BBC Radio 1 will broadcast a monthly gaming show

Slowly but surely, BBC Radio 1 has expanded beyond radio and into social and video. It now has its own iPlayer video channel, for instance, which hosts original shows, Live Lounge recordings and interviews with musicians and celebrities. MCV reports that for its next trick, Radio 1 has commissioned a new gaming show, titled The Radio One Gaming Show, which will launch in March be hosted by games presenter and YouTuber Julia Hardy.

According to Joe Hardland, BBC’s head of visual radio, The Radio One Gaming Show will primarily target “young gamers across the UK” and focus on a specific title each month. It will also include segments on upcoming games, exclusive first looks at new titles and launch previews. It comes after the station commissioned a one-off gaming show, also fronted by Hardy, in December 2015.

Radio 1 is one of the most popular national radio stations, attracting around 6 million listeners each week. However, with YouTube now the default destination for many young gamers, the station may find it hard to compete with an almost unlimited source of entertainment.

Source: MCV

Bungie has a new CEO

While Bungie is trying to keep its head down and focus on development of its Destiny sequel, a management reshuffle has thrust the company’s operations back into the spotlight. After more than 15 years at the studio, president Harold Ryan has stepped down. Long-time COO Pete Parsons has been chosen to lead the company forward, but will do so as Bungie’s new chief.

In a short statement, Parsons wasted no time in addressing Destiny fans: “I want you to know my number one priority, and Bungie’s, is and always has been to deliver great games that we can all share together,” he says. “I also believe you have yet to see our studio’s best work. My new role here at the studio will be entirely focused on fulfilling that promise.”

After an unconfirmed Kotaku report claimed that Destiny’s next instalment has been pushed back from its September launch and the recent rollback on matchmaking changes to fix multiplayer lag, Parsons is understandably focusing on placating frustrated players. There’s currently no word on whether Ryan will remain at the company now that he’s left his post, but we have contacted Bungie to find out what will happen next.

Via: GamesIndustry

Source: Bungie

‘Minecraft’ creator wants you to go on a kaleidoscopic trip

Markus “Notch” Persson, the creator of Minecraft has something to show you, but you might not be ready for it. Okay, “your browser might not be ready for it” is probably the more accurate statement. The project? A kaleidoscopic “ray marching fractal generator” that’ll run in virtual reality on certain browsers, or just plan old 2D on basically everything else. Spotted by Road to VR, the mesmerizing geometry project (dubbed Unmandelboxing) apparently only weighs about 3.5 KB.
And it seems like that was intentional. Road to VR notes that in the source code you’ll find that the image size is a paltry 426×240 pixels and the whole thing uses the relatively limited RGBA332 color palette. Despite Notch’s interest, then disinterest and then indifference toward Oculus, he’s made Unmandelboxing playable in WebVR with the second Oculus RIft development kit:

You need a browser that supports WebVR. If you don’t know if you do, you don’t. WebVR is very fringe technology still. Google it!

— Markus Persson (@notch) January 25, 2016

Road to VR also writes that currently includes a “properly installed and configured” version of Mozilla Nightly but not much, if anything, else. If you think it’s worth the effort to see it for yourself, hit the source links below.

Via: Road to VR

Source: Markus Persson (Twitter)

Def Leppard uses ‘Guitar Hero Live’ to debut new music video

Def Leppard is still crankin’ it to 11 in 2016, on the heels of a new self-titled album released in October. To debut its latest music video, though, the band is taking a rather interesting approach. The video for the track “Dangerous” will first appear in the game Guitar Hero Live as a playable track. If you missed the revival of Guitar Hero last year, the latest installment pairs gameplay with “live” visuals of artists playing gigs. It includes everyone from Carrie Underwood to Avenged Sevenfold.

“The way our fans discover and listen to our music has evolved so much throughout the years,” said Def Leppard singer Joe Elliot. “Whether they’re playing on vinyl, streaming the songs online or playing along to our music video in Guitar Hero Live, it’s amazing to see how interactive music has become.”

The new video will debut inside the game this week under the Def Leppard: On Through The Ages Premium Show section. That show also includes classic and newer versions of videos for the songs “Let’s Go” and “Rock of Ages,” so you can relive the glory days of ’80s rock. Of course, you’ll have to level up and complete challenges to gain access, or you could just hand over some cash if you don’t want to work for the goods.

Via: The Verge

‘The Witness’ causes motion sickness in some players

Some first-person games — including Skyrim, Fallout 4 and The Talos Principle — trigger motion sickness and nausea in certain players, and The Witness is the latest addition to this list. The Witness is Braid creator Jonathan Blow’s latest game, and it’s a vast, introspective puzzler populated with pastels and intricate, physical riddles. While the puzzles are designed to induce figurative headaches, some players have taken to the game’s Steam page, NeoGAF and Reddit complaining of queasiness and dizziness while playing.

“So, really interesting game, but I can’t play it for long or I feel ill,” Steam player theegravedigger explains. “I think it’s a motion sickness/FOV thing, but I haven’t had this experience since Wolfenstien.”

Blow is aware of the issue and he says in a tweet that he’ll implement a potential fix “really soon.”

Motion sickness is a tricky problem. On Reddit, one player said that both The Witness and The Talos Principle (a similarly puzzle-filled, first-person experience) induced nausea. Another player reported no issues with The Witness, even though The Talos Principle gave that person “so much motion sickness.”

The Talos Principle, which came out in 2014 and shares some gameplay aspects with The Witness, has since been updated with a “motion sickness” game mode. It appears to work well for many players, though there are still some nauseated outliers.

@mgovier I will at least hack something in pretty soon and we will see how it helps.

— Jonathan Blow (@Jonathan_Blow) January 27, 2016

Via: Geek

Source: NeoGAF, Steam, Reddit

Photo contest awards $10,000 for finding ‘everyday heroes’

Attention class, it’s time to get your submissions ready for Mr. Jefferson’s “Everyday Heroes” photo contest. Well, not really, but Life is Strange publisher Square Enix is bringing the sweepstakes from its tale of a time-traveling teen into the real world. Unlike in the game, you aren’t competing for a trip to San Francisco to showcase your work. Here you’re vying for a $10,000 scholarship while you hopefully “discover and capture how normal people make the world a better place,” as a post on the Square Enix blog puts it.

The team at Dontnod will print, frame and sign a trio of finalist’s photos, in addition to sharing them across Square Enix’s social accounts. The rules state there’s only one grand prize winner taking home the $10,000 earmarked for art school tuition, art classes or art supplies (at the winner’s discretion), however. What’s more, you’ve only got one shot at your chance for glory. So maybe the Polaroid of the blue butterfly you saw land in the girl’s bathroom at Blackwell Academy may not be the best option. But, you might want to hurry considering the contest is only open through February 16th of this year.

Via: Square Enix

Source: Everyday Heroes