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NVIDIA shows off the updated version of Bullet Train at GDC 2016
GDC 2016 - One of the stand out VR experiences from CES 2016 was Bullet Train from Epic Games, something we tested when we stopped by and had a chat with NVIDIA in Las Vegas in January.
At the Game Developers Conference, we wanted to try Bullet Train again - just because it's such an awesome VR experience. We noticed that this version was an updated build, with some slight changes - including the ability of being able to hold certain guns like the AK-47 with two hands, thanks to the Touch controllers on the Oculus Rift.
Check out the video above, where I explain it all. If you have the chance of playing Bullet Train, do not miss that opportunity - take it. It's the closest you'll get to being Neo from The Matrix.
Continue reading: NVIDIA shows off the updated version of Bullet Train at GDC 2016 (full post)
Sony closes down Driveclub developer Evolution Studios
Some more sad news rocks the industry as the developer of Driveclub, Evolution Studios has been shut down. Their parent company, Sony, has reviewed their assets and have determined that it's in their best interest to shut the studio down.
The company had an internal review process as part of a restructuring and has determined that there is some redundancy in the staff and function at Evolution Studios. "Regular reviews take place throughout SCE Worldwide Studios, ensuring that the resources that we have in such a competitive landscape can create and produce high quality, innovative and commercially viable projects," Sony said in a statement. "As part of this process we have reviewed and assessed all current projects and plans for the short and medium term and have decided to make some changes to the European studios structure. It has been decided that Evolution Studio will close."
Some of the positions will be shifted to other internal studios, but as is the case the majority of time, it also means that there will be some redundancies and thus layoffs as a result. "It is regrettable that this decision will lead to compulsory redundancies. We accept that this decision will mean that we risk losing high calibre staff but by focusing on other Studios that already have exciting new projects in development we believe we will be in a stronger position going forward and able to offer the best possible content of the highest quality for our consumers."
Continue reading: Sony closes down Driveclub developer Evolution Studios (full post)
Intel founder Andrew Grove dies at 79
One of the three founders of Intel, Andrew Grove, has died at 79. Grove served as company president in 1979 and became CEO in 1987; he served as Chairman of the Board from 1997 through 2005. He is remembered as a hugely influential figure in the world of technology, an excellent manager, and and as an author, public advocate for Parkinson's disease research, and philanthropist (he once donated $26 million to establish the Grove School of Engineering in New York, to name one venture).
"We are deeply saddened by the passing of former Intel Chairman and CEO Andy Grove," said Intel CEO Brian Krzanich. "Andy made the impossible happen, time and again, and inspired generations of technologists, entrepreneurs, and business leaders."
Grove is credited with shifting Intel's focus from memory chips to microprocessors, and making Intel into the widely known brand it is today. With his leadership, Intel created the 386 and Pentium processors, which are partly responsible for the ubiquity of the PC today.
Continue reading: Intel founder Andrew Grove dies at 79 (full post)
Cryengine V revealed in new video
The renowned Cryengine gets an upgrade with a new, fifth version, as shown off in the new video below. Some of it is developer-centric and won't interest you, but quite a bit will be exciting to gamers of all kinds.
Graphically, Cryengine V offers support for DirectX 12 and VR and advanced particles and clouds with much less of a CPU hit, among other things. The latter you can see an example of in the video; the clouds are pretty realistic and impressive, particularly those seen in the distance.
In an intriguing twist, Crytek has adopted the pay what you want model with this version, with the option to contribute as much as 70% of your payment to its Indie Development Fund, much like the Humble Bundle setup. For more information, head to the website.
Continue reading: Cryengine V revealed in new video (full post)
The final Rise of the Tomb Raider DLC has zombie-like creatures
Rise of the Tomb Raider has a very good base-game story, with a lot to explore and do in former Soviet Russia. But the final piece of DLC is going to add something that was clearly missing; zombies. Or zombie-like creatures that seem to be very blood-thirsty, for both your death and likely your brains as well. Even though that isn't explicitly mentioned. Zombies, in some form or another, seem to be a tradition with DLC.
The Cold Darkness will be the absolute last content pack coming along and can be purchased separately from all the other DLC. In this, though, there are nightmarish predators that are actually soldiers from an abandoned Cold War base in Russia. The Trinity soldiers have been transformed and are extremely dangerous. This'll present new dangers and challenges to Lara as she has to shut down the decommissioned base.
It's $9.99 by itself for the new DLC, or you can opt to get the Season Pass for $29.99, which includes the entire set of DLC that's been released thus far. The newest, and last, will be available on March 29th 2016 via Steam, the Windows Store or through your Xbox One's store as well. Good luck with those zombies.
Continue reading: The final Rise of the Tomb Raider DLC has zombie-like creatures (full post)
Watch some cool footage from a cancelled Superman game
Sometimes it stings a little when you see a game that was supposed to be, but never quite made it out of development. Especially one like the cancelled Superman game from Factor 5, best known for their very well done Star Wars games. It could have been a great game, should have been. But it's no more. You can watch some footage from the unreleased game, however.
The game was being developed for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and even the Wii, though it really never exited the concept stage, of the most part. A good portion of Metropolis has been created and a number of models to showoff the ideas they were working on, as a tie-in to the also cancelled sequel to Superman Returns.
At the stage that it was finally left, a story hadn't been created yet, though it would be fairly simple to translate any number of different story arcs from the comics into a viable backdrop. Factor 5 was working on finding and developing interesting gameplay elements to add to the game, and had some very interesting Superman specific ideas. Of course there would be a slew of his enemies that you would eventually face-off against, and you'd be able to grapple with them while flying furiously through buildings, with destruction being dynamically rendered in real-time in your wake.
Continue reading: Watch some cool footage from a cancelled Superman game (full post)
Microsoft has no plans to allow digital game trade-ins
According to Xbox marketing exec Aaron Greenberg, Microsoft has absolutely no plans to allow Xbox gamers to trade in unwanted digital games back to the company's digital storefront for credit.
"Yeah we are not actively planning such a thing, surprised it was even asked in a survey," Greenberg wrote in a Tweet response to industry analyst Michael Pachter, who criticized the trade-in policy as "playing with fire". As Greenberg is Microsoft's chief marketing exec, he'd be on the up and up when it comes to new storefront features.
The whole idea was kicked off by an official Microsoft user survey that asked gamers if they'd like to be able to trade in digital Xbox games for 10% of their purchased value. The news spread like wildfire, engulfing the entire Xbox community within days. Suddenly every Xbox One owner saw dollar signs when eyeing all those old digital games they never play.
Continue reading: Microsoft has no plans to allow digital game trade-ins (full post)
Star Ocean 5 releases this summer in North America and Europe
Square Enix today revealed that its upcoming JRPG Star Ocean 5: Integrity and Faithlessness now has an official summer 2016 release window for North America and Europe.
As part of its new Star Log live stream, the publisher further revealed key details about Star Ocean 5 including story tidbits, character info, and tons of gameplay footage. Star Ocean 5 mirrors the unique JRPG battle mechanics found in the previous games, and players will unleash streams of devastating combo attacks in the game's dynamic real-time battle system.
Based on the heaps of screenshots and footage released thus far, Star Ocean 5 is ever the fantasy mashup, featuring a brilliantly-hued spectrum of colors and an enchanted world rife with magic and mayhem. Japan will get the game on March 31 so we should see a ton of gameplay footage all over the place, so be sure to keep your eyes peeled if you're looking forward to Square Enix's latest RPG masterpiece. Also, remember that Europe and North America only get the PS4 version when summer rolls around--the PS3 port is exclusive to Japan.
Continue reading: Star Ocean 5 releases this summer in North America and Europe (full post)
Microsoft explains the Quantum Break 720P conundrum, it's complicated
Recently there's been much controversy regarding the reduction in native resolution in Quantum Break from the promised 1080P at 30FPS to 720P and performance that still wasn't quite what we expected, or rightly wanted from a Microsoft platform exclusive game that's making use of DirectX 12. Remedy has spoken up about the resolution dispute, explaining, for better or for worse, their decision and also the actual techniques used to render at their target resolution, which is technically 1080P, though doesn't quite start that way. It's... complicated it seems.
Quantum Break is a very good looking game, there's really no denying that fact outright. There are aspects that are quite stunning given the base hardware configuration that Remedy is working with. The scenes we've seen in the various trailers, demos and screenshots are, thankfully, accurate to the actual game. That is, there's no "downgrade" that's happened in the slightest, it's just that the final perceived resolution differs from the initial resolution, and can vary wildly in-between.
It's 1080P, sort of. But initially, any given scene seems to begin life as a 720p frame with 4X MSAA added to it (which actually looks great by the way). But it's upscaled and reconstructed from four frames to make the final output that we see. This is a way to save on power by making it the resolution we want with a decent amount of visual quality thrown in.
Continue reading: Microsoft explains the Quantum Break 720P conundrum, it's complicated (full post)
Sony reveals PlayStation VR pre-order wave timeline
Sony has revealed the different times that you'll be able to pre-order a PlayStation VR headset, giving consumers ample time to secure their own HMD.
Rather than opening up pre-orders all at once like its competitors and shipping hardware on a first-come first-served basis, Sony has opted to accept pre-orders in phases and waves. The first wave is already over, following the PlayStation VR's price reveal, and Sony has announced two more pre-order phases before the headset's launch in October.
The next pre-order window for the PlayStation VR is today at 7 am PST, but it's only for the $499 PSVR Launch Edition which includes the PS Camera and other hardware, not the $399 Core Edition. The next time you'll be able to pre-order the $399 PSVR Core Edition is on March 29 starting at 7 am PST. If you happen to miss both of these pre-order windows, Sony has plans for another phase in the summer, and we're not sure if this will be the last pre-order wave before the headset launches in October.
Continue reading: Sony reveals PlayStation VR pre-order wave timeline (full post)