Gamer's Outpost Press (Archived)

by Andrew Webster

Tomorrow the PlayStation 4 is getting a big update — and it will include a few features that owners of the console have been waiting for. The update is so big it has a codename: “Yukimura.”

Chief among the new additions in the 2.50 system update is the suspend / resume feature; originally promised when the PS4 was first announced way back in 2013, the option lets players quickly jump in and out of games by pushing the PS4’s power button, putting the console into a rest mode. You just push it again to turn it back on and pick up where you left off. Sony says the feature will be “supported by nearly all of your PS4 games.”

As for future updates, Sony is introducing a new option so you can install them automatically. There’s a lot more in the update, including better accessibility features, so be sure to check out the PlayStation blog for the full rundown. The update is expected to go live in North America tomorrow.

by Andrew Webster

If you only have a few dollars to spend on new games, that’s okay: you can still grab a lot in the latest PlayStation Store sale. Sony is offering huge discounts on a number of PS3, PS4, and Vita games, all of which are available for under $1. That includes a number of classics like Dino Crisis and Katamari Damacy, as well as indie hits like Ibb & Obb and Tokyo Jungle. It’s a lot of games for very cheap, including plenty of hidden gems, but you’ll have to act soon, as the sale ends on Monday.

by Emily Gera

Nintendo president Satoru Iwata confirmed today the company is developing a new next-generation hardware concept known for now as “The NX.”

Iwata revealed the news of the upcoming “dedicated game system” during a media event today, which also saw the announcement of a partnership with Japanese mobile games company DeNA.

“Nintendo, together with DeNA, will jointly develop a new membership service which encompasses the existing Nintendo 3DS and Wii U systems, the new hardware system with a brand-new concept, NX, and smart devices and PCs, and Nintendo will be the primary party to operate this new membership service,” Iwata said through official translation.

“As proof that Nintendo maintains strong enthusiasm for the dedicated game system business, let me confirm that Nintendo is currently developing a dedicated game platform with a brand-new concept under the development codename ‘NX,'” he added. “It is too early to elaborate on the details of this project, but we hope to share more information with you next year.”

Getting the bang for your buck

by Steve Wright

A YouTuber going by the username of Open World Games has recently published his review of upcoming PS4-exclusive, Bloodborne. In it, he states that the game takes around “40 to 45 hours to complete”, but this will naturally depend on a player’s skill level as well as, perhaps, their experience with the Souls games.

Compared to the majority of games that are released these days, a 40 hour game sounds like incredible value for money, however it is worth noting that the average time it has taken gamers to complete the main story plus extras of the Dark Souls games is around 65 hours according to this source so the likelihood is that Bloodborne should last at least up to 50 hours in length if you’re interested in playing through more than just the main questline.

Does 40 hours seem like a reasonable length of time to complete Bloodborne in, or could it be argued that this is perhaps too long?

by Jefff Grubb

Developer Respawn’s chief executive officer has come out and confirmed we’ll get Titanfall on multiple platforms next time around.

Vince Zampella, founder of Respawn, told website IGN that his team is working on a sequel to Titanfall (which just had its one-year anniversary yesterday) that will come to PlayStation 4 as well as Xbox One and PC. We reached out to the developer, which confirmed what Zampella said. In May, EA said it has more Titanfall in the works, but this is the first time we’ve had anyone from Respawn acknowledge that the sequel will hit Sony consoles.

“I guess EA announced a sequel,” Zampella told IGN. “So I could play coy and pretend I don’t know anything about it, or — yeah, so we’re working on a sequel. No official name yet, but we’re working on that. That’s the main focus but we’re starting up a second team and doing some smaller stuff too.”

Zampella said the team is taking this part of the process “slow,” and that Respawn is exploring new ideas. But he reiterated that the new Titanfall will “be multiplatform.”

For the first entry in the series, Respawn and publisher Electronic Arts made a deal with Microsoft that kept the sci-fi shooter off of Sony’s consoles. So Titanfall was only available on Xbox One, Xbox 360, and PC. This was seen early on as a big get for Microsoft as Titanfall was one of the most anticipated new games of 2014. But Respawn admits that not shipping on every platform was something that held the game back.

Despite not having Titanfall, the PlayStation 4 has dominated the Xbox One in terms of sales since both consoles shipped in November 2013. Sony confirmed earlier this month that it has sold more than 20 million PS4s worldwide. As of January, Microsoft said it has shipped 10 million Xbox Ones to consumers.

While Titanfall was warmly received by critics and gamers, it didn’t have the long-term impact of something like Call of Duty, which much of the Respawn team previously worked on. Now, with more time and the chance to release on the PS4, Titanfall 2 could do much better.

by Michael McWhertor

The three downloadable map packs released for Respawn Entertainment’s futuristic first-person shooter Titanfall are currently free on Xbox One and Xbox 360.

While there’s no official announcement yet about the generous giveaway of Titanfall’s DLC from Microsoft, Electronic Arts or Respawn, it seems the free DLC may be related to the game’s one-year anniversary. Titanfall was released on March 11, 2014 for Xbox One and Windows PC.

Xbox One owners can download the add-on packs — IMC Rising, Frontier’s Edge and Expedition — individually for free from the Xbox Games Store or grab the Titanfall season pass for $0.00. Xbox 360 owners can download each pack — IMC Rising, Frontier’s Edge and Expedition — for free as well, but the previous generation version’s season pass is still listed at $24.99.

It appears that the 100 percent discount on Titanfall DLC doesn’t apply to the Windows PC version of the game at this stage. EA’s Origin lists each add-on for $9.99 and is selling the Titanfall season pass for $24.99.

by Jacob Siegal

I’ve been up front about my feelings regarding Sony’s disappointing pace for PS4 updates. The Xbox One monthly update schedule is not only impressive, but it also gives gamers a reason to come back and check out new features even when game releases begin to slow down. PS4 owners, on the other hand, have to wait months for any significant updates.

There’s no sign of that changing any time soon, but Sony might be able to at least appease disappointed PS4 owners (like me) by adding a significant new feature in the next update.

Sony recently began inviting PlayStation MVPs to a beta program in order to let them test updates before they go live, similar to what Microsoft has been doing for several months. Over the weekend, one of those MVPs leaked the change log for update 2.50, and it looks like Sony is finally bringing the full-featured Rest Mode to the PS4.

Once the update becomes available, users will be able to keep their game or app running even after putting the console into Rest Mode. This is a feature that Sony has been hyping up since before the console even launched, but if the patch notes are legitimate, it’s right around the corner.

One NeoGAF user also pointed out that button assignments have been added to the Accessibility settings. This is what that will look like:

There’s no confirmed release date for the update, but NeoGAF users with access to the beta expect version 2.50 to go live before the end of April.

by Eddie Makuch

Lionsgate, the film company behind the blockbuster Hunger Games franchise, has made a major investment in The Walking Dead developer Telltale Games. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Lionsgate said the investment was “significant.”

As part of the deal, Lionsgate chief executive Jon Feltheimer will join Telltale’s board of directors.

The Lionsgate-Telltale collaboration will “continue the extension of Lionsgate’s film and television brands into the game space and will bring Lionsgate’s expertise in creating and marketing premium content to Telltale’s unique narrative-driven, storytelling approach to gaming,” both companies said in a statement.

The partnership also means the two can now explore opportunities to co-develop existing and original IP into episodic games and TV, Lionsgate said. No specific projects were announced, however.

“This partnership will accelerate Telltale’s ability to create not only original games, but episodic television series based on our game properties,” Telltale chief executive Kevin Bruner said. “An area at the cutting edge of industry growth.”

“Our partnership with Kevin Bruner and his team at Telltale continues to accelerate our momentum in the game space,” Lionsgate president of interactive ventures Peter Levin added.

“The convergence between premium filmed entertainment brands and original game properties is a natural direction in which to continue diversifying our content business, and Telltale is the perfect partner with whom to explore this dynamic area of growth.”

The announcement of the Telltale-Lionsgate partnership comes just a week after Bruner said in an interview with Digital Trends that games pale in comparison to other forms of media as it relates to mainstream recognition. A game like Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, based in the well-known Lord of the Rings universe, achieves only a fraction of the recognition that movies and TV shows get, he said.

“One out of 10 people know what you’re talking about,” Bruner said about Shadow of Mordor. “So the games industry is huge and video games are huge, but storytelling at large–television, films, novels–is way bigger than games.”

Telltale has a number of in-development projects. These include future installments in the company’s Game of Thrones and Tales from the Borderlands franchise, as well as a third season of The Walking Dead. What’s more, Telltale is working on a Minecraft game, and even has plans for its own original IP.

Microsoft “shocked and deeply saddened” by the tragic death of 30-year-old Mike Ey in a hit-and-run accident.

by Eddie Makuch

Mike Ey, a 30-year-old Microsoft designer working on the company’s futuristic HoloLens technology, has died in a car accident. On early Saturday morning, he was rear-ended by a hit-and-run driver at 100mph, police say, according to a report from Seattle news site KIRO 7.

Robert Malsch, the person accused of crashing into Ey, was captured by Redmond police (with the help of a tracking dog) after he fled the scene on foot, authorities say. Malsch faces vehicular homicide and hit-and-run charges.

A Microsoft representative said: “We are shocked and deeply saddened by this loss of a wonderful engineer, colleague, and friend. We extend our sympathy to Mike’s friends and loved ones.”

Ey was raised in New Jersey and graduated from Rochester Institute of Technology.

HoloLens, part of Microsoft’s new Windows Holographic platform, was announced during a January Microsoft event.

Sources say executive planning to exit the company after three years, though Microsoft has yet to comment officially.

by Eddie Makuch

Microsoft corporate vice president Phil Harrison, a senior member of the Xbox leadership team, is planning to leave the company. That’s according to a new report from GamesIndustry International, which cites multiple unnamed sources with the information.

Gamespot contacted Microsoft this evening for further information but the company has yet to respond.

Harrison, a former longtime Sony PlayStation executive, joined Microsoft in 2012. In his role as corporate vice president, he is responsible for leading Microsoft Studios Europe, overseeing UK-based developers such as Lionhead Studios, Soho Productions, and Rare Ltd.

According to GamesIndustry International, Harrison “grew frustrated” when former Xbox boss Don Mattrick left the company in 2013 to join Zynga. Harrison, according to sources, was also frustrated when Phil Spencer’s promotion to Head of Xbox did not lead to a promotion for him.

Finally, the site claims Harrison issued an ultimatum to Microsoft, saying he would leave the company if he was not offered a new, better position.

Rumors of Harrison’s departure from Microsoft come on the same day that GamesIndustry International also reported that Microsoft’s Lift London and Soho Productions would merge. Harrison was instrumental is founding Lift London.

We will have more details on this story as they become available.