studios

What kind of game is Forza Horizon for Xbox 360? (hands-on)

What is Forza Horizon? This question has had me scratching my head since Turn 10 debuted the teaser trailer for its new racing game for the Xbox 360 console way back in March. Now that I've gotten hands-on time with the title, I have a better idea of what it is and what it's not.

Forza Horizon is an open-world racing game that blends free driving with a variety of on-track events. Turn 10 and Playground Games have created a massive, fictional version of Colorado that players can just drive around in. There are country roads, freeways, canyons, … Read more

Were you a 'weird' kid? Nike wants to hear from you

Did you consider yourself a "weird" kid growing up? If so, we applaud you! Also, you could win a pair of Nikes.

Not just any Nikes, mind you. Nikes inspired by "ParaNorman," the stop-motion animated adventure that opened last week. The film centers on a misunderstood young outsider with unusual abilities, like being able to talk with the dead.

"You don't become a hero by being normal" declares the site for the shoe giveaway, which is being sponsored by Nike and Laika Studios, also maker of "Coraline," another film about a fantastical childhood. … Read more

PlayStation's mobile, multiscreen push

Tuesday's top tech headlines are formatted to fit your second screen:

At the Gamescom conference in Germany, Sony announced several new PlayStation games and new methods for playing. Sony talked more about PlayStation Mobile for Android devices, but we still don't know exactly when it'll hit the market or how many games will launch in the store.

And there are some perks for those that own both a PS Vita and the PS3. For one price, you can get a game for both systems, starting with "PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale," "Sly Cooper: Thieves in … Read more

Google+ launches vanity URLs, catching up to Facebook, Twitter

Both Twitter and Facebook have offered vanity URLs personalized to users' accounts for years -- something that has been glaringly vacant in Google Plus' URLs. But, that's about to change.

Google's social network announced today that vanity URLs for profiles and pages are on their way. It has even begun rolling out a few for celebrities, like soccer player David Beckham and pop singer Britney Spears, along with brands like Toyota, Delta, and Hugo Boss.

Here's what Google product manager Saurabh Sharma wrote in a blog post today:

Your Google+ profile is a place for you to … Read more

Why do musicians have lousy hi-fis?

I know it doesn't make sense, but it's true: most musicians don't have good hi-fis.

To be fair, most musicians don't have hi-fis at all, because like most people musicians listen in their cars, on computers, or with cheap headphones. Musicians don't have turntables, CD players, stereo amplifiers, and speakers. Granted, most musicians aren't rich, so they're more likely to invest whatever available cash they have in buying instruments. That's understandable, but since they so rarely hear music over a decent system they're pretty clueless about the sound of their recordings.… Read more

There's a DJ in my Vita and its name is Sound Shapes

Since its relatively impressive launch last February, there's been a disconcerting lack of quality software titles available for Sony's powerful portable. Sure, there's a few notable games on the horizon including LittleBigPlanet, Call of Duty, and Assassin's Creed, but it's the downloadable efforts that really hold the true potential of the system.

Sound Shapes first debuted at E3 2011, where it headlined Sony's debut of the Vita. Since then it has slipped under the radar, quietly being developed by Queasy Games and Santa Monica Studio.

Now with the game ready to go, we're wondering if Sound Shapes is the shot in the arm that the Vita needs or if it's a disappointing casualty of its own hype machine.… Read more

Amazon's got game (and textbook rentals)

Tuesday's top tech stories are out to disrupt your world:

Oh Amazon, what don't you do? Well cross off game development, as it just launched its own studio to make Facebook games and compete with Zynga. It also joined the textbook rental service to face off with eBay's Half.com and BookRenter.

YouTube will no longer be a pre-loaded default app on Apple devices. Apple is dropping the YouTube app for iOS 6, and Google will create a separate app you can download. It's all part of Apple's mission to distance itself from Google.

If … Read more

Definitive Technology's new monitor speaker rocks the house

My fondness for big speakers is longstanding, but I'm almost as big a fan of smaller speakers that sound big. Take Definitive Technology's StudioMonitor 55 speaker ($299 each). Measuring 13x7.8x12.3 inches it's not all that big, but it weighs a hefty 15.4 pounds. The StudioMonitor 55 is a handsome, but conventional-looking design, until you peel off the cloth grille on the top of the speaker and see the "racetrack bass radiator." It's a unique Def Tech feature, and one that really helps the StudioMonitor 55 outperform similarly sized speakers.… Read more

Camtasia Studio 8

The screen-capture video tool Camtasia Studio has long balanced a strong set of features with a friendly interface and graceful learning curve. Version 8 continues the tradition with cool, new features that don't bog down the app with any additional complexity. Camtasia's price--$300--may raise eyebrows, but make no mistake: this screencasting software is serious business. New and advanced users both should be able to learn the software and start producing professionally looking videos in little time.

Robust in-app tutorials introduce Camtasia to users, but experienced editors can wave them aside and dive in. The main interface is … Read more