reckoning

Rumor Has It: iPhone 5 and iPad Mini, the Reckoning

It's time to get real: the iPhone 5 is probably almost here. Though Apple hasn't sent out an invitation, the tech world seems united in the belief that the company will hold a huge party on September 12 to reveal a new iPhone to the world. Here is a reason to doubt that assumption: Moscone Center, where Apple has held many major launch events, is fully booked that day for a microbiology conference!

Does that make us think the rumored release date is false? Not necessarily, as Apple could always hold the event here, which is where it … Read more

Game over: Schilling's 38 Studios files for bankruptcy

The fate of 38 Studios' video games -- and the company's debt -- may now rest in Rhode Island's hands.

The video game company run by former Red Sox star Curt Schilling filed for bankruptcy, with plans to liquidate, Reuters reported today.

The news comes shortly after 38 Studios laid off nearly all of its staff and lost its funding from Rhode Island. The state's officials, hoping the video game company would bring in more jobs, had given 38 Studios a $75 million loan guarantee.

The company, which released the well-regarded "Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning," … Read more

Is Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning the most accessible RPG ever?

The story behind Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is an interesting tale. Its development house, 38 Studios, was founded by former Major League Baseball pitcher Curt Schilling.

After finishing up his baseball career with the Boston Red Sox, Schilling refocused his energy (and a lot of money) into the company in addition to tying up sci-fi mastermind R.A. Salvatore and comic book veteran Todd McFarlane.

Jeff: While its story and characters are less than memorable, Reckoning is a lot of fun to play and has a combat system that's good enough to stand on its own. Historically, RPG games don't even have much of a fighting mechanic, but the one in Reckoning is totally out of the ordinary--and that's a good thing.

To me, Reckoning feels like an RPG stripped of its inaccessible number-crunching stat-trackers and at times comes across as a linear adventure altogether. That said, all the usual RPG suspects are accounted for, including choosing your class, upgrading a varied and complex skill tree, and deciding which quests to take on.

While it might be a blast to swing your sword at droves of enemies, Reckoning doesn't do much for me in the character development department. Considering the major players involved in the game's creation, it's a bit shocking to see that a lot of that energy may have been devoted to the game's expansive backstory instead of conveying a world filled with characters that players can identify with. You can talk with nonplayable characters in the game, but I'm not sure you need to.… Read more

Portable unit kicks in when GPS fades

Ahoy, GPS-stranded motorist. Stop banging the dashboard, and consider this timely reincarnation of dead reckoning to help you find your way out of "GPS-denied environments," or at least alert others to where you can be found.

Seer Technology is offering a miniature, self-contained, electronic navigation unit called NaviSeer that mixes GPS and DR in a complex gumbo of hardware and proprietary algorithms to deliver user location in real time.

It does this by blending the output from three gyros, three accelerometers (one at each axis,) a magnetometer, and a baro altimeter, and then running it through a Kalman filter.

The result: coordinates accurate to within less than a yard, according to Seer. And no, it "does not require sensors to be worn on the legs or feet."… Read more