Nintendo Boss Declares Wii U The Start Of The Next Console Generation

The Wii U is not the last of the first wave of high-def consoles that began with 2005′s Xbox 360 and 2006′s PlayStation 3, according to Reggie Fils-Aime. It’s the first of what comes next.
“This is absolutely the beginning of a new generation,” Fils-Aime told me during a quick interview late Saturday night, just minutes before the official launch of Nintendo’s sixth home console. “With the innovation we’re bringing to bear, with the social community we’re bringing to bear, [and] with the video entertainment we’re bringing to bear, I think this is the start of a new generation. I think those who say otherwise are clearly trying to preserve sales on their current hardware. This is definitely the start of a new day.”
Those who beg to differ may wind up caught in semantics or in an un-winnable argument about whether a Wii U, destined to be vastly out-powered by the next PlayStation and Xbox as soon as late next year, is really the beginning a new gen. But it’s undeniable that Wii U is a new chapter for Nintendo and, as with any new console, a big risk.
It’s a risk for Nintendo to produce an interesting, unusual machine that adds a six-inch touch screen to the standard twin-stick controller.
It’s a risk for gamers who, every time there’s a new piece of hardware out, have to decide whether to spend a few hundred dollars investing in its future.

Fils-Aime: “This is definitely the start of a new day.”

Fils-Aime believes there are a great variety of games for people to choose from, which he thinks should compel them to pick up the console. He boasted on Saturday night of having 29 packaged games hitting stores, with a promise to get 50 games out through the end of March — the close of the console’s “launch window.” Among the forthcoming games announced for that window are Pikmin 3, The Wonderful 101 and Lego City Undercover. “I think we will continue to surprise the fans with announcements and information,” Fils-Aime said. “I would not go so far as to say you know everything in our launch window.”
It is, of course, necessary to convince gamers that the system will be around and have good game support for a long time. Nintendo’s own Zelda and Mario creations are guaranteed. It’s third-party games, which have shown up in abundance at launch, that are not ensured to be there in the months and years to come. Fils-Aime thinks those games will be there, now that there’s a Nintendo console that supports HD graphics and complex online play and communities. The original Wii lacked those things.
But some major upcoming third-party games for the first half of 2013 are not on the Wii U release calendar. There’s no BioShock Infinite and no Grand Theft Auto V, which are slated for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Fils-Aime deflected a question about those two games, which are published by Take Two, suggesting they were too far off in the future to be discussing on launch night. “We’re gratified when we read comments from companies like Take Two,” he said. “We’re gratified when we’re inspiring the world’s best developers to put content on our system.”
Some Wii U versions of games released on other platforms have good bonus features. Assassin’s Creed III and Mass Effect 3 both put the game’s map on the Wii U controller’s big six-inch screen. The latter also lets players pick weapons and powers without pausing or slowing the game’s action. But if Wii U versions lack elements of these games that are on other platforms, players might hesitate on getting the Nintendo console edition of the game. Who’s to blame? Nintendo? The game-maker? Or is this just a matter of imperfect launch-day ports, something that’s been an issue for just about every new console ever? For example, there had been rumblings — confirmed since then — that a Wii U version of Mass Effect 3 might not have the next downloadable content that the PS3/360 versions of the game will have. “We have no policy limitation on DLC or on business model for third party publishers,” Fils-Aime said, implying that any DLC would be welcome on the console. A rep for Mass Effect 3 development studio Bioware did not reply yet to a request for comment about why the Wii U version won’t get the game’s next expansion.
On the day after Fils-Aime and I spoke, the Wii U’s online services ran into problems. Its new social network, Miiverse, kept going offline. Even when it was up, Miiverse’s integration into Nintendo’s own games was only operating sporadically. As of this writing, things seem better again, but it’s just these kinds of issues that can worry a new consumer.
On Saturday night I’d asked Fils-Aime if potential Wii U buyers should worry about the delay of the much-hyped Nintendo TVii service from launch to December. In the US, that service is supposed to integrate a user’s Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon Prime and even cable feeds into one on-demand video-viewing portal. The Nintendo president was proud to point out that Netflix was available on day one on the Wii U but shared this answer about the TVii delay. “People should not be concerned about it at all,” he said. “The fact that we are now launching it in December reinforces some key truisms about Nintendo: We launch a product when it is in perfect in our eyes, not just because a certain date in the calendar has come up. Probably any other company would have launched it tonight.”

Fils-Aime: “We launch a product when it is in perfect in our eyes, not just because a certain date in the calendar has come up.”

That promise of delivering perfection reads differently after a Sunday of Miiverse service problems on the heels of a shockingly large day-one firmware update that was required to access five of the 11 Wii U features advertised on the console’s box.
Fils-Aime declined to say specifically what problems had kept TVii from debuting on launch but promised the service would be high-quality when it launches.
The Wii U is an ambitious console. Nintendo is launching a new console, a new type of game controller and a complicated new online service that includes a new online store and a new social network. Things can’t possibly go perfectly. It can’t all be rosy. It can be, however, the start of a new era, if not for gaming then for Nintendo. Say this is the beginning of a new generation? Sure. Let’s hope it’s a good one and let’s hope Nintendo can deliver on what they’ve promised.

The most brutal ad you’ll see this election

        I don’t think this requires much commentary, do you?

It was made by the crew over at ClimateSilence.org. They are raising money to put the ad on the air a few swing states, if you’re into that sort of thing.
See also: Watch Romney grin awkwardly as his audience shouts down climate activist

Google's Nexus 4: A closer look at Android's new flagship phone

Being an Android fan is a bit like being a kid in a candy store today. Along with its new Android 4.2 Jelly Beanrelease and all the new features it delivers, Google has officially launched two brand new Nexus devices: the Nexus 4, a highly anticipated new flagship phone, and the Nexus 10, a high-end 10-inch tablet made by Samsung.

Let's take an up-close look at the Nexus 4, shall we? The phone combines the basic structure of LG's Optimus G with Google's own design sentiments andpure Android software. Get ready, gang: This phone promises to provide the ultimate Android experience -- and it very well may have the goods to deliver.

Nexus 4: LG's hardware with Google's design

You can clearly see LG's Optimus G foundation in the Nexus 4, but make no mistake about it: This is a Nexus phone through and through. The Nexus 4 rocks a 4.7-in. True HD IPS display with the familiar Nexus-style curved glass. At a glance, its form actually looks very much like that of the Galaxy Nexus that preceded it.

Thinking about size? The Nexus 4 is 2.7 x 5.3 in. and 0.36 in. thick. It weighs 4.9 oz. Despite its larger screen, then, that actually makes it almost the same size and weight as the Galaxy Nexus -- just a hair thicker and a skosh heavier, but probably not enough to be terribly noticeable.

The larger screen is far from the only thing that separates the new Nexus phone from its younger brother, though. In general, LG's build with this line of devices feels far more solid and substantial than the plasticky-style approach favored by Samsung. The Nexus 4 puts a Googley twist on LG's distinctive back-of-phone design, with a sleek and premium-looking patterned material reminiscent of the classic Nexus wallpaper look.

Outward aesthetics aside, the Nexus 4's screen has a resolution of 1280 x 768 with 320ppi, all protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 2. Based on the time I spent with the Optimus G, which uses the same display technology, I expect the image quality on this thing to be wildly impressive.

And that's just the start.

Nexus 4: Power, power, power

Under its hood, the new Nexus 4 packs a 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro quad-core processor along with a full 2GB of RAM. With that setup, the Optimus G zooms along as fast as any Android phone I've seen; combining it with pure Google software should deliver comparable -- and quite possibly even better -- levels of ridiculous speed.

The Nexus 4 has an 8-megapixel camera -- certainly a huge step up from the Galaxy Nexus's 5-megapixel lens, which was widely viewed as that device's Achilles' heel. If the Optimus G is any indication, I suspect the Nexus 4's camera will be good, though likely less good than the super-high-end cameras used on phones like HTC's One X and One S. The Nexus 4 also has a 1.3-megapixel shooter on its front for video chat and all those self-nudie pics you're always taking (you silly, silly pervert).

The Nexus 4 comes with either 8GB or 16GB of internal storage, and --following the typical Nexus model -- unfortunately does not support SD cards. It does support wireless charging, though, and will have an incredibly slick-looking wireless charging orb (yes, orb) accessory.

The Nexus 4 has a 2100mAh battery that's listed for 15.3 hours of talk-time and 390 hours of standby.

Nexus 4: The nitty-gritty

All right, let's get down to brass tacks: Google is focusing primarily on direct unlocked sales of the Nexus 4, which isn't a huge surprise after the Verizon Galaxy Nexus debacle. You'll be able to grab GSM/HSPA+ versions of the phone starting November 13 from the Google Play Store. (There is no LTE version -- something Android head honcho Andy Rubin describes as a "tactical" decision.)

Translation? For those of us in the U.S., the phone will work on either T-Mobile or AT&T with HSPA+-level 4G speeds; you'll buy the device outright from Google and then use it either with your existing plan or a new plan. You can also opt to use it with a prepaid smartphone plan -- something I'd strongly suggest considering.

The 8GB version of the device will be available for $300 and the 16GB version for $350. The phone will launch initially in the U.S., U.K., Canada, Germany, France, Spain, and Australia; Google says Europe, Central and South America, Asia, CIS and the Middle East will follow later in the month.

(In the U.S., T-Mobile will also sell the 16GB version of the phone for $200 with a new two-year contract. Between you and me, though, most people will do far better by buying directly from Google and then picking a usage-appropriate plan without the contract.)

Some start to the week, eh? And we're barely even scratching the surface. I'll be spending a lot of time with the Nexus 4 as well as the Nexus 10 over the next several days and will be sharing my detailed hands-on impressions with you soon.

Keep an eye on Android Power for updates or join me over on Google+ if you want to chat about this stuff even more.

Soldiers Guard the Tomb of Unknowns During Hurricane Sandy

A photo of soldiers guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from September that went viral on the Internet today, as Hurricane Sandy hit the East Coast. (Karin Markert/OldGuard/Facebook)

An inspirational picture making the rounds on the Internet today is reminding people of the service of the elite soldiers who guard Arlington Cemetery’s Tomb of the Unknowns in any kind of weather, even during Hurricane Sandy.   That the picture was actually taken in September is another matter, because even as Hurricane Sandy makes its way along the Eastern seaboard, soldiers are there, guarding the tomb in the fierce wind and rain.

Tomb Sentinels from the Army’s 3rd Infantry Regiment’s “The Old Guard” have guarded the Tomb for 24 hours a day, 365 days a year regardless of the weather, since 1948.

A photo of three Tomb Sentinels standing at attention before the Tomb of the Unknowns in a driving rain in what is supposed to be Hurricane Sandy took the Internet by storm today, but it turns out the photo was actually  taken on Sept. 18.   It is one in a series taken that day by photographer Karin Markert and posted on a photo sharing site. 

Quickly becoming an Internet sensation on social media sites, the photo garnered universal positive comments of pride for the duty and commitment to service of those serving in the U.S. military.

The picture might not be from today, but it does represent the faithful duty of the Tomb Sentinels from the Old Guard who have remained at their posts during Hurricane Sandy.

See more photos of soldiers at the Tomb of the Unknown SoldierHERE.

“The Old Guard has guarded the tomb minute of every day since April 6, 1948. Today will be no exception,” says an official posting on the unit’s Facebook site.

The site also includes pictures of the Sentinels protecting the Tomb today during Hurricane Sandy’s heavy rains and winds.

Spc. Brett Hyde, Tomb Sentinel, 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard), keeping guard over the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier during Hurricane Sandy, at Arlington National Cemetery, Va., Monday, Oct. 29, 2012. (Sgt. Jose A. Torres Jr.,/U.S. Army Photo/AP Photo)

A caption for one of the photos says Spc. Brett Hyde  lives by the Sentinel’s Creed which in part says “Through the years of diligence and praise and the discomfort of the elements, I will walk my tour in humble reverence to the best of my ability.”

Arlington Cemetery was closed to the general public today, but the Old Guard continued with its normal duty of honoring the fallen at funeral services.

The Sentinels  execute precise steps before the Tomb that is the final resting place for unknown soldiers from World War I, World War II and the Korean War. The Changing of the Guard at the Tomb is a popular stop for Washington tourists.

They remain at their posts rain, snow or shine and extreme weather is not a concern.  They remained at their posts during Hurricanes Isabel and Irene as well as the 2010  blizzard, nicknamed “Snowmaggedon“, that shut down the capital for days.

Typically when it rains, Tomb Sentinels have the option of standing their watch under a green tent located to the side of the Tomb where they usually remain during wreath-laying ceremonies at the tomb.

According to the Society of The Old Guard’s website, Tomb Sentinels “are completely dedicated to their duty of guarding the Tomb. Because of that dedication, the weather does not bother them. In fact, they consider it an honor to stand their watch (we call it “walking the mat”), regardless of the weather. It gets cold, it gets hot – but the Sentinels never budge. And they never allow any feeling of cold or heat to be seen by anyone.”

The Society is an alumni association for the more than 400 soldiers who have earned the Sentinel badge since 1958.

 The website for The Society says that despite their commitment, the welfare of the soldier is never put at risk: “The Tomb Guards have contingencies that are ready to be executed IF the weather conditions EVER place the Soldiers at risk of injury or death — such as lightning, high winds, etc. This ensures that Sentinels can maintain the Tomb Guard responsibilities while ensuring soldier safety. It is the responsibility of the Chain of Command from the Sergeant of the Guard to the Regimental Commander to ensure mission accomplishment and soldier welfare at all times.”

microsoft surface tablet price

Can Microsoft's $499 Surface tablet lure you away from iPad?

Microsoft announced prices ranging from $499 to $699 for its Surface RT tablets, the company's first branded computing devices.

The Microsoft Surface tablet, which can come with a separate cover that doubles as a keyboard.

Is a Microsoft Surface tablet priced at $499 good enough to entice you away from that Apple iPad you might be considering?

That's the question Microsoft faces now that it has announced the prices of Surface with Windows RT, the company's first branded tablets, launching Oct. 26.

The tablet will come in at three price points, Microsoft said Tuesday:

• $499 for a 32-gigabyte version of the tablet.

• $599 for a 32GB version that comes with a black Touch Cover.

• $699 for a 64GB version that comes with a black Touch Cover

The Touch Cover — a thin tablet cover that doubles as a keyboard and attaches to the Surface magnetically — is one of Microsoft's key selling points for the tablet. The company is also selling the Touch Cover — which comes in black, white, magenta, cyan and red — separately for $119.99.

Microsoft also is selling separately the Type Cover — a slightly thicker Surface cover with moving keys that feel more like traditional keyboards. It will sell for $129.99 and come in black.

The Surface will be available for pre-order atwww.surface.com, or for purchase starting Oct. 26 in Microsoft Stores, as well as the 34 holiday pop-up stores Microsoft is opening. It will also be available for sale online in the U.S., Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong and the U.K.

The prices disclosed Tuesday are in line with what Microsoft executives hinted all along.

In the initial unveiling of the Surface in June, they said the price for the Surface RT would be comparable to other tablets. Apple's new iPad starts at $499 for the 16GB version.

And last month, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said in an interview with The Seattle Times that the "sweet spot" in the bulk of the PC market would be between $300 and $700 to $800.

The Surface RT runs Windows RT, the version of Windows 8 designed to run on ARM-based processors. (Many of today's tablets, including the iPad, run on chips built on technology developed by ARM Holdings, a British company. ARM-based chips are notable for conserving on battery use.)

It comes with a version of Office installed that includes Word, PowerPoint, Excel and OneNote. It will not run legacy Windows apps.

Another version of the Surface tablet, Surface with Windows 8 Pro, is expected to launch in about three months. The Surface Pro will run on x86 processors produced by the likes of Intel and AMD and will be priced higher, comparable to ultrabooks, Microsoft executives have said. The Surface Pro will run Windows 8 and will run legacy Windows apps.

The Surface is Microsoft's first foray into making its own branded computing devices.

It's part of Microsoft's larger efforts — including the launch of Windows 8, also on Oct. 26 — to gain a foothold in the mobile market.

Whether it can break through and get people's attention enough for them to try out and buy it is the big question.

Ads for Surface have already started running.

And though the prices announced Tuesday are "not as aggressive as I would've liked to have seen them get," said Tom Mainelli, an analyst with research firm IDC, "I think it's competitive."

One challenge will be the limited number of places where people can get their hands on a Surface — namely, Microsoft's retail and temporary holiday pop-up stores.

"I think a lot of people would really like to be able to try out that keyboard before they pull the trigger," Mainelli said.

Another challenge comes in the number of apps available in the Windows Store, which lags far behind the number for the iPad.

Still, if reports are accurate, it sounds like Microsoft plans to sell a lot of Surfaces.

The Wall Street Journal, citing component suppliers in Asia, reports Microsoft has placed orders to produce 3 million to 5 million Surface tablets in the fourth quarter.

"That's a big number," said Mainelli, who notes Amazon shipped 5 million of its Kindle Fire tablet when it launched last year and Google's Nexus 7 has shipped close to 2 million to date. Apple sold 17 million iPads last quarter.

The challenge Microsoft faces is not necessarily the Surface's price point, said Michael Gartenberg, an analyst with research firm Gartner.

"We know consumers will spend $499 for something they want," Gartenberg said. What Microsoft has to do is convince consumers that "this is different. And why different is better.

"This is a huge challenge for Microsoft in terms of not only getting the product right but also the message and the marketing right," Gartenberg said. "The challenge is directly with the iPad, which is very much perceived by consumers as the base choice. Microsoft has to convince them they're not buying into the wrong platform."

There's another big shadow hanging over Surface: Apple announced Tuesday an event on Oct. 23. It's expected the company will announce an iPad Mini, a smaller — and presumably cheaper — version of its tablet market-dominating iPad.

Though the Surface aims to be a different tool — more productivity-oriented — than the smaller and less expensive 7-inch tablets such as Kindle Fire and the expected iPad Mini, it still will compete with the companies that produce them.

That's because the larger battle now is not merely between devices. Those devices are simply ways for consumers to access the large array of services the companies provide and a way for those companies to keep selling services to customers.

"It's not iPad vs. Surface vs. Nexus," Gartenberg said. "It's the Microsoft ecosystem vs. the Google ecosystem vs. the Apple ecosystem."

Maura Murray never seen again after crashing car in New Hampshire in 2004

Who is the 'sadistic madman' taunting family of missing coed with trolling video eight years to the day that she disappeared?

• Creep calling himself Mr112dirtbag posts footage of himself cackling uncontrollably
• Maura Murray never seen again after crashing car in New Hampshire in 2004
• Family dismiss videos as 'cruel and hideous'

Baffling and disturbing videos have emerged on YouTube that are taunting the family of Maura Murray, a University of Massachusetts coed who disappeared in 2004.
The most frightening of these shows an old man cackling uncontrollably, followed by the words 'Happy Anniversary.'
It was posted eight years, to the day, after Murray, 21, went missing from rural Haverhill, New Hampshire.
The cryptic videos were posted by a user calling himself Mr112dirtbag. Murray's car was found smashed into a tree on Route 112 February 9, 2004. Murray was never found.
Scroll down for videos

Vanished: Maura Murray was 21 when she disappeared after crashing her car into a tree

Cackling: This video, of a man laughing uncontrollably, was posted on the eighth anniversary of Murray's disappearance

The laughing video, and another showing a lift pass for the nearby Bretton Woods Ski Resort dated two days after her disappearance, have since been removed.
Fox News Boston and investigative journalist and filmmaker James Renner have suggested the man may have some link to Murray's disappearance.

However, her family has issued a statement urging people to ignore the postings and calling them 'cruel and hideous.'
The New Hampshire Attorney General's office, which is still investigating the Murray case, told Fox Boston that officials are watching the videos but they offer no new evidence in the case.

Never found: It's still unknown what happened to Murray after she went missing in 2004

Cryptic: Many of the videos are simply indecipherable. Are they meaningless babble or cryptic messages?

Whatever the man's link to the Murray case, the videos are the work of a madman, Northeastern University criminologist Jack Levin told the TV station.
'The sadistic urge to inflict pain and suffering on other people is always a way of making individuals feel powerful. That's what it's all about. He wants to be in charge,' he said.
'He wants to feel important. We may see it as a hideous crime. He may see it as his greatest accomplishment in life that has affected so many people. Even if it's in a nasty way.'

Bizarre: This video, of the man playing an electric keyboard is called 'No Hope for Mental Wannabe'

Drawings: Many of the videos are simple drawings. This one is titled 'Black eye'

The videos are uniformly bizarre and cryptic. One shows a simple line drawing a girl's face with a black eye. Another, a shot out of a car window in the rain.
The description for several of the videos contains an essay about the reliability of the last known person to see Murray alive, who said she appeared .
Others make reference to marriage, inbreeding and the genetic disorder Tay-Sachs.
The poster also references the 2000 disappearance of Molly Bish, 16, whose remains were found in rural Massachusetts, and Patric McCarthy, a 10-yea-old boy who disappeared in 2003 and was found dead five days later.