iOS 6 is now available for everyone to download. Most users are best served updating to iOS 6 through OTA or iTunes, but advanced users can upgrade manually with firmware files. This has several advantages, particularly for those upgrading multiple devices in a household or institution, or for those updating from older versions of iOS.
The following firmware links are hosted directly by Apple, using IPSW files requires iTunes. You will want to have the latest version of iTunes installed before attempting a direct firmware update with IPSW.
Regardless of how you decide to upgrade to iOS 6, just remember to back up first. The likelihood of something going wrong is slim but it’s better safe than sorry.
Apple has released iOS 6 for download, and you can now check out all the new features, apps, and doodads on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch.
Hey, it sure beats working! (Just kidding, boss...nothing beats working).
iOS 6 comes with a few major updates: The Maps app has been radically overhauled, with a new design, turn-by-turn spoken navigation (for devices with Siri) and 3D "Flyover" mode; Apple is now also using maps from TomTom rather than Google, which means among other things that if you want transit directions, you'll need to download a separate app. A new app called Passbook promises to organize your digital coupons, movie tickets and loyalty cards; Siri can now bring up sports scores and Yelp reviews. Your Facebook account, like your Twitter account, can now be integrated directly into the OS, so that you can share photos and webpages directly to your profile from most anywhere on the phone.
Ready to download? (Note that you'll need iOS 5 or above and a Wi-Fi connection in order for this process to work; if not, you will have to connect your device to your computer and launch iTunes in order to update). Happy downloading!
In less than 24 hours, Ouya’s $99 game console has created as much buzz as anything from Microsoft, Nintendo or Sony.
No one who’s written about Ouya has actually seen the thing, but the concept alone is intriguing: an Android-based TV box that will run inexpensive video games–likely the same ones you play on your mobile phone or tablet–and will include its own controller with analog sticks, buttons, triggers and a small touch pad. All Ouya games will have a free-to-play element, whether it’s a brief demo or a full game replete with microtransactions.
On Tuesday, Ouya put its product on crowdfunding site Kickstarter, allowing people to pre-order one for delivery in March 2013. More than 25,000 people have already done so, and Ouya has raised more than $3 million from consumers and developers, far exceeding its $950,000 fundraising goal.
Beyond this initial push, I’m not yet convinced that Ouya will be a long-term success. There are too many unanswered questions about performance, developer support and mainstream distribution. Still, the underlying concept of a cheap, app-driven video game box is hugely important. The big guys better be paying attention.
A Broken System
Consider, for a moment, the current state of home console gaming. To join the fun, you must pay between $200 and $300 for a high-definition console. New games cost $60, and many of them don’t offer demos, so if you buy a critically-acclaimed game and it doesn’t click with you, you’re out of luck. You can buy used games for cheaper, but then you’re treated like scum by publishers, who have removed more and more features from used games to discourage second-hand sales.
Either way, forget about downloading games directly. Retail stores always get first crack at new games, and when a game finally becomes available for download, you can almost always find it cheaper in a store somewhere.
It’s a broken system. The problem is that traditional console makers are too entrenched to do anything about it. Retail is still a huge part of their business, so they can’t ignore it. New games need to cost $60 to recoup the massive costs of development for publishers and to allow console makers to profit after making huge hardware investments. The home video game empire has grown so large that no one wants to disrupt themselves with an inexpensive console and small-scale games.
Time to Think Small
There’s a market for something smaller, and the proof is in the explosion of mobile gaming. I hear the same story over and over from people my age, who grew up on Nintendo: They like video games, but don’t have 10 hours a week to commit to the hobby, and therefore can’t justify spending $300 on a gaming machine. Instead, they play games on their phones and tablets. Why not make it cheap and easy for them to play on their televisions? Ouya is the first company to address that question by actually building the hardware.
Julie Uhrman, Ouya’s founder, seems shocked that the company’s in this field all by itself. “The ironic thing is, when I pitch people, the most common response is ‘Huh. Yeah, that makes a lot of sense, I can’t believe no one’s done that,’” Uhrman told me in an interview. “And I think it’s because it is such an entrenched business.”
The fact that Ouya’s all alone right now might be its biggest concern. Ouya’s problem isn’t Nintendo, Sony or Microsoft, not unless their next consoles radically change the way games are priced and distributed. The real threat comes from other tech titans who are just as unencumbered by the past.
If Ouya’s a modest hit, it may only validate the market for Apple and Google, who already have huge app ecosystems and fully-invested consumers thanks to their hit phones and tablets. Ouya will be starting from scratch, and Urhman was cagey about whether the company would ever expand its gaming platform beyond televisions to mobile devices. Ouya can only hope that Google and Apple never decide to take big-screen gaming seriously.
Before anyone puts words in my mouth, I don’t think Ouya signals the death of the established video game industry. I like big-budget games, and I hope the best ones find a way to survive even as the industry as a whole tumbles. (One scenario that at least addresses AAA gaming’s distribution issues: Cloud gaming services like OnLive and Gaikai finally take off.)
But there needs to be an alternative. Smaller, cheaper video games have been a huge source of innovation on phones and tablets, and they deserve to find a home on televisions as well. Even if Ouya doesn’t live up to the hype, it’s the first step in snapping the games industry out of its doldrums.
Injustice: Gods Among Us was announced at the very end of May and was accompanied by a trailer containing a brief glimpse of gameplay. You no longer have to watch the final fifty seconds of the debut trailer to see how NetherRealm Studios’ DC-based fighter is shaping up.
It’s gameplay footage from EVO 2012 has been released and now we can all enjoy a lengthy 6 minutes of brawling between Batman and Solomon Grundy. Check it out below:
Injustice: Gods Among Us currently has no set release date, but the title is expected to hit shelves next year on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
Michael Fassbender surprised everybody yesterday by attaching himself to star in and produce a film based on the Assassin’s Creed video game series. Though video game adaptations don’t fare to well at the box office or with critics, the fact that Fassbender will be starring in and producing makes for a promising start for the Assassin’s Creed film.
But this isn’t the only bit of video game adaptation news that’s floating around the wire. CBS Films is now getting into the act by snagging the rights to Deus Ex: Human Revolution. The game centers on Adam Jensen, whose body is modified by cybernetic devices that enhances physical skills and extra-sensory powers, searches for clues behind an attack on his biotech company.
The thin plot is only supported by the fact that Jensen’s organic body has been technologically modified. Knowing that he has new enhanced physical skills and extra-sensory powers gives way for a director to interpret any way he or she pleases. But I am sure that the screenwriter that will be hired to pen the script will make the story and its characters a bit more exciting.
Personally I’ve never played the game, but from what I have read, it’s a pretty successful PC game that has spans three titles. You can read Trifecta Tech’s review right here.
Deadline reports that CBS will bring Square Enix – the game’s developers – into the fold and have them involved in the creative process for the film. No word yet on who will be writing or directing.
When companies bottom out, they can either sink and disintegrate — or rebound. Research In Motion executives are making the case that rather than stay buried beneath the success of iPhones and Droids, their BlackBerry brand has actually begun a climb toward technological and consumer relevance in North America again.
As CEO Thorsten Heins and his fluid corps of top lieutenants prepared to meet stern-faced shareholders at RIM’s annual meeting on Tuesday in Ottawa, they’ve got a lot of explaining to do. Several days ago, Toronto-based Research in Motion announced larger-than-expected first-quarter losses, the planned layoff of 30 percent of its staff, and a delay in introducing its crucial BlackBerry 10 until early next year.
No wonder Heins and other top executives were out in force in an American Fourth of July Week, launching a public-relations blitzkrieg behind the seemingly fantastical idea that a comeback for the brand not only is possible but is inevitable.
RIM’s U.S. Managing Director Richard Piasentin told me that BlackBerry is basing its hopes on a number of factors of varying importance: the power of the coming BlackBerry 10 platform for mobile computing as well as smart phones; an intense refocus on RIM’s historical base of business customers; expansion in realms such as automotive telematics; and a marketing and distribution strategy that may take the brand in some new directions but is still being defined. BlackBerry largely has relied for distribution on wireless carriers’ retail outlets and a presence in general-merchandise retailers.
“We’re very focused on what we have to do both in the short term and long term, and very explicitly, in the context of a solid foundation, we’re here for the long haul,” Piasentin said. “We’re making very difficult decisions to make sure our operating model supports that perspective and are configuring our organization accordingly.”
Piasentin asserted that BlackBerry is going through “a transition — and that’s what it is — that all tech firms go through. The cycle gets repeated in every tech company out there. The difference between the good ones and the great ones is the way that they execute through it.”
The time BlackBerry must lay claim to any mantle of greatness, of course, is right now — when its executives probably would even be happy with a hold on mediocrity. With Apple iPhones, and other smartphones running Google‘s Android software, having gobbled away at BlackBerry’s market share over the past five years – and RIM clearly still reeling as it tries to find its footing — many outside experts already have forecast the demise of the BlackBerry brand.
Things certainly didn’t reflect well on the current appeal of BlackBerry a couple of weeks ago when I visited the lone U.S. standalone retail outlet that is totally dedicated to the BlackBerry brand. It’s a store in northwest suburban Detroit that is close to a cluster of office parks containing the kind of business customers who used to be rabid for “CrackBerries.” Yet on a weekday morning recently, the store was completely empty except for salesman Nathan Speidel, a lone figure behind the counter.
Twelve miles away, an Apple outlet in tony Somerset Collection mall in Troy, Mich., was buzzing like a digital beehive. At one particular moment there were 42 consumers in the store, which has about four times the square footage of the BlackBerry outlet. And there were no fewer than 21 blue-shirted Apple representatives counseling all those people on their purchases of iPods, iPhones and iPads – four staffers alone behind the store’s “Genius Bar” counter to answer Apple owners’ toughest questions.
To say that the scenes at the two stores recently were a metaphor for the divergent fates of the two companies would be to vastly understate the case.
Of course, how this lone outpost performs is only one indicator of the consumer appeal that BlackBerry has steadily, yet stunningly, lost over the last few years. Whether Heins and his totally reformulated leadership team have the strategy and wherewithal to pull out a comeback seemingly remains an open issue only to them. Most industry analysts already have essentially thrown a sheet over the body, saying that BlackBerry is finished as a consumer brand.
“That’s the way I see it,” said Harry Wang, director of mobile research for Parks Associates, a Dallas-based market research firm.
But Piasentin insisted that BlackBerry can still rely on the loyalty and interest of the core business consumer in a software platform that has always emphasized their needs and has offered them “quality and reliability and capability.”
BlackBerry also is redoubling its efforts to gain share of business and share of mind in long-time core constituencies of “enterprises, governments and the developer community,” he said. “The security promise of the BlackBerry infrastructure and brand allows developers and mission-critical clients to think up new and interesting applications in trusted environments,” he said.
Automotive telematics could be one fruitful area for any hopes for business renewal by RIM. More than 9 million cars have already been shipped with the brand’s QNX software, a telematics platform that is used in one form or another by most major auto brands. More than 5 million of those vehicles were shipped in North America, and about 40 percent of all vehicles sold in the U.S. rely on QNX.
QNX’s main expertise has been in the area of rear-seat entertainment, a sub-segment that BlackBerry admits is shifting with passengers’ use of tablets and smart phones. So BlackBerry’s new focus for QNX is cloud and device connectivity and the application platform, including traditional in-car instrument clusters, radios and navigation systems and connectivity to smart phones and other user devices.
Automotive connectivity might make for a good target. Though some automakers, such as Ford, were quick to recognize the imperative and the opportunity of in-vehicle connectivity, the industry as a whole has been uneven in its effectiveness in this developing arena, and even Ford has stumbled. Apple’s recent demonstration of some telematics possibilities for its Siri software was one illustration of the broad allure of this segment.
Heins has been trying to demonstrate BlackBerry’s automotive chops. At the BlackBerry World 2012 conference in May, the CEO himself took the wraps off a 2012 Porsche Carrera that had been outfitted with a prototype of a BlackBerry 10-based platform. He said the car itself was “a connected ecosystem” that included a telematics unit, dashboard applications, and screens in the back seats for videoconferencing — or gaming.
“These are not four different devices,” Heins pointed out to the assembled BlackBerry mavens. “They’re all run from one single, mobile-computing platform, which is BlackBerry 10. That is the power of BlackBerry 10.”
Piasentin declined to rule out distribution options as Research in Motion strains toward the delayed debut of BlackBerry 10 next year.
Despite the fact that the only BlackBerry-brand store open in North America is the one in Michigan, operated since its opening in 2007 by an outfit called Wireless Giant, Piasentin didn’t say his company wants to shut the store and declined to comment on the possibility of any more stores in North America. “These kinds of locations provide us the ongoing opportunity to evaluate retail-store concepts,” he said.
He was more affirmative about the handful of airport-kiosk stores, which also are run by Madison Heights, Mich.-based Wireless Giant. “BlackBerry is a brand that is very strong with folks who travel often, and they’re dependent on those devices and services to keep them on the move.”
PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale pits Sony's classic characters against each other in winner-takes-all brawls. Here's a round-up of the confirmed characters of Sony's star-studded fighter, along with the characters we hope will be in the game. We will update the list as Sony reveals more characters.
Confirmed CharactersHere are the characters that Sony has already confirmed will be in the game. We will update this list as more characters are announced.
Heihachi Mishima: Heihachi is arguably Tekken's most recognizable character. He appeared as a guest character on the PlayStation 2 version of Soul Calibur 2, and clearly that wasn't enough for him. In a game like PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale, it's much more fun to see characters who typically aren't in fighting games making an appearance, but Heihachi feels like he belongs here.
Toro Inoue: If Toro isn't immediately recognizable to you, that's because he helps out with Sony marketing Japan. We don't see a whole lot of him over here in North America, which makes his inclusion in the game one of the more interesting additions.
Nathan Drake: The Uncharted hero brings his trademark half-tuck to the arena, along with attacks that incorporate explosive propane tanks, sarcophagi, and more. He's one of the most agile characters in the game, which should come as no surprise after all these years of seeing him scurry up walls and cliffsides.
Big Daddy: BioShock fans can step into the heavy boots of one of this generation's most memorable character types in PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale. He's slow, but strong, and he can call on the Little Sisters to take care of business.
Kratos: The God of War was among the first characters confirmed for Battle Royale, and given his illustrious career killing pretty much every notable character in Greek mythology, we're not surprised. We can't wait to see Kratos rip off PaRappa's head.
Fat Princess: Sony's confectionary-loving royalty was the last character we expected to see in Battle Royale, but she's confirmed to be on the roster. We're not sure what her special moves will be, but we wouldn't stand between her and a piece of cake.
Sly: We're not sure how much Sly's stealth skills will come in handy, but he's been confirmed for Battle Royale nonetheless. At the very least, he can thwump his enemies with his pimp cane.
Sweet Tooth: Sweet Tooth is no stranger to chaotic free-for-alls, so he'll fit right in with Sony's other contenders. His superior firepower and sadistic nature may even make him a favorite.
PaRappa the Rapper: Has Sony already run out of characters to include? Maybe PaRappa can dazzle his opponents with his rapping skills, but we're still considering PaRappa an underdog (pun most definitely intended).
Radec: Killzone's Helghast leader wouldn't be our first pick for a cartoony brawler, but at least we know he's got some fighting skills. In Killzone 2, Radec had a machine gun, combat knife, and two varieties of grenade at his disposal, so we're guessing he'll be well-equipped for a fight.
here are characters we want to see in PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale...
Characters We Want
While it seems inevitable that characters like Jak and Daxter or Ratchet and Clank will end up in Battle Royale, Sony has plenty of less obvious characters it could revive for its newly announced fighter. The TrifectaTech staff dug deep into the PlayStation library for more characters we'd like to see included in Battle Royale, even if some of them are utterly ridiculous.
Crash Bandicoot: While it would be a third-party inclusion at this point, a Sony All-Stars game wouldn't be complete without the Playstation's first unofficial mascot. It only makes sense that he would have his Wumpa Fruit Bazooka from Crash Bandicoot 3 and that his ultimate attack would involve putting on the Aku-Aku mask for invincibility. Crash, we miss you. Come back.
Spyro: We're hoping Insomniac's little purple dragon makes an appearance in the game. This scrappy little guy's flame breath, projectile fireballs, charge attack, and glide ability could give him the ability to expertly control fighting space. Plus, he's adorable.
Sephiroth: The Final Fantasy series may have gone multiplatform, but the terrifying villain from Final Fantasy VII remains Sony-exclusive. Fans can already use Sephiroth to slash away at other Final Fantasy characters in the Dissidia games, but that sword is huge – certainly long enough to hack through some additional franchises.
Master McDonnell Miller: Since Solid Snake was already used in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Sony fans will have to settle for the next best thing: Master McDonnell Miller from Metal Gear Solid. He could use his knowledge of "flora and fauna" to devastating effects, like unleashing a swarm of Alaskan rats with exclamation points above their head. His ultimate attack would consist of him asking if you liked his sunglasses before he reveals his less interesting secret identity.
Rau Utu (Mark of Kri/Rise of the Kasai): Rau's ability to take on multiple foes from all sides will surely come in handy, as will his brutal prowess with a long-range bow, close-quarters sword, and area-attack staff. Perhaps there could also be an opportunity to use Kuzo, Rau's recon bird/spirit guide.
UmJammer Lammy: We already know that PaRappa’s in the game, so why not his rockin’ female counterpart? While PaRappa’s mic skills are unparalleled, there’s nothing more dangerous than a woman with an axe. Forget fatalities, Lammy will set her guitar to kill and smite her enemies with a wicked guitar solo.
Sackboy: LittleBigPlanet's canvas-clad protagonist is branching out into kart racing, so why shouldn't he kick a little mascot butt in Sony's fighter too? He's got plenty of power-ups like the Grappling Hook, Grabinator, and Creatinator to assist him in battle, but we'd prefer it if the player using Sackboy had to hastily create contraptions to best his opponents instead.
Sir Daniel Fortesque: MediEvil is one of Sony’s most neglected franchises, so the inclusion of Sir Daniel isn’t a lock by any means. Still, his oddball physical humor, gangly skeletal animations, and focus on pure hack n’ slash swordplay would make him a good addition to the roster.
Spike and Specter: Sony’s Ape Escape isn’t as well-remembered as its trio of PS2 platformers (Jak and Daxter, Ratchet & Clank, and Sly Cooper), but its goofy, inspired gameplay is as good as it gets in the genre. Spike, the anime-haired hero of the first game, would be a great inclusion in PlayStation All-Stars. With Spike, you’ll get a host of his amazing gadgets to use and villain Specter could wield the power of a dozen of mind-controlled monkeys.
Rascal: First on the list of a Sony dream team would have to be Rascal. You would have to include the lovable, raygun-toting, spunky kid from the Playstation One platformer. On second thought, maybe you wouldn't.
Dragon From Lair: Remember Lair? The early PS3 title that required players to control a dragon by tilting their sixaxis controller? Maybe this is the perfect opportunity for Sony to test out the franchise again. Dragons would be great playable characters. They're strong, fast, and they breathe fire. Sure, they only respond to every third button press, which makes them a challenge to control, but they could take to the skies and perform bombing runs against every other player on the field. They're also ten times larger than any other announced character. How do fighting games work again?
Downhill Domination racers: There are a few forgettable cyclists to choose from in this underappreciated racer from the last generation of consoles, but it's not the personalities from the game we would like to see in PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale. We just want to see an acknowledgement from Sony that this franchise is still on its radar. Also, we like the idea of seeing one of the fighters bunny-hopping back and forth on a bike for his or her idle animation.
Lemmings: A quick perusal of a list of Sony-owned properties reveals that the publisher retains the rights to the classic puzzle game Lemmings. That early '90s franchise required players to guide those hapless rodents through elaborate death traps as they sheepishly try to walk to their doom. How would this kind of gameplay transfer over to a fighting title? We have no idea. But Lemmings are cute and the idea is so absurd that we want to see it happen
Julie Uhrman, Ouya’s founder, seems shocked that the company’s in this field all by itself. “The ironic thing is, when I pitch people, the most common response is ‘Huh. Yeah, that makes a lot of sense, I can’t believe no one’s done that,’” Uhrman told me in an interview. “And I think it’s because it is such an entrenched business.”
