Gamespy’s multiplayer servers are going dark, be prepared
Even if you’ve only played a handful games with online multiplayer in the past dozen years, chances are that at least a few of your sessions have been powered by Gamespy’s back-end tech. On May 31st, the company is shutting down its servers for good, and as a result, a bunch of games are losing their online capabilities. For console games, that largely amounts to multiplayer. For certain PC titles though, that also includes authentication servers for CD keys — losing those means losing access to the game itself. You probably weren’t playing most of what Gamespy’s listed anymore (WWE SmackDown vs Raw 2009 on PS3, anyone?), though, and a good deal of what’s there are somewhat obscure Wii, DS and PC titles. There are, however, high-profile stand-outs: most anything from Rockstar Games and Activision, or the PS3 version of Borderlands and the hardcore military-sim (and basis for DayZ) ARMA series, for instance.
What about those? Well, according to IGN‘s sources, GameSpy’s parent company has been working with some developers and publishers, including Rockstar, to migrate to different platforms for around two years. Activision said that its players won’t be affected, and ARMA-developer Bohemia Interactive is “very near” to finding a solution, but couldn’t share many details. Gearbox Software, the studio responsible for Borderlands, passed the buck to its publisher 2K Games, which declined to comment. As gaming moves further into a future that’s ever-more reliant on the internet, these types of things will likely (perhaps inevitably) continue to happen. After all, justifying the cost involved for keeping servers active for a relatively small number of people can be hard to justify. We’ve reached out to 2K ourselves, and will update this post should we hear back.
[Image credit: Paul Cross/Flickr]
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, Networking, Internet, HD
Via: Gamasutra
Source: GameSpy (1), (2)
The Engadget Podcast is live at 12PM ET!
Spring is in the air, our TVs are on Fire, and we’re all back together once again for another episode of The Engadget Podcast. Amazon wasn’t the only circus in town this week; Microsoft’s Build conference enthralled gaggles of developers with talk of Windows 8.1, Windows Phone 8.1, and a fictional blue AI lending her voice to the latter via Cortana. Oh, and Apple finally announced their big TV initiative. APRIL FOOLS!
Join us at noon ET in the stream below! Bring your questions, and a donut or two wouldn’t hurt. We like donuts.
Microsoft cleared to exhume E.T. from landfill for original documentary
Microsoft’s been given the go-ahead to dig through a New Mexico landfill in the hunt for dumped copies of Atari 2600 title E.T., local media reports. Not without aim, of course, but so Xbox Entertainment Studios can collect crucial material for its first original documentary, which’ll look into the alleged mass burial of unsold copies of the game. Released in late 1982 when the video game industry, including Atari, was struggling, E.T. was universally panned and a commercial flop. With millions of cartridges returned by retailers, gaming lore has it that Atari quietly shipped off this useless inventory, among other unwanted paraphernalia, to a landfill site. Opinions are mixed and evidence inconclusive as to whether this actually took place, though, hence a documentary to get to the bottom of it. As much as we’d almost prefer the mystery to remain one, let’s hope Microsoft come across something or there mightn’t be a documentary at all.
Filed under: Gaming, HD, Microsoft
Via: Pocket-lint, Polygon
Source: Alamagordo News
Microsoft’s Surface Pro 2 ‘Geek’ bundle includes free Xbox controller and games
If you’ve considered the Surface Pro 2 to be more than just a portable workstation, then Microsoft’s latest tablet bundle might pique your interest. In collaboration with online culture show Geek & Sundry, the company has quietly pushed live a new gaming deal on its virtual store in the US and Canada that throws in $105 worth of free games and accessories. For $899, the price of the base 64GB Surface Pro 2 model that’s already included, you’ll also get a wireless Xbox 360 controller and two games: Farming Simulator 2013 and a premium pack for free-to-play WWII flying simulator War Thunder Mustang. To be clear, neither title will ever vie for any gaming awards, but you can’t argue with free, right? Microsoft intends to run the offer until May 1st or until stocks run out, whichever comes sooner, so if you’ve been waiting for the right opportunity to grab yourself a Surface Pro 2, now might be the time to click in.
Filed under: Gaming, Tablets, Software, Microsoft
Via: Ubergizmo
Source: Microsoft Store
The former lead for Uncharted is heading up a new Star Wars game
One of the talents that helped define the last generation of console games has a new home. Amy Hennig, the creative director and lead writer of Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune and its PS3 sequels recently joined the team at Visceral Games (best known for the Dead Space series), where she’ll serve as creative director for its in-development Star Wars title. This comes after she abruptly ended her decade-long tenure at developer Naughty Dog early last month.
At first, the idea of Visceral working on a game set in that galaxy far, far away almost suggested something in the vein of survival horror, given the studio’s pedigree. Hennig’s hiring throws a bit of a curve-ball to expectations, though, especially with her expertise in creating a believable group of rag-tag adventurers; her style is pretty much a perfect fit for Star Wars. We likely won’t see this game for awhile yet (especially considering DICE’s in-the-works Battlefront sequel was teased last year), but this news is almost enough to make us forget that the travesty of Dead Space 3 ever happened.
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, HD
Via: Joystiq
Source: EA
Digital Storm’s revamped gaming laptops boast high-end GeForce 800M graphics
If you’ve been waiting for a gaming laptop that wrings the most performance out of NVIDIA’s new GeForce 800M graphics chips, you may want to check out Digital Storm’s freshly revamped laptop line. The Javelin, Lance, Krypton and Behemoth all carry fast dedicated video, ranging from the GeForce GTX 860M (in everything but the Behemoth) all the way to dual GTX 880M chips in higher-end Krypton and Behemoth models. Beyond that, you’re mostly paying for screen size and frills. The Lance starts things off at $1,196 for a 15.6-inch 1080p screen, a quad-core 2.4GHz Core i7, 8GB of RAM and a 750GB hard drive. Step up to the $1,430 Lance and you’ll get both improved cooling and audio alongside minor spec bumps; the $1,478 Krypton adds a 17.3-inch screen, while the $2,289 Behemoth takes a big leap forward in speed with a GTX 880M GPU, 16GB of RAM and a 128GB solid-state primary drive. All of Digital Storm’s latest portables are available to order today.
Filed under: Gaming, Laptops, NVIDIA
Source: Digital Storm
Jaunt VR wants to capture the real world and put it in an Oculus Rift
When Mark Zuckerberg bought Oculus VR last month, he was looking beyond gaming. “Imagine enjoying a court side seat at a game,” he said. “or consulting with a doctor face-to-face.” Oculus’ developing VR headgear can do more than transport us to virtual worlds — it can help us experience the real one, too. The trick, however, is you have to figure out how to capture the world in 360-degrees before you can share it. Turns out, there’s a company working on that; it calls itself Jaunt.
“We’re basically trying to create the methodology for making content like this,” Jaunt CEO Jens Christensen explains. “We call it cinematic VR.” Christensen’s company is hoping to build the foundation that stereoscopic 3D VR filmmaking will stand on — a full-stack solution for creating cinema-quality virtual experiences. This amounts to specialized camera hardware, computational photography algorithms, specialized plugins for popular editing suites and purpose-built software. “It’s actually very hard,” the CEO joked with us. “You can’t have a camera man, he’d be in the shot.”
Peering through an Oculus Rift at the company’s test footage, we can see what he means. Jaunt’s prototype camera captures a sweeping 360-degree view, and sees everything except for a small area just below the viewer’s feet. Our hosts point out a tree in a scene of monks practicing kung fu, outing it as the director’s cover. The scenes are convincing and immersive, but imperfect — the majestic view of San Francisco’s Golden Gate is a little less breathtaking when you can see where the separate bits of footage are stitched together. Christensen explains that the camera, software and algorithms are all still in the prototype phase. “This is a new problem, shooting in this media. You can’t just attack one part of it.”
Jaunt hopes to make its tools available for VR-minded filmmakers later this year, but wouldn’t tell us specifics about who it’s partnered with or how VR films, once made, would be distributed. Either way, funding won’t be a problem: the company announced today that it has secured $6.8 million in venture capital to refine its end-to-end production solution.
Filed under: Gaming, Internet, Facebook
Source: Jaunt VR
This is what it’s like to operate an arcade claw machine using just gestures (video)
We knew gesture cameras will be making their way to computers and mobile devices this year, but seeing one on the classic claw crane was a pleasant surprise for us. This IDF tech demo was courtesy of a Guangzhou company called The Best Sync, and according to Intel VP Doug Fisher, it only took three days to develop this project using Intel’s RealSense technology — as represented here by the Creative Interactive Gesture Camera (co-developed by SoftKinetic). The gestures were simple: move your hand in one of the four directions to position the claw, and clench your fist to drop it on the dolls. The joystick replacement didn’t make the game any easier, but it seemed like everyone still had fun with it. Well, at least this author did, as you can see in our video after the break.
Ridley Scott is working on a Halo project for Microsoft
Remember that Halo film that wasn’t happening? Microsoft representatives have confirmed that the old rumors are true: a Halo feature is in the works, and it’s being produced by Ridley Scott (Blade Runner, Alien, Prometheus, Call of Duty Elite: Friday Night Fights). Unfortunately, the confirmation is intentionally vague, offering no other information save for the project’s director (Battlestar Galactica’s Sergio Mimica-Gezzan) and a promise that it won’t overlap with Spielberg’s TV series. It’s described as a “digital feature project,” which implies that the production will end up skip the box office entirely. Well, either that, or Microsoft is just really excited about the kind of cameras it’s using. According to Variety, it could be something similar to the Halo: Forward Unto Dawn short-form episodes. We’ll find out pretty soon, regardless — the project is set for release sometime later this year.
Filed under: Gaming, HD, Microsoft
Source: Joystiq
Blizzard takes a stab at mobile gaming, brings its free card game to the iPad
Blizzard hasn’t really had a presence in mobile gaming… not unless you think the Battle.net Authenticator is rip-roaring entertainment, anyway. However, the developer is giving the category an honest try today by releasing Hearthstone for the iPad. Much like on the desktop, the free-to-play card game lets you fight both real and virtual opponents as you build up a collection of Warcraft-themed minions and spells. Decks sync between devices, so you won’t have to start from scratch. The title is currently available on the App Store in Australia, Canada and New Zealand; more countries are coming soon, and those using Android, iPhones and Windows tablets can also expect to play in the near future. The iPad app isn’t likely to replicate the off-the-charts success of Blizzard’s PC titles, but the company has to start somewhere. And besides, we’ve seen the problems that some major game producers have faced after downplaying the importance of phones and tablets — Blizzard may be wise to cover its bases.
Via: AppAdvice
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