The HTC Vive and Oculus Rift could both use sharper screens and a wider field of view (FOV). Technology company Pimax hopes to overcome these issues with its 8K VR headset, which features two 3840x2160 panels for a combined 16.6 million pixels. This is considerably sharper than the Rift and Vive, which both use 2160x1200-resolution screens. Pimax also ups FOV to 200 degrees, which is roughly twice that of the Rift and Vive. In many ways, the headset achieves its lofty goals, but it does make other technical tradeoffs in its current Kickstarter state.
Because 8K is so graphically demanding, Pimax's VR headset has a built-in scalar that upscales 4K content to 8K. However, this requires a lot of bandwidth, so the head-mounted display (HMD) requires two DisplayPort connections. This is in stark contrast to the Vive and Rift, which both require a single HDMI cable.
Pimax will also use Valve's lighthouse tracking technology. The company suggests that its HMD will work with any SteamVR game as a result. Pimax says it's trying to incorporate games from Oculus' store onto its platform as well, but has yet to receive approval.
I tried underwater demo theBlu and Fruit Ninja VR on the 8K headset with a gaming laptop that had a GTX 1080, which performs more similarly to a desktop-class GTX 1070. The HMD uses curved optics to encompass most of your FOV, and it works well for the most part, covering most of my horizontal and vertical vision. In terms of image clarity, I didn't notice any undesirable screen-door effect, and it was hard for me to discern any pixels from the limited time I had with it.
In its current state, the Pimax headset does have some issues. Where the Rift and Vive use an OLED panel, the Pimax headset uses an LCD one, meaning it lacks contrast. Its black levels don't look as dark as they do on the other HMDs, and its colors also aren't as vibrant. There's also distortion on the outer edges of your peripheral vision. Pimax says that this is a software issue that will be tweaked before launch.
One major issue with rendering at such a high resolution is that it can be very graphically demanding on hardware. While the HMD is capable of running at 90Hz, like the Rift and Vive, Pimax tells me that performance was hovering in the 80 FPS range. This is problematic because lower and more inconsistent frame rates can lead to motion sickness. The company is hoping that more powerful graphics cards will alleviate these performance issues in the coming months and years. Regardless, after taking off the headset, I felt slightly cross-eyed. This could be due to the fact that the current build of the headset does not allow you to physically adjust the interpupillary distance (IPD) between its lenses, but Pimax tells me the final version will include this feature.
In terms of ergonomics, the headset felt lighter than the Vive and Pimax says that it will be on par with the Oculus Rift's weight at one pound. It uses a facial interface foam and head straps that are most similar to the stock HTC Vive ones. It doesn't come with headphones, but Pimax says that there will be an optional audio strap that looks something like HTC's Deluxe Audio Strap, with the ergonomics of Sony's PlayStation VR headset.
In addition to the audio attachment, Pimax asserts that its HMD will support a wide variety of attachments. Among these is one that will eventually allow the headset to become wireless, which the company is aiming to release in July 2018. There will also be attachments that include fans to keep users cool, eye trackers, and hand trackers. I had a chance to try out the prototype hand tracker, which works similarly to the Leap Motion and does a decent job at tracking your fingers, though it only tracks your hands if they're in front of your face. In addition, its accuracy was slightly off as it looked like my virtual hands were slightly higher than my real ones. Pimax says this might be a configuration issue, as I did not undergo the full setup process.
The standalone 8K headset, which will work with Valve's current Lighthouse trackers and controllers, starts at $499 if you back it now on Kickstarter. If you want the complete package with Pimax's own upcoming lighthouses and controllers, it will cost you $799. The headset is on schedule to ship in January for Kickstarter backers.
Those looking to fill the gaping, Dark Souls-shaped hole in their lives have been keeping a close eye on Bandai Namco's Code Vein. Dubbed "anime Dark Souls" by many, it draws heavy influence from From Software's acclaimed Souls series, most notably in its difficulty.
GameSpot recently got some hands-on time with the English build of Code Vein, which is similar to the one shown at Tokyo Game Show but features a little extra time to explore and the opportunity to face a boss. Of course, we captured our experience for your viewing pleasure.
We weren't given an indication of how far into the game the section we were exploring was, but with the suite of powers, gifts, and equipment, I get the feeling that it's not the start of the game. The above gameplay has a few deaths and backtracking edited out, so enjoy 13 minutes of uninterrupted monster killing.
The fearsome Queen's Knight boss, as you've no doubt gathered, can be quite tricky. However, I managed to bring her down--albeit on my eighth attempt. Since the Queen's Knight is very aggressive, I opted to use my buffs and saved as many healing items as I could before stepping into the fray. Check out the fight below.
We'll have more from Code Vein soon, so if you've enjoyed what you've seen so far then make sure you keep your eye on GameSpot for more coverage.
Code Vein is slated to release in early 2018 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. We recently learned that it will not have an easier difficulty setting; instead, players will be able to freely change their character's stats during the course of the game to adapt to new challenges.
Tickets for this year's highly anticipated new Star Wars movie, The Last Jedi, go on sale very soon. Ticket company Fandango has announced that pre-sales for tickets will open tomorrow, October 9, after the new trailer airs during Monday Night Football. [Update: You might have a chance to snag tickets early, as CNET reports that the Showcase Cinemas app is selling them right now.]
Fandango is the "most anticipated movie of the year," the ticket-seller said, citing one of its surveys. A survey of Fandango users showed that an astonishingly high percentage--95 percent--said they plan to see the movie in theatres. The film, which is directed by Loooper's Rian Johnson opens on December 15.
Fandango is of course just one ticket-seller, but the company appears to be the first to say when tickets go on sale. Buying through Fandango gets you a free Last Jedi poster.
"There's nothing quite like a new Star Wars movie, with its nostalgic appeal, new characters and creatures, rousing action and inspiring storyline," Fandango Managing Editor Erik Davis said in a statement. "This is why we go to the movies, and fans are already eager to snag their advance tickets on Fandango to see The Last Jedi two months from now."
The new Last Jedi trailer will premiere tomorrow, October 9, during the Monday Night Football broadcast on ESPN. Johnson recently said that some people may want to "absolutely avoid it" if they are hoping to go into the film with fresh eyes.
Given that he appeared in the previous game and is one of the most iconic fictional characters ever, it should come as no surprise that Darth Vader will be featured in Star Wars Battlefront II. Nevertheless, it wasn't until today that EA officially announced him and provided our first look at this latest iteration.
The video below shows off Vader in action, and he's lot like you would expect--he slices opponents down with his lightsaber (Saber Throw) and lifts others up with the Force to damage them (Force Choke). He also has an ability called Focused Rage that essentially makes him tougher overall, allowing him to deal and receive more damage than usual.
That's unfortunately all we have to go on at this point, but it provides a pretty good sense of the type of unit that Vader will function as in multiplayer. The beta offers a look at a number of other returning and new choices that players have at their disposal, such as Rey, Boba Fett, and and Han Solo.
Battlefront II's beta has been extended; it had been expected to end earlier today, October 9. It will now run for an additional two days, though the full game's release is still planned for November 17 on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.
Europe's most recent Splatfest may have just wrapped up, but Splatoon 2 players in North America will soon have a chance to take part in their own competition. The region's next Splatfest takes place this weekend, and for the first time since the Nintendo Switch shooter launched, it will have a different theme from Europe.
The Splatfest begins on Friday, October 13, at 9 PM PT/12 AM ET. Like previous events, it will run for a full 24 hours. Fittingly, the theme for the October Splatfest is inspired by Halloween; players must settle the debate over which classic monster is superior, vampires or werewolves.
The Splatfest that recently concluded in Europe wasn't Halloween-themed, but it did ask an important question: do you hang your toilet roll over or under? Fortunately, sanity seems to have prevailed; Team Front Roll took home the contest, winning in a landslide in the popularity category and edging out Team Back Roll in solo victories to clinch the competition. Those who participated in the event will receive Super Sea Snails the next time they turn the game on.
As usual, one of the maps that will be featured during the Splatfest this weekend is Shifty Station, which will have a brand-new layout for this competition. Meanwhile, another new map, Snapper Canal, recently made its debut in Splatoon 2. Alongside the map, Nintendo released the latest free DLC weapon, the Bamboozler 14 Mk, which you can now purchase with in-game currency from the Ammo Knights shop.
If you haven't yet gotten around to trying out the Star Wars Battlefront II beta, or you simply haven't had your fill, you're in luck. Electronic Arts has extended the beta an extra two days, providing players with more time to see what the sequel has to offer.
The beta had been scheduled to end earlier today, but it will now instead run until Wednesday, October 11. EA didn't say why it made the change or if any additional content would be introduced. As it stands, you can sample four modes: Galactic Assault, Starfighter Assault, Strike, and Arcade. The first three are online multiplayer modes that range in maximum player count (going as high as 40 in Galactic Assault). Arcade is a 1-2 player mode with offline split-screen support.
You can check out our previous coverage for more details on exactly what's in the Battlefront II beta. The beta began on October 4 for people who pre-ordered, later opening to everyone on October 6. The campaign is inaccessible, but you can get a decent taste of the multiplayer--and its contentious microtransaction system.
By Anonymous on Oct 09, 2017 11:30 pm We got some hands on with the new English version of Code Vein. With a longer demo we were able to explore a little more of the area, find some new weapons and kill some new monsters.
By Anonymous on Oct 09, 2017 11:30 pm Dave takes on The Queen's Knight in an early access build of Code Vein. Will he be victorious? Maybe......after dying a lot....
By Anonymous on Oct 09, 2017 11:17 pm Our resident Cuphead expert Joey Yee attempts to speedrun the game with the hopes of coming close to the record. Join us to find out if he does it or not.
Although last year's Captain America: Civil War was packed with Marvel superheroes, Thor and Hulk were nowhere to be seen. But the pair are finally reunited in Thor: Ragnarok, which hits theaters next month.
A first clip has been released, and it shows the pair meeting for the first time since 2014's Avengers: Age of Ultron. Unfortunately, the Hulk doesn't exactly look pleased to see his old friend--check it out below:
Thor: Ragnarok stars Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner, and Tom Hiddleston as Loki. Cate Blanchett plays the villainous Hela, while Jeff Goldblum will appear as immortal games-playing Grandmaster. It hits theaters on November 3, 2017.
The film is directed by Taika Waititi, who previously helmed small-scale New Zealand comedies such as What We Do in the Shadows and The Hunt for the Wildepeople. In a recent interview with Slashfilm, Waititi spoke about the challenges of trying to balance his own filmmaking sensibilities with the demands of making a massive movie within the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
"There's definitely a challenge with wanting be true to what the fans want, and to the universe itself," he said. "But also, I have to keep reminding myself that I was hired for a reason, and I think one of those reasons is because of the kind of stories I tell, and the kind of films that I've made previously. Obviously it has to be me trying to unify my type of storytelling with this kind of content, and hopefully it all comes out really nicely in the end."
"I don't want to make an episode of some other larger thing," he continued. "I know that it will lead [to other things] and all the pieces will fit together. But it's not my job to make sure they fit together. It's not my job to make sure that all this makes sense three movies down the tracks for one of the other franchises. My job is to make a film that can sit alone as a standalone piece, that obviously I'll be proud of.
"But if it's the only Marvel film you see that it's also a great story in and of itself. The lucky thing is that there are a bunch of geniuses who run Marvel who make sure that, even if it's a standalone piece, it is part of a great big jigsaw puzzle that could be appreciated as a whole as well."
The latest Pokemon giveaway from Sun and Moon has now begun. For a limited time, players have a chance to add the Mythical Pokemon Marshadow to their teams, making this the first time the rare Fighting/Ghost-type Pokemon has been available in the games.
To claim your Marshadow, US players will have to pick up a free download code from a GameStop store; those in the UK, meanwhile, will have to visiting "participating retailers" for their free code. Marshadow comes at level 50 and is equipped with Marshadium Z, which allows it to use the exclusive Z-Move Soul-Stealing 7-Star Strike once per battle. It also knows the following attacks:
Spectral Thief
Close Combat
Force Palm
Shadow Ball
As with previous distributions, to redeem your code, you'll need to select the Mystery Gift option from the games' main menu and choose to receive your gift via code/password. Enter the download code you picked up and you'll be able to retrieve Marshadow from the deliveryman waiting inside any Pokemon Center in Alola. Codes for Marshadow will only be available until October 23, so you'll want to visit a store soon if you hope to get one.
In addition to Marshadow, Pokemon Sun and Moon players can also still receive a free Charizard for a limited time. To get the popular Fire-type, visit the electronics section of a participating Target store by October 14 to pick up a free download code. Today is also the last day you can receive the a special Pikachu wearing Ash's cap from the Sinnoh region.
You've had three years to recover, but on October 13--a Friday the 13th to boot--Bethesda will invite players back to The Evil Within. Nothing will ever really make players truly ready for what twisted horrors are on the way, but here five things that might let you sleep a little better at night in the meantime.
You Know What She Did, Your Daughter?
While the first game's ending gave the impression protagonist Sebastian Castellanos might still have a bit of a Ruvik problem, The Evil Within 2 will go a different direction. Sebastian, fired from the police force for all his crazy talk about terrifying hell dimensions and giant guys wielding meat tenderizers, finds out that his daughter is still alive and is being held captive by shady corporation Mobius. She's being used to power a new STEM machine, which for those just tuning in, can create virtual worlds generated by the user's mind, ideally controlled by a greater, "parent" minds.
Lily's mind has created the small town of Union which, because this is The Evil Within, is now falling apart and playing host to a neverending nightmare. Sebastian is now on a quest to go to Union to save her, because what has ever gone wrong for a survival horror protagonist going to an evil town to rescue his daughter?
You Opened It, We Came
Compared to the linear corridors and claustrophobic spaces of the first game, the city of Union widens its perspective a bit, which gives players massive areas to traverse, with multiple ways to advance the story, backtrack, and find side missions. A new item, The Communicator, will help Sebastian with navigation and finding these new exploration opportunities. Not that the alternate paths are likely to be any less traumatizing, but it's nice to have options.
Welcome To The Losers Club
Sebastian's last trek into a STEM controlled mind had him going it mostly solo, with Ruvic scattering his team at every given opportunity. This time, he'll have a little more help from the sidelines, with fairweather double agent Juli Kidman providing a friendly voice over Sebastian's radio. And the Mobius forces stranded in Union may be more willing to put a bullet into the screeching beasts coming for their vital organs than they are putting one into Sebastian.
Give Me Back My Hand(held)
As it is with a lot of releases, the question's come up of whether Switch-owning folks should sit back and hold out for the horror to come to the console/handheld hybrid. Gamespot managed to get Shinji Mikami, who directed Evil Within, but stepped into the producer role for the sequel, to weigh in. The short version? Maybe.
"I think a Switch version would be interesting. I'd like to try it if I had the chance. First I'd like to buy a Switch myself. I had to borrow Zelda with the Switch from another staff member to play it."
Long Live The New Flesh
While Sebastian might have a few allies also dedicated to the cause of getting out of Union alive, there are at least two folks walking the streets who happen to think things are just fine as it is. Namely, Father Theodore, a priest who has his eye on making hell a place on Earth, and Stefano Valentino, a photographer who believes Lily could be the key to making a bloody art horror masterpiece.
The Super NES Classic Edition boasts an impressive lineup of the original console's games, plus a long-lost, unreleased one in Star Fox 2. But just like its predecessor, the SNES Classic comes with no official means for playing anything other than those games. There's no Virtual Console-style digital library to purchase games from, nor can you pop in an original SNES cartridge if you still have one lying around. Yet just like the NES Classic Edition, hackers have found a way to expand what the system is capable of.
Using an updated version of a tool called HackChi--also used to hack the NES Classic--it's possible to load more games onto the SNES Classic by connecting it to a PC. Due to the fact that the system is loaded with 300 MB of storage, only a fraction of which is actually used by the officially included games, it's possible to load dozens of additional games. The video below, for instance, showcases a system that now has more than 200 of them. As you can see, it's even possible to add box art and tweak various options so that these added games appear no different from those that are officially supported. They don't even necessarily have to be SNES games to work.
You can also use HackChi to address one of the annoying, if ultimately minor oversights of the SNES Classic: the absence of a Home button. In order to bring up the system's menu (either to switch games or access save states for what you're currently playing), you have to physically push a button on the system itself; there's no option to do this on the included controller. HackChi allows you to implement your own controller shortcut.
As you might imagine, however, there are some things to keep in mind. Doing anything like this runs the risk of bricking your console--and although Nintendo suggests they'll be easier to get than the NES Classic, that's still a risk you may not want to take. It also requires obtaining ROMs for the games you want to install, which is both illegal and risky.
The much-delayed X-Men spinoff focusing on card-throwing mutant superhero Gambit might have a new director. It has been reported that Pirates of the Caribbean's Gore Verbinski is Fox's next choice to take over the project, which has already seen two directors exit before production could begin.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Verbinski is in talks with the studio to helm the movie. Verbinski directed the first three entries in the Pirates of the Caribbean series, as well the animated hit Rango, The Lone Ranger, and this year's thriller A Cure for Wellness.
If Verbinski joins Gambit, he will become the third high-profile director to be attached to the movie. It was originally scheduled for release in October 2016, with Rise of the Planet of the Apes' Rupert Wyatt as director. He left the film in September 2015, citing scheduling conflicts. However, a story in Deadline at the time suggested that there had been ongoing disagreements over both the script and budget.
Last month, star Channing Tatum provided an update on the film's status. The actor explained that while the unusual nature of the project meant that it has met various obstacles, the success of R-rated X-Men movies Deadpool and Logan has ultimately helped its progress.
"I think we got lucky," he said. "We got hit with some setbacks, and it was all for a good reason. We were trying to do something completely different. We were trying to do something that this genre of movie hasn't seen before. We kept running into the same problems, and then Deadpool and Logan came through and kicked the doors down. Now we're really getting to do some of the things we've always wanted to do with the script--we've just sort of started over."
The card-throwing Gambit first appeared in a 1990 issue of The Uncanny X-Men. He appeared briefly in 2009's critically panned X-Men Origins: Wolverine, portrayed by Taylor Kitsch.
Final Fantasy XV has grown in some notable and unexpected ways since it first launched last November, but the most bizarre project to spring from the RPG is Monster of the Deep, the upcoming virtual reality spin-off for PlayStation 4. Monster of the Deep is based on the fishing mini-game featured in Final Fantasy XV, but where that was a mostly optional activity you could freely indulge in when the whim strikes, here it is your sole objective. It's an unusual direction for the first VR Final Fantasy game to take, and from what we've seen of it, there may not be enough depth to sustain it as a standalone experience.
We played a brief demo of Monster of the Deep at a Square Enix event just prior to New York Comic-Con, which dropped us by the side of a serene lake with one of Noctis's travel buddies, Prompto (Noctis, Gladio, and Ignis also made a brief appearance toward the end of the demo). Prompto served as our guide of sorts, introducing us to the area and humorously cheering us on from the sidelines while we fished. The mission he gave us to complete was a seemingly simple one--catch any three fish--but it turned out to be more difficult than it sounded due to the PS Move controllers.
Like the string of fishing games released for Wii during the initial motion-control craze, Monster of the Deep requires you to physically cast your line with one hand and reel it in with the other, using a second PS Move controller to simulate the motion. Unfortunately, the controls felt imprecise; it was difficult to gauge how much strength you needed to put behind each cast, and as a result, I often found myself throwing the line way too far. What's worse, the game doesn't have a quick way to retrieve your line; you have to manually reel it in each time you misthrow, which quickly becomes tedious.
Once I managed to hook something, Monster of the Deep became more enjoyable, though the actual process of catching a fish was rudimentary. Before you cast your line, you can press a button on the left Move controller to use a sensor, which indicates where fish are lurking. When one is hooked, you'll need to adjust how you're holding the pole as the fish struggles against you so that it doesn't break free. At least in the demo, this wasn't an issue; the three I managed to catch hardly put up a fight, though they'll presumably be more challenging in later areas of the game. You also have to manually grab the fish off the hook and place it into the net with your off-hand, which didn't add anything substantial to the experience but was a charming touch.
The demo culminated with a light gun-style battle against a Demonfish. For this encounter, you trade your fishing pole for a crossbow and must shoot the monster as it leaps around the environment and attacks you. This was likewise fun but very simplistic; the entire battle amounted to simply shooting the monster in the head often enough to subdue it.
While the Monster of the Deep demo was charming, it doesn't make a very convincing case to purchase a PSVR, and it isn't nearly as ambitious or intriguing as Square Enix's other VR venture, Project Hikari. The game launches for PS4 on November 21. You can watch our playthrough of the demo above.
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We got some hands on with the new English version of Code Vein. With a longer demo we were able to explore a little more of the area, find some new weapons and kill some new monsters.
Dave takes on The Queen's Knight in an early access build of Code Vein. Will he be victorious? Maybe......after dying a lot....
Our resident Cuphead expert Joey Yee attempts to speedrun the game with the hopes of coming close to the record. Join us to find out if he does it or not.
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