rss:9d9437cc2bdadfdb0c2a6594385b5cf5548bd329 rss_modified:rss:9d9437cc2bdadfdb0c2a6594385b5cf5548bd329 http://www.gamespot.com/mashup/ Gamespot's Everything Feed! News, Reviews, Videos. Exploding with content? You bet. en-us Sat, 02 Aug 2014 08:40:59 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/when-you-re-looking-at-oculus-rift-dk2-s-virtual-r/1100-6421452/
The Oculus Rift Development Kit 2 virtual reality headset uses a Samsung Galaxy Note 3 for its display, iFixit's teardown of the device finds.
The display, which strangely enough still has its touchscreen control capability intact, is a 5.7-inch super AMOLED display, with a 960 x 1080 resolution for each eye. Oculus says it's capable of a 75 Hz refresh rate, meaning its overclocking it from the display's original 60 Hz refresh rate.
Oculus using a Samsung display in its new development kit supports recent reports about a partnership between the two companies. According to the report, the partnership will give Samsung early access to Oculus' mobile software development kit, while Oculus will get early access to Samsung's next generation OLED screen with a resolution higher than 1080p.
Samsung is also said to be working on its own virtual reality device that will be announced later this year. Supposedly, it doesn't use a dedicated display. Instead, you just slide your phone into a headset with built-in movements sensors, and use the phone's screen as a display.
That seemed like a strange idea at the time, but seems far more likely given Oculus Rift DK2's Samsung display, and Google's Cardboard app, which can transform a smartphone into a virtual reality headset with a crude cardboard enclosure and lenses.
]]> 1100-6421452Sat, 02 Aug 2014 06:49:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/playstation-now-beta-prices-and-structure-what-nee/1100-6421450/The beta test for Sony's PlayStation Now service opened to the public this week, and PlayStation 4 owners now have access to dozens of PlayStation 3 games. For a few dollars, players can try out one of the games instantly without the need to download. You can choose to rent a game for a number of different time periods, from four hours to 90 days.
As a service, it seems to work well besides a few latency issues, but we've noticed that some of the current prices are very high. For example, you can buy many of the games outright for less than it costs to rent them for a week.
However, Sony has noted that this is a beta test and the service will continue to change. "We are listening to our customers, and if customers want to see features or functions as part of PlayStation Now, they should feel free to let us know," the company said. What, then, is necessary to make PlayStation Now worth it? We asked several GameSpot editors to share their thoughts.
Let Us Buy the Full Game for a Discounted Price After Renting It -- Chris Pereira
Beyond the obvious--having to pay more to rent a game than to buy it is dumb, beta or not--what I find most objectionable is the prospect of paying $7 for four hours of play. That's absurd, and paying $2-$3 for what amounts to a demo isn't much better. We need a subscription option. For now, seven days at $4-$7 is a reasonable value. That equals $1 or less per day, which feels almost astoundingly fair considering it's $50 for 90 days of F1 2013 or $20 for 30 days of Dirt 3.
What Now needs besides a subscription are discounted, full-game downloads. Sony has boasted about cloud saves letting you carry your save from a short rental to a long-term one (as if spending $5 and then $30 for Darksiders II is a great deal), but it should be trying to convert rentals into purchases. That's contrary to what seems like a trend toward services that take ownership out of our hands, but it would be a smart use of Now.
Make It Like Netflix -- Eddie Makuch
PlayStation Now rental prices, as they currently stand, are completely out of whack. Why would I spend $5 to play Metal Gear Solid 4 for four hours when I could buy it for $7 and play forever?
At the moment, I'm not likely to adopt or recommend Sony's streaming service anytime soon. I want to try it and I certainly plan to, but I don't anticipate being a regular PlayStation Now user until prices come down or Sony introduces a Netflix-style program.
We know a subscription option is coming; Sony has said as much. But it remains to be seen how much this pass will cost and if we'll be able to share our subscription with family members like you can on Netflix. That would be a compelling value-add feature that I think would be well-received. If Sony were to add original PlayStation or PlayStation 2 titles to the library, that is something I would get excited about as well. PlayStation Now is breaking new ground for Sony and for the industry itself. Some level of growing pains are to be expected, but in its current form, pricing leaves much to be desired.
PlayStation Plus Already Does Everything -- Shaun McInnis
To me, the biggest problem with PlayStation Now is PlayStation Plus. Every month, like Santa Claus working a year-round shift, Plus delivers a free batch of games for me to enjoy. Sometimes, those are games I've already played. But most often, they're either brand-new, or they're games that I never really considered when they first came out and now I can try them out at no risk because, hey, they're free!
"I already have that low-risk counterpart to my regular purchases of full-priced games. Why bother with streaming rentals?"
To me, that's similar to the value proposition that PlayStation Now offers: a low-risk alternative to purchasing a game outright. After all, the benefit of plunking down a few bucks for a four-hour rental is that you're able to get a taste for the thing before you fully commit to it. But with Plus, I already get a pretty great selection of free titles for nothing more than the cost of an annual subscription. So I already have that low-risk counterpart to my regular purchases of full-priced games. Why bother with streaming rentals?
Maybe I'd think differently if I didn't have a Plus subscription, but Plus is a great value and Now... well, I don't know about you, but I'm probably not going to pay $50 to rent F1 2013 for 90 days any time soon.
Why Isn't PS Now a Part of PS Plus? -- Alex Newhouse
What PS Now desperately needs is some correspondence with PS Plus. As Shaun argued, Plus is such a good deal that it makes Now feel outright unfriendly toward the consumer, even if it's a good service. The PlayStation brand is fragmented between two competing services that both aim to deliver good games quickly and cheaply. If I'm already a Plus subscriber and am getting at least two new PS3 games per month, why would I ever try out Now?
Sony should instead create a Now option heavily subsidized for existing Plus subscribers. It wouldn't be hard to add an $80 Plus tier that gives you PS Now perks. It doesn't even have to be unlimited Now access. It could simply give subscribers a certain amount of rental time to distribute among the games of their choice.
The individual rental prices can stay if they're significantly reduced, but Sony needs to work to entice its core audience. If these players get Now rentals included in their Plus subscription, that will feel more like a good deal. That'll also make Now seem more like a legitimate solution for backwards compatibility. Additionally, it will encourage Plus subscribers to try out the service and spread the word.
At the moment, PS Plus and PS Now reflect two wildly different business philosophies. For PS Now to be successful, it has to shift to be more consumer-friendly. Hopefully, as PS Now moves closer to a full release, we will see it merge in some way with PS Plus.
Be Bold With Your Prices, Sony, Don't Be a Dick -- Justin Haywald
When I think about the value I get from PlayStation Plus, the pricing for PlayStation Now seems absolutely baffling. With Plus, I feel like I come out ahead--I can access some great games (often games I was considering buying anyway), and the discounted price that I get for buying my Plus subscription on Black Friday makes the deal even better.
"Be bold, Sony. Charge $5 for a week-long game rental, or offer a subscription for Plus subscribers that's a flat $5/month for unlimited access."
But with rentals in Now broken out into four distinct time categories, prices that run as high as $49.99, and no way to access digital games you've purchased previously on PSN, Now feels like a greedy system solely designed to take your money. I know that PS Plus, along with Netflix and Steam Sales, are also organized just to make more money for companies, but I at least feel like I'm getting the better deal in those cases.
Sony says that it lets publishers set their own prices for this sort of content, but it's a place where Sony needs to step in and own its own service. Looking at the prices now, it feels like the company did market research during which it determined the max amount that people would spend on titles based on genre and time since release, then passed those numbers on to the publishers. But Sony needs to be like iTunes when that company pushed the boundaries of digital music with flat $1 song downloads and $10 for an album.
Be bold, Sony. Charge $5 for a week-long game rental, or offer a subscription for Plus subscribers that's a flat $5/month for unlimited access. That would make it the same price as EA Access, which, although it offers fewer games, isn't limited by streaming tech or restricted to last-gen titles.
If the future of "backwards compatibility" is renting games that I stream to my console at a premium price, I'm going to stick with shopping for bargains on Steam and just downloading my monthly free Plus games.
How would you change PS Now? Let us know in the comments!
]]> 1100-6421450Sat, 02 Aug 2014 06:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/destiny-beta-players-completed-88-million-missions/1100-6421451/This week, Bungie announced that 4.6 million people had played the Destiny beta, making it the biggest beta test for a new IP on a console. Today, the developer published on its website even more statistics that further reveal the size of the beta.
Destiny players completed 88 million missions and matches throughout the beta. To compare, only 6.5 million games were played during Destiny's alpha test in June. You can check out a breakdown of Bungie's measurements below.
General beta stats:
- 4,638,937 unique players
- 853,235 maximum concurrent players
- 6,500,000 Guardians created
- 966,163 players used the companion app
- 88,384,720 games played
- 182,555,165 orbs of light generated
- 20 percent of player time was spent in the Tower hub world
Story, Strike, and Exploration mission stats:
- 3,704,508,840 kills
- 164,413,177 deaths
- 57,871,777 activities played
- 97 percent of activities completed
- 12,292,159 public events joined
- 97 percent of public events completed
- 61,919,895 Guardians revived
- 22.53 community kill/death ratio
The Crucible competitive multiplayer stats:
- 30,512,943 activities played
- 350,001,062 kills
- 123,650,016 zones captured
- 167,380,061 primary weapon kills
- 54,675,685 special weapon kills
- 14,813,794 heavy weapon kills
- 544,847 vehicle splatters
- 1,010,401 people participated in Iron Banner events
We played a lot of the beta and you can read about some of our concerns about the game here. You can also check out all of our beta coverage here. Destiny launches on September 9 for Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation 4, but it's not known yet if your beta progress transfers to the full game.
What did you think of the beta? Let us know in the comments!
| Alex Newhouse is an editorial intern at GameSpot, and you can follow him on Twitter @alexbnewhouse |
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| Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email news@gamespot.com |
As creator Dong Nguyen promised, Flappy Bird has returned. A new version of the massively popular mobile game is now available on Amazon Fire TV, presumably before a wider release for iOS and Android devices.
The new version of Flappy Bird is called Flappy Birds Family. It includes new features like a Person vs. Person mode and, as if the standard green pipes weren't challenging enough, additional obstacles (ghosts) to avoid. The game is still "very hard," according to the description.
Flappy Birds Family is compatible with Amazon's proprietary video game controller and the Fire TV remote.
When Nguyen announced in May that Flappy Bird would return, he said the new version would be "less addictive." One of the first reviews for Flappy Bird Family says this goal has been met. "This version is not as addictive as the original, and for that I am thankful!" wrote one reviewer.
Nguyen removed the game from iTunes and Google Play in February after writing on Twitter: "I cannot take this anymore." The decision to pull the game was a serious one, as the title was pulling in an average of $50,000 in daily ad revenue.
]]> 1100-6421449Fri, 01 Aug 2014 13:19:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ea-gives-the-sims-4-players-special-items-for-owni/1100-6421448/Sims fans who plan on picking up The Sims 4 will be entitled to a variety of special in-game rewards, provided they own The Sims 3 or its expansions.
The newly announced Sims 4 Rewards program will give you one in-game item per Sims 3 expansion you own, as well as one for the base game itself. Each of these items is a different-colored lamp in the shape of the Sims logo that will "affect your Sims' emotions and personalities in a unique way."
There were 11 expansion packs released for The Sims 3, meaning there are 12 lamps to collect in all. Should you be enough of a fanatic to own the full dozen--I, myself, will have to make do with two measly lamps--you'll get a bonus reward in the form of the "Ultimate Freezer Bunny award."
To receive your rewards, you need to have either purchased the game or expansion through Origin, or registered it through the official website. Once you've done so, visit the rewards page and the corresponding items will unlock so that they are available in the Build Mode catalog in The Sims 4. You have until December 31, 2015 to claim your rewards.
Sims' emotions are a point of emphasis in The Sims 4. The focus on this aspect of the game is one of the reasons cited for the lack of toddlers and pools, which have been a major point of criticism among fans. Further fueling complaints from fans is the prospect of a Battlefield Premium-esque service that EA may plan on offering.
The Sims 4 is scheduled for release on September 2. EA recently announced its system requirements, which you can view here.
| Chris Pereira is a freelance writer for GameSpot, and you can follow him on Twitter @TheSmokingManX |
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| Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email news@gamespot.com |
Modern first-person shooter games like Call of Duty and Battlefield have conditioned players to expect elements like leveling, classes, and cover systems. But one upcoming FPS has none of those features, and its developer--German studio Reakktor--says the game is better off for it.
Toxikk is a PC title built using Epic Games' Unreal Engine. The game is designed to return the arena FPS genre to its roots, which means no leveling, no regenerating health, no perks, no cover systems, no classes, no configurable weapons, and no iron-sight aiming. "Toxikk plays as if today's military shooters never existed," its developers say.
Instead, players will find that Toxikk allows for "fast and precise movement," thanks to "deeply configurable" mouse controls. You can also perform double-jumps and dodge-jumps. In addition, players can pick up various performance boosters in the game to supplement your arsenal of weapons. There are nine unique guns in all, and you can carry them all simultaneously. In addition, every weapon has a secondary fire mode.
When you die in Toxikk (and it sounds like that will happen often), you will respawn with a melee weapon and basic pistol, nothing more. You'll need to find other weapons on the battlefield. Though there is character customization, it is cosmetic in nature only, Reakktor says. This is part of ensuring that "all players are equal."
There is an XP system in Toxikk, but this system, and the ranks associated with it, are used for reputation and matchmaking purposes only. Toxikk will also include an offline bot mode for players who would like to hone their skills before going head-to-head against live opponents on the battlefield.
Toxikk is a paid game, and you can pre-purchase a copy today from Reakktor for $15. Though free-to-play is a rising trend on PC, Reakktor wants nothing to do with this business model.
"We believe that classic arena FPS and free-to-play don't go well together," Reakktor says. "A true arena FPS requires all player characters to have equal stats and the availability of all weapons to everyone. Always! The skill of a player should be the only deciding factor about victory or defeat. Allowing players to buy different (i.e. better) weapons or to permanently boost their stats does totally contradict the idea of classic arena FPS gaming in our opinion."
Toxikk will have two kinds of maps: Classic Maps and Massive Maps. Classic Maps will feature fast-paced gameplay and are described as medium-sized environments for up to eight players. Massive Maps, on the other hand, will require more strategic gameplay on larger-sized locales for up to 16 players. There will also be various vehicles like gliders and hoverbikes exclusively on Massive Maps.
Another component of Toxikk will be user-generated content. All players can apply for a free software development kit (SDK) that will allow them to build their own maps, characters, and skins for the game. Reakktor will eventually launch a "hub" for users to submit their own content, which can then be voted on. All user-generated content will be offered for free.
"We believe that classic arena FPS and free-to-play don't go well together" -- Reakktor
Could Toxikk come to consoles some day? Reakktor hasn't ruled it out, but it doesn't sound likely. "We believe that shooters are meant to be played with mouse and keyboard," the developer said. "That's why Toxikk is exclusively designed for PC. At this point, we do not intend to port the game to any other platform."
Reakktor is launching Toxikk all on its own, without a publisher. According to Reakktor, that means it does not have access to a marketing team to help promote the game. The developer hopes that fans will spread the word about Toxikk to make the game a success.
Reakktor says the core experience for Toxikk is "pretty much finished," and the studio is now working on more multiplayer maps and fine-tuning player movement within the game. The developer is also looking for fan feedback, and encourages you to submit your ideas and opinions through the game's official forums, where you can talk directly to developers.
Toxikk is in development exclusively for PC and should launch on Steam as an Early Access title later this year.
]]> 1100-6421447Fri, 01 Aug 2014 12:46:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/the-point-doom-3-is-ten-years-old/2300-6420592/ 2300-6420592Fri, 01 Aug 2014 12:46:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/do-you-hear-games-sounds-after-youre-done-playing-/1100-6421446/
Sometimes after a long session of playing a video game, some people will continue to hear the game's sounds in their minds. According to a new study, this can be an actual psychological effect of playing games, and it's called a "Game Transfer Phenomenon."
Previous studies have found other Game Transfer Phenomena that manifest themselves in visual responses, such as Tetris players continuing to see blocks falling even after they close their eyes. This research, conducted by Nottingham Trent University's International Gaming Research Unit, is the first such study to determine a link between video games and auditory responses.
As reported by The Guardian, researcher Angelica Ortiz De Gortari explains that players heard many different sounds from games after they were done playing them. "There were lots of examples of players hearing the game music, in the same way as you continue to hear music in your head when you've stopped listening," she said. "Some players heard voices, some heard game sounds. Often it happens when you're trying to fall asleep--players would look for their computer or console because they thought they'd left the game on."
There were also other, more unique examples of players hearing sounds, such as a person who heard music from Portal after passing buildings that reminded him of in-game structures. Additionally, according to De Gortari, "There was a gamer who, whenever it was dark, would hear the sound of the crackling radio signal from Silent Hill, warning him that monsters were coming."
It's important to note that this study was conducted on a small group of people and still is in a preliminary stage. The researchers do not know enough yet to explain why this happens, either. And yet, it's still an interesting phenomenon, one that I occasionally experience myself.
Do you ever experience Game Transfer Phenomena? Let us know in the comments!
| Alex Newhouse is an editorial intern at GameSpot, and you can follow him on Twitter @alexbnewhouse |
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| Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email news@gamespot.com |
[UPDATE] GameStop has issued a statement on the matter, saying the initiative was implemented at the request of local authorities and has been in place since the beginning of July.
"It's a process that we've recently implemented (starting in early July) in Philadelphia area stores at the request of the Philadelphia police department," the GameStop representative said. "[It] is a practice we've also put into place in other parts of the U.S., depending on local or statewide second-hand dealer or pawn broker laws. However, at this time we are reviewing the process to determine if it's one which should be continued in Philadelphia."
The original story is below.
Some GameStop stores in Philadelphia are now requiring that people who trade in games provide a fingerprint scan for "certain transactions," CBS Philadelphia reports today based on conversations with the retailer, local government, police, and shoppers.
According to GameStop, it is following a local law that says the retailer is allowed to collect thumbprints. These scans eventually make their way into a database that helps law enforcement nab thieves who seek to use GameStop as a pawn shop of sorts to unload their goods.
Philadelphia city solicitor Shelley Smith says that GameStop is not required to collect the thumbprints to abide by the city's pawnbroker order. "What GameStop does doesn't meet any of the elements of the definition in the code, so the pawnbreaker ordinance doesn't apply to GameStop," she said.
The Philadelphia Police Department, on the other hand, tells CBS Philadelphia that GameStop is being proactive by obtaining customer fingerprints and uploading them to a database known as LeadsOnline.
Still, GameStop shoppers outside of a store in Philadelphia's Center City district are not too pleased about the new policy. "I really don't appreciate it," one person said. "You fingerprinted me like I'm in a police district. No, I'm at a game store." Another shopper said, "I think it's an overreach. It's going too far."
GameStop's fingerprinting initiative is currently only underway in Philadelphia itself, but not the suburbs. We have reached out to GameStop for further clarification about this new policy for Philadelphia and will update this story with anything we hear back.
]]> 1100-6421436Fri, 01 Aug 2014 12:15:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/fifa-15-strives-for-realism-but-rights-issues-resu/1100-6421444/With FIFA 15, EA Sports continues to strive for realism, what with its shirt-pulling and heaving chests. But something it won't be able to create a realistic virtual representation of are the domestic Brazilian soccer leagues.
In a post on the EA Sports blog, the developer announced it would not be including Brazil's domestic leagues and their players in its latest game. This is said to be the result of "some changes in the ways players are licensed," which the company did not detail. It did leave the door open for these leagues and players to return in the future, stating, "[W]e continue to keep the lines of communication open with the Brazilian rights holders."
Even if future negotiations go nowhere, it doesn't mean fans of Brazilian soccer players are completely out of luck. EA Sports has retained the rights for the Brazil National Team (the company scored only six goals on the team in the process) and Brazilian players who play in other leagues around the world. This means you'll still have the opportunity to play as Neymar and company in FIFA 15.
FIFA 15 is scheduled for release on September 23 in North America and September 26 in Europe. Argentina's Lionel Messi is the worldwide cover star, while the North American version also features Clint Dempsey. In recent weeks, EA Sports has been showing the myriad ways in which FIFA 15 is its most realistic soccer game yet, thanks to features like visible breathing and player-specific movement.
| Chris Pereira is a freelance writer for GameSpot, and you can follow him on Twitter @TheSmokingManX |
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| Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email news@gamespot.com |
Two prominent Naughty Dog developers have quit the Uncharted and The Last of Us studio to join Call of Duty developer Infinity Ward. Taylor Kurosaki, a ten-year Naughty Dog veteran who most recently served as narrative design lead at the studio, now works at Infinity Ward as its narrative director for an unspecified project. Joining Kurosaki at Infinity Ward from Naughty Dog is Jacob Minkoff, a former lead game designer, who now works as a design director at the studio.
"Very psyched to share that I've joined the phenomenal team at Infinity Ward as the studio's narrative director," Kurosaki wrote on Twitter. To infinity and beyond!" Meanwhile, Minkoff confirmed his move to Infinity Ward on Twitter and said he's looking forward to being able to play Uncharted 4: A Thief's End as a fan.
You might not know Minkoff by name, but you're likely aware of his work; he designed and developed the epic train sequence in Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. Most recently, he served as lead designer on Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception and The Last of Us.
Infinity Ward created the acclaimed Call of Duty: Modern Warfare series, and most recently released Call of Duty: Ghosts, a new Call of Duty sub-brand, in 2013. Given that the Call of Duty series now on a three-year development cycle, it stands to reason that Infinity Ward's next Call of Duty game will launch in 2016.
Kurosaki and Minkoff aren't the only two high-profile Naughty Dog developers to leave the company this year. The pair's exit from Naughty Dog follows the departures of Uncharted 4: A Thief's End writer Amy Hennig and game director Justin Richmond earlier this year. Naughty Dog veterans Neil Druckmann and Bruce Straley are now co-directing Uncharted 4: A Thief's End.
The move for Kurosaki and Minkoff isn't all that dramatic, at least in terms of where they will physically go to work every day. Naughty Dog (Santa Monica, Calif.) and Infinity Ward (Woodland Hills, Calif.) are separated only by a 25-minute drive.
Tony Hawk and Guitar Hero studio Neversoft was recently folded into Infinity Ward to create a "super-studio."
]]> 1100-6421445Fri, 01 Aug 2014 11:16:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/hyrule-warriors-impa-and-a-naginata-gameplay-trail/2300-6420590/ 2300-6420590Fri, 01 Aug 2014 10:46:00 -0700rss:9d9437cc2bdadfdb0c2a6594385b5cf5548bd329 rss_modified:rss:9d9437cc2bdadfdb0c2a6594385b5cf5548bd329 http://www.gamespot.com/mashup/ Gamespot's Everything Feed! News, Reviews, Videos. Exploding with content? You bet. en-us Sat, 02 Aug 2014 08:40:59 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/when-you-re-looking-at-oculus-rift-dk2-s-virtual-r/1100-6421452/
The Oculus Rift Development Kit 2 virtual reality headset uses a Samsung Galaxy Note 3 for its display, iFixit's teardown of the device finds.
The display, which strangely enough still has its touchscreen control capability intact, is a 5.7-inch super AMOLED display, with a 960 x 1080 resolution for each eye. Oculus says it's capable of a 75 Hz refresh rate, meaning its overclocking it from the display's original 60 Hz refresh rate.
Oculus using a Samsung display in its new development kit supports recent reports about a partnership between the two companies. According to the report, the partnership will give Samsung early access to Oculus' mobile software development kit, while Oculus will get early access to Samsung's next generation OLED screen with a resolution higher than 1080p.
Samsung is also said to be working on its own virtual reality device that will be announced later this year. Supposedly, it doesn't use a dedicated display. Instead, you just slide your phone into a headset with built-in movements sensors, and use the phone's screen as a display.
That seemed like a strange idea at the time, but seems far more likely given Oculus Rift DK2's Samsung display, and Google's Cardboard app, which can transform a smartphone into a virtual reality headset with a crude cardboard enclosure and lenses.
]]> 1100-6421452Sat, 02 Aug 2014 06:49:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/playstation-now-beta-prices-and-structure-what-nee/1100-6421450/The beta test for Sony's PlayStation Now service opened to the public this week, and PlayStation 4 owners now have access to dozens of PlayStation 3 games. For a few dollars, players can try out one of the games instantly without the need to download. You can choose to rent a game for a number of different time periods, from four hours to 90 days.
As a service, it seems to work well besides a few latency issues, but we've noticed that some of the current prices are very high. For example, you can buy many of the games outright for less than it costs to rent them for a week.
However, Sony has noted that this is a beta test and the service will continue to change. "We are listening to our customers, and if customers want to see features or functions as part of PlayStation Now, they should feel free to let us know," the company said. What, then, is necessary to make PlayStation Now worth it? We asked several GameSpot editors to share their thoughts.
Let Us Buy the Full Game for a Discounted Price After Renting It -- Chris Pereira
Beyond the obvious--having to pay more to rent a game than to buy it is dumb, beta or not--what I find most objectionable is the prospect of paying $7 for four hours of play. That's absurd, and paying $2-$3 for what amounts to a demo isn't much better. We need a subscription option. For now, seven days at $4-$7 is a reasonable value. That equals $1 or less per day, which feels almost astoundingly fair considering it's $50 for 90 days of F1 2013 or $20 for 30 days of Dirt 3.
What Now needs besides a subscription are discounted, full-game downloads. Sony has boasted about cloud saves letting you carry your save from a short rental to a long-term one (as if spending $5 and then $30 for Darksiders II is a great deal), but it should be trying to convert rentals into purchases. That's contrary to what seems like a trend toward services that take ownership out of our hands, but it would be a smart use of Now.
Make It Like Netflix -- Eddie Makuch
PlayStation Now rental prices, as they currently stand, are completely out of whack. Why would I spend $5 to play Metal Gear Solid 4 for four hours when I could buy it for $7 and play forever?
At the moment, I'm not likely to adopt or recommend Sony's streaming service anytime soon. I want to try it and I certainly plan to, but I don't anticipate being a regular PlayStation Now user until prices come down or Sony introduces a Netflix-style program.
We know a subscription option is coming; Sony has said as much. But it remains to be seen how much this pass will cost and if we'll be able to share our subscription with family members like you can on Netflix. That would be a compelling value-add feature that I think would be well-received. If Sony were to add original PlayStation or PlayStation 2 titles to the library, that is something I would get excited about as well. PlayStation Now is breaking new ground for Sony and for the industry itself. Some level of growing pains are to be expected, but in its current form, pricing leaves much to be desired.
PlayStation Plus Already Does Everything -- Shaun McInnis
To me, the biggest problem with PlayStation Now is PlayStation Plus. Every month, like Santa Claus working a year-round shift, Plus delivers a free batch of games for me to enjoy. Sometimes, those are games I've already played. But most often, they're either brand-new, or they're games that I never really considered when they first came out and now I can try them out at no risk because, hey, they're free!
"I already have that low-risk counterpart to my regular purchases of full-priced games. Why bother with streaming rentals?"
To me, that's similar to the value proposition that PlayStation Now offers: a low-risk alternative to purchasing a game outright. After all, the benefit of plunking down a few bucks for a four-hour rental is that you're able to get a taste for the thing before you fully commit to it. But with Plus, I already get a pretty great selection of free titles for nothing more than the cost of an annual subscription. So I already have that low-risk counterpart to my regular purchases of full-priced games. Why bother with streaming rentals?
Maybe I'd think differently if I didn't have a Plus subscription, but Plus is a great value and Now... well, I don't know about you, but I'm probably not going to pay $50 to rent F1 2013 for 90 days any time soon.
Why Isn't PS Now a Part of PS Plus? -- Alex Newhouse
What PS Now desperately needs is some correspondence with PS Plus. As Shaun argued, Plus is such a good deal that it makes Now feel outright unfriendly toward the consumer, even if it's a good service. The PlayStation brand is fragmented between two competing services that both aim to deliver good games quickly and cheaply. If I'm already a Plus subscriber and am getting at least two new PS3 games per month, why would I ever try out Now?
Sony should instead create a Now option heavily subsidized for existing Plus subscribers. It wouldn't be hard to add an $80 Plus tier that gives you PS Now perks. It doesn't even have to be unlimited Now access. It could simply give subscribers a certain amount of rental time to distribute among the games of their choice.
The individual rental prices can stay if they're significantly reduced, but Sony needs to work to entice its core audience. If these players get Now rentals included in their Plus subscription, that will feel more like a good deal. That'll also make Now seem more like a legitimate solution for backwards compatibility. Additionally, it will encourage Plus subscribers to try out the service and spread the word.
At the moment, PS Plus and PS Now reflect two wildly different business philosophies. For PS Now to be successful, it has to shift to be more consumer-friendly. Hopefully, as PS Now moves closer to a full release, we will see it merge in some way with PS Plus.
Be Bold With Your Prices, Sony, Don't Be a Dick -- Justin Haywald
When I think about the value I get from PlayStation Plus, the pricing for PlayStation Now seems absolutely baffling. With Plus, I feel like I come out ahead--I can access some great games (often games I was considering buying anyway), and the discounted price that I get for buying my Plus subscription on Black Friday makes the deal even better.
"Be bold, Sony. Charge $5 for a week-long game rental, or offer a subscription for Plus subscribers that's a flat $5/month for unlimited access."
But with rentals in Now broken out into four distinct time categories, prices that run as high as $49.99, and no way to access digital games you've purchased previously on PSN, Now feels like a greedy system solely designed to take your money. I know that PS Plus, along with Netflix and Steam Sales, are also organized just to make more money for companies, but I at least feel like I'm getting the better deal in those cases.
Sony says that it lets publishers set their own prices for this sort of content, but it's a place where Sony needs to step in and own its own service. Looking at the prices now, it feels like the company did market research during which it determined the max amount that people would spend on titles based on genre and time since release, then passed those numbers on to the publishers. But Sony needs to be like iTunes when that company pushed the boundaries of digital music with flat $1 song downloads and $10 for an album.
Be bold, Sony. Charge $5 for a week-long game rental, or offer a subscription for Plus subscribers that's a flat $5/month for unlimited access. That would make it the same price as EA Access, which, although it offers fewer games, isn't limited by streaming tech or restricted to last-gen titles.
If the future of "backwards compatibility" is renting games that I stream to my console at a premium price, I'm going to stick with shopping for bargains on Steam and just downloading my monthly free Plus games.
How would you change PS Now? Let us know in the comments!
]]> 1100-6421450Sat, 02 Aug 2014 06:00:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/destiny-beta-players-completed-88-million-missions/1100-6421451/This week, Bungie announced that 4.6 million people had played the Destiny beta, making it the biggest beta test for a new IP on a console. Today, the developer published on its website even more statistics that further reveal the size of the beta.
Destiny players completed 88 million missions and matches throughout the beta. To compare, only 6.5 million games were played during Destiny's alpha test in June. You can check out a breakdown of Bungie's measurements below.
General beta stats:
- 4,638,937 unique players
- 853,235 maximum concurrent players
- 6,500,000 Guardians created
- 966,163 players used the companion app
- 88,384,720 games played
- 182,555,165 orbs of light generated
- 20 percent of player time was spent in the Tower hub world
Story, Strike, and Exploration mission stats:
- 3,704,508,840 kills
- 164,413,177 deaths
- 57,871,777 activities played
- 97 percent of activities completed
- 12,292,159 public events joined
- 97 percent of public events completed
- 61,919,895 Guardians revived
- 22.53 community kill/death ratio
The Crucible competitive multiplayer stats:
- 30,512,943 activities played
- 350,001,062 kills
- 123,650,016 zones captured
- 167,380,061 primary weapon kills
- 54,675,685 special weapon kills
- 14,813,794 heavy weapon kills
- 544,847 vehicle splatters
- 1,010,401 people participated in Iron Banner events
We played a lot of the beta and you can read about some of our concerns about the game here. You can also check out all of our beta coverage here. Destiny launches on September 9 for Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation 4, but it's not known yet if your beta progress transfers to the full game.
What did you think of the beta? Let us know in the comments!
| Alex Newhouse is an editorial intern at GameSpot, and you can follow him on Twitter @alexbnewhouse |
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| Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email news@gamespot.com |
As creator Dong Nguyen promised, Flappy Bird has returned. A new version of the massively popular mobile game is now available on Amazon Fire TV, presumably before a wider release for iOS and Android devices.
The new version of Flappy Bird is called Flappy Birds Family. It includes new features like a Person vs. Person mode and, as if the standard green pipes weren't challenging enough, additional obstacles (ghosts) to avoid. The game is still "very hard," according to the description.
Flappy Birds Family is compatible with Amazon's proprietary video game controller and the Fire TV remote.
When Nguyen announced in May that Flappy Bird would return, he said the new version would be "less addictive." One of the first reviews for Flappy Bird Family says this goal has been met. "This version is not as addictive as the original, and for that I am thankful!" wrote one reviewer.
Nguyen removed the game from iTunes and Google Play in February after writing on Twitter: "I cannot take this anymore." The decision to pull the game was a serious one, as the title was pulling in an average of $50,000 in daily ad revenue.
]]> 1100-6421449Fri, 01 Aug 2014 13:19:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ea-gives-the-sims-4-players-special-items-for-owni/1100-6421448/Sims fans who plan on picking up The Sims 4 will be entitled to a variety of special in-game rewards, provided they own The Sims 3 or its expansions.
The newly announced Sims 4 Rewards program will give you one in-game item per Sims 3 expansion you own, as well as one for the base game itself. Each of these items is a different-colored lamp in the shape of the Sims logo that will "affect your Sims' emotions and personalities in a unique way."
There were 11 expansion packs released for The Sims 3, meaning there are 12 lamps to collect in all. Should you be enough of a fanatic to own the full dozen--I, myself, will have to make do with two measly lamps--you'll get a bonus reward in the form of the "Ultimate Freezer Bunny award."
To receive your rewards, you need to have either purchased the game or expansion through Origin, or registered it through the official website. Once you've done so, visit the rewards page and the corresponding items will unlock so that they are available in the Build Mode catalog in The Sims 4. You have until December 31, 2015 to claim your rewards.
Sims' emotions are a point of emphasis in The Sims 4. The focus on this aspect of the game is one of the reasons cited for the lack of toddlers and pools, which have been a major point of criticism among fans. Further fueling complaints from fans is the prospect of a Battlefield Premium-esque service that EA may plan on offering.
The Sims 4 is scheduled for release on September 2. EA recently announced its system requirements, which you can view here.
| Chris Pereira is a freelance writer for GameSpot, and you can follow him on Twitter @TheSmokingManX |
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| Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email news@gamespot.com |
Modern first-person shooter games like Call of Duty and Battlefield have conditioned players to expect elements like leveling, classes, and cover systems. But one upcoming FPS has none of those features, and its developer--German studio Reakktor--says the game is better off for it.
Toxikk is a PC title built using Epic Games' Unreal Engine. The game is designed to return the arena FPS genre to its roots, which means no leveling, no regenerating health, no perks, no cover systems, no classes, no configurable weapons, and no iron-sight aiming. "Toxikk plays as if today's military shooters never existed," its developers say.
Instead, players will find that Toxikk allows for "fast and precise movement," thanks to "deeply configurable" mouse controls. You can also perform double-jumps and dodge-jumps. In addition, players can pick up various performance boosters in the game to supplement your arsenal of weapons. There are nine unique guns in all, and you can carry them all simultaneously. In addition, every weapon has a secondary fire mode.
When you die in Toxikk (and it sounds like that will happen often), you will respawn with a melee weapon and basic pistol, nothing more. You'll need to find other weapons on the battlefield. Though there is character customization, it is cosmetic in nature only, Reakktor says. This is part of ensuring that "all players are equal."
There is an XP system in Toxikk, but this system, and the ranks associated with it, are used for reputation and matchmaking purposes only. Toxikk will also include an offline bot mode for players who would like to hone their skills before going head-to-head against live opponents on the battlefield.
Toxikk is a paid game, and you can pre-purchase a copy today from Reakktor for $15. Though free-to-play is a rising trend on PC, Reakktor wants nothing to do with this business model.
"We believe that classic arena FPS and free-to-play don't go well together," Reakktor says. "A true arena FPS requires all player characters to have equal stats and the availability of all weapons to everyone. Always! The skill of a player should be the only deciding factor about victory or defeat. Allowing players to buy different (i.e. better) weapons or to permanently boost their stats does totally contradict the idea of classic arena FPS gaming in our opinion."
Toxikk will have two kinds of maps: Classic Maps and Massive Maps. Classic Maps will feature fast-paced gameplay and are described as medium-sized environments for up to eight players. Massive Maps, on the other hand, will require more strategic gameplay on larger-sized locales for up to 16 players. There will also be various vehicles like gliders and hoverbikes exclusively on Massive Maps.
Another component of Toxikk will be user-generated content. All players can apply for a free software development kit (SDK) that will allow them to build their own maps, characters, and skins for the game. Reakktor will eventually launch a "hub" for users to submit their own content, which can then be voted on. All user-generated content will be offered for free.
"We believe that classic arena FPS and free-to-play don't go well together" -- Reakktor
Could Toxikk come to consoles some day? Reakktor hasn't ruled it out, but it doesn't sound likely. "We believe that shooters are meant to be played with mouse and keyboard," the developer said. "That's why Toxikk is exclusively designed for PC. At this point, we do not intend to port the game to any other platform."
Reakktor is launching Toxikk all on its own, without a publisher. According to Reakktor, that means it does not have access to a marketing team to help promote the game. The developer hopes that fans will spread the word about Toxikk to make the game a success.
Reakktor says the core experience for Toxikk is "pretty much finished," and the studio is now working on more multiplayer maps and fine-tuning player movement within the game. The developer is also looking for fan feedback, and encourages you to submit your ideas and opinions through the game's official forums, where you can talk directly to developers.
Toxikk is in development exclusively for PC and should launch on Steam as an Early Access title later this year.
]]> 1100-6421447Fri, 01 Aug 2014 12:46:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/videos/the-point-doom-3-is-ten-years-old/2300-6420592/ 2300-6420592Fri, 01 Aug 2014 12:46:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/do-you-hear-games-sounds-after-youre-done-playing-/1100-6421446/Sometimes after a long session of playing a video game, some people will continue to hear the game's sounds in their minds. According to a new study, this can be an actual psychological effect of playing games, and it's called a "Game Transfer Phenomenon."
Previous studies have found other Game Transfer Phenomena that manifest themselves in visual responses, such as Tetris players continuing to see blocks falling even after they close their eyes. This research, conducted by Nottingham Trent University's International Gaming Research Unit, is the first such study to determine a link between video games and auditory responses.
As reported by The Guardian, researcher Angelica Ortiz De Gortari explains that players heard many different sounds from games after they were done playing them. "There were lots of examples of players hearing the game music, in the same way as you continue to hear music in your head when you've stopped listening," she said. "Some players heard voices, some heard game sounds. Often it happens when you're trying to fall asleep--players would look for their computer or console because they thought they'd left the game on."
There were also other, more unique examples of players hearing sounds, such as a person who heard music from Portal after passing buildings that reminded him of in-game structures. Additionally, according to De Gortari, "There was a gamer who, whenever it was dark, would hear the sound of the crackling radio signal from Silent Hill, warning him that monsters were coming."
It's important to note that this study was conducted on a small group of people and still is in a preliminary stage. The researchers do not know enough yet to explain why this happens, either. And yet, it's still an interesting phenomenon, one that I occasionally experience myself.
Do you ever experience Game Transfer Phenomena? Let us know in the comments!
| Alex Newhouse is an editorial intern at GameSpot, and you can follow him on Twitter @alexbnewhouse |
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| Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email news@gamespot.com |
[UPDATE] GameStop has issued a statement on the matter, saying the initiative was implemented at the request of local authorities and has been in place since the beginning of July.
"It's a process that we've recently implemented (starting in early July) in Philadelphia area stores at the request of the Philadelphia police department," the GameStop representative said. "[It] is a practice we've also put into place in other parts of the U.S., depending on local or statewide second-hand dealer or pawn broker laws. However, at this time we are reviewing the process to determine if it's one which should be continued in Philadelphia."
The original story is below.
Some GameStop stores in Philadelphia are now requiring that people who trade in games provide a fingerprint scan for "certain transactions," CBS Philadelphia reports today based on conversations with the retailer, local government, police, and shoppers.
According to GameStop, it is following a local law that says the retailer is allowed to collect thumbprints. These scans eventually make their way into a database that helps law enforcement nab thieves who seek to use GameStop as a pawn shop of sorts to unload their goods.
Philadelphia city solicitor Shelley Smith says that GameStop is not required to collect the thumbprints to abide by the city's pawnbroker order. "What GameStop does doesn't meet any of the elements of the definition in the code, so the pawnbreaker ordinance doesn't apply to GameStop," she said.
The Philadelphia Police Department, on the other hand, tells CBS Philadelphia that GameStop is being proactive by obtaining customer fingerprints and uploading them to a database known as LeadsOnline.
Still, GameStop shoppers outside of a store in Philadelphia's Center City district are not too pleased about the new policy. "I really don't appreciate it," one person said. "You fingerprinted me like I'm in a police district. No, I'm at a game store." Another shopper said, "I think it's an overreach. It's going too far."
GameStop's fingerprinting initiative is currently only underway in Philadelphia itself, but not the suburbs. We have reached out to GameStop for further clarification about this new policy for Philadelphia and will update this story with anything we hear back.
]]> 1100-6421436Fri, 01 Aug 2014 12:15:00 -0700 http://www.gamespot.com/articles/fifa-15-strives-for-realism-but-rights-issues-resu/1100-6421444/With FIFA 15, EA Sports continues to strive for realism, what with its shirt-pulling and heaving chests. But something it won't be able to create a realistic virtual representation of are the domestic Brazilian soccer leagues.
In a post on the EA Sports blog, the developer announced it would not be including Brazil's domestic leagues and their players in its latest game. This is said to be the result of "some changes in the ways players are licensed," which the company did not detail. It did leave the door open for these leagues and players to return in the future, stating, "[W]e continue to keep the lines of communication open with the Brazilian rights holders."
Even if future negotiations go nowhere, it doesn't mean fans of Brazilian soccer players are completely out of luck. EA Sports has retained the rights for the Brazil National Team (the company scored only six goals on the team in the process) and Brazilian players who play in other leagues around the world. This means you'll still have the opportunity to play as Neymar and company in FIFA 15.
FIFA 15 is scheduled for release on September 23 in North America and September 26 in Europe. Argentina's Lionel Messi is the worldwide cover star, while the North American version also features Clint Dempsey. In recent weeks, EA Sports has been showing the myriad ways in which FIFA 15 is its most realistic soccer game yet, thanks to features like visible breathing and player-specific movement.
| Chris Pereira is a freelance writer for GameSpot, and you can follow him on Twitter @TheSmokingManX |
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| Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email news@gamespot.com |
Two prominent Naughty Dog developers have quit the Uncharted and The Last of Us studio to join Call of Duty developer Infinity Ward. Taylor Kurosaki, a ten-year Naughty Dog veteran who most recently served as narrative design lead at the studio, now works at Infinity Ward as its narrative director for an unspecified project. Joining Kurosaki at Infinity Ward from Naughty Dog is Jacob Minkoff, a former lead game designer, who now works as a design director at the studio.
"Very psyched to share that I've joined the phenomenal team at Infinity Ward as the studio's narrative director," Kurosaki wrote on Twitter. To infinity and beyond!" Meanwhile, Minkoff confirmed his move to Infinity Ward on Twitter and said he's looking forward to being able to play Uncharted 4: A Thief's End as a fan.
You might not know Minkoff by name, but you're likely aware of his work; he designed and developed the epic train sequence in Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. Most recently, he served as lead designer on Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception and The Last of Us.
Infinity Ward created the acclaimed Call of Duty: Modern Warfare series, and most recently released Call of Duty: Ghosts, a new Call of Duty sub-brand, in 2013. Given that the Call of Duty series now on a three-year development cycle, it stands to reason that Infinity Ward's next Call of Duty game will launch in 2016.
Kurosaki and Minkoff aren't the only two high-profile Naughty Dog developers to leave the company this year. The pair's exit from Naughty Dog follows the departures of Uncharted 4: A Thief's End writer Amy Hennig and game director Justin Richmond earlier this year. Naughty Dog veterans Neil Druckmann and Bruce Straley are now co-directing Uncharted 4: A Thief's End.
The move for Kurosaki and Minkoff isn't all that dramatic, at least in terms of where they will physically go to work every day. Naughty Dog (Santa Monica, Calif.) and Infinity Ward (Woodland Hills, Calif.) are separated only by a 25-minute drive.
Tony Hawk and Guitar Hero studio Neversoft was recently folded into Infinity Ward to create a "super-studio."
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