videos

Galaxy S4 upsets iPhone 5 in our brutal destruction test (video)

The iPhone 5 and the Samsung Galaxy S4 -- two sparkling smartphones at the top of their game. But which mobile is tougher? That's what our in-depth and brutal destruction video aims to discover. Hit play on the clip above to witness the world's greatest mobiles drowned, scratched, dropped, and crushed -- with surprising results.

For our first test you'll see both phones, which were kindly donated by U.K. gadget insurance company Protect your bubble, dunked underwater, an ordeal from which Samsung's mobile made a truly miraculous recovery. Find out exactly how much … Read more

Xbox One Asia launch set for late 2014, no word on Japan

Microsoft's Xbox One might be making a splash at the E3 Gaming expo this week, but it won't be making a splash in Asia until later next year.

The Xbox One won't launch in Asia until late 2014, Microsoft confirmed to The Wall Street Journal in an article published Tuesday. Microsoft's regional vice president of sales and marketing in Asia told the Journal that his company is following a "staged approach," noting that Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, and India will be first ones in Asia to get the console next year.

Interestingly, … Read more

Google to be banned in Pakistan if it doesn't clean up YouTube

With YouTube already shuttered in Pakistan, Google is now reportedly facing an all-out ban in that country, according to The Times of India.

The country's new IT and telecommunication minister, Anusha Rahman Khan, announced that unless Google removes "blasphemous and objectionable material" from YouTube, the country will block access to all Google sites.

"It all depends on our negotiation clout," Khan said, according to The Times of India. "If they persist with their stance, we can block Google in Pakistan as a last resort as there are many alternative search engines available on the … Read more

Battlefield creator shows off new 'Star Wars' video game

To the delight of many gamers at E3 on Monday, EA DICE showed off Star Wars Battlefront -- a next-generation "Star Wars" video game that uses the Frostbite 3 graphics engine. DICE uses the same graphics engine in Battlefield 4.

As the 30-second trailer kicks off, you can clearly see a snowy tundra on the ice planet Hoth, presumably set during the battle seen in "Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back," or perhaps a different time in the canon. … Read more

Review: Clipster guides you in creating automatic, high quality videos to share

Clipster is a combination of social video creation and tutorial tool, streamlining the process of making videos while giving you enough tools to make them unique to your personality and vision. The result is an easy-to-use app that helps you craft engaging videos in just a few quick seconds, while building a library of clips you can use for future videos.

Clipster starts with a fairly basic but comprehensive five-part tutorial, walking you through how to create your first clips. You can then either use the existing clips that Clipster loads with or start recording your own right away. Recording … Read more

Game industry spending stays flat in first quarter of 2013

The game industry's sales during the first quarter remained flat, new data from research firm NPD has confirmed.

During the first quarter of 2013, total game content spending in the U.S. hit $3.5 billion, matching what was spent during the same period in 2012. A total of $1.37 billion was spent on physical console and PC games (meaning discs) while used and rental spending hit $559 million. Total spending on digital content reached $1.59 billion.

"Digital spending fully offset the declines in physical format spend in Q1'13," said Liam Callahan, industry analyst … Read more

Nintendo's Fils-Aime explains E3 move: It'll be better this way

Nintendo's decision to not hold a major press conference at the E3 gaming expo next week will be "better" for everyone, the company's president said in a video posted to Facebook on Thursday.

In a nearly 3-minute video, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime addressed concerns from fans that the company won't be holding a major press conference next week, deciding instead to hold small gatherings and use alternative means, like social networks, to share everything it has to offer at E3. In the video, he said that while he knows that "change can … Read more

Omni gaming treadmill: One step closer to total immersion

The hottest crowdfunded gaming device of 2013 could end up being Virtuix's Omni virtual-reality treadmill, which, in just 48 hours, has already netted a stunning sum of $600,000 in Kickstarter pledges from around the world.

Virtuix may have actually come up with a sensible physical platform that lets a gamer run or jump seamlessly on an enclosed octagon-shaped treadmill and see those actions mirrored in a video game.

After stepping into the octagon, Omni users slip inside a circular ring (with an attachment belt) that prevents them from toppling over while moving. Other than that, the concept seems simple: if you run forward on the Omni, you run forward in a game; if you crouch, you crouch in the game, and so forth. The recommended -- almost required -- Omni shoes don't seem so bad, either, as they contain a few protrusions similar to a cycling shoe that let you run easily on the Omni without fear of sliding around aimlessly. … Read more

Review: flayvr: photo and video albums sorts photos and videos into albums

flayvr: photo and video albums makes it easier to view and organize your photos and videos. This app turns your albums into wonderful collages and will stop you from endlessly scrolling to find the perfect picture you're looking for. If you need a new way to look at your photos and videos, then give it a shot.

flayvr: photo and video albums organizes your photos into separate albums called "flayvrs," based on their timestamps and other metadata. However, you can't change the way they're organized to suit the way you browse photos, or delete the … Read more

Microsoft to partner with Sky on Xbox One deal? Nope.

Microsoft's strategy for its Xbox One console might rely on help from broadcasters, according to a new report.

Microsoft has been in talks with satellite TV broadcaster Sky in the U.K. to bring its Xbox One to the company's customers, MCVUK reported on Thursday, citing people who claim to have knowledge of the deal. It's possible that the Xbox One will be a companion set-top box that sits atop Sky's service, those sources said. The Xbox One could be sold at a heavily reduced cost, according to the site's sources.

However, a Sky representative … Read more