Real FX lets you race against robot toy cars, no mobile app required
Sure, Anki Drive put robotic toy cars on the map, but it’s not ideal — not everyone can justify giving their kids iOS devices just to steer plastic vehicles. You won’t have that issue if Wow Labs gets its Real FX kit on to store shelves. The system blends conventional RC handsets with smart, optically guided cars; all you do to play against artificial intelligence is switch a racer’s handset to “pace car.” You don’t have to settle for fixed course designs, either, since you can build them piece-by-piece.
If you want to give Real FX a whirl when it ships in October, you’ll have to make a pledge to its Kickstarter campaign. Pitching in at least £80 ($136) gets you a starter set with two cars and 12 track pieces, while a pro set with 39 track pieces will cost you £150 ($255). Only the basic equipment is clearly cheaper than Anki’s, but either bundle may represent a much, much larger bargain if you don’t already have iOS gadgets hanging around.
Filed under: Gaming, Household
Via: Autoblog
Source: Kickstarter
Razer’s making a gaming ‘micro-console’ with Android TV, available this fall
The company behind crazy devices like the Razer Edge and Project Christine is getting into game console creation as well. Razer’s employing Google’s Android TV initiative to create a game-focused “micro-console” and it’s arriving this fall. So, what does it do? Razer’s only offering a teensy bit of details, but what we know thus far sounds impressive. The micro-console can “stream movies, music and other apps for large-screen entertainment,” says Razer, “with an emphasis on gaming.” Sounds a lot like Amazon’s Fire TV, no? The difference here is that Razer’s also promising “hardcore” gaming, though we’re not hearing exactly how it will pull that off just yet (we asked!).
The same goes for what’s inside the Razer micro-console in terms of horsepower and connectivity — we’ve got no idea just yet. Internal storage? No idea. Price? Same situation. Actually, what Razer’s saying is, “In keeping with the spirit of Google I/O, we will not be discussing specific product details at this time.” Pretty funny you guys!
Anyway, in terms of gaming-specific applications, we also don’t know how you’ll control games on the device. Bluetooth game controllers? A custom controller? While we expect it’ll support Bluetooth, Razer’s not saying just yet. As for interface navigation, that’ll be handled by the Android TV app you heard about earlier today. There’s also some form of voice control, which we expect depends on your phone’s mic (though it’s always possible one’s built into a custom gamepad — we’ve got a lot of questions!).
Razer’s not offering hands-on opps today, and the image you see above is actually a render. As a result, it’ll be a few before we can offer more details on Razer’s first console experiment. For now…well, it sounds neat, right? Razer makes nice hardware and knows how to cater to gamers. Consider us cautiously excited.
Chromecast can finally mirror your Android device’s screen
Which is better, huddling around a 5-inch screen or a 50-inch TV? Google is making that answer a lot easier with a few upgrades to its HDMI dongle. Chromecast can mirror your device’s screen to the flat-panel in your living room. The stage demo included using Google Earth and even Android’s video camera app. Even more than that, the HDMI dongle is getting a little more personalized too. What’s more, you know those pretty-looking images that populate your TV screen when you’re using the device? They’re about to get a little more tailored to you. You can customize the images of that ambient feed (seen when idle) with your own personal Google+ photo albums.
Not happy with your own pics or just don’t use G+ for photo storage? You can enable geographically filtered pictures from Google’s vast image catalog, too. These albums are curated by Google, so they’re ensured (in theory) to be safe and high quality. The feature is dubbed Backdrop, and it’s rolling out to all users this summer. If you’re still not happy with those choices, the search giant says it’s working to open this up to third-party developers, too — the likes of Flickr and 500px images are about to go prime time.
Mountain View’s HDMI dongle add-ons aren’t stopping there, either. Google announced today that other users can cast to your TV without being on the same WiFi network now, too. This is pretty neat if you don’t want to give out your password or go through the arduous process of getting a long, mixed-character sequence right. All your pals will need to do is enter the PIN on the screen; Google determines that they’re in the same room by location. Seems pretty simple.
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, HD, Mobile, Google
Nintendo wants a future where consoles and handhelds run the same games
Nintendo’s financial struggles are well noted, but a new interview with the gaming giant’s Shigeru Miyamoto reveals that its experiencing some creative hardships too. For example, the differences in architecture between the Wii U and the 3DS handheld have made developing games that are playable on both systems (a la what Sony has been doing with certain PlayStation 3/4 and Vita titles for the past few years) a pain for the company, according to Kotaku. Miyamoto says that moving forward, Nintendo is looking at what it can do to bring the two development environments together — something that could open the door to buying a game once and playing it on either a home console or a handheld.
If you have a more unified development environment and you’re able to make one game that runs on both systems instead of having to make a game for each system, that’s an area of opportunity for us.
Considering how the company has addressed the complaints leveled at it recently, specifically regarding the shortcomings of the Wii U, this bodes well for whatever Nintendo has planned for the future. It’s important to note, however, that when Miyamoto speaks about these new possibilities that he doesn’t specify if they’ll make it to current hardware. Whether that means they’re features that’ll appear on the in-development new console or something else entirely is anyone’s guess.
[Image credit: MIGUEL RIOPA / Getty Images]
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, HD, Nintendo
Source: Kotaku
Watch 168 hours of great games played live, really fast, right here
You can’t complete Super Mario 64 in under 10 minutes. Okay, it’s technically possible, but you almost assuredly cannot. That’s okay! We can’t either, but groups like Games Done Quick make it so we can watch the best of the best without any of the hard work. Of course, it’s not just Super Mario 64; as the group’s name implies, they play all types of games, and they play them quickly. Maybe you’ve heard of this practice before? It’s called “speedrunning,” and the result of said practice is, naturally, “speedruns.” We’re gonna just be straight up here: we heart speedruns. They’re the best. And twice each year, Games Done Quick has a week-long blowout where they stream live speedruns of awesome games all day, every day. But why? For charity! This summer, it’s Doctors Without Borders.
As such, we’re dropping this pin in Engadget for you to watch the stream all week. Lest you forget, we’ll remind you daily on social media that the madness is still going. Head below and see for yourself!
Wondering when your favorite game is coming? The schedule is right here, and the stream runs non-stop until June 29th. If the games don’t do it for you, the amazing commentary should. And hey, it’s for charity you monster!
Filed under: Gaming, Software, HD, Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo
Source: Games Done Quick
South Korea debates the wisdom of a video game addiction law
South Korea takes gaming more seriously than most other counties: eSports tournaments air on TV, game-friendly cafes are everywhere and StarCraft is practically a cultural institution. However, there’s a concern that some are taking it too seriously, to the point that they’re putting lives (including their own) at risk. To that end, the Democratic Party of Korea recently hosted a debate regarding a proposed game addiction law that would regulate video games as addictive substances, much like alcohol or drugs. The government, industry figures and professors discussed whether or not the law would fight addiction or risk backfiring.
There are already some anti-addiction measures in place; in addition to voluntary restrictions, Korea has a Shutdown Law that prevents anyone under 16 from playing between midnight and 6AM. With that said, multiple people at the panel argued that classifying games as addictive substances would take things too far. Many think of gaming as art, and regulating it could be considered an attack on both free speech and economic growth.
Educators and game industry advocates also contended that addictive behavior was more the symptom of cultural problems than the fault of games. Students don’t have much free time in the country, and they frequently use games to cope with school-related stress. As previous studies have suggested, addiction is more likely to reflect existing mental health issues than spring from the games themselves. Outside of that, parental influence is a key factor. A broken home, or parents who just don’t understand gaming, may lead to imbalanced children who don’t know when to stop playing and start interacting with other people.
The debate isn’t necessarily going to dissuade politicians from pushing the addiction law through. However, it suggests that they may be reacting more to fears and stigmas than the on-the-ground reality. The legal restrictions could be useful as a form of large-scale experiment in fighting compulsive behavior, but the critics believe that it’s smarter to get parents playing a bigger role in their kids’ lives.
[Image credit: Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images]
Filed under: Gaming
Via: CNET
Source: Korea Herald (translated)
Sky Go streaming no longer free on Xbox 360 from July 29th
Sky has begun to inform Xbox 360 owners who watch TV on their console via the Sky Go app that come the end of July, they’ll need to start paying for the privilege. Sky Go is free to anyone with a subscription to the satellite TV service, and allows you to use your smartphone, tablet, computer or console (for the next month, anyway) to watch TV when you’re out of set-top box range. Sky Go Extra is a paid version that also lets you download content for offline viewing, as well as upping the number of devices you can use to four instead of two. It’s this Extra tier that Xbox 360 users will need to pony up £5 per month for (after an introductory price of half that) if they wish to continue using Sky Go on their console after July 29th. This only affects the 360 currently, and ironically it comes just after Microsoft cut the requirement for a paid Xbox Live Gold account to use video streaming apps. With Sky Go coming to the PS3 and PS4 later this summer, however, it feels very much like Sky is making a calculated move to turn a free service into a paid one just before a bunch more people get access.
[Image credit: Alfred Hermida/Flickr]
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, Internet
Via: Digital Spy
Source: Sky Community forum
How would you change the OUYA (founding backer edition)?
OUYA was one of Kickstarter’s biggest success stories, and in a way, we all felt a little chunk of pride. After all, this was a console that the community had created, which would topple Sony and Microsoft’s duopoly at the top of the gaming market, all for just $100. The higher the promises, and our expectations rose, however, the further they had to fall. When our Tim Stevens reviewed the first edition of the hardware, he found that the controller and UI fell far short of what was expected. The game library was nothing to be excited about, and the company is now offering its games store on other platforms — somewhat negating the point of the console in the first place. So, our question to all of you is this: had you been sat in those initial meetings with Julie Uhrman and Yves Behar, what would you have told them to do differently?
Source: Engadget Product Forums
Playing ‘Death from Above’ with Oculus Rift
Last time we played a virtual reality game built by the folks from Chaotic Moon, we were giving a bunch of digital sharks the business with our Engadget fists of fury. Friday night at Engadget Live in Austin, we played a new game, called Death from Above, that pitted editor against editor. The game itself is fairly simple: drive a Jeep over hill and dale to the safety of a bunker while a second player attempts to bomb said Jeep into oblivion. The driver straps on an original Oculus Rift dev kit headset, some headphones and uses a Logitech racing wheel and pedal combo to pilot the Jeep, while player two rains death using an iPad and a companion app. It’s a unique take on VR gameplay, and one that allows for a more social gaming experience. Also, it’s a lot of fun.
Driving the Jeep was an intense experience once the bombs start falling. Graphics aren’t up to par with say, next-gen consoles, simply because the resolution of the OG Rift headset can’t display such fidelity. Still, Death from Above uses the Unity game engine, so it’ll get there once Chaotic Moon gets the game running on a high definition DK2 headset. Regardless, it’s a blast to play. I found my pulse quickening and I started white knuckling the steering wheel once i was enveloped in digital smoke and flame from falling bombs. Every other time I’ve played a VR game with the Oculus Rift, it’s been a visceral, engaging experience, and Death from Above is no different.
The game is highly entertaining for the player dropping bombs, too. iPad in hand, you get an overhead view of the area the driver’s traversing and a targeting reticle that follows where you tap your finger on screen. There’s a delay between when you tap and when the bombs actually land, so leading the jeep is key to success. In short order, bloodlust set in, with folks cheering the bomb dropper as the driver swerves all over the map in an effort to survive. In my experience, the bomber has the advantage over the bombee — I played as a driver six times, and was only able to make it to the safety of the bunker twice.
I highly recommend you check out the game if you get the chance… and if you weren’t among the attendees in Austin who played, fear not. Chaotic Moon will be bringing Death from Above to Engadget Expand in NYC this November.
Edgar Alvarez and Zach Honig contributed to this report.
‘Sunset Overdrive’ shows Ubisoft just how easy it is to put female assassins in a game
We’re pretty big fans of Insomniac Games’ upcoming Xbox One release Sunset Overdrive ’round these parts, but now that love has grown a bit more. In the latest episode of the development team’s web series, noticed by Eurogamer, it was revealed that you can create a female avatar in the game. What’s more, if you want to be a dude in a skirt, you can totally be a dude in a skirt — Insomniac isn’t really worried about it either way. The funny part of this is that the female character that’s shown is dressed in garb that looks pretty similar to what we’ve seen a certain male killer from Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed 2 wear. If you’re asking yourself what all of this means, well, last week Ubisoft said putting playable female characters in the franchise’s next entry, Assassin’s Creed: Unity, would require resources the team simply doesn’t have.
This move from the Overdrive developer seems a pretty overt (while still lighthearted) shot across the bow. If you ask us, games could stand to be more inclusive, especially considering that 48% of gamers are women; this is a step in the right direction. Cheers, Insomniac.
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, HD
Via: Eurogamer
Source: Sunset Overdrive (YouTube)
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