TECHY GAMERZ

It's time to play the most boring video game of all time, in VR. Originally part of the Penn & Teller's Smoke and Mirrors mini-game pack (a mini-game pack, it should be added, which never commercially released), Desert Bus is among the most boring games of all time. As the name implies, you're on a bus, driving through the desert, from Arizona to Nevada.  And that's all.  The banality of the project is exactly what makes it special though, and over the years its established a cult following and even the Desert Bus For Hope charity initiative. Now the experience can be had in VR, and better still, it can be had in VR for free on both Vive and Oculus Rift. As the image above suggests, it's a full VR remake. Among the major additions is the new multiplayer functionality, which allows you to make the soul-crushingly meaningless trip with three other friends in VR. There's a radio in the truck too, which should take the edge off a bit, and you...

THE LATEST Xbox One X news this week, including a big pre order update, more games reveals and a big boost against Sony’s PS4 Pro. UPDATE ONE:  Microsoft have officially announced that the Xbox One X is the fastest-selling Xbox Pre-Order ever. The tech giant made the announcement today, while also providing quotes from leading retailers on the impact of the new console.  “Microsoft has done it again! The innovation and power behind the new Xbox One X console is driving excitement and demand among our customers worldwide,” said Bob Puzon, senior vice president of Merchandising for GameStop. “The speed at which we sold through our initial pre-order supply surpassed expectations, and what we experienced with pre-orders for the original Xbox One console. This new system is definitely going to change how video games are played!” Microsoft have also confirmed that they will be announcing details of the next wave of Xbox One X standard edition pre-orders next month. ...

An ambitious open world brawler with deep progression systems. Despite the many post apocalyptic open-world games available today, I'm yet to play one inspired by kung-fu movies. Enter Experiment 101's Biomutant, a sprawling action RPG headed by Stefan Ljungqvist—whose credits include the Just Cause series and 2015's underrated Mad Max. His latest venture is more ambitious still. Despite not being able to play the build shown at Gamescom, Biomutant is easily the most intriguing game I've seen at the show so far.  "It's going to be more in depth in the final product," an Experiment 101 rep tells me as his colleague tinkers with the appearance of the game's anthropomorphic protagonist. What's on screen already looks pretty comprehensive—I counted eight different manipulatable skill traits, for example. We set off having adjusted our critter's fur colour and applying war paint to his face.      Biomutant's world is dying. It's...

In this video image released by Activision, a scene is shown from the video game, "X-Men Origins: Wolverine."  (AP Photo/Activision) For guys who game, researchers have good news and bad news. The good news is that guys who play video games "chronically," which at least for the purpose of one new study is defined as more than an hour a day, are less likely to ejaculate prematurely than their non-chronic gaming counterparts. The bad news, researchers report in the  Journal of Sexual Medicine , is that they're also less likely to be interested in sex. Researchers can't fully explain what's happening—it might have something to do with increased stress levels from playing—but they suspect both findings are related, reports Vice's Broadly. "I think that video games might be similar to physical exercise in these regards: occasional use might have beneficial effects, but when some threshold between 'occasional use' and 'chron...

All the details on EA’s latest entry in the long-running Need for Speed series, releasing in November 2017. At E3 2017 EA revealed that NFS Payback will include Relics, abandoned classic cars that can be found and customized. This sounds a little like the hidden cars in the Forza Horizon series.  Shown in action publicly for the first time, E3 gameplay showed a sequence taking place in broad daylight in which the driver had to catch up to a truck before it reached a tunnel - the goal being to steal a car. That plan goes wrong and the pursuit continues with numerous cars turning up to aid the truck. Eventually the driver pulls up alongside the truck and passenger Jess leaps onto a ladder, takes a car and heads off just as the truck tips and crashes. It’s hard to know how representative of the final game the sequence is, but it suggests Payback is going to be far more cinematic than the games that have come before, delivering tiny cutscenes during gameplay. Need for Sp...

Playing video games could help young people be more successful at university, according to a new study. A University of Glasgow trial found gaming improved communication skills, resourcefulness and adaptability. Researchers suggest this could impact on education success, with students seeing increases in attributes which help employability. Lecturer Matthew Barr said many video games encouraged "critical thinking and reflective learning". These are central to "graduate attributes", which are seen as desirable by employers hiring people after university. "The findings suggest that such game-based learning interventions have a role to play in higher education", Mr Barr said. "Graduate attributes are those generic skills such as problem-solving, communication, resourcefulness or adaptability which are considered desirable in graduates, particularly where employability is concerned. "Modern video games often require players to be...

SOME TRULY terrifying new Nintendo Switch experiments are being conducted in the same week we found out some shock news on the Classic SNES mini and Nintendo 3DS handheld. It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster ride for Nintendo fans since the launch of the company’s latest console . Having received a mixed reception in January, the Nintendo Switch avoided any early Wii U comparisons by flying off shelves. And it appears that isn’t the only place Nintendo Switchs have been moving fast. The latest Nintendo games experiments have confirmed that the hybrid console can remain functional after being dropped from a great height. A new video posted on YouTube channel UnlockRiver reveals a durability review, including a 1,000-foot drop to the ground. The new clip will prove terrifying for any handheld, or mobile phone owner who has perfected the frantic juggling technique of trying to stop your favourite piece of tech smash into the ground. But a...

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