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Tag Archives: demos
Unreleased Mario Kart XXL Tech Demo For Game Boy Advance Surfaces Online
DNF
Nintendo preservation website Forest of Illusion has acquired the “infamous” Mario Kart XXL tech demo – a pitch by Denaris Entertainment Software for the Game Boy Advance, dating back to April 2004. It’s now been made available to download.
The German development studio (founded by Turrican creator Manfred Trenz) originally showcased the game and its “dynamic and adjustable perspective view engine featuring dual playfields” to Nintendo of Europe. The demo is made up of a single track using Mario Kart assets and features BGM from a PlayStation racer called Moorhuhn Kart, which Denaris also helped develop.
Interestingly, this Mario Kart demo began life as a racing game called ‘R3D-Demo‘. The same developer eventually went on to release a Game Boy Advance kart racer based on the CGI-animated character Crazy Frog. Yikes!
You can get a more detailed history and look at Mario Kart XXL along with the R3D-Demo on the Hard4Games YouTube:
What do you think of this slice of kart racing history for Game Boy Advance? Comment below.
[source forestillusion.com, via youtu.be]
Splatoon 3’s Splatfest World Premiere Will Include “A Whopping 26 Weapons”
Splatoon 3 is fast-approaching, and later this week there’s a Splatfest World Premiere demo going live – where players can see what the game has to offer and get a little bit of practice in before the big release next month.
If you have been wondering just how much of the game will be on offer, Nintendo has now revealed on its social channels that it’ll be making a whopping 26 weapons available to Inklings and Octolings when this demo goes live.
It name-dropped some new ones like the Splatana Wiper and the Tri-Stringer, but it didn’t detail any others beyond this:
A whopping 26 weapons will be available for you to try out in Saturday’s #Splatoon3 Splatfest World Premiere demo, including all-new ones like the Splatana Wiper and Tri-Stringer. See which one you like best!
This first Splatfest for Splatoon 3 kicks off on 27th August, and the demo will go live on 25th August. There’ll be tutorials, the ability to roam around Splatsville and battles. The first one is Rock, Paper, Scissors. You can learn more in our PSA: Splatoon 3: Splatfest World Premiere Demo Is Available To Pre-Install
Will you be participating in the first Splatfest for Splatoon 3? Tell us down below.
OK Google, get me a Coke: AI giant demos soda-fetching robots
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Aug 16 (Reuters) – Alphabet Inc’s (GOOGL.O) Google is combining the eyes and arms of physical robots with the knowledge and conversation skills of virtual chatbots to help its employees fetch soda and chips from breakrooms with ease.
The mechanical waiters, shown in action to reporters last week, embody an artificial intelligence breakthrough that paves the way for multipurpose robots as easy to control as ones that perform single, structured tasks such as vacuuming or standing guard.
Google robots are not ready for sale. They perform only a few dozen simple actions, and the company has not yet embedded them with the “OK, Google” summoning feature familiar to consumers.
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While Google says it is pursuing development responsibly, adoption could ultimately stall over concerns such as robots becoming surveillance machines, or being equipped with chat technology that can give offensive responses, as Meta Platforms Inc (META.O) and others have experienced in recent years.
Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) and Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O) are pursuing comparable research on robots.
Google research scientist Fei Xia accepts a Coca-Cola can from a robot during a demonstration of AI technology at a company micro-kitchen in Mountain View, California, U.S. August 11, 2022. REUTERS/Paresh Dave
“It’s going to take a while before we can really have a firm grasp on the direct commercial impact,” said Vincent Vanhoucke, senior director for Google’s robotics research.
When asked to help clean a spill, Google’s robot recognizes that grabbing a sponge is a doable and more sensible response than apologizing for creating the mess.
The robots interpret naturally spoken commands, weigh possible actions against their capabilities and plan smaller steps to achieve the ask.
The chain is made possible by infusing the robots with language technology that draws understanding of the world from Wikipedia, social media and other webpages. Similar AI underlies chatbots or virtual assistants, but has not been applied to robots this expansively before, Google said.
It unveiled the effort in a research paper in April. Incorporating more sophisticated language AI since then boosted the robots’ success on commands to 74% from 61%, according a company blog post on Tuesday.
Fellow Alphabet subsidiary Everyday Robots designs the robots, which for now will stay confined to grabbing snacks for employees.
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Reporting by Paresh Dave; Editing by Kenneth Li and Richard Chang
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Bandai Namco Announces Switch Demo For SD Gundam Battle Alliance
Update [Sat 23rd Jul, 2022 02:45 BST]: It seems this demo has already gone live on the Japanese Switch eShop. Provided you have access to a Nintendo account in this region, you can download it right now and play it with English subtitles. Enjoy!
Original article [Fri 22nd Jul, 2022 01:55 BST]: Following on from the news in May that SD Gundam Battle Alliance would be receiving a worldwide release for Switch on 25th August 2022, Bandai Namco has now announced a free demo. It’s releasing on 28th/29th July, but the Switch version will follow at a later date.
This demo will allow players to try out ‘Directory 1: Mission “Tekkadan”!’ and players will also be able to transfer across the demo’s save data to the full version of the game when it is released.
Here’s a bit about what to expect from this upcoming release, along with the original release date announcement trailer:
“After strange incidents known as “Breaks” occur across the Gundam universe, it’s your job to find out what’s going on and restore the proper timeline. You’ll do this by leading three mobile suits into battle – with this entry featuring over 20 different mobile suit Gundam series. There’ll also be the ability to battle alongside friends in online co-op multiplayer.”
Will you be giving this demo a go? Leave a comment down below.
Capcom Announces Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak Demo, Now Available
Update [Wed 15th Jun, 2022 03:00 BST]: This demo is now live – head on over to the Switch eShop to download it. Enjoy!
@monsterhunter – The Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak demo is now available to download on Nintendo Switch and Steam! Find it on the Monster Hunter Rise store page on your platform of choice.
To download the Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak demo on Nintendo Switch, please visit the Monster Hunter Rise eShop page and select “Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak DEMO” after selecting “download demo”.
Original story [Tue 14th Jun, 2022 00:05 BST]: The Capcom Showcase kicked off with a brand new trailer for the upcoming Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak DLC.
It featured a returning location “Jungle” (an area that debuted in the second generation of Monster Hunter), new monsters from the Monster Hunter Frontiers series and Monster Hunter 4 (Espinas, Gore Magala), and many more to come.
Capcom will also be releasing a demo for Sunbreak on June 14th / June 15th, depending on your timezone – allowing you to sample some of the battles and even the game’s multiplayer.
Players will have access to the Jungle location and be able to hunt Sunbreak monsters including Malzeno (difficulty: advanced), Astalos (expert) and Tetranadon (intermediate), Great Izuchi (beginner), and access training quests (Wyvern riding, basics, new switch skill swap & new silkbind attacks).
Solo and multiplayer will also be supported, and there’ll be no limits to the number of times you can attempt quests.
During the same announcement, Capcom also mentioned how it would release a number of free title updates for the Sunbreak DLC expansion. The first will be arriving in August (Lucent Nargacuga – a new monster). The new area Forlorn Arena will be added, too.
This will follow with Fall and Winter updates in 2022 and beyond – including additional monsters and elements. Digital pre-orders will also receive some special bonuses – including Palico and Palamute armour sets.
Will you be trying out the Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak demo? Leave a comment down below.
Sonic Frontiers’ Demo Title Screen Surfaces On Social Media
Sega has shared quite a bit of footage of Sonic Frontiers now, but one thing blue blur fans haven’t seen yet is the title screen.
If you have been wondering what it might look like, you’re potentially in luck. Screenshots are surfacing on social media of the demo’s title screen. It comes via the in-person Summer Game Fest ‘Play Days’ event.
This screen looks to be a cloudy sky, with a logo and menu options. There’s no saying anything on display here is final.
It seems some other people in attendance have also taken photos and recorded footage of the demo. Some of the more interesting screenshots include a possible look at the game’s HUD display, a cinematic, and what could be Sonic speeding through a cityscape-like environment.
Keep in mind, that this is all subject to change between now and the game’s holiday 2022 release, and the demo may not even be reflective of the final release if it is based on an “early build” like IGN’s preview footage.
On a related note, we’ve also got some impressions of the same demo from G4TV host Goldenboy. While he can’t say much, he did note how the controls felt crisp. It follows on from some other media impressions earlier this week.
Are you excited about Sonic Frontiers? How are you feeling about the early build previews so far? Share your thoughts below.
Sony Forcing Devs To Make Free Two Hour Demos For PS Plus
When Sony combines PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now in June, its new most expensive tier will be $18 a month and include time-limited game trials. But most games don’t currently have such demos. To fix that moving forward, Game Developer now reports Sony will require all developers of games at a wholesale cost over $34 to also release free demos for subscribers to try.
So far, the new policy appears to have only been communicated through Sony’s developer portal, rather than an official announcement to third-party partners, Kotaku’s own sources have confirmed. The game trials would have to be two hours long, released within the first three months of the game coming out, and be available for at least a year. Developers can still propose alternative demo formats on a case-by-case basis, and the new rule wouldn’t apply to VR games.
Sony did not respond to a request for comment.
These limited-time game trials are one of the main perks for Sony’s new PlayStation Plus Premium tier launching June 13 in the U.S. It would mean subscribers could play the first two hours of games like Forspoken, Gotham Knights, and the new Saints Row at no extra cost. Other upcoming perks include access to a collection of classic PS1, PS2, and PSP games, as well as cloud streaming. Combined, Sony is hoping it’s enough to convince players to pay up to $18 a month.
But the game trials could end up hurting some developers’ bottom lines. They can have a major impact on game sales, as Steam developers subject to the Valve storefront’s two-hour return policy can attest. And it doesn’t appear that Sony is offering any extra compensation to developers in exchange for providing the new perk.
While there are lots of studios whose games fall below the $34 wholesale cost threshold, most blockbusters would be subject to the new mandate, almost creating a sort of new mini Game Pass-lite exclusively for PlayStation. That is, unless large publishers like Square Enix and others are able to negotiate some sort of carve out, or Sony backs away from the mandate.
Intel Demos Samsung PM1743 PCIe Gen 5.0 SSD on Alder Lake Platform, Almost Hits 14 GB/s Bandwidth
Intel has demoed Samsung’s recently unveiled PM1743 Gen 5.0 SSD on its Alder Lake Desktop CPU platform, showcasing the improvements in bandwidth against a Gen 4.0 SSD.
Intel Puts Alder Lake’s Gen 5.0 Capabilities To The Test With Samsung’s PM1743 SSD, Achieves Almost 14 GB/s Throughput
The demo was showcased by Intel’s Chief Performance Strategist, Ryan Shrout, who had the whole thing planned out for a press unveil at CES 2022 but since all major companies have backed out & canceled their on-site events, switching over to virtual-only conferences/keynotes, Ryan decided it was time to show the PCIe Gen 5.0 capabilities over on his Twitter feed.
Perks of the job! Was going to save this demo for #CES2022 but with that off the table, why not just share it with everyone right now?! Here’s a 12th Gen @intel Core i9-12900K system paired with a new @Samsung PM1743 PCIe 5.0 SSD getting over 13GB/s!! pic.twitter.com/oyL08KzDtV
— Ryan Shrout (@ryanshrout) December 30, 2021
The demo is comprised of an Intel Alder Lake Core i9-12900K CPU that was running on an ASUS ROG Maximus Z690 APEX motherboard. The APEX comes with two PCIe Gen 5.0 slots (x16 & x8), electrical. While the GPU, an EVGA RTX 3080 FTW3, was installed in the first slot, the second slot featured an adapter board that let Ryan equip the Samsung PM1743 SSD. The adapter is used to convert and adapt the enterprise tier or any 2.5″ drive to the PCIe slot using an x4 interface.
With the SSD installed, what’s left to see is the performance and like most high-end PCIe Gen 4 SSDs, the one Ryan used to compare (WD SN850) ended up with around 7000 MB/s throughputs. It was a bit lower than 7000 since the drive had an OS loaded onto it but the Samsung PM1743 Gen 5 SSD ended up almost twice as fast with blisteringly fast speeds that could read 14,000 MB/s or 14 GB/s within the IOMeter test.
Ryan also mentions that he did test dual Samsung PM1743 SSDs too, probably in RAID0 mode, and hinted that they were ‘fast’. You can see the two PCIe Gen 5.0 SSDs running together and offering up to 28.3 GB/s of throughput which is literally insane.
A few asked why we didn’t show both of the PCIe 5.0 drives running at the same time. Fine @IanCutress here you go. Addressing them independently in IOmeter for a combined bandwidth over 28 GB/s!! https://t.co/107wlJ4wit pic.twitter.com/c8fecGkxli
— Ryan Shrout (@ryanshrout) December 30, 2021
PCIe 5.0 offers a bandwidth of 32 Giga transfers per second (GT/s), doubling that of PCIe 4.0. Leveraging a proprietary controller designed to support the latest PCIe standard, the PM1743 will deliver outstanding read and write speeds to accommodate the rapidly increasing performance requirements of data centers.
Samsung’s PM1743 will feature a sequential read speed of up to 13,000 megabytes per second (MB/s) and a random read speed of 2,500K input/output operations per second (IOPS), offering 1.9x and 1.7x faster speeds over the previous PCIe 4.0-based products. Moreover, write speeds have been elevated significantly, with a sequential write speed of 6,600 MB/s and a random write speed of 250K IOPS, also delivering 1.7x and 1.9x faster speeds, respectively. These remarkable data transfer rates will allow enterprise server manufacturers deploying the PM1743 to enjoy a much higher level of performance.
via Samsung
Samsung is the first to offer PCIe Gen 5.0 compliant SSDs of the enterprise but we can expect other manufacturers to hop onboard the consumer/enterprise bandwagon later next year as Gen 5 gets a wider adoption by the next-generation of AMD and Intel CPU platforms.
Microsoft Store leaks 15 Xbox demos set for The Game Awards
The Game Awards takes place on December 9th and it appears we are getting some demos to check out as part of the event. So far, our scanners have picked up demos for 15 games with the label ‘TGA21Demo’ from the Microsoft Store.
None of these demos are available to download yet, but we imagine they’ll go live on the night of The Game Awards. For now, these are all the demos we’ve found that relate to The Game Awards on the Microsoft Store, but if we spot any more, we’ll update this post.
Aspire: Ina’s Tale
Aspire: Ina’s Tale TGA21Demo
Set out on a fantastical adventure as Ina and take a journey of self-discovery against the backdrop of dazzling landscapes in The Tower. Experience fear turn to conviction as she unravels her purpose in this world and embarks on her path to freedom
Aztech: Forgotten Gods
Aztech_Forgotten_Gods_TGA21Demo
When an unfamiliar enemy awakens to threaten Tenochtitlan, Achtli must master the hidden powers in Lightkeeper, a lost artifact from a time long forgotten, in order to save her city.
Breakers Collection
BreakersCollection_TGA21Demo
Breakers Collection brings the original games (Breakers and Breakers Revenge) and new content for the cult classic among Fighting Games fans, which was released in 1996 for Neogeo and Arcades.
Josh Journey: Totems of Darkness
JoshJourneyDarknessTotems_TGA21Demo
Josh Journey: Totems of Darkness is a Beat em Up style game with handcrafted art that tells the story of brave heroes who use their skills to defeat nightmare monsters using combined attacks in local co-op gameplay.
Mind Scanners
Mind Scanners TGA21 Demo
Greetings. Your Mind Scanner request has been approved. Your duty is to diagnose and treat the citizens of The Structure. The patient list is long so don’t waste your time. We’ll let you see your daughter soon…
Nobody Saves the World
Nobody Saves the World – TGA21Demo
Transform from a featureless nobody into a SLUG, a GHOST, a DRAGON, and MORE in this new take on Action RPGs from the creators of Guacamelee!
Complete quests to discover and swap between 15+ varied and distinct Forms. Mix and match abilities in unexpected ways to unlock and complete even MORE challenging quests. Explore a vast overworld – on your own or with a friend online – while clearing shape-shifting dungeons in an effort to stop The Calamity and SAVE THE WORLD!
Please Note: While the full game will support many languages, this demo supports English only.
Outbreak: Contagious Memories
Outbreak: Contagious Memories TGA21Demo
Return to classic ’90s survival horror with terrifying environments, excessive gore, cheesy voiceovers, tense resource management, and optional co-op in this narrative-driven undead nightmare.
Raccoo Venture
RaccooVenture_TGA21Demo
A spiritual successor to the 3D platform genre. Explore to find all the hidden items, solving secrets, puzzles and finding new clothes to customize the hero. Special abilities will blow your mind controlling chaos and order. Defeat the terrible Tattooed Armadillos.
Space Boat
Space Boat TGA21Demo
‘Space Boat’ is an investigative narrative adventure set on an intergalactic cruise-ship inhabited by various carpet-based lifeforms. Play as a cleverly disguised space cat, traverse the perils of time and space, and track down an elusive shape-shifting jewel thief before it’s too late!
Super Toy Cars Offroad
Super Toy Cars Offroad TGA21Demo
Super Toy Cars Offroad brings the series off the beaten track, and into the mud, sand, snow and more! Find your own way in this fast-paced arcade racing game where you control miniature offroad cars that speed through amazing tracks populated with supersized everyday objects.
The Chase of Ellen
The Chase of Ellen_TGA21Demo
Your spaceship just crash landed on an alien planet and you are fighting for your life just to survive. You are trying to get to your home planet but, your spaceship doesn’t work. As you are waiting for an intergalactic lift you learn of the electric powers within you.
The Darkest Tales
The Darkest Tales_TGA21Demo
Join a stuffed bear named Teddy and his magical fairy sidekick Lighty on a high-stakes journey through a nightmarish realm of sinister dreams and distorted childhood fairytales to rescue Alicia — Teddy’s now grown-up owner. Who else will fight for the life of the girl, if not her once most loved toy?
Happily Never After
Meet familiar characters from childhood bedtime stories, but don’t expect any hugs and kisses. The wolves are out for blood, the great beanstalk is crawling with bugs and carnivorous plants, and Little Red Riding Hood… well, she may just slice you up in two.
Teddy Scissorpaws
Don’t let looks fool you — Teddy may be soft, but with Lighty by his side, our heroes make for a formidable duo. Turn old scissors into magic-powered swords, needles into powerful arrows and grappling hooks, but use your mana wisely, so you don’t lose your stitches. Remember, all is fair in the race to rescue Alicia.
Ahead Lies Only Darkness
Each chapter takes place in a recognizable yet distorted fairytale world rife with combat, obstacles, and secrets. Put your skills to the test against tough opponents and bring back hope to dreamlands now engulfed by the forces of evil. Gain experience, master and branch out your skill tree, and reach the depths of the nightmare to come out victorious.
The Darkest Tales is a game with deep and mysterious lore. As you progress through each page of this story, you’ll begin to unveil the secrets behind this nightmarish world. How will this tale end? It will be up to you to decide.
The Gardner and the Wild Vines
Treasures of the Aegean
Treasures of the Aegean TGA21Demo
DEMO VERSION
What happened to the Minoan civilization? Join parkour master Marie Taylor and treasure hunter James Andrew in a historical action thriller, as they unveil the secrets of a forgotten kingdom which has been tragically trapped in and endless time loop. Explore a beautifully hand-drawn non-lineal open world, recover valuable relics, chart a lost island, and gather new clues in every loop to complete an ancient prophecy. Solve the riddles and mysteries that angered the old Gods, on your quest to prevent history from repeating itself forever.
Secrets of the Minoan Cataclysm. In 1639 BC a powerful explosion devastated the Minoan civilization and sunk the birthplace of their empire: the volcanic island of Thera. History seems to repeat itself, as the island has resurfaced, and a new cataclysm is bound to happen. Why were the Minoan so advanced to their time? Did King Minos foresee their demise? Can a new eruption of Thera be stopped? There’s only one way to find out!
A sunken island trapped in time. Hidden in the depths for several millennia, the island of Thera is full of historical treasures to collect and mysteries to decipher. Discover a lost Minoan citadel, open your way through an ottoman sunken fleet and unlock the doors to underground palace, as you uncover the details about the folk who lived there and their tragic fate. Exploit a glitch in time to secure information on a persistent map and solve key puzzles before the world blows up and the loop restarts!
Timing, precision and puzzle-solving. Buckle up for an action-packed adventure, as you parkour your way through a rough terrain full of challenges: surf steep slopes, climb high walls, vault over obstacles, swing on vines and jump over deep pits to explore a hand drawn open world. Every corner of the island hides an artifact, a clue or a piece of the puzzle that needs to be solved to save the world from disaster.
You are not alone on the island… Marie Taylor is the hero of the story, a brilliant treasure hunter who works with her associate, historian James Andrew, seeking out ancient relics. But this time they’ll find out they’re not the only ones aware of the Minoan scoop, as longtime rivals appear on scene to bring back ghosts from the past and complicate matters further.
• Time loop adventure
• Atmospheric soundtrack
• Hundreds of treasures to discover
• European comic book art style
• Puzzle solving
• Parkour gameplay
• Historic thriller narrative
What lies in the Multiverse
What Lies in the Multiverse TGA21Demo
Welcome to What Lies in the Multiverse – a dimension-shifting, comedic adventure about worlds turned inside out through the powers of one gifted young boy and the misguided lessons of an eccentric scientist.
Will you be checking out any of these demos? Let us know down in the comments!