Monthly Archives: January 2016
Sony Wants to Trademark ‘Let’s Play’
Sony Computer Entertainment of America filed an application in October for the trademarking of the phrase "Let's Play." Discovered by a NeoGAF user, the filing aims to claim the phrase when regarding "electronic transmission and streaming of video games via global and local computer networks."
Let's Play videos have an extensive history on the Internet, dating back to pre-YouTube days. And as Engadget reports, the phrase has "a lot of common use history." It's a phrase that was popularized by the gaming community, and Sony apparently wants to capitalize on that.
Turn Yourself Into a Marvel or Force Awakens Action Figure
3D Plus Me has revealed more of its custom collectible figures at CES 2016.
In addition to Spider-Man, Captain America, Iron Man, and a Star Wars classic Stormtrooper and Jedi, 3D Plus me has added The Force Awakens Stormtroopers, Major League Baseball, and new versions of Iron Man and Jedi figures to its “Super Awesome Me” lineup, which allows someone to turn themselves into an action figure.
The “Super Awesome Me” figures are purchased through kiosks at participating retailers. The customer has their face scanned at the kiosk and chooses a hairstyle and figure at the time of purchase. The order is sent off-site and later shipped to the customer’s home address.
The updated figures appear to have a bit more detail. However, it does not appear the figures are articulated so they appear to make better statues than toys.
J.J. Talks New Hope Similarities in Force Awakens
Director J.J. Abrams expected some of the criticism that followed Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
In an interview on The Hollywood Reporter's Awards Chatter podcast, the director responded to complaints that Episode VII was too reminiscent of the original trilogy.
"It was obviously a wildly intentional thing that we go backwards, in some ways, to go forwards in the important ways," Abrams said. "Ultimately the structure of Star Wars itself is as classic and tried and true as you can get."
Though the parallel was intentional, Abrams understands that some might say that its "a complete rip-off." He defended his decision, saying that the similar structures are simply the bones of the story—bones that were "well-proven long before they were used in Star Wars."
Check Out This Life-Size 3D-Printed Groot Bust
If you’ve ever wondered what a life-sized 3D-printed bust of Groot from Guardians of the Galaxy would look like, CES 2016 has you covered.
While it isn’t an exact recreation of the extraterrestrial tree man, it does capture the angrier side of the character through his furrowed brow.
The slideshow below shows various angles of the 3D-printed Groot bust, showing off its scale and detail.
Recently, a former Ubisoft Montréal employee recreated Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ BB-8 with 3D printing.
In related news, we checked out AtmosFlare’s 3D-drawing pen and we weren't very good with it. The pen uses a UV-cured photopolymer to make paint dry in three-dimensional designs.
You Need These Warcraft Power Bricks and Charging Docks in Your Life
If you're into World of Warcraft, there's a super good chance you have at least one, possibly two, collectibles kicking around. At CES 2016 this week, we saw a whole slew of World of Warcraft themed products that not only look awesome, but serve convenient functions to boot.
For example, battery banks are really convenient for anyone who's on the go. Most battery banks have a clean, classic "tech" look, which is fine. But if you really want to show off your love for WoW, why not charge your USB devices with 13400mAh of Doomhammer power?
There are plenty of others, too. Check out the slide show above to see the power banks as well as the awesome Warcraft statues that also double as phone docks.
Check Out These Cool Star Wars, Batman, and Avengers USB Figures
You probably already have a bunch of USB flash drives laying around, but they might not be as cool as these USB figures.
Tribe is attempting to add to its already robust line of licensed Star Wars, Disney, Marvel, and, yes, Minions line of USB drives. The Italian USB figure manufacturer is showing off its prospective line of Game of Thrones, The Force Awakens, and DC Comics Superheroes USB figure in Las Vegas at the Consumer Electronics Show.
Some of the new figures Tribe hopes to release include Daenerys Targeryen and Jon Snow, Kylo Ren and BB-8, and Batman and Superman.
The drives come in 8 or 16 GB models, according to its website. Simply pop the heads off and insert them into your computer. When not in use, they make for great decorations for your desk.
Abrams and Franco on Adapting Stephen King’s 11.22.63
Some big names are joining forces for Hulu’s new miniseries, 11.22.63, and today at the TCA (Television Critics Association) press tour, star James Franco and executive producer J.J. Abrams discussed adapting Stephen King’s novel.
Franco stars as Jake Epping, a man from the present who travels back in time to try and prevent the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Franco remarked that for those born after that event occurred, as he was, things have gotten blurred as far as how traumatic it was.
Said the actor, “It’s a big event, but it’s sort of become, in a weird way, legend for my generation. It feels like Marilyn Monroe or James Dean, when in fact it was this horrific event. I thought this story and this approach were so great because it’s a fresh way in. We’re not exactly telling a history lesson. With Jake Epping, you have a new in to the story. You get to learn everything all over again but from a completely fresh perspective we haven’t seen before. It’s a way to guide a new generation into what happened.”
CES 2016: The Most Expensive Headphones at CES
CES 2016 had no shortage of headphones and audio products at the show, but I didn’t fly all the way to Las Vegas to listen to some $25 earbuds. I was after the most expensive, best sounding headphones at the show. And a few companies delivered.
Here are the most expensive and best sounding headphones I found scouring the CES show floor.
You may not have heard of Audeze but you will soon. The company announced a partnership with Apple to start carrying its brand new Sine headphones ($499) at Apple Stores. Audeze is an American headphone company that does all of its R&D and manufacturing in the United States. The company’s flagship LCD-4 headphone cost a whopping $4,000 but it’s up there with the best headphones I’ve ever heard. Although difficult to judge a pair of headphones on a noisy show floor, what I heard impressed me, especially when the LCD-4 was paired with the company’s brand new The King amplifier ($4,000).
The Muppets Series Was Lacking ‘Joy, Laughter and Heart’, Says ABC Head
The Muppets is getting a bit of a makeover before it returns for the rest of its Season 1 run.
ABC picked the series up for a full season in October 2015, but shortly after it was announced that initial showrunner Bob Kushell would be departing the project over reported creative differences. The network pulled The Muppets off the air after its first 10 episodes and Galavant's Kristin Newman took over as showrunner for the comedy's final six episodes with the intent to retool its DNA.
ABC President Paul Lee spoke at the 2016 winter Television Critics Association press tour about the decision to pull The Muppets off the air and what he thought some of the issues with its initial run were.
Batman v Superman TV Spot Reveals New Footage
UPDATE: Warner Bros. has released a second TV spot for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, which is embedded below. The original story follows.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice director Zach Snyder revealed the movie's new TV spot on Twitter today. And the Batmobile makes an appearance, as it bounces off Superman and ultimately ends up in a fiery heap. Check out it out below.
Dawn of Justice's new TV spot puts the Dark Knight and Man of Steel face-to-face, where Ben Affleck's Batman asks the infamous question, "Do you bleed?"
Earlier this month, we learned more about about why the fellas are feuding. After Superman's battle with Zod in Metropolis, he's considered "the most controversial figure in the word." Many people—including Batman—see Supes (Henry Cavill) as a "threat to humanity."