Sony Computer Entertainment head of Worldwide Studios Shuhei Yoshida is a big Oculus Rift fan, it turns out. “We’ve got a couple of the development kits, and I tried it out and I love it,” he told us in an interview this morning at E3 2013. Whether the PlayStation 4 will support it is another question. “No, it doesn’t,” Yoshida told us. Not yet, that is.
When we asked whether the company’s planning on offering support in the future, he only offered a “No comment” with a big smile. The picture of the retail Oculus Rift is potentially a bit clearer now, especially given this week’s addition of an HD version of the headset. We’ll be sure to keep on Sony about Oculus support on the PlayStation 4 as the year goes on.
Creative is no stranger to the gaming headset scene, but it operates in a verycrowdedfield — it needs more than just big earcups and a mic to stand out. The company’s new Sound Blaster EVO line of Bluetooth headsets may do the trick. Both the EVO Zx (40mm drivers) and EVO ZxR (50mm drivers) have the same Sound Blaster Axx processing as the company’s sound cards, which lets them clean up low-grade audio and fine-tune effects through desktop and mobile apps. They’ll also pair quickly with NFC-based devices, and players can still switch to a headphone jack or USB port when only wired sound will do. Creative hasn’t dished out US launch details, but it expects to ship the EVO Zx to the UK in July for £200 ($313), followed by the EVO ZxR in August for £250 ($392). Those willing to live Axx-free can also buy the EVO Wireless and EVO in July at respective prices of £150 ($235) and £100 ($157).
“We have a product for people who aren’t able to get some form of connectivity,” explained Xbox chief Don Mattrick. “It’s called Xbox 360.”
With those snarky words, Microsoft lost E3. That much was clear as soon as Sony’s press conference started. And it’s not because the Xbox One is a bad system. If we ignore Microsoft’s terrible marketing and judge the Xbox One objectively, it’s a fine system – a home entertainment system built for the future that should provide an unparalleled user experience.
But damn it, Microsoft: stop being a jerk.
Don Mattrick, the head of Xbox at Microsoft, explained to GameTrailers that Microsoft built a system that’s future-proof and if you don’t like it, there’s another option: the eight-year-old Xbox 360.
This is Microsoft’s stance and the company doesn’t care if you complain. That message came through loud and clear during the company’s E3 press conference. Take it or leave it. Microsoft doesn’t care. They know they’ll sell millions of boxes and a group of vociferous web trolls won’t change that – or will they?
Microsoft has a reason to be cocky. The Xbox 360 rules the living room, and has set the standard for media streaming devices in the home. There have been hiccups and mistakes along the way, but overall the Xbox 360 is a fantastic system. Microsoft baked in the best of the Xbox 360 into the Xbox One, that much is apparent. However, after years of piracy and the embarrassment of briefly backing the wrong physical media platform, the company is now working on the assumption that you don’t deserve an Xbox One if you’re not connected to the Internet. It’s a fair assumption – the target market already has broadband – but there are still plenty of reasons someone doesn’t want the One to phone home every 24 hours.
The Xbox One has the potential to outsell the PS4. It has the potential of being a better investment for the casual and hardcore gamer alike. It has the potential to seamlessly bring the best of the Internet and TV to the living room.
Look at it this way: The Xbox One is an always-connected device that interfaces with subscription TV. It’s also a portal to a person’s Windows’ ecosystem, bringing the most popular computing platform on Earth to the main screen in the house. It’s a gaming system, a cable guide, a Skype machine, and a media streaming box that you can talk to. And as David Pierce explains on The Verge, the Kinect could usher in a new dimension of gaming. It’s the most pure all-in-one home entertainment system ever built.
But Microsoft went too far.
The Xbox One treats every owner as a potential thief. By nearly requiring a broadband Internet connection to check a game’s DRM, the Xbox One is locked to a living room. Forget about rigging up a system for a long road trip. Forget about taking the system to the family cabin or grandma’s house. Without broadband Internet, the Xbox One is useless.
This always-connected scheme is even scarier when updates are considered. Microsoft will essentially be able to remotely control all these systems and push updates unbeknownst to the owner. But it gets worse: The Xbox One doesn’t work without Kinect, which is always on as well. Xbox One owners cannot trade or easily sell back games. The console is worthy of a mention in a George Orwell novel.
These downsides put Microsoft in a powerful position with game publishers. It’s all about making money and selling systems. It guarantees that games will not be pirated, theoretically putting them at ease and more likely to publish exclusives on the Xbox One. But once you put making money above the user, you start down a slippery slope.
Then there’s the PS4.
As Sony stated loudly and clearly at the PlayStation 4 press conference, the system doesn’t require games check-in online. Games can be traded like baseball cards. The system doesn’t require an Internet connection.
Best yet, indies can self-publish on the PS4.
Sony won E3 by being the anti-Microsoft. The Xbox One has ridiculous DRM and all Sony had to do is state that the PS4 takes a familiar, old-school approach to gaming. It’s just a new PlayStation. Nothing more.
The Xbox One launch is a marketing disaster even though the product itself is solid. Forgive the hyperbole, but every time Microsoft makes a statement, the hole gets deeper. But at the very least Microsoft isn’t hiding anything. There shouldn’t be anymore surprises. Hopefully.
Nyko’s PlayPad Pro controllers make gaming on Android much less painful, as anyone who has attempted to control a high-speed Sonic with a touchscreen can attest. So, how does the company follow up a largely successful peripheral that already performs its appointed tasks with aplomb? By changing very little, it appears. The PlayPad Pro 2 has a slightly sleeker and more aggressive design than its predecessor, but at a glance it may be hard to tell the two apart. The most distintive change is the addition of fins along the sides that should help keep your hands from getting too sweaty during extended button-mashing sessions. The biggest change, though, is to the analog sticks, which Nyko has upgraded with components from Alps that feel just about as good as what you’d find on a first-party controller from one of the big three console makers. Switching between HID, mouse, iCade and app modes is also incredibly easy thanks to the switch underneath.
The rubberized grips and soft-touch coating also ooze style in a way that many mobile gaming controllers can’t even dream of matching. Impressively, the gamepad is quite well balanced, despite being incredibly light. Though we don’t have an official weight, it’s certainly no heavier than the original. Our lone complaint is that the directional pad feels a bit stiff, but there’s always a chance for Nyko to rectify the situation since we were only handling prototype hardware. The PlayPad Pro 2 will be out later this year for $40. Make sure you check out the gallery below and the PR after the break.
There’s plenty to look at around the E3 show floor this year, but few if any of the shiny new products have actually been to space. Pretty sad, if you ask us. Thankfully, SpaceX was on hand, showing off one of its Dragon capsules in the parking lot of the Los Angeles Convention Center. The unit that was on display was the first to reach the ISS, bringing along some sundries for the crew, but nothing particularly vital — after all, it was a sort of test run.
All went well, and the unit landed in the Pacific Ocean, within five kilometers of the company’s calculations. Not too shabby. Of course, the thing burnt to a crisp in the process, with a marshmallow-like blackening of its edges (which is pretty evident in the gallery below). We couldn’t get too close, sadly, due to the protective ropes bearing a “Don’t Pet the Dragon” sign. After all, we don’t want any showgoers turning into the Fantastic Four.
The next-gen consolewar is truly on and E3 is the battleground. As IGN found out, though, fighting spirits have extended beyond the walls of the Los Angeles Convention Center, where Android console-makers OUYA and the ESA (which runs E3) are embroiled in an ongoing tussle. It started when OUYA decided to attend E3 “on its own terms,” setting up a stand in a parking lot opposite the Expo to attract attention without paying E3 fees. The ESA responded by renting its own parking spaces and using trucks to obscure OUYA’s stand. But for every patch, a hack is soon to follow, and OUYA then rented additional spaces in front of the trucks to put up some banners. The ESA then called the cops, who turned up on their monster Segways to see what was what. After checking OUYA’s permits, the LAPD were satisfied nothing illegal was going on and split. Apparently, OUYA founder Julie Uhrman has contacted the ESA to talk it out, but hasn’t received a response. Perhaps the association is too busy planning its next attack, but Uhrman is prepared: “If ten more trucks show up, we’ll come up with another idea. I have a few up my sleeve.”
Did you think the Xbox 360 was being kept around just for the budget market? It turns out Microsoft’s got another sort of customer in mind for the revamped last-gen hardware: the crews of nuclear submarines. Xbox chief Don Mattrick, in response to the backlash over the Xbox One requiring an internet connection, said that “fortunately, we have a product for people who aren’t able to get some form of connectivity, it’s called Xbox 360.” As an example, he referred to a crew member on a nuclear submarine, who would be better off with the 360, as it’s an “offline device.” The full quotes are after the break, along with the video — oh, and Sony’s message to submarine crews too.
In keeping with its propensity toward acronymed products, Mad Catz today showed off its F.R.E.Q. 4D headphones. The peripherals are notable for a couple of reasons: first is that the company dumped the line’s mic arm for an internal version — without, the company promises, sacrificing sound quality. Even more notable are the included ViviTouch actuators, which bring rumbling feedback directly to your ears, so you can feel those explosions where it really counts.
We tried the headphones on, and while they were pretty comfortable, we can’t say that we were particularly impressed with the promised rumbling delivered via a bass test. Perhaps it was the sound being used — or that the headphones are still in beta — but ultimately we didn’t feel all that much. We’re sure Mad Catz will have that figured out for the final version — if not, however, they may just serve as cool-looking head massagers.
With Microsoft and Sony making big pushes toward a second screen experience via smartphones and tablets, yet another space is opening up amongst third-party peripheral manufacturers. After all, supplemental information is great and all, but how to access it while gaming? Nyko thinks it’s got a solution in the form of the Smart Clip. At first glance, the device looks a fair bit like those bluetooth gaming controls we’ve already seen en masse. Instead, the add-on clips your phone to your controller so you can, say, check out a map via Smart Glass or the PlayStation App without fumbling for your phone.
We played around with the clip a bit, and while if folds in quite nicely, the prototype still has a ways to go, a gentle jostling knocked the Nyko rep’s phone right out. Sorry about that. The rear of the arm has an adjustable device, so you can attach all manner of handsets to your controller. There are also two knobs on the bottom to tighten the arm in place — nice, as it was a little bit wobbly when we first picked it up. Naturally, Nyko plans to have all the kinks worked out when it launches the Xbox 360, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions later this year for $14.99.
I’m a little nauseous and a bit sweaty. This was my first time using the Oculus Rift. It’s the sort of thing you’ve got to ease into, really — sitting stationary, letting your brain adjust to the whole experience. Or you could just pop the thing on and run in place on a treadmill in a downtown Los Angeles hotel suite. Your call, really. Just don’t come crying to me when you’re having a bit of trouble standing up straight, as you attempt to step down from the slippery surface at the end of your session. Have I seen the future? Hard to say, of course, but whatever it was that just happened was neat — and if you were one of the 2,000 or so folks who got in on Virtuix’s Kickstarter, it’ll be heading your way in January.
The company’s CEO, Jan Goetgeluk took me through the paces of the system, a stationary design he settled on after toying around with a more traditional treadmill model. The Omni is really quite a simple thing at its heart, a concave, slick surface attached to two bars that converge in a circle. The company’s designed special soles, as well — plastic pieces raised at the heel and ball of the foot, with a fabric friction surface on the toe. Walk around and your feet slip. That’s about it, really. Of course, it takes some getting used to, and Goetgeluk stood aside as I learned to walk again: lean forward, step down on the heel and let the rest of your foot slide with it. It took a few minutes, and I’m still not exactly an expert
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
