Author - Jerry Paxton

2K and Turtle Rock Studios Announce Evolve

2014/01/14

News, PlayStation 4 News, Windows PC News, Xbox One News

New York, NY – January 14, 2014 – 2K and Turtle Rock Studios, creators of the cooperative shooter classic Left 4 Dead, today officially announced Evolve™, an all-new multiplayer shooter experience. First revealed exclusively on the cover of Game Informer magazine’s current February issue, Evolve will be available this fall for Xbox One, the all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, and Windows PC.

Evolve expertly blends cooperative and competitive multiplayer experiences as a team of four hunters face off against a single, player-controlled monster. Set on an alien planet in the distant future, gamers hunt their prey in adrenaline-pumping 4V1 matches. Players experience Evolve as a first-person shooter when playing cooperatively as the four hunters, while they control the monster in the third-person perspective, providing a gameplay experience unique toEvolve. In addition to revealing Evolve, Game Informer details Goliath, the first monster included in the game, and the first squad of four hunters, each with their own unique classes and abilities.

“Our philosophy is to build incredibly fun game experiences that we can’t find anywhere else,” said Chris Ashton, co-founder and design director at Turtle Rock Studios. “Evolve’s co-op vs. lone wolf formula has created some of the most intense multiplayer matches we’ve ever experienced.”

“Evolve will be a generation-defining multiplayer experience,” said Christoph Hartmann, president of 2K. “As our first new IP for next-gen systems, 2K is working with Turtle Rock Studios to deliver a game that’s instantly entertaining and impossible to put down.”

Evolve is available for pre-order beginning today at participating retailers. Those who pre-order the game from participating retailers will be rewarded with the Monster Expansion Pack, which includes the Savage Goliath skin at launch and a new monster character as soon as it becomes available after Evolve is released. To see a list of retailers that you can pre-order Evolve from now, please visit www.evolvegame.com/preorder.

To learn more about Evolve, gamers can pick up the latest issue of Game Informer magazine or visit www.gameinformer.com/evolve throughout the month of January for an exclusive look at the game.

Evolve will be available in fall 2014 for Xbox One, PlayStation®4 system and PC. Evolve is not yet rated by the ESRB. For more information on Evolve, follow us on Twitter, become a fan on Facebook, subscribe on YouTube and visitwww.evolvegame.com.

Cetacea Concealed Pistol Lanyard Review (Airsoft)

2014/01/12

Jerry Paxton

Action Sports, Airsoft News, Airsoft Reviews, Articles, News, Reviews

While running and gunning in an airsoft game, sometimes players need to swap over from their primary airsoft guns to their backup pieces quickly. Sometimes, players will lose the grip on their sidearms, causing a sometimes expensive piece of airsoft kit to go skittering across the arena floor. This could cost you the game and, more importantly, damage the gun which will cost you money! The solution for most players is to have some sort of lanyard attached to the airsoft pistol so that, in case it gets loose from your grip, it is still attached to your body and wont hit the ground.

Cetacea has been making pistol and gear lanyards for quite some time and, thanks to the folks at AirsoftExtreme, we got to review the concealed carry model. The big difference between the concealed carry model (model #TA-PCO) and others in the product line is that its coiled cable is a lot thinner and meant for plain clothes officers or light usage. I was able to use the pistol lanyard for a few weeks and, during the games I played in that time, found it to be adequate in keeping my sidearm tethered to my person when I used a light, CYMA airsoft pistol . My KWA M226 airsoft pistol, however, still hit the ground (thankfully soft carpet) of my office when dropped using the tether. The problem is that heavier airsoft guns are going to overpower the thin retention coil. Unless you have a very light or inexpensive airsoft pistol, I would probably recommend that you opt for the pistol lanyard

Overall, the Cetacea concealed carry pistol lanyard is an inexpensive way to retain your airsoft sidearm in case you lose your grip of it. Be warned, however, that if your gun is too heavy it could still hit the ground before the retention cable kicks into gear and springs it back to you. The Cetacea Concealed Carry pistol lanyard retails for $11.99 at Airsoft Extreme’s official website.

[easyreview title=”Cetacea Concealed Pistol Lanyard Review Score” cat1title=”Overall Score (out of 5)” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”3″ ]

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Knott’s Berry Farm Signs Krazy Kirk And The Hillbillies

2014/01/11

Jerry Paxton

Geek News, News

If you have gone to Disneyland within the last 20 or so years, you have probably seen the bluegrass / country group “Billy Hill and the Hillbillies” play during one of your adventures. The group brought a cool, fun and live show to the park. Disneyland has canceled its contract with the group, and now you can see them play at Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park, CA. Knott’s has announced that the group will play on the weekends at the park’s “Wilderness Dance Hall” located in its Calico Ghost Town area starting January 18, 2013.

*Image from the band’s Facebook page

IOGEAR Unveils Keymander at CES

2014/01/10

Jerry Paxton

CES, News, Peripherals News

FOOTHILL RANCH, Calif. – Jan. 7, 2014 – Gamers, get ready for combat. The new KeyMander from IOGEAR arms console gamers with the competitive advantage of a keyboard and mouse for PlayStation^®3 and Xbox 360^® by converting signals to replace the joystick controller. The KeyMander (GE1337P; MSRP: $99.95) provides precision accuracy to any game by mapping controller commands to keys on a USB keyboard and mouse. Gamers will be able to leverage this technology with next generation gaming systems early 2014 through a free firmware update.

This new weapon tilts the scales to the advantage of PS3 and Xbox players by improving speed, simplifying access to game features, and managing detailed movements in first-person shooter, role-playing games, real-time strategy games and other massive multiplayer online games. Players can take their tactics and skills to the next level with the KeyMander’s PC software, which adds an arsenal of tools and options.

Key attributes include custom key mapping, macro programming, mouse ballistics editing and speed adjustments for rapid, pinpoint accuracy. Macros allow a gamer to design a custom series of button sequences (up to 16) into one keyboard key. For example, if two separate selections on the controller cause an avatar to crouch then shoot, the KeyMander could be programmed to use a single key to achieve both actions. A turbo function mimics up to 10 consecutive button presses in a single press of a button. The addition of the mouse while gaming supports smooth and responsive aim toward any enemy in the combat zone.

Additionally, the KeyMander can save up to eight different customized profiles within a group. With up to 31 different groups, users can easily store different characters’ settings for a library of games. The instant hotkey switching between profiles during a live game, such as switching among medic, demolitions and sniper profiles, provides an immediate customized control advantage. These custom decisions can be stored for multiple gamers in each household, so that eight individual profiles can have key controls to support each person’s battle preferences.

“Every split second counts in the competitive world of gaming, making the KeyMander a vital tool for the serious player and a marketplace disrupter,” said Jack Wang, IOGEAR CEO. “With the KeyMander, IOGEAR brings our expertise in digital home entertainment to new audiences who will appreciate easy-to-use features along with the new dominance and edge in their gaming experiences.”

In recognition of its contribution to gaming, the KeyMander has been named a 2014 CES Innovations Design and Engineering Awards honoree in the Gaming Hardware and Accessories product category. It supports simple switching between control emulator mode and keyboard mode for chat, web surfing and other typing functions. By playing on the console using the KeyMander, gamers also take advantage of upgradable firmware that will adapt with the system. The KeyMander is available now online at www.iogear.com with pre-installed firmware for PS3 and is easily upgradeable with free firmware downloads due out in early 2014 for use with Xbox 360, Xbox One^® and PS4^®. Availability through major distribution channels will come later this month.

For more information on IOGEAR, please visit www.iogear.com. Follow IOGEAR on Twitter, the company blog and become a fan on Facebook for additional industry, company, and product details.

Blackguards Now in Steam Early Access for Mac PCs

2014/01/10

Jerry Paxton

Mac PC News, News, Windows PC News

Hamburg, January 10, 2014: Blackguards, Daedalic Entertainment’s turn-based RPG is now also available on Steam’s Early Access program for Mac. This way, all Mac users can enjoy the first four chapters of the game even before the official release on January 24th.

http://store.steampowered.com/app/249650

Early Access allows players to play the first chapters of Blackguards months before the official release and to have a chance to influence the development process through their feedback based on pre-release builds.

Blackguards will be published chapter by chapter while in Early Access. As of now, the first three parts of the game are available. All five chapters will be made available in the upcoming weeks.

Daedalic Entertainment offers several packages for interested Early Access participants. In all cases, players will secure access to the final version of Blackguards by paying a lower price compared to purchasing the game after its official release.

Additionally, they have the opportunity to buy exclusive extras that will only be available before the official release. For $24.99, players receive the Standard Early Access Edition of Blackguards, including all chapters for PC at their earliest availability, and the full PC & Mac version of the game after the official release. For $34.99, players receive the Blackguards Early Access Deluxe Edition, an approx. 150 page artbook, and access to developer interview videos and six exclusive wallpapers. For $49.99, the Blackguards Early Access Contributor Edition additionally includes an appearance of the buyer’s name within the game’s credits, as well as the first Blackguards DLC and a copy of the The Dark Eye point & click adventure Chains of Satinav for free.
All additional content will be accessible once it has been completed.

The official release of Blackguards is scheduled for January, 24th 2014. The game will be available for PC & Mac, priced US$39.99.

Dog & Bone Unveil Rugged Wireless Charging Case

2014/01/09

Jerry Paxton

CES, Mobile News, News

January 8th, 2014 — On the back of mounting demand for wireless technology, an Australian brand is showcasing the world’s first rugged wireless charging case at this week’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.

With an estimated 150,000–plus attending this week’s CES, mobile accessory innovator, Dog & Bone, the brand that released the world’s first topless direct touchscreen waterproof mobile case last year, is now unveiling their new patent pending, rugged Backbone wireless charging case at CES.

The Backbone wireless charging case is merely 12.2 mm slim, enjoys a slightly raised rim around the front edge to help protect the touchscreen, meets military specifications to handle knocks and drops from one metre, is Made for iPhone (MFi) pending, shuts off once device is fully charged, and enjoys direct access to charging port for traditional charging.

The two-piece Backbone case is cleverly designed for interchanging with a Backbone battery (sold separately) for added power.

Dog & Bone Founder, Mr Lee Ranchod, who is in Las Vegas this week for CES, said Backbone is a direct response to a consumer push towards smart wireless technology.

“More and more so consumers demand technology that not only works, but also works with our lifestyle,” Mr Ranchod said.

“Wireless charging has started to take off in the last twelve months because consumers love the convenience of charging without plugging in and plugging out.

“But what consumers say they don’t like is that existing wireless case options are too flimsy, are breaking way too easily, or simply not user friendly.

“What current wireless charging cases miss is that that we look to a case as a way to also protect and style our phones, and we want something that is not an inconvenience to use.

“We don’t want to have to remove our wireless charging case to protect our phones from day to day wear and tear, nor do we want the hassle of removing our case to simply use our car charger as has reported to be the issue on existing case options.

“The Backbone wireless charging case combines all four key features demanded by consumers – wireless charging, protection, usability and style.”

Backbone’s unique over-molded exterior, made from thermoplastic elastomer, provides a soft protective touch, and the hardness is offered from the polycarbonate interior.

Mr Ranchod said Dog & Bone’s Backbone reflects the brand’s mission to innovate and be at the forefront of mobile phone technology.

“Dog & Bone pushes the boundaries of what has been traditionally offered in mobile technology, allowing mobile phones to increasingly become an extension of our day to day lifestyle, without compromise on protection and usability,” Mr Ranchod said.

“This is what we did when we released the world’s first topless mobile case, Wetsuit, with an optimum direct touchscreen, and when we released the first of its kind with touch ID compatibility.

“And this is what we have done with Backbone – produce a slim, user friendly and rugged wireless charging case combining both smart wireless technology and a smart, rugged design.”

The Backbone wireless charging case for iPhone 5s/5 is expected to be released for sale in March/April this year, as well as the interchangeable Backbone battery.

The Backbone wireless charging case is compatible with most existing Qi charge pads as well as the Dog & Bone Backbone charge pad, expected to also be released in March/April.

The Backbone wireless charging case offers three bespoke patterns – Tread, Trilobe and Diamond – across a total of five colour combinations.

Dog & Bone is exhibiting at CES Las Vegas from 7 – 10 January 2014 at North Hall, Booth # 5617.

Images

Deep Silver Announces NASCAR ’14 Release Date

2014/01/09

Jerry Paxton

News, PlayStation 3 News, Windows PC News, Xbox 360 News

Larkspur, Calif., January 9, 2014 – Deep Silver announced today that the racing game NASCAR ’14, developed by Eutechnyx, will launch in North America on February 18, 2014 on the Xbox 360® games and entertainment system from Microsoft, the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and PC for the suggested retail price of $49.99. Pre-order offers at Walmart, Gamestop, Best Buy, Target and Amazon may include diecast cars, exclusive paint schemes and more.

Fueled by high-octane intensity and the opportunity to relive the best NASCAR moments from both the 2013 season packed into the game plus regular downloadable content updates as the upcoming season progresses, NASCAR ’14 offers fans the most complete NASCAR® experience yet.

Recently NASCAR revealed that more than 700,000 votes were cast worldwide in the “Drive for the Cover” contest as fans voted Tony Stewart, the three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion to appear onto the cover of NASCAR ’14. The injury that kept Stewart off the track didn’t stop fans of the driver of the No. 14 Bass Pro Shops / Mobil 1 Chevrolet for Stewart-Haas Racing from beating another fan favorite, four-time champion Jeff Gordon. Stewart plans to return to the track for the Daytona 500 race in February, the same month NASCAR ’14 hits store shelves.

For a first look at the game and Stewart on the cover, watch the trailer here: YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrJPUh8yMzo

“Deep Silver is releasing the best NASCAR racing experience yet to hit video game consoles,” said Deep Silver Inc. COO, Geoff Mulligan. “Fans will soon be able to compete in recent high profile races, experiencing the exact same conditions the real drivers faced. With an aggressive post-release content plan, NASCAR ’14 is a game NASCAR fans can enjoy all year long.”

“With a February launch date, NASCAR ’14 will make a great racing season companion for NASCAR fans,” said Blake Davidson, NASCAR vice president of licensing and consumer products. “If history repeats itself, the new cover recognition for Tony Stewart will serve as a good luck charm as he heads back on the track and Smoke rises again.”

Hands-On with Oculus Rift: Crystal Cove Prototype at CES

2014/01/09

Jerry Paxton

CES, News, Previews, Tech News, Tech Preview

One of my favorite moments from the 2013 Electronic Entertainment Expo was getting to try out CCP Games EVE: Valkyrie (then titled “EVE VR”) on the 720p version of the Oculus Rift VR headset. Despite it being somewhat pixelated, the tracking was smooth and the immersion it offered was light years beyond previous attempts at a virtual reality headset. Earlier today, I got the chance to demo the latest prototype of the Oculus Rift, codenamed: “Crystal Cove”. What was so special about this iteration? First thing was it features a 1080p AMOLED screen with much smaller pixels than before – even on the previous 1080p version. It also features some new technology tweaks to smooth out how it presents motion to your eyes, making things much more natural and less blurry. Finally, the Crystal Cove features positional tracking of head as it moves through space – not just from a fixed position. These new degrees of freedom allow the user to lean forward and backwards, side to side, and even to look behind them (almost)!

The first demo we got to look at was one created by the talented folks at EPIC Games and featured us across the table from a giant demon lord as he looked to be playing some type of tower defense game with small orcs, demons, and other assorted creatures. Looking down on the board, it was neat to see just how realistic this “fake” game appeared before my eyes. I could lean over and turn my head almost parallel to the table and see the small creatures move directly towards my face. The effect was incredible.

The second demo we got to try was a new build of CCP Games EVE: Valkyrie! The new headset really upped the feeling of sitting inside the cockpit of a space fighter and my favorite moment was learning forward towards the fighter’s holographic instrument panels. You could actually read the text on them and it took everything I had not to reach my hand out to push the “buttons”.

Overall, the Crystal Cove iteration of the Oculus Rift takes everything we loved about the previous version and injects it with virtual reality steroids. The Oculus reps on-hand assured us that even this was not the level of quality they hoped to achieve by its retail version – whenever that might be released (they are very tight-lipped on dates). As far as release dates go – rumors abound that we will see a retail Oculus by the end of the year. Please keep in mind that this is, again, all rumor mill stuff. Let’s just keep our fingers crossed that the guys over at Cloud Imperium games will have Oculus Rift support built into Star Citizen!

Activision Announces Call of Duty Championship for March

2014/01/09

Jerry Paxton

Geek News, News

Santa Monica, CA – January 9, 2014 – Gamers prepare for the ultimate Call of Duty® competition where victory is determined in the blink of an eye. From Activision Publishing, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard (Nasdaq:ATVI), Infinity Ward and Xbox, in partnership with Major League Gaming (MLG) and other international eSports partners, the second annual Call of Duty® Championship, presented by Xbox tournament will play host to 32 of the best Call of Duty teams from around the world as they compete for rights to the Call of Duty“World Champions” title and lion’s share of the tournament’s $1 million prize purse this March 28 – 30, in Los Angeles.

“Last year’s championship came down to the final minute of the final match with everyone holding their breath to see who would win. The skill, passion and energy brought by these teams and the crowd looking-on showed just what makes our community the best in the world,” said Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision Publishing. “Call of Duty is more than a video game. It’s a pastime shared by millions. It’s exciting to play and fun to watch, and we can’t wait to see what this year’s event has in store.”

This year’s tournament will also serve as the first official competitive Call of Dutyevent played on Xbox One, the all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft, where prize money will be awarded. Programming covering the weekend’s non-stop excitement and hard fought matches will be live streamed on the Xbox Live online entertainment network and MLG.tv for the world to experience.

Call of Duty teams from six continents covering North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia will contend for their place at the Call of Duty Championship, presented by Xbox tournament in a range of qualifying events hosted by eSports organizations. Qualifying for the Call of Duty Championship, presented by Xbox will be handled through online tournaments played on the Xbox 360 games and entertainment system from Microsoft, and broadcasted on MLG.tv, with select live regional finals taking place late February through early March in Australia, the United Kingdom and the U.S. The live regional finals will be played on Xbox One and will also be broadcasted live on MLG.tv and other broadcast partners.

The Call of Duty Championship, presented by Xbox tournament is open to all qualified players, whether professional gamers or not, provided they meet the requirements of the official rules and regulations. Further details on the 2014 Call of Duty Championship, presented by Xbox, including full rules and regulations,Call of Duty®: Ghosts maps and modes for the tournament, prizing distribution, travel accommodations and more can be found athttp://www.majorleaguegaming.com/news/qualify-for-the-call-of-duty-championship/.

Additional tournament information will be made available athttps://callofduty.com/esports.

Call of Duty: Ghosts is rated “M” (Mature – Blood, Drug Reference, Intense Violence, and Strong Language – content that may be suitable for persons ages 17 and older) by the ESRB. For more information, please visit www.callofduty.com/ghosts,www.facebook.com/CODGhosts, or follow on Twitter @InfinityWard.

Sennheiser Launches New Gaming Headsets for CES

2014/01/08

Jerry Paxton

CES, News, Tech News

Las Vegas, NV, January 8, 2014 – Sennheiser unveils two new high-end PC gaming headsets – G4ME™ ZERO and G4ME™ ONE and announces a unique alliance with one of the world’s leading game developers – Io-Interactive. In the perfect match of game creation and gameplay experience, Io-Interactive is using the audio specialist’s equipment when developing and recording game sound. This perfect match ensures that gamers using Sennheiser gaming headsets will get an authentic sound experience that’s optimized to be exactly as the developers at Io-Interactive intended.

Io-Interactive, part of the Square Enix group and the creator of blockbuster games such as the Hitman and Kane & Lynch franchises, has used Sennheiser recording equipment and headsets in crafting the audio for several games including Hitman Absolution. Having been impressed with the results, the new alliance sees Io-Interactive committing to use Sennheiser technology for future game development.

Frans Galschiøt Quaade, Lead Sound Designer, Io-Interactive explains the unique partnership: “Sennheiser equipment makes our games sound better – both for us and the gamer. Not only are these great gaming headsets for both producing and playing games, but using Sennheiser equipment during development ensures a great and consistent audio experience all the way from the production to end consumer.”

Game developers put great effort into creating complex and realistic soundscapes for games. “By collaborating with Io-Interactive and by launching the new PC gaming headsets G4ME™ ZERO and G4ME™ ONE, Sennheiser takes pride in making sure that gamers get to hear the high-level of acoustic quality and details that the developers intended you to hear,” says Christian Ern, Director Product Management at Sennheiser Communications. “The incredible comfort and convenience of our new headsets means that there is virtually nothing between you and the game.”

G4ME™ ZERO and G4ME™ ONE represent a new era in professional gaming headset design. Increased emphasis has been placed on ergonomics and supreme comfort for even long periods of gaming. Meanwhile, top-of-the-line noise cancellation technologies in the built in microphones ensure clear communication during online or multi player gaming. By using Sennheiser’s PCV 05 Combo audio adaptor, G4ME™ ZERO and G4ME™ ONE can also be connected to the new PS4™ as well as Mac computers.

Naturally, the new PC gaming headsets benefit from Sennheiser’s 70 years of experience as a leader in audio and deliver incredible sound quality. The company remains the only gaming headset company in the world to manufacture its own transducers, with the components powering the G4ME™ ZERO and G4ME™ ONE specifically optimized to deliver an extremely accurate reproduction of gaming audio. And in the heat of the action, smart features such as intuitive volume controls integrated into the ear cup and the ability to instantly mute the mic simply by lifting the mic boom, mean that there are fewer distractions so that you can stay focused on the game experience.

G4ME™ ONE – Feel the game, not the headset
Offering exceptionally natural and accurate sound quality, the new G4ME™ ONE is built to be the ultimate headset for home gaming. The open design delivers hi-fi sound exactly as the game developers intended, while letting air through to help keep ears cool during hours of gameplay. XXL-sized, plush velvet earpads, a cushioned headband and the lightweight design give the ultimate comfort.

G4ME™ ZERO – Supreme comfort for immersive gaming
Designed to be the most comfortable and best sounding closed headset on the market, the G4ME™ ZERO features a new earpad design that makes it the perfect choice for immersive gaming. Drawing on Sennheiser’s experience in creating professional headsets for aviation, layers of padding and memory foam are shaped to effectively shield the user from external sound and prevent gaming sound from disturbing others. Letting you hear every detail of the game, its still Sennheiser’s most quiet gaming headset yet. G4ME™ ZERO is also perfect for the gamer on the move with a unique foldable design and supplied hard carry case.