Hasta La Gadget!

With the PlayStation 4, unlike the PlayStation 3 before it, Remote Play functionality on Vita is handled on a system level. Though Sony’s asking developers to take into account the Vita’s different button setup and additional input mechanisms that the portable console has, the actual act of enabling Remote Play is handled by the PlayStation 4 itself. “On PlayStation4 , it just happens. You just make a PS4 game, it supports Remote Play,” Sony Worldwide Studios head Shuhei Yoshida told us in an interview at E3.

We’d asked whether Sony’s “mandating” Remote Play functionality from developers, and Yoshida first explained how it worked on the PlayStation 3 to offer some context. “The single biggest issue, why there are not many PlayStation 3 games that support Remote Play, was that it was optional — the system didn’t do much. The game has to set aside some memory or CPU to be able to do that, and usually, memory is the most precious resource that [development] teams fight amongst each other for. So when it comes down to the priorities, these are features that are very easy to drop,” he told us. The idea with PS4 is that, by offloading responsibility for Remote Play support to the console itself, developers are freed up to make the control tweaks necessary for a comfy experience playing a PS4 game remotely on Vita.

“Please make sure that when you play your games on Vita, the control is good. That’s the minimum thing we’re asking them to do,” he added. All that said, not every single PlayStation 4 game will work with Remote Play — “Maybe not Just Dance,” Yoshida offered with a laugh when we asked. That’s a pretty reasonable exception if you ask us, and it sounds like only games that require the PS4 Eye or Move (or some other such input method that’s impossible to emulate on Vita) are on that excepted list.

Filed under: Gaming, Handhelds, Peripherals, Software, HD, Sony

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Creative is no stranger to the gaming headset scene, but it operates in a very crowded field — 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).

Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals

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Source: Creative

If you’ve been sitting around not clocking up the miles with your Basis Band, we imagine it’s because you were waiting for that long-delayed mobile app. Well, it might not be Q1 as promised, but it’s finally time to lace up those sneakers. It’s team Android that gets out of the blocks first, with the app debuting on the Google-flavored OS. Features include automatic sync, the ability to see your current progress towards your activity (aka habits,) plus, of course, lots of historical data. Think you set your goals too high? Too low? No problem — you can edit said habits direct from the app, drill down to show more detail, and get notifications or reminders about how well you’re (not?) doing. The app is free, and while Android might have the head start, we’re told the iOS version isn’t far behind, so iPhone owners might want to start limbering up now. In the meantime, those with green stripes can head to the source for the goods.

Filed under: Cellphones, Peripherals, Mobile

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Via: PopSci

Source: Google Play

The M.O.J.O. may be Mad Catz’s star of this year’s E3, but the peripheral-maker’s pretty darn excited to show of its latest massive gamepad, if for no other reason than the fact that the controller made a rare appearance at Microsoft’s press conference, the other day — in fact, during our time in the company’s booth, a Redmond rep popped by and gave it a thumbs up (and casually mentioned that Mad Catz happens to be the only company other than his own that happens to have the Xbox One it its booth).

The controller, as you can no doubt tell in the above image, is a bit of a beast — you may well need both hands to onto it. Along the top, you find six buttons in two rows and a joystick, as well a mystery panel on the top — something Mad Catz apparently isn’t ready to talk about. The controller has a detachable cord on the back and will open up use a button on the front, making it easier to change artwork on the thing. Between the buttons and the sides, there’s a lot glowing space on the FightStick. Check out a video of that and more, after the break.

Filed under: Peripherals, Microsoft

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We shoved our way through the floor-opening scrum and made a bee-line to Mad Catz’s booth at E3 this morning, after catching word of the peripheral maker’s new M.O.J.O. Android gaming console, a box the company promises will be the most powerful in its class when it arrives this holiday season. The rep we spoke with wouldn’t talk specific specs on the thing — in fact, the company assures of that those are still in the works, and while it doesn’t actually know itself, it promises to blow the competition (*cough* OUYA) out of the water. While everything’s still in beta at the moment, things seem to be working all right. We played a quick round of Riptide, and things went swimmingly (well, save for the fact that we’re not all that great at Riptide).

Also a bragging point is the relative openness of it all, eschewing the walled-garden approach to give users direct access to the Google Play and Amazon app stores, so you’re good to go with the games you’ve already purchased, and while Mad Catz may not be working directly with most of the game makers, it’s promising compatibility via open standards. As for the box itself, it’s not a bad looking object. It’s palm-sized and extremely light, with a bit of an angular, beveled appearance and the company’s scratch-marked logo along the top in red (as well as a few accidental scuffs on it shiny surface).

Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals

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