Blog

Quantic Dream, the Paris-based studio responsible for Beyond: Two Souls and Heavy Rain, has released a HD remaster of its PlayStation 2 and Xbox “interactive narrative” Indigo Prophecy (known as Fahrenheit in Europe).

Shown above is a trailer for the remake, featuring upgraded textures presented in HD resolution. Given the remixed title, Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy Remastered, the game is available now on PC, Mac, Linux and iOS. The iPhone and iPad version features new touch-screen controls, while an Android edition is also in development.

The remaster, which has been co-developed by Aspyr Media, will not ship on PlayStation 4 or Xbox One, Quantic Dream explained on the game’s FAQ page.

First released in 2005, Fahrenheit is considered a forerunner of the interactive narrative games that Quantic Dream is known for, though it did not achieve the critical or commercial success of its PS3 titles Heavy Rain and Beyond: Two Souls.

The game’s lead designer, David Cage, has previously expressed some regrets over how the project materialized, particularly with regards to how it relies on typical Hollywood action sequences towards the end.

“It was really after Fahrenheit, I got the feeling we touched on something, but I was too shy with the medium to do anything with it. I was really upset with myself, because I didn’t have enough courage with the project,” he told Develop in 2011.

“I realized I was writing a game where nothing ever happens. There were relationships between characters, and a love story, but it didn’t feel like a video game. I felt I needed something spectacular to end it, I needed to go out with an explosion, with flying characters, I needed the world to be saved.”

GameSpot’s Indigo Prophecy review was nevertheless positive, writing in 2005 that “not everyone is going to love the way in which this game plays, but anybody with a love for good storytelling and the adventure genre will find Indigo Prophecy to be an original and enlightening experience.”

New images of the HD remaster can be found below.

Powered by WPeMatico

Disney Interactive has announced the launch of the Disney Infinity: Toy Box 2.0 app for iPad and iPhone. The app includes all tools and features of Toy Box 2.0 from Disney Infinity (2.0 Edition) and introduces a multiplayer feature for the first time to mobile users.

The Disney Infinity: Toy Box 2.0 app can be used be existing Disney Infinity players or newcomers alike, and will be available to download for free on the Apple store. The app will also feature character trials, which will cycle new characters for users to try every three to five days.

The iOS version of Toy Box 2.0 is powered by the Metal graphics API, which grants it more capability for better visuals over older iOS versions. Speaking to GameSpot in an interview, senior producer mobile Sean Patton said, “Metal has allowed us to take all the assets from console and actually bring them into the Toy Box experience with much improved graphic fidelity… we did a crossplay from PS4 to iPad, and you have to nitpick to find the differences.”

Disney Infinity 2.0 launched in September last year, introducing more than 20 new characters from the Marvel universe and a Toy Box mode. Earlier this month Disney released a statement claiming that Disney Infinity was the best-selling toys-to-life brand in 2014, a title which Skylanders publisher Activision contested.

Powered by WPeMatico

Update: Xbox Live service has returned and is functioning normally.

The original story follows below.

Users attempting to sign into Xbox Live on the Xbox One may encounter difficulties, as the service is currently running in a limited capacity. Additionally, players trying to access Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare‘s Exo Zombies downloadable content may encounter an error which reads “A downloadable content package was removed or all profiles are signed out.”

To fix this, players need to download and install the free DLC “compatibility pack” by logging into Xbox Live, starting the game, and following the prompts. Players trying to do this via Xbox One may encounter difficulties as the service is currently down.

It is not known what is causing the service outage. In the past, an online hacking group claimed responsibility for attacking the network. GameSpot will continue to monitor this story as it develops. Check back later for updates on the service.

Powered by WPeMatico

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates held a Reddit AMA today, and, as you could have probably guessed, someone asked him about the company’s recently announced HoloLens technology. Gates’ verdict? He’s excited, but says it might be a few years before we see the true potential of the technology.

“The HoLolens is pretty amazing,” Gates said. “Microsoft has put a lot into the chips and the software. It is the start of virtual reality. Making the device so you don’t get dizzy or nauseous is really hard–the speed of the alignment has to be super super fast. It will take a few years of software applications being built to realize the full promise of this.”

For its part, Microsoft doesn’t think HoloLens is like anything else out there. It doesn’t compete directly with the likes of virtual reality headsets such as Oculus Rift or Project Morpheus because HoloLens is “something different,” Microsoft says.

Someone else asked Gates what he thinks the next 30 years holds in terms of advancements to technology overall. Gates said he foresees lots of progress, including mechanical robots being used to pick fruit, among other things.

“There will be more progress in the next 30 years than ever,” Gates said. “Even in the next 10 problems like vision and speech understanding and translation will be very good. Mechanical robot tasks like picking fruit or moving a hospital patient will be solved. Once computers/robots get to a level of capability where seeing and moving is easy for them then they will be used very extensively.”

Gates also reveals that he’s working on some form of “Personal Agent” initiative with Microsoft. He explains:

“One project I am working on with Microsoft is the Personal Agent which will remember everything and help you go back and find things and help you pick what things to pay attention to,” he said. “The idea that you have to find applications and pick them and they each are trying to tell you what is new is just not the efficient model–the agent will help solve this. It will work across all your devices.”

The full AMA is a fascinating read. Though Gates doesn’t answer questions about Xbox or gaming directly, he does talk about his various humanitarian efforts, his dogs, and machine super-intelligence, among many other topics. You can read the full post here.

Looking for more content around HoloLens? Check out our most recent stories below.

• Microsoft’s HoloLens Is “Something Different” Than Oculus Or Morpheus
• Microsoft CEO Talks “Mind-Blowing” Gaming Potential For HoloLens
• Molyneux: HoloLens Is More Exciting Than VR, But What’s The Killer App?
• Xbox Boss Ponders HoloLens’ Potential On Console And PC

Powered by WPeMatico