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The Last Starfighter Comes to VR TV

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A new TV show adaption based on The Last Starfighter aims to make television’s two dimensions seem very limited. In developing the series to appeal to a new, higher-tech audience, Jonathan R. Betuel, the screenwriter of the original film, wants to shepherd the once state-of-the-art franchise into the realms of virtual reality television.

One of the first films to use CGI extensively, Starfighter follows the adventures of Alex Rogan (Lance Guest), a gamer who tops the high score board on the arcade game Starfighter. Following his success, he’s sucked into the heat of an interstellar battle when Centauri (Robert Preston)—the alien being who designed the game to train the ultimate space pilot—recruits him to actually fight the Ko-Dan Armada from the game (how meta!).

With a wild sci-fi adventure plot, the film inspired a generation of gamers, filmmakers, and dreamers alike. In fact, a few big names have attempted to shoot a remake or sequel—most notably by Seth Rogen and Steven Spielberg. All attempts to continue the saga failed up until this point, though, because the film rights were in limbo. Only recently, after realizing the story rights had reverted to him did Butuel tinker with the idea of rehashing the 80’s cult saga in a whole new, mind blowing way.

The series will also feature different characters and story lines from the film. Rather than focusing on the adventures of Rogan, Centauri, or other characters introduced in the film, the television show will follow members of the Star League–the world weary and underwhelmed guardians of law and order in the galaxy–at least according to what Butuel told Variety.

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Take THAT Ko-Dan Armada!

The real buzz around the series goes far beyond nostalgia. When conceptualizing “The Last Starfighter Chronicles,” Butuel began toying with the idea of integrating elements of virtual reality into the show. Coupling with the creators of Surreal.tv, Rick Rey and Andy Vick, he aims to create a new twist on television that lets the viewer take flight amongst the stars and experience the battles of this ragtag band of peacekeepers in a very personal way. Have no fear, though, conventional Web and TV viewers. You’ll still be able to enjoy the show and its cutting edge visual FX in its entirety. But those who are wired for VR will be able to enjoy the full meal deal of this immersive television experience.

If the show continues along the lines of many modern series and films, there will likely be tie-in games, exclusive webcasts, and possibly even exclusively VR episodes that allow the superfan to escape into the show. And while this is merely speculation at this point, the possibilities for a franchised multiverse will be almost limitless, assuming the show’s developers and producers continue to push the envelope–also assuming the series is makes it past the pilot phase. But with such an interesting technological premise and a lot of nostalgia behind it, it wouldn’t be much of a surprise to see it pop up on either a conventional or online broadcasters in the not to distant future, as the producers are currently shopping for a home.

With a Creative Writing degree in one hand and an endless curiosity in the other, Andy dabbles in many creative fields. He's published blog posts, articles, hotel copy, fiction, and poetry professionally. Currently he dwells in Austin, TX, with his brilliant and understanding fiancee, Kim.

Gaming

Shift Up unveils the intriguing details behind the physical packaging of Stellar Blade for the PS5

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It appears that many

are eagerly anticipating the launch of the highly anticipated PS5 exclusive, Stellar Blade. Shift Up, the developer, has shared a lengthy video showcasing the “secrets” found in the physical box of the game for PS5. From what we can gather, these secrets include a reversible cover/dust jacket and a download code for cosmetic items.

We must clarify that while we do appreciate the variant cover, it may be more appealing than the game’s standard art. However, it is not something we would typically classify as a “secret.”. However, what’s interesting is that Shift Up has confirmed through the comments section that this will be the case in all regions. Additionally, the visually striking action RPG will remain uncensored worldwide.

It’s refreshing to witness a developer going the extra mile for physical collectors, and it’s evident that the developer is determined to leave a favorable mark in the console realm. Stellar Blade is set to make its highly anticipated debut this Friday, April 26th, exclusively on the PS5.

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Gaming

Here are all the patch notes for the new PS5 firmware update that adds the community game help feature

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Sony has recently launched the newest PS5 system software update, which is always an exciting occasion for avid PlayStation fans. With a size of slightly over 1GB, you can download and install it right away. As always, the question remains: What exactly does the update bring to the table?

According to the official patch notes, there have been some notable improvements, particularly in the area of game help. We are introducing an exciting addition to our platform: the Community Game Help feature. This feature enhances the PS5’s Game Help system by providing you with gameplay videos from fellow players. Players have the option to choose whether or not they want their gameplay videos to be shared using this feature.

If you’re concerned about it, you can now hide your Remote Play connection status as well.

Presenting the complete patch notes:

  • Game Help has been enhanced with the addition of Community Game Help features
  • Within Game Help, players can find Community Game Help hints in supported games. These cues come from gameplay videos that other players have shared.
  • If you’re up for it, you have the option to contribute to Community Game Help by giving permission for your gameplay video to be automatically recorded and included in the feature after it’s been reviewed
  • If you want to join in, navigate to Settings, then Captures & Broadcasts, followed by Captures, Auto Captures, and finally Community Game Help. From there, simply choose the option to participate. Users have the option to unsubscribe whenever they choose
  • During Remote Play, players now have the option to hide the persistent message “Remote Play connected.” that appears on their game screen. To ensure a seamless gaming experience, navigate to the Settings menu, then proceed to the System section. From there, locate the Remote Play option and activate the Hide Remote Play Connection Status feature
  • The system’s software performance and stability have been significantly enhanced
  • The messages and usability on some screens have been enhanced

While not the most groundbreaking update, the Community Game Help feature has the potential to be intriguing, contingent upon the number of games that offer support for it. What are your thoughts on the latest update? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below.

 

 

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Geek Culture

In the TV show Fallout, would the “rule of thumb” really work?

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Walton Goggins’ character, who plays someone in the first episode of the new TV series Fallout on Amazon, mentions a “rule of thumb” when it comes to nuclear explosions.

According to the character known as “The Ghoul,” he learned in military school that if you raise your thumb and extend your arm toward the blast, you can tell if you are going to live or die. According to the rule, some Americans will be safe from the radioactive fallout if the mushroom cloud is smaller than their thumb. If the mushroom cloud is bigger than their thumb, they won’t be as lucky.

Many other survivors will probably ask you why you’re giving a mushroom cloud the big thumbs up. Is it worth it?

The idea has been looked into a bit thanks to the Fallout video game series, which caught the attention of physicists in their first year at the University of Leicester. They had heard a false rumor that the show’s mascot, Vault Boy, was giving a happy thumbs up to show support for the thumb rule. They wanted to find out if the rule was true.

The team looked at smaller blasts that would fit with the setting of the show and chose a 15-kiloton blast, which is the same size as the blast that happened when the US dropped “Little Boy” on Hiroshima. The first thing the team did was figure out how far away you would have to be from the mushroom cloud for your thumb to cover the blast. They came up with a number that was about 12.6 kilometers (7.8 miles).

“Assuming the detonation occurred on the ground, the radius for avoiding all burns is 4.67 km [2.9 miles] away from the blast center, and the radius for radiation sickness symptoms is 1.56 km [0.97 miles],” the team said in their paper. “This would mean that you would be safe from the initial blast effects of radiation and burns.”

Even though you just saw a nuclear explosion nearby, that doesn’t mean you are safe. And that’s before you worry about nuclear winter. The radiation coming at you from the wind should be your main concern.

“Assuming an average wind speed of 24 km/h, the fallout would reach you within approximately half an hour if you were to be standing directly upwind.”

Getting caught in this wind will give you enough rads to make you sick. One more rule, though: run like hell. This might help you lower your dose.

“This investigation showed that if a 15-kiloton nuclear bomb was to detonate and your thumb extended at an arm’s length just covered the blast, you could survive most negative radiation effects by running laterally in the direction of the wind for a minimum of 1.65 km [1 mile] in half an hour, given that you are standing directly upwind from the blast,” the team said.

But this only works for a blast much smaller than the weapons the world has now. And even for smaller blasts, the rule probably won’t help because of the radiation that is released into the air and the fact that the wind can change quickly. Ruth McBurney, who is the executive director of the Conference of Radiation Control Program Directors in Frankfort, Kentucky, told Inverse that “shelter is the best thing to do if you think you might be in a place where fallout might be present or coming.”

More plans call for temporarily taking refuge in whatever is available, and then moving to better nearby shelters about 30 minutes after the blast. There are, of course, official rules about what to do during a blast. In short, you should stay inside and away from windows, wash your hands, and wait for more instructions. Please don’t condition your hair while you’re doing that.

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