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Respawn teases realistic VR warfare on Oculus Rift
Respawn Entertainment might be going back to its historic stomping grounds. In virtual reality. A quick tease from the Oculus Connect stage revealed that the team that made Call of Duty is working on what very well may be a VR take on wars of the past. Studio director Peter Hirschmann writes that it isn't Titanfall in VR, nor is it related to Star Wars, the game Respawn is working on for EA. "We really want to depict being a soldier in combat in a more fully fleshed-out and realistic way," CEO Vince Zampella says in the video below. No other details are available (not even a name) but the clip ends with a big "2019." Respawn has had a Rift development kit since at least 2013, so that could very well be a realistic release window.
Play 'Lawbreakers' for free on PC this weekend
It hasn't been two months since team shooter Lawbreakers launched in early August and the game is inviting players to try it for free on PC this weekend, starting today. That's likely because the PC playerbase is dismal, peaking at 161 players total over the last 24 hours according to Steam's charts. But if you play and like it, the game's studio Boss Key Productions is knocking 25 percent off the cover price to keep you onboard.
Play spot the difference with ASUS' ROG Strix gaming laptops
Gamers are a broad and diverse community, and treating them all as the single customer with a single set of needs isn't smart. That's why ASUS is trying to break the one-size-fits-all mold with its ROG Strix edition laptops, which it initially showed off earlier this year. The two devices, the Scar and Hero editions, are designed to cater specifically to both FPS and MOBA players, respectively.
Razer's FPS-oriented mouse comes with a thumb 'clutch'
Razer's Basilisk, a high-DPI mouse meant for first-person shooter gaming, has an interesting new gimmick: a clutch. Positioned for your thumb, it lets you press and hold it to do tasks like change the DPI for more speed (the default setting), pick up items or push-to-talk. That should let you multitask a bit better while still firing a weapon or maneuvering.
ASUS' new ROG Strix gaming laptop is built for FPS players
ASUS' IFA welcome mat is scattered with laptops, and it's not just more slender ZenBooks. The company's gaming arm, ROG, has recast its Strix gaming laptop in two different editions, each dedicated to a different type of game. First up, the SCAR edition, which was built for first-person shooter gamers "looking for a competitive edge". That edge involves the newest eighth-generation Intel Core i7 processors, and NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 10 in the way of graphical might. You'll be staring into either a 15-inch or 17-inch screen, with a 5ms response time and smooth 120Hz refresh rates. ROG says this will eliminate motion blur, while also contradicting itself and teasing an even smoother 144Hz, 7ms display option also in the works.
‘Quake Champions’ isn’t finished, but you can play it August 22nd
Been green with envy over your pals playing the Quake Champions closed beta? Time to stop being jealous and start working on your rocket jumping because the classic shooter's revival is moving to Steam's Early Access on August 22nd, where everyone can play. Now, there was an open beta during E3, but that was a limited-time deal. To celebrate, publisher Bethesda is knocking 25 percent off the Champions Pack, bringing the price down to $29.99.
Deathmatches are coming to 'Overwatch'
It's been a pretty big week for Overwatch. First came the introduction of the second annual Summer Games event, then the announcement that two new professional teams are joining the Overwatch League. Now, in an attempt to keep those good times rolling, Jeff Kaplan from the Overwatch Team has shared news of something that we thought we'd never see: a new Deathmatch mode.
'LawBreakers' open beta runs all weekend on PC and PS4
We've had a few cracks at LawBreakers, the futuristic cops vs. robbers game from Gears of War creator Cliff Bleszinski and Boss Key Productions, but now anyone can play on PC and PS4. An open beta test runs until 10 AM ET Monday morning, which should be plenty of time to see if it's a worthy competitor to the likes of Overwatch. There are some new wrinkles in this beta test like direct integration with Twitch and the PS4 version is tweaked for better play on the console, so go ahead and dive in (after checking out a few tutorials) before the game officially launches on August 8th.
'Call of Duty' goes back to what it does best: historic warfare
After Infinite Warfare, I was ready to give up on Call of Duty. I just didn't think the futuristic space setting was very compelling and couldn't bring myself to finish the campaign. Just when I thought I was out though, Sledgehammer Games has pulled me back in. For the next installment of the franchise, the title is going back to its roots: World War II in Europe. To me, the historical Call of Duty games are the best ones, and this year's installment looks very promising.
'Battlefield 1' DLC adds a playable female soldier class
By turning the clocks back to World War 1, DICE has created arguably one of the best games in the Battlefield series. Now, with Battlefield 1's latest DLC, the developer is using our tragic past to drag its franchise kicking and screaming into the 21st century. Taking inspiration from Russia's infamous 1917 military unit, The Women's Battalion of Death, this summer's 'In the Name of the Tsar' expansion introduces a female soldier class to Battlefield for the first time. As you'd expect from a unit with such an intimidating name, these soldiers were pretty badass, taking over 200 prisoners as they fought valiantly on the Western Front. The new multiplayer class these real world soldiers have inspired is called the Russian Scout -- and that's all that we know so far. EA has said it will reveal more information about the Russian Scout at E3, alongside the new maps that fan can expect from the upcoming expansion.
Bloody sci-fi shooter 'Strafe' lands on PS4 and PC in May
Strafe is a lovely little homage to classic games like Doom or Quake -- it's built to feel like a first-person shooter from 1996 but features modern mechanics, updated graphics and buckets of blood. We got our hands on the game during E3 2016 and had a blast shooting space monsters in the face. Everyone will have a chance to do the same on May 9th, when Strafe lands on PlayStation 4, PC and Mac.
'Overwatch' boasts over 25 million players
Last we'd heard, online shooter Overwatch had 15 million players. A little over three months later, and that number's gone up by quite a bit. Developer Blizzard has just announced that the current count has crossed 25 million across PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. It's pretty impressive and given all the moves Blizzard has made (announcing an eSports incubator, frequent seasonal events and doling out additional characters for free) perhaps it isn't surprising that the number of players is growing. Now, if some of them would actually help move the payload we'd really be in business.
The OmniWear Arc is a haptic neckband for serious gamers
There's a lot to keep track of in a game like Counter-Strike. You need to know your location, where your teammates are, your ammo supply and most importantly -- where your enemies are. With all these sights and sounds coming at you, it's easy to miss something, which is why OmniWear is looking to offload some of that cognitive load to another sense: touch. The Arc neckband, launching on Kickstarter today, vibrates to let you know where your opponents lurk, ensuring you don't miss a thing.
'Superhot VR' feels like a time bending, action-packed puzzle
Earlier this year, Superhot launched on PC and consoles with a fresh gameplay gimmick: Time only moves when you move. This simple idea turned the fast-paced action of an FPS shooter into an odd, methodical, and tense puzzle game where players could stop in their tracks to think their way around a barrage of incoming bullets. It's incredibly fun on traditional gaming platforms -- but it's even better in virtual reality.
Russia's free, PC multiplayer Halo game has been cancelled
Remember that Halo game you heard about that wasn't launching in North America? Well, now it's not launching anywhere. Halo Online was originally intended to be a free, multiplayer game designed exclusively for the Russian market. Despite launching a closed beta in its target market, the project's staff has announced that Halo Online is no more. The game has been cancelled.
Spotify Gaming puts your favorite soundtracks in one place
Video game soundtracks hold a pretty special place in the Engadget Gaming crew's heart. Whether it's a collection of painstakingly curated licensed tracks a la Hotline Miami or wholly original compositions from Austin Wintory or Jesper Kyd, the right music can make a good game great and an excellent one even better. Spotify recognizes this too and is launching a new subsection dedicated to gaming music. The new collection brings everything under one category now (finding gaming stuff was a bit messy before), works across pretty much every platform and even includes chiptune stuff from the '80s.
PS VR Aim Controller promises 1:1 precision for virtual shooters
The PlayStation VR headset might not be the only new PS4 accessory you're grabbing this fall, as Sony unveiled this add-on for use with the game Farpoint. The PS VR Aim Controller picks up where the PlayStation Move shooting attachment and Sharp Shooter left off a few years ago, promising direct 1:1 tracking -- wherever you point the controller, your in-game gun points the same way. Farpoint is a PS VR exclusive and developer Impulse Gear is already claiming it enables "things in Farpoint that just are not possible in a standard FPS game." We'll hopefully have a chance to judge that on the E3 show floor this week, but first you can check out a trailer below.
The creators of 'Doom' and 'Quake' reveal a new sci-fi shooter
John Romero and Adrian Carmack helped found id Software in 1991, and by 1993 the studio had changed the video game world forever. That's when id released Doom, a genre-defining first-person shooter, and it was followed by Quake, another classic FPS, in 1996. Today, Romero and Carmack are back with Blackroom, a new FPS set in a future where lifelike holographic reality is the norm, but it's being overrun with sinister visions. The game stars Dr. Santiago Sonora, an engineer at the massive holographic company, Hoxar, as he investigates irregularities in the Blackroom military training system.
Coder brings 'Counter-Strike' to Android
To be successful at Counter-Strike, you need tremendous reflexes and hand-eye coordination. That's why the shooter has always thrived on PC, where players can use tricked out monitors, keyboards and mice. On the flip side, if there's one platform that's ill-suited for the game, it has to be Android. Still, that hasn't stopped one plucky developer from making a port anyway. It's based on Counter-Strike 1.6 -- Global Offensive will have to wait -- and requires not only a copy of the original game, but also some technical trickery. If you're up to the challenge, you can grab the APK here.
Twitch offers a close look at first-person film 'Hardcore Henry'
Hardcore Henry is basically a mix of Jason Bourne, Captain America and Call of Duty. It's an action epic about a man who wakes from near-death in a futuristic laboratory and with no memory of his past. Minutes after regaining consciousness, he embarks on a dangerous mission to save his kidnapped wife from a warlord who plans to create genetically engineered super soldiers. The entire movie is shot in a first-person perspective, directly from Henry's point of view. This perspective twist certainly sounds interesting -- and you can get a closer look at it on Wednesday, February 10th, live on Twitch.
