Meta, the Facebook company that is all about VR experiences and totally not collecting and selling the data of its users, is going to be opening a physical location in Burlingame, California. The ‘Meta Store’ will be doing business with the public on May 9th. This initial location is just south of San Francisco.
Now, what could you possibly buy at a store like this? Ars Technica is reporting that visitors will be able to pick up and/or test out the Meta Quest 2 (formerly Oculus) and the system’s various accessories. Or you could go to your local Target or Best Buy.
Those looking to overpay for RayBans can try on the new Meta-powered sunglasses. However, if you decide to purchase the Ray-Ban Stories shades, you’ll have to do so on Ray-Ban.com. The sunglasses with the built-in camera and speakers run about $329 each.
Pictures from inside the retail space are what you’d expect. It’s minimalist, like an Apple Store, but with fewer portentous faux socialists and $1k monitor stands.
Don’t expect a lot of third-party Quest 2 parts, either. Judging by the images Meta released, everything on the shelves bears the official branding. So, get ready to pay $50-$80 for that USB-C cable. Ugh.
I would not mind visiting the location if only to test out some of the VR games that I don’t have room to play inside my studio. However, once the novelty wears off, which will be quick, how long will Meta maintain the space before handing sales duties back over to other brick and mortar stores?
Let us know what you think in the comments section below.
[Source: Ars Technica]
Meta To Open Its First ‘Meta Store’ This May In California
Miyamoto Announces Super Mario Bros. Movie Is Pushed Back To 2023
If you were hoping to spend this Christmas with Mario and Luigi at the cinema, we’ve got some bad news for you. However, we’ve got good news for those out there who have been concerned about Illumination adapting the long-running Nintendo franchise!
Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of Mario and overall Nintendo legend, has announced that the Super Mario Bros. movie will be delayed until Spring of next year. Originally the film was going to premiere during the 2022 holiday season.
Via Nintendo’s official Twitter account, Miyamoto had the following to say:
“After consulting with Chris-san, my partner at Illumination on the Super Mario Bros. film, we decided to move the global release to Spring 2023–April 28 in Japan and April 7 in North America. My deepest apologies but I promise it will be well worth the wait.”
This is Miyamoto. After consulting with Chris-san, my partner at Illumination on the Super Mario Bros. film, we decided to move the global release to Spring 2023–April 28 in Japan and April 7 in North America. My deepest apologies but I promise it will be well worth the wait.
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) April 26, 2022
Last year we learned that Star-Lord himself, Chris Pratt, was going to be voicing the legendary Italian plumber turned hero. Rather than going for a cast of veteran voice actors, the animated feature was going to have an all-star roster. Charlie Day, Anya Taylor-Joy, Jack Black, and Seth Rogen are also in the mix as part of the main cast.
Suppose I were going to be cynical (which I usually am), I’d wager that the film’s story is going to lean heavily on topical humor. What other guesses can I make? Um, maybe a Mario rap and a skateboarding or snowboarding scene. You know I’m right.
Is there enough material to make a feature-length movie with Mario and Luigi? It was stretched pretty thin in ’93 when Max Headroom‘s Annabel Jankel and Rocky Morton were sharing the director’s chair. I’m not knocking that original movie, and I love it.
What do you think of the casting and the delay? Let us know in the comments section below.
[Source: Twitter]
Prime Video Drops Trailer for Sci-Fi Drama ‘Night Sky’
Originally titled ‘Lightyears,’ the upcoming Prime Video sci-fi drama ‘Night Sky’ is gearing Amazon Prime subscribers for an adventure in space by dropping the trailer for the show. The first season of the series will have eight episodes and will be released in one day.
“Prime Video teases yet another hotly anticipated new series with the release of the official trailer for Night Sky, the upcoming science fiction drama from Amazon Studios and Legendary Television, starring Academy Award winners Sissy Spacek (The Old Man and The Gun) and J.K. Simmons (Being the Ricardos), Chai Hansen (The Newsreader), Kiah McKirnan (Mare of Easttown), Julieta Zylberberg (The Invisible Look), Rocío Hernández (La caída) and Adam Bartley (Longmire),” Amazon said in a press release. “The first season will premiere all eight episodes exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide on Friday, May 20.”
You can watch the trailer below:
Amazon described the synopsis as follows,
“Spanning space and time, Night Sky follows Irene (Sissy Spacek) and Franklin York (J.K. Simmons), a couple who, years ago, discovered a chamber buried in their backyard which inexplicably leads to a strange, deserted planet. They’ve carefully guarded their secret ever since, but when an enigmatic young man enters their lives, the Yorks’ quiet existence is quickly upended…and the mystifying chamber they thought they knew so well turns out to be much more than they could ever have imagined.”
Amazon Studios is producing the show with Legendary Television. Daniel C. Connolly serves as showrunner and executive producer. Holden Miller, Jimmy Miller, Sam Hansen, and Philip Martin will serve as executive producers with Connolly. Miller will also work as a writer for the show.
Legendary describes the series previously, “Next up from Legendary Television is NIGHT SKY, a genre-bending drama starring (Sissy Spacek) and (J.K. Simmons) as the Yorks, a couple who have a mysterious chamber buried in their backyard that leads to a strange, deserted planet. Streaming on (Prime Video) May 20th.”
‘Aoashi’ Scores A Goal With English Voice Cast Announcement
‘Aoashi’ is a sports manga written and illustrated by Yūgo Kobayashi. It began publication in 2015 through Shogakukan and was serialized in ‘Weekly Big Comic Spirits.’ It has been picked by the Japanese animation studio Production I.G for an anime adaptation that launched in April 2022. Crunchyroll picked up the series for their streaming service for release in North America and has now revealed the voice cast for an English dub.
Crunchyroll listed the cast on their website:
- Ciarán Strange (Richard in Requiem of the Rose King) as Ashito Aoi
- Eric Vale (Trunks in Dragon Ball Z Kai) as Tatsuya Fukuda
- Marisa Duran (Lou/Louise in SHADOWS HOUSE) as Hana Ichijo
- Monica Rial (Bulma in Dragon Ball Z Kai) as Noriko Aoi
- Blake McNamara (Seth Rich Cutter in Appare-Ranman!) as Shun Aoi
- Greg Silva as Futamihama Coach
- Kim Morton as Kogure
- Meg McClain as Nanami
- Kelsey Maher as Sawa
- Jennifer Alyx as Female Assistant 1A
- Aaron Campbell as Goalie’s Father
- Nazeeh Tasha as Male Baishinji Player 1A, Male Spectator 1A
- Ben Balmaceda as Male Baishinji Player 1B, Male Futamihama Player 1D
- Alex Mai as Male Futamihama Player 1A, Male Spectator 1B
- JR Joseph as Male Futamihama Player 1A
- Paul Cline as Male Futamihama Player 1C, Male Underclassman 1A
- Justin Green as Male Underclassman 1B
- Jack Reeder as Male Baishinji Goalie 1A
Shawn Gann serves as the ADR Director with Emi Lo and Marcus Stimac working as assistant ADR directors.
You can watch the trailer for the series below:
MyAnimeList describes the synopsis as follows,
“Ashito Aoi is a young, aspiring football player from a backwater town in Japan. His hopes of getting into a high school with a good football club are dashed when he causes an incident during a critical match for his team, which results in their loss and elimination from the tournament. Nevertheless, he catches the eye of someone important who happened to be visiting from Tokyo. How will things turn out for Ashito?”
The anime is written by Masahiro Yokotani with music by Masaru Yokoyama. The manga is published in North America by Shogakukan Asia. The manga has released over two dozen volumes.
‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’ & ‘Venom’ Are Officially Getting Sequels
This year’s Cinemacon has been where Sony decided to announce sequels to two of the company’s successful franchises. According to Variety‘s report of the event, both the Venom series and Ghostbusters: Afterlife are getting direct followups.
The details end there. While footage from the upcoming Kraven the Hunter movie was shown, the two sequels were teased. Unfortunately, the Sony Pictures reel footage has not surfaced online yet, but we’ll keep looking.
According to the article, Ghostbusters: Afterlife has raked in $200 million from the global market. It’s not clear if this includes theatre ticket sales or a combination of that digital and physical media purchases. Since this sequel to the original films was better received than the 2016 reboot, it makes sense that Sony would follow the money trail.
Now that the sequel is officially on the table, where should the franchise go from here? Afterlife did take too many ideas from 1984’s Ghostbusters. Does this mean the fourth movie will rehash the second film’s plot? I hope not. The end of Jason Reitman’s paranormal adventure teased that the original team’s containment unit was about to fail. Could we be headed back to New York?
The two strongest aspects of Afterlife were McKenna Grace and Paul Rudd. Now that Winston owns the firehouse HQ, could the young Spengler be brought on to improve the bustin’ gear and carry on her grandfather’s legacy?
Now that the original cast has been given a decent amount of closure, I believe fans are ready to move on from the staples that held the franchise together for almost forty years. Of course, cameos from Ray, Peter, and others are more than welcome, but relying on nostalgia will become a crutch and somewhat distracting when it comes to Afterlife’s story. We don’t need endless callbacks if we already know the movie takes place in the same universe.
What are your thoughts on the sequel announcements? Let us know in the comments section.
[Source: Variety]
NECA’s Black Noir Action Figure Will Be Silent But Deadly
I, uh, never noticed that Black Noir had such a massive codpiece in Amazon’s The Boys series. Look at that thing! It’s like he borrowed one from Blackadder! Is that dingle dangle considered an accessory or a weapon?
Anyway, NECA has announced that Black Noir is joining the 7″ scale action figure line based on Amazon’s adaptation of The Boys. The silent super-powered assassin comes with two knives and three pairs of interchangeable hands. Sadly, there’s no alternate head to match the small reveal we saw of his face in Season 2.
The good news is that the figure will be out in May, and you can pre-order him at The Big Bad Toy Store for $37.99. The MSRP on this figure is $42.99. Inflation is making collecting more of a chore than a hobby these days.
From The Boys, the hit TV adaptation of the popular comic book series! No one knows what hides behind the mask of Black Noir, the Seven’s superpowered ninja… a mystery that makes his death-dealing skill even more terrifying.
This 7″ scale action figure features a detailed replica of the screen costume and comes with interchangeable hands and two knives that fit into sheaths on the figure’s hips. Collector-friendly window box packaging with opening front panel.
I expected Black Noir to be who we all knew he was in the comics. It turns out we were proven wrong. The show takes a lot of liberties, but it helps it stand as its own thing, even if the writing does tackle topical subjects in an unironically cringy way from time to time. So, now that we know he isn’t Homelander’s clone, who is Black Noir? All we know right now is that he can play the piano and has a tree nut allergy.
What are your theories about Black Noir? Let us know in the comments section below.
[Source: NECA]
NECA Brings Mirage Comics’ Fugitoid Into The TMNT Toyline
Fugitoid may have escaped from D’Hoonib, but he is now trapped inside NECA‘s window box! The scientist turned android turned fugitive joins the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 7″ scale line of figures. However, rather than copying his classic toy look, this version of Professor Honeycutt is straight out of his 1985 comic book.
Fugitoid will be landing on our planet for mass consumption this September. Although, there are already copies of him available if you’re willing to pay $55+. He can be pre-ordered right now for $37.99 at the Big Bad Toy Store. Unfortunately, his MSRP is set at $42.99. Seriously, these prices are getting out of hand.
This fugitive android was once the brilliant Professor Honeycutt from the planet D’Hoonib… until his mind was trapped inside his android creation in a freak accident. Now on the run from the government of his home world, this hero in a full shell (of metal) has become the best ally a Turtle could have.
Fugitoid has shown up in a lot of Turtles media. He was part of Playmates’ original toy line and was in the 2003 series and the 2012 CGI cartoon.
Oddly enough, Fugitoid’s facial expression looks like he has seen some seriously messed up stuff. He’s perfect for my studio, then! If you’re unfamiliar with Professor Honeycutt’s robot form, this was pretty much his default expression in the early Mirage comics. The look also carried over to his first action figure in the 1990 wave of TMNT figures. The difference there was Fugitoid was now gold with red eyes and a more detailed body. I don’t think he showed up in the ’87 cartoon series, though.
What do you think of this comic-centric character? Has NECA improved their figure quality, or have you been one of the unlucky ones to have a $30+ broken toy? Let us know in the comments section below.
[Souce: NECA]
New Wave Offering Another Chance At The ‘Q*Bert’ Prototype RepliCade
@!#?@! was the first video game explicative I was exposed to as a kid in the 1980s. After a few lost quarters to a Q*Bert machine, we were yelling far more colorful words at the screen.
You’re in luck if you missed out on New Wave Toy’s first run of pre-orders for the RepliCade Q*Bert machines. The company responsible for these scaled-down replicas of classic cabinets is now taking more orders for the $169.99 Warren Davis prototype Q*Bert cab. This limited edition version of the game is slightly different from the retail version we saw decades ago.
This is a fully playable 1/6th scale replica of Warren’s preproduction prototype Q*bert machine as it sits today as part of WD’s private collection. This limited-edition machine has all the same standard Q*bert features with faithfully reproduced preproduction prototype cabinet artwork. Each cabinet is hand crafted to capture every possible detail including cabinet wear and tear, Gottlieb raised letter coin door, and more!
- Replica Q*bert preproduction prototype in 1/6th scale
- Plays the original Q*bert arcade ROM and Warren Davis’s previously unreleased sequel Faster Harder More Challenging Q*bert ROM
- Fully functional Knocker Coil
- Arcade Operator’s menu with customizable dip switch and operational test mode
- Miniaturized control panel featuring reproduction black ball-top joystick and red translucent P1 & P2 buttons
- Plug and Play HDTV connectivity
- Cabinet constructed from traditional materials including wood, metal, and plastic
- Illuminated marquee & cabinet accents
- RepliCade signature amplified mono audio reproduction with volume control
- High-resolution cabinet art reproduction on quality 3M vinyl overlays
- Gottlieb® raised letter metal coin door with storage compartment
- High score saving with non-volatile memory
- Built-in, high-capacity rechargeable battery
- Premium LCD color screen 4:3 aspect ratio (vertical orientation)
- Officially licensed Gottlieb branding
- 100-Day New Wave Factory Warranty
Let us know what you think of this prototype replica in the comments section below.
[Source: New Wave Toys]
‘AMAIN Warrior at the Borderline’ English Dub Cast List Dropped
‘AMAIN Warrior at the Borderline’ is a mecha science fiction anime series from the Japanese animation studio Sunrise Beyond and is directed by Nobuyoshi Habara. The first season ran for thirteen episodes with the second season being released in April 2022. Originally premiering on Funimation, Crunchyroll later released the series in North America on their streaming app and will produce an English dub.
They announced the cast on their website:
- Ry McKeand (Ryoma in The Prince of Tennis) as Amou Shiba
- Michelle Marie (Nana in Talentless Nana) as Gai
- Luis Bermudez (Apeas in Ranking of Kings) as Takuto Onishi
- Bryson Baugus (Falco in Attack on Titan) as Tsubasa Mishima
- Brandon Winckler (Kuro in In/Spectre) as Ken Tanasaka
- Keith Silverstein (Ernst in 86 EIGHTY-SIX) as Jeffrey Wilson
- Caitlyn Elizabeth (Minami in Tribe Nine) as Kate Byrne
Griffin Puatu works as the ADR Director as well as the ADR Script Writer.
You can watch the trailer for the series below:
MyAnimeList describes the synopsis as follows,
“Futuristic post-war Japan is divided into four military regions, each led by conflicting nations trying to gain complete control over the country. While the Boundary War—fought with the help of humanoid mecha weapons called AMAIM—has long been over, the rivalry between these factions is still ongoing, and, as a result, the Japanese are heavily oppressed.
Amou Shiiba, a 16-year-old orphan boy who is secretly rebuilding an abandoned AMAIM named Kenbu, stumbles upon Gai, an autonomous AI in need of battery power. By choosing to help one another, Amou and Gai find themselves at the center of a disaster, and Amou is labeled a terrorist and cast out of society. Even so, Amou refuses to remain idle in the face of injustice, and he embarks on a long journey rife with struggle and companionship. His aim transitions from leading a peaceful life to liberating the Japanese people.”
The anime has a companion manga titled ‘Kyōkai Senki: Frost Flower’ that was released by Hobby Japan publishing company for their ‘Monthly Hobby Japan’ magazine.
‘Takt Op. Destiny’ English Voice Cast Announced
‘Takt Op. Destiny’ is a science fiction anime taking place in a world where music is outlawed. It was made by the Japanese animation studios MAPPA and Madhouse with Crunchyroll releasing it in North America on their streaming service. It was announced that the show will get an English dub with the voice cast being revealed.
Crunchyroll announced the cast on their official website:
- Ernesto Jason Liebrecht (Zeke in Attack on Titan) as Takt
- Emi Lo (Rena Higurashi: When They Cry – GOU) as Destiny
- Alexis Tipton (Miko in Mieruko-chan) as Anna
- Sara Ragsdale (Riko in Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid) as Jimmy
- Mallorie Rodak (Nia in Date A Live) as Jimmy’s Mother
- Sarah Wiedenheft (Tohru in Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid) as Jimmy’s Sister
Caitlin Glass will serve as ADR Director and as an “additional voice” for the show.
You can watch the trailer below:
MyAnimeList describes the synopsis as follows,
“The United States of America has been in chaos ever since the emergence of D2s, an invasive species originating from a black meteorite that fell to Earth. A public decree banned citizens from playing any melodies, to prevent further casualties caused by the D2s’ hatred for music—even now, in 2047, this prohibition is still in effect. Humanity’s only form of defense against the D2s are Musicarts, young women representing pieces of classical music; and Conductors, the ones controlling them.
Takt Asahina, an aloof piano prodigy, finds himself transformed into a Conductor following a spontaneous D2 attack. The same incident kills Anna Schneider’s younger sister, Cosette, and brings Takt into contact with his Musicart, Destiny. Searching for a means of stabilizing the pact between themselves, Takt and Destiny—alongside Anna—embark on a perilous journey to the Symphonica Headquarters in New York City.
Takt is in a hurry to reach the city so that he can play the piano again, even though his passion attracts the creatures he has come to despise. Meanwhile, Destiny’s sense of duty drags the group into trouble along the way. With a D2-infested path and many more arduous obstacles ahead of them, will the trio make it to New York City in one piece?”
The first season of ‘Takt Op. Destiny’ features twelve episodes, running from October 6, 2021, to December 22, 2021.
