While Machinima lets you produce epics out of your gaming exploits (occasionally resulting in comedy gold), so far it's kept non-fanboy productions confined to YouTube. According to Reuters, that might change soon, as the company -- which just received $35 million in Google-backed funding -- is looking for another $80 million to start a subscription-based online video service. It has reportedly sought investment from the likes of Warner Brothers and Paramount Pictures, who already produce content for Machinima's infamous YouTube channel and Xbox 360 app. Calling its typical user "crazy, engaged and ravenous," CEO Allen DeBevoise said it wants to "be a company in the spirit of HBO and AMC, but in an over-the-top (online) world." He added that it wants to license full-length, 44-minute fare (sans ads), to which it would retain foreign marketing rights. With 20.4 million viewers who stayed an average of 76 minutes last month, Machinima is already YouTube's 7th largest channel -- so, it's no surprise that it'd like to become the Netflix of gaming.
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, Internet, HD
Source: Reuters
When Microsoft piled on the Xbox media channels last year, we didn't realize just how long it would take for some of those channels to come to fruition. We're quite possibly on the cusp of new hardware, and Machinima's app is just now making its Xbox 360 debut. Still, it might be worth the wait for those who live and breathe gaming even after they've set down the gamepad. The app includes the full suite of Machinima channels and their associated videos, ranging from regular shows and specials through to game blooper reels. Machinima is available everywhere Xbox Live is active; if that isn't enough to tide you over, Microsoft is teasing the reveal of a OneBeat electronic music app next month.
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, HD, Microsoft
Source: Major Nelson
While Machinima has spread its wings beyond its namesake game engine-based movies, the company has only occasionally broken out of its familiar video game template. Those horizons are about to get wider through a collaboration with Ridley Scott's production house, RSA. Scott and RSA president Jules Daly will serve as executive producers for a project generating 12 short sci-fi films for Machinima's channels, with the directors culled from among RSA's superstar ranks. In theory, it's a win-win scenario: Machinima gets professionally-made movies to diversify its library, while directors can explore ideas that wouldn't necessarily be approved for a full-length feature. There's a hope for District 9-style regular movies co-developed with Machinima if all goes well, but we'd advise patience when the partnership hasn't even chosen its directors. It will take some time before we're catching a sci-fi mini-drama from the comfort of our living rooms.
[Image credit: Gage Skidmore, Flickr]
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Internet, HD
Via: Mashable
Source: Deadline
Creating machinima with a video game engine usually requires accepting one of two truths: either that it will require a lot of fudging or that it will have all the sophistication of playing with action figures. Valve Software isn't very happy with that dichotomy, which is why it's posting its very own movie-making tool, Source Filmmaker, as a public beta. Any game that runs on the Source engine, whether it's Left 4 Dead 2, Portal 2 or another in the family, can have gameplay run-throughs edited and dissected right down to custom facial expressions. As Valve expounds in the video after the break, throwing a gaming-grade PC at the task gives directors the advantage of seeing exactly how any changes will look in the final scene; there's no rough wireframes or pre-rendering here. Budding Francis Ford Coppolas can sign up for an invitation to the Filmmaker beta at the project page. If you'd just like to see how far someone can go with the end results, we've also included the latest Team Fortress 2 character profile video, Meet the Pyro, after the jump.
Valve Source Filmmaker makes a movie out of any Source game, now you're directing with Portals (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Jun 2012 18:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Valve Software | Email this | Comments YouTuber UnlimitedMind42′s Doctor Who Minecraft machinima is so awesome you might not mind if the Twelfth Doctor was Dr. Steve. It’s all here – a TARDIS that’s actually bigger on the inside, time travel and a blocky David Tennant.
At first it seems that the Doctor is only traveling through space and not through time, but be patient. Who am I kidding – patience is a nonexistent virtue on the Internet. Skip to 3:00 in the video to see the proof that he is indeed traveling through time.
UnlimitedMind42 should have used the Weeping Angels mod for an additional reference. Again, this is not a mod, just a fun video, but you can get the textures that UnlimitedMind42 made – including the David Tennant skin – here.
They didn't warrant a mention during the big keynote, but those patiently waiting for an update to the desktop-bound Mac Pro weren't left behind by Apple today. The company has quietly updated the line on its website, bringing a rather modest spec bump to the familiar tower. That includes a single 3.2GHz quad-core Xeon processor on the base $2,499 model, which comes paired with 6GB of RAM and a 1TB hard drive, and a pair of 2.4GHz six-core processors on the higher-end model, which gets 12GB of RAM as standard and the same 1TB hard drive for $3,799. The $2,999 Mac Pro Server will give you a 3.2GHz quad-core Xeon with 8GB of RAM and a pair of 1TB hard drives. Notably lacking is the addition of Apple's otherwise standard Thunderbolt ports, or 802.11n WiFi connectivity. You can check out all the options available at the source link below.
Check out our full coverage of WWDC 2012 at our event hub!
Apple rolls out updated Mac Pro lineup with faster processors, not much else originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 11 Jun 2012 15:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Microsoft's E3 2012 keynote has seen it kick up the video content by more than a few notches: it's adding 35 new content providers for the Xbox 360. Machinima, Slacker, Nickelodeon, Paramount and Univision are among the picks, but the real highlight is the sports push: the NBA and NHL will both have the live treatment that we've previously seen with the MLB. If you're a fan of the existing ESPN app, you're in for your own treat, too: a revamp, Watch ESPN, will provide 24/7 live video that includes sports from ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3 and ESPNU. The timetables for each rollout will vary, but you can be sure you'll have an even wider selection before too long.
Follow our liveblog of Microsoft's E3 keynote right here!
Continue reading Xbox 360 video gets 35 new content providers, 24/7 live ESPN video
Xbox 360 video gets 35 new content providers, 24/7 live ESPN video originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jun 2012 12:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | | Email this | CommentsThe Take Earth Back trailer for Mass Effect 3 was kick ass, although in light of the controversy about how the trilogy ended some would say it was misleading. Then again, pretty much all videogame trailers are misleading. Perhaps even this machinima version of the trailer is misleading. The squid in Minecraft are not that big. Or are they? I’ve never actually played the game.
Here Commander Steve, Play Video Back:
Which did you choose? The 240p, 360p, 480p or 720p version? Were you satisfied with the diversity of choices or enraged at the fact that you got the exact same video regardless of your choice? Should we sue Avemagnadude and YouTube for making the video that way?
[via Kotaku]
