Microsoft drop Shocktober sale a week before Halloween

Emma Tucker | Gaming | Oct 28, 2016 6:23 AM CDT

This month has certainly proven to be all things Halloween, with October alone racking up a good number of spooky-themed packages and game deals on various platforms.

Though Xbox fans in particular, will be pleased to know that Microsoft announced their Shocktober sale, a full week prior to Halloween. The sale gives customers great discounts on numerous horror-themed games in celebration of the scariest night of the year, for the Xbox One and Xbox 360.

The prices can be viewed via the official Microsoft Xbox website as well as the Major Nelson website. Dont miss out as the sale will only run from 25th-31st of October. Get your spook on with some great steals!

Continue reading: Microsoft drop Shocktober sale a week before Halloween (full post)

Nintendo Switch to have wide array of hardware add-ons

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Oct 28, 2016 5:13 AM CDT

Nintendo's new Switch console and mobile handheld hybrid will be the nexus (or NeXus, if you will) of an ecosystem with a lot of software and accompanying hardware accessories. Although we saw a few of these during the Switch preview trailer, Nintendo President Tatsumi Kimishima says "by no means is that everything."

Nintendo Switch to have wide array of hardware add-ons

Photo credit: Ryan Salamanda

In a recent interview with Bloomberg, Nintendo President Tatsumi Kimishima revealed that the Switch will have a "wider array" of what he refers to as "add-on hardware." He also hints that the Switch will offer more ways to play than what we were shown during the trailer, and that some software could go beyond traditional console and mobile gaming.

Continue reading: Nintendo Switch to have wide array of hardware add-ons (full post)

Heavy Rain and Detroit developer experimenting with VR

Quantic Dream is one of the only game developers left that makes games that feel oh-so-different, but Quantic Dream boss David Cage recently talked with GamesIndustry.biz and had some interesting things to say about VR.

Cage said: "We have all VR systems installed in the studio, and I encourage my teams to try them out. We've downloaded every game on every system to try and understand where people are right now, what works, and what doesn't work, and what we could bring to this medium". Cage added: "The idea is not to do VR for the sake of doing VR. It's about saying something on this medium that hasn't been said already".

When it comes to the sense of presence that VR can give gamers, game developers will have to do more to trick gamers' brains into thinking that the virtual reality they're in, is more real than 'just a game'. Cage continued: "If there's a character in front of you, your brain thinks they're actually there. So suddenly there's a distance you're trying to keep when you talk to them".

Continue reading: Heavy Rain and Detroit developer experimenting with VR (full post)

LG's new 5K display designed for latest MacBook Pro

Anthony Garreffa | Displays & Projectors | Oct 28, 2016 2:42 AM CDT

Today has been a big day for Apple, with the announcement of their next-gen MacBook Pro laptops coming in 3 models: two 13-inch MBPs, and a higher-end 15-inch MacBook Pro which rocks AMD's new Radeon Pro 400 series graphics - but the fun doesn't end there.

LG has unveiled its new 4K and 5K displays, specifically designed for Apple's new MacBook Pro models. The new UltraFine Displays feature 3 x USB-C ports that will power additional devices, with LG's new monitors rocking built-in stereo speakers, a camera, and a microphone.

LG's new 5K UltraFine Display requires a Thunderbolt 3 connection, and we originally reported that LG's new 5K display was an Apple exclusive, but our friends at Fudzilla have informed us that it's not exclusive to the new MacBook Pro. This is a big hint at Apple's future, as it seems as though the company won't be making any more monitors - gone are the days of Apple's Cinema Displays, guys... sob.

Continue reading: LG's new 5K display designed for latest MacBook Pro (full post)

3DS won't be cannibalized by Switch, says Nintendo

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Oct 28, 2016 2:04 AM CDT

Since Nintendo's new Switch hardware is both a console and handheld, there's some major concerns that the Japanese console-maker will retire its ultra-popular 3DS. But that won't happen any time soon, and the 3DS will continue on.

3DS won't be cannibalized by Switch, says Nintendo

In a recent interview with Bloomberg, Nintendo President Tatsumi Kimishima affirms that the Switch won't "cannibalize" the 3DS, and the 3DS handheld will continue onward alongside the Switch even after the new console's release.

"Thanks to our software, the 3DS hardware is still growing. So that business still has momentum. And certainly rather than being cannibalized by the Switch, we think the 3DS can continue in its own form," Kimishima affirmed in the interview.

Continue reading: 3DS won't be cannibalized by Switch, says Nintendo (full post)

Nintendo Switch has 6-inch 720p multi-touchscreen

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Oct 28, 2016 12:00 AM CDT

Nintendo has already confirmed that it hasn't revealed everything about its new Switch console handheld hybrid, and now some of those features have apparently come to light: namely the Switch handheld's 6-inch 720p multi-touchscreen.

Nintendo Switch has 6-inch 720p multi-touchscreen

As millions of gamers watched the Nintendo Switch preview, a lot of us sighed in relief when no sort of touch-screen gimmick was shown. But internal sources close to the Switch have told Eurogamer that the Switch will indeed have a touchscreen, but it'll be both new and old territory for Nintendo.

Eurogamer's Tom Phillips reports that the Nintendo Switch's 6.2-inch handheld display won't be full 1080p, but 720p, and will support modernized multi-touchscreen with up to 10 points of capacitive touch, which is head over heels better than Nintendo's previous touchscreen endeavors (the Wii U and 3DS, for example, use pressure-sensitive resistive touchscreens with only one-point touch).

Continue reading: Nintendo Switch has 6-inch 720p multi-touchscreen (full post)

Twitter kills Vine app, web version still available

Anthony Garreffa | Software & Apps | Oct 27, 2016 11:14 PM CDT

Twitter is going through troubles of its own, but now the social media giant has announced it will be shutting down the Vine app in the next few months.

Vine wrote in a blog post: "Since 2013, millions of people have turned to Vine to laugh at loops and see creativity unfold. Today, we are sharing the news that in the coming months we'll be discontinuing the mobile app".

Twitter announced it is restructuring itself, laying off 9% of their global workforce, and working on other methods to reduce cost. Vine users won't feel the pinch immediately, with their Vines still accessible, with Vine adding it will continue working with creators on answering any questions.

Continue reading: Twitter kills Vine app, web version still available (full post)

Final Fantasy XV has gone gold, will have online co-op

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Oct 27, 2016 10:28 PM CDT

After a decade of waiting, Final Fantasy 15 has gone gold and is completely finished and ready to be shipped off to millions of gamers.

Final Fantasy XV has gone gold, will have online co-op

Final Fantasy 15 has gone from barely running at 30FPS on consoles to a competent and polished build known as the "final master version." Square Enix has proudly proclaimed the game has gone gold, meaning the main game is totally wrapped up.

But that's not it; Square Enix also revealed that the huge open-world adventure will allow four friends to team up for some online co-op. The co-op mode will be available following the game's release on November 29, and is one of the six DLC packs that are included in the $25 season pass. The co-op mode allows four players to take the roles of Noctis, Ignis, Gladiolus and Prompto and take part in in-game battle sequences.

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AMD's new Radeon Pro 400 series finds a home with Apple

Anthony Garreffa | Video Cards & GPUs | Oct 27, 2016 9:35 PM CDT

Apple unveiled its new 15-inch MacBook Pro today, something that includes AMD's new Polaris-based Radeon Pro 400 series graphics, available first inside of the new 15-inch MBP.

AMD's new Radeon Pro 400 series finds a home with Apple

AMD's new Radeon Pro 400 series graphics is explained perfectly on the Radeon Pro website, which details the new Polaris GPU as the best choice for creators.

Radeon Technologies Group SVP and Chief Architect, Raja Koduri, explains: "We couldn't be more proud to have Radeon Pro 400 Series Graphics launching in the new 15-inch MacBook Pro, a notebook designed for performance and creativity".

Continue reading: AMD's new Radeon Pro 400 series finds a home with Apple (full post)

Nintendo Switch may use USB Type-C for power

Derek Strickland | Gaming | Oct 27, 2016 9:11 PM CDT

Nintendo's new Switch console handheld hybrid will reportedly use the modern USB Type-C interface to charge the handheld while on the go, instead of a proprietary first-party charging cable.

Nintendo Switch may use USB Type-C for power

Sources at Nintendo have told Let's Play Video Games' Laura Kate Dale that the Switch handheld shown in the preview trailer uses USB Type-C port for power, meaning the actual consumer Switch could use the new Type-C interface. This would allow the Switch to benefit from Type-C's fast-charging modes, along with potential high-speed transfers and compatibility with a host of adapters.

USB Type-C charging could offset the Switch's purported three-hour battery life while in un-docked handheld mode, as users may be able to easily and quickly re-charge the Switch console. Nintendo typically regulates its hardware with exclusive first-party power cables, so this move to the new future-proof standard would be substantial for the company.

Continue reading: Nintendo Switch may use USB Type-C for power (full post)