Linux 3.12 Codenamed "Suicidal Squirrel"

September 13th, 2013, 00:45 Posted By: wraggster

After the Linux 3.11 kernel was codenamed 'Linux for Workgroups' in memory of Microsoft Windows for Workgroups 3.11, Linus Torvalds is using 'Suicidal Squirrel' as the Linux 3.12 kernel codename."Seems only fitting. (The list of kernel names should reflect this soon.)

http://linux.slashdot.org/story/13/0...cidal-squirrel

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

First Bay Trail Windows 8.1 Convertible To Start At $349

September 13th, 2013, 00:44 Posted By: wraggster

Bay Trail has its first convertible design win. Intel's newest SoC will be available in Asus' Transformer Book T100, which combines a 10.1" Windows 8.1 tablet with a keyboard dock that includes a gesture-friendly touchpad and USB 3.0 connectivity. The tablet is powered by an Atom Z3740 processor with quad cores clocked at up to 1.8GHz—600MHz slower than the Z3770 chip benchmarked by the press. The screen has a relatively low 1366x768 resolution, but at least the IPS panel delivers wide viewing angles. Asus clearly intends the T100 to be an entry level device; the 32GB version is slated to sell for just $349, and the 64GB one will cost only 50 bucks more. Those prices include the keyboard dock and a copy of Microsoft Office Home & Student 2013. They also bring Windows 8 convertibles down to truly budget territory, completing the collision between tablets and netbooks."

http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/1...o-start-at-349

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Here Come the Chromebooks, As Google and Intel Cozy-Up On Haswell

September 13th, 2013, 00:41 Posted By: wraggster

News from Intel (and Google) today includes an announcement that more Chromebooks are on their way to market packing Intel's Haswell processors. The new chips are designed to consume less power, thus preserving battery life for an all-day charge, while still offering better overall performance. Google notes that there are schools in over 20% of school districts across the country that now use Chromebooks, and with prices for some of the machines dipping as low as $199, deploying fleets of these machines in academia is an attractive option. What's interesting is the alignment between Intel and Google now, which should cause folks in Redmond to smart a bit, as yet another major competitor to the Windows operating system seems to clearly be coming into focus. Intel-Google partners including Acer, ASUS, HP, and Toshiba will be rolling out Chromebooks based on Haswell soon, and they'll collectively be sporting more variety of form factors.

http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/1...-up-on-haswell

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Tablets to outsell PCs during Q4 2013

September 12th, 2013, 23:24 Posted By: wraggster

Tablet devices will outsell both desktops and laptop computers this Christmas across the globe, say analysts.
The International Data Corporation (IDC) expects tablet shipments to surpass total PC shipments (including both desktop and portable PCs) in Q4 2013. PCs sales are still expected to be higher than tablets for the entire year.
IDC also forecasts that tablet shipments will surpass total PC shipments on an annual basis by the end of 2015.
However, IDC expects smaller 'phablets' to eat into the tablet market going into 2014.
"The device world has seen several iterations of cannibalisation impacting different categories, with the last few years focused on tablets cannibalising PC sales," said Bob O'Donnell, Program Vice President, Clients and Displays at IDC.
"Over the next 12-18 months, however, we believe the larger smartphones, commonly called 'phablets', will start to eat into the smaller-size tablet market, contributing to a slower growth rate for tablets."
The tech market (PCs, tablets and smartphones) is forecast to grow 27.8 per cent year-on-year in 2013, compared to 30.3 per cent growth in 2012. PC sales estimates have been lowered by 10 per cent this year.
Overall 'smart connected device' shipments are expected to pass two billion units by the end of 2015 with a market value of $735.1 billion.
Total PC shipments accounted for 28.7 per cent of the smart connected device market in 2012, while tablets accounted for 11.8 per cent and smartphones for 59.5 per cent. By 2017, total PCs are expected to drop to 13 per cent, while tablets and smartphones will contribute 16.5 per cent and 70.5 per cent respectively to the overall market.

http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/read/...q4-2013/031885

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

StarCraft Universe Kickstarter ends at nearly $85,000

September 11th, 2013, 23:57 Posted By: wraggster

For those who haven't been keeping up with it, it might be hard to wrap your brain around StarCraft Universe. It's a StarCraft MMO that's actually a mod ofStarCraft 2. Oh, and it's not being made by Blizzard ... but it has been sanctioned by Blizzard. And it just raked in almost $85,000 on Kickstarter.

The Kickstarter, started by Upheaval Arts last month, concluded yesterday, pulling in $84,918 from 1,753 backers – putting it just over its $80,000 goal. Now that funding has been achieved, the plan is to release the game through Battle.net as a series of custom games for StarCraft 2. The open beta for the first chapter is slated to begin in late 2013 or early 2014. StarCraft Universe will be playable using the free StarCraft 2: Starter Edition, meaning you won't have to harvest any minerals to try it out.

http://www.joystiq.com/2013/09/11/st...nearly-85-000/

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Fan releases 8-bit Game of Thrones platformer

September 11th, 2013, 23:52 Posted By: wraggster

An intrepid Game of Thrones fan has re-created the fantasy book series and TV show as an 8-bit platformer.The game is the work of Spanish amateur game designer Abel Alves, who has released the download for free. It stars Jon Snow and a number of other lead characters in levels that (sort of) retell the series' story.The game begins with Snow climbing the Wall and facing off against a horde of wildlings. You can hack at foes with your sword and send out your direwolf for Snow to use as a special attack.Later sections see Daenerys fighting a load of bald monks, and what looks like Theon becoming, er, slightly worse for wear.The game weighs in at a featherlight 68MB if you want to give it a go. It's worth a download alone for theme tune's snappy chiptune remix.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...nes-platformer

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

GestureWorks Gameplay adds onscreen controls to almost any Windows 8 game

September 11th, 2013, 23:26 Posted By: wraggster

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Dell revives Venue brand with new line of Windows 8 tablets

September 11th, 2013, 23:24 Posted By: wraggster

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Google and Intel announce new Haswell Chromebooks

September 11th, 2013, 22:04 Posted By: wraggster

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Valve Announces Family Sharing On Steam, Can Include Friends

September 11th, 2013, 21:50 Posted By: wraggster

Valve has today announced its next attempt at a console-killer: 'Family Sharing' is a feature that will allow you to share your Steam library with family and close friends. This almost seems too good to be true, and while there are caveats, this is going to be huge, and Valve knows it. As Techgage notes, with it you can share nearly your entire Steam library with family or friends, allowing them to earn their own achievements, and have their own saved games. 'Once a device is authorized, the lender's library of Steam games becomes available for others on the machine to access, download, and play. Though simultaneous usage of an account’s library is not allowed, the lender may always access and play his games at any time. If he decides to start playing when a friend is borrowing one of his games, the friend will be given a few minutes to either purchase the game or quit playing.

http://games.slashdot.org/story/13/0...nclude-friends

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Intel's Haswell Chips Pushing Windows RT Into Oblivion

September 11th, 2013, 01:29 Posted By: wraggster

"Intel has started shipping the fourth generation Haswell chips for tablets, which brings power-efficient processors and hence much better battery life to Windows tablets. According to IDG, Intel has now started shipping new low-power, fourth-generation Core i3 processors, including one that draws as little as 4.5 watts of power in specific usage scenarios. These new Haswell processors could go into fanless tablets and laptop-tablet hybrids, bringing longer battery life to the devices. This is a great news for Windows lovers, who have had to sacrifice performance for battery life (and vice versa) until now. Now, with almost 50% better battery life as promised by Intel for Windows tablets, the OEMs have no real need to come out with Windows RT based tablets and hybrids anymore."

http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/1...-into-oblivion

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Recommended Battlefield 4 PC settings require Windows 8

September 11th, 2013, 00:32 Posted By: wraggster

EA’s recommended PC system requirements for Battlefield 4 contain one particularly interesting demand.
The minimum requirements are reasonably generous, needing Windows Vista SP2 32-Bit, either an AMD Athlon X2 2.8GHz or Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4GHz, 4GB of RAM, 512GB of video RAM and either an AMD Radeon HD 3870 or Nvidia GeForce 8800GT.
The recommended requirements are unsurprisingly more demanding.
That list specifies either an AMD six-core CPU or Intel quad-core, 8GB of system RAM, a whopping 3GB of video RAM and either an AMD Radeon HD 7870 or Nvidia GeForce GTX 660.
Interestingly, the recommended list also specifies Windows 8 64-Bit as the operating system.
That may be simply because the latest versions of Direct X require Windows 8, but either way it’s likely to irk PC gamers, many of whom still favour Microsoft’s Windows 7 OS.

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/recom...dows-8/0120796

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

EndWar IP returns as free-to-play title

September 11th, 2013, 00:19 Posted By: wraggster

Ubisoft is to resurrect the Tom Clancy EndWar brand.
Having done the same with the Ghost Recon IP, EndWar is to get the free-to-play browser treatment. It’s being developed at Ubisoft Shanghai and will be released on PC and Mac.
It will be both single and multi player and allow users to “engage in numerous single player missions or put your skills to the test in intense player vs player challenges in an epic power struggle for what little remains on Earth”.
The narrative is set in the aftermath of World War III and follows the original game’s lead in seeing Europe, the US and Russia square off. Ten unit types are included, each of which can be upgraded several times.
As you would expect, players will be able to purchase in-game currency with real cash although Ubisoft stresses that the “full” experience will be available even to those who choose not to splash out.
EndWar Online is due to launch before the end of the year.

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/endwa...-title/0120833

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

AMD Reveals Roadmap For ARM and X86 SoCs

September 11th, 2013, 00:02 Posted By: wraggster

On the eve of the Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco, AMD unveiled what it calls an ambidextrous embedded roadmap, based on a series of new system-on-chip (SoC) and accelerated processing unit (APU) products built from both ARM and x86 CPU cores. Planned for launch in 2014 are an ARM Cortex A57-based 'Hierofalcon' SoC, a 'Bald Eagle' APU using a new 'Streamroller' x86 CPU, a multi-core x86 'Steppe Eagle' APU, and an 'Adelaar' discrete Embedded Radion GPU. 'There are different customer needs in different segments of this market, from low-power to high-performance, Linux to Windows, and x86 to ARM,' commented Arun Iyengar, VP and general manager, of the AMD Embedded Solutions division."Update: 09/10 16:54 GMT by T : As Slash DataCenter notes, this roadmap includes an SoC aimed specifically at datacenters.

http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/1...m-and-x86-socs

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Fan-made MMO Starcraft: Universe enters Kickstarter

September 10th, 2013, 01:57 Posted By: wraggster

The Starcraft: Universe Kickstarter campaign has met its goal of $80K with only 32 hours to go.The current tally lies at $80, 557. Its next stretch goal is at $100K where Zerg will be added as a character class. Following that, at $135K a PvP zone will be added along with female character models for all classes.Original Story: Last February a group of dedicated fans released a playable prologue to its impressive Starcraft 2 mod, Starcraft: Universe, which turns Blizzard's sci-fi opus into a third-person MMORPG ala World of Warcraft. At the time, developer Upheaval Arts was looking to raise money by asking for donations on its main site, but now it's launched a more official crowdfunding campaign in the form of a Kickstarter.
The developer is looking to accrue $80K for this hugely ambitious mod. While Starcraft: Universe will be free-to-play, those who donate to the cause will get extra goodies. $10 pledges award backers with a virtual pet in-game, while $15 comes with a digital soundtrack, and $35 grants backers access to all of the above plus a rare weapon, vehicle, and mystery box.If Upheaval reaches its Kickstarter goal of $80K it will release a multiplayer beta of the mod that comes with an opening and closing story-based act. If it reaches over $100K it will add a playable Zerg class, at $135 a MOBA-like battle arena will be implemented, and at $175 a middle act will be added to flesh out the storyline.Starcraft: Universe certainly looks impressive, given its humble beginnings when it was called World of Starcraft before Blizzard required that the developer change the name. Other than the title, Blizzard has been supportive of the fan-made project and it even considered the MMO mod's lead designer, Ryan Winzen, as a potential candidate to join the much loved studio. League of Legends developer Riot similarly sought Winzen out as a potential hire.Starcraft: Universe may be a mod to Starcraft 2 - meaning it won't work on its own - but all it requires is the free Starcraft 2: Starter Edition, which can be obtained here.So far Starcraft: Universe has raised $4346 of its $80K goal. It has 29 days to go before the 10th September deadline. See it in action in the pitch video below.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...rs-kickstarter

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Surface 2 rumors point to 1080p screen, Tegra 4 chip and two-stage kickstand

September 9th, 2013, 23:55 Posted By: wraggster

We've seen rumors of new Surface covers and docks; now, it's time for rumors regarding the tablets themselves. Both Neowin and WinSuperSite claim that the next-generation Surface with Windows RT will simply be called the Surface 2, and should represent a performance boost rather than a complete reinvention. In addition to the already confirmed Tegra 4 processor, the new Microsoft slate reportedly includes a sharper 1080p display and 4GB of RAM in an otherwise familiar design. The only noticeable changes to the form factor would be a more flexible two-stage kickstand and a white option, according to tipsters. There's no word on when the Surface 2 might reach stores, although the mid-October launch of Windows 8.1 would certainly be convenient. We'll likely find out more at the September 23rd event.




http://www.engadget.com/2013/09/09/s...-tegra-4-chip/

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

Microsoft gives developers early access to finished Windows 8.1 builds

September 9th, 2013, 23:46 Posted By: wraggster

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

EverQuest Next: SOE invites players to build and destroy in its next-gen MMOG

September 9th, 2013, 21:18 Posted By: wraggster

Outlining the problem that EverQuest Next seeks to solve, director of development David Georgeson takes aim not only at the original game and its sequel, but also the genre they established: the 3D combat-focused RPGs that came to define the term MMOG. “We’ve been playing a sterile version of Dungeons & Dragons,” he tells us, “and it’s been that way because we couldn’t come up with a better solution.”This is an area of gaming in which slight tweaks to the template are enough to justify costly projects and tremendous risk, and that is what makes EverQuest Next’s extraordinary ambitions so notable.The entire game is rendered using voxels, for a start, which allow for fully destructible environments and for players’ actions to cause meaningful damage to the landscape. Dynamic combat AI will force rampaging monsters to react when, say, a mage creates an impassible barrier or blows out a bridge. Alterations will be slowly repaired over time, and players won’t be able to destroy everything – the key city of Qeynos, Georgeson points out, “would be a parking lot in a couple of hours” if players were allowed total freedom – but the system adds a sense of responsiveness that isn’t present in other RPGs of this type. We’re simply not used to the notion that a massive fireball presupposes the existence of a crater.The basic flow of combat takes cues from the Guild Wars series to allow players to mix and match class and weapon abilities that are unlocked as the world is explored. A parkour-style system has also been implemented, allowing player characters to more realistically vault, slide and tumble around the landscape.

http://www.edge-online.com/features/...next-gen-mmog/

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

AMD on its new direction, the iPad, and the transformation of the traditional PC

September 9th, 2013, 21:11 Posted By: wraggster

In a bid to reverse losses, AMD is looking to new areas outside of traditional PCs – most notably gaming.
We talked to Bernd Lienhard – corporate vice president and general manager of client division global business units – about the changing world of tech, Apple vs Microsoft, and a ‘different hype’ within the chip maker…
PCR: So we’re told AMD is a changing company – what’s it changing into?
Lienhard: We wanted to use the brand to move into adjacent markets, and one of the first ones we picked was consoles. We’ve been able to secure the three major platforms: Playstation, Nintendo and Microsoft Xbox. All three major consoles in the world are now based on AMD technology.
The cool thing about it is, since all three games consoles are now based on AMD architecture, there’s only a few gaming engines out there, so when you’re looking to do a port for the machines they have to be very tailored to our architecture.
All the major games and games engines are all going to be tied to our architecture, which is fantastic because they are going to run significantly better on AMD machines than anything else, whether that’s Nvidia or whoever.
We’re going to take that console dominance and take it into the cloud. Think of the console business as a new building block for diversifying and transforming AMD.
In the last quarter we believe about 20 per cent of our revenue came from the non-traditional (non-PC) space. And in the next few years that’s probably going be more like 50 per cent. So the AMD you used to know is probably not the same company anymore.
Is that because generally in the emphasis in tech has been moving away from traditional PCs?
It is – but still a 300 million-unit PC market is not a small one. But there’s always room for us to transform, change and grow.
This is not saying we’re going to abandon the classic PC space, but we are leveraging transitions within the market.
And your most recent financials were described as better than expected, what’s doing well at the moment?
We did beat guidance quite a bit, the numbers came in higher than even the top-rate predictions.
One of the biggest factors was computing space, up 12 per cent which is relatively big. And there was a share increase last quarter, so I know our friends at Intel probably aren’t going to be that happy. We achieved a relatively brutal step up in unit shipments.
You can see from a thrust into the mobility space, which is mainly notebooks and tablets, that we have the strongest and broadest portfolio. You can see my team pushing more aggressively into the mobility space, because that’s where a lot of the transformation is going to happen. We have strong guidance going forward – a 20 per cent revenue increase next quarter, in line with the Playstation 4 and Xbox One.
When you come to a company you want to see some leadership – because it’s very difficult to compete in this world if you’re a ‘me too’. Our ATi Radeon brand is the best on the planet. And we’re using this IP and dropping it into the processors as well.
For decades the CPU was seen as the dominating factor in how powerful a PC was. But these days it’s a combination of graphics as well as CPU horsepower. This is why we think the APU (accelerated processing unit) is the way forward.
The way you interact with a machine is just different to how it was five or ten years ago.

http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/read/...of-tech/031842

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here

PC gaming hardware sales to hit £3bn in Europe

September 9th, 2013, 21:08 Posted By: wraggster

The traditional PC market may be facing some of its toughest challenges yet, but the games industry can give it a much-needed shot in the arm.
Data from Jon Peddie Research (JPR) shows that PC gaming hardware sales in Western Europe are expected to rise over the next three years to almost £3.15 billion ($4.89 billion) in 2016.
Globally, JPR predicts that the gaming hardware market will increase to £12.2 billion ($18.94 billion) in 2014, £12.7 billion ($19.71 billion) in 2015 and £13.38 billion ($20.77 billion) in 2016.
“We have found Western Europe to be a very diverse and resilient market for gaming on the PC platform,” JPR game industry senior analyst Ted Pollak told PCR.
“The higher end ‘enthusiast’ and upper mid range ‘performance’ level equipment markets are quite strong as a result of the popularity of simulation gaming, as well as niche MMOs like EVE Online.
“Despite the upcoming release of next generation consoles [Xbox One and PS4], the effect of mobiles and tablets and a lukewarm economy, we are forecasting growth of around £119.23 million ($185 million) to almost £3.02 billion ($4.7 billion) of Western European PC gaming hardware purchases over the next year.”

http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/read/...-europe/031846

Join In and Discuss Here

Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here