World Rally Championship 4 announced

July 28th, 2013, 01:23 Posted By: wraggster

The latest entry in the World Rally Championship racing series, WRC: FIA World Rally Championship 4, has been announced by publisher Bigben Interactive.
Bigben, which has taken over publishing duties from previous holderBlack Bean Games, says it will release World Rally Championship 4 on Xbox 360, PS3, PC and Vita this October.
In development at Milestone Studios, which also made the last two series entries (WRC3 pictured) and most recently MotoGP 13, the official game of the 2013 FIA World Rally Championship will feature all the rallies from the 2013 calendar, complete with all leading teams and drivers.
According to the official announcement:

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Sony dates Gamescom press conference

July 28th, 2013, 01:15 Posted By: wraggster

Sony will host its Gamescom press conference on August 20, the platform holder has confirmed.
The event will take place at the Saatenhaus am Rheinpark in Cologne, starting at 7pm CET (6pm UK), reports MCV.
Sony conferences are typical at Gamescom, with the firm having used the event to announce the first slim PS3, hardware price cuts and major software titles.
Microsoft will host its press conference on the same day, and it will be critical for both firms to impress, with the expected arrivals of Xbox One and PS4 looming ever closer.
With Sony expecting Microsoft to tackle Europe more aggressively, it was indicated to CVG by a Sony insider that PlayStation is "prepared to do whatever it takes" to ensure success in Europe - its first step being to ensure there is no PS4 delay across Europe.
While Xbox One has been given a November launch window, Sony is yet to be more specific than its projected "holiday 2013" launch for PS4.
Industry analysts have deemed it in both firms' best interest to launch first in order to grab an early spotlight over the competitor.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...ss-conference/

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PS4 devs can only use 4.5GB of system's 8GB RAM

July 26th, 2013, 23:59 Posted By: wraggster

Digital Foundry says 3.5GB reserved for operating system, 1GB of which could be given back to devs
Sony


For industry watchers who follow spec sheets, one of the Xbox One's disadvantages against the PlayStation 4 was that Microsoft was reserving a chunk of its console's RAM for always-on applications, leaving game developers only able to access about 5GB of the system's 8 GB total. But according to a report fromEurogamer's Digital Foundry, Sony is imposing similarly strict limitations on the PS4, guaranteeing developers only 4.5GB of the system's own 8GB of RAM.
According to the report, Sony's current PS4 developer documentation describes the system as reserving 3.5GB of memory for the operating system. However, depending on availability, developers may be able to reclaim an extra 1GB of that to use for games. Digital Foundry noted that earlier Sony documentation indicated that only 512MB would be kept from developers, although those specs were based on a machine with only 4GB of RAM in total.
While it imposes a lower ceiling on developers, the reserved RAM of both systems would reportedly allow for greater flexibility of programs that run in the background, as well as quicker switching between tasks. In Sony's case, the company was said to be flexible about the amount reserved for the OS, so there is a potential for the 3.5GB reservation to be reduced over time.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...8gb-ram-report

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Shadow of the Eternals Kickstarter relaunched, now for PS4

July 26th, 2013, 23:54 Posted By: wraggster

Precursor Games is once again attempting to crowd-fund Shadow of the Eternals, the spiritual successor to GameCube horror title Eternal Darkness.
The developer previously said it planned to launch another Kickstarter campaign after pulling the plug on the first one, which only raised $128,000 of its $1.35m target.
The new Kickstarter appeal has added PlayStation 4 to its list of potential platforms, providing funds raised reach an unspecified target, according to CVG.
"As Precursor Games is an officially licensed PlayStation 4 developer, we have added the next-gen console as a stretch goal," the company wrote on its Kickstarter page.
"Should we be fortunate enough to sufficiently exceed our target goal, we will work towards releasing Shadow of the Eternals on the PlayStation 4 platform. We hope that this is as exciting for potential PlayStation 4 buyers as it is for Precursor Games."
Precursor also revealed it is working with David Hayter, voice of Solid Snake, according to CVG. Hayter will play lead character detective Paul Becker, which the voice actor says "will be a blast as he is both complex and conflicted".
Shadows of the Eternals' fundraising efforts have been troubled to say the least. Originally a independent appeal on Precursor's website, the project met controversy over the T's & C's surrounding any donations.
Precursor then launched a Kickstarter, but warned that Shadows of the Eternals may never be released.

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/shado...or-ps4/0119234

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Sony Gamescom press conference confirmed

July 26th, 2013, 23:51 Posted By: wraggster

Sony will be showing off more about PS4 at Gamescom this year, starting with a press conference before the world's biggest games show.
The platform holder will once again host its conference on the Tuesday before the show (August 20th), returning to the Saatenhaus am Rheinpark in Cologne.
The conference will kick off at 7pm Central European Time (6pm in the UK), while doors will open at 6pm CET.
Sony has previously used the Gamescom press conference to announce price cuts for the PS3 and new line-ups for Vita, but the world will no doubt be hoping for more details on the release of PlayStation 4.
Rumours suggest Microsoft may also be holding a press conference at Gamescom but these have yet to be confirmed.

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/sony-...firmed/0119240

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Kickstarter success Liege adds PS4, Vita versions

July 26th, 2013, 01:17 Posted By: wraggster

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GameStop.co.uk reveals its own Grand Theft Auto V trade-in offer

July 26th, 2013, 00:28 Posted By: wraggster

In what is likely to become a recurring theme, GameStop has revealed a Grand Theft Auto V specific trade-in offer.
The UK website has released a list of 200 games, any two of which can be handed over allowing GTA V to be had for just £4.97.
However, this offer differs from Amazon’s GTA V deal in that it still requires consumers to pay the full £39.97 up front. When the game arrives in the post on release day it will come with an envelope that can be used to post off the two trade-in titles. A user’s bank account will then receive a £35 refund within 10 days.
Games listed in the promotion include GTA IV, Just Dance 4, LEGO Indiana Jones 2, NHL 13, Star Wars Kinect, Mario Party DS, Injustice Gods Among Us, Little Big Planet Karting, WRC 3, Zelda: Skyward Sword and Defiance.
The full list, including the required formats, can be found here.
UPDATE: MCV has been informed that GameStop's deal went live before Amazon's.

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/games...-offer/0119147

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GDC Europe adds talks on HD Oculus Rift, PS4 shading tech, others

July 26th, 2013, 00:19 Posted By: wraggster

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EU PS Store update: Stealth Inc, Everybody's Golf

July 25th, 2013, 01:35 Posted By: wraggster

Sony has revealed this week's European PlayStation Store releases.
This week's highlights include the latest entry in the Everybody's Golf series on PS3 and hacking platformer Stealth Inc. For more information on the latter, read our Stealth Inc review.
PS3 games

• Do Not Fall: Run For Your Drink - £7.99/€9.99
• Dynasty Warriors 8 - £49.99/€59.99
• Everybody's Golf - £11.99/€14.99
• Shaun White Skateboarding - £11.99/€14.99
• Stealth Inc: A Clone in the Dark (Cross-Buy) - £7.99/€9.99
• Call of Juarez Gunslinger + Far Cry Blood Dragon -£19.99/€24.99

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Sony gives green light to Gran Turismo movie

July 25th, 2013, 00:23 Posted By: wraggster

Feature film adaptation of racing franchise has entered development, 50 Shades of Grey producers attached
Sony Computer Entertainment

Sony Computer Entertainment is a Japanese videogame company specialising in a variety of areas in the...
playstation.com


Need for Speed isn't the only driving game heading for the big screen. According to Hollywood blog The Wrap, Sony Pictures has begun development on a film project for its long-running racing sim Gran Turismo.
The only names attached to the project so far are producers Mike De Luca and Dana Brunetti, who are also co-producing the upcoming adaptation for 50 Shades of Grey along with the best-selling book's author E L James.
The report included no mention of a release date for the Gran Turismo movie. The next installment in the game series, Gran Turismo 6 for the PlayStation 3, is expected to release this holiday season.
Previous attempts to bring racing games to theaters have generally crashed and burned. Midway inked Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson to appear in a Spyhunter film, but the movie stalled and Johnson only lent his likeness to 2006's would-be game adaptation, Spyhunter: Nowhere to Run. Midway tried again with Vin Diesel signed to appear in both the game and movie versions of Wheelman, but once again, the film project stalled. Ubisoft would eventually acquire the game out of Midway's bankruptcy and see it through to release in 2009.
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...-turismo-movie

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FIFA Ultimate Team data CAN be carried from current to next-gen

July 25th, 2013, 00:14 Posted By: wraggster

EA has announced that those who buy into the current-gen FIFA 14 launch in September will not lose their Ultimate Team progress if they go next-gen.
FIFA 14 launches on all manner of platforms (although not Wii U, remember) on September 27^th. However, a shiny new Frostbite-powered next-gen versions will arrive alongside the Xbox One and PS4 later this year.
The good news for Ultimate Team players is that EA has confirmed they will be able to carry their efforts over from both PS3 to PS4 and Xbox 360 to Xbox One.
Data carried over includes “their FIFA 14 Ultimate Team full roster, in-game items and in-game currency (coins)”. Players will also maintain their current division in Seasons mode and will be offered “a one-time choice to transfer their FIFA Points”.
Added EA: “All changes made in FIFA 14 Ultimate Team will be reflected in both consoles so fans will be able to compete with their squads on either console throughout the season.”
Sadly there appears to be no plans to allow FIFA 13 players to port their Ultimate Team progress to FIFA 14.
“Our fans invest an enormous amount of time and energy into FIFA Ultimate Team as they craft their own unique squads, and recognizing that investment is absolutely essential,” EA Sports senior VP and group GM Matt Bilbey stated.
“We will ensure that no time will be wasted and fans will get full value for the investment they make from the start of the season on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 to their move to their new console.”

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/fifa-...xt-gen/0119068

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GTA V getting not one, but two strategy guides

July 25th, 2013, 00:02 Posted By: wraggster

Strategy guides for a major blockbuster game, eh? Who'd have thought it?
Brady Games has won the rights to publish the official guide to Rockstar Games' Grand Theft Auto IV. In fact, it's rolling out two in time for the game's September 17th debut.
The Signature Series guide features a complete walkthrough of the main missions, as well as details on the unique abilities of the three main characters.
This will be accompanied by maps of the new game world, as well as more detailed maps of the mission areas.
It also includes information on all of the side activities, from arms trafficking to tennis, and tips on making the most money out of the available properties, businesses and trading on the stock market.
The Signature Series guide retails at £14.99 – but for £19.99, consumers will be able to pick up the hardcover Limited Edition guide. This adds a collection of GTA V illustrations and comes with an exclusive lithograph of official GTA V artwork.
Both are available to pre-order now from GAME.

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/gta-v...guides/0119076

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Sony issues new ps4 operating system screenshots

July 24th, 2013, 01:54 Posted By: wraggster

New images of the PlayStation 4's menu system have emerged online offering an early look at Sony's replacement for the PS3's XMB interface.
They appear to show an activity news feed, gameplay stream direct to mobile, tablet integration and game-specific profile screens.
A few shots also offer another look at how the console's new gameplay video-sharing feature will work. Sony recently confirmed to CVG that the PS4 will continually record 15 minutes of gameplay data in the background for users to capture and publish online.
Analysts predict a 'likely' shortage of Xbox One and PS4 systems at retail going into the Christmas period.
Microsoft has confirmed an Xbox One release date of November 2013. It will go head-to-head with the PS4 release which is still officially a more vague 'holiday 2013'.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...m-screenshots/

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Sony PlayStation 4 waltzes past the FCC

July 24th, 2013, 00:58 Posted By: wraggster

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Xbox One could outship PS4 3-to-1 this year

July 24th, 2013, 00:51 Posted By: wraggster

Colin Sebastian says supply chain checks show Microsoft's new system gaining momentum, fate of Wii U rests on holiday software lineup
Microsoft

microsoft.com

Nintendo

nintendo-europe.com

Sony


Microsoft's reversal on controversial Xbox One user restrictions may be paying off. According to an investors note from Baird analyst Colin Sebastian today, the Xbox One appears to have recovered from its early stumbles.
"Despite losing the headline battle at E3, Microsoft's Xbox One appears to be regaining some momentum, in part due to the used and online policy tweaks. Importantly, our supply chain checks suggest Microsoft may have the benefit of a 2-3x unit advantage at launch compared to Sony's PS4."
Sebastian expects both systems to run into supply shortages at launch. He added that the $100 price gap between the Xbox One and PS4 won't matter as much in the launch window as the core audience of early adopters are less likely to balk at paying a premium for the system they want. Even so, Microsoft is "working with channel partners to lessen the gap," Sebastian noted.
As for the Wii U, Sebastian said Nintendo's console continues to struggle. He said it needs a price cut, adding that "the fate of the platform will likely rest on the popularity of Nintendo's holiday software lineup."

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...to-1-this-year

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Rockstar renews Agent trademark

July 24th, 2013, 00:33 Posted By: wraggster

Agent, an elusive supposed PS3 exclusive that has been long forgotten by many could still feature in Rockstar’s plans.
Siliconera reports that Take-Two has registered two new trademarks for Agent, both of which are for use with video games.
Agent was first announced in June 2009. It was at the time described as being set in the 1970s with “players travelling across the globe tackling a world of espionage and assassins”.
Sony’s Jack Tretton said at its reveal that Sony “expects Agent to have the same must have value as Grand Theft Auto”.
Since then little has been said of the title, with the last official comment being Take-Two’s confirmation that it was still in development in mid 2011.
In 2010 Michael Pachter claimed that Agent was handed to Sony as an exclusive to make up for the decision to make Grand Theft Auto IV a multiformat title.
“GTA IV was going to be a PS3 exclusive, but Microsoft paid Rockstar and Take-Two to make it a non-exclusive, and they paid them a lot,” Pachter reckons.
“Sony said to Take-Two ‘You've got to give us something else’ and the something else was a zombie game that Rockstar wanted to work on. But while Rockstar was in the planning phase, Dead Rising came out and Left 4 Dead was announced. Rockstar realised they were up against a saturated market and Valve. And ‘what can we possibly do that will be any better than what Valve's done?’.
“They started again and that's when they came up with the idea of The Agent, which nobody actually knows what it is. That is the back story.”

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/rocks...demark/0119011

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Final Fantasy Reborn

July 24th, 2013, 00:29 Posted By: wraggster

In recent years the Square Enix E3 booth has resembled that of your stereotypical Western publisher.
For two years we’ve had Lara Croft and Agent 47 dominate the firm’s showcase. The stars of Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts were there, just hidden away behind the banks of Tomb Raider demos.
So it was refreshing to find a more traditional Square Enix at E3 this year. Complete with bug-eyed characters, ridiculous haircuts and unnecessarily large swords.
For the team at Square Enix, E3 was about the return of Final Fantasy – a series that has floundered after a series of missteps. Final Fantasy XIII didn’t quite achieve the praise expected of a Final Fantasy game, while the MMO Final Fantasy XIV was nothing short of terrible.
Meanwhile, Bethesda and Elder Scrolls have knocked Square off its perch as the king of the RPG.
The big Square Enix news at E3 was Final Fantasy XV, which was unveiled during Sony’s pre-E3 press briefing. But there were two other major titles on the show floor, Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn.
It’s the latter that has a crucial role to play in Final Fantasy’s rebirth. Because although XIII was a mixed-bag, XIV was a disaster. Criticised by everyone – from fans to Square Enix’s own CEO ­– its Metacritic score limped in at 49.
But rather than cast it into the bargains bins to be forgotten, Square decided to fix it. Naoki Yoshida, a games veteran best known for his work on the Dragon Quest series, was recruited to lead a new version of XIV called A Realm Reborn which will finally arrive on August 29th.
“We have remade everything,”?Yoshida tells MCV. “We can say with confidence that this is a completely new game. The original Final Fantasy XIV was a shock to a lot of fans. It did a lot of damage and we lost a lot of our users’ trust. To regain that trust we need to do something that takes time. We have to show them that we really mean it when we say we’re sorry.”

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hpsx64 v009

July 23rd, 2013, 11:30 Posted By: wraggster

via http://www.emucr.com/
hpsx64 v009 is released. hpsx64 (Highly-Experimental Playstation Simulator x64) is a PlaysStation (PS) & PlayStation 2 (PS2) emulator for x64 based systems. This is a WORK IN PROGRESS.

hpsx64 v009 Changelog:


- pre-initial release 9
- MDEC Overhaul. GUI fixes, CD fixes, SPU fixes. Improved compatibility.

http://www.sendspace.com/file/2aj3sp

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rpcs3 wip Git (2013/07/12)

July 23rd, 2013, 11:25 Posted By: wraggster

via http://www.emucr.com/

rpcs3 wip Git (2013/07/12) is compiled. rpcs3 wip is a branch of rpcs3. rpcs3 is an open source PlayStation 3 (PS3) emulator for the Microsoft Windows. Current versions can run only small homebrew for PS3. Developers are planning to make it to emulate PS3 on its speed in the near future.

rpcs3 purpose:
- Make PS3 developers easily test their apps and homebrews on PC without crashing their PS3 or moving their apps from PC to PS3.
- Just playing PS3 games on your PC and have fun! ( In the future )

rpcs3 wip Git Changelog:
* - Fixed PPU G_3f_0 Decoder.
* - Implemented RAW SPU.
- Implemented memory mapping.

http://www.sendspace.com/file/ee90c2

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PCSX2 SVN r5704

July 23rd, 2013, 11:16 Posted By: wraggster

via http://www.emucr.com/

PCSX2 SVN r5704 is compiled. PCSX2 is an open source PlayStation 2 (PS2) emulator for the Microsoft Windows and Linux operating systems. With the most recent versions, many PS2 games are playable (although speed limitations have made play-to-completion tests for many games impractical), and several games are claimed to have full functionality.

PCSX2 SVN Changelog:
r5704
gsdx ogl:
* allow to switch renderer with F9
* skip first frame in stat of the replayer
* drop msaa. Fxaa and internal resolution will do the job
* move texture attachment from texture object into device object (allow to keep sanely the state)
* split the write buffer and attachment setup
* completely split sampler and texture input setup
* redo GSDeviceOGL::CopyOffscreen to avoid an extra copy.

http://www.sendspace.com/file/6knorw

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