Capy Games’ Below is only a timed exclusive on Xbox One

.

It’s an adventure game that mixes together exploration, survival, and skill-based combat combined with a big dose of atmosphere. It’s also a game from independent developer Capybara Games, the team behind Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP, Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes, and Sound Shapes.
The impression you may have got from watching the Microsoft presentation including Below
, is that the game will only be available to play on the Xbox One. But that’s definitely not the case.
Capy Games has realized there is some confusion surrounding the game and has now decided to clear it up. In a blog post on their website Capy has confirmed that while Below
will appear on the Xbox One first, it is only a timed exclusive. That means Microsoft did a deal with Capy to ensure Below is exclusively available on Xbox One for a period of time, maybe a few weeks or months. After that, the game can be released on other platforms.
Microsoft has used this tactic many times before because it boosts sales and makes a platform look like it has more games available for it. But ultimately if a gamer is willing to wait, these timed exclusives appear elsewhere.
So, if you really like the look of Below
, but would rather pick up a PS4 than an Xbox One later this year, chances are you’ll still get to play the game, just not at launch. I’d also bet money on Below appearing on the PC at some point in 2014.

View the original article here

Read More

Xbox One will not upgrade to 12GB of RAM, Microsoft confirms

amounts of RAM — for example, an entirely likely 3TB. The phrasing “feeling great about game performance,” however, does make it sound like Microsoft has found a sweet spot at 8GB, so those dreams of owning a game console with 1PB of RAM will have to wait for at least one more generation.
Now read: Pre-order a Day One Xbox Live Gold subscription, get Killer Instinct free

View the original article here

Read More

Microsoft confirms Game DVR and other features require Xbox Live Gold

Microsoft has confirmed that some of the features in the Xbox One are behind a pay gate. According to Microsoft, Xbox One owners who are not signed up for Gold subscription membership may not be able to use hardware functionality built into the console.
There appears to be some backlash across the Web around the revelation that the the hardware built-in Game DVR functionality cannot be accessed without a paid subscription to Xbox Live Gold service. Microsoft’s Xbox Live feature list also puts things like Skype (defacto Xbox One voice chat) and NFL content.
One Hit Pixel reached out to Microsoft for clarification around the Game DVR and a rep responded stating “I can confirm that Game DVR features will be available to Xbox Live Gold members only.”
The Xbox One’s Game DVR is basically five minutes of in-game footage always being recorded while the system is played. This is in contract to Sony’s PS4 which records up to 15 minutes always and is not restricted to PS Plus accounts.
In other news Microsoft recently answered a host of questioned posted by 4Player around the Xbox One. A question was posed to Microsoft around the price point for the Xbox One and if there was a chance that the company may reduce the price prior to launch. It appears that Microsoft will be holding steady with the $499 price point. Microsoft responded by stating:

We are very confident with the provide value at $ / € 499 and the unparalleled, all in one games and entertainment experience Xbox One offers.

Microsoft also revealed that gamers should not place their Xbox One vertically standing as the unit was not designed for that.

…the console is Intended to sit horizontally. Additionally, the airflow and venting system which optimized for this horizontal orientation.

View the original article here

Read More

Rumor: Sony readying PS4/PS Vita bundle, Hitman: Absolution hits PlayStation Plus

There is an interesting rumor doing the rounds today that revolve around a supposed PS4 bundle that comes with a PS Vita for $500. If true, this could be the best deal seen to date on both units.
The PS4 costs $400, and the PS Vita is priced at $250. If Sony were to bundle the two together, there would be a savings of $150, dropping the price of the Vita to $100.
According to Inside Gaming Daily, a “well placed anonymous source” has revealed that the P4 and PS Bundle exist. The source also revealed that the bundle will costs $500, which is the same price as the Xbox One. While Sony has not revealed any price drop plans publically, the company has emphasized plans to make PS Vita support mandatory on all PS4 games. Every PS4 game can be remotely played via the PS Vita from any location.
Could Sony be gearing up for a major price drop or bundle deal at gamescom? It does seem farfetched that Sony would introduce a new bundle after pushing the existing pre-order bundles aggressively. However, with dwindling sales of the PS Vita it does seem like the right time to drop the price on the unit.
In other news, Sony has just revealed its new PlayStation Plus lineup of free games for this month. One of the free games revealed is Hitman: Absolution, which is actually a fairly recent game. Other free games include Darkstalkers Chronicle: The Chaos Tower, Runner 2, Star Wars Pinball and Machinarium. Select games will also receive deep discounts for PS+ members. For those that may have missed out on the fantastic Rayman Origins game that released not that long ago, can now be picked up for $5 with PS+ down from $20. Vita owners can pickup the handheld version for $6.75.

Check out the PS blog for the full list.
View the original article here

Read More

Microsoft overclocks Xbox One GPU clock speed by 6%

In a recent podcast with Marc Whitten, corporate VP of Xbox he revealed that the company was able to safely bump up the performance of the GPU on the console by 6-percent. Whitten didn’t elaborate much on this statement, but he did indicate that developers will be able to push the system a little harder.

During Major Nelson’s podcast, Whitten stated:

That’s the time where you start tweaking the knobs. Either your theory was right dead on, or you were a little too conservative, or you were a little too aggressive. It’s actually been really good news for us, an example of that is we’ve tweaked up the clock speed on our GPU from 800mhz to 853mhz.

He also talked a little bit about new drivers that help take advantage of the GPU better called “mono driver.”
Microsoft’s Albert Penello elaborated on this improvement on NeoGAF boards recently. According to Penello, Microsoft set “aggressive targets for reliability, performance, yields, and noise.” This all makes perfect sense considering that the Xbox 360 was notorious for having a very high failure rate made popular by the Red Ring of Death stigma. The Xbox 360 originally sounded like a jet was taking off before several iterations of refinements were made to the console.
It seems like the company set out to improve on these things as the Xbox One is reported to be stealthily quite.

We want it to be DEAD quiet (and let me tell you, X1 is quieter than the new Xbox 360 we just released). And we wanted killer game performance. But those targets are in conflict with each other.

Penello adds that through testing, the team was able to find that the console could safely handle the bump in clock speed despite pushing the GPU beyond its set parameters.

What we’ve found through the development process is we were able to actually exceed our goals on the thermals and acoustics.
This gave us headroom to increase the clock speed without any hit to noise, reliability, or heat, so we took the opportunity to bump the GPU. I get it’s only 6% or so, but that could translate to a few FPS in the real world.

Posted in Games, Hardware, Industry, Microsoft, Xbox 360, Xbox One | 5 Comments » Read more from Mike Ferro
You must be logged in to post a comment. Don't have an account? Register today!

View the original article here

Read More

Carmack won’t be surprised if Kinect Camera gets hacked spied on

John Carmack, genius programmer at id Software talked a little bit about Microsoft’s challenges with the Xbox One at his Quakecon keynote speech. While he stated that many of the things people fear about the Xbox One are probably true, he also defended things like Kinect spying on you as something that it is inevitable.
Carmack talked about Microsoft’s recent woes with its used game and always online policies as well as recent backlash over the always listening and watching Kinect camera. Carmack stated paranoia around a living room camera watching constantly is most likely a “temporary” vision of how things are perceived with the concept.
He stated that everyone is scared that the government is going to gain backdoor access into everyone’s Kinect and watch what’s going on in your living room. He then said “well, yea that’s pretty much the situation,” with the audience eruptin”g in laughter.

Carmack talked about some of the incidents reported in the media about laptops cameras getting hacked remotely and turned on. Back in December, reports revealing that the cameras built into some of the Samsung TVs could be hacked had the media in a frenzy.
This negative publicity has caused Samsung to back away from pushing models with web cams built in as aggressively.  Carmack stated, “we will just get used to it” regarding having a camera always watch you. Carmack does have a good point in that advances in technology will happen eventually and even believes that there will be some sort of major scandal involving the Kinect in the future.
He gave an example paralleling it to the introduction of tracking GPS through cell phones. While having GPS capabilities in smartphones has allowed the government to have the ability to track you, most people view the tradeoff to be well worth it if it.
However, so far Microsoft has yet to really show how the Kinect will revolutionize things. Besides big brother gaining access to your Kinect camera remotely, there is also the threat of an external attack on our systems. 
Posted in Games, Hardware, Industry, Microsoft, PS3, PS4, Sony | 14 Comments » Read more from Mike Ferro
You must be logged in to post a comment. Don't have an account? Register today!

View the original article here

Read More

Bioshock Infinite’s Burial at Sea takes you back to Rapture underwater

Its been nearly four months such Infinite released to critical acclaim. Now Ken Levine’s masterpiece will receive some additional DLC content to bring everyone back to the world of of Bioshock.
Irrational Games will be releasing three pieces of DLC with the first to hit Steam today. The first DLC titled Clash in the Clouds
adds a horde-like mode where you will have to go up against 15 waves of enemies. The DLC will take place on all new maps and players can earn voxaphones detailing backstory information of some of the characters.
Players will be able to see how they rank on the leaderboards and compare against friends. There will be a variety of different types of enemies, new achievements and trophies will be added.
Burial at Sea
is a two-part DLC that will cost $15 per DLC. Gamers can also pick up the season pass for $19.99 and receive all three DLCs. The horde-mode like DLC will set you back about $5.

The concept behind Burial at Sea
is interesting as it allows you to take control of Elizabeth for the first time. Levine stated that making Elizabeth playable was something that was high in demand. Another interesting twist about the game is that its set in Rapture prior to its collapse. The trailer shows off a busy part of Rapture with pedestrians roaming around. Levin confirmed that you will see familiar faces in the underwater city of Rapture.
As to why Elizabeth and Booker is in the world of the first Bioshock game – you’ll just have to beat Infinite to truly understand.  Are you set to go back to the underwater city of Rapture or were you expecting a new adventure back in the clouds?

Posted in Games, Industry, PC, PlayStation 3, PS3, Xbox 360 | 41 Comments » Read more from Mike Ferro
You must be logged in to post a comment. Don't have an account? Register today!

View the original article here

Read More

Rockstar’s Agent is still alive, GTA V PC petition nears quarter million

PS3 exclusive title, Agent has been in development limbo for quite some time over at Rockstar. The game was announced back in June 2009 during Sony’s E3 presser.
It seems like we revisit this title every year with no new information about the game. Take-Two did update investors that this game was indeed still in development back in 2011. The game was brought up during Take-Two’s Q1 2013, earnings call, CEO Strauss Zelnick stated that the publisher was not ready to announce anything about the title at the time.
Fast forward to this year, head of Sony Worldwide Studios, Shuhei Yoshida was asked if Agent would be coming to the PS4 instead. Yoshida stated, “You are asking the wrong person. I have some knowledge, but I’m not in a position to talk about it.”
Rockstar’s Sam Houser previously described the game as being set during the Cold War and "the world of counter-intelligence, espionage and political assassinations.”
Just this week, Take-Two renewed its trademark for the game Agent. You can also find the official Agent webpage up on Rockstar’s site currently.
In other news, Grand Theft Auto V is starting to gain momentum with PC gamers turning to Rockstar to bring the game.
While Rockstar has refused to clearly state if the game will be coming to the PC or not, recent job listings did call for an experienced engineer for porting code over to the PC. There is almost a quarter million member who have signed up on the petition.
Members interested to submitting this. Rockstar previously stated that a PC or Wii U version is still up in the air. Stay tuned for more details.
Posted in Games, Industry, PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 | 16 Comments » Read more from Mike Ferro
You must be logged in to post a comment. Don't have an account? Register today!

View the original article here

Read More

Microsoft reorg confirmed: Xbox One OS now under Windows division

As rumored, Microsoft has confirmed that the company will be going through a reorg via a memo from Steve Ballmer. The memo details a massive restructuring of the company dividing everything into a number of divisions. As a result, it seems that the Xbox division will now be split across two departments.
In Ballmer’s memo [via All Things D], he outlines the new divisions: Business Development and Evangelism, Marketing, Engineering, Advanced Strategy and Research, HR, Legal, Finance, and Operations.
Under Engineering, the division will be segmented under four units: Operating Systems, Applications and Services, Cloud and Enterprise, and Devices and Studios.
As previously rumored, Windows Chief, Julie Larson-Green has been named as the person in charge of Devices and Studios, which includes the management of the Xbox One hardware. Its widely believed that Don Mattrick was pinned as the candidate to take on this role before he moved over to Zynga. Larson-Green will also be responsible for Studio management.
The Operating Systems unit will be headed by Terry Myerson, former head of Windows Phone. Myerson will oversee Windows and Xbox One’s software functions including OS and software Apps. This is a telling move, showing the direction Ballmer wants to take the Xbox in.
As a result of this reorg, financial reporting will no longer be broken out into distinct business units like Xbox/Entertainment. This may make it much more difficult for investors to determine the performance of specific products such as Windows Phone, Bing and Xbox One in the future.
Its alarming that the OS for the Xbox One will now be helmed by the Windows division. Its been rumored since back in 2001 that the ‘old school’ cronies in charge of the powerful OS division has objected to the money losing Xbox. Its not surprising as Microsoft is a software company and is used to enjoying profit margins higher than 60 percent.  
The original intent of the Xbox was to levy the game console as a Trojan horse by paving a road into the living room for Windows. With the Xbox’s OS software under Myerson, the direction of how the platform will operate will ultimately come from his area. Ballmer did emphasized collaboration between the various departments as the key to succeeding.
With Don Mattrick out, its concerning that there is no longer a ‘games guy’ in the leadership position at Microsoft.

View the original article here

Read More

Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus unveiled, 9 minute Killzone Shadow Fall gameplay video

Sony and Insomniac Games recently announced a new entry into the Ratchet & Clank series with Into the Nexus. This will be a proper Ratchet & Clank adventure experience, unlike the last two entries in the franchise.
Insomniac tried their hand at co-op multiplayer with Full Frontal Assault and All 4 One. The studio is going back to the roots of the series with Into the Nexus with a story that acts as a epilogue to where things left off from A Crack in Time.
As a fan of the Ratchet & Clank
series, I am looking forward to checking the game out. Into the Nexus is part of the Future Series part of the cannon storyline starting with Tools of Destruction. The game is set to drop this holiday over Blu-ray and PSN download.

In other news, Guerrilla Games dropped a nine minute gameplay video of Killzone: Shadow Fall. The gameplay session focuses on the OWL drone that seems to do pretty much everything including making you dinner. The video shows off some interesting application such as performing remote hacking by sending the OWL out to it. It can also act as a portable zipline that can be used anywhere.

The OWL has several modes of operation you can activate via DualShock 4‘s touch pad: a stun mode, which creates an area-of-effect shock blast that stuns enemies and disrupts electronics; an attack mode, in which the OWL attacks anyone within range or targets a specific enemy; a shield mode, which creates a one-way energy shield in front of you; and finally, a zipline mode, which allows you to quickly and safely reach lower areas.

You can also customize your OWL with a unique skin. Pre-ordering your copy of the game at certain retailers can net you a bundle pack that includes several OWL Skins, Soundtrack and special MP moves.
Posted in Games, Industry, PlayStation 3, PS3, PS4 | 10 Comments » Read more from Mike Ferro
You must be logged in to post a comment. Don't have an account? Register today!

View the original article here

Read More

Grand Theft Auto V gameplay video released

As teased by Rockstar yesterday, the studio has released the first gameplay footage of Grand Theft Auto V and it looks amazing. Its hard to believe the game is running on current gen technology as Rockstar squeezes out every last ounce of power.
According to Rockstar the gameplay footage was captured in-game running directly off the PS3 hardware. Could the PS3 be the lead platform this go around?
The video demonstrates how players can switch between the three main characters to accomplish team based objectives. For example while one guy is crashing through the windows shooting guns blazing, you can switch to a second character across the street with a sniper rifle and start taking out the other enemies.
The seamless transition almost reminds me of Dragon Age, where you can switch between characters on the fly to continue the battle. The weapon gameplay mechanics have been much improved for a Max Payne look and feel. The vehicle driving also looks solid.
While the video didn’t reveal much about the online multiplayer mode, it did show a small snippet near the end. It seems like air traversal will be a big thing in multiplayer as a jet flew by manned by a player.Due to some confusion about the platform the game was running on, Rockstar confirmed that the game was indeed running off the PS3 in the forums.

Just to clarify for those asking, this particular video was captured with footage from the PS3 version of the game.
Also, make sure to check out a pair of Q&A’s we did with Game Informer that debuted today with more details on customization and gun combat in GTAV (along with some new screens), plus an interview for French speaking fans at Jeuxactu:
http://www.gameinformer.com/games/grand_theft_auto_v/b/xbox360/archive/2013/07/09/grand-theft-auto-v-customization.aspx
http://www.gameinformer.com/games/grand_theft_auto_v/b/xbox360/archive/2013/07/09/grand-theft-auto-v-gun-combat.aspx
http://www.jeuxactu.com/gta-5-interview-rockstar-north-sur-le-switch-des-personnages-88398.htm

Sony has an exclusive PS3 bundle deal with Rockstar as well for those interested in pick up a current gen console.

Posted in Games, Industry, PlayStation 3, PS3, Xbox 360 | 59 Comments » Read more from Mike Ferro
You must be logged in to post a comment. Don't have an account? Register today!

View the original article here

Read More