Pre caught on video running Need For Speed? 113
Mon, 23 Nov 2009 8:31 am EST
[ youtube link ]
Color us skeptical, but right now we have little reason not to believe PreCentral forum member Casperstar and the above video that he posted. Yes, that is a Palm Pre playing Electronic Arts’ Need For Speed Underground, and playing it well - like an iPhone. Obviously, something like this just isn’t possible given the current web tools-based Mojo SDK, it’s not even something that’s possible with the current GPU-disabled implementation of webOS.
While this could very well be a well-timed video, smoke, and mirrors show, we’re inclined to believe that it is the real deal, especially after corroboration by reliable inside-information forum member Modular. Casperstar claims that the video is of a friend’s Pre, a friend that works at Palm and is apparently willing to not only let it be videotaped, but even sent in two screen caps of the App Catalog on his device. The images show a view of a NFS-2G app and an apps list counting to 495 (!). While something like this would be easy to Photoshop together, there’s enough rough edges to the app view that give us a definite work-in-progress vibe. Then there's that mention of requiring Nova 1.3.X - if you've been with the Palm community for a few years you may remember the rumblings of a Nova device or OS having been in development in Sunnyvale.
All that said, we’re hopeful that this is the real deal, and it shows that Palm has made more behind-the-scenes progress than this blogger expected. An update to webOS that enables the GPU and an update to the SDK that provides native access for apps like this would be a huge huge huge (yes, triple huge) coup for Palm and would quickly silence critics of the lack of quality apps. Is this something we’re likely to see soon? Boy, we hope so, but we wouldn’t count on it. As Casperstar said, this is internal testing material, not release candidate.
Oh, and this mystery version of webOS also has solved the app limit issue that plagues current Pre and Pixi owners.
As always, with something like this you should set aside a grain or two of salt. Palm obviously won’t confirm or deny this sort of stuff and we never see the game opened or closed. It would be easy enough to fake this with a combination of videos, patches, practice, a bit of Photoshop magic, patience, and a twisted sense of humor. Still... our fingers are most definitely crossed. We want to believe.
UPDATE: The MX Web has taken a close look at the App Catalog list image and believes this to be a hoax given a number of discrepancies between it and the App Catalog currently on devices. We're not sure it's enough to debunk this, given the other evidence that doesn't quite match up but could easily be attributed to internal testing, but we as always remain skeptical.
Thanks to everybody that sent this in!
113 Comments
Holy crud!!!!!! I cant wait!!!!
If real, I'm guessing its on a test server being scrutinzed for App Catalog release.
all I know is that I can't be doing anything on my pre for 32 minutes like the difference in time between catalog shots and still be in the green on my battery. I really don't know it looks kind of fake like the x-ray videos on you tube. Just a video played with well timed movements. Also if I were posting a video I would atleast want it to look like I knew how to play the game. Just my thoughts.
its real. There is also someone that actually made a special controller for the Pre and its on Youtube as well. People underestimate the human mind the same as they did the kid who was the first person to break the iPhone. Some kids are so smart, they can top any Palm or iCrap. Again for instance, the kid who broke the iPhart. Can you think of all the people at Apple who have been there for years with years of experience trying to keep this kid from whipping Apple over and over? I think the same is with Palm. Some people are just genius. If you notice, Kessler mentioned that Palm is mum about it. Palm is mum to that and my theory is that they are holding out on the release of the official video recorder and Flash 10.1. I honestly think this will be our Christmas Eve which is what day? Yup!!! The infamous THURSDAY!
Wow, that is great!
This looks like the real deal. I wonder how many apps like this we can expect once the developers have access to the GPU. Im drooling.
The wierd thing is that in the picture abover it has flixster rating at 2 and a half stars meanwhile, it currently has 4 stars and has for a long time. i dont know if that means anything, just thought it was weird.
I would say that it wouldn't really mean much. if this is truly a test phone then in fact those "Star" results could actually part of some test data and not actually the Real Deal. Other wise good catch. :-D
In the forum thread, he mentions that his friend Pre points to a different App Catalog server. It is very likely that each server has its own stored ratings. The lack of ratings leads to me to believe that these screen captures are plausible. I have my fingers crossed!
Of course, this is all total speculation, but...
It would be logical to think that's the App Catalog internal reviewers and testers pull from and the same one that we developers probably submit our apps to. That would not only explain the 495 quite easily, it would also indicate they push apps from the internal testing catalog to the app catalog for each device when they're published.
As far as ratings go, either the ratings system is different in the "internal" app catalog or the screenshots were taken a while ago and only made available today. Either seems plausible.
please o please god let it be true... I could seriously go for an incredible Christmas present Santa (aka PALM)!!!!!!
This better be totally JavaScript accessible, or major hate.
Sorry, you are going to have to learn to program in a non-simple programming language. The good news is once you learn to program in decent languages, you can do a lot more.
FAKE. I would love - and am hoping for things like this to come. In the NEAR future.
I would like to believe that's true, but I would do if whoever recorded that showed the end of the downloading process from the App Catalog and the app launch.
i would also agree to this being fake.
how does the app catalog show that high number, never heard of palm having access to hidden apps. also the review like someone posted before me, how do they have access to apps early, and reviews for current apps not available.
Last I checked you submit apps to Palm to review...I think this would give them early access. It has also been know for Palm to work with developers to get important apps (Classic for example) to run properly.
The review system is just a guess. But out of all people, I would suggest some Palm employee's to have access to apps earlier than everyone else.
If this guy went to such a huge effort to make a great fake I don't think he would screw up and put 495 in the app catalog. I think like others have said it's showing apps from a different server that only authorized Palm employees have access to.
Now, if this is true, it would be weird to see it run on the Pixi. Another thing to point out realism, is that the glare on the top left, goes above the screen, like normal. This could also just be a iphone gameplay video running with the playing moving the phone correspondingly. I sure hope not.
I searched for any Need For Speed iPhone videos. It's nowhere on Google, so unless he captured one off of his own iPhone...
It looks legit.
While I would love to see iPod/iPhone performance from the Pre, this is unfortunately fake. It's a video playing on the Pre with well timed synching to make it seem Accelerometer controlled. App Catalog shots look shopped. Just my observations... Love my Pre to death but I call foul on this...
If it was a video, it's a video of someone playing VERY poorly.
He was holding the Pre right, and the car was grinding on the right-hand side of the track.
While I would love to see iPod/iPhone performance from the Pre, this is unfortunately fake. It's a video playing on the Pre with well timed synching to make it seem Accelerometer controlled. App Catalog shots look shopped. Just my observations... Love my Pre to death but I call foul on this...
FAKE.... THE GAME JUST LOOK LIKE A YOUTUBE VIDEO PLAYING ON PALM PRE... THE PICS LOOK LIKE PHOTOSHOPPED... USUALLY THERE's 3 PICS ON PREVIEW AND PIX ARE CLOUDY.... BUT ANYWAYS, I'm ALSO KEEPING MY FINGERS CROSS THAT IT CUD B TRUE!!! :)
Did your caps lock get stuck or do you just run around screaming all the time?
+1 :)
couldn't it be just a prerecorded video playing. It looks really fake.
video's on the pre have round corners, the video has square corners.
not that someone couldn't apply some homebrew patch, but that would mean they did it just for the video and NOT for the screenshots (look at the bottom of them)
that would be some major props to this guy. really thinking things through to fake it.
or it could be legit.
All games will also have round corners, until you use the "Squarify" patch. I'll go in with the playing a video fake crowd.
I really hope this is true, can't wait...
I noticed the Flixster rating discrepancy as well. Also other apps listed have no stars where they actually do in the live App Catalog.
And because there is no sound or beginning or end to the demonstration of the game, it very well could be a YouTube video or a Video running in the Videos app. It does "seem" to respond to the accelerometer, but that could be well-timed with a prerecorded video.
Don't get me wrong, if this were real and officially coming soon, I'd lose my shit over it. I think maybe one day it might be true, but this just seems too rough around the edges to be real stuff here.
With all this hype and if Palm doesnt come through with it, I think Palm will be no more in the future.
Really? That's what would kill Palm? Not being able to play Need for Speed?
aaaaaaand it's down... removed by the user.
Did anyone capture the video before it was pulled?
If this is true, we can expect MANY more webos users. Plenty of people use things like this as deciding factors in a phone purchase. However, note the "If this is true."
definitely FAKE. no list item divider under the photoshopped NFS line
Actually the line is there its just very faint, and if you look on the live app catalog on the Pre, it is the same way.
nobody caught it? i hurried to the nearest wifi... but its DOWN? :(
BOOOOOOOO, video is removed.
Video still up here (on my Pre) not sure if this link will work though, I'm loading it through the Web app.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBKsDcbEgQg&feature=youtube_gdata
Video still up here (on my Pre) not sure if this link will work though, I'm loading it through the Web app.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBKsDcbEgQg&feature=youtube_gdata
interestingly enough his app catalog doesn't follw the same format as ours with the version, date and size at the top. If in fact it was doctored why would he remove these?
IDK but I truly hope its real
perhaps its just me but if I click on the link my youtube still pops up and plays the video???
what link is that? theres only a youtube link now.
definitely hope that this video is for real and that future apps of this caliber will be available real soon. Too bad it was yanked, didn't get a chance to see it for myself.
I think it's reasonable to assume that Nova is the internal codename for WebOS. See Novacom for instance which is the (to pc) communications service for webos devices.
Also, we're already on 1.3.x, meaning probably that one of the very near-term releases will contain the GPU goodness.
That's what I was thinking. Maybe there are more versions of WebOS that we and the developers do not know about. Maybe v. 1.35 or 1.36 or 1.39. Who knows? They probably test out different versions on different phones and when its time to release it they just add whatever passed their tests.
I'm clicking on the youtube link
definitely hope that this video is for real and that future apps of this caliber will be available real soon. Too bad it was yanked, didn't get a chance to see it for myself.
I'm clicking on the youtube link
I'm on my pre with no access to any computer. If someone can walk me through capturing it I'd certainly try and post it
why would the video be removed?????
Maybe Palm stepped in?
Derek killed it the second he put it front page.
Hopefully this is just a taste of what's to come.
If Palm is running a huge surprise for when the official catalog comes out of Beta (near the end of the year) with a whole bunch of never-before-seen apps, GPU support, limit removed, it would be an instant win for Palm.
I, unfortunately, did not catch the video before it was taken down, so I shall keep my praises/skepticisms to myself.
Here's to hoping...
The video is still working for me from my Pre. I still have it up right now.
plz plz get it up somewhere so we can see too
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCVnxXvEAPo
thanks abegee! lookin good!
Wow, looks great. Hope it's legit.
The timing of this "leak" also seems suspicious to me, in a good way... priming those holiday shoppers! Of course, that could also work in reverse - someone hoping to pump holiday sales by creating interest in a great update. But I hope not.
Really hope that this is some of Matthew Tippett's recent work, but I'm not going anywhere else in any event.
Regarding the glare on the top left: that seems to be an overhead or camera light if you watch it carefully from the beginning; observe the way it follows the angle of the device over the course of the clip. Looks legit to me!
Gaming on the Pre on a whole new level! lol
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLD2tj03SdI&feature=related
To be immortalized like that on Youtube is flat out embarrassing.
awesome
This may be the flash based. The flash beta is supposed to be released by the end of the year. That means palm is probaby tweking it in house with adobe. Flash is supposed to support both gpu acceleration and accelerometer input. This demo shows both of those. So my vote is that this is internal testing of a build that supports flash and palm is working closely with adobe and developers who need more power than the current version of mojo.
Now that makes sense. I would never have thought that the Pre could do that straight out of the box. The app catalog shots are definitely fakes, unless they completely revamped this in the next webOS update.
Flash doesn't have the power to run 3D like this smoothly on a Processor the speed of the Pre. There is just too much overhead.
I, too, think that this is Flash based. Adobe needs hardware / GPU access anyways to provide a decent version of Flash for mobile devices.
I'm pretty sure they're working closely with Palm. In the end, with providing Adobe with the necessary means to adopt Flash to the Pre, Palm practicaly gains a second, way more powerful way of writing applications for their platform. Wanna make a simple application just displaying some data or information, go for HTML and Javascript. Want to make something performant with hardware accelerated animations and stuff, just do a Flash-based application.
In addition, assunming that the mobile version of Flash will be nearly as powerful as the desktop version, this might even render the need for a better SDK from Palm obsolete and would furthermore allow thousands of existing Flash applications to be ported to the Pre relatively easily. Might that be what Palm has been planning all along?
And btw: I DO think that Flash running on the Pre's hardware is powerful enought to build a game such as shown in the video.
Just... no. Flash/actionscript is _no_ replacement for native code access. Not at all.
And no, a game looking like that, running at that speed, in full 3d is _not_ possible in flash. Even on a full desktop, much less the pre's hardware.
_If_ palm has opened up access to the gpu, and _if_ adobe has incredbily increased flash 10's 3d rendering ability in the upcoming 10.1 release, then it _might_ be possible. But it's much much much more likely just native code.
I'm noticing something with those App Center Screenshots. The screenshot showing the NFS game, does anybody notice how much clearer the Tap to Launch button is compared to the rest of the image? Doesn't look quite consistent to me...
I really want to believe this, I really really do. HOpefully its not some iPhone fan boy trying to piss us off.
Guys, Im sorry.... but that video does NOT look fake. I think its actually a real deal... I don't how anyone can photoshop the angles that the accelerometer makes as smoothly as it it on that video. I have my hopes up. I mean, the Pre is not really aimed at the gaming audience, but its awesome to see some actual accelerometer input into the device, and more than 2d games.
I really don't think its a fake. At all.
Nobody believes the VIDEO is fake. People are saying it is just that- a video, not a game, and he is just tilting the Pre in time with the video. The fact that there is no audio tends to also throws in more suspicion.
But nobody is arguing that the images are not actually playing on that Pre.
Me? I don't know. Could be real, could be fake. But if it is a real game, then it MUST be using the GPU. There is no way, otherwise.
I'm staying on the cynic bandwagon for now but even if this is genuine it is no doubt just a technical demo.
pardon my ignorance, but is the general consensus that it would be necessary to know Linux to utilize the gpu/ mic in app development? or could this be included in a prepackaged sdk so that those of us just now getting the hang of html aren't looking at a whole new learning curve before getting into homebrew with the latest?
I really hope this is real. I would love to see some decent games for my Pre.
wow he's a really bad driver. dosent he know that you move the phone left and right for the accelerometer to work, not move the whole phone itself? what a dumbass
He probably just wants to demonstrate it...
But could it not be a video where he just tilts at the right time?
If its not a fake he should have touched the screen.
All the proof you need:
http://themxweb.com/2009/11/22/evidence-need-foor-speed-video-was-a-hoax/
Seriously if your going to sit there and start calling something fake just read all the other comments. If the things listed in the link are the only things you come up with then your jsut crazy since we have all discovered that it would have to be a total different internal Palm server hosting pre-release apps as well as everything else since there is 495 apps and not 418 apps in it and certain apps have no stars or wrong number of stars. There are some many differences in the app catalogs that I believe it is true footage. Why would someone go through the the trouble of making this hoax and not make sure stuff like just right? You honestly can sit here and think that the Pre can't run these kinds of apps? Or is it just that you think Palm is not capable of having stuff being worked on besides just the next update? That's just not how it works in the software/OS world. I bet you didn't know that Microsoft was already working on its next Windows release before Windows 7 even came out did you? Palm is most likely sitting there reading all the negative posts by people and grinning knowing they have been working on getting GPU access and the likes before launch was even coming. Palm is smart and knows better then to just be working from update to update.
Also based on the "problems" in the picture. Why would the person if they did Photoshoped the picture even remove the divider line? Maybe just maybe Palm's internal App Catalog just doesn't look as clean as ours or maybe it is just a sign of changes to the App Catalog to come.
Well, even if it's real, I wonder if there will be actual AUDIO to go along with it?? Audio in games is one place Palm has seriously fallen down on. Any game dev can tell you what a bad experience it is trying to get sound into games... I mean, aside from the basic system sounds of course, which work well enough, or *maybe* some background music. Otherwise, not cool.
I'd bet good money on it being a hoax anyway... I'm FAR from convinced you could do such a game with the current Javascript approach, and if Palm decided to give some sort of low-level API for "special" devs I think that'd lead to a mass developer revolt, something Palm I think is smart enough to not do to themselves. I've heard rumors of a few devs already being given access to some undocumented stuff the rest of us can't use, but something like this would be so blatant and obvious it would piss a lot of people off to not have access to it themselves.
So yeah, definitely think it's a hoax... but kinda hoping it's not :)
Who says this isn't going to be opened up to all devs? Maybe not right away just like it is now as far as like Classic goes. Also you are talking like this is available now which it isn't. Who knows maybe they open up the API's and the GPU by the end of the year when the App Catalog comes out of beta.
No, I think you misunderstood a bit.
If we assume for the moment that the video is real... and if we assume that it uses some new goodness beyond what the SDK gives you today (which seems very likely to me, assuming it's real)...
That means that one dev was given access to something that the rest of us don't have access to. So, if it's real, Palm has ALREADY done something bad IMO.
You mentioned Classic... I'm not thrilled that the dev of it got access to stuff no on else did to make it work... but I can at least understand that a bit because it's a more specialized kind of app, one that Palm probably would have done themselves. It's almost like it IS an extension of Palm doing that app, so I frankly can forgive that, it's not too big a deal in my mind.
But, giving special access to some devs to something that every game dev out there very much wants, that's a bad, BAD move. That would piss a lot of people off and ultimately may well keep devs away, something Palm I know doesn't want to happen.
So, I doubt that it is real on technical grounds but more importantly, on the grounds that Palm wouldn't make a bonehead move like that. I give them more credit than that.
You're 100% right, if this is real, it could be based on some APIs that will be released to everyone shortly. Yep, could be. I still doubt it for technical reasons, but I could be wrong. But if I am, then Palm has effectively given a competitive advantage to one company (EA- a company that doesn't need that help at all!) over all the others by giving them early access because now they have their game ready to go already when the capability is just handed to the rest of us. This will aggravate a lot of devs to the point where they may say F**K Palm, F**K webOS. Why try and compete with EA, which is tough enough already, when they've been handed a head-start over everyone else?
Bottom line: I don't think Palm is that dumb, so I think this is a fake.
I also think it is fake because the control doesn't seem to properly match the game. I think it is video playing on the Pre.
me 2 ;)
As a practitioner of "video forensics", I grabbed the vid and some reference vids of the iPhone version and ran them through light-enhanced, zoomed to 300% and 1/16 speed. Here's what I came up with...it's really fake. A vid of the Pre running a local vid. Read on for my analysis.
1. Loading screen is *over exposed* (as if being recorded from a video screen\monitor. (reflections on Pre's surface are not over exposed so it is not the video OF the Pre but ON the Pre.)
2. Race intro scrolls across the front of all cars instead of coming up from behind all cars.
3. Pre-race Cut scene\instructions are missing, no confirmation to start race.
4. When the vid starts, the Pre is level with the floor (as measured by perspective against markings on rug) but turns hard to the right as soon as starting before the Pre is ever tilted.
5. He actually "turns left" for the first time @ 0:46
5. Race progress "meter" is missing from left of screen.
6. @ 0:52 the car does a "drift" maneuver but the technique to do it requires a "quick tilt" in the opposite direction before turning. The car drifted and he never made the move.
7. @ 0:56 he tilts the Pre at the same level as in @ 0:49 but instead of turning hard like in the prior move, the car barely turns at all.
So unfortunately while WISHING this was true, the evidence doesn't see to hold out. :\
Another point to add to the it, the catalog screen is most likely photoshop because there is no shadow at the bottom of the screen like in the app catalog on our phones.
LMFAO go reread what you posted and change your perspective please.
1. I have recorded video of myself playing with the pre to show it off to a friend and it looks the same way. Over exposed screen while the table, my hands and the pre itself look fine. Not everyone has $20k camera to record their phone.
2&3. Its a alpha version of the software comparing it to retail version running on other platforms is no way to gauge a comparison unless you have alpha footage of those as well.
4.The pre's accelerometer is buggy to say the least and has a slow refresh rate. I find it hard to believe you can tell this by the video hes clearing holding it with one hand and it very easy to have the phone drooping to the right because
of this one handed operation.
5&6 Once again this is alpha / beta quality app
7. Poor accelerometer refresh buggy alpha software.
Sorry but you video forensics are a little bogus...
Couldn't points 2-7 lead one to believe game is still in testing phase and not fake? Especially where the pre game is missing things from the iphone game, which means it's not a vid off the iphone game.
THIS is def. fake.. cuz my friend has an iphone and i played dis game. dis is def. a video file.. and he's jus corresponding the movements..
anyways.. im soooo HAPPY!! and STRESSFREE!!
check dis out.. http://www.monthlyincome.ws
i quit my job 6 months ago cuz of dis!!
ps palm pre rules!!
yeah yeah chek this out...
i hope you lose your hands.. shit spammer
Fortunately; Shit like this is what makes me believe that the Pre is really becoming popular. Spammers are starting to hit it! :)
If this is real... he must take a video wich shows starting the app... so it can be a video from any device wich is playing on the Pre !
never heard of the app mosquitones...
---
Palm's job page has had openings for developers experienced in 3D gaming for a while now, so I wouldn't be surprised if this were real
I really want this to be true and, honestly, there's no real reason why it wouldn't be. A GPU enabled pre should be able to do this, right?
...but there's a side of me that thinks this is a fake. Just a lil too soon.
Let me start by saying: I would absolutely LOVE to have the tools necessary to make this happen on the current implementation of webOS. My heart yearns to believe that Palm has been secretly putting something like this together and soon we'll all see a webOS platform that is diverse and powerful as any other, with the current elegance of its design. That said, my bullshit radar is going off. There's no other way to say it but it doesn't feel right. Even if there weren't missing dividers and such. But with the additional evidence atop of my intuition -I just can't believe it.
LMFAO He is just playing the video on his pre and acting out the movements....lame
add me to the list of sceptics but th this would be EPIC!!
The only reason I believe this to be a real video is because, I work at Radio Shack and My Palm Rep came in one day and me and him were talking. He told me about the sale on the pre black friday, which is true, and he also told me that palm had approved over 1000 apps already buy are just waiting for some devs to finish a second phase. That is what he told me, I am not a developer and have not read the rules for submitting applications. But I trust the rep so I think this is definetly plausible.
I can see that many apps coming but this requires tools that aren't released yet.
I don't care if it is fake. I just want the video! I'll play it on my phone and pretend like I'm really driving. I'll even make my own "vroom vroom" noises. Wheee! Hours of fun!
Just saw the video on you tube...looks legit.
The screenshots' authenticity are questionable at best, but the video looks to be the real deal.
The UI for the game resembles the iPhone version greatly, save for the one damming difference, which is the loading screen. I was scouring YouTube for videos of the game on various consoles/devices. You can rule out PSP and PS2, because the PSP version's is titled RIVALS, and the PS2 version's UI is very different.
Again the nearest version is the iPhone version, but if you check out this vid http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AA31gzIgqIg you can see the differences. If you guys know of another handheld version of the game we could compare it to, that'd be great.
It is VERY possible that someone took the time to pre-render a loading screen and spliced together game footage off the iPhone version just to mess with us, but that doesn't seem too likely.
Fixing the app limitation is important, but just as important (more in my opnion) is the consistant error I get telling me I have too many cards open when I only have 1 or 2 (and sometimes 0).
So fake, even though I wish it wasn't. Could easily be in the video player or even youtube app. What the car is doing isn't following what the phone is doing at all.
obviously fake... smh..
I have a friend that works at Palm in Sunnyvale, Ca and he showed me on his Palm Pre some early Apps that were downloaded on his phone from Palm headquaters. So it is very possible that this could be coming soon!!! Lets keep are fingers cross everybody!!!
interesting article on how one would go about faking this need for speed video. also, there are some really good (fake) pictures. http://themxweb.com/2009/11/28/need-for-hoaxes-most-wanted/
BAAAHAHAHA I will be playing shortly! Take that Naysayers!
guess we was all wrong on calling this a fake