Nintendo is primarily a gaming company and the only foray the company has done with the mobile market is to create handheld gaming systems like the Nintendo 3DS, but what if Nintendo were to create a smartphone of their own? While we’re sure that probably isn’t the cards for Nintendo at the moment, a concept has been created as to what a Nintendo-made smartphone could look like, thanks to the folks at T3. While this is purely a concept, the folks at T3 are suggesting that with the pressure from Sony and Microsoft with their next-gen consoles, perhaps an alternative to Nintendo’s core competency might be to dive into smartphones.

It’s a pretty interesting concept as it incorporate functions from the Wii U console, like Wii U Chat, Mii Verse, the ability to play Nintendo games on your phone and so much more. The latter is probably the most interesting considering that Nintendo’s stance at the moment is to keep their titles off mobile devices, unlike Sony and Microsoft who have gladly embraced the mobile platform and have brought PlayStation and Xbox titles to mobile devices. In any case if you have a couple of minutes, check it out in the video above. What do you guys think?

Just like smartphones and tablets, a console can have amazing hardware but if there aren’t many games for it, gamers will just go to the competition. So far console manufacturers such as Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft have relied on getting exclusive titles as a means to draw gamers in, and if you’re looking forward to the next-gen Xbox, you’re in for a treat because Microsoft has revealed that they will be taking the wraps off several exclusive titles during E3. This was announced by Aaron Greenburg in the latest Major Nelson podcast episode. We’re not sure what sort of exclusive titles Microsoft has planned for E3, but if you’ve been an Xbox gamer and the next-gen Xbox console is on your list of things to buy, check back with us during E3 to see what the “tons of exclusives” and “world premieres” Microsoft has planned for us!

Just the other day we reported that EA has stated that they had no titles planned for the Nintendo Wii U console at the moment, which we have to say is pretty bad news for the Japanese company especially since EA is a pretty big publisher. However while EA might not be throwing their weight and support behind the Wii U, Ubisoft on the other hand has taken a different stance, showing their support for the Wii U instead and expressing their confidence that the console will go on to be a success. Considering that the company has offered titles such as Assassin’s Creed 3 and Watch Dogs on the Wii U, plus the exclusive ZombiU, we guess it’s not surprising that Ubisoft is seeing something in the Wii U that perhaps other publishers and developers aren’t.

Speaking to Games Industry, an Ubisoft spokesperson made a statement saying, “As with any new console, it takes some time to grow an established base. Ubisoft has a varied and high-quality line-up for Wii U, with more big titles on the way including Rayman Legends, Watch Dogs, Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag and Splinter Cell Blacklist. We’re confident that this will help in continuing to attract gamers to the Wii U system and that Nintendo will take steps to ensure that the Wii U is successful in the market.” What do you guys think? Does the Wii U really just need some time to grow into its own, or do you think that the console is a flop?

It won’t be long before Microsoft makes their next-gen Xbox announcement, and hopefully during the announcement Microsoft will reveal when the console will be made available. However until then, the latest Major Nelson podcast episode featuring Aaron Greenburg, chief of staff for interactive entertainment at Microsoft, might have hinted that their next-gen console could be released in time for Christmas! We guess this isn’t too surprising considering that many products are released in time for the holiday season, but this is what Greenburg had to say:

We’re really going to tell one story across two events. So we’re going to start on the 21st and really that’s about revealing the next Xbox platform, really our vision for the future of games, the future of entertainment. We definitely have a lot of surprises planned… at E3, I mean, if you’re a gamer, it’s going to be tonnes of exclusives, world premieres and obviously even beyond that we have a lot to share between then and this [Christmas].

Of course Greenburg did not actually mention anything about the actual console itself, but like we said, a release in time for the holidays would not be a stretch of the imagination. So what do you guys think? Does Christmas sound likely? In any case be sure to check back with us later for more next-gen Xbox details!

While the Nintendo Wii U is an interesting console, reports are saying that it is not doing as well as Nintendo had hoped, although hopefully with the release of some exclusive Nintendo titles, sales might see an improvement. Well the good news for Wii U gamers looking forward to some of the exclusive titles, like Mario Wii U, Mario Kart and Smash Bros., you’re in luck as Nintendo has announced that they will be sharing and discussing some details about those games ahead of E3 during their Nintendo Direct webstream. Since Nintendo will not be holding their traditional pre-E3 show this year, we guess the Nintendo Direct webstream should make up for it. In any case we’re not sure what sort of details Nintendo will be sharing, although we’re hoping availability dates and features will be revealed, so stay tuned for updates!

It was just last year that Capcom unveiled Resident Evil 6, but could it be that the company already has Resident Evil 7 planned for an announcement as well? Well thanks to a leaked image (pictured above), it would certainly seem to be the case. However considering that it’s not that hard these days for someone with a bit of Photoshop skill to create a false image, the image above does look pretty “official”, but take it with a grain of salt for now. No word on when Capcom will be announcing Resident Evil 7, if it even exists for now, but with E3 around the corner, we wouldn’t be surprised if the company made use of the event to hold its announcement. In any case what do you guys think? Is the image above real, or do you think that it is a Photoshop job by a fan?

While movie studios and record labels view torrents as a thorn in their side in their ongoing fight against piracy, Nicholas Maigret, co-creator of The Pirate Cinema thinks a little differently and has actually created an art installation in which he has turned torrents into art. Basically what he has done is together with a piece of software, comb through The Pirate Bay’s Top 100 video files, monitoring each and every one of them from which small and fragmented clips are taken and projected onto a wall as you can see above. According to its description:

In the context of omnipresent telecommunications surveillance, “The Pirate Cinema” makes visible the hidden activity and geography of Peer-to-Peer file sharing. The project is presented as a control room, which instantly reflects Peer-to-Peer exchanges happening in real time on networks, which use BitTorrent protocol. The installation produces an improvised and syncopated arrangement of files currently in exchange. The immediacy of the presentation of digital data, including fragmented information about source files and their destinations, depicts the topology of digital information use and the global reach of data dissemination.

Sounds pretty cool, huh? If you’re interested in checking it out, it is currently on display and will run through the 29^th of May in the Montreal Eastern Bloc gallery. Details about the installation can also be found on We Make Money Not Art who interview Maigret about his creation.

Let’s face it, a lot of probably tear open the boxes of our gadgets and throw them away without thinking much about it, and that’s because most of the time, the packaging is pretty much useless (and sometimes even frustrating to open!), but wouldn’t it be cool if the packaging of a product had more than one use to it? Well that’s what the folks from Craftwerk USA are doing with the Atrio iPhone bumper case. While the focus of the product is the bumper case itself, Craftwerk is not letting any part of the packaging go to waste because the packaging actually has the ability to double as a stand for your phone (pictured above)!

The case itself is made from aluminum and will cost you $59 for an early-bird special. The case itself is pretty stylish so we guess if you’re more interested in just the case itself, the stand is just a really neat bonus of its own. At the moment the Atrio case is a Kickstarter project so if you’d like to pledge a donation, head on over to its Kickstarter page for the details.

With the success of the Samsung Galaxy Note series, we expect that Samsung will be introducing the Galaxy Note 3 sometime in the near future, and thanks to a leaked image, we might be looking at a photo that has been taken with the device. The quality of the photo isn’t that great in all honesty, but we’re guessing that Samsung was probably just testing the camera out rather than actually trying to snap the best photo possible. The possibility that it was taken by the Galaxy Note 3 was revealed in the photo’s EXIF data which revealed the device’s model number, the GT-N7200, and given that the Galaxy Note 2 was the GT-N7100, it would make sense that this could be the Note 3.

Of course it is possible that EXIF data can be faked, so take it with a grain of salt for now, but like we said, with the success of the previous two Galaxy Notes, a third generation would not be a stretch of the imagination. The EXIF data also revealed that the Note 3, if this is really the device, will sport a 13MP camera and a f/2.2 aperture and will share the same sensor as the Galaxy S4. No word on when the Note 3 will be announced, but IFA 2013 in September is a possibility.

When it comes to smartphones, there are a variety of different platforms that one can choose from – iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Blackberry and so on, so the question is with iOS and Android dominating the way that they do, how will a new entrant into the mobile operating system market perform? Well we guess we will have to wait and find out, but to first movers and early adopters out there, Jolla has announced their first smartphone which is also called the Jolla.
Read full post →Jolla Announces Their First Sailfish OS Smartphone