Oculus Rift final retail units hit summer 2015
The Rumor: It has been reported that VR firm Oculus VR plans to begin rolling out final retail units of its Rift headset from Summer 2015. Our sister site TechRadar cites "multiple sources with knowledge of the matter". The firm will reportedly ship final retail units to select members of the public gradually, in much the same way Google has released limited units of its Google Glass AR glasses.
Our Take: The Rift has already been years in the making, and two dev kit versions have been released, teasing potential buyers with clunky yet impressive VR, but no final release date has been set. Summer 2015 is still some way away, but if true it is, at least, a light at the end of a very long tunnel.
New-gen Metal Gear collection out later this year
The Rumor: PC and/or new-generation console gamers will be graced with a new Metal Gear Solid compilation later this year, according to speculation sparked by a teaser image from none other than series creator Hideo Kojima himself. The developer posted a teaser image for a 'Metal Gear Collection 2014' being shown on a projector screen, suggesting he's got more surprises to add to his current job list, which already includes Metal Gear Solid 5 and Silent Hills.
Our Take: Typical Kojima; he just doesn't do 'normal' announcements. Something is coming, but what could it be? The word on the street--and the obvious guess--is a new compilation for Xbox One, PS4 and maybe even PC. New-gen remakes are all the rage at the moment.
Microsoft testing Xbox game streaming for PC
The Rumor: Microsoft is allegedly working on some fancy new cloud streaming tech that will be able to stream Xbox 360 and Xbox One games directly to a PC web browser. Working similarly to cloud services such as OnLive or PlayStation Now, the alleged Xbox service can stream "the full 360 experience" to web browsers at 60fps with low latency, according to Neowin, citing an anonymous source.
Our Take: With Sony having recently launched PlayStation Now--its cloud gaming service that streams PS3 gameplay to PS4 and other Sony devices--we expect Microsoft will be doing everything it can to bring Xbox game streaming to the cloud. We'd be surprised to see Xbox One games streamed to PC though. Technical challenges aside, that wouldn't do Xbox One hardware sales any favors.
Beyond: Two Souls PS4 trophies allegedly discovered
The Rumor: Trophy tracking site Exophase claims it has discovered a list of trophies for a still unannounced PS4 version of Quantic Dreams' Beyond: Two Souls, adding to the growing pile of evidence that the thriller is due for a new-gen port. This comes after it was recently rumored that the PS4 version of the game will be a 'Director's Cut' containing deleted scenes, including one in which protagonist Jodie is a baby. The previously released 'Advanced Experiments' DLC will also be included, according to French site Gameblog, citing unnamed "sources".
Our Take: With two separate German retail listings, reports of a Director's Cut and now this alleged trophy list, the likelihood of a Beyond: Two Souls PS4 remake seems to be increasing each week. The Last of Us Remastered has been a huge success for Sony, so we fully expect more late-PS3-gen titles to make their way to the new console soon.
Lego Jurassic World video game in the works
The Rumor: The Lego company and Universal are said to be negotiating contracts for the production of a video game based on the new movie, Jurassic World, slated for release in June 2015. Fansite Jurassicworld.org claims to have obtained two internal memos leaked out of Toys 'R' Us--a partner of the movie--which reveals Lego is also partnered with the studio, and a Lego Jurassic World game is in the works.
Our Take: If genuine, the memos reflect a promo campaign heavily targeting children--as was largely the case for the original Jurassic Park movie. If so, another movie-based Lego spin-off, which have been mostly fantastic over the years, would be a perfect accompaniment to the movie launch next year. However, the game will need to be already deep into development because these things take time and June is only nine months away.
Vib-Ribbon headed for a funky revival
The Rumor: Sony has conspicuously filed a new trademark for Vib-Ribbon. We'll forgive you for not knowing what that is. Vib-Ribbon is a cult classic--and admittedly slightly odd--PSone rhythm action game. It was the work of Japanese studio NanaOn-Sha, the same folk behind PaRappa the Rapper, albeit with not nearly the same legacy as the kicking-punching button tapper. The trademark, filed September 3, has sparked speculation that the long dormant franchise could be making a welcome return to the limelight.
Our Take: A 'PSone Classic' via the PlayStation Store would be our best guess, although we'd welcome an all-new title with open, robot-dancing arms. Vib-Ribbon innovated with its wireframe visuals and unique ability to generate beat-based 2D platform levels from any song the player inserted into the PlayStation.
Samurai Showdown set to show up once more
The Rumor: It's been over five years since the last Samurai Showdown game, Samurai Showdown Anthology, was released. But the Japanese 2D fighting series could be about to make a comeback; developer SNK Playmore has be spied filing new Japanese trademarks for Samurai Spirits (as the series is known in Japan). This comes just days after the firm also filed TMs for its other iconic fighting series, King of Fighters and Maximum Impact.
Our Take: It very much looks like SNK may be preparing for a new onslaught of fighting game action, with the revival of its long-running beat-'em-ups. Whether they'll be new games or remakes is entirely unknown, but all-new series entries are long overdue.
New King of Fighters, Maximum Impact games on the way
The Rumor: Trademark hounds have sniffed out recent Japanese filings for King of Fighters and Maximum Impact from Japanese developer SNK Playmore. Both apparently filed in late July, it has sparked rumors that the firm could be preparing either sequels or modern-day remakes in the long-running fighting series.
Our Take: Series fans will remember Maximum Impact as a selection of 3D King of Fighters games that were released for PS2 and the original Xbox in 2004-2007. SNK could be planning new games in the series, or it could be planning to bring the PS2 classics to the PlayStation Store. Which would you prefer?
Super Smash Bros. characters leaked
The Rumor: A batch of allegedly leaked videos taken from the new Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS revealed the inclusion of several previously unconfirmed playable fighters. Among those leaked were: Bowser Jr., the dog from Duck Hunt, Wario, Mr. Game & Watch, Ganondorf, Jigglypuff, R.O.B., Ness and Dr. Mario. One leaker also claimed that Lucas, Star Wolf, Snake, Ice Climbers and Rhythm Heaven's Chorus Men, will be added via post-launch DLC, although no proof was provided.
Our Take: Xenoblade Chronicles protagonist Shulk was also among those leaked in the videos, before being officially confirmed by Nintendo in a Nintendo Direct broadcast on August 29. This, along with the seemingly unquestionable validity of the leaked footage (Nintendo has attempted, unsuccessfully, to have them all taken offline), means it's safe to assume these characters will be revealed in the next few weeks.
Activision considering opening its own movie studio
The Rumor: The video game publishing giant Activision is reportedly musing over forming its own internal movie production studio. According to The Information (as in, the site of that name), the studio would work on film and TV series projects based on Activision's major game franchises, saving them having to license their precious IPs out to external studios.
Our Take: While in talks over the idea, apparently Activision CEO Bobby Kotick remains cautious given the reputation for video game movies to suck a boat load of ass. If we were him, we would be too. Does the world even need a Call of Duty movie?
