A Tablet for Children That Comes With Its Own Penguins

Now DreamWorks has partnered with a technology company, Fuhu, on an even more immediate way to reach itty-bitty eyeballs, a highly coveted audience: a tablet computer for children that the studio will be able to program much like a cable channel. “We could push out a new character moment every day of the year,” said Jim Mainard, head of digital strategy and new business development for DreamWorks.

DreamWorks and Fuhu, which makes the popular Nabi line of children’s tablets, plan to introduce the product, called the DreamTab, at the International Consumer Electronics Show, which starts Tuesday in Las Vegas.

The tablets will be sold with a range of DreamWorks-branded accessories, including headphones, protective bumpers and carrying cases. An eight-inch version of the DreamTab will arrive in stores in the spring. Pricing is still being determined but it will be under $300, a Fuhu spokesman said. A 12-inch version is also planned.

The partnership is a convergence of two business trends. With children as young as 2 or 3 now routinely using their parents’ iPads or smartphones — if the toddlers don’t already have their own — technology companies are racing to introduce gadgets made for smaller and smaller hands. Fuhu itself sold more than two million Nabis in 2013, and its tablets, which are primarily designed for children 6 to 11, now collectively deliver more than 20 million video streams a week.

Entertainment companies have been surprised at how speedily children have taken to tablets, sometimes forgoing TV sets altogether. As a result, DreamWorks, Disney and their competitors are searching for ways to make it easier for users to find their characters on portable devices.

Fuhu’s strategic goal with the DreamTab is differentiation — coming up with a way to persuade parents to buy its product over a competing one. DreamWorks is hoping to find a new way into the home, deepening its reputation as an innovative content creator and funneling more viewers to its programs and movies and selling more merchandise.

“By teaming with DreamWorks to create a device that will have original content — original content that is automatically and frequently updated — we are not following consumers, we are getting ahead of them,” said Jim Mitchell, Fuhu’s chief executive.

There are all sorts of branded tablets, of course. Fuhu in October introduced a special-edition Disney Nabi and Nickelodeon Nabi. But neither of those offered original and exclusive programming like the DreamTab will. Unlike some other tablets, the DreamTab will not lock children into a DreamWorks-only world. The studio’s video content and games are the most prominent, but users can also stream shows from Nickelodeon, Disney and Cartoon Network.

Nancy Bernstein, a movie producer who is in charge of creating what she calls “character moments” for the DreamTab, insists that the effort is not simply an advertising opportunity for the studio. Turn on the tablet, for instance, and penguins from the “Madagascar” franchise might greet you with a silly dance. Depending on how parents have set the timing controls, “Shrek” characters might appear in a skit to announce that it is time to power down.

“All of this animation was custom-created,” Ms. Bernstein said in a demonstration at DreamWorks’s headquarters here.

Some parents might disagree with her definition of advertising. Will dancing penguins make DreamTab users more interested in seeing “The Penguins of Madagascar” when it arrives in theaters next year? The studio, led by Jeffrey Katzenberg, would be naïve not to hope the answer is yes.

The DreamTab will also have technology that allows it to communicate wirelessly with DreamWorks-made toys. For instance, a “How to Train Your Dragon” action figure might be used to unlock games and educational experiences on the tablet. (The studio’s “How to Train Your Dragon 2” arrives in June.)

The companies will try to woo parents by including educational elements. In addition to original animation, DreamWorks will supply what it calls “educational artistic experiences”; some of the studio’s top animators will appear in videos to teach users how to draw characters like Po the panda or Toothless the dragon. To allow children to draw on the screens, each DreamTab will come with the same stylus technology that DreamWorks artists use to make movies.

“We want to transform the way kids play, learn and grow through technology,” said Mr. Mitchell of Fuhu, which is based in El Segundo, Calif.

The DreamTab’s technology is quite hefty. The devices will enable children to send instant messages and emails to their parents’ smartphones, for instance. Mr. Mitchell emphasized that his company had gone to “incredible lengths” to make the DreamTab compliant with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, a federal law that restricts the ways that companies collect information on children under 13.

The DreamTab is not a toy. Switched into parent mode, it provides roughly the same computing power as an iPad, the companies said.

“If you give a kid less, they will spot it immediately as less, and they won’t like it,” said Mr. Mainard of DreamWorks. “We wanted to give more.”

Vampire Diaries Comes to DC Digital

DC Digital held a panel at Comic-Con this year to discuss their digital initiatives. Expert moderator Bob Wayne got the ball rolling by pointing out that DC released a new digital first comic every day of the week.

First up, Derek Fridolf and Dustin Nguyen spoke about an upcoming issue of Lil’ Gotham, which would feature Gotham City’s own Comic-Con. They said the issue was a love letter to comic book fandom and would be tons of fun. “We don’t worry too much about stuff, we just have fun,” Fridolf said.

Writer Tom Taylor then talked about Injustice, the digital first series that serves as a prequel to the Injustice: Gods Among Us video game. “This book explains what happened and why Batman and Superman want to tear each other’s spins out,” Taylor said. He pointed out that he loved Superman and it tears him apart to write him so sinister and violent. The bestselling series will have an upcoming annual that featuring Harley Quinn fighting Lobo. “I just wanted to write an issue where Quinn beats up Lobo. That was my pitch,” Taylor laughed.

The panel then quickly touched on Batman ’66, which is the launch of the DC Squared initiative. Some art from upcoming issues was shown which featured Penguin and the Joker. “There’s a big fan base,” editor Jim Chadwick said. He said that many creators were reaching out to him and begging to work on the series. The panelist joked that they wanted to bring Batman ’66 into some of the other digital series, like a Lil’ Gotham ’66. The audience cheered loudly at this joke. Seriously, this needs to happen.

Kyle Higgins and Christos Gage discussed the DC Beyond Universe next. Higgins expressed how much he loved the Beyond series and what a big fan he was of the original cartoon series. Some artwork from the series was showed off and it featured Batman battling a Man-Bat. Gage then showed off some art from Justice League Beyond. “Can I say who the villain is?” Gage asked and was quickly told he couldn’t by nearby editors. “It’s an old Superman villain returned, that we can say.”

Hank Kanalz then announced that The Vampire Dairies would become a weekly digital first series. The series would include lots of threads setup by the television series. “We’re very excited about this,” Wayne said. The only artwork previewed for the new series was a cover which featured a drawing of the cast of the show. No further details were given, but Kanalz stressed that lots more news would be coming up regarding this new series.

Coming in November, Scooby-Doo Meets Batman and Robin would be launching. The panel stressed this was not a one shot, but rather a continuing, bi-monthly series. “This leaves the door open for the Royal Flush Gang vs. The Harlem Globetrotters, right?” Miller said to cheers from the crowd. “I want to write that,” he laughed.

Also coming up are Beware the Batman and Teen Titians GO! series. Both would be launching in the fall and follow the tone and stories of the new Cartoon Network television’s shows.

When the floor opened up to fan questions, an audience member asked about the recoloring of a Stephanie Brown character in the Halloween issue. The panel deftly dodged the question and instead focused on the proper coloring of peppers in the comic.

Benjamin is a writer and storyteller. He owns many leather-bound books and his office smells of rich mahogany. Follow Benjamin on Twitter @616Earth, or find him on IGN.

Gadgetwise Blog: A Phrasebook That Comes Along on Your Phone

Your bags are packed, your boarding pass is printed, but you don’t know one word of the language of the country where your passport will get its next stamp.

Travelers with no time to buy guides are the people Fodor’s had in mind when it developed a mobile version of Travel Phrases, with 400 essential phrases for 22 languages. The company began selling individual language apps for $1.99 on iTunes last week (oct.1) (including French, useful in Paris, above). It is also expanding its stable of free City Guides apps, adding Montreal, Chicago and others, this year.

Fodor’s migration of content to mobile devices comes after Google’s announcement in August that it was acquiring Frommer’s.

Still, Amanda D’Acierno, Fodor’s vice president and publisher, said the company will continue to print 75 to 85 guidebooks each year. “It’s a nonlinear experience,” she said of flipping through a guidebook, “and it’s hard to browse on an app.”

She added: “There’s also the reality of batteries dying and not being able to hook up your device. A guidebook is like a security blanket when you go away.”

Darksiders II: Death Comes to Wii U

Third party games coming to Wii U at launch face a series of critical tests if they're to be considered viable, particularly considering many of them are being ported to Nintendo's platform weeks if not months after their counterparts. They need to be feature complete, possibly even exceeding what we've seen before. They also need to embrace the dual, touch-screen experiment, attempting to offer a different, potentially better experience than what gamers have seen elsewhere. In many respects Darksiders II for Wii U meets these criteria, but in some ways this port also stands as proof that developers will need some time before they find the proper ways to innovate on Nintendo's unique console.

On the surface, Darksiders II on Wii U is packed with content. There's nothing here that isn't offered in some fashion elsewhere, but it aggregates everything that's been available through a myriad of retail pre-order and community downloads. Effectively there was little way to acquire all of this material save for purchasing several versions of the game - until now.

That means the Angel of Death weaponry (a Best Buy offer) or the Deadly Despair speed boost for your horse (an Amazon offer) will now be available to you on Wii U, free of charge. The Maker's Armor, Shadow of Death Armor, Crucible Mode and a variety of community content will be added as well. Vigil is also building the first wave of downloadable content - Argul's Tomb - into this port, adding another 2-3 hours of content into an already gigantic game. The developer also plans to continue DLC support for the Wii U version down the road.

Visually Darksiders II seems to be on track to meet the bar set by its counterparts. The area of the game we played was still in development, and therefore featured more bugs and frame rate issues than would be typical. Still, on the whole, the Wii U version seemed to match our established expectations - no more, no less. Smaller details, including using the GamePad's set of speakers to isolate some sounds, attempting to create a depth effect, were reasonably effective albeit not overwhelmingly necessary.

So in terms of content and general fidelity, Nintendo fans should rest easy. Darksiders II on Wii U will match up with any other version. The final hurdle that remains, then, is this - does this port, which arrives months after its counterparts, find a way to innovate or create an experience that can't be replicated? Can Nintendo's GamePad change the way we play an action-adventure game full of weapons, loot, vast dungeons and an upgradeable hero? The answer is yes - but it's easy to see how more can be done.

By far the most intriguing element of this Wii U port is what portions of the game are displayed on the GamePad's second screen - and how you can interact with them. By default, the GamePad's screen displays a real-time map that indicates Death's location and movement - no pausing necessary. Objectives can also be called up with a simple touch. For a game that frequently challenges players with twisted labyrinths, this is a huge, huge addition, streamlining an experience that can often start and stop all too often.

Vigil doesn't just stop with an in-game map. By touching an icon on the second screen, players can access inventory and weaponry. In a strange choice, however, players must press a physical button - down on the D-Pad - to access powers and abilities. These commands can be executed on the fly in battle, but all previous button shortcuts (pressing LB and an assigned button, for example) are still applicable. This port of the game doesn't eliminate options, it adds them. Some of the user interface specifics are a little cumbersome (particularly that D-Pad input), but after a bit of time we were used to it.

Not all touch-enabled options are done without pausing. Players will be able to upgrade Death's skills, and access other options through the GamePad, but in-game action will halt so players can focus on more time-intensive operations.

Far less significant, Vigil has also implemented gyroscope-based dodge controls into this Wii U port. They do not replace button commands, and for that we are thankful - attempting to shake a GamePad to evade attacks is probably one of the more clumsy things we've encountered on the new system. Again, it's optional, and here's hoping developers don't think of this new controller as an elaborate Wii remote. It isn't, and shouldn't be treated like one.

By and large what a small, 15-member team in Montreal is doing for the Wii U version of Darksiders II is commendable. Coming a few months after the other iterations of the game, this port not only features every last bit of content available to consumers previously, it also features extremely useful in-game displays that will allow players to seamlessly interact with inventory, skills, abilities and maps, often without pausing anything. These enhancements sounds small, yet they shift the experience in a fairly critical way. Furthermore, the team intends to allow the game to be pulled entirely to the GamePad, though that functionality wasn't available in the build we played.

It's rare to see a game as deep or complex as Darksiders II arrive at a system launch. For those looking for that kind of grand adventure, who haven't touched any of the previous versions, this could be well worth your time. And it's also clear that there is plenty more potential in what a dual-screen console can bring to this genre - even if it's a port.

Rich is an Executive Editor of IGN.com and the leader of IGN's Nintendo team. He also watches over all things WWE, Resident Evil, Assassin's Creed and much more. Follow him on Twitter, if you dare!

Transformers: Prime - The Game Comes to Wii U

Previously announced as a Nintendo exclusive experience for Wii, DS and 3DS, Activision has just revealed this morning that Transformers: Prime - The Game will also be coming to Wii U in the new system's launch window. (Based on the currently running animated series, Transformers Prime.) We'll have shiny HD video of the Wii U edition for you a little later today, but to start to get a sense of the game, here's the trailer of the "normal" Wii version:

The Walking Dead: The Game Comes to iOS This Week

Telltale has confirmed that The Walking Dead: The Game is coming to iOS devices this week. The first episode, A New Day, will be available on the App Store for $4.99 and will launch on Thursday, July 26th.

According to a blog post on Telltale’s site, the iOS version has been refined for touch screen input and will be compatible with iPad 2, the new iPad, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, and 4th Generation iPods and above. Players will have the option to purchase additional episodes individually in the future for $4.99 each, or can purchase a Multi-Pack for $14.99, offering episodes two through five at a 25% discount.

Telltale added that Episode 2, Starved for Help, is receiving “some special development touches” and is “rapidly approaching release.”

If you’re planning to play The Walking Dead for the first time, be sure to check out our The Walking Dead: The Game wiki guide for a full walkthrough, and read our review of The Walking Dead: The Game episode 1 for our thoughts on A New Day.