First of Things

Nintendo's 3DS gets its first streaming game this September We've seen quite a bit of game streaming on PlayStation-branded products, but it looks like Sony will gain some possibly unexpected competition. In Japan, at least. When Nintendo 3DS owners in the region play Dragon Quest X Online (DQXO) come its September 4th launch, they won't be popping a cartridge into the system. No, like the massively multiplayer online (MMO) game's mobile version, DQXO on Nintendo's handheld will use streaming tech along the lines of PlayStation Now or OnLive instead of playing from a local cart or internal storage. As Tiny Cartridge reports, you won't be able to play in 3D as a result, and you'll constantly need a WiFi connection to access the game -- considering that this is an MMO, that should be expected anyway. However, if you'd rather lay down your cash for a physical bit of DQ gear instead, well, there's always this Metal Slime smartphone.

Sony's Xperia Z1 Compact finally comes to the US When we reviewed Sony's Xperia Z1 Compact, we concluded that it's exactly what a miniature flagship should be: big features in a small package. But despite the handset's many merits, Sony hasn't so far managed to offer it through any carriers in the US. Instead, starting today, it's selling the Z1 Compact direct from its own webiste, for a price of $550. The device is unlocked, of course, so at least you get the choice of whichever GSM carrier takes your fancy -- although its LTE bands don't make it especially friendly with AT&T.

See how digital effects put the spectacle into 'Game of Thrones' Game of Thrones has a healthy $6 million-per-episode budget, but that's still nothing compared to the average Michael Bay blockbuster -- especially for the special effects needed to fill in the magic (and gore). That's where the creativity of effects house Mackevision comes in. If an epic shot can't be done "practically" in camera, characters are filmed against a green screen or threadbare set. Then, elements like terrain, castles, crowds of soldiers and even CG water are added. As you can see in the video below, with a touch of artful compositing, lighting, shading and color-timing, the result is a seamless final shot. If there's any money left over, they may even add a dragon or three.                                     Video Here

Computer Space sounds like a third-party PC parts wholesaler, but back in 1971 it was the world's first video game arcade machine. Before Nolan Bushell and Ted Dabney went off to start some games company called Atari, Computer Space was their first commercial collaboration -- a full year before Pong. The coin-operated computer game was the first of its kind in arcades, even if it wasn't the commercial success they'd hoped it would be. A recently christened game museum in Japan had not one, but four of the original arcade machines -- and an extra (unfortunately beige, non-shimmering) machine to play the game itself -- so we touched a bit of gaming history. The game is like a one-on-one version of  Asteroids  without the debris. Controls are similar and simple, although being the first of its kind, there's a learning curve to it all. A pair of buttons rotate in either direction, while the other two act as thrust and fire. (The green model is particularly rare, with