“The games developer Howard Scott Warshaw has openly embraced the attention his game has received negative or not, he’s just happy it’s still talked about.”

The answer as proven by the documentary crew on the 26^th of April, yes Atari did buried the unsold E.T. cartridge among some other titles. Over 700,000 cartridges were exhumed form the landfill site in Alamogordo, New Mexico. The one thing that I can’t get my head around with all the news coverage on this issue is why this is such a big reveal. A company deposing unsold or faulty merchandise in a landfill is not all that unusual. Of course over time the story has been elaborated on and given an altered narrative. The story of a company so ashamed of their failure that in the dead of night they buried the games in the middle of the desert and sealed it off with concrete to forever entomb the worst video game ever made. The real story is far more mundane that sees a company bury merchandise in a standard landfill close to the company warehouse and seal it with concrete to stop local kids trying to dig it up. In fact if the documentary crew had done a bit of research they would have found a New York Times article archived from September of 1983 that reported on the dumping of the cartridges at the New Mexico landfill site. I have to wonder how Fuel Entertainment the documentary crew behind all this is going to produce a full length feature out of it. Microsoft believes in it so much so that they partnered up with the crew for the event and will be releasing the documentary as part of their new Xbox Originals programme series, set to start up next month.

“What couldn’t be sold in 1983 might find some interested buyers in 2014, with the unearthed cartridges planning to be sold off.”

It’s almost comic how excited the video game community was over the discovery of some rubbish Atari threw out over 30 years ago. What’s next the mystery of what happened to all those Nokia N-gage’s that were shipped but never sold or riffling through the dumpster at Valve to find any mention of Half Life 3. Not to say that the documentary crew’s efforts were wasted but why finding these cartridges was such a massive reveal, puzzles me when all that was exposed was a company following standard procedure in finding a cheap way to dispose of unwanted merchandise.

By Colm O’Sullivan

The post Gaming Sidenote: Atari’s Garbage is Big News Apparently? appeared first on Game Design Ireland.

“The player takes on the role of a nameless space marine fighting through hordes of the damned set on invaded the realm of man.”

The development for the game began in 1992 after the release of Spear of Destiny the sequel to Wolfenstein 3D. As with the companies previous titles it was the engine that powered the game, which would be as crucial as the game itself. Prior to the start of development Carmack had carried out some research and experimentation for the companies next engine. The result was the ShadowCaster engine that featured improved graphical elements but was too slow for their action orientated games. It was not used by id but was licenced to Raven Software and used in their game titled ShadowCaster. The experimentation would lead Carmack to build out the far superior Doom engine also known as id Tech 1. Differing level heights , full texture mapping, varying light levels and non-perpendicular walls all helped set Doom a field apart from their previous effort Wolfenstein 3D. The level designer could now implement atmospheric conditions and visual aesthetics to improve on what was in some ways a static experience in their previous 3D titles. Wolfenstein 3D was the base on which id built the far more technically and graphically advanced Doom. During the development process a level of conflict arose between the creative director of the game Tim Hall and the rest of the team. Hall was unhappy about the level of violence featured in the game and wished for the company to return to the Commander Keen series of games. Initially opposed to the games themes, Hall conceded and set out to write up a comprehensive design document known as the ‘Doom Bible’. Hall set out in it a highly detail backstory and narrative for the game, however when presented to the rest of the team it was rejected. Carmack feeling that such a detailed plot was unnecessary for what was a fast paced action type of game.  Hall left the company just months before the games release; he would later use material from the ‘Doom Bible’ in his own games such as Rise of the Triad and Terminal Velocity.

“The level of violence in Doom not only lead to the resignation of tier creative director, but also caused some in the medium to question its influence on violent behaviour.”

Hype for the game had been steadily building prior to its release, with even an unauthorized alpha build of the game find its way onto the web. Just as with its previous titles Doom was distributed through the shareware model, with the first part of the game released online on December 10 1993. Although most users just played the free version, over a million copies of the full game were sold. The popularity of Doom was in no question with the game becoming wide spread within a matter of months. It addictiveness with gamers causing some companies to set policies banning the game from the workplace. One company in particular whose employees were utterly obsessed with the game was Microsoft. So much so Microsoft’s owner Bill Gates had contemplated buying id Software, ultimately Microsoft went on to develop a Windows 95 port of the game to help sell their operating system. Bill Gates appearing in a Windows 95 showcase presentation, superimposed into the one of the games levels as part of promotional video. It marked a point at which games were moving beyond their own sphere of influence. Companies and individual not directly linked with the video game industry could now see the growing popularity in the medium. Doom helped video games breach the divide between their own industry and the wider world.

The post Compendium: Doom Knee Deep in Development appeared first on Game Design Ireland.

The Xbox One has been steadily lagging behind its rival the PS4 since the launch of the two consoles in November of last year.  Sony have got the jump on Microsoft this time around are looking to be the console of choice among gamers for the current generation. However with so many variables to many of the facts and figures surrounding next-gen console sales it really isn’t fair to say that the Xbox One lost the console war. Latest PS4 sales figures as of February state that 5.3 million units have been sold, whereas as of January the latest figures available for Xbox One sales put Microsoft’s console at just over 3 million. Granted with the boost in sales from the release of Titanfall this number will have jumped significantly, more than likely nearer 4-5 million at this point. This is one of the many problems when trying to extrapolate any argument for which console is more successful.

“The PR war of words has been going strong ever since the consoles were announced early last year and it hasn’t abated since.”

Microsoft in particular has been very cagey about releasing console sales numbers, probably due to the fact they just haven’t managed to sell as many units as its rival. Yet this leads to the other problem with using sales figures as a measurement of success due to the fact that the PS4 has a wider global reach than its competitor. The PS4 is available in 57 regional markets, whereas the Xbox One is only available in 13 with an expansion to a further 26 markets promised by the end of 2014. If you are to approach it from purely a financial viewpoint again it is difficult to compare the two, with the Xbox One featuring a higher price point then the PS4. Breakdowns of the two consoles internals suggest that the PS4 is slightly more costly for Sony to produce meaning that Microsoft makes more of each unit sold. However such cost analysis is purely speculative with consoles traditional been sold at a loss, the manufactures usually recouping their investment with third party licensing deals.

“The consoles hardware is irrelevant as it is the software on the devices that count, who has the better line up of games is the true determining factor.”

This is where a deal with Respawn Entertainment to make their game exclusive for the Xbox One comes into play. It is the sales of a game like Titanfall and the subsequent increase in Xbox Live subscriptions that determine success as far as the Microsoft executives are concerned. The first task with a new console release is to accumulate a large enough user base that they can use to negotiate better licencing deals with publishers and developers. The same goes for Sony who might see a significant boost in PS4 sales with the release of their exclusive title Infamous: Second Son. It’s interesting that Infamous: Second Son like so many of Sony’s exclusives is only available on the PS4. Whereas for any PC gamer Titanfall is readily available, how many lost sales of Xbox One consoles are accrued from this fact? Taking into account that Titanfall sits on top of the PC games sales charts there is a sizeable number of gamers, who might have been forced to buy a new console to play the game.  EA on the other hand need a game like Titanfall on the PC, in order to attain more legitimacy to their digital distribution platform Origin. That has been trailing behind its competitor Steam since it launched over three years ago.

“Which exclusive title will prove to be the bigger draw, open world superhumans or FPS mechs?

The console war has only been raging for less than six months at this point and early reports would suggest that the PS4 is coming out on top. Granted from a quick observation of the sales figures it is clear that Sony has sold more console, but it is not so easy to declare a winner based on such facts. The myriad of other factors that play into the analysis of sales figures can allow anyone to massage the numbers to achieve a desired result. This is what has led to the PR battle between the two companies with both sides manipulating the figures to make one seem better than the other. At the end of the day it is clear that both consoles have done very well and will likely see continued growth in the near future with games like Watchdogs, Destiny and Elder Scrolls Online all on their way this year. The only clear fact that can be drawn from all these figures is that with a yearlong lead on its competitors and just under 6 million units sold. Nintendo and their WiiU are set to be the biggest losers in the current console war.

By Colm O’Sullivan

The post Gaming Sidenote: Titanfall and the future of Xbox One appeared first on Game Design Ireland.

Titanfall

“Medal of Honor marked a turning point in video game narrative, were games could now attempt to emulate Hollywood in terms of grandiose storytelling.”

Following the release of Medal of Honor: Allied Assault some of the developers including West and Zampella decide to leave 2015 Inc. and form their own studio. The limitations imposed on them by their employers and the control on the creative process by the publisher EA, forced 22 members of the development team to break away and establish Infinity Ward in 2002. Interestingly 2015 Inc. has only produced one game since the mass departures and has not seen the same level of success as it had with Medal of Honor. Infinity Wards funding was boosted in the beginning when the publisher Activision bought up 30 percent of the company. The studio went straight to work on its first title a WWII themed FPS, following on from the experience gained with their previous game. Call of Duty was released in October of 2003 and was an instant classic, with mission structures and narrative techniques that their previous publisher EA had disagreed with. The most iconic mission of the game, forcing the player to fight through the besieged city of Stalingrad with only a clip of ammunition and no weapon. An idea that was unthinkable in the FPS genre, a reason why the game was a success and spawned an acclaimed franchise. When WWII shooters became too commonplace West and Zampella decided to shake things up and produce Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. Again Infinity Ward proved to be the studio at the forefront of the FPS genre setting the trends and game design conventions that others would attempt to emulate.

 “The original title in the series received its very own rerelease on the next gen system in 2009, known as Call of Duty Classic.”

Just as the second Modern Warfare title was breaking all sales records decent was brewing between Infinity Ward and their publishers/owners Activision. West and Zampella were aggrieved about the lack of royalties afforded to them by Activision, based on the success of the latest Call of Duty release. The ensuing conflict resulted in Activision firing both West and Zampella on the grounds of “breaches of contract and insubordination”. The reason for the dismissals was in reaction to a supposed meeting that took place between the pair and EA, to which Activision was not privy too. The subsequent legal battle of lawsuits being filed by both parties would mar the establishment of West and Zampella’s new venture Respawn Entertainment in April of 2010. Just as in the case of 2015 Inc. a large number of Infinity Ward’s development team left the company, 48 resigning from Infinity Ward with 38 of them joining West and Zampella at Respawn Entertainment. Activision has tried to maintain the high level of quality and strong sales figures for its Call of Duty franchise even bringing in another development studio to help get the games to market. Although sales figures have been annually smashed with each subsequent release aside from Call of Duty: Ghosts, the critical acclaim and public opinion has waned of late. Now after four years in the making Titanfall is finally on the market, but can the Respawn team do what they have already managed multiple times before and reshape the FPS genre.

 “It’s a game of cat and mouse between the fast and agile pilots; and devastation brutal giant titans.”

The development of Titanfall has not been without its level of turmoil with long time development partner Jason West leaving the company for personal reasons. Although the nature of his resignation has been a matter of rumour and speculation, with West’s erratic behaviour and discord with Zampella possible reasons for his split with the company he co-founded. Zampella is now flying solo and we will get to see if he can do it on his own. Judging from the response of the beta released in late February and from the early Metacritic scores it looks like Respawn is on to a winner. Just as Zampella and his team have always done in the past they have not settled just to follow along with the crowd. The FPS genre of late has becoming increasingly stagnant, with little in the way of innovation coming out of the genre for the last number of years. A few gameplay tweaks and graphical improvements seem to be enough for most developers, with new IP falling by the wayside in the face of established franchises. Titanfall is attempting to draw influence from a myriad of different sources to push forward the evolution of the FPS genre. The most distinctive feature of the new Zampella title is the lack of a singleplayer narrative, with the game only featuring multiplayer gameplay. Not that this is something new in the FPS genre with the original titles in the Battlefield series featuring only multiplayer modes. However for Zampella this is breaking new ground since the singleplayer narrative has been as much a crucial part of his previous games successes as the multiplayer component. Iconic gaming moments such as the storming of the Normandy beaches and the first-hand experience of a soldier post nuclear blast, have helped Zampella earn his high ranking status in the industry.

 “Will we see a reunited West and Zampella in the future, somewhat debatable with the apparent success garnered by Titanfall under the solo leadership of Zampella?”

Probably the far more interesting point about Titanfall’s online elements is that the game relies on some of the AI components to be handled by Microsoft’s Azure cloud computing platform. Essentially this means that the game is online only, with the AI hosting and physics calculations handled by Microsoft’s servers. It is also bad news for gamers living in regions without the Azure service like South Africa, who have understandable become quite upset. They have even gone as far as to petition EA and Respawn to have a South African release of the game. Not helping the issue is the fact that Xbox Live experienced a momentary technical hitch on launch day. Aside from the few regional grumbles and Xbox Live outages, nothing much has been made of Titanfall‘s always online requirement. This is good news for Titanfall publisher EA who suffered a calamitous PR disaster due the resulting backlash that followed the botch launch of their always online title SimCity. It’s interesting that prior to launch nothing has been made of Titanfall’s method of offloading some of its processing tasks to the cloud. Granted from the outset Titanfall is sold as a multiplayer game so certain level of internet connectivity is expected from the outset. All the same the video gaming community was ready with torches and pitchforks at the announcement that the Xbox One would need to be connect online at least once a day. Never mind the fact that for much of the western world regular online connectivity is pretty standard. Here we are less than six months post launch and a game that requires a similar feature, no angry mob in sight. It is amazing how video game fans can go from extreme statements of vitriolic fury to quiet and subdued acceptance. Obviously Titanfall is just that good of game that such heated opinions can put aside. Gamers are clearly very enamoured by giant mech’s, to let go of such issues.

By Colm O’Sullivan

The post Titanfall Review appeared first on Game Design Ireland.

“Chinese history and culture has traditionally been viewed through the eyes of Western and Japanese developers.”

The 14 year old ban on selling video game console sold by foreign companies has been temporally lifted. The lifting of the ban will open the doors for the likes of Sony and Microsoft to sell their consoles to Chinese consumers, convenient timing with the two manufactures recently launching their new line of next gen consoles. Of course it will not be the first time Chinese gamers have had a chance to play Microsoft’s or Sony’s devices, with the black market for consoles ever present during the ban. It is also not the first time that foreign console developers have entered into the Chinese market. In 2003 Nintendo launched the iQue Player that was only sold in China and was an attempt to curb the rampant piracy that has plagued the video game industry in the country. China’s policy of keeping manufacturing in house has led to a culture of imitation. Where making counterfeit versions of popular western products is seen as more beneficial for the economy then spending money to import the goods from other markets. Any video game developer or console manufacturer will have to compete with an industry where the term copyright infringement doesn’t quite translate into mandarin. Although the ban has been lifted it is not open season for console manufactures with all devices to be sold in the country having to pass government review. If it meets the requirements it is then only available within Shanghai’s free trade zone. So combined with this and the extreme levels of piracy it will be an uphill battle for any foreign video game company to establish themselves within the Chinese market.

“The iQue Player was based of the outdated N64 system and never really gained much favour with Chinese consumers.”

Not deterred by these facts many western companies have already cast an eye on new digital hubs within the country as potential base of their Asian operations. Companies like Ubisoft have already gained a foothold in the Chinese market establishing Ubisoft Chengdu in 2007. Others like Activision and Blizzard have made deals with Chinese based companies to distribute their games, in what is becoming one of the fastest growing markets for video games. The one sector of the Chinese market that has seen the biggest growth is the PC market, in some part due to the lack of access to consoles and other devices. PC’s taking up two thirds of the industry as a whole and pulling in over $6 billion in revenue in the year of 2011 alone, with that number more than likely increasing in the intervening years. The PC market in China is one the largest globally, mainly thanks to the proliferation of free play games. The free to play model proving very popular in China, where the average worker only earns about 4,000 Yuan a month; just under €500 a month. The high price point of console and console games alike will be an inhibiting factor for many in China wanting to get their hands on the new consoles, with both the PS4 and XboxOne costing as much as an average worker’s monthly salary. Another reason why cheap counterfeit games and consoles are so prevalent in China with video game piracy also at above average levels.

“The Chinese game Final Combat strangely resembles a certain multiplayer title developed by Valve. Just can’t put a finger on it?”

China is not the only Asian region that has lacked investment by foreign companies with the Middle East also a relatively untapped market. Although many developers have published and distributed games to the Middle East, the translation of the games material over to the Arabic culture has been more an afterthought for the games creators. Just like China there are certain government restrictions that have hampered many major titles from been distributed throughout the region. Alcohol, sex and excessive violence all running afoul with the government’s censorship boards. Countries likes Saudi Arabia enforcing far stricter constraints than others. Again Ubisoft in its goal to grow its global presence has established an office in Abu Dhabi in 2011 to help localize many of its titles for the Middle Eastern audience. The Arabic language and its grammatical form proving to be the biggest challenge for western developers to interpolate. However with a market that is estimated to draw in $1 -2 billion in revenue each year, it should be in the interest of the big developers and publishers to investigate the potential for the expansion of their operations in the region.

“Skeletons seem to put the frighteners on Chinese officials, a comparison of the undead character from World of Warcraft stands as a testament to this.”

For a long time Japan has for the most part been the sole country with a substantial video game industry in Asia. Long established through companies like Nintendo, Konami, Sega, et al. However many analysts and industry professionals have been extolling the merits of other potential markets in Asia, China been the most enticing. The industry in China is still very localized and may take a decade or so to reach the same levels of revenue as its western counterparts, but its exponential growth his hard to ignore. Companies like NetEase and Tencent could be the next big players in the video game industry. Tencent over the last few years acquiring stakes in western developers such as Epic Games creators of Gears of War and Riot Games the studio behind the popular MMOBA game League of Legends. It might not be long before gamers will be playing titles that are made in China and disturbed to western audience, but importantly come from a Chinese cultural perspective. A game where the Chinese are the good guys and it’s the Americans who are the warmongering invaders.

By Colm O’Sullivan

The post The State of the Industry: The Rising in the East appeared first on Game Design Ireland.

The post The State of the Industry: Year in Review 2013 appeared first on Game Design Ireland.

“Microsoft also sent out 4×4’s equipped with portable Xbox One stations to allow the general public get some game time with the new console”

The event as I mentioned took place in the Ambassador Theatre in Dublin, it ran from Thursday the 14^th to Sunday the 17^th with hundreds of eager gamers having their chance to get their hands on the new console. I will have to say for a Microsoft event it was pretty low key, to anyone passing by that end of O’Connell Street would have not given it much notice. Maybe a little more razzmatazz than a few Xbox One signs and banners, call me crazy but an event promoting a new console might want put on a few more bells and whistles. The interior of the building was decked out with the green and black décor that you would expect but again maybe it’s just my cynical nature but I was expecting more, maybe a few cardboard cut outs, flashing lights or even a free goody bag. Anyway I suppose the main attraction of the night was the console and the games themselves of which all bar Assassin’s Creed IV where present, Madden and the other American sports games where also for omitted for a non-US audience. The first game that I sat down with or more accurately stood was FIFA 14 as Microsoft seem to have a no chair policy, terribly uncomfortable bean bags was the best they could manage. Not much to be said about FIFA 14 as it still plays relatively the same as the last few games, with innovation in the series coming as often as the passing of Halley’s Comet. The two biggest games at the event or a least the games with the longest queues was Battlefield 4 and Call of Duty: Ghosts, of course both games are out on alternative platforms but the next gen versions still drew a big crowd. The map that was on offer for the Battlefield 4 demo was strangely one without much destructibility which seems odd since that’s DICE’s highly touted feature. Also I’m sure it’s an option that can be toggled on or off, but the auto lean feature when aiming down the sights if the player is near any sort of wall is extremely annoying. I spent half the game shooting into thin air when my character would inexplicably tilt the barrel of his gun at the most inconvenient times. Personally I don’t see why you would buy Battlefield on the console when you miss out on the large scale 64 multiplayer maps you get on PC. Nothing much needs to be said for Call of Duty: Ghosts if you bought the previous game in the series you will probably enjoy this version.

“Infinity Wards extinction game type might give Treyarch’s traditional zombies horde mode a run for their money.”

Not surprisingly both the Kinect titles present Kinect Sports and Just Dance 2014 remained mostly idle throughout the night, it seems that Microsoft’s motion control system still goes unloved by the masses. Although each console at the event also had a Kinect sitting on top of it, none of its voice controlled features where demonstrated. Which made me think that it was a missed opportunity for Microsoft to give gamers who have being the most critical of the Kinect a chance to get hands on with it. A demonstration of the voice and motion controls for those present at the event, might have alleviated concerns or even convinced some gamers that the Xbox One does have more to offer then just purely being a gaming device. One concern I do have is with the feel of the new controller which to my mind have become more sensitive. Again I have try to be objective in my remarks as it could have just being the way the consoles where set up for the night, but the sticks on the controller do feel smaller. I’m among that rare group of people who liked the old style “Duke” controller from the original Xbox, so my opinion may well differ from others.

“Maybe it just takes time like wearing in a new pair of shoes but I really didn’t feel comfortable with the new Xbox One controller on the night.”

The event reminded me of days gone by where I would go into video game store when they still existed and have a go on the demo machines that they had setup to play whatever was the latest release. I have never really liked demos as it is like being offered a sweat or some chocolate that only makes you crave more. Just as I was having fun killing aliens in Call of Duty’s new horde mode game type, I would have to stop and let somebody else have a go. Although there was no problem getting access to the Zoo Tycoon or Peggle 2 machines, as like with the Kinect titles they seemed to be the least favourite with the crowd on the night. The most popular apart from the shooters was clearly Dead Rising 3, which was the title that could sway me to withdraw five hundred euro from my bank account to buy a new console. I’m hoping that a PC release is somewhere down the line as I don’t want to buy a new console for just one game even if that game is as fun as Dead Rising is. Killing endless waves of zombies never gets old and Dead Rising’s numerous amounts of custom weapon types makes the unceasing slaughter continually enjoyable. Killer Instinct is another of Xbox One’s exclusive titles that was on offer to gamers at the event. As a long time Tekken fan I can’t really say the Killer Instinct did enough to persuade me, if there’s no Kazuya or Heihachi then I’m not interested.

“Although I didn’t get a chance on the night to try it out, but the ‘Smart Glass’ features for Dead Rising 3 might finally make the app worth downloading.”

On reflection I can’t really complain too much about the event since it was free and I was at a loose end on Saturday evening. As for the console itself, I just can’t see myself parting with so much cash for what is a muted version of my PC. If I didn’t have a PC or a somewhat less powerful machine then I would be first in line for the new Xbox. At this point it is the exclusive titles that prove to be the real draw of the new console, as mentioned Dead Rising 3 nearly has my hand in pocket reaching for my wallet. Maybe over the next year a few more console exclusive titles will be released and help convince me, but that remains to be seen with the likes of Titanfall also getting a PC release. All in all it’s hard to judge the merits of a new console from one night of access, with gameplay that came in quick burst on multiple different titles. There was no time to sit down a really get to grips with the new device and experience other features aside from the games. Microsoft will not be getting my money this year anyway, instead I think I’ll take my five hundred euro and use it to more and more Steam games that I will never get round to playing.

By Colm O’Sullivan

The post Xbox One Review v2 appeared first on Game Design Ireland.

“A relative comparison between the two works out pretty evenly, my advice just flip a coin to decide.”

The real point I’m trying to get across here is that you have to think of the long term lifetime of these devices. If you look at the lifespan of the previous generation we have at least half a decade or more before well see the PS5 or gods knows what Microsoft will call the next Xbox. With live TV integration on the Xbox Microsoft is looking to the future not just the immediate time we are in now, just cast your minds back to the original Xbox360 and how horrible and featureless its dashboard was as compared to today. PS4 went as far as to make a parody of the furore that is surrounding Microsoft second-hand gaming policy but what everyone is missing is that in 5 to 10 years will we even have physical media I certainly hope not, you only have to look down any Irish high street to see that shops selling physical video game media are dead and gone. Microsoft are trying to drag us albeit kicking and screaming into the future where all games are in digital form whereas PlayStation are still clinging to the past.

“In an ideal world Sony & Microsoft would come together to make one console and stop the fighting, one can only dream of such a device.”

Personally I could see the war between the two consoles ending the same as it did the last time, with everyone tied to their particular system through achievements, trophies or online subscriptions the market shares will remain as they were with the Xbox dominant in the US and the PlayStation doing well in its home market in Asia and Europe being split 50/50. At the end of the day it doesn’t matter what anyone says about one console versus the other it is your own personal choice that doesn’t need to be justified to anybody. It’s a question of what games you want to play whether you prefer Nathan Drake over Master Chief or Marcus Fenix over Kratos, and if that is too difficult a choice then you could always just buy a WiiU and then you won’t have to worry about defending your console against the rest as its universally agreed that Nintendo have surrendered and lost the war.

N.B* None of this really matters anyway as the PC beats them all hands down. Thank you Steam for your ridiculously cheap games.

By Colm O’Sullivan

The post Sidenote: Xbox One vs PS4 appeared first on Game Design Ireland.

“It’s all about integration for Microsoft, gaming is just a side note on the new console”

Sony is primarily a hardware company spending years dominating the electronics market and so it is no surprise that they have heavily focused on the power end of their new device and are looking to outdo their competitor with better hardware specs much in the same way they approached the development of the PS3. However after the dust has settled on the Xbox One event it would seem from a quick comparison that both devices have a very similar set of hardware specification’s. Both have 8GB RAM, three of which on the Xbox will be reserved for apps and the new OS based of the Windows 8 architecture; the PS4 only needs 1GB to run its OS. AMD will be working with both Sony and Microsoft to provide the processers for both machines which boost similar specs and interestingly although not surprising the Xbox will feature a Blu-Ray drive that lest we forget is made by Sony, which must have being and interesting business call for Microsoft to ask Sony for use of their technology. If you go down the list of other technical features they all match up with built in Wi-Fi, USB 3.0 input and native gameplay sharing which was Sony’s real focus at their press conference announcing a deal between them and Ustream to offer easy gameplay video recording. The only ambiguity left is the Hard Drive space which Xbox have revealed to be 500GB which is comparatively little when compared to what is on offer for the PC market and Sony is still leaving the storage capacity of their device a mystery for the moment. On all accounts there is little to choose between the two with cross platform games most likely to be looking very similar whether played on the PS4 or Xbox One. Microsoft being the tech company that they are have put much more emphasize on the software and interface side of the device.

“It’s style resembles what people in the 80’s thought future devices would look like”

The ticket that Xbox hopes to be the winner for them is the live TV integration, which offers side loaded applications that will give viewers a more interactive way to watch TV. The improved Kinect also plays a role in this with fast switching between gameplay and Live TV through its improved voice recognition software. Microsoft also looked to roll out the big guns with Steven Spielberg announced to be working with 343 Industries on a new exclusive Halo TV series, what his involvement in it and the details of this series is still a question but it clear from the Xbox One event that Microsoft see’s their device more in terms as an advanced set-top box that happens to play games more than a dedicated gaming console. It is difficult to say if that is the same view that is taken by Sony as their press conference offered little in the way of information, granted their announcement came three months previous and most would expect them to have a large presence at E3 with some more information and hopefully a physical device to be revealed this coming June. E3 will also undoubtedly see the reveal of many of the gaming titles that will launch with these devices. Some like Assassin’s Creed 4, Madden 25, Thief, Battlefield 4 and Watchdogs have already been announced, but of course it will be the exclusive titles that will swing the balance of power between Sony and Microsoft. Microsoft Studies hinted at 15 exclusives titles in the works for the new console Forza 5 being one of them, eight of the fifteen are said to be new IP’s and more than likely some of these will be revealed at E3. Sony on the other hand will be standing behind their stalwarts of Infamous and Killzone and like Microsoft will be set to announce more titles come June.

“Watchdogs is set to be the showcase game for the new generation of consoles”

To return to the question posed at the beginning of this article is either device worth handing over how many euros they are likely to cost when there is an alternative in the PC. Sony and Microsoft have touted the hardware specs of their devices will allow for high speed performance along with top quality graphics. However how long will 8GB of RAM and an 8 core CPU be able to deliver the ever increasing demand by gamers for better looking and faster running games. The PC market can feed that hunger for high end gaming although many would raise the small caveat of the money needed to build a decent gaming PC. That is definitely true with the cost of a high end performance machine easily reaching above a thousand euros when all is said and done, this is where the console manufactures look to capitalize revealing the comparatively low price of their device and stating there is no need to spend time and money upgrading and retro fitting your machine. Again valid points that do show up the few short comings of being a PC gamer. The one thing that often isn’t factored in the initial purchase of the machine is that it might be a bit of an outlay to get started, but the cost of games for the machine is significantly more cost effective then the console market. The Steam marketplace is chiefly responsible for the low cost of games on the PC market with the digital content delivery service regularly offering sales on many of the games in their ever growing catalogue. Whereas games released on the console start off at the regular retail price and stay at that relativity high price for a longer time then on the PC, in the past the second hand market offset this high price but with the closure of Game, HMV and Xtravision also in financial trouble the market is ever shrinking. The other argument that is often raised against PC gaming is the lack of support by developers for the simultaneous cross platform launch of many AAA titles, an argument that is becoming more and more irrelevant with Steam and Origin paving the way for same day launches of titles that were previously console exclusives. The current game in the Bioshock series demonstrates the changing attitude towards the PC market with Steam offering the game for direct download on the same release date as the major consoles.

“Will the Call of Duty: Ghosts exclusive content make the Xbox One top dog? Yes”

The freedom that comes with PC gaming is also a more attractive prospect rather than the closed off systems that Sony and Microsoft develop in order to have tight control on what is available on these consoles. A case in point would be the outcry by gamers over the hold ups caused by Microsoft’s approval process that prevented Bethesda from releasing the much needed patches for their RPG fantasy game Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. On the PC side patches for the bug infested game where more readily available. For those hard-core gamers the ever growing modding community is another attractive side of PC gaming with DLC on the console market hitting the bank accounts of gamers on the Xbox and PlayStation alike. The issue of choice is really one of sacrifice, do you buy into Sony or Microsoft’s closed off and more restricted system for the promise of exclusive content and hardware stability or do you choose a more open and free system that does require more technical knowledge and patience to wait for those timed-exclusives that will eventually come to the PC a year or so later.

By Colm O’Sullivan

The post Xbox One Review appeared first on Game Design Ireland.

Within the next year the video game market is set to reshuffle as Microsoft and Sony gear up for the release of their next gen console. A battle that will be fought and won by whoever can spend the most to attract exclusive titles and DLC and which side can muster enough hype to keep their loyal fans happy and possibly turn a few from the other side.
We can rewind back to 2005 and the release of the Xbox 360, it was Microsoft’s second outing in the console market and with a year on its main rival they easily won a place in gamer’s hearts and emptied their wallets. After the dust settled Microsoft had sold over 75 million units with Sony trailing behind on 70 million itself. Although Nintendo’s console outsold both of them with nearly a hundred million units, it failed to earn respect from gamers and developers alike with most title ported to the Wii failing to sell, which might have something to do with Nintendo’s poor reputation with third party developers. A reputation that was formed in the video game crash of 1983 where Nintendo were one of the few companies that survived the oversaturation of consoles on the market. Is the modern video game industry heading towards a similar faith? The Xbox 720 and PS4 are forecast to release before the end of the year with Nintendo’s latest iteration the Wii U already on the market and the android based Ouya and rumour Valve steam box also in the pipeline, not to mention Xi3 highly anticipated pc/console hybrid the Piston also coming out this year the video game industry is set to become a battleground, that might change the dynamics going forward or send us all back to early 80’s levels of recession.

“Let the fan boy flame wars commence”

All avid gamers and journalist are marking off their calendars waiting until May 21st the rumoured date for Microsoft’s big unveiling of its latest console. Although some have said that E3 which is taking place from the 11-13 June is the more likely candidate which would make a more appropriate setting for a console announcement this fact is backed up by the ever present countdown to E3 on Microsoft Director of Programing Major Nelson’s blog post. This would also fit with Microsoft’s previous announcements regarding its other consoles also happing at E3 in the past. The announcement will merely be a formality as the hype for this console is already at its peak with most of the hardware specifications been leaked over the last few months. A decent press event for Microsoft might be due all the same with one it’s employees getting into hot water on Twitter in the last week. Adam Orth the Creative Director at Microsoft Studios has left his position following the outcry from his comments on the social media site. Orth was discussing the concept of Online DRM which is rumoured to be present in the new console and how gamers must “deal with it” the comment that caused more outrage was in response to a question posed of living in a rural location such as Janesville, Wisconsin or Blacksburg, Virginia that would result in poor internet connection to which Orth responded “why on earth would I live there”. Orth has now removed his digital presence online which is understandable with the amount of backlash caused by his comments. ’Always Online’ is an issue that Microsoft would rather gloss over at the moment especially with the bad taste left by the latest Sims City still felt by gamers and an upcoming announcement would help soothe their tempers. Microsoft also have to contend with Sony who have already had their unveiling back in February with a host of social media and entertainment features announced, but little in the way of technical details or even a glimpse of what its  latest offering looks like. The PS4 is set to boast a similar level of hardware specs as the Xbox720 possibly with a better processors although it’s hard to make comparisons when no official specifications have been released. The next generation of consoles look to catch up with the pc market in terms of hardware with the memory, processing and graphical power of the new consoles equalling a high performance gaming machine. However it is unlikely that it will be the hardware or even the social media features that will persuade gamers to turn out their pockets, it will be the games that Microsoft and Sony can provide that will decide who wins the battle. Sony have announced both the Witcher 3 and Watchdogs as upcoming PS4 titles although more than likely these games will also come to the next Xbox, it is the exclusive titles that hold gamers attention and if it is the exclusive titles that will decide which console reigns supreme then if Valve are determined to enter the console market with the rumoured Steam Box then by purely measuring statistics they will easily win with the PC market boasting the largest number of exclusive games most of which can be found on Valve’s digital marketplace Steam.

“We can only hope to see such level of detail on the next generation of consoles”

Steam has being the saving grace of the PC market with its effectiveness at refocusing the attention of gamers and developers from the console back to the home computer. Since its launch in 2003 Steam has set the trend for the online gaming marketplace being able offer low prices by avoiding high street retailers and selling games straight from publishers to the customer direct and promoting indie developers through its Greenlight program, with the likes of EA taking years before they realised the potential of digital content delivery with their Origin platform launch in 2011 and unable to garner as much favour with gamers. Valve now looks set to take Steam into the living rooms of gamers and compete for space in the TV cabinet alongside the Xbox and PlayStation. The seeds have already been sown with Valve releasing the Big Picture mode which a software update to Steam that allows the user a more console friendly interface for use with a PC hooked up to a TV screen. The question would be do gamers really want another console like this when at the moment a high powered laptop connected to the TV can do what Valve has stated they want their own console to be able to do. A laptop that can also be used as normal computer and not built to be a closed off system which is the one reason for Steam success and the division between console and PC gaming. It would seem Valve have fallen for the bait of the console market and believe there is success to be found but that remains to be seen as it is not the piece of hardware that makes the money but the contracts and deals between the console manufactures and third party developers that have led to Microsoft and Sony’s financial bounty. If the Steam box becomes a more limited and closed off system as with other console on the market they may turn away third party developers who prefer the open and unlimited system that exist in the current PC market. It’s a trap that the makers of the Ouya console have also fallen for.

“Is this the face of Sony & Microsoft’s doom”

The android based device is set for a retail release in June of this year and is priced at $99 dollars. The project was funded by Kickstarter and raised over $8 million dollars and became the sites second highest earning project. Was all that money worth it however, from the initial reviews of the developer’s version released last month it would look like it has potential to become an alternative gaming platform but it’s just not ready yet to compete in the cut throat console market. The critics have panned it for it cheap controller design which could be expected from a pre-release version but it seems it’s biggest problem is that even before its official release it is already a generation behind other android devices already on the market. In a benchmarking test carried out by Futuremark it ranked 78th among other android devices which is not really good enough even with its lower price tag then some of the other devices above it on the list. If the Ouya is looking to set itself up as a legitimate gaming console then it needs to give gamers a reason to switch from their current devices an buy the Ouya. The Ouya is trying to compete on two fronts with the mobile phone market that already holds the vast majority of android game sales and to convince the console gamers that their device is a cheap alternative to the already established consoles. It is hard to see why gamers would ditch their phones that have so much more functionally beyond gaming or how they can be turned away from major AAA titles in favour of casual android based games, it is a similar problem that has plagued the Wii U with third party developers not willing to make games for the console and causing poor sales for Nintendo’s newest console.

Over the next year we will hopefully see the release of all these consoles that will allow us to judge for ourselves whether they will survive in the turbulent seas of the console market or will they sink to the bottom without a trace. It is unlikely that Sony or Microsoft will be too worried about the young pretenders looking to compete with them with both the PS4 and Xbox720 looking set to gain their respective companies a large financial windfall before the year is out. It is the likes of Valve and Ouya that will have a harder time convincing gamers to part with their money regardless of how cheap they price their console and the loyalties that they have built up with other longstanding companies.

 By Colm O’Sullivan

The post The State of the Industry: Ready To Level Up appeared first on Game Design Ireland.