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Pro gaming tournament will ask attendees to open fight sticks
Following the shooting that occurred last month during a Madden 19 tournament in Jacksonville, Florida, a number of tournament organizers said they planned to beef up security at their upcoming events. Additional safety measures would include metal detectors, more thorough searches of attendees as well as a heavier law enforcement presence. But later, the SoCal Regionals tournament took its new security measures to another level, saying attendees would need to unlatch or unscrew their arcade sticks for inspection upon entry.
Facebook makes it easier to find and support game streamers
Facebook hasn't been shy about its plans to challenge game streaming services like Twitch, Mixer and YouTube Gaming, and it's taking that effort to its next logical step. The social site recently started testing a dedicated gaming video portal (appropriately shortened to fb.gg) that highlights both live and pre-recorded footage based on the games, creators, pages and groups you follow. It'll also put the spotlight on eSports competitions and game-related events, and mobile gamers will see a section for Instant Games. The experience will no doubt seem familiar if you've used rival services, but it's hard to complain when you can find a Fortnite stream that much faster.
SXSW removes Gamergate panel from online harassment day
The organizers of South by Southwest have been dealing with significant backlash after cancelling a panel dedicated to overcoming the rampant harassment culture that has cropping up around video games in the last few years. Today, SXSW has confirmed that the previously-cancelled "Level Up: Overcoming Harassment in Games" session will be part of its March 12th Online Harassment summit. That summit was created following swift negative feedback over SXSW's decision to cancel the Level Up panel after it received threats of on-site violence. It also announced that it's moving a pro-Gamergate panel off of the online harassment day, as the panel doesn't directly deal with harassment.
Sabertron: a foam lightsaber game that finally proves who's got the most midi-chlorians
Chances are you've clutched a lightsaber or two in your time, whether that be an inexpensive imitation of the iconic Jedi weapon, or a deluxe model. You may even be a veteran duelist, but unless you're willing to commit murder with a Star Wars toy (or, someone else could just score the bout, we guess), then the dance always ends with no true victor. If you think that something with a name like Sabertron can't solve this dilemma, then these aren't the swords you're looking for. Just launched on Kickstarter, the idea of Sabertron is pretty simple: foam sword, electronics to detect blows, LED scoreboard above the grip. The current prototype uses an Arduino board with accelerometer to register hits, with Xbee handling the wireless connection so swords know when they've merely collided, and when to shut off LEDs after an opponent's successful strike. Also, a control panel and screen built into the grip lets you pick between different game modes for one-on-one combat. During the year, LevelUp intends to created a chest/back mounted scoreboard with proximity detection that'll allow for multiplayer battles, with other accessories for the Sabertron range expected later. While it's aimed at Star Wars fans and live-action role players primarily, only a fun-sponge would be incapable of enjoying a few rounds of Alliance vs Empire with a buddy. And, with early bird pledges of $99 getting you a pair, breaking the will of Jedi scum doesn't have to break the bank.
Daily Roundup: LG G2 hands-on, Sony's RX100 Mark II, Oculus Rift's new CTO, and more!
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Level UP: inside Chicago's mall-based teen makerspace
In 1947, the Tucker Car Corporation opened shop at the Dodge Chicago Plant, the one-time world's largest building located on the city's southwest side, a stone's throw from Midway Airport. Half a decade before, construction workers lovingly nicknamed the site "Hitler's Headache," a title it earned for being the birthplace of most of the engines for World War II's B-29 bombers. After Tucker's notoriously brief tenure, Ford took over, again devoting the massive structure to the construction of military aircraft, this time for the Korean War. Look to the left of the entrance when you arrive at Level UP's subterranean storefront, and you'll spot a model of Tucker's 1948 Sedan sitting atop a glass case. Jackie Moore keeps the little burgundy Tucker "Torpedo" for some small sense of history of the space her program occupies. "You know they made these right here," she explains, holding a plastic version of Tucker's stillborn dream. "All 51 of them." Level UP is located in the basement beneath the food court of the Ford City Mall, a sprawling shopping center that opened up on the lot in 1965, borrowing its name from the third car company to take up residence here. Once upon a time, these underground tunnels housed cafeterias and machine classes for factory workers. These days, however, this particular wing stands more as a testament to the state of the American shopping mall in the early 21st century. Down here, there's a hairstylist and shop devoted to eastern herbal remedies, but not much else to speak of beyond employee locker rooms and several empty storefronts. Moore apologizes for the mess when we first arrive. It's clearly a well-loved space, with various tools of the trade scattered all over the tables and floor. Nearly every wall in the converted storefront is papered with writing -- charts, diagrams and instructions for tinkering with electronics. In the middle of the space is a strange four-wheeled vehicle, with exposed circuitry and a small chute with a spinning wheel that sends Frisbees flying at high speeds. On a nearby table sits a huge orange Pac-Man-shaped cutout on wheels and a nearly finished CNC machine. There are a number of deconstructed Roomba-like iRobot open-source platforms, including two that serve as the base for anthropomorphic banana and grape characters built from PVC piping that are, admittedly, a bit worse for wear. Toward the front, beneath the Tucker Torpedo, is a glass case loaded with trophies and certificates from competitions with names like Botball, all testaments to the work that goes on here. Jackie Moore has devoted this space and her life to teaching kids how to build robots.
Daily iPhone App: Beastie Bay is Kairosoft's addictive take on Pokemon
There are a few words in gaming that, whenever I hear or read them, just make the hair on the back of my neck stand up in anticipation. "Blizzard." "Civilization." "Puzzle Quest." And I would say that it's time to add "Kairosoft" to that list, because the Tokyo-based developer's mobile games are some of the most addictive titles I've ever played. I've lost hours and hours to great games like Game Dev Story and Grand Prix Story, and I've been scared to even play Dungeon Village for fear of what the Kairosoft formula of perfectly paced and rewarding strategy gameplay combined with a fantasy RPG setting might do to my already busy life. Now, the company has released a new game called Beastie Bay, which takes Kairosoft's extremely addictive earn / upgrade / "earn more" cycle and pairs it with another addictive gaming theme: Collecting and upgrading beasts, a la Pokemon. Like all of Kairosoft's other titles, this game uses their older mobile engine, so the graphics and menus aren't all that impressive. But also like all of Kairosoft's other titles, the gameplay is just so spot on. As you build facilities for your pets and helpers, take them out to battle, find new pets and then build more facilities for those pets and new helpers, you too will likely get caught up in the mania of "just one more turn" that these games tend to bring on. The beast-collecting twist is a definite lift from Nintendo's powerhouse franchise, but it's done in a very Kairosoft way, designed so that you're always winning and growing rather than simply grinding away in the tall grass. The other difference here from Kairosoft's past titles is that this game is definitely free-to-play. It features ads prominently (though they can be removed with a one-time US$4.99 purchase), and there are in-app purchases for in-game currency. But I think that change will allow even more people to see what Kairosoft can do on mobile, so I think the switch to F2P will be a good thing for the company. Kairosoft's games are already extremely addictive, and I can't really recommend Beastie Bay highly enough. Someday, if the company finally embraces iOS as a native platform, they'll more or less be unstoppable.
LevelUp unveils payment docks that take both NFC and QR codes, leave out the guesswork
Most stores accepting mobile payments usually have to take just one format, whether it's Google Wallet, Square or another flavor that you probably can't use. LevelUp is convinced you shouldn't have to choose platforms: it just revealed a new payment dock that will recognize both the company's existing QR code system as well as NFC. It's much easier sight on the eyes than typical NFC terminals, to boot. Just don't expect a one-for-one recreation of systems like Google Wallet or Isis. Rather than expose your banking details by holding them in a chip, LevelUp's NFC is just used to move the transaction along -- if it's used to get things started, shoppers can either switch to a QR code or complete the transaction with a second tap. The company is mostly planning to replace its existing payment points across the US with the NFC-aware models. Bluetooth 4.0 is an option for the future, however, which could make LevelUp even more of a Swiss Army Knife for the world of mobile commerce.
Cataclysm Beta: New level up UI video
One of my favorite user interface changes in Cataclysm are the new level up features. A huge complaint over WoW's lifetime has been that players must go back to a trainer to see if they had learned any new skills or ranks of skills, or check a website such as WoWhead to find out their skills. Not anymore! We previously gave you a peek at the new changes to the level up notifications. The new level up interface announces bold and clear your level, and then gives a list above your character of the new skills, talent points and other relevant information. Since skill ranks are gone, you won't have to worry about training those over your leveling experience, and new abilities will come more spaced out. Take a look at the video we have captured for you guys, and marvel at how a nice, neat, new UI change can make all the difference in the leveling game. Notice how the game now alerts you to your new level, abilities gained at that level, features unlocked like battlegrounds and your new talent points. Cataclysm is really shaping up to be an awesome expansion, and adding even more polish to an already smooth experience. If you're looking for more content like the video above, WoW.com has an ever-growing YouTube channel with lots of great content from Cataclysm and more! Subscribe for all of the latest videos. It's getting exciting around here with tons of information about the new expansion all over the place, and we don't want you to miss a minute of it!
The Daily Grind: What's your most rewarding reward effect?
MMOs have to work to influence the player's perception on quite subtle levels. When a player gets a reward of some sort, there's often a visual and/or auditory cue. It's good psychology to make sure that getting the reward is itself a rewarding experience, so that players feel accomplished as well as knowing consciously that their character is now better off.Take, for example, the silvery ching of looting coins in, well, practically any game that you get to loot coins in. Or the pyrotechnic eruption, visible by everyone, when a character levels up in City of Heroes. Or the brash fanfare of a level-up in Warhammer Online. It's hardly coincidence that the universal slang for 'I just levelled up!' is 'ding!' - the bright, satisfying auditory signal that accompanies achievement. In short, games are full of flashes, whistles and bells designed to make you feel really good about what just happened, and more importantly, make you want to do it again.But which reward effects, major or minor, are the ones you like most? This blogger has a soft spot for the level 50 'ding' in City of Heroes, which has an accompanying fireworks display as well as the usual light show. Are there any that strike you as really satisfying? Conversely, are there any flat let-downs that really don't deliver? (Age of Conan leveling, I'm looking at you...)
NPD to withhold hardware sales numbers from media
Over at Newsweek's Level Up blog, N'Gai Croal is reporting that the NPD will start withholding more info this month from those who aren't paying (read: the media). Most crushingly, the group says it will no longer release monthly console sales numbers and will only release the top five in software, rather than the top 10 we're used to. These numbers will eventually be available on a quarterly and annual basis. Console makers can still release the data themselves (and you can bet they will if it makes them look good) but that's not a guarantee.It's bad news for both journalists like us who like to pass that information on to you and those who follow the numbers like they were sports scores. Now listen, forum kids and comments flamers, we know we've had a rocky relationship in the past, but we're going to need each other to get through this. Come, let your tears fall on our shoulders.
