Future PS4 games will have more power to play with
It seems the PlayStation 4 is now just a little more powerful than before. At least for game developers, anyway. None of the console’s components have changed — instead it’s being reported that a seventh core has been “unlocked” in the CPU. Until now, six of the PlayStation 4’s eight-core CPU have been dedicated to games, while the remaining two handle the operating system. In all likelihood, this was a conservative setup to ensure consoles ran smoothly at launch. It also gave Sony some wiggle-room if they needed to make any system changes or optimizations. Now, however, it seems the company is happy with the console’s performance and willing to give developers a tad extra power.
Via: Eurogamer
Source: FMOD Studio
Massive ‘GTA V’ mod adds way more than 4K textures
Grand Theft Auto V got a pretty major overhaul when it made the jump from last-gen hardware to PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One last year, but that leap’s got nothing on a new user mod that takes the stick-up simulator into ultra high-definition. “The Pinnacle of V” adds UHD textures for clouds, water, rain and blood, but its biggest changes go well beyond the superficial level. The designers boast that “literally every aspect of the game has been tweaked, adjusted and fine tuned” including bullet speeds, on-foot and in-car police patrols, population density for more realistic rush-hour traffic and now you can shoot through certain materials like wood and plastic too. Oh, and vehicle handling has apparently been completely redone as well — something on full display in the video after the break.
Via: Eurogamer
Source: The Pinnacle of V
Explore the surfaces of planets in ‘Elite: Dangerous’ beta
The expansion pack for Elite: Dangerous, the one that lets you go planetside and explore the surface of places like Europa, is out now. Sort of. The Horizons Planetary Landings beta, teased in a video released last week, does exactly what it says assuming you’ve pre-ordered Horizons itself. Everyone else needs to wait for the official release sometime before year’s end. Driving the all-new Surface Recon Vehicle, players can discover signals, crashed ships and mineral deposits, vastly expanding the range of gameplay. Creator David Braben recently showed off the expansion in a demo (below), and said that certain features, like textures and frame rates, might still have issues.
Via: Rock, Paper, Shotgun
Source: Elite Dangerous
Sending private Twitch messages on iOS gets a lot easier today
Source: Twitch
The AfterMath: A week of excesses
Too much food? Too many bargains? With a handful of antacids nearby, we hope you’ve enjoyed this Thanksgiving week. Following in tradition of all that indulgence, we’re all about size and excess here at TAM. Nuclear-powered data centers, puffy nuggets of gold, huge numbers of user names hacked… and a suggestion for next year’s Thanksgiving dessert. We’d suggest you start making room now. Slideshow-343061
This ‘Super Mario Bros.’ watch will cost you $18,950
How much of a Nintendo fan are you? Enough that you could spend as much as you would on a car, just to show the world where your allegiances lie? You’ll want to talk to luxury watchmaker Romain Jerome, then. It just unveiled a limited edition Super Mario Bros. mechanical timepiece that marks the 30th anniversary of the plumber’s adventures in style. And we do mean style: its 46mm case is made out of black titanium, and the three-layer dial is loaded with enamel-coated pixel figurines to remind you of Mario’s early days. It’s quite posh-looking, then, although the eye-watering $18,950 price will likely rule this out unless you’re a high roller with some fond gaming memories. On the plus side, that ultra-rare Nintendo World Championship cartridge suddenly seems like a bargain.
Source: A Blog to Watch, Romain Jerome
Ben Heck’s controller mods tutorial
For a while now Ben and Felix have been making and selling single handed accessibility controllers. In this episode Ben will tear down the XBox One gamepad and show you how to do mods of your own, from the pin-outs to the connections for the directional pads. Visit The Ben Heck Show community on element14 for links to the build files, suggest projects and sync up with The Ben Heck Show team!
A new chiptune album is coming to the Nintendo Famicom
Every week it feels like a new video game soundtrack gets a vinyl release. Journey, The Last of Us, FTL and Shenmue — none of these are surprises anymore. So what’s next? MiniDiscs? Cassette tapes? Well, some musicians are keen to use cartridges instead. 8BIT MUSIC POWER is a new chiptune album that you’ll need to slide into a Nintendo Famicom (Japan’s equivalent of the NES) to listen to. Developed by RIKI and manufactured by Columbus Circle, it features 12 original tracks from, among others, former Famicom music composers Yuriko Keino (Xevious, Dig Dug) and Takeaki Kunimoto (Star Solider).
Source: RIKI, Amazon Japan
A new chiptune album is coming to the Nintendo Famicom
Every week it feels like a new video game soundtrack gets a vinyl release. Journey, The Last of Us, FTL and Shenmue — none of these are surprises anymore. So what’s next? MiniDiscs? Cassette tapes? Well, some musicians are keen to use cartridges instead. 8BIT MUSIC POWER is a new chiptune album that you’ll need to slide into a Nintendo Famicom (Japan’s equivalent of the NES) to listen to. Developed by RIKI and manufactured by Columbus Circle, it features 12 original tracks from, among others, former Famicom music composers Yuriko Keino (Xevious, Dig Dug) and Takeaki Kunimoto (Star Solider).
Source: RIKI, Amazon Japan
Lenovo teams with Razer on gaming PCs
When you think of gaming PCs, Lenovo probably isn’t your first choice. It has gaming PCs, but it’s often far more tempting to either go with a game-centric brand or build a system yourself. Lenovo may have a way to improve its reputation, though. It’s partnering with Razer on special editions of its Y series devices that pack both the performance you’d expect from a gaming rig as well as Razer’s signature design cues, such as multi-hued Chroma lighting. The first confirmed project from the two is the Lenovo Razer Edition desktop you see here (due for a full debut at CES in January), but there are promises of “multiple” products and joint development of new technology.
Source: Razer
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