The BBC Investigates Sony’s Digital Policy
Sony Computer Entertainment Europe's digital refund policy has been scrutinised by a BBC investigation.
According to Eurogamer, the investigation -- which will form part of BBC's Watchdog programme this evening at 8pm BST -- was launched following a complaint from a customer who was unable to get a refund despite Sony acknowledging that his PSN account had been stolen.
Writing on rllmukforum (via NeoGAF), John Lappin explained that a £40 charge had been brought against his PSN account from a PlayStation 3 he didn't own.
Need for Speed Reboot Release Date and Features Leak
EA's upcoming Need for Speed reboot will launch on November 3, according to a prematurely-revealed product page.
The since-removed page popped up on Microsoft's Xbox site, and was swiftly screen-capped and posted on Reddit.
The accompanying blurb also reveals several new features we haven't previously heard about. Apparently there'll be five "ways to play" called Speed, Style, Build, Crew and Outlaw.
These Are Lego Bricks You Can Eat
Someone has finally found a way to turn Lego into delicious jelly snacks.
The person behind the findings is one Grant Thompson, also known as the King of Random on his YouTube DIY channel.
How’s it all made? Well, the jelly Lego bricks only contain two ingredients – gelatine and water. Although should you wish to flavour the jellies, you can use flavoured gelatine, or Vitamin C just for kicks.
Then it’s just a case of mixing the two ingredients in cold water that’s being brought to the boil. Once the jelly mixture is ready, Thompson recommends using a condiment container to squirt the jelly mixture into the Lego moulds.
Mortal Kombat X Tanya DLC Release Date Announced
Mortal Kombat X will gain a new fighter in the form of Edenian warrior Tanya on June 2 for Kombat Pack owners, before becoming available for separate purchase on June 9.
The news once again comes courtesy of Mortal Kombat creator Ed Boon, who announced the date on Twitter. Tanya is the third DLC fighter to join the bloody brawler, following in the footsteps of Goro and Jason Voorhees.
Tanya has appeared in multiple versions of the NetherRealms fighter going back to Mortal Kombat 4. Recently, her finishers were revealed in a patch forMortal Kombat X.
Robots Will Soon be Able to Adapt to Injury
Scientists have developed a trial and error algorithm which allows robots to adapt to damage and compensate for it.
This idea for robots that can adapt like animals was printed in Nature this week, where the process was detailed.
The algorithm is for robots that work in large search spaces. Before deploying, the robot creates a detailed map of the location which "represents the robot's prior knowledge about what behaviours it can perform and their value." If it becomes damaged, then it conducts experiments based on its knowledge to find a way to compensate.
So far the algorithm has successfully worked for robots with missing or broken legs, and damaged arms.
SpaceX Certified by US Air Force for National Security Missions
The U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC) certificated SpaceX’s Falcon 9 launch system for national security space missions, such as launching military satellites.
The successful conclusion of the two-year-long certification process means the private space transport company is now eligible to bid on national security missions against United Launch Alliance (ULA) and its Atlas 5.
“This is an important step toward bringing competition to National Security Space launch,” SpaceX CEO and founder Elon Musk said in a prepared statement. “We thank the Air Force for its confidence in us and look forward to serving it well.”
SpaceX can begin competing for projects in June when the Air Force is expected to open up launch service proposals for its next-generation GPS 3 satellites.
Comic Book Reviews for May 27, 2015
May closed out with a bang as far as new comic releases went. DC wrapped up their two month-long Convergence event with a final issue that reshaped the multiverse and a final wave of tie-ins. They also continued the new Injustice: Year Four saga with the second print issue and delivered the long-awaited penultimate chapter of The Sandman: Overture.. Marvel, meanwhile, debuted a number of new Secret Wars tie-ins, including several winners like Old Man Logan #1, Where Monsters Dwell #1 and Infinity Gauntlet #1.
Not to be outdone, Dark Horse kicked off the much-hyped comic book sequel to Fight Club, IDW continued building towards their next major Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles storyline, and Image launched yet another great indie series in the form of Ales Kot and Will Tempest's Material #1.
Oculus Rift and a PC to Run It May Cost $1,500 Total
When bought along with a VR-ready computer, the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset may set consumers back a grand total of roughly $1,500 US, Oculus CEO Brendan Iribe said on Wednesday during Code Conference in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.
“We are looking at an all-in price, if you have to go out and actually need to buy a new computer and you’re going to buy the Rift … at most you should be in that $1,500 range,” Iribe said, according Re/code, adding he’d like the total price to eventually duck under the $1,000 US mark.
Earlier this month Oculus announced its recommended PC specs for an optimal VR experience. A PC with an Intel Core i5-4590 CPU, a Nvidia GeForce GTX 970 or AMD Radeon 290X, and 8GB RAM is readily available in the $1,000 range today; based on Iribe's estimate, that would imply that the Oculus Rift consumer version itself should be in the $400 to $500 price range. That's more or less consistent with the $350 price of the most recent available headset, the Oculus Rift Dev Kit 2, and the large improvements in tracking technology and resolution we've seen in more recent prototypes.
Twitch Bans Streaming of Adults Only Rated Games
Live streaming video platform Twitch has updated its Rules of Conduct to prohibit the streaming of games rated Adults Only by the Entertainment Software Rating Board on its service.
“Our goal at Twitch is to create a safe, welcoming, inclusive community platform where everyone can feel comfortable and have fun,” the company wrote in a new post published on the official Twitch blog.
“Previously, we made game-specific decisions about which games would and would not be available for broadcast – sometimes due to overtly sexual content, sometimes due to gratuitous violence. This is unsustainable and unclear, generating only further confusion among Twitch broadcasters. We would like to make this policy as transparent as possible.”
Vivid Musify+Gamify Event Kicks off for Lovers of Music and Games
Do you love games? How about music? Would you be interested in an event that lets you explore the fluid boundaries between the two? Vivid Musify+Gamify has kicked off at Sydney’s Seymour Centre in Chippendale, and offers you the chance to do just that.
It invites you to physically experiment and explore how contemporary musical play and game play can coincide. Curated by Dr. Lian Loke and Dr. Ollie Bown, the event consists of two concerts and a free exhibition at the Seymour Centre in Chippendale. The immersive exhibition lets attendees interact with the installations and participate in the creation of music in a myriad of ways, from generating music to non-traditional video games.