Author: Trafficblast

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.

Crunchyroll has announced more dubs for several of the series on its streaming service. Most notable is Konosuba: God’s Blessing on this Wonderful World Season 1, which is getting a new English dub, as well as dubs in Spanish and Portuguese.

In the English dub cast, Konosuba’s main protagonist Kazuma is voiced by Arnie Pantoja, who’s appeared in One-Punch Man and Re:Zero. The ladies Kazuma is accompanied by–Aqua, Megumin, and Darkness–are portrayed by Faye Mata, Erica Mendez, and Cristina Vee respectfully. Mata is also in Re:Zero, as baby Rem, and portrays Rider of Black in Fate/Apocrypha. Mendez has a huge resume, portraying Kill la Kill’s Ryuko, Sailor Moon’s Haruka, Aggretsuko’s Retsuko, My Hero Academia: Two Heroes’ Melissa Shield, and many more. Vee has an equally large history in anime, voicing The Familiar of Zero’s Louise, Devilman Crybaby’s Miki, Fate/Zero’s Sakura, and dozens of other noteworthy characters.

Along with Konosuba, new dubs are also coming for In Another World with My Smartphone, Interviews with Monster Girls, Joker Game, Orange, Recovery of an MMO Junkie, and The Ancient Magus Bride. Most of these shows are being dubbed in Spanish, French, German, or Portuguese. Konosuba is the only one getting an English dub. All of the new dubs will be available on Crunchyroll starting January 15.

New Dubs Coming To Crunchyroll

• Konosuba Season 1 — English, Spanish, and Portuguese
• In Another World with My Smartphone — German, Spanish, French, and Portuguese
• Interviews with Monster Girls — Spanish and Portuguese
• Joker Game — Spanish, French, and Portuguese
• Orange — Spanish, French, and Portuguese
• Recovery of an MMO Junkie — Spanish, French, Portuguese, and German
• The Ancient Magus Bride — German, Spanish, and Portuguese

Crunchyroll has also announced the next slate of new anime to join its Winter 2019 season. Both Rinshi!! Ekodachan and Rainy Cocoa SideG begin airing on January 8. The former is about a temp worker who lives in the countryside and “doesn’t care much about guys” but does all she can to support the women in her community. The latter is a slice of life story about a woman who manages a cafe after being recruited to pay back a vase she broke. Another anime debuts on January 9, titled My Roommate is a Cat, which follows the adorable every day lives of a man and his cat.

Konosuba is one of the most popular comedies on Crunchyroll, first airing in the Winter 2016 season. The series follows the hilarious exploits of Kazuma Satō, a high school student who’s killed and offered the chance to be reborn in a fantasy world. The goddess, Aqua, who’s responsible for his resurrection is extremely arrogant and teases Kazuma for dying embarrassingly, so when she tells him he’s allowed to bring something of his choice with him to his new life, he takes revenge by forcing her to join him. Life in the new world is not kind to either of them, and things become even worse when they’re joined by Megumin, an explosion-obsessed wizard who can only fire off one spell before she collapses from exhaustion, and Darkness, a masochistic crusader who can’t even strike a still target. The story plays out in a series of fast-paced skits that also poke fun at MMO and RPG mechanics and quests.

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The Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody and acclaimed drama Green Book were the big winners at the 76th Golden Globes awards on January 6. Bohemian Rhapsody took home the award for Best Drama, while star Remi Malek won Best Actor in a Drama for his portrayal of Queen frontman Freddie Mercury.

Green Book won three awards, including Best Musical or Comedy Picture and Best Supporting Actor, Musical or Comedy, for Mahershala Ali. Other winners in the movie categories include the highly acclaimed Netflix film Roma (Best Director for Alfonso Cuarón and Best Foreign Language Film), period comedy The Favourite (Best Actress, Musical or Comedy, for Olivia Coleman), and the political satire Vice, which won Christian Bale the Best Actor in a Drama for his portrayal of Dick Cheney.

In terms of TV shows, The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story won Best Limited Series, and the Netflix comedy The Kominsky Method took home Best Television Series, Musical or Comedy, and Best Actor in same category for Michael Douglas. The long-running thriller The Americans won Best Drama for its final season, while Golden Globes host Sandra Oh won Best Drama Actress for Killing Eve.

The Golden Globe winners are voted by members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. They are seen as an indicator of what might triumph at the Academy Awards next month. You can see a full rundown of the Golden Globe winners and nominees below.

Best Motion Picture – Drama

• Black Panther
• BlacKkKlansman
• Winner: Bohemian Rhapsody
• If Beale Street Could Talk
• A Star Is Born

Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama

• Bradley Cooper (A Star Is Born)
• Willem Dafoe (At Eternity’s Gate)
• Lucas Hedges (Boy Erased)
• Winner: Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody)
• John David Washington (BlacKkKlansman)

Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama

• Winner: Glenn Close (The Wife)
• Lady Gaga (A Star Is Born)
• Nicole Kidman (Destroyer)
• Melissa McCarthy (Can You Ever Forgive Me?)
• Rosamund Pike (A Private War)

Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy

• Crazy Rich Asians
• The Favourite
• Winner: Green Book
• Mary Poppins Returns
• Vice

Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy

• Emily Blunt (Mary Poppins Returns)
• Winner: Olivia Colman (The Favourite)
• Elsie Fisher (Eighth Grade)
• Charlize Theron (Tully)
• Constance Wu (Crazy Rich Asians)

Best Television Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

• The Alienist (TNT)
• Winner: The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story (FX)
• Escape at Dannemora (Showtime)
• Sharp Objects (HBO)
• A Very English Scandal (Amazon)

Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy

• Barry (HBO)
• The Good Place (NBC)
• Kidding (Showtime)
• Winner: The Kominsky Method (Netflix)
• The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy

• Kristen Bell (The Good Place)
• Candice Bergen (Murphy Brown)
• Alison Brie (Glow)
• Winner: Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)
• Debra Messing (Will & Grace)

Best Director – Motion Picture

• Bradley Cooper (A Star Is Born)
• Winner: Alfonso Cuaron (Roma)
• Peter Farrelly (Green Book)
• Spike Lee (BlacKkKlansman)
• Adam McKay (Vice)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

• Antonio Banderas (Genius: Picasso)
• Daniel Bruhl (The Alienist)
• Winner: Darren Criss (The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story)
• Benedict Cumberbatch (Patrick Melrose)
• Hugh Grant (A Very English Scandal)

Best Motion Picture – Foreign Language

• Capernaum
• Girl
• Never Look Away
• Winner: Roma
• Shoplifters

Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy

• Winner: Christian Bale (Vice)
• Lin-Manuel Miranda (Mary Poppins Returns)
• Viggo Mortensen (Green Book)
• Robert Redford (The Old Man & the Gun)
• John C. Reilly (Stan & Ollie)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

• Alex Borstein (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)
• Winner: Patricia Clarkson (Sharp Objects)
• Penelope Cruz (The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story)
• Thandie Newton (Westworld)
• Yvonne Strahovski (The Handmaid’s Tale)

Best Screenplay – Motion Picture

• Alfonso Cuaron (Roma)
• Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara (The Favourite)
• Barry Jenkins (If Beale Street Could Talk)
• Adam McKay (Vice)
• Winner: Peter Farrelly, Nick Vallelonga, Brian Currie (Green Book)

Best Actor in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture

• Winner: Mahershala Ali (Green Book)
• Timothee Chalamet (Beautiful Boy)
• Adam Driver (BlacKkKlansman)
• Richard E. Grant (Can You Ever Forgive Me?)
• Sam Rockwell (Vice)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Drama

• Caitriona Balfe (Outlander)
• Elisabeth Moss (The Handmaid’s Tale)
• Winner: Sandra Oh (Killing Eve)
• Julia Roberts (Homecoming)
• Keri Russell (The Americans)

Best Actress in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture

• Amy Adams (Vice)
• Claire Foy (First Man)
• Winner: Regina King (If Beale Street Could Talk)
• Emma Stone (The Favourite)
• Rachel Weisz (The Favourite)

Best Original Song – Motion Picture

• All the Stars (Black Panther)
• Girl in the Movies (Dumplin’)
• Requiem For a Private War (A Private War)
• Revelation’ (Boy Erased)
• Winner: Shallow (A Star Is Born)

Best Original Score – Motion Picture

• Marco Beltrami (A Quiet Place)
• Alexandre Desplat (Isle of Dogs)
• Ludwig Göransson (Black Panther)
• Winner: Justin Hurwitz (First Man)
• Marc Shaiman (Mary Poppins Returns)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

• Amy Adams (Sharp Objects)
• Winner: Patricia Arquette (Escape at Dannemora)
• Connie Britton (Dirty John)
• Laura Dern (The Tale)
• Regina King (Seven Seconds)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

• Alan Arkin (The Kominsky Method)
• Kieran Culkin (Succession)
• Edgar Ramirez (The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story)
• Winner: Ben Whishaw (A Very English Scandal)
• Henry Winkler (Barry)

Best Television Series – Drama

• Winner: The Americans
• Bodyguard
• Homecoming
• Killing Eve
• Pose

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama

• Jason Bateman (Ozark)
• Stephan James (Homecoming)
• Winner: Richard Madden (Bodyguard)
• Billy Porter (Pose)
• Matthew Rhys (The Americans)

Best Motion Picture – Animated

• Incredibles 2
• Isle of Dogs
• Mirai
• Ralph Breaks the Internet
• Winner: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy

• Sacha Baron Cohen (Who Is America?)
• Jim Carrey (Kidding)
• Winner: Michael Douglas (The Kominsky Method)
• Donald Glover (Atlanta)
• Bill Hader (Barry)

14 Days of Fortnite is live again on PS4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch, and mobile devices. As a make good for previously announcing the wrong end date, developer Epic Games has brought the holiday-themed event back for another week, giving players on all platforms another chance to unlock any rewards they may have missed out on the first time around.

The encore event will be live through 12 AM PT / 3 AM ET / 8 AM GMT on January 15. During this time, all of the 14 Days of Fortnite challenges will be available, allowing players to complete any remaining tasks and unlock their corresponding rewards; however, any previous progress on partially completed challenges has been reset. You can see the full list of challenges and rewards in our 14 Days of Fortnite roundup.

14 Days of Fortnite first kicked off in December. As its name describes, the event ran for two weeks, with a new challenge to complete and reward to unlock each day. However, there was some confusion surrounding when the event would end, and as a result, many players felt they didn’t have as much time as they expected to complete the challenges.

Epic acknowledged it had shared the wrong end date for the event on its social channels and offered to give everyone who completed at least one 14 Days of Fortnite challenge the Equalizer glider–the 14th unlockable reward–for free. The developer later announced it would instead bring the entire event back for a week.

“We communicated an incorrect end date for the 14 Days of Fortnite event and did not feel the Equalizer Glider compensation was the right approach,” Epic wrote on its website. “After further discussion, we’ve decided to bring back this event early next week through January 15 at 3 AM ET (0800 UTC). We’ll also be enabling some of the most popular Limited Time Modes that were available during the event.”