Month: January 2019

Alien fans might be getting more than just a new mobile game in 2019. A new tweet from the Alien Anthology Twitter account, which represents 21st Century Fox’s franchise, suggest the company means to expand on the story started in 2014’s Alien: Isolation in more ways than one.

The Alien Anthology account tweeted that more news is on its way for the franchise, specifically concerning Amanda Ripley, the daughter of series protagonist Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver). That followed the announcement that Amanda would star in a new mobile game called Alien: Blackout, which is due out on Google Play and the iTunes App Store on January 24.

Amanda was the player character in Isolation, which took place 15 years after the events of the original 1979 film. In that game, Amanda went with a Weyland-Yutani team to Sevastopol Station, a distant space station in the process of being decommissioned, after the flight recorder was recovered from Ellen’s destroyed ship, the Nostromo. While Amanda eventually got hold of the recorder, she also went through the same thing as her mother, when an alien began picking off the people of Sevastopol one by one. Alien: Blackout seems to pick up the story from there, with Amanda trying to fend off another alien in a place called Mendel Station while still pursuing answers about what happened to Ellen.

The tweets from Alien Anthology teasing the new game also use the hashtags #AmandaRipley and #ReadPlayWatch, which suggests there’s more to do with Amanda’s story than just play it. In fact, the latest tweet emphasizes the “watch” part of the hashtag with capitalized letters, unlike the other tweets.

Just what “watch” might mean (or “read,” for that matter) is anybody’s guess at this point. The Alien franchise has long been more than just movies, expanding into comics and novels as well as games. The franchise has seen something of a resurgence recently with the release of two prequel movies, Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, but it’s not clear whether there will be a follow-up to director Ridley Scott’s Covenant. Amanda’s story provides another avenue that it seems the franchise is set to explore, in some form or another.

Still, while fans might have hoped for a full sequel to Alien: Isolation rather than a mobile game, at least it seems that Amanda Ripley isn’t being totally discarded from the Alien story.

During CES 2019, HTC announced Viveport Infinity. Infinity is the first subscription model for Viveport that allows you to have unlimited access to the service’s catalog of games.

The current Viveport subscription models are for a three-month, six-month, and 12-month plan which each allow you to play a total of 15, 30, and 60 games respectfully. For each plan, you’re allowed to play five new games every month. These plans essentially create a figurative time limit to completing titles, but they also offer a way to play through a collection of Vive and Oculus VR games for a fraction of the full retail price.

HTC has not yet announced a price point for Viveport Infinity, although it may be more than the current USD 12-month subscription plan–which costs $80 USD in total. Infinity is scheduled to release on Vive Day, April 5.

Viveport offers dozens of games. Some are VR versions of older games, such as Fruit Ninja VR, but there are plenty of original titles as well, like Transpose, Zomday, and Vestige. New titles are added on a fairly regular basis, and games can be individually purchased as well–allowing you to keep them forever.

During CES, HTC also announced Vive Pro Eye, which is a business-focused headset that tracks your eyes, allowing you to control your system without the need for a controller. HTC also introduced Vive Reality, which is a virtual space for people to interact in, as well as watch videos, play games, and create experiences together. The company also announced Vive Cosmos, another new headset, that’s capable of playing VR on the go.

HTC Vive users will be able to experience their virtual reality headset in a new way thanks to Vive Reality System, a reinvention of the headset’s core software that creates a world around the user, allowing them to engage with the software in a more immersive way. Vive Reality System was announced during CES 2019 and conjures memories of PlayStation Home, a virtual world social world that Sony launched on PS3.

Like PlayStation Home, Vive Reality System is very much focused on social interactions and all that entails. This means that users will be able to connect with each other and partake in activities such as watching videos, playing games, and “other creative experiences,” according to HTC.

It seems many of the interactions users will have will be through a “Lens,” which effectively gives them a window into other virtual worlds and applications running on the hardware. These can be thought of as pop-up windows for applications, much like those used on personal computers or mobile devices, except in a completely virtual world.

What HTC showed of Vive Reality System at CES was described as a “glimpse” at it, which means it’ll likely show more in the coming weeks and months. The company did not announce when Vive Reality System will launch.

Following the announcement of Vive Reality System, HTC finished up its press conference by revealing Vive Cosmos, the newest VR headset in its stable. Vive Cosmos will offer “comfort, easy setup, and will require no external tracking,” according to HTC. It will also allow users to experience VR at home and on-the-go. HTC has promised to reveal more about Vive Cosmos soon.

During the presentation HTC also showed off the Vive Pro Eye, a new enterprise-focused version of the headset that features native eye tracking technology. This, HTC says, will deliver “greater accessibility, gaze-oriented menu navigation” and effectively eliminate the need to use controllers to get around the interface.

In terms of gaming, it announced Viveport Infinity, a subscription service that, for a monthly fee, will grant members access to a library of games. For more on CES you can check out GameSpot’s hub and also head over to CNET for comprehensive coverage of everything going on at the show.

During its CES 2019 press conference focused on virtual reality, HTC made a series of announcements revealing what’s next for the company. It capped off the event with the reveal of the Vive Cosmos, its next VR headset.

You can get a quick look at the headset in the video below; the goal of Cosmos appears to be addressing some of the flaws that most VR headsets have faced to this point. HTC claims it provides “absolute comfort” and “easy set up.” Additionally, it offers the Vive experience without the use of any external tracking devices. Cosmos is usable both at home or on the go, according to HTC.

Unfortunately, little else was shared about Cosmos, including a release date or price point. The video does say it’s “coming soon,” and we know Vive Day, April 5, will mark the release of another of HTC’s announcements from today, Viveport Infinity. Whether Cosmos is coming quite that soon or not remains to be seen.

Without getting into specifics–really, nothing at all was shared about the device–HTC teased that there are hidden aspects to Cosmos not apparent from the announcement. “There’s so much more to Vive Cosmos,” HTC said in a tweet, “[and] we’ll be sharing more details soon on this exciting new VR kit.”

In another development at CES, HTC announced the Vive Pro Eye, an enterprise-focused headset that offers eye-tracking, negating the need for the use of handheld controllers. That, too, is currently without a release date or exact price.

Epic Games has been introducing a new item or weapon to Fortnite on a near-weekly basis since the game’s Battle Royale mode became a global hit, and that trend will continue this week. Ahead of the title’s latest update, the developer is teasing the arrival of yet another new weapon: the Suppressed Sniper Rifle.

The gun is listed as “coming soon” in Fortnite’s in-game news feed, confirming it’ll arrive as part of this week’s content update. “Strike at your opponents quietly with this suppressed bolt-action Sniper,” the accompanying description reads. You can take a peek at the new weapon below.

Players won’t have to wait too long to try out the Suppressed Sniper Rifle. Epic announced on Twitter that Fortnite’s next content update will roll out on all platforms–PS4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch, and mobile devices–on Tuesday, January 8 at 5 AM PT / 8 AM ET / 1 PM GMT.

The most recent item to come to Fortnite was the Boom Box, which arrived last week as part of the 7.10.2 update. Unlike most other items in the game, the Boom Box doesn’t deal damage directly to other players; rather, it functions as a counter for structures, sending out a blast of music that destroys those within its blast radius.

In other Fortnite news, Epic has extended the 14 Days of Fortnite holiday event, bringing it back on all platforms for another week to make up for the confusion surrounding its original end date. The event will be available until January 15, during which time all of its challenges will be available to complete. You can find the full list of challenges and tips on how to clear them in our 14 Days of Fortnite roundup.

HTC has revealed the Vive Pro Eye, a new version of its virtual reality headset that it describes as “an evolution in the enterprise VR space.” Revealed during CES 2019, the big new innovation that HTC is touting for the Vive Pro Eye is, as the name indicates, eye tracking.

As detailed during the HTC keynote, Vive Pro Eye integrates eye tracking natively and will give users “greater accessibility, gaze-oriented menu navigation.” This, in turn, removes the need for controllers to be used for navigating the user-interface, it says.

How this will translate to video games remains to be seen, but in its presentation HTC said the new eye tracking technology will enable businesses to create better training simulations, as well as improve how computing resources are used.

Given that HTC is very much targeting this new version of the Vive at businesses, it could be some time before we see the technology utilized in video games, if at all. As of yet, HTC has not priced the Vive Pro Eye. However, VR enthusiasts will no doubt begin tinkering with it once it’s available and begin to reveal some of the gaming applications of the headset, which we’re excited to see.

This was the first of many announcements made during HTC’s presentation. The company went on to reveal Viveport Infinity, which is more squarely focused at the gaming market. Viveport Infinity is a paid subscription service that grants members unlimited access to a catalogue of games for a monthly fee. Again, pricing has not yet been confirmed, but the subscription service will be available from April 5.

HTC also outlined strategic partnerships designed to bring a seamless VR experiences to its audience, naming Mozilla as one key company it is teaming up with. The result of this partnership is Firefox Reality, a native VR browsing experience. This was coupled with the announcement that it will empower developers to make websites catered towards VR users.

For more on HTC’s press conference, as well as CES 2019 as a whole, take a look at CNET’s event hub, where you’ll find comprehensive coverage of the tech-focused event.

If you live in the US and have a Nintendo Switch or 3DS, you now have one more option for buying games. The Humble Store has added a selection of digital Nintendo games to its lineup. The games come in the form of codes that you can redeem on the US Nintendo Eshop. And if you have a Humble account, you should check your email, because Humble sent some account holders a coupon for $5 off any Nintendo game priced at $19.99 or more.

The lineup of Nintendo games on the Humble Store includes many of the biggest games on Switch. You can get Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Pokemon: Let’s Go Pikachu/Eevee, Super Mario Odyssey, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and more. In addition to Switch games, Humble also sells expansion passes as well as Nintendo Online memberships.

The selection of 3DS games isn’t quite as extensive, but it includes titles like Pokemon Ultra Sun/Moon and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D. Those who enjoy playing retro games on their 3DS can also pick up classics like Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, and Pokemon Red/Blue Version.

Unfortunately, the 10% discount Humble Monthly subscribers get for most games in the store doesn’t apply to these Nintendo titles. And none of the Nintendo games are on sale at the moment–even the ones that are currently discounted elsewhere, like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Arms, which are down to $42 each this week at Best Buy. Even so, it’s always nice to have more options for buying games.

During CES 2019, Disney and Audi unveiled Holoride, a software company that creates VR experiences that you play from the back seat of a moving car. One such experience tested at the event by CNET was Marvel’s Avengers: Rocket’s Rescue Run, which has you fly through an asteroid field with Rocket and Iron Man as you shoot down enemy drones and approaching asteroids. Disappointingly, it seems like the experience was created solely for CES, and will never be commercially available.

According to CNET, Holoride aims to provide a VR experience that’s “intended to match, visually, what the passengers feel as they ride: If the car turns, accelerates or brakes, the VR environment will do the same thing. And the experience–whether it’s a game or a movie or something else–will be automatically tailored to the length and movements of your drive route.” Not every ride has to be a game, for example. A virtual reality overlay can be applied to the world, painting ordinary landscapes and landmarks into something new. One of the given examples was transforming a normal drive into a journey through a prehistoric world filled with dinosaurs.

“The idea is to give people something interesting to do when they’re riding as a passenger in a car,” says Audi head of digital business Nils Wollny. “There are a lot of passengers traveling in the back seat who have nothing to do,” he continued, “In most cases, transit time feels like wasted time.”

One of the more obvious problems with this technology is motion sickness, as there are people who report feeling nauseous while riding in a car or playing VR, and Holoride is combining both experiences. CNET did report feeling queasy after the demonstration.

In keeping with its trend of asking potential customers to weigh in on the creation of its Mad Box game console, Slightly Mad Studios is apparently looking to crowdsource a marketing slogan for the machine. Studio head Ian Bell asked potential customers for their best take on a catchy phrase to sell the box, offering money and free games for the winning entry.

Bell made the tweet Saturday, and later added some rules to the impromptu contest, asking everyone to contribute their one best idea, instead of covering his Twitter feed in a pile of random suggestions. According to Bell, by Sunday he’d received some “epic suggestions,” and the studio’s social media team was “furiously combing and collating” all of them. Bell didn’t say the studio would definitely use a crowdsourced suggestion for the Mad Box slogan, but he said he thought the studio probably would, since so many good ones were coming in.

Bell and Slightly Mad have made a lot of use of Twitter since the announcement the Mad Box was in the works on Friday. On social media, Bell said the Mad Box would be the “most powerful console ever,” and also used the social media platform to show off potential designs for the console.

For all the talk surrounding the Mad Box over the last few days, however, there’s still not much known about it. Bell said the console would support virtual reality hardware at 120 frames per second, for instance, but also that Slightly Mad is still working on deals with component makers to determine what hardware would be used with the console. There’s also no information yet about what the Mad Box might cost or exactly when we’ll see it–Bell said it probably won’t be available for three years.

Numerous changes to a lot of gaming hardware came to light in 2018, including consoles. Some were good, and others not so much. Check out our report cards for more detailed accounts.

GameSpot 2018 Report Cards

The first Pokemon Go Community Day of the new year is just around the corner. The latest real-world event for Niantic’s popular mobile game is set to take place around the globe this Saturday, January 12, and like always, it’ll give players an opportunity to capture rare Pokemon and earn some generous in-game bonuses.

While each Community Day typically runs for only three hours, the specifics of these events vary by month. To help you get ready, we’ve rounded up all of the most important details about January 2019’s Community Day below, from the time it starts in each region to what bonuses you’ll be able to earn this month.

What Is The Featured Pokemon?

With the exception of December’s event, Niantic designates one featured Pokemon for each Community Day, meaning that particular monster will appear much more frequently in the wild than it normally does for the duration of the event. The featured Pokemon for January’s Community Day is Totodile, the final starter from the series’ second-generation titles, Pokemon Gold and Silver.

In addition to increased spawns, Niantic typically makes the Shiny variant of the featured Pokemon available during the Community Day, so you’ll presumably have your first chance to capture a Shiny Totodile in Go during this month’s event. Moreover, if you manage to evolve Totodile into its final form, Feraligatr, up to one hour after the Community Day ends, the Pokemon will know a special event-exclusive move that it can’t otherwise learn in the mobile game. Niantic has yet to confirm what the move will be, but we’ll update this article once it’s announced.

What Time Does It Start?

Unlike other real-world events for Pokemon Go, Community Days aren’t hosted at a specific location, but rather during a designated window of time, meaning you’ll be able to participate in the event from any local park or other gathering place. The time it begins will vary depending on what part of the world you live in, but regardless of your region, the Community Day will only run for three hours. You can find the full schedule for each region below.

The Americas and Greenland

• 11 AM – 2 PM PT
• 2 PM – 5 PM ET

Europe, Middle East, and Africa

• 10 AM – 1 PM UTC

Asia-Pacific

• 12 PM – 3 PM JST (January 13)

What Other Bonuses Are There?

On top of increased Pokemon spawns, Niantic also typically offers a couple of other bonuses during each Community Day. For this month’s event, Incubators will be four times as effective as normal, which means you’ll be able to hatch Eggs at a quarter of the distance they would typically require. Additionally, any Lure modules you use will remain activate for three hours, rather than their standard 30 minutes.

Moreover, the Community Day bonuses will stack atop those available through the ongoing Adventure Sync Hatchathon. As part of that event, you’ll earn twice the normal amount of Stardust and Candy for each Pokemon Egg you hatch. When coupled with the increased Incubator effectiveness, you’ll potentially be able to earn a ton of Stardust and Candy during this month’s Community Day.