New Kinect for Windows arrives this summer
Amid the volley of announcements from Microsoft’s Build conference, is word that the new Kinect for Windows has a near-future release time-frame for both the hardware and its SDK. The desktop version of Microsoft’s do-all sensor will be available to the public this summer, as will its development framework. Perhaps more importantly, once they’re done, developers can publish their creations to the Windows Store; meaning, there’ll probably be more Kinect applications for Windows in one place than ever before. As Redmond tells it, this self-publishing will happen “later this summer.” Next summer (notice a theme here?), Microsoft is adding support for one of gaming’s most pervasive dev toolkits to Kinect for Windows: the Unity engine — tools developers already know the strengths and weaknesses of, which should bolster the app selection even further. Given that the Xbox One will see Unity support this year, this could mean that cross-platform apps and games are a distinct possibility. Or, maybe we’ll get a cool new bank account manager instead.
Filed under: Desktops, Gaming, Home Entertainment, HD, Microsoft
Source: Kinect for Windows Blog
Windows apps can run on Xbox, but only the ones Microsoft approves of
When Microsoft announced earlier today that universal Windows apps could run on the Xbox One, it seemed pretty…self-explanatory. A developer could easily port any Windows or Windows Phone app over to the Xbox for you to use on your TV. Right? Not exactly. Here at Build, we had the chance to sit down with Steven Guggenheimer, corporate vice president in the Developer Platform and Evangelism group, who gave us a little more insight into how this universal app thing is going to work on Xbox.
Basically, the Xbox will still very much be a curated platform (more so than Windows or Windows Phone), with the Xbox team deciding if something even makes it onto the console. What’s more, Microsoft still gets the last word on whether an app will be locked behind an Xbox Live Gold subscription. All told, then, it’s not like we’re suddenly going to see a glut of Windows apps repackaged for Xbox. To quote Guggenheimer: “Terry Myerson [EVP of Operating Systems] showed Xbox because technically you can do it.” Indeed, Myerson’s presentation today was mainly about developing apps for PCs, tablets and phones. So it’s there where you should expect to see that universal app selection.
Daily Roundup: Amazon Fire TV, Microsoft announces Windows Phone 8.1 and more!
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Amazon’s Fire TV promises a premium set-top experience
What you’re looking at is Amazon’s new Fire TV set-top box. Above all, this tiny, $99 media streamer is lightning fast thanks to its “ASAP” technology, which preloads content based upon your location in the UI. But this little black box isn’t just for TV, it plays games too.
Windows Phone 8.1 and Cortana officially revealed at Build 2014
Windows Phone 8.1 has finally arrived! Today at Build 2014, Microsoft unveiled the latest version of its mobile OS, featuring a brand new notification center (“Action Center”) and the anticipated Cortana digital assistant.
Microsoft unveils Cortana, its answer to Siri and Google Now
Earlier today, Microsoft announced Cortana, its new, Bing-powered digital assistant for Windows Phone 8.1. The search tool currently exists as a beta, but 8.1 users can access it via its own special Live Tile. What’s more, Microsoft opened the API to select developers like Hulu and Facebook.
Fire TV ‘isn’t trying’ to be a game console, but is Amazon’s first real investment in gaming
Is the Fire TV simply a gaming-capable media streamer, or vice versa? Well, we spoke with Amazon VP Pete Larsen and he assured us that the Fire TV “isn’t trying to be a game console.” Regardless of the company’s “create-a-market” approach with The set-top box, Amazon has indeed invested in the world of video games.
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Fire TV ‘isn’t trying’ to be a game console, but is Amazon’s first real investment in gaming
What is Fire TV? Well, it’s Amazon’s set-top box. Er, at least it has that functionality. But Fire TV does more than just stream media, thankfully; we’ve got plenty of devices that do that stuff. The $99 tiny black box that Amazon unveiled this morning in New York City streams media (video and music through a variety of services) and it also plays games. Despite that being half the device’s functionality, Amazon VP Pete Larsen reassured us that Fire TV “isn’t trying to be a game console.”
So, what is it trying to be then?
Good question — even Larsen doesn’t know. We asked him what product category Fire TV is aimed at. “We didn’t really think about that,” he told us. “We looked at what customers were doing with the current streaming media devices out. We tried to mine the customer reviews to find what was working and not working. And then we say to ourselves, ‘How do we solve those problems?’ Which we did, with performance, voice search and open ecosystem.”
Amazon’s “create-a-market” approach isn’t new to the company. The Kindle is but one example of Amazon creating a market by creating a product. In the case of the Fire TV, a $99 box that straddles the worlds of set-top box and game console, it’s less clear that a market is ripe for creation. Larsen disagrees. “This isn’t trying to be a console, but we do think there’s a great opportunity there in between a console and a smartphone for fun, quality games,” he told us. Time will certainly tell, but Amazon’s far from the first to broach that angle (OUYA, anyone?).
Regardless of the hardware involved, there’s no doubt that Amazon’s making a massive gaming push with Fire TV. Even if the device ultimately doesn’t succeed, Amazon’s mass-hiring veteran game devs like Kim Swift, Clint Hocking and Ian Vogel (and buying studios, like Double Helix) to build internal talent. There are swathes of internal teams working on dozens of games for Fire TV, all created in-house at Amazon Game Studios. The man heading up games for Amazon, Mike Frazzini, told us that’s exactly the idea.
“We’re taking this very seriously; we’re committed; and we’re making big investments,” he said. Frazzini spoke to the history of Amazon’s game investment, calling Game Studios “a few years” old, though it’s only within the last year that his staff really ramped up development. Indeed, the few developers on-hand at this morning’s event echoed that sentiment — Minecraft studio Mojang said it got the Fire TV build of Minecraft: Pocket Edition running in just the past few weeks (with some help from Amazon). The same goes for the folks at Telltale Games, who only first started working with the Fire TV in January (they’re jumping in headfirst on support, with The Walking Dead Season One available at launch and other Telltale Games titles arriving later this year).
At very least, even if the half-media player/half-sorta-kinda game console idea that is Fire TV doesn’t work out in the long term, Amazon’s making a seriously major investment in the world of video games. And that — regardless of the rest of today’s news — is a seriously interesting piece of news.
Using Amazon’s Fire TV gamepad (surprise: it’s pretty good!)
Surprising no one, Amazon’s Fire TV gamepad is exactly what we already saw pass through the Brazilian FCC recently. In those pictures, however, it looked rough. In real life, thankfully, it’s a much nicer piece of hardware. We’ve just spent 10 minutes playing Minecraft on a Fire TV at the event, and came away fairly impressed. It feels an awful lot like an Xbox 360 gamepad, most specifically the dual analog sticks. We’ve got more nuanced impressions beyond the break, so head below with us!
Let’s start with the analog sticks, as you’ll interact with them more than anything else. First up, they feel solid. Again, they feel a lot like a stock Xbox 360 gamepad (directional bumps and all). Along the bottom, the d-pad also feels solid (though we’d anticipate not using it too often with Android games).
Moving over to the standard four face buttons, they’re appropriately springy and responsive. We pushed A, and our Minecraft avatar leapt. We pushed forward; he moved forward. How it’s supposed to work! Alright! The only issue we encountered was one that could be a symptom of Minecraft more than the controller: input lag. When looking around, there was a noticeable lag between analog stick input and action on screen. We’ll have to test more before we call this out as a real issue, but it’s an initial concern for sure.
In terms of triggers and shoulder buttons, the Xbox 360 gamepad comparison continues. Despite looking like an OnLive controller, the Fire TV gamepad feels most like the Xbox 360 standard.
The biggest differences, of course, are the pieces that are brand-new on Amazon’s gamepad: Android buttons for Home, Back and Menu, as well as an Amazon Game Circle button. These buttons add unique functionality to the controller, enabling interaction with the Android fork running on Fire TV. Beyond that, several media controls rest along the bottom edge. They, uh, well, they function? They’re not really tantamount to gameplay input, so we’re kinda ignoring them for now.
Overall, the controller works well, feels good and costs … a bit too much. For the meantime, you can use a wired Xbox 360 controller (naturally, via USB) as well as Nyko Bluetooth controller and Amazon Games head Mike Frazzini tells us he expects many more will support Fire TV in the coming months.
Universal Windows apps are coming to your Xbox One
Many were expecting to see universal Windows apps in the Build 2014 keynote, and they have. However, Microsoft had a surprise in store — you’ll eventually see those universal apps running on the Xbox One, too. Developers will get to write apps for Windows and Windows Phone that translate to a TV screen with relatively little effort. The company hasn’t said exactly when you’ll see these multi-platform apps pop up on your game console, but we’re hoping they appear sooner than later.
Catch our Amazon video event liveblog right here!
Today’s the day when Amazon unveils…something to do with video (or so we’re told). Let’s not beat around the bush here: this is almost certainly Amazon’s long-rumored video streaming device, and may very well also be the game streaming device we’ve been hearing about (we’re guessing it’s one device that does both). Oh, and probably that Bluetooth game controller too, right? There’s gotta be some reason Amazon bought the studio that made the new Killer Instinct!
Regardless, the particulars are missing. What kind of streaming options will there be? How about onboard processing? A set-top box or a dongle (a la Chromecast)? How does this incorporate the coming army of Jeff Bezos-controlled domestic drones? Should we bring our bugout bags to the event?
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, Household, Wireless, Software, HD, Amazon
Here’s Amazon’s gamepad: standard controller layout, media functionality for $40
We all expected this, right? Yes, Amazon has a game controller, and it works with the company’s newly announced Fire TV. Sure, you could use the set-top box’s remote or an upcoming custom app to play games, but there’s a dedicated controller too that’s ready to wrangle Minecraft Pocket Edition, NBA 2K14 and titles from other big name developers Ubisoft and Take-Two. “The controller is comfortable, it’s familiar,” noted Amazon Games’ Mick Frazzini. As you might expect, this means that there’s a button, dual-thumbstick and d-pad layout similar to the Xbox’s option. With Amazon’s offering, there are skip and play/pause media controls along the bottom edge with navigation controls placed front and center. There’s even a GameCircle button that offers easy access to scores and achievements. And yes, dual triggers and a pair of shoulder buttons rest along the top edge.
Amazon’s Fire wireless game controller runs on two AA batteries and touts 55 hours of juice before needing a rest — thanks to “Intelligent power management with auto-sleep.” The accessory will set you back an additional $40, but it’ll come with 1,000 Amazon Coins and Sev Zero (an Amazon Game Studios third-person shooter) to get the action started. What’s more, the outfit says that the average price of games on its platform is around $1.85 with over 1,000 free options to boot. That’s good, because from the looks of things, Amazon’s own game devs are hard at work on a truckload of titles that are “coming soon.” If you’re itching to place your order, jump over to the source link to do just that.
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, HD, Amazon
Source: Amazon
Amazon’s first Fire TV games include in-house titles and Minecraft
Amazon’s new Fire TV media hub may be focused on video, but it’s going to have a significant game roster — including some examples from the company itself. Amazon Game Studios is building more than a dozen titles for the set-top box that include Sev Zero, a Gears of War-like sci-fi shooter. You’ll have some third-party games to choose from, of course, such a special port of Minecraft Pocket Edition, a Monsters Inc. endless runner and the arcade racer Asphalt 8. “Thousands” of games will be available within a month, and you’ll see software from major developers like Ubisoft and Take Two. While you shouldn’t count on Fire TV replacing your PS4 or Xbox One any time soon, it’s evident that you won’t be hurting for things to play.
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, HD, Amazon
Amazon quietly adds Metacritic review scores to video game listings
Amazon’s own product rating system is fine and all, but subjective reviews aren’t always as relevant as we might like, even when there’s an overwhelming consensus. Whether browsing for games online, or scanning shelves in a second-hand store, this editor always has Metacritic handy on one device or another — the well-regarded review aggregator basically has to score titles fairly by design. If you find yourself doing the same, then don’t worry about tab-hopping while walking the virtual isles of Amazon anymore, as the retailer’s quietly integrated Metacritic scores into its video game listings. It’s great for those wanting more professional guidance, but we’re only seeing on Amazon.com right now, so hopefully it’ll roll out to other regions later. New rule of thumb: avoid anything with a red box.
Filed under: Gaming, HD, Amazon
Via: Polygon
Source: Amazon.com
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