Following the recently released Legends & Killers pack, Rockstar Games have announced another DLC for Red Dead Redemption. The Liars & Cheats pack will be available on September 21st via PSN for $9.99 or £7.99, and via Xbox Live for 800 Microsoft points.
The brand new pack combines an expansion of the free roam multiplayer experience with a new competitive mode and a devastating new weapon – the Explosive Rifle.
Chinese PC maker Lenovo will go head-to-head with the big boys in the video game console market, looking to snatch away market share from the likes of Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony.
On Aug 9, a team of some 40 Lenovo software engineers was spun off from the Lenovo Group to develop and market the “eBox”, a platform similar to Microsoft’s Kinect for Xbox 360. The Kinect enables users to control and interact with the device without the need for a game controller. The device leverages a user interface and reads user gestures with a webcam.
The spin-off firm, called Beijing eedoo Technology Ltd, was formed to rival well established brands including Microsoft’s Xbox, Nintendo’s Wii and Sony’s PlayStation. Lenovo Group, Legend Holdings and Legend Capital co-invested in the newly launched company. Officials refused to disclose investment figures.
Design concepts of Beijing eedoo’s eBox that were provided to China Daily
“We are the world’s second company to produce a controller-free game console, behind only Microsoft,” said Jack Luo, a former department chief with Lenovo, and now president of Beijing eedoo Technology. EBox uses a camera to track player movement, but unlike Nintendo’s Wii or Sony’s Move system, eBox can plot movements and translate them into onscreen action without the need for a controller.
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Minor chaos erupted this morning when marketing manager for XBox Live EMEA, Robin Burrowes, said at Gamescom that Kinect voice control was something that would be “turned on in due course.” The chat software, Video Kinect, was also placed in the same boat.
Since then, Microsoft have corrected themselves.
“Voice control is an exciting part of the Kinect for Xbox 360 controller-free experience and we can confirm that it will be available at launch in November 2010. Only on Xbox 360 will you be able to navigate the Kinect Hub using your voice to control your movies, TV Shows and music. We do not have additional details to share about local voice availability at this time.”
Demonstrations and trailers have shown users selecting functions and media on the Xbox 360 by telling the console what they want it to do, with the Kinect also having the ability to identify voices of individual users.
Will the Kinect have English-only voice controls at launch while other language speakers will just have to sit tight? What’s happening with the live chat and voice ID? We sure hope Microsoft sorts out these integral features before Kinect’s launch in early November!
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The highest rated game of the year has been officially announced for the PS3, at GamesCom 2010.
The Mass Effect franchise is an epic science fiction adventure set in a vast universe filled with dangerous aliens and mysterious, uncharted planets. In Mass Effect 2, PlayStation 3 players will step into the role of Commander Shepard for the very first time, leading a crew of the most dangerous special operatives from across the galaxy on a mission to save mankind. Featuring intense shooter action, a rich storyline, space exploration and emotionally engaging character interaction, Mass Effect 2 delivers an unparalleled gameplay experience.
Available starting January 2011 on Blu-ray, Mass Effect 2 for PS3 will contain hours of bonus content. Keep your eyes and ears open!
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A video recording of GT5 from PS3 Beta Rooms in Birmingham was uploaded today: it contained footage of the Nürburgring (Nordschleife) track being loaded and played. People have been quick to jump in and point out that the loading time for this given racetrack is long in comparison with other racing games, even considering the vast size of the track: a hefty 1 minute 32 seconds.
This figure is incorrect. Here’s why.
The recorded video is 5:55, 355 seconds long. This loading time is being calculated by watching and counting the footage in real time. If you watch carefully (or use a stopwatch) when the lap timer is visible, you will notice that the time is significantly off. A full minute of racing on the in-game clock took 104 seconds to watch – time passes slower in the video.
Based on several rough and averaged counts, we determined that the uploaded video was about fifty-eight percent longer than it should be. We warped the video to our calculated estimate of 3 minutes and 25 seconds. Having done this, we investigated the lap timer once more, and found it was now in sync. With these same figures, we expected the true loading time to be 51.92 seconds. With a stopwatch, we ended up with 52 seconds. See for yourself, the video below is our restored version.
If you’re still not convinced, try explaining why the unedited video’s audio completely cuts out at 3:22.
Lesson learned: don’t always take what you see at face value! This is equally important to keep in mind for any and all scrutiny of time in videos.
The Official PlayStation Blog has just released a new Little Big Planet 2 trailer divulging more of the 50-leveled campaign from the game. This time around you will be defending Craft World from The Negativitron (think sinister). The trailer contains some interesting new features like A.I. Sackbots, Power Glove (Sackboy goes all He Man) and a grappling hook. All that’s left to do is check out the trailer and get pumped, LBP2 releases November 16th.
What does everyone think?
An as of yet unknown video supposidly leaked from Ubisoft has been doing the rounds on the internet this past few days, from the looks of things it seems to be more of a cinematic preview, the kind of footage that developers put together to better pitch an idea to prospective investors and publishers.
From the news floating around the net it’s footage from a game that was scrapped already, which sucks because it really does look interesting!
What do you think the game could have been, a sequel or a completely new IP?
Sony has today announced the line-up for the GamesCom European press event in Cologne, Germany. The company will have all major franchises present and promises to divulge a new sequel to an existing IP.
Here’s a list of what’s confirmed so far:
