Category: Platforms

Parent Category for All Gaming Platforms discussed on Twinstiq

A Closer Look at Microsoft’s HoloLens

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HoloLens is Microsoft's Augmented Reality peripheral for the Windows PC and Xbox One. We've heard a lot about it, seen some of the promotional material, but until recently there haven't been too many discussions about hands on experiences with the prototype. A presentation at Build 2015 has pulled back the curtain a little bit, read on for the details.
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The HoloLens features a narrow field of view, projecting holograms within your focus, starting to fade in your peripheral vision. This means that where you're looking directly, you'll see objects, but you won't be able to see these same projections out of the corner of your eye.

There is a built in Kinect style camera, which is a huge leap ahead of the capabilities of the Xbox One accessory. This allows the device to pick up the environment, as well as your hands as you interact with objects. Since the objects you manipulate are only in the center of your vision, your hands will be in direct line of sight of the camera, which answers a lot of questions about how applications will allow you to manipulate models that could be littered all about the room.

This new camera will also allow you to record what you see, including the holograms, so that a new type of video will be possible to convey the entire augmented reality experience to others.

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Close to each ear are two red speakers, which will produce sounds reflecting the current game or application, and will still allow ambient sounds through so you get a mix of both while wearing the device. You'll also be able to get feedback from Cortana, which is integrated as a digital assistant to which you can give speech commands.

With development kits already in the hands of designers, and E3 coming up fast, hopefully we will learn about the actual gaming applications intended for Microsoft's futuristic prototype. Look forward to June for more information!

Source: Neowin

Good Modern Games Are Now DRM-Free!

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There are plenty of high-caliber games on GOG – many of which you might already have seen floating around on Steam.  One thing that GOG does lack though, are truly modern, truly open-world games. [Dr. S would like to add: The Witcher?]
Well, this afternoon all that changed.

GOG are now selling the Saints Row series of games.
You read me correctly.  GOG has somehow wrangled the Saints Row series onto its service.  Admittedly, they don’t have access to all the games, [one was an Xbox exclusive and four will probably remain under Steam with the Steam DRM for as long as they can sell it that way, but that’s SPECULATION on my part, please don’t read anything else into it.] but two and three are most definitely up for the having.

Along with this, the Darksiders games are also coming to GOG. [both I + II plus – weirdly – some DLC for two.]
Lastly, if you’re craving some shooter-based action, Metro, Last Light Redux is on offer as well.

All of the games are currently discounted for this week, so buy them now if you want them cheap, but be aware that in order to get the 75% discount for Darksiders, you will have to fork out for the entire Darksiders bundle.

Xbox One’s May Firmware Update Now Live

Major Nelson's announced that Microsoft's latest console firmware update finally brings voice messages, which can be sent between Xbox One and Xbox 360 consoles. Energy saving options have also been highlighted during the initialization setup process, and adds a feature to the SmartGlass app allowing you to control the system's on/off state through your local network.
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Party chat services are now being transferred to dedicated servers, with an expanded rollout in the coming weeks.

What features would you like to see in the next update? Is there anything still missing, or are you happy enough with the experience as it is now? Are there any features in particular that you wish other console makers would adopt?

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Source: GameSpot

Steam Prices Could Go Up Down Under

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A so-called "Netflix Tax" is a planned extension to Australia's Goods and Services tax. Originally adding 10% to the cost of most goods purchased since its introduction in July of 2000, the Value Added Tax could soon be applied to digital services such as Steam game purchases.
Netflix and other foreign based services have long skirted these taxes by hosting entirely offshore, causing unbalanced pricing compared to rivals with a local presence such as Quickflix. Federal Treasurer Joe Hockey confirmed the plans to rectify this in a recent budget outline.
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Already having a history of price disparity with retail games costing the equivalent of $100 USD, players wishing to save by purchasing through online services such as Steam may no longer find the option as tempting as it previously was. Some Australians are already speaking out on forums, threatening to turn to piracy.
Source: PlayerAttack

Do Not Delete P.T. From Your PlayStation 4

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Unlike most games which have been de-listed from the PSN Store, P.T. has been completely wiped from Sony's servers. Contrary to what was previously reported, if you've deleted it from your hard disk to make space, you can no longer re-download it through your Library. 
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When I first noticed the official message on my PS Vita, I was honestly surprised. Out of all of the games that I've downloaded across various console services, this was the first time I've been told that an application in my library is no longer accessible.

I realize that this was something given out for free, and meant as promotional material for a game that no is no longer in production. Why should Konami spend any resources or money to make it available? Why throw good money after bad? Still, I'm a bit annoyed, and also concerned. I've always been partial to purchasing retail physical copies of games specifically because of worst case scenarios such as this. If I own the disc, I can keep on playing it as long as the hardware works.

A game that you could never play again? As a retro enthusiast, that actually bothers me. Especially considering how much enjoyment I've got out of P.T., it seems like something I'd want to go back to and re-experience, if only to reminisce. Catching me completely by surprise, P.T. turned out to be one of my favorite PS4 experiences.

Tell us, how do you feel about the security of your digital library? Do ever go back to older games, or do you live in the moment and only look forward?

Halo Chief Admits Master Chief Fumble

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Frank O'Connor, Franchise Development Director at 343 Industries feels bad about the Halo collection's state upon release, and how it was subsequently handled. "Halo: The Master Chief Collection is definitely a black eye for us," is how he starts out in an interview with XboxAchievements. "We’re not going to rest on our laurels or hide from the mistakes we made." That much is true, as we can tell from his rather candid attestation.
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Says O'Connor, “To be perfectly honest, there were a lot of things that happened when we got it into a retail environment that we simply didn’t see in a test environment, so that’s what really caught us by surprise."

Most of the issues have been with the multiplayer portion of the game, so it's perfectly reasonable to assume this was correct, however considering the amount of polish previous entries received, it's entirely possible that it was difficult to recreate test scenarios that reflected regular use within the scope of the testing environment.

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"Halo 5 is being made by a completely different team. It’s a singular product. It was built from the ground up for this new technology, rather than being sort of dragged kicking and screaming from 2001 and forced and shoehorned into a 2014 console."

That's a statement that should reassure fans who are looking forward to the next entry, but at the same time it casts disparity upon the effort to enshrine Microsoft's hallmark IP in a compendium. Nonetheless, a gargantuan effort has been made to bring the Master Chief Collection up to snuff, as well as compensating early adopters with a free pass to Halo 3: ODST.

Here is the entire XboxAchievements interview for your viewing pleasure. Frank O'Connor seems to be adamant about the quality of the final version of Halo 5. "I think the beta is already a decent first step, in a retail environment, showing that we don’t have the same problems."

Please tell us your experiences with the collection, and what you are hoping for in the upcoming sequel!

Mario Kart 8 Producer in Charge of Mobile Games

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As a Nintendo alumnus since Doki Doki Panic, having worked on most Super Mario and Mario Kart titles, Hideki Konno is heavily involved with some of Nintendo's hottest properties. Nintendo's serious intentions for producing quality experiences for phones and tablets are being backed up as Konno has been appointed to head up their mobile game development.
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"Regarding the number of the titles, you may want to know that we will release approximately five titles by the end of the next fiscal year, which is the end of March 2017", said Iwata in Nintendo's financial report; "We aim to make each title a hit, and because we want to thoroughly operate every one of them for a significant amount of time after their releases" he continued.
It's difficult to tell what type of titles Nintendo's cooperation with DeNA will result in, but the desire to specifically craft games optimized for mobile from the ground up is probably the right approach, rather than shoehorning existing titles and slapping on a touch interface.

What franchises would you like to see, and how should they be handled for bite sized touch-focused gaming?

Source: GameSpot

Nintendo + Universal Studios = Mario Theme Parks!!

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Nintendo announced today that they are partnering with Universal Parks & Resorts in order to bring themed attractions (and tons of joy) to the world. No specifics have been announced as of yet but the mind races at the thought of the near-endless possibilities. Princess Peach's castle, Kirby's Dreamland, Pokemon parades, Mario Karting, Hyrule Town, an F-Zero roller coaster, Star Fox: the ride... Oh man, I wish I was there already!

How about you? Are you excited about the prospect of future Nintendo theme parks? What attractions would you most like to see? Tell us in the comments section below.

Andrew J Amideo
[Source: Business Wire]

New Nintendo eShop Releases: Mega May (Week 1)

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Get Ready...For Mega May! Each week throughout the month of May, a new Mega Man title will be dropping onto the Wii U Game Boy Advance Virtual Console. First up, Mega Man & Bass (my favorite GBA Mega Man game)! In honor of its release today, I will offer up a few interesting facts about Mega Man & Bass. Did you know that Mega Man & Bass is actually a localized port of a previously Japan-only Super Nintendo title? For several years, many fans assumed that Mega Man & Bass was actually Mega Man 9, since the original series stopped at 8. Following that logic led many to also assume that Mega Man X was Mega Man 10. It wasn't until 10 years later that the actual Mega Man 9 (and later 10) would be released.

Wherever it may fall in the series, numerically or non, Mega Man & Bass is certainly a worthy entry. I would definitely recommend picking it up if you haven't played it before (or even if you have). And while that's downloading, feel free to check out the rest of this week's new releases after the jump.

Wii U

3DS

[Image: Capcom]

Andrew J Amideo
[Source: Business Wire]

Nintendo’s Back in Black

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The March 31st financial year report shows that for the first time in three years, Nintendo is making a profit. Wii U sales declining in Japan and climbing in North America, but the 3DS is selling steadily across the globe. Pokemon, Mario Kart, and Smash Bros have all contributed, helping Nintendo climb back into profitability. Beating their forecast of ¥35 billion, they've jumped to ¥41.8 billion, way up from a loss of ¥23.2 billion last year.
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Image courtesy of NintendoNuggets.com

Keep buying those Amiibos, no doubt that's helping too.
Source: VGChartz