The North American launch of the PlayStation Vita is almost here. If you pre-ordered the expensive bundle, you’ll be getting it this week, but for everyone else, the magic starts on February 22nd. While our friends at The Verge have gone into exhaustive detail regarding the Vita as a piece of consumer hardware, we’re here to talk about the Vita’s reason for being: play.
Now that the beans have been, mostly, spilled with regards to the early March announcement of the iPad 3, more information is coming forward about Apple’s preparations for the event. Sources with knowledge of the matter have informed The Next Web that the company is in ‘crunch mode’ when it comes to lining up apps both to demonstrate on-stage and to show off in new advertisements for its third iPad.
Apple has a long history of hand-picking apps that it thinks are exemplary or really show off the hardware of a device to demonstrate during iPad presentation. The iPad 2 saw demo segments with Apple’s own Garage Band, iMovie and Photo Booth apps, while the recent ‘Let’s Talk’ iPhone event saw game title Infinity Blade 2 demoed in order to show off the graphics capabilities of the new iPhone 4S.
Apple’s pre-event weeks are often spent soliciting demonstrations from many app developers and preparing demonstrations of those apps for the live event. Our sources tell us that this selection process is continuing at an increased rate as Apple looks to finalize the lineup for the iPad 3. There is also emphasis on graphics-oriented applications with high-definition assets, which appears to be in line with the new iPad featuring a ‘Retina’ display.
Nintendo President Satoru Iwata has told reporters that the Wii U will launch in the US, Japan, Europe, and Australia for the end of 2012. While the system was previously pegged for a 2012 release, this is the first time we’ve got confirmation that it’ll make it in time for the holiday season in all major markets. The 3DS launched last year in February in Japan and March elsewhere, meaning it likely got off to a slower start than if it had been available before Christmas. The announcement also means we are likely to see much more finalized details of the Wii U’s software lineup at E3 in June — so far, hands-on time with the console has been limited to tech demos.
via Wii U to launch in US, Japan, Europe and Australia by end of 2012 | The Verge.
Apple Inc. (AAPL)’s next iPad, expected to go on sale in March, will sport a high-definition screen, run a faster processor and work with next-generation wireless networks, according to three people familiar with the product.
The company’s manufacturing partners in Asia started ramping up production of the iPad 3 this month and plan to reach full volumes by February, said one of the people, who asked not to be named because the details aren’t public. The tablet will use a quad-core chip, an enhancement that lets users jump more quickly between applications, two of the people said.
Apple has announced that it will halt the sale of the newly launched iPhone 4S in China after reports of pandemonium at some locations due to high demand, reports Reuters.
An Apple spokesperson said that they were “unable to open our store at Sanlitun due to the large crowd,” adding, “to ensure the safety of our customers and our employees, iPhones will not be available in our retails stores in Beijing and Shanghai for the time being.”
The halt is likely due to problems faced when chaos erupted at the Sanitlun store in Beijing. Large crowds, including huge numbers of scalpers, had gathered at the store previous to the device’s release. When it was announced that the store would be closed, shoppers pelted the location with eggs.
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