For this month’s featured video, we wanted to take this time to pay tribute to Stan Lee by sharing a video from a con we attended back in 2014 (the video is not our own). Mr. Lee has always been an inspiration to us, especially recently over the past few years with so many great Marvel comic movies coming out.
Here’s what Mr. Lee had to say at the 2014 London Film and Comic-Con event:
And on the side of games specifically, we just received this video submission from the folks over at Game Quality Forum about the Future of Game Quality:
Whether you are an event coordinator, press, or general attendee, if you have an event video to share with us, please let us know and we’ll be happy to feature it.
While new technologies ebb and flow in the hype cycle — and in conferences too — mobile has shown no signs of weakening as a business or event category. One of the newcomer events to the scene is the App Growth Summit (AGS), a series of apps-focused events held around the world. We conducted an email Q&A interview with the lead organizer, Louis Tanguay, to discuss his events, the mobile ecosystem, and more.
Events for Gamers: Louis, thanks for taking the time out of your schedule to take on a few questions from Events for Gamers. Tell us a bit about your path that led you to build the App Growth Summit event series you started in 2018.
Louis Tanguay: Thanks, Paul! It’s always great to speak with you! I have been producing events in the mobile app industry for 4 years prior to this, and successfully produced 40+ events. Talking with all of the attendees, sponsors, and speakers, and hearing what they wanted I knew there was a need for the type of events App Growth Summit provides. In 2018 I started App Growth Summit and our content creation division, App Growth Experts, to provide the type of perfectly-sized, invite-only, VIP experience events.
Louis Tanguay (photo credit: Louis Tanguay)
E4G: Based on what you have learned from building conferences in 2018, what can we expect that might be the same, or different, from the App Growth Summit series?
Louis: Our key differentiators from other events are our low vendor count and invite-only format. By having our events invite-only, we strictly control the number of vendors allowed into the event. We love vendors, they are a very important part of the ecosystem, but too many vendors at events equals a sales-centric vibe, whereas when you experience an App Growth Summit event the feeling is way more laid back, inclusive, and attendees are more at ease because they aren’t being sold to by half the audience.
Another key difference is our attendance range. We cap our events as well. There are events which are proud to get a sea of people in there and try to outdo each other for who’s bigger than whom (cue the childish references here), but for us, we are going to have these perfectly-sized events of 300-500 people MAX.
There are other differences such as high-quality hot breakfasts, gourmet buffet lunches, unique activations for publishers to actually interact with each other (ie roundtable discussions), and even a personal branding room which Liftoff ran where someone can get consultation on their LinkedIn profile and get new headshots taken! We are always looking for ways to be unique and different in a much too crowded space, so we stand out above the others with quality over mass quantity.
E4G: Looking back at your work so far, what’s the most challenging aspect in your event-building work so far this year? What’s the most gratifying?
Louis: If you know anything about event creation, it’s that there’s never a dull day. Hahaha. This is good and bad. I have learned to come up with not just a Plan A, but also a Plan B…C…D…and E…..and F. Something is always going to happen which you never accounted for, so it’s like surfing chaos, and can you stay on top of your board. For the most gratifying aspect of event production, it’s at the end of the event where people come up to you and tell you that it was an amazing event or the best event they’ve been to, etc. Those moments are the validation which confirms that all that hard work, late nights, and frantic phone calls snuffing out fires were all worth it.
E4G: If you could go back in time and talk to yourself two or three years ago, would you still follow this path toward building events around mobile app development and growth? If so, why?
Louis: Yes. I wouldn’t change a thing. I never like to think I would change something because then who knows where I would be. The company is in a great spot, and I wouldn’t change that nor risk it for the world. Everything happens for a reason, and whatever happened over the past 2 or 3 years happened so we can be talking right here, right now…and I’m perfectly happy about that!
E4G: Looking back, how have your events succeeded in speaker and attendee diversity from the mobile and app development businesses? In what ways do you think there could be improvement?
Louis: All of our events have had a great amount of gender diversity. The App Growth Summit NYC event had 53% women speakers, we had another Mini-Summit in NYC with 83% women speakers. Our App Growth Summit SF event had 45% women speakers, and our Sydney event (Mobile Marketing APAC) had 72% women speakers. We aim for at least 50/50, but sometimes we’re under, sometimes we’re way above.
Other events DO NOT walk the walk. They put out press releases, or have special “women-centric events,” or they’ll put women on a panel about “women in digital” topics, but then if you look at their speaker rosters they’ll have only 30% women speakers. We don’t believe women should be used as token press release fodder for guys to quote themselves in press releases. We believe women should be placed on the stage, and given the platform they deserve as qualified professionals. When we have all-women panels, we allow them to discuss the same topics the mixed-gender topics do.
Our goal is to normalize the presence of women on stage as leaders. Each of our events has also featured a female keynote, at least. Now, there’s one serious lack of diversity in the entire industry and that’s with black and Latino representations. We are teaming up with organizations which focus on providing STEM education for underprivileged Americans in hopes to have even more of a wide range of diverse speakers.
If you’re a gamer or a game developer, there’s a very good chance you’ve heard about the backlash southern California-headquartered Activision-Blizzard is dealing with after the poorly-received announcement of the mobile-only Diablo Immortal game at BlizzCon 2018. Diablo is generally one of the most popular game series ever developed, a bloody, gothic action role-playing game developed first for PCs in 1996, later on receiving ports for consoles. Blizzard Entertainment has created an original intellectual property (IP) for mobile, such as the card game Heartstone, but the company never made an announcement for a cornerstone (and traditionally hardcore) property like Diablo.
That is, until the recent 2018 BlizzCon, the annual event that brings together the hardcore community to celebrate all things Blizzard. Here’s a brief history of how things unfolded:
Before BlizzCon
A couple weeks ahead of BlizzCon, Blizzard posted what some believed to be a cryptic blog post about Diablo at their event, which left an announcement in doubt. Take a look at this quote from the post, which will not be the last time this will be said:
BlizzCon 2018 is almost here and we’ve seen a lot of rumors flying around about our plans for Diablo at the show. These are very exciting times—we currently have multiple teams working on different Diablo projects and we can’t wait to tell you all about them . . . when the time is right.
Followed by:
While we won’t be ready to announce all of our projects, we do intend to share some Diablo-related news with you at the show.
The post was open-ended and non-specific, but it also seemed to imply that Blizzard fans and game-players raising expectations too high might be unwise. Diablo’s tweet amplified the blog post, and the fans who replied seemingly understood the situation.
BlizzCon 2018 is almost here, and we want to take a moment to clarify what Diablo fans can expect this year.
Fast forward to the end of the opening ceremonies at BlizzCon 2018, Principle Game Designer at Blizzard, Wyatt Cheng ascends the stage. The full reveal is in the video below:
In a nutshell, Wyatt Cheng enthusiastically sells the idea of a mobile massively multiplayer online (MMO) version of Diablo, co-developed by Chinese mobile game developer NetEase. The game is set five years into the 20-year gap between Diablo 2 and Diablo 3, addressing several storyline and character loose ends.
On the face of it, the reveal likes a somewhat low-key, somewhat unenthusiastically received reveal of a mobile game. However, given Diablo’s PC and occasional console-based legacy, many players seemed unready and unwilling to accept this iteration as the next step in the franchise. In the Q&A session following te reveal, what either started, or perhaps amplified, the backlash, there’s a moment when a now-famous (or perhaps infamous) red-shirted attendee flatly asks, “Is this an out of season April Fool’s joke?”
The on-stage experience didn’t get any easier for Blizzard when Wyatt Cheng replied to another attendee’s question about whether the mobile game would be coming to PC. Cheng replied that it was not coming to PC, which then roused a chorus of boos from the audience. To that he added, a little incredulously, “Do you guys not have phones?”
Breaking through the white noise and hyperbole, most of the game and announcement’s criticisms can be distilled to variations of these four critiques:
Diablo Immortal is a reskin of a NetEase Diablo clone:
Blizzard has stated it’s a “purpose-built” Diablo game, while some folks allege Diablo Immortal so far looks like a reskinned version of a prior NetEase game. As Diablo Immortal is apparently very early in development, it’s too early to say whether the early iteration — which generically seems to have the user interface of a NetEase game thus far — will reflect the finished version.
Assuming Diablo Immortal is a mobile developed for the Chinese market as much or more than it might be the American market, will it be filled with in-app purchases? Monetization is a major question Blizzard has evaded because Diablo Immortal is early in development and it’s tricky because, however it’s answered, it is unlikely to leave many satisfied. If NetEase’s previously developed games are at all a barometer for monetization, in-app purchases are a definite possibility.
Why announce Diablo Immortal and not a remastered version of a previous Diablo game or even Diablo 4?
Why announce a mobile Diablo game at a convention for hardcore Blizzard fans? Both questions revolve around the disconnect between expectation and outcome, which is the thorny question about the rights and responsibilities a game developer has versus what the audience expects. Did Blizzard have a “contract” with the hardcore segment of their fans? Did fans read too much into Blizzard’s pre-BlizzCon blog post? Does a game developer have to close out a keynote with a teaser or announcement of a traditional IP in a traditional way, like Bethesda did at E3 2018 or Microsoft also did at E3 2018, for the event to be considered a success? At this time, there are more questions than answers, although some of the examples other big name developers and publishers have taken when revealing their game announcements have been mentioned.
Blizzard subsequently uploaded Diablo Immortal’s cinematic trailer and gameplay video to YouTube, which quickly garnered a hugely lopsided ratio of dislikes to likes.
After BlizzCon
Since BlizzCon concluded, an ongoing battle has been waged in social media between many of the interested parties, to shape the narrative about whether Diablo Immortal is a positive or negative addition to the world of games and whether Diablo gamers are entitled and toxic or understandably angered hardcore fans.
Meanwhile, the official YouTube videos dislikes and likes continue to fluctuate, which has been the source of additional debate. Speaking of YouTube, several videos a day are still being pushed out to follow where this story started, and where it might be going. The Diablo sub-Reddit is also buzzing with activity, still focused on the Diablo Immortal announcement, with every other Diablo-related topic taking a far backseat.
Beyond the bubble of gamer angst, the Diablo Immortal announcement was enough of a tremor to make Activision-Blizzard’s stock performance skittish so far this week.
Blizzard has largely stayed out of the skirmishes — except to deny a Kotaku report that the company had originally planned to announce Diablo 4 but shelved it last second. Additionally, in the statement, Blizzard stated, “We do continue to have different teams working on multiple unannounced Diablo projects, and we look forward to announcing when the time is right,” which is very similar to what the developer said in advance of BlizzCon. As before the convention, this statement leaves the potential projects that may be developed open for speculation, which will certainly happen.
Love or hate Diablo Immortal, development on the game is apparently going full-speed ahead and will be launched sometime in 2019. In the meantime, it will be interesting if Activision-Blizzard can pacify the angriest segment of the traditional Diablo fanbase, or if it will even be necessary by the time the mobile version of Diablo is launched.
For the foreseeable future, the debate around Diablo Immortal will surely continue.
We’re excited to be presenting yet another great list of upcoming industry events! To help you discover upcoming game industry conferences, conventions, festivals and other events, we post a consolidated list here on Events for Gamers each month.
View the complete November event list below. You can also click here for the main calendar view.
In the midst of the holiday season, on December 6-7 in San Francisco, the VRX 2018 conference will likely give attendees a sense of where the virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) markets stand. According to the conference organizers, over 800 folks will be attending, with 90 speakers, over 40 demos and more. For folks unsure whether to attend or not, the conference agenda is live and might make it easier to decide whether joining in is the right way to go.
The first day of the conference will look at the bigger picture, outlining the opportunities and challenges in VR and AR markets. On the second day, the conference agenda will take a more granular look at VR and AR markets. In terms of content tracks, they are split between consumer tracks and startup tracks
However, if you’re in the business or development of games in AR or VR here’s a few sessions at VRX 2018 — all from the consumer track on day two — from the full agenda that might inspire interest.
The VR hockey stick – The path to mass adoption
nDreams CEO and Founder Patrick O’Luanaigh presents an in depth, up-to-date guide of the current VR games market with exclusive insight from other VR leaders. From ‘true’ VR and 5G to VR/AR convergence, Patrick will identify the key growth drivers for the industry, indicate when and why we expect the “hockey stick moment” and what should be kept in mind to capitalize on this future opportunity.
Speaker: Patrick O’Luanaigh, Chief Executive Officer, nDreams
A route to mass consumer adoption: Location based VR and arcades
Through this panel picking up insights on the state of VR and location-based entertainment, where the — obstacles to and — openings for growth might be. What hardware and what content is working best?
Speakers:
Kevin Bachus, Senior Vice President – Entertainment, Dave & Busters
John Canning, Executive Producer, Digital Domain
Amy Hedrick, Founder, CleanBox Technology
Gaming: What’s the real state of VR gaming?
Virtual reality has not taken off since the heady start of the current generation of hardware about five years ago. What’s worked in VR gaming? Where’s the opportunities for revenue development in the space? Is location-based entertainment an answer? These are a few of the questions this panel aims to answer.
Speakers: Denny Unger, CEO, Cloudhead Games Patrick O’Luanaigh, Chief Executive Officer, nDreams Amy Allison, Head of Community, Skydance Interactive John Coleman, Director – Business Development, Vertigo Games
VR games vs. flat screen games: Differences in marketing strategies & execution
In this presentation, Andreas will explain the key differences between marketing VR games & traditional flat screen games while highlighting the challenges any VR marketer faces and provide suggestions on how to overcome these.
Speaker:
Andreas Juliusson, PR & Marketing Manager, Fast Travel Games AB
For more information about the VRX Conference, including registration, which is still available at this time, visit the official site for the details.
Conferences have become forums that measure certain kinds of social progress, whether in diversified representation in speaking or attendees or about specific speakers selected to speak and represent the event.
For example, at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in 2018, no women keynoted at one of the world’s leading consumer technology events, which garnered press coverage asking “Why?”. In 2019, it seems CES has changed course by announcing two women leading corporate keynote addresses.
ACE 2018 is coming up in mid-December in the US state of Montana. It’s described on its website as a “leading scientific forum for dissemination of cutting-edge research results in the area of entertainment computing. Interactive entertainment is one of the most vibrant areas of interest in modern society and is amongst the fastest growing industries in the world.” At the top of the fold, the ACE 2018 site proclaims that this conference “celebrates the pioneering women computer scientists who made computer entertainment possible.”
Where the emerging controversy lies is in the ACE 2018 keynote, which was recently announced. Steve Bannon —an American political strategist, media executive, and filmmaker who previously served as senior counselor and chief White House strategist for U.S. President Donald Trump — was announced as a keynote speaker.
ACE 2018, The 15th International Conference on Advances in Computer Entertainment Technology, University of Montana, USA
Keynote Speaker: Stephen Kevin Bannon pic.twitter.com/v8tZ6WKC8Q
Bannon has garnered a storied reputation over his long, controversial career. Because it’s storied, there are a number of anecdotes about his viewpoints on any number of topics or on the firebrand media outlet he helped lead, Breitbart. We’ll briefly touch on a few points Bannon talked about over time that intersects with the ACE 2018 conference key focuses.
In terms of Bannon’s approach to women, two years ago online publisher Bustle reported, a compilation of reported quotes and allegation, that Steve Bannon may have a troubling history with his views and dealings with women over the years.
Bannon has had a touch-and-go relationship with the games industry, as the former manager of the then-struggling controversial gold-farming virtual currency company, IGE, before the company was refocused and rebranded. Gold farming, as applied to online games, is playing a game in such a way as to accrue massive amounts of in-game currency or assets, which can then be resold for real money. IGE was a leader in that business, which was considered cheating by many game developers and players.
While Steve Bannon seems quite at home with handling technology, or even using it aggressively in driving a political campaign, his relationship with other aspects of science is not as cozy. In terms of climate science, A New Republic report on Bannon’s fight with science while in the Trump administration sums up an estimation of his views, stating that “Bannon hasn’t said much publicly on climate change. His rare comments suggest not a deep rejection of the science itself, but that he doesn’t consider it a pressing issue.” A range of pundits and journalists have surmised that his approach to science isn’t as much about opposing sciences, but his oft-discussed deconstruction of governmental institutions.
With Steve Bannon’s messy, complicated relationship with the topics of science, technology, and diversity, it’s no surprise negative ire has been raised on social media about his keynote address at ACE 2018. In some posts, speakers and sponsors have been called out to withdraw from the event.
Hey @SamsungUS I recommend you take a hard look at your sponsorship of the ACE2018 conference, an academic conference that somehow magically has a political operative as its keynote speaker.
Reputable orgs need to take a closer look at aligning with this conference. @samsung@springernature@tencent@umontana please check out the serious issues involving ACE2018. When an entire steering committee resigns you should see that for the massive red flag it is. #boycottACEhttps://t.co/YIlh3rTw9t
When asked if they might withdraw attendance or resign a speaking role if a controversial figure such as Steve Bannon was selected to keynote, a couple developers who have often spoken at conferences, who were willing to quote on the record, were not neutral when queried with this rhetorical question. While not necessarily representative of all game developers, the folks who have given voice to their concerns do represent a cross-section of voices from the game development community.
“I believe in the right to free speech but I do not wish to legitimize anyone who spreads ideologies that are, at their core, so detrimental to the majority of humanity. Not all ideas or speakers deserve equal, or even preferential, weight. I would not want my participation to confer any sense of legitimacy to speakers who, in my opinion, pose a danger to the public good,” says Margaret Wallace, frequent speaker and founder of games and experiential media start-ups KijiCo and Playmatics.
Nicole Lazzaro is another frequent game industry event speaker, who is a game designer, developer, and founder of XEODesign. On this subject, she said “I’m a big supporter of a diversity of opinions. However, it’s concerning to hear events offering a platform to someone who openly orchestrates hate and violence for self-promotion.”
Time will tell if sponsors or speakers respond to the questions they are receiving about their participation at this conference.
Given that ACE 2018’s touchpoints include science, women, and interactive entertainment, the selection of Steve Bannon as keynote speaker may represent an openness of discussion to different and challenging ideas. However, to some sponsors and attendees, Bannon leading a keynote will project divisiveness and counterintuitivity to the purported focuses of the conference.
Update (December 10, 2018): The ACE 2018 event, which was scheduled to take place today to December 14, has been canceled in November, including Steve Bannon’s keynote address that had been scheduled for December 11th. The official statement, from a Newsweek story, from the organizer of the partner event, the Congress on Love and Sex With Robots, sums up the news:
“The congress had been due to take place at the University of Montana in Missoula, alongside the 2018 Advances in Computing Entertainment Conference (ACE),” the statement read. “When it was announced that one of the keynote talks at ACE was to be given by Steve Bannon on the subject of employment opportunities for minorities in the computing entertainment industry, there were so many protests against Mr. Bannon participating in the ACE conference that it became necessary to cancel the 2018 ACE conference.”
Toronto, Ontario (October 29, 2018) -Future computing is the practice of turning dreams into reality with computers and computer media through compute performance and platforms, immersive technology, and innovative content and applications. Founded in 2014 and sponsored in part by Intel (Platinum level), Advanced Micro Devices (Silver level), and Lenovo (Media Event Sponsor), Immersed is the leading future computing conference in North America. The event will be held November 8-9, 2018 at the Ontario Science Centre in Toronto, Canada.
Celebrating its fifth year, Immersed continues to deliver exceptional access to world-class expertise for companies pursuing business development opportunities and international media exposure.The conference is ideal for professionals, executives, and media who need to know what computing technologies are on the horizon and why. It is a must-attend event for organizations to see how technology and content developments in the not too distant future will be positively impacting their day-to-day operations.
“With highly sought speakers from Norway, United Kingdom, USA, Canada, and India – Immersed continues its tradition of giving unfettered access to some of the industry’s most powerful decision makers and influencers,” said Neil Schneider, Executive Director of The International Future Computing Association (TIFCA).
Hear global technology leaders share insights on the technologies that will redefine the future of computing.Visionary Class, Keynote, and highlight speakers include Frank Soqui, Vice-President and General Manager of the Gaming Division for Intel; Daryl Sartain, Director and Worldwide Head of XR, Displays, Wireless ecosystems for Advanced Micro Devices; Dereck Orr, Division Chief for the Public Safety Communications Research Division Laboratory at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Sandra Clarke; Global Education Solutions Manager for Virtual Reality(VR) Classroom at Lenovo, and Richard Huddy, Head of Game Ecosystems for Samsung Research Institute UK.
Don’t miss outstanding presentations by Microsoft Canada, the Samsung Research Institute, Survios, Millennial Esports Corp., Deloitte Canada, Poco Loco Amusements, The Elumenati, Studio 216, and more! Lenovo will also be hosting an exciting immersive event for the Canadian launch of its new innovative VR Classroom solution on November 9th at 7:00pm in the conference’s Telus room.
Core future computing technologies include PC, console, cloud, mobile, augmented reality, virtual reality, mixed reality, artificial intelligence, and machine learning. Immersed 2018 will address future computing in entertainment, education, business, manufacturing, and healthcare.
New features added to the conference this year include the Immersed 2018 Rapid Business Development Program and a “Students Night Out” held after the professional conference is complete.
Don’t miss this opportunity to network with the innovative companies, influencers and journalists who drive media coverage for future computing. A limited number of exhibit spaces are still available
When gamers want to look for a pair of headphones or headsets, they have a legion to pick from. Thousands, even tens of thousands, of options is not an overestimation. What does 1MORE bring to the table with a first attempt at gaming headphones (although they have recently launched a newer model with more features)?
For a current retail price of $99.99, the Spearhead VR headphones offers a wired, USB-powered headset with mic and a customizable RGB lighting to underscore the gaming pedigree, it’s a solid entry into the crowded headset space. We’ll sort out the details for the 1MORE Spearhead VR Gaming Headphones in our review below.
Opened outer box for the 1MORE Spearhead VR gaming headphones (photo credit: E4G)
The package deal
These headphones come packaged within a thick black cardboard box with an attached lid that, when folded out, reveals visually appealing red-inked illustrations of the headphones. In the box itself, the headphones were ensconced in clear plastic above and a molded black plastic underneath. In spite of how it sounds, opening it wasn’t too much of a hassle after clawing through some tape tabs. Underneath the main attraction is the accessories, drawstring carrying bag, instruction manual and other collateral in a wedged-in cardboard container.
Accessories for 1MORE Spearhead VR gaming headphones (photo credit: E4G)
My first take on the design and build quality of the headphones themselves? The Spearhead VR headphones are constructed of glossy and flat black metal and some plastic body pieces, apparently to lower cost and lighten the weight. I personally liked what I interpreted to be a more mature style, even with the LEDs utilized in a way that was not too over-the-top as some accessories can be. Maybe even more, I appreciated the comfortable feel of the Spearhead VR’s when wearing them for both shorter and longer durations.
A suspension-style padded headband connects the two full-sized muffs, which were large, thick and comfortable enough for me in over-the-ear type of headset. On one of the muffs, the necessary ports are covered by the 3.5mm and USB connections, for console and PC connections respectively; and the microphone off/on switch and volume control is sort of a two-for-one, because it controls the volume and when pressed in, can then controls the bass volume. Singling out the bass for its own physical volume control, for many games and many gamers, is an asset.
Profile of the 1MORE Spearhead VR gaming headphones (photo credit: E4G)
Setup
Set up can be as quick and painless as plug-and-plug, like most any pair of headphones. That’s where the story starts and ends for any console or mobile device usage when using the 3.5mm connector.
However, to take advantage of all the features, at least for Windows PC use, installing the software and drivers are a must. But the download is heavy at (currently) over 80MBs and thousands of files in a lengthy installation process. The software itself is simple and straightforward while offering extensive customization in the LED lighting, microphone, and headphone audio including the surround sound.
To its credit, the software offers a lot of customization options, some of which are more useful and fully-developed than others. Still, while many users will be content with the baseline software setup, customizing the sound for optimal output is the best way to go. the volume and equalizers are a great starting point to sculpting the sound, but going deeper, the “Xear” settings can use DSP capabilities to mold the sound more, albeit often with a tradeoff for natural-ness versus a processed audio sound that can be off-putting. I preferred the subtler, more incremental Xear adjustments, more with games than music-listening.
For the mic, the most noteworthy feature might be the environmental noise cancellation, which when enabled, made a subtle but noteworthy difference when keeping ambient noise from intruding on the microphone’s pick-up.
If lighting figures into one’s buying decision, then playing with the LED lighting customization options will be a distraction and a half, through the software, which adjusts the illumination on the cans, to the logo just above them, to the translucent retractable mic itself. Bonus: every sound pumped into the mic causes it to glow like a pulse, from a bright burst of illumination with light from a louder sound or a tremor when a little noise is picked up. It was one of the little touches I enjoyed in the design and functionality.
LED illumination of the Spearhead VR headphones with retracted illuminated microphone tip (photo credit: E4G)
Specs
Type: Over-Ear
Weight: 324 g
USB Cable Length: 1.3 m
3.5 mm Audio Cable Length: 1.5 m
Plug: Type A – Micro USB (USB Cable) and 3.5 mm (Audio Cable)
Wire Material: Enameled Copper Wire
Frequency Range: 20-20,000 Hz
Impedance: 32 Ω
Sensitivity: 103 dB
Max Power: 20 mW
Performance
That bass, though …
It’s a first impression — and a lasting one. The lowest end audio spectrum, around the subwoofer level, on these headphones is impressive, distinctively more powerful and defined than the mid-range and treble end of the sound spectrum as represented through the headphone’s drivers. That’s not to say the higher ranges are poor, but they are simply outpunched by the presence of the bass if the bass is amplified to at least 1/3 its max range. The best way to appreciate the Spearhead VR’s sound quality, when being pumped through their 50mm maglev graphene drivers, is to listen to them with a punchy, bass-heavy sort of game or music. And the volume doesn’t hold back either, so you’ll want to adjust your volume carefully if you plan to use these headphones for a while.
Games like Doom (2016) are a great example of an ideal game for these headphones, because of the quality of Mick Gordon’s bass-heavy soundtrack and the game’s spatially sensitive sound effects. To my ears, the speed metal and rock-infused Guilty Gear series of fighting games also sound excellent for these headphones. In short, any game which involves a little rocking out won’t be a bad match for these headphones.
Speaking of “spatial,” I was curious about the “VR” in the branding, but I didn’t see anything in the instructions or the software that suggested a direct benefit for virtual reality headset owners, although the soundstage adjustments that can be made through the software will certainly do more for spatial audio.
On the microphone side of the fence, the pick-up performance was on the thinner side but clear on vocals overall, both with and without the electronic noise cancellation activated. The mic picked up some microphonics, but nothing too disruptive for the casual user. I suspect esports and gaming streamers will look for a headset with a higher-end, clearer and more clarifying USB or condenser microphone in their headset; but casual gamers will be more than satisfied with their communications when using the Spearhead VR headset.
Pros
Overall solid sound from one a single beastly driver per cup, but kudos for the punchy bass
Sleek, mature design for the headphones that many gamers should find appealing
Comfortable for longer wear (two hours or more)
If the price stays at $100 or less, it’s a value for someone seeking all-around consistently good audio capability in gaming and music
Cons
Nearly 100MB driver and audio package, which some might find a bit cumbersome — which only give access to full functionality to PC users anyway
For some, the price may still be considered high, when there are some good off-brand or low-cost entries in gaming or audio headsets under $100.
For those expecting audio specialization for VR, it’s actually more of a branding touchpoint for the audio surround sound capabilities
Ideal For: At this price point, the 1MORE Spearhead VR headphones represent a sweet spot for gamers who like their audio to thump and music-lovers who aren’t as demanding as audiophiles. Specialists in music or, say steamers or esports participants, will want to aim for a more specialized, more feature-heavy headphones that are also likely to cost a bit (or a lot) more.
San Diego, CA USA and Montreal, Canada; October 17th, 2018 – M2 Insights a business platform for the digital, interactive, and immersive markets, and CGX a global events management company focused on positive leadership, mentoring and diversity initiatives have joined forces to create the M2+CGX Inclusive Speakers Bureau.
The M2+CGX Inclusive Speakers Bureau is suited for events, organizations, and global leaders to deliver a large selection of talented experts and diverse speakers directly to organizers as a way to fuel better representation of ideas and perspectives from all backgrounds.
Started in 2016, the speakers bureau already has over 135 talented, professional women who represent a wide range of expertise including game development, VR/AR design, 2D/3D artists, R&D, professors, programmers, attorneys, and venture capitalists. These vetted speakers are experts in their fields, accomplished at giving talks, workshops, and speaking on panels that will help shape a better industry. Over 94% of these women have prior speaking experience, and 72% have worked in the games/tech industry for over 5 years. Many have advanced degrees, with 55% having a Masters degrees or higher. Representing upper management, 35% are CEOs and 72% are C-level executives, co-founders, or Executive Directors.
These speakers represent companies such as Disney, Microsoft, Oculus, Intel, Epic, Unity, Twitch, Ubisoft, The Foundry, Bioware Electronics Arts, and many others. They also represent industry on a global scale coming from, US, Canada, UK, Sweden, Netherlands, Belgium, Finland, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Panama, Brazil and many other countries.
In partnering with Jillian Mood, CEO at CGX (Canadian Gaming Expo), the mission is to grow to ensure the M2+CGX Inclusive Speakers Bureau includes all those in underrepresented groups and brings talented & diverse experts to more events all over the world. The M2 Insights and CGX partnership will work bring supporting partners to help with travel costs associated for these speakers to attend events.
“We are thrilled to be partnering with Jillian and CGX to build more visibility for women and minorities in entertainment, games, graphics, development.”, stated Wanda Meloni, CEO of M2 Insights. “It is the next logical step for the speakers bureau so we can support an wider range of experiences and voices. Ultimately, it is our goal to help bring more diverse representation to the industry and expand on this great resource, and CGX is the perfect partner to do that with.”
“After seeing the amazing work Wanda has put into this database these past years I am proud to be working with her to help market incredible speakers to events and really help change the face and content at events, to be much more inclusive and diverse”, said Jillian Mood, CEO of CGX.
Dovetailing Meloni’s focus on building the database and Mood’s expertise with global conferences creates a perfect fit to drive & showcase more diverse speakers to events.
> If you are a professional and are interested in being in the speakers bureau please fill out the application for consideration: M2+CGX SPEAKER FORM
> Are you an event organizer interested in finding the perfect speaker for your event? Please complete the M2+CGX EVENT FORM
> Interested in becoming a supporting partner and being part of positive change in the industry? Please complete the M2+CGX SPONSOR FORM
The seasons are changing and the days are growing colder, but that means it’s almost time for everyone’s favorite festival of the Fall! Presented by Double Fine Productions and iam8bit, Day of the Devs returns to The Midway in San Francisco on November 11 for it’s 6th annual celebration of games. Here are a few need-to-know tidbits about this year’s Day of the Devs:
It’s free!
Anybody of any age is welcome – that means you!
There will be more than 70 unreleased games there for you to play.
Food and drink will be plentiful. Plentiful.
We’ll be celebrating some of the year’s best indie and AAA titles, with a few exclusive debuts!
There will be truly excellent live music from Chipzel, Hydelic, and Doseone!
“Day of the Devs is our favorite time of year. You could say it’s a holiday just for indie games, except that we’ve also invited a handful of our favorite AAA games too,” said Double Fine President and CEO Tim Schafer. “For 2018 we’re bringing together the best developers, games and people to make it truly unforgettable so mark your calendars now to avoid missing out on the most epic Sunday of your life.”
Tim isn’t bluffing, either: take a look below at the incredible list of titles available to play, some for the first time at Day of the Devs 2018:
* indicates that it will be playable for the first time
A Memoir Blue
Afterparty*
Art Sqool
Bee Simulator | Varsav Game Studios
Bird Alone*
Carto*
Consume Me
Creaks*
Dead Static Drive
Dépanneur Nocturne*
Desert Child
Dicey Dungeons
Disco Elysium
Dreams
Eastward
Etherborn
Exo One
Falcon Age
Flotsam
Forager
Gameheads
Genesis Noir
Ghost Giant
Girls Make Games
Grace Bruxner Presents: The Haunted Island a Frog Detective Game
Gris
Ikenfell
Impossible Bottles
In Other Waters
Industries of Titan
Kids
Killer Queen Black
KINGDOM HEARTS III
Knights and Bikes
Light Spirit
Lonely Mountains Downhill
My Friend Pedro
Night Call
Noita
Olija
Ooblets
Overland
Pathway
PiAwk*
Recompile
Reigns: Game of Thrones
Samurai Gunn 2
Scrappers*
Sloppy Forgeries
Small Talk
Spelunky 2
Sub Rosa
Tetris Effect
The Good Life
The Rose Garden
The Stillness of the Wind
The Wild at Heart
ToeJam & Earl: Back In The Groove!
Trails of Life*
Trover Saves the Universe
Tunic
Unpacking*
Untitled Goose Game
Untitled Paper RPG
Vane
Way to the Woods*
Wilmot’s Warehouse
Wobble Garden
Wytchwood
This year’s sponsors also include (in alphabetical order):
Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences
Astro Gaming
Caffeine
Chucklefish
Devolver Digital
Epic Games
Game Developers Conference
ID@Xbox
Intel
Logitech
NVIDIA
PlayStation
Raw Fury
Red Bull
UBM
Unreal Engine
2018 will mark the 6th annual Day of the Devs, a now time-honored tradition in the San Francisco game scene. Last year brought together more than 75 inspiring games and developers together to celebrate with over 7,000 fans, great music, and loads of awesome treats and surprises all free with no costs either to developers or attendees.
SAN FRANCISCO & BOSTON, October 15, 2018 — Organizers of the Indie MEGABOOTH (IMB) are now accepting video game submissions for its 2019 Game Developers Conference (GDC) showcase, in tandem with video game and tabletop game submissions for its PAX East 2019 lineup. Indie devs can submit their game for consideration for $50.00 USD.
Teams looking to submit their game for consideration or to learn more about the submission process should visit http://indiemegabooth.com/about/submissions/. The organizers of the hand-curated lineups will be accepting submissions through 11:59 p.m. (Pacific Time) on November 9, 2018. For an additional fee, late submissions will be accepted through November 13.
GDC – the largest and most prestigious game dev industry conference – is scheduled to take place March 18 – March 22, 2019 in San Francisco. As with previous GDC showcases, IMB organizers strive to provide an intimate setting where attendees can take a break from sessions to play innovative games from up-and-comers in the indie games scene. IMB’s GDC showcase will feature 24 games total, with 12 titles showcasing on Monday and Tuesday of the conference, and then Wednesday through Friday a fresh batch of games from 12 other indie teams will be available.
PAX East 2019 will return to the Boston Convention Center and is tentatively scheduled for March 28 – March 31, 2019 (Follow PAX on Twitter to find out the dates when they’re officially announced). IMB will host its usual MEGABOOTH, MINIBOOTH, and TABLETOP areas which will highlight indie games from around the world. IMB’s PAX East 2018 lineup featured 100 indie games from 21 countries.
The Indie MEGABOOTH is a curated traveling showcase working to bring indie games to the forefront of the gaming community and event-goers’ minds. IMB aspires to give indie dev teams exposure to new audiences by creating a network for exhibiting developers and creative communities to support each other while also connecting them with fans, publishers, platforms, and individuals in mutually beneficial partnerships.
For more information about the Indie MEGABOOTH, please visit indiemegabooth.com. Be sure to follow Indie MEGABOOTH @IndieMEGABOOTH on Discord, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook to keep up with the latest IMB news. Fans and developers can also “Be Indie Know” by subscribing to the Indie MEGABOOTH newsletter, http://eepurl.com/DMU8r.
As the Samsung ecosystem-focused Samsung Developer Conference 2018 (SDC 2018) draws closer, the agenda recently has gone live with its slate of speakers and topics. We’ve curated a short list of topics that will be addressing game development from various angles and cover a few of the areas sure to be discussed at Samsung’s annual conference.
A Quick Look Inside Your Games: GPUWatch Tutorial + GameEngine Talk
“This technical session will provide a detailed look at the tools available to developers through the Galaxy GameDev program to help you create high-performance gaming experiences with ease.”
Jungwoo Kim Principal Engineer, Samsung Electronics
“This session will take a look at how we continue to optimize performance of mobile games with the GameDev partnership, including a summary of Samsung’s collaborations with Unity and Epic Games and specific case studies of our work with many mobile game developers.”
Jungwoo Kim Principal Engineer, Samsung Electronics
Fortnite Behind the Story: Road to Android and Vulkan Collaboration With Galaxy GameDev
“Get a behind-the-scenes look at how Samsung and Epic Games teamed up to optimize the performance of global phenomenon Fortnite for Galaxy devices. Epic Games joins us to discuss their experience and provide an inside perspective about working with Galaxy GameDev to optimize Unreal Engine and Fortnite.”
Jack Porter Unreal Engine Mobile Team Lead, Epic Games, Inc
Spotlight Session
“The second-day Spotlight Session will highlight some of the tech industry’s most interesting topics. Hear from thought leaders in gaming and AI — on a series of keynotes, panels and fireside chats — as they discuss strategy and their outlook on the future, and reveal exciting news.”
Thomas Ko Vice President, Global Head of Content Services , Samsung Electronics
The 2018 Samsung Developer Conference will be hosted on November 7-8 in downtown San Francisco. Regular registration pricing of $399 to attend is available until November 6th, although some discount codes can been spotted in the wild.
Stay tuned in to Events for Gamers for more information about SDC 2018!
