Nook Simple Touch Glowlight gets UK price cut for Christmas

September 25th, 2013, 22:04 Posted By: wraggster

Barnes & Noble has reduced the price of its Nook Simple Touch with Glowlight e-reader to £49 in time for Christmas.
The Nook, which cost £109 at launch, has been selling for just £69 recently. But with Amazon’s Kindle announcements putting the brand in the forefront of readers’ minds, it seems Barnes & Noble is doing what it can to remind UK consumers that there are other options out there.
The Kindle Paperwhite and Kobo’s e-readers are selling for around £100 so this further dip in price for the Nook should get some attention from Christmas shoppers.
Retail partners for the Nook include John Lewis, Argos and PC World/Currys.
"No other eReader in the UK anywhere near this price has an integrated light, sits comfortably and lightly in the hand and has a battery that will last up to two months," said Jim Hilt, managing director, Barnes & Noble S.a.r.l

http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/read/...ristmas/031992

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Relive Luke's Star Wars trench run with Oculus Rift

September 25th, 2013, 02:14 Posted By: wraggster

Take an old idea and mix it with VR, with Oculus Rift, and it becomes new and exciting again. That's what exciting tech does.Case in point: flight sims - Star Wars flight sims. You don't need omni-directional treadmills to replicate sitting in a cockpit, but when you're actually sitting in that cockpit, looking out of the windows at the surface of the Death Star and replicating the trench run Luke Skywalker pulls off at the end of A New Hope - well, that's gold.Developer Boone Calhoun knew all this, of course, which is why he made the Trench Run demo for Oculus Rift (via Rock, Paper, Shotgun).

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...th-oculus-rift

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Terrifying Oculus Rift game lets you play console in haunted house

September 25th, 2013, 02:04 Posted By: wraggster

Ever played a game alone, absorbed in another world, when suddenly you hear an unfamiliar noise from somewhere in the house? Do you become uneasy? Does your imagination begin to take over?
This is the basis for an unbelievably clever Oculus Rift game, called Alone, where you sit in a lounge late at night and play on a virtual console sitting under the flat-screen TV.
As you progress thorough this game-within-a-game, which is itself a horror title, you begin to hear creepy sounds hang around the house. It's essentially a horror story about you playing video games, making it one of the smartest things we've seen utilise the Oculus Rift.
You'll need an Oculus Rift, an Xbox pad and a PC for this to work, and seeing that there's a slim chance you have this, take a look at this video below to get an idea of how creepy it can get.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...haunted-house/

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EA: Mobile not a threat to consoles

September 25th, 2013, 00:44 Posted By: wraggster

The console and mobile games markets are very different beasts. But that isn’t stopping the industry’s biggest publishers bringing their blockbusters to the small screen.
The likes of EA and Activison are bringing their triple-A franchises to the small screen to compete in the most populated games marketplace.
Activision’s Call of Duty: Strike Team sits atop Apple’s paid iPad chart and it follows big budget mobile games based on Halo and Deus Ex.
But with these blockbusters on portable devices at a fraction of the price of consoles, will we see consumers switch consoles for smartphones?
Since the formation of EA’s mobile division in 2004, the publisher has been responsible for some of the most recognisable games brands on mobile including Plants vs Zombies and Real Racing. Meanwhile, free-to-play behemoth The Simpsons: Tapped Out now boasts over 5.4m daily players and has been a resident of mobile charts since its debut in March 2012.
For the publisher, it’s all about benefitting from the growing ownership of smart devices and targeting the emerging audience of casual players.
“Over the past few years, the growth of our mobile gaming division has increased exponentially,” said Nick Earl, senior vice president at EA. “With the rise of smartphones and tablets, it means that everyone has the potential to play our games – not just our core fans who own gaming consoles.”
And the result is paying dividends.
“We’ve seen this phenomenon manifest itself with the success of some of our biggest titles; The Simpsons: Tapped Out generated $23 million in digital net revenue last quarter alone and our overall mobile business last quarter generated about $100 million, which was a substantial increase over the prior year’s performance.”

“The marketplace in mobile is arguably
the most competitive in the industry.
There are more and more apps launching
every day, which creates a challenging
environment. While we will always see
that one breakaway hit, we find that
consumers seek high quality and recognisable
brands in such a crowded environment.”

Nick Earl – senior vice president, EA

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Tokyo Game Show sets new attendance record

September 25th, 2013, 00:20 Posted By: wraggster

More people attended last week’s Tokyo Game Show than in any previous year of the popular expo.
Gematsu reports that a total of 270,197 people were welcomed through the doors between September 19^th-22^nd, beating last year’s attendance record of 223,753.
September 22^nd was the busiest day, with 115,444 people trumping last year’s final day figure of 94,980.
Next year’s event is scheduled to take place between September 18^th-21^st.

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/tokyo...record/0121577

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GTA V takes number one in the UK

September 23rd, 2013, 23:08 Posted By: wraggster

Rockstar dominates the market in GTA V's debut week, PES 2014 a distant second
Grand Theft Auto V performed just as expected in the UK last week, entering the chart at number one and bringing an end to Saint's Row IV's reign at the top.
Rockstar's hugely successful new game - which made$1 billion worldwide in just three days - had an 88.9 per cent market share in the UK last week. By contrast, Konami's Pro Evolution Soccer 2014 entered the chart in second place, but took just 0.68 per cent of total sales.
GTA V's first week total is more than twice that of GTA IV or Call of Duty Black Ops 2, and beats the record-breaking COD; Black Ops by more than 250,000 sales.
After Grand Theft Auto, the most surprising development was the marked surge in interest for Naughty Dog's The Last of Us, which rose 22 places to reach third - likely due to a price promotion and the generally low sales figures away from the top spot.
The only other new entry was Harvest Moon 3D: A New Beginning on 3DS, which entered the chart at number 20.
UKIE Games Charts courtesy of GfK Chart-Track.

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61% of Brits think violent games cause real-world violence

September 23rd, 2013, 22:58 Posted By: wraggster

A YouGov poll has revealed that the majority of Britons believe that video games violence can be a catalyst for real-world violence.
When asked if they agreed or disagreed with the statement ‘video games can be a cause of real-world violence and aggression’ 61 per cent of those who responded with a yes/no answer agreed that they did, leaving 39 per cent who disagreed.
57 per cent felt games can be a ‘useful outlet for frustrations and aggression’ with 43 per cent not believing that was the case.
Perhaps unsurprisingly the younger the respondent the less likely they were to perceive a link between game and real violence.
42 per cent of 18-24 year olds agreed with a link, 48 per cent of 25-39 year olds, 61 per cent of 40-59 year olds and 79 per cent of those aged 60 and over.
Conversely, the younger you are the more likely you are to think that games can be a useful outlet for aggression.
In addition, just 48 per cent of men believed in the games violence link while 71 per cent of women subscribed to the theory. 74 per cent of those with no experience of violent games presumed the link while just 35 per cent of gamers did.
Last week Lib Dem leader and deputy Prime minister Nick Clegg told LBC radio that “games like Grand Theft Auto V can have a corrosive effect on players’ behaviour”.

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/61-of...olence/0121503

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Young male gamers least worried about effects of violent video games

September 23rd, 2013, 20:50 Posted By: wraggster

New research has found that young gamers are far less likely to believe video games lead to real-life violence and aggression.
The study, conducted by YouGov in partnership with Oxford University’s Dr Andrew Przybylski, examined what Brits felt about the effect of video games.
Out of those questioned, 61 per cent felt that video games can be a cause of real-world aggression and violence. However, almost the same amount, 57 per cent, felt that games can be a useful outlet for frustrations and aggression.
With the average age of gamers now at 30, and a third of gamers aged under 18 years old, it is perhaps not surprising to find that the majority of younger Brits actually felt games weren’t likely to cause violence and aggression in players (58 per cent of 18-24 year olds and 52 per cent of 25-39 year olds).
Men and women feel differently about games too, it seems, with 71 per cent of women stating games can lead to real-life violence while men were almost equally split (48 per cent versus 52 per cent). The majority of both genders see games as being useful as an outlet for frustration and aggression – 58 per cent of men and 56 per cent of women.
Over the age of 40, however, Brits’ feelings were suddenly reversed, with 61 per cent of 40-59 year olds and an overwhelming 79 per cent of those over 60 feeling that games could inspire violence and aggression in real life.
While it may be predictable to see that 73 per cent of 18-24 year olds and 60 per cent of 25-39 year olds feel that games can be a useful outlet, the majority of 40-59 year olds, 53 per cent, despite feeling that games can cause violence, also felt that they can be a useful outlet.
Even those over 60 saw some benefit to playing games – with almost half (49 per cent) seeing games as an outlet for frustration and aggression.
The difference in opinion was also heavily skewed depending on the individual’s experience with violent games. 74 per cent of those with no experience playing such games perceived a chance of real-life aggression, while only a third (35 per cent) of those with ‘some’ gaming experience felt likewise.
For the use of games as an outlet, those with no gaming experience were again almost evenly split (54 per cent seeing a benefit, with 70 per cent of those who had played agreeing).

http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/read/...eogames/031965

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The DCEmu and DealExtreme Giveaway - Win A JXD S7300 Android Gaming Tablet

September 23rd, 2013, 16:32 Posted By: wraggster



DCEmu and the great gadgets store DealExtreme have combined to offer a giveaway of a JXD S7300 Android Gaming Tablet.

The JXD S7300 is a great tablet that has the Jelly Bean version of the Android OS onboard and plays the latest and greatest Android Games and also for fans of Emulation it has a Dpad buttons and analogue controllers, play the Emulators as you would want to. Emulators up to Nintendo 64 and Playstation 1 play excellent on the JXD S7300, if you want to read my review then check it out on DCEmu Reviews.

For a chance to win a JXD S7300 all you have to do is visit DealExtreme and post a link to the gadget you like the most and why you like it, its as simple as that, the winner will be chosen on the 31st of October 2013 at random, only 1 entry per person. So why not enter now.

To enter reply to this thread, ill post an entry so you can see how to do it and good luck.

UPDATE

Anyone from any country in world can enter and also if your having problems posting links then do this

dx.com/p/rx-ps-one-video-game-player-with-usb-sd-av-hdmi-65700

At least then we know what the linky is

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The final result of NEO Retro Coding Compo 2013

September 23rd, 2013, 00:18 Posted By: wraggster

The final result of NEO Retro Coding Compo 2013

Here are the top 3 for the GAMEs division and APPs division of this compo, have 27 entries totally,not bad still. This compo have many high quality projects and difficult to judge,so we have to set three #3 winners for the game division.
More info: http://www.neoflash.com/forum/index.php/topic,7696.0.html

The Game division, total 20 entries Author
No.1 [NDS] Aperture Science DS by smealum US$500
No.2 [NDS] Fuzed by relminator US$300
No.3 [Playstation 1] Yopaz IceStar by Orion_ US$200
No.3 [GBA] WaimanuGBA - Grinding Blocks Adventure by sverx US$200
No.3 [NDS] Krystals DS by NightFox US$200

The all GAMEs package download:http://www.neoflash.com/compos/Neo_Coding_Compo_2013_Games_Division_(81M).rar




The App division, total 11 entries Author
No.1 [N64] GNUBOY64:GB&GBC emulator for the N64 ( Opensource Gnuboy-x86 hackport ) by Conle US$500
No.2 [SNES] PVSneslib by alekmaul US$300
No.3 [GBA] MOD Player for GBA - VMP by Verme US$200

The all GAMEs package download:http://www.neoflash.com/compos/Neo_Coding_Compo_2013_Apps_Division_(4M).rar

Congrats to all winners,please tell me what prize you want in this topic: http://www.neoflash.com/forum/index.php/topic,7697.0.html


See you at Aug. 2014 ^O^

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Toys R Us promo code slashes 20% off games

September 22nd, 2013, 02:38 Posted By: wraggster

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Mario plays piano with a little help from Raspberry Pi

September 21st, 2013, 23:48 Posted By: wraggster


[David] has created his own live robot band to play live versions of the music and sound effects of NES games. Most of us who grew up in the 80’s and 90’s have the music of Nintendo games burned into our brains. While there have been some amazing remixescreated over the years, [David] has managed to do something truly unique. Armed with an emulator, some software prowess, and a pair of Raspberry Pis, [Dave] created a system that plays game music and sound effects on analog instruments. AYamaha Disklavier player piano handles most of the work through a connection to a Raspberry Pi. Percussion is handled by a second Pi. Snare drum, wood block, and tambourine are all actuated by a custom solenoid setup.
The conversion process all happens on the fly as the game is played. [Dave] says the process has about ½ second of lag when played live, but we’re sure that could be fixed with some software tweaks.

http://hackaday.com/2013/09/20/mario...-raspberry-pi/

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London return unlikely for GTA; Next-gen GTA V downplayed

September 21st, 2013, 23:46 Posted By: wraggster

A new Grand Theft Auto set in London wouldn’t really be a GTA game at all, Rockstar’s Dan Houser has argued.
1999’s Grand Theft Auto: London was the second release in the series and the possibility of the franchise making a return to the UK has been a subject of discussion for some time.
“I think for us, my gut feeling is, GTA London was cool for the time, but games were more limited then,” Houser toldThe Guardian. “These days I think we would love to set a game in the UK, set in London, whatever, but I don't know if it would be a GTA game.
“I think there are plenty of great stories we could tell about the UK, great environments to showcase, great gameplay mechanics that could have a UK bent to them – I just don't think it would be a GTA necessarily.
“There are so many games we'd like to make that we just don't have the bandwidth to make at the moment. But we always think, well the future is long and varied, and that's what the future's for. Speaking for myself – and normally I'd be as militant about saying 'we' as much as possible, because it certainly isn't only me at all, thank god – but my own personal feeling is that GTA is America.”
Houser also touched upon the hopes that Grand Theft Auto V may be making its way to PS4 and Xbox One. Although not explicitly denied, the noises certainly don’t sound positive.
“Of course we're interested,” Houser replied when asked if Rockstar was interested in next-gen console tech. But no, not in terms of GTA, because we're always working on the current game.
“We look at the tech at a more practical level: what will be ready for which game that we're working on further down the line. We don't have another GTA in development, we don't work on three of these games at a time. That would be phenomenally depressing.
“So, in terms of GTA, no. We get pitched by the hardware manufacturers on what they're planning to do and our tech guys come up with ideas on how that could be used. Does this influence design decisions? Of course. But we're not sat there fantasising about 10 years down the line. We're so busy with what we're doing right now.”

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/londo...played/0121404

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Xbox One makes Toys R Us Fabulous 15 list but PS4 misses out

September 21st, 2013, 23:34 Posted By: wraggster

The US arm of Toys R Us has this year introduced a ‘Fabulous 15’ festive shopping list, but only one next-gen console made the cut.
Kotaku reports that while a total of 36 products are included in the Toys R Us Hot Holiday Toys list, only 15 are selected for bells-and-whistles Fabulous 15 billing.Xbox One (and Skylanders) is included in this select group whereas PS4 has to settle for a spot lower down.
"The 36 products featured on the Toys R Us Holiday Hot Toy List are carefully selected after year-long consultations with our global merchants and their thorough review of all the new toy introductions for the year,” PR rep Nicole Hayes stated.
“We start the selection process with thousands of hot toy contenders, which we narrow down to 36 items – each of which is designated with that honour because they are truly HOT.
“The two new videogame platform introductions for fall made the prestigious list, with Xbox One on the Fabulous 15 and PlayStation4 on the expanded list of 36 products named to this year’s Toys'R'Us Hot Toy List. We anticipate that both items will be at the top of kids’ wish lists this year."

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/xbox-...es-out/0121411

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LucasFilm Combines Video Games and Movies To Eliminate Post-Production

September 21st, 2013, 23:30 Posted By: wraggster

"Lucasfilm is currently prototyping the combining of video game engines with film-making to eliminate the post-production process in movies. 'Speaking at the Technology Strategy Board event at BAFTA in London this week, the company's chief technology strategy officer, Kim Libreri, announced that the developments in computer graphics have meant Lucasfilm has been able to transfer its techniques to film-making, shifting video game assets into movie production. Real-time motion capture and the graphics of video game engines, Libreri claimed, will increasingly be used in movie creation, allowing post-production effects to be overlayed in real time. "We think that computer graphics are going to be so realistic in real time computer graphics that, over the next decade, we'll start to be able to take the post out of post-production; where you'll leave a movie set and the shot is pretty much complete," Libreri said.'

http://games.slashdot.org/story/13/0...ost-production

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OPINION: Retail ceasefire contributed to Grand Theft Auto V success

September 20th, 2013, 23:56 Posted By: wraggster

Remember, the App Store launched after GTA IV hit. It has been easy to forget just the level of spectacle that an old fashioned go-to-the-shop-and-buy it games release can deliver.
And yes, it certainly delivered, becoming the fastest selling game in the UK ever and grossing $800m in just 24 hoursworldwide.
A huge part of that is thanks to a remarkable ceasefire over prices: GTA V has held firm around the £40 mark. The specialists and indies have not been pinched. Given the relative age of the software cycle margins may not be too insulting.
Discounting trade-in and multibuy gimmicks, Tesco is the only store to have taken the basic price under £39 at the time of writing. And even then it’s by just a quid. W­­e’re a long way from the days of ‘FIFA 11 for £25’. But as the dust settles around the GTA stampede, I imagine the cynics will asking if this might be the last of these large-scale software launches.
Call of Duty will stand its ground, but will it command the same power next year? If we don’t see an increase in triple-A disc games over the next generation, then digital will directly lead retail to wither, right? How long do these popcorn-munching games have until they buckle under the weight of their own high-budget riskless ride?
I’m always annoyingly pragmatical on these topics. But even my retail sympathies were surprised by the whispers this week around next-gen consoles.
There’s talk about the huge number of units Sony hopes to get in the market, and the unpredictably strong pre-order momentum it has already got; then there’s the word from ERA that 360 owners are very, very keen to upgrade their Xboxes.
It’s too easy to assume that every change is permanent, and no one is denying that the new hardware launches against a radically redrawn games business.
But with the help of 2,000 specialist and non-specialist stores opening up at midnight Monday and long queues at every shopping centre that mattered, GTA has proven that there’s still a palpable appetite for big games – the kind of entertainment that only our industry is capable of delivering.

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Intel Rolls Out Raspberry Pi Competitor

September 20th, 2013, 20:31 Posted By: wraggster

As detailed by Ars Technica, Intel has introduced the Minnowboard, an SBC touted as more powerful and more open than the Raspberry Pi. At $199, it is also more expensive. Using an Atom processor, the new SBC boasts more capacity and x86-compatibility. 'It's notable that the MinnowBoard is an open hardware platform, a distinction that Arduino and BeagleBone can claim but Raspberry Pi cannot. Users could create their own MinnowBoards by buying the items on the bill of materials—all the design information is published, and CircuitCo chose components that can be purchased individually rather than in the bulk quantities hardware manufacturers are accustomed to, Anders said. Users can also buy a pre-made MinnowBoard and make customizations or create their own accessory boards to expand its capability. And being an open hardware platform means that the source code of (almost) all the software required to run the platform is open.

http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/1...-pi-competitor

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Work Halted On Neal Stephenson's Kickstarted Swordfighting Video Game

September 20th, 2013, 20:30 Posted By: wraggster

Last year, sci-fi author Neal Stephenson and a team of game developers set out to make video game swordfighting awesome. They set up a Kickstarter campaign to fund the creation of hardware and software tech that would make replace console controllers with something more realistic. Now, production on that tech and the game in which they showcase it has been halted. In an update on the Kickstarter page, Stephenson explains how they've sought other investments without success. The project is 'on pause,' and the team asks for patience. He says, 'The overall climate in the industry has become risk-averse to a degree that is difficult to appreciate until you've seen it. It is especially bemusing to CLANG team members who, by cheerfully foregoing other opportunities so that they could associate themselves with a startup in the swordfighting space, have already shown an attitude to career, financial, and reputational risk normally associated with the cast members of Jackass. To a game publisher crouched in a fetal position under a blanket, CLANG seems extra worrisome because it is coupled to a new hardware controller.

http://games.slashdot.org/story/13/0...ing-video-game

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Monster Hunter 4 tops Japanese chart

September 19th, 2013, 14:36 Posted By: wraggster

It won't surprise anyone that knows anything about games that Monster Hunter 4 entered the Japanese chart at number one this week, and gave both the 3DS and 3DS XL a significant sales boost too.
Earlier this week Capcom reported it had shipped over 2 million copies of the game, a figure that combined physical and digital sales.

1. [3DS] Monster Hunter 4 - 1,715,060 (New entry)
2. [PS3] AKB1/149 Renai Sousenkyo - 27,052 (New entry)
3. [PSP] Brothers Conflict: Brilliant Blue - 15,297 (New entry)
4. [3DS] Tomodachi Collection: New Life - 10,530 (Lifetime sales - 1,431,527)
5. [PSP] Uta no Prince-sama: Music 2 - 10,343 (78,758)

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iPhone 5C pre-orders "not overwhelming"

September 19th, 2013, 12:35 Posted By: wraggster

Sources from within the US mobile phone market have suggested that the iPhone 5C is not proving a hit with consumers.
Reuters reports that pre-orders for the supposedly budget handset “have not been overwhelming” following its availability to pre-order on Friday.
It is also claimed that inventory levels for the new device are unusually low.
Apple may well argue that lack of interest in traditional core markets is due to the fact that its attempted entry into the lower-price sector is targeted toward emerging markets. How successful the 5C will be in such markets, considering its still high asking price, remains to be seen.
It’s not yet known what level of interest is being shown in the high-end iPhone 5S, which only became available to pre-order this week.
Apple’s new iPhone operating system, iOS 7, will be made available to download tonight at 6pm.

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/iphon...elming/0121229

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