Valve Announces Steam Controller

Valve has revealed its new Steam Controller. This announcement caps off a busy week for Valve, coinciding with the forthcoming Steam OS, an operating system bringing gaming to the big screen and Steam Machines, a line of consoles launching in 2014 that will make this possible.

The Steam Controller bears only a slight resemblance to the gamepads currently on the market. The new gamepad reportedly "offers a new and, we believe, vastly superior control scheme, all white enabling you to play from the comfort of your sofa." The controller is dominated by two circular trackpads, which act as clickable buttons. A high resolution touchscreen sits between these, also operating as a clickable button. With 16 buttons in total, the Steam Controller is promised to work with games of the past, present and future.

This is an exciting innovation for the gaming world. Valve has shown this week that it is more than just a market place, it is fresh competition for the imminent next generation consoles.

Is The iPhone The Future Of Gaming?

This is a very interesting question, considering Apple has never really had a focus on gaming (it's one venture into the field was a failure of epic proportions, Apple Bandai Pippin. So this quote from Epic Games President Mike Capps, is of interest, especially to the likes of Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft.

I think that’s the real challenge for us now, rather than worrying about the difference between a couple consoles and some order of magnitude, whether 3X or 4X. It’s about how do we deal with iPhone 8… if you watch where the gamers are going that’s where they are. Your iPhone 8 will probably plug into your TV, or better yet, wirelessly connect to your television set to give you that big screen gaming experience with good sound. So really, what’s the point of those next-gen consoles?

iPhone 8? I’ll be amazed if this doesn’t happen with the iPhone 6, since gaming over AirPlay is already possible (if sometimes a little laggy) with the iPad and a game such as Real Racing 2. Although I don’t think next-gen games consoles will vanish overnight, simply because they are, relatively speaking, much more affordable than an iOS system (which would require several devices and an Apple TV for wireless gaming streams), and also because Apple still doesn’t entirely get gaming itself, and lastly because the existing fan base of the three major consoles is massive. Nintendo's latest offering, the unreleased Wii U is a very similar concept to that of the iPad and the Apple TV. Users control the game with a touch screen tablet that wirelessly transmits to the console connected to the TV. So maybe the game companies are catching up? However, should Apple add AirPlay mirroring across its entire line, the Apple TV would go from being a niche concern to, potentially, a $200 add-on that turns any iPod touch, iPhone or iPad into a games console. At that point, Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony would have a massive fight on their hands.

Limbo Review

Limbo has you control a young boy who wakes up in a forest with no indication of who you are, how you got there, or where you're going. You set out to explore this bizarre environment but soon find it to be a dangerous place, at which point your motivation becomes clear: you need to get out of there. From beginning to end, the game never stops surprising, delighting, and horrifying the player.

Exploring the world of LIMBO is dangerous, and you will die… a lot. The game is entirely a 2D sidescroller, and the boy’s only abilities are jumping and grabbing. Much of the game’s challenge is in timing and quick reactions. The world is mostly linear, and there isn’t much option for exploration. You progress from left to right, solving puzzles and platforming through hazards as you go. The game is extremely challenging at times, generally due to challenges of timing, physics, and precision. The challenges are expertly created and although you continually die the game never becomes frustrating, The developers describe Limbo as a trial-and-death game. It will take a relatively short five to six hours to finish this game, yet every moment of it will blow you away.

Gorgeous, sublime, haunting, superb, atmospheric… where’s my thesaurus? I need more words to describe LIMBO’s graphics. The best word may be unforgettable. It’s hard to believe a completely grayscale game could feel so alive.LIMBO is beautifully crafted and full of incredible detail. From the disturbing deaths and imagery, to the way the grass is brushed gently by the disquieting wind, the game is anything but simplistic. The atmosphere is grim and dark, and the world itself is the boy’s sinister enemy. 

Limbo is an incredible achievement. Very few games are as original, atmospheric, and consistently brilliant as Limbo. It belongs in everybody's collection. The journey may be over too quickly, but you will be entertained every minute. One of my favorite games ever.  9.5/10
(available for PS3/PC/XBOX360 at $15)

Battle Of The Shooters, Modern Warfare 3 VS Battlefield 3

            VS.

The game that wins the title of best FPS will be the game that has:

• A real, engaging story
• Interactive and destructive enviroments
• Awesome physics
• Diverse gameplay
• Game content (a game with lots of replay value)
• Intricate multiplayer experience

My prediction is that although Modern Warfare 3 will sell more copies, Battlefield 3 will be an better game.

PlayStation 3D TV

Sony has announced PlayStation branded 3D TVs that further push the boundaries of 3D technology. The TV sports a 24 Inch 3D screen capable of 1080p that will require Sony 3D glasses. Sounds pretty standard, however what stands this TV apart from the rest of the crowd is the ability for viewers to see different images on the same screen. This completely does away with the traditional split screen co op gaming. By sending one image to one pair of glasses and the second image to a different pair, players will be able to both see the full image and not be able to see the other player's. No more peeking at your friend's half of the screen! The TV will also be bundled with Resistance 3 and one set of glasses. Priced at an affordable US$499 this is an enticing package.

Angry Birds vs. Tiny Wings

Funny video about Angry Birds and Tiny Wings.
Soo many Angry Birds rip offs! There is even a new game out called Rip Off HD.
It is yet another blatant copy of the ever popular Angry Birds!

App Store Hits 500,000 iOS App Milestone

The news are flying all over the Internet that the iTunes App Store has reached the 500,000 app milestone. It has been 34 months since the App Store started accepting submissions from developers and late Monday night the last batch of iPhone, iPod and iPad apps were pushed through to bring Apple above this nice, round 6-figure number.

It is expected that Apple will make a formal announcement at their Worldwide Developers Conference in June, coming on the heels of Internet-wide celebrations and excitement.
In a report released by 148 Apps, a lot of statistics were disseminated:
Upon the iTunes App Store launch on July 10, 2008, there were 500 total apps
500,000 apps were developed by 85,569 unique developers
37% of apps are available for free
The average price for paid apps is $3.64
Games represent 15% of the available apps, books are second most popular at 14% –a balance of power that continues to shift back and forth from month to month.
You would need 7.5 TB of storage to hold all of the apps from the App Store
It would cost you $891,982.24 to purchase all of the apps from the App Store
There has been over 10 billion total app downloads
The app to spend the most time in the #1 popularity spot is Angry Birds, for 275 days
These statistics are remarkable. The investment into iOS development is considerable and market adoption is responding with enthusiasm and interest.
In comparison, Google’s Android Marketplace was released 8 months after the iTunes App Store and it now contains 294,000 apps and 3 billion total downloads.

Modern Warfare 3 Reveal Trailer

The hype continues to build for the latest in the incredibly popular Call of Duty series, Modern Warfare 3. Released today, the reveal trailer has hit the web. Our first glimpse at the gameplay footage is an explosive one, although sadly we will have to wait until November 8th to play!

It doesn't take the most powerful nations on Earth to create the next global conflict, just the will of a psychopath

L.A Noire

Rockstar has unveiled the official launch trailer for its next big title, L.A. Noire, which releases in New Zealand on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on May 20th.

L.A. Noire is an action thriller set in the 1940s, with the player assuming the role of WWII vet and rookie cop Cole Phelps. One of the game's more interesting mechanics allows you to determine whether a suspect is lying or not by paying careful attention to their facial expressions and mannerisms, as captured by the game's famous MotionScan technology.


This game is definitely worth checking out!

Battefield 3

Ready to roll the DICE with Battlefield 3?


DICE has released a three minute long trailer that shows off some of its awesomeness. They have really done some amazing work with the FrostBite Engine. There's no denying that. Just take a look for yourself and try to notice all the details that have gone into making this game look awesome and giving the player even more immersion.

The trailer is called "Bad Part of Town" and is the first episode of a series called "Fault Line." Hopefully, we will see the second episode soon.

Anyway, take a look and prepare for war!

NBA Jam!! iPhone review

The NBA Jam reboot of 2010 has found its way over to iOS devices with EA’s release of the game in early February 2011. All of the game’s trademark dunks, shoves, and turbo running are there, but is our pocket the ideal place for NBA Jam? Is is possible that the game works better on a small touchscreen than on an HDTV with a multi-button controller in your hand? The answer to both of those questions is unequivocally yes.

Graphically, NBA Jam on the iPhone looks just as good as the HD version on the Xbox 360 and PS3. On such a small screen, this is no simple feat and EA deserves to be commended on making the game so pretty on iOS. Both quick play and Classic Campaign modes are available, so whether you’re looking to hop into a game or take on the league’s 30 teams plus a few basketball legends, you’ll have plenty of reason to keep coming back. This game is extremely addictive and completing challenges are a blast.

The controls take a little while to get used to in the iPhone version of NBA Jam. The standard virtual analog stick on the left is used for movement with three buttons on the right to control your player: shoot, pass and turbo (shoot and pass change to jump and steal when on defense). Some swipe maneuvers are required for massive dunks and shoving on defense. It’s not hard to do, but will take a few minutes for you to get the hand of things. Once you do, though, it's a breeze.

Right now, NBA Jam is the game I keep going back to on my iPhone. Whether I’m sitting around or between meetings, I sneak in some time with Big Head Mode enabled to throw down some thunder dunks and break some backboards. Being able to shove people to the ground is a fun addition to the boring task of defense. This game is a steal (excuse the pun) for $4.99 given the amount of time you’ll put in. If you've already played the console reboots, you know how addictive the game is. You’ll definitely want to pick this up. Screw it, if you have an iPhone and are even remotely interested in basketball, you should buy NBA Jam. It’s that amazingly good! 

Sony NGP

Sony has  announced that it plans to bring to market a next-generation portable gaming system, code-named NGP. "Next Generation PlayStation Portable". And wow it looks amazing. The next-gen portable will boast a 5-inch OLED (organic light-emitting diode) display, Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity, two cameras and dual thumb sticks, a rear mounted touch pad, the same accelerometer / gyroscope motion sensing as the PlayStation move, and last but not least, a quad-core processor that will bring console like graphics to this portable device. Demos have been shown of killzone, little big planet and uncharted. All of which look exceptional. But the killer feature for all those on the edge is the announcement that the Call of Duty series will be released on the NGP!

You Tube Easter egg!

It is now possible to play snake while watching youtube videos!?
To do this, hold the up and left arrow key while in full screen mode. This works on any video.
Give it a go

This is a really cool moving game!

ImmorTall

Take a poignant walk through the life of an alien caught in the midst of humanity.

Enjoy