PSN’s first Humble Bundle gives you Capcom games at a discount
Humble Bundle is best-known for its PC game offers, but it’s branching out in a big way. It’s partnering with Capcom and Sony to launch PSN’s first-ever Humble Bundle, the appropriately titled Humble Capcom PlayStation Bundle. Pay at least $1 and you’ll both get a handful of Capcom titles as well as donate some of your purchase toward the American Red Cross, Rettsyndrome.org and Save the Children. You can choose how much goes to charity versus the developer, so there’s an incentive to splurge in the name of a good cause.
As always, what you get depends on how much you’re willing to spend. Everyone who chips in will get Strider, Final Fight: Double Impact, Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo HD Remix, Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3 and a 45 percent discount for Street Fighter V. They’re nothing to write home about (Strider is the only PS4 title at this tier if you’re not buying SFV), but it’s still a good value. Naturally, things get more interesting the more you’re willing to pay. Pay above the average and you’ll snag the HD remasters of Okami and Resident Evil alongside four other games. Spend at least $15, meanwhile, and you’ll score Devil May Cry HD, Resident Evil 0 Remastered and a half-off coupon for Mega Man Legacy Collection.
If you like what you see, you’ll have until September 5th at 2PM Eastern to take advantage of the Humble Bundle. It’s not a killer deal, but it could be a good way to catch up on games that you missed the first time around. And look at it this way: if this offer proves to be a hit, you might just see other developers offering PSN bundles of their own.
Source: Humble Bundle, PlayStation Blog
Google’s Daydream VR could debut in the next few weeks
With the release of Android Nougat this week, Google’s mobile VR platform Daydream couldn’t be far behind. And that indeed seems to be the case, as Bloomberg reports that Daydream will launch in the “coming weeks.” You can also expect some brand new VR media from the likes of Hulu and YouTube stars like Justine Ezarik and the Dolan twins to accompany the platform.
At this point, the search giant is dabbling in different types of VR content to see what sticks, according to Bloomberg. It’s shelling out in the “high six figures” for video game-related VR experiences, and in the “low five figures to low six figures” for projects involving filmmakers. Facebook, in comparison, has poured millions into producing VR media for its Oculus platform. That’s also one of the biggest strengths of Samsung’s Gear VR, which was built in partnership with Oculus.
While Daydream seems like a far more ambitious VR initiative than Google Cardboard, there’s still plenty we don’t know about it. For one, we’ve only seen a sketch of a prototype headset design, which looks very similar to Samsung’s Gear VR. It’s also unclear what, exactly, Google will demand of its hardware partners. All we know is that Daydream compatible phones will require “key components” like “specific sensors and screens.” (Based on conversations with people in the VR industry, I’d bet that OLED displays will play a major role.) The company has at least managed to get Samsung, LG, Xiaomi and HTC onboard with building Daydream-compatible phones.
Source: Bloomberg
PlayStation Now will soon let you play anywhere you have a PC
Analysts have been predicted the death of game consoles for years — and while they’re usually wrong, PlayStation Now is the strongest living argument for a gaming industry without iterative hardware. Sony’s internet-streaming games service puts PlayStation games on micro-consoles, full-sized PlayStation 4 machines and even standalone televisions. Today, Sony announced that the service is coming to an even wider platform: Windows.
Sony says PlayStation Now for Windows will launch in Europe soon, and will be followed by a timely North American rollout — but the exact details are still in the air. Sony has announced that it will sell a $25 DualShock 4 controller adapter for use with the service, for instance, but neglected to say if PlayStation Now for Windows will play nice with other PC gamepads. It might not: PS4 Remote Play on PC and Mac requires Sony’s own controller. It wouldn’t be too shocking if PlayStation Now kept tradition.
Even so, controller compatibility isn’t the only barrier to entry. PlayStation Now is pretty neat, but it requires a hearty internet connection to function properly — at least 5Mbps and a reasonable proximity to PlayStation Now server. The service also requires a PC running Windows 7 or higher, a 3.5Ghz Intel Core i3 or better CPU and 2GB of RAM. If you meet all those requirements, though, you can do something mildly historic: Play PlayStation 3 games on your PC for the first time ever. Neat.
Source: PlayStation
Capture ‘The Witness’ with NVIDIA’s Ansel camera
The Witness drops you on a beautiful island full of mind-melting puzzles that subtly feed into one another. It’s a relaxing, picturesque locale that you can now photograph with NVIDIA’s Ansel in-game camera. Unlike a regular screenshot tool, which simply captures what you’re looking at, this software allows you to reposition the camera almost anywhere. That freedom can produce some incredibly artistic shots — to get an idea of what’s possible, just look at these screenshots taken with a similar system inside Uncharted 4 (courtesy of Engadget’s own Tim Seppala).
With Ansel, you can capture screenshots beyond your monitor’s maximum resolution, which is great for high-res wallpapers and art prints. You can also capture 360-degree panoramas, which are viewable with Google Cardboard, and tweak the final image with a variety of filters and color enhancements. All you need is a supported NVIDIA GPU and the latest NVIDIA drivers installed on your gaming PC. Once you’re up and running, it’s just a matter of pressing alt-F2 to bring up the relevant control panel. Now you can be a video game photojournalist. Or photographer. Or whatever we’re calling this lovely new form of video game documentation.
Source: NVIDIA
The Xbox Onesie is equal parts comedy and tragedy
For the folks who take their couch potato-ing very seriously, Microsoft has something up its rollable sleeves for you. It’s called the Xbox Onesie, and, as you might expect, it’s an adult-sized pair of zip-up pajamas packed to the seams with purpose-built, Xbox-themed accoutrement. We’re talking oversized pockets for gamepads and remotes, an arm pouch for your phone and a giant hood that shouldn’t interfere with even the bulkiest of headphones. That’s in addition to “forearm grips to prevent slipping on those ‘edge of your seat’ moments” and the option to have your Gamertag embroidered on the getup. There is a catch, though.
The Xbox Onesie is an Australia-only item for now, and even then, if and when it’ll go on sale isn’t clear. The items you see in this post were created to commemorate a regional study regarding media consumption. A Microsoft spokesperson tells us that availability details about the limited edition attire will be ready “soon.” Oh, and the Onesie is available in white, and, unlike the One S itself, black. Sure, the whole thing looks super comfortable (and follows the Xbox One S’ stylings pretty closely), but don’t you already have a Snuggie collecting dust in your closet?
Source: Sunshine Coast Daily
Video claims to show a redesigned PS4 slim controller
Earlier today Eurogamer took pictures and video of what appears to be a redesigned slim PlayStation 4, and now YouTube channel ZRZ is showing off what it says is the console’s new controller. The only immediately noticeable tweak is up top, where there’s either a second light bar or the DualShock 4’s touchpad is allowing the light to shine through. That could be useful for syncing up with the PlayStation VR headset or just taking advantage of games that use the light indicator to give the player feedback. Lat year when we asked Sony exec Shuhei Yoshida about his favorite use for the feature, he called out Bloodborne’s blood-red indicator.
New PS4 Slim Dualshock 4 with Light bar on touchpad pad VIDEO #PS4Slim #PS4 #DS4 #Leaked pic.twitter.com/mxscX7eWpH
— ZRZ (@ZRZtweet) August 22, 2016
Supporting the video’s legitimacy is that the same person who bought the redesigned PS4 that we’ve seen pictures and video of has confirmed it According to @shortman82, it seems to be a see through section on the touchpad, which should also mean it won’t impact the DS4’s battery life (which is notoriously short, and the reason Sony added the ability to dim the lightbar in 2014 via a software update). Of course, until something’s announced we won’t know for sure what is or is not on the way, but take a look for yourself.
Via: Destructoid
Source: ZRZ (YouTube)
What’s on your HDTV: ‘Halt and Catch Fire,’ ‘Madden NFL 2017’
The Olympics were a nice diversion, but now it’s back to your regular summer programming schedule. AMC’s hardware hacking series Halt and Catch Fire is back, and Madden NFL 2017 is hitting consoles everywhere. FX’s The Strain brings its vampires back for another run, while HBO wraps up The Night of and Playdead’s latest game Inside arrives on PS4. Look after the break to check out each day’s highlights, including trailers and let us know what you think (or what we missed).
Blu-ray & Games & Streaming
- The Huntsman: Winter’s War (4K)
- Ash vs. Evil Dead (S1)
- Snow White and the Huntsman (4K)
- The Nice Guys
- The Walking Dead (S6)
- Midnight Run (Collector’s Edition)
- DC’s Legends of Tomorrow (S1)
- Ratchet & Clank
- The Strain (S2)
- Lucifer (S1)
- Roots (2016)
- Narcos (S1)
- Blue is the Warmest Color (Netflix, 8/26)
- Deus Ex: Mankind Divided (PC, PS4, Xbox One)
- Worms WMD (PC, PS4, Xbox One)
- Hue (PC, PS4, Xbox One)
- Valley (PS4, Xbox One, PC)
- Metrico+ (PC, PS4, Xbox One)
- Madden NFL 17
- The King of Fighters XIV (PS4)
- Inside (PS4)
Monday
- So You Think You Can Dance, Fox, 8PM
- WWE Raw, USA, 8PM
- The Fosters, Freeform, 8PM
- American Ninja Warrior, NBC, 8PM
- Chris Harris on Cars (season finale), BBC America, 9PM
- Guilt (season finale), Freeform, 9PM
- Rizzoli & Isles, TNT, 9PM
- Cheer Squad (series premiere), Freeform, 10PM
- Adventure Capitalists (series premiere), CNBC, 10PM
- Major Crimes, TNT, 10PM
- Mistresses, ABC, 10PM
- The Making of the Mob, AMC, 10PM
- Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, TBS, 10:30PM
Tuesday
- Difficult People, Hulu, 3AM
- Casual (season finale), Hulu, 3AM
- America’s Got Talent, NBC, 8PM
- WWE Smackdown, USA, 8PM
- Pretty Little Liars, Freeform, 8PM
- Forged in Fire (season premiere), History, 9PM
- Halt and Catch Fire (season premiere), AMC, 9PM
- MadTV, CW, 9PM
- Dead of Summer, Freeform, 9PM
- Zoo, CBS, 9PM
- Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the LA Rams, HBO, 10PM
- Better Late than Never (series premiere), NBC, 10PM
- The View : 20 Years in the Making, ABC, 10PM
- Adam Ruins Everything (summer premiere), TruTV, 10PM
- One Shot (series premiere), BET, 10PM
Wednesday
- Penn & Teller: Fool Us, CW, 8PM
- Unsung: Howard Hewett, TV One, 8PM
- Big Brother, CBS, 8PM
- Suits, USA, 9PM
- America’s Got Talent, NBC, 9PM
- Dating Naked, VH1, 9PM
- Dual Survival (season premiere), Discovery, 9PM
- My Last Days, CW, 9PM
- The Night Shift, NBC, 9PM
- Catfish, MTV, 10PM
- Mr. Robot, USA, 10PM
- Tyrant, FX, 10PM
- Any Given Wednesday with Bill Simmons, HBO, 10PM
- American Gothic, CBS, 10PM
- The Night Shift, NBC, 10PM
- Unlocking the Truth, MTV, 11PM
Thursday
- NFL preseason: Falcons/Dolphins, NBC, 8PM
- Battlebots, ABC, 8PM
- Big Brother, CBS, 9PM
- Beauty and the Beast, CW, 9PM
- Ripper Street, BBC America, 10PM
- Lip Sync Battle, Spike TV, 10PM
- Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll, FX, 10PM
- Queen of the South, USA, 10PM
Friday
- XOXO, Netflix, 3AM
- Dawn of the Croods (S2), Netflix, 3AM
- Glitter Force (S2), Netflix, 3AM
- Jeff Foxworthy & Larry the Cable Guy: We’ve Been Thinking…, Netflix, 3AM
- The Kicks (series premiere), Amazon Prime
- NFL preseason: Browns/Buccaneers, CBS, 8PM
- Killjoys, Syfy, 9PM
- Dark Matter, Syfy, 10PM
- Ridiculousness, MTV, 10PM
- Superstore, NBC, 10:30PM
- The Eric Andre Show, Cartoon Network, 12AM
Saturday
- UFC Fight Night, Fox, 8PM
- Unwanted Guest, Lifetime, 8PM
- Aquarius, NBC, 9PM
- Boston EMS (season finale), ABC, 9PM
Sunday
- Celebrity Family Feud, ABC, 8PM
- Big Brother, CBS, 8PM
- The X Factor U (season premiere), AXS TV, 8PM
- Downton Abbey: I Miss Downton Abbey, PBS, 8PM
- 2016 MTV Music Awards, MTV, 9PM
- $100,000 Pyramid, ABC, 9PM
- Fear the Walking Dead, AMC, 9PM
- The Night of (season finale), HBO, 9PM
- Ray Donovan, Showtime, 9PM
- Power, Starz, 9PM
- The Last Ship, TNT, 9PM
- The Strain (season premiere), FX, 10PM
- Survivor’s Remorse, Starz, 10PM
- Braindead, CBS, 10PM
- Roadies (season finale), Showtime, 10PM
- Murder in the First, TNT, 10PM
- Talking Dead, AMC, 10:30PM
- Ballers, HBO, 10:45PM
- Motive, USA, 11PM
- Vice Principals, HBO, 11:15PM
- Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, HBO, 11PM
- Geeking Out, AMC, 11:59PM
(All times listed are ET)
Weeklong Twitch marathon showcases streamers with disabilities
The AbleGamers Charity has been campaigning for greater accessibility in games for over a decade now, applauding games that do inclusivity right and raising money for grants and fellowships. Today they’re kicking off a different awareness project: A Twitch marathon. Six different streamers will broadcast over the next five days, each showcasing how they play to accommodate their disabilities.
Each featured broadcaster is streaming from their individual account. Here’s who to watch and when from Monday, August 22nd until Friday, August 26th:
- HalfCoordinated today at 6 AM PT followed by ThumblessGaming at 4:30 PM PT
- Blindgamer102 at 4 PM PT on Tuesday
- CombodudeTheGamer at 12 PM PT on Wednesday
- DeafGamersTV at 3 PM PT on Thursday
- CrippledKenny at 6 PM PT on Friday
Source: AbleGamers
Analogue’s beautiful, aluminum NES gets a smaller spin-off
The NES Classic is equal parts neat and limited — after all, it has the correct look, but can’t be expanded beyond the 30 games built into it and won’t play nice with existing NES controllers. Cheap? Sure, though it’s maybe not the tiny retro machine fans have been hoping for. That’s where the makers of the custom-built Analogue Nt come in: they’ve built a smaller, less expensive version of the console called the Nt mini that’s set to ship in January 2017.
The Nt mini will set you back $479, which, yes, isn’t much cheaper than the $500 price tag the original Analogue Nt had stuck to it. You’ll get a little more bang for your buck, though: it comes with one of 8bitdo’s wireless NES30 controllers and can upscale your NES games’ video and output it through HDMI or RGB right out of the box. All told, the folks at Analogue Interactive say the Mini model is about $200 cheaper than a comparably kitted-out original (though good luck finding one for close to that on eBay right now). And as always, the Nt mini is meant to play your aging carts just as well as your toaster or top loader did back in the day — there’s no emulation here, like you’d see on machines like the Retron 5.
Throw all of that into an aluminum body that’s about 20 percent smaller than the original and we’ve got the makings of another sure-fire seller. It’s a little weird that Analogue is throwing shade at the NES Classic on its website since the mini’s price tag and reference-quality ambitions make it a discerning collectors’ item, but whatever — you can pre-order yours starting today.
The slim PS4 is looking realer every day
When photos of a purported slim PS4 redesign emerged, you could hear the skeptics’ cries from a mile away: fake! Photoshopped! However, it looks like this new console is very much real. Eurogamer visited the person who bought the unreleased console from a Gumtree listing, and has posted video (below) proving that this is a real, working game system. You’ll have to wait until later for more details, but what you saw before holds true: it’s smaller, rounder and more utilitarian than the original.
Also, there’s further support for beliefs that this is a new basic model, not the 4K-ready Neo. Wall Street Journal sources understand that there will be a “new PlayStation 4 standard model” alongside the Neo at Sony’s September 7th event. While the tip is shy on details (there’s no price or ship date), analysts suspect that it’ll be less expensive than the $350 system you can buy today. Frankly, that’s only logical. The slim PS4 certainly looks like it was subject to some cost-cutting, and Sony likely wants to close the price gap with the $300 Xbox One S as quickly as possible.
Source: Eurogamer (YouTube), Wall Street Journal
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