Gadgets
Oculus Rift release date seems to be uncertain
Oculus Rift was the story of the year in 2014, but since its announcement and release of developer versions, quite a few new virtual reality offerings have emerged, threatening the possible success of the venture. Valve and HTC-made Vive VR is one of the biggest competitors of Oculus Rift and according to HTC, it will be released before we hit 2016. The same thing was said about the consumer version of Oculus Rift a few months ago, reinforced a few weeks ago, but it seems Oculus might not be as ready as they were supposed to be with the consumer version.
At SXSW, Oculus founder Palmer Luckey wasn’t as confident about their VR headset as before, which is mostly understandable, seeing as the Vive is quite impressive. The involvement of Valve in virtual reality is certainly a big step and one that must have put a bit of doubt in the minds of Oculus Rift developers and Facebook, the new owner of the company. At the conference, Luckey went ahead against himself, and said that essentially, the 2015 release date for Oculus Rift is in no way confirmed.
A few weeks ago, Luckey had stressed that unless something went wrong with the development of the VR headset, it would be launched by the end of the year. At SXSW, he calmed spirits down saying that nothing has gone wrong with the development process for the consumer version. On the contrary, Luckey thinks everything is going “horribly right” for Oculus Rift, which is sort of an ambiguous statement. Overall, the outcome for the VR headset looks positive and everything seems on track, but the reluctance of Luckey to disclose an actual release date or at least a release window leaves room for speculation.
If Oculus Rift and the HTC/Valve Vive headset go head to head, it will be a difficult battle to fight and it will be even more difficult for fans to take sides, seeing as both these devices are extremely promising and innovative in their fields. The Oculus Rift has the advantage of gear like the Cyberith Virtualizer being developed for it, while Valve’s offering gets a lot of sensors and full 360 degree view and motion for the user. It’s definitely going to be a legendary battle, but we’re honestly hoping that both of these devices succeed. If you’re not familiar with what Valve’s VR headset can do, check this video out.
Consoles
To keep Apex Legends running for an additional “10 to 15 years,” Respawn opens a third studio
Apex Legends developer Respawn has created a third studio in order to keep the popular battle royale genre running for another “10 to 15 years”. Madison, Wisconsin is where the new studio is situated.
This third studio (the first two being headquartered in Los Angeles and Vancouver) will largely focus on Apex Legends in order to ensure a continuous and, most importantly, sustainable production pipeline. It may, however, contribute to other Respawn products in the future. Ryan Burnett, who previously served as director of engine production at Epic Games and had a distinguished 14-year career at Raven Software, the Call of Duty Studio, will serve as the studio’s head.
Senior VP of operations at Respawn, Daniel Suarez, claims in-depth in an interview with GamesIndustry.biz that “Because we intend to stick with this for the long haul, team health is unquestionably a top priority for us. We’re eager to see Apex become a franchise that endures for ten, fifteen, or more years because we think it will. We can’t just accomplish everything at once, exhaust ourselves, and be unprepared to do it over the long run.”
Consistency (as well as adequate production runway) are essential to make Apex Legends’ 90-day turnaround for new seasons of content realistic. Suarez observes that the introduction of new characters to the game takes a lot longer than you might anticipate “It takes us between a year and a year and a half to become proficient in a Legend. We are therefore making preparations well in advance.”
Only a few weeks ago, parent company EA fired more than 200 Apex Legends quality assurance testers in an impromptu Zoom call, raising concerns among some fans about the game’s future.
Do you support Respawn’s decision to open a third studio? Do you believe Apex Legends will still be around in 15 years?
Kingdom Eighties, a micro-strategy game coming out for the PS5 in 2023, is a loving tribute to that legendary time period.Eighties will be a stand-alone novel like earlier books in the Kingdom series, such as Two Crowns or New Lands.
You take on the role of the leader, a camp counselor tasked with protecting the village against enigmatic creatures known as greed. Bike around the neighborhood with youngsters like The Champ, The Tinkerer, and The Wiz, who will support you in combat and each contribute something unique to the table while doing your best Stranger Things impressions.
Your thoughts about Kingdom Eighties Have you played any of the other Kingdom games?
Just now, another great update for PS Plus Extra and PS Plus Premium came out.There are 17 titles in all that are available for these higher membership tiers in March, which is a wonderful collection that should have something for everyone. In Europe, these games are now available for download on the PS5 and PS4, and they will soon be released in North America.
Here is a list of everything included as a reminder:
PS Plus Extra: March 2023
- Tchia (PS5, PS4) | Review
- Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection (PS5) | Review
- Immortals Fenyx Rising (PS5, PS4) | Review
- Rainbow Six Extraction (PS5, PS4) | Review
- Ghostwire: Tokyo (PS5) | Review
- Life is Strange True Colors (PS5, PS4) | Review
- Life is Strange 2 (PS4) | Review
- Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot (PS4) | Review
- Street Fighter V Champion Edition (PS4) | Review
- Untitled Goose Game (PS4) | Review
- Final Fantasy Type-0 HD (PS4) | Review
- RAGE 2 (PS4) | Review
- NEO: The World Ends With You (PS4) | Review
- Haven (PS5, PS4) | Review
PS Plus Premium: March 2023
- Ridge Racer Type 4 (PS1) | Review
- Ape Academy 2 (PSP)
- Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror (PSP)
Tchia, an independent open-world adventure, debuts on PlayStation Plus Extra on the first day of this month. In addition to everything else mentioned above, members will also have access to this endearing new game. The three classic games mentioned above are also available to PS Plus Premium subscribers. Both Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror and Ape Academy 2 provide a set of trophies, which is always a welcome extra.
According to our most recent poll, the majority of you are happy with the new games and oldies that were added to the catalog this month, and we don’t blame you. It’s a fantastic choice. With these more recent membership tiers, Sony seems to be finding its footing after a somewhat poor start.
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