Watch two minutes of remastered ‘Final Fantasy VII’ on PS4
Square Enix teased a remastered, PlayStation 4 version of Final Fantasy VII back at E3 2015 — and today we get a better look at what that remake means. Final Fantasy VII kicked off the PlayStation Experience keynote this morning, with a two-minute trailer for the remaster (embedded below) and news that the original game is available on PS4 today. There’s no word on a launch window for Final Fantasy VII on PS4 just yet.
NASA shows the sharpest ever close-up photos of Pluto
I can practically hear you groan — more Pluto photos? Well, these are kind of special: they’re the sharpest pictures the New Horizons probe took during its closest flyby in July, and NASA believes these may be the best snapshots of the dwarf planet we’ll see for decades to come. These series of images captured by the spacecraft’s Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) from 10,000 miles away have a resolution of 250 to 280 feet per pixel. That makes them, according to the agency, six times better than the global Pluto map it released earlier. When stitched together, those photos form a 50-mile strip full of craters, ice fields and mountains that show up so clearly, it’s as if they merely display one of the polar regions filmed from aboard a helicopter.
Source: NASA, Alex Parker (Twitter)
Apple Raises iTunes Match and Apple Music Library Matching Limits
Over the past couple of days, MacRumors has received several reports from users who have been able to upload music libraries of greater than 25,000 tracks to iTunes Match or Apple Music’s similar scan-and-match feature, and Macworld‘s iTunes expert Kirk McElhearn has also noted a number of reports on his personal blog.
Just ahead of the launch of Apple Music in late June, Eddy Cue revealed on Twitter that Apple was working to raise the matching limit from 25,000 tracks to 100,000 for iOS 9, but the increase did not occur in September when iOS 9 debuted.
MacRumors checked with Cue back in October for an update, and he indicated Apple was “definitely working on it” with the expectation the increase would go live “before the end of the year.”
Apple has yet to update its support page on uploading music Apple Music to document the new limit.
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Google Search updated with song recommendations, lyrics, covers, and more
Google Search on mobile is receiving an update. Now, when you search for a particular musician, Google will display the normal information about them, but also any upcoming events in your area. Plus, song recommendations, lyrics, covers, and more will be displayed.
Also, it goes beyond just music artists. You can now search for any TV show or movie and get more detailed information about them. You will get a list of past or upcoming episodes when searching for TV shows, or get a list of the cast and show times near you when searching for movies. All of these features are out for Android tablets or phones today, and will be coming to iOS in the future.
Source: Google Inside Search
Come comment on this article: Google Search updated with song recommendations, lyrics, covers, and more
Double Fine’s next games include a ‘Full Throttle’ remaster
Double Fine isn’t counting solely on a crowdfunded Psychonauts sequel to capture your imagination — it just unveiled a ton of new projects at Sony’s PlayStation Experience event. The highlight (at least for gamers of a certain age) is a remastered version of Full Throttle, Tim Schafer’s action/adventure classic. It’s not certain just when the motorcycle-heavy game will arrive, but it’ll be available on both the PS4 and PlayStation Vita.
Source: Twitter (PlayStation), PlayStation Blog (1), (2)
Hey, Kid: ‘Bastion’ is out on Vita today
It’s a good day to be a Vita owner. Bastion, the gorgeous 2011 isometric adventure from Supergiant Games, is out today on Vita. Sony announced Bastion‘s Vita launch during its PlayStation Experience keynote this morning. This brings Bastion‘s platforms up to seven: PC, Mac, Linux, Xbox 360, iOS, Chrome, PlayStation 4 and, now, Vita. It’s a Cross-Buy game on Sony’s platforms, meaning if you own it on PS4, you automatically get it on Vita, and vice versa. Score!
‘Ratchet & Clank’ hits PS4 on April 12th
The PlayStation 4 version of Ratchet & Clank, a mega-remaster of Insomniac’s PlayStation 2 game, lands on Sony’s new console on April 12th. That’s just before the Ratchet & Clank movie hits theaters on April 29th. Ratchet & Clank on PS4 is more than a simple visual upgrade: It’s a completely new game based on the PS2 version, with an expanded story, more planets to explore, new weapons, fresh controls and other goodies.
Music shooter ‘Rez’ is coming to PlayStation VR
Sony has a ton of PlayStation VR content lined up at its PlayStation Experience gathering, but there’s a truly special title in that mix: a modern version of Rez. The upcoming Rez Infinite will bring immersive visuals to the legendary (and borderline hallucinogenic) music shooter, including 3D audio and brisk 60 frames per second gameplay at 1080p. There’s a whole new area, too, which will help tackle gripes that the original was too short. There’s no word on a ship date, but it’s safe to say this is good news if the game’s mix of iconic graphics and memorable dance tracks (Adam Freeland’s “Mind Killer,” anyone?) is still etched in your brain.
Source: PlayStation (Twitter)
‘Destiny’ will add a hovercraft racing competition next week
If you’re searching for a new way to play Destiny, Bungie and Activision have PlayStation owners covered. Starting on December 8th, Destiny: The Taken King owners can participate in the Sparrow Racing League. It’s a competitive race on the game’s Sparrow hovercrafts against friends or strangers alike, and from the quick video we just saw at the PlayStation Experience event in San Francisco, it should be a good time. If you’re a fan of F–Zero, Wipeout 2048 or any of the other many similar games out there, the Sparrow Racing League will likely scratch that same itch.
‘Gears of War’ studio is making a MOBA for PS4 and PC
Epic Games, the studio best known for the Gears of War franchise, is building Paragon, a new multiplayer shooter for the PlayStation 4 and PC. It’s a MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena), meaning its gameplay is reminiscent of titles like League of Legends, Smite or Dota — two teams of five players fighting for control of a single map. Paragon includes a card-collecting aspect, too, because if you’re going to make a game that appeals to a large online audience (Hearthstone, anyone?), it might as well have all the bells and whistles. Paragon enters open beta on PS4 and PC in summer 2016, followed by a paid “early access” launch in early spring. Epic announced Paragon during today’s PlayStation Experience keynote address.
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