Author: Trafficblast

At Google’s GDC 2019 keynote, company VP Phil Harrison revealed a new cloud gaming streaming service called Stadia. During the presentation, Harrison also unveiled a new controller specifically designed for Stadia. The floor model that’s currently being displayed at the show, as confirmed by GameSpot’ sister site CNET, has the Konami code engraved on it. You can see the engraving in the tweet below.

According to Polygon, you can go to Stadia’s website and actually input the Konami code with your computer keyboard to find a cool Easter egg: a 3D model of the new controller. You can spin the controller around on your screen in order to get a better idea as to how it’s shaped. For those who don’t know, the full Konami code is up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, b, a, start. You only need to input the first 10 keys, however, to see the controller model on Stadia’s website.

The Konami code engraving isn’t the only unique aspect of Stadia’s controller. It also comes with a share button that allows you to upload footage straight to your YouTube channel. Another button allows you to ask Google Assistant a question at anytime. Stadia’s controller links to the platform via Wi-Fi as well.

During the Google keynote, the company described Stadia as a platform meant to unify players, spectators, and developers. So, for example, you’ll be able to watch a YouTube trailer for a game and then, if you want, just start playing said title via cloud streaming within a few seconds. Stadia will feature cross-platform support as well, allowing you to play with others regardless of system. As Stadia will support cloud saves for game state and save files, it should have cross-platform progression for specific games as well.

At launch, Stadia will stream games up to 4K HDR at 60 FPS, and Google has scheduled plans to increase that threshold to 8K resolution. Stadia is scheduled to release sometime this year and will be supported across several platforms, including desktops, laptops, TVs, tablets, and phones. In an interview with GameSpot, Ubisoft chief executive officer Yves Guillemot said that Stadia should be viewed as a platform that exists alongside consoles and PCs, and not a replacement. For now, anyway.

You can read up on how cloud gaming works if you have additional questions about it, and also see which companies are making the largest strides and investing the most time and resources behind it. We’ve collected all of the Google gaming news announced during the GDC keynote too–including the reveal that Doom Eternal will release on Stadia. We’ve captured gameplay of Doom Eternal on Stadia as well if you want to know what it looks like.

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The remake of the 1990 classic psychological horror film Jacob’s Ladder was supposed to be released last month, until it was pushed back to an undisclosed date later this year. Adrian Lyne’s film dealt with a haunted Vietnam War veteran who tries to discover a secret from his past by deciphering his own dreams, and over the years it has become a cult classic. This is mostly thanks to a twist near the end of the film that puts everything that came before it in a completely new light.

GameSpot had a chance to catch up with writer Jeff Buhler while he promoted his new film Pet Sematary at SXSW, and we asked him about his approach to the Jacob’s Ladder remake and how his script modernizes the classic tale.

“The original has a twist that you can’t repeat because without the secret it doesn’t have any power,” Buhler said. “So we wanted to come up with another twist that could catch people off guard.”

Buhler admitted to being a fan of the original film, having seen it many times including when the film was in theaters. He wrote the remake with Sarah Thorpe, and it’s said to focus on two brothers coming from the Middle East instead of one soldier returning from Vietnam.

“We tried to focus on the modern soldier’s experience returning from war,” Buhler told GameSpot. “The PTSD side of it is more prevalent compared to the original, which instead focuses on medical experiments done on soldiers with the use of drugs. We kind of shifted it to something more personal and grounded, which opened a lot of doors in making this story our own.”

He added, “It is nerve-wracking because the original is sacred material.”

Jacob’s Ladder stars Michael Ealy (Underworld: Awakening), Guy Burnet (Ray Donovan), Karla Souza (How to Get Away with Murder) and Nicole Beharie (Sleepy Hollow). It currently has no exact release date but is expected out this year.

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If you’re looking to unravel events from the past, then this week’s new Netflix offerings will be right up your alley. While the streaming service is also known for its movie options, the majority of March’s selections came out earlier this month.

Coming out on March 22 is ReMastered: The Miami Showband Massacre. The documentary tells the tale of the murder of most of the members of the Miami Snowband who some called “The Irish Beatles” during the 1970s. Almost 40 years later, the documentary seems to get closer to the truth of who killed the band.

Speaking of music, also coming to Netflix on March 22 is The Dirt, which tells the tale of ’80s rock band Motley Crue, based on the best-selling book. If you know anything about the band, you know their off-stage antics were extremely over-the-top, which this movie will cover.

Below, you’ll find everything coming to Netflix this week. Additionally, the April release list for Netflix is already out, and you should probably watch Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated series before it leaves early next month.

Avail. 3/19/19

• Amy Schumer Growing– NETFLIX ORIGINAL

Avail. 3/21/19

• Antoine Griezmann: The Making of a Legend– NETFLIX ORIGINAL

Avail. 3/22/19

• Carlo & Malik– NETFLIX ORIGINAL
• Charlie’s Colorforms City– NETFLIX ORIGINAL
• Delhi Crime– NETFLIX ORIGINAL
• Historia de un crimen: Colosio– NETFLIX ORIGINAL
• Mirage (ES)– NETFLIX FILM
• Most Beautiful Thing– NETFLIX ORIGINAL
• ReMastered: The Miami Showband Massacre– NETFLIX ORIGINAL
• Selling Sunset– NETFLIX ORIGINAL
• The Dirt– NETFLIX FILM

Google has finally given the world its first look at its big video game initiative: Stadia, an ambitious cloud gaming platform that will allow players to stream games across smartphones, tablets, computers, and TVs. The company has already announced a handful of third-party titles coming to the platform, but it’ll also be venturing into game development with its own internal studio.

During its Game Developers Conference presentation, Google announced the formation of Stadia Games and Entertainment, a first-party studio that will develop titles exclusively for the platform. No projects have been announced just yet, but Google revealed the studio will be led by Jade Raymond, a former studio head at Ubisoft and EA.

We first learned that Raymond was hired by Google last week, when she announced she was joining the company as a vice president. At the time, her exact role was unclear, but her hiring further signified Google was making a serious attempt at entering the video game space.

Few other games have been announced for Stadia at this juncture, but Google also showed off Assassin’s Creed Odyssey–which was the same game the company used for its Project Stream test last year–running on the platform. We also got confirmation that Doom Eternal is coming to Stadia, as is a new game from Star Fox co-creator Dylan Cuthbert’s studio, Q-Games.

Google says it will share more details about Stadia’s launch lineup this summer. The platform is slated to launch later this year and will initially be available in the US, Canada, the UK, and “most of” Europe. You can read more about how cloud gaming works and check out all of the Google gaming news from today’s event.

Google announced its cloud gaming platform, Stadia with an in-depth presentation detailing the tech and its features. The idea promises to open up high-fidelity gaming to everyone regardless of whether they can afford a gaming PC or console. Still, some areas of the US have low broadband penetration, which is why Ubisoft’s Yves Guillemot says the platform is likely to be used alongside consoles and PCs, not as an outright replacement–at least for the time being.

“You have to look at Stadia as complementary,” Guillemot told GameSpot during an interview at GDC. “If you get internet you play on the machine that gives you a chance to experience your game. What’s good in this industry, either you play on the mobile or you play on PC, and now it’s starting to be the same game. I think this is a way to play differently depending on where you are as well.”

He said Ubisoft recognizes that quality internet isn’t available everywhere, but that the studio will be able to “scale the game to the quality of the internet experience.” He also suggested that 5G, the next generation of cellular communications tech, could be a big boon and that cities will have to compete with each other for it.

“I think 5G has to come fast, but what we see is there will be lots of possibilities to use it,” he said. “So if cities are really putting 5G, the oldest cities will have to react quite fast if they want keep all the people they have in cities. So this, I think, is going to push 5G a lot.”

Ubisoft partnered with Google last year for Project Stream, a practical test of the tech used ultimately used in Stadia. That allowed testers to play Assassin’s Creed Odyssey for free, but they needed a 25 Mbps connection. That benchmark may give us an idea of what to expect for optimum performance when Stadia launches later this year. Guillemot also shared thoughts on how Ubisoft could price its games for Stadia.

To catch up on the news surrounding Google’s cloud platform, read all we know about Stadia. Plus check out why cloud gaming is the next big thing, which companies are investing in cloud tech.