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Evolution of Game Controllers
The controller has been a staple of gaming since the Magnavox Odyssey 100 shipped in 1972. Since then, we've seen paddles, joysticks, an explosion of buttons, trackpads, and controllers with no wires at all. 4096 breaks down the evolution of the game controller, starting with modern-day hardware and going back in time to the 70s.
The History of Nintendo
Nintendo has been gaming for over 127 years. Starting with playing cards, the company got a boost in early years by being the favored card of the yakuza, before branching into hotels, taxis, and instant rice. Those experiments were short-lived, and a manufacturing line manager inadvertently gave the company a new direction that took it back to its roots in games.
Saving Lost Video Games
Frank Cifaldi is on a mission — a mission to save lost video games from disappearing forever. He founded Video Game History Foundation and not only saves games from the trash heap of history, but also the packaging, manuals, and culture of games from the past.
Burnout Paradise Remastered
Burnout Paradise was one of the best arcade racers around. Full drifts, wrecks, and flashy sports cars, it's easily the best in the Burnout franchise. Now you cam relive the glory days with Burnout Paradise Remastered, at 60 FPS, 4k resolution, and all eight DLCs.
Shaq-Fu: A Legend Reborn
It's been nearly 25 years since we last got to go Shaq diesel on some zombies. And to be honest, it really wasn't that great. But Shaq is back, in a 21-century beat 'em up that's a remake of a game you didn't even know you wanted to be remade. Shaq-Fu: A Legend Reborn is coming to PlayStation 4 spring 2018.
Super Mario Bros. Hardest Level
If you were going to guess what the hardest, most frustrating level in the original Super Mario Bros. was, no one would say level 4-2 — unless you were one of the world's elite Super Mario Bros. speedrunners. For such a simple level, there's a lot of technique involved. From pixel-perfect jumps to glitches that are humanly impossible to exploit, speedrunners can potentially shave seconds off their time. Summoning Salt has the history of 4-2 and all the ingenious ways speedrunners have figured out to beat the clock.
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Drinkfinity
It can be tough to get enough water every day. Drinkfinity helps ease the task by turning plain H2O into a mood-boosting beverage. Made with a mix of dry and liquid ingredients, each pod contains vitamins and minerals that have different benefits. Some are infused with green coffee bean extract to jumpstart your day or chamomile and lemongrass extracts for that relaxing moment. But one thing you won't find is any artificial flavors or artificial sweeteners. There's also the feel-good aspect of knowing that each pod contains 65% less plastic than a 20-ounce drink bottle.
Presented by Drinkfinity.
The Black Tux
The Black Tux wants to take the pain out of renting a tuxedo or suit for your next formal occasion. Its modern suits and tuxedos are cut from top-notch Italian wool and rented online with free delivery and replacements. You can even rent full outfits, and test them out for two days with their free home try-on program. Finally, the look, fit, and convenience to help guys look forward to the upcoming wedding season.
Presented by The Black Tux.
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God of War
The eighth game in the God of War franchise, titled simply as God of War, is on track for an April 2018 release. While the first three titles were landmarks in the action-RPG genre, God of War is aimed at being far more RPG-like. Kratos has moved north to a time when the gods of the Norsemen walked the earth, so be ready for a heavy dose of Norse mythology and weapon choices.
Aliens: The Ride
It's a movie franchise begging for a roller coaster — Aliens. There have been rumors and reports of stalled projects over the years, but nothing has ever been built. Hin Nya did us all a virtual favor by creating his own Aliens-themed coaster in the Planet Coaster game.
Death Stranding
It's been a year since we last heard from Hideo Kojima and his monumental epic Death Stranding. The third trailer for the game is here and things have only gotten even more surreal. The baby-in-a-bottle is back, as is Norman Reedus, along with some terrifying monsters. And something about explosions. Whatever is happening, it will be hard not to play and finally find out.
The Voice of Mortal Kombat
In order to find the man behind the famous dialogue of Mortal Kombat, you need to go upstairs to the pinball department. Steve Ritchie designs pinball machines — more of them than anyone in history — and downstairs, Mortal Kombat was being developed. When the devs needed a sinister voice for the announcer, they knew just who to ask.
Last of Us Part II
Ellie and Joel are back in the post-apocalyptic setting of the first game — along with a few new characters. The brutal scene depicts a narrow escape and leaves you hanging with something lurking in the dark outside the light of the fire, and no answers as to what's coming next. Last of Us Part II will release sometime in 2018.
Mortal Kombat Scorpion Motion Capture
Get over here — for ten minutes of Scorpion motion capture footage from the first Mortal Kombat. The movements are a slower than in the game, and for some reason, it's absolutely hilarious to watch. From losing costume pieces to the famous Scorpion hook move, this is a great piece of gaming history.
The Three-Decade Dungeons & Dragons Campaign
Playing Dungeons & Dragons takes dedication, imagination, and time — sometimes lots of it. But Robert Wardhaugh's campaign makes others look like a 30-second TV commercial. He's been playing the same campaign since he was 14 — over 35 years ago.
Gaming Behind the Berlin Wall
As the personal computer and video game revolution swept the West during the COld War 80s, something similar was happening in the Soviet Bloc countries of the East. Sharing software and purchasing hardware was easy for anyone west of the Berlin Wall, but scarcity and government regulations made it much more difficult on the other side. Here's how gaming was done and the lengths programmers went to to make it happen.
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Tivoli Sphera Wireless Speaker
For all but the most dedicated audiophiles, speakers are something to hide away. You won't mind leaving the Tivoli Audio Sphera Speaker out in the open. Hidden inside its slim, circular hardwood body is a 3-inch, long-throw full-range driver that works with a hidden bass port to deliver full sound. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth let it receive signals without any wires, and the optional rechargeable battery can get rid of the power cord for up to eight hours at a time, whether it's sitting on the included stand or hanging on a wall. It connects easily with other Tivoli gear to create a stereo or whole-room system, and is available in black or walnut.
RBT Flask
Rabbit, or RBT for short, continues to put out some of the finest barware around, and now they have made the same sophisticated aesthetic portable with their just-released steel flask. Utilizing the same black-and-brass color scheme found on the stay-at-home collection, the sleek flask lets you stash a bit of booze in style. The translucent lid is held neatly in place on the base of the flask when taken off, and the 6.75-ounce capacity is more than enough to get you through.
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How to Make a Pinball Machine
Stern Pinball has been making pinball machines for a long time — back to the 1930s and the founding of arcade game giant Williams. Stern makes some of the biggest themed pinball games in the world, with machines featuring properties like Ghost Busters, Star Wars , and bands like AC/DC and Kiss. The A.V. Club went inside the Stern factory to see what it takes to turn over 3,500 parts into the best game in the world.
The Disappearance of the King of Street Fighter II
Tomo Ohira came like a bolt of lightning into the cutthroat world of competitive Street Fighter II in the early 90s. He was unbeatable, and he proved it against the best there were — and took home a championship trophy. Then he disappeared. This is what happened to Tomo Ohira.
Red Dead Redemption 2
The follow-up to Rockstar's open world western is here and it looks pretty incredible. The online multiplayer experience will actually appears to act as a prequel to the original Red Dead and looks to still follow the shenanigans of John Marston. Not much more is know other than it will be coming to Xbox One and PlayStation 4 in fall 2017.
Call of Duty: WWII
It's nearly fall, and what does that mean? Not pumpkins and scary monsters. It means another Call of Duty game and associated cinematic trailers. The franchise is going back to its roots with Call of Duty: WWII, revisiting the great war with new tech, storyline, and multiplayer. Call of Duty: WWII releases November 3, 2017 on all platforms.
The Walking Dead: Our World
The show about walking zombies is about to make people into — walking zombies. The Walking Dead: Our World is an upcoming alternate-reality game based on the TV and comic franchise. Now you have the chance to fight the living dead anywhere from your job to your couch. The Walking Dead: Our World will be available from the App Store and Google Play.
Jurassic World Evolution
Well. Looks like the T-Rex is eating the employees again — except that this time, it's totally your fault. If you've ever thought that you could to do a better job running a park full of formerly extinct, 250 million-year-old, genetically modified animals, you're about to get your chance. Jurassic World Evolution lets you create your own Jurassic World while trying to keep the dinosaurs behind the fences and the guests out of their mouths.
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Starcraft Remastered
Start constructing those additional pylons. Blizzard Entertainment is re-releasing the game of galactic combat that put South Korea on the map: Starcraft Remasted. The game that created esports is getting a total makeover in 4k UHD, but everything is else is staying the same. Single player campaigns, expansions and the best multiplayer RTS in history are all returning intact. Practice getting that APM up, as Starcraft Remastered is out August 14, 2017.
Augmented Reality Super Mario Bros.
Enjoy reality as you know it, because it isn't going to be around for long. Microsoft's augmented reality headset, HoloLens, has been in the hands of developers for over a year now, and the results have been impressive, to say the least. Abhishek Singh has taken the original Super Mario Bros. and brought it to the real world, recreating the game with the Unity engine and playing through the first level in NYC's Central Park.
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Super Mario Odyssey
The world's most famous Italian plumber has worn a lot of hats over the years — princess-saving hero, go-kart driver, golfer, party entertainer — but he's never worn this many hats in one game. Super Mario Odyssey introduces a whole new mechanic to Nintendo's Mario Bros. franchise, allowing Mario to take control of enemies by making them wear his hat. Mario also gains new powers by wearing different hats, adding something truly new to his arsenal of tricks.
Call of Duty: WWII Multiplayer
Remember all that time you spent playing a Call of Duty single player campaign?Of course not. The Call of Duty franchise made its name on its multiplayer experience, and multiplayer is the heart of the franchise. Here's the first look at CoD's human vs human gameplay from E3 2017.
Psychology and the Sound of Video Games
Video games are all about immersing the player in the developer's world — whether that's an alien planet or a historically based first-person shooter. While graphics get the lion's share of attention, with no sound, there's not much game to play. WIRED looks at psychology and sound have combined to make living video game worlds, from the earliest days of the medium to the beginning of the graphical revolution in the late 90s.
GTA Online: Gunrunning
Everyone knows that the real money in any criminal enterprise is in arms. The latest update for GTA Online takes the game from relatively small-time crime to all-out war. Featuring underground bunkers, mobile operations centers, and weaponized vehicles, San Andreas is no longer safe for regular citizens — if it ever was.
Need for Speed Payback
It takes a lot of fast cars, high-speed accidents, and over-the-top stunts to take back a town from the criminal cartel running the place. Need for Speed Payback lets you live your Fast and the Furious dream from the comfort of your own couch — without the millions of dollars worth of cars and safety equipment. Payback is out November 10, 2017 on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC.
Everything
Imagine a game where you can be. . . everything. Everything is that game. From the sun or planet or birds to blade of grass, parasite, bacterium, or even a strand of DNA, there isn't anything you can't be in Everything. David O'Reilly's dreamlike vision of size and scale is available on multiple platforms now. Learn more here.
