Filed under: Interviews

Nope, not a direct quote, but worth slapping up nonetheless. Tetsuya Nomura gets yet another Famitsu interview and he once again remains as silent as ever on Final Fantasy Versus XIII, but that’s okay. We generally like surprises so long as they don’t end up severing one of our limbs. Still, he talked a little about his involvement in the game and some about the PS3.

Nomura claims he’s never been so deeply involved in the development of a game and enjoys the freedom to take FF Versus XIII wherever he wants. He reminded everyone also that this game is exclusively and only for the PlayStation 3, as the end of the TGS trailer (which we’re not allowed to see yet) the phrase “on PS3 ONLY” appears. He says despite some fan disappointment, there are huge advantages to focusing on only one console.

About the PS3, Nomura seemed to gush a little bit. The hardware plays a huge part in both XIII titles, and by using it properly “all visions can come true”. The visuals, he says, are above anything else seen in the franchise and are very close to perfection in his eyes. But really, if the graphics were worse than XII, we’d have a problem anyway. We’re glad the Square Enix developers are finally screaming PlayStation 3 exclusivity for the big FInal Fantasy titles, as not having those exclusive was a source of fuel for those who wished failure upon Sony.

[via PS3Forums]

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Filed under: Gaming

Why oh why must the endless speculation about the HDMI ports on the Xbox 360 keep on going? Microsoft! Just level with us, stick the port on all three consoles, and send out a press release. The latest on the HDMI on Xbox 360 / or not fiasco comes in the form of an update to the Xbox 360’s spec sheet to say that the Core console doesn’t come with a HDMI cable included. Draw your own conclusions please. In similar Xbox 360 themed news, a new package for an already existing exploit promises to perform a “Timing Attack” and downgrade your 360 to an earlier, more hackable kernel. Mere mortals need not apply, as usual.

Read — US spec sheet update
Read — Timing Attack tools released

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

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Our sister site Uberpulse had some cozy time with Seagate’s CEO Bill Watkins. During the evening Mr. Watkins showed this SSD drive prototype. I’m sure that he would have liked to brag about the drive specifications, but he managed to refrain himself from doing so. Mr Watkins did say that Seagate was probably going to partner with one or more major flash manufacturer (SanDisk , Toshiba or Micron).

When asked about the future of “pure” flash-drives, Bill Watkins believes that the best compromise is to have a hybrid (disk+flash) that provides the best of both worlds (speed, power and capacity). Juicy details on Uberpulse

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Filed under: Action & Adventure, Thrillers, Casting, Deals, Sony, RumorMonger, Remakes and Sequels

It seems that director Tony Scott can’t get enough of remakes — and Denzel Washington, for that matter. Sources for Entertainment Weekly are reporting that Washington and Scott are in negotiations to re-team for the remake of the 1974 action thriller, The Taking of Pelham One Two Three. The original film starred Walter Matthau and Jerry Stiller, and was based on the novel by Morton Freedgood (under the pseudonym John Godey). The story centered on a grizzled New York Transit cop sent to stop a group of terrorists who have hijacked a subway car for a million dollar ransom. Washington would reportedly play Matthau’s role of the cop. This would be the second attempt at a remake for the film; the first was a made-for-TV movie in 1998 with Edward James Olmos and Vincent D’Onofrio.

So far, Sony has stayed quiet on the rumored Pelham negotiations. But, Washington and Scott have made three previous films (Crimson Tide, Man on Fire, and Deja Vu), so they must enjoy working with one another. Scott still has his other 70’s remake reportedly in production; Walter Hill’s, The Warriors. Although, it has been a while since anyone has heard a peep out of that project. Washington, on the other hand, has American Gangster (directed by Tony’s big-brother, Ridley) headed for theaters on November 2, followed by the family-friendly drama The Great Debaters on Christmas Day. So providing everyone can coordinate their schedules, I wouldn’t be surprised if Pelham joins the growing slate of productions headed for the fast-track before the dreaded “Hollywood Strike” begins.

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Filed under: Dinner, Vegetables, Recipes, Fall Flavors, Rice

Last Saturday, I had an opportunity to help a friend do some cooking for a dinner party. We had a terrific time in the kitchen, but the stand out moment was when I got a chance to taste the Risotto with Butternut Squash and Leeks we made (thankfully I was able to get her to confess that the recipe was from Epicurious). It was one of those dishes that makes time stop for just a moment, as your taste buds struggle to identify the chorus of delicious flavors before giving up and simply surrendering to the rapture of the moment. It was that good.

So good, in fact, that I decided I had to make it for myself so that I could have more than a few bites. I stirred it up Monday night, in my bright green knock-off Le Creuset pot. I couldn’t wait for the rice to cook, knowing that I would soon have an entire pot of heaven all to myself. Finally, when it was all done, I served up an indulgently large bowl and settled down at the table with a spoon and book. It was so good. Perfect for a fall dinner party or for just eating by yourself, on a Monday night, when you want to be just a little extra nice* to yourself.

*I omitted the whipping cream. I like to treat myself, but I do not need to eat a half cup of whipping cream by myself this week.

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Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

With nary an AT&T agreement in sight, Nokia has gone out on a limb to launch the unlocked N95-3 today, bringing the all the original N95’s goodness back for a second round with a few key changes. Most notably, of course, is the presence of HSDPA on the 850 and 1900MHz bands, but other modifications include a higher-capacity battery, recessed camera lens (sans protective shutter this time around), twice the RAM, and availability in black and “dark sand” (for the rear only — the front’s always silver). Grab it starting today in Nokia’s flagship stores in New York and Chicago for $699.

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

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Filed under: Bad news, Industry, Google (GOOG), Marketing and advertising

Are big-time newspapers going to survive the instant news rush and immediate availability of the internet?

That question gets bandied around so much every day that some tennis balls would be jealous. But, just like other businesses that continue to be upended by the freedom of the internet, newspapers seem particularly vulnerable. The New York Times is losing readers, other big papers hide content behind “paid access” models on their own websites when anyone can get local and national news on laptops, cellphone screens and any other net-connected device, most often for free.

What do newspapers have left to contribute? A lot, actually — but not morphing with the times is going to be the downfall of many of them. Newspapers will have to give their content away for free to survive (say some), and in return for losing that revenue, they’ll have to get with it in terms of online advertising. Ask Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) about this, as the company owns a billion-dollar empire based on that very principle.

As subscribers (paid ones, mind you) leave in droves, what’s to become of many newspaper publishers that rehash the same AP wire stories, mix in local color and commentary and pass off this combo to increasingly leery customers? Some will go the way of the dinosaur unless change is made, as in now. Others, like the Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal, will most likely figure out how to strike a fine balance of excellent, journalistic content and advertising support behind that content.

For others, what value is left to add to the newspaper business that the internet (like Google News) can’t destroy? That’s the billion-dollar question for the next decade or so. The days of loading up on wire stories while eliminating local, original content to save money are over, and smart publishers knew it years ago. The ones battling with that concept now are already in a world of hurt. Some don’t even know it.

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Filed under: Audio/Video, Computers, Video Games

We were given an early look at Razer / THX’s new Mako 2.1 sound system. This marks the first time that video game accessory maker Razer has worked with sound gods THX, and their offspring sounds quite impressive. The Mako is, on the surface, your standard two speaker, one subwoofer computer speaker setup. The similarities end there, however, and Razer wants you to know that the company isn’t just about games anymore.

Using what THX calls “Ground Plane” and “Slot Speaker” technology, the Mako’s two main speakers appear to just be solid objects. Inside each unit are two speakers — a midrange and a tweeter — that face down toward the surface on which the speakers sit. This, in essence, turns your desk (or wall, if you wall-mount them) into what’s called a “reflective” surface, opening up the sound field.

When on a flat surface, the Mako produces life-like sound effects and music with some impressive dynamics for such a small setup. However, when lifted off of the flat surface, it’s as if half the sound disappears. Imagine getting a giant speaker out of a small little disk, and you’re halfway to understanding how the Mako works. If your desk is extremely cluttered or not very flat, this system won’t really work for you.

A small, shiny, touch-sensitive remote rounds out the sexy black package. The remote controls not only volume but also tone control (bass, treble). It also includes a line-in and headphone-out, which is perfect for desktop computer installations, in case your computer is tucked away somewhere.

All isn’t perfect in Mako-land, however. Inputs are limited — there is only a line-in on the remote and base unit along with an RCA plug set on the subwoofer/bass unit. If you’re looking for digital inputs, move along. Also, Razer has priced the Mako at $399, a pretty steep price in the world of 2.1 computer sound systems. Finally, if your setup doesn’t involve a nice, clean, flat surface, a more conventional satellite setup is probably the answer for you.

Keep an eye out for a November launch through online retailers and January 2008 in brick-and-mortat stores.

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I write this post in the sincere hope that I am not the only one here in love with the old 1960’s Adam West Batman series/movie. For today, I have found myself giggling like an idiot at this beautiful collection of Batman-lecturing-Robin quotes; it’s great enough that I forgive it for being on an old tripod website (jeez, talk about ‘remember when…’).

Holy Painted Eyebrows, Batman!

Some highlights:

Robin: “Gosh, Batman, this camel grass juice is great.”
Batman: “Beware of strong stimulants, Robin.”

Robin: “To the batcave?”
Batman: “And up the batpoles.”
Robin: “The batpoles?”
Batman: “Even crimefighters need their sleep, Robin.”

Batman: “Human mechanisms are made by human hands, Robin. None of them is infallible. It is a lesson that must be faced.” Too true, too true.

Robin: “Self-control is sure tough sometimes, Batman!”
Batman: “All virtues are, old chum. Indeed, that’s why they’re virtues.”

Batman: “Robin, the Constitution provides that a man is innocent until proven guilty. And the Constitution is the cornerstone of our great nation. We must abide by it.”
Robin: “Gosh, when you put it that way…”

Wisdom for the ages.

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