Apple has been highlighting loads of iOS games created by independent developers this week on the App Store. The promotion includes a special section at the top of the App Store where new apps and updates are usually promoted, several new indie game launches, and even discounts on a handful of popular indie titles.
The Nintendo Switch seems to have been quite a hit, acting as both a home console when connected to a TV and a mobile console with its own LCD touchscreen while on the move. Developer Sam Williams has discovered that the Joy-Con controllers for the Switch have a potential third function: acting as Bluetooth controllers for a Mac.
The Girl Scouts of San Diego are currently crowdfunding a new app coding project for an iOS game called Marshmallow Run. The project has just three days to go and over $10,000 left before reaching its goal on Kickstarter.
Last year’s Futurama game Game of Drones may have been little more than a Candy Crush clone, but it sounds like the next game in the franchise will offer rather more. In an interview with USA Today, show creater Matt Groening says that the game features ‘the original writers, cast, and animators.’
Not only that, but he says that it will effectively offer some completely new Futurama episodes in game form …
From 9to5Toys
Two years after releasing Alto’s Adventure, Built by Snowman has revealed the first trailer for the sequel of the award winning title, Alto’s Odyssey. Slated for launch this summer on iOS and, presumably Android, the next rendition continues with visually appealing gameplay. The teaser trailer is quick, but we do get a glimpse of the scenery, which appears to be a desert. There aren’t many more details at this time, but we expect for Snowman to roll out more info over the coming months.
In conjunction with today’s announcement, the original Alto’s Adventure has gone on sale for $1.99 (Reg. $5). You’ll find that and all the rest of today’s best iOS deals in our daily app roundup.
Late last year, a new Star Wars game known as Force Arena went into pre-registration followed by a soft launch. And now the free-to-play PvP title is available worldwide on the App Store.
If you have nostalgia for RollerCoaster Tycoon, today might just be your day. Atari, the publisher of RollerCoaster Tycoon games since the release of RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 for PC, has today released the original RollerCoaster Tycoon for both iOS and Android…
Easily one of the summer’s biggest game releases comes courtesy of Square Enix and its latest entry in the long-running Deus Ex franchise. Deus Ex Human Revolution hit consoles to rave reviews back in 2011, making 2016’s Mankind Divided one of the most anticipated sequels of the year. It released on August 23rd for PS4, Xbox One and PC, and now we’ve learned it will soon make its way to Mac…
Injustice: Gods Among Us, the popular iOS fighting game, today gets an update that adds characters and content from the new movie Suicide Squad making its debut in theaters this week.
Having already released its first iPhone game Miitomo, a bespoke social networking game, Nintendo is now teasing the next round of games headed to the iPhone and iOS devices. Notably, unlike Miitomo, these are going to be versions of existing successful Nintendo franchises: Animal Crossing and Fire Emblem.
Although Animal Crossing is not quite on the same podium as Super Mario, it is still major first-party intellectual property for Nintendo to release on non-Nintendo consoles for the first time. The new smartphone and tablet titles are expected to be released later this year, around October.
It’s 2016, billions of smartphones are in use across the globe, and traditional video game companies are only just coming around to the idea that there’s some money to be made from smartphone gaming. Nintendo only recently launched its first mobile app, and plans to release a more familiar character-based game soon. Sony, likewise is about to make another foray in to the world of smartphone-based gaming with its newly-formed corporation, ForwardWorks.
Sega today released an update to its classic gaming title Sonic the Hedgehog. The update brings Apple TV support to the table, adding more value to the universal app.
Those of you who’ve already purchased Sonic the Hedgehog on iOS will therefore be able to enjoy the game on the 4th generation Apple TV free of charge. Everyone else will need to pony up $2.99 for the privilege of playing the classic game, but your money goes a long way, as it’s playable on the iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, and Apple TV.
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Update: The Miitomo app is now available on the U.S. App Store.
Thanks to my Japanese App Store account, this morning I was able to go hands-on with Nintendo’s first real venture into the App Store. The game, Miitomo, doesn’t feature a household name like Mario, Donkey Kong, or even Kirby, but the release feels very much like a Nintendo title.
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How-to: Use your car and an inexpensive inverter to replace the need for a home generator
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SpringInvaders is a $0.99 jailbreak tweak for jailbroken iPhones that just launched today. It’s very obvious that the game gets its inspiration from Space Invaders, the classic arcade title. Instead of taking out aliens, however, gamers are tasked with shooting down enemy ships that turn out to be modified versions of the app icons installed on your iPhone.
Your own ship is moved from side to side using the iPhone’s accelerometer, and a tap on the screen causes your ship to shoot tiny app icon bullets at enemies. Have a look at our video walkthrough to see SpringInvaders in action.
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Real Racing 3 has been around for several years on iOS, but yesterday’s update marked its debut appearance on tvOS and the fourth generation Apple TV. This isn’t the first time that the Real Racing franchise has been associated with Apple’s set top box, as previous versions allowed you to use AirPlay to stream races to the Apple TV while using an iOS device as a controller. Check out our hands-on video with the new racer below.
In between a fashion show and album debut at his super confusing Madison Square Garden event yesterday, Kanye West also found some time to take the wraps off his upcoming video game dubbed “Only One”.
Apple this evening has shared a new advertisement for its Apple TV set-top box. This ad continues the trend of the company highlighting the tvOS App Store that is available on the device, showcasing a handful of the most popular applications available so far. The ad is entitled “Apple TV – The Future of TV is Apps,” which is a slogan Apple has used since the launch of the device back in October.
Originally launched as a way to vote on new technology products, Product Hunt has since greatly expanded to include media like podcasts and books as well as games and other content. Product Hunt rolled out a visually refreshed home page a couple weeks back to reflect the evolution, and today the service is unveiling a redesigned iPhone app with new features to match…
If you own a PS4 but end up fighting for access to the big TV when other family members want to use it for watching TV shows or movies, Sony is working on an app for that. Sony’s president of worldwide studios Shuhei Yoshida tweeted that the company is working on an app to stream games to both PCs and Mac.
Some people asked if we plan to provide Remote Play function to PC, and yes, we are indeed working on an official application for PC/Mac. :D
— Shuhei Yoshida (@yosp) November 27, 2015
The games console already has Remote Play functionality built in, but it’s of very limited use as yet …
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Not too long after the first rumors surfaced, Apple has given its usual non-confirmation that it has acquired Faceshift, the company behind the technology Star Wars used to animate the faces of CGI characters. It’s not an obvious fit for Apple, so what could be the thinking behind the purchase?
Like Apple’s patents, it is sometimes easy, I think, to read too much into some of the company’s acquisitions. Sure, it doesn’t go around acquiring companies randomly, but it may not always be after the complete package. It may well be that there is some small element of the company’s technology that Apple wants, or it may be an acquihire – where it’s the engineers rather than the specific tech the company wants.
But in this particular case, there is reason to suspect that Apple does have an interest in the broad brush-strokes of what Faceshift does …
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The Apple TV has been available for a week now and the tvOS App Store is estimated to include over 1,000 apps, with more coming online every day. There’s a pretty good selection of titles, with a heavy focus on gaming. Developers are still figuring out how to use the touchpad Siri Remote in interesting and new ways but the initial launch is promising for sure. We’ve rounded up our favourite apps and games for the new Apple TV so far …
Activision Blizzard has agreed to acquire the company behind the popular Candy Crush Saga and Farm Hero games, King Digital Entertainment, for $5.9 billion in cash. King Digital’s games consist of a community of more than 340 million unique users. Activision, of course, is the company behind hit console games like the Call of Duty series.
As was reported earlier today, Nintendo tonight has taken the wraps off of its first mobile game during a press event with investors and the media in Japan. The game, called Miitomo, will be available in March of 2016 and is the first of five games the company plans to release by March of 2017 (via WSJ).
