UC Irvine debuts the first public college eSports arena in the US
The University of California, Irvine is serious about eSports. This fall it will officially launch a competitive gaming initiative, complete with scholarships and an already-decorated League of Legends team, and it’s just finished construction on a 3,500 sqft eSports arena that’s set to open on Friday, September 23rd. The arena is packed with 80 gaming PCs loaded with top eSports titles, a webcasting studio and viewing screens.
The arena will serve as a home base for the university’s gaming community and a place for its competitive players to train. It also represents another step forward for collegiate eSports across the country.
“I think eSports is the future of competition. Period,” UCI’s acting director of eSports Mark Deppe says. “It transcends language, geography, race, age, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, physical ability and many other identities. In five years many more schools will official programs and more structure will be in place to regulate and provide guidance to schools. I think eSports also has a huge opportunity to learn from the successes and shortcomings of traditional sports and provide a model for collegiate competition in the 21st century.”
Deppe hopes the arena will be 100 percent cost-neutral. UCI spent $250,000 to build it over the summer, and it will be open to the public and students for $4 per hour; UCI hopes the revenue from its hourly use will cover administrative costs. The arena will host twenty-five student staff members, while other students can volunteer to assist in coaching, analysis, streaming and production roles.
UCI’s arena is backed by iBUYPOWER, which provided all of the space’s gaming PCs, and Riot Games, the studio behind League of Legends. As part of its eSports initiative, UCI is offering 10 scholarships, valued at $15,000 each, to its competitive League of Legends players.
The global eSports market is valued at $612 million with an audience of 134 million, according to SuperData, and it’s only predicted to grow. Universities across the United States are diving into this emerging market with scholarship programs and competitive teams.
Student players bring home some real prizes when they win: Heroes of the Storm’s college tournament offers the winners free tuition, while the League of Legends North American collegiate championship grants $30,000 to each winning player and $15,000 each for second place. At UCI, players get to keep any earnings from competitions.
Mark Deppe, @UCIeSports acting dir., unboxes 1st computers to arrive for UCI #eSports Initiative. 🎮🙌💙💛🐜🍴 #UCIeSports pic.twitter.com/4Ac1H2JfpD
— UC Irvine (@UCIrvine) August 19, 2016
UCI understands the significance of video games in mainstream culture, Deppe says. There hasn’t been any resistance to the university’s eSports expansion, he says, and students have been overwhelmingly supportive.
“Many of them are gamers themselves, and those that aren’t know lots of gamers and how important video games are to the campus community,” Deppe says.
Still, there’s work to be done. The professional eSports scene is dominated by male players, coaches and commentators, and the same is true in collegiate competition.
“We think that eSports has the potential to be the most inclusive competitive environment ever,” Deppe says. “However, If you look at the top professional teams, there are very few women represented.”
UCI worked with Anykey.org, an organization that aims to create inclusive spaces in eSports, to craft its arena rules and scholarship agreements. However, the first five recipients of UCI’s League of Legends scholarships are all male. Deppe says this is because UCI is pulling in players from the top echelons of competitive gaming, which are still male-dominated.
There are five more scholarships up for grabs and Deppe says some highly ranked women “may try out and will have a legitimate shot.” The League of Legends team still needs to fill its “Top” role and tryouts are the week of September 26th.
“Outside of the competitive team, UCI has a long history of women representation in our community,” Deppe says. “Our arena coordinator and past president of The Association of Gamers is female. The club estimates that about 30 percent of the gaming club is female with several in leadership roles. Additionally, 50 percent of our board of advisers are women and we’re working hard to welcome ladies and underrepresented groups into the eSports scene.”
Twitter comes to the Xbox One, Apple and Amazon TV boxes
Much like Shia LaBoeuf declaring that he isn’t famous anymore, Twitter is now out and proud about not being a social network. No, instead, Twitter is now a broadcasting platform, which means that it needs to put itself in the sort of places you use to watch TV. That’s why the company has announced that it’s launching apps for Apple TV, Amazon’s Fire TV and Microsoft’s Xbox One. It’ll be on these that you can watch some of the new video content that’s coming to the service, including Thursday Night Football.
Twitter isn’t just for NFL nuts, and has signed deals with other sports outfits including MLB Advanced Media and Pac-12, which covers college sports. If you’re more into current affairs, then you’ll be able to view footage from Bloomberg News and tech/finance/video for millennials startup Cheddar — which does two shows a day from the floor of the NYSE. Twitter’s ace up its sleeve is that it also has video platforms of its own: Vine for edited comedy clips and Periscope for live events.
In addition, those using the app on Apple TV are entitled to watch video and have Twitter’s video clip service running alongside. At least, that’s how the release reads, although it’s not clear why people would necessarily want to be distracted from gripping sports events with Harambe vines. What’s more valuable is that Twitter will offer-up a commentary overlay from members of the public that’ll run alongside live events. Company CFO Anthony Noto is quoted as saying that “Twitter has always been a great complement to TV, and now fans can enjoy even more premium video with live Tweets.”
Back in the day, there was an online service called Zeebox that took Twitter’s social component and used it exclusively for adding commentary to live TV. Twitter (and broadcasters) would eventually cotton onto the same idea, turning the service into a real-world peanut gallery that went alongside big name reality shows. But being the most beautifully created peanut gallery doesn’t earn you much money — which is why Zeebox transformed into a beauty blog called Beamly and then became a marketing agency.
Twitter needs to get more eyeballs pointing at its product, because it’s got something of a user growth problem. It has a core audience of passionate tweeters, but that appeal hasn’t translated across to the broader mainstream. Its monthly active user count has remained roughly stable at just over 300 million, putting it well behind services like Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook. Wall street has often punished Twitter for not being as popular as its rivals, even though Twitter’s cult appeal deserves preserving.
Live video, especially sports video, could be the magic bullet that Twitter needs both to invigorate its user base and broaden its appeal. It’s not the only tech firm that’s come to this conclusion, with Amazon reportedly ramping up its interest in bringing sports to Prime. Twitter will also have to fight with Facebook, which considered buying those same Thursday Night Football rights and is also making forays into live sports. Unlike those other companies, however, Twitter doesn’t have a huge war chest that could be used to buy such rights. But given that the big networks can earn up to 21 million viewers for a single game, it may be worth the risk.
Of course, Shia LaBoeuf’s still famous and Twitter’s still a social network, albeit one which is attempting to be many different things to different people. That’s why, in addition to making a big push into broadcast video, it’s encouraging people to come to Periscope with notifications and turning DMs into a WhatsApp-esque chat service. The company is also hoping to make some sort of progress in counting its toxic atmosphere through algorithmic-based abuse removal.
The new apps are launching today, with each platform offering a slightly different global footprint. Twitter for Apple TV is launching wherever you can purchase the device, while the Fire TV edition is only available in the US and UK. If you’re a rocking an Xbox One, you’ll be able to get at the goodies in the US, UK, Australia, Brazil and Mexico.
Valve is changing how Steam reviews work
Valve is cracking down on Steam reviews in an effort to prevent developers from artificially inflating a game’s review score on the service. Valve says that the fixation on review scores is driving some developers to use nefarious means to boost them, thus potentially driving sales higher.
“The majority of review score manipulation we’re seeing by developers is through the process of giving out Steam keys to their game, which are then used to generate positive reviews,” a post on Steam says. “Some developers organize their system using Steam keys on alternate accounts. Some organizations even offer paid services to write positive reviews.”
So as a result, Steam reviews stemming from key redemptions won’t factor into a game’s overall score. Score-affecting reviews will only come from purchases made via Steam itself. “We’ve now taken action by banning the false reviews and will be ending business relationships with developers that continue violating our rules,” the company writes.
All told, Valve says review scores will change for “at least” 160 games (roughly 14 percent) on the service. This isn’t a perfect solution, though. As Ars Technica notes, digital versions of Kickstarter games are distributed via Steam keys. That’s to say nothing of reputable third-party sellers like Humble Bundle.
As you might expect, many developers are bristling, saying that this will adversely affect their chances of getting noticed on the digital storefront. “We’re hearing lots of positive response to this update, and some criticisms,” Valve’s Doug Lombardi tells Gamasutra. “Like all updates we issue to our games and services, we will be monitoring the community reaction and incorporating that feedback into the next set of changes we make to improve the service for everyone.”
Via: Gamastura (1), (2)
Source: Steam
Futuretown’s modular platform turns VR into simulator rides
When we last met Futuretown’s CEO Johan Yang back in February, his startup appeared to be merely a virtual reality game studio, with its popular title Cloudlands: VR Minigolf currently owning 30 percent of the HTC Vive market share. Today, the company is entering the hardware space by announcing its 5D Totalmotion at the Tokyo Game Show. This aptly-named device is a cylindrical motion feedback machine that can fit any module on top to simulate different types of scenarios, such as riding, standing and seated experiences. To demonstrate these, Futuretown also announced four new VR games: Whiteout: Ski VR, Infinity Rider: Motorcycle VR, Wave Breaker: Surf VR and Stallion Adventures: Horse Riding VR.
Even though Futuretown — backed by former HTC CEO Peter Chou — started off as a studio dedicated to the HTC Vive platform, its 5D Totalmotion is open platform and supports two other VR systems out of the box: Oculus Rift and 3Glasses from China. In fact, the company’s using the Rift for its 5D Totalmotion demos at the Tokyo Game Show, in order to maximize the amount of usable space at the booth. CTO Justin Liebregts explained that if all the games ran on the Vive, his team would need to set up partitions between each setup due to potential interference from the passive Lighthouse trackers, whereas the Rift doesn’t have this issue since it uses active trackers that are plugged into the PC.
Yang said he’s aiming to launch the 5D Totamotion within the first half of 2017. That said, all four of the aforementioned titles were playable at the show. I started off with Wave Breaker: Surf VR which got me surfing from a fast-flowing river all the way to the big waves on the sea. It was, to my surprise, physically intense. I wrongly assumed that I wouldn’t need the handlebar, but eventually I learned that I needed to do a lot of twisting, which is a good thing that the standing module comes with shoe bindings à la snowboards. I was also given a Woojer haptic sensor vest to put on in order to simulate the sensation of rush, which Sure, I kept missing the balloons, but it was still fun and proved to be great way to work out. I was already sweating a bit after just this one game.
I was then given a chance to recover by riding on a horse and an eagle in Stallion Adventures: Horse Riding VR. Admittedly, I freaked out a little when the first cheetah briefly chased me, but it turned out that the horse and the eagle were on a fixed track due to the game’s early-stage development. The only control I had over was the horse’s speed: I simply had to tug the riding module’s rope and bob in sync with the horse’s movement to accelerate, and then pull the rope back to slow down. Hopefully the final game will allow more freedom to explore the virtual world.
Later on I checked out Whiteout: Ski VR which let me ski down a mountain in any way I wanted (and also knock out other virtual skiers for a laugh). While I’m no expert in skiing, I wish the game had a dedicated module that would allow my feet to move separately like in real life, rather than using the same module I used for surfing earlier. But that’s not to say it wasn’t fun.
Last but not least, I hopped on the motorcycle module for Infinity Rider: Motorcycle VR. I appreciated how this module offered a realistic handlebar with brake handles and acceleration grip on the right, but the overall body didn’t provide enough tilt for turning (Chou assured me that this will be addressed in an upcoming iteration of hardware). Also, for some reason, I quickly felt sick and had to hop off as soon as the game ended. My guess is it was to do with a combination of visual delay and motion delay, but there was also the possibility of me not getting enough rest after the three previous games. Hopefully Futuretown can fix these issues, as this particular ride has a lot of potential — just imagine riding a speeder bike in a Star Wars VR game.
It’ll obviously be a while before we see the 5D Totalmotion in public places. While there are already other types of VR rides in malls and arcades across Asia, Chou, who also serves as the Honorary Chairman at Futuretown, claims the 5D Totalmotion is already more compelling — even more so than those at Tokyo’s VR Zone, according to feedback he received — and is also much easier to deploy. He isn’t worried about being comparatively late nor potentially being copied by others. “We have soul. People who copy have no soul… By the time we ship the products, they will be so much better [than others].”
‘Assassin’s Creed: Ezio Collection’ clambers to PS4, Xbox One
The rumors are true: To make up for a mainline Assassin’s Creed skipping this year, Ubisoft is putting the best entries in the series into one package. Again. Assassin’s Creed: The Ezio Collection brings Assassin’s Creed 2, Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood and the story’s finale, Assassin’s Creed: Revelations, to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One this November 15th. A post on the Ubiblog says that these are the single player campaigns and add-on packs only — none of the multiplayer that started with Brotherhood will be present here. That’s because the developer-publisher believes the “most polished and fully featured version” of the mode already exists in the form of Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag’s online offering, originally released in 2013.
Back in 2012, Ubisoft did something similar to this and sold the Assassin’s Creed: Ezio Trilogy as a PlayStation 3 exclusive. The difference now is it looks like we’re getting the PC versions of charming Italian assassin Ezio Auditore da Firenze’s adventures running at maxed out settings, to take advantage of current-gen console hardware. That’s contrary to as-is ports of the games in a new box like last time.
The Ezio Collection isn’t a bad move, but hopefully there are some clear benefits to re-buying these games when the series absolute highpoint, 2009’s Assassin’s Creed 2, is backward compatible on Xbox One. Aside from a discounted movie ticket and a few videos that bookend the narrative, that is. Check out the video below to see if the improvements are worth your cash.
What’s most curious is that Ubisoft is repeating history and releasing the game the same day as one of its extremely high-profile titles. This time out it’s Watch Dogs 2. In 2011, the fantastic Rayman Origins was sent to die against Assassin’s Creed Revelations on a very familiar date: November 15th. Nothing like competing against yourself, huh, Ubisoft?
Source: Ubiblog
‘Final Fantasy XV’ slim PS4 bundle hits the US on November 29th
Did you look on wistfully as Sony Japan unveiled a special edition slim PS4 to mark the launch of Final Fantasy XV? You don’t have to anymore. Sony has confirmed that the console will reach GameStop stores in North America on November 29th for $449 US, or $549 Canadian. Besides the conspicuous moon decal on the system, you’re getting a 1TB hard drive, a branded DualShock 4 controller, Square Enix’s role-playing game (plus downloadable extras) and the Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV movie on Blu-ray. It’s a tempting deal if you can’t get enough Final Fantasy into your life, although we have to ask: do you get this, or would it be wiser to spring for the more powerful PS4 Pro plus a separate copy of the game?
Source: PlayStation Blog
The ‘Pokémon Go’ buddy system is now live and dropping candy
Like an egg you’ve been walking for too long, Pokémon Go’s previously announced Buddy system arrives today with the latest update from Niantic Labs. To add an interesting new dynamic to the game, Trainers can now pick one Pokémon from their collection as their “Buddy.” Once you’ve picked your best PokéBud, that creature will start to drop extra candy that can be used for evolving and powering up the other creatures in your inventory.
In addition to the Buddy System and a slew of bug fixes, the latest version of Pokémon Go adds support for the Go Plus accessory which goes on sale next week. For the newbie Trainers, the Go Plus will alert players to nearby Pokémon and collect powerups from PokéStops without needing to open your phone and look at the app.
Finally, as 9to5mac notes, the latest update also kicks jailbroken devices out of the game, which should eliminate bots and other hacked ways to collect pocket monsters. While that update might hurt the game’s already-dwindling user numbers, it seems that Niantic Labs is following through on its promise to ban cheaters.
Via: 9to5Mac
Source: Pokémon Go Live
There’s a new boss in charge of ‘Mass Effect’ and ‘Dragon Age’
Electronic Arts is changing. Many of the massive publisher-developer’s myriad studios will now be assembled under one figurative roof at EA Worldwide Studios. Describing the change, EA CEO and part-time Mirror’s Edge villain Andrew Wilson says it “will bring together our top creative talent in all of our great studios to work on EA’s powerful brand portfolio and new IP [intellectual property].”
EA Worldwide Studios is also folding in The Sims and SimCity developer EA Maxis and EA Mobile. Samantha Ryan, who previous ran both studios, is also taking control of Mass Effect developer BioWare. Ryan will report to Patrick Soderlund, formerly of Battlefield studio DICE and head of EA Studios, who will run EA Worldwide as a whole.
Finally, the incredibly impressive Frostbite engine and its tech team will join the company’s Technology group. That game engine is well on its way to powering every game EA makes, even sports titles like this year’s FIFA 17, in addition to Battlefield 1, the Need for Speed franchise, and Star Wars Battlefront. It appears DICE is no longer directly leading development of the engine it created.
What’s important to note is that according to EA, this consolidation apparently won’t result in a loss of jobs. If the decision to move all development to a common set of tools — Frostbite — is any indication, this should mean better games overall, for everyone. The implications for EA Sports and Plants vs. Zombies studio PopCap aren’t clear, but we’ve reached out for additional information and will update this post should it arrive.
Update: An EA spokesperson tells us that this move will not negatively affect PopCap or the many studios working under the EA Sports label.
Source: Electronic Arts
‘The Sims 4’ heads to the city with its latest expansion
As much as The Sims 4 has done to expand its cultural boundaries over time, it has always been set in the suburbs — you know, that bastion of conformity and homogeneity. What about the city, where experiences tend to be more diverse? Enter City Living, a new paid add-on for the game that (surprise!) takes place in an urban landscape. You can live in or visit four distinct neighborhoods in San Myshuno, and broaden your horizons by attending street festivals or crooning at the local karaoke bar. At first glance, it’s a more varied experience — both culturally and in terms of gameplay.
And while we wouldn’t exactly call a Sims game gritty, it’s clear that City Living at least acknowledges the realities of downtown life. Your goal is to work your way up from a tiny starter apartment to a penthouse, and you have to deal with apartment nuisances like noisy neighbors and landlords (hopefully this doesn’t mean waiting months to get something fixed). There are three new careers, including politics, and activities now include urbanite favorites like basketball or mural painting.
As with many Sims expansions, City Living won’t come cheap: you can pre-order the Mac/Windows title for $40 ahead of its November 1st release date. However, this is a larger change than we’ve seen in some Sims booster packs. Simply put, it’s acknowledging a very common human experience that was conspicuously absent until now.
Source: The Sims
New ‘Shovel Knight’ expansion haunts the chapel next spring
One of the best throwback games in recent memory is definitely Shovel Knight from developer Yacht Club Games. Last September (it’s been that long?), the team dropped the free “Plague of Shadows” expansion for all platforms. This year, we have word of when the next add-on will release. “Specter of Torment” will come out sometime next spring, according to a tweet from Yacht Club. Not much else is known at the moment, but the team did offer a huge update back in June all about new protagonist Specter Knight — wall climb! Dash slash!
pic.twitter.com/wOIa8nAx4q
— Yacht Club Games (@YachtClubGames) September 12, 2016
So, if you’re looking for more details to hold you over until the trees start blooming next year, maybe hit that up. Like the expansions prior, this update will be absolutely, 100 percent free. Still not enough nostalgia for you? Well, then perhaps the RetroUSB AVS console can breathe some new life into your old NES games that inspired Shovel Knight.
Via: Nintendo World Report
Source: Yacht Club Games (Twitter)
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