Archived News:
Valve announces over a dozen Steam Machine designs are now in production for
release this year, confirming the list of manufacturers
revealed earlier today, and
saying systems will start at $499: Valve, creators of best-selling game
franchises (such as Counter-Strike, Dota 2, Half-Life, Left 4 Dead, Portal, and
Team Fortress) and leading technologies (such as Steam and Source), today
announced over one dozen Steam Machine designs now in production from leading
manufacturers and targeted for release in 2014.
The lineup of Steam Machines announced today offers a wide variety of price and
performance options made possible by the Steam Machine's open design, with
systems starting as low as $499 and top end systems rivaling today's bleeding
edge gaming PCs.
Every Steam Machine includes an innovative Steam Controller designed for use
with a wide variety of game genres, and is powered by the SteamOS, a custom OS
built atop Linux.
"The first generation Steam Machines offers something for every gamer, which is
a critical part of extending Steam into the living room," said Gabe Newell of
Valve. "With over 3,000 games and more than 65 million gamers on Steam, it's
important to offer gamers a variety of Steam Machines that allow them to select
what makes the most sense for them."
Announced earlier this year, Steam Machines are new entertainment systems
targeted for use in the living room and leveraging Steam, the popular online
platform for gaming and software with over 65 million accounts worldwide.
The makers of first generation Steam Machines are:
- Alienware
- Alternate
- CyberPowerPC
- Digital Storm
- Falcon NW
- GigaByte
- iBuyPower
- Maingear
- Material.net
- Next Spa
- Origin PC
- Scan
- Webhallen
- Zotac
A
DayZ blog post reflects on the first three weeks of Early Access to the
DayZ alpha on Steam,
saying the zombie survival game has sold 875,000 copies over that time. The post
discusses the uncompromising gameplay players are experiencing in the game and
discusses plans for the future, saying the earliest we should expect DayZ to hit
the beta testing stage is the end of the year: "Please keep in mind that we do
not expect to reach Beta status sooner than the end of 2014."
GameSpot has a correction from Square Enix saying the upcoming Hitman
game has not been cancelled, contrary to a
report that emerged today. The publisher clarifies that a AAA Hitman is still
in the works at IO Interactive separate from the mobile game being developed by
Square Enix Montreal: "There's a bit of confusion around the Hitman
projects currently in development at Square Enix-owned studios and so we wanted
to take the time to clarify what each studio is working on to clear up some of
this confusion. Io-Interactive is developing a new, AAA Hitman game that will be
coming to PC and next-gen consoles and Square Enix Montreal is fully focused on
mobile development of games some of which are related to the Hitman franchise,"
the representative said. "We look forward to sharing more details about these
titles later this year."
This week's CES will feature looks at Steam Machines from various partners in
Valve's hardware initiative.
Engadget reports a dozen companies have announced plans to show off SteamOS
machines at the show: Alienware, Falcon Northwest, iBuyPower, CyberPowerPC,
Origin PC, Gigabyte, Materiel.net, Webhallen, Alternate, Next, Zotac, and Scan
Computers (thanks
Destructoid). On a related note, CyberPowerPC sends along specs for two of
their SteamOS-powered machines to give a sense of what to
expect: CYBERPOWERPC Steam Machine will come in several pre-configured
options priced from $499 to $699 with the ability customize all models.
Continue here to read the full story.
Telltale Games CTO and cofounder Kevin Bruner reveals that making a James Bond
game would be the next license Telltale Games would adapt if money were no
object. "I'm a giant James Bond fan and I'm always frustrated by games that make
him a mass murderer,"
he recently told OXM. "He's a super-spy, and that's a different skillset.
The films make him less of a mass murderer, and there's not much killing in the
books - more spying and intrigue." A recent
reddit ask us anything session also revealed their enthusiasm at the
prospect of making a Star Wars game, especially given CEO Dan Connors' history
at LucasArts.
A new Tomb
Raider: Definitive Edition FAQ is online to answer questions about the
upcoming enhanced edition of the Tomb Raider reboot which will include DLC,
preorder content, and spiffier graphics. One of the things they confirm is that
the already spiffier looking PC edition of the game will not be getting an
update, as they say: "Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition was designed and rebuilt
from the ground up for next-generation consoles. At this time a PC update is not
planned." They also note this will not come to last generation consoles, and
that there will be no upgrade path for next-gen consoles, where the game will be
a full US$59.99. Thanks
MCV.
The LinkedIn profiles of
an artist and
a designer at Eidos/Square Enix Montreal reveal the company is developing a
yet-to-be announced action/adventure game that's coming to PlayStation 4 and
Xbox One. Details are scant, but after discovering this
Videogamer apparently knowingly writes: "The title is not expected to be the
same game reported to have been cancelled in October 2013." The words Deus Ex
are nowhere to be found amid any of this.
The next installment in the Hitman series has been cancelled, reports
Videogamer in another tidbit discovered on LinkedIn, as
Richard Knight's profile reveals the game was formally cancelled last year.
Hitman developer IO Interactive said a new AAA installment in the assassination
series was their sole focus after
laying off staff and
cancelling projects last spring, but with that project now cancelled,
the profile of network engineer Anthony Pressacco suggests the new plan is
to create a mobile installment in the series. Update: Square Enix has responded with
a correction, saying the AAA Hitman game is still in production, saying:
"Io-Interactive is developing a new, AAA Hitman game that will be coming to PC
and next-gen consoles and Square Enix Montreal is fully focused on mobile
development of games some of which are related to the Hitman franchise."
One more tidbit from
Videogamer, where they note an
intriguing
tweet from Codemasters suggests the studio is working on more than one
continuation of the DiRT series. When asked if they were working on a new
installment in the rally racing series, they replied "Well we're not, not
working on one ;)"
Clint Hocking's personal
website notes the former Ubisoft Montreal and LucasArts designer has now
parted ways with Valve Software, saying: "From 2012 until the end of 2013, Clint
worked as a designer and level designer at Valve in Seattle," and his
LinkedIn profile likewise
now lists Valve as a previous employer. Hocking joined Valve
last July shortly after his
departure from LucasArts and did
not ship a project with either of those last two gigs after leaving Ubisoft
where he was creative director on Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory and Far Cry 2.
Thanks
GameInformer.
NVIDIA has taken the wraps off a new system on a chip called the Tegra K1, aimed
at mobile devices after going a little wacky with their
viral tease for the announcement.
NVIDIA live
blogged their own event and
CNET has details from the announcement, while
The Tech Report and
Techgage have previews of the new technology. One of the bragging rights for
the Tegra K1 is its ability to handle Epic's upcoming Unreal 4 engine, and
this trailer offers a
look at the engine running on the new SOC, which Epic's Tim Sweeney says blurs
the line between desktop end mobile devices in a way he didn't expect for
another three or four years. Continue here to read the full story.
GfK Chart Track offers the first new U.K. game sales charts of the new year.
Both charts are pretty stable, with the
full-price PC games chart featuring a slightly shuffled top five and the
all platforms/all prices chart unchanged through number seven. This is noted
in the summary: It
might be a new year, but there is very little change this week in the All
Formats Chart with the Top 7 all non-movers.
'FIFA 14' (-48%) scores its 6th week at the top, matching its predecessor, which
was also No1 this week last year. Compared to the same week last year, sales of
'FIFA 14' are 21% up versus 'FIFA 13', no doubt boosted by the new formats.
'Call of Duty: Ghosts' (-55%) remains at No2, selling 4,000 more units this week
than 'Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag' (-50%) at No3. 'Grand Theft Auto V'
(-64%) is currently the 4th biggest selling game ever in the UK and if sales
remain strong it could well become the biggest selling game of all time within
the next 3 months. The only changes to the Top 10 are 'Minecraft: Xbox 360
Edition' (-42%) at No8 swapping places with 'Just Dance 2014' (-60%) at
No9.
A new "Don't Look Back" trailer shows off the Unreal Engine 4 graphics from
Daylight, Zombie Studios' upcoming first-person psychological horror game
that's slated for release for Windows and PS4 early this year. Word is: "The
latest trailer for Daylight, the first person psychological horror game from
indie developer Zombie Studios, is testament to the isolated feeling that
permeates the derelict Mid Island Hospital and beyond. Powered by Unreal Engine
4, Daylight's procedurally generated levels ensure that no door, hallway,
life-saving flare or clue to the main character's past are ever in the same
place twice. Oh, and just as the trailer warns, sometimes it's best not to look
behind you." Continue here to read the full story.
This recent trailer is
from the Deadbreed website, home
to an upcoming three-on-three MOBA coming this year from "a group of industry
veterans from Sweden," which
VG247 notes is lead by Stefan Ljungquist, formerly of Just Cause developer
Avalanche Studios. They are accepting beta applications on
the website and the game is also the
subject of a current
Steam
Greenlight campaign. Continue here to read the full story.
Howtonotsuckatgamedesign.com - Why Marketers Fear The Female Geek.
Thanks Ant via
Boing Boing.
Is this really what marketers do? Do they really purposely exclude women
and then also go ahead and push sexist ideas? Yes, they do. Because it
works. It’s best practice. I mean, it’s cynical, sure. But that is
capitalism. Capitalism is cynical. It is what marketers often MUST do – if
they like it or not – because the people in power, meaning the people with
the money demand, that they get as much positive returns as possible on each
dollar they spend.
I think things are likely to get really ugly here weather-wise over the next
couple of days. It is currently pouring rain and the thermometer reads 52°F,
which is creating a lot of water between rainfall and melting snow. Meanwhile,
the forecast for tonight calls for a low of 5°F, which I'm going to imagine is
going to make for a bit of iciness, though I must warn, I am not a
meteorologist.
R.I.P.:
Obituary: Iconic video game box art illustrator Greg Martin.
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