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)
Google wants you to become a Pokémon master on April Fools
Google’s known for its weird and wonderful April fools jokes, but this year’s edition might be the best we’ve seen to date. Because it’s already April 1st in Australia and Japan, Google has introduced its “latest” build of Google Maps, laying down a “Pokémon Challenge” that requires you, a budding Pokémon Master, to discover and capture all of manner of creatures to fill up your Pokédex, simply by navigating around your local area. To start playing, make sure you have the latest version of Google Maps for iPhone or Android, hit the search bar and select “Press start.” You’ll have to be quick though, you’ve got until 2am on April 2nd to catch ‘em all.
Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Software, Mobile, Google
This PowerGlove stays in the kitchen, not with your NES (video)
We’ve seen the PowerGlove pop up in a few different places before, but until now the focus hasn’t strayed far from gaming. To wit, the Power Mitt wants to make your trips to the kitchen awesome in the way that only a heat-resistant-rubber oven mitt shaped like Mattel’s wearable peripheral ever could. Unless the one-size-fits-most baking accessory hits its Indiegogo campaign’s 450-backer target, however, that won’t happen. One right-handed glove will set you back $39 (larger and leftie flavors are stretch goals), and there’s a $20 discount if you order two. Let’s say you want to get crazy, though: cough up a whopping $10,000 and you’ll get a one-of-a-kind gold-plated version of the Power Mitt. Sure, you’ll lose heat resistance, but the flip-side is gaining a boatload of geek cred — isn’t that what matters most?
Filed under: Gaming, Household
Via: Laughing Squid
Source: Indiegogo
This one-of-a-kind 3DS has your name on it, proves you’re a Pokemon Master
You wanted to be the very best? (Like no-one ever was?) Here’s the proof that you made it. Japan’s annual Pokemon tournament kicked off this week, with the grand prize (aside from proving that it was worth all those hours of walking around in grass) of a limited edition, well there’s only one, 3DS XL. With a Mega-Charizard sticker design on the front, and the victor’s name engraved on the back, it’s likely the ideal prize for whoever earns it — and maybe even a nice little nest egg waiting to mature.
Source: Pokemon (Japanese)
PlayStation 4 tops US console sales in February, but Xbox One narrows the gap
It looks like Sony’s commanding lead in next-gen console sales didn’t last long in the US. The NPD Group reports that the PlayStation 4 was the top-selling game console in the country this February, but only just — the Xbox One managed to get over 90 percent of the PS4′s sales volume. Microsoft says that it sold 258,000 units of its flagship, which suggests that Sony moved roughly 287,000 PS4s. Neither of these figures compare to what we saw during the systems’ launch windows, but they’re very healthy. Total hardware sales were up 42 percent year-over-year, and 44 percent over January. While Nintendo isn’t divulging its numbers, it may have performed relatively well when analysts saw “double-to-triple digit increases” in month-to-month sales for most consoles.
Software was another story. Overall game revenue was down 11 percent in February, and the aging Xbox 360 was the platform of choice for six out of the top 10 releases; the PS4 and Xbox One rarely fared better than second place. The decline isn’t surprising, the NPD Group says, since game sales are “expected” to taper off as the old generation makes way for the new. That transition should happen relatively quickly. Titanfall is considered an early system seller for the Xbox One, and high-profile releases like Watch Dogs may help Microsoft and Sony alike.
NPD Group: PS4 is #1 again for the month, and cumulative sales, in the United States. Thanks for your support!
– PlayStation (@PlayStation) March 13, 2014
Oh, and NPD says the PS4 led hardware sales, but only by a narrow margin. Xbox One unit sals were 90% of PS4.
– Ian Sherr (@iansherr) March 13, 2014
Filed under: Gaming, Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo
Source: PlayStation (Twitter), Xbox Wire, Ian Sherr (Twitter)
Check out this Nintendo Entertainment System machined from a solid block of aluminum
If you’re any kind of self-respecting gamer, you hold a special place in your heart for the true king of consoles, the original Nintendo Entertainment System and its Japanese counterpart, the Famicom. That’s why Analogue Interactive, an outfit known for building bespoke Neo Geo consoles out of the finest hardwoods, is crafting a custom NES out of aluminum. Called the Analogue Nt, it’s machined from a single block of metal, has cartridge slots to accommodate both Nintendo and Famicom titles and is “designed around the heart and brain of the original NES” — which means there’s no emulation going on like with Hyperkin’s Retron 5. Analogue’s not letting on any other details, but knowing how much its Neo Geo replicas can cost, we’re betting that grabbing this bit of NES nostalgia will set you back a pretty penny when Analogue starts taking orders at the end of March.
Filed under: Gaming, HD, Nintendo
Source: Analogue Interactive
We kick off SXSW 2014 with some real-life Mario Karting (video)
The first few days of SXSW have brought quite a bit of excitement for our team on the ground. After starting the show with a stun-copter demo, we stopped by the Palmer Events Center to play a little a live-action Mario Kart. Pennzoil has set up a go-kart track here in Austin to promote its new Platinum line of natural gas-based motor oils, though — let’s face it — we were really only here to be Mario (and Luigi, Bowser and Princess Peach) for a day.
Each of the four karts on the track were mounted with a GoPro camera to document each racer’s point of view. In addition to tracking each banana peel and speed booster we ran over, the footage apparently teases some elements from the upcoming Mario Kart 8 title. Our own Joseph Volpe also wore a GoPro of his own, so you can see just how disappointed he was when Terrence O’Brien stole the lead. Check out the video below.
Video note: Unfortunately the Karting team was unable to locate our race footage, so we’ve included a four-panel view from a similar race later in the day, as an example of the video sent to each participant following the competition. Engadget editors appear earlier in the video.
Zach Honig contributed to this report.
Filed under: Gaming, Transportation, Nintendo
Greetings, from Joystiq
My Dearest Friends at Engadget,
With this letter I have enclosed a large, slightly frayed chunk of styrofoam that we all thought resembled the prominent “t” in the Engadget logo – you know, the one wearing the cute Wi-Fi hat. We have no use for this item here at Joystiq, so we thought you might hoist it above your reeking desk-beds, or use it in another story about 3D printers.
Assuming this part of my missive isn’t covered in little white bits, I’d love for you to once again consider my proposal for publishing select content from Joystiq, your sibling website that covers the video game industry in a more granular fashion than your folks do. We review everything in the spectrum between indie and AAA, find the best in the worst games, stream upcoming releases twice a week, and have no qualms about making an MIT professor talk about massively multiplayer Pokémon. That does not happen twice a week, but we can work on it.
Of course, the last thing I want to do is inundate your loyal audience with gaming detritus that they already know, so we’ll pick the most relevant and comprehensive articles for Engadget. How’s this one to start? “How many megapixels was the camera in BioShock? The answer will shock you.”
Kind regards,
Ludwig Kietzmann, Editor-in-Chief of Joystiq
P.S. Please do not publish this letter verbatim.
—
Hello LUDWIG KIETZMANN,
We regret to inform you that delivery to the following recipient failed permanently:
ENGADGET STAFF
Technical details of permanent failure:
Google tried to deliver your message, but it was rejected for being “too game-y.” We recommend fewer references to goombas and headshots to avoid this error in the future. The error that the server returned was: 1UP LOL 1337 No relaying allowed – psmtp (state 13).
That said, we’d, uh, love to have you over some time. Not sure when we’re available just yet, but we’ll get back to you really soon. In the meantime, why not just drop those hot Joystiq pieces directly on Engadget so we don’t have to surf all the way over. Surfing is tiring. Uh oh … we’ve dropped the facade, haven’t we?
Filed under: Announcements, Gaming, Meta, Software, HD, Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo
Watch Dogs arrives on May 27th
When Ubisoft showed off Watch Dogs for the first time in 2012, there was no such thing as PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Well, okay, they existed in some sense of the word, but both consoles were far from publicly ready, making Watch Dogs an unbelievably pretty game for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Unbelievable to the point that many journalists were incredulous about it not being touted as intended for next-gen, but Ubisoft couldn’t say it was headed to unannounced consoles. In so many words, Watch Dogs was essentially the first “next-gen” game shown off…even before the consoles were unveiled. It’s somewhat hilarious then that we’re here to tell you today that Watch Dogs now has a release date — May 27th — after being delayed past the actual launch of the new consoles. It’s unclear if that means all versions (Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PC and Wii U) will arrive on the same day, though the Wii U version was already given a release date sometime after the other versions. Sorry Wii U, owners!
Filed under: Gaming, Software, HD, Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo
Source: Ubisoft
Nintendo 64 mod promises HDMI output, soldering burns
If you have a Nintendo 64 kicking around, it’s probably not hooked up to your television. It’s not that you don’t love the classic console, it’s just that many modern sets don’t support the machine’s archaic video cables. Don’t worry, it can be fixed. RetroActive, a one-man mod team, is working on a circuit board that will gift the aging console with digital outputs. The kit promises to pipe audio and video out through DVI, HDMI or VGA (assuming you have the appropriate cables), but its creator is considering building an HDMI-only version. Either way, it won’t be easy to install — RetroActive says that it attaches directly to one of the Nintendo 64′s main processors, and “it requires fine pitch soldering skills to install.”
RetroActive has set up a notification page for folks interested in project, adding that the device’s Q1 2014 release date is only tentative. “To be honest it’s one of many things I have going on and I’d rather not release a crappy product,” writes Marshall, the man behind RetroActive. “It’ll be done when it’s done.” Fair enough, we’re not that handy with a soldering iron anyway.
Via: Nintendo Life, Destructoid
Source: RetroActive
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