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by Published on March 14th, 2013 23:22- Categories:
- PS4
Sony Santa Monica’s Jason McDonald and Mark Simon are, surely, exhausted. They’ve been flown into PlayStation’s London office for a day of press interviews and they’re flying back to Santa Monica later that same day to continue to refine God Of War Ascension’s new multiplayer mode. Singleplayer might be done, but online play is the kind of job that never ends, says McDonald with a weary smile. They are both cheery and enthusiastic speakers, nonetheless.We’re here to talk about God Of War, but really we want to know about PlayStation 4. We enquire whether Sony has asked them what they’d like to see from the new console as it was being built, in keeping with the rhetoric that emerged from PlayStation Meeting. Sony Santa Monica has been so hard at work getting Ascension finished – or as finished as it can be before online multiplayer feedback begins to filter though – that Jason McDonald and Mark Simon weren’t asked. But they can give us a sense of the feeling internally about the new machine.“Everyone’s excited about it for sure,” says Ascension’s lead combat designer McDonald. “The last hardware release was seven years ago so it’s not like this happens every couple of years – we’re ready.”Mark Simon is lead game designer on Ascension. “Our studio is filled with gamers too so you have that buzz – we see the new games and thinking as a developer is almost secondary,” he says. “You can see the possibilities but really you’re like ‘Man, I really wanna play this game.’“I think they’re concentrating on the social aspect which is great, because we’re kind of delving into it now with [God Of War] multiplayer. We’ve found that it’s not like you develop the game and then you ask afterwards what people liked and didn’t like. Now it’s what’s working and what’s not working and we can fix that. So that’s the thing for the next generation hardware and PS4 that I think is exciting, that we’re embracing that and saying that that’s important and games are about having fun with one another.”McDonald is most interested in the implications of that Share button. “The spectating, in particular, is very new,” he tells us. “You get a little taste of that on PC where people can just stream their games on PC – people like it so having a way to do that on a mainstream console is going to be big. With games like Ascension people are going to get competitive and want to stream and see other people play.”The raw power of the new console will open up greater opportunities for games like God of War, too. “The hardware possibilities are crazy,” adds Simon. “I’m excited that things like depth of field will look great next-generation. It’s going to mean real cinematography, and real in-game is going to look like a pre-rendered movie. That is awesome, because then our cinematic games becomes really cinematic all the way through and there’s no quality change between pre-rendered and in-game.”Though he’s had little hands-on experience with PS4, Simon can nevertheless explain why all the talk of creating games on PS4 suggests it’ll be easier to code for. “Generally you have to write a lot of low-level code in order to work with architecture from PS2 and PS3 and then you go to this standard that everybody is programming with on PS4,” he says. “So what that means is it frees a lot of people to stop thinking about low-level code. Obviously it was a strength of the PS3 because the sub-processor was a badass, but it took a lot of work to use the full architecture of the PS3. But now by using something that’s more common across all of programming land, that frees up time, and programmers with freed up time can make better tools and that’s going to make for better games.”Simon also acknowledges that Sony has learned lessons from outside the console business. “Maybe in the future you start to see some things that are happening in mobile and on the web are starting to happen on console. I think those worlds are going to blur – and I think it’s because of popularity and profit.”The move to a more social, data-driven style of game development through online play has just begun, it seems. On PS3, God Of War Ascension’s multiplayer will be tinkered with for the next few months, even years. When PS4 arrives, neverending, service-style game development might leave some at Sony Santa Monica looking back fondly upon the days when a project had a more definite beginning, middle and end....
http://www.edge-online.com/features/...e-development/by Published on March 14th, 2013 22:35- Categories:
- Android News
Samsung is set to launch the Galaxy S4 tonight, we think, and 25 per cent of UK iPhone users are considering ditching their Apple smartphone in exchange for the mysterious mobile from the South Korean rival, according to shopping offers service VoucherCodes.co.uk.
The rumoured 13MP camera and eye-scrolling features are among reasons for the new interest, though 59 per cent of existing iPhone users claim they'll stand by their iOS device, while 30 per cent of BlackBerry users will stick with BB.
It seems Samsung should bear 45-54 year-olds in mind when marketing future devices, with 69 per cent of the demographic planning on switching to the brand for their next upgrade. 50 per cent of men, meanwhile, also fancy a spot of Samsung action.
Additionally, VoucherCodes says it experienced a 24 per cent spike in traffic coming to the site from Samsung devices.
http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/read/...laxy-s4/020867 ...by Published on March 14th, 2013 22:31- Categories:
- DCEmu
BlackBerry has revealed that one of its ‘established partners’ has placed an order for one million BlackBerry 10 devices.
The company claims this is the largest ever single purchase order in the firm’s history.
“An order for one million devices is a tremendous vote of confidence in BlackBerry 10,” said Rick Costanzo, EVP Global Sales, BlackBerry. “Consumers are ready for a new user experience, and BlackBerry 10 delivers. With strong partner support, coupled with this truly re-invented new platform, we have a powerful recipe for success.”
BlackBerry refuses to name who the partner is, but the huge order is a good sign for the smartphone maker, who also reported recently that the German government is adopting the BlackBerry Z10 as its phone of choice.
The firm will be reporting its Q4 and year-end results on March 28th.
http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/read/...andsets/030501 ...by Published on March 14th, 2013 22:28- Categories:
- Apple News,
- Android News
Ahead of Samsung's planned launch of the Galaxy S4 tonight, an Apple executive has slammed the new device over its "year-old" operating system.
Phil Schiler, senior vice president of worldwide marketing at Apple, hit out at the device
Typically unlike Apple, Phil Schiler, the firm's senior vice president of worldwide marketing, hit out at the device over it dated Android operating system.
Schiler also highlighted that just 16 per cent of Android users are using the platform's latest version.
"And that extends to the news we are hearing this week that the Samsung Galaxy S4 is being rumoured to ship with an OS that is nearly a year old," he added. "Customers will have to wait to get an update," Schiler told Reuters.
Despite the claims, the Android platform continues to overpower Apple's and its iOS software in the smartphone market, as the former continues to boast higher sales.
The comments further indicate the importance of the Galaxy S4 to Apple, prompting an uncharacteristic jibe from the firm.
Both Apple and Samsung are set to continue their bitter rivalry throughout the year, as Samsung unveils the highly anticipated S4 later today, whilst Apple reportedly readies its latest iPhone for an August 2013 release.
http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/read/...laxy-s4/030506 ...by Published on March 13th, 2013 23:58- Categories:
- Android News
Amazon today announced that Kindle Fire HD 8.9” — the large-screen version of its best-selling tablet — is now available in the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Japan. With the expansion of Kindle Fire HD 8.9” to Europe and Japan, Amazon also announced it is able to lower the price of Kindle Fire HD 8.9” in the US, with the Wi-Fi version now starting at $269 and the 4G version starting at $399.
“We’re thrilled with customer reaction to Kindle Fire HD 8.9”. Customers tell us they love our large-screen version of Kindle Fire HD for web browsing, email, gaming, watching TV shows, reading magazines, and more,” said Dave Limp, Vice President, Amazon Kindle. “As we expand Kindle Fire HD 8.9” to Europe and Japan, we’ve been able to increase our production volumes and decrease our costs. Across our business at Amazon, whenever we are able to create cost efficiencies like this, we want to pass the savings along to our customers.”
Kindle Fire HD 8.9” is the highest-resolution, largest-display Kindle Fire. Designed for entertainment, it is perfect for web, apps, movies, games and magazines. Features include:
- Large 8.9” display has the highest resolution of any Kindle Fire (1920x1200, 254 ppi), with rich color and deep contrast; ideal for movies, apps, and gaming.
- Custom Dolby audio and dual stereo speakers for crisp, rich sound.
- Over 23 million movies, TV shows, songs, magazines, books, and audiobooks.
- The most popular apps and games.
- Ultra-fast web browsing and streaming with built-in dual-band, dual-antenna Wi-Fi.
- Front-facing HD camera for taking photos or making video calls.
- Exceptional battery life — Kindle Fire HD 8.9” gets 10 hours of battery life.
- Easy-to-use e-mail, calendar, and contacts for work or home, including Gmail, Hotmail, Exchange, and more.
- New Amazon-exclusive features like X-Ray for Movies, X-Ray for Textbooks, Immersion Reading, Whispersync for Voice and Whispersync for Games.
- Kindle FreeTime, a free, personalized tablet experience just for kids and exclusively available on Kindle Fire. Parents can set daily screen limits and give access to appropriate content for each child.
- “Buy Once, Enjoy Everywhere” with Amazon apps available on the largest number of platforms so customers can use theirAmazon content on any of their devices.
- Amazon's top-rated, world-class customer service.
Kindle Fire HD 8.9” is available starting today at this new low price at www.amazon.com/kindlefirehd.
Amazon UK --> http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B...pf_rd_i=468294 ...by Published on March 13th, 2013 23:48- Categories:
- DCEmu
Thanks to a drop in Nintendo 3DS sales and the release of Keiji Inafune's exclusive game Soul Sacrifice the PlayStation Vita is still top of the Japanese charts.
- PlayStation Vita - 63,581 (Last week - 62,543)
- 3DS XL - 39,801 (50,265)
- 3DS - 21,207 (27,174)
- PlayStation 3 - 19,567 (25,725)
- PSP - 18,023 (11,171)
- Wii U - 9,454 (10,021)
- Wii - 1,363 (1,383)
- Xbox 360 - 738 (486)
The console jumped to the top spot last week following a price cut in Japan, and has managed to more than hang on, even seeing a slight rise in sales. Its nearest rival, the Nintendo 3DS XL, saw a fall in sales of over 10,000.
On the software chart the top five was packed full of new entries, with two Vita titles, Soul Sacrifice and Tales Of Hearts R, making their first appearance.
- [PS3] Hatsune Miku: Project Diva F - 110,229 (New entry)
- [PSV] Soul Sacrifice - 92,396 (New entry)
- [PSP] Uta no Prince-sama All Star - 67,217 (New entry)
- [3DS] Animal Crossing: New Leaf - 63,285 (Lifetime sales - 2,802,940)
- [PSV] Tales of Hearts R - 55,258 (New entry)
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...ill-1-in-japan ...by Published on March 13th, 2013 23:43- Categories:
- Retro Consoles/Translation News
Vector based displays were used for arcade games in the ’70s and ’80s. A typical CRT uses raster graphics, which are displayed by deflecting a beam in a grid pattern onto a phosphor. A vector display deflects the beam in lines rather than a full grid, drawing only the needed vectors. Perhaps the best known vector game is the original Asteroids.
[Jeremy] built up a RGB laser projector, and wanted to run some classic arcade titles on it. He started off by using the XMAME emulator, but had to modify it to communicate with the laser and reduce flicker on the display.
To control the laser, a modified version of OpenLase was used. This had to be enhanced to support RGB color. The modified sources for both the MAME emulator and OpenLase are available on Github.
[Jeremy]‘s friend, [Steve], even got a vector based game that he wrote working on the system. “World War vi” is a shoot-em-up battle about the vi and emacs text editors.
The results of the build are shown in a series of videos after the break.
http://hackaday.com/2013/03/12/playi...ser-projector/ ...by Published on March 13th, 2013 23:41- Categories:
- Nes News
We’ve sure been seeing a lot of original NES cases used in projects lately. This time around the thing still plays the original cartridges. This was one of the mains goals which [Maenggu] set for himself when integrating the LCD screen with the gaming console. There is a quick video clip which shows off the functionality of the device. It’s embedded after the break along with a few extra images.
To our eye the NES looks completely unmodified when the case is closed. The cartridge slot still accepts games, but you don’t have to lower the frame into place once that cartridge has been inserted. The image above shows a ribbon cable connecting the top and bottom halves of the build. It routes the signals for both the LCD screen and the cartridge adapter to the hardware in the base. He mentions that he used the original power supply. We’re not sure if the original motherboard is used as well or if this is using some type of emulator.
http://hackaday.com/2013/03/12/hinge...ed-lcd-screen/ ...by Published on March 13th, 2013 23:31- Categories:
- Wii U News
It seems Nintendo has made good on its promise to utilise Wii U’s NFC tech by announcing a new Pokemon title that uses figures.
Eurogamer reports that Pokemon Rumble U, which was first announced last month, will allow players to purchase Pokemon figures that unlock in-game characters.
The use of the GamePad’s NFC tech has not been officially confirmed, but you can be almost certain it will feature.
Seven figures have been confirmed, with the first being Pikachu. The toys themselves will record game info internally. The core game will sell at a discounted ¥1,800 (£12.60) and the toys at ¥200 (£1.40) each.
There’s no word yet on a Western release for the game.
Nintendo will be counting on the allure of the still-popular Pokemon license to counter rival products from Activision and Disney. Of course, one advantage Pokemon Rumble U will (presumably) have is that it will not require an external ‘portal’ device to connect the toys to the console – meaning it will be able to undercut its pricier rivals.
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/new-w...se-nfc/0112337 ...by Published on March 13th, 2013 23:28- Categories:
- Apple iPad
Haven’t we been here before?
The Daily Mail has today run yet another story of a child racking up a overdraft-smashing bill on a free-to-play iOS title. This time it’s The Simpsons Tapped out, in which eight-year-old Theo Rowland-Fry spent £980 on virtual donuts.
“It was only when my wife rang me and asked where all the money had gone that we found out what had happened,” Theo’s dad said. “She got a statement and saw there were more than 100 purchases on iTunes for between £1.50 and £75, from the middle of January and the beginning of this month.
“We received no emails alerting us to what was happening. If you buy something on Amazon you have to agree to pay for it, enter additional information to pay and then get a confirmation email so you can keep track. With the iPad it seems to be a free-for-all.
“I appreciate children are their target audience but it is not right and there needs to be specific controls in place to stop this from happening. I dread to think how many people this has happened to and how many it has happened to and they don't even know about it because perhaps it was £50 and they didn't realise.”
Apple has already agreed to refund the cash.
Dad added: “iPads can be great for keeping them occupied but there has to be more control.” Which presumably means the in-built parental control settings?
That is, unless he’s too busy to take those precautions. “We got Theo and his sister Evie an iPad to help with their schoolwork but Theo's is away in a drawer at the moment,” dad said. “We just don't have time to monitor what they are playing.”
If that’s true then perhaps the kids shouldn’t have been given their own iPad in the first place.
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/apple...donuts/0112347 ...
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Catherine: Full Body’s English translation for the Vita