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HTC wants to bring back the arcade for its VR gear
HTC's high-end VR gear is expensive and takes up a fair amount of space that most people simply don't have. That's why the company is hoping to bring back the old-fashioned arcade in the hope of giving more people access to the future of gaming. At a VR developer conference, HTC announced that two popular titles are coming to Viveport Arcade, it's licensing platform enabling titles to be played in public spaces. It's hoped that the program will pave the way for businesses to create "thousands" of new arcades by the end of 2017.
Atari co-founder Nolan Bushnell launches a VR company
Atari's Nolan Bushnell is busier than ever these days -- in addition to his mobile game efforts, the video game pioneer is launching a virtual reality company. Modal VR is promising a combination of hardware and software that delivers high-end virtual experiences of the sort that make an HTC Vive or Oculus Rift seem like small potatoes. It's completely wireless, low latency (under 10 milliseconds) and accommodates multiple users in areas as large as 900,000 square feet. There are full body tracking suits, to boot. Instead of limiting you to sit-down or room-scale VR, developers could create immersive experiences that fill whole fields and warehouses.
Introducing the world's smallest way to play 'Donkey Kong'
Once upon a time, video games like Pac-Man and Donkey Kong were the absolute height of entertainment technology, imperfect pixels packed into six-foot-tall cabinets in arcades and pizza shops around the world. Now, those same games run on a machine that fits inside a teacup. Adafruit tinkerer Phillip Burgess created the world's smallest Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator cabinet using a Raspberry Pi Zero computer, 0.96 inch RGB OLED displays and an audio amplifier. It's fully playable and totally adorable.
How modern tech saved my 'Dragon's Lair' arcade game
In the early 1980s, the arcade was still the place to play the newest and best video games. Sure, consoles existed, and were just starting to give arcades a run for their money -- and were even starting to shed their wood-grain home-furniture look for a more modern feel. But home play still lacked the arcade's mystique. As attendance began to dwindle, game makers started looking for a hook; something incredible and new that would lure people back to the arcades to spend their quarters.
Korg adds '80s arcade game sounds to its iOS synth app
Korg's Gadget app for iOS has been providing access to and arsenal of synthesizer and drum machine sounds since 2014. With the latest update though, the company has added a new instrument that cranks up the nostalgia machine. Korg worked with Bandai Namco for the Kamata: an '80s-inspired synth that's based on those chiptune noises you remember from the likes of Pac-Man and Galaga. The Kamata virtual instrument even comes with an '80s look to the UI to complete the experience.
Razer's first US retail store is also an arcade
Console gaming killed the American arcade, but it's possible that PC gaming might be responsible for the resurrection. Razer is opening its first US-based retail store in San Francisco but it sounds more like the arcades of yore than a high-end retailer. The centerpiece of the 1,300 square foot, two level outlet is the 20 "gaming stations" where patrons are encouraged to "stay all day and play games." In addition, the company will support the local community with regular gaming competitions, which will be broadcast on the store's 16 x 9-foot video wall.
Building community through arcades and beer
It's springtime in downtown Phoenix, and Cobra Arcade Bar is open for business. Wednesday afternoon sunlight spills through two massive open windows at the front of the bar, illuminating silver tap handles, neon-splattered paintings from local artists and shiny black booths. Organizers from a nearby business set up shop on the front patio, preparing for a company event. Even in the middle of a weekday, Cobra hums with activity.
Atari Vault brings 100 classic games to Steam
At last, you now have a simple way to play hordes of classic Atari games on your PC without resorting to third-party emulators: as promised, the Atari Vault is now available on Steam. The Windows-only collection lets you play 100 arcade and Atari 2600 games, such as Asteroids and Crystal Castles, in an environment that strikes a balance between nostalgia (such as borders that mimic arcade cabinets) and modern-day conveniences. That includes online multiplayer play, worldwide leaderboards and advanced controller support -- Valve's Steam Controller will even mimic a trackball to give you a more authentic experience in Centipede or Tempest. The Vault costs $17 on launch (normally $20), so it's just inexpensive enough that you can relive the good old days without feeling regret afterwards.
World's first 'gamer hotel' opens in Amsterdam
The first hotel dedicated to serving gamers has opened for business in Amsterdam. The Arcade Hotel, as it is named, is located in the city's De Pijp area. Each of its 36 rooms include gratis consoles and games. Guests can also use loaner handhelds for multiplayer adventures in the hotel bar -- there's even a comic book library that you can peruse. And for those who actually do leave their rooms, the hotel also offers a fleet of borrowable bikes (because that's how real Amsterdamians get around).
Sony's new PSVR shooter is a rollercoaster ride of horror
"When we announced this, we saw a 50/50 split among the fan base," said Simon Harris of Until Dawn: Rush of Blood, Supermassive Games' recently announced virtual reality shooter. The title, which debuted at Paris Games Week, is an extension of the PlayStation 4 exclusive released last August. The reason for the mixed reaction? Although its predecessor is an intense interactive drama, Rush of Blood is an on-rails arcade shooter (think House of the Dead or Time Crisis). Fans of the original want more drama, more Until Dawn, and this clearly isn't more of the same. But after playing a brief session of Rush of Blood and talking to Harris about the studio's plans, I'm convinced Supermassive knows what it's doing.
'Asteroids' travels to the Cold War and beyond in 'VEC9'
Asteroids is the quintessential vector arcade game, featuring a stark black background and simple, geometric images representing spaceships, bullets and floating bits of space rock. Now, that visual genre gets a modern upgrade in VEC9, a 3D vector arcade game about a cryogenically frozen USSR pilot who awakens 30 years after the fall of the Soviet Union and assumes the American military violently overthrew his country's reign. The pilot's mission is to attack major American cities in a spaceship outfitted with a giant laser and a chain gun, as Motherboard describes. VEC9 creators and tech tinkerers Andrew Reitano, Michael Dooley and Todd Bailey created a big, blinking cabinet for VEC9, complete with a massive controller that Motherboard says was originally designed for an M1 Abrams tank. The whole VEC9 shebang -- including retro-styled full-motion video cutscenes -- will be on display at Chicago's Logan Arcade starting November 7th.
Vintage video games and hardware
This afternoon I visited Buy and Sell Kings, on Danforth Ave in Toronto. It is amazing.They have pretty much every historic video game console you could name for sale, and rafts of games for them all. Some particular gems were Atari VCS, Neo-Geo, Sega Game Gear, Colecovision and even a Panasonic 3DO. It was quite a treat.Here is a walk-through:And a shot of the Neo Geo Arcade machine they had for sale:And some still photos I took:
Beloved London arcade rescued by gamer donations after burglary
Earlier this week, the independent London arcade Heart of Gaming was burgled. Thieves took over £5,000 worth of consoles, games and accessories, leaving the owners understandably crestfallen. The arcade is best-known for its retro cabinets, but those responsible were interested in the latest hardware and software instead. Police are now investigating, but instead of dwelling on their misfortune staff have been asking the community for help. And boy, are they helping. A GoFundMe campaign looking to raise the lost £5,000 has already smashed its target after a single day. In an age where UK arcades are a rarity, it's nice to see players banding together to help one during its time of need.
'Mortal Kombat' and 'NBA Jam' documentary needs your help
In the 1990s, one name ruled the arcade scene: Midway Games. From Mortal Kombat to NBA Jam, Revolution X, NARC and San Francisco Rush, you knew what you were going to get when you popped a few quarters into a cabinet: fast, loud, aggressive games. But what's the story behind those titles? How did the studio come to practically dominate an entire sector of gaming? That's what Josh Tsui, co-founder of Chicago-based game developer Robomodo, wants to tell you with his new documentary, Insert Coin: Inside Midway's 90s Revolution.
Supercade: inside the Louvre of arcade museums
Most museums don't stimulate your senses with an onslaught of sounds and blinking lights. They definitely do not accept quarters as payment to fully enjoy the artwork. Despite this, the Supercade is a museum that takes great pains to restore one of the most important moments in video game history: the arcade. Owner Van Burnham's collection of pre-1989 games are meticulously rebuilt and maintained in a climate-controlled environment. If you've ever sided up to a video game cabinet, placed a quarter on the seam between the controls and the monitor and uttered the words, "next game," this is your Louvre.
'Mortal Kombat X' and the comedy of violence
Mortal Kombat is synonymous with violence -- hell, it's baked into the franchise's name. But despite how increasingly gruesome the series has become with each successive release throughout its 23-year history, it hasn't lost sight of keeping the tone light as a counterbalance. Whether that's a head popping up saying, "Toasty!" in falsetto after a particularly brutal uppercut, or turning an opponent into a crying baby that slips on a puddle of frozen urine at the end of a match, humor is just as intrinsic to the game as its bloodshed. What the series delivers is cartoony, over-the-top violence akin to the B-movie horror of something like Peter Jackson's Dead Alive. Fatalities, Mortal Kombat's signature, end-of-match moves, are shockingly gory, for sure, but somehow developer NetherRealm keeps the game from feeling like torture porn. "We're not out trying to make Saw or a horror film," says NetherRealm Lead Designer John Edwards. "We don't take ourselves too seriously."
Play 'Space Invaders' for charity while waiting in Swedish airports
Take a mind journey with us: You step off of an international flight and walk to the baggage claim areas in Sweden's Stockholm Arlanda Airport or Göteborg Landvetter Airport. You're tired, you're waiting for your luggage, and you have a pocketful of foreign coins. Usually, you'd drop them off in the Red Cross donation box, which takes any type of currency, and you'd continue standing, waiting. Now, the Swedish Red Cross and Swedavia Swedish Airports have turned those donation boxes into classic arcade cabinets -- drop in any currency from any country and start playing Pac-Man, Galaga or Space Invaders before grabbing your bags. It's better than letting those coins collect dust, and classic video games have been scientifically proven* to help travelers shake off that "I've been sitting for 18 hours" look.
Atari pioneer Steve Bristow passes away
Steve Bristow, who Nolan Bushnell called one of the world's most powerful gaming pioneers, has died, according to Atari historian Marty Goldberg. Bristow was an early Atari employee who helped birth the Atari 2600 (originally called the Atari Video computer System, or VCS) back in 1977. The pioneering home console was one of the first to use a microprocessor and game cartridges, and sold over 10 million copies by 1982. Bristow also headed Atari's coin-op arcade division during its heyday and helped develop classic games like Tank and Breakout. If you enjoyed the original games or remakes, why not hoist a drink to the man who built them (and his magnificent muttonchops)?
North American Tetris player achieves Grand Master rank
Tetris wizard and Twitch streamer KevinDDR has reached the notoriously difficult-to-achieve Grand Master ranking in Arika's Tetris: The Grand Master 3, becoming the first player in North America to receive the honor. An archive of the event as it happened is available here. To be considered for the Grand Master Promotional Exam, players must achieve a "GM"-quality rank during the majority of their last several Master mode playthroughs. GM rank demands that players fulfill many difficult requirements and reach the game's maximum drop speed level by clearing several dozen lines in under seven minutes. During the Promotional Exam, a Grand Master in training must complete one final challenge: playing a minute's worth of Tetris atop a credit scroll with pieces that turn invisible when dropped. Grand Master rank has previously been achieved by only five players in Japan, and KevinDDR is the first Tetris devotee in the United States to join the elite. His skills were showcased during the Awesome Games Done Quick 2015 charity marathon earlier this year.
TapBoom! game literally keeps you tapping and booming
TapBoom is a rare game in that the title pretty much explains the entire story. You have a square and you have a line. The line moves quickly toward the square and then past it. When the line is at all touching the square, tap the screen. If you're too early or too late, you lose. Otherwise, tapping while both are touching causes the square to rapidly explode into a series of blue squares in celebration. Tap. Boom. That's seriously the whole game. It's free for iPhone and iPad and requires iOS 8.0 or later. The design of TapBoom stays as bare bones as possible. It's a black background with white text and shapes. The end. The only shred of color present in the app reveals itself if you're successful at tapping the screen with perfect timing - the "boom" part of TapBoom. Don't even try to predict the app and build up skill using muscle memory. The first three levels are a natural progression from a slow-moving line to fast-moving. After that, the speed of the line and the placement of the square completely varies. Level six could have the line moving at lightning speed while seven brings it to a slow crawl, which is a huge throw-off. When you tap at the wrong time, the game is over. There's no turning back, sorry. TapBoom keeps track of your score and your high score. If you tap anywhere on the "Game Over!" screen, your very last move fades in. This allows you to stare directly at your mistake indefinitely, which is what I always love to do during my spare time. There's no real multiplayer mode in TapBoom either, at least outside of the Game Center integration with achievements and challenges for other friends. What's incredible is that out of all the players, the all-time high score according to Game Center is only 34. That's how difficult this game is. The simplicity of TapBoom is fantastic for luring you in though. If you download it, chances are you might be addicted for a while. It's not so difficult that it's frustrating. Rather, the pace of the game is so fast that it's easy to get lost in the cycle of replaying it just to keep trying for a new high score. The gameplay and design both remind me a bit of Circle, in which the object is to keep tapping so the circle never touches the line it surrounds. It saw moderate success in the App Store, so if you enjoyed that title you might benefit from giving TapBoom a try. The difference is TapBoom's rounds come in short bursts and aren't continuous. Overall, the game has a significant amount of the right ingredients to be solid, addictive, but not overly frustrating or difficult. It has no in-app purchases either and only a small banner ad at the bottom that stays out of the way. TapBoom is a completely free title available universally for iOS in the App Store.
