Category Archives: games

Train2Game News Rock Band 4

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Mad Catz Interactive, Inc. announced today an agreement with Harmonix Music Systems, Inc. to launch  Rock Band 4, the next generation of the award-winning social and interactive music-gaming platform, later this year for the PlayStation 4 computer entertainment system and Xbox One, the all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft.

Mad Catz will develop and manufacture a new generation of wireless  Rock Band 4 music game controllers.  The launch products include:

-Band-in-a-Box Bundle, which includes the  Rock Band 4 game, a Wireless Fender Stratocaster Guitar Controller, a Wireless Drum Kit Controller and a Microphone.

-Guitar Bundle, which includes the  Rock Band 4 game and a Wireless Fender Stratocaster Guitar Controller. 

To celebrate the announcement of  Rock Band 4,  Harmonix are offering a special edition, Wireless Stratocaster Guitar Controller, featuring custom artwork of “Gabe” from the immensely popular Penny Arcade webcomic.  This limited-edition collectible is only available for on-site pre-orders at the Harmonix booth during the PAX East video game festival.

“We are very excited to bring the band back together, and re-team with Harmonix to deliver the next installment of the legendary  Rock Band franchise to a new generation of consoles,” said Darren Richardson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Mad Catz.  “Harmonix understands music gaming better than anyone, and we are confident that the unrivalled music selection and next generation features will prove incredibly enticing to passionate gamers and music fans alike.”

Daniel Sussman, Product Manager for Harmonix commented, “The creative energy and excitement at the studio right now is at an all-time high. We’re thrilled to have Mad Catz as an important partner as we move the franchise to a new generation of consoles, and we can’t wait to show our fans how we’re evolving the gameplay they love.”

Rock Band 4 brings the critically-acclaimed franchise to a new generation of consoles, focusing on the features and gameplay that people love, and expanding the franchise in innovative ways informed by how fans play and what they want.  In addition to a killer on-disc soundtrack,  Rock Band 4 will support the over 2000 tracks released since the 2007 debut of the original  Rock Band, accounting for more than 500 of rock music’s most legendary artists.

In addition, players who have purchased or downloaded music on last-generation consoles will be able to download and play those tracks on their new platforms at no additional charge.  Hundreds of tracks will be available at launch, with more back catalog music – and new tracks – added regularly after launch.

For more information on  Rock Band and Harmonix Music Systems, visit:  http://www.harmonixmusic.com/games/rock-band/

Train2Game News FaceFX

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OC3 Entertainment, the leader in audio-based facial animation technology for the gaming industry, announces an integration of the FaceFX Runtime with Unreal Engine 4.

The combined solution will create a streamlined process for creating talking characters in Epic Games’ award winning engine and will be available free of charge for non-commercial projects and indie games. Interested developers can sign up at https://unreal.facefx.com to get additional information.

The FaceFX Runtime is an optimized playback engine for facial animation data and is currently in-use by several high-profile UE4 games. The integration, developed in cooperation with YAGER embeds compressed facial animation data generated by FaceFX Studio into the Unreal package system and plays it back in synchronization with recorded audio files.

The FaceFX Runtime will be available free of charge to non-commercial projects and commercial projects earning less than $500,000. A license to FaceFX Studio Professional ($899) will be required to generate the facial animation data.

“Some of the best developers in the world are using the FaceFX Runtime with Unreal Engine 4.” Says Jamie Redmond, CTO of OC3 Entertainment. “We are very excited that the same technology will be available to all UE4 developers regardless of size.”

Train2Game News Raptr colloborates with Intel

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Raptr, a leading provider of optimization utilities for PC gamers, today announced a collaboration with Intel to provide PC gamers worldwide who are playing on Intel Graphics-based personal computers with a suite of lightweight, powerful tools for improving the performance of their gaming hardware and software.

As of today, the Raptr application provides game optimization, hardware-accelerated gameplay recording and streaming, and automated driver detection for the more than half a billion PCs that include Intel Graphics technology released in the past three years.

“Our relationship with Intel brings us the resources and expertise to fulfill our vision of providing every PC gamer with the simplest way to have a fast, beautiful, hassle-free gaming experience,” said Dennis Fong, founder and CEO of Raptr. “This collaboration also increases our development, distribution and marketing capabilities and gives us the opportunity to expand both our user base and the services we deliver to them.”

“As a leading supplier of graphics to the PC market, Intel is excited to partner with Raptr to bring their best-in-class optimization technology to our users,” said Navin Shenoy, Intel Corporate Vice President and General Manager of Mobility Client Platforms. “Intel and Raptr share a common goal of making the PC gaming experience simple and fun for as many users as possible.”

Raptr’s unique approach to game optimizations starts with access to Intel’s and AMD’s internal, lab-tested performance databases, sampled from hundreds of the most popular games across a comprehensive range of system configurations. The application of machine learning and real-world telemetry data from the tens of millions of Raptr users’ PCs further refines the accuracy of recommendations, giving players instant, precise settings that unlock the full potential of their particular system configuration. Given the frequency of driver and game updates designed to improve game performance, this machine learning-driven approach gives consumers a solution that improves and evolves in real-time.

Furthermore, Raptr has added support for Intel Quick Sync technology, which enables users with Intel-based systems to record and stream video of their gameplay while minimizing the impact on system performance via hardware accelerated video encoding. Raptr’s gameplay recording technology allows gamers to easily capture and share video of their epic gaming moments in multiple ways – even after they’ve occurred – while maintaining the preferred framerate and resolution.

Through relationships with Intel and AMD, and additional support for Nvidia graphics hardware, Raptr now provides game optimizations, driver updates and ultra-efficient gameplay recording and streaming tools for nearly 100 percent of the global PC market. Raptr also disclosed that, based on data gathered from its tens of millions of users, nearly 90 percent of PC gamers worldwide are running their games at less than optimum performance settings.

Train2Game News Jagex GameBlast funds raised

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Jagex Games Studio, custodians of the long-running fantasy MMORPG, RuneScape, is pleased to announce that £50,000 was raised during the recently held 24-hour GameBlast15 marathon for SpecialEffect.

The figure compares favourably against the £48,000 raised by RuneScape and Ace of Spades during last year’s inaugural GameBlast event.

On 20th February, around 90 people – both staff and players – embarked on the challenge to play RuneScape, Block N Load and many other games in Jagex’s permanent LAN arena and the attending Fragers GamersBus. The marathon, which included a series of outrageous challenges, was livestreamed on the official GameBlast15 channel on Twitch.tv and watched by tens of thousands of people online.

In addition to making direct donations, the community also utilised RuneScape’s ‘Well of Goodwill’ to bequeath in-game gold, items and Bonds to SpecialEffect. These were then converted into a real world contribution on behalf of the charity.

“We were thrilled to host SpecialEffect and kick off GameBlast15 with our telethon-style livestream. It not only showed off the dedication of our players and staff, but also highlighted the crazy antics people are prepared to do in the name of charity,” said Jane Ryan, director of community and events at Jagex. “I think that after a second successful year of fundraising to help people with physical disabilities play videogames, both Jagex and the wider community are looking forward to offering our support for GameBlast16!”

“The support and enthusiasm of Jagex and their communities in supporting GameBlast has been truly staggering. Being personally present during their livestream was an amazing and humbling experience, and on behalf of all the staff of SpecialEffect I’d like to pass on my heartfelt thanks to everyone who took part or donated,” said Dr Mick Donegan, founder and director of SpecialEffect. “Yet again they’ve raised the lion’s share of the overall GameBlast total, and it will make a huge difference in ensuring we can continue to bring the magic of video games to those who would otherwise be excluded from their many, many benefits.”

A number of companies supported the Jagex hosted marathon, including We Got Game, Multiplay, CoolerMaster, and Fragers, as well as local franchises of Domino’s Pizza and Subway.

Train2Game News Game to help Amblyopia

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Ubisoft and Amblyotech Inc. announced their collaboration on the development of Dig Rush, the first video game based on a patented method exclusively used for the treatment of Amblyopia, also known as “lazy eye.”

Using inventions initially patented by Drs. Robert Hess, Benjamin Thompson, Behzad Mansouri, Jeremy Cooperstock, Long To and Jeff Blum at McGill University, and subsequently licensed to Amblyotech, Ubisoft is applying gameplay principles to create an entertaining method that can improve patients’ engagement and experience during Amblyopia therapy. This new video game offers the potential of long-lasting treatment for this condition.

“While current treatments options, such as eye patching, provide limited relief and have poor patient compliance due to discomfort and social stigmas, the Amblyotech-patented electronic therapy has been tested clinically to significantly increase the visual acuity of both children and adults who suffer from this condition without the use of an eye patch. With our agreement with Ubisoft, we are further able to provide physicians with a complete and accurate picture of treatment compliance to help them monitor patient progress throughout therapy”, stated Joseph Koziak, CEO of Amblyotech.

“The development of Dig Rush was a great opportunity for us to contribute our knowledge and skills in video game development to help materialise a breakthrough novel medical treatment.” said Mathieu Ferland, Senior Producer, Ubisoft. “The team from Ubisoft Montreal has been able to create a more engaging and enjoyable experience for patients being treated for Amblyopia, and we’re proud to be involved in such a positive illustration of the impact of video game technology.”

Instead of training just the weak eye, the new game uses both eyes, binocularly, to train the brain in order to improve visual acuity of the patient by using different contrasts levels of red and blue that can be seen through stereoscopic glasses. Using this method, the physician can adjust the game’s settings in accordance with the specific patient’s weak eye’s condition, allowing both eyes to see the gameplay unfolding.

“McGill University has a proud history of innovation and product development in numerous fields, especially life sciences.  It is our pleasure to see one of our invented technologies take the next step to commercialisation” stated Dr. Michèle Beaulieu, Associate Director of the Invention Development and Entrepreneurship Assistance Team in the Office of Innovation and Partnership of McGill University.

Amblyopia is an ocular disorder that involves decreased vision in one eye as the result of a turned eye or unequal refractive error (meaning that one eye is more powerful than the other). Traditional treatments which include patching of the sighted eye have had minimal effect due to poor compliance and other issues such as social stigma, a longer treatment time and a high relapse rate among adolescents and adults.  This medical condition affects up to 3%1 of children internationally, and if unsuccessfully treated, is a leading cause of blindness in adults.

Amblyotech will be seeking FDA clearance to market this therapy in the US.  Upon receipt of all regulatory approvals the treatment will be available worldwide.

Train2Game News Unreal Engine 4 Free

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Epic Games announces that Unreal Engine 4 is now available to everyone for free, and all future updates will be free.

Anyone can download the engine and use it for everything from game development, education, architecture, and visualization to VR, film and animation. When shipping a game or application, developers pay a 5% royalty on gross revenue after the first $3,000 per product, per quarter. Epic succeeds only when creators succeed.

This is the complete technology Epic uses to build their own games. Unreal Engine 4 scales from indie projects to high-end blockbusters; it supports major platforms; and, it includes 100% of the C++ source code. Epic’s goal is to give developers everything, so they can do anything and be in control of their own schedule and their own destiny. Whatever is required to build and ship a game can be found in UE4, sourced in the Marketplace, or built and shared it with others.

Epic’s founder and CEO Tim Sweeney elaborates on the Unreal Engine blog:

“In early 2014, we took the step of making Unreal Engine 4 available to everyone by subscription for $19 per month. We put all of our source code online, available to all who signed up. We flipped the switch and crossed our fingers.

The past year has been a whirlwind for everyone at Epic Games. Our community has grown massively. The quality and variety of creative work being done has been breathtaking. When we asked people to submit their projects to be shown this year at GDC, we had the challenge of picking just eight from over 100 finalists that were all good enough to show.

The state of Unreal is strong, and we’ve realized that as we take away barriers, more people are able to fulfill their creative visions and shape the future of the medium we love. That’s why we’re taking away the last barrier to entry, and going free.

In Epic’s 25 years as an independent company, we have seen no time of greater opportunity for developers than today.  Whatever your development aspirations, Epic stands with you, both as a technology provider, and as a fellow game developer counting on UE4 to power our own games.”

Read the full blog post here:
www.unrealengine.com/blog/ue4-is-free

Train2Game News Transgaming

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TransGaming (TSX-V: TNG) today announced at GDC 2015, the availability of DirectX 11 support as part of its proprietary enablement technology, now allowing for day-and-date cross-platform delivery of games for publishing & development partners.

TransGaming Inc. is the global leader in developing and delivering platform-defining social video game experiences to consumers around the world. From engineering essential technologies for the world’s leading companies, to engaging audiences with truly immersive interactive experiences, TransGaming fuels disruptive innovation across the entire spectrum of consumer technology.

TransGaming’s proprietary cross-platform portability technology enables game developers and publishers to deliver their DirectX-based-content to multiple target-platforms including Mac OS X, SteamOS, Android, and iOS, with ease, efficiency, and low costs.

“We are excited to continue bridging the gap between DirectX and other graphics APIs through our ongoing core technology development,” said Gavriel State, Founder & CTO at TransGaming. “By now offering DirectX 11 support in addition to DirectX 9 – new opportunities are being created to deliver the latest games for Mac, mobile and console gamers worldwide.”

Typically, incorporating new portability technology or targeting new platforms requires implementation early in a game’s development cycle. TransGaming’s technology has the versatility to be deployed at any stage, including at the end of development or post-product launch, providing major benefits and unlimited flexibility for developers.

TransGaming further provides full game-publishing services for cross-platform enabled content on these target platforms, working with world leading games franchises and partners to execute launch and promotional campaigns.

Train2Game News HTC and Valve Virtual Reality

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HTC, a pioneer in innovative, smart technologies, today announced plans to bring mass-market virtual reality (VR) one step closer.

Through a strategic partnership with Valve, HTC promises to transform the way in which consumers interact with technology and the world around them with the debut of HTC Vive. HTC Vive Developer Edition will be launched this Spring, with the consumer edition available by the end of 2015.

Vive combines Valve’s Steam VR tracking and input technologies with HTC’s world-renowned design and engineering talent, setting a new gold standard for an industry that has, until now, struggled to move beyond concept stage.

Cher Wang, Chairwoman of HTC commented, “It’s rare that a company has an opportunity to forever transform the ways in which people interact with the world and communicate with each other, but that is exactly what we plan to do with Valve.”

“We achieved this once before with our development of smartphone technology,” Peter Chou, CEO of HTC added, “And, through our partnership with Valve, we’ll now be doing this for a second time with VR technology of which consumers could only previously dream.”

Vive offers the most immersive experience of any VR package, plunging people into other worlds at a moment’s notice. HTC and Valve have introduced a Full Room Scale 360 Degree Solution with Tracked Controllers, letting you get up, walk around and explore your virtual space, inspect objects from every angle and truly interact with your surroundings. Setting a new benchmark for performance, the headset features high-quality graphics, 90-frames-per-second video and incredible audio fidelity.

HTC is also introducing new wireless VR controllers that will make you feel one with your virtual environment. The new HTC VR Controllers come in a pair and are designed to be so versatile that they will work with a wide range of VR experiences. Unlike typical game controllers, the HTC VR Controllers are simple and intuitive to use, helping everyone make the most of their experience.

Beta versions of the Vive Developer Edition have already generated rich entertainment content from some of the world’s top game developers including Vertigo Games, Bossa, Barry–Fireproof, Dovetail Games, Wemo Labs, Google, Steel Wool Games and Owlchemy.

“Our collaboration with HTC is driven by the companies’ shared desire to produce the most compelling and complete VR experience,” said Ken Birdwell of Valve. “Delivering content creators with the Vive Developer Edition is an incredibly important milestone in our efforts to achieve that goal.”

While amazing gaming experiences are a staple in the VR universe, the potential beyond gaming is limitless. HTC and Valve are committed to realizing a broader vision for VR and see a real opportunity in transforming everyday experiences. Travel, attending a game, meeting friends or even shopping will never be the same again, and the companies are working with leading content creators, including Google, HBO, Lionsgate and the National Palace Museum in Taiwan in order to make that vision a reality.

“Vive creates an exciting opportunity for all developers and content creators, to help us bring virtual reality into the mainstream with an end-to-end solution that completely redefines how we entertain ourselves, communicate with each other, learn and, eventually, how we become more productive,” Cher Wang concluded. “HTC Vive is real, it’s here and it’ll be ready to go before the start of 2016.”

Train2Game News UK Top 20 Games – 02.03.15

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dying lightA new week and once again a new number one in the charts with the popular Dying Light shining in top spot. Dragon Ball Xenoverse has debuted at number three and further down the charts at number fifteen The Last Of Us Remastered has made a return.

All formats
Week ending 28 February 2015

POS.  TITLE  PUBLISHER  LAST
WEEK 
1 DYING LIGHT WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE –
2 – CALL OF DUTY: ADVANCED WARFARE ACTIVISION 2
3 DRAGON BALL XENOVERSE BANDAI NAMCO GAMES –
4 THE ORDER: 1886 SONY COMPUTER ENT. 1
5 – GRAND THEFT AUTO V ROCKSTAR 5
6 – FIFA 15 EA SPORTS 6
7 FAR CRY 4 UBISOFT 4
8 EVOLVE 2K GAMES 3
9 MINECRAFT: XBOX EDITION MICROSOFT 7
10 MINECRAFT: PLAYSTATION EDITION SONY COMPUTER ENT. 9
11 DESTINY ACTIVISION 10
12 FORZA HORIZON 2 MICROSOFT 19
13 ASSASSIN’S CREED: UNITY UBISOFT 11
14 THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: MAJORA’S MASK 3D NINTENDO 8
15 THE LAST OF US: REMASTERED SONY COMPUTER ENT. –
16 DISNEY INFINITY 2.0 DISNEY INFINITY 17
17 WWE 2K15 2K SPORTS 13
18 THE CREW UBISOFT 16
19 TERRARIA XBOX 360 CLASSICS 15
20 – CALL OF DUTY: GHOSTS ACTIVISION 20
< previous week
Leisure software charts compiled by Chart Track, (C)2015 UKIE Ltd

These charts cannot be reproduced either in print or online without obtaining permission from Ukie. If you wish to reproduce the charts in print or online, please contact david.smith@ukie.org.uk for the appropriate license.

Train2Game News Studying with Dyslexia

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Ritchie Demicol is a 29 year old from Hertfordshire who has Dyslexia. He’s studying the Games QA Tester and Level Design course with Train2Game.

Dyslexia is a common learning condition which affects a person’s ability to read and write but has no affect on a person’s general intelligence.

“From a very young age my dyslexia affected me but over the years I’ve improved with certain things like reading, spelling, etc. I still struggle with certain things but I don’t let it stop me doing anything!”

“Because of my dyslexia I can forget certain things very quick but I always ask again when I get stuck. Other than that it isn’t too bad. My condition does not affect me studying, whether with Train2Game or at another full time educational institution. I’ve not had any problems with my learning disability within my Train2Game course.”

“I started Train2Game back in Feb 2014, so far I’m finding it really good and enjoying it. I struggled a little bit at the beginning but I‘m getting there. My experience has been positive and has taught me a lot with how games are tested and created. I’ve now seen all the hard work that’s put in! The tutors have been helpful and I do a little research on Google whenever I get stuck!”

“It’s different studying from home, but it’s easier, as I can still work full time and study on my days off or when I finish work some nights. I’m in good stead on paying for the course and hopefully within the next year I should be finished making payments.”

“I’m currently working on my own little studio which I started a Facebook page for in February. I will have my first game idea up and running sometime this year. The name of the studio is called Bad Bug Studio.”

“There are many things with Train2Game that I’ve found positive. One thing I love about Train2Game is they always post job positions and information about certain companies looking for students studying with Train2Game, helping us get into the industry.”

“I’ve recommended Train2Game to another friend who is now studying the design side of gaming. I’d recommend to others who suffer with dyslexia. I would say Train2Game has helped with my condition and I expect to pass the course with flying colours.”

“My dream is hopefully getting my studio up and running, designing my own games for the Andriod and iOS operating systems, while getting my name out there. My advice to anyone with a condition such as mine is, don’t let anything or anyone stop you. People with dyslexia always bring something different to the work place. We are good at being creative. The main thing is don’t use dyslexia as an excuse to do anything in life!”