Japan is getting yet another custom PlayStation 4. Sony has announced a special "Metal Slime" console for Japan, which is being released to mark the launch of Dragon Quest Heroes, an upcoming hack-and-slash action role-playing game in the style of Dynasty Warriors. The smiling slime blob featured on the PS4 itself is a removable USB cover, not a permanent fixture, Joystiqreports. Sony has not said when the Metal Slime PS4 will be available in Japan (Dragon Quest Heroes itself is launching sometime in 2015) or what it will cost. It's also unclear if the special system will ever makes its way to the United States or Europe. Sony announced the new PS4 model during a special press conference yesterday. This event also provided confirmation that Persona 5 is coming to PS4, a launch date for Bloodborne in Japan, and news that the PS4 and PlayStation Vita are finally getting theme support. Capcom's Resident Evil: Revelations 2 was alsoofficially confirmed during the show. The Metal Slime PS4 is not the first custom console revealed for Japan. Following the massive success of Disney's Frozen, Sony announced a limited-edition system based on the movie with laser-engravings of the movie's heroes, Elsa and Anna. The only PS4 available in the United States and Europe right now is the standard black model. However, this will change next week when Sony launches a $450 white console with Bungie's new shooter, Destiny. http://www.gamespot.com/articles/metal-slime-ps4-coming-to-japan/1100-6422054/

Are you having trouble deciding whether to get Destiny on a PlayStation or Xbox system? Sony is trying its best to ensure you choose the former, today releasing a video walkthrough for the multiplayer map that is (temporarily) exclusive to the PS3 and PS4 versions. Described as a "mid-sized" map that works well for both smaller 3v3 matches and full 6v6 matches, the Exodus Blue map is set around the wreckage of the titular Exodus Blue ship. It's playable in the Crucible--the fancy term for competitive multiplayer in Destiny--and supports five modes: Skirmish, Control, Salvage, Clash, and Rumble. The video provides our best look yet at the full map, which is arguably the most substantial of thePlayStation-exclusive content, provided you're interested in competitive multiplayer. Along with the map, buyers of the PS3 or PS4 versions will also get additional armor and weapons; you can see an overview of all of this in another recent video that Sony released. This content will be exclusive to PS3 and PS4 until at least fall 2015, when it may also be released on Xbox 360 and Xbox One. Destiny launches on September 9 on PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. This exclusive content aside, the games are otherwise largely the same, and Bungie says it loves all of its fans--regardless of platform--equally. http://www.gamespot.com/articles/playstation-exclusive-destiny-map-video-helps-you-/1100-6422078/

Slightly Mad Studios' next-generation racer, Project Cars, will launch on Friday, November 21 in the UK. The release date was announced via the British retail chain GAME on its Twitter feed, though international dates were not specified. By convention, it would suggest that Project Cars' release date across North America would fall on Tuesday, November 18, but publisher Namco Bandai has not confirmed this and was unavailable for comment at the time of going to press. Project Cars features highly detailed vehicles with a focus on racing simulation, much like the Forza Motorsport and Gran Turismo series. It will ship first on Xbox One and PlayStation 4, with the PC and Wii U versions delayed until an unspecified date in 2015. The PC version will also carry Oculus Rift support, making it one of the first racing games to support virtual reality. http://www.gamespot.com/articles/project-cars-uk-release-date-set-for-november-21/1100-6422076/

The acclaimed JRPG Shin Megami Tensei 4 has been delayed in Europe by one month, a representative for the game's developer Atlus has announced. Though the 3DS title first shipped in Japan back in May 2013, localisation work meant the North America release was delayed to July. Now some fourteen months later, Atlus says the medieval themed RPG will not arrive in Europe until "late October". John Hardin, a representative for Atlus in the US, wrote on Twitter that the extended delay was due to unforeseen complications. "We encountered a few last-minute issues specific to the EU version, and we have to fix them," he explained. "Given the current timelines for production, it looks like SMTIV won’t be out in EU until late October." Hardin says the team at Atlus feels "awful" for delaying the game further, but hoped that fans could remain patient. "No one likes delays. Our fans in Europe have been waiting for SMTIV for a very long time, and it pains us to have to move the release date back even further," he wrote. "I have talked to a few of you on Twitter, I've seen the angry posts on Reddit, NeoGAF, Facebook, etc, and wanted to be as direct as I could. We truly feel awful having to say 'wait a little longer' for a game you've been so zealously patient for, but there is no other recourse. We're doing everything we can to get the game out in Europe as fast as we can, so please bear with us." http://www.gamespot.com/articles/further-delay-for-shin-megami-tensei-4-in-europe/1100-6422071/

Nintendo will maintain its policy of region-locking hardware with the New Nintendo 3DS handheld, the company has confirmed to GameSpot. It means that games released across Japan, Europe, and North America will only be playable in those territories, effectively eliminating the opportunity to import games without importing foreign hardware, too. In contrast to Sony and Microsoft, Nintendo has a long history of region-locking its hardware, implementing the restriction to both the Wii U and 3DS systems. Despite hope that this policy would change, on Wednesday a representative for Nintendo told GameSpot that the New Nintendo 3DS, and New 3DS XL, will both be region-locked. In July last year, a petition imploring Nintendo to change this policy was endorsed by tens of thousands of consumers. At the time of going to press, the petition has close to 32,000 signatories. The New 3DS and 3DS XL will launch across North America and Europe next yearThe petition's author argues: "This practice is restrictive to customers, including those who enjoy playing foreign games not available domestically, speak foreign languages, serve in the military, or otherwise travel or live abroad." Incidentally, on Wednesday the game developer Atlus announced that the European release for Shin Megami Tensei 4 has been delayed to "late October." The game shipped in Japan in May 2013, and was available across North America two months later. Last year, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata defended the region-locking policies. "From some people's perspective, it might seem like a kind of restriction. However, we hope people can appreciate the fact that we're selling our products worldwide," Iwata said at the time. "There are many different regions around the world, and each region has its own cultural acceptance and legal restrictions, as well as different age ratings. There are always things that we're required to do in each different region, which may go counter to the idea that players around the world want the freedom to play whatever they want." Two new shoulder buttons add to the several new features included in the New 3DSThe New Nintendo 3DS and 3DS XL will launch later this year in Japan, with a European release penciled in for 2015. Nintendo of America has not yet confirmed a North American release. It comes with various hardware improvements, such as a small C-Stick next to its face buttons, which effectively works as a second analog stick. Also featured are two new shoulder buttons--ZL and ZR--along with what Nintendo is calling "Super-Stable 3D," which will broaden the viewing field of the stereoscopic 3D. Upgraded hardware will allow the system to run faster, while the in-built NFC technology will enable the use of Nintendo's "amiibo" figurines. http://www.gamespot.com/articles/new-nintendo-3ds-will-be-region-locked/1100-6422079/

Xbox Live Gold members will be able to play Forza Motorsport 5 for free this weekend, starting from 12:01am PDT this Thursday September 4 until midnight on Sunday September 7. According to the Xbox blog, this will be the entire game - not a demo. Players can earn Forza 5 achievements and raise their gamerscore during the free week, which will remain on the player's profile even after the free week concludes. Throughout the weekend, players can compete in a special multiclass endurance race event, Grand Tour of Prague, to earn a new title and badge. http://uk.ign.com/articles/2014/09/03/forza-5-is-free-on-xbox-one-this-weekend

nce staggered between the regions of North America and Europe, The Evil Within will now be releasing in both simultaneously. This is according to Bethesda's blog, which announced that The Evil Within's official release date in Europe, South Africa, India, and the Middle East has been moved to October 14 instead of the originally-planned October 18. The horror game will be available at retail for the Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, and PC, and will also release digitally on Xbox Live, Steam, and PlayStation Network. Bethesda also confirms that the release dates for Australia on October 16, New Zealand on October 17, and Japan on October 23 remain the same. This is not the first time that The Evil Within's release date has been moved around. Initially scheduled to release in August, the game was delayed until late October and later moved up a week in various regions The brainchild of Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami, The Evil Within is a psychological survival horror game that looks to recapture the same terror seen in Mikami's classics. IGN's initial impressions of the game weren't all too positive, although later opinions have been fairly mixed. http://uk.ign.com/articles/2014/09/03/the-evil-within-european-release-date-moved-to-october-14

Sony has announced its new Xperia Z3 and Xperia Z3 Compact smartphones, both of which will be the first phones to support PS4 Remote Play. Both models can connect to your PlayStation 4 console in order to enable you to play games without using your TV screen, though it's very much designed to be used elsewhere in the home rather than out and about. If you want to play a game, the new GCM10 Game Control Mount must be used to connect your DualShock 4 to the device and you'll then be able to play through home Wi-Fi. Alternatively, no controller is needed if you just want to remotely watch friends' gameplay, talk to them, or purchase and download new titles. As for the phones themselves, the Xperia Z3 measures in at 5.2" and comes in white, black, copper and silver green, while its more compact brother is 4.6" and comes in orange, green, white or black. Both are highly waterproof and dust-tight and come with a fully integrated Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor with 2.5 GHz quad-core CPU with 4G LTE modem. Sony claims the battery life is such that you should be able to go two days without a charge, or push it further if you use the new "Stamina" mode to turn off background functions when they're not in use. Both models include a 20.7MP camera with 1/2.3” Exmor RS for mobile image sensor to boost photo and video detail, along with a 25mm G Lens and ISO 12800 sensitivity to support photos in a range of situations, including those with low light. Video clips can be recorded in 4K resolution, too. Finally, the mobile also bring together Sony’s Triluminos Display for mobile with Live Colour LED, X-Reality for mobile in a bid to foster intuitive contrast adjustment. http://uk.ign.com/articles/2014/09/03/ps4-remote-play-hitting-new-sony-xperia-z3-smartphones

Lenovo announced two new gaming machines: the Y70 Touch and the Erazer X315. Designed with HD gaming in mind, the Y70 includes a Core i7 processor and Nvidia GTX graphics. With a 17 inch display, the Y70 is Lenovo's largest touchscreen laptop. As you might expect, the 17 inch screen makes it heavier than most laptops, coming in somewhere under 7.35 pounds. But according to Lenovo, the Y70 is lighter and thinner than most laptops in its class because of the included external optical disc drive. Users can expect up to five hours of battery life. The Erazer X315 claims to be Lenovo's gaming desktop for PC gamers on a budget. It features AMD R9 graphics and quad-core processing. It has up to 12GB of memory, four USB 3.0 ports, and an always-on USB charging port. The Y70 will be available in October starting at $1,299 (USD), and the Erazer X315 will be available in November starting at $599 (USD). http://uk.ign.com/articles/2014/09/03/lenovo-announces-new-gaming-laptop-and-desktop

Facebook habit of introducing separate apps for new functions has spread to its first big-money acquisition: Instagram [has announced] a new app that will allow mobile phone users to easily create time-lapse videos. Hyperlapse, which launched for Apple's iOS mobile operating system, allows smartphone users to create time-lapse-style videos, typically composed of hundreds or thousands of photographs taken over a prolonged period of time. "Hyperlapse from Instagram features built-in stabilization technology that lets you create moving, handheld time lapses that result in a cinematic look, quality and feel--a feat that has previously only been possible with expensive equipment," the corporate blog post said. The new app is the second from Instagram that is not bundled with its namesake photo-sharing app, after the San Francisco company introduced Bolt last month, which allows users to quickly send a photo or video directly to a contact. In an interview with Wired, the creators and executives said that they worried incorporating the feature into the main Instagram app could cause it to be ignored by those used to the simpler features of the app. "We didn't want to create a special use that would just be hidden," Instagram Chief Technical Officer Mike Krieger told Wired. Facebook acquired Instagram for $1 billion just ahead of its record-breaking initial public offering in 2012, and said it would allow the company to operate independently under co-founder Kevin Systrom. Instagram seems to be following a similar pattern to its corporate parent, however, adding advertising to the service late last year and now splintering offerings among a family of apps, as Facebook has done with its Messenger app and other offerings such as the Paper news-reading app and Slingshot photo-sharing offering. Facebook's mobile-advertising growth has helped push it to record highs on Wall Street, but executives have cautioned that they will move slowly in ramping up revenues on services such as Instagram. "We could take the cheap and easy approach" of shoveling ads into those services, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a conference call with reporters and analysts last month, "but we're not going to do that. We're going to take the time to do this in a way that we think will be right over multiple years. http://www.mobile-tech-today.com/article/index.php?story_id=0030003OC9QU

The Samsung Gear VR has been officially announced, and as expected it's a virtual reality headset accessory that uses the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 as its display. As one of this year's more out-there announcements, the Gear VR is a virtual reality headset onto which you attach your phone. The Samsung Gear VR is designed for use with the Galaxy Note 4. The phone clips onto the front of the Gear VR headset, providing the display that would otherwise add substantially to the cost of the thing. What the Samsung Gear VR does provide are the lenses that make the screen seem like it's further than a half-inch away from your corneas. Predictably enough, given your eye effectively gets half of the Note 4's screen to itself, the Gear VR is able to deliver stereoscopic 3D, which is where independent images are delivered to each eye. Jumping on the Oculus bandwagon Samsung has managed to snag itself 'powered by Oculus' status for the Gear VR, which means that it uses software produced by the guys over at Oculus VR. Exactly what this will get buyers longer-term remains to be seen, though. Whether a cheap way to find VR nirvana or a naff phone accessory, the Samsung Gear VR does offer a pretty compelling excuse for the ridiculously high pixel density of QHD phones. Because, let's be honest, to tell the difference normally you'd have to get so close you risk making your eyes explode. http://www.techradar.com/news/gaming/samsung-gear-vr-headset-will-give-you-note-4-powered-virtual-reality-1263836

Asus has revealed its first Android Wear smartwatch, as we originally reported it would back at Google I/O in June. The Asus ZenWatch offers a slightly different take on the design of an Android Wearable, and features some pre-loaded software and gesture controls that also set it apart from similar devices like the LG G Watch and Samsung Gear Live. The ZenWatch features a sandwich-like design with a rose gold-colored middle layer and stainless steel top and bottom, with a brushed surface around the face. It has a 1.63-inch 320×320 AMOLED display with a slight curve to its surface, and a 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor, as well as 512MB or RAM and Bluetooth 4.0. There’s a heart rate sensor on the underside, and it uses standard user-replaceable 22mm watchbands. IP55 water and dust-proofing should help it fend off accidental splashes and rain, and it has a 9-axis sensor for tracking activity and movement. It also includes a number of gesture control and pre-loaded features, which makes it unique among Android Wear devices thus far. These features include a way to unlock your phone or tablet by tapping the face of the ZenWatch, auto-opening a function you set with a double-tap, covering the watch to mute and phone finding, remote camera operation and slide deck control apps. All of the above require that you install a separate, Asus-created watch manager app in addition to Android Wear on your companion device to work. Asus’ pricing is the one part of the ZenWatch announcement that doesn’t fit with what we heard back in June – it’s supposed to retail for €199, or around $260 when it arrives later this year, which is more than Android Wear smartwatches currently on offer. http://techcrunch.com/2014/09/03/asus-makes-its-zenwatch-android-wear-smartwatch-official/?ncid=rss&cps=gravity

Bump keys are primitive tools used by locksmiths (and HAXoRZ) to knock open simple locks. Until now, many locks were secure simply because they were too complex to be bumped and, as a result, you had a bit of security by obscurity. That’s all changing. Created by Jos Weyers and Christian Holler, these keys are designed to knock or bump the pins in a standard lock into place after a few sharp raps with a hammer. The pair discovered how to 3D print a piece of plastic that will fit into the keyhole based on a photo of the hole itself. A few carefully cut notches in the plastic and you’ve got a usable bump key. The video below shows how it works – and how simple it is to use. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MCUXF84WuY http://techcrunch.com/2014/08/27/3d-printed-bump-key-can-open-almost-any-lock/?ncid=rss&cps=gravity

Keyboards, schmeeboards, amirite? But wait! Take a look at the Logitech K480, a unique Bluetooth keyboard that can connect to three devices simultaneously and allows you to switch between them using a little dial. The devices sit in a trench over the keyboard and you can swap from, say, a computer to a phone to a tablet. At $50 the K480 is an acceptably priced accessory. It features Logitechs fluorescent styling and has some low-travel chiclet keys. Its so small that it actually looks like a table maker. However, it could be a boon for developers who can easily switch from dev hardware to their main computers and back without KVM switches and other horribly primitive tools. It comes in black and white and is wireless. It should be available later this month. http://techcrunch.com/2014/09/03/logitech-releases-a-surprisingly-useful-bluetooth-keyboard-that-connects-to-three-devices/?ncid=rss&cps=gravity

Perhaps taking a bit of the spotlight from the new Galaxy Note 4, the Galaxy Note Edge is essentially a Galaxy Note 4 with a special curved display on the edge of the phone. Thus, the super clever name. The Galaxy Note Edge has almost identical specs to the Galaxy Note 4, save for a slightly smaller battery and, of course, a random display hanging off of the side of it. The Edge display works entirely independently of the regular screen, while at the same time offering contextual controls based on whatever app you’re using. For instance, if you’re in the camera app, the camera’s controls will appear on the Edge display. If you’re using the S Note app, controls for drawing, text, etc. will show up on the Edge display. If you have music playing, controls for seek, volume, and pause/play will show up there. However, if you’re simply just using the phone like normal, the Edge display will show a list of your favorite apps. The tray of apps is totally customizable via the settings icon on the bottom of the Edge display. The Edge display (Super AMOLED) is independently scrollable, and gives you options to see a ticker for sports, stock quotes, weather, and more. At night, users can have the phone display off and turn on an “Alarm Clock” mode that shows the time on the edge display only, mimicking a table-side alarm clock. The Galaxy Note Edge comes equipped with all the same specs and features as the Galaxy Note 4, including the S Pen, and like its brethren, has no official pricing or expected availability. http://techcrunch.com/2014/09/03/galaxy-note-edge-curved-display/

There's a French phrase, un beau affreux, which means that something is ugly and beautiful at the same time. As soon as we got our hands on Sony's Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact, we wished the French had also come up with a word that means simultaneously colossal and small. That's the paradox at the heart of the company's tablet, which packs an 8-inch display, but thanks to its 6.4mm thickness and 0.6 pound weight, feels almost insubstantial, as if you'd still try to fit this into a pocket. That's not a criticism, either, because if you found the Galaxy Note to be a bit too small for your needs, this could replace it in your affections. source: http://www.engadget.com/uk/

Display brightness The screens on our mobile devices seem to be getting bigger and more vibrant with each passing year. We now have smartphones, like the LG G3 for example, with incredible 2,560 x 1,440-pixel resolution displays. While these screens are pretty to look at, they are killing our batteries. Unfortunately battery technology hasn't progressed nearly as fast as other sectors of the mobile industry. Reducing the brightness of your display will help to improve battery life. You should also avoid using automatic brightness settings. This mode utilizes the phone's sensors, which, because they're in use all the time, actually drains your battery more rapidly than adjusting your brightness manually. Auto mode will also sometimes leave your display at a level that is far too bright for your environment. No service For cellular-connect devices, having no service can be a real pain. Unless a Wi-Fi network is available, your device becomes fairly useless if it doesn't have the ability to connect to the Internet. You may have also noticed that your battery drains more rapidly when you have an inconsistent signal. This happens because the device is continuously searching for a signal and attempting to communicate with a cell tower. To conserve your battery, I recommend enabling Airplane mode or connecting to a Wi-Fi network (if available) if you will be in area with no service for an extended period of time. Streaming video and playing games As mentioned above, the display draws an incredibly large amount of power. Even more power is required when you are playing a game or streaming a movie. A few minutes of Angry Birds won't kill your device, but streaming an HD movie or playing a high-end video game can cut your battery life (and increase your data usage unless you are connected to a Wi-Fi network) by more than 50 percent. If you will be away from your charger for a long time and don't have a portable juice pack, understand that battling your friends in the latest Clash of Clans war will see your battery life quickly reach zero. GPS and location services Have you ever noticed that your phone always seems to be on the verge of dying when you are lost? This is because of the GPS and navigation app you are using to try and get back home . Location services, which allow location-based apps and websites like Foursquare, Google Maps, and the camera to determine your location, can quickly drain your battery. Using GPS and geotagging features, such as recording the location of your photos, sparingly will help keep your mobile device alive for longer. You can also disable location features for select apps and services in the settings menu of your device. On an iPhone or iPad, head to Settings, select Privacy, and click on Location Services. Then, scroll down and choose System Services. On a stock Android device, enter the settings menu, and click on Location. For Windows Phone, click the Start button, select Settings, and tap Location BlackBerry 10 users will find the option by entering Settings and selecting Location Services. In addition to the GPS, having Bluetooth, NFC (if applicable), and Wi-Fi enabled will also cause some battery drain. If you don't use a pair of Bluetooth headphones or if your car doesn't have it, I recommend disabling it. The same goes for NFC, which many people don't actively use to begin with. As for Wi-Fi, I would toggle it on only when it's needed. Background data To ensure you never miss an email, headline, or an appointment, the apps on your mobile device are constantly pinging a server, satellite, or cell tower. This can sometimes lead to battery drain and even data overages. I recommend setting certain apps to only update and refresh over Wi-Fi, or not at all. To disable background data on iOS, go into Settings, select General, followed by Background App Refresh. From here you can select certain apps you wish to prevent from running in the background or disable all of them. On stock Android, enter Settings, select Data usage, click on an app, scroll to the bottom, and check the box that reads "Restrict background data." If you would like to restrict all background data, click the three-dot icon at the top-right corner of the Data usage menu and check the "Restrict background data" box. Windows Phone 8.1 owners will find options to restrict background app data in the Data Sense app. As for BlackBerry 10 users, enter Settings, select Security and Privacy, followed by Application Permission, and change the Permissions bar to Run in Background. Once here, simply select an app from list that you would like to prevent from running in the background. http://www.cnet.com/how-to/how-to-improve-battery-life-on-any-mobile-device/

Google is preparing to take computing to warp speed. The internet search company announced a new partnership with researchers at the University of California Santa Barbara to develop "quantum computing" technology. The science behind quantum computing is highly technical and still very theoretical. In simple terms, quantum computers make use of quantum bits, or qubits, to process information, as opposed to the binary system of ones and zeros used by traditional computer processors. Scientists say qubits can behave like ones or zeros, or both. In theory, this should make quantum computers exponentially faster than digital computers that use a binary system to process information. China is currently home to the world's fastest computer, the Tianhe-2 supercomputer, which is capable of nearly 55 quadrillion of calculations per second. A quantum computer could make that look like a snail.

The popular game rolls out to Xbox One users for $19.99 -- or as an upgrade from the Xbox 360 version for $4.99. Xbox One gamers will finally be able to dive into the virtual world of Minecraft, starting Friday. Minecraft: Xbox One Edition will be available for download in the Xbox Store on September 5,Microsoft's Xbox Wire announced Tuesday. New players will have to shell out $19.99 for the game. Owners of the Xbox 360 edition will pay $4.99 to upgrade. Any content that Xbox One gamers have downloaded for Minecraft will be available on the Xbox One for free.

Nokia will attempt to challenge Apple and Google with its own free map apps slated for the iOS and Android operating systems. Scheduled to debut before year's end, Nokia's map apps will not require an online connection to generate driving directions, The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday. The apps would also be geared directly toward individual consumers rather than toward Nokia's usual business customers. Nokia already offers a map app called Here Maps, which is available for Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone. The app initially supported the iPhone and iPad, but Nokia pulled the app last year over issues with iOS 7. As such, Apple and Google currently rule the map app landscape in iOS and Android, respectively. Nokia's goal is to hit the market with a rival app sporting features not offered by Apple or Google, such as full offline use. Of course, Apple and Google would first have to approve Nokia's map offerings for their respective app stores. But Nokia apparently doesn't expect to run into any roadblocks.Nokia's apps will let users download maps and search for directions offline. The navigation itself will come through satellites, the Journal explained, so the maps won't require Internet access to work. Users of Google Maps can trigger an offline mode to use downloaded maps, but the app isn't ideally designed for offline use. "I'm convinced people are looking for alternatives," Nokia Here executive Sean Fernback told the Journal. "Google Maps is a good solution for many, their maps work very well, but it has looked the same and done the same for a long time." http://www.cnet.com/news/nokia-to-launch-free-map-apps-for-ios-android/

I want a Bitspyder invite :)

welcome to IH :)

welcome to IH :)

welcome to IH :)

welcome to IH :)