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  1. #1
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    General Tech News





    Nvidia Announces Partnership with Epic Games
    Epic Games announces that Nvidia is now exclusively using its breakthrough Unreal Engine 4 game engine to create product presentations. The reveal of the company’s initiative came during the announcement of Nvidia’s highly anticipated Project Shield portable gaming device at CES 2013, which featured a UE4-powered rendering of the Shield’s full-size, console-grade controller and Tegra 4 GPU.

    Nvidia heavily relied on the Unreal Matinee cinematic system to create the fly-through video which provided the world’s first glimpse of Project Shield and played during their CES keynote. This is the first time Nvidia engineers have used a third-party game engine instead of their own internal engine for visual product demonstrations.

    “As a long-established Unreal Engine partner, we understand the sheer power that Unreal Engine 4 puts into developers’ hands,” said Tony Tamasi, senior vice president of content and technology at Nvidia. “We immediately took the opportunity to utilize UE4’s high-end graphics features and incredible workflow to showcase how our graphics hardware is pushing the industry forward.”

    “Nvidia are always on the cutting edge, and we were thrilled to be a part of their awesome Project Shield introduction,” said Mark Rein, vice president and co-founder of Epic Games. “The visuals their team are producing using Unreal Engine 4 in real time are fantastic, and they're already exceeding some of the best pre-rendered visuals of only a few short years ago.”
    Nvidia is using UE4 for their mobile engine Kepler
    Today at Siggraph, Nvidia showed our next-generation game engine technology - Unreal Engine 4 – running on their next-generation mobile GPU.

    The big news here is Nvidia’s support for the OpenGL 4.3 feature set, which brings to mobile devices the same high-end graphics hardware capabilities exposed via DirectX 11 on PC games and on next-generation consoles!

    And this isn’t your father’s GPU: Nvidia’s mobile graphics technology is built on the same Kepler graphics architecture found in its latest generation of PC GPUs. It’s the same Kepler architecture on top of which we’ve created high-end Unreal Engine 4 PC demos, which have taken advantage of over 2.5 teraflops of computing performance.

    More than ever before, we see the opportunity for developers to create high-end games and ship them across multiple platforms on a wide variety of devices, including tablet, smartphone, Windows, Mac, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Nvidia’s OpenGL 4.3 achievements open up the mobile front of this strategy.

    While Unreal Engine 3 already powers hundreds of high-quality games, from PC and console to mobile, Unreal Engine 4 has been reimagined for the future of game development. We’re supporting developers on an entirely new level across major platforms with our most powerful and scalable toolset to date.

    Starting today, Nvidia’s engineers are demonstrating Unreal Engine 4-powered desktop PC game content to a select group of journalists and industry insiders. It’s all running on a chip no bigger than a fingernail, and is just a taste of what mobile Kepler will make possible.
    http://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/2013/07/24/sweeney/

    UE4 running on the PS4
    Epic Games today revealed a new version of its “Elemental” real-time demonstration, the premier showcase for the studio’s breakthrough Unreal Engine 4 game engine technology, running on the PlayStation 4 computer entertainment system at today’s PlayStation Meeting 2013.

    “We are thrilled to build onto our long-established success with PlayStation,” said Tim Sweeney, Epic’s founder and chief executive officer. “Unreal Engine 4 is expertly designed for the next generation of game development and the outstanding power of PlayStation 4. Today’s demonstration offers a preview of what developers can accomplish using our tools to create games for PlayStation 4.”

    In the new presentation, a scene featuring the fiery mallet-wielding Elemental knight picks up where the original demo ends. Unreal Engine 4’s high-end rendering capabilities are evident, as dynamic lighting and shadowing bring intensity to contrasting volcanic and snowy vistas. Real-time reflections, subsurface scattering and GPU-powered particle effects fill the screen space with visual gems as a new ice behemoth cracks free from a frozen mountain and emerges with a radiant, frosty bellow.
    Nvidia Tegra K1 using UE4

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    Unreal Engine 4 running in Firefox
    Today, Epic Games and Mozilla are demonstrating how the Web is continuing to evolve as a powerful platform for gaming by providing a sneak peek of Epic’s Soul and Swing Ninja demos, running in Firefox at near-native speeds. This video is the first glimpse of Unreal Engine 4 running on the Web without plugins.

    Mozilla and Epic Games have showed the power of the Web as a platform for gaming by porting Unreal Engine 3 to the Web and showcasing Epic Citadel, using asm.js, a supercharged subset of JavaScript pioneered by Mozilla. In less than 12 months, optimizations have increased the performance of Web applications using asm.js from 40% to within 67% of native, and we expect it to get even faster. This performance opens up new opportunities for giving users an astonishing and delightful experience, from within their choice of Web browser. Any modern browser can run asm.js content, but specific optimizations currently present only in Firefox, ensure the most consistent and smooth experience.

    “This technology has reached a point where games users can jump into via a Web link are now almost indistinguishable from ones they might have had to wait to download and install,” said Brendan Eich, CTO and SVP of Engineering at Mozilla. “Using Emscripten to cross-compile C and C++ into asm.js, developers can run their games at near-native speeds, so they can approach the Web as they would any other platform.”

    Unreal Engine 4 is built to power the next generation of games, and is designed to scale from PC and console to mobile and the Web. We’ll be excited to see what new breakthroughs are in store once developers have access to the underlying Unreal Engine 4 code that targets asm.js and the Web.

    “We were blown away by what this Mozilla-pioneered technology achieved with Unreal Engine 3 on the Web, so we had no hesitation in working with Mozilla to port Unreal Engine 4,” said Tim Sweeney, Founder and CEO, Epic Games. “We believe the Web has a crucial part to play in the future of game development and deployment, and Mozilla has proven it is the catalyst to make this happen.”
    https://blog.mozilla.org/blog/2014/0...ng-in-firefox/
    https://blog.mozilla.org/blog/2013/0...m-for-gaming//

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    UE4 now available for subscription purchase, $19/mo + 5% royalties
    Unreal Engine 4 launches today. What we’re releasing is both simple and radical: everything.

    Epic’s goal is to put the engine within reach of everyone interested in building games and 3D content, from indies to large triple-A development teams, and Minecraft creators as well. For $19/month you can have access to everything, including the Unreal Editor in ready-to-run form, and the engine’s complete C++ source code hosted on GitHub for collaborative development.

    This is the complete technology we at Epic use when building our own games, forged by years of experience shipping games like Gears of War for Xbox and Infinity Blade for iOS, and now reinvented for a new generation. Having the full C++ source provides the ultimate flexibility and puts developers in control of their schedules and destinies: Whatever you require to build and ship your game, you can find it in UE4, source it in the GitHub community, or build it yourself – and then share it with others.

    Develop in the Unreal Ecosystem

    Beyond the tools and source, Unreal Engine 4 provides an entire ecosystem. Chat in the forums, add to the wiki, participate in the AnswerHub Q&A, and join collaborative development projects via GitHub.

    To help you get started, we’re shipping lots of ready-made content, samples, and game templates. You’ll find it in the Marketplace in the Unreal Editor. Right now, it simply hosts free stuff from Epic, but its resemblance to the App Store is no coincidence: It will grow into a complete ecosystem for sharing community-created content, paid and free, and open for everyone’s participation!

    Ship Games with Unreal

    We’re working to build a company that succeeds when UE4 developers succeed. Anyone can ship a commercial product with UE4 by paying 5% of gross revenue resulting from sales to users. If your game makes $1,000,000, then we make $50,000. We realize that’s a lot to ask, and that it would be a crazy proposition unless UE4 enables you to build way better games way more productively than otherwise!

    So, will this effort succeed? That’s up to you and your judgment of the engine’s value. Unreal Engine 4 has been built by a team of over 100 engineers, artists and designers around the world, and this launch represents all of our hopes and dreams of how major software can be developed and distributed in the future.

    We find this future very exciting. It’s no longer dominated by giant publishers and marketing campaigns, but by a simple and honest proposition: Gamers pay for great games, and anybody who can valuably contribute to building those games can succeed, from indie developers, to large triple-A teams, and to individual programmers and content creators, too.

    A New Beginning

    This first release of Unreal Engine 4 is just the beginning. In the C++ code, you can see many new initiatives underway, for example to support Oculus VR, Linux, Valve’s Steamworks and Steam Box efforts, and deployment of games to web browsers via HTML5. It’s all right there, in plain view, on day one of many years of exciting and open development ahead!

    We have enjoyed building Unreal Engine 4 so far and hope you will join us on this journey as a contributor to the future of Unreal!

    Tim Sweeney - Founder, Epic Games
    https://unrealengine.com/blog/welcom...nreal-engine-4
    https://www.youtube.com/user/UnrealD...mentKit/videos

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    CRYENGINE has been updated
    The developers at Crytek have announced today a major update for their CRYENGINE technology, offering licensees access to an array of new features that have been showcased in the previously released Ryse: Son of Rome. The update, in short, not only optimizes the engine for next-gen technology like the PS4, Xbox One and Wii U, but also adds Linux support and updates to the existing PC, PS3, Xbox 360, iOS and Android support.

    Some of these new updates will include:
    • Physically Based Shading, which swaps out traditional observationally based shading for a real world physics model that simulates the interaction between light and materials;
    • Geometry Cache, which uses efficient, cache-based animations to realize the msot complex simulations (cloth, explosions, fluid dynamics) normally only possible in offline rendering;
    • Character Technology, which works to deliver the most realistic real-time character models and animations;
    • Image Based Lighting, which brings lighting and render consistency to all materials.


    For a closer look at the beauty the CRYENGINE allows for in its games, two new trailers have been revealed, which can be viewed below. The CRYENGINE trailer shows how the tech looks in games like Monster Hunter Online, Evolve, Star Citizen, Icarus, Kingdom Come: Deliverance, Ryse: Son of Rome and Warface; the CRYENGINE Free SDK trailer shows how it looks for non-commercial use projects like Snow, Umbra and Aderyn’s Cradle, as well as a variety of environments and settings like “Lil’ Whiskey Saloon, CeleryLand, Cave along the Coast, Halcyon City, Severalls Hospital, Autumnal Graveyard, The Lab, Iron Age,” and “Wrecked Apartment.”

    If you’re a developer interested in the engine, you can download either version from the CRYENGINE website. For more on Crytek and the CRYENGINE technology, check out all of our Crytek news.
    http://www.dualshockers.com/2014/03/...case-trailers/
    http://cryengine.com/get-cryengine
    http://www.dualshockers.com/?s=crytek&submit=Go

    Q: Could you explain the philosophy behind Snowdrop?

    A: Snowdrop was created in-house, at Massive, in response to a specific requirement: to do things better, not bigger.

    AAA game development projects are growing in scope exponentially, so we wanted to be smart and not rely on brute force. We needed an engine that would support how we work in the studio, promote creativity, and allow the freedom to experiment and prototype.

    The result of this thinking was the creation of an incredibly powerful engine that truly empowers the content creators, and gives them as much control and freedom as possible to innovate and create amazing games.

    Q: What are the benefits of using Snowdrop as a tool, for a development team?

    A: At its core, the Snowdrop engine is a node-based system, which is the beating heart of the engine. It affects all the systems of the engine, from rendering, to AI, to mission scripting and the UI.

    Snowdrop is a dynamic, interconnected and flexible system where developers can create their assets quickly and interact with them in ways that have never been done before. The game and the editor are unified, and everything in the engine runs in real time, which means that the ongoing project is always playable. This is extremely useful and allows for the implementation of new ideas and creations instantly; providing the ability to check the consistency of the game world at any time.

    The engine is extremely easy to set up and use, and gives the content creators the time and freedom to explore different directions. Working with the engine is like solving a puzzle, because it’s just a matter of how you combine different components together. It can also be compared to building blocks where you can quickly test an element and see what the impact is; allowing for innovation which may culminate into unexpected results that make the game stronger.

    Q: How is Snowdrop helping your team day to day, what new things does it enable content creators to achieve?

    A: Thanks to the tools provided by Snowdrop, we can create more with less. The engine enables procedural creation of environments: with a limited amount of blocks, we can create huge and detailed worlds. We are also able to reach an unprecedented level of lighting fidelity with real time global illumination.

    Thanks to the power of our technology, we have empowered our artists and thus can reach levels of quality never before seen in video games. With the usability of the tools, people really excel in what they create. This has resulted in amazing graphics, as well as unexpected new features and unique innovations that really push the engine, the power of the consoles, and the games we work on, forward.

    Q: Are there going to be forests, flies and turrets in Tom Clancy’s The Division, like we see in the Snowdrop video?

    A: The forest shots, turrets and giant flies that you saw in the trailer are not part of The Division. This video is a technical demonstration, to display Snowdrop’s full capacities as a new generation engine. Snowdrop is capable of creating a large range of varied universes, procedurally, and in an unprecedented level of detail.

  5. #5
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    CRYENGINE available now for subscription purchase, $9.90/mo and no royalties for Indie studios
    http://image.noelshack.com/fichiers/...e-brochure.jpg
    Game developer and publisher Crytek today announced the launch of its "Engine-as-a-Service" (EaaS) program, making its revolutionary CryEngine technology accessible to a vast new audience.

    CryEngine gives users access to the same award-winning toolset that was used to create Crytek's Ryse: Son of Rome, and equips them to develop outstanding games across all of today's leading platforms.

    As a first tier of its new program, Crytek has revealed that from May this year, indie developers will be able to use all of CryEngine's cutting-edge features for a monthly subscription fee of 9,90 USD/EUR per user - royalty free. Those features include the recently announced addition of CryEngine features such as Physically Based Shading, Geometry Cache and Image Based Lighting - an upgrade already shown in action by Crytek at this year's GDC conference in San Francisco.

    More details about the game-changing opportunities on offer to developers as part of the program will be announced in the near future. The CryEngine free SDK will continue to be available under its current terms but developers wanting to take advantage of the new features of CryEngine will need to subscribe to the new EaaS-Program.

    Crytek's Director of Business Development , Carl Jones, said: "When we announced the new CryEngine this was our first step towards creating an engine as a service. We are happy to announce now that the latest update of CryEngine will soon be available to all developers on a subscription basis. We are really excited to make CryEngine available to hundreds of thousands of developers working with Crytek to make awesome games.”

    The launch of the CryEngine as-a-service program expands Crytek's online service portfolio, continuing on from their step into self-publishing with free-to-play online FPS, Warface.
    http://assets.crytek.com/asset-bank/...fc7424/990.pdf

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    UE4 on Nexus 5 Smartphone


    DirectX 12 announced at GDC, First games using it will be released in 2015
    http://assets.vg247.com/current//201...12-600x337.jpg
    Microsoft revealed DirectX 12 at its GDC 2014 session today, as promised, during which it was announced the updated version of its graphics API would work across all of Microsoft platforms.

    DirectX 12 offers a lower level access to hardware and it will “spread the workload on the CPU and GPU” to better balance threads thanks to increased performance, reports Neowin.

    Turn 10 Studios took the stage during the presentation to showcase Forza 5 running on PC with Direct3D 12 and Nvidia tech running at 60fps. The studio said it took a four-man team four months to port the title onto PC using the tech.

    Microsoft said during the session that DX12 games would be provided with a “significant performance boost” on Xbox One.

    Intel, NVIDIA AMD and Qualcomm will all support DX12 in upcoming and future products. Microsoft said by the end of 2015, 100% of new GPUs and 80% of new gaming PCs would be using the tech.

    Microsoft said to expect the first DX12 games to be made available around “holiday 2015″, when “50% of all new PC games will be DX12 compatible.

    The firm wouldn’t comment on whether Windows 7 would support DirectX 12, but if history is repeated with this version, it will be exclusive to Windows 8.
    http://www.vg247.com/2014/03/20/dire...ays-microsoft/
    http://www.neowin.net/news/microsoft...one-and-mobile

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    [link deleted]

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    Microsoft - "Internet Explorer is flawed"
    Microsoft has warned consumers that a vulnerability in its Internet Explorer browser could let hackers gain access and user rights to their computer.

    The flaw affects Internet Explorer (IE) versions 6 to 11 and Microsoft said it was aware of "limited, targeted attacks" to exploit it.

    According to NetMarket Share, the IE versions account for more than 50% of global browser market.

    Microsoft says it is investigating the flaw and will take "appropriate" steps.

    The firm, which issued a security advisory over the weekend, said the steps "may include providing a solution through our monthly security update release process, or an out-of-cycle security update, depending on customer needs".

    The US government advised computer users to consider using alternative web browsers until a security fix is released.

    However, the issue may be of special concern to people still using the Windows XP operating system.

    That is because Microsoft ended official support for that system earlier this month.

    It means there will be no more official security updates and bug fixes for XP from the firm.

    Cyber security firm Symantec said it had carried out tests which confirmed that "the vulnerability crashes Internet Explorer on Windows XP".

    "This will be the first zero day vulnerability that will not be patched for Windows XP users," it added.

    About 30% of all desktops are thought to be still running Windows XP and analysts have previously warned that those users would be vulnerable to attacks from cyber-thieves.

    Microsoft has suggested businesses and consumers still using the system should upgrade to a newer alternative.

    Microsoft said that hackers looking to exploit the flaw could host a "specially crafted website" containing content that can help them do so.

    However, they would still need to convince users to view the website for them to be able to gain access to their computer.

    They could do this by getting them to click on a link sent via an email or instant messenger, or by opening an attachment sent through an email.

    However, a hacker would have "no way to force users" to view the content.

    If successful, a hacker could gain the same rights as the computer's current user.

    "If the current user is logged on with administrative user rights, an attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could take complete control of an affected system," the firm warned.

    "An attacker could then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights."

    But the firm added that Internet Explorer on Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012, and Windows Server 2012 R2 runs in a restricted mode, which "mitigates this vulnerability".
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-27184188
    https://technet.microsoft.com/en-US/...curity/2963983
    http://www.symantec.com/connect/blog...let-loose-wild

  9. #9
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    Sony addes $200 million to projected losses and up to $1.2 billion expected

    Sony has added $200 million to its projected losses, bringing the total to $1.2 billion.

    GI.Biz reports that for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2014, Sony has projected a net loss of ¥130 billion / $1.27 billion. It previously predicted a loss of ¥110 billion / $1.07 billion.

    It comes after Sony initially predicted profits of 50 billion / $489 million at the end of the last fiscal year.

    Explaining the projection change, Sony cited its exit from the PC market and end of its VAIO. We reported on the decision back in February, along with Sony’s decision to focus on the 4K market, and the expected laying-off of some 5,000 staff.

    Sony’s PC sales for the fiscal year just ended are said to have been lower than expected.

    In a statement, a Sony spokesperson said, “Consequently, Sony expects to record write-downs for excess components in inventory and accrual of expenses to compensate suppliers for unused components ordered for Sony’s spring PC lineup.

    “In addition, certain restructuring charges are expected to be recorded ahead of schedule. As a result of these factors, an additional total amount of approximately ¥30 billion in expenses is anticipated to be recorded in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2014.”

    The company also highlighted ¥25 billion in, “impairment charges mainly related to its foreign disc manufacturing business.”

    It follows restructuring efforts at Sony, which have seen lay-offs at Guerrilla Games Cambridge, Sony London, and Sony Santa Monica Studio. There have also been a run of departures at Naughty Dog, but they have not been linked with lay-offs.

    However, it’s worth noting that the firm’s operating costs have since dropped from ¥80 billion to ¥26 billion. We’ll have a greater breakdown of the numbers once Sony reveals its full financial report on May 14.
    http://www.vg247.com/2014/05/01/sony...loss-expected/
    http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...xpected-losses

    Nintendo Patents a Portable Console or Mobile Phone with Interchangeable Controls
    Nintendo registered a patent for a definitely interesting concept. A portable game system with interchangeable controls that can be switched, for instance between a D-pad and an analog stick, as discovered by NeoGaf user Disorientator.

    The concept is doubtlessly intriguing, and it’s described as follows:

    An information processing device such as a game machine or a mobile phone is provided with an operation unit with one or more buttons, switches or the like for accepting operation by a user. A game machine, for example, is provided with a cross key, an analog stick, an operational push button or the like, to accept operation concerning a movement or an action of a character in a game, or operation concerning various games such as operation for selecting a menu. Furthermore, a mobile phone is, for example, provided with an operational push button on which a number, a letter or the like is written, and with a directional key or an analog stick for, e.g., four or eight directions, to accept operation concerning speaking, electronic mail transmission/reception or the like.
    At the bottom of the post you can also see the schematics of the patent and a rather technical explanation for each, or you can read the full PDF detailing the patent.

    Of course the registration of the patent doesn’t necessarily mean that we’re looking at the 4DS or at the future of Nintendo consoles, as this kind of project may or may not see application in a real product (many patents sit in the archives for years, and some are never applied at all), but I’m sure I’m not the only one seeing this as a clever solution that could definitely lead to a more comfortable and customizable gaming experience.

    It’s also very intriguing to see the patent explicitly mention mobile phones. But again, this shouldn’t be taken as a surefire confirmation that Nintendo is going to release its own mobile phones, most likely that’s not the case. The most probable possibility is that they’re just patenting a wider range of devices in order to own all the possible applications of this kind of control scheme.

    That way, if another company was to use something similar on a mobile phone, Nintendo would still own the patent.

    We’ll have to stand by and see if anything like this will actually make an appearance at E3 or down the line.

    Spoiler: show


    In the game machine according to the present embodiment, other than the illustrated operation instrument 7, various operation instruments 7 having different structures may be attached to the attachment unit 4. In the operation instrument 7, an IC (Integrated Circuit) chip or the like having a wireless communication function is embedded. The game machine may determine the kind of the operation instrument 7 attached to the attachment unit 4 by performing wireless communication with the operation instrument 7. The game machine has a function of detecting operation performed by the user for the operation instrument 7 attached to the attachment unit 4. This allows the game machine to accept operation corresponding to the type of the operation instrument 7 attached to the attachment unit 4 and to perform game processing. In other words, the game machine may change the processing to be performed in accordance with the type of the operation instrument 7, when the operation for the operation instrument 7 attached to the attachment unit 4 is detected.


    Nine pressure sensors S1 to S9 are arranged in matrix of three by three at the inner surface 4d of the attachment unit 4. One pressure sensor S5 located at the center has a substantially square shape. Each of the eight pressure sensors S1 to S4, S6 to S9 on the periphery has a substantially rectangular shape. The pressure sensors S1 to S4 and S6 to S9 are arranged in a radial pattern with respect to the pressure sensor S5 at the center. The pressure sensors S1 to S9 are so arranged that the center of the operation instrument 7 corresponds to the position of the pressure sensor S5 when the operation instrument 7 is attached to the attachment unit 4. In FIG. 5, the operation instrument 7 is illustrated by a circular shape of a dashed-dotted line.Each of the pressure sensors S1 to S9 is connected to the operation detecting unit 15 through a signal line. Each of the pressure sensors S1 to S9 outputs a signal in accordance with an applied pressure to the operation detecting unit 15. The operation detecting unit 15 independently determines, based on the signals from each of the pressure sensors S1 to S9, whether or not a pressure is applied to each of the pressure sensors S1 to S9. The operation detecting unit 15 may further determine the intensity of the pressure applied to each of the pressure sensors S1 to S9.


    FIGS. 6A to 6D show example non-limiting schematic views illustrating other examples of the operation instrument 7. The operation instrument 7 illustrated in FIG. 6A has indication parts 7b so arranged to have a positional relationship in which four substantially circular parts respectively correspond to the apexes of a diamond. This operation instrument 7 is to accept substantially the same operation as that for the four push buttons 3c to 3f on the operation unit 3. The operation instrument 7 is used to accept operation for an action such as attacking or jumping of a game character, for example, or for deciding or canceling a selected menu item. Hereinafter, the operation instrument 7 will be referred to as “four push button operation instrument 7.” When the four push button operation instrument 7 is attached to the attachment unit 4, the operation detecting unit 15 detects operation using the four pressure sensors
    S2, S4, S6 and S8 corresponding to the arrangement of the substantially circular indication parts 7b. The game processing unit 32 accepts operation for the operation instrument 7 as the operation for each of the individual push buttons. The game processing unit 32 performs game processing in accordance with the operation for each push button.


    The operation instrument 7 illustrated in FIG. 6B has indication parts 7b of three substantial circles arranged in a straight line. The operation instrument 7 is to accept operation similar to that for the three push buttons. Hereinafter, the operation instrument 7 is referred to as “three push button operation instrument 7.” In the case where the three push button operation instrument 7 is attached to the attachment unit 4, the operation detecting unit 15 detects operation using three pressure sensors S3, S5 and S7 corresponding to the arrangement of the substantially circular indication parts 7b. The game processing unit 32 accepts the operation for the operation instrument 7 as the operation for each of the individual push buttons. The game processing unit 32 performs game processing in accordance with operation for each push button.


    The operation instrument 7 illustrated in FIG. 6C is provided with one substantially circular indication part 7b. This operation instrument 7 is to accept operation similar to that for one push button. Hereinafter, this operation instrument 7 will be referred to as “one push button operation instrument 7.” In the case where the one push button operation instrument 7 is attached to the attachment unit 4, the operation detecting unit 15 detects operation using all the pressure sensors S1 to S9. The operation detecting unit 15 detects the operation for the operation instrument 7 when the application of a pressure to any one of the pressure sensors S1 to S9 is detected. It is, however, also possible for the operation detecting unit 15 to detect operation using, for example,
    one pressure sensor S5. The game processing unit 32 accepts the operation for the operation instrument 7 as the operation for one push button and performs
    game processing.


    The operation instrument 7 illustrated in FIG. 6D has a structure in which an indication part 7b formed to represent a three-dimensional game character stands on the base unit 7a. The operation instrument 7 is to operate, for example, a specific character appearing in a specific game. Hereinafter, this operation instrument 7 will be referred to as “character operation instrument 7.” Several kinds of character operation instruments 7 may be prepared for different characters that appears in a game and may be operated. In the case where the character operation instrument 7 is attached to the attachment unit 4, which one of the pressure sensors S1 to S9 is used by the operation detecting unit 15 to detect operation depends on the content of a game. For example, in a game that uses the operation instrument 7 for moving a character, the operation detecting unit 15 may detect operation using four pressure sensors S2, S4, S6 and S8 as in the case with the cross key operation instrument 7. When operation for the operation instrument 7 is accepted, the game processing unit 32 performs game processing concerning a character corresponding to the operation instrument 7 attached to the attachment unit 4, for example, moving the corresponding character.


    http://www.dualshockers.com/2014/05/...able-controls/
    http://www.freepatentsonline.com/y2014/0121023.html
    http://www.freepatentsonline.com/20140121023.pdf

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    Youtube to support 48 & 60 FPS, loads of other new features coming

    VidCon is the place where thousands of creators and fans come together every year to share their passion for YouTube and online video. We came to Anaheim today to offer them a sneak preview of new features and updates we’re releasing in the coming months. Here’s a look at the things we’ve been working on to help you make more your videos even more awesome, to reach global audiences and grow your businesses on YouTube.

    • YouTube Creator Studio: Did you know that after Rebecca Black uploaded “Friday,” she went on a school trip, not knowing for several days the video was going viral? To help you manage your videos on the go, the new YouTube Creator Studio app lets you see analytics, manage your videos and more. The app is available now on Android and launching on iOS in coming weeks and you’ll see some redesign of the Creator Studio on desktop too.
    • Audio Library, now with sound effects: You’ve used the hundreds of free songs in the Audio Library on millions of your videos. But until now, you’ve had to go through extreme lengths to make your own zombie screams and fighter plane sounds. To make your lives easier and videos better, from today you now have thousands of royalty-free sound effects at your disposal. We’ve also added more tracks to the Audio Library.
    • 60 (yeah, six-zero) frames per second: Your video game footage with crazy high frame rates will soon look as awesome on YouTube as it does when you’re playing, when we launch support for 48 and even 60 frames per second in the coming months. Take a look at some preview videos on the YT Creator Channel. Make sure you’re watching in HD!
    • Fan Funding: Your fans aren’t just watching your videos, they’re also helping support your channel through services like KickStarter, IndieGogo, Patreon and more. We’ll be adding another option for you, where fans will be able to contribute money to support your channel at any time, for any reason. A handful of creators are testing this feature soon on desktop and Android, including Dulce Delight, Fitness Blender, The Healthcare Triage, The King of Random, Soul Pancake, Steve Spangler Science, The Young Turks, and Thug Notes. If you’re interested in trying it on your channel, sign up here.
    • Creator Credits: Collaboration is a key to great videos on YouTube. You’re already giving your collaborators shout outs in your video descriptions. But what if those text-based shout outs were tags that let viewers click through to their channels, or let you search for a collaborator based on their work and location? That’s our vision for Creator Credits, stay tuned for more.
    • Subtitles contributed from fans: More than a billion people watch YouTube each month, but not all of them speak the same language and some are deaf or hard of hearing. Automatic speech recognition and automatic translation on YouTube can help, but your fans can do an even better job. In the coming months, your fans will be able to submit translations in any language based on the subtitles or captions you’ve created, helping you reach even more viewers. You can try this out now on Barely Political, Fine Art-Tips, Got Talent Global and Unicoos.
    • Info Cards: Annotations are useful, but not as ridiculously good looking as say, Blue Steel. In the near future, you’ll see our new interactive information cards with a clean look, which you’ll beable to program once to work across desktop, phones and tablets.
    • SiriusXM & YouTube: We love supporting artists, and so do our friends at SiriusXM. That’s why we teamed up to launch “The YouTube 15,” a weekly show on SiriusXM’s Hits 1 hosted by Jenna Marbles and featuring the biggest names and rising stars in music from YouTube.
    • More ways to playlist: Along with playlists analytics we recently added to analytics, expect to see more ways to create playlists, so that all the time you spend building them translates into easier discovery for viewers and better results for you.


    We take your feedback seriously, which is why we’re focusing on these areas that you’ve told us are most important for you. So keep your comments coming on Google+ or Twitter. We’ll be working closely with you to bring these features and more to the creator community in the future.
    http://youtubecreator.blogspot.com.e...coming-to.html

    UE4 on Tegra K1 tech demo
    When Google needed to show off the new graphics capabilities of 'L', the upcoming release of Android, they turned to Epic and NVIDIA for a demo.

    The requirements were that the demo had to run on an NVIDIA Tegra K1 mobile processor and it had to utilize the new features of AEP (Android Extension Pack), a set of APIs that extend the functionality of OpenGL ES 3.1.

    In under three weeks, Epic created the “Rivalry” demo. How could something so visually complex be created in such a short period of time? As it turns out, Epic had previously created the scene to show off UE4 engine features. However it was made for a DX11-class PC. Working together, the Epic team and NVIDIA dev tech engineers were able to port the demo, along with new, original content, to Android and AEP. The “Rivalry” demo Google showed was actually running the same high-end desktop rendering pipeline. Thanks to L, K1, and UE4, in the very near future you will have PC gaming graphics in your pocket.
    https://www.unrealengine.com/blog/un...s-at-google-io
    http://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/2014/06...ra-aep-gaming/

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    Kinect V2 for PC coming July 15th, $199.00
    Xbox One Kinect has been dated for a standalone release on PC, along with a rather steep price-tag that may or may not be placeholder.

    Kinect’s pricing and release date comes from a product listing on the official Microsoft store.

    Microsoft says of Kinect version two, “The Kinect for Windows v2 sensor gives developers more of the precision, responsiveness, and intuitive capabilities they need to develop interactive voice- and gesture-based applications for the Windows desktop and Windows Store. The v2 sensor is intended for use with the Kinect for Windows software development kit (SDK) 2.0.”

    It seems then that Microsoft is keen to get the device into the hands of developers. As we saw with the original Kinect, developers managed to find a variety of interesting uses for the device. Perhaps the same will happen with the Xbox One model?
    http://www.vg247.com/2014/07/07/kine...-is-expensive/
    http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/...ctID.298810500

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    Silicon Studio, known for Bravely Default and 3D Dot Game Heroes, announces their new engine Mizuchi

    Spoiler: show



    Today they officially announced the “next-gen” engine “Mizuchi,” which is still under development, but will be soon made available to developers.

    In order to better show off the power of the new engine, the studio released an absolutely spectacular tech demo, which you can see above, alongside a gallery of screenshots. The demo uses Mizuchi paired with Silicon’s newly released optics middleware Yebis 3. The new engine also makes heavy use of physically based rendering.
    http://www.dualshockers.com/2014/09/...d-screenshots/
    http://www.siliconstudio.co.jp/nex-gen/
    http://www.siliconstudio.co.jp/middleware/yebis/jp/

  13. #13
    Gave 5$ to bg and all I could think of was this lousy title.
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    It's a good day to be alive.

  14. #14

    What is Kinect V2 for PC? Can anyone explain?

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by Markwinstanley View Post
    What is Kinect V2 for PC? Can anyone explain?
    https://www.google.com/

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    Xperia Z3 to support PS4 Remote Play in November

    Sony IFA 2014 conference, where Sony reveals its new smartphone models and other tech gadgets, has announced some pretty cool news: their latest smartphone model, the Xperia Z3, will be supporting PS4 Remote Play coming this November.

    This means that as long as you’re on home Wi-Fi, you can play your PS4 wirelessly on your phone or tablet screen with a DualShock controller.
    http://www.dualshockers.com/2014/09/...4-remote-play/
    http://b2b.ifa-berlin.com/

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    Finally a replacement for my PSP when i need to take a dump.

    My life will be complete.

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    Apple Watch cannot detect the skin if certain Tattoos are present

    http://www.theverge.com/2015/4/28/85...attooed-wrists

    The watch won't detect the skin if darker inks are present (skin color is not the issue). If the watch cannot detect your skin, it will not be able to read your heart rate AND Apple Pay is disabled.

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    You can safely ignore me I am a troll

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    Really looking forward to moving up to the LG G4 after reading about it after the reveal yesterday. I was excited for the G3 until the screen (and Verizon branding on the front and back...) was an issue for me IMO (battery draining). I think this time they nailed everything across the board physically (especially the 808 over the 810), and that is exciting to see.

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    Nvidia GeForce Experience to add PC to PC streaming for Co-Op play, only one copy of a game needed, available to GTX 650 & up
    According to Ars Technica UK, GameStream Co-op will launch alongside the new GeForce Experience. It has more features than just sharing: users can stream their game to a friend’s PC so they can watch them play; and another feature mirrors the controls of the host PC which allows the second user to take control of the game.

    GameStream Co-op shares some similarities with PlayStation 4’s Share Play, and for now, streaming to another’s PC is limited to 720P/60fps. Nvidia also recommends a 6Mbps upload for the local player.

    A GTX 650 or upward will be required to stream from the main PC and laptop support will come at a later date. According to Ars, it is also only compatible with Google’s Chrome browser via a plug-in.
    http://www.vg247.com/2015/08/20/nvid...co-op-gtx-950/
    http://arstechnica.co.uk/gaming/2015...es-play-co-op/
    http://www.geforce.com/whats-new/art...ta-coming-soon
    http://www.geforce.com/gfe-beta
    http://shield.nvidia.com/game-stream