The Witcher: House of Glass #1 of 5 Comic Book out today

Chris Hare
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0
The Witcher: House of Glass #1 of 5 Comic Book out today

CD Projekt RED, the developer behind the critically acclaimed Witcher franchise, and Dark Horse Comics, one of the global leaders in comic book publishing, has today’s release of The Witcher: House of Glass, a new and exciting addition to the vast and action packed universe of monster hunter Geralt of Rivia.

the witcher house of glass

Created by Paul Tobin, with art by Joe Querio and covers by Dave Johnson, The Witcher House of Glass extends the universe known from critically acclaimed video games and books, and delivers a compelling tale of adventure, horror and mystery.

Travelling near the edge of the Black Forest, in the land of the Angren, witcher Geralt meets a widowed man whose dead and murderous wife resides in an eerie mansion known as the House of Glass. With its endless rooms and horror around every corner, Geralt will have to use all his witcher prowess to solve the manor’s mystery and survive.

The Witcher: House of Glass is available in physical format in good comic book stores in the United States of America and as a digital download, via the Dark Horse iOS and Android application, as well as online, on the Dark Horse Digital comic book store.

Football Manager for PS Vita released date announced

Chris Hare
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0
Football Manager for PS Vita released date announced

Sports Interactive and SEGA Europe Ltd, has announced the release date for Football Manager Classic 2014 (FMC 2014) for PlayStation Vita has been set as Friday 11th April.

FMC 2014 for PS Vita is the first game in the series’ long and successful history to allow fans to carry on a single continuous game, whether they’re at home using their computer or out and about with their PlayStation Vita (or vice versa).English Match_1395842530

FMC 2014 for PS Vita has been co-developed by Sports Interactive, its sister development studio Hardlight (responsible for Sonic Dash and Sonic Jump) and Sheffield-based Little Stone Software.

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“For years, the dream of many Football Manager fans has been to be able to enjoy a full version of their favourite game wherever they are,” says Shahid Ahmad, Senior Business Development Manager, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. “Sports Interactive and SEGA have realised that dream on the PS Vita, and we at PlayStation are delighted with their ground-breaking results.”

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Football Manager Classic started life as a ‘slimmed down’ game mode in Football Manager 2013, specifically designed as an alternative, less time-consuming way for players to approach the game. The release of FMC 2014 for PS Vita marks the first time that it’s been released as a standalone game.

“It’s great to finally be able to release FMC Vita. This game has been the most technically challenging that we’ve ever worked on – we’ve essentially fit a PC game that needs loads of memory, a mouse and a keyboard into Sony’s wonderful handheld with a touch screen and the help we’ve had from all of our partners has been wonderful,” says Miles Jacobson, Studio Director at Sports Interactive. “To be able to take your home computer save onto the road adds a huge amount to the Football Manager experience.”

Review: inFamous: Second Son

Sam Thompson
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1
Review: inFamous: Second Son

The stalwart Sony series returns with it’s prodigal (second) son. An exclusive touted as a display of the PS4’s power and grunt, wrapped up in an open world and all trussed up with super powers. What’s not to like?

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Starting out as an ordinary day, our denim jacket sporting, Akomish rouge Delsin is quite happily defacing public property with a few cans of spray paint, when, luckily for us, his day takes rather an odd turn of events. After reconvening with his understandably disapproving sheriff brother Reggie, a crashing armoured truck interrupts their argument. Always trying to help in some form or another, Delsin helps the survivor up, only to discover he’s a bio-terrorist (or conduit to the sympathisers). Not only that, but it turns out Delsin can, in some way, absorb the powers of conduits through touch alone. After a pursuit and a stilted battle with the generous ‘donator’ of your new smoke power, you eventually find yourself at the feet of the, soon to be, antagonist Augustine, the hard as nails, concrete wielding, conduit hunter. Upon her torturing your Akomish clan members for information, Delsin vows to help those afflicted by the torturous concrete and sets off on his quest to attain Augustine’s ability and rid her of power.

Whilst Cole MacGrath might not have been to everybody’s liking due to his almost dull and uncaring demeanour, our new (anti) hero Delsin Rowe provides plenty of, occasionally, misguided attitude to go around. His ‘punk’ look also might not appeal to everyone (myself included) and despite how his denim jacket might ripple and flap in the wind, I’d rather he had just the hoody from the start. As per usual, significant karmic sidings will alter the appearance of your character, a red tone for evil and a light blue/white for playing nice. Usually, I’m rather partial to the angelic guise of a karmic hero, however Delsin takes the form of a badly dressed 90’s hipster, adorned by faded light blue denim. Making their return are the ironically linear karma choices, which naturally boil down to a few key decisions throughout the game. Of course, you can assist the ascent to heroism or the downfall to becoming infamous via performing various good or evil deeds around the city, most of which you’ll recognise from the previous titles. Drug busts can be averted, officers of the law can be ‘restrained’ and many other karmic decisions can be taken advantage of due to the regular spawns of activity. The problem being that they’re a limiting means to an end. The end being, which set of bonus powers do you wish to acquire, the blue or the red?

In the past infamous games, side missions were plentiful, and often fraught with karmic dilemmas. Not so much the case with Second Son, the main plot is really the only structure this time around; you’ll find yourself slightly disappointed by the distractions on offer. Side missions come in the form of the rather repetitive ‘find the hidden item’ game which consists of most of the quests on offer. In several different guises, the game will ask you to find hidden cameras, search for hidden audio logs and scour the area for a hidden spy. Thankfully, there’s plenty of mindless destruction to take part in too, each district has it’s own percentage of occupation by the DUP (Department of Unified Protection) which you must whittle down by destroying surveillance cameras, radio masts and of course, the liberal use of graffiti. Once below 30% you can initiate a stand off with increasingly snarky conversations to a bio terrorist hotline operator; once you’ve fended off the competition, the DUP will not only have a reduced presence, but you’ll also be able to fast travel to and from this point. Honestly, why you would want to fast travel when it only takes a couple of minutes to traverse the map with some of the latter abilities I don’t know however.

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As opposed to the stereotypical format of evil powers being superior to the reticent heroic ones, second son doesn’t really give you much of an incentive, in terms of combat effectiveness, to be evil. Instead of offering a straight up choice of upgrades for each power, you’ll find some abilities are next to useless with the evil side, whereas on the path of righteousness, it may have several advantages. A short example being the neon powers standard attack; the baddies amongst you may enjoy a faster fire rate, whereas the aspiring hero’s will savour an almost overpowered period of slow motion whilst aiming.

Whilst each set of powers have the same basic functionality, each feel completely different in combat and general city traversal. The smoke power relies upon guerrilla tactics, grenades and a proper utilization of the smoke dash as a means of controlling the distance between you and your foes.  In contrast, the second, neon power, rewards accuracy and patience,  the later powers also require you to employ corresponding play styles, but I won’t spoil those here! Switching between powers is done via draining the appropriate source, so if you fancy roaming around as the Lost smoke monster for a bit, you’ll have to drain smoke stacks, chimneys, and damaged cars. To switch to the neon set, you’ll have to absorb some of the many neon lights that adorn the beautiful Emerald City. Even though it would be nice to have access to all of your powers simultaneously, it makes for a hectic moment or two in battle; also a surprisingly tactical decision before hand too. It’s worth mentioning too, that Sucker Punch have also done a fantastic job of making sure that each power source is always within grasping distance yet, as neon signs and chimneys blend in quite well, they’re not ostentatious in the typical video game way.

Traversing the sprawling city of Seattle can be a little hit and miss at times as the standard climbing mechanic seems to have been altered in such a way that you’ll get frustrated at Delsin as he scrambles at thin air, unable to ascend the most basic of buildings without inanely mashing the jump button. Fortunately, each power has it’s own method for getting about town, so the problem is quickly forgotten. A slight quibble is that the smoke power is much slower at covering long distances, so much so, that you may find yourself swapping powers, seemingly unnecessarily, just to reach your destination, before swapping back to it.

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Seattle, may well be the second star of the show, with each district painstakingly detailed and full of that all important colour. Shop windows and puddles reflect the city around them; there’s nothing quite like making use of all your spectacular powers in a gigantic, city block sized fight against a super powered squadron. The ridiculous amount of particles that render whenever you press circle whilst using the smoke power still amazes towards the end of the game and the neon effects are like nothing you would expect, they’re genuinely awe inspiring. The characters facial expressions are also beyond impressive, remember L.A. Noire? Well this blows it out of the water, with ease. You could probably mute the cutscenes and still understand the context. In fact, the facial MoCap and, consequently, expressions are that impressive, it makes not being able to skip the cutscenes less of an irritation. Add to this, another Troy Baker stellar performance; it’s difficult not to be drawn in. The music, however slightly under utilized it may be, does a fantastic job of rousing the player as a large battle is about to erupt; can be especially poignant during some of the major scenes.

It might be on the short side, (it’ll take less than 15 hours to see and do everything in one playthrough) the controller gimmicks and the not so subtle nods to other franchises may be a little cringe worthy and the melee perhaps a tad dull, but inFamous Second Son will keep you coming back long after you’ve beaten it; due to the paper trail free DLC on offer, you’ll want to! Second Son is one of the best open world ‘super hero’ games of all time, it’s also, without doubt, the prettiest console game you’ve seen thus far; as such makes it a must buy for any and all PS4 owners.

Watch the Trials Fusion Trailer

Chris Hare
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0
Watch the Trials Fusion Trailer

See the all new Trials Fusion physics-driven Trick System and take the first place of the global high-score dashboards!  Trials Fusion introduces for the first time tricks and a brand new futuristic environment, coming out on 16th April for Xbox One, PS4 and PC.

 

The Winners of our The Dead Rising Collection from Capcom on Xbox 360 Contest

Andrew Edney
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1
The Winners of our The Dead Rising Collection from Capcom on Xbox 360 Contest

Our good friends at Capcom gave us three copies of The Dead Rising Collection on Xbox 360 to give away – here are the winners.

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Feel the full and gruesome weight of the Undead on your Xbox 360 through the critically acclaimed DEAD RISING series. From Frank West to Chuck Greene and back again, this is zombie-slaying action that will have you dripping in blood up to your eyeballs. All the action, all the content, all the killing.

DEAD RISING
As photojournalist Frank West you’ve uncovered the scoop of the century – a mall full of zombies, cordoned off by the army. Now you’re locked in with thousands of shambling corpses for the next 72 hours. With stores full of an assortment of impromptu weapons how you survive three days of shopping and chopping and uncover the mystery of the outbreak is up to you…

DEAD RISING 2
Welcome to Fortune City. Chuck Greene is on a mission to save his daughter and escape the city alive. Create crazy combo weapons to help you shoot, stab and carve your way through the zombie infested casinos and streets of the once great gambler’s paradise.

DEAD RISING 2 OFF THE RECORD
Frank West returns to get the scoop on the Fortune City outbreak with a brand new storyline, new areas to explore and more hilarious combo weapons to create.

DEAD RISING 2 CASE ZERO
This prologue to Dead Rising 2 sees Chuck Greene and his daughter, Katey, on the run from the zombie outbreak that hit Las Vegas. Stopping off in sleepy Still Creek for supplies Chuck and Katey’s hopes of refuge are quickly shattered.

DEAD RISING 2 CASE WEST
Frank West and Chuck Greene team up for some serious co-op action as they embark on a brand new case set in the Phenotrans Facility on the outskirts of Fortune City.

The winners

Neil Jenkins

Sandra K.

Oliver Porter

Thanks again to our friends at Capcom for the games, and watch this space for another great contest starting soon.

The Dead Rising Collection from Capcom is available now on Xbox 360 priced £29.99.

D-Link Shipping New AC750 Range Extender

Jim McCarthy
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D-Link Shipping New AC750 Range Extender

D-Link is now shipping their new AC750 range extender.  Read on for details!

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D-Link is now shipping their new AC750 range extender.  This product is aimed at providing coverage to hard-to-reach dead zones in your home.  Here is the press release:

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D-Link Now Shipping 11AC Range Extender for Bringing Wi-Fi Coverage to Dead Zones with the Push of a Button

Dual Band Wi-Fi Range Extender Works with Existing Router to Extend Wi-Fi to Those Hard to Reach Places

FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif. – March 25, 2014 – D-Link today announced that the new Dual Band Wi-Fi Range Extender (DAP-1520) is now shipping. Designed to easily eliminate Wi-Fi dead zones, this latest addition to the D-Link® family of networking solutions is ideal for bringing wireless coverage to hard-to-reach areas in the home like basements, upstairs bedrooms and outdoor areas. The compact Range Extender provides wireless speeds of up to 750Mbps, perfect for seamless web browsing and high bandwidth Internet activities like HD video streaming and online gaming.

“As the number of mobile devices in a household increases and we spend more time online, more and more consumers are looking to extend their Wi-Fi coverage and solve the problem of the dreaded dead zone in the home,” said Daniel Kelley, vice president of marketing, D-Link Systems, Inc. “Our new Wi-Fi Range Extender not only works with virtually any wireless router brand to extend an existing 802.11g, 11n or 11ac network, it does so with the push of a button and can be configured using a mobile device, without the need for a PC. One can simply plug the extender into a wall socket within range of a current wireless signal, and instantly expand the wireless network to the furthest corners of the home.”

Utilizing Wireless AC technology, which offers speeds up to three times faster than Wireless N, the new Dual Band Wi-Fi Range Extender (DAP-1520) enables users to take advantage of the latest in wireless technology while still remaining backward compatible with Wireless 802.11n, g and b networks. This range extender can also be used to add dual band wireless capabilities to a single band router, helping to reduce Wi-Fi interference from nearby wireless transmitters in the home for maximum throughput. In addition, the Dual Band Wi-Fi Range Extender features a simple one-button installation so users need only press the WPS button on the existing router and then on the extender to sync and instantly increase the coverage of a wireless home network. Users whose routers do not have a WPS button can use a web browser or D-Link’s free QRS Mobile app for simple setup.

More about the Dual Band Wi-Fi Range Extender

The Dual Band Wi-Fi Range Extender delivers a range of performance features, including:

  • Wi-Fi Protected Setup™ (WPS) push button for easy connection to a wireless network
  • Compatibility with virtually any wireless router brand
  • Wi-Fi AC750 technology for high-speed wireless connectivity to devices
  • Dual band connectivity for greater flexibility and reduced interference
  • Backward compatible with existing Wi-Fi devices (802.11n/g/b)
  • Support for secure wireless encryption using WPA™ or WPA2™ security

Availability and Pricing

The D-Link Dual Band Wi-Fi Range Extender (DAP-1520) is now available on throughout D-Link’s vast network of retail and e-tail outlets for $69.99 EDLP. Detailed specifications are available online at www.dlink.com/DAP-1520.

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MSRP is $69.99, not unreasonable for adding coverage to your AC router installation.  Check it out if you are in the market for a range extender.

LaCie Fuel Review: Mobile Media Access Done Right

Jim McCarthy
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0
LaCie Fuel Review: Mobile Media Access Done Right

LaCie was good enough to send on a LaCie Fuel portable hard drive aimed at mobile devices.  Here is my review; read on for details!

Fuel_3Qtr

LaCie was good enough to send on a LaCie Fuel portable hard drive aimed at mobile devices.  Here is my review!

Background

The LaCie Fuel is a portable wireless hard drive that allows you to take up to 1TB of content with you and consume it on your mobile device.  To start, here is how LaCie describes the Fuel:

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LaCie Fuel Expands iPad Capacity to 1TB

PARIS, FRANCE – Today, LaCie announced Fuel: a go-anywhere wireless hard drive for iPad®, iPhone® and Mac®. Without requiring Internet access, the LaCie Fuel™ adds 1TB of external storage capacity to compatible mobile devices. Users can store up to 500 movies, 160,000 songs or 190,000 photos, and share them with up to five devices at a time. What’s more, AirPlay® compatibility means users can easily stream movies onto the big screen via Apple TV® or music to compatible speakers.

Wirelessly expand your ipad

The LaCie Fuel lets users access enormous media libraries right from their iPad. With 1TB of storage at their fingertips, they don’t need to pick and choose what they load onto their mobile device. Not only does the LaCie Fuel let them access all their media files while they’re on the go, it also has plenty of extra space to accommodate future needs.

“The mobile industry is ubiquitous. Consumers rely on their mobile devices more than any other personal technology,” Philippe Spruch, executive vice president, Seagate branded, CEO and chairman of the board, LaCie. “The LaCie Fuel enriches mobile entertainment by providing consumers with ample storage and untethered accessibility. By name, form, and function, the LaCie Fuel lets users sustain their digital life.”

Access and share content

The LaCie Fuel lets users go off-the-grid and still have access to their files. With up to a 10-hour battery life*, the LaCie Fuel lets users enjoy their media all day without needing Internet or cables. The product creates its own Wi-Fi network, much like a router, so other devices can connect directly to it without the need for Internet access. In addition, the LaCie Fuel acts as a hotspot when connected to the Internet via Wi-Fi. This feature lets the LaCie Fuel share Internet access with other connected devices.

With AirPlay compatibility, the LaCie Fuel lets users mirror content playing on a mobile device to a TV with a single tap. This allows users to view everything from vacation photos to home videos stored on the LaCie Fuel on the largest screen in the house. They can also take advantage of Airplay-enabled speakers to listen to their favorite playlist on the LaCie Fuel.

Sync and transer files

The LaCie Fuel appears as an external drive on a computer, so users can wirelessly upload or download files without draining battery power from their laptop. And with Dropbox integration, they can sync files between a computer and the LaCie Fuel automatically. This means that every time they add music, movies, or photos to the Dropbox folder on their Mac, the change is reflected on the LaCie Fuel – or vice versa. If users want to speed up the transfer process, the LaCie Fuel offers a universally compatible USB 3.0 port to transfer media libraries up to ten times faster.

App for easy media access

LaCie Fuel marks the first product collaboration between Seagate and LaCie. The wireless hard drive features streamlined file access, thanks to the free Seagate Media app – available for iOS®, Android®, and Amazon Kindle®. It automatically organizes files by type, making them easy to browse. Users can stream videos or music, open office documents, and enjoy full-screen navigation. The app makes browsing a media library a visual experience with support for photo and video thumbnails, plus cover art for music. For more information about the Seagate Media app, visit http://www.seagate.com/services-software/apps/seagate-media-app/.

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Check out these two videos for a good overview of the product:

Guild Wars 2 Feature Pack Wardrobe System announcement

Chris Hare
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0
Guild Wars 2 Feature Pack Wardrobe System announcement

NCSOFT and ArenaNet have announced the second new feature of the April 2014 Feature Pack: the Wardrobe, an account-wide system that allows you to collect every skin in the game!

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Guild Wars 2 has a tremendous variety of gear to collect. From vanity skins to gear with specific stats to all manner of beautiful armour and weapons, there are a lot of ways to customise the look and function of your character.

But currently, it can be a little overwhelming to try to sort through it all and choose a look and feel.

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Our answer to that is the Wardrobe, which makes it easy to customise your look at any time and to share cosmetic items across all the characters on your account.

Welcome to the HTC One (M8)

Chris Hare
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0
Welcome to the HTC One (M8)

HTC has today unveiled the highly anticipated new HTC One (M8), Launching in Gunmetal Grey with the all-new HTC Sense 6, the new HTC One (M8), boasts a high quality metal unibody with a Smart Sensor Hub that anticipates your needs and uses Motion Launch controls to make everyday tasks easier.

HTC One M8_Gunmetal_Silver_Gold

New Duo Camera technology delivers creative, professional-looking photos and amazing effects, and HTC BoomSound again sets new standards for audio quality on a smartphone.

Peter Chou, CEO, HTC said: “In 2013 we introduced the best smartphone in the world, but we never stopped challenging ourselves and the status quo in this category. As pioneers in mobile innovation, we continue to design and build devices that will dazzle, inspire and transform the smartphone industry. Today I’m proud to launch the most stunning, intuitive and advanced handset that the industry has seen to date, the new HTC One (M8).”

HTC One M8_Gunmetal_Silver

Beautifully designed inside and out

Achieving another breakthrough in design and quality with the new HTC One (M8), the phone’s body has been re-crafted to create an even more stunning yet approachable look. The beautiful, durable, high quality metal unibody flows right up to the 5-inch, full HD (1080p) display, tapering to thinner edges, with softer curves for a smooth, more natural grip.

Supported by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor with 2.3 GHz quad-core Krait CPUs and fully integrated 4G LTE, and running Android 4.4, KitKat, the latest version of the Android OS, the new HTC One (M8) features the all-new HTC Sense 6, available on the device and as an upgrade from the Google Play store. Completely redesigned with a cleaner, more striking visual style, HTC Sense 6 features bold, customisable colour themes and delivers a more intuitive, personalised user experience. For those who prefer the stock Android experience, the HTC One (M8) Google Play edition will be available for pre-order from today and for purchase on the Google Play store in the coming weeks.

A leap forward in smartphone imaging

The new HTC One (M8) brings a totally different dimension to mobile imaging by combining the world’s first smartphone with a Duo Camera that features HTC’s innovative HTC UltraPixel module, a dual flash and full 1080p HD video recording, producing incredible images in all lighting conditions and rich, high-quality video. A 5-MP wide-angle front facing camera also captures superior selfies with ease.

HTC One M8_PerLandscape_Silver

The Duo Camera boasts a depth sensor in addition to the main HTC UltraPixel module, capturing detailed depth information from a scene and enabling a range of beautiful and creative effects that allow you to do more with your images than ever before.

Instantly create professional-looking portraits by altering the focus of your image after the photo has been taken with UFocus or make your subject stand out in a more surprising way by altering the background with creative effects using Foregrounder. You can also give your best shots a seasonal flavour using the Seasons animations.  Copy & Paste lets you place your family and friends in a different photo entirely, while Dimension Plus™ presents a unique perspective on your photos by letting you view your image from a different angle by simply tilting the screen.

The advanced camera technology also works behind-the-scenes capturing images right from launch, so that when the shutter is activated, the sharpest possible image is instantly displayed. The camera autofocus operates at a speed of 300mseconds, producing beautifully crisp images of split-second action and when the flash is required, the intelligent LED Dual Flash automatically selects the exact colour tone and light intensity for more natural skin tones and a professional-looking shot.

With so much scope to create exciting imagery, Gallery organisation has also been a priority for the designers of HTC Sense, who have introduced Image match, a visual search tool that intuitively moves all the photos containing a particular subject into one album.

Finally the new HTC One (M8) has also integrated Slow Motion mode, which lets you shoot HD slo-mo video and then edit that video so you can slow down the action at the part you want – perfect for adding drama or for highlighting a moment.

Zoe in the cloud

This year Zoe will evolve into a cloud-based service. Upload Zoe Videos for all to see, and invite friends to add their own photos, videos and music to share incredible highlight reels of classic moments. The new Zoe app will be available for download through Google Play in the summer.

Motion Launch – convenient gesture controlled shortcut

With the introduction of HTC Sense 6, the new HTC One (M8) boasts capabilities that give the product a sixth sense. For example, Motion Launch is immediately able to detect its position and movement, thanks to built-in motion sensors that allow you to interact with the phone without turning on the screen. A simple swipe will activate the device, Auto Answer allows you to answer a call by putting the phone to your ear without touching the screen – a handy tool if the phone rings when you are digging the garden or washing the dishes – and a double tap turns the lock screen on and off.

HTC Dot View case – protect your phone with retro flair

Taking that sixth sense functionality one step further you can extend Motion Launch by double tapping the dot view case, in addition to checking the time, weather, new texts, emails and calls – without touching or revealing the screen.

An outstanding phone deserves a case that protects and extends its innovative design and industry-leading functionality. Optimised by HTC Sense™ 6, the new HTC Dot View phone case protects the screen, whilst displaying notifications and interactions in a retro, dot-matrix style.

Extreme Power Saving Mode – extra standby time at no extra cost

The innovation doesn’t end there, as we are also changing how people use their phone battery. With the original HTC One (M7), HTC optimised power consumption so that you could get the most out of your phone. The new HTC One (M8) takes this to a whole new level making the battery power last 40% longer. Whilst normal power saving mode delivers a great experience, we have also included an Extreme power saving mode that makes your battery last even longer. Fully charged it will deliver 14 days’ worth of battery power, whilst still allowing you to receive calls, texts and emails – perfect for when you are travelling. Activated either manually or automatically, it delivers 60 hours of extra standby time at 20% power, 30 hours at 10% power and 15 hours at 5% power so, whether you are out late at night or hiking in the mountains, you never have to worry about running out of battery again.

HTC BoomSound gets bigger

The new HTC One (M8) again takes the smartphone audio experience to new heights. The latest HTC BoomSound technology creates an immersive, powerful, crystal-clear sound with rich tones from bass through to treble. Delivering sound that is 25% louder than the HTC One (M7), without compromising quality, the new HTC One (M8) has dual frontal stereo speakers with a new amplifier, redesigned speaker chambers and a tailored audio profile for a truly high-definition experience.

HTC BlinkFeed – Your news direct to your home screen

HTC BlinkFeed is now more intuitive, with continuous scrolling for a fluid browsing experience, adaptable tiles and a new layout that presents articles in a clean, easy-to-read way. With the introduction of a new SDK that allows partners to integrate their own content, users can more easily find and subscribe to new media sources, in addition to instantly creating custom feeds on any topic. So whether you are into sports, movies or shopping, this feature ensures that you will get the information most relevant to you. With News Bundles that bring all articles and tweets on the same topic together for easy reading and over 1000+ content partners now clearly categorised on one page, following the most interesting news couldn’t be simpler.

Fitness at a glance

With the new HTC One (M8), you can get healthier and stay motivated by combining its power-saving sensor hub with the preloaded Fitbit® app.[5] Alternatively, use the phone in conjunction with one of Fitbit’s range of trackers[6] to access advanced features such as sleep tracking and smart alarm or to capture data when exercising without your phone. Set your fitness goals and see your achievements brought straight to your HTC BlinkFeed™ home screen with no additional effort. Fitbit is the top downloaded app for connected fitness devices on the Google Play store.

HTC Sense TV

The only remote you need on the new HTC One (M8) has been redesigned to provide an interactive second screen. You can follow the conversation about the programme online with integrated official Facebook and Twitter streams along with all the latest fan commentary from your social circles. HTC Sense™ TV now also brings live sports statistics for the 10 most popular sports in the world, with sports fans now able to access the latest scores, match statistics and live updates from unmissable games while they watch another game on the main TV screen.

Ranging

The new HTC One (M8) will be ranged with over 230 operators across the globe. From 4pm today in the UK, the new HTC One (M8) will be available from selected London stores through the following retailers – Phones 4 U, Carphone Warehouse, Vodafone, O2, Three and EE.

Global Availability

The HTC One (M8) will be available globally in Gunmetal Grey, Glacial Silver and Amber Gold. The HTC One (M8) will be stocked in the following stores in London from today at 4pm on the 25th March:

  • Carphone Warehouse: (Westfield White City, 4 Oxford Street, Westfield Stratford, 262 Oxford Street, 220 Tottenham Court Road, Selfridges)
  • Phones4U: (127 Oxford Street, 399/405 Oxford Street, Westfield White City, 4/5 Tottenham Court Road)
  • Vodafone: (341-349 Oxford Street, 474 Oxford Street, 106 Kensington High Street, Westfield White City, Westfield Stratford)
  • EE: (110 Oxford Street, 155/157 Oxford Street, 291a Oxford Street, 393 Oxford Street, Westfield Stratford, Westfield White City – Units 2120 and 1156)
  • Three: (257 Oxford Street, 160 Oxford Street, 423 Oxford Street, Westfield White City, 123B Kensington High Street)
  • O2: (351 Oxford Street, 146 Kings Road, Westfield White City, Westfield Stratford, 145 High Street Kensington, 229 Tottenham Court Road)

See the The Elder Scrolls Online concept art

Chris Hare
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0
See the The Elder Scrolls Online concept art

Have a looks at new pieces of concept art for The Elder Scrolls Online, for PC and Xbox One and the PS4.

01_Stormhold_Concept_01

01 Stormhold Concept

This is a biome piece for Stormhold, an ancient city founded by the Barsaebic Ayleids. You can see what remains of their architecture in the background. Later it was taken over by Argonians who built their modern mud homes among the crumbled arches.

 02_RobeOfWormCult_Concept_01

02 RobeOfWormCult Concept

These are designs for the Robes of the Worm Cult. The Cult of the Black Worm is a society of necromancers, worshipers of Molag Bal, and evil fiends devoted to the hastening of the Planemeld. They sow dissent wherever they operate, performing foul rituals, hoarding powerful relics, and raising undead minions to cause chaos.

03_Auridon_Concept_01

03 Auridon Concept

This is a biome design for Auridon in the Aldmeri Dominion. It’s a region of tall, broken cliffs, colorful forests, and pale sands. While the High Elves cultivate their surroundings, wild regions of deep forest and forgotten ruins still remain. This is a very ancient and traditional region.

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04 Breton Armour Concept
Medium, heavy, and light armors in the Breton style are shown here. There were several iterations of these throughout development. Breton designs are the most “traditional” medieval fantasy designs in ESO. Centuries of warfare in High Rock have led the Bretons to value functionality over beauty; their architecture and attire alike share an earthy, hand-crafted quality.

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05 Bankorai Concept
This piece depicts southern Bangkorai, a landscape of shifting desert sands with small outcroppings of hard, flat stone. A few shallow oases dot the desert, almost all fortified by Redguard nomads who have made this treacherous land their home for centuries.

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06 ColdHarbour Props Concept
An array of props designed for the Oblivion realm of Coldharbour, the setting for much of ESO’s main storyline. Molag Bal holds dominion over this wretched plane.

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07 CamlornKeep Concept
The battle-scarred Breton city of Camlorn, which you can help liberate from its bestial conquerors.

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08 Colovian Rugs Tapestries Concept
These Colovian rugs can also be hung as tapestries. The Colovians of western Cyrodiil have Nord ancestors, and their influences are apparent in Colovian culture and attitudes. They’re a stern, religious people. You can see the symbols of Akatosh, Kyne, and Stendarr woven into these decorations.

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09 Crypt of Hearts Concept
The entrance to the Crypt of Hearts lies on the southeastern border of Rivenspire at the foot of the Wrothgar Mountains. Once an idyllic farming enclave, something evil has taken root here and destroyed the peaceful city of Heartland.

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10 Dwarven Ruins Concept

Here, you can see some of the modular system designed for the Dwarven ruin set, which is the setting for many dungeons in ESO. Dwarven architecture is primarily subterranean; the few surface features are generally entryways.

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11 Eyevea Concept
This shows a glimpse of Eyevea, a sanctuary for members of the Mages Guild. But now the entire idyllic island has been magically spirited away by a mysterious force. Can you help the Mages Guild regain it?

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12 EastMarch Guides Concept
These are some tree and rock guides designed for Eastmarch, which is mostly icy volcanic tundra. It has a few scattered lakes bordered by snow-covered mountains to the east and west. Pine forests grow in the fertile lands at the base of the mountains, thinning at altitude to form a vast, frozen wasteland.

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13 Banekin Concept
This is a banekin, a weak servitor Daedra that is only clever in its cruelty. They are not masters of their own powers and are known to be more destructive than helpful. A summoner might find some use in letting them wreak the wanton havoc they so love. Beyond that, their uses are few—they’re quick to forget commands.

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14 Harvester Concept
These Daedra, the harvesters, are often used by Molag Bal as overseers of cult activities. They’re frequent participants in rituals involving sacrifices or soul-stealing. Though they do have some measure of intelligence, their lack of culture or language places them below the Dremora in Daedric hierarchy.

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15 Titan Concept
The titan—a giant, armored behemoth used by Molag Bal as a guardian of souls and other critical strategic resources. Part undead, part Daedra, this horrific monstrosity is intelligent and powerful, making it a formidable foe for even the most skilled adventurers.

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16 Daedroth Concept

This shows a battle with a daedroth, a crocodile-headed humanoid Daedra. Reptilian and massive, simple and brutish, daedroth are savage, ravenous beasts. Their thick hides are resistant to magical attacks, and they’re known to belch forth fire—a devastating addition to their powerful attacks.

Bioshock Infinite: Burial at Sea Episode 2 Out Today

Chris Hare
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Bioshock Infinite: Burial at Sea Episode 2 Out Today

2K and Irrational Games announced today that BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea – Episode Two is downloadable in all available territories on the PlayStation 3 , Xbox 360 and Windows PC starting today.

BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea – Episode Two, developed from the ground up by Irrational Games, is the final content pack for the award-winning BioShock Infinite, and features Elizabeth in a film noir-style story that provides players with a different perspective on the BioShock universe.

Kevin Levine from Irrational Games said of the final piece of DLC for Bioshock Infinite

“I think the work the team did on this final chapter speaks for itself,” said Ken Levine, creative director of Irrational Games. “We built something that is larger in scope and length, and at the same time put the player in Elizabeth’s shoes. This required overhauling the experience to make the player see the world and approach problems as Elizabeth would: leveraging stealth, mechanical insight, new weapons and tactics. The inclusion of a separate 1998 Mode demands the player complete the experience without any lethal action. BioShock fans are going to plotz.”

Yen Press and Square Enix Launch International eBook Distribution

Chris Hare
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Yen Press and Square Enix Launch International eBook Distribution

Yen Press, the graphic novel imprint of Hachette Book Group, and leading Japanese gaming and manga publisher Square Enix in conjunction with the Tuttle-Mori Agency has announced that their highly anticipated inter-corporate initiative for the global distribution of Square Enix’s English language manga will commence on 8th April.

Square Enix LogoYen Press

By virtue of this groundbreaking agreement, fans of Square Enix’s manga in over 200 countries will have access to the authorized, English-language ebook editions of 175 titles through Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble, Google and Kobo with new volumes available concurrently with future print releases. Launching first with internationally best selling series like Atsushi Ohkubo’s Soul Eater, Yana Toboso’s Black Butler, and Yoshiki Tonogai’s Doubt, Yen Press will roll out additional series weekly throughout the month of April with a blockbuster assortment that includes Hiromu Arakawa’s Fullmetal Alchemist, Jun Mochizuki’s PandoraHearts, Ryukishi07’s Higurashi WHEN THEY CRY, and Until Death Do Us Part by Hiroshi Takashige and DOUBLE-S. As an added bonus for fans, these ebook editions will include color pages not reproduced in the titles’ print counterparts.

In addition to this ambitious launch of their cooperative digital publishing endeavor, Yen Press and Square Enix have also unveiled a program for the digital English language serialization of new chapters of two ongoing series – Atsushi Ohkubo’s riotous successor to Soul Eater, Soul Eater NOT!, and Yoshiki Tonogai’s latest mind-bending mystery thriller, Secret. Chapters not already contained in the collected volumes of these series will be released as digital comics in advance of the latest chapters slated for publication 14th April.

Kurt Hassler, VP and Publishing Director of Yen Press, said of the agreement, “In much the same way that video streaming technologies transformed the way fans consume anime, the digital availability of manga content stands to revolutionize readers’ access to the material they love. Particularly exciting to us is the opportunity Square Enix has provided international audiences to enjoy and support the latest installments of continuing series at the same time as Japanese fans. Manga has a truly global community of enthusiasts, and Yen Press could not be prouder to help connect these brilliant creators with the worldwide readership clamoring for their work.”

Creative Assembly to announce date for Alien Isolation at EGX Rezzed

Chris Hare
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Creative Assembly to announce date for Alien Isolation at EGX Rezzed

Gamer Network  has announced that Creative Assembly is preparing to announce the release date for its hotly-anticipated first-person survival horror game Alien: Isolation exclusively at EGX Rezzed this weekend.

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The release date announcement will conclude the Horsham-based studio’s developer session, which starts at 3pm on Saturday and will also be live-streamed on Eurogamer.net.

Alien: Isolation is a thrilling first-person survival horror experience that will focus on capturing the horror and tension evoked by Ridley Scott’s 1979 classic film. Developed by Creative Assembly, Alien: Isolation is due for release in late 2014 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Windows PC.

EGX Rezzed takes place at The NEC in Birmingham from 28th-30th March and features a huge range of playable PC, next-gen console and indie games including the world’s first opportunity for the public to play Alien: Isolation.

Each day is filled with developer sessions, which bring visitors face to face with some of the biggest names in game development as they talk about their work and share new details on future projects. Speakers include DayZ creator Dean Hall, Alien: Isolation creative lead Alistair Hope, Volume developer Mike Bithell and Dreamfall Chapters’ Ragnar Tornquist.

For a full list of playable games, developer sessions and other activities at EGX Rezzed, check out the What’s On page on the official website, where tickets are on sale now: http://www.egxrezzed.net.

World of Tanks Blitz Closed Beta Test Begins

Chris Hare
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World of Tanks Blitz Closed Beta Test Begins

Wargaming has announced that its free-to-play mobile MMO action title, World of Tanks Blitz, has officially entered into Closed Beta testing, having amassed over 150,000 applications in less than a week. The sign-ups for testing are currently live on the game’s official website.

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“Closed Beta is something we have been looking forward to for a long time,” said Andrey Ryabovol, Director of Global Operations at Wargaming. “We hope players enjoy participating in the testing and are anxious to hear their feedback.”

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During Closed Beta, the development team will be inviting a range of players to get hands-on experience with the game, with the ultimate goal of collecting player feedback and thoughts to be used to refine and perfect the game upon official release.

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The World of Tanks Blitz Closed Beta is available on most iPad tablets. Android and iOS smartphone compatibility will be added in the upcoming months. The game currently offers 7 versus 7 player-versus-player gameplay and over 80 iconic military machines from USA, Germany, and USSR. Each nation features four classes: agile light tanks, well-rounded medium tanks, powerful heavy tanks and long-range focused tank destroyers.

To apply for World of Tanks Blitz Closed Beta, please visit:

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