Asus netbooks running Windows 8, feature an array of small sensors stretching over the top of the screen where the webcam would normally be. At the bottom of the display is a set of what appear to be LEDs.

The prototypes certainly sound rather interesting, and we’ll have to see when Microsoft and ASUS decide to officially reveal the technology. Let’s hope you don’t have to stand half way across the room to use it!

Source: The Daily

Usually when I hit the airport, I head straight to the gadget stores, hunting down their 3DS display stand for some bonus Streetpass action – hey, those Streetpass Quests don’t win themselves y’know!

Automatically connecting to Boingo’s network for free via one of their 400,000 worldwide hotspots, visitors at some of the UK’s largest airports including London Heathrow, London Gatwick, London Stansted as well as Southampton, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen, can now engage in SpotPass as well as browsing the internet during the inevitable long wait before boarding a plane.

Dawn Paine, Assistant General Manager & Director of Marketing at Nintendo UK says: “Boingo is an excellent partner for Nintendo 3DS owners in the United Kingdom due to an extensive airport Wi-Fi network. This partnership announcement comes at a great time for Nintendo 3DS owners, as the latest System Update has brought in an array of new features and enhancements including 3D video capture.”

So forget sending postcards of your trip to your loved ones back home, you can now shoot up to 10 mintues of 3D video from the departures lounge or scribble a little message with ‘SwapNote’/'LetterBox’ and then beam it to your friends before you’ve even stepped foot on the plane. As SpotPass automatically receives notifications plus extra content for your software and system updates without you having to lift a finger, you can be happy in the knowledge that as soon as you arrive at your destination, your 3DS will be updated and ready to play by the pool. Bliss.

Here it is:

1. Skyward Sword
2. The Minish Cap
3. Four Swords
4. Ocarina of Time

Timeline A: Link is Killed by Ganon in OoT
5A. A Link to the Past
6A. Oracle of Ages/Oracle of Seasons
7A. Link’s Awakening
8A. The Legend of Zelda
9A. Zelda II: The Adventure of Link

Timeline B: Link Defeats Ganon in OoT, Lives Out His Life from Boyhood
5B. Majora’s Mask
6B. Twilight Princess
7B. Four Swords Adventures

Timeline C: Link Defeats Ganon in OoT, Lives Out His Life from Adulthood
5C. The Wind Waker
6C. Phantom Hourglass
7C. Spirit Tracks

So, there it is. I’m not sure about the “Link is killed by Ganon” bit, but it does end up kind of making sense. I guess the “Link” from A Link to the Past isn’t the real Link? I don’t know. It’s all kind of strange, and I think I preferred thinking of Zelda games at completely self-contained stories, kind of like Final Fantasy.

[via Warp Zoned]

This Eurogamer Indie Arcade finalist is a variation of a Tetris-meets-Bejeweled style puzzle game. Your goal? Steal your adversary’s jewels in head-to-head battles against bots or your friends.

Behind Greedy Bankers vs. The World is Alistair Aitcheson of UK-based Alistair Aitcheson Games. The game completely fits the mold of Aitcheson’s mantra as he described it to me: he is a big believer in “simple core mechanics that allow players to derive strategies — the same thing that makes chess, go, and poker work so well.” In the game, your goals are simple: drag to arrange like-colored jewels so that they meld into larger jewels which you then tap to cash in. Make more money than your opponent and you’re golden. (Cue the greed.)

Story mode focuses on investigating who is behind the greatest financial catastrophe the world has suffered in eighty years. In each level you go head-to-head against a different bot ranging from an anthropomorphic ATM to a high-strung business woman. The story, while not too developed, adds some purpose to what would otherwise be repetitive stages. And to be perfectly honest, any more to the story would be way too much for such a simple game.

Aitcheson definitely took advantage of the size of the iPad screen. Virtually the entire screen is actively involved as you play the game, except for the margins. And in my experience, when the playable area of a game is stretched out to the edges of the screen, I frequently accidentally tap those parts of the screen, quit the game, or do something else completely unintentional. (But I’ll admit, there is probably a big user-error element at play there.) So it’s nice when developers resist that urge to use literally the entire screen for gameplay. Another decision the developer made related to the visuals that I really enjoyed was the style of illustration in the graphics of this game. It is quite different compared to what I have come across in other iOS games, having a near watercolor look (except for the black outlines, of course). And with how much of a crucial strength artwork has become for indie developers across all platforms, it’s great to see the same quality carried over here, even if only for infrequent, static images.

Defeat a different fiscal-centric villain at each stage to discover who is responsible for the economic collapse

In multiplayer mode, players can compete against each other in the same game. However, rather than playing against each other via the Internet, or via a direct connection à la Tetris on GameBoy, both players have to use the same iPad screen to play each other. This is sort of weird at first, but it winds up being a lot of fun since you can snag gems from one another. Plus, it adds the delightfully childlike element of playing games against friends when you’re side by side, just inches from each other. Ah, so wistful.

Another great bonus of this style of multiplayer mode? It lets you compete against friends who don’t have an iPad of their own! Only a small fraction of iPad games allow you to do this.

Multiplayer mode in Greedy Bankers means keeping your enemies close since you literally play next to your opponent as you two share a screen.

Not only is Greedy Bankers vs. The World worth checking out on the iPad, it’s indicative that Alistair Aitcheson Games is a developer worth watching. To keep tabs on future projects, check out his site here.

Where They Nailed It

• Unique battle mode where opponents share a screen
• Illustrations of a style more interesting than usually seen in iOS games
• Timely story

Room for Improvement

• Redundant gameplay, but that’s the nature of this type of game
• Felt like I had to push through quite a few “easy” levels to get to a more enjoyable difficulty
• No online multiplayer

Family Focus

Unless you have any qualms about your kids asking you about financial crises, this game is a-okay for them to play.

Of the in-game fashion travesty, PETA states the following: “Mario has been known to use any means necessary to defeat his enemy—even wearing the skin of a raccoon dog to give him special powers. Tanooki may be just a ‘suit’ in Mario games, but in real life, tanuki are raccoon dogs who are skinned alive for their fur. By wearing Tanooki, Mario is sending the message that it’s OK to wear fur.” PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman further states “this winter, everyone can give raccoon dogs and other fabulous animals a 1-UP by keeping our wardrobes fur-free.” Sorry, PETA, but using the phrase “1-UP” in an attempt to be hip will not make gamers suddenly forget your mocking of one of their most beloved characters and view your message as a friendly one.

Play as a tanuki chasing Mario to retrieve your fur.

In the game, titled Super Tanooki Skin 2D, players run through a twisted, bloody version of the Mushroom Kingdom as a grimacing tanuki. The protagonist chases Mario who flies through the air in a Tanooki Suit that drips blood.

Naked Snake better watch out. PETA might come after him next.

Via Gamingbolt & Reddit.

Q. How many difficulty levels are available in Dance Central 2? Did you change anything in terms of how difficult each level actually is?
Similar to the original Dance Central, players can still choose to play any song in Dance Central 2 on Easy, Medium, or Hard difficulties. Each difficulty level presents a unique routine offering great replayability for players looking to improve over time across all three difficulties in a specific song. We’ve made Easy a bit more accessible this time around, but Hard takes things to a new level of complexity for dancers looking for an authentic challenge. For an even greater challenge, players can also turn off the move Flashcards that scroll along the side of the screen.

In regard to simultaneous 2-player multiplayer, which is new to the franchise, each player can choose their own difficulty level in a shared routine. The variety of difficulty levels and the always-on “no fail” functionality in Dance Central 2 ensures that players of all skill levels will have a great time cutting a rug in their living rooms!

Will it be possible to train a single move without starting the entire move set?
Yes! We have completely revamped our Break It Down mode from the original Dance Central so that players can get the most out of their rehearsal sessions. While players will still have the option to rehearse a routine all the way through from beginning to end, Dance Central 2 will also allow you to select specific moves from a list to create custom practice sessions. This gives you the opportunity to maximize your rehearsal time so you can jump right back into routines. In addition, if you have trouble with a routine in Perform It, you can jump into Break It Down right after your performance to find the moves you had trouble with automatically selected for you.

Will you be able to import the skins you archived in Dance Central, or just the tracks?
Importing your track list from the original Dance Central will bring along Mo’s original outfit as well! Beyond the unlocks offered in the game’s new Crew Challenge mode, fans may be able to find some cheats that unlock additional character outfits from the original Dance Central. Stay tuned!

What about social functions – will it be possible to upload footage directly to YouTube? Is there any chance we could record our own dance moves on video and share them on networks such as Facebook?
Our social plans for Dance Central 2 include a Facebook application that will allow you to compare your high scores to other players in your social network to complement in-game leaderboards. In addition, with Kinect Share, users will have the chance to export their favorite Dance Central 2 photos with simple one-button uploading to Twitter and Facebook. These photos will feature a shot of the player surrounded by in-game aesthetic elements, plus the name of the song played, score, and difficulty (for bragging rights, of course).

Where do you see the music games market in five years?
The space has evolved so quickly from its emergence in 2005-2006 to now, it’s really hard to say where five more years will take us. Certainly, at Harmonix, we’re focused on innovating and developing any experience that allows people to connect deeply to the music that they love, be it rocking out, dancing, or playing with songs interactively. We think that interacting with music is a timeless and universal experience, and we’re confident it will be a lasting category for years to come.

What’s next for the franchise? What can Harmonix do to keep its games fresh and entertaining?
For now, Harmonix is focused on Dance Central 2 and continuing to support the franchise as a whole. Between the original Dance Central and Dance Central 2, it’s clear that innovation is what keeps our games fresh and entertaining. This time around we’ve included meaningful additions such as 2-player simultaneous multiplayer that offers precise full body tracking for both players, a Crew Challenge campaign mode, a brand new soundtrack, and Voice Commands. Plus, we’ve taken fan suggestions to improve previously existing modes such as Break It Down and Dance Battle. The Dance Central music library will add up to more than 100 songs and routines with the launch of Dance Central 2 and we plan on continued support with new downloadable tracks in the coming months.

If you were in charge of Kinect hardware and had an unlimited budget, what would you change about it to make it better for Dance Central?
We’ve been able to work closely with Microsoft since the early days of Kinect. Even with 2-plus years under our belts, we’re still finding new ways to work with the device’s amazing capabilities (like the great Voice Command integrations in Dance Central 2 and adding 2-player capabilities to our industry leading tracking technology).

If we could add anything to the Kinect to make Dance Central better? I think we’d add a crazy light show to every device so you could really turn your living room into a club experience for your next Dance Central 2 party!

Are you happy with the strength of the Kinect brand in general? Do you expect to be making Kinect games in five years’ time?
Absolutely. With Kinect’s incredible full body tracking capabilities, we finally had the opportunity to develop the dance game we’ve always wanted to make. It’s an amazing platform, and I fully expect that Harmonix will continue to develop for Kinect for years to come.

What was behind the decision to release a whole new game, instead of just a DLC package? Are there things you simply couldn’t add to Dance Central?
Dance Central 2 offers far more than a new song list. In addition to our ongoing DLC, the huge innovative features we’ve added to this iteration certainly merit a full title. Not only are there 44 new songs and routines on the disc, we also have the Crew Challenge campaign mode, overhauled Break It Down and Dance Battle modes, Voice Commands, Fitness Playlist and calorie counting integrations, new characters, venues, and more. This isn’t Dance Central 1.5. – Dance Central 2 is a meaningful step forward for the genre and another defining title for Kinect.

What’s your personal favourite new feature in Dance Central 2?
If I had to choose one feature that is my personal favorite I’d have to say drop-in/drop-out 2-player simultaneous multiplayer. I’ve had a chance to play Dance Central 2 multiplayer quite a bit with fans at conventions and nothing’s more exciting than when the competition heats up during a solid round of Free-4-All during Dance Battle.

Given your experience with Kinect, do you think it could be implemented into Rock Band? Do you have any hints for us about what’s next for that series?
We’re primarily focused on fun and authentic experiences with all of our franchises. Motion tracking is great for dance and Kinect is amazing technology, but it’s a little less integral to playing band simulation games. I wouldn’t expect us to add Kinect functionality to the existing Rock Band games.

As for the future of Rock Band, we’re continually expanding our industry leading DLC catalog with huge artists like Stevie Wonder, Coldplay, and the Foo Fighters, and support our Rock Band Pro initiative, which lets folks learn real instrument skills for Guitar, Bass, Drums, and keyboards. We haven’t announced what’s next for the game, but stay tuned.

Thanks to John and XCN for furnishing us with this interview!

The War of the Worlds is shaping up to be a great homage to the classic titles, Out of this World and Flashback, with its rotoscoped graphics and extreme difficulty that will be found in the title. No word on an exact release date at this time, but for now, you can check out the new screen below.

Players learned that they’ll be able to suit up as characters from the movies including Captain Jack Sparrow, Angelica, Mr. Gibbs, Captain Barbossa, and Blackbeard while navigating through the Thames River and city streets of London. Game play will include using cannons to blast away other pirate ships, water bombs to put out the flames in London, and rubber duck vehicles that allow players to reach the Fountain of Youth. Check out the game play trailer here.

Disney Universe is slated for an October 28, 2011 release date for Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, and PC.

Producer: Gameloft

Platforms: Playstation 3

Release Date: June 2011

In Ten Words Or Less: A top-down RPG like most others you’ve seen before

Family Friendly? With skeletons, ghouls, zombies, blood and sexual connotations, not really.

Sadly, I do not have access to Playstation Move, so was unable to test its functionality in Dungeon Hunter, but was able to determine how it is used.