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Twisted Metal: Head On: Extra Twisted Edition , a PSP to PlayStation 2 port, launches on Tuesday. The game is the first release from Eat, Sleep, Play. That’s a new design studio founded by David Jaffe and Scott Campbell, head of Incognito Studio. I got a chance to speak with Jaffe about what’s going on with the new Twisted Metal and what else is in the pipeline at Eat, Sleep, Play.

Twisted Metal: Head On: Extra Twisted Edition, is, as Jaffe says, “a goodbye letter for fans of the series.” The game is loaded with new content and new levels. As we reported a couple weeks ago, Jaffe’s been blogging about this game and posting some behind-the-scenes stuff for fans. But that’s nothing new. He says he’s blogged since God of War came out, and there’s every indication that’ll continue.

The special fans edition of Twisted Metal is the first work from Jaffe’s new studio, Eat, Sleep, Play. Started in 2007, there are between 24 and 48 people working on the majority of the development in Utah. Jaffe says Scott Campbell handles the day to day work out of that office, while he stays in constant communication from San Diego, California. Jaffe makes regular trips out to the studio every 4-6 weeks, but spends time in online video chats. Additionally, since the PlayStation 3 games are online, he can get in some more time with them that way.

God of War

Twisted Metal: Head On: Extra Twisted Edition

The team itself has been with Jaffe in some capacity over the past 14 years–many from the Twisted Metal team. But some of the team also came from Incognito, the studio that created Warhawk.

Right now, Eat, Sleep, Play is just working for Sony. Jaffe’s company agreed to create three new games for the PlayStation 3. The games are going to be “mechanics driven, with not a lot of story,” according to Jaffe. But he was unable to say any more about them. The studio is looking into outside projects, possibly some downloadable PC titles; however, that’s far in the future. The PS3 titles Eat, Sleep, Play is working won’t be coming out until 2009 or possibly even 2010.

God of War and Twisted Metal are both solid titles with great fanbases, but I had to know what linked them. Jaffe says it’s all about his philosophy about game-making compared to others. While some people are inspired by play mechanics, Jaffe is inspired by action movies. Jaffe looks to take the excitement of watching movies like “Mad Max,” “Smokey and the Bandit,” and “Clash of the Titans” and translate it into an interactive experience. He says some inspiration also comes from reading comic books.

Part of the reason Jaffe wanted to own his own studio was that he could own his work. He recognizes that giving up excellent games comes with the territory. He says of God of War, “The first game was my baby. When it was finished, I was done.” Looking forward, he wouldn’t mind if Eat, Sleep, Play acted as consultant for God of War III, but for now the game is Sony Santa Monica’s. And so far, Sony has not asked for his help… yet.

Posted Feb 1st 2008 1:49PM by Joshua Topolsky
It turns out that 17-year-olds probably aren’t that good at studying electrical interference — and its effect on pacemakers — created by iPods. Unlike the data presented to the Heart Rhythm Society last year by a high-school student, which demonstrated the music player’s ability to interfere with heart-regulating devices, the FDA now says that the gadgets are completely safe for use. Researchers measured magnetic fields produced by four different models of Apple’s ubiquitous device, and found no reason why your grandmother can’t keep jamming to her South of Heaven reissue. Said FDA researcher Howard Bassen, “Based on the observations of our in-vitro study we conclude that no interference effects can occur in pacemakers exposed to the iPods we tested.” We hope the FDA will follow this up with a definitive study on the effects of boomboxes on hip implants.

Amazon.com, Inc. announced it will purchase Audible Inc., maker of premium audio content, for approximately US$300 million. Audible is best known for its digital audio editions of books, newspapers, magazines, television and radio programs, and original programming.

The deal brings more than 80,000 audio programs, including many audiobooks from well known authors, to Amazon.com’s offering.

Read more at Yahoo!.

Joel’s Opinion

This acquisition definitely makes a lot of sense. While the Kindle is a great tool for viewing eBooks, it can be an even greater way to download Audible’s content, especially since it’s already on its own high-speed network.

I’m not sure how Amazon arrived at a $300 million purchase price, but I’m happy to see a company like Audible finally get picked up. I’ve been following Audible since its birth and remember well when the company’s service was finally supported by Apple. It was one of those things that made you say, “It’s about time!”

It will be very interesting to see what Amazon does with Audible, especially as it relates to its Kindle and / or other products in the pipeline.

Hitachi of Japan has come up with a way to ease surveillance work, featuring a CCTV camera that relies on artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze and prioritize just a handful of humans from an entire sea of them for closer inspection. This system is capable of taking feeds from up to 100 online cameras, transferring them to a PC for image processing and a central server that searches through video archives for comparable footage. Subsequently, four of the most important video streams will then be pulled out and displayed in high resolution on a monitor while the rest remain as thumbnails. The system uses face-recognition as well as behavior-analysis software to root out the potential troublemakers. Data load is kept at a manageable 70Mbps thanks to its quartet of main streams. Hopefully more testing will be done so that the profiling process won’t be biased.

The NavDock ND2000 from Tekkeon works with just about any iPod generation (save for the iPhone), allowing you to watch video podcasts as well as other downloaded content on a screen much larger than what the iPod offers. The 16-button remote fits snugly into the ND2000 as well when not in use to reduce the clutter around your home. There is no word on pricing, but it ought to hit retail stores near you pretty soon. Do you prefer iPod docks such as these or a simple pair of iPod glasses?

Posted Feb 1st 2008 10:30AM by Darren Murph
Filed under: Gaming, Laptops
Merely two days after Dell added NVIDIA’s GeForce 8800M GTX to its beastly M1730, it seems that Rock is looking to up the graphical ante as well. Reportedly, the firm is gearing up to unleash the (likely rebadged) Xtreme XL8, which will house an Intel X6800 quad-core processor, a delightful pair of NVIDIA GeForce 8800M GTXs, up to 1TB of storage space and a 17-inch 1,920 x 1,200 resolution panel to boot. Furthermore, you’ll find an Ethernet jack, Draft-N wireless card, an obligatory (no, really) HD DVD drive and a presumably laughable battery life. Waiting for the sting? Try £2,500 ($4,976) to £3,000 ($5,971), with pre-orders going live later this month.

Posted Feb 1st 2008 4:18AM by Thomas Ricker
Filed under: Digital Cameras
Hello daddy! Meet Sigma’s new APO 200-500 f2.8 ultra telephoto zoom lens. Weighing 16kg (35-pounds), it’s the world’s first to offer a F2.8 aperture at 500mm focal length. A dedicated F5.6 attachment ensures autofocusing at 1000mm while an internal Li-ion battery powers the zooming and AF mechanics. Available for Sigma and Nikon mounts in June or Canons in April for ¥2,500,000 or nearly $25,000. So ask yourself, just how deep does your love for the bird go?

Gallery: Sigma’s APO 200-500 F2.8 telephoto lens gets close to wildlife, your wife

[Via Impress]

Posted Feb 1st 2008 3:31AM by Thomas Ricker
Filed under: Gaming, Handhelds, Portable Audio, Portable Video
Mmm, nothing tastes quite like a fresh batch of homebrew hacks on day-old firmware. PSP owners yearning to get their Skype on need wait no more. The M33 team has released a custom version of Sony’s 3.90 firmware available via the new Network Update or directly over that interwoven web of glowing tubes. Really, what more could you ask for on a Friday?

[Via PSP Fanboy]

Thanko has launched its first USB-powered shredder that gobbles up A4 size papers. This means all the confidential documents, incriminating notes against your colleagues and business cards that you don’t mind tossing away can be shredded to bits no matter where you are. You can choose to power it via batteries or USB, depending on the current circumstance. This Thanko offering retails for $28 a pop. Too bad Christmas is over - I would really have loved receiving one of these under the tree.

I suppose even James Bond had to start somewhere, and since they don’t have Spying for Dummies lying around at the bookstore, there is always the Agent Tool Kit. Inside, one will find wonders (to a child, at least) such as a pen that powers a snap-on flashlight, a light tube for night time writing, a scope to view up subjects from afar, and even a motion alarm that helps you define your territory. Kids who play with this a lot ought to pester parents to get a set of AAA rechargeable batteries. The Agent Tool Kit retails for $12.95.