Tag: Xbox One

Geekscape 291: Orlando Jones, The Xbox One and ‘The Night Visitor’!

by Jonathan

We run from tipoff to buzzer on this episode of Geekscape! Kenny is back in the studio and we kick off a discussion about how much fun ‘Star Trek into Darkness’ is and what everyone’s worries are about the newly announced Xbox One! Actor and producer Orlando Jones calls in to talk about his new Machinima Prime series ‘Tainted Love’ and its comic book origins (really, you should be watching it)! We also talk about the upcoming show ‘Sleepy Hollow’ and how it really is a geek labor of love for show runners Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman! Also, how is the new digital distribution age giving new opportunities to creators to finally be the geeks they truly are?!? PLUS! Geekscape friend Leah Cevoli calls up to talk about ‘The Night Visitor’, an alien feature film shot in 5 days that could use your Kickstarter love!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:03:32 — 25.5MB)

New ‘Call of Duty: Ghosts’ Footage Has Gone to the Dogs

by Josh Jackson

Another year, another Call of Duty. When Activision and Infinity Ward took the stage of the Xbox One reveal to discuss the upcoming COD: Ghosts, they promised that it wouldn’t be more of the same. While that has yet to be seen from a game play standpoint, the details they did reveal hope to convince gamers that this is going to be more than just a map pack in disguise.

Featuring dynamic online maps that change as you play, a new cast and a story written by Stephen Gaghan, (who penned Traffic and Syriana,) were perhaps overshadowed by the newest squad mate to join the team. Rather than another roided up military tough guy, a great amount  of detail went into the squad member on four legs.

Not since Dog’s Life has so much attention gone into properly capturing dog behavior in a game. It’s good to see that the next generation of canine technology has finally arrived! Using motion capture with a real German Shepard, Infinity Ward promises that you’re going to really care for this dog. I mean really build a strong attachment to him as you brave the trenches of war against enemy soldiers that are out for your blood. Knowing that no matter how many combatants head your way, you’ll get through it knowing your loyal friend is at your side!

Yeah, he’s gonna die at the end…

Watch this incredible dog-soldier dynamic in action and get hyped for this holiday season when you’ll be able to have this shooter in your hands!


‘Halo’ Television Show Coming to ‘Xbox One’

by Josh Jackson

The Halo series has been a multimedia juggernaut practically since it launched back in 2001. Movies, books, Mega Blocks, Risk boards and of course, video games based on the sci fi shooter have helped keep a steady flow of content to appease its fans.

With the announcement of the Xbox One and its large focus on bringing all forms of entertainment into one living room hub, this includes original television programing, first of which is a new Halo program. As a colabaration between developer 343 Industries and presenter of Freakazoid, Steven Spielberg, details are about as slim as the Xbox One’s known game library, (ZING!) but it’s easy to see that Microsoft is all in with this concept.

Watch the reveal and let us know if this is the next step in television evolution or if it’s nothing more than an elaborate Halo 5 commercial.

Is Xbox One The Future We Want? One Geek Is Worried!

by MoreLikeAndy

With Microsoft finally unveiling the Xbox One, we now know where they see the future of gaming headed. It just might not be the future we want.

Heavy focus on the Xbox One being “The One” device you need for all your entertainment needs just sits wrong with me. With all the devices most already own-whether it be a smart phone, PC, laptop or tablet- we already have a great setup for consuming entertainment. Having a immobile device that does everything is not how the busy citizen consumes information these days. For example, when I sit down and watch TV, I always have my smart phone next to me. I check Twitter, Facebook, and news feeds while watching a show or movie. I don’t need my gaming console to do that. I want my gaming console to do what throughout history it was made to do first and foremost, to play games. Everything else should come a distant second.

Speaking of playing games, Microsoft seems to be playing games with our emotions when it comes to used games and always online in regard to the Xbox One. So much back and forth from certain people within the Microsoft camp that just made everyone even more confused. What seems to be known is that games will be tied to your profile and that as long as you’re logged in to that profile, regardless if it’s your Xbox One or a friends, you can play said games. Still no straight answer on fees being involved to install on a 2nd Xbox One or if you simply have to deauthorize the game before selling it. The always online question seems a little more clear. It seems every 24 hours, the Xbox One needs to ping the servers to make sure you in fact own the game you are playing, otherwise it will not work until you do. A minor annoyance to say the least.

If you hated using the Kinect before, be prepared to hate it even more now. Every Xbox One will come bundled with the new Kinect, which is required to be connected at all times for the system to even function. I prefer not to have a camera and mic listening for my every command when I am not using the system it’s attached to. I wonder if there’s a soundproof box I can store the Kinect in while still having it plugged into the Xbox One?

With the first outings by Sony and Microsoft out of the way, we know that Sony went out of its way to show us that it wants to make games easier for developers to make for the PS4 so that people can do what a console is made for in the first place, to play games. Innovation can come from anywhere or anyone. Sony making that easier means that the gaming experience could be phenomenal on the PS4. Microsoft on the other hand? How about you just take a look at this video and you’ll get an idea of what they want you to experience.

When E3 2013 arrives on June 10th, will opinions change on the Xbox One and PS4, or is there no change in the minds of the masses?

‘Forza 5’ to Launch with the ‘Xbox One.’ Gets New Trailer

by Josh Jackson

What was at first shunned as an Xbox rip off of the Gran Turismo series, (which also has a new game coming this year,) Forza has come into its own as one of the premier racing simulations in gaming. It wasn’t a matter of “if,” but “when” a sequel to the series would hit the new Xbox. As we learned at the Xbox One reveal, we won’t have to wait at all.

Forza 5 will launch with the Xbox One when it’s released later this year. Featuring updated graphics to go with the large amount of cars, customization and online features that have become synonymous with the series, Microsoft is hoping that it will be enough to help units zoom off the shelves.

But will it be? Forza will be one of 15 exclusive games that are set to launch with the system. Hit the road with the reveal trailer and let us know if it’s enough to put you into the Xbox One’s driver’s seat.

‘Xbox One’ and Remedy Present: ‘Quantum Break’

by Josh Jackson

During the Xbox One reveal, there was a ton of information flying around about watching TV, watching movies, Skyping, watching TV while Skyping. But the sole new gaming IP featured during the conference was Quantum Break, the newest game from the folks over at Remedy, (who brought us Alan Wake and the first two Max Payne games.)

Part action game, part television show, the trailer showed a shift between live action scenes with a suburban family and an over the top action game that was possibly taking place inside of the mind of a child that was classified as “different.” Not much is known about the game outside of what was shown, but Remedy has a strong track record of quality titles, and are some of the best at weaving together story and game play into a memorable experience.

Quantum Break is expected to launch with Xbox One, promising to blur the lines between television and gaming. Until then, help us make sense of the trailer and let the speculation begin!

How Xbox One Will Change the TV Landscape

by jake108

Earlier this morning, Microsoft unveiled its entry into the next generation of gaming consoles. The Xbox One presentation was spearheaded by the console’s capabilities involving games, internet browsing, movies, and television. With the advent of social media and smart phones, the way we view television has undergone a transformation, and with the upcoming release of Xbox One, television will undergo yet another transformation.

The introduction to the Xbox One strayed from announcing a lineup of next generation games and instead showcased its features as a media center. The things you can do on an Xbox One are unlike those you would be able to do on a cable box or dish service. For instance, you cannot vocally command your cable box to boot up along with the TV or command the box to search for a specific title. Granted, most of these features are impaired with the lack of a Kinect device, a backend product for last generation’s Xbox 360. However, every Xbox One will come bundled with a Kinect, eliminating the hassle of buying it separately. There are features on the Xbox One that will allow things like Instant Switching and Snap Mode, two things exclusive to the Xbox One. Instant Switching enables users to switch between all of the features on the Xbox One in what seemed like two seconds. For example, a user can switch between the game they’re playing to live or On Demand television program. This is done by simply saying, “Xbox, switch to TV.” Once the user is watching TV, they can then enter Snap Mode, which will divide the screen to include a small sidebar that will allow the user to make a Skype call or look something up on an Internet web browser. An example shown during the presentation, a user was viewing Star Trek (2009) while simultaneously looking up showtimes and tickets for Star Trek Into Darkness (2013). These two examples alone eliminate the need for multiple devices and allow the user to find what they want on a single device.

With piracy and other TV services entering the television fray, such as Netflix, Hulu Plus, and HBO Go, ratings has had a direct negative effect. This, in turn, has made Live Event TV that much more important to advertisers trying to get a good slot. For programs like The Super Bowl, 30-second spots can reach into the billions, and advertisers buy it because they know we’re watching. Xbox One plans on revamping Event Television by means of Snap Mode. Let’s say you’re watching an NFL game in Week 14. Your Fantasy Football league is about to end and you’re set to win it all. Xbox One’s Snap Mode allows users to view live up-to-the-minute updates on Fantasy Football scores. This is in partnership with ESPN, and will also encompass the NBA and MLB. Users will also be able to view all of ESPN’s channels. While all of the above features still require a cable provider, it does not change the danger advertisers face. There’s no stopping a user from instantly switching from a program on commercial break to a game they have running in the background. As an avid NFL viewer myself, the Xbox One will definitely be changing the way I view the games I seek. This feature will also be compatible with Xbox Smartglass, which is already available on mobile devices running Android or iOS. What’s even bigger news here is that Microsoft and the NFL announced a partnership starting with the above features for the Xbox One as a direct competitor to NFL Sunday Ticket, only NFL Sunday Ticket won’t be able to Skype call your friend who’s a fan of your rival team that just loss.

Lastly, the Xbox One will be the newest platform offering Original Programming that isn’t owned by any current television network. Their first splash into original programming will be a live-action television series based in the world of Halo. Halo is arguably the most popular science fiction first person shooter that has dominated Microsoft consoles since 2001. With the release of Halo 4, fans were treated to a live-action mini-series used as a primer leading into the Halo 4’s story. This was Forward Unto Dawn, and while this mini-series was marketed toward fans, this new live-action Halo series will be open to a much larger audience as it is using Xbox One as a springboard. As if that wasn’t big enough, Steven Spielberg plans to showrun the series and expressed his excitement this morning during the presentation.

The television landscape is changing and will never stop. Advertisers will need to adapt just as viewers will too. The newest and coolest thing in television is no longer constricted in a dish, cable box, tablet, or 15” monitor. This new iteration of next generation gaming is overflowing into new territory that plans to be a part of the change. The Xbox One will be releasing later this year.

Xbox Reveal Conference LIVE BLOG!

by Shane O'Hare

The newest iteration of the Microsoft console is getting announced RIGHT NOW! So if you can’t watch  then follow along with us here as I try to keep up with these marketing types!

Xbox One

 

20 minutes behind schedule but we’re here! Newest console will be called ” XBOX ONE” So far the newest console will have a lot of the same features the PS4 has. Live game DVR and asynchronous events. Search for your perfect match making game while you do other things.

 

EA Sports president is on stage talking about exclusives. EA Sports ignite. (New game engine?)

Sports stars are on talking about their specific sports. A lot of bombastic music. Appears that EA Sports Ignite IS a new engine or programming platform specifically for sports games.

Got a lot of buzz words going on here. EA Ignite will feature 10x the animation depth and detail from previous engines. Multiple calculations will allow for more life like interactions.

This crowd HAS to be paid or have plants in it because there are some people going CRAZY over polygons. Fifa 14 looks fucking GORGEOUS!

 

Microsoft studios Phil Spencer on stage. This crowd is dubbed! THEY DUBBED THEIR CROWD!

MS Studios wants to focus on original content and story telling. Developers have already been writing for the XBOX ONE.

Forza Motorsports 5 running on XBOX ONE. MY Favorite racing game of all time. Forza 4 looked amazing but this looks pretty damn good. I think slightly less than PS4 Drive Club but still only a trailer. Forza 5 will be available at console launch. More news at E3!

UGGG! “Cloud Powered” games that change. I don’t like this.  Remedy Games (Max Pane) have a new game called Quantum Break. Live action trailer. Game looks as if time will be the major gimmick here.

 

Nancy Tellem head of Xbox Entertainment Studios onstage. She is talking about her work at CBS and various TV shows. TV on xbox will let you “Virtuall jump into the action”. Truly personalized TV. Social TV.

 

Head of 343 industries Bonnie Ross onstage. Possible Halo TV show? She is talking about Halo story telling. They want to expand story telling on XBOX ONE. LIVE ACTION HALO TELEVISION SERIES! LIVE ACTION HALOZ! Steven Spielberg is on the Telescreen talking about his love of games.

 

NFL Network on XBOX TV. Exclusive content that supports Smart Glass and Kinect. Focus on Fantasy Football. Skype integration.

 

Conference recap. Focus of this conference appears to be on TV shows.

 

XBOX ONE will be released later this year. Most likely Holiday. More games will be revealed and shown at E3.

 

All Call of Duty DLC will launch first on XBOX ONE.

 

Activision CEO Eric Hirshberg on stage. Next COD had a focus on an entirely new world, new characters. Infinity Ward dev diary on the Telescreen. Brand new COD game engine for COD Ghosts. Stephen Gaghan writer of Traffic and Syriana worked on the story. The game takes place after a global event where the US is the underdogs, and actual dogs. You will have a dog be apart of your squad. New polygon tech, Sub D, will increase polygon count the closer you get to an object.

Did they really just say that game leaning is a new feature? LEANING A NEW FEATURE? DAFUQ!?

Environments will have an AI. Smoke. Flora and fauna. Shadows.

Dynamic maps. Earthquakes (BF3 much?), player damage. More in depth player customization.

Side by side of COD: MOD 3 and Ghosts. There is a HUGE leap of “visual fidelity”. Granted, COD MOD 3 was running on VERY old tech, this jump is substantial.

New trailer for COD Ghosts. All is supposed gameplay running on an XBOX ONE. So much ‘MURICA in this trailer it hurts. I am getting a confederate flag tattoo because of this!

 

AND THAT IS A WRAP FOLKS! Not a lot of new games displayed but still a good deal of information to go through. Focus on centralizing entertainment was huge. Expect to see more focus on keeping you in the living room and using the XBOX ONE to consume entertainment. Stay with us during E3 and we will be sure to update you on all of the new games promised from XBOX ONE!