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- Nintendo Japan Announces Title List For Their Game Boy Advance 3DS Ambassador Program
- Nintendo 3DS Is Selling Like Hot Cakes In Japan, Thanks To Monster Hunter 3G
- Daily Crunch: Up In The Air
- Other OS Class Action Case Against Sony Dismissed
- Paul Allen And Burt Rutan Launch Stratolaunch Systems, Plan To Build World’s Largest Aircraft
- American Airlines First To Be Granted FAA Approval For Pilot iPads
- Heads-Up: Lumus Shows Off 720p, See-Through Video Glasses
- Nintendo Reveals The 2012′s 3DS Release Schedule, Look For Kid Icarus, Tekken and MGS 3D This Winter
| Nintendo Japan Announces Title List For Their Game Boy Advance 3DS Ambassador Program Posted: 14 Dec 2011 04:20 AM PST  It’s now video game history: after the 3DS didn’t sell as well as expected, Nintendo decided to go for a sudden, massive price drop for its portable console worldwide. In Japan, for example, the price fell by 40% from 25,000 yen to 15,000 yen. Later, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata apologized to buyers and promised a bunch of free games for early adopters, no matter where the device was bought. It took them a while, but Nintendo finally sent out an email to users in Japan that contains all ten Gameboy Advance titles that are part of the so-called “3DS Ambassador Program” (which is to make up for the price cut). Here are the titles: - F-Zero (“Maximum Velocity”) 3DS users will be able to download these (pretty solid) games this Friday, free of charge. Expect Nintendo in the US and Europe to follow up soon.
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| Nintendo 3DS Is Selling Like Hot Cakes In Japan, Thanks To Monster Hunter 3G Posted: 14 Dec 2011 01:27 AM PST  The 3DS sure had a bumpy start, but it seems Nintendo boss Satoru Iwata’s hunch that sales will pick up (we reported last week) is right. According to Japan's biggest video game magazine Famitsu, the 3DS sold a solid 378,114 units between December 5 and 11. Nintendo reported 371,326 units sold in the first two days after launch in Japan, but the last week was the most successful one for big N after initial interest got weaker (see graph below). Apart from the general boost for the video game market as a whole observed every holiday season, there is one specific reason for the spike the 3DS has seen last week: Capcom’s Monster Hunter 3G, which went on sale in Japan on December 10, and apparently made many new players buy the system. Based on Wii game Monster Hunter 3, Monster Hunter 3G is the first 3DS title in the fantasy action RPG series (which is especially popular on the Japanese market). According to Famitsu, the game was sold a whopping 471,055 times – in just two days (December 10 and 11). Japanese Monster Hunter fans are also able to lay their hands on a cool special edition 3DS that hit stores at the same time the game did (pictured above), which probably also helped boost sales.
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| Posted: 14 Dec 2011 01:00 AM PST  Here are some recent posts on TechCrunch Gadgets: American Airlines First To Be Granted FAA Approval For Pilot iPads Paul Allen And Burt Rutan Launch Stratolaunch Systems, Plan To Build World's Largest Aircraft Video: Honda's (Amazing) Personal Mobility Robot Uni-Cub Heads-Up: Lumus Shows Off 720p, See-Through Video Glasses
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| Other OS Class Action Case Against Sony Dismissed Posted: 13 Dec 2011 03:22 PM PST  The “Other OS” controversy is one of those things that, while in a way trivial, is really a proxy battle over a much larger problem. Briefly stated, Sony upset some users by removing the ability to install another OS on their PS3, an option that allowed the powerful console to be used as a PC, media center, or pretty much anything. The removal of this option and effective outlawing of the practice caused a geeky backlash that had less to do with the inability to run a Linux box on your TV than the fact that Sony was dictating what you could do with your device after the fact. These things get resolved in all sorts of ways, but this one ended up in a class action lawsuit that said Sony was in breach of its agreement with users. Unfortunately for the class members, the suit has been dismissed on the grounds that the behavior may have been questionable but could not be shown to be illegal. Here’s U.S. District Judge Seeborg on the matter: As a matter of providing customer satisfaction and building loyalty, it may have been questionable. As a legal matter, however, plaintiffs have failed to allege facts or articulate a theory on which Sony may be held liable. It’s a fair judgment, in my opinion: while I think it’s a form of bullying that Sony removed the option, it’s also part of their right to secure their console environment. I wrote in my User’s Manifesto that while users are justified in employing whatever means necessary to circumvent unreasonable protections, manufacturers are free to do the same to avoid those circumventions, and part of that is withholding updates and other negative reinforcements. The fact is, as the judge points out, the updates are quite optional, though you will miss out on certain abilities and perhaps online play, but Sony is within its rights to take those away if you are working outside the agreement. Hacking your device is a right, but what companies like Sony provide is a privilege. By exerting your rights, you sometimes lose privileges — it’s just part of the deal. But legality doesn’t mean it’s a good idea or consumer-friendly practice. Sony needs to be more open and permissive or it risks the ire of more and more users. Random restrictions on the way you can use and share your games and hardware will only cause more people to chafe and seek relief in hacks, as they should. I’d like to say this ruling won’t embolden Sony to further restrictions, but considering they are now immune to class action lawsuits among other things, it will probably only get worse. For those undaunted by the prospect of potential excommunication from the church of Sony, you can keep up with Other OS news here or at other fan sites.
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| Paul Allen And Burt Rutan Launch Stratolaunch Systems, Plan To Build World’s Largest Aircraft Posted: 13 Dec 2011 02:16 PM PST  Having conquered the terrestrial realm, today’s big money is looking to the skies for new regions to subjugate. And what was a lark ten years ago now appears to be a common hobby among a certain ambitious type of mogul not given to the habit of collecting megayachts. Their millions have produced results, however, and while the shuttles have been retiring, the private space ships have been making flight after flight. Paul Allen and Burt Rutan worked together on the original SpaceShipOne, part of a challenge to build a reliable extra-atmospheric aircraft. The design has been refined and (to an extent) commercialized by Virgin Galactic, but Allen and Rutan want to make an entirely new aircraft. And they’re not modest about their ambition: Stratolaunch Systems, their new venture, aims to create the largest aircraft ever flown. How’s that for a mission statement? The idea is to minimize the cost of launching materials and eventually people into space. The problem with the space shuttles, and nearly every other form of space-directed travel, is that they rely on rocket boosters to launch them straight up from the ground. When you think about it, it’s a bit primitive, isn’t it? The solution is to get the payload into the air first, give it some speed, and then boost it with the rockets to escape velocity. The SpaceShip series of spacecraft does this, riding underneath a WhiteKnight and then detaching, boosting, and escaping. Stratolaunch hopes to improve the WhiteKnight method, allowing for larger items and potentially spacecraft to be launched into orbit. Powered by six 747 engines, with a wingspan of 380 feet, and requiring a runway more than two miles long, this would in fact be the largest aircraft ever to take flight – yes, wider than the Spruce Goose, though slightly lighter than the An-225. The rocket booster/orbital payload (built by Elon Musk’s Space Exploration Technologies) is mounted centrally, and the pilots, fuel and passengers would be put in two pontoon-like cargo areas, each the size of a jumbo jet’s. It would take off in the traditional way, fly until it reached a suitable speed and position, then boost News of the new partnership and company has been bubbling under the surface for a while, but this is the first public announcement regarding the joint venture. Money was not mentioned, possibly because the sums involved are simply to high and too complex to break down — but to produce a spacecraft from scratch isn’t exactly a minor endeavor. They are likely looking at hundreds of millions in R&D, facilities, and manufacturing. But considering the first few hundred tickets on Virgin Galactic sold out at a price of $200,000 each, it’s probably considered a smart early-stage investment in a growing industry. They plan to start test flights in 2016.
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| American Airlines First To Be Granted FAA Approval For Pilot iPads Posted: 13 Dec 2011 12:18 PM PST  If you’re flying American on Friday, there’s a chance your pilot will be using an iPad instead of the traditional paper flight charts. The airline has reportedly become the first major one to get FAA approval for the device, though smaller charter lines have had it for a while. American announced their intention to make the switch back in June, joining Alaska and Delta and probably a few others by now. There’s been a bit of a dust-up regarding the actual fuel savings. And while they’re miniscule, airlines are continually trimming things down and the loss of 35 pounds of charts from every plane in a fleet adds up quickly: American estimates over a million dollars a year. Not only that, but as Delta hopes, the iPad (or Xoom) will also improve communications and flight quality. What’s missing from the report is what software exactly will be used, and whether it will be standardized across airlines, whether it’s private, open, airline-owned, licensed, or what. While it’s not important for the average flyer, who probably didn’t know the pilots carried around 40 pounds of charts with them in the first place, it should probably be at least publicly accessible information to some extent. I’m sure we’ll hear more about this, though, and we’ll see about finding out more. If you’re worried that the devices are going to succumb to death grip, battery failure, or glitches, don’t be. The devices have undergone a six-month test period with thousands of hours of flight time, and at any rate, chances are if the one in the cockpit bites it, there will be a few spares in first class. Update: An American Airlines pilot has kindly provided more information (not secret by any means, but interesting) on this news. AA is certainly using JeppTC, as a commenter suggested they were. It’s actually available in the App store, but licensed pilots (and presumably those from specific airlines) have access to extra charts. By charts, our pilot informant wishes to emphasize that it’s not just a big book. There are a number of binders covering departures, approaches, runways, operating manuals, and so on. And they must be kept up to date with biweekly inserts, which mine informant describes as “a pain in the ass” and taking hours, whereas the iPad app is automatically updated. The iPads (and AA is sticking with iPads, the FAA has not approved any other devices, though Delta is looking at Android ones) must have backup batteries, and although I was joking about requisitioning a passenger’s iPad, it could be done if they had internet access. It is also worth noting that these charts are duplicated per pilot, meaning that on a transatlantic flight you may have four such chart bags, which must be as much a drag on the cockpit’s closet space as it is on fuel consumption. Some paper will still be carried; the iPad program is voluntary, and some navigational charts are not yet considered good enough on the iPad and must still be carried. Thanks very much to our tipster, who wished to remain anonymous.
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| Heads-Up: Lumus Shows Off 720p, See-Through Video Glasses Posted: 13 Dec 2011 09:08 AM PST  We’ve all see video glasses before – those clunky, Geordi La Forge-looking things that promise to display a 10 foot screen in front of your face. The drawbacks, generally, are size and transparency. Lumus, however, has solved those problems and is working on bringing a pair of see-through, HD video glasses to market that look more Minority Report than 1990s Star Trek. I talked to these guys in September 2010 and the technology has improved immensely since then. They’re basically offering a pair of light, wearable glasses that will show HD video in front of your eyes and even allow you to interact with the world via augmented reality.
The display is stunning. Because each eye display works independently, you can view 3D video in 720p (1080p is on its way) and the clarity is amazing. When you turn them off, the picture disappears completely, leaving perfectly clear lenses. Unlike the Moto ROKR MP3 sunglasses that they used to sell back in the day, the styling and size makes you look less like Dog the Bounty Hunter and more like a Bond villain. Although these guys will be showing their gear at CES, they’re going the OEM route and are currently looking for partners to use the technology in AR displays, video games, and media players. There won’t be any Lumus-branded “They Live” style super glasses any time soon, although they do have some major players interested in the technology. Generally, the future of this sort of display is a “Not If But When” problem. At some point wearable displays like this will replace hand-held screens. However, it will take a few years of trial and error to hit the right device at the right time. Lumus is hard at work at military and commercial systems for logistics and battlefield feedback but I’m most excited about the prospect of wearing these on a plane instead of staring at an iPad or laptop.
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| Nintendo Reveals The 2012′s 3DS Release Schedule, Look For Kid Icarus, Tekken and MGS 3D This Winter Posted: 13 Dec 2011 05:54 AM PST  The 3DS is finally get a shot of games. Nintendo’s next-gen 3D gaming handheld has so far not seen the sort of success as its predecessors. It’s not a mystery why, though. There aren’t many games worth buying. But that’s sort of slated to change early next year. Nintendo just issued a press release detailing the release schedule of upcoming 3DS games. The entire list is after the jump but Kid Icarus: Uprising is the only Nintendo title on the list. Others like Luigi’s Mansion 2 apparently isn’t ready despite being a big part of Nintendo’s showing at E3 last June. Other highlights include Resident Evil Revelations (Feb. 7), Metal Gear Solid 3D (Q1), and Tekken 3D Prime Edition (February). Will these titles cause the 3DS to instant skyrocket to success? Probably not, but gamers will finally have something other than Zelda and Mario Kart to play.
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