21's Bitcoin Computer is a Raspberry Pi-powered mining tool

September 22nd, 2015, 22:43 Posted By: wraggster



If you've been searching for a non-DIY Bitcoin mining machine, there's now a device that could meet all your needs. Announced earlier today, the 21 Bitcoin Computer is a pocketable, Raspberry Pi-powered tool with native hardware and software support for the open-source, peer-to-peer money protocol. 21.co, the startup behind the new product, says you can use it to seamlessly buy or sell digital goods and services from a custom command line interface. What's more, thanks to a built-in payments system, you can also set up the Bitcoin Computer to sell your own API calls (like language-to-language translations) and even create a personal store for virtual items.


http://www.engadget.com/2015/09/22/21-bitcoin-computer/

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Destiny: The Taken King crowned No.1 in the UK

September 21st, 2015, 21:08 Posted By: wraggster

The first boxed expansion for Activision’s Destiny debuts at No.1 in the UK, according to data from GfK Chart-Track.

This is the publisher’s first time at the top spot since Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare in Week Six of this year.
The PlayStation 4 SKU took the lion’s share of sales, claiming 57 per cent of all boxed software for the game – unsurprising given PlayStation’s partnership with Activision for the online shooter.
Meanwhile the Xbox One SKU claimed 34 per cent, the 360 version took seven per cent and the PS3 edition made up two per cent.
But The Taken King’s boxed sales represent a mere 16 per cent of Destiny’s initial Week One sales. Destiny shot to No.1 when it hit shelves last September, and became the biggest selling new IP.
Of course, given that a huge number of people bought a boxed edition of Activision’s online shooter, it’s possible they will have bought The Taken King digitally – meaning that digital sales for the expansion could be considerably bigger.
There are new games in second and third place, too. Forza Motorsport 6 debuts at No.2, while Pro Evolution Soccer 2016 starts life in the charts at No.3.
Last week’s No.1, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, falls to fourth place with a 54 per cent decline in sales, while previous fourth place holder Mad Max drops to No.5 as sales dip 45 per cent.
Below is the UK software Top Ten for the week ending September 19th:
1. Destiny: The Taken King, Activision
2. Forza Motorsport 6, Microsoft
3. Pro Evolution Soccer 2016, Konami
4. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, Konami
5. Mad Max, Warner Bros
6. Super Mario Maker, Nintendo
7. Grand Theft Auto V, Rockstar
8. Disney Infinity 3.0, Disney
9. Rugby League Live 3, Alternative Software
10. LEGO Jurassic World, Warner Bros


http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/desti...the-uk/0156160

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London will host a huge video games market this November

September 21st, 2015, 21:06 Posted By: wraggster

Prepare to re-live the glory days of grabbing a gaming bargain from a man wearing a bum bag and an apron.
Replay Events, Showmasters and Dark Cleo Productions have announced The London Gaming Market, which will take place at the Royal National Hotel in Russell Square in London on November 15^th. Three other dates have also been confirmed – March 6th, July 3rd and November 6th 2016.
There’s an entry price, however - £5 between 11am-12pm and £2 thereafter. Kids under 14 with an adult enter for free.
“The London Gaming Market is THE place to buy retro video-games, board games and merchandise all in one place,” the organisers said. “The London Gaming Market is the first event of its kind held in the heart of London.
“Our traders are bringing fantastic selections to London Gaming Market, from current releases to classic memorabilia. With thousands of collectables and rare merchandise to browse, our specialist vendors are sure to have something for every collection. Looking for that specific item? Why not take advantage of our early entry ticket, to ensure you get that much sought after piece.”


http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/londo...vember/0156164

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Google Releases Open Source Plans For Cardboard V2 Virtual Reality Viewer

September 20th, 2015, 22:23 Posted By: wraggster

After revealing an improved version of Cardboard, the super-low cost virtual reality smartphone adapter, Google has now also freely released the detailed design documents, encouraging people to use them for projects ranging from DIY fun to full blown manufacturing. The v2 version of Cardboard is easier to assemble, has larger lenses, a universal input button, and is bigger overall to support larger phones.
http://tech.slashdot.org/story/15/09...reality-viewer

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30 million VR headsets will ship by 2020, analyst estimates

September 20th, 2015, 22:11 Posted By: wraggster

Virtual reality headset shipments will reach 30 million by 2020, a new report claims.
Juniper Research believes next year will see just over three million VR headsets sold. Hardware revenue from HMD sales is expected to exceed $4 billion by 2020.
The biggest market for VR is expected to be North America, which it claims will take up nearly half of all shipments. Other popular markets include the Far East and Asia, which takes up the second largest share, and Western Europe.

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/30-mi...imates/0156107

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PlayStation VR could cost around £350 at launch

September 20th, 2015, 22:11 Posted By: wraggster

Sony Computer Entertainment CEO Andrew House has said that PlayStation VR “will be priced as a new gaming platform” when it launches next year.
If the PS4 is any indication, that could mean that the virtual reality headset – which was formerly known as Project Morpheus – will cost around £350. House gave the statement to Bloomberg.
Alternatively, in 2011 the PlayStation Vita launched in both £229.99 (Wi-Fi) and £279.99 (3G) flavours. PS3 cost £425 at launch and the PSP £179. Back in the year 2000 PS2 arrived at £300.
House also said that he expects ten titles to be ready for PlayStation VR’s launch, which remains on track for the first half of 2016.
“VR rewrites the rule book on how you can create games,” House added. “You’re seeing a large amount of interest and work happening among smaller teams, because it’s possible to create something in VR that is very simple but still very magical.”
The exec declined to answer questions about a possible Western price cut for PS4 following news of RRP reduction in both Japan and China.

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/plays...launch/0156110

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GameStop won't sell consoles bundled with digital games

September 19th, 2015, 23:18 Posted By: wraggster

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New circular Chromecast rumored for later this month

September 19th, 2015, 23:17 Posted By: wraggster

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GameStop stops offering console bundles with download codes

September 17th, 2015, 21:08 Posted By: wraggster

The largest American High Street games retailer will now only sell console bundles that include physical copies of games.
It is common nowadays for hardware bundles to include download codes instead of physical games. However, Giant Bomb reports that the retailer in a recent conference call outlined its new physical bundle policy, confirming that it had "worked with Sony, Microsoft, and EA" to ensure its hardware bundles conformed to the new policy.
COO Tony Bartel even went as far as to warn to should platform holders continue to include digital games in their bundles, GameStop would shift to offering “third party physical bundles” instead of the official SKUs.
Why is GameStop doing this? It hasn’t said, but many speculate it’s because consumers can trade-in used physical copies of games, and that the proliferation of digital software is stifling the supply of lucrative physical pre-owned stock.
It could also be that it is responding to consumer demand. Many internet connections still make the downloading of a 20, 30 or 40GB file a really time-consuming chore. Having a physical disc allows buyers to get stuck into the action faster.

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/games...-codes/0156000

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Publishers have learnt nothing from broken game fiasco, warn bug testers

September 17th, 2015, 21:06 Posted By: wraggster

Major games this Christmas could launch with crippling bugs, just like in 2014.
That’s the warning from leading games testing firms, who insist too many publishers have not learnt their lessons from Q4 last year, which saw a number of titles arriving with game-breaking issues, such as Halo: The Master Chief Collection, DriveClub and Assassin’s Creed Unity.
“The run up to this Christmas will be no different to the last one,” Pole to Win localisation director Chris Rowley warned.
“Console games are expensive to develop, so missing a street date is not an acceptable situation to a publisher. Day One patches have become the norm over the last few years to try and address this, but the reality is that it often takes several patches where a title is significantly behind schedule.”
Babel’s functionality QA director Mathieu Lachance added: “We’ll see many games launching with large errors and bugs. It’s impossible to release a flawless game.
“In some cases, delaying a game can have a more devastating impact on the game and studios themselves than what quality concerns could have. It then becomes a balance between quality expectations and financial risk.”
Universally Speaking QA manager James Cubitt says that there has been some improvement from game creators, but it’s still not enough.
“It is getting better, but far from solved,” he told MCV. “People need to stop seeing delays as a bad thing, both companies and the user base. The number of companies that just squeeze QA testing into the remaining period, without sufficient time to then fix the issues and re-test, is hurting their own titles in the long run.”

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/publi...esters/0156002

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'Pre-order problems could deter the most valuable consumers in the industry'

September 17th, 2015, 21:05 Posted By: wraggster

Consumers who pre-order spend twice as much on games as the average player.
Research firm Kantar Worldpanel says that consumers who pre-order spend – on average – £235 on games a year.
The statistic acts as a warning to publishers following recent consumer dissatisfaction over pre-order issues. These have included games not working as intended, overly complex pre-order programmes, stock of Splatoon being stolen from a truck, with no replacements made available.
Warner Bros cancelling its Batman Arkham Knight: Batmobile Edition, and widespread errors around pre-ordered copies of Metal Gear Solid V and Super Mario Maker by GAME.
“It is critical that retailers make the pre-ordering experience a positive one for consumers, particularly given how valuable these consumers are,” Fiona Keenan, Kantar’s UK strategic insight director, told MCV.
“In the last year they spent £235 on games, more than double that of the average games consumer – clearly any negative experiences should be avoided at all cost.”
However, she adds, “whilst the recent pre-ordering issues we’ve seen in the market may deter consumers from pre-ordering in the future, it’s highly unlikely that they’ll deter consumers from actually buying games.”
Pre-orders are currently a £145m business. The vast majority of pre-orders (65 per cent) take place online, said Kantar.

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/pre-o...dustry/0156005

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Worst August in 19 years for UK games retailers

September 17th, 2015, 21:04 Posted By: wraggster

Sales of physical games in the UK generated just £22.5m last month, the lowest figure for an August since the mid-1990s.
It is the 14th worst month in UK games industry history – 12 of which took place during 1996 and 1997. The only month in recent memory to reach lower than £22m was July 2013.
This is GfK Chart-Track figures, which does not factor in digital sales of games due to the industry’s reluctance to share data around download games. Therefore this number does not include the sales of games such as Everybody’s Gone To The Rapture, Volume, Beyond Eyes, Her Story and Rocket League.
Three of those games were made in Britain, and it was actually a strong month for UK-made games overall. There were six boxed British games in the Chart-Track Top Ten, LEGO Jurassic World (No.1), Batman: Arkham Knight (No.2), Grand Theft Auto V (No.3), Rare Replay (No.5), Minecraft: Xbox Edition (No.9) and F1 2015 (No.10).

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/worst...ailers/0156007

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The BBC's Micro:bit computers won't reach kids until next year

September 17th, 2015, 20:51 Posted By: wraggster

As part of a wider initiative aimed at teaching children the basics of computing and programming, the BBC created the Micro:bit development board (with a little help from some high-profile partners). Unveiled in its final form this Julyafter years in the making, the broadcaster had originally planned to send out the first batch of Micro:bits to teachers this month, before issuing one million of the things to Year 7 students across the country in October. The BBC hassaid today, however, that a problem with the power supply identified on a small number of the microcomputers means that timeline has been pushed back by a couple of months.

http://www.engadget.com/2015/09/17/b...o-bit-delayed/

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Rockstar says BBC's GTA drama was 'random, made up b****cks'

September 16th, 2015, 22:11 Posted By: wraggster

Last night saw the long-awaited airing of the BBC’s controversial dramatization of Rockstar’s creation of Grand Theft Auto, The Gamechangers.
At least, that is what we thought it would be about. In reality the 90-minute show didn’t seem to tell any particular story. The events depicted the period between the releases of GTA Vice City and San Andreas. Sam Houser, played by Harry Potter’s Daniel Radcliffe, is shown as wanting to push the possibilities of the series, developing Vice City’s bite-sized cultural snapshot into the a fully-blown 3D world.
Houser’s desire to accurately depict sex in the game and the subsequent ‘Hot Coffee’ scandal formed the thrust of the narrative tension, although if any character provided the anchor to the events it was, bizarrely, disbarred lawyer Jack Thompson. His moral tirade against GTA, while at times presented as unhinged, also leant Thompson a depth of character not afforded to any others.
Ultimately he was the only figure the viewer was encouraged to sympathise with, at times leading to the feeling that if the BBC hoped to achieve anything it was to raise concern about video game violence.
None of which is to say that video game violence isn’t a subject that should be explored. Of course it is, and indeed, the most striking sequence of the film – Devin Moore’s murder of three – was designed explicitly to bring that subject into sharp contrast.
But in a film ostensibly pitched as part of the BBC’s Make It Digital education campaign, why this was chosen as the focus over GTA’s actual development is a mystery. In fact, the act of development itself was barely acknowledged, and when it was the details were more often than not farcical. At one point Houser asks for a new, in-house game engine – in the next scene he has one.
There’s also the issue of factual inaccuracies, which were of course inevitable but clearly proved a point of contention both for Rockstar and some of the individuals involved in the game’s development. Rockstar itself even challenged the BBC on Twitter, labelling the show as “random, made up bollocks”:

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/rocks...-b-cks/0155930

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Super Mario Maker dethrones Metal Gear Solid 5 in Japanese retail charts

September 16th, 2015, 21:51 Posted By: wraggster

Super Mario Maker has made quite the impression during its first week on sale in Japan.
The Wii U exclusive, which sees players construct their own 2D platforming levels from iconic elements of Nintendo’s flagship franchise, shot to the top of the software rankings, selling over 143,000 units.
Mario’s ascent knocked the latest in fellow iconic Japanese series Metal Gear Solid from the top spot, with The Phantom Pain on PS4 dropping to fourth. The PS3 version of the game sank to sixth.
Metal Gear Solid V sold almost a combined 500,000 units in its first week on sale in the country, with last week’s figures easily pushing the game over the half-a-million mark.
Filling the podium space in MGS5’s stead were new entry Monster Hunter Nikki: PokaPoka Felyne Village DX, a spin-off of Capcom’s highly popular multiplayer franchise, and RPG sequel Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King, which remained in third place despite sales halving.
No other new entries made the Top Ten last week, with the charts largely maintaining its order from the previous week, excepting the disappearance of Mario Kart 8 and IS <Infinite Stratos> 2: Love and Purge.
Meanwhile, over in the hardware rankings, Wii U was spurred to the top of the heap by Super Mario Maker, sales more than doubling week-on-week.
It was followed by the New Nintendo 3DS XL and the former week’s star hardware, the PS4. The sales of the latter platform fell by more than 35,000 as MGS5’s magic began to wear off.
Here is the software Top Ten for the week ending September 13th:

1. Super Mario Maker (Nintendo) Wii U – 143,514 (New)
2. Monster Hunter Nikki: PokaPoka Felyne Village DX (Capcom) 3DS – 52,272 (New)
3. Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King (Square Enix) 3DS – 45,954
4. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (Konami) PS4 – 36,765
5. Yo-Kai Watch Busters: Akaneko-dan / Shiroinu-tai (Level 5) 3DS – 31,399
6. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (Konami) PS3 – 31,112
7. Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer (Nintendo) 3DS – 17,924
8. Splatoon (Nintendo) Wii U – 14,676
9. Minecraft: PlayStation Vita Edition (Sony) Vita – 6,655
10. Rhythm Heaven: The Best+ (Nintendo) 3DS – 6,397

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Sony's Project Morpheus is now 'PlayStation VR'

September 16th, 2015, 21:46 Posted By: wraggster


Sony's Project Morpheus VR system has a new, more obvious name: PlayStation VR. The announcement came today at the company's Tokyo Game Show press conference, but that's about the only new information Sony was willing to part with. Explaining the change, PlayStation product business president Masayasu Ito says "The name 'PlayStation VR' not only directly expresses an entirely new experience from PlayStation that allows players to feel as if they are physically inside the virtual world of a game, but it also reflects our hopes that we want our users to feel a sense of familiarity as they enjoy this amazing experience." He adds that the hardware itself will continue to be refined in the coming months, and that Sony is working closely with 3rd parties and in-house studios to ensure there are actually some games for the thing when it launches. There's still no official release date for the headset, which is due for release at some point in early 2016.

http://www.engadget.com/2015/09/15/p...laystation-vr/

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Best Buy Sunday Ad Video Game Deals: 9/13 Edition!

September 14th, 2015, 21:55 Posted By: wraggster

BestBuy Sunday Ad Video Game Deals Summary!This week, BestBuy is featuring discounts on Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4, 3DS, Wii U, and PC games!Check it out: BestBuy Sunday Ad Video Game DealsHighlights include:

• Sunday Ad:
  • Save on Gaming Favorites ($19.99 Rare Replay + More)
  • $30 Towards FIFA 16
  • BestBuy Outlet Blowout Sale
  • Save 40% on Xbox LIVE with Console Purchase
  • Save $20 on Xbox One Controller with Console Purchase
  • Save $5 on PS Plus 12 Month with PS4 Console Purchase
  • Save on Select Accessories
  • Save on Select Game Guides
• BestBuy Gamers Club:
  • Get $10 in Reward Certificates on Pre-orders
• http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Games-Pr...mcat8400050004

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Flickr wants you to explore photos in VR

September 14th, 2015, 21:11 Posted By: wraggster


Some day you could be flipping through your vacation photos while wearing a VR headset. At the XOXO Festival taking place in Portland, Oregon this weekend, Flickr is showing off an early preview of a virtual reality experience that it hopes to integrate with its photo service. The demo at the festival was with an Oculus DK 2 hooked up to a PC and the idea is that you'll be able to use the headset specifically with 360-degree panoramic photos. I tried it on and indeed I was able to look all around me in 360 degrees to view an entire scene. To flip through the slides, I looked down at a pair of pink and blue balls for a couple of seconds, which triggers the next photo to load.

http://www.engadget.com/2015/09/13/flickr-vr/

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Metal Gear Solid V sells nearly 500,000 units in Japan

September 10th, 2015, 23:26 Posted By: wraggster

Hideo Kojima’s Metal Gear Solid swansong sold almost half a million copies across PS3 and PS4 in its debut week.
That’s according to the latest data from Famitsu, which shows that the PS4 SKU of open-world stealth game Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain shifted over 315,000 units last week, rocketing to the top of the retail software charts.
The PS3 version of the title was hot on its sibling console’s heels, shooting up into second place with more than 157,000 sales – almost exactly half of the PS4's total.
It’s a reversal of fortunes from 2014 predecessor Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes, which sold roughly 25 per cent more copies on PS3 than PS4.
When combined, that means that The Phantom Pain sold 472,893 copies across the Sony platforms alone in its first six days on sale, having launched on September 1st. The game is also available on Xbox 360, Xbox One and PC – although none of these versions made the Top Ten last week.
With three days having passed since the official chart count on September 6th, it’s pretty safe to posit that Kojima’s latest has now passed the 500,000 sales mark in Japan.
Unsurprisingly, The Phantom Pain’s launch propelled Sony’s PS4 to the top of the hardware rankings with over 54,720 sales, surpassing usual top spot contender the New Nintendo 3DS XL.
The only other new Top Ten game to brave Metal Gear Solid release week was 5pb’s IS <Infinite Stratos> 2: Love and Purge for the PlayStation Vita, which debuted in seventh place with just over 10,000 sales.
Here are the latest Top Ten software rankings, according to Famitsu, for the week ending September 6th:

1. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (Konami) PS4 – 315,288 (New)
2. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (Konami) PS3 – 157,605 (New)
3. Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King (Square Enix) 3DS – 117,844
4. Yo-Kai Watch Busters: Akaneko-dan / Shiroinu-tai (Level 5) 3DS – 39,641
5. Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer (Nintendo) 3DS – 27,002
6. Splatoon (Nintendo) Wii U – 16,074
7. IS <Infinite Stratos> 2: Love and Purge (5pb) Vita – 10,432 (New)
8. Rhythm Heaven: The Best+ (Nintendo) 3DS – 8,563
9. Minecraft: PlayStation Vita Edition (Sony) Vita – 7,510
10. Mario Kart 8 (Nintendo) Wii U – 6,168

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Two years after its presumed death, pre-owned is thriving

September 10th, 2015, 23:25 Posted By: wraggster

Boxed game sales are falling and the dearth of digital data means the true state of the market remains largely a mystery.
But one tried and tested retail sector is certainly in rude health.
As recently as 2013, retail feared that next-gen consoles might mark the end for pre-owned games. But while digital continues to claim a growing slice of modern console software sales and post-release digital content swells, pre-owned game sales are up 25 per cent year-on-year for the 12 months ending August 2nd, hitting a value of £126.3m.
That’s according to Kantar Worldpanel, which says that the number of pre-owned UK buyers has not actually increased. It stands steady at around 3.2m shoppers, but the amount these gamers spend is on the up. The average pre-owned outlay per shopper is now £40 – a £10 increase over the previous 12 months.
Perhaps more importantly, 72 per cent of these buyers also purchased a brand new game in the last year. And with GfK Chart-Track data showing a further 1.1 per cent decline in boxed new game sales so far in 2015, Kantar believes pre-owned still serves as a huge contributor to the software sector’s overall health.
“Pre-owned facilitates greater activity from those with a keen interest in the games market,” consumer retail analyst Andy Saxton told MCV. “Nearly three quarters of them still buy mint games alongside pre-owned, with their average spend across games much higher (£127) than those who only buy mint games (£82). This is due to them making twice as many trips to buy games during the year (4.6 to 2.3).”

"Pre-owned game sales are up 25
per cent year-on-year for the
12 months ending August 2nd,
hitting £126.3m."

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