DCEmu Homebrew Emulation & Theme Park News
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by Published on May 27th, 2012 21:45- Categories:
- Android News
It looks like that clandestine photo of a Gamestop computer replete with entries for Android devices has proven to be accurate, at least as far as tablets are concerned. Rather than stocking Samsung products exclusively, however, 1,600 Gamestops now carry Android tablets from Acer, Asus and Samsung; specifically the Asus Transformer and Transformer Prime, the Acer Iconia (both 7 and 10.1 versions), and the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1.
Each tablet comes pre-loaded with "a hand-picked selection of free games, likeSonic CD and Riptide, the Kongregate Arcade gaming app and a free issue of Game Informer Digital," according to the PR available after the break. Naturally, trade-in credit can be applied towards the purchase of one of these devices. Find out if one of your several dozen local Gamestops is a member of that 1,600-store collective by entering your zip-code here, and don't forget to do your research before plopping down several hundred clams on an iPad alternative.
http://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/26/an...nclude-free-g/ ...by Published on May 27th, 2012 21:34- Categories:
- DCEmu
The gaming world was a much simpler place back in 2009 when cloud-based gameplay streaming couldn't possibly work - at least not to anywhere near the degree of the claims being made at the time. And yet, despite falling short of the local experience and indeed the scant quoted metrics on performance, OnLive could be played. It was sub-optimal in many ways, but it was playable. It delivered a viable first-gen end product which was ripe for improvement, and just three years later we are seeing workable solutions being introduced that could change everything.At the recent GPU Technology Conference, NVIDIA set out to do exactly that with the unveiling of its new GeForce GRID, an important innovation that potentially solves a lot of problems, both client and server side. Up until now, it's believed that cloud gaming has been achieved by connecting the user to a single PC inside the datacentre with its own discrete GPU. This is hardly power-efficient and it's also very expensive - however, it was also necessary, because graphics cores could not be virtualised across several users in the same way that CPUs have been for some time now. GRID is perhaps the turning point, offering full GPU virtualisation with a power budget of 75W per user. This means that servers can be smaller, cheaper, easier to cool and use less energy.GRID also targets the quality of the client-side experience, too, in that NVIDIA believes it has made key in-roads in tackling latency, the single biggest barrier to cloud gaming's success. So confident is the company of its technology that it has even committed to actual detailed metrics. So let's have a quick look at the gameplay streaming world as viewed by NVIDIA...."GeForce GRID is all about minimising server and encoding latency, bringing the Cloud closer to console levels of input lag."
NVIDIA's outlook on Cloud. Perhaps we're seeing best-case scenarios being compared to worst-case as our OnLive measurements only match 'Cloud Gen I' when the service is running poorly. In other cases we see a good 50ms advantage over what is posted here. However, other metrics like 'console plus TV' do tally with our experiences.
The slide on the left, seeking to put latency into context, is perhaps a bit of a red herring on first reading, certainly for a core gamer - perhaps for any console owner. The difference in response between Modern Warfare 3 and virtually any 30FPS shooter is obvious and is a defining factor in why it is the top-selling console shooter. However, there does seem to be a perceptual threshold at which latency actively impedes gameplay or simply doesn't "feel" right - hence GTA4 feeling muggy to control, and Killzone 2 attracting so much criticism for its controls (fixed in the sequel). And we'd concur that this does seem to be around the 200ms mark, factoring in input plus display lag.The slide on the right is where things get interesting. The bottom "console plus TV" metric is actually pretty optimistic for standard 30FPS console gameplay (116ms to 133ms is closer to the console norm based on our measurements), but, on the flipside, the 66ms display lag feels a touch over-inflated. The "Cloud Gen I" bar tallies with our OnLive experiences - or rather, OnLive operating generally below par. At its best, and factoring in NVIDIA's 66ms display lag, it would actually be closer to 216ms rather than the indicated 283ms, and just a frame or two away from typical local console lag in a 30FPS game.The top bar is NVIDIA's stated aim for GeForce GRID - a touch under 150ms, including display latency. Now, that's an ambitious target and there are elements in the breakdown that don't quite make sense to us, but key elements look plausible. The big savings appear to be reserved for network traffic and the capture/encode process. The first element of this equation most likely refers to Gaikai's strategy for more locally placed servers compared to OnLive's smaller number of larger datacentres. The capture/encode latency is the interesting part - NVIDIA's big idea is to use low-latency, fast-read framebuffers linked directly to an onboard compressor.Where we are a little unclear is on the 5ms video decode, down from the 15ms of "Cloud Gen I" - a useful 10ms saving. We are aware that Gaikai's association with LG for direct integration in its Smart TVs has included an aggressive evaluation of the internals aimed at reducing latency, both in decoding the image data but also in scan-out to the screen itself, which may account for this, but it is difficult to believe that this 10ms boost would apply to all devices.Manufacturer-supplied benchmarks always need to be treated with caution and there is a suspicion here that best-case scenario is being compared to worst-case scenario on some elements, but, regardless, it's clear which areas have been targeted by NVIDIA for latency reduction.
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/di...ud-performanceby Published on May 27th, 2012 21:25- Categories:
- PS3 News
Grand Theft Auto V will sell 14 million copies during its launch period, an extremely optimistic analyst has predicted.
That figure comes from Stern Agee's Arvind Bhatia, who expects the game to sell more at launch that GTA4 did in its first year (13 million sold, notes Gamespot).Bhatia expects these sales to rake in $700 million in revenue for the game's publisher, Take-Two, who must currently be building a huge fort in which to store its inevitable piles of coin.
Bhatia also predicts the game's release before the end of March 2013 - this fiscal year - forsimilar reasons that others have cited, namely the huge revenues predicted in Rockstar's latest full year FY13 guidance.
So, who here's got it on their purchase list? Actually, who HASN'T got it on their list? That'll be easier.
http://www.computerandvideogames.com...aunch-analyst/ ...by Published on May 27th, 2012 21:22- Categories:
- Xbox 360 News
Call of Duty: Black Ops has been forced to take a no doubt temporary back step on the list of most played Xbox Live games thanks to Minecraft.
CoD games usually consistently dominate the top two spots of Xbox Live's most popular games. But while Modern Warfare 3 still has a firm hold of the top spot, the second-place seat has been stolen by Mojang and their cult-turned-popular crafting hit.The Xbox 360 Edition sold over a million copies in less than a week on sale, breaking all previous Xbox LIVE Arcade digital sales records in the process.
Here's the list of Live's most played games for the week of May 14:
1)Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
2)Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition
3)Call of Duty: Black Ops
4)FIFA 12
5)Battlefield 3
6)Halo: Reach
7)Modern Warfare 2
8)NBA 2K12
9)Skyrim
10)Gears of War 3
11)GTA IV
12)Forza Motorsport 4
13)Max Payne 3
14)Trials Evolution
15)Mass Effect 3
16)NHL12
17)Madden NFL 12
18)Halo 3
19)Red Dead Redemption
20)Saints Row: The Third
http://www.computerandvideogames.com...t-played-list/ ...by Published on May 27th, 2012 21:16- Categories:
- DCEmu
E3 organiser ESA has hit back at those who say the show has become irrelevant.
Detractors have claimed the annual event is out-dated since its primary focus is on the struggling boxed games market.
But the ESA says the appearance of Zynga and GREE at this year’s showcase is evidence of an event that is very much in time with today’s games industry.
“I disagree with broad declarations that a show which hasn’t occurred yet is irrelevant,” said ESA’s industry affairs SVP Rich Taylor.
“Folks haven’t even seen what’s going to take place. The fact that Zynga and GREE are going to be there is reflective of a show that is very much relevant. These firms are talking specifically about mobile and social.”
ESA sends a survey out after each E3 in a bid to ensure it continues to meet the demands of its attendees.
“There isn’t a better amplify for new games than E3. What happens in LA will be heard around the globe and echo around for the months to follow,” adds Taylor.
“If E3 was losing relevancy we’d be having a fire sale on exhibit space, but it is the opposite, we are packed to the gills. I think it’s going to be one of the strongest shows we’ve had in a long time.
“The industry will change and we will change with it.”
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/esa-b...critics/096691 ...by Published on May 27th, 2012 21:15- Categories:
- PS3 News
Technology that pauses gameplay to display advertisements has been filed in a patent by Sony Computer Entertainment America.
The tech would work by effectively pausing any in-progress game and forcing an ad to be displayed on screen for a pre-defined period of time.
It is described by SCEA as "a method for use in advertising includes initiating playing of interactive content, suspending playing go the interactive content, displaying an advertisement, and resuming playing of the interactive content".
This would be preceded by a warning that gameplay is about to be paused. Gameplay would also be rewound for a small amount of time prior to resuming.
The patents also mention the possibility of gameplay “slowing down” as the ad approaches. It also includes server synchronisation that could mean all players of a specific title could be shown the same ad simultaneously.
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/ads-t...-to-ps3/096695 ...by Published on May 27th, 2012 21:11- Categories:
- DCEmu
When the trade clicked open its Monday morning UKIE charts update this week, the big story was the data that wasn’t listed.
Max Payne may be a worthy No.1. But with a three day head start and a passionately connected PC audience Blizzard’s Diablo III was undoubtedly the ‘real’ No.1 thanks to combined digital and physical sales.
Next Friday this story will take a twist as Rockstar releases the game across the likes of Steam, Gamersgate and Gamefly. This will help it catch up with Blizzard no doubt.
The two games jostling for top spot, however, is just a dramatic side effect. The real impact is how the titles’ publishers will be once again reminded of the digital/physical data debate.
Max Payne and Diablo both being No.1 and No.2 from various points of view highlights a long-foreseen flaw in the official charts. As you can see below left, GfK is the first to acknowledge this. We’ll have more insight from them next week.
In the meantime, understand this. When Blizzard and Rockstar Games – two of the most revered and creatively calculating studios – wake up to how crucial this issue is, the rest of the industry should follow. And fast.
NO?LESSONS?LEARNED?FROM?Q4 CRUSH
Responses to last week’s cover story calling for a better spread of release dates included one soapbox pundit attempting to debunk genuine and deep-rooted concerns retailers have about the market.
To recap: there’s too much stuff coming out in a very short window in Q4.
Since we went to press, some big games have been shifted to Q1 2013. A few say this proves the industry is learning its lesson already.
But that’s not the case. If the grand planners behind these games had any foresight, the likes of BioShock Infinite, Tomb Raider, Devil May Cry and others wouldn’t have been Q4 releases in the first place.
These games and others ambitiously wanted to be ready for Christmas – no doubt to fulfil publisher’s too-high expectations about Q4 spending. But they simply weren’t ready, a regular mistake developers make.
No matter what industry spectators say, those deep in the business know best: some habits are going to die
hard for boxed games publishers.
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/opini...history/096697 ...by Published on May 27th, 2012 21:07- Categories:
- Xbox 360 News
Microsoft and Warner Bros have announced Harry Potter Kinect for Xbox 360.
The game will recreate a number of the key scenes from the seven books (or eight films, if you prefer) and see players casting spells by mimicking the famous wand-flick action with their hands. Also expect to be calling out famous spells which will be recognised via voice recognition.
It will also allows gamers to scan their faces into the title to create their very own unique witch or wizard who will accompany stars Harry, Ron and Hermione.
It’s being developed by Goldeneye 007:Legends and Dead Space: Extraction studio Eurocom
“Harry Potter for Kinect will engage Harry Potter fans old and new by bringing them into the wizarding world as truly active participants,” Warner Interactive’s senior VP of production and development Samantha Ryan stated.
“Kids and parents will enjoy recreating their favourite Harry Potter adventures, from flying a broomstick in a Quidditch match, to battling pixies and duelling other wizards.”
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/harry...box-360/096702
...by Published on May 27th, 2012 21:06- Categories:
- Playstation Vita News
Following February's announcement of an HD remake of Jet Set Radio for XBLA, PSN and PC, Sega has announced that it will also be bringing a version of the game to Vita. Graffiti - Jet Set Radio will be be playable at E3 this year and will feature HD visuals and the same soundtrack, but will incorporate new touch- and camera-based interfaces for making graffiti.
“The fan reaction to our recent reveal of Jet Set Radio has been incredible!” says Haruki Satomi, Sega's senior VP of digital business. “As Jet Set Radio is focused on creativity, the touch capabilities of the PlayStation Vita are proving to be a perfect fit.”
http://www.edge-online.com/news/jet-...io-coming-vita ...by Published on May 27th, 2012 21:01- Categories:
- PC News
Let's say you're a developer eager to convert your apps for Windows 8 as soon as possible. Where do you start? Microsoft Developer Evangelist Jennifer Marsman is very much aware that you might be at a loss, so she has done the rather large favor of rounding up every porting guide the company has to offer in one handy place. Some of these are pure design guides, like a previously spotted iPad-to-Metro layout article, but others dig deep into converting code for the land of home tiles and charms. The focus is on porting from the web and Windows Phone 7, so we wouldn't work up hopes of bringing your high school computer class project to Metro. Still, Marsman is looking for more guides from readers; if you'vedeveloped just the technique to convert 10 PRINT "HELLO WORLD" 20 GOTO 10 into a tablet-native Windows 8 app, return the generosity and leave pointers at the source link.
http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/27/m...guide-roundup/ ...- Search DCEmu
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