Saturday, February 25, 2017

News:: Valve promises more realistic audio for VR

Most of the effort in improving virtual reality focuses on the visuals. But what about audio -- isn't it jarring to hear sound that clearly doesn't mirror the world you're in? Valve thinks it can fix that. It just released a Steam Audio kit that lets developers provide more immersive sound in games and apps, particularly for VR. On top of producing binaural audio (reflecting how your body affects listening), it has a particularly advanced, physics-based approach to generating sound effects.

Via: UploadVR

Source: Steam



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News:: Fast RMX price announced, will utilize HD Rumble

The third title in this futuristic high-speed racing series after Fast Racing League (WiiWare, 2011) and Fast Racing Neo (Wii U, 2015) will be available worldwide on the Nintendo Switch's launch date of March 3, 2017 via the eShop. It'll set you back just $19.99 or €19.99, Shin-en's Manfred Linzner told Nintendo Life. Wii U's Fast Racing Neo was $14.99.

In the interview Linzer also revealed that while they had to sacrifice things such as resolution in order to make Fast Racing Neo run at 60 frames per second (it was in 720p), they were able to make Fast RMX run in 1080p at 60fps even in four-player split-screen (which ran at 30fps in Neo). 

Fast RMX price announced, will utilize HD Rumble screenshot

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News:: Six Flags' new VR roller coaster is both breathtaking and broken

Imagine screaming through deep space, swerving through the wreckage of exploding starships in a high-octane scene plucked straight out of a science fiction movie. Suddenly the universe stops, frozen in time as your body continues to hurl through the void at high speed. Your stomach churns at the realization that it's moving but, somehow, the world around you isn't. That's what happened to me this weekend on Six Flags' Galactic Attack -- a virtual reality roller coaster, available at Six Flags' two California parks, that broke halfway through my ride. Twice.



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News:: Weekend deals: Falling price on Ghost Recon Wildlands, last call on $219 PS4

It's open beta weekend fro Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands. If the game looks worthwhile for a pre-order the co-op open-world shooter is also getting an 18% discount for PC gamers at GMG. Keys are from Ubisoft so they'll be sent out in time for pre-loading a few day before release. The same discount applies to the more expensive Deluxe and Gold editions, the latter of which contains the Season Pass.

For the last two week Sony has been running a $50 off discount for PS4 Slim consoles at multiple retailers. The last day is today Saturday and so too are the bonuses and discounts on top of the $50 off base offer. Dell's $50 eGift Card is arguably the best on the table, but also notable is Jet's $30 off coupon making PS4 consoles only $219 including the more recently released Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare Legacy Bundle.

Microsoft is copying Sony's offer, also $50 off and ending on Saturday. This bring their Xbox One S console bundles down to holiday prices. Most notably is the newly released Halo Wars 2 1TB console dropping from $349 to $299 and comes with a free game of your choice from the Microsoft Store.

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Weekend deals: Falling price on Ghost Recon Wildlands, last call on $219 PS4 screenshot



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News:: Review: Neo Atlas 1469

“Y-you can't trick me! A black and white bear? It couldn't exist!”
“A black and white bear… heh heh heh… Well, it's something different to look for if you reach the orient.”
“A black and white bear… Impossible… Inconceivable! There's no way such a thing could exist, right? But if it did exist, what kind of pattern do you suppose it'd have?”

Only a few hours into the game, and Neo Atlas 1469 has given me a quest to find a panda. Truly, we have found our GOT-

-What do you mean, I have to judge a game based on other metrics? Charlatans.

Review: Neo Atlas 1469 screenshot

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News:: Pick up Northgard for Steam with a 20% discount and refund guaranteed

Released just three days ago as an Early Access title on Steam, Northgard shot straight up to the #2 top-selling slot on the store, facing very positive reviews from gamers, particular those who were fans of Settlers titles. (Here's a look at the game from last year.)

Interested gamers are in luck as Northgard is running a release-week discount of 10% off at Steam, but what's more enticing is that third-party digital retailer DLGamer has a stronger 20% off discount and it is still offering a Steam-like refund guaranteed, as long as you have not played the game for more than two hours.

Northgard Deals

  • Northgard (Steam) — $15.99  (list price $20) at DLGamer
  • Early access, 20% off with two-hour refund option
  • Northgard (Steam) — $16.29  (list price $20) at GMG
  • Early access, 19% off - no refund

In the past, gamers looking for deals on PC games and buying from non-Steam-authorized retailers have had to eat up the potential risk of dealing with Early Access titles - short of a Batman: Arkham Knight fiasco, your hands are fairly tied when it comes to a shoddy experience. It's nice to see DLGamer stepping up, extending the publisher offer on potential refunds. As a comparison, GMG is also offering its typical discount but no refund capability is being mentioned. Here's hoping more third-party retailers will adopt this policy for Early Access games.

As for Northgard itself, the developers have stated a timeline of two to six months for Early Access status. For the full game, they are focusing on three main areas to solidify:

  • New playable clans with unique gameplay specifics
  • Fully story driven campaign
  • Multiplayer mode

So far what we're gathering from user reviews is that the game is on the short side of things, and depth is a bit shallow. If you're an hour in and you don't see anything you like, it seems like a good idea to partake in the refund option and revisit Northgard again in a few months.

Pick up Northgard for Steam with a 20% discount and refund guaranteed screenshot



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News:: Our first look at the Nintendo Switch and 'Breath of the Wild'

The Nintendo Switch is finally here, along with its most anticipated launch title, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. We're still putting the new console through its paces, but we've put together a quick preview of the hardware and game to tide you over. In short: We're impressed. But the lack of networking functionality, among other features, so close to the console's launch has us worried if Nintendo is totally prepared. Check back for our full review of the Switch and Breath of the Wild next week.



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News:: Roundup: All the Horizon Zero Dawn deals from digital to physical

As a triple-A PS4 exclusive, you'd think Horizon Zero Dawn would have zero deals given how razor focused the title is, but thankfully, we've found some minor bargains and bonuses before release next Tuesday.

Retail competition for your pre-order bucks has resulted in some interesting offers, from digital code discounts to gift card bonuses to paid membership offers. So your choices are plenty if you want to avoid paying full price, or simply get something out of buying early for day-one enjoyment.

Digital retailer GMG has been selling digital codes for PS4 titles, and Horizon Zero Dawn at a modest 7% discount. That's not a ton off, but keys are legit and straight from Sony. You'll receive the PSN game code to your email right away plus you'll also avoid sales tax in the US. Not too bad.

On the gift card bonus front is Dell. The mostly-computing retailer is tossing in a bonus $25 eGift Card when you scoop up a copy of Horizon Zero Dawn. The gift card arrives via email 10-20 days after your order ships and is good towards anything on Dell (e.g., more PS4 games).

Horizon Zero Dawn Deals

Digital

Physical

The other sites to look at are Amazon and Best Buy. There you'll get 20% off, the catch being you need to be a paid member of either Amazon's Prime program or Best Buy's Gamers Club Unlocked. Not worth it for just Horizon Zero Dawn, but worth it if you buy several full-price new games a year.

Horizon Zero Dawn Deluxe vs. Collector's vs. Standard Editions

With discounts in the mix, you may ask yourself if it's worth going for Deluxe or Collector's. Essentially if you don't care about physical items or in-game DLC extras, go with the Standard Edition. Deluxe is a digital-only product so the only deal available is at GMG.

Deluxe gets you several in-game DLC extras:

  • Nora Keeper Pack
  • Carja Trapper Pack
  • Banuk Traveller Pack
  • Banuk Trailblazer Outfit and Culling Bow
  • Carja Storm Ranger Outift and Mighty Bow
  • An exclusive PS4 theme
  • Art of Horizon Zero Dawn Digital Art Book

The Collector's Edition is purely a physical option to buy. You get everything digital in the Deluxe plus these physical items:

  • A special steelbook case for the physical disc
  • 9″ Aloy Statue (Aloy is the character's name, not some sort of metal component)
  • 48-page art book

Hardcore fan that demands trinkets with your game? Go with Collector's. Hardcore fan that demands all the game's DLC extras? Go with Deluxe. Filthy casual who just wants the best price? Go with Standard.

I mean we can make the argument that a game that hasn't been released yet shouldn't have hardcore fans, but you'd be surprise how invested some fans can get on lore and production of a title.

Roundup: All the Horizon Zero Dawn deals from digital to physical screenshot



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News:: The Morning After: Weekend Edition

Letter from the Editor

It's been a banner week for Nintendo fanboys and girls, what with the company's new console finally making its way into reviewers' hands -- and giving Nintendophiles their first extended look at the Switch. Naturally, Engadget editors were among the chosen to get some quality time, and early returns are ... middling? Devindra Hardawar is a fan of the system's controllers, and he loved the ability to take the Switch out of his living room and into bed for late-night gaming sessions. But that portability is seriously hamstrung by a screen that's essentially unusable outside and meager battery life (at least when playing Zelda: Breath of the Wild).



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News:: PSA: That Razer esports sponsorship email is a scam

So, you stream your gameplays and recently received a lucrative sponsorship offer via email from popular esports platform Team Razer. Exciting, right? Unfortunately, it's nothing but a scam -- that email is actually from a cyber criminal and not a "scouting agent." Team Razer has sent out a notice that scammers are using its brand name to spread malicious software.

Source: Team Razer



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