Valve and HTC will give their virtual reality headset Vive to some developers for free, Valve has announced.
Valve’s spokesperson Doug Lombardi told Ars Technica that the company hopes to start taking requests from developers soon. “More info and ‘sign up’ forms will be available to all interested developers, big or small, via a new site coming soon,” Lombardi said, adding that a new sign-up site might go live as early as next week.
So far, we’ve seen only a handful of developers make games for the Vive headset, like Owlchemy Labs, which is working on Job Simulator.
Giving the development kits away for free could help Valve and HTC encourage developers who are already making games for the Oculus Rift and Sony’s Project Morpheus develop games for Vive as well, which Valve said will be out by the end of the year. Oculus, by comparison, currently charges $350 for development kits, while the Samsung Gear VR Innovator Edition (which is powered by Oculus and a Galaxy Note 4 smartphone) is already for sale at Best Buy for $199.
Mortal Kombat X‘s gory fatalities are a gruesome sight, but have you ever thought about the work that goes into creating the sound effects for them? Turns out, that process is almost as gross as the fatalities themselves.
Yesterday, Mortal Kombat X developer NetherRealm held a live broadcast, “Kombatcast,” where it offered some new information about the fighting game as well as a look behind the scene.
During the broadcast, NetherRealm showed some of the foley work (the process of recording sound effects) that went into the game. In the video, which you can see above, NetherRealm developers use green goo, a plunger, and some other tools to create the gross, goopy sounds you’ll hear during Fatalities. NetherRealm added that it destroys a lot of vegetables, fruits, and nuts with hammers to create other sound effects.
NetherRealm also discusses how it created the game’s music and other improvements it’s introducing to Mortal Kombat X, so the video is definitely worth watching if you’re a fan of the series.
Update: The second wave of tickets–equal in size to the first–went on sale overnight and was gone even more quickly. By 10:04 PM Pacific, all tickets to The International were sold out, meaning it took a total of just 10 minutes for all 2015 International tickets to be sold. Unfortunately, we’re already seeing some people resell their tickets on eBay, though it remains to be seen if Valve will do anything to prevent this from happening.
Original Story: If you’re the sort of person who takes six minutes to blink, you may have just missed your chance at the first wave of tickets for The International, Dota 2‘s wildly popular championship tournament.
After going on sale today at 10 AM Pacific, the first half of the tickets that will be available for the event were gone by 10:06, Valve has announced. Last year, it took an hour for all of the 10,000 tickets available to be gone.
The second–and final–wave of tickets for this year’s tournament will go on sale later today, at 10 PM Pacific. You can place an order (or at least try) on Ticketmaster’s website.
There are no assigned seats, and all tickets are available for the same price of $99. Buyers are limited to five per household, a limit that carries across waves.
This year’s International takes place August 3-8 at KeyArena in Seattle, WA, the city that’s hosted the last three tournaments. Last year, the prize pool eclipsed a whopping $10 million.
Halo Returns to PC With Halo Online, But Only in Russia for Now: One of the week’s biggest pieces of news was one we did not see coming. A Russia-only Halo game for PC? Crazy! There’s no word yet on if it’s coming to North America, but you can watch a gameplay trailer here.
Batman: Arkham Knight Release Date Delayed Again:It happened again, but thankfully, this delay is a short one. The new Caped Crusader game from Rocksteady has been pushed a couple of weeks from its previously schedule June 2 release to a new launch date of June 23. At least there’s an epic new gameplay trailer to enjoy.
Batman: Arkham Due Remastered for PS4 and Xbox One, Report Claims:A new report this week claimed that Rocksteady’s first two Batman Arkham games, Arkham Asylum and Arkham City, will be getting remastered versions for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. This is unconfirmed at the moment, so take this with a grain of salt for now.
THE OTHER STUFF:
Want to try BioWare’s Mass Effect 3? You’re in luck, as BioWare is now offering a free, one-hour trial of the 2012 game for PlayStation 3. The only catch is that you need a PlayStation Plus membership.
It’s not Star Wars: Battlefront, but a new Star Wars game is out this week. Star Wars Rebels: Recon Missions is available now for iOS, Android, and Windows devices. The game, a side-scrolling mobile action-platformer set in the Star Wars Rebels universe, lets you play as characters from the TV show.
The New York Times has an excellent, in-depth story on the controversial topic of online gamer “swatting.” It’s a comprehensive, deep dive into the issue, featuring lots of interviews and more. Read it here.
Good news, Resident Evil fans! The long-awaited, Resident Evil 5 “Gold Edition” content is now available on PC through Steam. Anyone who already owns the standard Resident Evil 5 through Steam or a boxed copy of the Games for Windows Live version can get a free Steamworks copy now and then buy the Gold Edition content for $15. Other bundles are available, too.
Are Call of Duty games actually about duty? That’s the topic that the PBS “Game/Show” tackled this week. The full episode, which is well worth a watch if you’re interested in the subject, is available below.
Looking for something new to play this weekend? After years of development following a successful Kickstarter campaign, Fallout developer Obsidian Entertainment’s role-playing game Pillars of Eternity is out now on PC. Buy it now on Steam or through the game’s website.
“From burnout to beer and playgrounds.” That’s the title of this excellent GamesIndustry International interview with BioWare co-founder Greg Zeschuk. Curious about his post-BioWare life? You’ll want to read this, for sure.
Good times for Clash of Clans developer Supercell, as yearly profits for 2014 were double what they were last year. Impressive! The success is the result of strong performance for the company’s marquee free-to-play games, including Clash of Clans and Boom Beach.
The Best Dad Ever™ has spent $100,000 to recreate Jurassic Park in LEGO form for his eight-year-old daughter. D’awwww.
Maybe you saw the recent story that claimed to have some information about Rock Band 4’s tracklist? Well, it’s not accurate, according to Harmonix’s Eric Pope. Some of the rumored tracks included Ed Sheeran’s “Thinking Out Loud” and “Ain’t It Fun” by Paramore.
speaking of Rock Band 4 this list of songs is completely false! http://t.co/EKmjjYf6g1 CMON KPOPSTARZ
Whoa, man. Majora’s Mask mixed with Donnie Darko actually works? Yes, it does.
Want to learn English or Spanish using your Xbox One? Now you can. Rosetta Stone has released a free “Discover Languages” app for Microsoft’s new console that promises “immersive simulation.” It’s actually a pretty neat idea;.”Virtual travel experiences teach you the vocabulary and grammar necessary for real-world interactions. So before you book a flight to a foreign destination, grab your controller.”
Looking for a deal on Skylanders, Disney Infinity, or amiibo? GameStop has you covered. Today (March 28) and tomorrow, GameStop is rolling out a suite of deals on the toys-to-life category. Check out a breakdown of everything on sale below.
$20.00 off Skylanders Trap Team starter packs (PS4, XB1, XB360, PS3, WiiU, Wii, 3DS, Tablet)
$5.00 off Skylanders Eon’s Elite figures
Free Skylanders Giants 3-pack with any new Skylanders purchase of $19.99 or more
$25.00 off Disney Infinity Starter Pack (XB360, PS3, 3DS, WiiU, Wii)
$35.00 off Disney Infinity Marvel Super Heroes Starter Pack 2.0 (PS4, XB1, PS3, XB360, WiiU)
$20.00 off Disney Infinity play sets
$90.00 off Disney Infinity Marvel Super Heroes Starter Pack 2.0 collector’s edition (PS4, PS3)
Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak has a prediction for the future, and it’s a dark one. “Like people including Stephen Hawking and Elon Musk have predicted, I agree that the future is scary and very bad for people,” he says in a new interview. “If we build these devices to take care of everything for us, eventually they’ll think faster than us and they’ll get rid of the slow humans to run companies more efficiently.” What do you think?
LEGO fans, this one’s for you. Warner Bros. and TT Games this week released the latest LEGO game, LEGO Ninjago: Shadow of Ronin. The game is now available across the United States for Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Vita. The game, of course, is based on the LEGO Ninjago Masters of Spinjitzu TV series.
PC gaming company Razer is bolstering its board. The company this week announced that Mr. Koh Boon Hwee has joined the firm’s board of directors. Koh previously served as the chairman of Singapore Airlines, Singapore Telecom Group, and the DBS Bank Singapore.
Want to go inside the mind of veteran Capcom producer Yoshinori Ono? Now you can…kind of. Capcom has published a lengthy interview with the well-known developer, covering topics like the company’s move into China and tons more. Read the full thing here.
Here’s a pretty excellent piano/guitar cover of Dragon Age: Inquisition’s theme music.
Looking for a good deal on a mobile game? You’re in luck, as a variety of 2K Games mobile titles have been marked down. Here’s what’s on sale through April 5:
What does Gears of War designer Cliff Bleszinski think about VR? We now have a much better idea, as the veteran game developer has published a lengthy blog post on the subject. Something to consider, though, is that–being an early round investor in Oculus VR– he has a vested interest in seeing the technology succeed.
The second part of the Pillars of Eternity documentary, which chronicles the game’s development–including its wildly successful Kickstarter and development process–is now available. Called “Road to Eternity,” you can watch it for free right here.
38 Studios has been closed for years now, but Curt Schilling’s failed game company is still making headlines–but not for much longer. The final 38 Studios auction was held this week in Rhode Island. PC monitors and more were sold.
Want to sleep with Assassin’s Creed?Now you can, by way of this Assassin’s Creed Unity-themed bedroom set, which includes a pillowcase, sheets, and more.
Indie developer Fatshark has released a new gameplay trailer for Bloodsports.TV, a new “Gladiator-style” arena game coming to PC. Check out the trailer here to see what it’s all about.
The first phase of this boss fight involves fending off a herd of bulb-headed creatures. At first, it might not seem like you’re not doing significant damage, but you’ll notice the boss’ lifebar decrease with nearly every kill. If you rely a lot on the lock-on, you might find that leaving it off for most of this fight will let you hit more enemies in a single blade swing. It’s a roomy area, so feel free to back up once in a while to heal, regain stamina, and tighten the crowds of enemies.
The real boss appears once its lifebar is reduced to about 50%. It’s arms might not look long relative to the rest of its body, but since it’s much larger than its minions, its reach is surprisingly long. If it manages to hit you with a three-swing combo, be ready to retreat and heal. Conversely, avoiding the combo will give you an opening to unleash a series of quick attacks for as long as you have stamina. Eventually it will change into its hairier form, which gives it ranged attack powers. These are easy to prepare for since the glowing light preceding each attack is obvious. These can simply be avoided with dodges to the side. Like its combos, a well-dodged beam will leave the Emissary open to quick attacks.
The key defensive strategy is to use the man-made terrain to your advantage. You can back up and lure the Emissary and its minions to the higher sections of the area and then escape with a drop to the lower sections. The Emissary might drop down to follow you, but the minions most likely won’t. This will give you some 1-on-1 time with the Emissary.
MGM today published the first trailer for this year’s 007 movie, Spectre, and it gives us a lot to think about.
One line in particular stands out to me. “You’ve got a secret. Something you can’t tell anyone, because you don’t trust anyone,” Moneypenny says to Bond at the beginning of the spot. What do you make of that?
Here’s the official plot description for Spectre:
“A cryptic message from Bond’s past sends him on a trail to uncover a sinister organization. While M battles political forces to keep the secret service alive, Bond peels back the layers of deceit to reveal the terrible truth behind Spectre.”
What do you make of the trailer? Let us know in the comments below!
Spectre, which also stars Guardians of the Galaxy‘s Dave Bautista and Academy Award-winning actor Christoph Waltz, opens on November 6, 2015. The movie is being directed by Sam Mendes, who was also behind 2012’s blockbuster Skyfall.
Looking for more Spectre content? Check out this behind-the-scenes video that shows the difficult–yet rewarding–job of shooting an action sequence on top of a mountain.
The fate of the James Bond video game series is unclear. Call of Duty publisher Activision is thought to have dropped the license, and it’s unclear if anyone picked it up.
Darkbeast Paarl resides where Old Yharnam and Yahar’Gul, Unseen Village meet. This lanky, bolt-enhanced boss is shifty, but he’s also prone to collapsing given its long legs. When Darkbeast Paarl is on its feet, it’s best to avoid its front as it specializes in wide, sweeping attacks. But if you pummel it enough with a combo of hits, you will get Darkbeast Paarl to collapse, which is when you should definitely be at its front, namely close to its head. Even without a bullet to stun it, Darkbeast Paarl’s head is vulnerable to visceral attacks. Other than that, just be ready to keep up with strafing motions and don’t let its screams intimidate you. The latter is mostly for show.
The path to optional boss Martyr Logarius is not an obvious one. Starting from the large roof in Castle Cainhurst, the route involves dropping down to seemingly inaccessible areas of the castle as well as hugging the sides of a couple spires. Do that, and you’ll reach Martyr Logarius.
Not since the Blood-starved Beast has a battle been this fierce, which makes defeating Martyr Logarius all the more satisfying. This rooftop is filled with spires, which are meant for you to take momentary refuge to quickly heal and avoid Logarius’ ranged attacks. In the same way you can attack through some of the game’s collision, so too can this phantom king. The smokey red skulls in his spread attack can often be avoided using the spires, but an occasional skull will sneak through, so don’t get comfy. It takes practice, but a well-timed roll toward the spread attack can often be effective. If he hits you with the more concentrated giant skull attack, be ready to retreat and heal.
He might be three times your size, but Logarius is best addressed using melee attacks. This will prevent him from using ranged attacks and if there is a little distance between you two, you have an opening to trigger a visceral attack. If you’re quick with your melee attacks, you can interrupt many of his own blade assaults. Just keep one eye on your stamina.
If the first half of this duel lets you experiment with the visceral attack, the second half is an ideal case of placing faith in the regain system. Like a heavyweight boxing match consisting of an even trade of blows, you can knock a good chunk of life off Logarius by relying on quick attacks with the shortened version of your melee weapon. Trust the regain system, deal a combination of quick attacks, and retreat behind a spire to heal. No matter how good you are with the regain system, Logarius will take down your health, so be mindful of your HP and your blood vial inventory.
Just because the first expansion for Dragon Age: Inquisition–Jaws of Hakkon–launched first on Xbox One and PC, doesn’t mean it’s not coming to PlayStation 4. The content will indeed be released on Sony’s new console, and BioWare is planning to announce more details about the PS4 release sometime next week.
“Jaws of Hakkon is a timed exclusive for the Xbox One and PC (through Origin). This approach allowed for a lot of support from Microsoft and Origin in launching the DLC, so [it] did have that benefit for the team, and we appreciate the partnership,” BioWare general manager Aaryn Flynn said as part of a Kotaku Q&A session today.
“However, as a timed exclusive, it is definitely coming to the game’s other platforms, and based on our internal discussions I expect we’ll be announcing more details next week.”
“I hope no one boycotts the purchase, as it’s a pretty fun adventure that WILL be available on all platforms,” he added. “That said, everyone is free to vote / message / communicate how they feel, so if that happens it happens. We’re definitely paying attention.”
So far, the Jaws of Hakkon expansion has been confirmed only for Xbox One, PC, and PS4. BioWare has not announced any plans to bring the DLC to last-generation consoles such as Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3.
In Jaws of Hakkon, players will “discover the fate of the last Inquisitor and the powerful dragon he hunted.”
Set in an overgrown wilderness populated by the Avvar hunter people, the content will see players exploring an “ancient Tevinter fortress that hides a dangerous secret.”
Gamers can also expect to face off against new enemies, and amass new legendary armor and weapons. Jaws of Hakkon concludes with a battle against an “ancient god of war bent on destroying the world.”
For more on Jaws of Hakkon, check out GameSpot’s review and some images in the gallery below.
Sony has announced a new weekend promotion where gamers can save 10 percent on their entire PlayStation Store purchase. Just use the 10-digit code above to enjoy the savings.
There are some limitations to the deal, however. First, it’s available this weekend only in the United States, Canada, and Latin America. Second, it’s good only for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 content, not PlayStation Vita, PlayStation TV, PSP, or any in-game wares.
On top of that, the one-time use code does not work for PlayStation Plus memberships, any other subscriptions, pre-orders, PlayStation Now content, or video rentals. To use the code, you’ll need to complete your transaction by March 30 at 12 Noon PDT.
The 10 percent off code can, however, be applied to existing discounts, including everything that’s on sale this week through Spring Fever event. It can also be used on new releases such as Bloodborne and Battlefield: Hardline, among many others.
What are you planning to pick up using the code? Let us know in the comments below!
