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Turn your Wii U into a Karaoke Machine By Joysound

Gaming
News

Chris Hare

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Jul 2, 2013

Are you a seasoned karaoke veterans and newcomers alike – a unique Japanese karaoke box experience is coming to Wii U later in 2013, giving you the choice to have a private sing-along with friends in your living room, or compete to become one of Europe’s finest voices! Wii Karaoke U by JOYSOUND is a new karaoke application that will double up the Wii U GamePad as both a fully-fledged music back catalogue and microphone, offering up the traditional features of a karaoke session for any occasion.

From launch, the Wii Karaoke U by JOYSOUND software will be a free download from Nintendo eShop, with an extensive library of music available via streaming. The premise is simple – you choose whether to use the application for one hour, 24 hours or 30 days, purchase the ticket from Nintendo eShop, and presuming you have already downloaded the application on your Wii U, it’s time to unleash your singing voice! Wii Karaoke U by JOYSOUND puts the music choice literally into the palm of your hands via the Wii U GamePad, which acts as the catalogue to browse songs and create song lists of karaoke favourites.

In addition, the Wii U GamePad doubles up as a microphone, however the Wii U microphone and compatible USB microphones can be used for those wanting to pull off iconic poses like their favourite artists. Aside from the regular karaoke mode, the application offers three main modes which will put your skills to the test by scoring your performance with points that are awarded when the right notes are hit! The first mode shows your score at the end of the song, allowing you to relax and just sing, so you can use it to learn a new song or try a new singing technique. In the second mode, your score is shown in detail via a performance analysis feature allowing you to get special feedback on your vocal strengths and weaknesses.

The third mode, however, is when the competition starts to heat up, with your score used in an online ranking feature enabling you to compete with other users from across Europe to vie for the top spot of being the best singer of each song from the catalogue. Whether your forte is R&B, or more in tune with Country, each song available through the application will have a constantly updating leaderboard of the best performers, so you’ll need to keep up the standards to stay on top. Whatever you achieve there will be a mechanism which enables you to post a screenshot on Miiverse to proudly show off your singing prowess to others!

Whilst you sing, your Mii character will be in the thick of the action on-screen, with the ability to perform in a range of musical backdrops, don a variety of different costumes, and tailor performance sets and song lists to create your own Mii karaoke identity. If you want to mix up your song list at any point, a History button is available on the Wii U GamePad, which shows a list of a user’s previously sang songs for selection. Sing with friends in your living room or compete against the rest of Europe to climb online leaderboards in Wii Karaoke U by JOYSOUND, when the application launches on Wii U later in 2013.

Xbox 360 “Ultimate Game Sale” For 2nd July

Gaming
News

Chris Hare

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Jul 2, 2013

0

Major Nelson has posted the Xbox LIVE “Ultimate Game Sale” starts today. Each day between now and July 5th, Microsoft will do a new set of titles on sale. The special prices will be available to all Xbox Live Members (Gold and Free.) Microsoft starts with the following Xbox 360 Games On Demand titles on-sale. These titles will be available at the special sale price today only Grab ‘em while you can:

July 2nd Offers Regular Sale Price Save Savings

Assassin’s Creed 3 Normal Price $39.99 Sale Price $14.99 / £8.99 Saving $25.00 63%

Borderlands 2 Normal Price $39.99 Sale Price $9.99 / £8.99 $30.00 75%

Far Cry 3 Normal Price $59.99 Sale Price $19.99 / £8.99 Saving $40.00 67%

Max Payne 3 Normal Price $39.99 Sale Price $9.99 / £8.99 Saving $30.00 75%

Canon announces the new EOS 70D DSLR camera

Andrew Edney

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Jul 2, 2013

0

Canon today unveils an outstanding new addition to its world-famous EOS series – the EOS 70D. Designed for aspiring enthusiast photographers, the EOS 70D is the ideal camera for anyone looking to take their photography to the next level. It combines completely new, world-first Canon imaging technology with powerful, creative and wireless sharing features – delivering a responsive, all-purpose camera ideal for capturing the moment with stunning images and Full HD video.

Capture the moment with stills and Full HD movies

The EOS 70D features a new 20.2 MP APS-C CMOS sensor, designed and manufactured by Canon. It’s the first Digital SLR in the world to feature ground-breaking Dual Pixel CMOS AF technology, which delivers smooth and accurate autofocus (AF) when shooting Full HD movies and fast AF acquisition when shooting in Live View mode.

Paired with the 14-bit DIGIC 5+ processor and 19-point all cross-type AF System, the EOS 70D captures incredible, full resolution images at up to 7 frames per second, with up to 65 JPEG or 16 RAW images in a single burst. Additionally, a native ISO range of ISO 100-12800 enables photographers to shoot in lower light conditions and use faster shutter speeds whilst retaining high image quality.

“I was incredibly impressed with how many new technologies the EOS 70D packs into one body, and how versatile it is,” said Brutus Östling, Canon Ambassador. “The EOS 70D is the perfect camera for anyone that wants to develop their photography skills. Not only is it suited to shooting people, landscapes and action easily and in outstanding quality, but also filming subjects in Full HD with focus speeds I never thought would be possible. The camera proved itself in the most challenging of circumstances, and had a range of new-generation technologies to comfortably solve any test I threw at it – especially with the new Dual Pixel CMOS AF technology. It really takes DSLR shooting and filmmaking to a whole new level.”

Canon’s new Dual Pixel CMOS AF provides swift AF performance when shooting in Live View mode and smooth accurate focus for Full HD movies. It makes it easy for users to take their next step with movies, enabling them to keep moving subjects in sharp focus and create professional-looking pull-focus effects. The technology utilises advanced CMOS architecture, allowing two photodiodes to be mounted within each pixel, both of which can be read independently to achieve autofocus, or together for image capture, with maximum image quality at all times.

An advanced AF system for stills includes 19 cross-type AF points spread across the frame, providing high speed, accurate AF – ideal for tracking sports and wildlife subjects as they move within the frame. The AF system is customisable, allowing photographers to adapt to the subject they’re shooting. AF points can be used individually, together in small groups, or as a wide active area for more unpredictable subjects. A dedicated AF area selection button, positioned conveniently next to the shutter release, enables quick switching between modes, without having to take the camera away from the eye.

Expertly designed for professional control

The EOS 70D’s powerful specification is packed into an expertly-engineered body that’s designed for comfort and swift operation. The Intelligent Viewfinder, with 98 per cent frame coverage and 0.95x magnification, allows photographers to comfortably frame their images and visualise settings via the electronic overlay. Conveniently-placed controls provide instant access to the most frequently used settings, such as ISO, AF mode selection and metering, so users can quickly change settings and concentrate on capturing the moment.

A 7.7cm (3.0”) Vari-angle Clear View LCD II Touch screen with a sharp 1,040k dot resolution is ideal for video shooting, or composing images from unusual and creative angles. The screen is a capacitive type, which supports a series of multi-touch gestures including swiping and pinch-zooming – perfect for navigating menus, amending settings or flicking through images.

Clever connectivity for easy control and instant sharing

The EOS 70D is the latest EOS model to feature integrated Wi-Fi, providing the freedom to remotely control the camera, as well as share images. Using Wi-Fi connectivity, users can connect to the EOS Remote app and control a wide range of image settings, including ISO and exposure, as well as focus and release the shutter. Photographers can also remotely use Live View mode, as well as review and rate their images.

Instant creativity unleashed

The EOS 70D features a host of creative modes to make capturing unique images easy. In-camera HDR removes the challenges of shooting in tricky, high contrast situations, merging three exposures into one that captures more detail in both the shadow and highlight areas. With multiple-exposure mode, photographers can shoot and combine up to nine exposures into a single image, or use a range of Creative Filters to instantly change the style and look of their shot.

Experimenting with creative off-camera flash is easy, thanks to the Integrated Speedlite transmitter, which provides in-camera control of multiple Canon Speedlite EX flash units.

Creative Full HD Movies

Alongside beautiful stills, the EOS 70D allows photographers to create high quality movies with ease. Full HD (1920 x 1080p) resolution video can be captured with a choice of selectable frame rates, including 30, 25 or 24fps, and 60 and 50fps at 720p, and a range of compression options for post-editing and sharing. Thanks to new

Dual Pixel CMOS AF, Movie Servo AF mode tracks subjects as they move, or even as shots are recomposed, ensuring they’re always in focus. Alternatively, users can select different focus areas over 80 per cent of the frame [ii] simply by tapping the touch-screen, even when recording – ensuring that movies stay sharp and clear if a subject moves or the user changes the composition of a shot.

Videographers can also enjoy stereo sound using the internal microphone, or enhance audio with the in-built external microphone input terminal. Full control over settings such as aperture and ISO is also possible within manual mode, giving users greater freedom as their skills develop.

EOS 70D – key features:

· 20.2 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor and DIGIC 5+

· 19 point cross-type AF System and 7 fps shooting

· Dual Pixel CMOS AF

· Instant sharing and remote control with Wi-Fi

· ISO 12800 (H:25600)

· Vari-angle 7.7cm ClearView II LCD touch screen

· Intelligent viewfinder

· Full-HD movies

Pricing and availability:

The EOS 70D is available from late August, with an SRP of:

£1079.99 – body only

£1199.99 – with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM

£1399.99 – with EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM

£229.99 – Battery Grip BG-E14

NVIDIA release WHQL-certified GeForce drivers for the Windows 8.1 Release Preview

Andrew Edney

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Jul 2, 2013

0

NVIDIA have released WHQL-certified GeForce drivers for the Windows 8.1 Release Preview.

You can install the new GeForce driver version 326.01 for Windows 8.1 from Windows Update after you install the Release Preview.

The list of supported GeForce GPUs for Windows 8 can be found here on NVIDIA.com.

Here are direct driver links:
Desktop GPUs: GeForce 326.01 for Windows 8.1 Preview 32-bit
Desktop GPUs: GeForce 326.01 for Windows 8.1 Preview 64-bit
Notebook GPUs: GeForce 326.01 for Windows 8.1 Preview 32-bit
Notebook GPUs: GeForce 326.01 for Windows 8.1 Preview 64-bit

Call Of Duty : Ghosts Ups the Ante with All New Bonus Map with Pre-Orders

Gaming
News

Chris Hare

-

Jul 1, 2013

0

Call of duty is a franchise that has defined a generation of gaming, and the one set to raise the bar yet again on the 5^th of November, is delivering a compelling, all-new pre-order incentive for Call of Duty: Ghosts’ highly anticipated multiplayer mode. Available exclusively at GAME in the UK and Gamestop in Ireland, fans that pre-order the game will receive the Free Fall downloadable bonus map that features the new dynamic map event mechanic, included with their copy of the game at launch. Free Fall ushers in the first details on how players will encounter the changing environments in the leading multiplayer experience on consoles.

As an example of just one of Call of Duty: Ghosts’ new dynamic map events, Free Fall drops players into a shattered skyscraper on the brink of collapse. Sideways staircases climb into the night sky, elevator shafts run along the ground, and what were once windows now form a terrifying glass floor, hundreds of feet above the city streets. Free Fall’s close-quarters combat and frenetic action are then thrown into overdrive as the ruined skyscraper continues to fall throughout the match. With every drop, the accompanying shockwaves cause further destruction, disrupting sightlines and constantly evolving paths and chokepoints as the map changes in real-time.

“Dynamic map events change the way players approach the game, and Free Fall does a great job illustrating this new mechanic,” said Mark Rubin, executive producer at Infinity Ward. “As the match progresses, the geometry of the world continues to change and players need to adjust on the fly or else. It’s a really fun new feature that adds layers of strategy and constantly evolving gameplay options for players. And this is just one of the many new approaches we’re putting into Ghosts’ multiplayer across the board. There’s so much more that we look forward to sharing in the weeks to come.”

Call of Duty: Ghosts will release on Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation 3 and PC on 5^th November. Call
of Duty: Ghosts will also release on the Xbox One, , and PlayStation® 4 later this year.

Is Microsoft’s Don Mattrick Going to Zynga? (Updated)

Chris Hare

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Jul 1, 2013

0

Update

Zynga has today announced that the Company has appointed Don Mattrick as Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board of Directors, effective July 8, 2013. Mattrick has been at the forefront of the industry and brings more than 30 years of executive experience developing, building and managing profitable entertainment businesses.

Original Story

Rumour is the Don Mattrick, the most senior executive within Microsoft’s Interactive Entertainment Business, has allegedly announced his intention to leave the Microsoft. According to The Wall Street Journal, Don Mattrick is departing to take up the role of chief executive officer at social games group Zynga.

Man of Steel Update for Mobile Game

Apple

Chris Hare

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Jul 1, 2013

0

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment has released the first update for the Man of Steel action-adventure mobile game, which features a batch of exciting new story content and a new suit for Superman that is available for purchase.

In the new chapter of Story Mode, General Zod has released the World Engine and only the Man of Steel can stop it. Players will witness a new action-packed cinematic scene followed by players taking on the role of Superman to see if they can defeat this menacing threat. The World Engine serves up a new challenge to Man of Steel players with the introduction of a brand new combat mechanic.

Along with the additional story content, Superman fans can also check out the new Skin Suit, pulled straight from the “Man of Steel” film, which will give players a boost to Kal-El’s power, health, and damage resistance. The Man of Steel mobile game is available now on the App Store for iPad, as well as Google Play and Amazon Appstore for Android smartphones and tablets for £2.99. The iPhone and iPod touch version is available for £1.99.

The Man of Steel mobile game is based on DC Comics’ iconic Superman character and inspired by the Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures feature film “Man of Steel.” The game is a 3D-brawler that lets players combat General Zod and his invading Kryptonian forces on both ground and air in a fast-paced mobile adventure.

Three UK Makes Pay As You Go as Easy as 321

Chris Hare

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Jul 1, 2013

0

Three UK Makes Pay As You Go as Easy as 321

Have you or someone you know had problems working out the price for Pay As You Go is the past. Then Three UK believe in keeping things simple as well as offering the customers great value for money.

Three don’t believe you should have to convert your credit to get the most for your money (not unless you want to anyway!) Neither do Three think you should have to pay high base rates just because you choose not to buy an add-on. That’s why we’ve decided to go back to basics and make things as simple as 3-2-1.

Thomas Malleschitz, marketing director at Three said: “Consumers are forced into choosing where they want best value – whether that’s calls, texts or internet. Our new rates strip things right back to basics with a simple, clear and transparent rate for calls, texts and internet use that offers clear value across the board. It’s important to us that our Pay As You Go customers can use our Ultrafast network to chat, text and enjoy the internet without making a trade-off on value. This is Pay as You Go in its purest form.”

As top-up plans were originally, You will pay 3p for each minute of talk time, 2p a text and 1p for 1MB of data. That’s it. And every penny of credit you add to your account will go to paying for those functions. “Credit lasts until every penny is spent,” claims the Three. The new 3.2.1 Pay as you go starts today (1st July).

Download Issue 14 of The MagPi Digital Magazine for lovers of the Raspberry Pi

Andrew Edney

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Jul 1, 2013

0

If you have, or are interested in the Raspberry Pi, then you might want to download the new issue of The MagPi digital magazine.

This is how the Raspberry Pi guys describe the magazine:

The MagPi, a free online magazine dedicated to the Raspberry Pi, whose first issue was released a few days ago, is a perfect example of that. It’s been put together entirely by volunteers, guided by Ash Stone, Jason “Jaseman” Davies, Meltwater and other names you may recognise from the forums and comments on this site. I was broadly aware they were up to something, but I was amazed at the scope of what they sent me to look at earlier in the week, and I’ve been really, really impressed by the first issue. There are Debian and Puppy guides, articles on computing history, ideas for robotics projects, tutorials in Scratch and Python (with code you can type in yourself, just like in the good old days), features about the Raspberry Pi itself, and other goodies to dig into. I really can’t recommend it enough, and if you haven’t been lucky enough to get to the head of the queue, you don’t need a Raspberry Pi to find it useful (you might actually find the magazine good preparation before yours arrives).

It is a really interesting read – so go download it today, and let us know what you think!

Download the new issue of The MagPi here Check out the videos we made with Eben Upton Check out our unboxing of our Raspberry Pi

Jack Keane 2 – The Fire Within Out Now for PC

Gaming
News

Chris Hare

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Jun 30, 2013

0

Jack Keane 2 – The Fire Within Out Now for PC

Nordic Games has announce the point and click adventure sequel Jack Keane 2 – The Fire Within is out now for Windows PC.

The cinematic tale takes players on another epic exploration across Shanghai in the late 1800s.
With a story packed full of twists and turns, players will be led on a bizarre yet comical adventure and, as usual, nothing will go Keane’s way.

Featuring state-of-the art 3D graphics, Jack Keane will continue to delight in his light-hearted, humorous way that made fans adore him in the original game. Whilst hunting for treasure along with his companion the beautiful Amanda, Keane will come across old friends as well as meeting new faces including a number of villains and an elegant city girl by the name of Eve, who will become one of his new distractions.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzAbzjNOVas?feature=player_embedded%5D

“It is another great adventure gem that will be coming out of Germany to an international audience this year, further enriching The Adventure Company’s (a Nordic Games division) portfolio,” said Philipp Brock, PR Manager at Nordic Games. “We are excited to be bringing back Jack Keane to all the fans who adored him in the first instalment of the story. It’s a mysterious adventure that has a great deal of charm and will appeal to both fans of the series and newcomers alike.”

“It’s great to be working alongside Nordic Games on the second adventure for Jack Keane,” said Florian Stadlbauer, Executive Director at Deck 13. “With this game we’ve aimed to revolutionize the traditional point and click genre by expanding traditional rules but still remaining true to the genre to make it a truly 21st century adventure game.”

Several years after Jack Keane’s first adventure he is drawn to the Chinese City, Shanghai because of its hidden treasure within. His travels will take him inside the notorious Shanghai prison walls for the adventure of his life.

Developed by Deck 13, Jack Keane includes state of the art 3D-graphics, gripping action sequences and the typical bizarre Jack Keanesque humour. Using the Fledge engine the games sequences are fast paced and have been combined with iconic point and click gameplay.

Jeane Keane is out now for Windows PC, priced £24.99.

Dark Matter on Kickstarter has released New Video Demonstrating it

Gaming
News

Chris Hare

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Jun 30, 2013

0

Dark Matter on Kickstarter has released New Video Demonstrating it

Interwave Studios has released a new mini-video demonstrating how light works in Dark Matter, its in-development Metroid-like, intense sci-fi side scrolling game that combines the twitch mechanics of a first person shooter with an adventure platformer. Dark Matter is on Kickstarter trying to fund £50,000 for this project.

Dark Matter is a modern, tense reimagining of classic platforming action games, with a deep storyline and tactical combat.

Dark Matter is at its core a modern descendant of Metroid. It is a game driven by the same progressively unlockable level mechanics, but with a supercharged atmosphere where light and darkness play a vital role in enemy AI, and the player’s survival.

Dark Matter is a tough side scrolling action game where sometimes the best action is to know when to not attack, or when to lure an enemy into a mag-lock door, rather than rush into a room guns blazing.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsIOKWWhkIU?feature=player_detailpage%5D

Dark Matter is a single player, 2.5D adventure platformer.
Experience an all new setting and story.
Combat requires aim and consideration as well as reflexes.
Dark Matter’s controls were designed to be instantly accessible to hardened FPS players, as well as console gamers.
Find up to six weapons, equip one of four ammo types in each, and customize them with your favourite modules.
Dark Matter will be available for PC, Mac and Linux at launch.
Dark Matter is fully localizable. It will launch in English, Dutch, German and Italian.
We will distribute DRM-free downloads as well as Steam keys (if and when they become available) to all backers.

Exclusive interview with James C Burns (the voice of Sgt Woods from Black Ops) at E3 2013

Andrew Edney

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Jun 30, 2013

0

At E3 I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to sit down with actor James C Burns who plays Sgt Woods from the Call of Duty Black Ops series.

James not only does the voice of Sgt Woods, but he also did the mocap for him too!

In the interview we talk about Sgt Woods, the possibility of a Black Ops 3, that music video at the end of Black Ops 2, his Redacted comic book and his Nam Zombies movie, amongst others things.

So over to James:

And thanks again to James for taking the time to talk to me and to Turtle Beach for arranging everything.

The Turtle Beach Heroes and Villains panel at E3 2013

Andrew Edney

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Jun 30, 2013

0

Back at E3, Turtle Beach gathered some of the best known names in voice acting for a panel called Heroes and Villains.

The panel consisted of Nolan North, Troy Baker, James C Burns, Steve Blum and David Eddings.

Over to the guys:

Do you have a favourite character voiced by one of the guys? Let us know who it is by leaving a comment below.

Testing an EE 4G Sim Card in London

Andrew Edney

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Jun 29, 2013

0

With EE rolling out 4G around the country, we had the chance to take one of their 4G sim cards out for a spin.

I used the 4G sim card in an unlocked HTC One smarphone so that I could ensure maximum compatibility.

The sim worked straight away and I was surprised that I actually managed to get 4G in various parts of Surrey. The screenshot at the top of the article shows my download speed test at 26299 kbps even though I only have one signal bar.

I took the sim into London, where I was expecting it to work perfectly. This is the result of the test at Waterloo Station – 35521 kbps, not a bad speed if I do say so myself.

I set up the wi-fi tethering on the HTC One and connected my iPhone 5 to and ran another speed test – I still got a very high sped for 32.13 Mpbs.

Using my normal 3 sim card all I could get in Waterloo Station at that time was 0.06 Mbps, so I think you will agree that is quite a difference!

There were times however when I was a little disappointed with the performance. As I mentioned, I expected Central London to have amazing speeds, but I could be standing on one side of the road with 4G and yet on the other side of the road I would only have 3G. And this happened quite a lot so I think EE have a little ways to go yet in getting consistent performance.

So if you are in an area that gets EE’s 4G coverage and you want high speed then you should seriously consider a sim card from EE, although price wise they are not the cheapest if you are not going to use it much or you are in an area that doesn’t get 4G!

Here are the current prices for a 12 month Sim only deal:

Learn more about the various EE options by visiting the EE website.

Are you using EE’s 4G service? Let us know by leaving a comment below.