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Oculus is ditching its first standalone headset, the VR unit that launched in 2018 to address complaints that the flagship Rift was too expensive, had too many cables, and required a PC that was also expensive. The Oculus Go -- a headset that is wireless, cheap, and is entirely self-contained -- is being discontinued.
This is less a story of failure and more a story about how quickly virtual reality tech is advancing. The reason Facebook will no longer sell Oculus Go is because the newer Oculus Quest is simply a better product.
The Quest is entirely self-contained just like the Go, but it's capable of running higher-end apps. It's also able to plug into a PC, essentially turning the Quest into a Rift. The Quest is a smarter purchase and it made Oculus Go redundant. So, Go is being axed from the Oculus lineup only two years after launching.
To that end, Oculus is also no longer developer three-degrees-of-freedom (3dof) products, instead focusing exclusively on six-degrees-of-freedom (6dof). Here's some additional reading about the specifics of degrees of freedom. The gist is that 3dof could only give the player rotational and not translational movement. Oculus says that players clearly want 6dof as the standard, so it's not going to devote any more resources to 3dof devices.
Go will receive security patches and bug fixes through 2022. However, Oculus isn't shipping any new features starting now, and won't update the storefront after December 18 of this year.
We know that you should be wearing some form of face covering to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. You just should. Don’t argue with me on this.
To commemorate Pride Month, we wanted to take a look at the history of video games and point out a few of the pillars of gaming’s LGBTQ+ characters. From early beginnings to modern juggernauts, here are the seven most iconic LGBT video game characters.
It can hardly be argued that Tracer isn’t the face of the ever-popular hero shooter, Overwatch. She is one of the leaders of the group and also, more obviously, is the cover star for the physical copies of the game.
But more important than her stardom from being on store shelves comes the fact that she is a powerful force and total badass who just so happens to be fighting to protect her girlfriend back home.
Ubisoft said it is "deeply concerned" by the sexual harassment and assault allegations leveled against two of its employees. ...
A new Idol Manager trailer was released for NGPX 2020, and it offers a better look at life in the music industry and managing singers.
The post Get a Better Look at Idol Manager With Its NGPX Trailer appeared first on Siliconera.
Hades has had a hell of a ride in Early Access, but it's in the home stretch and I couldn't be more stoked. Today, Supergiant released The Blood Price – its "biggest ever" update, and its final one before the version 1.0 launch adds a proper ending, extra content, and a full localization "later this year."
Not that this should come as a surprise – it's Supergiant – but Hades looks so dang sharp. Really, I mean it. Don't skip the Blood Price trailer just because you're not playing Hades. It'll still amp you up.
If you have time for the full patch notes, look no further. Otherwise, here's the team's rundown:
Dungeons and Dragons developers Wizards of the Coast will change how they describe and characterize fantasy races in future story modules. In a blog post last week, the publishers of the largest tabletop roleplaying game explained how some of their past characterizations have been racially insensitive and set forth a…
Today, during the New Game + Expo, Koei Tecmo showcased a new trailer of the upcoming Fairy Tail JRPG by Atelier developer Gust.
We get to see gameplay, cutscenes, characters, features, and even bikinis.
You can enjoy the trailer presented during the show below.
If you want to learn more you should read our interview with producer Keisuke Kikuchi and watch the extensive gameplay video we recorded at a preview event in London.
The latest instalment in Falcom's popular and delightful action RPG series Ys has been confirmed for a western release early next year.
The news came as part of this afternoon's NGPX, with an announcement that Ys 9: Monstrum Nox is coming to PS4 in 2021, with PC and Switch versions to follow at a later date. The original Japanese release of Ys 9 came in September last year.
You can find more about the esteemed series by reading our series retrospective, or taking a look inside the history of the RPG that made Falcom's name.
Catherine: Full Body is headed to the Nintendo Switch, and here's the trailer you want to watch if you've yet to see how it actually plays.
The post NGPX 2020 Catherine: Full Body Trailer Sends Vincent Up a Tower appeared first on Siliconera.
Developer Camouflaj’s anticipated upcoming VR superhero game is just around the corner, and today a new trailer offers us a look at Iron Man VR’s moment-to-moment gameplay both in and out of Tony Stark’s iconic suit. Further, we get to hear from members of the development team about some of the game’s design imperatives.
In particular, the team reflects on wanting to create an experience that would allow players to live out their Tony Stark fantasy. To that end, beyond merely saving the world, they’ll have the opportunity to mosey around Stark’s Malibu premises. That includes his garage, which offers players a chance to tinker with their suit and customize its appearance and abilities.
Of course, there will be plenty of opportunities to interact with the lovely Pepper Stark, too. It sounds as though we can expect dialog between the two to form part as a secondary story arc.
Iron Man VR has recently gone gold and will launch on July 3, 2020, exclusively for PS4 with PlayStation VR required.
Following the release of SNK Gals' Fighters earlier this year more Neo Geo Pocket games are coming to Nintendo's Switch later this summer, with the Neo Geo Pocket Color Selection soon bringing King of Fighters R2 and Samurai Shodown 2 to the hybrid device.
You might already have the Switch version of Samurai Shodown 2, which was a pre-order bonus for SNK's latest Samurai Shodown game, but it's now going to be a little easier to get hold of. It sounds like more Neo Geo Pocket Color games are also inbound after the release of this latest brace as part of the Neo Geo Pocket Color Selection in July. Is it too much to hope for a release of SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters Clash any time soon?
An English trailer for upcoming otome visual novel Cafe Enchante has landed during the New Game+ Expo. Cafe Enchante is a Nintendo Switch exclusive.
For those who might not know the meaning, otome typically refers to a romantic visual novel that features a girl as the protagonist, with many male suitors to deal with throughout the story. It’s roughly the opposite of a harem anime.
Cafe Enchante is described by the publisher as:
Check out all the new Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon 2 characters! here's who the are, what they can do, and more. Hachi is our favorite. He's a good boy, yes he is.
The post Here’s a Curse of the Moon 2 Characters Breakdown, Including Hachi the Corgi Mech Pilot appeared first on Siliconera.
Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon, the 8-bit styled action game from Inti Creates that acted as a curtain raiser for Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, is getting a sequel 'soon'.
The announcement was made at this afternoon's NGPX showcase, and presented by none other than Koji Igarashi himself. Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon 2 follows on in a similar style from the original, presenting action with more than a hint of Castlevania 3 to it all, and this time out it boasts three new playable characters and a more expansive campaign.
It's listed as coming to Xbox One, PS4, PC and Switch, with a release date pinned tantalisingly as 'soon'.
Death end re;Quest 2 will be out this August, and there'll be different special editions (and charms) you can get.
The post Death end re;Quest 2 Release Date Set for August 2020 appeared first on Siliconera.
The New Game+ Expo is now underway. A multitude of games from a number of genres are being presented during the stream. One of those genres is visual novel, and Aksys Games’ Piofiore: Fated Memories is one of those visual novels.
Piofiore: Fated Memories originally released in Japan last year, but it’s officially coming to the west for Nintendo Switch this fall. It’s an otome visual novel, meaning it has a female protagonist and is generally aimed at a female audience.
Piofiore has you playing as Liliana Adoronato, a woman born and raised in the church in Burlone, Italy. By some inconvenient coincidence, Lili finds herself at the center of a a turf war between three rival factions in the city.
The Falzone, Visconti, and Lao-Shu are the criminal organizations that run the city, and she has chance meetings with the heads of all three factions. Players will be drawn into this criminal underworld with little to no way out.
Check out the Piofiore trailer below to see just a bit of what Lili will be going through in Pifiore: Fated Memories:
Today, during the New Game + Expo Atlus released a brand new trailer of the upcoming Nintendo Switch version of Catherine: Full Body.
The trailer focuses on the puzzle platforming that players will have to face during the nightmares haunting protagonist Vincent.
You can watch the trailer presented during the show below.
If you’re unfamiliar with the game, below you can read an official description. You can also watch the previous trailer.
Catherine: Full Body is a gripping, action-adventure puzzler that features a mature story about complex relationships and difficult choices. Our story centers around commitment-phobic Vincent, who is at a crossroads of taking the next step in his long-term relationship or leaving it all behind. Succumbing to the temptation of a new romance, Vincent then finds himself trapped in a recurring nightmare of a crumbling tower of puzzle blocks he must climb to survive to see another day…
Today, during the New Game + Expo, Idea Factory International had new to share about Death End re;Quest 2 and Neptunia Virtual Stars.
First of all, we get western release dates for Death End re;Quest 2, which is coming for PS4 and PC via Steam on August 25 in North America and on August 28 in Europe.
A Limited Edition for $99.99 will also be available on Idea Factory’s own online store.
PC fans won’t be left behind as they’re going to get the option to buy a Deluxe Pack on Steam (also for $99.99) including the following:
You can enjoy the trailer presented during the show and a look at the edition below.
Hardspace: Shipbreaker is a game about peeling open spaceships like they’re massive tin cans to reveal the abandoned detritus inside. The belongings of long departed crews hang in the darkness like deep sea fish. Cola bottles and crisp packets wander past your visor, disturbed into aimless tumbles by the change in air pressure when you popped open the airlock like a champagne cork. The only sounds are the distant thunks of the settling hull, your own breathing, and a folksy tune on steel guitar piped into your suit by your employer to improve productivity.
Fans of one of the oldest, purest shmups of all-time, Space Invaders, have reasons to be cheerful today, as Taito has announced its intention to localise Nintendo Switch release Space Invaders: Invincible Collection in the west. Furthermore, the retro compendium will receive a physical release, courtesy of Strictly Limited Games.
Space Invaders: Invincible Collection collates 11 different variants of the alien-zapping shmup, from the 1978 original, through 1990's Super Space Invaders, 1994's Space Invaders DX, Space Invaders Extreme, and many other modern iterations. This release also contains the rare 2017 release Arkanoid vs. Space Invaders, which sees two classic arcade titles mix up their respective gameplay. Pew-pew.
Today's New Game+ Expo stream ended with a bang by revealing that Ys IX: Monstrum Nox is coming to North America. The action/RPG is set to hit PS4, Switch, and PC in 2021. NIS America, who brought us Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana, is once again the publisher.
Ys IX follows our red-headed hero Adol as he gains supernatural abilities to defeat evil. The trailer showed off Nihon Falcom's trademark fast and fluid action combat that puts your twitch skills to the test. Adol did everything from avoiding ridiculous, screen-filling laser attacks to throwing down flashy, over-the-top moves. It also teased gaining powerful new allies to help you through your trek. You can watch the trailer below to see what's in store.
Click here to watch embedded media
Initially revealed last December, Mikage & Aksys have announced that their upcoming project, now titled Escape from Asura, will be coming to the West in 2021.
An extremely short trailer made the announcement during the New Game+ Expo event today, and it is a western version of Criminal Girls X.
Rather than calling it Criminal Girls X in the west too, it is now called Escape from Asura and will release on Switch and PS4 in 2021.
We covered the game back in December, when it was initially revealed. You can read all about here, but below is the gist of the story.
The protagonist goes to the world of Shura, which is essentially hell, to rehabilitate his loved one and then bring her back to life to live together once again.
In order to achieve this, he needs to rehabilitate her and 23 additional heroines.
As an additional complication, the god who gave him this chance took his memories away and turned him into a cat.
Through his mission, he’ll have to lead the heroines to defeat terrible Oni and another terrifying enemy. He’ll have to collect the memories of the heroines and have them face their own sins to complete the mission. The article linked above also features screenshots of the 23 heroines in the game.
Also, earlier in 2019, a gameplay trailer for the base Criminal Girls X was released. Since the project was crowdfunded, with it hitting 200% of its goal a year ago, the trailer gave backers their first look at some on-rails shooting sections.
Escape from Asura will release in 2021 and we will get more info as the launch approaches.
Part of the all-digital GDC Summer's new lineup of interactive sessions, each of these Roundtables promises to be 45 minutes of lively, constructive conversation with expert moderation! ...
During the New Game+ Expo today, Suda51 of Grasshopper Manufacture showed off the first-ever gameplay footage of No More Heroes 3, the upcoming hack and slash Switch exclusive title.
This wasn’t a typical gameplay reveal trailer, but instead, the gameplay footage was playing in the background while Goichi Suda was talking about something completely unrelated –he didn’t even mention the game at all.
From the very small amount of footage we were able to see, you can definitely tell that this new entry in Suda51’s series will go back to its roots, unlike Travis Strikes Again. You can watch the footage down below:
A cute new game from Nippon Columbia and Aksys Games called Pretty Princess Party was announced today during the New Game+ Expo, and it will be making its way to the Nintendo Switch this Fall.
In this game, players can enjoy fun activities as they restore a royal castle to its former glory. The developers call it the “ultimate princess adventure.”
The trailer shows off adorable graphics with a soft color palette. Players can look forward to using more than 1,300 items to decorate the many rooms in their very own castle.
The playable character can also be customized with 50 choices in gowns, shoes, tiaras, and hair ornaments, plus 25 hairstyles and many eye color and makeup options.
There are also six mini-games to enjoy, including cake decorating, dancing, horseback riding, and archery.
The creators of Pretty Princess Party, Nippon Co., have developed a number of games for the Nintendo Switch, including Fun! Fun! Animal Park.
Aksys Games, the publisher, specializes in localizing Japanese games for western audiences and has helped bring games such as Little Dragons Cafe to the Switch.
If you’ve been longing for a game in which you can play as the royalty you know you are, you’ll be happy to know that Pretty Princess Party will release for the Nintendo Switch later this year in Fall 2020.
You can find out more information about Pretty Princess Party by visiting the New Game+ Expo website here, or watch the full trailer below.
Samaurai Shodown NEOGEO Collection only launched recently for PC but it has now been announced that a physical limited edition for the PS4 and Nintendo Switch will be headed West from Limited Run Games. This same edition has already been announced in both Japan and the UK, but now the US Samurai Shodown fans will get the opportunity to get their hands on a copy made for their region.
The edition can be pre-ordered now here for PS4 and here for Switch. The store listings say that pre-orders will close July 26.
During the New Game+ Expo today, it was revealed that Shiren the Wanderer: The Tower of Fortune and the Dice of Fate will be coming to PC and Switch in 2020 for the west. The enhanced port will have new bonus dungeons and other additional content for new and returning players.
You can check out the new trailer down below that shows off the old-school mystery dungeon gameplay:
Shiren the Wanderer: The Tower of Fortune and the Dice of Fate originally released on the DS in Japan back in 2010 but then later came to the west in 2016 as a PS Vita port.
Shiren the Wanderer lets you explore mysterious dungeons (very similar to the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon spin-off series), change your strategy on the fly to deal with monsters, and collect loot to improve your equipment and gain new skills and abilities.
Shiren the Wanderer: The Tower of Fortune and the Dice of Fate will launch in 2020 for PC (via Steam) and Nintendo Switch.
For more Japanese-developed titles that were showcased during the New Game+ Expo, check out more news down below:
Today, during the New Game + Expo, NIS America closed the showcase with the announcement of the western release of Nihon Falcom’s Ys IX: Monstrum Nox.
Not only we learn that the game is coming west in 2021, but it’s also getting two new platforms. On top of the original PS4 version, it’s also coming for PC and Nintendo Switch.
It’s certainly going to be a long wait, but at least fans of the series will be happy to know that we’re getting it in English.
You can enjoy the trailer presented during the show below.
If you’re unfamiliar with Ys IX: Monstrum Nox, it’s the latest chapter of the Ys series, and it was released in Japan only for PS4 in September 2019.
Criminal Girls X is coming to the West as Escape from Asura, developed by Mikage LLC and published by Aksys Games. A short trailer was shown.
The post Criminal Girls X is Coming West as Escape from Asura appeared first on Siliconera.
It’s widely known that the comics industry is an extremely insular, rarified space where people’s careers are made or broken based on their interpersonal, social connections to those (typically older, white men) who have a seat at the table. A seat that affords them a distinct institutional power. All too often this…
Moneymaking board-game-like Billion Road announced a new update at the June 23rd New Game+ Expo, and that update is live right now on PC. The game now has a new “Ranking Versus Mode”, where players can play with and against up to three other people to earn ranking points. Billion Road is available now on PC via Steam and Switch, and according to Graham, it’s a digital board game in the Japanese sugoroku style. That puts its structure closer to the company of Monopoly and The Game of Life. Players will participate in a fictional Japanese game show, traveling around Japan to trigger events and […]
The post Billion Road Surprise-Updated With Ranking Versus Mode appeared first on Siliconera.
Inti Creates has revealed a sequel to its popular 2D side-scrolling action-RPG Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon today during the New Game + Expo showcase. No release date or platforms were confirmed.
Originally conceived as a Kickstarter bonus rather than a fully-fledged series, Curse of the Moon is essentially the 8 bit NES Castlevania spiritual successor. It was offered to those backing Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, which was of course developed by Koji Igarashi as a Symphony of the Night spiritual successor.
But, as explained by Igarashi himself at the start of today’s trailer, the critical success of Curse of the Moon has prompted the developer to turn the former into a series of its own. It should make for a fitting celebration of Inti Creates’ 25th anniversary!
As you’ll see below, players will be taking control of Zangatsu, Dominique, Robert, and Hachi in a new quest against demonic forces.
Twinfinite reviewed the original Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon back in 2018 and thoroughly enjoyed it, scoring the game 4/5 and concluding:
“Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon is a superb game. It is ideal for gamers who want an old-school challenge as well as an old-school game in both aesthetic and design.”
The Shiren the Wanderer Switch and PC debut is coming soon to fans in North America. Spike Chunsoft is bringing Shiren 5 over in 2020.
The post Shiren the Wanderer: The Tower of Fortune and the Dice of Fate Journeys to Switch and PC in 2020 appeared first on Siliconera.
Ys IX: Monstrum Nox, the latest release in the long-running Nihon Falcom series, will release in the West in 2021.
The post Ys IX: Monstrum Nox to Release in 2021 for Switch, PS4, PC appeared first on Siliconera.
Image: Aspyr