There are a lot of fun games on the Google Play Store, but it's difficult to find a game that isn't overshadowed by a game that has millions of downloads and high ratings. So just like last month, we've gone into the depths of the Google Play Store searching for some of the best underrated games, and we're back to show you what we've found. As usual, if you'd rather watch the video, just head down to the bottom of the article...
Read the full story here. Source: Android Authority
It's 2014. Apple has gathered everyone together for a special event. As Tim Cook presents, he says, "Today we're introducing three revolutionary new products. The first one is a cable box. The second one is a revolutionary streaming-media device. The third is a new way to play games on your TV. So, three things: a cable box, a streaming box, and a game console. Are you getting it? These are not three separate devices. This is one device. And we're calling it iTV."
The next Apple TV, that long-fabled product, doesn't exist yet. But it could. And it should. And it's not too late, not by a long shot. In fact, the future-of-TV transformation has yet to be settled, or even determined. It's a mess right now. The door is open. Apple can seize the moment.
If you think the Xbox One jams up Apple's plans, think again. The Xbox One is Apple's best friend. Apple needs the emerging TV landscape to be tackled, and whatever mistakes are made, Apple can improve upon them, and show everyone why that strategy was mistaken. This is the Apple Way. The iPhone was built on old smartphones, the iPad on failed tablets. The landscape now is littered with half-good, half-bad solutions: TiVo, Wii U and TVii, Google TV, Roku, Xbox 360, PS3, even the current Apple TV. None of them truly replaces your cable box. None of them is the true, absolute future of TV...
Read the full story here. Source: CNET
Microsoft will finally deliver a Kinect sensor for Windows sometime next year.
The company announced Thursday that the Kinect for Windows sensor will use the same set of technologies key to the new Kinect sensor for the Xbox One, both of which will allow people to issue commands using voice and gestures.
The sensor will include a high-definition color camera and a noise-isolating multi-microphone array. Also part of the system will be a technology called Time-of-Flight, which measures how long it takes for photons to bounce off a person or object. Combined, these features promise greater accuracy and precision in detecting your movements and voice commands...
Read the full story here. Source: CNET
REDMOND, Wash. -- Microsoft's got a new Xbox on the way, and according to the company, it's the foundation for the next 10 to 20 years of home gaming and entertainment.
The console, which has not yet been given a price, release date, or live game demos was shown off here on Tuesday and left just about as many questions as it did answers about where Microsoft is taking one of its most popular products.
CNET sat down with Jeff Henshaw, the group program manager for Xbox Incubation, to try to get some of those answers. That includes whether the company thinks naming a console "One" when it's technically the third-generation is confusing (spoiler: Microsoft thinks it won't be), whether the company will keep its much-disliked Microsoft Points currency around, and whether there will be hardened privacy for a system that depends on a camera designed to watch your every move...
Read the full story here. Source: CNET
Introducing Xbox One, the all-in-one entertainment system. This is the unveil video for the Xbox One, showcasing the console, the new Kinect sensor and the new Xbox One controller, as well as the new experiences that will be coming with Xbox One, including the personal homescreen, cinematic gaming, Live TV and Skype. Welcome to a new generation of games and entertainment.
The Xbox One Anthem is a celebration video of the Xbox community. It features users, creators and innovators who make Xbox what it is and guide where it is going. Their collective voice tells Xbox's story and hint toward its future. This is a taste of the 48 million users that comprise our community and that made Xbox what it is and that will make Xbox One the most exciting gaming and entertainment system on the market.
EA's Frostbite 3 engine, which underpins many of the company's next generation titles, looks like it won't support Nintendo's Wii U. Johan Andersson, Technical Director of the Frostbite project at EA DICE, says the company tested Frostbite 2 on the console and found the results to be "not too promising," to the point where it "chose not to go down [the] path" of porting the next version. Leaked slides from earlier this year revealed that EA has approximately 15 games in development that use Frostbite 3, the implication being that Wii U gamers are going to miss out on some fairly big titles, including Battlefield 4, Star Wars, the next Mass Effect and, as Joystiq pointed out last week, this year's version ofMadden NFL. It all adds up to a notable loss of support for the new console -- but hey, EA-style gaming was hardly a core part of the Nintendo experience in the first place.
Source: Engadget
Social gaming is big business nowadays, even I find myself drawn into playing these addictive iOS based games on a daily basis. Games such as Draw Something are really fun and interactive and I think the reason I love it so much is because I get to play with my friends. This is normally the case for most apps for the iPhone and iPad and I think that is why so many people I know love the social aspect of gaming. The fact that it's so simple and easy makes it much mor enjoyable, all you have to do is pick a word to draw that your friend has to guess in order to collect a certain amount of coins. You can spend your winnings on more colour palettes within the game, which gives a sense or reward and acts as an incentive to play it more and more. Playing this in my spare time is very enjoyable and other apps such as Words with Friends makes social gaming a lot more challenging and dare I say it, educational.
Another very addictive game that links in with sharing via Facebook is the Bejeweled series. Senior franchise director of the app Bejeweled says that a good social game needs to engage players over a period of time. He has also said in the past that "This is obtained either through compelling core gameplay that’s endlessly repeatable — a feat achieved by a small minority of games and possible only in certain genres — or by constantly adding content to the game, which requires a very disciplined release schedule, and requires the developer to be able to produce content as fast, or faster, than the most active players are consuming it." (Erica Swallow, Forbes)
We can therefore conclude from this that a sucessful app would need variety and have ongoing content that would attract our attention. There is also a growing trend toward apps both on our iOS devices & the internet, that allow you to try various Casino Games online such as bingo, horse racing, Black Jack, roulette and so many more. These offer up a social aspect too, whilst at the same time allow us to possibly win a little extra cash too.
Just think, in less than a month’s time, Microsoft will give us a reason to call the next Xbox something other than the Xbox 720. That might just be better news than anything they could possibly reveal at their upcoming showcase.
Both Game Informer and Kotaku have now confirmed that Microsoft is sending out invitations to select members of the press for their next Xbox unveiling. The presentation is set for 10am on May 21st, 2013 at Microsoft’s Redmond headquarters.
We have reached out to our contact for more information. Until that happens, this is all we’ve got.
Update: Our contact directed us to Major Nelson’s blog. This is what he writes there:
On Tuesday May 21st, we’ll mark the beginning of a new generation of games, TV and entertainment. On that day, we’ll be holding a special press event on the Xbox campus and we invite you to join us via the live global stream that will be available on Xbox.com, Xbox LIVE and broadcast on Spike TV if you are in the US or Canada.
On that day, we’ll share our vision for Xbox, and give you a real taste of the future. Then, 19-days later at theElectronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles, we’ll continue the conversation and showcase our full lineup of blockbuster games.
We are thrilled to pull back the curtain and reveal what we’ve been working on.
What do you want Microsoft to announce for their next console? For me, I just don’t want the thing to require an internet connection in order to play games.
[Source: TechnoBuffalo]
Although SimCity has become relatively stable following its problematic launch, there are naturally still ongoing bugs that the folks at EA Maxis have been working to fix. Thankfully, that version 2.0 update that was teased just over a week ago now has an arrival date of April 22 at 4PM ET. Included in the update are 26 bug fixes, along with data map color filters, a color-correct HUD for the colorblind setting and the action of mayors traveling from their mansions to their jobs. Sadly, an offline mode is still no more than wishful thinking, but at least that OS X version should still be on track for a June 11th release. You'll find all the details about your virtual city's soon-to-arrive enhancements at the source link -- expect some server downtime, by the way, when the update itself hits.
[Source: Engadget]
New graphics cards from Nvidia could be set for a summer debut.
Summer is just around the corner, and with it is the Computex computer expo in Taipei, Taiwan. Are you wondering what the event will introduce to the computing world? So are we, and word on the web is that Nvidia is planning to launch its next generation desktop GeForce700 Series graphics cards at Computex. In addition to pushing the performance envelope, the GeForce 700 Series is said to be in response to AMD’s aggressive game bundles.
We all know that the main reason to buy a graphics card is to improve game performance (or for design work), but for those on the fence in which direction to go, AMD has been tempting upgraders with its Never Settle software bundles consisting of AAA titles.
According to Fudzilla, Nvidia has seen enough and isn’t about to let AMD wrestle a larger share of the desktop GPU market than it already has. As such, the GeForce 700 Series might even launch ahead of Computex, the news and rumor site reports, though we’re skeptical Nvidia will be quite that ambitious. We’re also reluctant to get our hopes up of a summer release, as previous rumors pegged the launch to take place in 2014 sometime after the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), but we’ll cross our fingers nonetheless.
As for the actual hardware, most assume the GeForce 700 Series will be based on a refreshed version of Nvidia’s 28nm Kepler architecture.
[Source: TechnoBuffalo]
Here's a nice blast from the past: Ubisoft has announced new Prince of Persia game, which is a remake of the second title in the series, made specifically for smartphones and tablets. Prince of Persia: The Shadow and the Flame is being remade as a 2.5D action title -- it seems to feature the same basic levels as the 1993 original, but the graphics are all completely updated, and there are going to be some new gameplay elements as well.
It looks like a lot of fun, as you can see in the trailer below. The game's being developed by Ubisoft Pune, and it'll have either virtual sticks or tap-to-move controls, depending on your choice. The game's also designed to be more accessible, which will be nice for those of us that weren't very good at the games back in 1993. But if you want a challenge, Ubisoft says, there will be timers on all the levels, so you can try to complete them as quickly as possible if you want.
[Source: TUAW]