indie

High-end audio amplifiers, born in the U.S.A.

I have fond memories of the original Aragon 4004 power amplifier from my days when I worked as a high-end audio salesman. That was in the late 1980s and the big 200 watt amp sold for a lot less money than the reigning high-end amps of the period. The distinctive styling, with a "V" cutout in the 4004's chassis, made it stand out from rows of lookalike designs at the store. While the Aragon amps sold for a couple of thousand dollars, they were more affordable than most high-end amps. A few years after the 4004 arrived … Read more

The Ouya debate: Who really wants indie gaming hardware?

Upstart indie game company Ouya has made serious waves with its self-titled game console. The under-development system wants to be an open gaming platform, built around freemium games running on Nvidia's Tegra3 platform. According to the project's popular Kickstarter page, the Ouya will cost $99, but won't be ready until at least March 2013.

Despite the hype, however, there are some serious questions about whether the game industry can support another living room console, and whether gamers are looking for more set-top boxes to plug into their TVs.

Indie Gala Mobile bundles Android games for a good cause

Game bundles are fairly commonplace these days, but most of them focus on PC and/or Mac titles. Here's something a little different.

Indie Gala Mobile lets you set your own price for four Android games, with the proceeds going to your choice of destinations, including two worthwhile charities.

Available through Friday, June 22, the bundle includes the following titles:

Cardinal Quest: an arcade-style dungeon crawler. Great Little War Game: a 3D turn-based strategy outing. Legends of Yore: a " roguelike" with 8-bit graphics. Smiles HD: a Bejeweled clone with some cool twists (literally).

The minimum buy-in is $… Read more

What the Wii U needs to succeed

It's trendy at this year's E3 to trash the Wii U. Nintendo's next-gen console has its work cut out for it: strange tablet-like GamePad controller, the challenge of making games for its dual-screen potential, the unknown price, and the looming question of whether Nintendo's core casual-gaming crowd has moved on to Apple's iPastures.

What if the Wii U were to succeed?

Nintendo has had a way of pulling rabbits out hats with strange hardware. I remember hating the Nintendo DS when it first was released; it became my favorite handheld. The original Wii was mocked for its name, its lack of HD, and its games-for-everyone mantra. It only became a household name.

If these things come to pass, I think the Wii U could succeed, too. … Read more

Get a 12-game indie bundle for $5.99

I've seen some pretty good game bundles over the years, but this is arguably one of the best yet. It's certainly one of the largest.

The Indie Gala V includes as many as 12 titles -- some of them older, yes, but a broad and satisfying collection overall.

What do I mean by "as many as" 12 titles? The bundle is actually divided into three chunks. If you pay at least $1, you get the first batch of four games. Pay more than $3.99 and you get the second batch (plus some indie music). And … Read more

Magnetic football perfect for butterfingers

I'm not one to watch an NFL game on TV or toss around the pigskin in the park, but if I did I would probably benefit from this magnetic football.

Ultimate Reception is a campaign on crowd-funding site IndieGoGo aimed at developing a magnetic football and gloves that improve catching ability.

Actually, the gloves are embedded with powerful magnets that attract a special layer in the football's skin. They're strong enough so that the ball will stick to the glove when the arm is outstretched and palm down. … Read more

The 404 1,055: Where we're indie for a day (podcast)

Most of us conjure images of "Grandma's Boy" when we think about video game developers, but a new documentary "Indie Game: The Movie" goes deep into the lives of a couple independent programmers, and today we're joined by first-time filmmaking duo Lisanne Pajot and James Swirsky.

They'll take us through the experience of filming the developers behind Super Meat Boy, Fez, and Braid, and we'll also discuss video games as art and the production similarities between film and the evolution of a video game.

Check out the "Indie Game: The Movie&… Read more

Indie games steal the spotlight this spring

Sure, the future of gaming may see the end of used games, but it's also ushering in a wave of independent and download-only titles that may not have otherwise seen the light of day.

Current-generation consoles have provided independent studios with accessible platforms like Xbox Live Arcade (XBLA) and the PlayStation Network (PSN) that exposes their work to millions of gamers, similar to what the App Store has done for iOS developers.

Microsoft has even taken it a step further with its XNA initiative, ensuring that literally anyone can create a game.

The widespread embrace of these titles has encouraged others to follow suit and has paved the way for indie classics like Braid, LIMBO, Bastion, Minecraft, and most recently, Journey.… Read more

Get a $50 game bundle for $4, help feed the hungry

The only thing better than a dirt-cheap software bundle is a dirt-cheap software bundle for a worthy cause.

An outfit called Groupees is offering the Be Mine 2 bundle, which includes five solid indie games and a boatload of extra content, all for a minimum donation of $4.

Here's the worthy-cause part: Every $2 pays for a meal courtesy of Feed Them With Music, a charitable organization that organizes concerts and other events aimed at feeding the hungry. So if you pony up, say, $10 -- a more-than-fair amount given what you're getting -- you're covering five … Read more

Get five indie PC games for cheap -- and help charity

Games. Philanthropy. Sweet deals. They all merge spectacularly in the Indie Gala III bundle.

Here's how it works: You decide what you want to pay for a collection of three "indie" PC games (meaning they come from independent, little-guy developers, not a big studio like Activision or EA).

The minimum buy-in is $1, but if you pay at least the average price (currently $4.57), you get two additional games.

You also get the three "secret bonuses" that will be revealed next week. These will probably be more games, though they could also be level … Read more