Monthly Archives: January 2017
Self-Driving BMW Cars Will Be on the Road Later This Year
As many as 40 autonomous BMW 7-series cars will hit the streets later this year. The self-driving Beemers are the result of a joint effort between the BMW Group, Intel, and Mobileye.
BMW's Klaus Fröhlich calls it a "significant step" to the companies' shared goal of introducing BMW's iNext, its "first fully autonomous vehicle," in 2021.
Intel CEO Brian Krzanich says the self-driving cars are "validated to the highest level of safety," thanks in part to developments helped along by collecting the 3 companies' resources and pooling them towards a common goal.
"We have established a dedicated team with clear, shared goals," Krzanich said.
BMW's fleet of self-driving cars will be put to the test globally, in real traffic, a step up from the controlled environment of a test track.
LG’s New TVs Are Less Than 3mm Thick
Consumer electronics maker LG unveiled its new top-of-the-line, razor-thin televisions during CES 2017.
Its 2017 OLED signature television line-up includes five new models ranging in size from 55- to 77-inches. The OLED panel on the 65-inch models measure a mere 2.57mm thick, something LG claims allows the television to be mounted to a wall using "only magnetic brackets."
The ultra-thin sets then sit directly against the wall, "eliminating any gap." The company has several sets on display at its booth at CES to better illustrate their barely-there thinness.
LG Signature OLED TVs on display at CES 2017.
Pokemon Snap Coming to Wii U Virtual Console Tomorrow
Pokemon Snap will release on the Wii U Virtual Console in North America tomorrow, January 5.
According to Nintendo's announcement, the photography-focused Pokemon spinoff, which originally released for Nintendo 64 in 1999, will be available for $9.99.
In Pokemon Snap, players are tasked with photographing the various Pokemon they encounter as they're taken on an on-rails adventure through an array of locales.
While those in North America have had to wait until now for a Wii U release, Pokemon Snap launched on the Wii U Virtual Console in Europe last year.
Rogue One: Original Version Had Different Character Intros
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story underwent reshoots before its release last year, and editors John Gilroy and Colin Goudie have come forward to discuss some of the changes that were made to the original version.
Warning: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story spoilers ahead.
In an interview with Yahoo Movies UK, Gilroy said "the story was reconceptualized to some degree," with new scenes added at the start of the film to better flesh out Rogue One's cast of characters. "We wanted to make more of the other characters, like Cassian's character
Wrestling: Dolph Ziggler’s Heel Turn was Long Overdue
Hello, 2017. Please try your best not to suck so monumentally hard. I think we'd all appreciate it. Sincerely, everyone you mercilessly crapped on.
It's January, the Rumble's on the way, it's extra beefy this year, so let's get to it!
If you missed my 2016 Wrestling Year in Review last week, here it be. Go ahead and knife n' fork through that. We'll wait.
Mass Effect: Andromeda Release Date Announced
BioWare has announced that Mass Effect: Andromeda will launch on March 21 in North America and March 23 internationally.
In a blog post on the game’s official site, BioWare general manager Aaryn Flynn called Andromeda the “most ambitious Mass Effect game to date,” promising a “tremendous graphical jump” compared to the original trilogy thanks to using the Frostbite engine.
Flynn explained that several members of the studio took home a copy of Andromeda over the holiday break to put the game through its paces and make sure it was ready for release.
Star Wars Rebels Trailer: Obi-Wan is Here!
Star Wars Rebels resumes its third season this Saturday, and a new trailer indicates the series has some very big events unfolding in the weeks to come.
Check out the new trailer below, which culminates with the Rebels debut of a certain Jedi/Clone Wars veteran and what looks to be a rematch many Star War fans have longed to see.
Yep, that was Obi-Wan Kenobi facing off with Darth Maul on Tatooine! While James Arnold Taylor (the voice of Obi-Wan on The Clone Wars) is heard as the younger Obi-Wan in the hologram, Stephen Stanton, who also voices Grand Moff Tarkin on Star Wars Rebels, is the older, more Alec Guinness-style Obi-Wan.
The Obi-Wan/Maul showdown wasn't the only moment of note though, as the trailer also included Mon Mothma (also making her Star Wars Rebels debut), the return of Bail Organa, and what may be our first look at Sabine's mother. Beyond the aforementioned Rebel leaders (and a glimpse at X-Wing pilots), there were other Rogue One elements included, as we not only saw more of Saw Gerrera (with Forest Whitaker voicing his Rogue One character), but also got a look at black-armored Death Troopers accompanying Grand Admiral Thrawn as his personal guard, just as they do Director Krennic in that recently released Star Wars movie.
HBO Debuts Trailer for Carrie Fisher/Debbie Reynolds Documentary
HBO had completed work on Bright Lights, a documentary about Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds, when the daughter and mother both tragically passed away over the holidays. Bright Lights was finished for quite awhile and was shown at several film festivals last year before its originally scheduled airdate on HBO in March, but the cable network decided to move the documentary up to this coming Saturday, January 7th, in the wake of the sudden deaths of the two movie stars, and have now debuted a trailer.
Check out the trailer below, which documents the relationship between the two and what it was like for them to be such a notable part of Hollywood history, while dealing with their personal issues - including the mental health problems Fisher often spoke candidly about. As you'll note in the trailer, Fisher mentions she is about to begin rehearsals for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, indicating when Bright Lights was filmed.
Alien: Covenant is Getting Its Own VR Experience
Ridley Scott has partnered with the Fox Innovation Lab to use the ultimate facehugger - a VR headset - to plunge players into the world of Alien: Covenant.
Variety reports that the Alien: Covenant Virtual Reality Experience will be coming to all "major VR platforms" as a paid title, though no release date has yet been revealed.
The virtual reality game is being produced by the film's director - and creator of the Alien franchise - Ridley Scott. Visual effects artist David Karlak is slated to direct the experience, which is described by The Fox Innovation Lab as a "dread-inducing journey into the depths of the Alien universe."
Tomb Raider Reboot Writer, Rhianna Pratchett Quits the Series
Tomb Raider developer Crystal Dynamics has announced that Rhianna Pratchett, writer of the recent Tomb Raider reboots, will no longer be working on the series.
Crystal Dynamics and Pratchett announced the news on the Tomb Raider Twitter account, saying the writer is "off to pursue new adventures separate from the Tomb Raider franchise."
"Rhianna was instrumental in helping us find Lara's voice in the 2013 origin story, and through Rise of the Tomb Raider she shaped Lara into the evolving heroine we know today," the statement continues. "The entire team thanks Rhianna for her dedication and tireless efforts on the games."