Author - Jerry Paxton

Ubisoft Announces The Crew 2

2018/03/15
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, News, PlayStation 4 News, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News, Xbox One News

SAN FRANCISCO — March 15, 2018 — Today, Ubisoft announced that The Crew® 2, the newest iteration in the revolutionary open world driving franchise The Crew®, will launch on June 29, 2018, for PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, the Xbox One family of devices and Windows PC.

Developed by Ubisoft Ivory Tower,* a studio based in Lyon, France, The Crew 2 will let players experience the thrill of the American motorsports spirit inside a fully redesigned USA. The game’s playground pushes physical boundaries to let driving and open world fans test their skills, solo or with friends, in nonstop competition and exploration. From coast to coast, drivers will explore America and compete to become the greatest motorsports champion by collecting a wide variety of exotic cars, bikes, boats and planes, and dominating the motorsports scene on the land, on the water and in the air. They will find challenges and inspiration among four different motorsports families: street racing, off-road, pro racing and freestyle, and will be given a broad set of options among a wide selection of vehicle types.

Ubisoft also unveiled The Crew 2 Motor Edition, that lets players get the game three days early allowing players to gear up before their competition on June 26. Now available exclusively on the Ubisoft Store, this exclusive edition gives players the most advanced motorsports experience. The Motor Edition also includes:

  • The Crew 2 Gold Edition and season pass lets players enjoy new vehicles, outfits, additional content and much more.
  • The Motorsports Deluxe Pack, which includes unique outfits and vehicles, including the FORD F-150 RAPTOR RACE TRUCK 2017, PILATUS PC-21 AIR RACE EDITION 2002 Plane and the ABARTH 500 MONSTER TRUCK EDITION 2008.
  • A customized, 11.81” x 5.9” American The Crew 2 license plate that comes in a high-quality collector box, an exclusive Steelbook®, the official Roadmap of the game and four original stickers.

Players who pre-order will receive The Crew 2 Legendary Motors Pack, which includes exclusive vehicles such as the Mercedes-AMG C 63 Touring Car 2016 and the HARLEY-DAVIDSON® IRON 883TM  2017.

Players can start their in-game vehicle collection right now with The Crew Rewards Program. By completing a series of monthly challenges in the first installment of The Crew, players can unlock up to 19 vehicles in The Crew 2, including exclusive water vehicles. For more information, please visit thecrewgame.com/rewardsprogram.

Players can also sign up now for a chance to have beta access at thecrewgame.com/beta.

Geralt of Rivia to be SOULCALIBUR VI Guest Fighter

2018/03/15
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, News, PlayStation 4 News, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News, Xbox One News

March 15, 2018 – Geralt was trained at the elite School of the Wolf and is considered one of the deadliest monster slayers. He possesses superhuman reflexes and strength, as well as superior sword fighting skills. Players who choose to fight as Geralt will utilize the witcher’s signature fighting style — a combination of swordplay, ability-enhancing potions, and combat magic.

Doug Cockle — the English voice of Geralt of Rivia — returns in SOULCALIBUR VI to reprise the role. Gamers will also be able to fight in Kaer Morhen — home keep of the School of the Wolf. Accompanying players in battle will be “ Hunt or be Hunted” — an iconic composition from The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt soundtrack.

“SOULCALIBUR is well known in the fighting games genre for including iconic guest characters. When we were approached with the idea of doing a crossover, we thought our community would really enjoy playing as the witcher,” said Marcin Momot, Community Lead at CD PROJEKT RED. “We’ve collaborated with BANDAI NAMCO artists to faithfully recreate Geralt, and shared original Witcher 3 assets like Geralt’s model, animations, and weapons. I think BANDAI NAMCO did an outstanding job of capturing all the details and introducing The Witcher to SOULCALIBUR in a way fans of both series will enjoy.”

“All SOULCALIBUR characters have strong convictions and complex backgrounds and this is why it is a great honor for the whole SOULCALIBUR team to welcome Geralt as the guest character in SOULCALIBUR VI.” said SOULCALIBUR producer, Motohiro Okubo. “Thanks to the great cooperation with CD PROJEKT RED, we’ve been able to fully integrate Geralt’s fighting style and appearance. We can’t wait for SOULCALIBUR fans around the world to welcome Geralt to the stage of History.”

SOULCALIBUR VI, featuring Geralt of Rivia and the training grounds of Kaer Morhen stage, will launch this year on PlayStation®4, Xbox One and PC Digital via STEAM®.

Shroud of the Avatar: Forsaken Virtues Co-op Trailer

2018/03/15
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, News, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News

March 15, 2018 – Portalarium and Travian Games have released two new videos showing off the cooperative gameplay and the deep, intricate fantasy world of Richard Garriott’s upcoming multiplayer RPG Shroud of the Avatar: Forsaken Virtues. The game is set to launch globally on March 27, 2018.

A free trial, offering players a comprehensive first look, is now available via direct download from the game’s official website.

As a fantasy multiplayer RPG, Shroud of the Avatar blends together many of the key features that made the Ultima series popular. This includes wide-reaching freedom to explore a living, breathing fantasy world enriched by a player-driven crafting and economic system and an advancement path where players are confronted with ethical choices based on Virtues. The game features an engaging storyline written in collaboration with celebrated fantasy author Tracy Hickman (Dragonlance).

Players will benefit from the incorporation of several MMO gameplay features, combining to comprise a unique, shared online experience set within a persistent world. They can opt to play solo or with friends, owning their own houses or even entire towns, and sign up and cooperate within various in-game guilds.

Surviving Mars Launch Trailer

2018/03/15
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, News, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News

STOCKHOLM — Mar. 15, 2018 — Paradox Interactive, a publisher of games for audiences across all known worlds, today released Surviving Mars, a management-strategy game that challenges players to plan, build, and maintain a colony on the red planet. Created by Haemimont Games, the developers of several entries in the Tropico series and of Victor Vran, Surviving Mars tasks players with developing sustainable infrastructure on Mars, sending forth a brave team of colonists, and helping their population survive – and thrive. The game is now available on the Xbox One, the PlayStation®4 console, and on Linux, MacOS, and Windows PCs, starting at a suggested retail price of $39.99 on all platforms.

Paradox and Haemimont invite the bravest and brightest of humanity to accept the challenge and achieve their dreams. The possibilities can be seen in a new trailer for Surviving Mars here:

Players of Surviving Mars will begin with the very first rovers and supply drops to the construction of suitable habitats for brave settlers from Earth, followed by maintaining a safe and satisfying life for their colonists. The game includes:

  • Build a Sustainable Future on Mars: Building on a planet not fit for human life challenges you to build a smart, functional colony. Planning isn’t about traffic jams; it’s about basic necessities of life. There’s never a good time for your air supply to have a power failure!
  • Individually simulated colonists: Each colonist is a unique individual with problems and strengths that influence other colonists. Things can get “interesting” if your chief scientist develops alcoholism after one too many long nights in the lab. Create societies that value science over everything else, or attempt to engineer utopia among the stars.
  • Exploration of Mars’ secrets: Inspired by the classic sci-fi of Asimov and Clarke, Surviving Mars holds many secrets. During each playthrough, players may encounter one of Mars’ individually crafted mysteries. Will those floating entities bring your colony great fortune, or terrible ruin?
  • Future-ready features: Surviving Mars includes native 4K support on both the Xbox One X and the PlayStation®4 Pro.
  • Full Mod Support: Built-in modding tools allow community creators to truly customize the red planet; day-one mods include a creator-led mission sponsor – The Yogscast!

To purchase Surviving Mars for PC platforms, visit http://store.steampowered.com/app/464920/Surviving_Mars/
To purchase Surviving Mars for console platforms, visit https://www.paradoxplaza.com/surviving-mars/SUSM01GSK-MASTER.html

Thrustmaster Announces BT LED Display System for PlayStation 4

2018/03/15
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, News, PlayStation 4 News

Rennes, March 15, 2018 — Thrustmaster is thrilled to expand its racing ecosystem for PlayStation 4 (PS4™) systems with a ground breaking Bluetooth LED display unit, which competitive racers can position wherever they like in order to have all vital information right in their field of vision: the BT LED Display.

Get key data at a glance

The BT LED Display has been designed for all racing fans on PS4™ systems – both racing wheel owners, and DUALSHOCKâ4 Wireless Controller users. Thanks to its handy LEDs and displays, it lets racers view all of the most important information in the same place, for enhanced performance: engine speed (tachometer/revolutions per minute), lap in progress, current gear, time… It’s the first display equipped with Bluetooth wireless technology, officially licensed for PlayStationâ4 systems.

Depending on the configuration of their gaming space, users can position the BT LED Display wherever is most convenient for viewing the selected information – no wires, no distance constraints. With the BT LED Display, it’s all about being fully immersed in the game… with no distractions!

The first PS4™ game publishers to have adopted the product and pushed the envelope with this innovative concept bear testament to the level of interest surrounding the BT LED Display. “We are delighted to be able to support the new BT LED Display. Thrustmaster has created a great solution that further immerses our PS4™ players into our racing games,” states Andy Gray, eSports and Brand Partnerships Manager at Codemasters. “Both F1 2017 and DiRT 4 support the device and it gives players a wide variety of easy-to-view information that will be extremely helpful and a big advantage.”

Sébastien Waxin, Marketing Project Manager on Racing Games at Bigben, agrees. “The BT LED Display offers you a great advantage while playing WRC 7 on the PS4™ system. It really helps you to get the perfect timing for shifting but also to check your time and performance during a stage. For top players, having this advantage in WRC 7 will allow them to save precious tenths of a second and make the difference.”

All the information you need is right before your eyes

The BT LED Display features Bluetooth wireless technology and is officially licensed for PlayStationâ4 systems. It provides a wide array of key information at a glance, along with easy-to-access controls:

  • 15 built-in LEDs for tachometer function (RPM)
  • Central numeric display showing the current gear
  • Left and right alphanumeric displays, featuring 4 characters and 14 segments per display
  • 6 marshalling LEDs: 3 on the left, and 3 on the right
  • 3 rotary selectors with push-button feature
  • On/off button
  • Adjustable brightness

The BT LED Display features a lithium-ion battery, for between 24 and 48 hours of use on a single charge. It can be recharged using a micro-USB cable*, like the one used for charging the DUALSHOCKâ4 Wireless Controller.

  • Compatible with PS4™ only
  • Works with all PS4™ wheels on the market: recommended for use with the T-GT**, T500 RS**, T300 series**, T150** and T80** racing wheels, in particular
  • Compatible with DUALSHOCKâ4 Wireless Controllers*
  • The first games to integrate the BT LED Display include DiRT 4, WRC 7, F1 2017, Project CARS 2 and Gravel
  • The list of compatible PS4™ games is available at https://support.thrustmaster.com (on the BT LED Display page) and is updated regularly

* Not included.

** Sold separately.

  • The BT LED Display is now available, at a suggested retail price of £139.99 (taxes included).

MechWarrior 5 Mercenaries Biome Update Teaser

2018/03/15
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, News, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News

March 15, 2018 – Piranha Games has unleashed almost three entire minutes of brand new, eye-popping footage for the upcoming MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries (PC, December 2018).

A lengthy peek at the latest state of development since December, the March video development showcase reveals an intricate new level of graphical detail in several new biomes and shows off new particle effects, damage physics and TONS OF FREAKING LASERS.

The first standalone single-player MechWarrior title in development for PC in nearly 15 years, MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries will feature intense PvE ‘Mech combat in an immersive, career-based Mercenary campaign driven by player choice. The title will also feature extensive modding via Steam Workshop and a co-op mode.

Featuring an advancing timeline starting in the year 3015, players will adopt the role of a green MechWarrior mercenary thrust into combat as the Third Succession War continues to fracture the Inner Sphere; the vast region of colonized space surrounding Earth. Victory, prestige, and profit will not only require skill on the battlefield, but in the maintenance and enhancement of your BattleMechs.

Stay up to date at www.mw5mercs.com or on Twitter @PiranhaGames.

War Thunder Gets Huge Update Including Graphics Overhaul

2018/03/15
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, News, Trailers / Videos, Windows PC News

Thursday, March 15th, 2018 — Gaijin Entertainment today announced the release of major Update 1.77 ‘Advancing Storm’ for its vehicular combat MMOG War Thunder. “Advancing Storm” introduces the PC and console versions of War Thunder to Gaijin’s new and improved Dagor 5.0 engine, capable of near photo realistic environments and vehicles.  The update also introduces nearly two dozen new vehicles, including five next generation tanks on Rank VI: the M1 Abrams, Challenger 1, Leopard 2K, T-64B and AMX-30B2 Brenus.

Among the graphical improvements introduced with Dagor Engine 5.0 are technologies like Global Illumination (GI) and Contact Shadows. Together with photorealistic weather effects, volumetric fog and smoke, War Thunder is now visually more much more life-like and detailed. Also new is Temporal Anti-Aliasing (Variance Clipping TAA), an anti-aliasing algorithm that greatly reduces the visible “noise” on distant vegetation, smooths the appearance of objects, and adds more details to surfaces. Furthermore, the creation of landscapes was improved, also with the addition of visible reliefs via displacement mapping, resulting in much more visually diverse environments. Roads, for example, now have potholes, ruts and may show puddles of slush, water or mud – with the latter depending on the current weather and type of terrain. These landscape changes are visible to players on all graphics settings.

Accompanying the visual improvements is a complete redesign of in-game sound effects. Each shot effect is now created from several layers of sounds that correspond to peak and residual effects. Thus, experienced tankers are now able to determine the caliber of the cannon that fired the shot, even from distance. The effects themselves received additional details, so players can now hear the sound of cases dropping as they fire, or the working loading mechanisms of their cannons. Aircraft sounds are more vibrant and powerful. Further improvements are also planned for future updates.

Several next generation main battle tanks of the 1970s and 1980s now reinforce the arsenal of War Thunder on Rank VI: the U.S. M1 Abrams, British Challenger 1, German Leopard 2K, Soviet T-64B and French AMX-30B2 Brenus. All of them boast powerful weapons, armor, high speed, and mobility. Noteworthy here is the special cannon of the T-64B that allows it to fire ‘Cobra’ guided anti-tank missiles and the AMX-30B2 Brenus’ powerful reactive armor. Some of the vehicles introduced with Update 1.77 are still in service today.

German pilots can look forward to the heavy Heinkel He 177 A-5 Greif bomber, which was created by a War Thunder player under the Revenue Share Partner Program. You can follow up on the He 177’s creation process on War Thunder Live: http://live.warthunder.com

Update 1.77 ‘Advancing Storm’ features plenty of other graphical improvements, vehicles and changes. Read more on the official War Thunder website: http://www.warthunder.com

Read more about specific Dagor 5.0 improvements here:

Logitech G Unveils New G560 Speaker and G513 Keyboard Featuring Lightsync

2018/03/15
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, News, Peripherals News

NEWARK, Calif. & LAUSANNE, Switzerland – Logitech G, a brand of Logitech (SIX:LOGN) (NASDAQ:LOGI), today announced two new additions to their family of high-performance gaming gear. The Logitech® G560 PC Gaming Speaker is the first dedicated gaming speaker system with advanced Logitech G LIGHTSYNC™, a technology that synchronizes both light and sounds to gameplay. Joining the speaker is the new Logitech® G513 Mechanical Gaming Keyboard. The Logitech G513 also features LIGHTSYNC RGB, provides the choice of two Romer-G™ mechanical key switches and a premium palm rest for a comfortable experience. Logitech G continues to expand its range of high-performance gear that is purpose-built for the needs of gamers, and push innovation in RGB to new immersive levels.

“Our goal with these two products was to complement our G502, the world’s best selling gaming mouse,” said Ujesh Desai, vice president and general manager of Logitech Gaming. “With LIGHTSYNC technology we are able to add real intelligence to what RGB lighting can do – synchronizing audio and RGB lighting to on-screen gameplay. If you already own a G502, then the new G513 keyboard and G560 speakers with LIGHTSYNC are the perfect way to complete your desktop, and create a totally immersive solution.”

Most Immersive PC Gaming Speaker

Hear every detail as game designers intended with the first gaming speaker from Logitech G. The Logitech G560 provides 240 Watts Peak/120 Watts RMS power, which delivers amazing sound for music and PC games, and 3D audio with DTS:X® Ultra 1.0 for in-game positional audio. Together this improves accuracy, and heightens intensity and realism, giving gamers a more immersive and fun experience. The G560 speakers are built on Logitech’s rich 25-year heritage in designing premium audio devices.

Powered by advanced LIGHTSYNC technology, the Logitech G560 synchronizes brilliant RGB lighting and powerful audio in real time to match on-screen gameplay action. Light and animation effects can be customized across approximately 16.8 million colors, with four lighting zones. The Logitech G560 features multiple connection options including USB, 3.5mm and Bluetooth. This combined with built-in Logitech Easy-Switch™ technology, enables you to switch seamlessly between any four connected devices such as a PC, smartphone and tablet, so you can listen to your favorite playlist off your phone while playing a PC game. LIGHTSYNC technology also works with video and music content allowing you to enjoy immersive light and sound beyond gaming.

LIGHTSYNC Powered Mechanical Gaming Keyboard

The Logitech G513 takes Logitech’s award-winning design in keyboards to the next level with RGB lighting and LIGHTSYNC support. The keyboard offers the choice of two Logitech G exclusive Romer-G mechanical key switches, Romer-G Tactile and Romer-G Linear. The tactile version provides soft tactile feedback during actuation for gamers who prefer direct feedback, while the linear version gives you a smooth keystroke. All Romer G keys offer fast and quiet competition-grade performance, and bright sharp lighting, all in a key that is more reliable and durable than standard mechanical switches. The switches actuate up to 25 percent faster than the leading competitor at a distance of 1.5mm, combined with a low-force 45g actuation, to provide near-instant responsiveness.

The Logitech G513 features an anodized and brushed aircraft-grade 5052 aluminum top case for a slim, premium design with rigid durability, an integrated USB extension passthrough port and an optional palm rest to deliver comfort during long sessions.

Pricing and Availability

The Logitech G560 PC Gaming Speaker and G513 Mechanical Gaming Keyboard are expected to be available at global retailers beginning April 2018 for suggested retail prices of $199.99 and $149.99, respectively. The keyboard is available in two colors, Carbon which is available worldwide and Silver (Romer-G Tactile only), available in select markets. For more information, please visit our website, our blog, or connect with us @LogitechG.

Flying Tigers: Shadows Over China Now Supports Thrustmaster T.Flight Hotas One

2018/03/15
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, News, Xbox One News

Sweden, March 15, 2018 — Xbox One gamers looking for a highly maneuverable air-combat action experience on the big screen can now play ACE MADDOX’ Flying Tigers: Shadows Over China (FTSOC) using Thrustmaster’s T.Flight Hotas One flight-stick and (optional) TFRP pedals.

Today’s Xbox One Content Update for Flying Tigers: Shadows Over China makes full use of the T.Flight Hotas One design, which sports adjustable stick resistance, a large hand rest for comfort, as well as a dual rudder system (Hotas is short for “Hands On Throttle And Stick”). Also, the full sized throttle control is detachable and offers a level of personal customization that makes aircraft in FTSOC highly maneuverable.

Based on the historical events of America’s secret volunteer squadrons that helped defend China in World War 2, ACE MADDOX’ Flying Tigers: Shadows Over China now fully supports the T.Flight Hotas One and TFRP rudders, and is available on the Xbox Store as a digital download for $18.99 USD/€18.99 EUR/£15.19 GBP.

LINKS & DOWNLOADS:

Audeze Announces Mobius Head Tracking-Enabled Headphone

2018/03/14
Jerry Paxton
Geek News, News, Tech News

SANTA ANA, CA – March 14, 2018 — Audeze, the world’s leading manufacturer of planar magnetic headphones, today announced Mobius, the first premium high-end, fully immersive 3D cinematic audio and head tracking-enabled headphone designed specifically for gamers. Mobius is available to pre-order now on Indiegogo with early-bird, introductory pricing starting at $199 (retail value $399).

Audeze headphones have achieved worldwide acclaim among music industry professionals and audiophiles alike for their pure, spacious, and highly detailed sound and for innovation which has kept them on the cutting-edge of audio technology for a decade. With Mobius, Audeze is bringing their award-winning audiophile sound to the gaming world.  Conceived under the steadfast belief that audio quality should never be compromised for the sake of utility, Mobius will be the first headphone to provide the unsurpassed level of detail, clarity, and positional accuracy afforded by planar magnetic drivers in a feature-rich package oriented specifically around the needs of both professional and casual gamers.

Mobius features full 3D emulation with support for surround sound modes along with a fully integrated 3D head-tracking system that interfaces seamlessly with today’s most popular video games.  Coupled state-of-the-art room emulation technology and anatomy calibration, Mobius truly optimizes the way your brain processes sound in a manner consistent with real-world listening. This means that you will be able to hear your gaming opponent sneaking up behind you as clearly as though they were in the room with you!

The headphones’ advanced technology and lightweight ergonomic design, delivers comfortable, long-term use and reduced listening fatigue. This comfort is enhanced by the inclusion of fully replaceable, contoured memory foam ear pads and an adjustable, durable, memory foam padded headband.

Mobius also comes with a flexible and detachable boom microphone with built-in noise attenuation, mute/unmute functionality, and independent microphone volume control in order to provide crystal-clear voice quality. This allows users to dictate team strategy without having to worry about the details getting lost in translation.

“Audeze has raised the bar for premium audio quality and innovation based on our award winning planar magnetic technology. It’s a standard that impresses the most ardent audiophiles,” said Sankar Thiagasamudram, founder and CEO of Audeze. “There is really no medium that can benefit more from our product than gaming, so we’re setting our sights on establishing the best headphones in the gaming industry today. We think Mobius is going to change the way people experience games and may just give them an edge in head-to-head play.”

An extremely powerful, fully customizable headphone, Mobius is on the cutting edge of audio technology, offering gamers top tier technologies:

  •     Planar magnetic audio quality
  •     3D Audio (7.1, 5.1, 5.0, 2.1, 2.0) + Ambisonics Support
  •     Integrated low latency head tracking
  •     3D sound localization
  •     Room emulation
  •     Anatomy calibration
  •     Bluetooth enabled (AAC, LDAC)
  •     USB-C, USB-A and 3.5mm analog
  •     10+ Hours of battery life

Mobius is not just the world’s most innovative gaming headphone, it is a truly immersive, mixed media platform.  With fully-integrated surround sound functionality, you can immerse yourself into your favorite movies to a degree that will rival even the experience of being inside a theater.

The optional Mobius Creator Package comes bundled with the latest 3D audio plugins from Waves, including the B360 Ambisonics Encoder and the NX Virtual Mix Room; both crucial tools for anyone working with Virtual and Augmented Reality applications.

Audeze expects to start shipping units beginning in June, 2018.  For more information about the campaign and to order Mobius, visit igg.me/at/audeze-mobius or audeze.com.