Monthly Archives: April 2017

Train2Game News Atari Flashback Classics

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Atari® Flashback Classics volumes 1 and 2 has been released in Europe on the PS4 and Xbox One.
Sold as two separate games, each volume is packed with 50 different classic Atari 2600 Video Computer System (VCS) and arcade games, including the likes of Asteroids®, Centipede®, Missile Command®, Tempest® and Warlords® – all remastered in HD.

As well as boasting an extensive visual archive of classic artwork for each game, both volumes also include a range of new in-game features. Gamers can play online, unlock achievements and try their best to secure a place on global leaderboards.

“We are glad to bring these games to PS4 and Xbox One in Europe with our partners,” said Frédéric Chesnais, CEO of Atari. “These games have been released more than 45 years ago, but there is always something new and exciting about them, and I am sure all players will enjoy them.”

Andy Pearson, Head of Marketing (Hardware and Tech) at distributors PQube, said: “With retro gaming increasing in popularity, it’s great to see more classics get a new lease of life on two of today’s best-selling consoles. Both games offer fantastic value for money and will help bring popular Atari 2600 video games like Asteroids to a new generation of gamers.”

Vol. 1, full games list:

3-D Tic-Tac-Toe Air-Sea Battle™, Backgammon™, Basketball™, Black Widow™ (Arcade), Blackjack™, Bowling™, Canyon Bomber™, Centipede®, Centipede® (Arcade), Circus Atari®, Combat®, Combat® 2, Desert Falcon™, Dodge ‘Em™, Fatal Run™, Football™, Home Run™, Human Cannonball™, Liberator™ (Arcade), Lunar Lander® (Arcade), Millipede®, Millipede® (Arcade), Miniature Golf™, Pong® (Arcade), Quadrun™, Radar Lock™, Realsports® Boxing, Realsports® Football, Realsports® Soccer, Realsports® Volleyball, Save Mary™, Slot Machine™, Slot Racers™, Space Duel (Arcade), Sprint Master™, Star Raiders®, Steeplechase™, Stunt Cycle™, Super Baseball™, Super Football™, Swordquest: Earthworld™, Swordquest: Fireworld™, Swordquest: Waterworld™, Tempest®, Tempest® (Arcade), Video Olympics™, Warlords®, Warlords® (Arcade), Yars’ Revenge®.

Vol. 2, full games list:

A Game of Concentration™, Adventure™, Asteroids®, Asteroids® (Arcade), Asteroids® Deluxe (Arcade), Atari Video Cube™, Basic Math™, Brain Games™, Breakout®, Casino™, Championship Soccer™, Checkers™, Chess™, Codebreaker™, Crystal Castles®, Crystal Castles® (Arcade), Demons to Diamonds™, Double Dunk™, Flag Capture™, Golf™, Gravitar®, Gravitar® (Arcade), Hangman™, Haunted House®, Major Havoc® (Arcade), Maze Craze™, Missile Command®, Missile Command® (Arcade), Night Driver™, Off the Wall™, Outlaw™, Race™, Realsports® Baseball, Realsports® Basketball, Realsports® Tennis, Redbaron™ (Arcade), Return to Haunted House™, Secret Quest™, Sentinel™, Sky Diver™, Spacewar™, Sprint™ (Arcade), Starship™, Stellar Track™, Street Racer™, Sub Commander (SUBMARINE COMMANDER®), Super Breakout®, Super Breakout® (Arcade), Surround™, Video Pinball™.

For more information visit www.pqube.co.uk/atari-flashback-classics/

Train2Game News British Academy Games Awards 2017

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BAFTA has announced the winners of tonight’s British Academy Games Awards, which celebrated the very best in games of the past year. The ceremony was hosted by Danny Wallace at Tobacco Dock, London.
Uncharted 4, the action adventure game developed by Naughty Dog Studios, won Best Game. This is the fifth win for the series, its previous four came in 2010 for Uncharted 2: Among Thieves.

INSIDE, the puzzle-platformer adventure game, won four BAFTAs: Artistic Achievement, Game Design, Narrative and Original Property. 

Overcooked, the cooking simulation game, won British Game and Family. Firewatch, the first-person mystery adventure game, won Debut Game and Performer for Cissy Jones.

Another six games were winners on the night. The autobiographical game That Dragon, Cancer won for Game Innovation. Futuristic sports-action game Rocket League won Evolving Game. The team-based multiplayer first-person shooter Overwatch won the BAFTA for Multiplayer. Pokémon Go, the location based augmented reality game, won in Mobile Game. The Last Guardian, the action-adventure game, won the BAFTA for Audio Achievement. The mystery adventure game Virginia won in Music.

The AMD eSports Audience Award was won by Clash Royale, seeing off competition from Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Dota 2, League of Legends, Overwatch and Street Fighter V.

Showcasing the best in games development and design talent, the BAFTA Ones to Watch Award in association with Dare to be Digital was won by Among The Stones, a 3D platform game created by a team of student developers from Abertay University.

The Special Award was presented to Brenda Romero in recognition of her outstanding creative contribution to the industry and for her illustrious career in game design, her advocacy for the art and creative process behind game-making, and her commitment to encouraging the next generation of talent in the industry.

BAFTA’s website, www.bafta.org , features red carpet highlights, photography and winners’ interviews, and dedicated coverage is available on social networks including Facebook (/BAFTA), Twitter (@BAFTAGames / #BAFTAGames), and Tumblr. The ceremony was streamed live at Twitch.tv.

The British Academy Games Awards are supported by industry partners Electronic Arts, GAME, SEGA, Tencent Games and Ubisoft Entertainment with ME London Hotel the official hotel partner.

BAFTA curates a year-round global programme of events and initiatives that support the games industry. This includes developer talks, showcases, debates, scholarships and networking, as well as the flagship Games Lecture by an inspirational practitioner. Applications are now open for: BAFTA Young Game Designers (YGD), which gives young people and educators insights into the industry and access to the brightest creative minds in games; BAFTA Scholarships, which enable talented individuals to study a post-graduate course in games; and BAFTA Breakthrough Brits, which supports emerging stars of the games industry.

Train2Game News LiquidSky 2.0

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LiquidSky — a first-of-its-kind cloud-based platform that delivers a high-quality gaming experience almost anywhere, anytime on Windows, Android, Mac and Linux devices — is thrilled to announce LiquidSky 2.0. 
This major platform update adds numerous new features, dramatic gains to LiquidSky’s already outstanding performance and introduces an all-new ad-supported free model.

“We are thrilled to announce LiquidSky 2.0, ushering in a cloud-based gaming revolution,” said Ian McLoughlin, LiquidSky’s co-founder and CEO. “LiquidSky 2.0 smashes the status quo for gamers worldwide, eliminating the dependence on rapidly-obsolete gaming hardware. Now anyone – even gamers with lower-spec laptops and desktops not typically suitable for new release titles – can enjoy high-quality PC gaming nearly anywhere, anytime and on almost any device, and do so affordably or even for free.”

Key Features included in today’s LiquidSky 2.0 roll-out include:
    Support for Windows PC Devices

    New Pricing Plans (More SkyCredits for Lower Cost)

    Upgraded Gamer and Pro Performance Packages (Up to 4x Previous Performance)

    FREE Ad-Supported Plan

    Intuitive New User Interface

    Dramatic Latency Reduction
Android, Mac and Linux device support, along with the following key features, are planned for the coming months:

 

    Full DirectX 12 Support

    Full Support for USB 2.0+ PC Accessories

    SkyLounge Community Hub

    Performance Package Upgrade, Including 100 FPS Unlock
Gamer (60 SkyCredits/hour) and Pro (120 SkyCredits/hour) Performance Plans quadruple their previous horsepower— now powered by up to 4GB of GPU VRAM, 16GB of RAM and 6 vCPU Cores — to deliver high-quality 1080p gaming at up to 60+ FPS. In addition to enhanced Pay-As-You-Go and Monthly Subscription Plans that provide more SkyCredits for lower cost, LiquidSky 2.0 also introduces free high-performance PC gaming through its new ad-supported model.

The LiquidSky 2.0 client is available for download at LiquidSky.com, after which users can register for a new account or migrate their existing one. Existing members will be guided through a brief one-time account migration process. Paid members that migrate to one of the new paid plans will additionally receive a one-time boost of available SkyCredits.

Registrants for the Free Plan will be assigned a boarding group for access in stages based on beta server and early ad inventory availability. This approach ensures a higher quality of service for the users that already have access and provides an optimal gaming experience as LiquidSky scales up their servers and ad inventory globally. The Free Plan and boarding groups are currently only available for parts of North America and Western Europe, with the ability to earn free SkyCredits not guaranteed at this time.

Pay-As-You-Go or Monthly paid LiquidSky users will be granted immediate access to their new upgraded SkyComputer regardless of geographic location. However, for an optimal current experience it is recommended that users be within 310 miles (500 kilometers) of a LiquidSky data center and/or receive a ping of less than 35ms.

For more information on how to sign up, migrate accounts or test your ping in relation to the nearest LiquidSky data center, please visit http://kb.liquidsky.com.

Train2Game News CaptoGlove funded

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The​ world’s first wireless wearable controller, CaptoGlove, has reached another milestone by securing its Kickstarter funding in 13 days.  
The incredibly versatile CaptoGlove allows users to control video games, VR/AR, mobile & smart devices through simple hand gestures.  The first units are in production and are expected to ship to early Kickstarter backers in May.

To celebrate their funding success, CaptoGlove has announced a Stretch Goal to add a pressure sensor to the thumb of the glove for expanded functionality.  This sensor will leverage the touch sensitivity of the finger and be able to perceive various levels of pressure (<100g to >10kg).  This will enable future customization, as well as more precise measurements of what the finger is doing.

“Our community of backers have been our biggest evangelists and have helped us quickly achieve our funding goal, as well as provided valuable feedback on additional features and capabilities they’d like to see in CaptoGlove,” said Paolo Trotta CEO of CaptoGlove. “It is because of this response we decided to add a Stretch Goal of a pressure-sensitive pushing sensor to the thumb, which will pave the way for integrating CaptoHaptic Kit in the future.”

The first CaptoGlove prototype was created five years ago as a way to help a father regain coordination and mobility after a stroke.  Its success was incredible and its precision allowed the glove to next be modified to help train military pilots.  Again demonstrating unparalleled accuracy in replicating flight simulation hand movements, CaptoGlove finally teamed up with world-renowned sports glove company, Reusch to create a truly next-generation wearable wireless controller for video games, virtual reality platforms, mobile devices, professional training, drones, smart home products and more.

Check out CaptoGlove in action on its YouTube channel or see more about the Kickstarter campaign and how the CaptoGlove was created with this video here.

CaptoGlove Kickstarter reward tiers are still available at significant price discounts to expected retail prices until April 24.

CaptoGlove key features include:

            Intuitive Control – CaptoGlove interprets natural hand movement as control gestures, which allows for a quick and easy learning curve.  Create up to 20 control gestures per glove (or 40 with a pair). All gestures are completely customizable through the free iOS/Android/PC app.

            Gaming Ready – CaptoGlove can be used to play any past, present or future PC game, delivering a uniquely immersive experience on a variety of platforms including VR, AR, XR, first person shooters, flight/racing sims, and more;

            Plug & Play – Connects via Bluetooth Low Energy to virtually any device.  No need for a specially prepared area or additional equipment such as trackers or cameras. CaptoGlove delivers up to 10 hours of continuous use on a single battery charge.

            Endless Application Potential – Its smart design and upcoming SDK release will offer tech enthusiasts a wealth of potential uses.  From health rehabilitation and smart home device control, to piloting drones and professional training for police, first responders, pilots, doctors, etc.;

            Quality – Textile developed in Italy with world-renowned sports glove maker Reusch.  Comfortable, breathable and made from high quality textiles that can be washed by removing a single sensor.

Train2Game News Esports not a sport

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“Esports is not a sport, but a credible activity in its own right,” the British Esports Association has said.
Following last week’s reporting by the BBC – The State of Sport week – many listeners and readers have debated whether esports (electronic sports) is an actual sport or not.

Some have argued that esports should be classified as a sport partly because recognising it officially would grant it access to sports funding. However, esports is competitive video gaming: it is currently classified in the UK as a game (like chess and bridge) and not a sport.

The British Esports Association is also keen to emphasise that when done in moderation, esports can have positive cognitive, social and communicative benefits.

It can help to increase perceptual skills, decision making, reaction times and multitasking, and help stimulate brain growth. Playing and watching esports is very engaging to younger audiences, and esports is also a beneficial alternative to watching passive media like television.

Attempts have been made in the past to classify certain games, such as bridge, as a sport in the UK, and having learned from these experiences, the British Esports Association feels that the time is not right for such action for esports. Instead, we want to focus on educating the Government, media and general public on making sure esports gains the credibility it deserves and move away from the ‘esports isn’t a sport’ debate.

British Esports founder and CEO Chester King said: “I can see why there is a bit of confusion as millions of people play and watch esports; there are many professional teams, managers, coaches and tournaments. There is no international standard classification either as in some countries such as Poland, esports, chess and bridge are classified as sports.

“The ‘sport’ in esports may be misleading, but like traditional sports, competitive video gaming involves training, long-term dedication, determination, exceptional skills and reaction times, teamwork and coordination, and fun for all the spectators, casters, commentators and fans involved.”

In the UK, the British Esports Association positions esports as a modern mind game, celebrated at all levels of play which should not rival or replace traditional sports.

King added: “It’s time to get away from the ‘esports isn’t a sport’ debate and start realising esports’ true benefits and potential.

“Whether or not esports is or is not a sport does not change the fact that the esports industry has enormous creative potential. We must educate audiences to realise its benefits, such as gaining cyber skills and the many career paths it offers, like becoming a professional player, commentator, journalist, manager, or coach.”