Why the Raspberry Pi Zero Isn't a Practical Tool For Teaching Students

December 3rd, 2015, 22:32 Posted By: wraggster

This article criticizes the Raspberry PI Foundation's new computer the Zero. It points out that the Foundation says the purpose of the new Pi is to reach students but with all the needed equipment and experience it is ill suited for students. From the Hackaday story: "For development you need to set up the Zero with a power supply, mini-HDMI to HDMI adapter, HDMI cable, the USB OTG cable, USB hub, a keyboard, and possibly a mouse. After some hours of work you’re ready to try the software in your device. The cables are all disconnected and the board connected to the device. Tests are run. You pull the Zero out and plug everything back together for further software work. That’s going to get old really fast so you get a second Zero so one can stay in the device. Now all you need to do is swap the SD card. If you’re going to do that, you don’t need a second Zero since you can use a Pi 2 and get the advantages of its higher speed in development. Alternatively, you can use the USB OTG with a WiFi dongle, copy files to the Zero’s SD, and restart or reboot the device. Over WiFi you can also use SSH or a remote console to monitor the device’s activities. How long did it take you to figure out all the cable connections in the second paragraph above? Do you think a student without a hacker friend will understand that? Remember, the goal is to reach students who don’t know computers."
http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/1...ching-students

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Listening to the sounds of the earth

December 3rd, 2015, 22:27 Posted By: wraggster

A geophone is a specially built microphone for listening to the Earth. [JTAdams] found them at a reasonable price so bought some to play with. A geophone is used to detect vibrations from earthquakes, explosions, rumbling trucks, and vibroseis vehicles. To be useful it needs an amplifier and a recording device to capture the signals.

[JTAdams] used a standard amplifier design for an LT1677 op-amp, fed the signal to an MCP3008 A/D converter, and read the output using a Raspberry Pi. A Python script records the data to a CSV file for processing. The Pi worked well because the entire setup needs to be portable to take into the field. Another Python script plots the data which is made available from a web page. A neat simple way of presenting the raw data. [JTAdams] promises more information in the future on post-processing the data. You don’t need a geophone to detect seismic waves if you build your own, but a real ‘phone will be more rugged.
Oh, what’s a vibroseis? It’s a truck with a big flat plate underneath it. The plate is hydraulically lowered to the ground until the weight of the truck is on it. The truck then causes the plate to vibrate, usually sweeping from around 10 hz to 100 hz. This infrasound pass through the ground until it is reflected back by underlying rock layers. A long string of geophones, think 1,000s of feet, detects the waves, which are recorded. In practice, many trucks are used to generate a synchronized signal of sufficient strength. Or, you can set off an explosion which is the technique used in water. Typically the information is used for oil and gas exploration. A video of one of the trucks in action after the break.

https://hackaday.com/2015/12/01/list...-of-the-earth/

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Raspberry pi zero, or minus one?

December 3rd, 2015, 22:25 Posted By: wraggster

The Wall Street Journal reported that [Eric Schmidt] of Google and now Alphabet Inc, promoted the idea of an inexpensive version of the Raspberry Pi to the Raspberry Pi foundation’s [Eben Upton]. Apparently [Upton] accepted this recommendation despite existing plans to make a more expensive, more powerful version of the Pi. The outcome is the Raspberry Pi Zero that sells, in some places, for $5.00 and was given away for free on the cover of the MagPi magazine.
From the WSJ article:
“He [Schmidt] said it was very hard to compete with cheap. He made a very compelling case. It was a life-changing conversation,” Mr. Upton said, adding that he went back to the lab and scrapped all the engineering plans for more expensive versions of future Pi computers. “The idea was to make a more powerful thing at the same price, and then make a cheaper thing with the same power.”
Plans were scrapped. The more powerful Pi 2 was released at the price point of existing Pis, and now we have the Zero.
[h=2]PI’S PURPOSE[/h]Foundation MissionThe Raspberry Pi Foundation is a registered educational charity in the UK. The purpose of this Foundation according to their About Us page is to, ‘advance the education of adults and children, particularly in the field of computers, computer science, and related subjects.’
Why is the Raspberry Pi Foundation so concerned about computer education? From the 1990s onward, fewer and fewer A Level students in the UK applying to study Computer Science had previous experience as hobbyist programmers. An applicant in the 2000s usually might have only done a little web design.
Why then does the Raspberry Pi Zero exist? [Upton] also told Cnet, “We really hope this is going to get those last few people in the door and involved in computer programming.”
Very good, but how well does the Zero support this goal or address their concerns?
https://hackaday.com/2015/12/01/rasp...-or-minus-one/

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Shoving a raspberry pi zero into an xbox controller

December 3rd, 2015, 22:24 Posted By: wraggster

With the release of the Raspberry Pi Zero last month, we’ve been waiting in excitement to see the first creative hacks to come out, making use of its tiny size; which if you didn’t know, is smaller than a business card. [Terence Eden] hopped to it and made what might be the first Raspberry Pi Zero emulator: inside an Xbox controller.
Thanks to its small size it’s actually a fairly straight forward hack with minimal modification to the controller in order to make it fit. In fact, you only need to remove the memory card holder from the controller and snip one bit of plastic in order to make it fit right in the middle — awesome.
Now it does stick out a bit as you can see in the pictures, but we’re sure it won’t take someone long to make a 3D printed part that snaps into the controller giving it a more stock appearance. Unfortunately since HDMI can’t carry a power source to the Pi, [Terence] is using a micro-USB to power it — but there is enough space inside the controller for a battery pack if you wanted to make it truly portable.
https://hackaday.com/2015/12/02/shov...ox-controller/

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4 port usb, raspberry pi zero piggy-back hack

December 3rd, 2015, 22:19 Posted By: wraggster

Foam and elastic bands make a next arrangement






It certainly helps that the USB and power pads on the back of the Zero are available and of a good size to accept direct, soldered wire connections. The USB connections on the hub were a little more tricky. The wires were soldered to the surface mount pins of the mini-B connector. But [Frederick] managed to get that done, also.
A nice advantage of this hack is that a couple of soldered jumper wires let the Zero draw power from the hub’s wall-wart, eliminating one cable from those needed to work with the Pi. Using hot glue for strain relief on the wiring is a nice touch. To keep the boards from shorting he put a piece of foam between them and help them together with elastic bands. Simple and easy.

https://hackaday.com/2015/12/03/4-po...ggy-back-hack/

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Nintendo NX predicted to ship 12m units in 2016

December 3rd, 2015, 22:12 Posted By: wraggster

Nintendo’s next home console is set for an explosive start.
That’s according to component suppliers for the NX cited byDigiTimes, who have pegged first-year shipments for the new hardware at between 10 and 12 million.
That is, of course, if the mysterious new machine launches when it is rumoured to – with DigiTimes formerly slating it for a July 2016 release based on the production schedules of anonymous ‘supply chain partners’.
Controversial manufacturer Foxconn – which also builds the PS4, Xbox One, Wii U, iPhone and iPad – is unsurprisingly also expected to produce the NX.
As a point of reference, as of October 2015, lifetime Wii U sales stood at just shy of 11 million.
Meanwhile, PS4 has just passed 30 million global sales.
The last figure on Xbox One comes from November 2014, when Microsoft's console had 10 million units shipped. The platform holder has since announced it will not reveal Xbox One sales going forward.

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/ninte...n-2016/0159769

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1.8m games sold during Black Friday week

December 3rd, 2015, 22:10 Posted By: wraggster

The numbers are finally in for what appears to have been a blockbuster Black Friday.
86 per cent of all consoles sold last week were PlayStation 4 and Xbox Ones, an increase the 75 per cent that were sold during the same period last year. Software for those platforms made up 74 per cent of all units sold – last Black Friday PS4 and Xbox One games only made up 46 per cent.
The week ending November 28th is only one of nine weeks so far where the newer harder saw software unit share of over 70 per cent.
In addition, software revenue increased 32 per cent over last week meaning that £56m was generated by game sales. Meanwhile 1,778,301 units were sold during the week.
It’s not all good news, however. Software unit sales were down nine per cent year-on-year, while revenue took a dip of 10 per cent.
FIFA is No.1 after a six-week break from the top spot with sales shooting up 254 per cent week-over-week thanks to a number of hard and software bundles. This also helped Call of Duty: Black Ops III sales rise 47 per cent. Activision’s shooter remains steady at No.2.
Last week’s No.1 – Star Wars Battlefront – falls to third place, though sales only took a 52 per cent dip which is rather healthy. Bethesda’s Fallout 4 falls to fourth place as sales s climb eight per cent.
In fifth place is Sony’s Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection. That title was 24 per cent last week, but it shoots up 19 places to fifth place as sales shoot up 999 per cent thanks to a PlayStation 4 hardware bundle. Meanwhile Grand Theft Auto V rises six places with sales taking a 385 per cent hike.
Hardware bundles helped a number of games see massive sales increases. Halo 5 sales shot up 195 per cent, while Forza 6 sales spiked ten 381 per cent as it rises ten places. Meanwhile, Disney Infinity 3 increases 281 per cent week-on-week and LEGO Marvel Super Heroes unit sales increases 541 per cent.
Below is the software Top Ten for the week ending November 28th:
1. FIFA 16, EA
2. Call of Duty: Black Ops III, Activision Blizzard
3. Star Wars Battlefront, EA
4. Fallout 4, Bethesda
5. Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection, Sony
6. Grand Theft Auto V, Rockstar
7. Minecraft: Story Mode, Telltale Games
8. Halo 5: Guardians, Microsoft
9. Rise of the Tomb Raider, Square Enix
10. Forza Motorsport 6, Microsoft

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/1-8m-...y-week/0159841

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The charts are back - and this time they are digital

December 3rd, 2015, 22:09 Posted By: wraggster

At last! The UK games industry has some digital download charts.
UKIE has signed agreements with leading providers of mobile and digital sales data, and MCV will be printing the results.
Analytics firm Reflection will offer UK mobile sales charts, which will be distributed by UKIE alongside the boxed charts every Monday.
Meanwhile, New York-based SuperData will provide digital console sales information every month, including a dedicated UK report.
GfK Chart-Track’s physical listings will also return to MCV.
MCV dropped its weekly and monthly charts sections as part of our Digital Counts initiative, which campaigned for more transparency around how well games are selling via download platforms such as Steam, Xbox Live, PSN, iOS and Google Play.
“Access to data is of the highest importance to the sector, as well as to UKIE as a trade body, so that we can act appropriately on behalf of the industry that we represent,” said UKIE CEO Dr Jo Twist. “Whilst it is notoriously difficult to track digital data, these measures will bring us closer to being able to judge the successes of our industry, and continue to grow using clear information about our games market.”
SuperData CEO Joost van Dreunen added: “Getting a full picture of the market, that includes categories like free-to-play MMOs and digital console, will be key to the UK industry’s domestic and international success. Certainly, it’s a big effort providing transparency to such a fragmented market and I’m proud to say we’ve done a good job over the past years by tracking the monthly spending of 383,528 digital gamers in the UK. Teaming up with UKIE allows us to extend the depth of our coverage and fulfil the ambition of providing a clear picture of the digital games market.”
On the state of the mobile sector, Reflection boss Gustav Leksell said: “The market is quite immature in a way. The fact that this type of data is not readily available attests to that. This sector only goes back to 2007, but we are seeing it mature, and the next step is developers finding out how to sell their apps.”

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/the-c...igital/0159873

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November charts: Call of Duty, Fallout and Battlefront cause blockbuster month for th

December 3rd, 2015, 22:09 Posted By: wraggster

November proved to be a major month for the UK games industry, driven by a trio of major launches - Call of Duty, Fallout and Star Wars Battlefront.
Activision’s military shooter sold over 1m units in just over a week.
The game is part of the Black Ops line of titles, which is the most popular of the Call of Duty sub-brands. If you look at the SuperData October console digital charts, which includes revenue generated from DLC, microtransactions and full game downloads, you’ll see Black Ops II is still in the Top Ten - almost three years since its launch in November 2012. (Note: SuperData’s charts run from the start of October until October 31st, whereas Chart-Track’s data ran from October 25th to November 21st.)
There were eight new games in the Top Ten. Bethesda’s Fallout 4 shifted half a million units in its first week - although sales have slowed since.
Star Wars Battlefront from EA was only on sale for three days when this data was collected, but still managed third place.
There are a number of Microsoft-backed Xbox One games in the charts. Halo 5: Guardians debuted at No.5, while Rise of the Tomb Raider (which was released on Xbox 360 as well) managed No.10. Fallout 4 also had marketing support from Microsoft. The result was that Xbox One had a much stronger month in terms of software market share, although it wasn’t enough to knock PS4 off its perch.
A lack of Nintendo titles meant that the platform holder lost software market share this month. However, improvement in hardware sales saw the likes of Splatoon, Mario Kart 8 and (remarkably) Mario Kart 7 return to the Top 40 - these games were bundled with Wii U and 3DS consoles.
Although we have introduced digital console revenue to our analysis for the first time, we still lack PC figures. This means that Football Manager 2016 only reached No.18 in the boxed charts. Sega says that 82 per cent of the game’s sales were digital, so the title may have made the Top Ten. We’ll never know for sure.

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/novem...dustry/0159874

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Over 300,000 consoles sold during Black Friday week in the UK

December 3rd, 2015, 22:07 Posted By: wraggster

315,000 games consoles were sold during the Black Friday week.
UK retailers told MCV that it was PS4 that was the best-selling machine, with around 139,000 consoles sold. But it was very close between Sony and Microsoft, with Xbox One shifting almost 134,000 units.
Note that these figures run from Sunday, November 22nd to Saturday, November 28th. So Sunday and Cyber Monday figures are not included.

PS4 and Xbox One were both heavily discounted over Black Friday weekend. An Xbox One with Rare Replay and Ori and the Blind Forest retailed for as low as £220, and refurbished PS4s were selling for below £200 on Amazon.

PS4 sales are up 28.6 per cent over last year’s Black Friday, while Xbox One sales are up 23.3 per cent.

It’s a good result after what has been a relatively slow year for hardware sales. However, these numbers are not quite as high as some of the industry’s more lofty estimations.

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/over-...the-uk/0159898

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C.H.I.P. vs Pi Zero: Which Sub-$10 Computer Is Better?

November 30th, 2015, 21:11 Posted By: wraggster

Make Magazine weighs in on an issue that's suddenly relevant in a world where less than $10 can buy a new, (nominally) complete computer. Which one makes most sense? Both the $9 C.H.I.P and the newest, stripped-down Raspberry Pi model have pluses and minuses, but to make either one actually useful takes some additional hardware; at their low prices, it's not surprising that neither one comes with so much as a case. The two make different trade-offs, despite being just a few dollars apart in ticket price. C.H.I.P. comes with built-in storage that rPi lacks, for instance, but the newest Pi, like its forebears, has built in HDMI output. Make's upshot?The cost of owning either a C.H.I.P. or a Pi is a bit more money than the retail cost of the boards. Peripherals such as a power cable, keyboard, mouse, and monitor are necessary to accomplish any computer task on either of the devices. But it turns out the $5 Raspberry Pi Zero costs significantly more to operate than the Next Thing Co. C.H.I.P.

http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/1...uter-is-better

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Imagination not necessary with this helicarrier bed

November 30th, 2015, 21:02 Posted By: wraggster

We think we have another dad-of-the-year award to give out. When [Andy’s] five-year-old son won a Raspberry Pi 2 and needed a new bed, they decided to build the ultimate bed. It’s loosely based on the Helicarrier from S.H.I.E.L.D. and it’s packed with so much tech, you barely need to imagine anything to have fun with it.
It looks pretty simple from the outside, until you realize that the detailed little hatch on the side is actually a keypad secure entry automatic sliding door. Controlled by the Raspberry Pi, recordings of [JARVIS’] voice speak to you as you enter the belly of the ship, er, bed.
Inside are glowing display cases featuring some of his son’s favorite Marvel superhero’s equipment — ready for use. But what’s really cool is the command console.
The terminal is expertly crafted to look like something out of the movies, and with the Raspberry Pi 2, his son can play with it and fight off the bad guys. There’s even a sentry turret with camera on the outside, controlled from inside the bed.

https://hackaday.com/2015/11/24/imag...licarrier-bed/

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Transmitting tee vee from a pi

November 30th, 2015, 21:00 Posted By: wraggster

Want to set up your own television station? This hack might help: [Jan Panteltje] has worked out how to turn a Raspberry Pi into a DVB-S transmitter. DVB-S is a TV transmission standard originally created for satellite broadcasts, but Hams also use it to send video on the amateur bands. What [Jan] did was to use software on the Pi to encode the video into the transport stream, which is then fed out to the home-made transmitter that modulates the data into a DVB-S signal. [Jan] has successfully tested the system with a direct connection, feeding the output of the transmitter into a DVB-S decoder card that could read the data and decode the video signal. To create a real broadcast signal, the next step would be to feed the output of the signal into an amplifier and larger transmitter that broadcast the signal.

https://hackaday.com/2015/11/27/tran...vee-from-a-pi/

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First raspberry pi zero hack – piggy-back wifi.

November 30th, 2015, 20:59 Posted By: wraggster

And we have the first Raspberry Pi Zero hack! In less than 72 hours from the official release announcement [Shintaro] attached an Edimax WiFi USB Adapter directly to the USB solder pads on the Pi Zero. He couldn’t bear to disturb the small dimensions of the Pi Zero by using the USB On-the-Go (OTG). The OTG is needed to convert the micro-USB connector on the board to a full USB-A connector.
The case was removed from the Edimax and the device and Zero wrapped in Kapton to insulate the exposed solder points. Power was taken from the PP1 and PP6 points on the back of the board. These are the unregulated inputs from the USB power so should be used with caution. Some cheap USB power supplies can put out more that 5 volts when first connected and that might let the smoke out of a device.

The data wires were connected to PP22 and PP23, also on the back, and behind the USB data connector. Since USB is a differential signal these wires were carefully kept of equal length to avoid distorting the signal.
An SD card was created and edited on a Raspberry Pi B 2 to set the WiFi credentials. Inserted into the Zero it booted fine and started up the WiFi network connection.
Congratulations, [Shintaro] for the first Hackaday Raspberry Pi Zero hack. Is that a Hack-a-Zero-Day hack?


https://hackaday.com/2015/11/28/firs...ggy-back-wifi/

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Raspi led panel library is nyan-tastic

November 30th, 2015, 20:58 Posted By: wraggster

Quick–in a pinch, let’s have ourselves a giant RGB LED Matrix! As marvelous as it sounds, it’s pretty easy to forget that there’s a battle to be won against picking the right parts, debugging drivers, and sorting out our spaghetti wiring. Rest assured, [Hzeller] has done all of the heavy-lifting for us with a Raspberry Pi RGB LED Matrix Implementation that scales to multiple panels and runs on any Pi model to date!
Offering 24-bit color at about 100 Hz for up to a grand total of 36 panels, [Hzeller’s] library is no slouch. The library enables customization of your panel arrangements, and a separate project (also [Hzeller’s] handiwork) makes this setup compatible with the pixel-pusher protocol as a network device.
It’s certainly true that many of us have a thing for these displays, so you might ask: “have we seen this before? What’s all the fuss?” Like the others, the final product is a sight to behold, but [hzeller] and his implementation stands strong because of his phenomenal response to answering the question: how? In fact, almost more impressive is his comprehensive online documentation. Inside, [hzeller] details various hardware configurations for a custom number of panels or a particular flavor of Pi that drives them. He also provides references for pinout quirks and provides out-of-the-box software demos to ensure that anyone can bring this project to life. If a poorly-written or non-existent READMEs have made you shy away from building on an open-source project, fear not. From pinout quirks and out-of-the-box software demos, [hzeller] has covered all the bases and given us a project that folks of all levels of hacking.
Perhaps the best part of this project is the span of the audience that can take something away from it. If you’re a seasoned Linux junkie, dive into the source code to get a good feel of mechanics of how [hzeller] pushes this project onto a single core in a Raspi-2 configuration. If you’re new to digital electronics, let this project be your moment to pick up a Pi, a panel (or four), and run, knowing that [hzeller’s] README is the only tome you’ll need to light up the night.
We had the honor of soaking up some Nyan-Cat rainbows with a live demo at this year’s SuperCon.

https://hackaday.com/2015/11/29/rasp...s-nyan-tastic/

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Digital game revenue up in October as FIFA 16 pitches in - Superdata

November 30th, 2015, 20:49 Posted By: wraggster

Nearly all digital game segments experienced a year-over-year rise in revenue last month, Superdata reports.
The analysis firm revealed digital sales were up 7 per cent for October compared to the same period last year, adding that the stretch brought in the highest monthly revenue of the year to this point.
"With the exception of pay-to-play MMOs, all segments managed to grow their revenue," Superdata CEO Joost van Dreunen said. "Digital console revenues rose 14 percent year-over-year to $375 million, driven in particular by a spending increase in North America. The growing install base for both the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One drove digital console earnings by 41 percent."
FIFA 16 was the best-selling console title for the month in terms of digital offerings, and that's largely due to the game's Ultimate Team card packs. According to Superdata, over half of digital revenue for the month was generated from DLC.

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/digit...erdata/0159564

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Star Wars Battlefront stays on target at top of Japanese charts

November 30th, 2015, 20:48 Posted By: wraggster

The latest Star Wars game has unsurprisingly shot to the top of the Japanese retail rankings in its debut week.
EA’s return to the Battlefront series sold in excess of 100,000 units on PS4 during its first week on sale, outpacing the combined efforts of fellow newcomer Atelier Sophie: Fushigi na Hon no Renkinjutsushi on Vita and PS4. That game claimed the second and third places on the podium, respectively, according to the latest data from Famitsu.
Omega Labyrinth, another Vita title, swiped the fourth spot.
Meanwhile, the Game Director’s Edition of Sword Art Online debuted at number six, while the final new release to make the Top Ten – Vita effort Girl Friend Beta: Kimi to Sugosu Natsuyasumi – charted one spot lower.
Last week’s number one, Call of Duty: Black Ops III, fell to number five in its second week as sales fell by more than 130,000.
Wii U shooter Splatoon climbed two places week-on-week to rest at eight, sales rising by almost 4,000 units.
Over in the hardware rankings, the New 3DS XL closed the gap on PS4, which has topped the charts in recent weeks.
PS4 remained the best-selling console of the week, with the New 3DS XL behind by only around 500 units – compared to the 16,000 sales gap the previous week.
Here is the software Top Ten for the week ending November 22nd:

1. Star Wars Battlefront (EA) PS4 – 107,168 (New)
2. Atelier Sophie: Fushigi na Hon no Renkinjutsushi (Koei Tecmo) Vita – 28,350 (New)
3. Atelier Sophie: Fushigi na Hon no Renkinjutsushi (Koei Tecmo) PS4 – 28,261 (New)
4. Omega Labyrinth (D3) Vita – 24,894 (New)
5. Call of Duty: Black Ops III (Sony) PS4 – 22,615
6. Sword Art Online: Game Director's Edition (Bandai Namco) PS4 – 22,530 (New)
7. Girl Friend Beta: Kimi to Sugosu Natsuyasumi (Bandai Namco) Vita – 15,327 (New)
8. Splatoon (Nintendo) Wii U – 13,797
9. Disney Magical World 2 (Bandai Namco) 3DS – 13,362
10. Yo-Kai Watch Busters: Akaneko-dan / Shiroinu-tai (Level 5) 3DS –13,347

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FIFA and COD favourites to take Christmas No.1

November 30th, 2015, 20:45 Posted By: wraggster

Call of Duty: Black Ops III is currently the bookies’ favourite to be this year’s Christmas No.1.
Activision’s shooter currently has the highest odds, coming in at 6/4 from both Ladbrokes and William Hill, while Paddy Power gives Black Ops III an 11/8 chance of being the top game this Christmas.
FIFA 16 is currently the betting firms’ second favourite, with odds of 2/1, 3/1 and 6/4 from Ladbrokes, William Hill and Paddy Power, respectively.
Star Wars Battlefront and Fallout 4 are the third and fourth favourites to take the top spot this Christmas.
There are no Xbox One or Wii U exclusives among the titles tipped to top the charts, but PS4 exclusive Uncharted: Nathan Drake Collection is given a 33/1 shot at Ladbrokes and 40/1 at William Hill.
Check out the full odds below:


LADBROKES:
Call of Duty: Black Ops III – 6/4
FIFA 16 – 2/1
Star Wars Battlefront – 3/1
Fallout 4 – 8/1
Assassin’s Creed Syndicate – 10/1
Guitar Hero Live – 12/1
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain – 16/1
Pro Evolution Soccer 2016 – 25/1
Grand Theft Auto V – 25/1
Destiny – 33/1
Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection – 33/1

WILLIAM HILL:
Call of Duty: Black Ops III – 6/4
FIFA 16 – 3/1
Star Wars Battlefront – 7/2
Fallout 4 – 6/1
Assassin’s Creed Syndicate – 12/1
Guitar Hero Live – 16/1
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain – 20/1
Destiny – 33/1
Pro Evolution Soccer 2016 – 33/1
Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection – 40/1
Grand Theft Auto V – 50/1

PADDY POWER:

Call of Duty: Black Ops III – 11/8
FIFA 16 – 6/4
Star Wars Battlefront – 5/2
Fallout 4 – 14/1
Assassin’s Creed Syndicate – 20/1
Grand Theft Auto V – 25/1

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/fifa-...s-no-1/0159659

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Can Japanese games rule again in the West?

November 30th, 2015, 20:43 Posted By: wraggster

Name a hit games franchise from the 1980s or ‘90s and it’s bound to be a Japanese creation: Mario, Final Fantasy, Zelda, Pokémon, Pac-Man.
Recall one from after 2000 and it’s instead likely to be a product of the West: Halo, Call of Duty, Angry Birds, Minecraft, Assassin’s Creed.
It’s an anecdotal sign of Japan’s falling presence in the Western games market, reinforced by cold statistics; you’ll find no Japanese IP in the Top 20 best-selling games of 2014 in the UK. The highest-charting effort from the region was Super Smash Bros in 28th place.
That’s a far cry from the biggest-selling titles of the 1990s, where 15 of the Top 20 games were Japanese.
“There’s been a lot of ink spilled about why the popularity of Japanese games has fallen over the last decade,” muses Mark MacDonald, executive director for Tokyo-based localisation firm 8-4.
“It’s a combination of a lot of factors: one of the big ones is that the West actually got good at developing games and was better at making titles for its own market.
“There’s also been a shift to genres that are just being done better in America – less character-focused, platform and action games are waning and Japan has traditionally been strong in those.”

"Japanese developers are trying to make games for America and failing."

Mark MacDonald, 8-4

From the launch of the NES in 1986, Japanese games set the stage for the Western games industry, defining what gaming was for almost two decades.
But the 3D era of the PlayStation heralded the emergence of shooters and action games as key sectors in the UK and US – a trend that Japan struggled to keep up with, despite its best efforts.
“Back in the day, Japan made games for Japan and they were the best games, so the West ate them up,” recalls MacDonald. “Now you have the market getting bigger in America, so Japanese developers are trying to make games for America and failing.
“Whenever Japan has tried to outright make a Gears of War clone or a Halo-type game, and tick off the boxes of what a successful Western title is, those kinds of games have not succeeded. It’s not playing to its strengths – it’s just trying to do what someone else already does better.”
Nobuo Tomita, producer at Japanese developer Access Games, says that this genre divide makes it hard for many Japanese firms to strike a chord with Western gamers outside of a niche audience.
“We come from different backgrounds, so it’s difficult to fill both gaps,” he observes. “But looking back on the history of game culture, we’ve acquired fans who have gotten used to the artistry and appearance of our games. If we can keep drawing them in to enjoy the various artistries behind our games, then we’ll see positive results.”



Alan Costa is PR and marketing manager at NIS America, the Western arm of Japanese publisher Nippon Ichi Software. He retorts that players outside of Japan can still be enticed to try something different from the proven game types in the West.
“The key is offering new experiences,” he advises. “A lot of the success of Japanese games in the 1990s was because they offered something very new or least different in terms of story, character development and gameplay for most Western players. Nowadays, we are seeing Japanese gamers enjoying the likes of Call of Duty and GTA for the same reason.
“People who love games will give the benefit of the doubt to a well–made game, even if it seems like it wouldn’t be something up their alley at first blush.”
Costa points out that more esoteric types of Japanese game have found a passionate following in the West.
“We are seeing the previously thought-of ‘Japan-only’ visual novel genre really take off,” he says. “This trend will continue in the future, with more games of the purely story-driven, minimal gameplay type being brought over.”
MacDonald offers examples of games that have combined the innovative aspects of Japanese development with the mainstream appeal of Western genres.
“What's interesting about Metal Gear Solid is how happy people are to not have a game that is maybe not one person's vision, but is way more influenced by one person than most Western games are allowed to be these days,” he posits. “It's almost like counter-programming; there's a danger that you would lose that stuff trying to copy the West.
“Splatoon is another interesting example. You could, if you had a passing glance at that game, be like: ‘Somebody at Nintendo said they must make a competitive third-person shooter.' But it doesn't feel that way – it feels very much the game that those guys wanted to make, they just grew up in a world where Call of Duty has been popular for the last ten years and that's affected them passively. It's uniquely different. It's not a game that would've been made anywhere else but at Nintendo and in Japan.”

"Japanese publishers are just starting to warm up to the idea of PC ports, and that is simply because one cannot argue with the staggering success of titles on certain PC gaming platforms."

Alan Costa, NIS America

The birthplace of the modern games console, Japan has traditionally relegated PC to the sideline of its games industry.
Yet, recent years have seen Japanese firms transition to platforms such as Steam; long-running franchises such as Dead or Alive, Disgaea and Tales of have all come to PC in the West for the first time in an effort to capture a bigger user base.
“Digital downloads are just now helping to open up the Western market for Japanese games,” says MacDonald. “Sega did Valkyria Chronicles on Steam. It’s a genre that makes sense for PC; it has the anime look and hadn’t previously escaped its small console niche. It did extremely well. The Dark Souls series is another one you can point to that’s been really big on PC; ten or even five years ago, that wouldn’t have happened.”
He adds that Japanese developers have seen success on crowdfunding platforms thanks to the concentrated PC audience:
“A lot of the big Japanese Kickstarters – Mighty No.9, Bloodstained, La-Mulana – are PC-based because the dev costs are low, the overhead on dealing with submissions and things like that are also low, and you have this big potential foreign market.”
MacDonald continues by saying that the lower cost of digital encourages Western players to take a risk on more obscure Japanese efforts.
“Digital games have proved that you don’t have to sell things for $60,” he enthuses. “So that weird idea that didn’t make sense as a $50 game before can just be put out for $20.”
Tomita similarly praises PC’s digital-focused marketplace as a boon for Japanese studios looking to expand their audience without the cost of physical retail.
“It isn’t that Japan hasn’t looked seriously at the PC market so far, it’s simply that console games have always had the larger user base,” he says. “When digital became a main means of distribution, the PC user count finally became clear to us and Japanese developers finally acquired the right environment to publish titles independently.
“One of the merits of PC is that creators can freely sell their products in both domestic and foreign markets. It’s still difficult to sell something no matter how many users there are but, since it isn’t extremely expensive to give it a try, the wide entrance is another important reason why people select it.”
Costa agrees: “Japanese publishers are just starting to warm up to the idea of PC ports, and that is simply because one cannot argue with the staggering success of titles on certain PC gaming platforms. The key, now, is for Japanese developers to treat the platform with respect and release high quality content that has been optimised for it.”
While PC may be a key platform in the UK and US, MacDonald says that the extra work involved may be off-putting for developers approaching the market for the first time.
“The market is still not big in Japan, so you're dealing with the problem where you're making games for an audience that is outside of your wheelhouse and that you might not necessarily understand,” he warns.
“The other thing hindering PC in Japan is the lack of indie games. Download games and indie games just haven't taken off in Japan the way they have elsewhere in the world, especially in the West. The amount of people that still buy their games physical, new from a retailer is still very high.”



Western consumers often consider Japan as a market full of weird and wacky titles. It’s little wonder – you’re unlikely to find a game where you can play as a mosquito (Mister Mosquito), a stretchy worm-human hybrid (Noby Noby Boy) or date pigeons (Hatoful Boyfriend) anywhere else.
The rise of the indie scene in the West has sparked a similar explosion in uniquely quirky titles, from a fizzy drink simulator (Soda Drinker Pro) to a title where you play as a slice of bread (I Am Bread).
Although Western players may be more accepting of virtual oddities, Tomita believes that the sheer number of these indie titles remains a challenge for any game – but adds that Japanese developers won’t be deterred by the shifting market.
“The struggle for existence is becoming harsher,” he laments. “Still, the spirit of unique Japanese games is ubiquitous, so we will continue making games and move even further into the realms of innovation.”
Costa adds his belief that the Western indie market hasn’t made it easier for new Japanese titles to strike it big, but may have reignited interest in the region’s past output.
“While the influence of classic Japanese games on the current indie scene is undeniable, I’m not sure there has been any noticeable effect on how Japanese games are perceived in the West at the moment,” he explains.
“This is partially because it is still too early with too few quality titles released, but I hope the effect will be that younger generations of gamers try out the classics.”


http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/can-j...e-west/0159710

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This Raspberry Pi handheld wants to be every gadget in the world

November 30th, 2015, 20:29 Posted By: wraggster


Chances are, you've already got a versatile computer in your pocket -- smartphones play music, record video, play games and more -- but what if it was smaller, open source and completely hackable? Then you'd have something like the Poco "supercomputer," a portable media device with the footprint of a credit card and the heart of a Raspberry Pi.

http://www.engadget.com/2015/11/25/t...-in-the-world/

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