App Connects Phones To Screens

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Google Research has been hard at work on a new project that would allow people with Android devices to work together on big screens in real time without cumbersome file sharing. Even though cloud storage makes this process a little easier than in the past, Google feels that “there are not enough ways to easily move tasks across devices that are as intuitive as drag-and-drop in a graphical user interface.”

The company is hard at work on the Open Project, which is a framework that allows native mobile apps to be projected onto a screen. It works a little bit like Apple’s AirPlay, but in a much different way.

Open Project allows for display with a QR code, with a simple point at the app you want to use with it. From there, the code is scanned and the app displays on the screen. You can still interact with it, as you would with a touch device. The video shows users collaborating and even playing a game on a big screen using their phones, with no additional hardware or complicated processes.

Google isn’t sure when this technology would be a reality, but considering its effectiveness, one would think it isn’t too far off.

Source: TechCrunch

 

Microsoft Demos Game Streaming

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Many people are excited for the Xbox One console when it arrives this fall, but one real concern with the system is the inability to play Xbox 360 games on it. However, if Microsoft’s upcoming cloud gaming service becomes a reality, that concern could easily be quelled.

The company recently demonstrated a prototype of this service during an internal meeting, showing the popular first-person shooter Halo 4 running on a Windows Phone and PC, using cloud streaming. The game managed to run smoothly on both devices, despite its visual complexity, with the latency running around 45ms on a Lumia 520 smartphone.

The service remains unbranded at the moment, but is meant to act as a competitor to Sony’s Gaikai service, which will provide PlayStation 3 games through cloud streaming for the PlayStation 4 and possibly other devices, like the PS Vita, in 2014.

Microsoft hasn’t specifically stated which Xbox 360 games would be able to be streamed on their devices, or even if the service is coming to Xbox One, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if it did.

Expect more details in the months ahead.

Source: The Verge

Game Consoles Coming To China, Finally

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After 13 years of being banned in the country, China could very well be allowing game consoles back into the fold.

The country has approved a new plan that would allow consoles to be sold, as part of the tie-in with the free-trade zone news that came out of Shanghai last week. The only catch is that game developers will have to set up their gaming operations within the Shanghai free-trade zone, with the agreement highlighting that certain area of the country.

The ban initially took place in 2000, when the government showed concern about the content of certain international games, like Grand Theft Auto and Mortal Kombat, and the effect that the violence could have on younger children.

Such a move could easily open up a new corner of business for Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo, with billions of dollars of revenue opening up through millions of new buyers. This could also be a big move for next-generation consoles such as the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, due for release worldwide between this and next year.

Source: The Next Web

Catch These New 3DS XL Designs!

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The popular Pokémon series will be picking up steam once again next month with Pokémon X & Y for the Nintendo 3DS. Fans won’t have to wait that long to get their fix as they can pick up limited edition Pokémon 3DS systems now.

The Pokémon X & Y 3DS XL systems are now available for purchase, sporting red and blue colors and featuring Legendary Pokémon characters Xerneas and Yveital on the front of the systems. They sell for $199.99 apiece, and are likely to sell out fast, like the Pikachu-modeled Pokémon 3DS system did a few months back.

The systems do not come with the Pokémon X & Y games. They’re hardware only. However, players can get their hands on those games in either retail or downloadable form starting on October 12 in the United States.

Source: Prima Games

Inside Sony And Taco Bell’s PS4 Promo

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Taco Bell is giving fans another reason to Live Más – and now Play Más – by offering the “Play the Future First” promotion in conjunction with Sony. From September 26 through November 10, fans will get the first and only chance to win the highly-anticipated PlayStation 4 before it hits shelves nationwide on November 15.

The promotion is straightforward in its simplicity: To enter for a chance to win, customers can buy a Taco Bell $5 Buck Box (which includes a Crunchwrap Supreme, a Burrito Supreme, a Crunchy Taco and medium drink) and then text in the unique code provided on the box. One prize pack, featuring a PS4, a copy of Knack, and a one-year membership to PlayStation Plus, will be awarded every 15 minutes throughout the promotion.

“Our fans enjoy gaming, and gamers eat Taco Bell, so teaming up with PlayStation for the second consecutive year to give consumers first access to the next generation system before it hits retail was an exciting decision for us,” said Chris Brandt, chief marketing officer of Taco Bell. SCEA and Taco Bell partnered in 2012 to give fans the chance to win a PS Vita before it launched in North America on Feb. 22, 2012. With the upcoming launch of the PS4 system, the “Play the Future First” promotion kicks off a multi-year partnership between SCEA and Taco Bell, according to the press release.

“Following the positive response from the gaming community for the PS Vita campaign last year, we are thrilled to have the opportunity to partner with Taco Bell to tap into the excitement as we prepare to launch PS4 on November 15,” said Guy Longworth, senior vice president, brand marketing at SCEA. “PlayStation and Taco Bell both have some of the most loyal fans in the world, and this promotion rewards them by providing an extraordinary opportunity to get their hands on a PS4 before it hits stores.”

The [a]list daily spoke with Will Bortz, senior manager of brand partnerships & sponsorships at Taco Bell, to find out more about the promotion.

The scale of the promotion is bound to generate some great interest among fans eager to get their hands on a PlayStation 4. Often such promotions will give away one or a few consoles, but this promotion is on an entirely different level. “One PS4 will be given out every 15 minutes from Sept. 26 to Nov. 10, which is approximately 4,000 PS4s,” said Bortz.

Better still, the lucky winners will be getting their consoles before the retail launch of the PS4. “The winners of the PS4 prize packs will be shipped to verified winners on or around Nov. 12, 2013 before the highly-anticipated console will be available in stores nationwide on Nov. 15, 2013,” confirmed Bortz. Winners will likely get a few days of gaming before any of their friends can possibly get their hands on a PS4, adding to the thrill of victory.

Taco Bell marketing will feature the promotion in a TV spots created specifically for the promotion. “A 30-second television spot, entitled “Play The Future First,” features an anxious troop of gamers preparing to fight an epic robot battle set in bombed-out Europe,” said Bortz. “But they arrive only to learn that the “game” has already been won by four guys who got their PS4’s early, thanks to the $5 Box at Taco Bell. Developed by Deutsch LA, the spot will run on cable, sports and network television.”

The marketing will also engage users through social media. “Unique online experiences will also engage the brands’ millions of social fans with more chances to win in addition to radio and in-store marketing,” noted Bortz.

Future promotions in this multi-year partnership will likely deal with multiple Sony products. “Taco Bell fans love gaming and gamers go to Taco Bell, so the partnership with Sony is very exciting,” Bortz said. “We plan to continue bringing innovation through partnerships to give more to our consumers every day. We will look to use hardware and software news to center our promotions around.”

Taco Bell sees interesting potential for marketing opportunities inside the PlayStation Network, but they aren’t willing to tip their hand in advance. “Innovation is key in everything we do at Taco Bell, and partnering with a brand like PlayStation provides many exciting opportunities for our consumers,” Bortz said. In other words, we’re not talking about it yet. Still, with a multi-year partnership there are certainly opportunities to do some innovative marketing with an interactive platform like the PlayStation hardware in all its various forms. Seize the opportunity, Taco Bell – greatness awaits for creative marketers.

 

One Tapped ‘Prankvertising’ Effort

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Tui Brewery has managed a viral hit with their video showing them replacing a man’s water with beer in his house. The nature of the video makes it seem like its a viral video set up by some friends, but it was an orchestrated ad by the New Zealand brewery with an integrated campaign to follow.

Source: AdWeek.com

 

It’s A Serious ‘Need For Speed’

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Need for Speed will be the next game franchise to get a movie version, and for Breaking Bad fans it’s noteworthy as the first big role for Aaron Paul after the TV series.

EA’s long running racing franchise has a tradition of tongue-in-cheek story bits, but as the film trailer suggests, the Need for Speed movie is aiming to be pretty serious stuff.

‘Metal Gear Solid V’ Opens With ‘Ground Zeroes’

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One of the more enigmatic AAA games coming out over the next year is Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes. No one is sure if it will be a digital or retail release, or potentially come as part of the full Metal Gear Solid V experience with The Phantom Pain. Regardless, check out this full opening of Ground Zeroes, complete with Kiefer Sutherland as Big Boss.

Crossing The Road In Style

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Sometimes it’s easier to convey a message using a low tech method than some fancy 3D rendered version of a machine. Mercedes-Benz demonstrates this perfectly with this chicken ad designed to demonstrate the company’s Intelligent Drive Magic Body Control.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axAmED7lqe4

Source: Creativity-Online.com

 

UK Trade Office Puts F2P Games On Notice

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The UK’s Office of Fair Trading has a message to game developers – tone down the high-pressure monetization techniques, or else.

The OFT recently began an investigation earlier this year looking into apps and games aimed at children. After 38 different games were looked over, the office managed to come up with a list of eight “principles” for developers to follow.

“This is a new and innovative industry that has grown very rapidly in recent years, but it needs to ensure it is treating consumers fairly and that children are protected,” said Cavendish Elithorn, executive director of the OFT.

“The way the sector has worked with us since we launched our investigation is encouraging, and we’ve already seen some positive changes to its practices. These principles provide a clear benchmark for how games makers should be operating. Once they are finalized, we will expect the industry to follow them, or risk enforcement action.

“This is a global industry so we’re also sharing our principles with our enforcement partners worldwide with the goal of achieving some common international standards.”

Such apps that use heavy practices of monetization include the above-pictured Where’s My Water 2, a free-to-play game that requires users to either wait for more energy to play rounds, or pay a fee to unlock additional energy.

Source: GamesIndustry International