Hasta La Gadget!

Just because the PlayStation 4 centers around an AMD-based platform doesn’t mean that NVIDIA is out of the picture. The graphics firm is updating the software developer kits for both its Apex dynamics framework and PhysX physics modeling system to address Sony’s new console, even if they won’t have the full hardware acceleration that comes with using NVIDIA’s own chipsets. The introductions will mostly take some of the guesswork out of creating realistic-looking games — theoretically, adding a larger number of collisions, destructible objects and subtler elements like cloth and hair modeling. Most of us won’t see the fruits of the updated SDKs until at least this holiday, but programmers looking for more plausible PS4 game worlds can hit the source links.

Filed under: Gaming, Sony, NVIDIA

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Source: NVIDIA (1), (2)

There’s been some debate over the state of the PlayStation 4’s hardware when Sony declined to display the console itself at its PlayStation Meeting. As we’re quickly learning, the company had good reason to keep the box under wraps: it’s not quite done yet. Sony Computer Entertainment Japan President Hiroshi Kawano has revealed to 4Gamer that even he hasn’t seen the finished system, and he only saw the DualShock 4 the day before it went on stage. We wouldn’t worry about the design’s progress just yet, but the news hints that Sony’s timing on pulling it all together is much tighter than it was for the PS3 — although that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Whatever the PS4 looks like in the end, we know it won’t support the DualShock 3. Perpetual font of wisdom (and Worldwide Studios President) Shuhei Yoshida has warned that the PlayStation Move is the only controller making the leap to the next generation. That’s not entirely surprising given the changes in button layout and the addition of some Move technology — Sony likely wants to set some expectations, and our existing game library won’t play on the PS4 as-is. The cutoff may still be disappointing for anyone who invested in a full set of gamepads for LittleBigPlanet sessions and has to once more start from scratch.

Filed under: Gaming, Sony

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Via: Joystiq, Kotaku

Source: 4Gamer (translated), IGN

Kill Screen wanted to jumpstart OUYA game development with its Create Game Jam, and it turns out that there were more than a few takers — 165, to be exact. That makes the grand prize winner, FreeLives’ Strange Happenings on Murder Island, something special. The top-down action game’s dinosaur rampages and Minecraft-like art were wild enough to earn the developer $20,000 and a head start in what’s increasingly becoming a crowded field. Other developers weren’t entirely left out, as winners in specialized categories still received $5,000 each. There’s no guarantee that the results of Create will resonate with gamers in the long run; if they lead to a better selection for an untested console, though, they’ll have been worth the effort.

Filed under: Gaming

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Source: Kill Screen

You can sometimes gauge a game console’s short-term success based on its launch lineup; many of us know the pain of having to choose the least terrible game of a small bunch while we’re waiting for a better selection. While we can’t vouch for how the OUYA will fare for quality, Eddie at OUYA Forum has done the legwork to prove that there won’t be any problems with the Android console’s quantity. He’s checked with both OUYA and developers to confirm that there are at least 481 games headed to the fledgling system, as of this writing. The clear majority of these are smaller indie titles that won’t dampen Sony’s enthusiasm for next week, but that’s not necessarily a problem — the abundance mostly hints that there could be a few gems for early adopters, even if there’s a lot of fluff.

Filed under: Gaming

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Source: OUYA Forum

Excited for OUYA? So are the folks at Kill Screen — so much so, they’ve seen fit to host a 10-day competition to coax OUYA compatible game prototypes out of the development community. It’s calling the event CREATE, and in addition to drumming up interest for Kickstarter’s favorite game console, it aims to celebrate how OUYA and a new generation of indie game developers are making the television an open gaming platform. Starting on January 14th, Kill Screen will start accepting prototype submissions of playable (but not necessarily complete) games. Ten days later, a panel of indie veterans will cull the fat, and select finalists based on not only the game itself, but the social media efforts of its development team. This is an indie game competition, after all. The contest judges entrants on how effectively they use the OUYA platform too, including processor, sound, controller integration, in-game payments and other elements available in the console’s development kit. Winners can score anywhere between $5,000 to $20,000 in prizes, with an extra bonus if the finished game launches on OUYA. Enough incentive for you? Check out Kill Screen’s full contest rules at the source link below.

Filed under: Gaming

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Source: Kill Screen, Ouya