As one of the big three third-party publishers working on next-gen games, Electronic Arts is understandably making a big push at its annual Gamescom press event. Per usual, we’ll be on the ground bringing you an enthralling liveblog straight from Cologne, Germany. Keep your eyes locked to this post and your browser refreshing feverishly, as the goings get going at 10AM EST.
Microsoft just flaunted some of Project Spark‘s gaming powers at Gamescom 2013 in Cologne: motion and voice capture. If you’ll recall, the platform enables gamers to create their own digital spaces for games using the Xbox One’s integrated Kinect sensor and the upcoming SmartGlass. Microsoft’s Team Dakota group showed how to use facial capture, body motion capture and voice and sound to create animations, dialogue, cut scenes and more. You’ll be able to try it yourself on Windows 8 at the end of October 2013, or by January 2014 for the Xbox One. Check the video after the jump to see the fruits of their labor, but maybe turn the volume down a hair. Just sayin’.
Filed under: Gaming, Microsoft
Source: Xbox
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.
Gamescom is once more upon us, and a quartet of Engadget’s finest are here in Cologne, Germany to cover all the major game happenings live from the (enormous) show floor at the Koelnmesse. We’ll be at Sony’s big event tomorrow afternoon bringing you liveblog coverage, and from Microsoft’s “showcase” event — Nintendo isn’t holding anything formal, though we’d love to see a surprise Wii U price drop this week. Also, Valve and Epic are notoriously absent from 2013’s proceedings.
This year’s show promises the first big European news assault on Microsoft and Sony’s next-gen game boxes, not to mention a more specific date for PlayStation 4’s launch. Our friends at Oculus Rift are also milling about, and we’re always hoping to hear more about their upcoming consumer-grade Oculus headset. First up this week we’ve got the Euro version of the Game Developers Conference — should you wish to follow along with our intrepid team as the week progresses, we’ve put together a convenient Twitter list right here. Willkommen!
Filed under: Gaming, Software, HD, Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo
It was just yesterday when we reported Microsoft was planning on making some “unique” announcements regarding its upcoming Xbox One. It looks like Microsoft won’t be having all of the fun during the show as Sony has announced they will also be holding their own press conference at Gamescom this year on August 20. (more…)
Sony Holding Gamescom Press Conference On August 20 original content from Ubergizmo. 
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Microsoft recently performed another 180 as they had previously been adamant about the Xbox One requiring its Kinect sensor in addition to its bundle price of $499, to then announce the Xbox One will continue to function if it doesn’t have a Kinect sensor plugged in. This leaves those potential Xbox One owners to question what they’re going to do with their unused Kinect sensors. Well – Microsoft has announced they are planning to hold a “unique” Xbox One presentation at Gamescom this year that may answer that very question. (more…)
Microsoft Making ‘Unique’ Xbox One Announcement During Gamescom original content from Ubergizmo. 
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Cologne, city of cathedrals, chocolate museums and — at least for the last week — a little bit of cosplay. While Gamescom largely concentrated on the latest titles coming in the next year, there was still plenty to see for gadget obsessives — especially when it came to PC mice and keyboards. Sony also had a few tricks up its sleeve at its press event before Gamescom had even begun in earnest. After the break, gorge on all the gaming hardware of note, in case you missed it on the first round. Tschüss!
Gallery: Gamescom 2012
Continue reading Gamescom 2012 wrap-up
Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals
Gamescom 2012 wrap-up originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 17 Aug 2012 10:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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The crowds that filed towards the hulking Call of Duty: Black Ops II stand at Gamescom prove it deserved all that floor space and nearby, Turtle Beach was finally showing off its range of companion gaming headphones, ranging from in-ear buds to top-of-the-range wireless gaming cans with some heavy-duty audio customization options in tow. We managed to take a look at the whole selection (which repackages several models from the XP series and the incoming Seven series). While these were still developmental models (the Call of Duty decals will be painted on, not the stickers seen here), it should give you a good idea how the headphones will appear when they arrive in the next few months. We’ve got details on all the headsets (and the press release) after the break.
Filed under: Gaming
Official Black Ops II gaming headsets unveiled by Turtle Beach, coming ‘weeks’ ahead of game release (hands-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 17 Aug 2012 05:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Thought Tritton was satisfied with only pumping out Xbox-licensed gaming headsets in the last year? Fret not ye’ PS3 and PC gamers, instead, say hello to its latest cross-platform unit, the AX Pro+. Although its color scheme is similar to the Dolby Headphone-enabled AX 720 virtual surround sound headset, the moniker pits it as a follow up to the AX Pro. Like its predecessor, the Pro+ sports a trio of drivers and one subwoofer in each of its earcups, aiming to offer “true 5.1 surround sound.” Among other design tweaks, its cups can rotate flat for added comfort (a sorely missed feature on the original), and the drivers have been repositioned for “superior surround sound separation and improved bass response.” An included Dolby decoder box handles its connections, while the headset’s inline remote allows you to adjust each driver’s individual volume level, the balance of game / voice audio, and enable voice monitoring through its detachable mic. Better yet, the whole setup is powered by one wall plug, rather than two as was the annoyance with the older model. Discrete 5.1 headsets haven’t impressed us in the past, but you can pre-order the Pro+ for $200 from Tritton if you’re willing to give its cramped surround sound setup a try during Call of Duty fragging sessions come this September.
Filed under: Gaming, Wearables
Tritton’s Pro+ 5.1 headset goes up for pre-order, promises gamers ‘true 5.1’ for $200 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Aug 2012 22:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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It’s time to get realistic about the prospects of a PlayStation Vita price drop. Sony Worldwide Studios’ head Shuhei Yoshida dampened the fires of speculation at GamesCom this week by telling Eurogamer that it was simply “too early” to slash the price on the gaming handheld — it was only just launched this year for every active region beyond Japan, after all. That’s not to say Sony is determined to keep the PS Vita at $249 forever. Much like what it did for the PS3, the company is working to bring down the price by streamlining part costs. The cuts might be necessary given the mismatch between the warm reception to the quad-core, OLED-packing hardware and the actual sales; Sony would “like to see more uptake” than what’s been seen to date, according to Yoshida. In the meantime, we’ll have to be content with bundles like the European LittleBigPlanet combo if we want to eke out a little more value at the game store counter.
Filed under: Gaming, Handhelds
Sony rules out PS Vita price cut in 2012, works to lower the price later originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Aug 2012 15:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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