Captain America Featured in Funko’s Latest SDCC Exclusives
Funko has revealed another second wave of San Diego Comic-Con exclusive toys.
Featuring Pop! Vinyls, a posable action figure, and a vinyl collectible, this wave will only be available for purchase on the SDCC show floor. No pre-buy option will be made available.
Unmasked Captain America, Dragon Ball Z's Golden Frieza, Supernatural's French Mistake Castiel, Cars' Dinoco Lightning McQueen, ReAction unmasked Flash, and a Dorbz Rocket Raccoon are all included in this second wave.
Funko will continue to announce more SDCC exclusives in the weeks heading up to San Diego Comic-Con. Check out last week's announced wave if you have any interest in an Infrared Boba Fett, Futurama's Bender, or a slimed Dr. Peter Venkman.
Conan O’Brien Hunger Games Panel at Comic-Con
As the final movie in the series approaches, The Hunger Games is returning to San Diego Comic-Con for the last time – and they’re bringing Conan O’Brien with them! Lionsgate today announced that the talk show host will serve as moderator for the studio’s big Hall H presentation on Thursday, July 9th from 12:00pm to 1:15pm at SDCC.
Lionsgate is bringing both The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 and the new Vin Diesel movie, The Last Witch Hunter, with O’Brien serving as moderator for both.
Currently, only “stars and filmmakers” are listed as taking part in the Lionsgate panel, though it’s hard to not assume it’s highly likely both Jennifer Lawrence and Diesel will be present.
First Star Wars: The Force Awakens Toys Revealed
The first wave of licensed toys for the film Star Wars: The Force Awakens have been revealed and are set to debut during the upcoming San Diego Comic-Con from July 9-12.
Entertainment Weekly reports The First Order's redesigned Storm Troopers will be featured in the new toys, some of which will be available to purchase during the show.
First is the LEGO Storm Trooper minifig, a 9-inch figure constructed from 81 special LEGO pieces. The minifig will be on display, but will not be available to consumers until January 2016.
App Store Update: June 11
Every day hundreds of new apps make their debut on the App Store, and hundreds more are updated or reduced in price. We have sifted through the noise and highlighted those select few that might be worth your attention.
Note: The prices and deals compiled below are accurate at the time we published this story, but all are subject to change.
Veecaloid Pop – ($1.99)
Made by some WayForward alums, Veecaloid Pop has you taking on the role of a pop singer who can transform into a magical girl – you have to swap back and forth between her two forms to collect icons matching one or the other.
The 100: Looking at Octavia’s Amazing Transformation
On a series where nearly everyone has changed a lot from when the show began, Octavia (Marie Avgeropoulos) has had arguably the most notable transformation on The 100. The naïve, sheltered girl we met in the pilot has become a hardened warrior over the show’s two seasons, showing off some very cool and impressive fighting skills in the Season 2 finale – even after her decision to stay to save her brother Bellamy led to her rejection by the Grounders and her mentor, Indra.
Season 3 of The 100 will begin filming this summer, for its midseason debut on CW next year. At the Upfronts in New York last month, I spoke to Avgeropoulos about the journey Octavia has taken so far, who she truly can count on and what could be next for her.
Blood Bowl 2 Release Date Revealed
Warhammer/American football mashup Blood Bowl II is coming to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on September 22.
Based on the Games Workshop board game of the same name, Blood Bowl combines the fantasy world of Warhammer with a much more violent version of American football. Get your first look at the game's campaign in the new trailer below.
Initially expected to be released this month, Blood Bowl II was delayed by a few months to allow developer Cyanide a bit more time for polish. To reward players for their patience, those who pre-order Blood Bowl II on any platform will receive either the Lizardmen or the Wood Elves -- two additional races including their own AI, design, skills, and Star Players. Pre-ordering on Steam will also get you access to the multiplayer beta. The beta will take place on PC "a few weeks" ahead of the game's release.
Play Mario Maker at Best Buy Next Week
Approximately 100 Best Buy stores will have Mario Maker on hand two days next week, giving players an early opportunity to try out Nintendo's upcoming Wii U game.
June 17 from 4 to 9 p.m., and June 20 from noon to 5 p.m. you'll be able to play the demo, building your own 2D Mario levels. Anyone who plays Mario Maker at Best Buy will receive a 30th anniversary Super Mario Bros. button -- with the caveat that supplies are limited.
Best Buy is also offering a limited edition seven-button Mario Maker set when you pre-order two qualifying Wii U or 3DS titles. However, you must be a My Best Buy member to qualify.
You can click here to find the list of Best Buys that will have the Mario Maker demo next week. Mario Maker is expected to release later this year.
Google Acquires New Virtual Reality Technology
Google has acquired new virtual reality technology that will reportedly make the audio experience more synchronous with what users are seeing, Trinity College Dublin announced today.
Google Ireland recruited a team of four graduate engineers to continue research and application on "Thrive," a VR audio system that enables more realistic audio design in virtual reality settings. The ongoing research, which is funded by Irish commercialization funds and state grants, started several years ago in an effort to bolster virtual reality's staying power.
Google is one of numerous companies funding research, applications and development in the VR space. Just today, Oculus VR, the company behind the ubiquitous Oculus Rift headset, held a press conference ahead of its E3 presentations next week, announcing new content and several partnerships. Sony has a new studio dedicated to its Project Morpheus headset, and Valve's Vive VR has garnered praise from a handful of hands-on experiences so far.
More Oculus Rift Hardware Details Revealed
More information on the hardware of the Oculus Rift VR set was revealed during this morning's Oculus VR conference.
The Oculus Rift comes with both the headset, an external sensor, and – newly announced this morning – a wireless Xbox One controller and adapter.
Several pieces of the Rift headset are removable and replaceable as well. The "facial interface" is designed to accommodate users wearing glasses, and a built-in dial can be used to adjust the distance of the two lenses. The headphones are also removable and replaceable.
Ant-Man Gets Avenged in New Posters and TV Spot
As the movie's July release edges closer, Marvel Studios and Disney are firming up their marketing push for Ant-Man by reminding people that he belongs in the same universe as The Avengers -- you know, those characters and movies you love and have made into billion-dollar blockbusters.
Marvel.com posted the following three new posters and a TV spot today for Ant-Man that directly mention three of the Avengers' biggest and most bankable characters: Iron Man, Captain America and Thor:
