iGame Radio

Host Omaha Sternberg goes it alone, covering the release of the EVE Online Crucible expansion, Apple’s snubbing of the ESRB, and holiday game wishes. Plus, much more!
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After only a week on the iTunes App Store, Apple has pulled a Big Fish app meant to provide access to streaming game content via a monthly subscription service. Meant for the iPad only, the app would have provided online access via wi-fi to Big Fish game content for a monthly subscription fee of $6.99.

In a process similar to what magazines and newspapers have experienced through Apple, the Big Fish app had gone through several weeks of vetting before final approval. “It took longer than usual to be approved,” said Big Fish founder Paul Thelen. “They [Apple] needed to be convinced there’s a reason to charge customers every month.”

The app had been available since November 18th. However, Bloomberg news stated that shortly after Big Fish had sent out their press release announcing the app, Apple pulled the app from the iTunes App Store. The press release had also been “officially approved” by Apple, Thelen said.

Apple has declined to comment at this time regarding the removal, and Thelen says that he still does not know the reason for the removal. “We’re trying to follow up with Apple to try to figure out what happened.”

via GamesIndustry and Bloomberg

Host Omaha Sternberg and co-host Corey Tamas of MacGasm talk about the turnabout regarding Rage on the Mac and Gabe Newell’s comments about an Apple console. Plus, much more!
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What’s inside this episode:

• Host Omaha Sternberg and co-host Peter Cohen of The Loop talk about the week’s news in Mac and iOS gaming. Yesterday morning, Steve Jobs died with family by his side. Omaha and Peter review the legacy he left behind in gaming over the past 25 years.
• Apple’s Tim Cook revealed the iPhone 4S on Tuesday, much to the dismay of some set on an iPhone 5. Omaha and Peter look under the hood of this machine and discuss the gaming potential within.
• Don’t forget about the Humble Indie Bundle, which is getting bigger all the time.
• Voting for the uDevGames Contest has begun. Check out the games that you can play for the Mac and vote for your favorites.

Music Notes:

• Digital Droo produced our theme music here at iGame Radio.
• Matt Jarvis for featuring music from Osmos.

Apple held their iPhone Event today in Cupertino. Many rumors were circulating regarding the announcements that would be made today, but surprisingly enough less was announced than expected. But among the news was a new iPhone and a new game.

The iPhone 4S looks like an iPhone 4 on the outside, but on the inside it’s totally different. The inside includes an A5 chip, running a dual-core processor with speeds up to two times faster than previous iPhones. The iPhone 4S also comes with dual-core graphics which Tim Cook claimed is seven times faster than the iPhone 4.

To prove the speed of the graphics, Cook brought Epic’s Mike Capps onto the stage to show off a new game for the iPhone: Infinity Blade II. You can catch the teaser trailer at the IGN site, but basically you’ve got a world that has been expanded to a fully 3D environment…everything is playable. The worlds is bigger, and there are more monsters to fight and weapons to choose from. And the castle is new as well. You can check out a full interview about the game with developer Chair head Geremy Mustard at the IGN site. Infinity Blade II will be available on the iTunes App Store on December 1st, and will run its best on the 4S.

Apple also claimed that the download speeds for the iPhone 4S can reach 14.4 Mbps, which is twice the speed of the iPhone 4 and comparative to phones on the 4G network, such as the Motorola Atrix 4G, HTC Inspire 4G, and LG Thrill 4G. However, this smartphone doesn’t run on an actual 4G network…it intelligently switches between the two antennas on the phone between transmit and receive.

What this may mean is a big boost not just to phone calls, but to online gaming. As more and more mobile games invest in Cloud technology, for example, or add multiplayer modes, a faster download speed from the Internet becomes vital. A simulated 4G network will really speed up online mobile gaming.

Oh, hello, Airplay Mirroring. With AirPlay Mirroring, not only can you wirelessly stream what’s on your iPhone to your HDTV and speakers via your AppleTV, but whatever you see and do on your iPhone appears on your HDTV at the same time. This can happen wirelessly or through a dongle that you attach to your iPhone 4S. This means that you can now play games on your iPhone, but have it stream onto your HDTV for a big screen affect, in effect turning your iPhone 4S into a gamepad of sorts.

Game Center has been augmented slightly, allowing friend suggestions and a wider range of social connectivity, such as adding multiple email addresses to your profile, achievements, photos, and downloading games directly through Game Center. But unfortunately Game Center is still the sad stepchild of the Apple gaming world, suffering from a lack of attention to detail.

That 8 megapixel camera may end up doing more than just take pretty pictures. With a high-end camera like that, we should start seeing some better augmented reality games based your own environments. In fact, the 1080p HD video recording might spark some new ideas for AR-style games as well, so look for something interesting around Christmas time.

In addressing the battery life, Apple stated that the 4S will offer eight hours of 3G talk time, six hours of browsing (nine on WiFi), ten hours of video, and forty hours of music. We are all aware of how much game time eats into our battery life, and are leaning more between nine to ten hours of battery time for gaming on the iPhone 4S.

And the price? iPhone 4S, both black and white versions, will be $199 for the 16GB, $299 for the 32GB, and $399 for the 64GB (with carrier agreement). Too rich for your blood? Well, the iPhone 3GS and 4 will live on. The iPhone 4 is now $99 for the 8GB. You can also get the 8GB 3GS for free…with a contract, of course. Pre-orders for the iPhone 4S start this Friday, October the 7th, and will become available on October 14th.

Steve Jobs’ legacy has been felt in numerous ways and through many channels. We talked about his impact on gaming in the latest podcast last week.

Now, iPhone Life Magazine is hosting a Facebook event to honor Steve Jobs’ ongoing legacy in a fun way. On Friday, September 9, it’s “Dress Up Like Steve Jobs Day.” Dress up in your jeans and black shirts/mock turtle necks, and show the world what Jobs’ legacy means to you.

Post your pics, video, and wishes for Steve Jobs on the Facebook event page, and the best ones will be published in an upcoming issue of iPhone Life magazine and iPhonelife.com.

iPhone Life Magazine CEO David Averbach feels that Steve Jobs and Apple have affected nearly everyone’s lives directly or indirectly. In answering why the magazine doing this event, Averbach said, “…iPhone Life magazine would not exist if it wasn’t for Apple and Steve Jobs. This is our humble, simple and fun way to show our respect and appreciation to a man who continues to contribute an enormous amount to the world. We know he will continue to innovate, create and inspire for years to come from his new role.”

iPhone Life magazine features issues with tips and how-to’s, app and accessory reviews, and the latest news from Apple. iPhone Life magazine is printed bi-monthly and available through subscription and newsstands worldwide.

So, watch the “Dress Up Like Steve Jobs Day” Facebook page and you might just see a picture of Chief Editor Omaha Sternberg up there.

 

What’s inside this episode:

• Host Omaha Sternberg and co-host Corey Tamas of Macgasm talk about the week’s news in Mac and iOS gaming. First up, Steve Jobs’ offered Apple his resignation letter this past week. Omaha and Corey talk about his resignation and the impact Jobs and Apple has made on gaming on the Mac and iOS over the years.
• Omaha reports back about last weekend’s PAX Prime, the huge gaming convention in Seattle. Summary: no one makes fun of Mac games anymore.

Music Notes:

• Digital Droo produced our theme music here at iGame Radio.
• Pedro Camacho featured some of his game demo music.
• Rich Carlson featured music from Weird Worlds: Return to Infinite Space.

The Razer Blade, Razer’s entrance into the world of hardware systems, was announced last weekend. Not content to produce peripherals, Razer has created what they call the “World’s First True Gaming Laptop”. Measuring at 0.88 inches thick and less than 7 lbs, the Razer Blade is intended to be a light weight machine despite the 17 inch wide screen. And it may just be Apple’s lesson in high-end gaming for laptops. Read more

Today Steve Jobs tendered his resignation at Apple as their CEO. Like so much of Jobs’ communications, his resignation letter was simple, clear, and to the point. We could come up with all kinds of weepy tributes, or farcical puns…but we won’t.

Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Mike Markkula started Apple in their garage because they loved what they did. Jobs continued with Apple, and many of the other work he did (founding NeXT, acquiring the graphics division of Lucasfilms and spinning it off as Pixar, etc) because he had a passion for creating things. And though his biggest passion wasn’t gaming, he still created one of the most legendary platforms for casual gaming…the iOS.

We wish Jobs’ the best of luck in everything he does. And we’ll know every time we play a game on our Mac, iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad, he made it possible.

Thanks, Steve.

 

What’s inside this episode:

• Host Omaha Sternberg and co-host Peter Cohen of The Loop talk about the week’s news in Mac and iOS gaming. First up, is Freemium really the way to go? Omaha and Peter talk about two studies this week that seem to say just that.
• Diablo 3…more WoW than Diablo 2? Omaha and Peter talk about the newest revelations this week about Blizzard’s latest.
• Apple has more cash than the US treasury! Omaha and Peter chuckle through analyst suggestions of who Apple should purchase.
• Some couple in China didn’t understand why they shouldn’t be allowed to sell their offspring for Internet Cafe game cash. Omaha and Peter have a hard time understanding them…
• The Humble Indie Bundle is here again! Number 3 has arrived, and bundled with more than ever.
• Spiderweb Software is rebooting the first Avernum game. Peter talks about why that is ultra cool.
• Omaha and Peter talk about games that they’ve played in the past week.

Music Notes:

• Digital Droo produced our theme music here at iGame Radio.
• Tomas Dvorak for featuring music from Machinarium.
• Rich Carlson for featuring music from Dr. Blob.