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Google may be revealing an entire gaming framework to developers at Google I/O next week, based on newly-released data. The Google Play Services component for Android includes support for various game-related features in a new update, including synchronizing saved games and various multiplayer components seen in a previous leak.
Following its "Massive Mac Games Drop" at the end of April, GOG.com has further expanded its Mac game catalog with 10 new titles. The new batch of games offers titles from various genres, and includes Slipstream 5000, Guilty Gear X2: Reload, Syndicate Wars, Strike Commander, Evil Genius, Rise of the Triad: Dark War, Guilty Gear Isuka, Blake Stone: Planet Strike, Darklands, and Litil Divil. Prices range from $6 up to $15 depending on the title, and every game has been tested to work on Mac OS X 10.6.8 or later.
The makers of Ouya, the Android-based game console, has received extra funding from investors ahead of its launch. The additional outside investment has now allowed Ouya to set the date of the official public launch as June 25, allowing more time for it to manufacture consoles before shipping units to retailers.
Music service Rhapsody has implemented a new "liner notes" feature, implementing the RIAA's "Give Fans the Credit" plan for including detailed production information with each digital song, including songwriters, background performers, producers and engineers involved in the production. The rollout, scheduled to take place over the next few months, would allow fans to search for music in new ways, such as tracking songs a specific producer was involved in, or for example finding out which songs featured a specific group of sidemen. The service has already started curating collections of tunes grouped by notable names of either producers, engineers or composers.
Google has expanded the functionality of its Google Drive desktop app to simplify the process of sharing documents. Thanks to the most recent update, Google Drive files can now be shared with others directly from a Mac or PC's file system by right clicking on the file. The update is currently being rolled out to all users and may not show up immediately.
Years after it discontinued sales of similarly-aged Nintendo Gamecube and original Microsoft Xbox hardware and games, retailer Gamestop has announced that June 1 marks the end of trade-ins of PlayStation 2 games, accessories, and the console itself. Used and new game sales will continue in all locations, inventory depending, with existing stock expected to last for "several months" after the June 1 cutoff.
The Walt Disney Company and developer Electronic Arts on Monday announced a new multi-year exclusive licensing agreement to develop and publish globally new games based on Star Wars characters and storylines for the "core gamer audience." Under the agreement, EA will develop and publish new Star Wars titles, spanning all platforms and the most popular game genres, while Disney will retain certain rights to develop new titles within the mobile, social, tablet and online game categories.
Google may be branching out into making games, after hiring a games industry veteran. Noah Falstein, designer of a number of games over his 23-year career, has been picked up by the search giant and given the title "Chief Game Designer," suggesting that the company could be producing its own games, introducing gaming concepts to its products, or even building its own gaming platform on Android.
Sony is continuing to whet gamer appetites for the impending launch of its PlayStation 4. However, rather than tease the yet to be revealed console, the Japanese gaming giant has returned its attention to the only hardware reveal of its PlayStation Meeting 2013 pseudo-launch of the PlayStation 4. In the video embedded below, Sony’s design team talk about how they worked with developers to revise and improve on the design of the DualShock 3 in making the DualShock 4.
Pangea Software announced today that for 24 hours its entire library of its iOS games are completely free on the iOS App Store, starting the afternoon of April 25 until the morning of April 26. The free games include: Monkey Bongo, Billy Frontier, Jive Turkey Shoot, Cro-Mag Rally, Warheads, Enigmo, Enigmo 2, Enigmo Deluxe, Nucleus, Air Wings, new release Air Wings Intergalactic, Nanosaur 2, Bugdom 2, Otto Matic, Quarters!!, and Antimatter. These games normally sell between $1 and $4.
Firaxis, 2K Games, and Feral Interactive have launched a promised Mac port of XCOM: Enemy Unknown in the form of the Elite Edition. The download includes the content of the main game plus a soundtrack, desktop wallpapers, and three DLC add-ons: the Slingshot Pack, the Elite Soldier Pack, and the Second Wave update. The two packs allow for more soldier customization, and add more council missions and the Shaojie Zhang soldier. Second Wave adds a collection of gameplay modifiers.
Following the SimCity server debacle in early March, publisher Electronic Arts and developer Maxis promised to fix many of the problems with the troubled Game with a 2.0 patch. The patch was released earlier this week by the pair, and was met with complaints that not only did it not fix many issues, but made some aspects of gameplay worse, netting an overall worse gameplay experience.
Invitations sent to media for a product reveal at Microsoft's Xbox campus suggest that the company is close to unveiling its new game console. The invitation, headed with the Xbox logo, alluding to "A new generation revealed" and using the hashtag #XboxReveal, strongly hints that the event will show off the much-rumored successor to the Xbox 360.
Origin PC has announced the launch of the new AMD Radeon HD 7990 dual GPU graphics card for its line of enthusiast hardware. Powered by AMD’s Graphics Core Next Architecture, the AMD Radeon HD 7990 features an astounding 8.6 billion transistors, 4,096 stream processors, 6GB DDR5 memory and up to 8.2 teraflops of computing power.
Digital games distributor Good Old Games has added 22 Mac OS X games to their 500+ game catalog. With this, which the company calls a "Massive Mac Games Drop," the total number of OSX games on the service has climbed to 134, after having made games for the Mac available since the middle of October.
Google has added Street View coverage to areas of Hungary and Lesotho. Users of Google Maps can now explore the countries in Europe and Africa, making the total count of countries covered by Street View now 50. A Google blog claimed it as the largest single update of Street View imagery, which includes updates for nearly 350,000 miles of roads across 14 countries.
A new Microsoft Xbox Live app, scheduled to launch on April 23, will allow users of the gaming and media service to order Pizza Hut products directly from the Xbox 360 console. The new app gives customers access to the restaurant's entire menu, and features full Kinect integration in addition to voice recognition, or regular game controller use.
Google may allow for users of Glass to use their eyes to control the headset. A user by the name of fodawim on Reddit found eye options hidden in the code of the companion app for Android, specifically functions for winking. Of the five, two related to wink calibration, two turned the function on and off, and one last seems to allow a wink to trigger a photo from its 5-megapixel camera. Other eye-related controls have yet to be found, though the company has patented a number of different control systems that could potentially be used with Glass.
As part of Logitech's rebranding initiative for its gaming products, the company has revealed that the Logitech Gaming Software (LGS) has been updated to support Max OS X for the entire G-line of gaming peripherals. The new versions allow gamers to "enjoy the same great personalization and customized control our PC customers have come to reply on" according to the official Logitech blog.
Mobile sports performance evaluation developers Mobiplex has announced the availability of the SwingTIP ProView App, the next generation of software that complements its wireless motion sensor for golf swing improvement. ProView plus the SwingTIP device provides mobile golf swing analysis and training with new auto-video capture and 3D power and plane analysis features, as well as enhanced 3D swing analysis, training and club head impact metrics.
Google may be creating its own gaming platform, according to a report. The MyGlass companion app for Google Glass was found to contain a folder labeled "games" that held a number of files relating to various game-related functionality, something that the search giant could allow developers to implement for all apps downloadable through play, not just for Glass.
Despite the console still being available, Nintendo has announced it will shut down the larger part of the Wii's online abilities on June 28. Channels being discontinued are the Nintendo Channel, the News Channel, the Forecast Channel, the Everybody Votes Channel, and the Mii Contest Channel. Also being lost are data exchange, and in-game messaging on most games.
A United Kingdom government department has launched an investigation into in-app purchases aimed at children. The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) is attempting to find out if the methods used by developers to encourage children into performing the purchases are "misleading, commercially aggressive, or otherwise unfair."
(Updated with correction of Dominic Feira's employment status)Ambrosia Software, a long-time maker of Mac software stretching back to System 7, is not going out of business -- at least according to its founder and president, Andrew Welch. He took to Twitter to dispel accusations that the company was closing up shop, following tweets to that effect from former coders who announced on Wednesday they had been let go. The company, currently best known for its screen capture tool Snapz Pro X and ringtone maker iToner, confirmed the layoffs but said the company is not folding.
Electronic Arts, which has been embroiled in controversy over its botched launch of SimCity for Windows and was recently named "Worst Company in America" for the second year running, has confirmed that the Mac version of the latest instalment will launch on June 11. The Mac version is a native app, rewritten for OpenGL so that players get the best possible experience on the Mac. The news will be welcomed by Mac owners who already bought the PC copy, as they can get the Mac version free on EA's online portal Origin.
The Oculus Rift virtual reality headset is reportedly easy to fix, after a recent teardown. The score of 9 out of 10 from iFixit, though preliminary due to being a beta product designed for developers and not an item designed for end-users, with the speedy 10-minute teardown and relatively simple construction marred by cables kept together by tape and two "annoying" foam adhesive pads holding the LCD screen in place.
Microsoft will reveal its follow-up to the Xbox 360 on May 21st, according to multiple reports. The console, codenamed Durango, is apparently scheduled to launch in "early November" and in theory has a high $500 price-point, though this could be lowered to $300 when combined with a subscription similar to that of the $99 subsidized Xbox 360 Kinect bundle.
Dell's Alienware venue for premium gaming PC's has revealed that it is making Ubuntu available on a line of compact desktop units. Alienware X51 customers can select from either Windows of Ubuntu when purchasing a new machine. Systems pre-loaded with Ubuntu Linux retail for about $100 less than a Windows counterpart.
Aspyr has released a new update for the Mac App Store version of Borderlands 2. In the latest release, players can access leaderboards, achievements, and multiplayer co-op through Apple's Game Center. Five additional content packs including the games fifth playable character, The Mechromancer, has also been made available as in-game purchases. To celebrate the launch, Aspyr is also offering a limited time 50 percent discount bringing the game's cost down to $30.
Asus has revealed a shortened graphics card designed to work in small form factor PCs. The GeForce GTX670 DirectCU Mini measures 17 centimeters (6.7-inches) long, much shorter than the reference GTX 670 at 24.13cm (9.5-inches), yet is still clocked at 928MHz and houses 2GB of GDDR5 RAM despite its small size. It uses the Asus DirectCU cooling system with vapor chamber and cooling fan, and also uses Direct Power technology to bridge power delivery components and the GPU for a cleaner supply of power. Asus has yet to reveal a release date or price for the pint-sized graphics card.
[Update: Raven releases source code for its Star Wars titles] Following its acquisition of Lucasfilm, Disney has shuttered the venerable video game-producing arm of the company, LucasArts. Formerly known as LucasFilm Games, the dissolution of the company will throw approximately 150 people out of work. Rather than develop titles itself, the company is moving to a licensing model with no internal development taking place, and existing titles -- including Star Wars: First Assault and Star Wars 1313 being cancelled.
Feral Interactive has announced that Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing will be released in the Mac App Store on April 4. Starring classing characters from Sonic the Hedgehog and other SEGA favorites, the racing game allows players to race across tracks inspired by SEGA's most popular game worlds. Full support will be included for Apple's Game Center, allowing up to four players to compete online. Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing will retail for $25 and is the first Sonic game to to be published on the Mac, with the second, SEGA Superstars Tennis, to follow this year.
Sony is merging its Computer Entertainment units in Japan and Asia into a single division for the region, in an effort to streamline the business. The creation of Sony Computer Entertainment Japan Asia comes after low quarterly results in February showed Sony's gaming division losing 15.1-percent on sales year-on-year, and an overall net loss of $124 million.
Google has created a set of APIs for sending video content from games to YouTube. The new APIs will make it easier for game developers to offer players the option of uploading gameplay recordings to the site, as well as being able to broadcast gameplay footage live as the game is played on a console.
Feral Interactive has announced that GRID, an addition to the TOCA Touring Car series is now available for purchase. GRID lets players run their own race team, acting as the primary driver behind the wheel of race-tuned road cars from manufacturers such as Porsche, Lamborghini and Aston Martin. As players progress they advance from rookie to pro, gain sponsors and can hire teammates to drive alongside them. The game retails for $25 and can be purchased as either a physical box or digital download.
The Ouya game console has started shipping, with the first wave of shipments being sent today. The commencement of sending consoles to Kickstarter backers follows announcements that Game, a computer game retailer in the United Kingdom, has opened up pre-orders for the device, both in-store and through its website.
Intel has used the 2013 Game Developers conference to debut two new DirectX extensions designed to enable better gaming capabilities from the integrated graphics cores in its forthcoming 22nm ‘Haswell’ chips. One of the new extensions, PixelSync, will give developers the ability to create more complex geometry without impacting on CPU performance. The technology is currently being incorporated into Creative Assembly’s Total War: Rome II with the aim to make the game look equally good on ultrabooks as well as gaming rigs.
To celebrate the impending launch of the crowd-funded Ouya Android gaming console, MakerBot and Ouya have partnered to deliver 3D printed custom cases for the device. Ouya provided MakerBot, the makers of the Replicator 2 Desktop 3D printer, with the design files for the console case and offered the .stl file for download. Users will need access to a MakerBot Replicator 2 printer in order to print the case and reassemble the componentry.
Amazon has updated the X-Ray feature of its Instant Video service to now include television shows. The update will allow users to view IMDB information for individual episodes of programs, including the names of actors, what other shows they have appeared in, and other similar content. Expanding what the company has done to movies in the last six months since the feature's launch, X-Ray is available to use for a number of popular TV shows on the Kindle Fire, Kindle Fire HD, and the Amazon Instant Video app on the Wii U.
European company Game Technologies today announced that it is officially launching its site for game designers wanting to develop products using its Bluetooth-enabled Dice+. The company is inviting game developers to create digital board games for tablets, and is making the developer's kit available for the iOS and Android platforms with a special-edition Dice+ unit with a clear housing.
Retro game supporter Hyperkin has announced its latest version of the the multi-cartridge Retron system -- the Retron 5. The RetroN 5 will have five cartridge slots allowing users to play original NES, SNES, Genesis, Famicom, Game Boy Advance, Super Famicom, Mega Drive, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy cartridges. The chipset used in the new device eliminates region locks and increases compatibility, as well as plays both PAL and NTSC cartridges.
CCP Games has announced that its massively multiplayer game EVE Online will receive its 19th free expansion in June. Officially slated for release on June 4, EVE Online: Odyssey will introduce a brand new scanning mechanic, an updated interface, and a variety of new rewards for finding and interacting with sites hidden among the stars. Additional details regarding Odyssey will be released in the coming months, including the EVE Fanfest in April, where CCP has promised to outline all of the upcoming EVE Universe plans.
Strategy lovers on Apple's iOS platform will be able to try their hands at saving the earth from alien invaders, as 2K Games and Firaxis have announced a full port of XCOM: Enemy Unknown for iPads, iPhones, and iPods. The news came Saturday at PAX East, along with an official date for the Mac port's arrival. XCOM's developers made sure to point out that this will not be a limited port of the top-selling strategy title.
Apple has again reiterated its policy that games are not the place for social or political commentary by pulling a UK-developed game called Sweatshop HD that was available for a few months on the App Store. The iPad-only app, which had players hire cheap underage labor and deliberately mistreat and endanger the workers in order to advance in the game, was meant to raise consciousness about such conditions in a variety of industries. Apple pulled the game last month after notifying the developers that it was "uncomfortable" with the game's premise.
A change of heart by an administrative law judge with the US International Trade Commission (ITC) has resulted in a ruling that Microsoft has not violated a patent owned by Google's Motorola Mobility when it created the Xbox 360 video gaming console. The ruling by Judge David Shaw is a reversal of his own previous decision in April 2012, where he declared that Microsoft had infringed four patents and did not infringe a fifth. The ruling follows the unusual return of the matter by the ITC to the judge in June of 2012.
Despite missing its promised February launching date, the Archos Gamepad is now available for purchase in the United States. The 7-inch Android 4.1 "Jelly Bean" device will run most Google Play games, while also allowing users to customize their preferred control scheme for each game.
Microsoft has confirmed that a number of Xbox Live accounts owned by current and previous "high-profile" employees have been accessed by hackers. The same group of hackers, known as Team Hype, are also said to be behind denial of service attacks as well as a case of "Swatting," convincing local police to send a SWAT team to a victim's house to conduct a raid, against a security reporter.
BioShock Infinite, the latest entry in Irrational Games' BioShock franchise, will be arriving on the Mac just a few months after next week's debut of the title on Windows, PlayStation and Xbox 360, Aspyr has announced. It will publish a port of the game that will be available through its GameAgent portal and eventually through other download and retail outlets. Aspyr will be promoting the release by giving away a copy of the game every week until the end of May, suggesting a release in early June.
Game developer Valve has launched a new "Early Access" program that allows gamers on both Mac and PC platforms to purchase and play and handful of new games that are still in development. The idea behind the program is to give the developers feedback in pre-release, and in some cases add to or otherwise affect the game's final development. The pricing of each game includes a copy of the finished release on Steam, but only three of the current 12 Early Access games are compatible with the Mac.
While input device manufacturer Logitech has made gaming-focused accessories for some time, the company is now formalizing the G-series of gamer input devices. Prior to design of the new models, the company claims to have "studied the interaction between hand and device during gameplay" and have enhanced the devices with fingerprint-resistant coatings, hydrophobic materials and durable switches, allowing for long product life. Today, the company unveiled four new mice, two keyboards, and two gaming headsets. All of the new products are expected to see wide retail release in April.
