Monthly Archives: October 2016
How to Build a VR PC
Virtual reality is finally here, but building a rig that can upload your face to cyberspace isn't as simple flipping on the kitchen light. Not only do PC gamers have to choose between the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, but they'll have to make sure their rigs are powerful enough to play VR games. So to facilitate your journey to virtual reality, we've specced out two rigs, one built for a budget and one designed to pump out the pixels.
Before we dive into our builds, here's a brief explanation of why VR requires so much power: both the Rift and the Vive have two displays — one for each eye. Each of those displays show a resolution of 1080x1200. However, the actual resolution is closer to 1512x1680 for each eye, since VR requires rendering graphics with a “buffer” to correct for lens distortion. Add to that the fact that VR requires 90 frames per second, minimum, and you can see why powerful components are a must.
14 Coolest Luke Cage Easter Eggs and References
The first season of Luke Cage has hit Netflix, introducing a whole new cast of heroes and villains to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Here are the coolest and most memorable Easter eggs and cameos from these 13 episodes. We’re skipping some of the more obvious things (like the obligatory references to “The Incident"), in favor of the new and unexpected.
Full spoilers for Marvel's Luke Cage: Season 1 continue below.
There were plenty of cameos for other Netflix MCU characters in Luke Cage, though not always the ones you’d expect. Luke’s old flame Jessica Jones was only mentioned in passing a couple times. There were also various offhand references to Daredevil, Wilson Fisk and the Punisher over the course of the season.
NYCC: Ash vs. Evil Dead Swallows Our Souls
Bruce Campbell and Lucy Lawless hit New York Comic-Con today to talk about the second season of their STARZ series Ash vs. Evil Dead. Joining them were co-stars Ray Santiago (Pablo), Dana DeLorenzo (Kelly), Lee Majors (Brock Williams), Ted Raimi (Chet Kaminski) and Michelle Hurd (Linda B.) for a preview of the new season, the premiere screening of the second episode… and the usual Bruce Campbell panel magic.
The panel began with a cast discussion, as Majors was asked if he was a big fan of the series before taking the job. His answer was simple: “No.”
After the crowd’s laughter subsided, the former Six Million Dollar Man clarified. “I am now,” he said. “Because I saw the first season when they asked me if I wanted to do it. It was bat-s#!t crazy. Mr. Bruce Campbell chased me down in a parking lot and begged me
Non-Gaming Apps ‘Absolutely’ Coming to PSVR, Says Sony
Despite the fact that PlayStation VR is initially being positioned as a gaming device, Sony sees a much broader future for its upcoming VR headset.
In an interview with IGN, SIE Worldwide Studios chairman Shawn Layden confirmed that non-gaming applications will "absolutely" be coming to PlayStation VR. "You probably won't see that coming from our Worldwide Studios, because that's not what we do. We do games... but there's a lot of interest from the film and television arts community," he explained.
"Our sisters at Sony Pictures Entertainment have a whole team spun up around VR and we've talked to Sony Music as well," Layden added, highlighting the benefit of having the other members of the "Sony family" available to keep them informed about where other interests in entertainment are headed.
New Beyond Good and Evil Game Confirmed by Ubisoft
Following several teases from Beyond Good & Evil creator Michel Ancel, Ubisoft has officially confirmed a new game from Ancel in development at its Montpellier Studio.
"We are delighted to confirm that Michel Ancel is currently working with the Ubisoft Montpellier Studio on a new Beyond Good & Evil game," a post on the official Beyond Good & Evil Facebook page reads, alongside one of Ancel's previously released pieces of concept art featuring a man and a small pig many suspect is a young Pey'j.
Overwatch: At Least Two New Heroes in Playtesting
Overwatch game director Jeff Kaplan has revealed that at least two new heroes for the game currently in different stages of playtesting, as well as a new map, and several concepts for new modes.
"We are actively working on more heroes right now", Kaplan explains in a new developer update video. "One hero is very far along. It's coming together really well - we're playtesting it internally across the entire company, and we believe this hero will see the light of day sooner rather than later."
This hero is quite possibly Sombra, the character at the centre of a months-long alternate reality game (ARG) Blizzard has been running. The A Moment In Crime website associated with the ARG is widely believed to be counting up to her reveal, with the current rate of increase pointing to an announcement in around 12 days at time of writing.
Guardians of the Galaxy Holds the Most On-Screen Deaths Record
With a massive 83,871, Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy has the most on-screen deaths of any film ever, by a long way.
In a top 10 list from Go Compare, we see Guardians of the Galaxy is far ahead of Dracula Untold in second place, which has a measly 5,687 in comparison.
A good 80,000+ of those deaths came in one scene where Nova Corp pilots have their fleet destroyed by the Dark Aster when they attempt to form a barrier between it an Xandar.
Check out the full list below. We don't know what got into movie makers in 2014, but they apparently sure loved killing people.
1. Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) - 83,871
Stan Against Evil Trailer: Demons Are Everywhere!
The recently-retired former sheriff of a small New England town becomes quite an unlikely demon-hunter in IFC's new horror-comedy series, Stan Against Evil, and IGN has the debut of the new trailer for the series.
John C. McGinley (Scrubs) stars as the title character, who ends up in a reluctant partnership with his replacement as sheriff (You're the Worst and the Legend of Korra's Janet Varney), when they discover a plague of unleashed demons is haunting their town. Stan Against Evil is created by standup comedian and former Simpsons writer Dana Gould. Check out the trailer below!
New York Comic Con attendees can learn more about the series at the show's panel today, Thursday, October 6th, from 5:15pm-6:15pm in Room 1A06. I'll be moderating the panel, which will include a screening of the first episode, followed by a Q&A with Gould, McGinley and Varney.
Comic Book Reviews for October 5, 2016
The comics industry kicked off the month of October with a lot of major new releases. DC added several new mini-series to its ever-expanding Rebirth lineup while also kicking off the He-Man/Thundercats crossover and Shade: The Changing the Girl. Marvel delivered the first wave of Marvel NOW series, including Cage!, Jessica Jones and Champions. Archie Comics and Boom! Studios each had a little crossover fun of their own, with Archie Meets the Ramones #1 and Big Trouble in Little China/Escape From New York #1, while Image debuted the newest collaboration between Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso, Moonshine.
Scroll down to see our reviews for these and various other new releases, and be sure to let us know your favorite books of the week in the comments below.
New Pokemon Go Update Will Increase Odds of Catching Rare Pokemon
Niantic has announced the upcoming addition of a feature that will reward consistent Pokemon players with better odds for catching rare Pokemon.
On the Pokemon Go website, Niantic explains that medals awarded for catching set numbers of type-specific Pokemon will now make other Pokemon of that type easier to catch.
For example, catching fire-type Pokemon will increase the chances of catching a Charmander. It's not clear if this means you're more likely to encounter more rare Pokemon, or simply have less chance of them running away and making you feel all sad when you do stumble across one.
Here's a gallery of the types of medals and catch bonuses you can expect: