Archive - 2016

The Surge 4 Minutes of Gameplay Trailer

2016/12/14

Geek News, News, PlayStation 4 News, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News, Xbox One News

December 14, 2016 – Deck 13’s new hardcore action-RPG The Surge today unveils a few minutes of unedited gameplay, showing the visceral, uncompromising combat, the limb-cutting system, and a few of the brutal enemies prowling the dysfunctional CREO Complex.

While some of the earlier enemies encountered while exploring the complex – namely, your former fellow workers – have erratic behavior and may be defeated easily if you are not reckless, others are much more “combat-ready”, and will hunt you down relentlessly.

Result of unspoken experiments, volatile prototypes built from secret nano-technology, or simply efficient death machines built for maintaining security in high-risk environments, these enemies leave no room for mistakes during combat. The slightest misstep, or moment of hesitation, will certainly mean death for you. However, these enemies wear some of the best equipment, weapons and implants you can claim for your own use. You’ll have to decide if you wish to secure a victory, attacking their weak spots, or make your life a bit harder and aim for their armored parts, hoping to recover this precious equipment that will make you stronger, faster, tougher.

Balance the need for better equipment versus your own survival… but remember, you’ll definitely need to power yourself up when you inevitably face the world’s bosses, that will put your skill to the test!

Make the most of your exo-suit, armors, and almost limitless armament combinations to survive CREO when The Surge slices its way onto PS4, Xbox One, and PC in 2017.

Bigben Interactive Acquires Test Drive Brand

2016/12/14

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Geek News, Industry News, News

Lesquin (France), December 14th, 2016 – Bigben Interactive has announced the acquisition of the rights to use and develop the TEST DRIVE brand from the Atari group and announces its project to develop new titles from the franchise Test Drive Unlimited. Atari retains all rights to sell all previously-released Test Drive games.

“We are more than confident with respect to the quality of this franchise, which is loved by so many players,” stated Alain Falc, CEO of Bigben Interactive. “Our teams are very enthusiastic at the idea of being able to work on this license, which has already proven its worth – the game Test Drive Unlimited 2 sold 1.8 million units,” he concluded.

The acquisition broadens Bigben’s catalogue, taking its place alongside such titles as WRC, TT Isle of Man, Sherlock Holmes: The Devil’s Daughter, Outcast and 2Dark. It is a clear demonstration of Bigben’s desire to offer quality video games on all current platforms.

Drifter Entertainment Raises $2.25 Million for VR Game Development

2016/12/13

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Geek News, Industry News, News

Seattle, WA (December 13, 2016) – Seattle-based Drifter Entertainment has announced that is has raised $2.25 million in seed funding to continue and bolster development of its virtual reality e-sports games. Drifter founders Ray Davis, Kenneth Scott, and Brian Murphy have spent their careers building platforms including HoloLens, Oculus Rift, Xbox One, and Unreal Engine 4, as well as games such as Gears of War, Doom 3, Halo 4, and Bullet Train.

The investment has been led by the highly regarded VC firm, Signia Venture Partners. Signia has previously invested in Alibaba, Boxed, Playdom, Adify, and Flycast Communications. The firm’s other gaming investments include Super Evil Mega Corp and Phoenix Labs. Signia partner, Sunny Dhillon, will be joining Drifter’s board as a result of the investment. “You rarely come across a founder like Ray with the technical and creative chops found in very few gaming company founders. We’re excited to build market defining virtual reality games with Team Drifter,” says Sunny Dhillon.

Another major investment comes from Initialized Capital, which has been among the first checks invested in billion dollar companies like Instacart, Cruise, and Zenefits. “We’re looking for foundational companies and this is our first VR bet, because this is the first time we saw something in the space that really felt like it could be a major level up in gaming,” said General Partner and cofounder, Alexis Ohanian (also: cofounder, Reddit).

Additional investors in Drifter to date include Presence Capital, The VR Fund, Pathbreaker Ventures, and Anorak Ventures.

“We’re thrilled and humbled by the support we’ve received from our investors, both financial and otherwise,” says Drifter’s Ray Davis, who most recently served as general manager for Unreal Engine 4, following his time at Microsoft on the HoloLens project. “We feel incredibly lucky to have found the right partners that not only want us to succeed, but clearly understand our vision for the future of VR gaming.”

“The titles we’re working on are ambitious experiences designed for a new medium, and knowing that we’ll have the capital to see them through is certainly empowering,” says Murphy, who helped launch the Xbox One, Kinect, and HoloLens while working for Microsoft over the course of the last decade. His most recent project was helping to create the virtual travel experience Holo Tour for HoloLens. The studio’s third cofounder, Kenneth Scott, has worked as an art director for some 20 years in AAA game development, including id Software and Microsoft Game Studios on the Halo franchise. He’s spent the last two years building conversion on contact content at Oculus.

For more information on Drifter, please visit: http://driftervr.com

Universal CityWalk’s AMC Theatre Upgrades to Universal Cinema

2016/12/13

Jerry Paxton

Geek News, Movie News, News

Universal City, California, December 13, 2016 – Universal CityWalk unwraps a multi-million dollar renovation of its AMC Theatre to create an all-new state-of-the-art Universal Cinema, debuting just in time for the holidays and offering movie-goers a chance to catch the latest seasonal blockbusters from the comfort of deluxe, recliner seating.

For film buffs, CityWalk has long been the epicenter for fans seeking an environment that matches the excitement of their favorite blockbuster movies. As part of if its bold revitalization, CityWalk now elevates the movie-going experience to new heights as the 18-screen and IMAX AMC Theatre updates with the most technologically advanced sight and sound achievements. A complete remodel of the split level structure includes the installation of deluxe recliner seats in 18 theatres—the equivalent of those found in Hollywood screening rooms—making every seat, the best seat in the house.

Each redesigned theatre has been fully upgraded with Christie RGB Laser projection, Dolby Atmos immersive surround sound and equipped with Christie Vive speakers for optimal audio performance. The installation of new, state-of-the art screens, perforated to enable 360 degree audio, complement the overall enhancements.

The recent upgrade to the IMAX theatre features next-generation 4K laser projection and 12-channel sound systems designed to enhance the entire movie-going experience and provide audiences with sharper, brighter, clearer and more vivid digital images than ever.

The Director’s Lounge Cocktail Bar—an all-new dedicated and stylish second level retreat, flanked by the upper level theatres—adds a charismatic new dimension to the space as it blends high-tech elegance with chic sophistication for casual pre- and post- movie-going fun. Beverages served at the Lounge can also be taken into the second level theatres.

Additionally, movie-goers can enjoy $5 Movie General Parking with the purchase of a movie ticket.

The below December holiday film release schedule offers movie-goers a diverse selection of blockbusters to enjoy at the new Universal Cinema, including:

Opening Film Cast

Dec. 16 Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Mads Mikkelsen

Dec. 16 Collateral Beauty Will Smith, Helen Mirren, Edward Norton

Dec. 16 Solace Anthony Hopkins, Jeffrey Dean Morgan,

Colin Farrell

Dec. 21 Assassin’s Creed Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard,

Jeremy Irons

Dec. 21 Passengers Chris Pratt, Jennifer Lawrence, Michael Sheen

Dec. 21 Sing Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon,

Scarlett Johansson

Dec. 21 Patriots Day Mark Wahlberg, J.K. Simmons, John Goodman

Dec. 23 Silence Liam Neeson, Adam Driver, Andrew Garfield

Dec. 23 Why Him? Bryan Cranston, James Franco, Zoey Deutch

Dec. 23 A Monster Calls Sigourney Weaver, Felicity Jones, Toby Kebbell

Dec. 25 Live By Night Ben Affleck, Sienna Miller, Zoe Saldana

Dec. 25 Fences Denzel Washington, Viola Davis,

Stephen Henderson

Since 1993, CityWalk has boosted the city’s rhythm through a foundation built on providing memorable entertainment experiences. With a series of dramatic enhancements currently underway that includes the introduction of new restaurants, shopping experiences, visually aesthetic design features and the completed state-of-the-art movie theatre renovation, the spotlight shines brightly on CityWalk as it continues to resonate as one of L.A.’s most influential lifestyle centers.

More information on CityWalk is available at www.CityWalkHollywood.com. Regular updates can also be found on CityWalk’s Twitter @CityWalkLA, Facebook-Universal CityWalk Hollywood and on CityWalk’s Instagram @CityWalkLA.

Ubisoft Announces New Acoustic Update for Rocksmith 2014 Edition

2016/12/13

Jerry Paxton

Geek News, News, Screenshots / Photos, Windows PC News

SAN FRANCISCO – December 13, 2016 – Today, Ubisoft^® announced that Rocksmith^® 2014 Edition – Remastered will now feature all-new acoustic instrument support, allowing acoustic players to join the four million people who have learned to play guitar and bass through the award-winning Rocksmith^® method, the fastest way to learn guitar.*

The free update comes with three new modes including Microphone Mode, Disconnected Mode and Endless Replay Mode in Guitarcade. With Microphone Mode, players can go acoustic. They will be able to plug in a dedicated USB microphone to a console or computer that will detect the notes played on an acoustic instrument. By placing the microphone near their acoustic guitar or bass, players will be able to take full advantage of Rocksmith without plugging in their instrument.

Disconnected Mode enables players to learn songs without plugging in an input device. With this mode, note detection is deactivated and players can read the notes on the screen for more casual practice sessions. Now with Endless Replay Mode, players are able to immediately restart their session in Guitarcade rather than starting back at the game menu after each round.

“We’ve been looking for a way to bring Rocksmith to aspiring acoustic players for a long time, so we’re thrilled to unveil today’s updates,” said Nao Higo, executive producer, Ubisoft San Francisco. “This year our song catalog grew to more than 900 tracks, and we added new features for all players with the free remastered upgrade. Now, millions of acoustic guitarists can enjoy Rocksmith too. We’re focused on providing our players with the best guitar learning experience possible and will continue looking for ways to grow and support our community.”

Along with these new modes, players can now edit their song lists from the Learn a Song menu, as well as the Nonstop Play menu. There is also the added ability to choose other arrangements in Score Attack and the ability to replay the Welcome to Rocksmith introductory lesson, as well as an updated Calibration sequence for greater accuracy. The new update will be distributed as a free patch for users on all platforms.

For more information about Rocksmith 2014 Edition – Remastered, please visit rocksmith.com.

For the latest on all of Ubisoft’s games, please visit ubiblog.com.

*Research Strategy Group Inc. – March 2013 – US nationwide in-home placement study

Corsair Unveils Force MP500 SSDs

2016/12/13

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Geek News, Hardware News, News

FREMONT, CA – December 13^th 2016 – CORSAIR^®, a world leader in enthusiast memory, high-performance gaming hardware and PC components today announced the immediate availability of the CORSAIR Force MP500 range of M.2 solid state drives, the fastest SSDs yet produced by CORSAIR. Available in 120GB, 240GB and 480GB capacities, the MP500 range delivers blistering performance up to five times faster than traditional SATA 6Gbps SSDs, offering users the next step in high-performance storage in an ultra-compact form factor.

Equipped with a Phison PS5007-E7 NVMe controller and high-bandwidth PCIe Gen. 3 x4 M.2 2280 interface, the MP500 range of drives put your data in the fast lane. Delivering phenomenal data performance including read speeds of up to 3,000 MB/s and write speeds of up 2,400 MB/s, the MP500 range of SSD accelerate system boots, game load times and file transfers beyond anything possible over a single SATA 6Gbps connection.

The ultra-compact M.2 2280 form factor allows the MP500 range to deliver its phenomenal performance in smaller form factors than any previous CORSAIR SSD. With no data or power cables required, an MP500 SSD can be fitted right onto the motherboard or installed into compact laptops and small form factor systems where space is key.

The Force Series MP500 range isn’t just small and fast – it’s committed to data integrity and reliability. Proprietary SmartECC™, SmartRefresh™ and SmartFlush™ technologies safeguard data against corruption in case of unexpected power loss or unsafe shutdown, while static and dynamic wear-leveling enhance drive reliability. The entire MP500 range is also fully compatible with CORSAIR SSD Tool box, allowing users to monitor many aspects of their drives health or to securely wipe and clear the drive with ease.

Backed by a comprehensive three-year warranty, the CORSAIR Force Series MP500 range delivers all the simplicity and reliability enthusiasts demand, in an ultra-compact, high-performance package.

Specifications:

• NVMe PCI Express Gen. 3 x4 interface provides up to a 5x performance improvement over SATA SSDs, allowing you to access all your data with blazing speed.

• M.2 2280 industry standard compact form factor.

• Available in various storage capacities including 120GB, 240GB and 480GB.

• Compatible with Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux, with no special driver or administrative rights required.

• Enhanced error correction improves data retention.

• Toughened contact surface material gives better contact to the motherboard and provides vibration resistance.

• Static and dynamic wear-leveling extends the life of the disk SSD.

• Advanced garbage collection support provides extended drive management tasks.

• Compatible with CORSAIR SSD Toolbox for advanced functionality.

• Extensive 3-year warranty.

Availability, Warranty and Pricing:

The CORSAIR Force Series MP500 range of SSDs are available immediately from the CORSAIR worldwide network of authorized retailers and distributors, as well as direct from the CORSAIR webstore.

All Force Series MP500 SSDs are backed by a three-year warranty and the CORSAIR worldwide customer service and technical support network.

For up-to-date pricing of all three Force Series MP500 SSDs, please refer to the CORSAIR website or contact your local CORSAIR sales or PR representative.

Product SKUs

CSSD-F120GBMP500

CSSD-F240GBMP500

CSSD-F480GBMP500

Web Pages:

For more information on the CORSAIR Force Series MP500, please visit

http://www.corsair.com/mp500

For more information on the CORSAIR Solid State Drives, please visit

http://www.corsair.com/ssd

PORTAL Smart Gigabit Home Wi-Fi System Review

2016/12/13

Jerry Paxton

Geek News, Hardware News, News, Reviews, Tech News, Tech Review

Ignition Design Labs made headlines with their successful Kickstarter campaign for a smart home WiFi Router called the PORTAL. PORTAL generated $791,862 dollars – a much larger figure than the requested $150,000 dollars of the campaign. Ignition Design Labs touted their upcoming PORTAL router as a revolution in home WiFi. Now that it’s here, does the PORTAL live up to this claim?

Here’s a quote from the Kickstarter page:

“Portal is the first and only router specifically engineered to cut through and avoid congestion, delivering consistent, high-performance WiFi with greater coverage throughout your home.

Its proprietary spectrum turbocharger technology provides access to 300% more of the radio airwaves than any other router, improving performance by as much as 300x, and range and coverage by as much as 2x in crowded settings, such as city homes and multi-unit apartments.”

There have been many companies touting that their routers are the next big advancement in the product category only to come up short. When PORTAL reached out to us to evaluate one of their production units, I jumped at the chance. Most WiFi routers resemble a Transformer’s (a la Michael Bay) head, with strange antenna jutting out at various places and odd angles thrown about the design. PORTAL is different in that it resembles some sort of elegant space age shell – white with a glossy shine. On the back of the PORTAL are two USB 2.0 ports, four Ethernet ports, and one input port. However, you would never know it was a wireless router just by looking at it from the front.

The PORTAL is interesting in its setup procedure as you can go about it in a couple of easy to do ways. The first way is more traditional, and instructs you to plug the router into an Internet source and then make sure you computer is connected via LAN cable. Then, just turn your Internet browser to a specific IP address to log into the router. The second method is awesome – an APP! The app is available for both iOS and Android devices and makes setup a breeze.

Technical Specifications

AC2400 4×4 Wave 2 WiFi.
Simultaneous dual-band WiFi (2.4GHz/5GHz): 802.11ac/n/g/b/a.
Five (5) 10/100/1000 Mbps Gigabit Ethernet ports (1x WAN + 4x LAN).
4 DFS Certified FastLanes.
Two USB2.0 ports.
Bluetooth 4.0 Low Energy.
9X powerful high gain internal antennas.
Beamforming.
MU-MIMO.
Advanced Security.
Guest Access.
Backwards compatible.
Intuitive mobile apps (iOS and Android).

In terms of performance, I experienced more stable connections and better range than with the previous wireless router we were using. The difference was a staggering and, even more important, was that after I set everything up, I didn’t have to mess with anything. The PORTAL delivered consistently good performance wherever I walked around the office.

[mks_col]

[mks_one_half]The Good

Stylish design
Great performance
Well worth its sub-$200 dollar price point

[/mks_one_half]

[mks_one_half]The Bad

No Wi-Fi protected setup button

[/mks_one_half]

[/mks_col]

Overall, the new PORTAL Wi-Fi router is a brilliant piece of technology that will most definitely help your network connection stability and throughput. For under $200 dollars, it makes for a great option – not only because of its performance but also thanks to that fact that it screams futuristic design. You can pick up your very own PORTAL at Amazon.

PORTAL WiFi Router Review Score:

[mks_icon icon=”fa-star” color=”#eeee22″ type=”fa”][mks_icon icon=”fa-star” color=”#eeee22″ type=”fa”][mks_icon icon=”fa-star” color=”#eeee22″ type=”fa”][mks_icon icon=”fa-star” color=”#eeee22″ type=”fa”][mks_icon icon=”fa-star” color=”#eeee22″ type=”fa”] (5 out of 5)

J!NX Releases Rick and Morty Mini Figures

2016/12/12

Jerry Paxton

Geek News, News

SAN DIEGO – Dec. 12, 2016 – Jinx Inc. (stylized J!NX) has released seven new Rick and Morty blind-box mini figures to complement its colorful collection of officially licensed Rick and Morty toys and accessories. Available online today for $4.99 each at JINX.com, each package’s contents are hidden and contain one of seven new designs straight from Dimension 35C, including Rick, Morty, Tiny Rick, Summer, Happy Meeseeks, Sad Meeseeks and Rick’s Spaceship.

In addition, J!NX is currently in the middle of its holiday deals month, with offers of 20% off all orders over $40, 25% off all orders over $60, and 30% off all orders over $75 available online at JINX.com from now until Dec. 31.

Rick and Morty is a half-hour animated hit comedy series airing on Adult Swim. Created and executive produced by Dan Harmon (Community) and Justin Roiland (Adventure Time), the critically acclaimed series follows a sociopathic genius scientist who drags his inherently timid grandson on insanely dangerous adventures across the multiverse. The much-anticipated third season of Rick and Morty is expected to air in 2017.

The Walking Dead: The Telltale Series – A New Frontier Launch Trailer

2016/12/12

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Geek News, News, PlayStation 4 News, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News, Xbox One News

December 12, 2016 – Today we can share the full launch trailer for The Walking Dead: The Telltale Series – A New Frontier, the all-new season in the critically-acclaimed series. The season debuts on December 20th taking form of a special two-part premiere with two episodes debuting on the same day: Episode One: ‘Ties That Bind’ Part I & Episode Two: ‘Ties That Bind’ Part II.

In the full launch trailer for the two-part premiere, we further explore the dire situation that brings newcomer Javier and his family together with the young survivor Clementine. We also catch a glimpse of familiar faces from The Walking Dead universe such as Jesus, while also getting some clues on exactly what this ‘New Frontier’ represents…

The first TWO of five episodes in The Walking Dead: The Telltale Series – A New Frontier will premiere digitally worldwide starting Tuesday December 20th on PC from the Telltale Online Store, Steam, and other digital distribution services, on the Xbox Games Store for Xbox One®, and on the PlayStation®Network for PlayStation 4. The episode will be available the same day for compatible iOS devices via the App Store, and for compatible Android-based devices via Google Play. Release dates for additional platforms will be announced in the near future.

Beginning in February, the series will also be available for purchase on a special ‘Season Pass Disc’ for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One consoles, which will include the premiere episodes for the third season, as well as access to all subsequent episodes in the five episode season for download as they become available.

Users can pre-order the season for their favorite platform now by visiting https://telltale.com/series/the-walking-dead-a-new-frontier/#buy. As a special bonus, PlayStation 4 digital preorders also receive a complimentary copy of The Walking Dead: Season Two and The Walking Dead: Michonne; while Steam users receive a discount of 10% for preordering.

When family is all you have left… how far will you go to protect it? Years after society was ripped apart by undead hands, pockets of civilization emerge from the chaos. But at what cost? Can the living be trusted on this new frontier? As Javier, a young man determined to protect his family, you meet a young girl who has experienced her own unimaginable loss. Her name is Clementine, and your fates are bound together in a story where every choice you make could be your last.

The Walking Dead: A New Frontier will act as both a new beginning for players fresh to the series and unfamiliar with Clementine, as well as a continuation for players who have experienced Seasons One and Two. Players new to the series will be able to start a story that is tailored to this new beginning. Players continuing onward from prior seasons will have multiple options for quickly configuring their tailored backstory, or importing past save files from various platforms. Additional information on this feature will be detailed in the coming week.

The Walking Dead: The Telltale Series – A New Frontier is expected to receive a rating of ‘M’ (Mature) from the ESRB.

For more news and information on the season, stay tuned to telltale.com, follow @telltalegames on Twitter, and on follow our page on
Facebook.com/TheWalkingDeadGame.

Enlisted Announcement Teaser Trailer

2016/12/12

Jerry Paxton

Geek News, News, Screenshots / Photos, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News

Dec 12th, 2016 – Gaijin Entertainment, developer and publisher of War Thunder, announced Enlisted, a new squad based multiplayer shooter for PC, developed by Darkflow Software studio. Dedicated to the most important large scale World War II battles, Enlisted will be a fan driven game.

Enlisted will initially offer two massive campaigns – Battle of Moscow and the Battle of Normandy. Each campaign in the game will represent multiple phases of a battle – which during the war lasted for weeks, sometimes months, as well as specific characters and weapons suitable for the historical event recreated in a campaign. It will also offer different game modes where players will be fighting not only by themselves but also together with a platoon of soldiers in massive battles. Built using Gaijin Entertainment’s proprietary Dagor Engine, Enlisted will feature large scale battles with a 100 combatants spread over a massive and richly detailed battlefield complete with destructible landscapes.

“Enlisted is an ambitious undertaking, unlike any game we have ever created. It will be a first person shooter decided by the fans, for the fans. They will have direct input into what we create, including things like campaigns, game modes, even which platforms after PC we will support,” said Alexander Nagorny, producer, Darkflow Software.

Beginning Monday, players can purchase the first two campaigns (collectively or individually) as well as weapons packs and early access to the closed beta, which will launch in the second half of 2017. Exclusive collector’s weapons will cost from 6.99 to 11.99 USD, weapon+campaign pack will be from 20 to 25 USD depending on the rifle you choose. The biggest pack for 50 USD will include both campaigns, three weapons and will provide the owner with early access to the game.

Gaijin Entertainment will reinvest all proceeds from Enlisted into developing additional maps, game modes and console versions. The plan is to start developing the African campaign once Enlisted generates $250K in sales. More campaigns and new gameplay features, both chosen by players through online voting, will go into development with each goal reached and at the $1m mark, consoles versions will go into development.

To learn more about the game, sign up for a news please visit the Enlisted official website: http://enlisted.net/