Sniper Elite 4 overshoots its release date, due February 2017
Love yourself a bit of long-range shooting? Then Sniper Elite 4, the best-looking sharp-shooter of the franchise yet, might be just the ticket.
Only it’s overshot its 2016 release date and will now be hitting the shelves in February 2017 instead.
Rebellion, the game’s developer, puts that down to being a small independent studio and to ensure that the game will be released in its best possible form.
Jason and Chris Kingsley, co-founders of Rebellion, explain: “When we revealed Sniper Elite 4 back in March our plan was to release it at the end of 2016. However, we now know Battlezone [the studio’s other major title] will release in October [2016] as a launch title alongside PlayStation VR. That gave us a tough decision to make”.
Still, that just gives us more time to be excited about the launch. Sniper Elite is the most complex game in the series yet, delivering larger-than-ever maps and better-than-before artificial intelligence (that wouldn’t be too hard) to tactically position yourself among. Oh, and let’s not forget kill cams. You get to see slow-mo, close-up kills and the classic x-ray cam to gauge your precision.
So there we have it folks, Sniper Elite 4 will launch for PS4, Xbox One and PC… but 7-months later than planned.
Alienware Aurora (2016) Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET
When it comes to desktop gaming PCs, size matters, but bigger isn’t always better. Alienware hopes its new Aurora line isn’t too big or too small, but instead just right.
For PC gamers who want a no-compromise desktop with room for three graphics cards and up to five hard drives, no matter how much floor space it takes up, there’s the massive Area 51. If space is tight, there’s the smaller X51 or Alpha models, which are closer in size to a game console, but offer fewer options and lack the easy access to the system interior for upgrades. With the Aurora, a resurrected name in use on other Alienware products from the mid-2000s until a few years ago, the company now has a mid-tower desktop that fits right in the middle.
Sarah Tew/CNET
This new Aurora is a relatively svelte 14 inches deep by 18 inches tall by 8 inches wide, and the chassis takes a good deal of its design DNA from the Area 51, with three side lights on the angled case echoing the pyramid-like design on that larger desktop. The company says this is its smallest system yet that can handle dual graphics cards, and it’s the easiest to access the interior of, thanks to a new tool-less design that allows for quick upgrades of the GPU, CPU, storage and practically any other component. Liquid cooling is also an available option.
Processors up to the Intel Core i7-6700K will be offered (some with factory overclocking), along with dual Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 graphics cards, although you can start as low-end as the Nvidia 950 and upgrade later. The most powerful GPU options will allow the system to power three 4K displays at once.
While tightly packed, interior access is simple thanks to a tool-free outer door.
Sarah Tew/CNET
Alienware says this system is “designed for VR,” although even the smaller X51 desktop can be configured to work with the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive headsets.
The new Alienware Aurora should be available by summer, and prices will vary widely by configuration.
Ubisoft at E3 2016: Star Trek VR, Watch Dogs 2, Ghost Recon, South Park and more games trailers
Ubisoft revealed one of its biggest titles ahead of E3, unveiling Watch Dogs 2 in the run-up to the show. But that’s not all the publisher had to show at its conference.
In a year absent of Assassin’s Creed – well, sort of, Michael Fassbender does, of course, star in the upcoming movie – its focus has been on showing-off titles announced in 2015, with added polish, in addition to some brand new franchises. The biggest of which is a Star Trek VR title. Yep, Star Trek comes to Ubisoft.
Here are the best trailers and gameplay videos on offer from the Ubisoft camp this year.
Ghost Recon Wildlands
The closing gambit at last year’s showcase, Ghost Recon Wildlands ought to get Far Cry fans salivating. The more we see, the more we want to delve deeper.
A military shooter based in Bolivia, where “the king” – the head of a dangerous drug cartel – rules with an iron fist. That’s where the “ghosts” come in, to take down this underworld – by stealth and by force.
From shooting, to driving, the game’s point of distinction is that it’s playable in four-player co-op mode, whether solo with AI assist, or online with friends. It’ll be released for PS4 and Xbox One on March 7 2017.
South Park: The Fractured But Whole
Superheroes, turn-based RPG and, um, farts are at the forefront of the new South Park game.
New gameplay revealed a new combat style, with space now manoeuvrable rather than restricted to layers; there’s also new powers that can pass obstacles and, but of course, farts that can rip through the fabric of time. Oh, South Park.
Cue lots of Marvel and DC Comic mickey-taking and, if that sounds like your RPG of choice – we loved the earlier Stick of Truth – then mark 6 December 2016 down in your calendars.
Star Trek Bridge Crew
Always wanted to man the bridge of the SS Enterprise? Well, say hello to Star Trek in VR. Bridge Crew is Ubisoft’s multiplayer virtual reality take on a real-time and social Star Trek experience.
Players have to work together to succeed in the given mission, with up to four VR-donning players taking on differing roles. From engineer to captain and beyond. Warp speed ahead!
Watch Dogs 2
Ubisoft’s big deal hacking game is back and better than ever. Everything is hackable, the cars handle better, there’s drones to control, more nuance and less nonsense.
Given the success of Mr Robot recently – which arrived post Watch Dogs – we think this sequel could well hack into the collective consciousness of the gamers of tomorrow.
It’s out sooner than you might think too: 15 November is the date to remember. And we’ve already played it, so follow the link below to read our preview and get the lowdown on what we make of it.
READ MORE: Watch Dogs 2 preview: The best-looking open-world game ever
For Honor
We weren’t particularly taken by the playable multiplayer version of For Honor that we sampled at E3 2015. But 2016 looks rather different. Shown off in its single player campaign form, this combat title looks like a slice of brutal fun.
Play as viking, samurai or knight. Whichever you choose, fret not, the crunchy hand-to-hand combat doesn’t suffer as a result. But you’ll have to wait a bit longer yet: For Honor won’t be out until 2017. On Valentine’s Day, no less. Yup, 14/02/17. How romantic.
Alienware Alpha R2 Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET
Alienware’s Alpha gaming desktop is getting a series of major upgrades, including new graphics and processor options, making for the biggest hardware changes since the system launched in 2014.
The Alpha has always been an unusual gaming PC. This console-like box started as a Steam Machine, a stripped-down gaming PC intended to run Valve’s SteamOS software, offering inexpensive access to games in the Steam online game store, but little else.
Sarah Tew/CNET
But SteamOS and the Steam Controller that went along with it experienced several long delays, so Alienware’s parent company Dell decided to retool this machine slightly and it became a Windows-powered box called the Alienware Alpha. For under $500, it offered good-enough performance in games from The Witcher 3 to Fallout 4, thanks to a custom Nvidia graphics chip that was about as powerful as a mid-level gaming laptop (albeit one from 2014).
Since then, we’ve had new generations of both Intel processors and Nvidia graphics cards, and the hardware inside the Alpha has started to feel more than a little old. The processor and RAM were upgradable, with some effort, but the graphics were not.
The new Alpha, called the R2, now offers CPUs from Intel’s current sixth-gen line, from Core i3 all the way up to a Core i7-6700T. There’s only one Nvidia GPU option, but it’s a full desktop-level Nvidia GeForce 960 card, which is more than powerful enough for most current games at very high detail levels and frame rates. (The AMD Radeon R9 M470X is also available as an option.) Storage options run from standard platter hard drives to new, faster PCIe solid-state drives.
Connect the Alpha to the Graphics Amplifier accessory (and a graphics card) to use a VR headset.
Sarah Tew/CNET
But wait, there’s more. If you want to use the Alpha to power the current generation of virtual reality headsets, the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, it doesn’t have the required hardware to do that, at least on its own. Another of the newly added Alpha features, however, is compatibility with the sold-separately Alienware Graphics Amplifier, a toaster-sized box that can accommodate a full-size desktop graphics card and funnel its power to a handful of compatible Alienware systems.
Of course, this requires you to bring your own graphics card to the mix as well, which can run anywhere from $300 to $700 for a VR-ready card, plus $200 for the Graphics Amplifier box. Put it all together, and you’ve already spent more than enough for one of our VR-ready desktops. Still, it’s a useful option to have available, and one of several external GPU products being pitched as VR-ready this year.
The updated Alienware Alpha R2 should be available this summer, starting at $599 in the US. International price and availability details were not yet available, but that price converts to around £420 or AU$810.
‘Halo Wars 2’ takes the series back to its roots next February
If Halo 5: Guardians disappointed you last year, maybe try Halo Wars 2 on for size on February 21st next year. It takes the shooter series back to its strategy roots, something that’s been toyed with a bit before. New stuff like the Mantis mechs from Halo 4 and Halo 5 look to be controllable units, with a heavy emphasis on battling the ape-like Brute enemies. It continues the story of the original game’s Spirit of Fire crew and has you battling those enemies on The Ark, a location from Halo 3.
And if you’re unsure about the whole real-time strategy nature of the game (and/or missed Ensemble Studios’ swan song back in 2009) there will be a beta to take for a spin this week for Xbox Live Gold members.
Follow all the news from E3 2016 here!
Apple opens Siri up to third-party apps
Apple has announced that the latest version of its mobile operating system will allow developers to access Siri. It means that third-party apps will be able to add functionality to the voice-based assistant, such as WeChat and Uber. Rather than having to touch your display and open an app, you can simply bark a command and have your phone do the work for you. So, should you want to a hail a ride from Uber, Lyft or Didi, then you’ll be able to do so by asking your smartphone to get you somewhere. Apple executive Craig Federighi even mentioned that payments would work in the same way, although we imagine the potential for muggers to demand you hand them money simply by talking.
It’s a smart move from Apple, which has seen its ostensible “lead” in the voice-assistant game lag behind Google’s competing product. By letting developers leverage Siri’s voice comprehension, the feature should start to regain some important ground. Siri, of course, is also gaining positional intelligence and will be able to scan your messaging conversations to predict your behavior. In one of the onstage examples, Siri would know that if you were talking to someone about getting dim sum later, then you’ll need to find a dim sum place nearby.
It’s not the only previously reserved feature from iOS that’s now open to developers, with Maps another option now included. Similar to Siri, app creators can add in services that can connect to your location information, such as OpenTable when you’re looking for some food. You can, surprise surprise, also request a ride from inside Maps, like an Uber, and pay with Apple Pay without leaving the app. All in all, these moves should cover some of Apple’s more notable blind spots, like poor location data in Maps and Siri’s lack of utility with non iOS-native apps. It should also reduce the amount of time spent touching your device, which is probably good for your battery life.
Get all the latest news from WWDC 2016 here!
Microsoft announces a new super-powered Xbox console: Project Scorpio
Microsoft and Oculus announced a close partnership at last year’s E3, but we haven’t seen much out of it just yet. That’s changing today, as Microsoft just announced a new version of the Xbox console — one that’s optimized to work with 4K visuals and high-quality VR out of the box. Project Scorpio will launch at the holiday season in 2017, but most notable is the fact that all games and all accessories will work across the Xbox One, the Xbox One S and Project Scorpio.
Microsoft showed off a video in which a number of developers touted the console’s massive power — it’ll feature “true” 4K resolution, 6 teraflops of GPU power and will run at 60Hz. It’ll of course be VR ready, and Bethesda noted it’ll run Fallout 4 in VR, as announced last night. While Microsoft didn’t mention Oculus by name, the two companies have a partnership that was announced at last year’s E3. So it seems highly likely that the Rift will be the headset of choice for Project Scorpio.
Phil Spencer alluded to such a development earlier this year, saying that he envisioned a future in which your game library stayed with you and in which consoles were upgraded faster in a more PC-like fashion.
Naturally, there’s no word on price yet, and we’re guessing Project Scorpio won’t be the console’s launch name. But Microsoft’s biggest fans clearly have a lot to look forward to in the coming year or so — the big question for those who don’t own an Xbox will be whether to buy a Xbox One S or wait until next year for Project Scorpio. But at least if you buy the One S, all your games will work if you upgrade to Scorpio.
Follow all the news from E3 2016 here!
Apple Music redesign makes it easier to find tunes you want
Back in early May, rumors circulated that Apple was planning on a big redesign for its music streaming service at WWDC. Well, those reports were correct. During today’s keynote, SVP Eddy Cue showed off a much more streamlined interface that should make using the service a bit less of a headache, “redesigned from the ground up.” The rumored black and white design is indeed here with a splash of color, placing more focus on the album artwork. Oh, by the way: Apple Music now has 15 million paid subscribers, and Cue said it was the fastest music streaming service to achieve that feat.
When you first launch the app now, your Library is what you’ll see first. There’s a special section for any music you’ve purchased and a “Recently Added” summary for all the new stuff. From there, launching a song taps into the new music-focused UI, where a mostly black and white color scheme (there’s some color) helps the album artwork pop on that screen. After you start a song and move on to another section, a thumbnail of the album art, song title, play/pause and skip controls stay just above the menu for easy access. Those lyrics are also easily accessible from the main player screen, should you need to settle a bet over what Future really said on “Commas.”
Library is also the first tab across the bottom, followed by “For You,” “Browse,” “Radio” and “Search” from left to right. That “For You” section sill offers a curated selection of music based on your listening habits. It also has a “Recently Added” menu as well, so you’ll know what’s been added since the last time you looked. “For You” also has a “Discover Mix” as part of its suggestions, a collection that seems to be similar to Spotify’s popular “Discover Weekly” feature. Spotify’s version compiles a new playlist every week based on what you’ve been listening to recently.
The “Browse” tab is where you’ll find those useful charts, a list of new releases and more if you’re just perusing what’s available. It also replaces the “New” tab users are likely familiar with. As you might expect “Radio” is direct access to the Beats1 internet stream alongside a listing of featured and upcoming shows. As we mentioned during our liveblog, this info about Beats1 seems to be geared towards folks who may not have given the radio option a chance.
While Apple Music on the desktop only got a brief mention, Apple showed off the new interface on a Mac. Music was discussed during the iOS portion of the event, after all. This means that the new look will make its way to the app there as well, where it’s tucked inside iTunes. There are also new Apple Music links inside iMessage, making for handy song previews inside the chat app. We’ll reserve any final judgement until we can spend some quality time with the updated version of the streaming service, but on the surface, the refreshed interface and re-organizing should make Music less of a chore to use. The changes will be part of iOS 10 which will be released to all users in the fall, following a public beta that begins next month.
Get all the latest news from WWDC 2016 here!
Apple WatchOS 3’s SOS feature alerts emergency services anywhere
Apple’s formidable WatchOS 3 will launch as a free upgrade in the fall, the company announced today at WWDC. Among the slew of new features is SOS, a feature that users hold down the Apple Watch’s button to alert local emergency services without needing to know your current country’s version of 911.
Users can also set up SOS to ping preset contacts and, bigger still, send them a map of their current location. Obviously, this is a huge development for travelers who don’t know how to get help wherever they are, but it could be key to surreptitiously alert the authorities during dangerous situations.
Lastly, SOS pulls up the user’s Medical ID they uploaded into the Health app onscreen to display data and known health conditions for emergency responders.
Get all the latest news from WWDC 2016 here!
Source: Apple WWDC
Apple iOS 10 uses AI to help you find photos and type faster
Apple is making artificial intelligence a big, big cornerstone of iOS 10. To start, the software uses on-device computer vision to detect both faces and objects in photos. It’ll recognize a familiar friend, for instance, and can tell that there’s a mountain in the background. While this is handy for tagging your shots, the feature really comes into its own when you let the AI do the hard work. There’s a new Memories section in the Photos app that automatically organizes pictures based on events, people and places, complete with related memories (such as similar trips) and smart presentations. Think of it as Google Photos without having to go online.
AI plays a role even when you’re punching out a message, for that matter. QuickType text suggestions now lean on Siri intelligence to understand the broader context of what you’re trying to say. It’ll be aware of what you’re doing that day, and suggest things based on elements like your contacts or your location. If a friend asks for someone’s email address or wonders where you are, you can share it with one tap. QuickType is better at handling multiple languages and schedules, as well.
These features were somewhat expected — until now, Apple was one of the few big tech companies that wasn’t focusing heavily on AI as a helper for all your day-to-day tasks. We’re not going to knock a serious upgrade, though, and that local support might come in handy for those times when internet access isn’t always guaranteed.
Get all the latest news from WWDC 2016 here!
AIVAnet 