unwaba revelations

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Replicating Reality demos 3D virtual reality system powered by pixel packed microdisplays

http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/08/replicating-reality-demos-3d-virtual-reality-system-powered-by-p/

Kopin's a company known for diminutive displays destined for duty as electronic view finders in camcorders and digicams. At E3 this year, the company's subsidiary Forth Dimensions Displays has unveiled a new use for its teeny tiny screens -- virtual reality. Called Replicating Reality, it uses two .8-inch 1280 x 1024 LCD panels and head tracking to place you in a 3D virtual world. We got to test the system through a racing game, and found that it works pretty darn well. Graphics were of console quality, with nary a hint of image distortion from the system's magnification lenses and pixel pitch was imperceptible to our eyes. Basically, there was no indication that the screens our gaze was fixed upon were less than an inch across. The sharp picture combined with the system's head tracking -- which let us look around while taking turns and weaving through traffic -- to create quite an immersive experience. Of course, it still looked like a game, but there's a pixel packed 2048 x 1536 panel in the works that the company claims can deliver visuals nigh-indistinguishable from the real world. We were told that prototypes of these QXGA screens will be ready in ten months, and they'll be suitable for public consumption in a year. So, the real question is: will your eyeballs be prepared to handle such prodigious pixel density by then?

Sony's PlayStation Vita: a closer look

http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/07/sonys-playstation-vita-a-closer-look/

We told you what Sony's PlayStation Vita felt like, but here it is in the glossy plastic flesh -- all five-inches of vibrant OLED display, two cameras, dual analog sticks, twelve buttons, two capacitive digitizers and a D-pad. Check out the gallery below for some close-up shots, and hop on past the break for some video footage of the quad-core handheld in action.

Update: Sony just answered a few burning questions for us -- mainly about those mysterious ports we spotted on the bottom and top. Apparently those top port covers will hold one slot for the official PSVita game cards, and another slot for regular removable media for downloadable content and saves, and the port that's occupying one of those places will be removed. Meanwhile, the large socket at the bottom is a "multiport" that provides power, connectivity and might do video-out. We couldn't get any firm details about the AT&T 3G partnership, by the way, but we're told that there will be a special cellular plan of some sort. As you'd expect, Sony's also not talking battery life, but a developer told us that -- with the exception of graphically intensive titles like Uncharted -- the company's shooting for parity with the original PlayStation Portable.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Pictures: Chile Volcano Plume Explodes With Lightning

In a scene no human could have witnessed, an apocalyptic agglommeration of lightning bolts illuminates an ash cloud above Chile's Puyehue volcano (map) on Sunday.

The minutes-long exposure shows individual bolts as if they'd all occurred at the same moment and, due to the Earth's rotation, renders stars (left) as streaks. Lightning to the right of the ash cloud appears to have illuminated nearby clouds—hence the apparent absence of stars on that side of the picture.

After an ominous series of earthquakes Saturday morning, the volcano erupted that afternoon, convincing authorities to evacuate some 3,500 area residents. Eruptions over the course of the weekend resulted in heavy ashfalls, including in Argentine towns 60 miles (a hundred kilometers) away.

—With reporting by Christine Dell'Amore

Volcanoes! (National Geographic Readers)

Killzone 3 PS3 sales hold in top five at retailer

Killzone 3 PS3 sales hold in top five at retailer | PS3 News - Playstation 3 Insiders

Sales for Sony Corp.’s Killzone 3 for the Playstation 3 held in the top five sales at retailer Amazon.com Inc. this week amid strong launch demand for the sequel.

This week, Killzone 3 ranked as the No. 5 best-selling product in Amazon’s Video Games division.

Killzone 3 is sold in a standard SKU and a Helghast Edition SKU.

The Killzone 3 Helghast Edition SKU includes a Helghast Helmet replica, bonus video content, art book, an exclusive Cloaking Helghast Marksman action figure, and a super voucher that includes the Killzone 3 soundtrack and PS3 Dynamic Theme, Retro Map Pack, Double XP for the first 24 hours of multiplayer gameplay, and Full access to all weapons and abilities during the first 24 hours of multiplayer gameplay at $129.99.

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

PlayStation Move Sharpshooter hands-on: a first-party SMG peripheral coming in February -- Engadget

This isn't the first PlayStation Move peripheral to replicate a firearm, but the Sharpshooter is brought to you by Sony itself, so you expect a higher degree of quality than from the third-party deluge. And if you're the sort who like to accessorize, it's a pretty good offering. We had a chance to check it out this morning over a brief round of Killzone 3, which Sony says was the inspiration (along with the upcomingSOCOM).