You're all going to try VR tonight

Evil Dead (2013) is one of my favorite movies. Like, seriously??, top-three material. The visuals are gruesome and stunning, the performances are strong and unhinged, and it does exactly what a remake should do by honoring the original while s??till doing its own thing. In short, Fede Alvarez's unlikely remake is absolutely perfect in almost every single way, and if you disagree with me you're wrong and should feel very bad about your own opinions, indeed.

So it's with equal pa??rts mild trepidation and worried excitement that I tell you someone is making a VR game based on it.

Evil Dead: Virtual Nightmare is a VR game coming...uh...sometime to Samsung Gear VR an??d Oculus GO. Basically nothing is shown in the trailer above but the press release had some limited information:

• Intense, 1st person POV, puts players at the centre of the Evil Dead universe
• Unnerving 360 experience of the iconic Evil Dead cabin
• Access classic Evil Dead weapons from a nail gun to the chainsaw
• New upgraded weapons, including sights on all guns
• Unlock tougher missions from the Book of The Dead
• Realistic 3D VR graphics and camerawork recreate the look and feel of the movie set
• Set your Groovy Factor racing as you kill your way through the forest

Ok, I'm game. Sounds good so far. Let's just check the closing line of t??he press release real quick:

Title: Evil Dead: Virtual Nightmare
Publisher: Boomdash Digital Ltd
Category: VR Endless Runner / Horror
Age: 17+

"VR Endless Runner." *sigh*

I'm nervous, because this is so far a mobile-only VR game that claims to be an endless runner. While the description of the gameplay doesn't really give that vibe, it's pretty clearly there in the presser so who knows. Also, like most licensed movie games this could easily wind up being hot garbage marketed to sad loser fanboys cool and popular jocks like me who'll lustily buy anything from the amazing remake.

But man, I'm excited because the movie really is fantastic, and is ripe for some great video game adaptations. Ash and his trilogy had their chances with with Hail to the King and A Fistful of Boomstick, both faithful to the movies but largely forgettable, and Regeneration, which acted as an alternate universe set after the second film and?? really tried something new for the series. (In doing a quick check I see there have been a few mobile games based on the franchise, and also a 1984 Commodore 64 title. Don't @ me on this.) It's definitely time ?to let Mia, who more than filled the shoes of the original trilogy's hero, have her shot at the medium.

However the new VR game winds up, I think we can all agree on one thing: Alvarez needs to drop everything he's doing and give us Evil Dead 2. You're on notice, amigo.

The post Evil Dead: ??Virtual Nightmare had better be good, damn it appeared first on Destructoid.

No numbers has always been the whole problem

Our interpretation of virtual reality's commercial success is almost entirely anecdotal and relatively-uninformed. It has to be. Most of the major players won't tell us VR's adoption rate in actual sales figures. Sony is the only one who will, and it announced that PlayStation VR was at 2 million sales as of last December.

This near-universal non-disclosure has led to the widespread assumption that VR hasn't taken off like many people thought it would. The most negative assessment of the situation is that VR is dy??ing. Not so says the Vive team.

In a recent blog post on its site, Vive explicitly refutes the notion that VR is dying. Vive calls those claims "greatly exaggerate?d" and "not the whole story." This feels like a good place to remind everyone that Vive is a company that would benefit greatly from people not thinking that VR is dying. In fact, Vive would benefit most if people thought VR was healthy and growing and profitable.

As for the actual reality, who knows? It's impossible. But Digital Trends wrote a report last week -- Vive's post seems to be positioned as a direct response to this -- that states Vive sales (and most VR sales in general) have plummeted. Vive says sales are down because its headset is so popular. "Vive has paced at its highest sales velocity of all-time, for weeks on end, and we sold out," Vive states. "For a consumer electr?onic product in its third calendar ??year, this continued trajectory is nearly unheard of."

Highest sales velocity of all-time sounds great but we have no data to substantiate what that really means. Is that millions of units? Hundreds of thousands? Tens of th??ousands? Just thousands? There's no frame of reference and that's why this all feels kind of chest-thumpy.

Vive also analyzes the virtual and augmented reality market as a whole with a confidence that it will see sustained growth over the next five years. This claim is ??corroborated by an outside source: The International Data Corporation, whic??h is a firm that specializes in aggregating data and forecasting market trends, and then selling these findings to businesses.

In a report from last month, the IDC predicts that VR will grow for the remainer of 2018 after tumbling 30.5 percent year-over-year from the first quarter of 2017. However, that decline is attributed to low-end headsets no longer being bundled with smartphones. The IDC predicts that the adoption rate will reach 8.9 million u??nits by the end of the year and 65.9 million units by the end of 2022.

In the short-term, Vive isn't necessarily pegged as a major factor for this growth. The IDC thinks the Oculus Go will get VR into new homes more effectively than ?anything else. This mid-range headset ??doesn't require a VR-capable PC to run. It's about lowering the barriers to entry.

Vive also cites the IDC in a pie chart that indicates it has the highest revenue market share (35.7 percent), nearly doubling Samsung who has the second highest (18.9 percent). (Note: I could not find the data that supports this graphic. It might be hiding behind one of IDC's $4,500 paywalls.) In terms of ordinary-no-frills-attached market share, the IDC says Samsung is still the leader despite a 39.4 percent?? dec?line. (This report is also behind a $4,500 paywall.)

So, what's the takeaway? Uhh, that virtual reality probably isn't dying, and that Vive ??wants us to think it's definitely not dying. Like any emergent technology, there are growing pains and VR is going?? through them right now. But emphatically stating over and over that everything's just dandy isn't going to win the confidence of the consumers. That will only be achieved by releasing sales figures.

Think VR is dying? It's just getting started [Vive]

The post Vive refutes the notion that VR is dying, cites ‘highest sales velocity of all-time’ without revealing numbers appeared first on Destructoid.

Buy an exploding phone? In this economy?

What's the deal with the Galaxy Note 7? I'v?e heard of a product "exploding" at marke?t in a groundswell of popularity, but this is ridiculous! 

Samsung's monstrous, popular phone has a problem with exploding, threatening the pocket lining of Americans everywhere. A topical modder has brought the real-world explosive into the world of Grand Theft Auto V, which is an appropriate level of satire f??or the open?-world series.

The post Grand Theft Auto V mod spoofs exploding Ga??laxy Note 7 appeared first on Destructoid.

Water-cooled phones! It truly is the future

Today, Samsung revealed the Galaxy S7 at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. Although th?e? phone brings back multiple features missing from the S6, including water resistance, it contains multiple game-centric features that move the S7 closer to a PC.

The most prominent one is a liquid-cooling system, albeit a scaled-down version. According to a report from CNET, "the sealed copper cooling system will do its best to shift excess heat aw??ay from the S7's processor when games push things to the phone's thermal limi??ts."

The phone also includes a special "do not disturb" function, that will deactivate notifications, game recording with the ability to record picture-in-picture using the front-facing camera, and multiple graphics & frame-rate settings for power conservation. I don't need to tell you that the ability to essentially produce a Let's Play from your phone is an great leap forward from we were just a couple years ago. The democratization of production tools is real, my friends.

CNET also reports all of these settings will be easily accessible from a single icon located "at the edge of the screen." Althoug?h none of these settings are enough to get me to jump ship from Apple, the abili?ty to run games in 2K HD at 60 frames-per-second on a phone should be a pretty sweet deal for those already invested in the Galaxy line.

Hot gaming tip: Gal??axy?? S7 has ice water in its veins [CNET]

The post Samsung’s new phone has video games in mind appeared first on Destructoid.

International release to follow

Oculus and Samsung's $99 Gear VR headset is now available in the United States.

The attractive price point comes with one caveat: the device is only c?ompatible with this year's line of Samsung smartphones (the? Galaxy Note 5, Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 Edge, and Galaxy S6 Edge+).

The companies are touting more than 100 games and apps available at launch, with over 25 more "brand new made-for-VR games and experiences" p??lanned for release by early December.

You can find Gear VR demo stations at select Best Buy and AT&T locations. The headset is also available for order via Amazon and can be found at T-Mobile shops s?tarting next w??eek.

According to the manufacturers, a worldw??ide release will happen sometime so??on.

The post Samsung’s $99 Gear VR headset out now in US appeared first on Destructoid.

Cheaper, lighter, and more comfortable

Today at the Oculus Connect 2 conference in Los Angeles, Samsung Mobile Senior Vice President of Technology Strategy Peter Koo unveiled the company's next generation of Gear VR he??adsets.

Koo stated the device will be compatible with Samsung's entire 2015 lineup of smartphones, which include the Samsung Note 5, Galaxy S6, S6 Edge, and S?6 Edge +. 

Samsung plans to release the new model in the United States this November for $99 in order to hit shelves before Black Friday and the holiday season. A global launch will follow s??hortly thereafter.

In addition to being cheaper than the current "Innovator Edition" of Gear VR (which retails for $199), Samsung says the new headset as 22 percent lighter and more comforta??ble than its predecessor.

In addition t??o being a fancy pair of goggles, Gear VR uses a trackpad, back button, accelerometer, and gyroscope to supplement Samsung smartphones' hardware and high-definition screen.

The post Samsung unveils new Oculus-powered $99 Gear VR appeared first on Destructoid.

VR adventure from Monument Valley devs

Monument Valley is a good game for good people. Its creator Ustwo Games is prepping its next project, a first-person virtual-reality adventure, for release on October 30, 2015. But the thing is, it's only coming to Samsung's Gear VR -- a platform many of us don't intend to buy.

Between Oculus Rift, PlayStation VR, HTC Vive, Google Cardboard, Fove, and a ??handful of other VR solutions, software exclusivity is going to get worse for us, the players, before it ge?ts any better.

This specific trailer doesn't do a whole lot for me (I prefer the earlier one, if I'm being totally candid; it's the lighting), but over the past yea??r I've learned not to judge VR games from a distance.

Land's End will probably be pretty cool in person. If you own a Samsung Galaxy S6 and are willing to get a Gear VR h??eadset as well, you're in luck.

The post Too bad I won’t be able to play Land’s End appeared first on Destructoid.

Get robbed on the train

The Crescent Bay model of the Oculus Rift is p??retty neat. Going immediately after? to try out the Samsung Gear VR, which lacks the positional tracking and cool set of demos, at Games Connection Europe was weird. 

There was one mock up game, a cutesy 3D action game starring a lil dude with a sword. This was a third person action game??, though, and so the Gear VR put you in the position of the camera, which was weird. Definitely not ??something I've considered for virtual reality headsets. You, the camera, are in a fixed spot, and looking around would move the camera, which was only occasionally necessary to get all the parts of the dungeon rooms in view. 

Yeah, I don't know why this is a thing. Even more than the Oculus itself, Samsung's Gear VR, which?? is still meant to be released to consumers this year, seems like most of its applications are outside of games, 

For example, there's the virtual theatre mode, which sits you in a red velvet seat and puts your video content up for you on a big screen. Show of hands, who has spent a strange amount of time watching Netflix on a cell phone in bed when there's a TV right in front of you? Just me. I can see laying in bed with one of these over your head, rendering you dead to the world while you watch Adventure Time episodes. Or get real isolated on public transit and watch Gilmore Girls w??hile people thieve ev??erything off your person. 

The post I can think of about one good use for Samsung’s Gear VR appeared first on Destructoid.

Part of Galaxy Gift package

Cloud gaming service OnLive has partnered with Samsung to ?bring streaming games to Samsung Galaxy Note 4 users for free for three months as a part of a new Galaxy Gift package. This means that PC and console games from OnLive's PlayPack bundle can be streamed right t?o that big ol' phone over any Wi-Fi or 4G connection.

Do you have one of those huge phones?

The post OnLive bri??ngs free game play to Samsung Galaxy Note 4 appeared first on Destructoid.

Pirates of the Cari-VR

Monument Valley was a chill little game and now the team is working on a new project for the Samsung Gear VR headset. Now that Samsung's involved (and Sony still toiling a??way with Morpheus), how long before VR is a mainstream, commercial product bought by folks with disposable income t?o eventually leave to rot beside their 3D glasses? 

Okay, not too int??o VR beyond a 3??0 minute novelty deal, but this game does look as nice as I'd expect from developer Ustwo. 

The post Monument Valley dev working on pretty VR game Land’s End appeared first on Destructoid.

Samsung's new VR headset will be a lot pricier than cardboard

Samsung has announced that it will be showing its rumored virtual reality headset, codenamed "Project Moonlight," at its upcoming product event show in early September where it is widely expected to also announce the Galaxy Note 4. The headset appears to use? a mounted cell phone for its display.

Oculus, whose DK2 model uses a Galaxy Note 3 display for its screen, has?? been reported to be tied in with Samsung's VR proje??ct. However, it is not known if Oculus was involved in the prototype version pictured above. Cell phone screens do seem the logical choice for VR display units as they already have the high-resolution displays and orientation sensors needed for a full virtual reality sensor.

Besides the lenses, Project Moonlight appears to have a focus dial and may have a micro USB connection to the phone. The ??headset above is pictured next to a Galaxy S5, but given the positioning alongside the Note 4 launch, it seems as through Samsung's newest phone would also be compatible.

Hopefully, we will learn more at the September 3rd Samsung event that will be held in both New York and at the IFA ??trade show in Berl?in.

This is Samsung's VR headset [The Verge]

The post Here’s the more expensive version of Google Cardboard from Samsung appeared first on Destructoid.

This thing's got the biggest bezels I've ever seen!

During a teardown of the new Oculus Rift DK 2 unit, iFixit.com has found that the Oculus Rift uses a Samsung G??alaxy Note 3 screen as its display unit.

Speculation is that with Ocu??lus trying to ship 45,000 units as well as having a partnership with Samsung ??this was a great economical move on their part.

The screen is a sharp 5.7" Super AMOLED 1080p screen th?at appears to be overclocked to 75 Hz from the Galaxy Note 3's original 60 Hz. A closer look shows that Oculus ended up leaving the Synaptics S5050??A touchscreen controller intact as well.

Check it out here, as well as the rest of the teardown.

Oculus Rift Development Kit 2 Teardown [iFixit]

The post Oculus Rift ??DK2 uses a Samsung smartphone screen as its display appeared first on Destructoid.

It's all red

A new leaked image of Samsung's entry into the VR headset arena is making its rounds on the internet tod??ay. Known as Gear VR, it's poised to implement software co-developed by Rift creator Oculus, with screens and additional hardware supplemented by way of a Samsung Galaxy phone.

This all comes down the pipeline via SamMobile, who claims that the device will be shown of at the IFA 2014 consumer electronics show coming up in September. And while Google teased something similar to this with the silly Cardboard device, Samsung looks like it's actually taking the idea?? seriously and running with it.

From preliminary diagrams, it appears that there'll be a touch pad on the side of the headset and a button to turn on the phone's rear camera. I don't know. It sound?s like it could be pretty cool in practice, but then I haven't even used an Oculus headset yet. What do you think of this design?

Samsung's Gear VR headset revealed ??in leaked image [Eurogamer]

The post Here’s Samsung’s bid at entering the VR market appeared first on Destructoid.

It would be focused for mobile devices

Engadget is reporting that Samsung is getting into the virtual reality headset business. The VR headset is being developed by Samsung's mobile division, and it's set to be announced sometime this year. Apparently there's some urgency to get this out before the Oculus Rift and Project Morpheus hit the market.

The focus will be for Samsung's phone and tablet line, and will require the power of upcoming unannounced Galaxy phones and tablets. The screen is reportedly an OLED, comparable to the second version? of the Rift dev kit.

Pretty safe to say this won't be the last ??time we hear of a tech giant wanting to get into the virtual reality space.

Samsu?ng is making a VR headset for its phones and tablet?s [Engadget]

The post Loo?ks like Samsung wants to get i??nto the VR headset space appeared first on Destructoid.

And a weird bumpy exterior

Can I be on the committee that names the colors for cars and tech? Samsung's new Galaxy comes in "shimmery white, electric blue, and copper gold." It also has other features. 

Copper gold? C'mon. Get creative. What's next, "Cyan aquamarine?" And isn't "electric blue" a bit passe? Not going to catch up to the iPhone if you just phone it in, Samsung. At least "shimmery white" is nice and ridiculous, like Fitzgerald de??s??cribing Daisy.

H??ere are some future color names you?? can use, Samsung.

Billowy pink yoga mat
Effervescent fuchsia vitamin water
Deveined prawn peach
Roasted coffee bean brown
Sorry jerk who ate all of my tikka masala black and blue
Blood diamond
Bottom of a Steel Reserve tall can silver
Broken family macaroni art yellow
MaxiPad commercial liquid blue

Samsung Galaxy S5 Announced [IGN]

The post S??amsung announces Galaxy 5 in ??????????????????????????ridiculously-named colors appeared first on Destructoid.

Second and third place get cuddly dragon plush toys

[Update: Contest over! Grand prize winner is The Deeg (thanks for b??e??ing HUGE!), and runners-up are hlarge4 and ASaiyan!]

Our friends at Kabam are celebrating the launch of the newest dragon in Dragons of Atlantis: Heirs of the Dragon, and to mark the occasion they've given us a brand new Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 to hand out to the jbsgame.community!

First, a bit about the newest dragon:

From the earliest times, Water Dragons have been seen in the world's great oceans and deepest lakes. The Water Dragon is a rare breed, a majestic aquatic creature, a behemoth that reigns the deepest seas of Atlantis. The Ancients befriended the Water Dragons centuries ago, and with the Water Dragons' help, the Ancients learned to master the element of water. Building a Water Dragon Keep (Water Island) will allow you to construct additional buildings in your City, including Pearl Farms which are?? required to train the deadly Fangtooth aquatic warriors.

Nice! To enter, just leave a comment in this thread with the name you would give your pet Water Dragon if you had one. (I'd name mine Delores.) Limit one entry per person, and you have until this Sunday, September 29 at 11:59pm Pacific to enter. Contest is open t??o anyone with a U.S. mailing address.

Two runners-up will win dragon plush toys and some brand?ed M&am??p;Ms. Yum! Good luck!

The jbsgame.com Sweepstakes Official Rules

The jbsgame.com Sweepstakes (the "Sweepstakes") is a series of individual overlapping promotions that are subject to these Official Rules except as expressly stated otherwise. No purchase necessary to e??nter or win. A purchase or payment will not increase your chances of winning. The Sweepstakes is sponsored by Kabam, Inc., 795 Folsom Street, Suite 600, San Francisco, CA 94107 (th?e "Sponsor").

1. Eligibility: The Sweepstakes is open to legal residents of United States and the District of Columbia who are at least 13 years of age or older and have an internet connection at the start of the Sweepstakes Period ("Entrant"). Employees of Kabam, Inc. and jbsgame.com, its affiliates, Sweepstakes supervisors and members of their immediate families, are not eligible to participate or win. The Sweepstakes is subject to all applicable federal, state and local laws, rules and regulations. Void where prohibited. See Sponsor's Privacy Policy at //www.kabam.com/corporate/privacy-policy for more information about privacy.

2. Sweepstakes Period: Each Sweepstakes begins at 9:00 a.m. Pacific?? Time ("PT") and ends at 11:59:59 p.m. PT according to the dates outlined below (the "Sweepstakes Period"). During each Sweepstakes Period, Sponsor will conduct three (3) drawing ("Drawing") of all qualified entries received during each Sweepstakes Period.

Entries for each Drawing must be received by 11:59?:59 p.m. PT by the relevant Sweepstakes end date according to Sponsor's time.

3. How to Enter the Sweepstakes: Online entries only: To enter a Sweepstakes, go to //jbsgame.com/contest-win-a-samsung-galaxy-ta??b-3-from-dtoid-and-kabam--259735??.phtml and follow the instructions to register to win. One entry per Sweepstakes per natural person.

Incomplete, garbled, corrupted or illegible entries are void and will not be accepted. Sponsor is not responsible for lost, late, damaged, delayed, destroyed, misdirected, or incomplete entries. All entries become the property of the Sponsor. Persons discovered entering under multiple identities will be disqualified. Sponsor reserves the right to disqualify false entries or entries suspected of being false. In the event of a dispute as to the identity of a Selected Sweepstakes Entrant, the Selected Entrant will be deemed to be the person whose name and relevant information was given? at the time of entry.

4. Odds: Odds of winning a prize depe??nd on the number of eligible entries received.

5. Prizes: One (1) person will win a S??amsung Galaxy Tab 3; Approximate Retail Value: $399. Two (2) persons will win Dragon Plushy Toys; Approximate Retai?l Value: $20.

No substitution, transfer, or cash redemption of prize permitted, provided however that Sponsor reserves the right to substitute a prize with another prize of equal or greater value should the advertised prize become unavailable for any reason. Selected Entrant cannot assign or transfer their prize to another person or business. Selected Entrant is solely responsible for any and all federal, state, and local taxes on prize. Gift card prizes are subject to the issuer's Terms and Conditions. All activities related to the prize are at the Selec??ted Entrant's own risk and subject to whatever restrictions are imposed by the entities that govern such activities. If prize notification or any prize is returned as undeliverable, or if Selected Entrant may not accept or receive a prize for any reason, prize will be forfeited. Sponsor will not make multiple attempts to contact Selec??ted Entrants.

6. Winner Selection and Notification of Selected Entrant: Three (3) Entrants will be selected at random by a representative?? of Sponsor from among all eligible entries received by the respective Drawing Dates according to the chart below ("Selected Entrant").

The Selected Entrant will be notified by the email address associated with their account on jbsgame.com. Selected Entrant will be required to respond (as directed) within three (3) days of attempted notification. The failure to respond timely to the notification may result in forfeiture of the prize and, in such case Sponsor may randomly select an alternate Selected Entrant from among the remaining eligible entries, up to three (3) attempts. Selected Entrant may also be sent an affidavit of eligibility / liability / publicity release ("Release"). Unless restricted by law, Selected Entrant (or Entrant's parent or legal guardian if Entrant is a minor) will be required to complete and return the Release within five (5) days from the date of notification. An alternate Selected Entrant may be randomly selected from among the remaining eligible entries if a Selected Entrant, up to three (3) attempt: (i) cannot be reached; (ii) fails to obtain all signatures on the Release and to return the documents in a timely manner as required pursuant to these Official Rules; or (iii) cannot accept or receive the prize for any reason. Selected Entrant will receive the Prize by mail within approximately thirty (30) da??ys of the date on which the Sponsor receives the completed, signed Release from the Selected Entrant (exact timing subject to change based upon availability of Prize). In the event of a dispute about the identity of an Entrant, each entry will be declared made by the name and relevant information submitted at time of entry.

7. Publicity: By participating in the Sweepstakes, any Entrant in the Sweepstakes (or Entrant's parent or legal guardian if Entrant is a minor), irrevocably grants the Sponsor and their respective successors, assigns and licensees, the right to use such Entrant's, name, photograph, the Entrant's biographical information in? any and all media for any purpose, including without limitation, commercial, advertising and promotional purposes as well as in, on or in connection with the Website or the Sweepstakes o??r other promotions, and hereby release the Sponsor from any liability with respect thereto, unless prohibited by law.

8. General Conditions: By participating, Entrants (or Entrant's parent or legal guardian if Entrant is a minor) agree to be fully and unconditionally bound by these Official Rules and the decisions of Sponsor and waive any right to claim ambiguity in the Sweepstakes or these Official Rules. Any portion of the Sweepstakes may be canceled, suspended and/or modified, in whole or in part, if in our opinion any fraud, technical failure or other factor beyond our control impairs the integrity or proper functioning of the Sweepstakes. Sponsor reserves the right in its sole discretion to disqualify any individual who is found to be tampering with the entry process or the operation of the Sweepstakes or the Website, to be acting in violation of these Official Rules, or to be acting in an unsportsman-like or disruptive manner, or with the intent to disrupt or undermine the legitimate operation of the Sweepstakes, or to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any other person, and Sponsor reserves the right to seek damages and other remedies from any such person to the fullest extent permitted by law. You may not enter with multiple identities or use any automated system, bot or other device or artifice to enter or obtain more than the maximum number of qualified entries. Unclaimed prizes will not be awarded. All federal, state or other tax liabilities (including income taxes) arising from this Sweepstakes will be the sole responsibility of Selected Entrant. Entrants may be issued an IRS Form 1099 for the ARV of any awarded prize. Caution: any attempt to deliberately damag??e or undermine the legitimate operation of the Sweepstakes may be in violation of criminal and civil laws and will result in disqualification from participation in the Sweepstakes. Should such an attempt be made, Sponsor reserves the right to seek remedies and damages (including attorney fees) to the fullest extent of the law, including criminal prosecution.

9. Limitations of Liability: If for any reason an entry is confirmed to have been erroneously deleted, lost or otherwise destroyed or corrupted, the Entrant's sole remedy is another entry in the same Sweepstakes during the Sweepstakes Period. Selected Entrants (or Entrant's parent or legal guardian if Entrant is a minor) also agree to release, discharge, indemnify and hold harmless Sponsor and each of their respective officers, directors, employees, representatives and agents (collectively "Releasees") from and against any claims, damages, disability, attorneys' fees, and costs of litigation and settlement, as well as any liability due to any injuries, damages or losses to any person (including death) or property of any kind resulting in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, from: (i) use, redemption, acceptance, possession, ownership, or misuse of any prize, (ii) participation in any activity, event, or excursion offered in connection with the prize, (iii) use of any facility, service and/or accommodation related to the prize, or (iv) participation in any Sweepstakes-related activity or participation in this Sweepstakes. The Releasees shall not be liable for: (i) late, lost, delayed, misdirected, incomplete unreadable, inaccurate, garbled or unintelligible entries, communications or affidavits, regardless of the method of transmission; (ii) telephone system, telephone or computer hardware, software or other technical malfunctions, lost connections, disconnections, delays or transmission errors; (iii) data corruption, theft, destruction, unauthorized access to or alteration of entry or other materials; (iv) any injuries, losses or damages of any kind caused by t?he prize or resulting from acceptance, possession or use of a prize, or from participation in the Sweepstakes; or (v) any printing, typographical, administrative or technological errors in any materials associated with the Sweepstakes. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, Releasees are not responsible for computer malfunctions, network connections, email delivery problems, systems failure or incompatibility, typographical, technical or key-stroke errors, or interruptions in your internet service, and for incomplete, illegible, misdirected, misprinted, late, lost, damaged or stolen notifications. In the event Sponsor is prevented from continuing with the Sweepstakes as contemplated herein by any event beyond its control, including but not limited to fire, flood, earthquake, explosion, labor dispute or strike, act of God or public enemy, or any federal, state or local government law, order, or regulation, or other cause not reasonably within Sponsor's control (each a "Force Majeure" event or occurrence), then subject to any governmental approval which may be required, Sponsor shall have the right to modify, suspend, or terminate the Sweepstakes. If the Sweepstakes is terminated before the designated end date, Sponsor will (if possible) select the winners from all eligible, non-suspect Submissions received as of the date of the event giving rise to the termination. The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision of these rules shall not affect the validity or enforceability of any other provision. In the event that any provision is determined to be invalid or otherwise unenforceable or illegal, these rules shall otherwise remain in effect and shall be construed in accordance with their terms ??as if the invalid or illegal provision were not contained herein.

10. Disputes: Disputes regarding these Official Rules and/or this Sweepstakes will be governed by the internal laws of the State of California. Decisions of Sponsor are binding and final. No claimant in any dispute involving Sponsor shall be entitled to claim or obtain indirect, punitive, incidental or consequential damages. Sponsor's failure to enforce any provision in these Official Rules shall not ??constitute a waiver of that provision.

11. Sweepstakes Results: For Sweepstakes results and/or a copy of these Official Rules, send a hand-printed, self-addressed, stamped envelope (stating the specific Sweepstakes you are requesting the winners for) to jbsgame.com Sw?eepstakes, c/o Kabam, Inc., 795 Folsom Street, Suite 600, San Francisco, CA 94107. Requests must be received within 90 days of the end of the Sweepstakes.

The post Contest: Win a Samsung Galaxy Tab ?3 from Dtoid and Kabam! appeared first on Destructoid.

Available on Google Play and Samsung Apps

Me? I'm an Apple kid, but that new Samsung Galaxy S4 looks to be a pretty hot phone. If you're looking to get one and are hoping to get your game on, Gameloft has got your back with 13 optimized titles for the device. Geared up for Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean and the Super AMOLED screen, popular titles like Asphalt 7: Heat and Dungeon Hunter 4. Even My Little Pony is S4 ready. Hot damn!

You'?ll find the full list of Gameloft S??4 titles below.

T?he following titles will be available via Google Play:

 -           Real Football 2013

-          PLAYMOBIL Pirates

-          World at Arms

-          Wonder Zoo

-          MY LITTLE PONY

-          LITTLEST PETSHOP

-          Asphalt 7 : Heat

-          Ice Age Village

-          Kingdoms & Lords

-          The Oregon Trail: American Settler

The following will be available directly via Samsung Apps:

-          Real Football 2013

-          PLAYMOBIL Pirates

-          World at Arms

-          Wonder Zoo

-          MY LITTLE PONY

-          LITTLEST PETSHOP

-          Asphalt 7 : Heat

-          Modern Combat 4 : Zero Hour

-          Wild Blood

-          Dungeon Hunter 4

The post Samsung Galaxy S4 gets 13 ?optimized games from Gameloft appeared first on Destructoid.

Bears a striking resemblance to that other controller

Samsung yesterday showed off its new Galaxy Bluetooth controller at the Galaxy S4 U?npacked event in New York City, where the company unveiled its new flagship phone.

The controller, referred to as the "Game Arcade," will see release in May with eight games bundled, and will be compatible with 80 Android games at its release. It connects to compatible Galaxy devices, such as the Galaxy S4, and can play games via a television screen or through the phone itself, which can be docked to the controller's top as seen above. Its official page notes the dock will hold screens up to 6.3 inches in size?? and features one-touch Blue?tooth pairing through NFC tags.

The controller works with Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, the Ga??laxy S4 and all future hardware and software releases. Pricing and exact release date were not revealed. 

Samsung Shows Off Xbox-Inspired Game Controller for Galax??y S4 [IGN]

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After last week's smackdown, where the court ordered Samsung to pay Apple over $1 billion in damages, U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh asked Apple for the list of devices they would like to see banned. Apple handed over the following list, which inclu?des some v??ery popular smartphones:

• Galaxy S 4G
• Galaxy S2  (also Galaxy S2 AT&T, Galaxy S2 T-Mobile) 
• Galaxy S2 Epic 4G
• Galaxy S Showcase
• Droid Charge
• Galaxy Prevail

The good news fo?r most Samsung users is that the latest generation of models ?are in the clear. 

Samsung plans to appeal, but that could backfire. Given that the jury found that Samsung "willfully" copied Apple, damages could be tripled, bringing the total payout to $3.15 billion.?? Ouch. 

A? hearing to decide the fate of these listed devices is scheduled ??for September 20. 

Apple lists 8 Samsung products it wants banned [Bloomberg]

The post Apple lists 8 Samsung mobile devices to be banned appeared first on Destructoid.

DAMN.

After a short three days of deliberation, a California court has found that Samsung infringed on six of the seven Apple patents originally brought to the case. The result? Apple was awarded over $1 billion in damages. In most of the cases the jury found that the infringement was willful. Just about every Samsung device out there was found to infringe on Apple pate?nts in some way.

On the ??flip side, the jury found that Apple did not?? infringe on any Samsung patents with the iPhone or iPad. 

Talk about a win. As you can imagine, Apple shares are up.?? 

The post Apple awarded $1.05 billion in Samsung in?fringem??ent case appeared first on Destructoid.

In Rovio's quest to get Angry Birds on every single platform currently active in the market, the bird launching simulator will be headed to the twenty people out there who were able to afford a Samsung Smart TV (Samsung 2012 LED 750?0 models and up, and Plas??ma 8000 models) for no charge at all.

More interestingly, this iteration of Angry Birds will be the first one to feature gesture controls through the TV's camera. And that's pretty much it. It's just more Angry Birds. I don't particularly enjoy the series, but if Samsung wants to hook me up with a $9,999 Samsung ES9000 75" Smart 3D TV I'd totally be down to play some more Angry Birds. A guy can dream, can't he?

I wonder how many people are going to buy one of the Samsung Smart TVs just to play Angry Birds on it. Actually, I don't want to? think about that.

The post Samsung Smart TVs getting ge?sture-controlled Angry Birds appeared first on Destructoid.

For those not up on their corporate legal dickery, Apple has been trying to stop Samsung from selling its Galaxy tablet, claiming that the device is a direct rip-off o??f the iPad. In a rather amusing backfire, a UK judge has ordered Apple to publish an ad claiming that Samsung did not copy anything. 

Apple was attempting to stop the Galaxy Tab in the United Kingdom, but a London court ruled in Samsung's favor on July 9. Judge Colin Birss interestingly summarized that the iPad was too "cool" to be confused with a Tab -?- a compliment in any other circumstance, but not when Apple's trying to impo??se its jealousy in the courtroom. Still, the iPad can now claim to be legally cool. 

As a result of this coolness, Apple is expected to put a notice on its official homepage for six months, and pay to take out advertisements in the Financial Times, Daily Mail, Guardian Mobile, and T3, admitting ??that Samsung's Tab is not stealing anyt??hing.  

Naturally, Apple is appealing the decision, so it'll be a while if we?? see any of these ads -- should we see them at all. If the company is forced to go through with it, though, it'll be quite the humiliation.

Apple Must???? Publish Notice Samsung Didn’t Copy IPad In U.K. [Bloomberg]

The post Judge orders Apple to say Samsung didn’t copy the iPad appeared first on Destructoid.

Samsung is getting into the gaming laptop ring with? their newly revealed Gamer Notebook Series 7 ?and Ihad a chance to get my hands on them at CES 2012 this week. Judging from what I saw it seems like Samsung has done their homework.

This new line has a nifty rolling switch on the upper right hand side of?? the system that lets you dial in your use. Roll it to library mode and everything will keep quiet, including the speakers. There's also balanced and eco modes for normal computing.Of course, the main dr?aw is the optimized gaming mode, which sets the laptop up for gaming in several different ways. When switched on, the CPU is optimized for gaming, and fan speeds are also increased for beter cooling. The WASD keys turn red with their backlight, and all other keys turn blue. Also, the trackpad and button are deactivated automatically.

I was able to try out the system with Battlefield 3, and I c?ame away impressed with its desktop-like performance. Its 2nd generation Core i7 processor and 2GB Radeon graphics handled the game nicely, and the gorgeous 400 nit LED screen didn't hurt either. Another nice touch: I could feel explosion rumbles in my fingerti??ps through the system's powered subwoofer.

A Samsung rep told us that while pricing isn't quite set yet, they're looking at launching their first gaming notebooks starting at about $1,800 later this year. These are handsomely appointed, sleek notebooks with every bell and whistle you could ask for, including Blu-ray? drives and 3D screens. I'd gladly use one.

The post CES: Samsung comes out strong with fi??rst gaming laptop appeared first on Destructoid.

If you're thinking about upgrading to a solid-state drive for your PC, this would be a good time to do it. Not only is Samsung offering them as cheaply as $230 for 128GB, they are tossing in a copy of Batman: Arkham City as well. Samsung Ameri?ca's vice? president, Reid Sullivan, made the announcement this week at a press conference where a guy dressed up like The Bat himself came out on stage.

The Samsung 830 SSDs will also come with a copy of Norton Ghost, a back-up utility that's worth 70 bucks. Th??ey will have speeds up to 133Mbps, and i??nclude a full upgrade kit with all of the necessary cables and adapters.

It has to ??be really awkward to dress up like Batman and parade around in front of ??a bunch of business executives. It must feel like being a clown for a 15-year-old's birthday party.

The post Get a free copy of Arkham City with Samsung’s new SSD appeared first on Destructoid.