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MacStories Interviews: Ryan Rigney

MacStories Interviews was a series of interviews with well-known developers, bloggers, journalists and geeks that we published late last year. We’ve revived the format to interview Ryan Rigney, author of  Buttonless, a new book about iOS games that is launching on December 13th. We’ll have a full review of the book when it is released, but in the meantime we thought it would be interesting to hear more from the author himself.

MacStories: Hey Ryan! Could you introduce yourself to the readers who haven’t heard about you or haven’t read any of your work before?

Sure! I’m a freelance writer who has written for a number of gaming outlets, most notably GamePro, PC Gamer, and Gamasutra. I’ve mostly written about iOS gaming, but I’m also a big console gamer so I’ve done a good bit of writing about those types of games as well. Just this week GamePro published my review of Minecraft!

MacStories: So tell us a bit more about your new book, Buttonless. What made you decide you wanted to write this book?

Over the past few years I’ve been so focused on iOS and written so much about iOS games that it’s become something of an obsession. I’ve reviewed hundreds of iPhone and iPad games, interviewed scores of developers, and purchased far too many apps. I pretty much came to the realization that I possessed enough experience and knowledge to write a book, and then began brainstorming ideas. It took a while for me to figure out that I wanted to put so much of the focus on “the stories behind the games,” though.

MacStories: Did you find it difficult finding a publisher willing to help you write this book given it is such a new industry that may appear very “niche”?

Actually, A K Peters/CRC Press was the first publisher I approached. In my pitch, I shared with them a bunch of numbers that I had stumbled across––how many hundreds of millions of iOS devices are out there, and how many people are buying these games. The truth is, it’s really not a niche. iOS gaming is now the most popular form of portable gaming, and it’s only getting bigger. Maybe if I had tried to write a book about 3DS games, the publisher would have needed more convincing haha!

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Developer Trailer for Infinity Blade 2 Details Amazing Graphics

December 1st will see the launch of Infinity Blade 2, the much anticipated follow-up that brings much improved visuals to one of iOS’ strongest titles. First showcased at this year’s iPhone 4S keynote, Infinity Blade 2 has already gotten plenty of hands-on time by the likes of IGN and SlideToPlay, and is expected to be a massive hit when it lands next week. Infinity Blade 2 will feature more weapons, an updated combat system, and more areas to explore while remaining familiar to the gameplay you love. The visuals, however, are what Infinity Blade is renown for. In the latest trailer, the developers discuss the game’s jaw-dropping graphics that’ll be delivered thanks to Apple’s A5 processor. Catch the video after the break!

[via SlideToPlay]

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#MacStoriesDeals: Black Friday 2011 Edition

There are so many deals we are calling this post the Black Friday 2011 edition. Keep checking back as we will be updating this post throughout the holiday! Here are today’s @MacStoriesDeals on iOS, Mac, and Mac App Store apps that are on sale for a limited time, so get them before they end!

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Instacast HD Review: It’s Incredible

I remember when I first reviewed Instacast for the iPhone back in March, declaring it the Twitter of Podcast apps. While possibly dramatized, what Instacast has done for mobile podcasts is what Loren Britcher did for Twitter apps. The interface, lightweight and smooth, capitalizing on common sense gestures and thoughtful design elements, quickly made Instacast one of my favorite iPhone apps. Instacast is the only non-Apple app that has a spot on my iPhone’s dock. An intelligent conversation, a good laugh, and Geek Friday are always just a tap away.

Instacast got smarter. Sure there were times when enhanced podcasts didn’t work or a wonky update caused weird crashes, but they were fixed and plenty of new features were added. Continuous playback always kept a friendly voice on the loudspeaker. Later, iCloud syncing was added in preparation for future updates. Future updates that of course would finally see Instacast taking on bigger endeavors.

There were lots of days on the couch when I thought about Instacast coming to the iPad. Until recently of course, I hadn’t known what to expect before I was invited to take a look at the first beta. I imagined that Instacast, containing a library of podcasts, would take on a form similar to iTunes. I imagined the interface as a grid, where you would easily scroll through podcast cover-art and see badges revealing the number of unplayed episodes. How silly!

Martin Hering first hinted at the design in September, and I later had the privilege of revealing more of the interface near the end of October. An excited Joshua Schnell and Myke Hurley have also been eager to share the new interface, giving it due praise on the App Orchard and at Macgasm. The hype around Instacast HD for the iPad has been astounding, and for good reason. Instacast HD is incredible.

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Apple to Approve Streaming iPad Games for a Monthly Charge

Bloomberg is reporting that for the first time Apple has agreed to let a game development studio break away from the pay once per-game business model. The company, Big Fish Games, will attempt to peddle their iPad games through a monthly subscription.

The company’s founder, Paul Thelen, says that the service will be similar to that of Netflix. Consumers will pay a monthly fee to play iPad games streamed directly to their device over a wifi connection without having to download each game from the iTunes App Store. Big Fish Games currently have 99 iPad games available for download and it sounds like there may be even more to choose from by the time this new service launches early next year. It appears that the launch will include a single app available for download that users will be able to browse available iPad games – similar to Big Fish Games “Game Finder” app.

Thelen reports that there will be several options for gaming subscriptions starting at $4.99 a month. There will also be an ad-supported and time limited free version.

Big Fish also will offer a free version of its game service that limits play to 30 minutes a day and includes advertising. The subscription will initially cost $4.99 and will increase early next year to $6.99 after more titles are added, Thelen said. Apple collects a 30 percent commission.

It will be interesting to see if there is actually a demand for a streaming game service on the iOS platform. Apple reportedly seemed hesitant to agree to the let the game development studio use the business model that has been previously reserved for digital periodicals. If this trial run is a success, we will likely see a flood of new apps utilizing this model. Hopefully it doesn’t have an effect on the quality of iOS games we have seen to date.

 

[Bloomberg via MacRumors]

Apple Looking To Recruit Senior-Level Executives For iCloud Services

According to a report in The Wall Street Journal today, Apple has been looking to recruit senior-level executives “with backgrounds in Web-based software” to bolster the talent pool at Apple for iCloud and their other cloud and web based services. Curiously, the report also notes that Apple is also considering new iCloud apps that will “reduce the need for people to carry around numerous devices at once”.

The company doesn’t have specific Web-centric positions in mind, and it is looking broadly for talent to fill director-level positions and above, including senior executives if they find a candidate that is a good fit, this person said.

As the article notes, Apple has been hiring a number of lower-level staff for their web and cloud offerings since 2010 - including poaching web engineers from companies such as Quantcast and Yahoo. This move also follows on from Eddy Cue’s recent promotion to the role of Senior Vice President Internet Software and Services after leading Apple’s iTunes, App Store, iBookstore and iCloud offerings.

[The Wall Street Journal via MacRumors]

MacStories Product Review: AViiQ Portable Charging Station

MacStories Product Review Banner

MacStories Product Review Banner

It’s true that we can’t leave home without our myriad of chargers and gadgets, loosely stuffed into any available backpack pocket and bundled with the endless length of cords required to recharge such devices. Every charger, every USB cable, and every associated gadget can take up an amazing amount of space, and while I’m careful not to lose anything, keeping track of everything you bring with you becomes a drag. And if those Cables get entangled together? Game over.

Instead of taking four different individual chargers for our iPads, iPods, and Bluetooth headsets, what if we reduced that to one item that could contain all of our cables and smaller gizmos that we don’t need immediate access to? Wouldn’t it be nice if we could unfold a mat and have all of our cables neatly presented for immediate charging? Past the break, we’re taking a look at something as convenient, and we advise everyone that this could possibly be on your holiday wish-list by the time you’re done reading this review.

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Analyst: The iPad 3’s Retina Display is now in Production

According to DisplaySearch analyst Richard Shim in an interview with CNET, the iPad 3’s 2048 x 1536 QXGA display is currently in production, with names like Samsung, Sharp, and LGD now laid on the table. The iPad’s possible Retina Display, which would double the pixels from the current 1024 x 768 display found in the iPad and the iPad 2, is rumored to find its way into the next generation iPad by 2012. Excited yet?

Shim says that finished iPad 3s with their aluminum shells and upgraded 4:3 displays could be finished in December following the few weeks it takes it takes to assemble Apple’s latest tablet. 9to5 Mac has already found hints of Apple’s next iPad, codenamed J2 (supposedly the 3G model with J1 being Wi-Fi only) in the iOS 5 source code, following a DigiTimes report that 2 million iPad 3s would be produced by the years end.

Keep in mind that an iPad 3’s Retina Display would have more vertical pixels than the 27” Apple Thunderbolt Display currently on the market, with a resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels. Provided Apple could even sell such a pixel precise display, what would it mean for developers and designers creating new and unique interfaces for the iPad? And remember the transition period from the iPhone 3GS to the iPhone 4? Yikes. Leave your thoughts in the comments below!

[CNET via 9to5 Mac]