News

News

Xbox One and PS4 "a generation ahead of the highest end PC" – EA CTO

Xbox One and PS4 "a generation ahead of the highest end PC" – EA CTO

EA’s chief technology officer Rajat Teneja says that the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 are a generation ahead of the best PCs on the market.

“Both the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 have adopted electronics and an integrated systems-on-a -chip (soc) architecture that unleashes magnitudes more compute and graphics power than the current generation of consoles,” wrote Teneja in a post on LinkedIn.

“These architectures are a generation ahead of the highest end PC on the market and their unique design of the hardware, the underlying operating system and the live service layer create one of the most compelling platforms to reimagine game mechanics.

“Our benchmarks on just the video and audio performance are 8-10 times superior to the current gen,” he wrote.

“The compute capabilities of these platforms and the data transfer speeds we can now bank on, essentially removes any notion of rationing of systems resources for our game engines.”

News

US Square Enix president Mike Fischer has quit

US Square Enix president Mike Fischer has quit

Mike Fischer is no longer president and CEO of Square Enix North America.

As reported by Polygon, Square Enix has confirmed that Fischer quit earlier this month.

He had been in the role since July 2010.

News

Atari to auction all IP piece by piece

Atari to auction all IP piece by piece

After failing to find a buyer for its entire back catalogue, Atari will auction its IP piece by piece.

In January Atari filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, and since convened with about 180 potential buyers only to receive 15 unsatisfactory bids for its entire catalogue.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Atari will hold auctions over four days in July, and is seeking a minimum of US$22.2 million (AU$22.9 million) in total.

News

Dead Island studio announces free-running zombie title Dying Light

Dead Island studio announces free-running zombie title Dying Light

Dead Island studio Techland has announced another zombie title: Dying Light.

The Polish studio said the game was a free-running zombie survival title with a day/night cycle.

Zombies are slow in daylight, but their numbers and strength increase at night.

News

“Microsoft did not target the highest-end graphics” – Xbox One engineer

“Microsoft did not target the highest-end graphics” – Xbox One engineer

A Microsoft engineer says the company purposefully didn’t aim for the highest possible specs on the Xbox One.

Speaking in a video touting the power of the Xbox One, Microsoft’s silicon development general manager Greg Williams told Engadget that Microsoft's engineers “purposefully did not target the highest-end graphics”.

"We targeted more as a broad entertainment play and did it in an intelligent way," he said.

News

The indies react: No self-publishing on Xbox Live hands money to competitors

The indies react: No self-publishing on Xbox Live hands money to competitors

Destructoid has gathered a number of developer reactions to the news that Microsoft won’t allow self-publishing on the new Xbox Live.

It's worth noting that Sony, Nintendo, and Valve all allow self-publishing on their respective game distribution platforms.

Brian Provinciano, creator of Retro City Rampage:

News

Need for Speed: Rivals announced by EA

Need for Speed: Rivals announced by EA

EA has announced Need for Speed: Rivals, the latest entry in the long-running racing franchise.

Rivals is in development at Ghost Games – EA’s newest studio – in partnership with Burnout and Need for Speed: Most Wanted developer Criterion Games.

The game will run on EA’s Frostbite 3 engine, and capture “the adrenaline and intensity of the street’s ultimate rivalry between cops and racers, in a stunning open road environment”, according to EA.

Players that manage to avoid the police will accumulate Speedpoints, which may be used to unlock new cars and items, but which will make them a more valuable target for the cops.

Gamers will also be able to play as the police, and work together to nab racers and earn promotions within the police force.

News

Battlefield 4 release date announced

Battlefield 4 release date announced

Battlefield 4 will be available from October 31, DICE has announced.

The game is confirmed for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Windows PC.

“Powered by the advanced Frostbite 3 engine, Battlefield 4 delivers a genre-defining all-out war experience brought to life with unmatched visual and audio fidelity, superior character animations, and dynamic destruction that ensures no two matches are alike,” said DICE.

News

Triple-A development "fundamentally broken" – former Trion Worlds GM

Triple-A development "fundamentally broken" – former Trion Worlds GM

The current model of triple-A game development is fundamentally broken, according to former Trion Worlds general manager and CCO Scott Hartsman.

Speaking with Massively, Hartsman made it clear that he was talking about the system rather than companies or individuals.

“I don't know of anyone who's hired with the intent of treating people disposably. No one ever wants that, even the companies frequently perceived as ‘evil’,” he said.

News Index


“Microsoft did not target the highest-end graphics” – Xbox One engineer
“Microsoft did not target the highest-end graphics” – Xbox One engineer
NEWS Broader entertainment provision the aim.
XO
'Rocket' Hall takes two months off DayZ to climb Everest
'Rocket' Hall takes two months off DayZ to climb Everest
NEWS Game updates via satellite phone.
PC
"XCOM" shooter may now be called The Bureau
"XCOM" shooter may now be called The Bureau
NEWS Tie-in angle ditched?
PS3
10 new GTA V screens released
10 new GTA V screens released
NEWS Yes, that appears to be a Gatling gun.
PC, 360, PS3
Action: Third-Person
"Extraordinary" financial losses force resignation of Square Enix president
"Extraordinary" financial losses force resignation of Square Enix president
NEWS Poor US sales a factor.
3DS infringes patent, Nintendo to pay inventor US$30 million
3DS infringes patent, Nintendo to pay inventor US$30 million
NEWS Sony employee wins court battle.
3DS
“Call of Duty has almost ruined a generation of FPS players” – Red Orchestra 2 dev
“Call of Duty has almost ruined a generation of FPS players” – Red Orchestra 2 dev
NEWS "They’ve taken individual skill out of the equation."
PC, 360, PS3, WiiU
Action: First-Person
"We want to improve our relationship with the PC community" – Ubisoft
"We want to improve our relationship with the PC community" – Ubisoft
NEWS "With every game on PC we are improving."
PC
3D no longer a focus for Sony, 4K output not for games
3D no longer a focus for Sony, 4K output not for games
NEWS 3D so two years ago.
PS4
24 hours of StarCraft II: HotS launch events to be streamed
24 hours of StarCraft II: HotS launch events to be streamed
NEWS Starts in Melbourne.
PC
Strategy: Real Time
"Lose the gimps and dildos and purple suits” – Bleszinski on Saints Row
"Lose the gimps and dildos and purple suits” – Bleszinski on Saints Row
NEWS Adult content "doesn’t help industry perceptions".
PC, 360, PS3
Action: Third-Person
"Developer sources" claim these are next-gen console specs
"Developer sources" claim these are next-gen console specs
NEWS More salt, please.
XO, PS4
"Arkham Universe" among 15 recently registered Batman domains
"Arkham Universe" among 15 recently registered Batman domains
NEWS Warner Bros. likely owner.
"Very big company" in talks with del Toro over inSANE
"Very big company" in talks with del Toro over inSANE
NEWS Survival horror title still in development.
007 developer Eurocom folds
007 developer Eurocom folds
NEWS Cash shortages force company into administration.
21 more games get the Greenlight go-ahead
21 more games get the Greenlight go-ahead
NEWS Bumper crop.
PC
1
2K's XCOM FPS may now be a third-person arcade title
2K's XCOM FPS may now be a third-person arcade title
NEWS Not a good sign.
PC, 360, PS3
Action: First-Person
"We believe in making money on our hardware" - Nintendo
"We believe in making money on our hardware" - Nintendo
NEWS 3DS price drop won't be replicated.
WiiU
2
"We get too much crap for not being innovative" - DICE GM
"We get too much crap for not being innovative" - DICE GM
NEWS Small changes go unnoticed.
"We are dedicated to supporting BF3" – DICE
"We are dedicated to supporting BF3" – DICE
NEWS Console servers quadrupled.
PC, 360, PS3
Action: First-Person
"Temporary" staff cutbacks for Secret World developers Funcom
"Temporary" staff cutbacks for Secret World developers Funcom
NEWS Dropping share price the catalyst.
PC
RPG: MMO
3DS sales double, but Nintendo loses $220 million
3DS sales double, but Nintendo loses $220 million
NEWS 3DS no longer sold below cost.
"It's been a poor, poor five years for fiction" - Dishonored developer
"It's been a poor, poor five years for fiction" - Dishonored developer
NEWS The same old story.
PC, 360, PS3
Action: First-Person
"We all have reputations on the line" - Ouya founder
"We all have reputations on the line" - Ouya founder
NEWS Great content is "critical, a focus".
Android
Hardware
”DLC was a mistake” – Castlevania producer
”DLC was a mistake” – Castlevania producer
NEWS Game's success blamed.
360, PS3
Action: Third-Person
38 Studios files for bankruptcy, is investigated by everybody
38 Studios files for bankruptcy, is investigated by everybody
NEWS Death and taxes.
281 GAME Australia employees made redundant
281 GAME Australia employees made redundant
NEWS More to follow, claims one source.
8
35,000 Telstra GameArena and Games Shop passwords reset after attack
35,000 Telstra GameArena and Games Shop passwords reset after attack
NEWS No financial details compromised.
2
38 Studios lay-offs confirmed
38 Studios lay-offs confirmed
NEWS Some employees unpaid.
PC, 360, PS3
RPG: Real Time
6