Soccer Gets Real

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Showing off the power of the Xbox One version of FIFA 14 is this new TV ad that puts one surprised gamer right into soccer star Lionel Messi’s shoes, and right into the game, with some beautifully executed graphics.

Déjà Vu On PlayStation

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Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeros will feature a “throwback” mission titled Déjà Vu for PlayStation users when it launches. It will not only recreates a mission originally featured in the original Metal Gear Solid, but it will allow users to play as Solid Snake from that game.

‘Resogun’ Blasts Off

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Resogun is here with the launch of the PS4, and the game might be the console’s first digital darling. Check out some of these trailers highlighting the elements of this classic shooter, with one highlighting the praise its getting from various media outlets.

 

Major League Sports Premieres MLG.TV

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Major League Gaming has certainly picked up over the years when it comes to professional gaming tournaments, but now it has a new venue with its premiere programming – television.

The group has introduced MLG.TV, an online gaming network that will help it monetize certain events online, complete with 1080p HD support, built-in Twitter chat, and a number of other features. The channel will be the home for several premiere events, such as the upcoming MLG Championship in Columbus, Ohio, as well as original programming and partnered shows such as Call of Duty’s OpTic Gaming.

“We’ve been streaming our events for six or seven years, we’ve done network TV, we’ve done cable TV,” MLG co-founder and CEO Sundance DiGiovanni told me. “We’ve done our own platform, we’ve done white-label, we’ve done Ustream . . .”

You can learn more about MLG.TV here.

Source: TechCrunch

Xbox One Controller Design Contest

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Even though the system won’t be out for a few days, Microsoft is already planning a contest to give its normal black controller a design boost.

Starting on November 21, Microsoft will hose a contest on its web page where users can submit their own original designs for the peripheral. Both amateur and professional artists are welcome to submit their ideas, recoloring everything from the analog sticks to the triggers to the D-pad however they see fit.

In addition, artists are encouraged to use the Windows 8 Fresh Paint app to earn a potential special prize in the contest.

The grand prize winner will snag $750 as the People’s Choice prize, while ten runners-up will get $500 prizes apiece. That would snag them their own Xbox One systems with ease. Good luck to all you artists out there!

The Xbox One releases on November 22.

Source: Xbox

MIT’s Shape-Shifting inFORM Display

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It’s amazing what some minds can do with technology – or, in this case, the team at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The team has just unveiled a new technology called inFORM, which allows you to reproduce digital content physically in 3D.

With this technology, users can utilize inFORM to react to various things, including 3D models, bar graphs and more. In addition, you can also use Skype with it, creating a physical version of the person you’re having a conversation with – even though it’s not a hologram projector. Hey, it’s the next best thing.

inFORM cost quite a bit to make, with 900 small motors that control each pin on it. The pins then work together to render objects in 3D, with each one costing around $20 to $30. That doesn’t mean we won’t see it for consumer means down the road, but, for now, it’s merely an MIT project – but an innovative one. The game possibilities are very interesting.“The traditional sort of interaction design and device design sort of assumes for a very static way of interacting and this [inFORM] device can change its physical form very quickly and that means that we need to come up with new ways that we interact with technology,” said Seam Follmer, working alongside his team, Daniel Leithinger and Professor Hiroshi Ishii, at MIT’s Tangible Media Group.

Source: Digital Trends

 

 

Generate Your Sweater

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Coke Zero is getting the (competitive) spirit of the holidays going early this year with their Sweater Generator. No need to knit or crochet at all– you are able to control the details down to the color, pattern and decorative details to make the most aggressively ugly sweater imaginable. Why not mingle palm trees with evergreens and throw in a baked turkey, too

Coke Zero is hoping that you won’t just keep your hideous creations to yourself but will also share them over social media, trotting out your ugly sweater to get some votes. That’s right– as early as December 1st, the top 100 sweaters will actually be produced and sent to the lucky contest winners, surely the toast of this year’s ugly sweater parties. If you don’t feel like creating one for yourself, but want to support, you’ll be able to see what others are doing by checking out #sweatergenerator on Twitter.

Now, if only we could order these sweaters . . .

 

Source: AdWeek

Why Do Launch Games Underwhelm?

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Usually, when a new game console arrives to market, there are a number of “must-have” games available. On occasion, though, there are duds that don’t really “fit” with the system, but are merely launched for the sake of their brand name, or because the company’s looking for a quick buck.

So why do some of these launch titles get questionably average reviews Ubisoft’s senior vice president of sales and marketing, Tony Key, has an explanation.

“Right now, all publishers are transitioning their development resources,” he says. “For a game like Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag, most of the sales are still going to be on current generation platforms. We can’t make a version for PlayStation 4 or Xbox One that’s so wildly different that we can’t market them together. So, for now, developers and designers are focused on making a game that works really well on all of the systems – but as we transition resources to the next gen, it’s going to be more difficult to do that because the power of these machines is going to allow so much more creativity.”

As for new franchises, they may introduce some “fresh blood” to the market, but that doesn’t always guarantee their success. (Ubisoft recently delayed their long-anticipated Watch Dogs from launch window to mid-2014.)

“It’s heartbreaking to be so coveted for launch and not be able to deliver it at launch, but from a business perspective, it’s not a difficult decision to make,” says Key. “Watch Dogs is designed to be a long-term brand for Ubisoft. We won’t launch it until we know it’s equaling the vision it can achieve. . . We’re playing the long game – and as a company, we know how important it is to get it right.”

“Our feeling is the installed base of these machines will be much faster to take hold than previous generations,” he says. “In the first couple of years, we expect double the installed base of previous generations [during that same time period]. … The reason why is: the last cycle was longer, so there’s a lot of pent up demand.”

You can read the full interview at the link below.

Source: GamesIndustry International

PlayStation 4 Launch Brings PS2 Memories

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The hoopla surrounding the PlayStation 4 isn’t just affecting the players and the media – Sony’s own team is excited about it finally arriving as well. Just ask Sony’s vice president of marketing, Jon Koller.

Speaking with GamesBeat, Koller stated, “The launch overall, just in business terms, we feel great about it.”

“The pre-orders are through the roof. The demand is huge. Of the five platform launches we’ve had, this is the best game line up. It reminds me a lot of the PS2 launch, when we had such pent-up demand – ‘When is the PS2 coming ‘ The same thing is happening here.”

“When you look at some of our past launches, you could argue about the various points of supply. We had a lot of demand for PS3, and we were short. We didn’t want to relive that. It’s hard when you don’t have a lot of supply. But even so, we have a lot of demand this time around.”

The PlayStation 4 is available in stores now.

Source: GamesIndustry International

New All-White OUYA

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Those of you who haven’t picked up the Android-based OUYA console may want to hold off, as the company is set to introduce a new “deluxe” model in time for the holiday season. OUYA is now touting the fact that there are over 500 games available for the console.

An all-white OUYA system will be available starting next month, with double the internal storage capacity of the original system, totaling 16 GB. As you can see, the design is much sleeker than the Kickstarter-based model, though there are some mild colors on the buttons of the controller.

The system will go on sale on December 8th for $129.99. You can order it through Amazon or directly from OUYA’s site.

Source: OUYA