Thursday 10 September 2015

FINAL FIRE: ZQGAME'S TANK WARFARE MASSIVELY MULTIPLAYER ONLINE PC GAME ENTERS INTERNATIONAL CLOSED BETA

SHENZHEN, CHINA and LOS ANGELES, September 10, 2015 - Shenzhen ZQGame (SZSE: 300052) today announced its military massively multiplayer online game (MMOG), Final Fire will be entering closed beta for players in China and in within select English speaking territories around the world. Enlistees will choose their allegiance and battle in team versus team armored vehicle combat fought throughout the land, air and sea.
Closed Beta Signups (website currently in Simplified Chinese): http://ff.zqgame.com/
Final Fire is highlighted by its encyclopedia of vehicles where enlistees can choose from Chinese, Soviet, American, British and Middle Eastern units. From tanks and aircrafts to gunships and light utility vehicles, no granular detail was spared in their respective in-game re-creations. Extensive cosmetic and practical customizations can be made to upgrade vehicle and weapon modules, increasing defense, speed and power on all fronts.  
"To complement the vehicles, we worked extensively on Final Fire's map design to focus on giving player's seemingly unlimited ways to develop and execute their battle strategy and team positioning," said Steven Li, Producer, ZQGame. The dynamic, interactive environments help play in to the visual realism we want to present, something the most hardcore players will appreciate."
For more information about Final Fire, please visit: 
About Final Fire
Boast military might and strategic dominance in Final Fire, a team-based multiplayer online game set in the era of modern warfare. Take the fight through the land, air and sea, disposing of opposing teams with pure skill and teamwork. Customize your vehicle to improve your winning edge. How will you SHOW YOUR DOMINANCE?
All vehicles are a visually realistic model of offensive and support units used by various military institutions during and after Worlds War 2. Final Fire's map design also represents the era's historical confrontation landmarks where teams will battle through rugged terrains and extreme weather conditions. Vehicles will have their advantages and disadvantages depending on the map, making teamwork and a well-executed strategy crucial for victory.      
About ZQGame
ZQGame is a publicly-traded online and mobile game company on China's Shenzhen Stock Exchange (SZSE 300052) with more than 3000 employees and over 30 studios worldwide. Founded in 2003, ZQGame became the first native Chinese online game company to be publicly listed, filing its initial public offering in 2010. Since its IPO, ZQGame established offices around the globe including South Korea, Taiwan and its global publishing unit, ZQGame Global located in El Segundo, California, USA.     

Pokémon Go: new mobile game will let you catch Pokémon in the real world

Pokemon Go will launch in 2016 as a mobile game. 

Nintendo is working with a team of former Google developers on a new location-based Pokémon game for smartphones.
The game will involve going to real world locations while playing on your phone in order to catch Pokémon monsters.
Pokémon Go will be released in 2016 for iOS and Android, developed in partnership with The Pokémon Company and Niantic, which as a Google subsidiary made the location-based game Ingress.
The game will include in-app purchases, which given Pokémon’s status as a popular children’s game – although it has many adult fans too – could prove controversial.
Nintendo is hoping that the involvement of the Pokémon series’ game director Junichi Masuda will assuage any concern among fans. There is already a freemium Pokémon game available for mobile devices: Pokémon Shuffle, which recently launched for iOS and Android.

The new game marks Nintendo’s second mobile games partnership, following a deal struck with fellow Japanese company DeNA in May to make a series of games based on its characters and brands.
Nintendo had previously resisted calls to make some of its games – whether old or new titles – available on smartphones and tablets, rather than purely on its own consoles and handheld gaming devices.
There’ll be a device for Pokémon Go, though. Nintendo is making a gadget called the Pokémon Go Plus that will connect to players’ smartphones using Bluetooth, vibrating and flashing when a Pokémon is (virtually) nearby, so they can press a button to attempt to catch it.
The partnership is a big deal for Niantic, which spun out of Google in August as an independent company. Science-fiction game Ingress has been downloaded by 12 million people on Android and iOS so far.
“Our partnership with The Pokémon Company and Nintendo is an exciting step forward in real-world gaming and using technology to help players discover the world and people around them,” said the company’s chief executive John Hanke.


New Game Inner Chains Announced for Steam

Inner Chains image 

Inner Cahins image 2 
Now is the best time to be a horror gamer, as Steam allows imaginative independent creators who major publishers would usually take no notice of to get their work out there.
The new first-person horror game Inner Chains (announcement trailer below) is one such example.
Here’s some more info from the game’s official website:

Inner Chains is an FPS (18+) horror embedded in an unprecedented surreal world. The objective of the player is to understand and unravel the mysteries of the mystical world while overcoming many dangers created by the biomechanical environment.
The world in which we find ourselves in Inner Chains no longer resembles the one we know. It is the world that is hunting us – we are a small part of it trying to unravel its mysteries.
Throwing you into the dark and mysterious world, we want to make you feel lost, discover it piece by piece and learn to use it against enemies. In designing the levels, we want them always to have more than just one way to the goal. We will not walk you through it. We will only give you clues. How you handle this alien and hostile place depends entirely on you.
From forgotten, mountain ruins through a dangerous forest where flora and fauna are our mortal enemies to the great temples built by a mysterious castle, whose existence and objectives hide many secrets – wandering through this world you will be able to learn about the story carved in these places and use it to fight the enemy.
If that got you hooked, then here’s some more insight from Tomasz Strzalkowski, CEO of the developer, Telepaths’ Tree:
“By throwing gamers into this dark and mysterious universe, we wanted to make them feel a bit lost at the beginning. But in the same time to encourage them to discover its secrets, so soon enough they learn how to use the environment against their enemies. Our approach when designing the levels was to always give players more than just one way to achieve their goal. We didn’t want to lead them by the hand, as the freedom of how you handle the situation was one of our top priorities. So instead we’ve implemented a system of clues and hints that will help gamers find the right solution. But how they’ll face this or other opponents or the hostile place depends entirely on them.”
I don’t know about you, but my attention is sure as hell chained to this game (sorry).

Microsoft demonstrates Office on iPad Pro, giving the world one less reason to buy a Surface

Apple always invites third-party developers to show off some of the most impressive new apps coming to its devices, but today it had something of a surprise guest: Microsoft. Apple brought Microsoft's Kirk Konigsbauer on stage to demonstrate how Office apps would work on the iPad Pro. For the most part, there's nothing unexpected here — Office for iPad is already a powerful and good looking suite of apps; now they're just optimized for the iPad Pro's larger screen. Office is also going to be supporting Apple's new stylus, the Apple Pencil.

Given Microsoft's newfound focus on providing apps and services across all platforms, the collaboration makes a lot of sense. Microsoft's goal is to make the best apps it can and to get as many people using them so that it can sell them some of its more specialized services. Office has long been the go-to suite of productivity tools, and — while they debuted on the iPad a bit late — Microsoft is still pushing for Office to take that role in the tablet world as well. So far there's no obvious winner in the tablet productivity world, and having a great choice will be important once the iPad Pro is released.
The demo also emphasizes just how much the iPad Pro will be going up against the Surface Pro. The iPad Pro offers a stylus and keyboard case, which makes it a competing, high-end laptop / tablet. With Office — one of the most important desktop apps — available on it, Microsoft is giving iOS users one less reason to move over to Windows. That may be fine by Microsoft's own strategy — services first, after all — but it certainly wouldn't mind selling more hardware.
Apple also brought Adobe up on stage to demonstrate a new app called Adobe Fix. Another company, 3D4Medical, also demonstrated a medical app.
Update September 9th, 7PM ET: Microsoft has gone on to detail the enhancements to Office for iPad on its blog. The updates focus on features that allow Office apps to take advantage of iOS 9's multitasking; support is also being added for the iPad Pro's stylus. The updates are arriving today, but you won't be able to use them until iOS 9 is released on September 16th.

GTA 5 Adding "Entirely New Way to Play" for Xbox One, PS4, and PC

Grand Theft Auto V may be nearly two years old, but it's continuing to get new updates. Rockstar Games has announced that the game's multiplayer mode, GTA Online, will soon add Freemode Events. The studio describes this as an "entirely new way to play."
Freemode Events are challenges in GTA Online that you can hop directly into without seeing a loading screen, menu, or lobby. Watch the video below to see how they work. These events take "full advantage" of Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC hardware. As such, it doesn't sound like they will be available on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. We have followed up with Rockstar to find out for sure.

Freemode Events can start "at any given moment," but they won't necessarily be entirely random. Players can customize their session to determine which events occur in their game session. "So you can play as much or as little of this new content as you like," Rockstar explained.
Rockstar says there will be "countless variations" of each Freemode Event, each of which will offer rewards such as GTA$ and RP.
Below are the GTA Online Freemode Events announced so far, with descriptions courtesy of Rockstar.
  • King of the Castle -- An every man for himself turf war where you'll need to ascend and claim the designated 'castle' as your territory, and then fend off everyone else as they go all out to dethrone you.
  • Hunt the Beast -- Where one volunteer is temporarily transformed into a faster, stronger, beastly character who must escape relentless pursuers.
These events will also come in the form of "insane stunt challenges," including things like popping a wheelie for the longest time or catching the most air with a car.
The GTA Online Freemode Events update arrives on September 15. It also comes with two new Adversary Modes, descriptions for which you can see below.
  • Hunting Pack -- You're part of a team tasked to deliver a priority vehicle rigged to explode if it drops below a minimum speed, while your opponents race, ram and batter to take it down.
  • Cross the Line -- Heavily-armed squads face off across a neutral zone with the goal of having all team members strategically penetrate their opponents territory to claim victory.
Lastly, GTA Online's September 15 update also brings the Rockstar Editor to Xbox and PS4; this video-editing toolsuite was already available on PC.
Although Rockstar has continually updated GTA Online with new content, fans are still waiting to hear about the game's promised story DLC.

Apple iPhone 6S, 6S Plus: 10 things to know

iPhone 6S Plus features a 5.5-inch Full HD screen, 12MP with a new 64-bit A9 chipset that is 70% faster at carrying out processes than the one seen in last year's iPhones.

Apple's new iPhones are here. The tech giant unveiled the two updated iPhones -- iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus -- at an event in San Francisco's mega Bill Graham Civic auditorium. Talking about the new smartphones, Apple CEO Tim Cook said, "They look familiar, but we have changed everything about these iPhones."

One of the key new features of the new iPhones is the new touch capability called 3D Touch which allows the screen to sense multiple types of pressure.

Here are 10 things you need to know about Apple's latest iPhones:

3D Touch
Most smartphone users are accustomed to 'multi-touch' -- the ability for phones to recognize touches from multiple fingers, enabling such capabilities as pinching to zoom. With new iPhones, Apple brings in 3D Touch.

Pressing down hard on the new iPhones will launch additional capabilities. For example, you can get quick access to tasks such as taking a selfie or getting directions home. From a message, 3D Touch will give you a preview of a web link without launching the browser. Similarly, press for a few seconds on a document icon, and a preview pops out. Press on an address in an email, and a map opens up. On some video apps, the pressure determines how quickly you forward or rewind.

12MP rear camera
After being stuck with an 8MP camera sensor since iPhone 4S, the iPhone range has finally received a substantial megapixel upgrade. iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus sport a 12MP rear camera, with 50% more focus pixels to ensure faster autofocus.

Apple says that the new iPhones' camera will deliver more detailed photos than ever before. It can also capture panorama shots in 63MP resolution and capture videos in 4K (movie hall quality) resolution.



5MP selfie camera
The selfie camera has also got an upgrade this year, jumping from 1.2MP in iPhone 6 and 6 Plus to 5MP in iPhone 6S and 6S Plus.

Though it is not backed by a front-facing LED flash, Apple has used a technology called Retina Flash to deliver brighter selfies. This feature increases the brightness of the screen by three times, which Apple claims is comparable to that of its rear dual-LED flash

The front camera also gets an upgrade. It'll be 5MP FaceTime HD camera that uses the phone's Retina display for a flash for "detailed selfies." Apple claims that the new capabilities will now let the display light up 3-times brighter for a flash that's comparable to that of the TrueTone flash on the back.

Apple has also debuted a feature called Live Photos in the camera app, which will capture a 1.5-second video before and after you click the shutter in order to create animated GIFs.

A new colour
The new iPhone 6S Plus will also come in a rose gold colour, as well as the standard silver, gold, and space gray hues.



More durable body
Though the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus look the same as their respective predecessors, they are made of stronger material. Apple has used aircraft-grade 7000 aluminium alloy, which is less dense and lighter than standard metals used in smartphones, but is up to 60% stronger.

Apple has also said that the glass used in the touchscreen this time is stronger than ever before.

Faster processor
The new iPhone 6S and 6S Plus pack the new 64-bit A9 chip with integrated M9 motion coprocessor under the hood, which processes apps 70% faster and graphics 90% faster according to Apple.

Faster fingerprint sensor
Apple says that the TouchID fingerprint sensor used in iPhone 6S and 6S Plus is twice as fast as the one used in previous iPhones and iPads.

Improved 4G and Wi-Fi performance
Apple has upgraded the wireless chips in iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus too, which can download/upload data twice as fast compared to last year's models. The two iPhones now support up to 23 4G LTE bands.

Price
Apple said the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus will cost the same as their predecessors; iPhone 6S' 16, 64 and 128GB variants will cost $199, $299 and $399 on contract, while the iPhone 6S Plus' three variants have been priced at $299, $399 and $499 respectively.



iPhone 5S has become the new entry-level model and will be available free on contract in the US, whereas iPhone 6 and 6 Plus (16GB variants only) will cost $99 and $199, respectively.

The unlocked iPhone 6S Plus will cost $649, $749 and $849 for the 16, 32, and 64GB variants. Similarly, iPhone 6S Plus unlocked will cost $749, $849 and $949 for the three storage options.

Availability
Pre-orders for iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus start on September 12 in the US, the UK, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong and Japan. The smartphones will hit the stores on September 25. There is no word yet on the India launch of the new models.

'Persona 5' News & Release Date: Atlus Confirms Game for TGS 2015

E3 Gaming And Technology Conference Begins In L.A. 


Game developer Atlus has confirmed that "Persona 5" will be one of the game titles to be showcased in next week's Tokyo Game Show 2015. The news comes after a TGS teaser website via Personal Central announced that the company will be joining this year's highly anticipated Japanese gaming convention.  

With this, avid fans and gamers can expect a new trailer for the game in the event. At the same time, the game's release date will be announced next week, Design & Trend reported on Thursday.
"Persona 5" is also in a rather curious position. Atlus has repeatedly said that the game will be released in 2015. Should that assumption be true, Tokyo Game Show is the final major event that it can be promoted. After that, the holiday rush of the year's biggest titles will be too consuming to create a message that speaks loud enough to the fans of this globally-loved franchise," the report said.
Siliconera reports that Atlus will be having an event dubbed as "Persona Special Stage" during the Tokyo Game Show event that will be held on Sept. 19 from 2:30 pm to 3:30 pm Japan Standard Time. It was said that the Atlus' stage event will feature some of the game's popular talents behind the "Persona" series.
Confirmed artists for the event include vocalist Yumi Kawamura, Lotus Juice, Shihoko Hirata, DJ WAKA and more, as these artists will render a live performance on stage. Aside from the stage event, it was reported that there will be a live talk show that will feature Persona Stalker Club's hosts Mafia Kajita and Tomomi Isomura.
"Atlus hasn't shared any details on whether we'll get a new trailer or release date for Persona 5 at Tokyo Game Show, but seeing that they're going to have this special event for the occasion, there's a good chance that we may get something new," the report noted.