Monthly Archives: October 2016
How Virtual Reality Headsets Actually Work
Virtual reality might seem like black magic, but the truth is each headset is a carefully engineered product, blending cutting edge tech with more than a few clever tricks designed to make you forget about everything except for what's on the screen. We're breaking down how these headsets work and taking a look at the individual components that make virtual reality such a convincing experience.
The lens is one of the most crucial elements of what makes virtual reality so convincing. These lenses fool your eyes into thinking you're looking at a vast depth of space rather than two flat displays inches away. The lens achieves this by focusing the light to make it appear as if the displays were an infinite distance away.
Out This Week: PlayStation VR, Gears of War 4, Skylanders Imaginators
With so many new games and movies coming out, it can be hard to keep up. Lucky for you, IGN is here to help with a weekly round-up of the biggest releases each and every week. Check out the latest releases for this week, and be sure to come back next Monday for a new update.
Note: The prices and deals compiled below are accurate at the time we published this story, but all are subject to change.
Daniel Craig Now Seems to Want to Keep Playing James Bond
After an extended period of uncertainty about Daniel Craig's future with the James Bond franchise - sparked by him saying "I'd rather slash my wrists" than play the iconic role for a fifth time - it now seems the seventh Bond has rather changed his tune.
"They say that s*** sticks, and that definitely stuck," Craig joked (according to Vulture) onstage about his now-famous outburst at the New Yorker Festival. "It was the day after filming
. I'd been away from home for a year. Boo-hoo. It's a good gig. I enjoy it."
His comments a little way down the line now seem to be far more positive:
Could Legion Lead to Bigger Marvel/Fox Collaborations?
Besides being the first Marvel-based series made for FX -- and boasting the notable pedigree of coming from Fargo creator Noah Hawley -- the upcoming Legion also represents the first true collaboration between Fox and Marvel, who are producing the series together. A look at the executive producer credits alone lets you know Marvel TV's Jeph Loeb and Jim Chory are working alongside longtime X-Men series producers Lauren Shuler Donner, Bryan Singer and Simon Kinberg, something that seemed unlikely to ever happen a couple of years ago.
The X-Men film rights of course have been at Fox for decades, hence the lack of any X-Men characters -- except for the unique exception of Quicksilver, whose rights are shared by both Fox and Marvel, as are Scarlet Witch's -- appearing in any part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in film or TV. Legion is not set in the MCU, though its ties to the X-Men films are still uncertain. But during the panel for the series at New York Comic Con, a fan, evoking Loeb's familiar "It's all connected!" refrain for the MCU and their TV shows, asked about the possibility of a bigger connection back to the other Marvel projects.
Half-Life VR Hinted at by Mystery Code
Some leaked code could be pointing towards a possible upcoming virtual reality Half-Life game.
According to the Valve News Network, an update to Dota 2 last week contained code for a procedurally shattering glass panel, and a line with a comment saying it is "used to force the HLVR player to speak."
In addition, a recent update to the Steam VR app Destinations added a number of lines of code which were apparently related to "HLVR" including guns, ammo clips, and so on.
As stated in the video, a portion of the game where the player speaks suggests if this is a new Half-Life title, it won't be featuring the silent protagonist Gordon Freeman.
Next Overwatch Hero Apparently Leaks
Following the apparent reveal of a Halloween seasonal event, a Russian Overwatch group claims to have revealed the game's next playable character, Sombra, alongside a new game mode for said Halloween event.
Sombra has been the subject of a months-long ARG, placing her as a hacker in the Overwatch universe, seemingly trying to communicate information to players. The Halloween event leak itself appeared to point to the introduction of the character, and now - apparently - here she is, complete with a submachine gun and clawed gloves:
Thumper Launches Three Days Early on PC and PS4
Thumper, the rhythm action game from developer Drool, launches today on PC and PlayStation 4 (in North America only) at 3 p.m. PT, three days ahead of its original release date of October 13. It costs $19.99.
PS4 players outside NA will get access as originally planned, on October 13.
"We wanted to surprise and reward gamers who have been waiting years for
to come out with the chance to play a bit sooner," Thumper co-creator Marc Flury told IGN regarding the decision to release a few days ahead of schedule..
Flury also says he hopes the early launch will clear up any confusion about Thumper being a VR-exclusive experience, and encourage players to try it out in its non-VR form before PlayStation VR hits shelves this Thursday.
Westworld: Who Is the Maze Meant For?
Full spoilers for Westworld continue below.
The Man in Black is after the deepest level of the game in Westworld, but what does he hope to find there? His bizarre, seemingly villainous fixation with a mysterious map -- what looks like a petroglyph carved into a Host's skull -- is one of the most intriguing elements of HBO's smart new sci-fi show thus far.
The second episode of Westworld, "Chestnut," furthers Ed Harris' character's fixation on the "game" at the center of the theme park. It leads him to Clifton Collins Jr.'s Host character Lawrence, who he believes is the next piece of the puzzle. Tossing him Kissy's skull, he explained of the map, "It's the maze, the deepest level of this game. You're going to help me find the entrance."
Bruce Campbell on Ash vs Evil Dead’s Most Insane Scene Yet
Full spoilers for Ash vs Evil Dead continue below. And if you haven't seen last night's Ash episode yet, "The Morgue," you won't truly understand the depravity of the scene described below.
Watching Bruce Campbell run around a morgue with his head shoved up through a dead body's anus, grappling with its Evil-animated colon, is exactly the type of scene you expect to see on the set of Ash vs Evil Dead, and exactly the type that no amount of preparation can make you ready for.
The "a--hat" scene made its debut during Sunday's "The Morgue," almost five months after I saw Campbell filming the sequence. Because Ash vs Evil Dead sticks to using practical effects for these complicated stunts, this scene involved take after take of Ash Williams fighting against the possessed colon determined to kill him, and take after take of Campbell's head sliding up through the corpse's butt and past its Prince Albert -- a prop added to emphasize just how insane the entire sequence is, even for Evil Dead standards.
Wasteland 3 Hits Crowdfunding Goal in 3 Days
The Wasteland 3 crowd-funding campaign has been completed in just three days.
As of writing, the campaign sits on $2,821,090, exceeding its original target of $2,750,000, with 24 days of potential funding still to go.
"Wasteland 3 represents the most ambitious title that we have crowdfunded so far," says Brian Fargo, CEO of inXile Entertainment. "We wouldn't be here without our fans and backers carrying the torch and we want to continue to repay them by making the best role-playing games possible. With Wasteland 3 we aim to over-deliver like never before."
Following the funding, inXile looks to its campaign stretch goals. $2.85M unlocks further Ranger customisation options, $3M adds in a Knight Rider-style talking car companion, and $3.1M will let players create an emblem which will be seen throughout the game.