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Microsoft's 'Project Scarlett' Xbox arrives holiday 2020
Microsoft is following through on its teaser for next-gen Xbox details, and it's clear the company is ready to take the PlayStation 5 head-on. The new system, nicknamed Project Scarlett, will use a custom variant of AMD's Zen 2 processor architecture with GDDR6 memory, with enough processing and graphics power to handle 8K (presumably not for most, if any, games), real-time ray tracing and 120 frames per second performance. It'll also try to stamp out loading times with SSD storage that can serve as virtual memory.
Microsoft teases next-gen Xbox news at E3 event
Many have suspected that Microsoft would talk about its next Xbox at its E3 event, and that now appears to be virtually guaranteed. Gamers have discovered that Microsoft's E3 countdown videos have included background references to "R255 G36 B0," or the RGB code for scarlet -- you know, the widely reported nickname (minus a T) for the 2020 Xbox hardware. The company even confirmed one user's "eagle eye," sending them a month of Xbox Game Pass as a reward.
Nicki Minaj's new game could make you a rap star
It's hard to believe anyone that's not a Kardashian, a Jenner or a Ramsay can successfully make a game about their careers, but Nicki Minaj's new app actually sounds like fun. Through a collaboration with Glu Mobile -- the same company behind those Kim Kardashian, Kendall and Kylie Jenner, and Gordon Ramsay games -- Minaj made The Empire, a game that focuses on rap music and lets players create their own songs. In addition, you can record your own voice (rapping your own words) into the app, and Minaj herself (or her minions, anyway) will select the best few to showcase on her social media accounts. The Empire is now available on iOS and Android, and from my few days playing a beta preview, it seems like more than just another celebrity-branded app.
Elite: Dangerous dev diary talks about plans for development
Elite: Dangerous is about halfway to its Kickstarter goal with 21 days left, and it's indubitably time for another dev diary! Frontier Developments founder David Braben took to YouTube to talk about the long-term development plan for Elite: Dangerous. The team has a handful of goals for the game. These aren't features that will be making it in for launch but instead are are being planned for now so that they integrate seamlessly and enhance the play experience. For example, landing on planets will eventually be a possibility, but not until those planets are stocked with flora, fauna, and sprawling cityscapes. There are also plans for players to experience the ships' interiors, to see incoming fire and lost cargo from the perspective of the ship's crew. Skip below the cut to let Braben speak for himself. [Thanks to intrepid explorer Mattias for the tip!]
Elite: Dangerous video dev diary discusses roles, demonstrates dogfight
Last month, we learned that David Braben, founder of Frontier Developments, launched a Kickstarter campaign for the development of Elite: Dangerous, a successor to the deep sci-fi sandboxes Elite and Frontier: Elite II. Over the last five weeks, new concept art and videos have been released showing off various aspects of the multiplayer space sim. Now, Braben treats fans to a third video dev diary in which he discussed player roles while a dogfight with other devs plays out across the screen. In the video, Braben and the devs demonstrate the variety of roles in Elite: Dangerous. Players can earn their funds in-game from such activities as mining, shipping, pirating, and bounty hunting. Roles are also fluid: A player who normally protects convoys can be flagged as a pirate when attacking one, and the folks defending said convey can take on on the additional role of bounty hunter and collect the bounty on the pirate. To keep roles balanced in game, the team is dedicated to ensuring that no one particular role is the ultimate way to generate cash. Braben stated, "If you get very good at a particular role, it shouldn't be massively better than if you get very good at some other role." To hear more about the roles (and see the first live footage of the Anaconda), watch the video after the break.
Scientists create sea-power generating 'Anaconda'
Scientists may have discovered a new way to combat the global energy crisis -- and they're calling it the "Anaconda" (we'll give you a moment to purge your mind of any J. Lo films). The system works by utilizing the power of the ocean and long, black rubber tubes (hence the name). The rubber "snakes" are laid just below the sea's surface where they're pounded by the ocean's waves. That movement creates "bulge waves" inside the water-filled tubes, which are then carried up through the devices to a turbine, which in turn sends the energy it produces to shore via cables. So far scientists have only tested the system on a small scale, though they say the full-size devices could be 200 meters long and seven meters in diameter. That's one giant, deadly snake.
Undercover: Dual Motives returns after being pushed back
We'd forgotten all about Undercover: Dual Motives, the prequel to PC game Undercover: Operation Wintersun, because we haven't seen anything on it in so long. But how could we forget these gorgeous visuals? Sure, they'll probably be as static and stationary as the mounted moose head on Uncle Jim Bob's wall, but that doesn't make the game any less attractive. DS-X2 has a passel of new (and old) screens for your perusal if you need to re-whet the old appetite. And why would you need to? Because it seems the game, which was originally slated for March, will hit shelves next month. And you know we're all about adventure games. There's just something about all that pointing and clicking that makes us happy down to the very tips of our toes.
Jane Jensen's Gray Matter bumped to 2008
Jane Jensen's Gray Matter has been unexpectedly delayed from Q4 2007 to Q1 2008, according to a listing by publisher Anaconda. Gray Matter marks Jensen's return to her point-and-click roots after an extended hiatus (her acclaimed Gabriel Knight series ended in 1999) -- but apparently her return won't happen as soon as we'd hoped.In Gray Matter, players become both recluse widower Dr. David Styles and his part-time-street-performing assistant Samantha Everett, as the pair investigates the eerie results of their strange experiments. "Gray Matter tackles questions concerning the nature of reality and the power of the human mind in constructing the world we take for granted," promises Anaconda.[Via Blue's News]
Undercover: Dual Motives for your dual screens
Austrian developer Sproing's PC game, Undercover: Operation Wintersun, has just been released in Europe and now the company's announced a prequel for the Nintendo handheld. The new title, Undercover: Dual Motives, adds a second character in keeping with the "dual" theme. Secretary Audrey joins researcher-turned-spy Dr. John Russell in the investigative action title. The current game follows Dr. Russell as he investigates a German nuclear threat in 1943, and all we currently know is that the DS game will follow the good doctor in his early years. Like many upcoming DS games that feature dual heroes, you can switch back and forth easily between Audrey and Dr. Russell, and each will bring something unique to the mystery. "This opens up a lot of new possibilities for puzzle design in adventure games, which will make Undercover: Dual Motives a very special gaming experience not only for genre fans," said Sproing's creative director Harald Riegler. Sounds like they're trying to blend the best features of the interactive touchscreen with the fun of an action game. Toss in an interesting story and you've got a recipe for something that could be great. Undercover: Dual Motives is scheduled for release in March of 2007, starting in Germany.
