Google’s Nexus Player offers streaming and gaming for $99
Remember the Nexus Q? Yeah, we’d rather forget it, too. Google regained its streaming cred with the Chromecast, and now it’s looking to offer up another set-top box. The compact Nexus Player will handle streaming, games and run Android apps. An included remote wrangles navigation with voice controls for finding the content you’re after on the ASUS-made gadget. For those gaming sessions, a $39 controller can be tacked on as an additional purchase.
The Nexus Player will offer much of the same functionality as Mountain View’s diminutive dongle, adding the ability to leverage those mobile apps as well. It’s also the first device to run Android TV, an effort detailed back at I/O and promised to arrive alongside Android L, er… Lollipop. And yes, you’ll be able to “cast” stuffs from other devices to your TV. In terms of content options, you can expect Netflix, Hulu, Food Network, Travel Channel and more for now — but there’s no mention of either WatchESPN or HBO Go. Inside, the unit packs a 1.8GHz quad-core Intel Atom processor, 1GB RAM, 8GB of storage and Imagination PowerVR Series 6 graphics. Intel tells us that 64-bit chip is capable of “console-like graphics” alongside 1080p video streaming. As you might expect, the Player will connect to your TV via HDMI with WiFi for grabbing content and Bluetooth for the included remote.
If all of that sounds somewhat familiar, Amazon’s Fire TV touts a similar set of entertainment abilities for the same price. Of course, one taps into Prime Instant Video while the other leverages the Google Play repository. Speaking of cost, the $99 unit will be available on November 3rd, however if you’re anxious to lock one down, you can pre-order the Nexus Player on October 17th.
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, Google
Source: Google
Microsoft’s got another Halo game for 2014: ‘Halo: Spartan Strike’ headed to Windows 8 and Steam
Image from Halo: Spartan Assault
Apparently Halo‘s top-down mobile version was successful enough to warrant a second go, as Microsoft’s planning a December launch for Halo: Spartan Strike. But what is Halo: Spartan Strike? It’s a direct sequel to last year’s Spartan Assault, and it features an unnamed Master Chief-esque super soldier shooting, driving and grenading his way through a variety of Halo-flavored worlds. To be totally clear: it’s a twin-stick, top-down shooter made by the same folks who made last year’s mobile Halo (Vanguard). You’ll see New Mombasa! You’ll see a Halo-based area! You’ll see…some jungle! Sadly, we can’t actually show you any of that, as Microsoft’s worked out some form of exclusivity with another outlet. We even played a bit of it, but we can’t actually tell you how that went because of the aforementioned exclusive. Pretty dumb, right?
What we can tell you is that Halo: Spartan Strike will cost $6 when it arrives on Windows 8 devices (from Surface to phones to PC) and Steam this December 14th. The marketing gentleman from Microsoft said the game will remain exclusive to Windows 8 and PC — unlike the previous game, which ended up on consoles as well — but we don’t believe him. You probably shouldn’t either.
Gaming culture critic Sarkeesian cancels speech after school shooting threats
Following threats of extreme violence at Utah State University, feminist culture-critic Anita Sarkeesian has cancelled her speech at the school scheduled for Wednesday. This morning, someone claiming to be a student at the university emailed staff members, saying that he or she would commit “the deadliest school shooting in American history” if the event wasn’t cancelled, according to Utah newspaper The Standard Examiner. The email’s author says that feminists have ruined their life and promised a “Montreal Massacre-style attack,” stating that he or she possesses a variety of firearms and explosives and that no one in attendance or at the campus’ Women’s Center would be able to defend themselves should the lecture take place. This isn’t the first time Sarkeesian has come under threat, either — let alone the first time this year.
Recently, Sarkeesian has spoken out against violence being committed against female characters in video games via her Tropes vs. Women in Games video series. Dissenters are making their disapproval known with death threats. And those dissenters? Some are extreme members of the GamerGate movement — the online group that bombarded Intel with requests for the company to pull its advertisement from Gamasutra earlier this month. While GamerGate has origins in a quest for more ethical journalism in the gaming community, it’s been co-opted by people keen on threatening female game developers and their families with rape and other violence. For a detailed breakdown of exactly what GamerGate is, be sure to read Deadspin‘s explainer on the subject.
Anita Sarkeesian has canceled her speech scheduled for tomorrow at USU. University classes and business will continue as scheduled.
– USUAggies (@USUAggies) October 15, 2014
Let’s be real for a second. #gamergate is the new name for a group that has been harassing me for 2 years. All the same users are involved.
– Feminist Frequency (@femfreq) October 13, 2014
Multiple specific threats made stating intent to kill me & feminists at USU. For the record one threat did claim affiliation with #gamergate
– Feminist Frequency (@femfreq) October 15, 2014
At this point supporting #gamergate is implicitly supporting the harassment of women in the gaming industry.
– Feminist Frequency (@femfreq) October 15, 2014
I’m safe. I will continue my work. I will continue speaking out. The whole game industry must stand up against the harassment of women.
– Feminist Frequency (@femfreq) October 15, 2014
[Image credit: Infomastern/Flickr]
Filed under: Gaming, Internet, HD
Via: Kotaku
Source: The Standard Examiner
You can now watch Vine videos on Xbox One, because why not
Vine’s come a long way since its early days, and now it has yet another platform it can shine on: Xbox One. With this new application for Microsoft’s gaming console, released today, users can start watching these six-second (or less) videos on a bigger screen right away. The Vine app on Xbox One comes with an interface that will be familiar to regular fans of the service, featuring Trending Tags, Playlists, Featured Users and other, more-specific categories like Comedy, DIY, Science & Tech and Sports. As Microsoft points out, this marks the fist time Vine has designed a viewing experience with TV in mind — although some people may be disappointed they can’t use Kinect to record Vines and share them directly from Xbox One. Still, let’s not forget it is only the app’s version 1.0. In the meantime, at the very least you have the option host a Vine-looping party, if that’s your sort of thing.
https://vine.co/v/MZZVZvUrAW0/embed/simple
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, Internet, HD, Microsoft
Source: Microsoft
Resident Evil is getting its own TV series
If you love Zombies, but find The Walking Dead‘s narrative a little too serious, pay attention: a campier option is coming soon. Constantin Film, the production group behind the Resident Evil movies has announced that the franchise is being adapted for television. It’s part of a larger movement to put the company’s properties on the small screen: Mortal Instruments and Perfume are also being re-worked for television. It’s not clear if the Resident Evil series will be based on the movies or a new storyline derived from the video game source material, but you’ll get at least one more adventure in the current film’s universe before it debuts — Constantin Film says the TV show won’t launch until after it completes the 6th Resident Evil feature film.
[Image credit: Pictorial Press Ltd / Alamy]
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD
Via: Geek
Source: Variety
PlayStation 4’s video editing app has a few new clip-splicing tools
Have you or someone you know actually used the PlayStation 4’s SHAREFactory app to make fancy-looking highlight reels of gaming exploits? We ask because despite is being out for awhile now, unlike photo-mode images, we still haven’t run across any samples aside from those produced by Sony. No matter, because the catch-up king is adding a handful of new features to the video-editing app anyway. In addition to new themes and saturation presets and improved audio quality, among other things, the ability to auto-trim longer clips has been added, too. From the sounds of it, this should be a pretty worthwhile patch for those who prefer to do their video-crafting and tweaking from their console as opposed to using external software. What we’re left wondering, however, is when the 2.0 firmware update (the one with Share Play and YouTube exports) for the console itself will finally hit. Maybe we could get application folders and custom themes with it too?
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, HD, Sony
Source: PlayStation Support
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The first trailer for PlayStation’s ‘Powers’ series doesn’t hold anything back
If you were worried that Sony’s transformation of Powers into a PlayStation Network show would lose the comics’ grittiness, you can (probably) relax. The first trailer for the original series is now available, and it’s pretty clear that the production maintains a dark, twisted world of superhero crime. Detective Christian Walker is foul-mouthed and not exactly sympathy-inducing, while the suspects he’s chasing are more warped than your typical comic book villains. You’ll probably have to wait until the series launch in December to see much more, but it’s already apparent that Sony is taking advantage of Powers‘ console-only release to push a few boundaries.
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, Internet, HD, Sony
Via: Kotaku
Source: PlayStation Blog
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‘Destiny’ racks up an average of 3.2 million players per day
Whether or not you believe that Destiny lives up to all the hype, there’s no doubt that it has a lot of gamers hooked. Bungie has revealed that the hybrid of shooter and online role-playing game is managing an average of 3.2 million players per day in the month since its launch — no mean feat given that even a well-established (if subscription-based) rival like World of WarCraft has 6.8 million users. That’s also more active players than the company saw during a similar period for both Halo 3 and Halo: Reach combined, so the absence of a familiar franchise clearly isn’t spooking users.
These early adopters are fairly consistent, too. People typically fire up Destiny for three hours per day spread out over roughly two sessions, and they’ve signed in about 21 times each since the title debuted a month ago. That’s not going to compare to the time spent by dedicated role-players, but it’s clear that the game isn’t just sitting idle on players’ hard drives.
Filed under: Gaming
Source: Bungie
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Sony’s ‘PlayStation Experience’ is a two-day public gaming show in Las Vegas
Sony’s holding a two-day PlayStation event in the middle of the desert, and it wants you to attend. Okay, technically Las Vegas isn’t the middle of the desert, but it’s certainly out there. What will said event entail? PlayStation social media man Sid Shuman says you’ll, “Sit in on in-depth panels, meet the industry’s best developers, score hands-on gameplay with tons of upcoming PlayStation games, collect free swag, and get a chance to purchase rare collectibles directly from their favorite game studios.” It’s kind of like PAX, basically, but all PlayStation. One more similarity to PAX? It’ll cost ya. $50 for a one-day pass, $90 for both days. If those previous activities left you still sitting on the fence about attendance, Shuman also promises, “an exclusive first look at what’s coming next in 2015, which I am told you will not want to miss.” Project Morpheus details? Maybe a PlayStation helicopter? Who knows!
Hey, if nothing else, it’s an excuse to fly to Las Vegas in December, right?
[Image credit: Sony PlayStation]
Filed under: Gaming, Software, HD, Sony
Source: Sony PlayStation
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‘Retroism’ heralds return of gaming classics from MicroProse, Accolade and others
Do you like video games? Have you been playing them for, like, 30 years? Well good news: that gum you like is going to come back in style! Okay, okay, we’re just really excited that Twin Peaks is getting a third season. But also, classic games from the likes of MicroProse, Accolade and Infogrames are being brought back to life care of Tommo and Night Dive Studios under the name “Retroism.” Starting today, Retroism is bringing back games from that trio of studios and “other iconic publishers,” and the initiative kicks off with Sid Meier’s Colonization, Pirates! Gold Plus and Covert Action.
Retroism isn’t exclusive to any particular platform, instead choosing to distribute via Steam, GOG.com, Amazon, Humble, and several others. And the two companies behind Retroism aren’t exactly new to the concept: Tommo relaunched the Neo Geo platform with Neo Geo X, while Night Dive Studios helped to bring System Shock 2 back into playable form.
Beyond this week, Retroism is aiming for weekly releases “throughout the fall,” both as individual games and in bundles. There doesn’t seem to be a defined pricing structure, nor is it clear if Retroism releases will arrive on various distribution stores all at once. Here’s hoping it doesn’t follow the Square Enix/Nintendo model of charging insanely high prices for nostalgia-fueled purchases.
Filed under: Gaming, Software, HD
Source: Tommo/Night Dive Studios
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