Switching to some old-school gaming
E3 2018 is in the books and between the return of Halo and the release of Fortnite for the Switch, there’s a lot to talk about. We picked our favorites from the big show but at the last minute, some interesting Nintendo news leaked out about some more games coming to the Switch. Maybe you’ve heard of them. One is called “Donkey Kong.” And no, not some gussied-up 64-bit 3D holographic version, we’re talking about the original arcade player in all its 1981 8-bit glory.
According to gaming site Kotaku, Nintendo says players can choose from three “original” versions of the game, which will all be running on their original ROM source code. The variations are small, but when you’re a purist, we know that’s important. And hey, it’s out today, so grab those joycons and get playing. The second game is a unicorn of sorts: Sky Skipper was another video arcade gem from 1981 that was never actually released, except in the form of a few full-size stand up test units, only one of which survives today. Nintendo pulled the ROM, copied the game data and you’ll be able to give it go next month. Hit the link for all the latest Switch retro gaming details.
Here’s a quick follow-up to the iPhone security story from yesterday: Motherboard is reporting that they’ve seen emails from a “forensic expert” that claims Grayshift, the company the makes the iPhone cracking GrayKey device, is already ahead of Apple’s move to make the lightning port go dead after an hour, a future feature called “USB Restricted Mode” that Apple is due to roll out in an update.
Motherboard says the email they saw indicated that Grayshift has been aware of the strategy for some time and has “gone to great lengths to future proof their technology” and can already defeat Apple’s countermeasure. Motherboard also says they found that Grayshift has relationships with the FBI, DEA, Secret Service and New York State Police. So, the chess match goes on. Your move, Apple.
A folded future?
Some Samsung super secret smartphone rumors now: Forbes says the so-called Galaxy X “folding smartphone” is moving through development and could hit the market next year. So far there are no big tech details, except to say it’ll have a huge 7.3-inch OLED screen when “unfolded” and be able to fold up to about 4.5 inches, which we think is probably enough to get everyone’s attention.
Forbes also says the phone could use something called “artificial muscle” tech on the inside. We’re not sure why exactly but we’re definitely curious. Forbes also has some hints at possible pricing, and if you thought an iPhone X was spendy, well, try close to two thousand dollars for the Galaxy X. Prototypes for the phone could be built as early as November so Samsung can make their play at CES in January, just six short months from now. We can hardly wait.
We’ve got more news on our Facebook page and YouTube channel, and be sure to tune in to this week’s DT podcasts: Trends with Benefits (general tech shenanigans) on Thursdays, and Between the Streams (movie and TV topics) every Friday.
