dr-frankenstein-of-the-ds-world/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/12/18/become-the-dr-frankenstein-of-the-ds-world/#commentsFiled under:


Let's get down to business: you can rebuild it. You can make it stronger. You can fix your own DS. Not that you would, since Nintendo has such amazing customer service, but the relative inexpensive price of the handheld means that you can feel free to tinker and disassemble your old one with no fear and get your learn on, as you purchase a newer model to keep you warm at night and actually play games. Replacing a screen, fixing a broken hinge and just about any other major overhaul you could need to do to your DS is covered in this guide.

Handy, eh?

JoystiqBecome the Dr. Frankenstein of the DS world originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 18 Dec 2007 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>assemblyhardwarehingetechTue, 18 Dec 2007 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Tomb Raider engine to power Deus Ex 3]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/12/03/tomb-raider-engine-to-power-deus-ex-3/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/12/03/tomb-raider-engine-to-power-deus-ex-3/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/12/03/tomb-raider-engine-to-power-deus-ex-3/#commentsFiled under: ,

Adding itself to the rather small list of next-gen titles not using Epic's Unreal Engine, Eidos Montreal studio head Stephane D'Astous has confirmed to Develop that Deus Ex 3 will use fellow Eidos developer Crystal Dynamics' Tomb Raider engine to render its presumably post-apocalyptic environments. Said D'Astous, "We chose the Crystal engine because we plan to help develop this engine more and then share it back with the rest of the company, the other Eidos studios."

The other in-house engine D'Astous considered was IO Interactive, who are responsible for the Hitman franchise and Kane & Lynch, the title currently vying for "Most Controversial Game of the Year" award. The original Deus Ex was designed by Warren Spector and Harvey Smith; although Spector is busy at Disney, perhaps the now out-of-work Smith can find a way to contribute to the new game (or, as Ludwig would put it, repent for Invisible War).

JoystiqTomb Raider engine to power Deus Ex 3 originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 03 Dec 2007 15:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>crystal-dynamicsdeus-exdeus-ex-3eidostechtomb-raidertombraiderMon, 03 Dec 2007 15:51:00 EST<![CDATA[40GB PS3s run cooler, quieter, use less energy]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/10/30/40gb-ps3s-run-cooler-quieter-use-less-energy/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/10/30/40gb-ps3s-run-cooler-quieter-use-less-energy/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/10/30/40gb-ps3s-run-cooler-quieter-use-less-energy/#commentsFiled under:

A report from German site Computer Base reveals that consumers giving up backward compatibility on their 40GB PS3s are at least getting something in return. The new systems utilize the new 65nm version of the Cell processor, reducing the power usage from 200 watts to 135 and further limiting the heat and noise the system gives off.

With both the Xbox 360 and PS3 now having the cheaper, more efficient 65nm CPUs integrated into their designs, the race to 45nm can truly begin. After that? We're predicting microscopic quantum CPUs.

[Via Engadget]

Joystiq40GB PS3s run cooler, quieter, use less energy originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 30 Oct 2007 11:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>40GB65nmhardwareheatnoisepowerPS3techTue, 30 Oct 2007 11:08:00 EST<![CDATA[Currently unused component found in Wiimote]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/06/01/currently-unused-component-found-in-wiimote/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/06/01/currently-unused-component-found-in-wiimote/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/06/01/currently-unused-component-found-in-wiimote/#commentsFiled under:

OMG SECRET CHIPZBefore you go running off to troll post on various message boards, we'd like to give you some specifics. A recent CNN technology feature details some of the various chips and components found within the forty-dollar Wiimote. Among the Bluetooth converters and accelerometers is a component listed as an "audio translator," which "converts analog data such as human speech into a digital data stream. This feature is unused now but will probably be employed in future games." The approximate cost is listed at $2.00.

So, what's the deal? First, there is no actual microphone (a device capable of converting vibrational energy into electrical signals) found within the Wiimote. Though basic electrical engineering principals allow a standard speaker to act in such a fashion, the signal quality and frequency response would be unacceptably low. This chip actually requires an expansion device for it to be used at all. So why add it? It's only two dollars, but this rather unnecessary addition has cost the company several dozen million dollars. We can only assume that Nintendo or significant third parties are planning a title utilizing an expansion microphone, which will be presumably cheap enough to bundle with a title and incur no markup in price.

God knows the masses need a mainstream karaoke game (we know about Karaoke Revolution for the PS2, but it never really took off), and the Wii is just the system to do it. Like a Virginnnnn ... hey!

JoystiqCurrently unused component found in Wiimote originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 01 Jun 2007 09:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>AudioChipElectricalEngineeringExpansionKaraokeMicrophonePortSecretTechTranslatorWiimoteFri, 01 Jun 2007 09:50:00 EST<![CDATA[V-Tech game creator willing to abort game for a price]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/05/15/v-tech-game-creator-willing-to-abort-game-for-a-price/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/05/15/v-tech-game-creator-willing-to-abort-game-for-a-price/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/05/15/v-tech-game-creator-willing-to-abort-game-for-a-price/#commentsFiled under: ,

Australian Ryan Lambourn could have made his flash game based on the Virginia Tech Massacre and left it at that. However, the ensuing outrage and press coverage caused him to do something quite unusual -- hold the game for ransom. On his website he states that he'll take the game down from website Newgrounds if he receives $1000 USD, he'll take it down from his personal website if he receives $2000 and he'll apologize for creating the game for $3000.

Danny Ledonne, creator of Super Columbine Massacre RPG, writes on Lambourn's site, "It would appear to me that Ryan has no intention of doing much other than making money and gaining immediate recognition after the Virginia Tech shooting. Inevitably, comparisons between SCMRPG and VTech Rampage are being made right now. Some bloggers despise both games equally whereas others recognize a level of commentary that SCMRPG attempted which was not evident in VTR. For myself I wish to point out that SCMRPG was never a for-profit endeavor and thus I never posted statements like that which is on the VTR game's homepage"

The only thing gamers can hope now is when this news hits the mainstream press they take a restrained approach and recognize that this is not an "industry game," and it never went through the ESRB process. Lambourn responds to Ledonne's statement saying, "Danny, the donation thing is there as a joke against all the people commanding me to take my game down. I didn't think anyone would donate money to it and so far my paypal account has proven me right."

JoystiqV-Tech game creator willing to abort game for a price originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 15 May 2007 15:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cholambournledonnemassacrePCtechvirginiavtTue, 15 May 2007 15:25:00 EST<![CDATA[Sony unveils new tools to live on the Edge]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/07/sony-unveils-new-tools-to-live-on-the-edge/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/07/sony-unveils-new-tools-to-live-on-the-edge/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/07/sony-unveils-new-tools-to-live-on-the-edge/#commentsFiled under:

Empowering the development community, Sony has unveiled the PlayStation Edge: advanced graphics tools and technologies for PlayStation 3 development. A meeting on the tools is taking place later today. From the lecture announcement:

"Three first party technology teams within Sony -- the WWS Europe Advanced Technology Group, WWS America ICE team, and WWS America Tools and Technology group -- have combined to create PlayStation Edge, a set of cutting edge technologies for imminent release to all PlayStation 3 developers. Rather than overarching engine, these teams have chosen to create specialized systems that demonstrate best practices of SPU and RSX utilization. A unique tool for RSX performance analysis, extensively used in the turning of first party titles, will also be presented."

Those without technological backgrounds should find Wikipedia helpful. A video of Killzone 2 was shown last night to showcase the Edge technology. We'll be at the Edge presentation, hosted by Vince Diesi, Jon Olick and Mark Cerny, later today.

JoystiqSony unveils new tools to live on the Edge originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 07 Mar 2007 13:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>developedgegdcgdc 07Gdc07PS3sonytechWed, 07 Mar 2007 13:31:00 EST<![CDATA[A PSP video solution]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/01/16/a-psp-video-solution/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/01/16/a-psp-video-solution/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/01/16/a-psp-video-solution/#commentsFiled under: ,

Sister, brother or father site Engadget (I never really looked at the family tree) has reported about a hardware solution to help PSP owners convert videos for their system of choice. The ADS Tech Instant Video To-Go is a USB stick format device that has a "hardware accelerator" enabling gamers to convert videos "up to five times faster than real time." The device supports the following file types: MP4, AVI, WMV, MOV, RM, JPG, TIFF and MTP. ADS Tech also claims the device can reduce a 100 minute MPEG2/VOB into a 320x240 H.264 file in about twenty minutes.

The Instant Video To-Go retails for $79.95 and may be a great solution for PSP video buffs looking for a quicker solution for format conversion.

JoystiqA PSP video solution originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 16 Jan 2007 04:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>accessoriesads techAdsTechengadgetinstant video to-goInstantVideoTo-gotechvideovideo conversionVideoConversionTue, 16 Jan 2007 04:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Illinois students revive the Power Glove]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2006/12/07/illinois-students-revive-the-power-glove/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/12/07/illinois-students-revive-the-power-glove/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/12/07/illinois-students-revive-the-power-glove/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


Tilt-sensitive controllers? Magic-wand-style pointers? That's just kids stuff. Everyone knows that the Power Glove is the only video game controller so good that it's so bad. Now, two University of Illinois grad students are bringing the concept into the next generation with a prototype glove controller of their own.

The glove, developed as part of a technology entrepreneurship class by Jason Skowronski and Shivani Jain, accurately models the bending of finger joints and the hand's position and orientation in space, according to a (Champaign, Ill.) News-Gazette story. While video games are the most obvious and lucrative application for such a device, the glove is also being considered for use as a virtual mobile keyboard or a sign language interpreter.

The pair is reportedly trying to get the technology into the sub-$100 range as they patent their ideas and pitch them to game companies. We hope someone bites -- just imagine being able to flip someone the bird and see it accurately recreated in your game of Barbie's Horse Adventure 2: the Revenge. How's that for interactive?

JoystiqIllinois students revive the Power Glove originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 07 Dec 2006 12:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>controllerglovepower glovePowerGlovePS3techWiiThu, 07 Dec 2006 12:55:00 EST<![CDATA[Fortune says Wii is "scary tech"]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2006/11/03/fortune-says-wii-is-scary-tech/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/11/03/fortune-says-wii-is-scary-tech/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/11/03/fortune-says-wii-is-scary-tech/#commentsFiled under:

Is it the motion-sensing Wiimote? Is it the lack of HD visuals its competitors are banking on? Is it the Wii Channels interface and always-on WiiConnect24 online service? Nope, none of the above describe why Fortune has declared the Wii one of its "scary techs of 2006." It's the name. It's the name alone.

Sorry guys, you are months late for that ship, which has literally sailed off, come back and sailed off again.

[Via Joystiq]

JoystiqFortune says Wii is "scary tech" originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 03 Nov 2006 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>fortunenintendonintendowiiscaryscarytechtechwiiFri, 03 Nov 2006 14:30:00 EST<![CDATA[PS3 smoke and mirrors?: IBM stats]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2006/04/30/ps3-smoke-and-mirrors-ibm-specs/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/04/30/ps3-smoke-and-mirrors-ibm-specs/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/04/30/ps3-smoke-and-mirrors-ibm-specs/#commentsFiled under:

I don't pretend to be an expert on matters technical, but reader Crimson Angelus sure sounds like he knows what he's talking about:

At this year's E3 (or thereabouts) Sony proclaimed that their processor could achieve 200GFLOPS! However, according to IBM's white paper, only 155.5 GFLOPS was actually achieved (Table 4). BUT, IBM's tests used all 8 SPEs. The PS3 will only use 7 SPE's, due to manufacturing yield issues.

The efficiency of the Cell is 75.9% (Table 4), with of a theoretical peak of 201GFLOPs (Figure 5)--running 8 SPEs at 25.12GFLOPS apiece (Table 2). Similarly, the theoretical peak for the PS3's processor will be 176GFLOPS, using 7 SPEs at 25.12GFLOPS apiece. Assuming the same 75.9% effieciency, we could easily interpolate the PS3's Cell to be capable of 133.6GFLOPS.

The take home message is that with the PS3 being cabable of 133.6 GFLOPS and the Xbox 360 being capable of 115.2 GFLOPS, the PS3 is not nearly as far ahead of the Xbox 360 as we were lead to believe. we should expect relatively similar power coming from both consoles, processor power, and ease of programming all considered.

Not to mention that one of the SPE's in the PS3 are reserved for the OS and the bottlenecking of the data transfer between the SPE's and the on board memory. I see the 360 hand in hand with a gaming Revolution taking home this next round at least, if not the whole cake over time.

He's working off this data, which has been around for a while.

So much for "twice the processing power,"  though I'm interested to learn just how many GFLOPS it takes to enter the fourth dimension. Any tech-minded PS3 fanboys care to argue, or are you still busy making fun of the Wii fanboys?

JoystiqPS3 smoke and mirrors?: IBM stats originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 30 Apr 2006 23:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>specstechSun, 30 Apr 2006 23:45:00 EST