concepts

  • If there’s one release sneakerheads should be thankful for, it’s this Nike drop

    Lifestyle brand Concepts has partnered with Nike to come out with this highly sought-after sneaker based on the turducken. The sneaker has a black and yellow upper and red scratch marks near the toe — a reference to Lee’s character in “Game of Death.”

  • The next wave of Moto Mods turn your phone into a gamepad

    Motorola is teaming up with Amazon for an Alexa smartphone mod, but that's just one of a several new hardware add-ons set to become available for compatible Moto phones. The next wave includes a Moto-made battery extender (rather than the third-party options that are already on sale); a new charging adapter that connects to mods, allowing charge them separately from the phone; and a wireless charging back for even more juice options. Finally, there's a gamepad that packs in four speakers, lights and some preloaded games. Even more intriguing, however, were the concept accessories also on display at MWC this weekend.

  • NASA is funding asteroid spaceships and other far-out concepts

    NASA's annual National Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program awards money to some of the craziest space projects you'll ever see, and this year is no different. The space agency has just announced the 13 concepts that made it through Phase I, and one of the most interesting entries plans to transform whole asteroids into spaceships. It's called Reconstituting Asteroids into Mechanical Automata or Project RAMA. The concept is the brainchild of Jason Dunn, co-founder of Made In Space, which developed the 3D printer that's aboard the ISS.

  • Volkswagen Goes Whimsical With T-Cross Breeze SUV

    For a company still grappling with a scandal over diesel emissions, Volkswagen has chosen a strangely happy concept car to reveal at the Geneva Motor Show.

  • Nissan Titan Warrior Concept Takes The Road Not Traveled

    Unveiled today in Detroit, the Titan Warrior is a mostly cosmetic, off-road robot remix of the all-new Nissan Titan XD full-size diesel, with the 5-liter Cummins turbo V-8 left untouched.

  • Buick Reveals Avista Concept, A 400-Hp Fountain Of Youth

    Buick is still seen in the United States as the ride for the crowd far closer to buying their last car than their first. Would a 400-hp coupe change any minds?

  • Faraday Future’s 1,000-Hp Electric Concept Is Just The Start

    For a start-up company and Tesla Motors challenger that’s never built a car, Faraday Future has ambition to spare.

  • Chevy’s 2017 Bolt Electric Car Looks Shockingly Cool

    Eleven months ago, Chevrolet promised to beat Tesla to building an affordable, yet long-range electric car, unveiling the Bolt concept car and vowing to build it next year. With a promised range of 200 miles on a charge, and a price tag in the range of $30,000 after government incentives, the Bolt was the most ambitious all-electric car from Detroit since General Motors’ ill-fated EV1. Since then, Chevrolet has been fairly quiet about the project, but as auto show season heats up, it’s clear the Bolt has moved closer to reality.

  • Subaru Impreza Sedan Concept Previews What’s Next

    Sometimes concept cars show off a whole new direction for an automaker. And sometimes, as with the Subaru Impreza Sedan Concept unveiled in Los Angeles, they’re just the metal-and-rubber version of a movie trailer. What you see is what you get—a sleeker, yet randomly chiseled take on the current popular Impreza small car. Built from a new corporate chassis, and slightly longer wheelbase and slightly shorter overall body, this look will be translated into a road-ready version within a couple of years.

  • Dodge Challenger GT AWD Leads Mopar’s SEMA Parade

    Halloween has passed, but the auto industry’s favorite costume party kicks off today in Las Vegas. The annual Specialty Equipment Marketing Association trade show draws thousands of enthusiasts looking for inspiration and the latest in customizing parts. Automakers take the opportunity to show off the creative side of their lucrative parts businesses by dressing up boring vehicles in ways even the most fervent fan would have trouble conceiving.  Fiat-Chrysler’s Mopar division performs this cosplay with as much gusto as any company, shipping 10 vehicles out west.

  • The Oddest Concept Cars Of The Tokyo Motor Show

    Every two years, the Japanese auto industry gathers in Tokyo to show off the breadth of its success, topped off by a score of the world’s oddest concept cars. Like metal wheeled cicadas, most of these vehicles emerge for a few moments and then die just as quickly, never to see daylight again.  But aside from a creative exercise of Japanese design and engineering, the Tokyo Motor Show concepts also reveal deeper worries.

  • Toyota's concept car duo couldn't be more different

    One car; fashioned from chrome alloy, exposed suspension and steampunk dreams. Another? See-thru turquoise-hued glass, white spiderweb frameworks, and a hydrogen-powered heart. Toyota's concept cars take very different creative routes with the humble automobile. The more rustic "Kikai" is an attempt to draw out the literal inner beauty of cars, showcasing mechanical parts that aren't usually seen. Tires and suspension take pride of place, while a tiny window in the floor the carriage lets passengers see what's going on underneath the car. Then there's the FCV Plus...

  • Lexus LF-FC Concept Aims To Put Big Style On A Big Sedan

    Say what you will about the Lexus corporate look that now embraces most of its vehicles; what it occasionally lacks in grace and proportion it compensates for with consistency. Today at the Tokyo Motor Show, Lexus previewed what that predator look could evolve into if applied to the full-size LS vehicle—or, in this case, a fuel cell-powered sedan. The Lexus LF-FC concept tweaks the “L-finesse” language but doesn’t mute it much, especially at the rear, where the taillights look as sharp as stilettos. In person, it’s easy to think the car is a coupe, keeping with the trend among European brands for making four doors fit the roofline of a two-door.

  • Nissan’s IDS Electric Concept Paves The Way For The Fold-Away Steering Wheel

    Two years have now passed since Nissan first promised it would deliver a commercially viable self-driving car by 2020, a pledge that seemed bold verging on dangerous at the time. Today, Nissan showed what kind of car might carry such a system five years from now, and if anything, the future looks like it might come even sooner than expected. Dubbed the Nissan IDS, the concept combines radically sharp bodywork with an electric drivetrain powered by a 60-kWh battery—good enough for roughly 200 miles, much like the upcoming Tesla Model III and the Chevrolet Bolt.

  • Mercedes-Benz’s Vision Tokyo Concept: A Self-Driving Rave Van

    In a year that’s seen the world’s oldest automaker show off a trio of science-fiction self-driving concept cars, the Mercedes-Benz Vision Tokyo takes the laurel for the most conceptual of the litter. Looking less like a car and more like a video game sprite rendered at human scale, the Vision Tokyo imagines a future where the party never stops—and driving as a tax on your attention dwindles. 

  • Color-changing condoms could tell which VD you just got

    A group of teenage inventors have struck upon a clever (albeit still very conceptual) way to alert folks to the presence of various venereal diseases before the burning starts: fluorescing condoms that light up when they encounter dangerous bacteria or virii. The team from Isaac Newton Academy in Illford, England developed the "glowing condom" concept, dubbed S.T.Y.E, as part of this year's TeenTech awards. It would reportedly operate as a normal condom does but also incorporate a sheath of molecules that attach to the diseases and set off a fluorescent reaction. The added layer would literally glow different colors when in contact with various STDs -- green for chlamydia, yellow for herpes, purple for HPV and blue for syphilis.

  • Crowfall details starting, finishing, and resetting by Hunger

    The latest development blog from Crowfall establishes a problem. The nature of any sort of permanent game is to fall into stagnation. Eventually, the most powerful players control everything and there's no room for new people to come in. You want room for new people to come in. But you also want to have long-term effects to what takes place in the game rather than just resetting everything as the game approaches a static state. What's to be done? According to the aforementioned development blog, you reset... but by pieces. At the center of Crowfall's design lies a cycle of birth, corruption, and demise. Characters remain, but as they participate in individual campaigns of the game there's space for players to make a lasting impact on the game world. But the continual destruction of each campaign as certain players "win" ensures that there's always space for something new to happen, that no one ever becomes unassailable in every sense. Take a look at the full post for a clearer picture of how the game intends to keep players engaged by periodically wiping the board clear of pieces.

  • Revival talks about death, decoration, and defenses

    You remember Revival, right? You know, the game funding its development by selling in-game houses? That one. The developers haven't been quiet over the holiday season, with several recent blog posts detailing the high-end concepts behind several of the game's key mechanics -- for example, dying, which doesn't simply leave you to run back to your corpse but forces you to traverse the spirit realm, fighting off malicious spirits and seeking the Mortality Gate to drag yourself back from the dead. Of course, you can stay alive longer by making use of combat mechanics like the shield wall to defend yourself from dying. You can also use your continued "being alive" status to take advantage of the decoration kits available for housing, which allow you to convert existing rooms with certain fixtures to more functional equivalents. It's all interesting stuff and worth considering if you're sorely tempted to drop a bunch of money on the promise of virtual real estate.

  • Begun, the iPhone 7 renders have

    The iPhone 6 Plus is just finally getting settled into my pocket -- my front pocket, not my back pocket because I'm not 13 years old and I take care of my devices like an adult so they don't bend -- but there are already some that are looking forward to the iPhone 7. One of those people is Jimmy Benson, who has whipped up these fantastic iPhone 7 renders that show a sharper body style and a reimagined home button. Other tweaks from the existing iPhone 6 models include an edge-to-edge display, a completely solid back panel, and five app columns instead of the current four. It's a pretty slick looking device, but we all know by the time the iPhone 7 launches we'll be able to embed our smartphones into our brains anyway, so it doesn't really matter. [Photo credit: Jimmy Benson]

  • UemeU shows off concept video and screenshots

    If you want to roll your own game these days, you're certainly not lacking in tools to do so. UemeU is another game aimed at giving players the ability to do whatever they want, whether they'd like to build a huge, sprawling online game or just a nice house to settle down and call your own. The official reveal trailer past the break explains the goals of developer Omnigon Games in detail: The game is meant as a sandbox allowing players to create their own servers, structures, rules, and settings as they desire. Lead developer Jeremy Hindle explains that the game will allow players to both create and play, with creation governed by a simple set of basic shapes that can be combined as players wish. Players will be able to create and modify abilities, change the rules for servers, and create a robust series of interactions via the use of action triggers. Check out the full video just past the cut if this sounds right up your alley. [Souce: Omnigon Games press release]

  • Do you want widgets in iOS?

    Of all the differences between iOS and its competitors, the lack of widget functionality on Apple's mobile OS is one of the decisions that often polarizes user opinions. If widgets were to be introduced to the iPhone and iPad, it's of course unclear how it would potentially look, but Jay Machalani has whipped up some pretty striking concepts of the idea. He calls his fictional iOS widgets the iOS "Block" and has created a video showcasing how the feature would look in action. You can read all about his idea on his website, but an important question remains: do you even want widgets on your iDevice? From weather and reminders to iMessage and music, there's a lot of potential to turn your iOS home screen into a living, breathing command center, but -- and this is a big "but" -- iOS has thrived without it for a long, long time. So I put the question to you, if Apple were to embrace an idea like this, would you welcome it with open arms, or pretend it doesn't exist? %Poll-88332%

  • Forget the iPhone 6, I want an iPhone G3

    It seems like everyone is making concept art of the unannounced iPhone 6 these days, and they all end up looking pretty much the same. Designer Mike Donovan doesn't seem too interested in that, and he's focused his talents on bringing non-existent iPhones of the past to life. Have you ever wondered what the iPhone would have looked like if it launched during the G3 era? What about during the age of monochrome screens? Now we know, and they look glorious.

  • Do you really want a thinner iPhone?

    The iPhone has always been relatively thin; The thickest any iPhone has ever gotten was the 12.3 mm heft of the iPhone 3G/3Gs. The iPhone 5 is of course much thinner than that, measuring just 7.6 mm in depth. Apple has kind of made it their "thing" to produce new versions of its mobile devices that are somehow leaner than ever before -- the iPad Air, for instance, is now a puny 7.4 mm. But what's next? Will the inevitable iPhone 6 (or Air or whatever they call it) shave even more away? Do we want that? It seems like every new iPhone 6 concept that hits the web shows a device that is more scrawny than ever. Take a look. [Concept by iPhoneSoft] [Concept by Ciccarese Design] [Concept by Arthur Reis] There's no denying that these mockups are appealing, but I'm not sure I'm comfortable with my phone getting much more delicate than it already is. We'd like to hear your thoughts, so vote in the poll and feel free to sound off in the comments, and let us know just how thin you're willing to go. %Poll-87298%

  • The best (and worst) iWatch concepts

    Apple might possibly launch a wrist-wearable smart device this year that could maybe be fitness and health focused, but that's about as much as anyone cares to guess at this point. The almost complete lack of verifiable information regarding the device -- which has been unanimously tagged the "iWatch" -- means that talent concept artists have had an absolute field day with the idea, creating gadgets that range from mild to mind-blowing. Here are the good, the bad, and the ugly iWatch concepts that the web has come up with so far. Designer: ADR Studio Verdict: It's one of the more modest iWatch concepts and definitely has the "iPhone shrunk for your wrist" feel to it. I wouldn't be against a smartwatch like this, though I have a feeling battery life would be abysmal. Designer: Esben Oxholm Verdict: It's definitely got the Apple look. It's sleek, simple, and sexy without being flashy. The curved glass seems like a cracked screen just waiting to happen, and the rigid design will limit its mass appeal, but it would have plenty of fans, too. Designer: Anders Kjellberg Verdict: This one looks like it could appear on a store shelf tomorrow, but it also feels a bit like something you'd see with a Casio logo. The concept features a FaceTime camera and access to apps like Maps, but it really doesn't look like an Apple product. Designer: Pavel Simeonov Verdict: I could definitely see Apple going with the long-screen route, which makes this concept feel pretty solid. The in-band camera seems like wishful thinking, as does the edge-to-edge display, but if the mythical iWatch went with a design like this, it would definitely shake things up. Designer: Federico Ciccarese Verdict: This one is a bit pie-in-the-sky, given its massive screen and what is essentially a full iPhone feature set, but there's no denying that it's gorgeous. It seems like it would get scratched up pretty quickly, but that's the price you pay to wear a smartphone on your wrist. Designer: Nickolay Lamm Verdict: Now this is an interesting idea. As Lamm states on his site, he used ideas from Apple's own patent for "spiral navigation" for the UI, and it's certainly unlike anything that currently exists. A circular screen is a risky proposition, and might turn some people off, but it's certainly unique. Designer: Federico Ciccarese Verdict: Wow! Originally designed as an iPhone 5 concept, this one looks like a cross between an iPhone and one of those face-huggers from the Aliens movie franchise, but it's certainly got a futuristic appeal to it. It doesn't look particularly comfortable, but having an iPhone attached to your wrist at all times might make up for that. [Header Image Credit: Federico Ciccarese]

  • The Daily Grind: How patient are you with explanations?

    I run a lot of random dungeons in Final Fantasy XIV. It's not uncommon to wind up grouped with someone who hasn't seen one of the newer dungeons, or even someone who just happened to forget the mechanics in a lower-level fight. That's fine, and I have no problem explaining the fight in detail to people. What gets my goat is trying to re-explain as someone either ignores the directions or does exactly the opposite time and again. Some people are far more patient than I am. I've watched players explain the same mechanics a dozen times without ever showing signs of irritation. And of course, there are people far less patient than I -- people who explain the fight only once in mangled shorthand or even outright refuse to explain anything. So what about you, dear reader? How patient are you with explanations about fights, areas, mechanics, or anything else in your game of choice? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!

  • These Ray-Ban solar shades can charge your iPhone 5

    If you're outside on a sunny day, there's a good chance that you're both wearing sunglasses and you're nowhere near your iPhone charger. Design student Sayalee Kaluskar has combined these two common occurrences into a product capable of shielding your eyes from the sun and charging your iPhone as well. She calls them Shama Shades, but in truth they're a pair of modified Ray-Ban sunglasses that have been fitted with a solar panel, a built-in battery and an iPhone 5 charging plug. The glasses perform their traditional duty while you're catching some rays, and the solar panel fills the small battery hidden within. When the sun sets, you can remove one of the arms of the shades and plug it into your iPhone for an extra shot of energy. As the glasses were made for a school project, there's little chance you'll get the opportunity to buy them any time soon, but an idea this good seems like it deserves to find its way to retail sooner or later.