Activision will on Sunday hold what it is describing as a “live outdoor advertisement” for upcoming action title Prototype 2.
Taking place at “an iconic London location” at 9:00pm on Sunday 22^nd April, the game will recreate a “gruesome and bloody confrontation” between the game’s stars.
The performance will last around five minutes and will be streamed on the game’s Facebook page. Furthermore, as the ad nears its conclusion viewers will be able to vote on which outcome they would like to see.
“Due to the nature of Prototype 2’s content, the game has been rated by the BBFC and PEGI as certificate 18,” Activision’s Minneapolis business unit EU general manager David Tyler said.
“This live action advertisement reflects the game in its hard-hitting, fantasy nature and whilst we’re excited to bring this new game to our legions of fans, it would be inappropriate for under 18s to view it” commented David Tyler.”

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/proto...live-ad/094792 ...

Here’s a cool add on that could making racing games just a little more engaging. How about a real instrument cluster? [Herctrap] has written up the schematics and shared the code to get a real car’s instrument cluster to be driven from x-sim. It is a slightly different approach than we’ve seen before, but really not too complicated.While this is still just another accessory sitting on his desk, it really seems to add a considerable amount of feedback to the game. Next he needs to build a motion rig for his seat!

http://hackaday.com/2012/04/20/real-...-racing-games/ ...

This wiring nightmare lets [H. Smeitink] map all the buttons from an Xbox 360 controller to his PC. It gives him the ability to push control input from his PC to the console. But it goes a step further than that because it actually acts as a pass-through device. He connected a wired controller to the computer and uses a program he wrote to translate those inputs and send them to the hacked controller.
The software is written in C#. It’s got a recording function that lets him save the keypress data from the wired controller while it’s sent to the Xbox in real time. When he finds a combination that he uses frequently he plucks out those commands, sets them up as a macro, and assigns one of the buttons to execute it. The controller hack uses one transistor for each button, and a PIC 18F4550 which controls them and provides USB connectivity with the PC.
This isn’t one nice package like some integrated rapid-fire and macro solutions we’ve seen. But it certainly opens up a lot more possibilities. See for yourself in the clip after the break.
http://hackaday.com/2012/04/20/compu...ox-controller/ ...

If you’ve been trying to think of stuff you can do with the DCPU-16 this may inspire you to write a clone of a classic game.
This version of Pac-Man was written using a sprite system with a 16 color pallette. It runs in an HTML-based emulator, so you can even monkey around with the assembly code to help you figure out how it works. But if you’re not into writing code that is this machine-close, you can just click the ‘run’ button and use your keyboard arrows to play through a level or two. You’ll notice there’s only one game board available so far and some things are still missing like that familiar waka-waka as he gobbles up the dots. Let us know if you mange to extend the features of this version.
In case you missed it, this emulator is running the DCPU-16 spec from Notch’s new game, 0x10c (. We have no idea how that’s going to shape up, but getting in on the game early will pay off it turns out to be as popular as Minecraft.

http://hackaday.com/2012/04/20/dcpu-16-running-pac-man/ ...

Gabe Newell returns to issue of charging players based on how likeable they are

Valve will pursue its experiment with the free-to-play games model with a new plan to release its upcoming game DOTA 2 for free, the company’s managing director has said.
Gabe Newell claimed Valve is not applying a wholly conventional freemium model for the online action strategy game.

Usually, freemium games are made available to everyone and later monetised by selling optional in-game items.

But in an upcoming interview with Seven Day Cooldown, Newell said the game would be “free-to-play [but] it'll have some twists”.
"The issue that we're struggling with quite a bit is something I've kind of talked about before, which is how do you properly value people's contributions to a community?” he said, reflecting on a discussion he had with Develop last year.
Last year Newell told Develop that “the games industry has this broken model, which is one price for everyone. That’s actually a bug, and it’s something that we want to solve through our philosophy of how we create entertainment products".

http://www.develop-online.net/news/4...f-free-to-play
...

Chemicals, TV, sales and marketing to bear the brunt of global cut-backs

Sony will not bury the axe into its games division as the company prepares to slash some 10,000 jobs from its global entertainment empire, Develop understands.
Information of the company’s restructuring operation suggests that the television, marketing and chemicals business will bear the brunt of the cut-backs.

Sony declined to comment when approached by Develop.
Targeting a six per cent reduction of its workforce (about 10,000 employees), it is believed that Sony will remove about 5,000 workers through the sale of its chemicals and LCD business.
New CEO Kaz Hirai, who has a mandate to slash operating expenses by a third within twelve months, said that Sony’s focus will be on three divisions: Digital imaging, phones and games.

http://www.develop-online.net/news/4...yoff-operation
...

Intel believes that a rise in screen resolution is on the cards for notebooks and desktop PC monitors.
Apple appears to have triggered a resolution war in the smartphone and tablet space but according to a Liliputing report, Intel is seemingly of a mind that laptops, ultrabooks and all-in-one desktops will all see similar increases in pixel density.
What sort of resolutions are we talking about? 2560 x 1440 pixels on dinky little 11-inch ultrabooks and 2800 x 1800 on the larger 13-inch models. Desktop monitors and 15-inch laptops will see resolutions rise to 3840 x 2160, they reckon.
The notebook market in the past has gone through an arms race of resolution as manufacturers sourced panels with bigger numbers to entice punters. Only later did owners work out that this was distinctly unpleasant to use and the on-board graphics had zero chance of doing anything like play a game at the native resolutions on offer.
So what's change this time around? It doesn't seem unreasonable that the graphics performance will be there but such mighty resolutions depend greatly on how well the host OS scales up. Windows 7 sort of does it, but not in a very satisfactory way. Will Windows 8 be better?
Apparently it is, for the Metro-style UI at least. However if you want to run desktop applications... well, just sit closer to the screen okay?

http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/read/...-coming/028227 ...

Consumers have started to favour Android-powered LTE smartphones instead.
Earlier this month, Canaccord Genuity analyst Mike Walker said theiPhone is the best-selling smartphone in the US. Now, he tells investors that sales have dropped in "developed markets" but didn't specify which ones had been affected.
Consumers are reportedly moving on from the Apple device in favour of LTE smartphones, an area that Android rivals continue to excel in.
Walkley predicts that sales will continue to fall until Apple releases a LTE-powered iPhone 5, which is expected to create a surge in sales that will outweigh the Q1 lull.
It's not the first time iPhone sales have dropped. Samsung smartphone sales overtook Apple's in Q3 2011 as users abstained from an iPhone 4 purchase ahead of the iPhone 4S release – or iPhone 5 as it was thought at the time.
Walkley predicts Apple has sold 32.6 million iPhones, 12.3 million iPads and 4.4 million Macs during the first quarter.

http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/read/...markets/017803 ...

The PlayStation 3D display is essential equipment for players who are in search of serious 3D gaming experiences. The display is slim with a screen size of 24", and features full 1080p resolution (1920 x 1080). Its built-in Edge LED technology offers brilliant contrast, while a 240 Hz refresh rate ensures ultra-smooth play. It also has built-in speakers and a subwoofer to enhance the audio.

In addition, it can be connected to cable TV boxes, a PC or any other compatible device via the display's two HDMI ports or its single component HD port. Both of these input types are conveniently located at the side of the display.

The pair of PlayStation 3D glasses included with the display offer best-in-class Active shutter 3D quality and built-in USB rechargeable batteries. PlayStation 3D glasses are optimized to sync seamlessly with the PlayStation 3D display, but their universal design makes them compatible with a variety of Active Shutter 3D displays.* Active Shutter 3D technology offers superior image quality over competing Passive 3D technologies by means of the differing processes they execute. Both technologies create the illusion of depth by slightly altering what users' eyes are exposed to. Passive 3D glasses block different kinds of emitted light from reaching each eye. The result is a 3D effect, but one in which certain light data has been omitted. In some cases this can equate to up to half of the available lines of resolution, meaning that this type of 3D effect can not reach the level of true 1080p HD. Active 3D on the other hand does not omit light sources from the spectrum, instead producing its 3D effect through a subtle dimming process of the individual lenses. PlayStation 3D glasses manage this effect seamlessly through their infrared connectivity. The result is a superior 3D effect, at full HD quality. Infrared connections between glasses and other components, as well as other 3D processes are kept constant through the glasses 30-hour rechargeable battery life.

SimulView Technology Improves the 2-player Gaming Experience

Fans of co-op and competitive gaming modes are intimately familiar with local split-screen multiplayer functionality, which literally splits the visible display area of a single TV used in offline play to show the differing actions of individual players participating in the same game, at the same physical location. As advantageous as this is for group play, the quality of even the sharpest of HD television displays is compromised by the halving of the viewable area. SimulView Technology does away with this issue by enabling two players in a supported game to see their actions in-game displayed as full-screen projections** (the full requirement for the effect are: a PlayStation 3D Display, 2 pairs of PlayStation 3D Glasses, a PS3 system, a PS3 game that supports SimulView, and two players). Built on the Active 3D glasses technology and specially enhanced for gaming, SimulView technology brings players deeper in the game than ever before while still sharing the experience with a friend. Games supporting SimulView technology include MotorStorm Apocalypse, Killzone 3, Gran Turismo 5, Super Stardust HD, with more titles in development and coming soon.

Features

Best-in-class HD 3D display for the most immersive 3D gaming experience
SimulView technology delivers individual full HD screen visuals to each player in two-player mode
Connects to your PS3 system, cable TV box, and PC for all of your HD 3D content
Slim design brings true 3D gaming to smaller entertainment spaces
Built-in speakers and subwoofer enhance the audio and take you deeper in the game
Classic PlayStation inspired display design for the ultimate gaming enthusiast
Specifications

Display type: Stereoscopic 3D HDTV
Screen size: 24"
Resolution: 1080p (1920 x 1080)
Colors: 16.7 million
Contrast ratio: 5000:1
Backlight type: Edge LED, white LED
Digital inputs (side): 2 HDMI, 1 component
Refresh rate: 240 Hz
Sound output: speakers (3W x 2), subwoofer (1 x 5w), 3.5 mm headphone jack (1)
Remote support: IR remote control with BD remote control (sold separately)
Dimensions: 29.75"(w) x 17.06"(h) x 4.50"(d)
3D glasses
Type: Active Shutter 3D
Rechargeable battery life: 30 hr.
Dimensions: 3" (w) x 7-1/8" (h) x 2" (d)
* Compatible with Sony, Samsung, Panasonic, Mitsubishi, Toshiba, and Sharp Active Shutter 3D ready displays that use IR emitters.
** Playback in full (2D) HD, not 3D.

Product Dimensions (inc stand): 650mm(w) x 387mm(h) x screen 33mm(d) stand 280mm(d)
Screen Size: 23.5 Inches
Packaging Dimensions: 744mm(w)× 419mm(h)×109mm(d)
Packaging Type: Box with plastic handle (for all territories)

Additional Information:

All PS3s sold to date have capability of showing stereoscopic 3D contents.
There are currently over 30 PS3 titles which support 3D, plus more will become available around the launch of this monitor, including new releases like Uncharted 3: Drakes Deception.
Monitor Key Configurations:

23.5" Full HD resolution
240Hz Active Shutter
Best in class 3D quality
HDMI x 2 input
Component input for PS2 & PSP
2 pairs of ...