PS 4 VITA

Kamis, 21 Februari 2013 Diposting oleh Unknown di 15.37 0 komentar

Remote play: Off-TV
Imagine if the Vita could access and play the PS4's game library via localized streaming; you could play Killzone -- the console version -- in your bedroom. That's exactly what Sony plans to do, according to last night: a large portion of the PS4 library will theoretically stream and play on a Vita in your home, much like the Wii U's GamePad handles games like New Super Mario Bros. or Madden. On the PS4, this localized streaming will be powered by Gaikai.
Will it work as seamlessly? Sony's presser promised greatly improved transmission times between the Vita and PS4, but what Nintendo's made possible with the GamePad isn't that easy a feat. Then again, the appeal of the Vita as a standalone device that can play another console's games locally feels like something the Wii U GamePad could only dream of being.

(Credit: CNET)

Yet, the Vita lacks something the Wii U GamePad has: truly comfortable analog pads and rear analog triggers. The Vita's controls may resemble a PlayStation DualShock controller, but they don't match it perfectly (and, it lacks rumble). It won't be as seamless a gaming controller as the GamePad, especially for first-person shooters that heavily rely on both dual analog sticks and trigger/shoulder buttons.

The Nvidia Shield will work with Steam for remote play, too.

(Credit: James Martin/CNET)

Also, Sony won't be the only company out there trying this trick. Nvidia's Project Shield, unveiled at CES in January, hopes to do the same thing with Steam-playable PC games on an Android device later this year. And one can only guess that Microsoft's planning a similar feat with Windows 8 devices and the "Xbox 720."
Vita as remote
The Vita is somewhat big and bulky compared with a phone, but it has front and rear touch panels and plenty of buttons to have it serve an easy purpose for remote control duties. Sony didn't detail this functionality per se. Of course, with a full touch pad on the DualShock 4 controller and Sony's announced support for a Smart Glass-like PlayStation App for phones and tablets, the need to use a Vita like this shrinks.

(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

Phone and tablet competition: PlayStation App
Speaking of phones and tablets: Sony's announced that its forthcoming PlayStation App will work on both iOS and Android, and looks like it'll work as a social PlayStation Network browser, means of buying games, spectating game footage online, and even being a second screen for game maps or other in-game features, much like Microsoft's Smart Glass.
If that's true -- and cleverly done -- then where does that leave the Vita?
Sony has made its own Vita competition, in a sense. Even if the Vita is the only way to play locally streamed games on a second device using Gaikai technology, which hasn't been determined, many people might prefer using a phone or tablet out of sheer convenience. The accessory of choice for the PS4 might already be in your pocket.
Sony has supported tablet and phone PlayStation compatibility, at least nominally, via PlayStation Mobile. Maybe PlayStation App is just an extension of PlayStation Mobile...but if it takes away part of the Vita's appeal to a PS4 owner-to-be, what then? It certainly hampers the "Vita as ultimate PS4 accessory" argument a little bit.
The Vita needs its killer app, and so does the PS4. The two could use each other a lot. Whether or not the PS4 makes good on the previous promises made with on the PS3, of course, hasn't been proven yet. I want to believe -- really, I do -- that the Vita will find its way and blossom with the PS4. It's just that I've heard this pitch before.

Topics:: Video Games,; Mobile gaming
Tags:: PlayStation Vita,; PlayStation Mobile,; second screen,; Sony,; Wii U,; multiplayer,; mobile gaming,; remotes,; PlayStation 4

PS 4

Diposting oleh Unknown di 15.36 0 komentar

Multiplayer gaming
Nintendo's Wii U might have a lot of strikes against it, but one thing it does exceedingly well is leverage a second-screen controller as a multiplayer game accessory. You can grab the Wii U GamePad and have someone else use the TV, and play a two-player game together very easily.

Last E3, the Vita and PS3 promised similar connectivity.

(Credit: CNET)

There are already games that accomplish this cross-controller play feature between PS3 and Vita -- in fact, Sony's been rolling out this feature slowly over recent games. But the support and ease-of-use has never made the concept anything more than a novelty.
There's no reason why a Vita can't accomplish a similar goal with the PlayStation 4, but Sony hasn't gone into great detail over how this will work. But the PS4 could pull this trick off with a greater supported library and with faster, more lag-free processing.

(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

CNET Reviews Reviews - Games and Gear PS4 and the Vita: The multiscreen dream...again PS4 and the Vita

Diposting oleh Unknown di 15.36 0 komentar

Will Sony's handheld PlayStation Vita and PlayStation 4 work together to do things you've only dreamed of? Well, hopefully.

by Scott Stein

February 21, 2013 2:34 PM PST

Can the Vita be revitalized by the PS4? Sony hopes so.

(Credit: Photo by Sarah Tew/CNET)

The PlayStation 4 is Sony's last great hope in keeping control of the gaming industry. It's also the best chance at turning the PlayStation Vita into a more relevant piece of gaming hardware.

Sony finally unveils PS4 (pictures)

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At last night's PlayStation 4 event in New York, many hew tidbits of hardware magic were discussed, and a good handful of them involved the Vita: as a remote-play device and additional controller like the Wii U's GamePad, and maybe even as a functional second screen. It's encouraging, but not surprising. I bet it would happen long before last night's event even started. That's because the PlayStation and Sony's PlayStation handhelds have been doing this dance for years.
The PlayStation Vita debuted just one year ago, but it feels like a lot longer than that. Time moves fast in tech, but commercial reception and game support for Sony's advanced piece of handheld hardware has been tepid, to say the least. The Vita needs a shot in the arm. Its potential with the PlayStation 3 was never realized -- at least, not as a second-screen satellite experience. Can the PS4 and the Vita be a dream team at last? Here are the best bets for how a PS4 could be a Vita's best friend.

Nicolaus Copernicus

Diposting oleh Unknown di 04.19 0 komentar

Google Doodle to mark 540 th birthday of Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus on Feb. 19, 2013. Copernicus was born in 1473.

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In the early 1500s, famed Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus first proposed that the Earth was not the center of the universe — a revelation that, more than 500 years later, has catapulted the 16th century scientists into the center of the Google-verse.
The Internet search giant Google honored Copernicus' paradigm-shifting model of the cosmos today with a unique dynamic "doodle" that animates the motion of the solar system's planets around the sun. The Copernicus doodle went live on Copernicus' 540th birthday.
Nicolaus Copernicus was born on Feb. 19, 1473, and traveled to Italy at age 18 to attend university. At that time, the prevailing theory of the cosmos stated that the planets (not to mention the sun) all circled the Earth, which was at the center of the universe.

Nicolaus Copernicus
CREDIT: Public Domain

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At the University of Bologna, Copernicus studied astronomy under professor Domenico Maria de Novara, during which time he helped observe the night sky. After return to his native Poland to serve as a cleric in Frauenburg, he continued his astronomical observations using a observatory in the tower in which he lived. [The Greatest Astronomers of All Time]
Copernicus is perhaps best known for his work on the motion of solar system planets. The prevailing model — that the Earth was at the center of the universe — resulted in a complicated view of the solar system in order to account for the apparent backward motion of some planets across the sky. This "retrograde motion," as it was called, was explained by confusing circles within circles (called epicycles) by the Greek astronomer Ptolemy.
But Copernicus' model streamlined the solar system by proposing that the Earth was not the center of the universe — a heretical view at the time. Instead, Copernicus proposed that the center was near the sun, and that all the planets (Earth included) revolved around it. He also proposed that that it was the Earth's motion around the sun that caused other planets to appear as if they moved backward — a theory later proven correct.
The Copernican model of the solar system is also known as the heliocentric model. While Copernicus still got some details incorrect (he assumed the orbits of planets were perfect circles, not the ellipses we know today, which still required epicycles), it did lay the foundation for future astronomers.
Copernicus documented his theory in handwritten notes to friends in 1514, when he would have been about 41 years old. It was not until he was 70 and near death that Copernicus formally published his proposal in the book "On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres."
Despite Copernicus' work, nearly 100 years later Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei found himself in trouble with Catholic church authorities in 1632 when he also proposed that Earth orbited the sun. Both astronomers were ultimately vindicated, leading to the modern understanding of solar system mechanics scientists have today.

You can follow SPACE.com Managing Editor Tariq Malik on Twitter @tariqjmalik. Follow SPACE.com on Twitter @Spacedotcom. We're also on Facebook & Google+.

What to take away from the Playstation 4 announcement

Diposting oleh Unknown di 01.35 0 komentar

It can't be said that Sony didn't perform astonishingly well during tonight's unveiling of their upcoming console. Well, an unveiling of the specs of the new console, at least.
While it is a little perplexing that Sony didn't proudly beat their chests while holding their newest technological wonder-baby to the sky, it didn't stop them from putting on one helluva presentation, which in reality started last week when they began the first leg of their hype journey by nostalgically reviewing Playstation's history, from humble beginnings all the way up to today's super-powered monolith.
But after all that was said tonight and everything that was shown off, was there really anything worthwhile here? Here's what you should know:
The launch titles (may) rock
Sony left viewers' jaws planted firmly into the floorboards with Guerilla's salivatingly gorgeous show of Killzone: Shadow Fall, which viewers were told was running in real-time on the new system. The demo opened with a breathtaking view of a vast and meticulously detailed city as the player was being flown in to the shortest TSA checkpoint known to man. From here, it's obvious character animations are fluid and realistic, and beyond that, lighting effects are legendary. The serenity quickly turns to chaos as the Helghast attack, which shows that the same technology that delivered scenes of hope and optimism could also deliver hauntingly realistic depictions of the dread majesty of battle.
Not to be outdone, former Halo developer Bungie came out swinging with a first glimpse into gameplay footage from their upcoming epic FPS, Destiny. Like Killzone, Destiny showcased the console's ability to long draw immense levels with startling levels of realism. Bungie also took a page from Sony's book and held an announcement event several days ago, showing that the Bungie hype-machine didn't gather any rust in its time off.
Other notable appearances were also made, like a new chapter in the Infamous series titled Infamous: Second Son and 2012 E3 big shot Watchdogs.
The hardware is insane
Such insanity was already proven simply by how disturbingly awe-inspiring the graphics were in the reveals, but Sony did let viewers know what's what with an official look at the hardware specs their new system will boast, and it's nothing to sneeze at. The PS4 features an x86 CPU with eight-- yes, eight-- cores, as well as super-fast 8GB GDDR5 RAM, putting it just slightly ahead of the rumored specs of the Xbox 720. Combine that with an integrated architecture more resembling a high-end gaming PC and a GPU that can handle 2 teraflops (which Sony was sure to tout with a demo showing how the system handles rendering 1 million individual blue boxes realistically falling onto a wonderfully rendered scene) and you've got one slick piece of machinery.
Blizzard is coming to PS4
World of Warcraft creator and unfathomably rich uber-developer Blizzard has entered into "a strategic partnership through which we will take over the world", or so says company vice-president Chris Metzen, who also unveiled that the Playstation 4 system would be getting the full, un-watered-down version of Diablo III this holiday. It can be postulated that such a partnership would include future releases of other Blizzard titles like World of Warcraft and Starcraft, so don't take his "taking over the world" thing too lightly, he probably means it.
They haven't forgotten about the Vita
Oh, how the Vita has suffered. Abysmal sales and an utter lack of substantial titles have put it so close to the chopping block within only a year of being available. Fear not, Vita lovers (all 9 of you), Sony has revealed that yes, the Vita will play nicely with the Playstation 4. One such feature is one they lifted from the failed Wii U, that being the nifty feature where you can play full console games on your handheld if other people in the house want to watch TV. Unlike Nintendo's mega-flop, however, the Vita will be able to go on the road and play games like Killzone: Mercenary and Uncharted: Golden Abyss.
Besides that, they're looking to take a little of the wind out of Xbox's SmartGlass sails by applying more focus to the Vita being used for a second screen experience during many PS4 games, and it can be assumed that Cross-Play and Cross-Buy will still apply to future titles, although that has yet to be confirmed.
Sony chose wisely in holding a separate event to discuss the technical details of the Playstation 4, since time is extremely limited at E3 and there would have been way too little time to answer way too many questions. But despite all the questions they did answer, Sony still left a few big ones out. There was no mention of pricing, which will be pivotal to success this holiday season as shoppers frantically try to figure out which console they'll spring for, and no mention of whether the PS4 will be backwards compatible to play all of the PS3 games, or if it will suffer the same crippling flaw of its predecessor. And, probably most of all, what the bloody thing looks like. Looks like gamers will have to wait till June to get the full scoop.

Xbox 720 release date, news and rumours

Diposting oleh Unknown di 01.27 0 komentar

Read our report on next generation gaming in tech. magazine, including the latest on the Xbox 720, Project Shield and the PS4.
While gossip surrounding Microsoft's next Xbox console has been churning around inside the rumour mill for a good few years now, there's no doubt that we're getting closer to learning some cold, hard facts.
We fully expect the Xbox 720 - if it is indeed to be called that – to launch in time for Christmas 2013. If it doesn't we'll be absolutely flabbergasted. And with the increasing frequency of new rumours, reports and leaks, an official reveal from Microsoft cannot be too far away.
So what can we expect from the Xbox 720 when it is finally revealed by Microsoft, and when will it finally hit the shelves?

Xbox 720 specs

The next Xbox is to be as popular and last as long as the Xbox 360 – without the frankly appalling hardware failures which blighted its early days – it's going to need some reliable and powerful components.
Rumours suggest that the console will contain a revision of AMD's 7000 series graphics, which is based on its 28nm Graphics Core Next (GCN) Southern Islands tech.
Anonymous sources are being quoted on VG247 as saying that the graphics setup in the Xbox 720 will be "like two PCs taped together" which sounds like waffle to us. What does that even mean?
The same sources say that the two GPUs in the Xbox 720 "aren't structured as they are in a normal dual PC set-up," with each chip working separately to draw different items simultaneously.
Again, this sounds rather wooly to us, so let's try and make some sense of it...
Perhaps it depends what the source is referring to as different 'items'. The traditional usage of multi-GPU tech is Alternate Frame Rendering (AFR) where each GPU renders a frame in turn; if the source is saying that is not the case in the Xbox 720 then it will be a whole new usage of twin graphics chips.

Next-gen gaming

PS4 release date, news and rumours

It's possible this simultaneous rendering of different items could be referring to using the twin GPUs to display 3D outputs – where each chip is rendering a different angle of a scene to generate the 3D effect. This would then minimise the stress that 3D gaming puts on graphics chips.Still, if that secondary GPU is lying dormant during non-3D gaming it would be rather wasteful, so the GPUs must surely still be used concurrently to render the games.
It's also possible the confusion here could be arising from the difference between AMD's old GPU architecture, used in the Xbox 360, and the new Graphics Core Next technology. The old Very Long Instruction Word (VLIW) architecture of AMD's last gen GPUs essentially batched up instructions before outputting them.
But GCN is made up of more independent microprocessors capable of carrying out more instructions concurrently.
Either way, the inclusion of AMD 7000 series graphics would put the new Xbox on a par with the current rumoured specs of the Sony PS4 which is in turn expected to also contain AMD Southern Islands graphics as well as an AMD x86 CPU.

Next-gen gaming

Nintendo Wii U release date, news and rumours

It would put the two consoles on level footing in terms of performance as they will essentially contain the same hardware, though by the time they actually go on sale they would to be hopelessly out of date compared to modern PCs.
Are we really to believe that the 'next generation' of games consoles would essentially be out of date mini AMD PCs, with just the operating systems and scale of fun-sucking DRM the only levels of differentiation? We can't see that being the case, and a report in April 2012 suggests that Microsoft does indeed have something more exciting up its sleeve.
Xbox World reported that the Xbox 720 will pack a 16-core CPU, which would certainly add some much needed muscle to the maybe-possibly underpowered graphics.
Latest rumours suggest that the 720 will lag behind the PS4 on specs, though the same reports say the next Xbox will have twice as much RAM. Make of that what you will.

Xbox 720 to be called Xbox Infinity?

Microsoft recently went on a domain name shopping spree, snapping up a whole bunch of Xbox-related URLs. One of them, and the one that immediately catches the eye, is Xbox8.com. Could this mean that the next Xbox could be called the Xbox Infinity? It's just speculation at the moment, but it's possible!
It's also entirely possible that Microsoft could call it the Xbox 720, but we reckon it'll have something a bit more exciting up its sleeve.
Noted Microsoft blogger MS Nerd outed the name Xbox Loop, claiming that the long-awaited console will be "far smaller", cheaper and quite Kinect-focused when it finally lands on our shelves.
Rrecent reports indicate that Microsoft's internal codename for the new Xbox is 'Durango'. Sean Tracy, a technical designer at games developer Crytek, said on Twitter: "Enjoying the Durango developers summit in London. So far, great swag and interesting talks". The tweet was very quickly taken down but the codename was out of the bag by then.

What about the Xbox 720 controller?

Many rumours suggest that the second version of Kinect will sit at the heart of the Xbox 720 experience, and we reckon it's a no brainer. A console built around motion detection has lots of promise and it seems highly likely that this is the direction Microsoft is taking, given the way it's currently pushing Kinect hardware and software.
However, you can be sure that the trusty control pad will remain a core component for hardcore gaming. The 360 control pad is wildly popular amongst both console and PC gamers so we can't see the design changing too radically, either.
Microsoft recently filed a patent relating to projecting augmented reality 3D images onto the walls of the room you're gaming in, in an effort to more fully immerse you in the experience.
The codename for this project is 'Fortaleza' and has Kinect at its heart. It is all supposed to work with wi-fi enabled Fortaleza glasses much like Google's Project Glass glasses.

Xbox 720 to pack Blu-ray and DVR features?

It now seems highly likely that the new Xbox will arrive packing a Blu-ray drive.
Microsoft was, if you remember, a staunch member of the HD DVD Promotion Group and went so far as to launch an external HD DVD drive for the 360. So it represents a bit turn-around for Microsoft to embrace Blu-ray, but it also makes perfect sense.
Read speeds from DVDs are still faster than from Blu-ray discs, but BDs can hold vastly more data. A standard dual-layer BD can contain 50GB of data compared to the Xbox 360's dual-layer DVDs which contain between 8 and 9GB.
Many current Xbox 360 titles come on two or three discs, and with the size of Xbox 720 games destined to dwarf current titles, that extra capacity is a fundamental requirement.
Latest
A document that leaked in June 2012 indicates that the Xbox 720 will come packing 1080p 3D support, Blu-ray player and DVR functionality. This would indicate that Microsoft is trying to position the Xbox 720 as the single does-it-all set-top box in your living room.

Xbox 720 games

It looks as though games developers are already playing with Xbox 720 hardware - a recent job advert from Peter Molyneux's Lionhead studio asks for developers with a background in DirectX 11 - a platform not used by any of the current consoles but is rumoured to be used in the AMD-powered Xbox 720.
It's a bit of a no-brainer that titles are in development from all the big studios if you ask us.

Will Microsoft kill the second-hand games market?

There have been rumours cicrulating that the new Xbox console will feature a system aimed at preventing owners playing used games. That would mean no trading-in of old titles in order to fund the purchase of new ones - a move that would not be warmly received by gamers or highstreet store.
The rumours centre around the concept of the new Xbox demanding an always-on internet connection. That sounds like a horrifying idea to us – say it ain't so!

Xbox 720 release date

All indications are that the next Xbox will arrive in time for Christmas 2013. Microsoft briefly stated that the new Xbox is imminent in an interview with the Verge before swiftly backtracking and issuing a moderately embarrassing denial.
This is further backed up by a Microsoft job advert which confirms a new Xbox launch is imminent.
Further rumours of an Xbox 720 release date of pre-Christmas 2013 was backed up at the end of November 2012 by a Bloomberg report which cites sources at Microsoft and says we are likely to see the Xbox 720 make its debut at E3 2013.
But then! In January, a report from Game Informer suggested that we'd actually see Microsoft bust out an all-singing all-dancing event to launch the Xbox 720 around Game Developers Conference in March.
Why no E3 reveal? Because Microsoft wanted to make a splash away from the noise of the mega-show. Unfortunately, the report indicated that Sony had the same idea for the PS4...

Xbox 720 price

That leaked document we mentioned earlier mentions a $299 (£190) price point which sounds gloriously ambitious to us. Expect the Xbox 720 price to be a bit more than that but assuming the PS4 launches around the same time, expect some competitive pricing.

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Kinect 2.0 for Xbox 720 specs leaked: 1080p camera, larger field of view, USB 3.0

Diposting oleh Unknown di 01.25 0 komentar

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While the industry may be focused on Sony and the PlayStation 4 today, some specs of the next Kinect have seemingly leaked and shouldn’t be overlooked. With Sony’s announcement, it would behoove Microsoft to try to take away some of its rival’s thunder, so a controlled leak wouldn’t be surprising, but while these specs are an upgrade over the current-gen Kinect, they’re not going to blow anyone’s socks off. Feet will remain warm.
As with most extremely-detailed-but-unconfirmed leaks, VGleaks has the full list, and it does show a marked improvement over the first Kinect. The report echoes earlier rumors that claim that every Xbox 720 will come with a next-gen Kinect, as it will be integral to the system.
First off, the field of view will increase to 70 degrees horizontally and 60 degrees vertically, while the original Kinect sports 57.5 and 43.5 degrees respectively. Due to the larger field of view, the new Kinect won’t have a tilt motor. While the current Kinect has a 640×480 camera, the new one will upgrade to a modern 1920×1080, changing from 24-bit RGB color to 16-bit YUV. The video will stream at 30 fps. The depth resolution also improves from a 320×240 to 512×424, and it will employ an IR stream — unlike the current-gen Kinect — so the device can see better in an environment with limited light.

The new Kinect, the report states, will also shift from USB 2.0 to USB 3.0, and will reduce end-to-end latency by around 30ms, from 90ms to 60ms.
Aside from a small reduction in latency and an upgrade to 1080p (which, let’s be honest, is expected in this day and age), one of the most important changes is the larger field of view. Not only does the larger field of view mean that players shouldn’t be cramped up against their couch while they plan in their small living room, but they will no longer be penalized for being too tall or short — unless they’re something of an anatomical anomaly. Perhaps amazingly, the source of the leak reportedly claims that the new Kinect will be able to work around furniture, so users won’t have to rearrange their living room setup in order to play. The report also claims that the device will be able to discern a sitting and standing player, so you’ll be able to switch from standing around to sitting on the comfortable couch at your leisure.
If you were hoping that Microsoft would step up its game and turn Kinect into something like the Oculus Rift, this report will surely be a letdown — especially since it details marginal upgrades you would expect, rather than mystery upgrades you hoped would surprise and impress you. Whatever the next Kinect ends up looking like, even if this report does turn out to be completely accurate, it’s still a decent upgrade over the current model.

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