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Doom details leaked, engine has 'similar architecture' to Doom 3
We're receiving more details about Doom, with the alpha leaking online. Internally, Doom is known as Zion to id Software and features a 'similar architecture' to Doom 3.
Modding tools were found in the Doom alpha, with the tools known as idStudio, but we don't know if these will be made available to gamers. Thanks to Doomworld's member 'Marrub', we have the following details on Doom to share:
DOOM Engine:
Continue reading: Doom details leaked, engine has 'similar architecture' to Doom 3 (full post)
Forza Horizon 3 and Gears of War 4 could reach on Windows 10 soon
Quantum Break being released on the PC thanks to Windows 10 has opened the flood gates for more Windows 10 exclusives, with rumors of Forza Motorsport 6, Forza Horizon 3 and even Gears of War 4 poised to be released onto the DX12-powered OS.
Microsoft has already shown Forza Motorsport 5 running on the PC with DX12, and if we rewind time to August 2015, Microsoft said Quantum Break wouldn't be coming to the PC for the foreseeable future. But now, well, yeah - you know the situation with Quantum Break. Now we're seeing Quantum Break released on the Xbox One and PC, simultaneously.
Forza Horizon 3 will be reaching the PC through the Windows Store, according to WPDang's sources - while Forza Motorsport 6 will receive its own special edition on the PC. Gears of War 4 on the other hand, is in development for the PC right now.
Continue reading: Forza Horizon 3 and Gears of War 4 could reach on Windows 10 soon (full post)
Taiwan earthquake affects TSMC more than previously expected
The devastating 6.4-magnitude earthquake that struck Taiwan on February 6 is still having on-going affects to both the citizens of the country, and businesses - like Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC).
TSMC said earlier this month that the earthquake would have an effect of less than 1% on their wafer shipments for Q1 2016, adding that 95% of its foundry machines would be restored to normal conditions within 2-3 days. Machines at Fab 6 and Fab 14B have been 100% restored, according to the company.
TSMC added that even though the earthquake has affected them, they are confident of reaching target consolidated revenues of $5.9 to $6 billion for Q1 2016. Let's hope that TSMC gets back to 100% operational capacity in the very near future.
Continue reading: Taiwan earthquake affects TSMC more than previously expected (full post)
Star Citizen's persistent universe will be separate to single-player
Roberts Space Industries has updated the world on Star Citizen's purchase options, telling gamers that they can opt into the single-player content exclusively. This means you can pay $45 for the Squadron 42 campaign, or the core Star Citizen experience.
The core Star Citizen experience is a unique beast, as it's an MMO-like component - completely separate to Squadron 42, the single-player portion. But what if you've spent $45 on the MMO-based side of the game, and want to get in on the single-player campaign in the form of Squadron 42? That's fine, you can spend another $15 and receive the other side of Star Citizen.
For a total of $60, you're getting a damn lot of game, but RSI reiterates that these are two separate packages, that can be enjoyed on their own, or together for $60. RSI said: "The package split does not change the fact that Star Citizen and Squadron 42 are part of the same game universe, or the fact that the games are functionally connected. You will access Squadron 42 through the same game client. And your performance in Squadron 42 will still have an impact on your career in the persistent universe, whether you buy both segments together or if you choose to add one further down the line".
Continue reading: Star Citizen's persistent universe will be separate to single-player (full post)
AMD has their own recommended CPUs for VR, because Oculus hates AMD
It seems that the Oculus website doesn't quite agree with AMD's current lineup of CPU's, and won't certify you as having a VR ready PC if you happen to have one, either. Now, it's well known, and not refuted by any means, that the performance is certainly not on par with Intel's current generation (and last generation) of CPU's, but that doesn't mean that they won't be able to provide a good VR experience, either. So AMD has released their own list of VR ready processors so that AMD owners, and fans, aren't left out.
The list contains CPU's that have been tested to a certain standard of performance, internally, when using VR. Essentially, Vishera is more than capable of handling the complex tasks in VR with higher clock speeds. The FX 8350 all the way to the FX 9590 make the list, as well as the higher clocked six core variants. A note, however, is that AMD has amended their list and take off the APU's and Athlon X4 880 an 870K, though not because they can't do VR, but because they haven't been qualified internally yet.
Going to the Oculus site definitely shows a lack of enthusiasm, perhaps rightfully so, for 32nm technology first introduced in 2012. The platform may be somewhat old, but it isn't lacking in it's ability to provide a good experience. They'll happily push Intel's products, of course, as well as NVIDIA's too. It's somewhat disconcerting for those that have already invested in AMD's parts to not see their processors mentioned anywhere regarding VR. So just remember that just because it isn't on the list, it doesn't mean it can't play VR with decent visuals, just that it probably hasn't been tested quite yet.
Continue reading: AMD has their own recommended CPUs for VR, because Oculus hates AMD (full post)
New Quantum Break footage shows destructible environments, time powers
A new bit of footage for Quantum Break has dropped, showing seven minutes of carved up in-game action. The video footage isn't consecutive, so you won't get the first seven minutes of the game or anything like that. It's more of a highlight reel than anything, showing off specific points like impressive motion capture, cinematic fidelity, and time powers.
The footage reveals that Remedy's hotly anticipated shooter will have destructible environments, making firefights much more challenging. Luckily, players are able to manipulate the flow of time, so things tend to balance out. The game's protagonist--Jack Joyce--has a number of different unique abilities up his sleeves, including a freeze frame mode that stops time like the Twilight Zone's magic stopwatch, and Time Dodge, which zaps you out of harms way with a quick teleport.
There's also Time Vision, which highlights baddies like eagle mode in Assassin's Creed. This can be super useful when enemies are hiding behind cover, or when firefights get too hectic in frozen time--yes, you can have shootouts between time itself.Farther along in the game, however, Monarch baddies will use time powers with the aid of special suits to even things out.
Continue reading: New Quantum Break footage shows destructible environments, time powers (full post)
Hulu app launches on Windows 10
Windows 10 has had a great Netflix app for quite some time, and now Hulu has followed suit with an app of their own. Available starting today in the US across PC, tablet, and mobile devices, the release coincides with the Hulu Original "11.22.63" launch, created by Stephen King and J.J. Abrams and starring James Franco.
The app features universal voice search and controls through Cortana (say Hey Cortana, Hulu play 'Empire' and it will immediately begin playing the show from where you left off), as well as Live Tiles support (pin the app to your start menu and see featured shows at a glance).
Head here to download the app.
Continue reading: Hulu app launches on Windows 10 (full post)
Knights of the Old Republic getting rebuilt in Unreal Engine 4
We've seen developers remake classic scenes from Zelda: Ocarina of Time and even Mario has gotten an Unreal Engine 4 makeover, but what about bigger projects? What about, say, the entirety of BioWare's hugely lauded Star Wars RPG, Knights of the Old Republic? That's right, Kotor is getting recreated in UE4.
The Kotor restoration project is called Knights of the Old Republic: Apeiron, and the devs describe it as a "remake and remastering of the original game with added content, new world's, missions, HUD, inventory, items, and companions".
Kotor: Apeiron will be completely free--it has to be considering the copyright laws--and it's being built by a dedicated group of fans in conjunction with the devs at Poem Studios. So far, progress on the remake has been slow-going, but the team has ported over two locations including the Endar Spire and Tattooine. Although the screenshots are pre-alpha snaps, they look quite good, and I can't wait to see the finished product.
Continue reading: Knights of the Old Republic getting rebuilt in Unreal Engine 4 (full post)
Twitter mocks Kanye West's plea for Zuckerberg's cash
Despite having a net worth of $100 million and his wife Kim Kardashian worth $85 million, Kanye West has cried poor to his 19 million Twitter followers, claiming he's $53 million dollars in debt. And now he's reaching out to Facebook founder Mark Zuckerbrg for a $1 billion lifeline.
In a flurry of tweets over the last 24 hours, West has proclaimed that "one of the coolest things you [Zuckerberg] could ever do is to help me in my time of need", before following up a few hours later with "Yes I am personally rich and I can buy furs and houses for my family". Unsympathetic Twitter users have unsurprisingly mocked the eccentric performer, including calls for him to "log off" and others suggesting he take out a small Kardashian loan.
While Zuckerberg doesn't have a Twitter account, I'm sure the news of West's investment proposal has reached him, although he hasn't yet responded. I'm not sure West should hold his breath. Despite his current money troubles, West's latest album 'Pitchfork' is due to be released within the next few days.
Continue reading: Twitter mocks Kanye West's plea for Zuckerberg's cash (full post)
Buy Dark Souls 3 on the Xbox Store and get the original for free
The Australian Xbox Store seems to have let loose a little bonus for those looking to order Dark Souls 3 on the Xbox One. It looks like you'll get a free digital code for the original Dark Souls that'll work with the backwards compatibility feature of the Xbone.
This deal seems to be a limited time offer and only available in Australia at the moment, though it's likely we'll see the deal, if it's real, extend to other regions as well. Once ordered, you'll receive a digital code within 7-10 days. This particular bundle, or any other versions or special editions for that matter, have been officially announced by Bandai Namco just yet. They have also yet to announce any season pass details either.
It's fantastic that such a great game is potentially gaining backwards compatibility, and it's a bit surprising given we haven't quite heard anything about it through the grapevine. More games in the library just add more potential value for those that still have the physical Xbox 360 discs or have that digital download available yet not able to find a home on your shiny new Xbox One. Of course, Dark Souls is available on the PC in a slightly visually upgraded version that runs well on a good deal of hardware.
Continue reading: Buy Dark Souls 3 on the Xbox Store and get the original for free (full post)
Exploring the wonderful world of video game concept art
Concept art is magical. It's a portal to a world that we don't always get to see represented in the final cut. The art is meant to be a guide, a forerunner with rough edges that conveys an idea or scene. But I for one like to venture into the vivid fantasy-scapes and revel in their imaginative beauty. A lot of the time, the concept art is more powerful and resonant than the finished product, especially when it comes to video game art.
Today I'll take you on a journey to some of my favorite pieces of video game concept art. We'll venture across time and space to discover the blueprints to some of the most iconic games of our era, from BioWare RPG's to timeless Final Fantasy masterpieces and the mysterious Forerunner constructs of the Halo universe.
We won't go too far, though--it's all to easy to get lost in the maze of wonder. Each section will have a brief introduction followed by a myriad of artwork, so be sure to keep scrolling if you want to see it all. Let's start the visual feast with the space-age techno wonders of Mass Effect, shall we?
Continue reading: Exploring the wonderful world of video game concept art (full post)
Mattel brings back ThingMaker, lets you 3D print toys
Some of you will remember the ThingMaker, a 60s Mattel product that saw you pouring liquid plastic into metal molds to create crude toys. In a clever move, Mattel is bringing the ThingMaker back as a 3D printing device.
The updated device works in tandem with either an iOS or Android app, wherein you design figurines, jewelry and the like, then send them wirelessly to the ThingMaker, at which point it makes a thing. The app includes basic blueprints, and new parts for existing designs can be printed. Mattel says integrating brands like Barbie and Hot Wheels into the app is part of its longer term strategy.
Safety is of course a concern, and Mattel has handled it by implementing doors that automatically lock when the printer is in use, and making the printing head retracts out of reach when it's not doing its thing, preventing kids from touching it.
Continue reading: Mattel brings back ThingMaker, lets you 3D print toys (full post)
BioWare is working on a new IP with extensive online components
Even with no official release date in sight for Mass Effect: Andromeda, a new job listing confirms BioWare is already setting up development on a fresh new IP with an emphasis on online play.
BioWare Austin's new job listing calls for a server engineer to lead the team that creates the backend system to power an "exciting, new unannounced IP". The listing directly references that the candidate should have experience developing games with "extensive online components" and cloud-based computing, hinting the new IP could be a MMO.
"BioWare is seeking a qualified Senior Lead Server Engineer for a new, unannounced BioWare IP. This role will direct a team of software engineers to create the backend systems that will drive online play for this exciting new game. The successful candidate will have expert knowledge of and experience in the design, implementation, and continuing support of large scale real-time client/server applications using primarily C++. Extensive experience with and knowledge of multi-tier client/server architectures as well as scalable distributed systems are required. Experience developing PC or console games with significant online elements is a strong plus. Experience with current cloud-based computing solutions and technology is beneficial."
Continue reading: BioWare is working on a new IP with extensive online components (full post)
Street Fighter V has a fighting chance to come to SteamOS and Linux
SteamOS already has a very large, and growing, library of compatible games. They might not exactly perform up to the same standards of performance as their Windows, and DirectX running, counterparts but support is blooming. And that catalog is about to increase by one incredible fighting game, Street Fighter V.
Capcom has released a little tidbit of information on their Steam news page letting fans know that a SteamOS is indeed in the works, and they don't plan on abandoning it like WB Games did for Batman: Arkham Knight, either.
According to the news post, it'll be a free update for existing owners and should be coming sometime this Spring. That means that if you own it, you can play it on the growing platform if you so choose. And with the final iteration of Vulkan quickly approaching release, we might even see them enable that in the Linux-based version as well.
Continue reading: Street Fighter V has a fighting chance to come to SteamOS and Linux (full post)
Doom's campaign averages to about 13 hours, says id
id Software's new Doom reboot is an authentic return to the visceral, heart-pumping chaos that birthed the FPS genre. But what about the singleplayer campaign's length? Will gamers be able to lose themselves in the hallowed, maze-like halls of Hell again, or will the action be over with as quick as it started?
According to id, players will have plenty of time to digest the delicious demonic chaos that Doom has to offer, and you won't have to worry about a super short campaign. "The difficulty level plays a factor, but folks playing at the office average 13+ hours in the campaign," reads an official Tweet from the devs.
Thirteen hours sounds pretty good in itself, but we have to remember that the devs have spent months and months playing the game. Given all that testing, it's fair to assume id has become pretty badass at slaughtering monstrosities, meaning average joes will enjoy an even longer campaign. Don't forget that you can create your own mini campaign missions with Doom's in-game editor.
Continue reading: Doom's campaign averages to about 13 hours, says id (full post)
Having performance issues in XCOM 2? This mod stops wasting your time
It's a problem with all turn-based strategy games that have this much data being processed per turn. It's not related to the graphics (though we do wish they were slightly better here), but it's common and it's annoying. The delay that happens deep into a very tough and demanding mission when you relinquish your turn to the evil alien overlords. It's slow, incredibly so, but there's a way to speed things up with a new community made mod called "Stop Wasting my Time."
This mod can't quite speed up those calculations, but it can remove some unnecessary pauses that occur at some points throughout the game, which ends up shaving off a significant amount of time, time that could otherwise be spent looking at the overview with a sad look on your face as you're confronted with nearly impossible odds, a small tear escaping down your cheek.
There are some pauses that can't be removed by modding, but everything else that can be, has been. In the latest iteration even removes some voiceovers that pause the game, telling you things you likely already know anyway. They also speed up unit movement by 20%, which is enough to keep things immersive and just short of Sonic the Hedgehog speeds. The full changes and what the mod does are listed in pretty bullet form below.
Continue reading: Having performance issues in XCOM 2? This mod stops wasting your time (full post)
Microsoft's new Lumia 650 is a mid-range $199 Windows 10 handset
Microsoft has just unveiled the Lumia 650, a mid-range sibling to the beefier Lumia 950 and 950XL flagship. According to Redmond, the $199 handset is built for productivity and brings "first class to business class".
The Lumia 650 is powered by Windows 10 and aimed at the enterprise sector. The phone runs the latest Microsoft Office apps and services like Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and OneNote right out of the box, all of which are fully optimized for mobile touch-screen interfaces. As such, the Lumia 650 is touted to "work seamlessly with your company's Microsoft IT platforms". The sleek handset also features targeted security measures like full encryption and one-click memory wiping.
As the new Lumia is a mid-range device, specs are rather light. The phone's 5-inch OLED screen isn't even full HD, clocking in at 1280x720 resolution, and is set in a metal frame embodied in the device's 6.9mm thin design. It rocks a meager 16GB of onboard memory that's expandable to up to 200GB via MicroSD, a Quad-core 1.3 GHz Snapdragon 212 processor, and just 1GB of RAM.
Continue reading: Microsoft's new Lumia 650 is a mid-range $199 Windows 10 handset (full post)
Crash Bandicoot isn't actually coming back, at least not yet
Yesterday we reported that it was likely that Crash Bandicoot would finally be revived after a long hiatus from his preferred platform. He hasn't even called us to let us know he's okay. A comment was made at the New York Toy Faire by the president of NECA about making toys based on the mischievous bandicoot, but that comment was apparently not actually true, and was misunderstood.
NECA isn't making any toys on the famous character, at least they aren't anytime in the near future. A representative of the company reached out to GameSpot to tell them that otherwise. "It's not the case," the rep from NECA said. "Someone has misunderstood a comment he made. Randy saw a faked fan-made image right before he came to the show and said that if the game were coming back, we'd love to do figures."
So while the rumor isn't true, it doesn't mean it's completely out of the question. Even the PlayStation Mid East Twitter account is excited for the franchise and wants it back, and the tweet from them might be a sign that ideas are at least being thrown around at high-levels to make it a reality. It's unfortunate that a fan-made UE 4 game hasn't been released yet.
Continue reading: Crash Bandicoot isn't actually coming back, at least not yet (full post)
Aussie telco Telstra smashed by free data day, 1841 terabytes
Thanks to a recent nation-wide outage, Telstra offered its mobile customers a free data Sunday promotion, seeing those from The Land Down Under take full advantage of this offering.
In total, it is explained that Australians downloaded a massive 1841 terabytes, something that News.com.au explained as 5.1 million Game of Thrones episodes.
With the majority of this data being downloaded over 4G connections, Telstra group managing director of networks, Mike Wright, explained that "Over the course of the day we had twice as much traffic as we would normally see on a Sunday (or any day)," further stating that "We hope it helps make up for some of the inconvenience we caused."
Continue reading: Aussie telco Telstra smashed by free data day, 1841 terabytes (full post)
Hack-proof RFID chips to protect credit cards and more in the future
RFID is a cheap and convenient way to communicate information between devices. The problem is that it's also incredible insecure, and easily hacked by a number of ways. But researchers from Texas Instruments and MIT have come together to make a chip that won't be so easy to steal information from.
The implications for such a development are tremendous, with the idea that the public will finally start to trust the technology for more applications. Specifically they're being designed to be nearly impervious to a common attack on RFID devices, the side-channel attack. Those work by analyzing actual power fluctuations or memory access patterns in order to determine what the cryptographic key is, to break in and steal your precious information.
The new chip doesn't prevent the reading of those physical properties, because that would mean it doesn't work at all, but instead uses a a special ferroelectric crystal material that can self-power the chip, and store small amounts of information, to prevent people from cutting the power right before a cryptographic key exchange, which can reveal that key if done properly and the right equipment and software. They'll also incorporate a random number generator on-board to use a new secret key for each transaction, meaning that each one is completely unique, and thus far safer and more secure than ever before.
Continue reading: Hack-proof RFID chips to protect credit cards and more in the future (full post)








