General Gaming Article |
- Newegg Daily Deals: Intel Core i5-6400, Asus Z170 Pro Gaming Motherboard, and More!
- GDC 2016: Razer Gives a Closer Look at Upgraded OSVR Headset [VIDEO]
- GDC 2016: Razer Wields a Refreshed Blade Laptop for Gamers [VIDEO]
- GDC 2016: Manus VR Builds a Glove Controller for HTC Vive [VIDEO]
- GDC 2016: Cloudhead Games Reveals Inspiration for Call of the Starseed [VIDEO]
- Hands-on with Valve’s The Lab
- GDC 2016: Northway Games Describes 'Fantastic Contraption' for HTC Vive [VIDEO]
- Running Games from Your NAS
| Newegg Daily Deals: Intel Core i5-6400, Asus Z170 Pro Gaming Motherboard, and More! Posted: 17 Mar 2016 12:06 PM PDT Top Deal: Now that you've decided it's finally time to trash your AMD Barton or Intel Northwood PC and build a new rig, the question is, which platform do you run with? If you want to go with the newest, then the answer is Skylake. There are several Skylake processors to choose from, including today's top deal for an Intel Core i5-6400 6 MB Skylake Quad-Core 2.7 GHz LGA 1151 65W Processor for $175 with free shipping (normally $190 - use coupon code: [EMCEHGH22]). It's reasonably fast and it gets you current, just be sure to pair it with a motherboard that uses DDR4 memory. Other Deals: Corsair Hydro Series H100i GTX Extreme Performance Water / Liquid CPU Cooler. 240mm for $100 with free shipping (normally $110 - use coupon code: [EMCEHGH74]; additional $20 Mail-in rebate) Samsung White PLS 23.6-inch 4ms Widescreen LED Backlight LCD Monitor; Free-Sync Compatible w/ Wireless Phone Charging Capability for $160 with $1 shipping (normally $180 - use coupon code: [EMCEHGH67]) Corsair Carbide Series Air 540 Black Steel / Plastic ATX Cube High Airflow Cube Case for $125 with free shipping (normally $130 - use coupon code: [EMCEHGH26]; additional $20 Mail-in rebate) Asus Z170 Pro Gaming LGA 1151 Intel Z170 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.1 USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard for $145 with $3 shipping (normally $155 - use coupon code: [EMCEHGH25]) |
| GDC 2016: Razer Gives a Closer Look at Upgraded OSVR Headset [VIDEO] Posted: 17 Mar 2016 11:49 AM PDT Better but not more expensiveRazer jumped into the virtual reality market with its Open-Source VR (OSVR) ecosystem. The idea is to push an open-source standard for developers to embrace rather than get lost creating content for a bunch of different proprietary hardware solutions. To show what it's capable of, Razer built a headset to test and experience OSVR content. We caught up with Razer at GDC to talk about its latest hardware release and what upgrades it made. What's newly available now is the OSVR Hacker Development Kit v1.4. In building the new version, Razer spent some time tweaking the ergonomics. For example, there's a new rubber nose for comfort. One of the bigger changes is the addition of a diffuser film that's applied to the display. This is supposed to reduce the "screen door" effect and also help with pixelation. Like Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, the OSVR headset needs to be tethered to a PC. Razer recommends a mid-range PC with a GeForce GTX 960 or higher graphics card, though the necessary hardware will ultimately depend on the game or application. Razer still views its headset as a development kit for content creators, but also insists that it's highly accessible to mainstream consumers who want to experience VR. To that end, the latest version costs $300 and is available now from Razer. |
| GDC 2016: Razer Wields a Refreshed Blade Laptop for Gamers [VIDEO] Posted: 17 Mar 2016 11:20 AM PDT A better Blade Razer recently announced that it improved its Blade laptop across the board, and it wasn't kidding. The refreshed Blade with Skylake inside is faster, lighter, and less expensive than the previous generation, a rare but welcome combo. We stopped by Razer's booth at GDC to get a closer at the new Blade. One thing Razer didn't change about its Blade is the laptop's stellar 14-inch IGZO touch-panel with QHD+ (3200x1800) resolution. The form factor is also the same—Razer stuck with a CNC aluminum casing that's just 0.70 inches thin. However, Razer was able to shave around a quarter of pound off the weight of the Blade, which now weighs 4.25 pounds. Razer said it updated its thermal management system in the Razer. It's sporting new fans and new heatpipes, along with new fan profiles to ensure that it runs cooler without exhibiting weird fan spikes. On the inside, the sharpened Blade now boasts a quad-core Intel Core i7-6700HQ processor, 16GB of DDR4-2133 memory, GeForce GTX 970M GPU with 6GB of GDDR5 memory, and either a 256GB or 5120GB PCI-E M.2 solid state drive. The Blade also brings the bling with individually backlit keys that users can customize. It's the first time Razer's done that on a 14-inch laptop. You may have read about Razer's external graphics accessory, the Razer Core. This external box can accommodate a full-size graphics card, which you can then connect to the Blade via Thunderbolt 3 for desktop-class graphics performance. The benefit of doing so is that you have a thin and lightweight laptop for business trips that can transform into a desktop replacement at home when connected to the Core. Take a look at the Blade below: |
| GDC 2016: Manus VR Builds a Glove Controller for HTC Vive [VIDEO] Posted: 17 Mar 2016 10:40 AM PDT Fits like a gloveA company called Manus VR has built what it claims is the first consumer glove specifically designed for virtual reality. We caught up with Manus VR at GDC to talk more about its glove and what makes it so special compared to the Vive's existing controllers. What Manus VR has to demo at the moment is a temporary solution. It consists of the Vive controllers being strapped to the glove wearer's arm for tracking. One thing Manus VR notes is that Vive is really good at tracking the position of its controllers, so the company decided to leverage that ability with its first run proof-of-concept. In doing so, Manus VR's glove is fully compatible with the Vive and doesn't require any additional base stations or sensors. Looking down the road to the product's launch, Manus VR says it plans to integrate Valve's Lighthouse tracking directly into the glove so that it's one unit you can put on. That will certainly make things more convenient, though in its current state, Manus VR's glove is surprisingly accurate and effective. Part of the reason why the glove works so well is the inclusion of flex sensors on the fingers. This allows the glove to accurately detect what the fingers are doing and how the hand is oriented. It's really an interesting product with a lot of potential. Check out what else Manus VR had to say about its glove controller below: |
| GDC 2016: Cloudhead Games Reveals Inspiration for Call of the Starseed [VIDEO] Posted: 17 Mar 2016 10:13 AM PDT Bringing and old school vibe to modern technology We had a chance to sit down for a spell with Mike Wilson from Cloudhead Games to discuss Call of the Starseed, the first episode of The Gallery, a built-for VR exploration and puzzle solving game. The game's description on Steam says it's inspired by dark 80s fantasy films. Which ones specifically? Mike told Maximum PC that movies like Goonies and The Labyrinth helped to shape the company's vision for The Gallery. Our own Jimmy Thang spent some time playing the game and can attest to there being a definite 1980s and 1990s fantasy/sci-fi vibe. If you can remember that far back, you might also recall a title called Myst. It was one of the first games to come out on CD back when floppy drives were more common. Jimmy said he felt like Call of the Starseed also had a sort of Myst vibe for VR. Turns out that wasn't by accident. "Myst was definitely an inspiration for us. We've all played it and loved it growing up. We all felt that the immersion level of Myst back in the day was what made it special and we fell that virtual reality needs that, it needs an experience where you can just get lost in a new place that has a very distinct feeling," Wilson said. Call of the Starseed is the first of four episodes. Depending on how much you choose to explore and take in the environment, you can expect between 2 to 3.5 hours of game play. Check out the full interview for more on Call of the Starseed and The Gallery. |
| Posted: 17 Mar 2016 09:49 AM PDT A compilation of VR mini games set in the Portal universeI recently had the chance to go hands-on with Valve's new VR title. Dubbed The Lab, the compilation of VR "experiments" (i.e., mini-games) takes place mostly within Portal's Pocket Universe (if you've played the Portal games, think back to those little stick figure dudes). We played about 20 minutes of The Lab, which amounted to four mini-games. Valve says the game will ship with roughly a dozen experiments. While we only played a small snippet of all the games, those that we played were unique and fun.  The first game that I played took place somewhere in the underbelly of Aperture Laboratories. It had me pulling back on a giant slingshot with my tracked VR controllers, shooting robotic balls (think Wheatly from Portal 2) at far-away crates for points. Predicting where the little robot ball would land was certainly challenging, but toward the end of that session, I started to get the hang of it. It certainly helped that the little robot balls talked and were humorous (they were mostly worried about being flung to their deaths), and I'm 99 percent sure one of the robots is Justin Roiland, the voice actor and creator behind the popular cartoon Rick and Morty .(In case you were wondering, the robotic ball sounded more like Morty than Rick).  After I played for about five minutes, the game had me grab a magical orb and place it over my face. From there, the game teleported me to a white lab with all the little mini-games strewn about the room. This area basically acts as the hub of the game and within this hub, there's a little robotic dog that you can pet. Exiting out of the hub, the next mini-game I played wasn't so much of a game at all, as much as it was a virtual tourism experiment. Using a digital imaging technique called photogrammetry, which can be seen in games like the recent Star Wars Battlefront, Valve took me up to the top of a mountain in Washington state. From the peak, I could look down and see a small ice wall, a lake, and expansive vistas full of trees and bright, blue air. And because it used real photos to map out the scene, it looked very realistic, yet ran really smoothly on what the representative told me was a GTX 980 GPU. There were also four different spots on top of the mountain where I could teleport to, to get different viewpoints. It was all very breathtaking, but before I knew it, my time was up, and I moved on to the next game. Valve has teased VR Portal before. The next game was a modern take on the old-school jet pilot shooter (think Raiden from the arcades). Instead of traversing through a level, however, the demo took place in one spherical room. Here, missiles and lasers would come at my little ship, and I used my right hand to control the ship to dodge laser blasts and to shoot back at the other aircraft trying to blast me down. It starts off easy, but before long, hundreds of slow-moving lasers were moving my way and I had try not to get hit if I wanted to score high on the leader board. It's a relatively simple game, but I can see people spending hours here to reach unbeatable scores. The last mini game that I played was my favorite. It's a tower defense/archery game that takes place in the Pocket Universe. You are an archer perched up on a hilltop, and you have to defend your castle's gate from intruding little Pocket dudes. These little stick figure guys are slowing charging into your base and you have to prevent them from breaking down your door. What makes the game fun is that the archery mechanics are simply spot on. I held the bow with my left hand, reached back and pressed the trigger button to pull out an arrow from my quiver, placed it into my bow, and let go of the trigger to send the arrow flying at my enemies. As someone who has taken an archery lesson before, I quickly got used to the mechanic and was eventually head-shotting the cute little creatures. At first, they came out in single numbers, but eventually I'd see two or three of them pop out at the same time. I'd have to use the Vive's room scale to reposition myself for better shots, which felt great. Eventually, these little guys started wearing armor, and I had to shoot at unarmored parts of their bodies, or I'd have to shoot them twice (the armor grants them one free hit). There are also little traps throughout the map that you can use to your advantage, like little TNT crates that explode. Pardon the pun, but it was a blast! While I only got to play a sampling of the title's offerings, they were all fun, diverse, and felt polished. The Lab is definitely positioning itself well to become the Wii Sports of VR, with its fun compilation of mini games. And even more exciting: The Lab is a free launch title. You'll be able to get your hands on the game and the Vive beginning April 5th. |
| GDC 2016: Northway Games Describes 'Fantastic Contraption' for HTC Vive [VIDEO] Posted: 17 Mar 2016 09:47 AM PDT Get ready to build Back in 2008, Northway Games build a Flash game called Fantastic Contraption (you can still play it online). It tasked players with assembling various contraptions to move the level's goal object into the goal area, and you have several tools and items available to help you do that. Now eight years later, Northway Games has built a VR version of Fantastic Contraption for the HTC Vive, and we spoke with company co-founder Sarah Northway about the title at GDC. One of the things that Northway Games found so appealing about the HTC Vive was the inclusion of touch controllers. Whereas the original Fantastic Contraption focused on building with mouse and keyboard input, the VR remake allows gamers to use their hands. This in turn meant that gamers could be inside the things they're building. There's some movement required, which is one of the caveats of the HTC Vive—having ample space to move around is ideal. If you're in a smaller room and don't have a lot of walking room, Northway says you can scale virtual environments to fit your living room or desk. "We want to make sure that everyone can play, whether or not they have a huge space, a small space, or whatever," Northway told Maximum PC. Northway also took a creative approach to solving the problem of limited space. There are mechanics built into the game that allow users to do things like extend objects to reach walls or ceilings that are further away in order to make changes to their contraptions. Northway had plenty more to say about its game and VR in general. Check out the full interview below: |
| Posted: 17 Mar 2016 12:00 AM PDT We've talked before about reasons for you to get a NAS, but here's a novel purpose for having one: running your games through it. While it might sound crazy to run an application as heavy as gaming over the network, it can be convenient if you're juggling your games between several PCs and you don't want to (or can't) keep a copy on all of them. The downside to the convenience is that running off a network is slower than running on local storage, but for some applications, this might not be a terrible trade-off. We'll show you how to set up your network folders so that they can be used to run games from, and talk about our experiences running some games this way. This doesn't apply to only games, but for the purposes of this article, that's what we'll be focusing on. How to set up network directoriesBefore you can run games from or install games to your NAS, you'll need to set up its network directories so that your computer can use it like a local directory. Setting up network drives on WindowsVerify that on your network connection, Windows thinks you're on a Private Network. You can do this by right-clicking the network icon and selecting "Open Network and Sharing Center." Alternatively, you can open Control Panel, go to "Network and Internet," then "Network and Sharing Center." If for some reason Windows thinks you're on a Public Network, there's a relatively quick fix. Go to Control Panel → Network and Internet → HomeGroup. Click the "Start the HomeGroup troubleshooter." Skip the "Troubleshoot Network Problems" step. After running its course, the troubleshooter should ask to change the network to private. Apply the fix and verify the network is private. If all is well and your NAS is set up properly, open Explorer and go to "Network." You should be able to see your NAS in the "Computer" section. If you don't see it here, you can try accessing it by typing up the NAS's name, prepended with "\\", in the file directory text box at the top. For example, using this NAS as an example, it can be accessed by typing in "\\NASF68703" in the directory text box (without the quotes). In most cases, the name of a NAS can be found on its interface page when you configure it from your web browser. When you've accessed the NAS, you should see folders with pipes on their icons. This indicates that you can map them to a network drive. Right click the folder where your games are, then select "Map network drive…." Next, it will ask what drive letter to assign the folder; it will default to the last available letter in the alphabet. Input any login information required. If you're doing this on multiple computers, then you may have to use another account on the NAS for each computer to access the folders and mount the drive. If successful, the network folder will be in Explorer → This PC under "Network Locations." It can be used like any other drive. Mounting network folders on LinuxAs with most advanced features of Linux, you'll need to use the command line to set up a network folder. Open a command line terminal and input the following commands: This is to verify what folders on your NAS are being shared. If a folder is not being shared, you'll need to add it to your NAS's shared folders This is to create a mounting point. It can be anywhere, but convention is it should go to /mnt Take note of the "uid" and "gid" fields. You'll need these in order to have read/write privileges on your network folder After you've done all that, do the following actions as root (either login using "su" or prepend "sudo" to all of these). This is also assuming you're using a Debian-based distribution like Ubuntu or Linux Mint. As an example, the final mount command looks like this:
This will bring up a login prompt for the password. If successful, the mounted folder now acts like any other local folder, even to install new games. The experience of playing games on a NASThe NAS we're using to test this is Q-NAP's TS-251 with two 4TB Western Digital Red drives in RAID1. This is hooked up to a ASUS RT-AC68U router, which has gigabit Ethernet, 802.11ac speeds of up to 1.3Gbits/s, and 802.11n speeds of up to 600Mbits/s. We'll be testing gameplay over Ethernet and Wi-Fi. For the wireless tests, the computer was placed in a room about 25 feet away from the router, a typical distance in an apartment setting. The games we used for testing were a mix of modern and older games, going all the way down to a DOS favorite: Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 Of all of these, we had the following issues. Skyrim wouldn't run off the network, at least on our setup. It went into a loop of needing the NAS's login credentials. Ultimate Doom had a hiccup or two initially, but played fine after we fixed them. Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 stuttered while loading on Wi-Fi, and for some reason, wouldn't let us skip the mission briefing cinematic even after appearing to finish loading. This was run several times to be sure. GTA V had the most interesting issue. Playing on Ethernet or 802.11ac was similar to playing locally, but 802.11n was where the lower bandwidth started to hamper the gaming experience. There were occasions when the game would freeze, and there were many times when portions of the map wouldn't appear as the NAS was trying to keep up, as shown here: With that in mind, here are the loading times from the main menu (or similar) for starting a game session for the games we got working. As Skyrim wasn't working and Ultimate Doom loaded more or less instantly on all interfaces, they are not included in the graph. It's like a media center for games, if you're patientIf you can imagine the convenience of a using a NAS to store all your movies and music so that they can be accessed from your networked devices, this solution is akin to that for gaming PCs. However, if you decide to go this route you may want to stick with Ethernet, as it showed an incremental increase in loading time. If you go wireless, then your load times increase dramatically, which limits the usefulness of running games from a NAS. While you can decrease load times using 10 gigabit Ethernet, the NICs alone would cost nearly as much as a diskless NAS unit. So, what's the point? For older or less-demanding games that you play often, running them from a NAS would make sense if you're running a pure SSD system with not a lot of room to spare. There's also the option of running the same game for multiple users, but you may want to limit this to your less-demanding games. If anything, you can also keep the games on the NAS drive at the ready to copy onto your computer. It'll be a lot faster than downloading it from the Internet. This works for any programWhile the focus of the article was on games, it's worth mentioning that many programs can be run in this manner. The only caveat is that programs that require activation or in some way care that they were properly installed might not work. But if your tools and utilities are small, it wouldn't hurt to keep one copy on the NAS and launch it from there on the computers that use it. |
| You are subscribed to email updates from Maximum PC latest stories. To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States | |
