Fully Charged: Samsung Galaxy Note 4 suddenly launching this week (in Korea), Blizzard cancels its next MMO, and new Nintendo 2DS models incoming
Start the day off right with our morning roundup of tech and gadget news
Galaxy Note 4 release bumped up (in Korea, at least)
Following Apple’s big sales weekend for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, Samsung has decided it’s time to stop building hype for the Galaxy Note 4 and simply release the new phablet. “The positive reaction from consumers to those two Apple devices prompted us to launch the Note 4 earlier than previously scheduled,” said a company rep to the Korea Times.
The Note 4 will now debut this Friday, 26 September in Korea, at a price of 957,000 Korean Won (about £560) – a fair bit less than the Note 3 when it launched (1,067,000 Won, or about £625). And Samsung aims to ship some 15 million Note 4 devices worldwide within the first 30 days of release. By comparison, just 10 million Note 3’s went out in its first two months.
No word yet on whether Samsung will speed up the release timeline elsewhere, as well, as the UK launch is currently pegged for 10 October, with a US debut following on 17 October.
[Source: Korea Times via Android Central]
READ MORE: Apple iPhone 6 Plus vs Samsung Galaxy Note 4: the weigh-in
Blizzard cans World of Warcraft successor
Blizzard Entertainment spent some seven years working on a massively multiplayer online game codenamed "Titan," which would be its first entry in the genre since the tremendously successful World of Warcraft. However, the company confirmed to Polygon that the project has been canceled.
“We had created World of Warcraft, and we felt really confident that we knew how to make MMOs," said CEO and co-founder Mike Morhaime. "So we set out to make the most ambitious thing that you could possibly imagine. And it didn’t come together.”
He adds that they “wouldn’t say no to ever doing an MMO again,” but that “right now, that’s not where we want to be spending our time.” While World of Warcraft continues to thrive, the MMO genre has lost steam over the past few years. Meanwhile, the company has found success with the likes of Diablo III and free-to-play online card game, Hearthstone.
[Source: Polygon]
READ MORE: The 10 best games for destroying your social life
Transparent Nintendo 2DS models coming
Nintendo has already revealed the next generation of the 3DS handheld, launching next year in the UK, but it’s not quite ready to abandon its current hardware. The existing 3DS is getting a few new stylish designs this autumn, and now the 2DS is following suit.
The Transparent Red and Transparent Blue models of the Nintendo 2DS will debut on 7 November, letting you see inside the scaled-down portable, and they’re themed for the launch of Pokémon Alpha Sapphire and Omega Ruby later in the month.
Come 28 November, you’ll then be able to buy a bundle with the Transparent Red unit and a copy of Pokémon Omega Ruby on a 4GB SD card, along with one that has the Transparent Blue hardware with Alpha Sapphire on the SD card. The standalone portables will sell for £89.99, while the game bundles are £114.99 apiece.
[Source: Nintendo UK]
READ MORE: Nintendo 2DS review
Andrew Hayward
Freelance Writer 
