Darksiders 4-Years Later Review
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Ubisoft Releases a Behind-the-Scenes Video for Child of Light
Earlier in the month, Ubisoft released a co-op trailer for its 2D side-scrolling RPG Child of Light. Today, the company released a behind-the-scenes video entitled "The Making of Child of Light | Part 1", which describes the game and what went into its development. Along with providing some insight into the game, the video also shows off some gameplay, from platforming puzzles, to an underwater environment, to the turn-based battle system. It's well worth the watch for anyone interested in Child of Light, which writer Jeffrey Yohalem describes as a "playable poem."
Source: Ubisoft Blog
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NVIDIA Shows Off GameWorks 2014 at Game Developers Conference
NVIDIA first announced the GameWorks technology last year and is now demonstrating it at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco. For those unfamiliar, "NVIDIA GameWorks is a collection of technologies and tools that include visual and physical simulation software, development kits, debuggers, algorithms, engines, and libraries that can already be found in some of the industry’s top selling games." PhysX and VisualFX are two well known components of the GameWorks collection. The newest update to GameWorks is being used in the development of several upcoming games including Daylight from Zombie Studios and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt from CD Projekt RED.
Source: NVIDIA
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Unity 5 Officially Announced, with Plenty of New Features and Improvements
Unity Technologies has officially announced Unity 5 at GDC today, to be released later this year. Unity 5 will contain a slew of new features, along with upgrades and optimizations to existing ones. Some of the major changes include the move to a 64-bit editor, a new multi-threaded job system, real-time global illumination via Enlighten, physically based shading, an upgrade to NVIDIA PhysX 3.3, a complete audio overhaul, early access to a WebGL add-on, and a new GUI system. Unity 5 will also bring with it the launch Unity Cloud, which allows mobile developers to utilize ads, cross-promotions, and more without the need for third-party SDK. All these features and many more are shown in the Unity 5 Feature Preview video below:
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New Quantum Cryptography System for Securely Sharing Information
Information is an ever growing asset with ever growing value, but just as it becomes more powerful our means of securing information must also grow stronger. Security systems that take advantage of quantum mechanics could be the technologies of choice in the future. Now researchers at the Center for Quantum Technology at the National University of Singapore have devised a new way to secure information that could one day be deployed in our devices.
It is not uncommon for someone to provide information, such as a pin number to a system for verification. Ideally you can trust the system, but sometimes you cannot and this is where the new system can help. It works by creating pairs of photons at one point, called Alice, and having Alice measure half of each pair. Alice then sends the other photons to the other point, called Bob, which then measures the photons. Bob then chooses which photons he wants more information about without revealing his picks to Alice. At this point both Alice and Bob wait a sufficient period of time that any quantum information they may have stored will have decayed. Now Alice can send Bob the information he wants and they can both process the data they have to arrive at information they want. This protocol is known as a 1-2 Random Oblivious Transfer (ROT) as neither party knows about the data the other has.
For their experiments, the researchers performed a random oblivious transfer of 1366 bits and it all finished in about three minutes. While that was done with optics covering a large area, it could potentially be integrated into microchips and allow us to walk around with quantum security devices in our pockets.
Source: Center for Quantum Technologies at the National University of Singapore
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Google Announces Android Wear, Starting with Watches
Google is constantly looking at ways to expand its mobile technology, such as Project Ara. This time around, Google seems poised to enter the wearables market with a project it's calling Android Wear. The project starts with watches, and they not only tell time, but work with a multitude of Android apps to keep you connected to the world at large. They can display text messages, check on status updates, do a bit of shopping, and, since this is a wearable device, keep track of your health and fitness. You can also talk to your watch to get information; simply say "OK Google" to check on recipes, see the latest sports scores, and plenty more, just like any other Android device.
Source: Google Blog
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Max: The Curse of Brotherhood Arriving This April on PC and Xbox 360
Press Play's 2.5D side-scroller Max: The Curse of Brotherhood has been available for Xbox One since December, but the Danish indie studio has finally announced the game's Xbox 360 and PC release dates. Max will launch on April 9 for Xbox 360, and April 15 for PC via Steam. Both versions are priced at $14.99 / €14.99 / £11.99.
Max: The Curse of Brotherhood is a sequel/reboot of 2010's Max & the Magic Marker, and features the titular Max armed once again with the Magic Marker. Max must travel across twenty levels set in seven unique worlds, equipped with five magical powers, on a quest to free his younger brother, Felix.
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New Optical Switch Breaks Records and Barriers
Electronics have been serving us well for decades, but their time is limited as the technology approaches barriers that it simply will not be able to overcome. Among the possible replacement technologies are photonics that will wield light particles like how electronics use electrons. Researchers at Vanderbilt University, the University of Alabama, Birmingham, and Los Alamos National Laboratory have recently built an optical switch that could bring photonics much closer to reality.
Optical switches have been produced before and typically can switch on and off billions of times a second. The new switch though operates a thousand times faster at terahertz speeds. They are also smaller than previous switches at just 200 nm in diameter. The researchers achieved this by using vanadium dioxide, which is a curious material that can switch between an opaque metallic phase and transparent semiconductor phase trillions of times a second. This switching is being triggered with electrons instead of lasers, as has been done in the past, and this change has had the result of reducing energy requirements.
Just as the smaller size and greater speed can help bring this technology to us sooner, so too can the facts that it is compatible with current integrated circuit technology and that it can work with visible and near-infrared light. These parts of the spectrum are ideal for applications in telecommunications.
Source: Vanderbilt University
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Walmart Announces Used Video Games Trade-in Service
Beginning March 26, Walmart will allow shoppers to trade in used video games across its 3,100 stores in exchange for credit that can be used to purchase anything at Walmart and Sam's Club, in-store and online. According to Duncan Mac Naughton, chief merchandising and marketing officer for Walmart U.S., "Gaming continues to be an important business for us and we're actively taking aim at the $2 billion pre-owned videogame opportunity. When we disrupt markets and compete, our customer wins. They'll save money on video games and have the flexibility to spend it however they want."
Walmart's trade-in program is fairly straightforward: customers bring their used game, in the original packaging, to the electronics department; associates scan the UPC code and evaluate the game for any obvious damage; and then the customer is provided with a trade-in value, which if accepted, is available for immediate use. Walmart already has a trade-in program for electronics like tablets and smartphones, so video games is just another addition.
Source: Walmart
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Say Goodbye to Diablo III's Auction House
There were a lot of reasons to dislike Diablo III at launch, but one of the major ones is finally gone – the auction house. With Diablo III's first expansion pack, Reaper of Souls, arriving March 25, Blizzard decided to remove the gold and real-money auction houses a week in advance. Players have until June 24, 2014 to claim all gold and items from the Completed tab in both auction houses before the auction house window goes away for good.
Source: Diablo III Blog
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Deus Ex: The Fall Now Available on Steam
Originally scheduled to arrive on March 25, Square Enix has apparently decided to launch the PC version of Deus Ex: The Fall a week early. With a whole slew of new options, optimizations, and Steam features, the PC version should easily have the well-received mobile versions beat. The PC Launch Trailer touches upon many of the changes to the game, and you can view some screenshots below as well. At just $9.99 USD, it's hard to pass up for any Deus Ex fan who didn't play the mobile version.
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Corsair Announces Carbide Series SPEC Gaming Cases
Corsair, which is a leading developer and supplier of high-performance PC components, has officially announced its new line of gaming chassis known as the Carbide Series SPEC. The new gaming cases show off aggressive styling, expandability, and superior air cooling. Corsair has ensured that the cases provide gamers with the resources and technology that they need, while eliminating the unnecessary. The Carbide Series SPEC gaming cases, which come in three models known as SPEC-01, SPEC-02, and SPEC-03, offer native SSD support, cable-routing options, USB 3.0, and a large side panel window. All three models also include removable dust filters, tool-free drive bays, and seven expansion slots. Reliability should not be an issue for the case, or the components included with it, as Corsair is providing customers with a limited two year warranty for its Carbide Series SPEC gaming cases.
The Corsair Carbide Series SPEC gaming cases can be purchased in April from authorized distributors and resellers. The SPEC-01, SPEC-02, and SPEC-03 will MSRP for $49.99, $59.99, and $59.99, respectfully.
Source: Press Release
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Cooler Master Extends Warranty of Nepton CPU Coolers
Cooler Master, which is a leader in computer chassis, power supplies, and CPU coolers, has announced that it is expanding the warranty on its Nepton series CPU coolers. The Nepton series is focused on providing efficient cooling of CPUs by using an exclusive watercooling design by Cooler Master. The initial warranty for the Nepton 140XL and Nepton 280L was two years from purchase, but the warranty period has now grown to five years from the date of purchase. This extension of warranty provides the same regionally located support from Cooler Master, and goes to show how much confidence the company has in its products, specifically its Nepton series CPU coolers.
Source: TechPowerUp
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Google Play Games Receives New Features
Google has added some new features to its Google Play Games platform, though some will not be available for a few weeks as the update makes its way to Android devices. One of the main updates to Google Play Games is the ability for developers to now add in cross-platform multiplayer for real-time and turn-based games. This will allow users across different mobile platforms, Android and iOS specifically, to play games with each other. The Google Play Developer Console is also receiving a refresh, with enhanced statistics and integrated C++ tools in order to support achievements and leaderboards. Gifting in-game items will soon be a possibility once the update rolls out as well. Players of mobile games will be able to gift in-game items to individuals in their Google+ circles, or to any user that they can find through searching by name.
Source: Greenbot
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Amazon Reportedly Working on Streaming Stick
It seems that Amazon is having a difficult time staying away from media outlets, as reports about a set top box, Android game console, video game controller, and increased Prime subscription costs have been all the rage lately. Now, Amazon is in the news once again, with reports that the company is working on a streaming stick of its own. The streaming media device will make use of an HDMI connection and stream content from multiple sources such as Amazon Instant Video, Hulu Plus, and Netflix, which is similar to the Roku and Chromecast. It has also been reported that the streaming stick by Amazon will be able to stream games through its own servers that it controls around the world. The possibility is real, as Amazon already provides the Amazon AppStream service through its Amazon Web Services offering, which allows applications and games that are resource intensive to be accessed with very low latency from the cloud.
Could all of the rumors surrounding Amazon simply support one device that has yet to be released? Time will tell, but since Amazon has not officially announced the streaming stick that supports Amazon Instant Video, speculations are bound to continue.
Source: TechHive
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