New Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor Story Trailer Pits Talion Against Sauron's Servants
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment (WBIE) and Monolith Productions has released a new Story Trailer for Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, entitled "Sauron's Servants". The trailer gives a little more insight into the background of protagonist Talion, who was forced to watch as Sauron's servants, The Black Captains, murdered his wife and son. This video is perfectly safe to watch even if you've avoided learning the identity of the wraith.
Source: Press Release
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All of Paris is Your Playground in Assassin's Creed Unity
Ubisoft released a new Assassin's Creed Unity trailer for Gamescom today, entitled "Paris Horizon". It takes a decidedly different approach than prior trailers, with no violence to speak of, simply beautiful Parisian backdrops.
Source: Press Release and UbiBlog
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Biostar Hi-Fi Z97Z7 Coming Soon
Biostar is adding to its Hi-Fi line of motherboards with a new board powered by the Intel Z97 chipset, the Hi-Fi Z97Z7. The board features several in-house Biostar technologies including "Hi-Fi technology, Golden Plated Audio Connectors, 8 Phase Power Design and Super Conductive Heat sinks." It also includes all of the connectors you could possibly need including 4K HDMI, USB 3.0, DVI, and Gigabit LAN.
Source: Press Release
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Super Talent Announces M.2 Form Factor SSD
The latest additions to the Super Talent next generation form factor (NGFF) solid state drives use the M.2 connector. The drives are targeted at embedded and mobile applications that require "internally mounted high performance" storage. The NGFF DX1 is capable of read and write speeds up to 480MB/s and 400MB/s, respectively. VP of Engineering Shimon Chen described the drives saying, "Super Talent's NGFF SSDs are used extensively in today's rapidly expanding ultra-lightweight computing sector. The small form factor and high performance speeds make them a highly sought after storage solution for mobile computing."
Source: Press Release
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Hideo Kojima, Guillermo del Toro, and Norman Reedus Joining Forces for New Silent Hill Game
Earlier today, Sony released a PlayStation 4 demo for a horror game simply called P.T., calling it an "interactive teaser." Well it turns out that the demo wasn't actually for some game called P.T., but rather a new Silent Hill. The reveal occurs at the end of the demo, if you can survive that long. Twitch user SoapyWarpig streamed the demo, with the reveal coming around the 1:16:00 mark. The end of the demo shows a character walking through the streets of an abandoned city before cutting away to reveal the names of Hideo Kojima and Guillermo del Toro. After cutting back to the character, he turns around to reveal a near-perfect rendering of The Walking Dead's Norman Reedus, followed by the game name reveal of Silent Hills (yes, with an "s").
Source: Twitch via Polygon
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PlayStation TV Arriving October 14 in North America and November 14 in Europe
Ever since the PlayStation Vita TV was announced for Japan and subsequently released last November, Sony fans in other regions have been eagerly waiting news of its worldwide availability. During Sony's E3 2014 Press Conference, the company finally announced the device for North America and Europe, changing the name to PlayStation TV for those regions. At the time, it was simply given a vague Fall 2014 release date, but during today's Gamescom Conference, Sony finally announced the exact date: PlayStation TV will be launching on October 14 in North America and November 14 in Europe.
The PlayStation TV will support Vita games, PlayStation Now, Remote Play, PS1 classics, and digital PSP games, and will output to 720p, 1080i, or 480p. It will will carry an MSRP of USD$99/€99, but a USD$139 bundle will also be available in North America that includes a DualShock 3 controller, an 8GB memory card, and HDMI cable, and a copy of The LEGO Movie: Videogame. No word on whether that bundle will be available in Europe, but that region's €99 package will apparently come with vouchers for three games: Worms Revolution Extreme, Velocity Ultra, and OlliOlli. It's unclear whether those will be included with the North American versions, but that seems unlikely.
Source: Sony's Gamescom Press Conference via Polygon and Joystiq
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Replacing Graphene with Hemp for Supercapacitors
Many consider graphene to be a wonder material, with its amazing electrical, optical, and mechanical characteristics. For that reason it is being investigated for many uses, including in supercapacitors. As reported by the American Chemical Society, graphene may soon have a serious competitor for supercapacitor electrodes from hemp.
Before we get too far, it is worth stating that it is not hemp, but a cousin of the plant that can be turned into a drug. The researchers decided to investigate hemp bast fibers, from the inner bark of the plant, to see if they could be processed into a form of carbon similar to graphene. Graphene already makes an ideal electrode for supercapacitors, but is expensive to make. A hemp-based alternative would be less expensive, especially bast as it is typically discarded by the industries that use hemp to manufacture products. What the researchers found is that if the fibers were heated to over 350 ºF and then heat with more intense heat, what material was left would exfoliate useable carbon nanosheets.
When the researchers tested the electrodes with an ionic liquid electrolyte, they found that they can match and even surpass graphene electrodes. It already supplied two to three times the energy density of modern supercapacitors at 12 Watt-hours per kilogram, and has an operating temperature range from freezing to 200 ºF.
Source: American Chemical Society
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New Screenshots Emerge for Gorgeous 2.5D Platformer Ori and the Blind Forest
Unveiled during Microsoft's E3 2014 Press Conference, Ori and the Blind Forest is a 2.5D Metroidvania platformer with absolutely gorgeous visuals. Players control the titular Ori, a white guardian spirit, who needs to explore the forest and find his adoptive mother who was captured by an evil owl, Kuro. Though Ori can merely run and jump, you eventually come across this blue orb named Sein who can attack enemies. As you'd expect from the Metroidvania sub-genre, the game features an explorable, open world and new abilities to acquire along the way for both Ori and Sein. Developer Moon Studios says Ori has weighty platforming like Super Meat Boy and Mario, art like Rayman and Child of Light, and story like The Iron Giant and The Lion King. Some huge sources of inspiration indeed.
So why am I bringing it up now? Developer Moon Studios has released some new screenshots for Gamescom, which can be seen below. No new trailer (yet?), so here's the E3 Debut Trailer:
Source: Press Release
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New Mechanics, RPG Elements, and More Coming to Space Hulk in Standalone Space Hulk: Ascension ...
Danish indie studio Full Control has announced a new standalone edition of Space Hulk, entitled Space Hulk: Ascension. Ascension will take the foundation laid out in 2013's Space Hulk and add in RPG elements, Genestealer variations, new mechanics, new weaponry, and a new Space Marine chapter. The game will feature over 100 missions spread across three campaigns, along with all new flash missions – "opportunistic mini-missions encountered as you explore the deep unknowns of the Space Hulk that can yield a tactical advantage or be a deadly trap."
Source: Press Release
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Microsoft Announces Three New Xbox One Bundles Launching This Fall
Microsoft dropped a bombshell at its Gamescom Conference when it announced Rise of the Tomb Raider as an Xbox One exclusive, angering many gamers. But on the bright side, if you're thinking of making the jump to the console, there will be three new Xbox One bundles to choose from, depending on your region, all available for pre-order starting today.
First up is the Xbox One Limited Edition "Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare" Bundle, launching November 3 for $499/£429.99/€499.99 at select retailers. It features a massive 1TB hard drive (the biggest ever in a console) and a custom console, controller and Limited Edition exoskeleton, as well as a digital copy of the Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Day Zero Edition. The Day Zero Edition features early access to the game a day early with Double XP that day, two bonus weapons (AK-12G Assault Rifle and CROSSBOW-B2), and the Advanced Arsenal pack (Bullet Brass Exoskeleton and EM1 Quantum directed energy weapon).
The second bundle is the Xbox One Special Edition "Sunset Overdrive" Bundle, launching October 28 for $399/£349.99/€399.99 at select retailers. It features a "sleek white" console and wireless controller, and a digital copy of Sunset Overdrive with all Day One Edition in-game content, including the Nothin' but the Hits gun, a custom Fizzie outfit, and the Hardcore! Hammer.
Lastly is the "FIFA15" Bundle, launching September 25 exclusively in Europe for £349.99/€399.99. It includes the console and controller, a 14-day Live trial, HDMI cable, Chat Headset, a digital token for FIFA 15, and an Ultimate Team Legends Gold Pack. "Ultimate Team Legends are available only on Xbox, and the Legends Gold Pack offers an increased chance in finding an ultra-rare Legendary player for your Ultimate Team." An Xbox 360 FIFA 15 bundle will also launch in Europe the same day.
Source: Press Release and Insomniac Games
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3D Brain Tissue Model Created
Even though everybody has a brain (though we may not all use them) it is one of the least understood organs to the human body. We simply do not know how it responds to many stimuli and finding out is not easy to do in a living person. Researchers at Tufts University have recently created a 3D model of brain tissue that could possibly be used for the very research it is hard or impossible to do safely.
The model is a modular design comprised of a scaffold of cast silk protein, a collagen gel matrix, and cortical neurons from rats. The silk began as disks that had a hole punched in them to form a doughnut, and then neurons were seeded into each doughnut before being stacked to resemble the layers of the neocortex. The assembly was then immersed in the collagen gel, which allowed axons to connect the neurons between the layers. The resulting model had the structural support for the network connectivity needed for brain activity and was viable for an impressive nine weeks.
One of the tests the researchers put the model through was dropping a weight on it. The model reacted to the trauma similar to how actual brain cells do, by releasing a neurotransmitter associated with brain damage and even electrical hyperactivity, like what is observed in brain cells after trauma.
Source: Tufts University
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Rise of the Tomb Raider Unveiled as an Xbox One Exclusive
Say it isn't so! During Microsoft's Gamescom Conference, the company dropped the bombshell that Rise of the Tomb Raider, coming Holiday 2015, is an Xbox One exclusive. Yes, Tomb Raider, a franchise that got its start on PC and the original PlayStation; a franchise that, when Crystal Dynamics took over development duties in 2006, was multi-platform (some games even appearing on Nintendo consoles); a franchise that was rebooted last year on PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 along with ports to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Yet somehow, this long-standing, third-party franchise that has always been multi-platform is now an exclusive to a single console? In a blog post to the "Tomb Raider Community", Darrell Gallagher, Crystal Dynamics Head of Studios, confirmed the news:
So one has to wonder how much Microsoft paid for this exclusivity. Publisher Square Enix was initially disappointed with the sales performance of the 2013 Tomb Raider before it finally became profitable after almost ten months. Then in March of this year, a year after release, Crystal Dynamics reported that the Tomb Raider reboot was on course to become the best-selling game in the history of the franchise, surpassing six million units sold. What's Square Enix going to think when sales of the sequel are undoubtedly far less? Very odd decision indeed.Tomb Raider in 2013 was a success due in large part to your continued support. Our goal has always been to deliver something truly special with Rise of the Tomb Raider. Today’s announcement with Microsoft is one step to help us put Tomb Raider on top of action adventure gaming. Our friends at Microsoft have always seen huge potential in Tomb Raider and have believed in our vision since our first unveil with them on their stage at E3 2011. We know they will get behind this game more than any support we have had from them in the past - we believe this will be a step to really forging the Tomb Raider brand as one of the biggest in gaming, with the help, belief and backing of a major partner like Microsoft.
Unsurprisingly, this announcement is not sitting well with fans. Gallagher acts like having Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris on PC and PlayStation 4 shows that the studio isn't walking away from those consoles; but as fun as that game looks, it shares nothing with the Tomb Raider games other than a protagonist. And now the question is, will this Tomb Raider exclusivity announcement actually affect sales of the Lara Croft game? Why should angered PC and PS4 fans give Square Enix their money? Odds are that Rise of the Tomb Raider is merely a timed exclusive, but that's never actually stated; nor would that appease irate fans even if it was. I'd tell Square Enix, Crystal Dynamics, and Microsoft to prepare for the shitstorm that's about to ensue...but it's already begun.
Source: Press Release and Tomb Raider Blog
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Improving Power Electronics
Power bricks are part of the reality of many electronics, from game consoles to mobile devices, and they can come in many shapes and sizes. All serve a similar function though of converting power in one form to another, such as from AC to DC. This conversion process is not always simple and can actually cost energy, which is why researchers at MIT have been developing systems to improve the efficiency of power electronics.
One of the ways the researchers are working to improve performance is to increase the switching frequency of the devices. A higher frequency means less power needs to be buffered in capacitors, reducing their size and heat, and enables easier redirection of the energy, because it is working with less energy. The researchers built a prototype LED driver that uses higher frequencies and ceramic capacitors, instead of the more common electrolytic capacitors, and found it could also push a power density five to ten times more than current systems.
The researchers are also looking at ways to improve power systems at server farms. Currently the power coming in has to go through many stages before reaching the servers. By reducing the steps, such as making it all DC without converting to AC at any point, the efficiency could be increased, and potentially the system's ability to adapt to use.
Source: MIT
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