Pokémon Go's first substantial update adds tweaks for overpowered Pokemon (those consistently at the top of Pokemon gyms: cough, Vaporean, cough), where the critters can be found, and a raft of bug and text fixes. Niantic has decided to drop the footprint tracking system that didn't even work in the debut iteration of the game; you'll have to make do with the vague list of nearby Pokémon. And pray. The update also nixed the battery-saving feature, although this editor and others found that feature often made the app unresponsive. Your mileage may have varied, but regardless, battery-saving mode is no more. So turn that screen brightness down, and definitely bring your portable battery pack on your Pokémon hunts.

Source: Pokemon Go (iTunes)

via Engadget RSS Feedhttp://ift.tt/2aautta

In part 1 we took a close look at the amazing SFX-100 Nintendo PlayStation console for a teardown of the hardware and an analysis of how the chips function together. After looking inside, Ben discovered a few post-production bodge jobs that were seemingly intended to fix the prototype -- but do they, really? Join Ben again as we look inside this rare hardware to see if we can whip it into a functioning state and get the CD-Rom tray finally working. Finally, what better way to test out a console than a beat-em-up showdown? Join Felix and Ben as they duke it out on Super Streetfighter 2. Let us know what you think of the Sony Nintendo PlayStation over at the element14 Community, where you can also interact with The Ben Heck Show team and watch past episodes.


via Engadget RSS Feedhttp://ift.tt/2aq0yMm

AMD said that the Radeon RX 480 would be followed up by lower-cost models this summer, and it's acting on that promise in a timely fashion. Both the RX 470 and RX 460 (not pictured above) are now slated to arrive on August 4th and August 8th respectively. While AMD hasn't outlined the specific pricing, these newer boards should cost significantly less than the $199 RX 480 -- the RX 460 should sit closer to the coveted $100 mark.

Via: VentureBeat

Source: AMD (1), (2)

via Engadget RSS Feedhttp://ift.tt/2aT31x3

Curt Schilling's 38 Studios has run into plenty of trouble since declaring bankruptcy in 2012, not the least of which is an SEC lawsuit this year. However, criminal cases won't be contributing to its headaches. The Rhode Island State Police have determined that they won't file charges over the failed $75 million loan for Project Copernicus, the massively multiplayer online game that was to have followed Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. There were "no provable criminal violations" in the way the developer secured its cash, the police say. The decision isn't completely shocking (federal officials decided against charges back in 2012), but it eliminates what chances were left of staff facing prison time.

Via: WPRI, Gamasutra

Source: RI.gov

via Engadget RSS Feedhttp://ift.tt/2a8n0e9

After months upon months of delays, Cortana is finally ready for your Xbox One. Microsoft has started rolling out its promised summer update with Cortana's smarter, richer voice control as its centerpiece. You can use your headset or Kinect to search games, invite friends to play and otherwise accomplish tasks that required either stiff commands or (gasp) your gamepad. This also represents another step toward tighter integration of the Xbox and Windows 10 experiences, such as platform-independent party chat and streamlined shopping that lets you redeem Xbox credits.

Source: Xbox Wire

via Engadget RSS Feedhttp://ift.tt/2aEGHLJ

The Uncharted movie has been in development hell since, oh... forever. There's a new glimmer of hope, though: Sony has asked filmmaker Joe Carnahan to write the latest script, according to Variety. What drew him to the project was an interest in archaeology and how staggeringly popular the franchise is.

Via: Slashfilm

Source: Variety

via Engadget RSS Feedhttp://ift.tt/2aDQeC7

The line between using Twitch on mobile and desktop is getting even more blurry. The live-streaming juggernaut recently announced that now, you can host another channel's broadcast from the mobile app. Twitch writes that all you need to do is tap the gear button in the app, hit "Host" and you should be good to go. It's available for everyone on iOS at the moment, and will be rolling out slowly for Android. Need to update? Hit the source link below if your iDevice hasn't updated yet.

Source: iTunes

via Engadget RSS Feedhttp://ift.tt/2aQZUWq

Disney Infinity is done and it's nearly time for Avalanche Software to pull the plug. The game will wind down in stages, starting today with the discontinuation of in-game purchases in the PC, iOS, Android and Apple TV versions of Disney Infinity 2.0, though in-game purchases are still available (for now) in the Steam edition of Disney Infinity 3.0.

Source: Disney Infinity

via Engadget RSS Feedhttp://ift.tt/2agmec7

Even though Blizzard's light-hearted digital card game, Hearthstone, just got a new expansion back in April, rumors of new content just around the corner have been proven true. At an event in Shanghai, China, the studio announced a new adventure, One Night In Karazhan, that will add hours of single-player content and 45 new cards to the mix when it launches on August 11th. Best of all, the first prologue mission is free for everyone.

Via: Polygon

Source: Blizzard

via Engadget RSS Feedhttp://ift.tt/2aDcThX

Id and Bethesda want to make sure that the action never stops in the new Doom's multiplayer. That's regardless of whether or not you're buying the recently announced premium map pack, "Unto Evil." With PartyPlay, so long as someone in your party has bought the add-on, everyone can keep playing together and vice versa.

Source: Bethesda

via Engadget RSS Feedhttp://ift.tt/2aiGx6G

Sony will release a virtual reality version of Driveclub just in time for the launch of its upcoming PlayStation VR platform on October 13th. Driveclub VR will feature "brand new tracks" including a city track (pictured above) and let players view vehicles from multiple angles while they trade paint. Sony revealed the news in a blog post (which was subsequently pulled, so it was possibly published too early). Interestingly, other details were tweeted by Paul "Rushy" Rustchynsky, a developer for Codemasters.

Source: Paul Rustchynsky (Twitter), Sony (Screengrab, translated)

via Engadget RSS Feedhttp://ift.tt/2ajpQLH

Twitter is expanding beyond traditional stick-and-ball streams and moving into the lucrative eSports realm this weekend. As part of a partnership with Eleague and Turner Broadcasting, the microblogging service will air two days of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive play from Atlanta. The action starts today at 5pm Eastern with semi-finals. Eleague's end-of-season championship play starts Saturday afternoon at 4 Eastern with two teams going head to head in a best-of-three series.

Source: Eleague

via Engadget RSS Feedhttp://ift.tt/2aBx00G

Steam tossed some VR experiences into last month's summer sale, but this time, it's throwing a party exclusively for virtual reality enthusiasts. The gaming platform has just announced a VR weekend sale, where it's selling 175 titles for up to 80 percent off. Sure, the selection isn't as extensive, but don't forget that we've only just begun exploring the world of virtual reality. The games and experiences in the list will work with the the Oculus Rift and the HTC Vive, which, if you'll recall, was a collaboration between the Taiwanese company and Steam's creator Valve.

Source: Steam

via Engadget RSS Feedhttp://ift.tt/2azHCv3

Sony's most recent financial report is out and, if you squint, things almost look good for its moribund mobile division. Sony Mobile posted a profit of $4 million, which the company attributed to the fact that it's fired enough people to get its costs to break even. If you want to put a positive spin on things, it looks like a greatly-slimmed down phone business might generate just enough money to keep it going. Given that Sony's had to cover Mobile's losses with PlayStation's gains for the last few years, some executives may be reaching for the champagne.

Via: TechCrunch

Source: Sony (.PDF)

via Engadget RSS Feedhttp://ift.tt/2atlnaT

There aren't enough dedicated apps for the Apple Watch, let alone role-playing games from established publishers like Square Enix. The name alone conjures images of classic RPGs: Final Fantasy, Chrono Trigger and Valkyrie Profile to name a few. That's why Cosmos Rings, the company's first Apple Watch-exclusive RPG, feels like such a departure from the norm. It's vivid, gorgeous and inspired, but unfortunately it falls victim to the very same cliches of so many mobile games that came before it.

Source: App Store

via Engadget RSS Feedhttp://ift.tt/2aBkfCV

It may be a few months late, but the day is finally here: Adr1ft, Adam Orth's VR orbital survival simulator, is now available for the HTC Vive. The Oculus Rift launch exclusive was originally planned to launch on SteamVR back in May, but was delayed to build an experience unique to the HTC Vive and its motion controllers. The wait may have been worth it -- the game's creator says Vive's motion controls have changed the game in dramatic and unexpected ways.

Source: ThreeOneZero, Steam

via Engadget RSS Feedhttp://ift.tt/2af5YHx

Roll20's online tabletop gaming system has been a haven for veterans of pen-and-paper RPGs for awhile now, but for fans of the original role-playing adventure game, it just got a lot better. Wizards of the Coast is now selling officially licensed Dungeons and Dragons modules on Roll20 -- starting with the fifth edition starter set adventure, 'The Lost Mine of Phandelver'.

Source: Polygon, Twitter

via Engadget RSS Feedhttp://ift.tt/2aAob6V

Pokémon passed me by when it arrived in the UK back in 1999, and I've never really been a fan. The way my friends were suddenly gripped by its cult-like lure made it seem like the worst thing ever. In my mind, 15-year-olds shouldn't be hunched over their Game Boy Colors; they should be trying (and failing) to talk to girls. I also objected to the title on moral grounds, since it glorifies bloodsports like dogfighting for an audience that isn't old enough to appreciate nuance. My stance between the ages of 15 and 30 was simple: fuck Pokémon. Which is why it's so galling that I spent last weekend roaming the city for Pokéballs. Thanks to Pokémon Go, I've become everything that I hate.

via Engadget RSS Feedhttp://ift.tt/2aN7NfI

If you're typically someone who prefers to watch matches of games like Dota 2 unfold from the sidelines, you might consider viewing them in an entirely different way. As part of The International 2016 Compendium update, Valve has finally released the Dota VR Hub, which will allow you and your friends to view live matches and replays in VR.

Via: Ars Technica

Source: Dota 2

via Engadget RSS Feedhttp://ift.tt/2ahdUKm

The days are basically numbered for Sony's beleaguered portable console, the PS Vita, and they have been for some time. But that hasn't stopped indie developer Drinkbox Studios from supporting it. Three of the company's four games have been released for the Vita (including the excellent Guacamelee!), and the latest (hack-and-slash explorer Severed) came out earlier this year as a Vita exclusive.

However, Drinkbox knows that it needs to move beyond Sony's aging handheld: That's why Severed is coming to iOS devices as well as Nintendo's Wii U and 3DS. The iOS port arrives today ready for the iPhone and iPad and costs $6.99. That may be a little expensive for an iOS game, but it's less than half of what the game costs on the Vita. And it dramatically expands the number of people who'll get a chance to play Severed.

via Engadget RSS Feedhttp://ift.tt/2akcT1L

Parents, take note: if your child bought in-app or in-game purchases on Facebook without your knowledge or consent, you can get your money back. A California court has ruled in favor of the plaintiffs in a class action lawsuit originally filed by two kids and their parents back in 2012. The judge ordered the social network to provide refunds at parents' request. Those kids bought Facebook Credits (now known as Facebook Payments) using their parents' cards without their consent and racked up a few hundred to a thousand dollars in debt.

Source: The Guardian

via Engadget RSS Feedhttp://ift.tt/2apYuov

It's been awhile since Professor Layton has graced the 3DS with a puzzle-filled adventure, but the famous detective is finally back. Sort of. Level-5 has announced that the next game in its long-running puzzle series will star not Hershel Layton himself, but Catriel Layton -- the original character's daughter. That tweak aside, Lady Layton: The Conspiracy of King Millionaire Ariadne looks like a direct sequel to the original series.

Source: YouTube, IGN

via Engadget RSS Feedhttp://ift.tt/2abU4im

Aside from the next Legend of Zelda Wii U owners don't have much to look forward to in terms of forthcoming games. Breath of the Wild is the lone glimmer of hope in the console's twilight years, but there could be another -- perhaps even before that new Zelda makes its debut next spring. If those folks are hankering for something similar, albeit with a post-apocalyptic take, maybe Darksiders: Warmastered Edition will fit the bill.

Via: Polygon

Source: Nordic Games

via Engadget RSS Feedhttp://ift.tt/2azQZt6

Historically, Remedy Entertainment has only worked on one project at a time, releasing only a handful of games since 2001's Max Payne. The company recently announced it was moving away from that fan-frustrating workflow and was becoming a studio that has more than one iron in the fire at a given moment. Now, a few months after the fantastic Quantum Break, we know what one of the team's next projects is: creating a campaign for the next installment of free-to-play shooter CrossFire, the aptly named CrossFire 2.

Source: Remedy Entertainment

via Engadget RSS Feedhttp://ift.tt/2agjDQI

Twitch has so far been limiting its Clips sharing feature to partnered channels, but no longer: as of now, you can create those bite-sized highlights on any channel. If a friend pulls off a slick move during a live stream, you can share it just as easily as you would the footage from a big tournament. As before, you don't need exceptional timing. A Clip will capture the 25 seconds before you hit the button to start, and 5 seconds after. While that won't cover every situation, it'll be enough to preserve a game-winning moment... and the cheering that follows.

Source: Twitch Blog

via Engadget RSS Feedhttp://ift.tt/2aeQ6DE

After shifting its schedule to release shorter, more rapid entries in its series Tropes vs. Women in Video Games earlier this year, the cultural criticism web channel Feminist Frequency posted its latest episode today. It tackles the excuse game studios have given when they don't include female playable characters: that women are too hard to animate. (Spoiler: they're not.) When one sex is treated differently in games, the video argues, negative and predatory attitudes proliferate.

Source: Feminist Frequency (YouTube)

via Engadget RSS Feedhttp://ift.tt/2a0wFTQ

The massively popular adventure game Life is Strange is getting its very own digital series, care of the minds behind Legendary Digital Studios and Square Enix.

Via: The Hollywood Reporter

via Engadget RSS Feedhttp://ift.tt/2aaF9nO

Dota 2's flagship tournament, The International 2016, is now the most lucrative eSports competition in history with a record-breaking $18.6 million prize pot. The total purse of last year's tournament was under $18.5 million, and under $11 million in 2014. The prize pool will continue to grow for another two weeks as it's funded by fans buying Battle Passes, Dota 2's new in-game digital program that will last until August 13th.

Source: Dota 2

via Engadget RSS Feedhttp://ift.tt/2aaqB7I

If you're in the market for a few new video games and want to support a charity in the process, you may consider checking out charity War Child UK's game jam HELP: The Game, which is comprised of 12 PC titles available on Steam now for $14.99 (£9.99).

Source: War Child

via Engadget RSS Feedhttp://ift.tt/2ancYp8

Yakuza fans, rejoice! Yakuza 0 has finally been given a release date, and it's officially on its way as a PlayStation 4 exclusive.

Source: PlayStation Blog

via Engadget RSS Feedhttp://ift.tt/2ac6sDb

Nintendo's NES Classic Edition isn't the only nostalgia bomb the company is dropping this fall. Nope, Playing With Power: Nintendo NES Classics from strategy-guide publisher Prima Games is en route for this November as well. The hardcover boasts 320 pages of interviews from the NES era, bits of old-school advertising and "priceless excerpts from Nintendo Power magazine back issues." Oh hey, hand-drawn maps and character art are on tap as well. Here's to hoping some of those are from Howard and Nester artist Bill Mudron.

Via: IGN

Source: Prima Games

via Engadget RSS Feedhttp://ift.tt/2awAGQG

Despite Nintendo's attempts to lower expectations ahead of announcing its financial results, its latest quarterly earnings aren't good. Net sales are down 31 percent compared to the same quarter last year, down to 62 billion yen ($587 million), while it saw an operating loss of 5.1 billion yen (roughly $48 million). The games maker managed to sell 220,000 Wii Us, nudging the total number of consoles sold over 13 million, while the aging 3DS sold just under an additional 1 million handhelds. Despite Nintendo owning parts of Pokemon Go, it isn't reflected in the report as the game was released after the quarter that ended in June. However, the company took to Twitter to announce that its curious Pokemon Go Plus accessory has been delayed two months til September.

Source: Nintendo

via Engadget RSS Feedhttp://ift.tt/2aJnHYq

If you're still playing Destiny on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, today's update is the last you'll see. That's aside from any emergency fixes, according to a post on Bungie.net. The patch also addresses a number of minor glitches involving loot, gear and quest items. From today forward, though, your progress won't be shared between last-gen hardware, and PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. This patch also marks the cut-off for weekly events like Trials of Osiris and the Iron Banner on older hardware, and expansions like this fall's "Rise of Iron."

Source: Bungie

via Engadget RSS Feedhttp://ift.tt/2a8ncaB

When Second Life patched in support for the Oculus Rift, Linden Lab was cautious to pitch its online world as a haven for virtual reality. "We're trying not to make too big of a deal out of it," Linden Lab CEO Ebbe Altberg said in 2014. "It's still early." That beta support went through several iterations over the years -- but now it's gone. Earlier this month, Linden Labs removed VR support from Second Life, and the company can't say when or if it will be back. The problem? It just wasn't good enough.

Via: UploadVR

Source: Second Life

via Engadget RSS Feedhttp://ift.tt/2afqKGT

Key PlayStation exec Adam Boyes already said he was leaving Sony to return to game development, but it's now clear that he's making this switch in style. Iron Galaxy Studios has confirmed that Boyes will become its CEO as of August 8th. That's right -- one of the PlayStation world's best-known figures is now working for a developer whose best-known work involves the Microsoft-exclusive Killer Instinct reboot. It also created Wreckateer, an early showcase for Kinect, and played a big role in producing the hilariously simple fighting game Divekick.

Source: Iron Galaxy Studios (PDF)

via Engadget RSS Feedhttp://ift.tt/29XNQWo

Remember those early reports that described Nintendo's next game console as a TV / portable hybrid device? According to Eurogamer, they were right on the nose. Eurogamer sources claim that the Nintendo NX is a handheld game console with detachable controllers, a TV base station and NVIDIA Tegra graphics. In other words, it sounds like a standalone Wii U gamepad dialed up to 11.

Source: Eurogamer, Digital Foundry

via Engadget RSS Feedhttp://ift.tt/2aunIjL

Microsoft dropped the price of the original Xbox One to $249 over the weekend, and now the company is offering more details on the new Xbox One S. The first two bundles that pair games with the smaller 4K-ready console will ship August 23rd, but they're up for pre-order today. First, a Madden NFL 17 option comes with a One S that offers a download of the game, 1TB of storage, seven Madden Ultimate Team Pro Packs and one month of EA Access for $349. Unfortunately, there's no 500GB model available with the popular football title and the bundle will only be available in the US and Canada for now.

via Engadget RSS Feedhttp://ift.tt/29WVbFE

It's always frustrating when you can't get your preferred nickname for any online service, and after nearly 14 years many of the good ones on Xbox Live are already taken. Worse, they might be tied to accounts that are no longer active, and are just waiting to go back into circulation. Microsoft freed up a cache of 1 million stale Gamertags earlier this year and back in 2011, which could become a regular occurrence. As a part of an update to its Terms of Service, the company is adding a requirement to sign in at least once in a five year period to keep an Xbox Live Gamertag associated with your account.

Via: Eurogamer

Source: Microsoft Services Agreement, Summary of Changes

via Engadget RSS Feedhttp://ift.tt/2ahuj2L

There are plenty of gripes that your choices in Telltale's point-and-click adventure games don't make a difference in how their stories play out. But with the studio's take on Batman, that appears to be changing. What's more, you won't be the only one making the often incredibly difficult narrative decisions. The studio is introducing feature called "Crowd Play," and according to Shack News it's something you turn on at the outset of a game. Doing so creates a shareable web link, and people with the URL can vote on different dialog options, which are then tallied live onscreen.

Via: Game Informer

Source: Shack News

via Engadget RSS Feedhttp://ift.tt/2adj1sI

via Engadget RSS Feedhttps://

The Battlefield TV series is inching closer to fruition. Electronic Arts recently revealed that Michael Sugar, one of the producers behind last year's Oscar-winner for Best Picture, Spotlight, will be working on the show. Along with production house Anonymous Content's Ashley Zalta, Sugar will serve as executive producer. It's also the first time Anonymous and Paramount TV have worked on a video game property. Previous projects include The Revenant, both seasons of True Detective and Mr. Robot. Suffice to say, there's a lot of talent with the team that's been announced so far.

Source: Electronic Arts

via Engadget RSS Feedhttp://ift.tt/2a7GL6V

Nintendo's debut smartphone game is making efforts to get you back into its weird and wonderful social world by offering more opportunities for wardrobe items and accessories without excessive in-app payments. According to an update teaser inside the Miitomo app itself, a new Candy Drop game will let you use all that accumulated candy (earned through in-game interactions and when you missed the good stuff in the original crane mini-games) for in-game upgrades. The greatly despised consolation prize finally has a use.

Source: Polygon

via Engadget RSS Feedhttp://ift.tt/2amwbG6

When virtual reality fanatics argue about what headset is best, two arguments tend to prevail: "The Oculus Rift is more comfortable," and "only the HTC Vive does roomscale VR." Soon, that second argument won't matter as much. Thanks to a recent update, the Rift's Oculus Home software now boasts support for up to four tracking sensors -- doubling one of the basic requirements the hardware needs to be used for accurate, room-scale virtual reality.

via Engadget RSS Feedhttp://ift.tt/2ambbiL

Between the HTC Vive and the Oculus Rift, we've come a long way towards being able to step in to virtual worlds -- but touching those false realities is a different matter. Solving this means finding a haptic technology that can adapt to needs of a constantly changing virtual environment. One PhD student's solution? Use a robot arm.

Source: Digital Trends, YouTube

via Engadget RSS Feedhttp://ift.tt/2ac2KEw

A new theatrical trailer is out for Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV, the film companion to the upcoming video game. This is the first time audiences can hear the CG movie's star-studded English-language voice talent.

via Engadget RSS Feedhttp://ift.tt/2asD2A2

If you're one of the millions of Pokémon Go addicts, you know that waking life carries a new, unrelenting question: what Pokémon are around me right now? The need to keep trying to catch them all has probably soured a few dates since the game launched three weeks ago, but fear not, amorous players: the PokeMatch app has arrived to set you up with the similarly poké-obsessed.

Source: TheNextWeb

via Engadget RSS Feedhttp://ift.tt/2apn36k

Pokemon Go is an unprecedented success, but Nintendo recently admitted it won't directly profit from the augmented reality game, leading to a loss of $6.7 billion in Nintendo's market value on Monday. Nintendo's market value rose by $7.5 billion on July 11th, just after Pokemon Go went public and became an instant, massive hit across the globe. Since its launch, Pokemon Go has added nearly $12 billion to Nintendo's market value, meaning today's dip, while sizable, isn't a total disaster for the company.

Via: Reuters

Source: Bloomberg

via Engadget RSS Feedhttp://ift.tt/2alsfFm

The Democratic National Convention opens today in Philadelphia and there has been some serious inner-DNC turmoil the past few days involving a ton of leaked emails. WikiLeaks published messages that show party officials rallying up against Bernie Sanders, and even making fake Craigslist ads to to target Donald Trump. But the Hillary Clinton campaign is moving full-steam ahead the only way it knows how: by releasing a mobile game.

Source: iTunes

via Engadget RSS Feedhttp://ift.tt/2aqJbtW

As Pokémon Go continues its global assault, Niantic Labs founder John Hanke took to a panel discussion at Comic-Con to tease at what's coming next to the app -- and how the team hopes maintain this insane momentum. To start, more Pokémon critters will eventually make their way to Go, although Hanke's wording makes it sound like not all of them will make the cut. "Beyond first generation [the original 150], there are some others that may make their way into our universe. We're looking forward to finding interesting ways to make that happen in the coming months and years." The CEO went on to elaborate on developments for the in-game world too -- and that's where it got interesting.

Source: The Verge

via Engadget RSS Feedhttp://ift.tt/2am56DT