News::Blizzard's 'Compete' trademark hints at an eSports service

There's no question that Blizzard is a cornerstone of the eSports world. StarCraft is so big in South Korea that it's virtually an institution, and Heroes of the Storm was the first game to get a live ESPN2 broadcast. It only makes sense that the developer would create an eSports service of its own, then -- and there's a fresh hint that it might do just that. Blizzard has filed for a trademark on "Compete," an online service that would help you "organize and promote" eSports tournaments and ladders. From the sounds of it, this would take the drudgery out of getting a competition off the ground. You'd focus more on the matches themselves, and less on finding out who's on top.

Filed under: Gaming, Internet, Software

Comments

Via: Reddit, IGN, Gamasutra

Source: USPTO

Tags: blizzard, compete, esports, gaming, internet, software, trademark

via Engadget RSS Feedhttp://ift.tt/1Jbt552

News::Indie games are vast, varied and very 80s in this Megabooth trailer

There is no single definition of an "indie" video game. "Indie" doesn't mean free, cheap, mobile, 8-bit, 3D, platformer, shooter or any other thing. Thanks to the recent, rapid evolution of game-making technologies, more people than ever are able to craft and sell their own video games with help from friends and without involving a large publisher. That's what "indie" means -- independent, but not alone.

The development community has plenty of avenues for people to gather and support one another, and one of the largest such organizations is the Indie Megabooth. Every year since 2012, the Megabooth has set up stalls at PAX East and PAX Prime showing off a selection of stellar independent games. It started with 16 games in 2012, took a trip around the globe in 2014, and will now boast a lineup of more than 70 games at this year's PAX Prime from August 28th to 31st. The list includes beautiful digital board game Armello, intense Xbox One game Below, gorgeous space shooter Galak-Z, poetic point-and-click That Dragon, Cancer, wacky competitive game Gang Beasts (shown above), and tons more.

Filed under: Gaming, HD

Comments

Source: Indie Megabooth

Tags: hdpostcross, Indie, IndieMegabooth, megabooth, PAX, PaxPrime

via Engadget RSS Feedhttp://ift.tt/1L3WKdI

News::What's on your HDTV: 'Humans' season finale, 'Mad Max: Fury Road'

AMC is wrapping up its first season of Humans this week, so let us know if you'll be hanging around for season two of its android shenanigans (eight new episodes are confirmed for next year. If that's not exciting enough, you can order up Mad Max: Fury Road via your video on-demand service of choice this week, as it hits downloads ahead of the eventual Blu-ray release. Tonight Spike TV premieres I Am Chris Farley, while gamers are anticipating Goat Simulator and Everybody's Gone to the Rapture. Look after the break to check out each day's highlights, including trailers and let us know what you think (or what we missed).

Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, HD

Comments

Tags: goatsimulator, hdpostcross, Humans, listings, MadMax, MadMaxFuryRoad, MustSeeHdtv, video

via Engadget RSS Feedhttp://ift.tt/1DIEFlE

News::The PS Vita of Steam Machines arrives in 2016 for $299

The Steam Machine invasion is happening this fall. But while these computers are said to be more powerful than traditional consoles, such as the Xbox One or PlayStation 4, none of them are exactly portable. Smach Zero's device, however, is. Formerly known as Steamboy, the handheld system runs Valve's Steam OS and features a 5-inch, 720p screen, 32GB of onboard storage (plus an SD card slot), 4GB RAM, HDMI-out and configurable gamepads. In terms of connectivity, you'll find Bluetooth, WiFi and, on the Pro model, 4G for true on-the-go gaming. Smach Zero is also promising access to more than 1,000 Steam games at launch, but we'll have to wait and see if that turns out to be true. According to the manufacturer, it will be available during Q4 of 2016 starting at $299. If you'd like to pre-order it, you can do so on November 10th -- the same day as other Steam Machines are launching.

Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, HD

Comments

Source: Smach Zero

Tags: hdpostcross, Smach Zero, SmachZero, Steam Machine, Steam Machines, Steamboy, SteamMachine, SteamMachines, Valve

via Engadget RSS Feedhttp://ift.tt/1IIrBK3

News::Spy on a vampiric slumber party in the browser port of 'Night Trap'

There's a Night Trap fan group on Facebook. This isn't too surprising, considering Night Trap's storied past in the video game industry and its unabashed, nostalgic charm. It's a full-motion video game (FMV) -- meaning it stars real people, just like a live-action movie -- released in 1992 for the Sega CD and later ported to Sega 32X, 3DO, MS-DOS and Mac OS. Night Trap follows a group of young women at a slumber party that turns deadly when vampiric creatures show up, looking to feast on the girls' blood. Players, viewing the party via hidden cameras, attempt to trap the evil beasties and save the girls. For this unconventional premise, Night Trap holds a permanent seat in video game history alongside Doom and Mortal Kombat: These titles were partly responsible for the creation of the ESRB rating system, following a series of congressional hearings on "violent" video games in the early 1990s. Concerned groups accused Night Trap of encouraging kidnapping and featuring ultra-violent content, although compared with many modern, award-winning games, it's a truly tame experience.

So, of course there's a Night Trap fan group on Facebook. It's precisely this Facebook group that Dave Voyles, a technical evangelist at Microsoft, turned to when he was seeking inspiration for his next programming project a few weeks back. Now, Voyles is knee-deep in Night Trap's code, reworking it to run in any browser for a new generation of fans to enjoy.

Filed under: Gaming, HD

Comments

Tags: browser, davevoyles, fmv, FullMotionVideo, hdpostcross, interview, nighttrap, port, Retro

via Engadget RSS Feedhttp://ift.tt/1L3YPt4

News::Custom 'Minecraft' PC is more than a skin-deep tribute

You may see yourself as a big Minecraft fan, but Spencer Kern just took that devotion to another level. The Microsoft game artist marked the launches of both Windows 10 and its special version of Minecraft by building Redstone, a custom PC that's a tribute to Mojang's construction game in more ways than one. Kern didn't just slap some pixel art on a case and call it a day -- he custom-built the cube to pay homage to its namesake game resource through and through, including eerie red lighting, custom storage labels and a miniature version of Steve lurking inside. He even personalized his gamepad, headphones, keyboard and mouse to match the theme. You sadly can't buy Redstone, but Kern has documented enough of its assembly that you could theoretically create a reasonable facsimile with enough time and elbow grease.

Filed under: Desktops, Gaming, Microsoft

Comments

Via: Kotaku

Source: Spencer Kern (Sway)

Tags: computer, desktop, gaming, microsoft, minecraft, mojang, pc, spencerkern, videogames

via Engadget RSS Feedhttp://ift.tt/1L3U42P

News::UK PS4 owners will soon pay more for online multiplayer

Some PlayStation Plus subscriptions are getting a little more expensive in the UK. From September 1st, Sony's 30-day option will cost £5.99 instead of £5.49, and the 12 week plan is rising to £14.99, up from £11.99. The annual subscription is staying locked at £39.99, however, so if you haven't taken the plunge just yet -- now might be a good time to reconsider. Sony says the changes are "in line with market conditions" and all part of its push to deliver "an unparalleled experience, featuring the best quality games and features." If you need a reminder, PS Plus nets you some "free" games on PS4, PS3 and PS Vita every month, and is also required to play PS4 games online. Maybe, just maybe this extra cash can be used to stop PSN from going down so often too? We're crossing our fingers.

Filed under: Gaming, Sony

Comments

Via: VG247, PushSquare

Tags: playstation3, playstation4, playstationplus, price, PriceIncrease, ps3, ps4, PsPlus, psvita, sony

via Engadget RSS Feedhttp://ift.tt/1L24VqX