Oculus Rift teams up with Xbox for game streaming, controller
Gamers picking up the first consumer Oculus Rift virtual reality headset will notice a very familiar controller scheme — the company just announced it will ship with an Xbox One wireless controller and adapter packed in. Although it doesn’t support plugging into game consoles directly, Oculus and Microsoft announced that the headset will support the new Xbox-to-Windows game streaming in a VR environment. Unfortunately, that doesn’t appear to include plans for full VR games like the PS4 and Project Morpheus, as what we saw during the presentation amounted to a virtual living room setup watching the game on a big screen. Aside from the Oculus Cinema gaming setup, the Rift is said to work “seamlessly” with Windows 10, so we’ll see what kind of combinations come from the two in the future.
Developing…
Unreal Engine 4 is (sort of) coming to Wii U and PS Vita
Long-time Castlevania producer Koji Igarashi is currently Kickstarting a spiritual sequel to the series called Bloodstained. Thanks to the overwhelming response to the campaign — it’s now the highest-grossing videogame Kickstarter ever — the game is coming to PS Vita and Wii U. While that’s great news for fans of the genre, the knock-on effect of the port could be huge. Bloodstained is being built using Unreal Engine 4 (UE4), and Armature Studio, the developer in charge of the Vita and Wii U versions, will be the first to port the popular engine to the platforms. Why’s that so important? Well, both consoles are currently unsupported, and Armature says it will share its Vita and Wii U code with any developer authorised to create games for the systems, potentially opening the door for many more ports of UE4-powered games in the future.
Before you roll your eyes at the idea of UE4 running on “underpowered” hardware, it’s worth taking a look at Armature’s pedigree. It was responsible for the Vita versions of Metal Gear Solid, Injustice: Gods Among Us and The Unfinished Swan. With a wealth of experience developing for the Vita — and experience with the Wii U as well — it’s unlikely the studio would be attempting the port if it didn’t think it was possible. If you want to know more about the effort, Armature’s technical director and co-founder Jack Mathews talked Gamasutra through the the company’s plans for porting the engine.
Filed under: Gaming, Sony, Nintendo
Source: Kickstarter
‘Halo’ dart guns are perfect for the galactic war in your backyard
Need something to take your Master Chief Collection frustrations out with? Then these Halo branded Nerf foam-dart guns from BOOMco might be right up your alley. For $30 you get toy versions of the sci-fi series’ M6 Blaster pistol and and the alien Covenant Plasma Overcharge Blaster, a target, foam ammo and a gun case modeled after those you’d find in-game. As reseller MattyCollector writes in the product listing, these are apparently accurate up to 70 feet too. You can pre-order them through the site right now, but the catch is you have to pick them up in San Diego at Comic Con this year. A number of the armaments will be sold at the Mattel booth as well. You’ve already gotten your tickets and booked a hotel, right? If not you can try your luck for the “limited” supply that’s going to Toys R Us’ website after the show, sans the SDCC-exclusive case pictured below.
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment
Via: Toyland
Source: MattyCollector
Sony shifts to pricey game rentals in UK PlayStation Now beta
Sony kicked off closed beta testing of its PlayStation Now game streaming service in the UK a couple of months ago, and now it’s time to talk turkey. Beta participants previously had unrestricted access to the PS Now streaming catalogue, but Sony’s just started experimenting with rental pricing. A full-fat PS3 title now costs £5 to rent for two days, or £10 if you want to stretch that to a 30-day term; PS3-era PlayStation Network games are slightly cheaper at £3 and £8 for two- and 30-day rental periods, respectively. Bear in mind, PS Now is still in the early stages of beta testing in the UK, and Sony’s made it clear that it’ll be playing around with “different rental options at different price points.”
This means Sony can alter rental terms and their prices as much as it likes to get a feel for what works best. That said, these initial offerings give us at least a vague indication of what Sony would like us to pay for the convenience of on-demand gaming. Across the pond, where PS Now is fully launched, game rentals can last anywhere from four hours to 90 days, so you can expect more timespans to come to the UK beta in due course. In the US, you can also pay $20 per month (roughly £13) for unlimited access to the full PS Now library, and it’ll be interesting to see what Sony thinks us Brits are willing to shell out for the same privilege.
Via: Eurogamer
‘Hellblade’ is a terrifying journey through one person’s mental hell
Hellblade has been shrouded in shadows since its announcement at Gamescom last year, but the veil is finally lifting. Developed by Enslaved, Heavenly Sword and DmC: Devil May Cry studio Ninja Theory, Hellblade is a dark, fantastical battle through the mind of the Celtic warrior Senua. Senua suffers from anxiety, depression, hallucinations and delusions, and the game presents some of these intangibles as literal demons for Senua to destroy. The studio wants to treat the subject with respect: The Hellblade team is working with Paul Fletcher, a professor of Health Neuroscience at the University of Cambridge, and the game is supported by global mental-health foundation Wellcome Trust.
“Developing Hellblade independently gives us the freedom to tackle a subject as challenging as mental health,” Ninja Theory says. “It is a subject that we are handling with all the respect it deserves, ensuring that our portrayal of Senua’s condition is both accurate and sensitive.”
Hellblade is coming to PlayStation 4 and PC in 2016. See the game’s E3 video below and check out the developer diary outlining Ninja Theory’s approach to mental health issues here.
Source: Hellblade
‘Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons’ coming to PS4, Xbox One and mobile
At this point in the PlayStation 4’s and Xbox One’s lifecycle, they almost seem more like “in case you missed it” machines than those offering brand new experiences. That isn’t always a bad thing though, and especially not where the excellent Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons is concerned. Starbreeze Studio’s heartbreaking indie hits Microsoft and Sony’s latest consoles “this holiday season” according to a press release. Furthermore, IGN reports that it’ll feature a few new additions as well, including a director’s commentary track, a concept art gallery and a soundtrack. And if you’ve heard your console-owning pals raving about the game but don’t own one (or a PC) yourself, Brothers will hit the App Store and Google Play later this year as well. Just make sure you’re not playing in public toward the end — trust us.
[The screenshot above is from the game’s Xbox 360 version]
Filed under: Cellphones, Gaming, Home Entertainment, HD, Mobile, Sony, Microsoft
Source: IGN
I strapped on a harness to fly in a virtual world
I flew over snowcapped mountains with the wind in my face. Actually the mountains were virtual and the wind was just two fans blowing at my head. But, if you’ve ever wanted to be Superman, the folks at Mindride have you covered. That is if you’re fine being strapped into a harness and shoving a sweat soaked Oculus Rift on your face.
At the annual AWE (Augmented World Expo), virtual reality experience company Mindride showed off a demo of its latest interactive experience. The Airflow “ride” places individuals in a harness and hangs them horizontally in the classic flying position. It then recreates soaring through the air thanks to an Oculus Rift and some motion trackers placed on your arms. Because I lack the time and expendable cash to start leaping off mountains and out of planes with a wingsuit and I’m pretty sure jetpacks will never actually be a thing, this seemed like my best option to soar through the heavens.
First off, like most VR experiences, you look pretty ridiculous to an observer. Also, thanks to the odd purple-tinted room at the Santa Clara Convention Center it kind of looked like I’d joined a sex club with very low standards. But, once I had gone through the strap in, trained the system to identify my movements with the assistance of the very nice staff and placed a sweat covered Rift on my face, I was ready to enjoy the power of flight.
The experience itself was fun. It wasn’t mind blowing or life changing. It was more, “hey this is new because I’m not sitting in a chair or standing up.” To be fair, the system is still a prototype. The graphics are sub-par and I quickly reached the edge of the mountains I was flying through. But I sort of felt like I was actually flying thanks to the VR world, the fans and of course the harness. In my experience, sort of flying is better than not flying.
I’ve never tried a Mindride experience before, so I can only assume based on the well-lit photos on their site that Mindride produces some high-quality experiences. I’m pretty sure the Airflow will be tweaked before being introduced to the general public. According to a post about the experience this first version of Airflow was built with only four poses to control your flight. But even with just those poses and the head gestures, the Airflow demo was already fully booked at the event.
VR gives us the opportunity to do things we wouldn’t normally do without putting our lives in danger. Games are the easy pitch, but experiences might be what gets the population more comfortable with VR in their home and as an activity worth dropping a few bucks on. Because even if you look a bit odd to the outside world, who doesn’t want to be Superman?
Filed under: Misc, Gaming, Wearables
Source: Mindride
Twitch rolls out a private-message system called Whisper
Psst. We heard something about Twitch that you might enjoy. Lean in. A little closer. A little closer. Perfect: You can now send private messages to friends on Twitch, even if your buddies are watching different streams than you at the time. It’s a feature called Whisper and it works by typing “/w” in a Twitch chat box, followed by the username you want to chat with. This creates a message that only you and your friend can see. For now, Whisper messages populate in the standard Twitch chat window and you can’t set up private group messages, but the company is working to establish pop-out private messages and offline delivery. And, of course, you can block Whisper messages from certain users and dictate privacy preferences in Settings. See what those options look like below.
Source: Twitch
Don’t spill your mead in the new ‘Hearthstone’ Tavern Brawl mode
Hearthstone, the massively popular digital card game from Blizzard, is getting a new mode that pits players against each other, one-on-one, in weekly battles with special rules. The mode is called Tavern Brawl and it’s due to launch in mid-June. Tavern Brawl allows players to battle strangers or friends, though only for a limited time each week. “One week might feature preset decks, while another week could have you crafting a brand new Tavern Brawl deck following specific guidelines, while others might offer buffs to specific minion types-who knows!” Blizzard writes.
Tavern Brawl will be free “when the new mode becomes available” — which could imply charges in the future — and players will need at least a level-20 Hero before joining the fray. Otherwise, Tavern Brawl hits Hearthstone in patch 2.7 later this month. Also in that update, grab some customizable decks and new Heroes.
Huh, that’s new! #Hearthstone pic.twitter.com/zpA0McRqha
– Hearthstone (@PlayHearthstone) June 8, 2015
Source: Battle.net
‘Hyrule Warriors’ hacks and slashes its way to 3DS
Hyrule Warriors, the Zelda-themed hack-and-slash game that hit Wii U in 2014, is on its way to 3DS, according to a new Japanese trailer. The 3DS version comes from Wii U developers Omega Force and Team Ninja, and of course Japanese publisher Koei Tecmo. It looks like the pirate Tetra and the King of Hyrule are playable characters in the 3DS edition, and the final frames of the new trailer suggest compatibility with the Wii U version. The video’s title says, “Announced at E3,” and you better believe we’ll break out all of the Hylian information directly from the show, which runs from June 16th to 18th. In the meantime, we’ve reached out to Nintendo for more information about Hyrule Warriors on 3DS.
Source: YouTube
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