Tag Archives: Xbox One

Train2Game News YouTube to buy Twitch

Posted on by

TwitchThe Twitch broadcasting service is reportedly being bought by YouTube for for than $1 Billion according to a report.

Twitch is a popular video streaming platform that allows players to broadcast themselves and their gameplay over the internet. The company has seen massive success over the past few years, with Sony and Microsoft opting to integrate Twitch streaming and viewing functionality natively into the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

In its first week of streaming the Xbox One Twitch app hosted over 108,000 unique broadcasters, accounted for 22 per cent of the game streaming service’s total broadcaster base. In December 2013, following the PlayStation 4’s launch, 20 per cent of all Twitch streamers were broadcasting from PS4 systems.

In May 2013, Twitch reported its unique monthly viewership was over 34 million users. In addition to platform holders, the company has entered into partnerships with a number of the industry’s biggest publishers including Ubisoft, EA, Activision and Sony Online Entertainment.

Speaking to Variety, sources familiar with the deal have suggested the Google subsidiary will purchase Twitch “all-cash” and that the announcement is expected to be made imminently.

Source: CVG

Train2Game News Rockstar planning next gen game

Posted on by

Rockstar_GamesRockstar Games is working on an unannounced new-gen game planned for release sometime this fiscal year, parent company Take-Two revealed in a conference call with investors.

Its 2015 fiscal year began in April 2014 and will end in March 2015. Take-Two confirmed in the call Tuesday that Rockstar has not announced any presence at E3 2014 next month.

It did not provide any indication of what the game will be, whether it will represent an existing franchise or a new IP from the studio. Rockstar has not announced any new projects since shipping Grand Theft Auto V in September 2013.

Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick said Rockstar is expected to account for 45 per cent of the firm’s fiscal year 2015 revenue.

It has long been rumoured that Rockstar plans to release a PS4 and Xbox One version of GTA 5, which has shipped 33 million units on PS3 and Xbox 360. However, the company has largely refused to comment on the possibility of a new-gen release for the blockbuster open-world game.

Rockstar said last year: “We don’t have anything to share about the possibility of a next-gen or a PC platform release at this time and we are completely focused on delivering the best possible experience for the consoles people have right now.”

In July 2013, Zelnick referred to Red Dead Redemption as one of the publisher’s “permanent” franchises, perhaps suggesting that a sequel to 2010’s game is being worked on behind closed doors.

In the same month, Take-Two filed two trademark registrations for Agent, indicating that the publisher hadn’t given up on the idea of releasing the Rockstar North game.

Train2Game News Microsoft announce several TV shows for Xbox

Posted on by

Xbox OneMicrosoft has announced no less than 12 original TV shows or features for Xbox Live, all of which “will offer interactive capabilities, as well as unique interactive features customized on a per-show basis, making it a one-of-a-kind entertainment experience you won’t find anywhere else.”

Created or overseen by the recently founded Xbox Entertainment Studios, the pickings include the previously announced Halo TV series, plus a Halo “digital feature” executive produced by Ridley Scott, director of Alien and Blade Runner. There’s also a reality TV show about up-and-coming football players, a couple of shows based on famous tabletop games, and a 2015-bound Channel 4 series about machines that look like humans. It’s a bit of a spread.

In the words of Jordan Levin, executive vice president of Xbox Entertainment Studios, “creating original TV content is a logical next step in our evolution”. This echoes comments to OXM from various bigwigs on the subject last year. According to Microsoft Soho’s Rob Stevens, for example, “game developers are realising there is a big appetite for more immersive interactive content, which we have decades of invaluable experience in making with games – creating this type of content for TV gives us the ability to reach a hugely diverse array of new audiences.”

The first shows are due to screen on Xbox Live this year – Microsoft has apparently looked at hundreds more concepts, more details on those will be announced at a later date.

Train2Game News Unreal Engine 4 update

Posted on by

Unreal Engine 4Epic Games has released the first major update to Unreal Engine 4 since its public launch as a $19 per month subscription-based service at the 2014 Game Developers Conference (GDC).

With the release of Unreal Engine 4.1, all subscribers who are registered Xbox or PlayStation developers, including members of the ID@Xbox independent developer program, can receive access to the engine’s complete source code for their respective console platforms, at no extra cost.

For the past two years, some of the world’s leading console developers have been using UE4 to build their next-generation games, so the widespread console availability of this engine is highly notable for the indie developer community.

The 4.1 update also includes SteamOS and Linux support, refined iOS and Android workflow, new game templates both for C++ programmers and designers using Blueprint visual scripting, and more than 100 improvements based on community feedback. In addition, Epic’s Elemental demo is now available for free for subscribers to download from the engine’s Marketplace so that developers can learn from its construction and use its assets in their own projects.

As a demonstration of UE4’s high-end console support, the engine includes “Shooter Game,” a sample project created by Epic and released for free on Marketplace.  The sample is now undergoing certification on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

Driven by feedback from the community and informed by Epic’s experience building games such as “Fortnite,” Unreal Engine 4 is evolving at an incredible pace.  Its first month has seen thousands of development forks created on GitHub to improve and extend the engine in an open, collaborative manner.  Starting now, developers on GitHub can see Epic’s internal development process in real-time, with live-streaming source code updates.

To learn more about UE4 or to download the tools, visit www.unrealengine.com.

Train2Game News Microsoft reveal DirectX 12

Posted on by

DirectX 12Microsoft has revealed the latest version of its DirectX API at GDC. The new version has been designed to work across across multiple platforms including PC, Xbox One, tablets and smartphones.

It was claimed the API reduces CPU overhead significantly compared to DirectX 11 and was designed from scratch to take full advantage of advanced GPU hardware features on next-gen systems.

DirectX 12 was shown off on stage with a tech demo of Forza 5 running on a PC powered by an Nvidia Geforce Titan Black by Microsoft DirectX development manager Anuj Gosalia.

Nvidia, which worked with Microsoft on developing the API, will support the latest upgrade on all DirectX 11-class GPUs it has shipped in the Fermi, Kepler and Maxwell architectural families.

“DX12’s focus is on enabling a dramatic increase in visual richness through a significant decrease in API-related CPU overhead,” said Nvidia engineer Henry Moreton.

“Historically, drivers and OS software have managed memory, state, and synchronisation on behalf of developers. However, inefficiencies result from the imperfect understanding of an application’s needs. DX12 gives the application the ability to directly manage resources and state, and perform necessary synchronisation. As a result, developers of advanced applications can efficiently control the GPU, taking advantage of their intimate knowledge of the game’s behaviour.”

While initial details have covered the form of the graphics API, Moreton said future Direct3D releases would include new rendering features.

No release date has been set for DirectX 12.

Train2game News Microsoft cuts Xbox One Price

Posted on by

Xbox OneMicrosoft have cut Xbox One prices down to £399.99 permanently with a new bundle including a free copy of Titanfall.

The Xbox One price cut comes into effect this coming Friday, the 28th February. Microsoft are trying to boost the sales of their console ready for Titanfall being released a fortnight later.

Xbox’s UK Marketing Director Harvey Eagle said in an interview this morning “It’s about giving gamers in the UK the best possible value that we can,

“We feel the time is right now to do this because Titanfall is coming out. It’s the game that most gamers are looking forward to playing, and we think that this is a great time to offer this new price point moving forwards, and include the game while stocks last.

“Titanfall is a game that has won more than 80 awards so far, it’s incredibly hotly anticipated, and I believe it’s a game that people will buy an Xbox One in order to play. But moving forwards if you think about what I think are the three hottest games of the year to come, Titanfall, Watch Dogs and Destiny, the only place you’re going to be able to play all three of those games is on Xbox One.”

The price drop and new Titanfall bundle are very welcome but they still can’t compare with the PlayStation 4’s price of £349.99. Time will tell how this will affect console sales.

Train2Game News: Xbox One update beta testers

Posted on by

Xbox OneSome lucky Xbox One users may have the chance to beta test future updates. This would be incredibly helpful for Train2Game students on the QA Course.

The Xbox NewsWire states “Beginning today, Xbox is inviting select Xbox Live members to preview new features coming to Xbox One in a March system update and future system updates as they become available, asking them to provide valuable feedback before the updates are implemented worldwide. Selected participants will receive an Xbox Live message with a token to register. The next system update will begin rolling out next week to those who will preview the new features.

Once registered, participants will be able to test the early features included in the update and provide feedback on a private forum and can opt out of future waves.””

The next Xbox one update will improve multiplayer and party features ready for the release of the highly anticipated Titanfall.

So if you own an Xbox One keep an eye on your Xbox Live messages as you might just be lucky enough to be a part of the Xbox One’s future!

Train2Game News: Xbox One System Update

Posted on by

Xbox One Dash updateMicrosoft are releasing the first Xbox One dashboard update. The update was due today but has been pushed back for later this week.

The system update will add the ability to manage storage, improve Kinect voice commands and add lots of behind-the-scenes updates for developers.

Chief product officer Marc Whitten wrote on Xbox Wire “Just as we did with Xbox 360, Xbox One will have regular updates to deliver new features and platform experiences designed to delight you,

“It features many new improvements – including lots of behind-the-scenes updates for developers building apps and games for Xbox One, several new features we believe Xbox fans will love, stability and product updates to improve the customer experience, and continuous improvements to the quality of Kinect voice so commands become more fluid and responsive over time.”

Some of the updates that will be coming are as follows:

  • The ability to see and manage your storage space. With this update, you will find it easy to find how much space your content takes up and better manage your content. You can also control your install lineup and more easily manage your download queue. Microsoft have separated My Games and My Apps into separate lists, so you can easily create separate queues for both. Now you can pick the order in which you want your content to load and we’ve added a boot progress indicator so you can better track updates while they load.
  • The battery power indicator is back! You can see it right on the home screen, so you can easily track how much battery life is left on your controller.
  • And, you will be able to use your USB keyboard with your Xbox One.

Another update will follow on March 4 to prepare your Xbox One for Titanfall – it will offer many new features and improvements, most significantly a new party and multiplayer system.

“This post is the first of many announcements and sneak peeks at features in the system updates,” Whitten added. “We’ve been carefully listening to your feedback and look forward to delivering many new features that will make Xbox One even better. We’re just getting started and can’t wait to share more information in the coming weeks.”

Train2Game News: UK Top 20 Games – 03.02.14

Posted on by

Tomb RaiderIt took a month into 2014 but FIFA has been knocked off the top spot by Tomb Raider definitive edition for the Xbox One and PlayStation 4. Now we will see how long it will keep it’s number one position.

All formats

Week ending 1 February 2014

POS.  TITLE  PUBLISHER  LAST
WEEK 
1 TOMB RAIDER: DEFINITIVE EDITION SQUARE ENIX –
2 FIFA 14 EA SPORTS 1
3 CALL OF DUTY: GHOSTS ACTIVISION 2
4 BATTLEFIELD 4 EA GAMES 3
5 LEGO MARVEL SUPER HEROES WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE 4
6 ASSASSIN’S CREED IV: BLACK FLAG UBISOFT 5
7 MINECRAFT: XBOX 360 EDITION MICROSOFT 6
8 – GRAND THEFT AUTO V ROCKSTAR 8
9 – NEED FOR SPEED: RIVALS EA GAMES 9
10 KILLZONE: SHADOW FALL SONY COMPUTER ENT. 7
11 GRAN TURISMO 6 SONY COMPUTER ENT. 18
12 NBA 2K14 2K SPORTS 11
13 WWE 2K14 2K SPORTS 15
14 FOOTBALL MANAGER 2014 SEGA 13
15 FORZA MOTORSPORT 5 MICROSOFT 12
16 ALIENS: COLONIAL MARINES SEGA 14
17 LEGO BATMAN 2: DC SUPER HEROES WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE 19
18 DISNEY INFINITY DISNEY INFINITY –
19 BATMAN: ARKHAM ORIGINS WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE 20
20 DRAGON BALL Z: BATTLE OF Z NAMCO BANDAI GAMES 10
< previous week
Leisure software charts compiled by Chart Track, (C)2014 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: Razer developing Xbox One accessories

Posted on by

Razer_green_logoRazer, the world leader in entertainment devices and software, today announced its ongoing partnership with Microsoft will include development of new products for Microsoft´s record setting Xbox One console.

A suite of products for the Xbox One, including a controller, arcade stick and more, will be made by Razer, which also produced a popular line of premium accessories for the Xbox 360.

“Razer is dedicated to improving the overall experience from the games themselves to the player, be it console or PC,” says Min-Liang Tan, Razer co-founder, CEO and creative director. “By working with a company as prestigious as Microsoft on a system as sought-after as the Xbox One, we’ll be able to accomplish just that. This is an exciting time for the hundreds of millions of gamers all over the world, and we’re thrilled to be a part of it.”

With this announcement and the previous announcement of Project Christine and the Razer Nabu, Razer are definitely on their way up in the development world.

Products, pricing and release dates will be unveiled in the coming weeks. For more information, visit www.razerzone.com.