Archive for the ‘iPhone and iPad’ Category

Microsoft has launched Xbox Live App for iPhone and iPad

Wednesday, February 8th, 2012

It really exciting that Microsoft has released its Xbox Live app for Apple’s iPhones and iPads, shortly following its release of the Windows Phone 7 version and its announcement of rolling out the new Xbox Live Dashboard today. Although not as extensive as the Windows Phone 7 app in being able to fully control an Xbox 360 console using the app, this iOS version does allow you to access plenty of Xbox Live features.

 

The iOS app is called “My Xbox Live” and features a sleek Windows Phone 7-styled interface. Through the app, you can change your 3D avatar’s appearance, edit your Xbox Live profile, read and send messages to your Xbox Live friends, as well as keep track of your Xbox Live achievements.

The interface is split into three main categories of Home, Social, and Games. On the Home screen you can access news and videos, such as featured stories and trailers, while the Social screen is where you can interact with your friends, send out beacons, and edit your avatar.

The Games section lets you browse through Xbox 360 games you’ve played along with your achievements, but unfortunately, you can’t actually using Xbox 360 accessories play any games directly from the app. The app is available free from the iTunes App Store.

Tobii Eye Asteroids: the world’s first eye-controlled arcade game

Tuesday, November 22nd, 2011

In the past few years, people invented many innovative products in the field of game controllers, from the physical to the touch screen controller, and then to the flat game such as the Wii U. The human move far on the road of explore joystick. Now, we will introduce the most creative controller in the history: the eye.

Eye Asteroids is the world’s first arcade game that was released by Tobii, a company that deals mainly with eye-tracking tech. The game was recently display at New York Dave & Buster’s arcade. It is just like the iPhone and iPad– it has one button, where you press it to start, and after that, the infrared sensors located below the display will scan your eyes and calibrate the system so that it will be as accurate as possible in interpreting where your eyes move. The moment your eyes are fixed on a target, a red laser will zap it, but you should be careful not to look at the health bonuses that cross by, while using just a little head movement will help you avoid radiation belts. If you want to play Eye Asteroids game when wearing glasses. That is still possible, but the sensitivity will be inversed to the power of your prescription.

It is reported that only 50 Eye Asteroids will be produced by Tobii at the total price of US $15,000. It is not going to be cheap. Meanwhile, the company has built a model with Lenovo at the beginning of this year, hoping the eye-tracking technology will be integrated into laptops and other devices in the next year or two. Perhaps in the near future, people will start proceedings when only look at the icon.

Even though it needs no joystick, I would rather have this in my living room than other clumsy machines with the same price.