Gaming - Page 1127

Sony's motion-based gaming accessory for the PlayStation 3, Move, has shipped more than 8.3 million units worldwide. Gabe Ahn, developer support engineer for Sony Computer Entertainment America has said that software wise, there have been more than 7 million Move-based games shipped in North America alone. By the end of 2011, there will be more than 80 games available, and Ahn also said that SCEA expects continued growth through the remainder of the year.

He thanks third-party publishers and name-checked EA, Activision, Capcom, Konami, as well as upcoming titles like BioShock Infinite and Ninja Gaiden 3 as examples of continued support for the Move controller. Ahn also stressed the diversity of games available for Move, from hardcore shooters such as Killzone 3 and MAG to more casual games like EyePet. Ahn also showed off a clip on "the future of gaming", which featured a Move player with a head-mounted display turning his world into an augmented reality version of Resistance.

In the demo, it shows a player gunning down Chimera in a parking lot with his Move controller and sharpshooter setup. The clip is not totally serious, but it points toward a hypothetical potential of the Move interface. Ahn said "it could be Resistance 4, it's a very cool concept". Very cool indeed. He continued saying that there are four key requirements for a good game interface, expressivity, precision, immediacy, and intuitiveness.

Gabe Newell, founder of Valve, believes that Apple may be in the middle of preparations of launching a games console in the near future, he explained to The Seattle Times. Gabe gave some of his thoughts on the subject, with quotes like:

He also says there are "dark clouds forming", where he raised concerns of the closed-garden approach with platforms such as Apple's iOS. Gabe says "On the platform side, it's sort of ominous that the world seems to be moving away from open platforms." Platform providers that used to use their role to enable developers "instead view themselves as more rent guys who are essentially driving their partner margins to zero," he said.

Yesterday I reported that the new Xbox LIVE Dashboard would drop on November 25th, but if you are one of those people who like to live on the bleeding edge then you can sign up for the Xbox LIVE Public Preview Program. Microsoft have announced an open call for all Xbox LIVE members to register to participate in the preview program to help them test the system.

They say that this is an important program as Microsoft are continually striving to ensure the reliability of a service that reaches tens of millions globally. They can't do this without you, the users. Once the program starts, an update will be pushed to your Xbox 360 console that will contain the new features, including:

• New design for integrated Kinect and controller navigation

Microsoft have plans to launch the new Xbox 360 dashboard on November 25th which is based on "Lakeview", a modified version of Microsoft's Silverlight development framework. Included is support for Kinect's voice recognition and gesture control. The new dashboard will also show off applications based on Silverlight and H.264 encoded video delivery using Apple's HTTP live Streaming.

Microsoft seems to be targeting a Black Friday release of the Xbox Live update, which would add the new video apps an features such as Bing universal search. This could bolster sales for Xbox over the holidays as well as helping Xbox Live members enjoy cool new features to play with over Thanksgiving, thanks to Microsoft, giving them new toys. Pun intended. The Lakeview code is still being worked on, as Microsoft are pushing out weekly updates to the application framework.

Little things aren't changing in the code, either. Sources say that Microsoft are making fundamental changes and subtractions in Lakeview's capabilities over the past few weeks, causing partners to update and re-test their apps with each and every new release. The goal here is to quickly mature the platform, with the end goal from MS to enable other third-party developers to use the Lakeview framework to build their own apps for the Xbox 360 console.

RAGE has had its first patch and with it brings many, many bug fixes and improvements. Because RAGE changes the graphics quality on-the-fly to maintain that silky smooth 60fps, there are some hiccups. This is part of what has been addressed in the patch and the list of issues fixed is quite long.

Here is a list of Patch Changes / Fixes:

- Implemented workaround for AMD driver crash right after intro cinematic

Sony says that the time is still not right for download-only consoles that sell games exclusively through digital distribution systems, company bosses have said. This goes hand-in-hand with why there will be both physical and digital copies of games for their upcoming NGP, PlayStation Vita. Sony Worldwide Studios boss, Shuhei Yoshida, explained that Sony didn't believe Internet infrastructure was consistent enough across the world to support such a device.

SCEE boss, Jim Ryan agrees, saying that:

DICE have announced that the jet and vehicle-filled Caspian Border map has been unlocked in order for DICE to do some testing. The test is for PC gamers only as they are specifically testing the 64-player server configurations, as the console versions of Battlefield 3 only support 24 players. DICE have also reminded users that Battlefield 3 is still in beta, so any crashes, network instability and outages may occur.

DICE is taking this opportunity to fine tune its servers and says that your experience with the beta is not necessarily indicative of the final product. I played 4 hours of 64-player Caspian Border BF3 last night and let me just say the great words of our own Shane Baxtor here (and also, its his Birthday today!): NERDGASM. It is amazing. Absolutely beautiful. Breathtaking. The map is big, but small in areas for firefights. Vehicles help so much with the immersion and having jets flying over you at insane speeds just makes it feel like a literal Battlefield.

The scale of Caspian Border also makes for much more intense fights, and a change in scenery too. Just a little thing I thought I'd discuss. I was in a bit of the level where there's a two storey building, I walked up the stairs and there was a roof section you could access. As I walked up the stairs, the sunlight beamed down against the wall, which enlightened the wall and made it look really 'bright'. As I walked up to the wall and further up the stairs, that bright wall became duller... as I was engulfed in sunlight. The effect has to be seen in game to be believed, but the lighting part of the Frostbite 2 engine is absolutely, hands-down phenomenal.

Rockstar have confirmed that Red Dead Redemption won't be coming to the PC anytime soon. The hugely successful Western open-world game has been great on the console, but has been at a shoot-off with the PC with rumors of it hitting the PC for a while now shot down today. Rockstar have an interview with multiple gaming sites over the past few days for Max Payne 3 and had discussed L.A. Noire, MP3 and of course, Red Dead Redemption.

This is what Rockstar had to say:

Microsoft's next-generation console is not only long overdue, but has been rumored for a while now that it be unveiled at E3 2012. But, now we have the product logo in a trailer for Hugh Jackman's upcoming sci-fi robot fighting movie, Real Steel. The Xbox 720 logo is seen during a futuristic scene set in a sports arena, where it is a digital banner ad alongside other popular brands such as Cafillac, Budweiser and Coca Cola.

Microsoft has previously stated that the life-cycle of the current Xbox 360 would be 10 years, but we all know it needs to be much sooner than that. Considering that Real Steel takes place in 2020, it would make the next-generation console only five years old, and with a 10 year life-cycle, this would make sense. The fact that the logo is there at all, puts some validity to the rumors of not just a next-gen console from Microsoft, but to the name "Xbox 720".

I don't particular like the name, as it would seem as if it were held back to 1280x720p output, something like "Xbox Next" would be great. Ditch the numbers, but ditching the numbers would confuse the masses too... however, it has worked for Nintendo.

It was just yesterday I was posting about the negatively reviewed, RAGE from id Software, but today is another day and there are some things you can fix if you'd like to read below. RAGE suffers from tearing, massive texture pop-in, and just a total lack of graphical options to tweak and adjust. For the once great id Software to fall to their knees for some of that console pie... it's just very, sad.

But, if you've picked up the title and want to get things running smoother, there are some things you can do. First of all, if you're an AMD Radeon user, you can grab the latest RAGE-optimized Radeon drivers here. If you're an NVIDIA user, you can grab the green team Battlefield 3 driver (which also optimizes RAGE) if you click here.

There is no developer console by default, but if you'd like one... right click on RAGE in your library on Steam, click properties and select the launch options, then add "+set com_allowconsole 1" in the box. Note: This will take away your ability to gain achievements. Then, by pressing the tilde key like usual, the console can be launched. From the console you can then type "listcvars" or "listcmds" to see everything you're able to tweak.

Valve did promise to release free downloadable content for Portal 2 and have followed through with that promise today by releasing the new gear for Portal 2 across all platforms, PC, Mac, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The new DLC is called "Peer Review" and continues the co-op story as players navigate P-Body and Atlas through a fresh set of test chambers, which would have been constructed by the ever-so-evil AI, GLaDOS. The DLC also contains a single-player and co-op "Challenge Mode", as well as leaderboards to compare Challenge Mode scores with your friends.

There were a fair amount of complains with how short the campaign was in Portal 2, but this update (as well as future DLC) should help the community continue their fanboy love for Valve and Portal. Despite the complaints about the length of the game, the user score on Metacritic has actually improved over the last few months and the game has reportedly sold over two million copies. The fresh DLC is readily available and is free of charged on all supported platforms, even the PS3 and Xbox 360.

On top of the free DLC, Valve have also sliced Portal 2's price in half with a single copy of Portal 2 now available for just $14.99 and two-pack for just $27.49. A bundle pack of Portal 1 and 2 is going for a crazy $17.49, so if you haven't gotten yourself into Portal, now is a great time to do so!

NVIDIA are set to host the upcoming GeForce LAN 6 Gaming Event which will have a few celebrities included, such as NVIDIA CEO and can-of-whoop-ass-tattoo man himself, Jen-Hsun Huang as well as Battlefield 3's Lead Designer and Visual Architect, Johan Andersson who will be at GeForce LAN 6 to talk about the "making of" Battlefield 3. There will be plenty of contests, workshops and other goodies for attendees.

GeForce LAN 6 will be held between October 14 - 16, 2011 on the Aircraft Carrier USS Hornet, in Alameda, California and will feature 48 hours of non-stop PC gaming, fun contests, amazing prizes and special stage presentations. For those who can't make it, NVIDIA will post video footage from the event on GeForceLAN.com.

NVIDIA CEO, Jen-Hsun Huang will open the even on Friday, October 14th at 6:00pm PT, providing an inside perspective on the exciting future of PC gaming. Andersson on the other hand, will share rare, behind-the-scenes info on the making of Battlefield 3. Throughout the event, gaming and technology companies will showcase their latest gear, and host insightful workshops to help gamers gear up their rigs for the ultimate gaming experience.

Four years of hype, all gone in a single day. Most reviews have not been that great for id Software's latest FPS offering, with reviews mixed at best. Most agree that Rage fails to deliver the goods, with most reviews saying its a shallow, corridor shooter with gaping craters in its story, dialog, quests and mechanics. Ars Technica does not hold back saying Rage is "creatively and mechanically bankrupt, it feels like a group of people had to create a game because they were under contract, not because they honestly enjoyed any aspect of their own creation".

Joystiq is just as harsh, being quoted:

Battlelog is currently experiencing a love/hate relationship with gamers - some love it, some hate it. But the below trailer shows that there's more to Battlelog than just a server browser and front end. Battlelog expands on the franchise's history of stats tracking, combining it with new social networking features that look like they're ripped right out of Facebook. Another major benefit of Battlelog is that its free, absolutely free. Where the competition (Call of Duty) charges a monthly charge to use the "Elite" service.

Battlelog displays so many options its hard to list them all here, but stand-out displays show different stats on weapons, accuracy, awards, time spent on weapons, win/loss ratios, you're able to comment on games after you've played them (great feature!) which makes Battlelog a serious addition to the Battlefield 3 universe. Battlelog can be used on not only the PC, but consoles and even mobile devices.

Leaderboards can also be looked at, and you can option it so your leaderboard only shows your friends - so you can see who really rules the Battlefield. DICE have supplied the tools to expand the franchise itself, and keep users constantly trying to out-do each other.

A leaked e-mail from PayPal employees of all places reveals that Microsoft is planning to launch the new Xbox dashboard come November 15. November 15 marks the 10-year anniversary since the original Xbox launched back in 2001. The memo asks PayPal employees to test the new dashboard ahead of the Nov 15 launch. I bet you're wondering why PayPal employees are being selected for testing. Remember Microsoft added PayPal payment options in Xbox Live back in May, allowing users to buy Gold memberships, games and Microsoft Points using PayPal.

Previous dashboard updates went live in November in previous years (2008 and 2010), which would make this rumor quite the possibility. Also coinciding with the 10-year anniversary really makes this diamond in the rough another strong possibility. The planned update is set to allow users to browser content faster and use the Kinect motion-sensing device to navigate and interfact with the dashboard. The growing library of content is pushing the update which indicates that Microsoft is committed to the user experience on the Xbox 360.

New features are set to include game invites that don't expire as well as Bing integration. Visually, the new layout mimics the look of the Windows Phone 7 UI, the same interface that Windows 8 will sport. Microsoft has also confirmed Xbox Live integration in Windows 8, but has been scarce with more details.

For those who pre-ordered Battlefield 3, you (like me) have enjoyed the beta for a couple of days now. But, if you have yet to have pre-ordered and would like to try-before-you-buy, well now is your chance. Battlefield 3's multiplayer beta is now open to all, on PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. There is no registration requirement, you just download the beta from Xbox Live, PSN or if you're on the PC, EA's Origin service.

The beta features the map, Operation Metro, and features the game type, Rush where one team must attack two M-Com stations while a defending team tries to prevent them. The map features 4 full unlocked areas that allow up to 32 players to duke it out at once. It clocks it at around 3.9GB for the PC version. The beta lasts for just a week and a half, ending on October 10. You'll have to sit in a pool of your own tears afterwards, right up until the games full release on October 25 in the US and October 28 in Europe.

Before you download it, you might want to download some new graphics drivers too. AMD users, click here. NVIDIA users, you'll need this link.

I don't understand the point of this, and it crosses some very questionable lines for Activision, but to steal Battlefield 3's thunder; it requires thinking outside the square. Activision have teamed up with Pepsi and have announced a promotion called "Rank Up XP". What Rank Up XP offers is, whatever Pepsi products you buy, Mountain Dew and Doritos, players can redeem codes found in the packaging for Double XP time in Modern Warfare 3. A 20 oz gets you 15 minutes whilst a 12 pack gets you 45, and so on.

No, I'm not kidding around. The problem with this is, the XP in Call of Duty is a form of currency. Currency in the game buys you weapons, perks, attackments, killstreaks and so on. For a game that is already over-priced, a re-hash of the older titles, no new graphics engine or technologies built in, charging for the "Elite" service, on top of your monthly Xbox Live membership (PSN is free), this is just a step in the direction of overboard.

Activision are willing to exploit fans even [more] through this promotion. Considering that Activision sold $360,000,000 worth of copies in 24 hours of the last COD title... do they really need to cash in with this type of exploitation? What do you think?

L.A. Noire has enjoyed much success on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, but now PC gamers will be able to get their hands dirty in the 1940s-based crime drama adventure game. L.A. Noire is headed to PCs in November with US gamers being able to grab it on November 8 and it's released in Europe on November 11, for $49.99. No word on the Mac edition yet, but Mac-based users will be able to access the game via OnLive.

It's received a name change also, now dubbed L.A. Noire: The Complete Edition, the package includes all of the downloadable content previously released on consoles. It also includes support for NVIDIA's 3D Vision and will be controllable with either a mouse and keyboard, or a gamepad. System requirement wise, it's not too bad:

· Operating System: Windows 7 / Windows Vista Service Pack 1 / Windows XP Service Pack 3 / OnLive for PC or Mac

Tim Sweeney; you might know this man as the founder of Epic Games and as the father of games such as Unreal, Gears of War and the mind behind the Unreal Engine. Unreal Engine 3 for example, powers a slew of todays AAA titles such as Gears of War, Batman: Arkham Asylum and Mass Effect. IGN interviewed Tim and asked him some interesting questions, one that perked my interested regarded the next-gen Unreal Engine 4, which Tim says is due sometime around 2014:

IGN then asked him what the biggest challenge he sees in shifting from the current UE3 to UE4:

This is something I hope to continue on TweakTown, a gaming-related round up instead of multiple gaming-related bits of news. So please do comment and let me know if you like it. First up we have the big 3, all sequels, all third sequels. I hope you enjoyed my pun. First up we have a new full-length Battlefield 3 TV ad, which features not only never-before-seen gameplay footage, but Jay-Z with "99 Problems" as the track choice.

Next up we have Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception. What we have here is the first footage in the while of Drake's desert-based adventure. The footage is off-screen and can be annoying, but if you want to take a glimpse of some in-game footage, take a look. You might want to skip on past the 4:00 mark to hit the gameplay footage. Even as an off-screen video, Uncharted 3 looks unbelievably beautiful and it is the one console franchise I will buy on launch day. The footage shows off some new skills, with the Steel Fist ability allowing you (playing as Drake) to catch an enemy's gun in midair.

Also the ability to pull a pin on an opponent's grenade through a melee kill, this would also help with a group of enemies - some very cool additions in the third outing of Uncharted.