PlayStation Now is a glimpse at the future of gaming — for a price

PlayStation Now is a glimpse at the future of gaming — for a price

Ross Miller

The Verge 

"Honey, can you turn off Netflix? I'm trying to play Twisted Metal."
In my life, I never thought I'd utter those words. But that's the future, according to PlayStation Now — that's the name for Sony's streaming games service that launched this week in open beta on PlayStation 4. The "Netflix for games" truly is the future of gaming — but that future comes with a whole new vocabulary of gripes and concerns, all of which will be familiar to anyone who uses Netflix.

PlayStation Now is a cloud gaming service that lets you rent games by the hour, day, week, or month. There is no processing done locally on a game console or computer; you're essentially streaming the game from a server far away, with your button presses passing from the controller through the console to the server. PS Now isn't the first service to do this — OnLive debuted years earlier, and its former rival Gaikai was bought by Sony to power Now — but it's certainly the first home console to bring the technology to a wider audience.

The library of games currently consists of selections from the PlayStation 3 (the PS4 isn't otherwise backwards compatible, so this is the only way to play last-generation titles on the latest console), so I loaded up Ninja Gaiden Sigma. If lag was going to be an issue, Ninja Gaiden would prove it: it's a twitchy, frenetic action title where every button press makes a difference. In the office (23.20Mbps down, 18.38Mbps up), lag wasn't an issue at all: not only did the game work, but it felt very responsive. Saved game files remain tied to your account even after the rentals expire, and online multiplayer works smoothly.
Sony recommends a connection ranging from 5 to 12Mbps

But that was office internet, which is almost twice what I get at home. Connection speed plays a huge role, and Sony's acutely aware that it'll be the biggest issue. (The company recommends a steady broadband internet connection ranging from 5 to 12Mbps.) Each time you load up a game, the software tests your connection speed to see if it passes the minimum bar to work. (You can get more detailed information on download / upload speeds from PlayStation 4's network settings menu.)
Game after game, PlayStation Now held its own. Twisted Metal, Dead or Alive 5, Darksiders II. For better or for worse, the games play exactly as you remember, including terrible load times (Ninja Gaiden) and unskippable, minute-long cutscenes (Killzone 3). Those were annoying back then, and they're especially annoying now when I'm paying for both games by the hour.

Technically speaking, the stream held up and the latency was a moot point, so that's when my girlfriend and I decided to try and break it. First we loaded up Netflix to watch something in HD, and it held up really well aside from the screen occasionally artifacting. While my Dead or Alive fighter was somewhat blurry, I could still block and counter and win matches. It wasn't until we loaded up a second simultaneous video stream — Twitch Plays Pokemon — that we finally broke it. Button presses would register late or more likely not at all. The screen would tear in ways that felt like postmodern art. And then about five or ten minutes later, after what I imagine was a serious fight over bandwidth between three competing streams, everything somewhat leveled off to varying degrees of fidelity (but still ultimately playable).

It's impressive that it held up that much for that long, but more than lag, its big problem is the price. As Polygon's Chris Plante lays out succinctly, the cost of rentals can be absurdly high for years-old games. Some titles cost as much as $4.99 for four hours of play. Hours. Likewise, Final Fantasy XIII-2 costs $29.99 for 90 days of use, but it's only $20 to pick up a physical copy from GameStop and own forever. If Sony wants PS Now to be the Netflix of games, then it really needs to figure out a similar business model.
But if Sony can figure out a sustainable cost structure (hopefully by way of a subscription service), then what Now represents is a proof-of-concept for the future of games. You won't need a console to play the latest and greatest. It might be baked into your TV or even playable from your phone or tablet.

That's the trajectory we're heading on — a future where all media is streamed from servers to screens in your home. All you'll need is a decent internet connection, but that's a much larger debate.

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WeChat helps Apple rack up bonus points in China

WeChat helps Apple rack up bonus points in China

By Paul Carsten

Reuters

BEIJING - Apple Inc has a lot for which to thank people like Deng.
A Beijing-based quality analyst, she gave only her surname as she's embarrassed by how much money she spends playing mobile games on WeChat, a hugely popular messaging app developed by Chinese internet giant Tencent Holdings Ltd.

"The most expensive time was when I spent 68 yuan ($11.08) on a leopard on Tiantiankupao," said Deng, an avid iPhone user, referring to Tencent's hit game - called Timi Run Everyday in English - where characters run through obstacle courses. Having a leopard as a pet gives the characters extra power, helping players beat their friends.

Deng and tens of millions like her have made China Apple's third-largest market for software sales, and a huge chunk of that comes through WeChat. Known locally as Weixin, WeChat had 438 million monthly active users globally, mostly in China, at the end of June, and has rapidly evolved from a messaging tool into a digital Swiss Army knife, allowing users to send messages, play games, book taxis and shop online.

The app has proved a winning formula in getting people in China, a market notorious for not paying for software, to connect their bank accounts with their phones and pay for virtual goods like extra lives and power-ups in mobile games.

Apple takes a 30 percent cut on all sales.
"We're seeing some substantial strength there," Apple CEO Tim Cook said of China in a July earnings call. "The thing that's actually growing the most is the iTunes, Software and Services category, which has the App Store in it. That area is almost doubling year over year."

Apple's Greater China revenues, which include Hong Kong and Taiwan, soared 28 percent in April-June from a year earlier to $5.9 billion, and globally, iTunes, Software and Services sales were the company's second-fastest growing product category, up 12 percent year-on-year to $4.5 billion.
Tencent was the top game publisher for Apple's iOS operating system in China by revenue for both June and July, according to App Annie, a company that measures app usage. Apple is this week expected to launch its new iPhone - with a gamer-friendly larger screen.

"A VERY VIRTUOUS CYCLE"

Apple makes all software sales on the iPhone go through its App Store. Typically, the Cupertino, California-based company will take its 30 percent of the sales, while the rest goes to an app's developer or publisher.

WeChat, which itself hosts apps and games made by other developers, is no different. The cash from any products sold on the app are split between Apple, Tencent and the developer.
"By far the biggest factor driving App Store revenue in China is WeChat," said Ben Thompson, who writes about technology at stratechery.com. "WeChat has driven app download and usage, which drives people to want to buy stuff, which drives them to connect their payment information. It's been a very virtuous cycle."

Growth has also been helped by increased smartphone sales since China Mobile, the country's largest carrier, began offering the iPhone in January.

A big part of WeChat's success has been with casual games - highly addictive hits like Candy Crush Saga and Temple Run that are often free to download but let users pay for in-game upgrades. WeChat has its own stable of games, and also publishes Candy Crush in China.
Games integrated with WeChat and Tencent's other mobile social network, Mobile QQ, generated revenues of 3 billion yuan ($489 million) for Tencent in April-June, up from around 1.8 billion yuan in January-March.

"If you look at who's playing Temple Run and Candy Crush, a lot of these were non-gamers five years ago," said Junde Yu, App Annie's vice president of Asia Pacific. "With the advent of smartphones, the ease of use, they started to download apps, and because they're very casual and fun they start playing games. It hooks them and encourages them to start making payments."

REPEAT PURCHASES
China is unique in another way that helps push up spending on smartphones.
Both Apple and Tencent have tried to drive the adoption of mobile payments on their platforms, but China's banking payment system is complex at best, and makes it difficult to carry out any kind of online payment with ease.

Apple uses a top-up system for its App Store in China, with a 50 yuan ($8.15) minimum value, said Yu - for those using China's national bank card payment network rather than international credit cards. "This leads to a lot of repeat purchases as people aren't likely to spend 50 yuan on one purchase," Yu said. "After the first time, they won't stop but will keep purchasing and playing games."

iPhone users themselves are a big draw for app developers, and some value them more highly than people using smartphones operating on Google Inc's Android system.
"I'd pay six times the price for an iOS user compared to Android," said Peng Tao, chief executive of breadtrip, a Beijing-based travel app. Part of the reason, in China at least, is that Android's Google Play app store isn't accessible, so dozens of smaller, less curated app stores have sprung up.

"On the iOS App Store front page apps are chosen by merit, whereas in China for Android they're chosen by who pays," said Peng. "Android users just like to download things, no matter the need. They see it's free and download it, so they shift apps quickly - download and delete, download and delete."

UNEASY ALLIES?

For Apple, though, WeChat may turn out to be a Trojan horse.
While the U.S. company is earning good money through WeChat's success, there is some concern that Tencent may want Apple to see less of that.

"WeChat made the market, Apple didn't, and it's becoming so powerful on mobile in China that, broadly speaking, it's a threat to Apple," said stratechery.com's Thompson. "If Tencent want to flex their muscles and keep more of that revenue, I could certainly see them leaning on the government to help them and keep a bigger percentage of the sales they're driving."
China's ruling Communist Party is no stranger to heavy-handed regulation. Last week, a U.S. business lobby said foreign companies are increasingly concerned they are being targeted by Chinese regulators, charges the regulators deny.

Apple itself has repeatedly come under fire from Chinese state media - more frequently since former U.S. National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden's revelations about U.S. government cyber-espionage conducted through private companies including Apple, Google and Microsoft Corp.
In July, China's state broadcaster branded the iPhone a national security threat because of its ability to track and time-stamp user locations, and government mouthpieces have called for 'severe punishment', accusing Apple of providing user data to U.S. intelligence agencies.
Some of WeChat's rivals in messaging apps have also fallen by the wayside in China because of the government.

Chinese authorities said in August they blocked South Korean firm Kakao Corp's KakaoTalk and Naver Corp's Line as part of efforts to fight terrorism, according to the Korean government, explaining service disruptions in China that had begun a month earlier.
"The biggest danger for Apple in China is always the uncertain regulatory environment," said stratechery.com's Thompson. "It's very plausible to see the government moving against Apple's App Store policy."

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Nintendo is finally developing smartphone games

Nintendo is finally developing smartphone games

Despite denying it would ever do such a thing, Nintendo has entered into a partnership with developer DeNA to create new games for mobile devices. The emphasis is on the word "new" -- you won't be getting Super Mario Bros. on your Android smartphone, for instance. Instead, the companies said "only new original games optimized for smart device functionality will be created, rather than porting games created specifically for the Wii U home console or the Nintendo 3DS portable system." In other words, it looks like Nintendo has relented to investors who've said it's not profiting enough from its valuable intellectual property, and you may soon see its universe of characters pop up in Candy Crush-style games.
Nintendo started experimenting with free-to-play games featuring paid downloadable content (DLC) last year. If you've never heard of DeNA, it runs the popular Mobage Japanese mobile gaming portal, and has created notable mobile spinoffs for games like Final Fantasy.
Developing...
Nasdaq

Steve Dent

Engadget 

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Best iphone and ipad games this week:

Stuart Dredge

PlunderNauts (Free + IAP)
Pirates in space is a theme that's been tapped by numerous games and TV shows in the past, with PlunderNauts an impressive update of the idea. Your job is to loot galactic booty (so to speak) in your spaceship, crafting weapons and upgrades to keep your fleet in shape, and plotting your space-battle strategy.
iPhone / iPad

Stick Soccer (Free + IAP)
This is the work of Stick Sports, following its previous Stick Cricket and Stick Tennis games. Here, you're flicking a ball to score goals – one of a growing number of "flick-to-kick" mobile games. One neat feature: you choose your country then see your points count towards its total in a global contest.
iPhone / iPad

LEGO Marvel Super Heroes: Universe in Peril (£2.99 + IAP)
There are plenty of fans of the various Lego games, with Marvel's Spider-Man, Wolverine, Iron Man and other super heroes the latest to get blocked up for an action-adventure. More than 90 characters, in all, with 45 missions to play through – themed packs provide access to the different heroes.
iPhone / iPad

Powerpuff Girls: Defenders of Townsville (£2.49)
Earlier this month, Cartoon Network announced that it would be developing new episodes of its Powerpuff Girls cartoon – the first since 2005. But in advance of those, here's an official mobile game for Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup. It's a fun action-adventure as you explore its Townsville setting, unlock new abilities and battle big bosses.
iPhone / iPad

Mucho Party (£2.49)
Microgames – think Wario Ware – have been a hit on other devices. Mucho Party is trying to do a similar thing for iOS, with 30 games designed for fast multiplayer fun. The idea: you take on a friend across the various games, although there are AI-controlled players when nobody else is with you. Colourful and silly, in the best sense of the word.
iPhone / iPad

Dungeon Gems (Free + IAP)
The inspiration for this Gameloft game is clear: lucrative puzzle-RPG game Puzzle & Dragons. As in that game, you're fighting monsters by matching shapes – runes in this case. There are 220 heroes from which to marshal your party, and – as ever for this genre – in-app purchases to speed your development if desired.
iPhone / iPad

Hero Hunt (Free + IAP)
Hero Hunt looks interesting: a "tactical collectible card game" where you collect and upgrade superheroes, then send them into three-on-three battles where you swipe at enemies to cast spells and launch attacks. There's a solo quest mode plus the option to battle other players and form clans.
iPhone / iPad

Transformers: Age of Extinction (Free + IAP)
Another big movie brand gets a mobile game, this time from Japanese publisher Mobage. It's a "3D combat runner" starring the Autobots and Decepticons, as you switch between robot and vehicle while powering through the levels, unlocking new Transformers as you go.
iPhone / iPad

ColourColor (Free + IAP)
Finally, something really intriguing: a colour-matching social game for iPhone. You play by taking a photo of something nearby, then challenging a friend to find something near them with as close a colour match as possible. It has the potential to be a Draw Something-style success, if enough people pick it up.
iPhone

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These are the biggest Xbox One games at E3 2014:

These are the biggest Xbox One games at E3 2014:

Sure, you could spend the rest of your days playing Titanfall online, but what if you'd like to give your Xbox One something a little different to play? Microsoft's message for this E3 was clear: games, games and more games. We took to the company's booth this week to find out what you'd be playing this fall, and whether you like shooters, driving games or indies, you should be all set for first-party titles. How does Redmond stack up to Sony's plan for the PlayStation? We'll let you be the judge.

FABLE LEGENDS

For a lot of people, the Fable franchise has been heartbreaking from the word "go." The series' promise of ultimate freedom was never truly fulfilled and even the series' creator, Peter Molyneux, has said the last was a "train wreck." If the past three entries left you wanting, Fable Legends might not change that. Instead of going for the series-typical action-RPG, Legends looks more like a shallow co-op romp than a lengthy single-player game where your actions determine your appearance (doing good deeds caused a halo to form around your head, for example). Three players work to take down waves of enemies and gather loot; even if you play solo, you'll have comrades fighting alongside -- they'll just be AI-controlled. Where it gets unique, however, is when a fourth person plays as the villain. From there, you're taking almost a tower-defense-style look at each match, and directing enemies toward the advancing heroes.
I thought this aspect was fun, but couldn't help but pine for a traditional Fable game where I could kick chickens, have a wife (or husband) in every city and collect a trail of flies. A beta for the title launches this fall, and a full release is planned for next year.

SUNSET OVERDRIVE

Sunset Overdrive is absolute mayhem. Developer Insomniac Games' latest takes everything it's known for (colorful action, ingenious weapon systems and pure irreverence) and poured it into a game where you can fire explosive propane tanks at glowing orange monstrosities whilst grinding around on power lines and defending a vat of the energy drink from the monsters it created. In the multiplayer match I joined, there  

were countless explosions, particle effects and monsters on screen at the same time, and the game never once stopped being silky smooth as I bounced off of trampolines and onto roofs so I could rain hell from above with a freeze ray -- even with seven other players. Granted, this was a very controlled setup in Microsoft's E3 booth, so anything could happen when it launches this fall. While I'm confident that multiplayer should be a blast, I'm curious as to how the experience translates to a solo campaign. Insomniac knows how to tell a story though (just look at Resistance 3, for example), so I'm not too worried.

FORZA HORIZON 2ORI AND THE BLIND FOREST

Not everyone wants to spend more time virtually tuning an absurdly expensive car's engine than they do actually, you know, racing it. Forza Horizon 2 doesn't force that, much like its predecessor didn't. For better or for worse, Horizon 2 doesn't immediately feel all that different from the first Horizon. I drove my bright red Corvette Stingray through the desert, carving out corners on cliffside roads, shunting anyone who came too close, while electronic dance music beats thumped in my headphones. Looking back, however, at least one aspect of my race stood out: I was encouraged to drive off-road. It sounds minor, yes, but seeing the suggested racing line (and my opponents) lead into tall grass changed the pacing of the competition a bit. We were all in low-slung, high-powered automobiles designed for racetracks -- this forced us to slow down, and gave me a chance to overtake those who decelerated too much. And when I crossed the finish line in eighth place? A few fighter jets scrambled overhead, leaving multicolored contrails in their wake. It seemed a bit familiar, yes, but I was okay with it and I can't wait to get behind the wheel this autumn.

Ori and the Blind Forest is one of the bigger pushes for Microsoft's indie-game initiative, and it's gorgeous. During my brief demo, I guided a charming, little white creature around a beautiful setting, hopping from platform to platform and launching fire attacks at pink and pulsing enemies. The PR reps on hand told me that all of the backgrounds are procedurally generated, meaning an algorithm assembles them, so if you go back through the same area three different times, you'll see three different backdrops. Given  that this game plays in the style of a classic Metroid or Castlevania where earning new abilities opens hidden areas in previously traveled areas, you'll probably see the same scene more than once when the game launches this fall.

HALO: THE MASTER CHIEF COLLECTION

You didn't think we'd keep Halo out of this, did you? Halo: The Master Chief Collection(MCC) packs four games onto one disc, some 100 multiplayer maps, a totally remastered Halo 2 and a whole lot more all into one $60 package this fall. Halo 2's overhauled graphics don't measure up to other recent shooters, but pressing the Xbox One controller's "view" button brings the original 2004 graphics back, and you can see just how different the two games look. Better shadows, more detailed textures and, well, a lot more drama, come to light with the new visuals. Developer 343 Industries is remastering the audio, too if you're into that sort of thing. Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, Halo 3 and Halo 4 aren't getting revamped, but that's because they already looked pretty great running on the Xbox 360. I was told, however, that some post-processing effects have been added so they look a touch better. What's more, the MCC is how you'll access the Halo 5: Guardians beta this December, and Ridley Scott's Halo: Nightfalllive-action series after the collection's November 11th release.

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Some time playing video games can actually be good for kids

Some time playing video games can actually be good for kids

Hannah Newman

Quartz 

With research showing that video games can have both positive and negative effects on kids, parents can be forgiven for being confused. In the US, 31% of teens play video games daily, according to the Pew Research Internet Project, consuming up to one-half of their daily free time. Now a new study suggests there’s a sweet spot for just the right amount of time is good for gamers.

The study, conducted by Andrew K. Przybylski, an experimental psychologist at the University of Oxford’s Internet Institute, looked at survey responses of nearly 5,000 British boys and girls aged 10 to 15—75% of whom reported playing video games everyday. The kids answered questions about their life satisfaction, friendships, willingness to help others, and levels of hyperactivity and inattention.
Those who played for less than one hour a day, Przybylski found, were happier with their lives and had more emotional stability than those who never grabbed a controller. Those who played for three hours or more a day were, perhaps unsurprisingly, the most maladjusted of the lot.

Why are non-gamers at a disadvantage? Since so many of their peers are active gamers, not having the experience as part of the conversation cab be socially harmful, Przybylski told the BBC. He suggests that the fun, social nature of video games works much like traditional face-to-face play by enhancing social skills and presenting opportunities for identity development.

Przybylski notes that his sample is quite small, and that video games are not the most important contributor to having having well-adjusted kids. Factors such as strong family relationships, a positive community, and school environment play an undeniably larger, more enduring role in a child’s development. Still, the study provide some reassurance to parents who are unable to completely detach their kids from the controller.

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The 10 most interesting new games at Gamescom 2014

The 10 most interesting new games at Gamescom 2014

Keith Stuart

The Guardian 

Life is Strange – an interesting new narrative adventure from the creators of sci-fi thriller, Remember Me.

Hundreds of games, 350,000 visitors and roughly a billion years’ worth of hyperbole, the gigantic GamesCom exhibition is over for another year. Although never as packed with announcements as the E3 event in Los Angeles, there’s always plenty of new stuff to discover at this European behemoth.
So, putting aside all the usual mega franchises (you don’t need us to tell you that there are new Call of Duty, Battlefield, Dragon Age and Fable titles), here are the revelations that got most people talking as they fought through the madding crowds.

Alienation (Housemarque, PS4)

Finnish shoot-’em-up specialist Housemarque produced one of the few must-have titles of the next-gen console launch period – the gorgeous Resogun. Now the team is working on another PS4 exclusive, Alienation, a frenetic twin-stick shooter, allowing teams of players to mow down swarming aliens. OK, so Robotron-style co-op experiences aren’t exactly rare, but this studio is a true artisan in the shooter genre and is bound to introduce new mechanics and flourishes. It’s due out in 2015.

Hellblade (Ninja Theory, PS4)

British studio Ninja Theory has produced some of the most visually arresting titles of the last decade in the form of Heavenly Sword, Enslaved and the underrated, Devil May Cry reboot, DmC. Now it’s back with another stylish stab-’em-up, which, judging by the title and the look of the lead character, has at least a passing relationship with Heavenly Sword. Although initially a PS4 exclusive, it will be coming to other platforms, but there are no release details just yet.

Life is Strange (Dontnod, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One)

Memorably described by IGN as “Gone Home meets The Walking Dead,” this episodic narrative adventure is the latest work from Parisian studio, Dontnod, the creator of last year’s cult sci-fi title, Remember Me. This time the action follows a student who returns to her small Oregon town to meet old friend Chloe and investigate the disappearance of local girl, Rachel Amber. The set up looks similar to all the current titles from episodic specialist Telltale Games, but here, the lead character has time-travelling abilities, adding a wrinkle to the formula.

P.T./Silent Hills (7780s Studio, PS4)

Sony uploaded an interactive teaser for this nerve-jangling horror romp just before Gamescom, and then revealed that the project was, in fact, a new Silent Hill title from Hideo Kojima and director, Guillermo Del Toro. So okay, this long-running psychological terror series is hardly “new” but it was the PT demo that had everyone talking with its creepy haunted house setting and unsettling looping corridors. Plus, Silent Hills, as its known, looks set to be a very singular take on the franchise when it releases in … oh who knows, this is a Kojima production.

ScreamRide (Frontier Developments, Xbox One)

Again, this is not exactly a newcomer – its a sort of offshoot from the ageing Rollercoaster Tycoon series. But developer Frontier Developments is doing something fresh with the ‘build your own theme park’ concept, setting it in the future and adding physics-defying rides and destructible environments. It was also one of the few new announcements at Microsoft’s Gamescom press conference. Expect it on Xbox platforms in spring 2015.

Shadow Realms (BioWare, PC)

Despite the fact that “Shadow Realms” may be the most generic name ever given to a fantasy-themed action adventure, this new project from BioWare Austin looks intriguing. Monsters from another dimension have invaded Earth and now it’s up to a small group of humans with currently unexplained super powers to fight them off. Like Evolve and Fable: Legends it features asymmetrical multiplayer, allowing four friends to co-op as humans, while a fifth perhaps less popular member of the social group controls the invading Shadowlord. It’s hitting the PC in late 2015.

Superhot (Superhot, PC, Xbox One)

Although you play an assassin in this hyper-stylised first-person project, it’s much more like a weird spatial puzzler than a shooter. Cleverly, time only moves when you do, so you must carefully navigate a series of armed encounters by ducking and strafing enemy bullets, then pausing to work out the next move. Imagine a maze game crossed with a “bullet time” action title – and for the ultimate first-person bullet dodging thrill, it supports Oculus Rift. The game is due out in June 2015. But there’s a prototype on the website of the game’s eponymous dev team.

The Tomorrow Children (Q-Games, PS4)

The latest title from Pixel-Junk creator Q-Games is set in a post-apocalyptic world devestated by a 1960s Russian experiement to meld all human minds into one super-consciousness. Somehow, somehow, it failed, plunging civilization into chaos and destruction. Now, you must enter the Void, a sort of sci-fi Marxist collective, and save the world from monsters, while abiding by the strict rules of this surreal Communist society. It’s okay, head of Q-Games Dylan Cuthbert does a better job of explaining it. There’s no release date just yet.

Until Dawn (Supermassive Games, PS4)

Originally intended as a PS3 title then seemingly lost in development hell, Suppermassive’s horror adventure has returned as a next-gen title, complete with a glittering voice cast (Hayden Panettiere, Rami Malek, Brett Dalton) and a graphical overhaul courtesy of the Killzone engine. It looks like a creepy haunted house yarn with eight friends holed up in a remote mountain shack – but when the gruesome deaths start, there are hundreds of plot-altering decisions available to the player, providing a true sense of involvement and , of course, nightmarishly escalating terror. Which is something we all enjoy.

Wild (Wild Sheep Studios, PS4)

Michel Ancel, the brilliantly talented creator of Rayman and Beyond Good and Evil, has a new studio named Wild Sheep, and a fresh project – the intriguing open-world simulation, Wild. Set ten thousand years ago in a huge rural environment, players can take part either as human tribespeople or as several species of animals, fighting to survive against the elements and predators. Little else is known just yet, but Ancel is promising a completely different experience every time you play. We’re thinking a sort of pre-historic Sims meets Tokyo Jungle. That would be amazing.

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'Brain Games' leads own genre at Nat Geo Channel

'Brain Games' leads own genre at Nat Geo Channel

DAVID BAUDER

Associated Press

NEW YORK — Given that David Rees has written a book on how to sharpen a pencil, he seems the perfect choice to host a new National Geographic Channel series that elevates mundane activities into the subject of deep investigation.

So, for those inclined, Rees' "Going Deep" over the next two months will tell more than you ever thought you could know about digging a hole, tying a shoe, making ice cubes, shaking hands or throwing a paper airplane.

The series debuts Monday (10 p.m. EDT) following a new episode of "Brain Games." It's part of what has become a new programming genre at National Geographic that explains how the world works. Think of it as Geek TV, although the network works very hard to make shows that will appeal to the channel surfer.
"Brain Games" started it all. Host Jason Silva guides viewers through experiments designed to show how the brain perceives things like motion, space or time. The new season gets more abstract; tests measure compassion, anger, addiction and intuition.

A three-hour "Brain Games" special in 2011 did so well the network quickly ordered a series, which became National Geographic's most popular program, said Courteney Monroe, the network's chief executive.
"It remains unique on the television landscape," she said. "That was what kind of ignited it for us. As we watched the performance continue to grow, we said, 'What else can we get in this space?'"

Other shows were launched to appeal to the same taste. In "None of the Above," host Tim Shaw conducts experiments and asks people to predict the outcome. "The Numbers Game" uses statistics, role play and experiments to answer questions like "are you a risk taker?" or "can you be a hero?"

One series soon to come, "Mind Over Masses," was inspired by YouTube clips. It explores ways to make people change behavior, like painting stairs to look like a piano so people use them more than an elevator. The upcoming "You Can't Lick Your Elbow" examines the human body. "Mapology," due next year, uses data analysis to uncover some of the world's unexpected realities.
The network has also given the go-ahead to a miniseries about inventors, "American Genius," produced by the same company that made "The Men Who Built America."
It's enough to make the brain hurt.

Monroe needs to balance the interest in viewers unleashed by "Brain Games" with oversaturating the market, keeping in mind that competing networks will surely develop copycats. "We're always worried about that," she said.
Within the genre, "Going Deep" is a little risky, Monroe said. Rees is a former political cartoonist and a comedian who — honest! — maintains a side business sharpening pencils for money. He and the show have an edgy New York wit.
"He's quirky," Monroe said. "The show is quirky. The sensibility is quirky. I don't know if it's going to work. I love that we're trying it."

As the title suggests, "Going Deep" uses each show's question to take intriguing side trips. An episode on how to strike a match delves into the science of fire, which Rees finds not as haphazard as he thought. He finds a scientist with striking new designs for real airplanes to talk to on his show about paper airplanes, and is shown glacial ice hundreds of thousands of years old in his ice cube program. Producers flew in an expert on knots from Australia for the shoelace episode.

"I think that was our entire travel budget," he said.

Rees believes his show has found the right home in the geeky corner of National Geographic Channel.
"We had three networks saying, 'We're out there looking for a new 'Duck Dynasty,'" he said. "I said, 'This is not your next 'Duck Dynasty.'"

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Top 5 Best Android Games For June 2014 Download For Free

Top 5 Best Android Games For June 2014 Download For Free

Asphalt 8: Airborne

Gameloft has been known to emulate PC game principles and bring them to mobile games. But in doing so, they have gathered mixed results. With Asphalt 8: Airborne, that is clearly not the case. This Android game is one of the best in the racing category; it’s amazing that they’ve given this out for free. With its user-friendly controls, gorgeous graphics, new locations and luxury cars, Asphalt 8: Airborne is an obvious winner.

Dungeon Hunter 4

This Android game is a fantasy, role-playing game (RPG) that takes players into a mysterious world packed with strange evil beings, magic, and knights. Dungeon Hunter 4 has been pegged as the “Diablo” of mobile games. With characters such as mage, sentinel, or blade master, you can recruit your friends and use tons of spells and weapons to vanquish all evil forces forever.

Lumosity

Lumosity started out as a web-based game and has moved to the mobile turf with considerable success. It is a brain-training app composed of a collection of mini games designed to stretch all your neurons. In its Google Play listing, it is described as a game “designed by neuroscientists to train memory, attention, and more. With foundations in the study of neuroplasticity.” Claiming to have over 60 million players, the popular game has recently been launched on the Android platform.

Galaxy on Fire 2™ HD

 Prepare your blasters and navigate the vast expanse of the universe to save galaxies. In the Galaxy on Fire 2™ HD game, you will control a high-tech spaceship, travel through space, battle enemies, and even mine for money. This Android game offers an irresistible 10+ hours of gameplay as well as DLC unlockables that awards you with story add-ons and extra missions. Its mouth-watering graphics, accessible flight controls, and amazing plot will give several PC games a run for their money.

Dead Trigger 2

You’ll feel an eerie sense of fulfillment after spending a long train ride killing off a horde of gory,undead beings. In Dead Trigger 2, you need to fight for your life and use different weapons to survive the zombie apocalypse. With its simple mechanics and an addictive, deep crafting system, Dead Trigger 2 is an Android game you must have on your devices.

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5 video game trends expected at E3

5 video game trends expected at E3:

LOS ANGELES — With the launch of the Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and Wii U in the video game industry's rearview mirror, the spotlight at this week's Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles is expected to shift back to games. From online-only titles to virtual reality experiences, about 200 exhibitors will hype their latest software in hopes of becoming The Next Big Thing. A sampling:
NEW TRICKS: Following the dawn of the new console generation, several publishers will use this year's E3 to push potential new franchises, such as Bungie's sci-fi shooter "Destiny," Turtle Rock Studios' monster battle "Evolve," Insomniac Games' cartoony shoot-'em-up "Sunset Overdrive" and Ubisoft Massive's terrorist thriller "Tom Clancy's The Division."

SAYING SORRY: A few apologies might be issued to E3 crowds, like Microsoft for backtracking on required features for the Xbox One, Electronic Arts for botching last year's "Battlefield 4" launch, Nintendo for again dialing back its E3 presence after stumbling with the Wii U and far too many publishers to name here for delaying titles originally set for release this year to 2015.

REALITY CHECK: The prospect of virtual reality in the living room probably isn't quite ready for prime time, but that won't stop VR from being buzzed about across the Los Angeles Convention Center this week. A few developers, including "Words With Friends" co-creator Paul Bettner, will be showing off games created for the Oculus Rift and Project Morpheus headsets.

RETURN OF THE JEDI: EA, which announced an exclusive deal last year with Disney to produce "Star Wars" games for the next 10 years, will detail DICE's intergalactic adventure "Star Wars: Battlefront" during its E3 presentation on Monday, and the company might tease other "Star Wars" games, including one that's currently being crafted by its Visceral Games studio

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Sony reveals PlayStation TV launch

Sony reveals PlayStation TV launch

By Kim Gittleson

BBC 

Sony has revealed autumn launch dates for its PlayStation TV in the US, UK, and Europe.
Available in Japan since last year, the micro-console is the firm's efforts to take on other streaming television consoles like AppleTV and Roku.
Unlike those, Sony's offering will allow gamers access to PlayStation games.
Sony said consoles will go on sale in the US on 14 October and in the UK on 14 November.
They will cost $99 (£59) in the US and 99 euros (£78) in Europe, and will include three games. The UK price has not yet been announced.
The console will allow users access to Sony's games library via Remote Play, and it will also offer access to third-party applications like Netflix.
In the US, it will also offer access to Sony's game-streaming service, PlayStation Now, which will be coming to Europe and the UK in 2015.

'Enough of both'Sony has previously announced the existence of the PlayStation TV at various events.
Many analysts seem optimistic about the device's prospects, despite earlier failed streaming games efforts, such as OnLive, which was forced to lay off all of its employees in 2012.
"This TV could be a proper streaming device, one that could compete well with the other ones that are out there - the Apple, Roku, even things like Amazon FireTV," Brian Blau, research director of consumer technology at Gartner, told the BBC.
"It's not the most robust streaming service and it's not the most robust gaming device but it's enough of both for the price," he added.

New marketsAnalysts say that the device is not necessarily intended to appeal to serious gamers, but to those who are looking for a second-screen or the ability to play older PlayStation games.
"Sony is trying to introduce a broader audience to PlayStation, so with PlayStation TV, they can address a lower income or more casual market and provide access to a huge library of games," said Michael Pachter, research analyst at Wedbush Securities.
However, Mr Pachter cautioned that simply appealing to gamers would not make the device a runaway success.
"It's an odd device, and will be hard to explain to many people," he said.
The announcement was made during the PlayStation press conference at the Gamescom trade fair in Cologne in Germany, where Sony also announced it had sold 10 million PlayStation 4 consoles, better than rival Microsoft's Xbox One.

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Nasa’s plans to use game controllers to take you into space

Nasa’s plans to use game controllers to take you into space

Will Freeman

The Guardian 

Now commonplace, game controllers are so familiar in scenes of living-room clutter that they have, with the exception of when they are hurled wall-ward in frustration, become almost invisible. Yet these mass-manufactured collections of buttons and circuitry might yet prove to be a prototype tool for exploring the final frontier, having escaped the anonymity of millions of homes and captured the attention of Nasa.

Dr Jeff Norris is the supervisor of the planning software systems group at the Nasa jet propulsion laboratory – designers and operators of space exploration robots such as the Mars rover Curiosity – and he and his colleagues are increasingly taking an interest in gaming devices.
Norris is one of a collective of scientists looking at how best to control a vast range of robots, from giant, experimental, spider-like constructions that carry laboratories on their backs to unmanned spacecraft orbiting Saturn. “Games companies, we’ve noticed, are highly skilled at building control devices that are durable, highly capable and easy to use,” Norris explains.

“They are doing that, of course, because they want their games to be immediate and easy to play. Meanwhile, in control systems at Nasa, the first thing you’d have to do is sit down and read a manual,” he continues. Perhaps you’d also need to follow college through to an advanced degree in a topic that’s relevant.
“So as we started to look at control devices, and the way games present information, we started to wonder how we could leverage and build upon the work of the games industry in our work to explore space.”

And build they did. Today Nasa uses off-the-shelf and modified game controllers in testing robots on Earth, while contemplating how they can be reworked for remote control of similar contraptions elsewhere in our solar system. “We are literally taking unmodified game controllers and building systems to translate their inputs to control our robots here on Earth,” says Norris.
“That’s not quite a suitable technique for controlling a robot on another planet, but it is a way to better understand how we can make our robots easier to operate, and it is a way to imagine how an astronaut might control a robot.

“We’re not attempting to ‘flight modify’ an off-the-shelf game controller for use in space today, but I don’t think it’s far-fetched to say that in partnering with the manufacturers of these controllers we could produce things that are excellent for those kinds of uses.”
And by Norris’s own admission, Nasa can’t do everything alone. The job of venturing into space is simply too big for one organisation. That’s why they use partners, such as tyre and aircraft manufacturers to help. And it’s such collaboration that may one day see controllers originally conceived for use on the sofa redesigned for stellar travel .

“We have to partner to progress,” explains Norris. “In the area of control devices, the game industry seems like a natural place for us to look for partners when we do start asking the question of exactly what controller should be packed in the astronaut’s backpack.”

Yet Nasa’s interest in gaming does not end with the lucky few that will escape the Earth’s gravitational pull. “Exploring space is a journey that belongs to everyone, and through games we can share that with a huge number of people,” enthuses Norris. Through interactive worlds that allow people to explore Mars based on real data, and gaming reimaginings of active missions, they do so to an extent already. Indeed, Xbox 360 owners can try their hand at remotely conducting a virtual Curiosity rover landing. But Nasa also sees the chance to pipe distant planets’ environments into our homes through the potential of VR and graphics technology.

“600 million people shared Apollo through televisions in their living rooms,” concludes Norris. “That at the time was the best technology available to make it feel like we were all there together. It changed lives, it changed careers and it changed the world. And I don’t think it is simply a job for television any more. As a population we don’t just want to watch . We want to participate and interact.”

With consoles almost as ubiquitous now as TVs were then, and Nasa keen to embrace the opportunities they offer, the next time we share such an experience it may well really feel as if we really are all there together. And all it takes is one small step from game developers.

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The NFL’s Flirtation With the Web Is Over (For Now)

The NFL’s Flirtation With the Web Is Over (For Now)

Peter Kafka

Re/code 

One day, a tech giant like Google or Apple might stream pro football games to American homes. But not anytime soon: DirecTV has renewed its deal to carry the NFL’s “Sunday Ticket” subscription package.

The two sides aren’t commenting on pricing, but the satellite TV company’s last NFL deal cost it about $1 billion a year.

The renewal means that the most plausible way for a non-TV company to get its hands on TV’s most valuable programming is now off the table; people familiar with the deal say it will extend for eight years. Meanwhile, the rest of the NFL’s games are also locked up in long-term deals.
So if you want to watch pro football, you’re going do it via a broadcast or cable TV network, for quite some time.*

This deal isn’t much of a surprise, since AT&T’s $67 billion plan to purchase DirecTV hinged in large part on the satellite company keeping the deal. Then again, the deal was supposed to be wrapped up late last year, and the delay prompted some observers/wishers to wonder if Google, Apple or someone else might be bidding on the package.

That hope isn’t entirely fanciful, as the NFL itself has suggested that some of its games will come to the Web without stopping on TV. And last year, managers at Google’s YouTube unit liked the idea enough to pitch it to CEO Larry Page, who didn’t bite.

*Many of those networks have deals that allow viewers to stream the games on laptops or tablets — but those deals are still built around the notion that the best way to watch the games is on TV.

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PlayStation Plus gave you $1,349 in 'free' games this year

PlayStation Plus gave you $1,349 in 'free' games this year

It won't surprise you to hear that your PlayStation Plus subscription provides a healthy amount of gaming goodness for $50 per year, but have you ever crunched the numbers to see just how much you're getting? Push Square has. According to its calculations, Sony offered Plus subscribers a whopping $1,349 (£960 in the UK) in PS3, PS4 and PS Vita software during 2014. If you were diligent enough to add every title to your library, you got quite a bargain -- especially since many of the titles (such as Don't Starve and Dust: An Elysian Tail) would arguably be worthwhile as stand-alone purchases.
Of course, Sony didn't hand out those games purely out of generosity. It did some hard math, too. It's safe to say that few gamers claimed every single title, and you have to remain a Plus member to keep those offerings in your collection. They're not really freebies, then. Also, while Microsoft "only" gave out $585 in Xbox games throughout the year, it both has one less platform to support and lets you keep your games even if your Xbox Live Gold subscription lapses. Nonetheless, it's clear that Sony is willing to outspend Microsoft in giveaways if that means winning you over -- and until very recently, that strategy has usually paid off.Push Square

Jon Fingas

Engadget 

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Viber grows its ecosystem with a new section for games

Viber grows its ecosystem with a new section for games

If you're going to try rivaling Skype, you may as well go big or go home. For Viber, over the past few months, this has meant taking its messaging and VoIP calling services to a different level, one that feels more like a mini social network with each passing update. And, without doubt, it helps to have resources at hand from Rakuten, its parent company. Accordingly, Viber has now announced that it is adding games to its platform, in a push to continue growing its ecosystem and give users features beyond calling and messaging.
At launch, Viber Games is going to have Candy Mania, Pop and Wild Luck Casino, which Viber created in tandem with developers Storm8 and Playtika. Along with the plans to expand its initial game lineup, Viber will bring the new feature to every country where its service is available -- for now, Viber Games is limited to Belarus, Israel, Malaysia and Singapore.

Edgar Alvarez
Engadget

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BioWare is reinventing save games for the Xbox One and PS4

BioWare is reinventing save games for the Xbox One and PS4

Now that the Xbox One and PS4 are on store shelves, the development team at BioWare has a serious problem to solve for the upcoming release of Dragon Age: Inquisition. In the two previous games in the franchise, players could make decisions that directly impact the state of the world of Thedas. If players continue to play on the PS3, Xbox 360, or PC, their save files will import easily with relatively little fuss, however players moving to the current-gen consoles need a way to import their world state. Instead of rigging up a complicated syncing solution, BioWare decided to launch a simple tool called “Dragon Age Keep” to solve the problem.

Dragon Age Keep is an online service that allows habitual Dragon Age players to tailor the state of the world to their preferences — essentially by ticking boxes for each decision that they might’ve made while playing. Whether or not these players have save files generated by the first two games, the Keep will allow anyone to jump into a perfectly configured world when Dragon Age: Inquisition launches later this year. The customized save games can be automatically imported to your Xbox One, PS4, or PC via Origin — or downloaded and transferred via USB, if your console is offline.

Admittedly, a series of checkboxes on a website might not sound like a big deal, but it actually solves a number of substantial problems that have been plaguing BioWare-style RPGs for years. In this article, I’ll touch on four major hurdles that the Dragon Age Keep effectively sidesteps for this upcoming release, and explain why this simple solution is BioWare’s best way forward.

Local save game loss

Hard drives die. It’s inevitable that the drives holding your precious data will eventually cease to function properly. Even some of the brightest among us have been bitten by drive failure, and files much more important than game saves have been lost permanently. If you’re relying on a drive to keep your saves safe for eight or nine years between console generations, you’re just asking for trouble. [Read our full backup masterclass to make sure you never lose data ever again.]

Most of the time, losing old save files isn’t a big deal. After all, most people aren’t going to bother loading up an old save for Madden 07 or Call of Duty 4. However, BioWare-style RPGs build off of the decisions made in each game, so that old save game from 2009 holds the key to the world you built.

If you read through a few Dragon Age threads across the internet, you’ll quickly see that a non-trivial number of people have lost their original save files. To rectify this issue, players either slog through dozens of hours of gameplay again, or use third-party tools to generate save files. These solutions certainly aren’t perfect (especially for console players), but they were the only options available until BioWare announced the Dragon Age Keep.

Cloud problems

If local saves are so fragile, surely cloud saves are the solution, right? Well, partially. Keeping off-site backups is always a good idea, and it will certainly reduce the risk from drive failure, but cloud saves aren’t perfect. Valve, Sony, and Microsoft have had cloud-based solutions for years now, and problems still crop up frequently.

Syncing has long been a problematic issue, and cloud saves are no exception. Inaccurate timestamps, accidental overwrites, and other technical issues still cause hiccups — even on modern systems. I’ve lost numerous saves through Steam, and my PS4 regularly refuses to automatically upload saves because of a bug in the firmware. Cloud saves are undoubtedly a useful tool, but they don’t solve every problem, and can even introduce new problems in some cases. With a system like the Keep, you can sidestep the issue of two-way sync completely. Generate a world state on a server, and download it to your console just once — no need for a complex syncing mechanism for this use case.

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"Lego to introduce mixed digital-physical blocks"

"Lego to introduce mixed digital-physical blocks"

NEW YORK — On the heels of success with "The Lego Movie," the Danish toy company is giving kids a chance to put their own blocks on the screen, with a new product line that copies their creations into phone and tablet games.

The Lego Fusion line will launch in August. Each $35 box will contain some 200 bricks and a special plate to build on. Creations on the plate can be photographed with Apple or Android phones or tablets and imported into free, downloadable games.

There are several Lego-themed games already, but this is the first time it's blending real and virtual this way. Many toy companies are going down that route, trying to capture some of the attention — and money — that's being diverted from physical products to iPhone and Android games.

In "Lego Fusion Town Master," kids build house facades on the plates and import them into a game that simulates a small town, inhabited by Lego figures. In "Battle Towers," they build sections of a medieval-style tower and defend it against flying monsters. In "Create & Race," they build cars and race them on a virtual track. Different designs yield cars that differ in speed, durability and handling.

In September, Lego is following up with "Resort Designer," in the style of its girl-oriented "Friends" line.
The games are designed to force the kids to return to the physical blocks and rebuild their structures, said Ditte Bruun Pedersen, senior design manager at Lego's Future Lab. But the lab's research also shows that kids want to bring their physical creations to life, she said.

"Kids want to be this mini-figure and they want to be in this world they create," Pedersen said.
The Fusion boxes are launching in the U.S. only and will be exclusive to Toys R Us and Lego's own stores, Lego said.

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Nintendo launching 'amiibo' with 12 characters

Nintendo launching 'amiibo' with 12 characters

DERRIK J. LANG

Associated Press

 

LOS ANGELES — Pikachu and Link will be among the first characters coming to "amiibo."
Nintendo announced Friday that 12 characters will initially be part of its upcoming toy-game franchise set for release later this year. In addition to the "Pokemon" and "Legend of Zelda" leading men, the starting line-up will include Mario, Princess Peach, Yoshi, Donkey Kong, Samus Aran, Kirby, Fox McCloud, Marth, the "Wii Fit" Trainer and the Villager from "Animal Crossing."

The figures in the "amiibo" toy-game line will each cost $12.99 and work in tandem with several of the Japanese gaming giant's upcoming titles, beginning with "Super Smash Bros."
"We wanted to make sure that the breadth of characters we had for the initial 'amiibo' line-up supported the fan favorites, as well as showcase the variety of people Nintendo speaks to — from kids to adults," Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime said in an interview. "For example, you've got a character like Marth from the 'Fire Emblem' series. We thought exposing Marth to a wider collection of consumers through 'amiibo' made a ton of sense, but, of course, we had to have Mario, Princess Peach and Donkey Kong in that initial line-up, as well."

Similar to Activision's "Skylanders" and "Disney Infinity," the characters' virtual histories will be stored on the plastic figures and transmitted through the Wii U GamePad, the controller for the Wii U console that features a touchscreen and near field communication (NFC) capabilities. Unlike the Activision Blizzard Inc. and Walt Disney Co. franchises, the "amiibo" figures will work with several games from different genres and won't be required to play the games.

"Our vision is to have these 'amiibo' figures be your playable friends that allow you to enhance the overall experience," said Fils-Aime. "It's a different approach from Activision and Disney, which is more to unlock something in the game. You're going to want to have your 'amiibo' figure because it's going to allow you to enhance your skills, upgrade your character and take the experience over to a friend's house."
Nintendo first unveiled "amiibo" at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in June. The company plans to release more figures over the next year and include "amiibo" functionality in future games, as well as compatibility with its handheld Nintendo 3DS system.

The Kyoto, Japan-based company is hoping the figurines will help boost its bottom line and sales of its beleaguered Wii U console, which has been on the rise since the May release of "Mario Kart 8." Despite the success of the latest installment in the cartoony Nintendo racing series, Wii U sales still trail behind the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One consoles from rivals Sony Corp. and Microsoft Corp.

"Call of Duty" and "Assassin's Creed" publishers Activision and Ubisoft Entertainment recently said they wouldn't bring the new installments of those popular series to the Wii U later this year.
"In the end, I want the very best of every single publisher's content on our platform," said Fils-Aime. "We believe we'll get there as we grow the install base of the system. Make no mistake: The consumer knows they can get high-quality games on the Wii U console. That's why our business is up almost double over last year."

Nintendo will be showing off upcoming games like "Super Smash Bros.," ''Hyrule Warriors" and "Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker" at PAX Prime, a four-day celebration of gaming that kicks off Friday in Seattle.

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