World Rally Championship Coming This Autumn.

I haven’t played any rallying games since the days of Colin McRae and I still maintain that Sega Rally Championship is the apex of off-road, automotive motoring (whoops, just let my age slip there!). But “World Rally Championship” looks like something I can get back…..uh, who am I kidding. Nothing about this interests me. And judging by the YouTube comments, I’m not the only one. But I’ll let you be the judge.

Video game publisher and distributor Bigben Interactive, and French racing game developer Kylotonn Games today unveils an exciting trailer setting up the Ford Fiesta RS WRC from M-Ford World Rally Team & new screenshots for the WRC 5 video game, the official 2015 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) game. It is scheduled for release in Autumn 2015 on Xbox One and Xbox 360 games and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®4, Playstation®3, PlayStation® Vita and PC.

“With these new trailer & screenshots, we want to show different locations and challenges that are waiting for players” says Alain Jarniou, WRC 5 Game Director. “From the frozen roads and snow banks of Sweden, to the narrow and sandy lines of Sardinia, or even the fast technical sections of Finland, we really want to put players into real drivers’ gloves. That’s why we worked hard to recreate the special atmosphere at each of the 13 rallies that makes the WRC so diverse” declares Alain Jarniou.

The FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) pits drivers and production-based cars against some of the toughest and most varied conditions on the planet. In 2015, the roads on this epic motorsport adventure are spread across 14 countries, with 13 rallies on everything from snow packed forest tracks to rock-strewn mountain passes.

WRC 5 is scheduled for Autumn 2015 and will be available for Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation®4, Playstation®3, PlayStation® Vita and PC.

Check out the images and trailer below. Cheers.

 

New Turtle Beach Headsets For E3

Turtle Beach have revelaed new gaming headsets for E3 that include Hearing Health Care devices that are specifically designed for people suffering with hearing loss. 

Turtle Beach Corporation (NASDAQ: HEAR), the leading-edge audio technology company and #1 in gaming audio, announced today a selection of new headsets for the latest gaming systems will be showcased at this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles at Booth #1347 in the South Hall of the L.A. Convention Center from June 16-18, 2015.

The new lineup includes a variety of high-quality headsets that deliver the most immersive and competitive gaming experience, with a range of features and price points catering to gamers’ varied needs and budgets. E3 attendees will be among the first to check out the EAR FORCE® Stealth 420X – the Company’s third officially licensed 100% fully wireless gaming headset designed for Xbox One, the EAR FORCE PX24 multi-platform gaming headset that comes with Turtle Beach’s innovative EAR FORCE SuperAmp™ battery powered in-line amplifier, and the EAR FORCE Stealth 450 wireless PC gaming headset with premium features like Superhuman Hearing™ and DTS Headphone:X 7.1 Surround Sound. The Company’s E3 lineup also includes new additions to its entry level EAR FORCE Recon series gaming headsets, each featuring a new lightweight and comfortable design and convenient in-line controls.

Additionally, Turtle Beach will be holding select demonstrations of its groundbreaking hearing healthcare device –HyperSound Clear™, which uses the Company’s patented directional audio technology to deliver rich, 3D sound to the targeted listener to improve sound clarity and speech intelligibility for individuals with hearing loss – for a crisp, clear home entertainment listening experience when watching TV, listening to music and playing video games.

“2015 continues our trajectory of leadership in gaming headsets,” said Juergen Stark, CEO, Turtle Beach Corporation. “Late last year we pioneered the category for fully wireless Xbox One gaming headsets with the launch of the Stealth 500X, which continues to be one of this year’s best-sellers. We’ve now followed that up with our most pre-ordered wireless headset – the Elite 800X, and again with today’s announcement of the Stealth 420X as our third fully wireless Xbox One headset with a suite of high-quality features.”

Stark continued, “We’re also unveiling eight new high-quality gaming headsets with innovative features like the PX24’sSuperAmp that delivers powerful sound from any connected device and adds features like surround sound and our amazing Superhuman Hearing capability. And I can’t wait for people to experience HyperSound Clear, which we believe will change the way people with hearing loss and their family and friends enjoy the latest home entertainment when it launches later this year. Whether you have or know somebody with hearing loss or simply love to see the latest groundbreaking technology, there’s nothing else like it available and you have to hear it to believe it.”

Show attendees who stop by Turtle Beach Corporation’s E3 booth will be able to get a first look at the Company’s new 2015 winter lineup of gaming headsets, which includes:

• EAR FORCE Stealth 420X Wireless Xbox One Gaming Headset – The EAR FORCE Stealth 420X is Turtle Beach’s third 100% fully wireless officially licensed gaming headset designed for Xbox One. The Stealth 420X is completely wireless for both game and chat audio, meaning no wires to the controller or Xbox One, and features booming 50mm speakers and an updated headset design with perforated, synthetic leather-wrapped ear-cups for added comfort. The Stealth 420X includes an adjustable and removable high-sensitivity boom mic with Mic Monitoring and separate game and chat audio volume controls. Additionally, the Stealth 420X comes with four Turtle Beach audio presets and a rechargeable battery delivering up to 15 hours of use for those long Xbox One gaming sessions. The EAR FORCE Stealth 420X is planned to launch July 18, 2015.

• EAR FORCE PX24 Amplified Multiplatform Gaming Headset – Built on Turtle Beach’s best-selling X12and PX22 headset design, the EAR FORCE PX24 is a multiplatform gaming headset for PlayStation 4, Xbox One¹, PC, Mac and mobile/tablet devices, and features Turtle Beach’s all-new, innovative EAR FORCE SuperAmp battery powered in-line amplifier that delivers crisp highs and thundering lows to the PX24’s 50mm speakers. The SuperAmp also includes convenient fingertip controls allowing listeners to tune the headset to their preferred gaming platform, and provides audio enhancements like Superhuman Hearing, Variable Bass Boost, Turtle Beach Virtual Surround Sound and Variable Mic Monitoring. The PX24 also features an adjustable, high-sensitivity boom mic.

• EAR FORCE Stealth 450 Wireless Surround Sound PC Gaming Headset – A 100% fully wireless PC gaming headset with large 50mm speakers, the EAR FORCE Stealth 450 features DTS Headphone:X 7.1 Surround Sound and custom DTS Surround Sound modes combined with four Turtle Beach audio presets to further immerse fans in their favourite games, movies and music. The Stealth 450 also includes Superhuman Hearing, which gives players the competitive advantage of hearing enemies before they come into view, as well as Variable Mic Monitoring, an adjustable high-sensitivity boom mic that can be removed when watching movies and listening to music, and a rechargeable battery delivering up to 15 hours of use.

• EAR FORCE Recon 60P Gaming Headset – An amplified digital stereo headset for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation®3, the EAR FORCE Recon 60P plugs directly into an available USB port to deliver amazing sound and Mic Monitoring, and features 40mm speakers and a brand new over-ear design for added comfort. The Recon 60P comes with an adjustable and removable high-sensitivity boom mic, plus convenient in-line Volume and Mic Mute controls, and is multiplatform compatible² for Xbox One¹, PC, Mac and mobile/tablet devices in addition to the PS4™ and PS3™.

• EAR FORCE Recon 50 / Recon 50X / Recon 50P Gaming Headsets – The EAR FORCE Recon 50series gaming headsets are multiplatform compatible for PC and Mac, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and mobile/tablet devices, and feature a brand new, lightweight over-ear design with 40mm speakers built for great sound and extended comfort. The Recon 50/50X/50P comes with an adjustable and removable high-sensitivity boom mic and convenient in-line controls for Volume and Mic Muting. The Recon 50 also includes a PC-Y adapter³ for universal PC, Mac and mobile/tablet compatibility.

• EAR FORCE Recon 30X Chat Headset – Featuring an original, innovative slotted ear-cup design, Turtle Beach’s EAR FORCE Recon 30X is an officially licensed chat headset for Xbox One, and also works with PlayStation 4, PC, Mac and mobile/tablet devices. The Recon 30X comes with convenient in-line Volume and Mic Mute controls, and features a single 40mm over-ear speaker with a unique, slotted design enabling players to hear game audio with both ears for a much better audio experience.

In addition to its all-new lineup of gaming headsets, Turtle Beach Corporation will also be showing its ground-breaking HyperSound Clear hearing healthcare device. HyperSound technology is a fundamentally new approach to sound delivery that utilizes thin panels to generate an ultrasound beam that carries audio through the air. The panels direct sound in a narrow, controlled beam; much the way a flashlight directs a beam of light. When an individual enters the beam, they hear immersive 3D audio, similar to wearing a surround sound headset.HyperSound Clear speakers have been shown to improve sound clarity and speech intelligibility in individuals with hearing loss.

Very nice. Hopefully I’ll get time to actually review “The Elder Scrolls Online” soon, seeing as I wont actually be attending E3 (and trust me there is a lot to say!) . Not that I wanted to attend such a stupid, poo bum event in any instance!

Warframe: New Content Update For 2015.

Exciting news for the Warframe community as Digital Extremes has announced some fairly significant updates for their free 2 play service. The update includes:

         NEW WARFRAME – A master of the deadly elements, Chroma can alter his damage output by changing his coloring.

·         PvP 2.0 – Take on your fellow Tenno in a game of Cephalon Capture, try your hand at three new maps, conquer a variety of challenges and explore the exciting changes to the PvP Game Mode with PvP 2.0! Teshin, your new PvP guide, and the Conclave Syndicate have established their presence in the Relay. Syndicate rewards await for Tenno who compete in the Conclave, studying under Teshin’s Sigil.

·         NEW GAME MODE – For the first time ever, create a squad of EIGHT Tenno and work through Mission challenges.

·         NEW QUEST – THE NEW STRANGE: Work with Cephalon Simaris to find the source of a mysterious voice. Something is out there, and it is hunting. Work with Simaris to track it down and discover its true nature.

·         NEW TENNO REINFORCEMENTS – Load your Arsenal with these powerful new additions:
KOHMAK: Like the larger Kohm, this hand-shotgun doubles its volley with each successive shot.
RIPKAS: Tear the enemy down with these motorized saw fists.

·         NEW RELAY ROOM – Explore the Sanctuary and visit Cephalon Simaris. Track down unique targets to scan in a Codex shared by Tenno throughout the Solar System, and help unlock exciting new lore and Syndicate rewards.

·         NEW ENEMY – Dashing in for quick strikes before falling back to the shadows, the Grineer Manic is difficult to catch and deadly to ignore.

Phew! PC gamers can download this update today (like *checks figurative watch* now!) while PS4 and Xbox One users will receive the update in the coming weeks. Check out the screenshots and trailer below for more details of the new Warframe “Chroma” (not developed by google!). Please refrain from drooling, as I’ve just had this carpet cleaned! Cheers.

 

Hacked Off!

Laying mutely on the sofa, bereft of the virility that had been siphoned by an abundant consumption of festive extravagances. Scattered around me were the fallen residents of my girlfriends family that had succumbed to the lethargy of the perpetual feasting we’d endured. Relegated to just a fattened lump of calories and sugar, rankled by my self-inflicted infarction with my stomach taught, gurgling with harsh provocation, I proceeded to negate my convalescence to a mere irritation. I rose tentatively and successfully abated the perennial affliction with some medicinal supplements, returning to my previous state of reclined repose. Sifting through the news events on my newly acquired phone, after breaking my other one on the edge of the dining table while assisting in the arrangement of the seating (note: never help anyone. Ever!), my extraneous browsing stumbled upon an all too familiar subject; hacking. I grimaced with incredulity at the extensive persistency of the obstacle, retaining solemn sorrow for the instigators of this heinous act of cyber terrorism. How empty and retracted must their lives be to sustain such aggravating espionage, particularly around the Christmas period. The labouring contempt they must pertain for gamers and the organised governance they pledge to humiliate, that they would wilfully initiate such resilient disruption at a time it would be most pernicious is a sad reflection of their own talent. Surely there is something more constructive they could be doing? An alternate vocation that would accentuate there clearly consummate vigour? Some act of treachery they could prevent rather than initiate?

The officious cries loomed hurriedly, encroaching on any other thread that dared to intrude. Accusatory pronouncements were distributed with accelerated reverence, with the simple expression of antagonism seemingly elevated by their own reciprocated frustrations and admissions of collating despair. For Sony fans it was a compunction of familiarity, and for Microsoft fans it “was” an affliction observed from afar, now a mutually binding discrepancy neither faction wants to associate with. Though the resonating interference has subsided, with both companies slowly restoring the deficiencies in connectivity and other discrepancies have been amended, but the damage suffered by those that received either of these rival consoles is irreparable. It isn’t a case of if, but when will this happen again! There’s a snarling proclivity by fans now for admonishing inefficiency, which is understandable considering the immense intercession gamers have had to endure. Not to mention the numerable alterations to my own password that is fast becoming a bi-weekly event. But would you rebuke a jewellers for being targeted by surreptitious thieves? Do you really believe that Sony and Microsoft technicians approached hackers and said “Hey guys, just sneak round the back, all the sensitive information can be retrieved just on the door to the right. Security? Don’t worry about that; the door hinges are rusty and the its garrisoned by a fragile chain, cat flap and a dozing, incontinent canine called lucky!” I doubt the people assigned to fix the issues had a Merry Christmas!

Its annoying, true, I’m paying for a subscription service that fails in preventing my details from being duplicated, a service that is as of now as safe as milk with a kitten, again true, but it’s not the be all and end all. Due to my comings and goings during the festive break, I didn’t even get a reasonable chance to indulge in gaming until everything had been modestly secured. The protestations do nothing but solidify the actions of these seemingly ambivalent individuals. I’m not justifying the apparent mediocrity of Microsoft and especially Sony’s defences, but if this group can successfully avoid detection from authorities actively searching for them, then no amount of fortification will ever keep either of them secure. Until they are exposed, or more accurately “if” their exposed, then we will have to remain unifying vigilant for undoubtedly further attacks. You’ve got to love modern gaming.

Happy New Year!

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