MSI dresses up its gaming lineup with Skylake

With Intel’s new Skylake processor inbound, it was only natural that gaming notebook manufacturers would jump on board to offer this latest boost to their machines. MSI is no exception, kitting out a few of their existing machines with the 6th-generation processor. If the promise of a CPU that can be overclocked 30 percent higher isn’t enough to entice you, there are plenty of other new goodies packed into the lineup that might be worth the ding to your bank account. Slideshow-316463 Slideshow-316492

The machines getting a boost include the heavy-hitting GT72 Dominator Pro G, the thin and light GS70 Stealth and GS60 Ghost, and the GE62 and GE72 Apache Pro. The number four features prominently in some of the upgrades: the new lineup will support Super RAID 4 for the SSD drives, and the RAM is DDR4 (with a speed increase of up to 40 percent). Elsewhere, the graphics cards have been bumped to the newer GeForce GTX 980M or 970M.

But MSI isn’t just trying to make their machines faster; the company’s trying to make your gaming experience objectively better as well. The displays are using sRGB for more vibrant colors and they support wide 178 degree viewing angles. The sound is clearer and more immersive, thanks to the included Nahimic audio software. Nahimic got its start in aircraft simulators used by the French army, though it’ll probably do just fine in non-sim games as well — especially paired with the new support for hi-res audio via FLAC.

The chassis have gotten a boost, too. While it isn’t anything as crazy as the full-blown mechanical keyboard on the GT80 Titan, the other G Series machines sport SteelSeries keyboards with improved backlighting, so whatever crazy lighting scheme you set up will be brighter without hurting your eyes. But the biggest change on the outside is probably the addition of SuperPort to the GT72 and GS60. You’ll get power, USB 3.1 and even video output to two 4K 60Hz displays if the built-in panel isn’t cutting it for you. And, while not every MSI machine is getting a SuperPort, you can still expect to see Type-C implemented in some manner across the lineup.

MSI isn’t divulging pricing just yet, but the machines are already available in Asia. Stateside, we’ll see these new gussied-up models on September 27th.

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Gaming, Laptops

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Tags: gaming, GE62, GE72, GS60, GS70, GT72, laptop, laptops, MSI, Nahimic, Skylake, SuperPort, Type-C

‘Disney Infinity’ finally feels like a complete game

Nothing relies on the power of Disney’s brand quite like Disney Infinity. It’s the licensed game to end all licensed games, a toys-to-life platformer with all the star-power of Spider-Man, Frozen, Tron, Star Wars and dozen other Disney franchises. It’s the game’s selling point, but also its greatest weakness: the last two versions of the game relied on its brand-power to make up for how mediocre they were as actual video games. That’s not the case anymore. With Disney Infinity 3.0 they finally got it right. That’s not to say that the first games in the series were bad, but compared to Disney Infinity 3.0, they felt a little incomplete. All the same elements are here — the disparate Playsets that offer franchise-exclusive story-based adventures, the open-world sandbox mode that lets you create your own adventures and the adorable, collectible figures — but they all seem to have evolved in ways that add up to a more cohesive whole.

Engaging gameplay in a galaxy far, far away

From game one, Disney Infinity’s biggest problem was the relative lack of depth in its Playsets — the franchise-specific game pieces that typically provide four to six hours of play as a story-driven experience. The problem was that they simply weren’t very good, suffering from dull combat, repetitive missions and stories that failed to engage grown-ups like myself. Disney Infinity 3.0 and the Star Wars: Twilight of the Republic Playset changes that. This actually feels like substantial game.

There are a lot of things that make this new Playset stand out as a more complete experience than its predecessors, but let’s focus on just three: combat gameplay, level design and linear storytelling.

Disney Interactive knew the first game was lacking in the action combat department, and brought in Ninja Theory (the studio behind action games like Heavenly Sword and DmC: Devil May Cry) to tune things up for version 2.0. The result was a much more robust combat engine with combo moves and a skill-based level system. In short, it was a massive improvement. Disney Infinity 3.0 is even better, with even more complex combos and skill sets, awesome slow-motion finishing moves and a level of polish that makes the game feel like a legitimate action platformer.

As great as the combat upgrades are, they weren’t enough to save the last version, which had its improved gameplay mechanics gutted by empty, soulless level design. Disney Infinity 3.0 doesn’t have this problem at all: The Star Wars: Twilight of the Republic Playset features four different locations from the prequel trilogy, and each one feels large and well populated. Unlike on previous versions, the illusion never falters here; it doesn’t feel like something I could simply throw together in the game’s Toybox mode. Together with the buffer of Starfox-like space missions above each planet, these worlds create a connected universe that seems far more massive in scale than it really is.

This authentic world-building dovetails nicely with the improved combat and, of course, the storyline. Truth be told, the Twilight of the Republic’s narrative isn’t particularly memorable, but it does provide more direction than previous games, nudging players through the action with clearly defined objectives and story-driven motivation. Together, these improvements create a solid action platforming experience that, while short, can almost stand on its own apart from the rest of the game.

A theme park of creativity

As far as Disney Infinity 3.0’s Playsets go, I’m more impressed by what Disney has done with the game’s Toybox mode. For many players, this was the game’s entire selling point: a creative sandbox area where you can create your own games and worlds to play in. It always seemed like a good idea, but it never clicked for me. The tutorials felt disorganized and pandering. I didn’t know where to start and eventually gave up. Thankfully, learning to build worlds in Disney Infinity 3.0 is refreshingly easy.

If you’ve ever been to Disneyland, the new Toybox hub will look familiar. It features a central area that radiates out into disparate creativity “zones,” modeled after the various famous theme park. There’s a driving zone, where a character from the Cars films teaches you how to handle vehicles, a combat zone where you learn to make the most of Ninja Theory’s latest improvements and four other areas with deeper tutorials on the Toybox’s various mechanics.

Each area presents players with increasingly complex challenges that ease them into the various elements of the game, including how to program the more complex toys and tools with logic connections. By the time I finished the missions in the creative zone’s Main Street USA (See? Disneyland!) I felt fully prepared to create my own Toybox games and worlds. I’ve owned every iteration of this game, and this is the first time I’ve been able to say that.

It’s still expensive, though

I can say without hesitation or irony that Disney Infinity 3.0 is the best version of the franchise yet. In short, Disney fixed its game, taking all of its great, yet sometimes poorly executed ideas and taking the time to get them right. Even its toys are better, featuring more detailed paint jobs and special edition Star Wars figures with lightsabers that actually light-up — but all of this freshness comes at a price. At $65 for the starter pack, $35 for every expansion and $14 a figure, Disney Infinity 3.0 hits the wallet hard.

At least this time, I feel like I’m getting my money’s worth.

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Tags: disney, disneyinfinity, disneyinteractive, gaming, pixar, starwars, toystolife, videogames

‘Star Wars Battlefront’ multiplayer test starts in early October

You won’t have to wait until November to find out whether Star Wars Battlefront‘s large-scale online conflicts are all they’re cracked up to be. EA and DICE have announced that Battlefront‘s multiplayer beta will launch in early October for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Windows PCs. This test run will include an epic 40-player Hoth battle, a two-versus-many fight on Tatooine and an as-yet-unexplained Drop Zone mode. At the same time, you should get a Companion Experience mobile app that includes both a card game as well as helper tools for Battlefront itself. It sounds like exciting stuff, although here’s hoping that EA has learned its lessons from past betas — you don’t want to have your childhood dreams crushed by server connection problems.

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Via:
The Verge

Source:
StarWars.com

Tags: battlefront, dice, ea, gaming, playstation4, ps4, starwars, starwarsbattlefront, videogames, windows, xboxone

ICYMI: X-ray pill, space-controlled earth rover and more

Today on In Case You Missed It: A new X-ray pill to check for colon cancer is about to enter human trials in the EU and colons everywhere are probably grateful. The European Space Agency is going to control a rover on earth via astronaut on the International Space Station. And a hobbyist crafted a drone that can lift a human for a good 10 minutes.

Things we think you should see: This video of a Zelda tribute with help from an “Unreal” makeover.

If you come across any interesting videos, we’d love to see them. Just tweet us with the #ICYMI hashtag @engadget or @mskerryd.

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Oculus owners can explore a musician’s mind with GE’s ‘Neuro VR’

When we first took a look at GE’s Neuro VR project — which sends you on a journey into a musician’s mind — it wasn’t available to the public. Now, all Oculus owners can enjoy the experience that blends data visualization from a real MRI (of Ladytron musician Reuben Wu, no less) with immersive entertainment. Virtual reality is easy to pitch as a tool for nobel causes like education and rehabilitation, but it’s also just pretty darn cool to experience — and it’s fusion projects like Neuro VR that will increase the format’s broad appeal. If our early report whetted your appetite for the slick 90fps experience, you’ll likely appreciate the video trailer too, which we’ve kindly snuck in for you below. Neuro VR was pencilled to arrive on Gear VR also, and while It’s not there right now, it’s worth keeping (both) eyes on the Samsung store.

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Via:
Kita & Lightning (Twitter)

Source:
Kite and Lightning, Oculus

Tags: ge, neurovr, oculus