‘Gravity Ghost,’ a game that heals, heads to PlayStation 4
Gravity Ghost is currently in development for PlayStation 4, but it’s already a success. It launched on Steam in January, offering physics-based platforming tucked inside of soothing, spiraling gameplay and wrapped in a touching story. Ivy Games founder Erin Robinson Swink of course hoped that people would enjoy Gravity Ghost, but reception to the game still surprises her five months after its release. She’s mostly touched by the emotional reaction many players describe on the game’s Steam forums. Gravity Ghost helps people deal with loss in a visceral way.
“It’s not a forum where I usually see people sharing personal details from their lives, but there are multiple posts like this,” Robinson Swink says. “One reviewer said the game changed how he felt about his reaction to losing his grandfather…. Another ended their review with this: ‘My mom died last year, and in some weird way, this helped me deal with that? I can’t explain it, but it… well, did.’ My jaw just dropped when I read those.”
It’s more than loss, too: Gravity Ghost has found its way onto a list of recommended video games for self-care and one of Robinson Swink’s acquaintances said she played at least 20 hours of the game after her home was severely damaged. “It surprised me because that’s far longer than it takes to beat the game,” Robinson Swink says. “She must have started over a few times. We’re so early in the life of the game, it’s hard to know what its legacy will be. But if it continues to help people bring down the level of stress in their life, I will consider that a great success.”
Gravity Ghost stars Iona, a celestial spirit searching the stars for her lost best friend, a similarly ghost-y fox. Iona soars through a splintered galaxy, flinging herself around the gravity fields of planets to collect survivors and fragments of broken worlds. In Gravity Ghost, you can’t die — you only fly.
Soon, Gravity Ghost will be able to entertain and help people on PS4. There’s no official release date yet, but the PS4 version will feature exclusive content, including a new constellation with new challenge levels, three new original tracks from composer Ben Prunty and a new, unlockable character to play. Until now, Gravity Ghost has been strictly a PC game, from conception to sale. Robinson Swink says she developed it entirely on her laptop, where everything is small and up-close.
She’s not just an avatar, she’s a character in this world.
“For me it’s a very different experience to be playing the game on a TV,” she says. “It feels larger and makes outer space feel more encompassing. I deliberately made Iona very small compared to the planets, but now I get to see her in high detail even when the camera is far away. It makes her feel a lot more real, somehow. She’s not just an avatar, she’s a character in this world.”
Robinson Swink believes Gravity Ghost should do well on PS4, considering that players already compare it with Journey, a soothing, highly acclaimed, PlayStation-exclusive game. Besides, PC sales have already covered her direct development costs, so from here on out it’s smooth sailing — or soaring.
“I’m pretty stoked to bring it to the PS4, as it’s a platform where I think not many people have heard of the game yet,” she says. “I think the chill-out gameplay and impressionistic art style will be a really good fit with that audience…. Obviously I’d be thrilled if our sales were really good on the PS4, but I think the port will be worthwhile no matter what.”
AMD’s latest chips bring gaming and video chops to mainstream laptops
With AMD’s new sixth-generation A-series processors, laptops in the $400 to $700 range could soon become far more capable. Formerly code-named “Carizzo,” the new chips offer twice the gaming performance of Intel’s Core i7, thanks to discrete Radeon graphics. They’re the first mainstream processors with hardware decoding for H.265/HEVC video, the successor to the current H.264 standard which includes far better compression and support for 4K resolutions. And they’ll also pack in up to 12 compute cores (four CPU and eight GPU), which basically means they’ll be able to handle whatever you throw at them. Why focus on mainstream laptops? AMD notes that it’s the largest segment of the PC market by revenue and volume sold, so it makes sense for a company that’s traditionally focused on value to show it some love.
AMD’s basically gunning hard for the gaming and media crowd with its sixth-generation chips. Naturally, they include its dual graphics technology, which can summon the power of Radeon R7 graphics along their built-in graphics for a 42 percent jump in frame rates. They also combine game performance with hardware video encoding, which should make for much smoother game streams on Twitch. Battery-wise, AMD says the new chips will last twice as long as their predecessors, even when watching video or gaming.
While it all sounds good on paper, AMD will face some stiff competition from Intel’s new Broadwell-H chips, which were announced yesterday. Those chips also double graphics performance and boost overall media performance. Intel’s chips seem pretty expensive though, ranging from $244 to $623, and while we don’t know the pricing of AMD’s new wares yet, they’re usually cheaper than Intel. So there’s a good chance AMD can keep up the value fight. We’ll find out for sure once the new chips hit the market. AMD says computers featuring the sixth-gen A-series will start shipping in June, while Intel expects its chips to hit computers within two months.
Blizzard’s ‘Heroes of the Storm’ officially launches today
You’re entirely forgiven if you thought that Blizzard’s take on the MOBA genre (or multiplayer online battle arena if you aren’t into the whole brevity thing), Heroes of the Storm was already released. What, with the massive beta and equally sizable ad campaign that’s taken over late-night TV recently that’s perfectly understandable. However, the official release is actually today, and with it comes a commemorative in-game portrait and experience-point boosts for those playing for this first week and the first three weeks, respectively. In case you haven’t given it a go yet and are curious what it looks like when Starcraft characters duke it out with those from Warcraft, there’s really not much stopping you from at least giving it a try. The game is free to download and play, after all. And who knows, if you dig it you could be the next hero of the dorm.
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, HD
Source: Blizzard Entertainment
Android is getting its first full Harvest Moon title this winter
If you’re a fan of the Harvest Moon franchise, you may want to listen up. Earlier today, video game developer Natsume announced that the next title in the Harvest Moon series will make its way to Android devices sometime this winter. The game is called Harvest Moon: Seeds of Memories, and will also be made available on the Wii U, PC and iOS devices. Natsume has only brought the Harvest Moon series to Nintendo and Playstation consoles in the past, which means Seeds of Memories is the first (and hopefully not the last) mainland title to come to mobile devices.
The new game will fit in nicely with other titles from the franchise, bringing the same addictive farming simulation experience we’ve all grown to love. In Seeds of Memories, you’ll need to perform various tasks to collect all of the ‘Seeds of Memories’. Seeds can be collected many different ways, such as giving a villager their favorite item, catching a giant fish, or by raising your first cow.
You can expect to see cows, sheep and chickens return in the series, along with a horse to ride and a dog to keep as a pet. You can also participate in contests and festivals, and try to win the hand of one of ten marriage candidates – five bachelors and five bachelorettes – and find that special someone to make your farming life complete.
Harvest Moon: Seeds of Memories won’t be widely available until sometime this winter, but there will be an early look at the game at E3 2015. Android Authority will be live at E3 this year, so we’ll be sure to bring you a first-hand look at the new title when it’s shown off at the expo.
Chrome OS update brings physical keyboard autocorrection and more
In a world made simple by computers, it is only unfair to expect people to type fully accurate sentences without the help of technologies such as spell-check and auto correct. However, a new stable channel update for Chrome OS will never let you make spelling mistakes again.
The update includes new features such as physical keyboard auto correction and autofill for credit card information stored in Google Wallet. Google has fixed a number of bugs in Chrome OS version 43.0.2357.81 in addition to a host of new features and some security updates. Here is what is new in the latest update.
- Autofill settings for credit cards from Google Wallet
- Enable always-on “OK Google” from anywhere when screen is unlocked on new Chromebook Pixel
- Physical keyboard auto correction
- Material design for Virtual keyboard UI
Google will begin rolling the update to Chrome OS devices over the next few days.
Source: Google
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Imgur gets a complete redesign, better uploader and more in its first native Android app
Imgur has been one of the most popular image hosting services on the web for some time now, even though the service’s previous Android application was pretty slow and was in dire need of a redesign. But now folks who use the service will be happy to hear that Imgur has been relaunched to the Google Play Store as a fully native application, bringing with it a huge redesign.
The whole app works much better than before. Swiping through images in the redesigned gallery is a breeze this time around, and there’s a brand new uploader that makes it much easier to quickly post a photo. If you’re interested in the full changelog, check it out below:
- Our first fully native Android app, built from scratch and with love.
- Redesigned gallery made just for mobile that lets you focus most on what matters: the images, comments, and community.
- New and improved upload. Create a new post with your camera, saved images, and a healthy dose of your superior storytelling abilities.
- Bug fix: you’ll no longer get stuck in an image loop.
- Browse by topic to find the posts that interest you most.
- Bug fix: you’ll no longer get stuck in an image loop
If you’re a fan of browsing through Internet memes and want that experience at your fingertips at all times, look no further than the new Imgur app. Version 2.0 is now available from the Google Play Store for free.
Google to test self-driving cars on congested Virginia highways
Google is to being testing its self-driving cars – also known as autonomous vehicles – on the highways of Virginia according to a new report, which suggested the testing will take place across more than 70 miles of highways adjacent to Dulles International Airport in Northern Virginia.
According to the Richmond Times Dispatch:
The research will be overseen by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute on portions of Interstates 95, 495 and 66 as well as on U.S. 29 and U.S. 50 that are being dubbed Virginia Automated Corridors.
Test tracks at the institute’s Smart Road in Montgomery County and the Virginia International Raceway in Halifax County will be used to certify technology as safe before the cars are allowed on the highway.
Virginia will join other states such as California, Michigan, Florida, Nevada and Washington D.C. as states that currently allow testing of computer-driven vehicles but will look to make it easier than other states have for manufacturers to test their autonomous technologies. Myra Blanco, director of the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute’s Center for Automated Vehicle Systems, said:
“Other states are saying you need to prove that independently you can do all this testing. What we are trying to do is show them how to do the testing and how to facilitate the process as well.”
“I think this is going to help us advance the technology and even more important, to attract companies and satellite offices in the Northern Virginia area to develop these new concepts.”
The congested highways of Northern Virginia will provide the sternest test so far for Google’s autonomous fleet but will provide an indication of just how good self-driving cars are on busy streets. Part of the challenge facing Google – and other autonomous vehicle manufacturers – is the ability to adjust to constantly updating information, including traffic jams, construction and incidents.
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Blanco said that she expects self-driving cars to have a large impact on daily life and provide solutions to problems such as mobility for the elderly or disabled and assisting drivers (and even taking control) in dangerous situations.
“It’s potentially similar to when we started with revolutionary technology like the cellphone. We’re not even able to imagine all the benefits 10 to 20 years from now.”
When will self-driving cars actually be available to buy? One of Google’s Project Leads said he expected them to be available within five years but Google also said the same thing back in 2012. However long it takes, you’ll soon be able to sit back and relax while your car drives you.
Asus intros the ZenFone Selfie at Computex
Whether the word “Selfie” irks you or not, the trend is here to stay. The presence of selfie sticks are increasing and we have begun seeing selfie-centric Android phone variants hit the market that focus on a strong front-facing camera, such as the HTC Desire Eye of 2014.
With the popularity of the recent Asus Zenfone 2, Asus thought it a good opportunity to jump in and give us the Asus Zenfone Selfie, announced at this year’s Computex in Taipei.
Like the HTC Desire Eye, the Zenfone Selfie takes the Zenfone 2 design and slaps in a large front-facing camera, centered on the top bezel. The front camera is almost identical to the 13 MP rear camera, being that the latter has a slighter wider aperture at F/2.0 versus the F/2.2 aperture on the front.
Interestingly, Asus broke its tie with Intel on the chipset of the Zenfone Selfie, replacing the Atom Z3580 SoC with a mid-range Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 octa-core with Adreno 405 GPU SoC.
Other than these changes, we’re seeing very similar device to the Zenfone 2, only with the drop of the 4 GB RAM option down to 3 GB.
There are also a multitude of features to help you make the most of your selfie-taking experience, dubbed the PixelMaster Selfie Experience:
- ZenMotion – Gesture of swiping “S” on the screen to launch into the selfie camera interface.
- Selfie Panorama Mode – So you can fit all your friends in the shot.
- Beautification Mode – Like artifical makeup, you can improve skin tone and smooth blemishes.
- Backlight (Super HDR) Technology – Improves light balance, such as with the undesirable dark face occurrence.
- Low Light Mode – Ability to capture clearer photos in dark environments.
- Dual-LED “Real Tone” Flash – More natural illumination.
We’ll see how useful these promises turn out to be in our real-world experience with the Zenfone Selfie. Pricing and availability have not yet been announced by Asus.
The post Asus intros the ZenFone Selfie at Computex appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Magic Leap opens its augmented reality platform to developers
Magic Leap’s vision for the future of augmented reality is mind-blowing. However, the mysterious startup, which Google backed with a hefty cash investment, knows this won’t be possible without support from third-party developers. That’s why it plans to open up its AR platform to content creators, including those who make games, films and more. Today’s announcement took place at MIT’s EmTech Digital conference, where CEO Rony Abovitz and other members of Magic Leap’s team took the stage to reveal their intentions. The SDK is expected to support both the Unreal and Unity gaming engines, which signals a good start. If you’re a developer interested in gaining access to these tools, you can register now via the company’s website.
Our own @rabovitz, @zaphodgjd & @nealstephenson taking the stage at this years @techreview conf: pic.twitter.com/OvEbqpbx1S
– Magic Leap, Inc. (@magicleap) June 2, 2015
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, Software, HD, Google
Source: TechCrunch
Logitech’s Harmony remotes can control your PS4 too
The PlayStation 4 is a lot of (mostly great) things, but easy to control without its DualShock 4 paddle isn’t one of them. That changes today so long as you have a Logitech Harmony remote sitting on your couch or coffee table. The company announced that the latest update to its hub-based wands, or the app, grants the ability to control not just the console’s system menus and Blu-rays via Bluetooth, but streaming apps like Amazon Instant Video and Netflix too. Pretty handy! There’s a caveat though, and it’s a relatively big one: You can’t use the remotes to turn your PS4 on. So, just remember to hit the power button (it’s the top one) on your system before investigating why everyone’s gaga for Daredevil.
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, HD, Sony
Source: Logitech
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