Stephen Hawking to Take Part in Reddit AMA
Theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking will be answering questions from the public in his first ever Reddit 'Ask Me Anything' session over the next few weeks.
Rather than taking place over a limited time like a standard AMA, Hawking will be taking questions between Monday July 27 at 8am ET (1pm BST) and Tuesday August 4. He will respond to selected questions over the following weeks.
The AMA is being hosted by Nokia and Wired Magazine at /r/science on Reddit.
It is expected that he will be focusing on Artificial Intelligence, particularly in relation to the warning he gave about AI last year. Hawking also recently said that AI would overtake humans within the next 100 years.
IGN’s UK Daily Deals: Star Wars: Battlefront £26.36
We hand-pick the very best gaming deals for you, every day, so you can get more of the things you want without crippling your bank balance. But don't hang around, because these bargain prices won't last forever...
Sony PlayStation 4 in Glacier White plus two games & PS Plus for 3 months is £289.85 on ShopTo.
Choose from a list of God of War 3 Remastered, The Elder Scrolls Online, The Last of Us, The Order 1886, Driveclub & LittleBigPlanet 3.
China Officially Lifting 15-Year Ban on Consoles
China's State Council is officially lifting its 15-year old ban on the sale of game consoles, giving Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo more access to one of the world's largest video game markets.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Culture, via The Wall Street Journal, the lift will allow foreign and domestic companies to manufacture and sell consoles anywhere in the country.
China's State Council previously relaxed the ban on the sale and production of foreign games consoles in early 2014. The easement only enabled foreign companies to manufacture and distribute consoles within Shanghai's free trade zone.
Pixels Can’t Squish Ant-Man at the Weekend Box Office
Adam Sandler’s Pixels failed to stomp on Ant-Man this weekend at the domestic box office, with the latest Marvel superhero to hit the silver screen edging out the largely panned retro games comedy.
In its second weekend Ant-Man banked a further $24.8 million at the box office, bringing its domestic total to over $106 million. While Ant-Man marked Marvel’s lowest domestic debut since The Incredible Hulk, Ant-Man’s additional $120.4 million in international receipts combines for a two-week worldwide total of $226 million, already close to The Incredible Hulk’s total haul ($263.4m).
New Batman v Superman Image Revealed
A new image of the titular heroes in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice has been released.
Both Ben Affleck as Batman and Henry Cavill as Superman grace the cover of the new issue of Empire.
Image Credit: Empire
The cover feature in the magazine takes a deeper look at director Zack Snyder, the stars, and the development of the blockbuster film.
NASA’s New Horizons Reveals Flowing Ices on Pluto
The latest discovery of NASA’s New Horizons mission reveals that Pluto is host to flowing ice that have similarities to glaciers on active worlds such as Earth and Mars.
“We knew that a mission to Pluto would bring some surprises, and now — 10 days after closest approach — we can say that our expectation has been more than surpassed,” said NASA’s associate administrator John Grunsfeld in a prepared statement. “With flowing ices, exotic surface chemistry, mountain ranges, and vast haze, Pluto is showing a diversity of planetary geology that is truly thrilling."
Images captured with New Horizons' Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) revealed signs of recent geologic activity on Texas-sized plain Sputnik Planum. Located on the western half of the Pluto's heart-shaped feature, an ice sheet appears to have flowed similar to glaciers on Earth and may still be actively flowing.
Why Star Wars Battlefront Won’t be Battlefield in Space
Battlefield Hardline may have cruelly been criticised as a title that felt like cops and robbers-themed DLC for Battlefield 4 by certain segments of the fan base, but no-one should expect Star Wars Battlefront to play like Battlefield in space. Despite the shared developer (DICE), team-based multiplayer classification, as well as the combination of infantry and all manner of militarised vehicles, the two IPs are light-years apart in terms of all of the little nuances that define their respective gameplay loops.
Read on for a breakdown of the biggest differences between the two DICE IPs.
But first, a history lesson. Before there was Battlefield, there was a game called Codename Eagle. This World War I-themed first-person shooter was built by a Stockholm-based developer called Refraction Games, and mixed on-foot shootouts with vehicular warfare. Refraction Games merged with another Stockholm-based developer called Digital Illusions CE (that’s DICE for everyone keeping track) and, together, they built Battlefield 1942 for the PC.
Expand: An Indie Hit in the Making
Expand is not a game you’re likely to confuse with any other. Its presentation is abstract and striking, with the player controlling a pink square in a circular, (mostly) black and white play area. Paths curl around the central point, like thick grooves on a record, combining with spokes of white to create a maze through the blackness. As you move, the spaces grow, contract and rotate; a dance of smooth motion that gently guides your pink square along a path or sets up a puzzle vignette to overcome. It’s an ever-changing journey through a fixed space, anchored by an emotive score that uses piano, strings and cello to set the perfect mood for the gameplay… and the story.
Well, the story elements, more accurately. Short phrases pop up as you progress that are part existential musing, part instruction. “You’re never safe,” the game tells you as it introduces red borders to some of its enclosed spaces. “You’re never free,” it declares as it forces you through a perilous path, followed by: “There’s opportunity,” as grooves interlock to open up a way forward.
Xbox Live Services Are Limited
UPDATE 7/26/2015 4:15 p.m. PT: It appears the problems with services have flip-flopped.
The Xbox Live status page now lists Purchase and Content Usage and Social and Gaming as having limited services.
According to the website, Xbox Live Core Services, Website, and TV, Music, and Video services are "up and running."
Unfortunately for IGN App users on Xbox 360, that service is also experiencing limited functionality.
Xbox Live appears to be experiencing issues, as users are reporting problems accessing certain services and logging in.
High Quality Nintendo-Themed Toys Unveiled
At Summers Wonder Festival in Chiba, Japan, Good Smile Company showcased a plethora of new Nendoroids based on Nintendo franchises and franchises associated with Nintendo consoles.
Pokémon's N and Reshiram, Fire Emblem's Marth and Caeda, a sword-wielding Kirby, Young Link from Majora's Mask, and Mega Man were among many Nendoriods on display at the event.
Nendoroids are famous for their changeable parts, cute design, and high quality, which is clearly shown in the unveiling of these new Nintendo figures. Even the items have impressive detail, such as Marth's Falchion and Shield of Seals or Link's Kokiri Sword and Hero's Shield.