Soon you’ll be able to broadcast mobile games via Twitch.tv
Twitch.tv is ready to give your Jetpack Joyride skills the audience they deserve. The outfit has just released a mobile software toolset that will let devs enable live broadcasting, capturing and archiving of your in-game exploits on Android and iOS. With its proposed features (including chat, audio capture and options for finding streams from people playing similar games), the mobile tools essentially mirror what’s available on PC and consoles. Even with 10 million installs of Twitch’s mobile apps, however, the question that remains is if anyone will actually want to watch you play Threes.
Filed under: Cellphones, Gaming, Mobile
Xbox One’s pre-Titanfall multiplayer update goes live today: here’s everything in it
We’ve already touched on what you could expect from the Xbox One’s next update, but now it’s here. Alongside those multiplayer improvements (easier invites, chat upgrades), Twitch TV live-streaming is here (though you won’t be able to broadcast until the app is updated), as well as a new quiet mode to temper those notification pings. There’s that 5.1 Dolby Digital support and SmartGlass improvements, while Bing and Google Map control through both gestures and controllers. We’ve listed all the updates after the break, and Microsoft’s own Major Nelson has a full video tour of what’s new, too — or you can just grab the update yourself, right now. If you’re on the Xbox One preview program, you’re already running the latest version. Please stop smirking.
Improved Multiplayer & Party chat
- Cross title party chat
- Party chat on by default
- Easier multiplayer invites
- Easier multiplayer joining
- Ability to see what the people in your party are doing
Improved Friends List + Profile
- Improved friends list utility & speed of access
- Ability to see people you recently played games with
- See when friends are broadcasting, including live broadcast thumbnails in activity feed
- Get to a friend’s profile faster using type-ahead suggestions
- Contextual app menu actions on friends list and activity feed items
- Enabled more multiplayer (join and invite) actions on user profiles
- 54 new contest-winning gamerpics
Twitch TV live streaming support
- Broadcast gameplay on Twitch.TV through Xbox LIVE (When the updated Twitch app ships next wee)
- Voice support for starting and ending broadcast
Bringing out social in home
- See favorite friends currently online
- See friends broadcasting gameplay
Miscellaneous shell improvements
- Improved notification center experiences including “quiet mode”
- View Game Clips while in snap mode
- Protect user settings with passkey
Browser improvements
- Control Bing and Google maps with gesture and controller
- Quick search when highlighting a term on a page
- When searching from Bing search on the console, direct link to Internet Explorer in order to see additional web results.
New Devices – Driver and Firmware updates
- Firmware update to the Xbox One controller to support the Xbox One stereo headset adapter
- Support for 1st and 3rd party headsets
- Driver updates for the Xbox One Media Remote
SmartGlass Improvements
- Push notification to your device for Xbox Live messages
- Quickly see what a friend is doing including presence and recent
- Enhanced viewing of personal and a friend’s game progress and clips
- Ability to close snap from SmartGlass
Live TV
- 50Hz fix – users can set the Live TV app to display at 50Hz for full or fill modes
- Volume up/down adjustments – user can tailor the number of volume increments when using “volume up” or “volume down” commands
- IR blasting of power & volume to TVs/AVRs in all regions
- AVR setup maps to include model number for most sound bars or AVRs when setting up TV
Improved Audio output support
- SPDIF (optical out) now supports 5.1 Dolby Digital – enabling devices such as sound bars with only Optical In to be able to receive 5.1 Dolby Digital from console over optical
- HDMI output now supports stereo uncompressed, 5.1 uncompressed, 7.1 uncompressed or 5.1 Dolby Digital live or 5.1 DTS
Filed under: Gaming, Microsoft
Source: Major Nelson, Xbox
Pretend it’s 1994: music videos now available on Xbox One
The days of true music television may be long gone, but Microsoft has just introduced the next best thing. Xbox Music on the Xbox One now offers more than 92,000 music videos; if a given song has a matching video, you’ll see that instead of having to settle for plain old audio. You can also browse music videos if you demand visuals for every track. If you’re looking for something to do before the Xbox One’s big update hits — or just want to indulge in some TV nostalgia — you can check out the Xbox Music update today.
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, HD, Microsoft
Source: Xbox Wire
HBO Go arrives on PlayStation 3 today
It’s been a long time coming, but today the HBO Go app is finally available on PlayStation 3. Sadly, those of us who moved last-gen’s consoles out of the living room to make space for shiny new ones are still in the lurch — the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions are still missing release dates. But for the rest of us, still enjoying The Last of Us‘ DLC or soaking up those delicious free PS+ games, there are episodes of True Detective to watch! Starting today!
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, Software, HD, Sony
Source: HBO
Batman: Arkham Knight headed to Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC in 2014
In a move that won’t surprise Batfanatics, a new Batman game is headed to Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC at some point this year. The latest caped crusader game entry is titled Batman: Arkham Knight, and it’s set to complete the trilogy that Rocksteady Games started back in 2009 (which includes Arkham Asylum and Arkham City, and doesn’t include Arkham Origins). We’ve dropped the first teaser video below the break, which heavily features both very serious sad talking and a totally sweet Batmobile. We’ll let you decide which is more exciting.
In our count, the first tease shows Penguin, Two-Face, Harley Quinn, and we can hear Scarecrow. That all makes sense given the video’s blurb:
“In the explosive finale to the Arkham series, Batman faces the ultimate threat against the city he is sworn to protect. The Scarecrow returns to unite an impressive roster of super villains, including Penguin, Two-Face and Harley Quinn, to destroy The Dark Knight forever.”
Filed under: Gaming, Software, HD, Sony, Microsoft
Source: Warner Bros.
Xbox One’s Project Spark available to everyone starting today in beta mode
Project Spark is pretty, encourages creativity, and incorporates Kinect directly. The sandbox/game creation tool became available for Windows 8.1 users back in December, and today it’s entering beta on the Xbox One as well. “Does that mean there’s a new, free thing on my Xbox One?” you might be asking. Yes, yes it does. Hot dog!
Project Spark isn’t in the XB1 store, so how do you get it? The announcement points to a still-active beta sign-up page, so it seems that interested parties still have a few hoops to jump through before getting in. (If you’re already in the Windows 8.1 beta, you’re in the XB1 version.) Interestingly, there are already several entries on the store for “Spark Tokens” in 500 token increments ($4.99 equals 500); beta or not, it looks like Microsoft’s interested in monetizing Spark from the jump. For the full FAQ on the beta, head right here.
Filed under: Gaming, Software, HD, Microsoft
Source: Microsoft
Sony says the PlayStation 4’s ‘Share’ button has been used 100 million times
Sony has a released a bunch of statistics covering the first four months of life of its new baby. Beyond regular sales figures (six million units so far, and nearly 14 million game sales), some of the more interesting numbers relate to how PlayStation gamers are engaging with the console’s online features. We’re told that half of all PS4 owners have been persuaded to cough up for a PS Plus subscription, which grants access to online multiplayer gaming as well as a number of discounted and free titles. Meanwhile, the ‘Share’ button on the DualShock 4 controller has apparently been used 100 million times to share recorded game highlights with the PS4 community, and 3.6 million gameplay broadcasts have been streamed over Twitch and Ustream — a feature that still hasn’t been enabled on the Xbox One. And who knows? The PS4′s Twitch numbers might have been even higher if people hadn’t gotten themselves banned for playing real-live strip poker.
Source: PR Newswire, PlayStation.Blog
Myst and SimCity enter the History of Electronic Games collection
Broderbund Software’s legacy is sure to live on through ports, sequels and source code, but what about the game developer’s behind-the-scenes history? Thankfully, it won’t be fading away any time soon. Company founder Doug Carlston has donated Broderbund’s software and corporate records to The Strong, a museum dedicated to all forms of play. The move should help illustrate the creation process behind every title that Broderbund published, including classics like Myst, Prince of Persia, the original SimCity and Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego. The collection isn’t limited to game assets — Carlston is donating correspondence, photos and other material that reveals the studio’s culture. Few people will get to see this treasure trove of gaming nostalgia in person, but it should preserve Broderbund’s accomplishments for a long time to come.
Source: The Strong
OUYA Everywhere is bringing the Android game platform to other devices
OUYA has plans to level up in the near future, and it has nothing to do with a new console. In fact, it has nothing to do with any console at all, as the startup has confirmed to Engadget that its software/platform will soon extend to other devices, including set-top boxes and smart TVs. As you’d expect, the firm’s keeping most details about the “Everywhere” initiative a secret at this point, but OUYA’s slated to announce its first deal with a hardware manufacturer within the next two weeks.
This development doesn’t mean one of Kickstarter’s biggest success stories is about to get out of the hardware business, though, as a rep told us “…there will always be OUYA hardware.” The firm will push through with the annual refresh cycle it promised, though he couldn’t share details about the next reference design. If you’re crossing your fingers for a mobile release, though, we’re sorry to say that won’t be happening. At this point, we’re told the Everywhere project has nothing to do with mobile, since “Julie [Uhrman] believes strongly that the most immersive way to game is with controller and screen.”
Gamefly tries adding movie rentals to its disc-by-mail service
Netflix may have flinched at the prospect of maintaining its disc-by-mail service, but GameFly seems to be embracing it. On April 4th, the company will begin shipping DVD and Blu-ray discs to customers with a 2-game (or higher) GameFly subscription. The program is a test, Gamefly CEO Dave Hodess told VentureBeat, launched in the wake of subscriber pleas for film rentals. It’s free for now — piggybacking on the company’s existing game distribution network — but Hodess says that Gamefly will monitor the test and tweak the program as needed. While we don’t know how large the company’s film library is just yet, the beta presents an interesting alternative for folks who miss the duality of Blockbuster’s defunct disc service.
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment
Source: NeoGAF, VentureBeat
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