Acer to showcase two new Windows 8 tablets at Computex 2013

June 1st, 2013, 23:17 Posted By: wraggster

Acer will unveil two new Windows 8 tablets at this year’s Computex show in Taipei.
There will be an 8-inch tablet called the W3 810 as well as an 11.6-inch Bulgari tablet, reports DigiTimes.
Taiwan-based supply chain sources told the publication that the Bulgari will adopt an Intel Haswell Core i3 processor and will comes with 64GB of storage.
The sources also revealed that Asus will unveil new 11-inch and 13-iinch Zenbooks with reinforced glass chassis.
Last month, PCR reported that both Acer and Asus were planning on releasing new chromebooks in the second haft of 2013, so we could be seeing these devices pop up at Computex as well.
Computex takes place in Taipei from June 4-8th.

http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/read/...ex-2013/031075

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Intel Haswell CPUs Debut, Put To the Test

June 1st, 2013, 23:26 Posted By: wraggster

Intel's Haswell architecture is finally available in the flagship Core i7-4770K and Core i7-4950HQ processors. This is a very volatile time for Intel. In an ARM-less vacuum, Intel's Haswell architecture would likely be the most amazing thing to happen to the tech industry in years. Haswell mobile processors are slated to bring about the single largest improvement in battery life in Intel history. In graphics, Haswell completely redefines the expectations for processor graphics. On the desktop however, Haswell is just a bit more efficient, but no longer much faster when going from one generation to another."Reader wesbascas puts some numbers on what "just a bit" means here: "Just as leaked copies of the chip have already shown, the i7-4770K only presents an incremental ~10% performance increase over the Ivy Bridge-based Core i7-3770K. Overclocking potential also remains in the same 4.3 GHz to 4.6 GHz ballpark."
http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/1...ut-to-the-test

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4K Computer Monitors Are Coming (But Still Pricey)

June 1st, 2013, 23:31 Posted By: wraggster

When TV makers started pushing 4K screens on unsuspecting public, that just recently upgraded to 1080p, many had doubted what value will they bring consumers. Fair thought — 1080p is, at screen sizes and viewing distances commonly found in homes, good enough. However, PC users such as me have looked at this development with great hope. TV screens must have something to do with market being littered with monitors having puny 1080p resolution. What if 4K TVs will push PC makers to offer 4K screens too, wouldn't that be great? Well, they are coming. ASUS has just announced one!"You could hook a computer up to one of the available 4K displays, but will generally be paying a lot more for the privilege; this one is "only" about $5,000, according to ExtremeTech.

http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/1...t-still-pricey

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Steam top ten sellers chart: May 26 - June 1

June 2nd, 2013, 21:22 Posted By: wraggster

A 90 per cent off discount has the Alan Wake franchise leaping back onto, and all the way to the top of, Steam’s top selling titles chart.
Wargame: Airland Battle debuted strong with a runner-up finish for the period, as Metro: Last Light finally relinquished the spot – though it remained on the list in the seven spot.
Several other new releases grace the list as well, including Crusader Kings II: The Old Gods in third, Rising Storm in fifth and GRID 2 in tenth.

1. Alan Wake Franchise
2. Wargame: Airland Battle
3. Crusader Kings II: The Old Gods
4. Chivalry: Medieval Warfare
5. Rising Storm
6. The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing
7. Metro: Last Light
8. Dust: An Elysian Tail
9. DmC Devil May Cry
10. GRID 2

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Microsoft promo: buy a Surface RT, get a free keyboard cover

June 2nd, 2013, 21:35 Posted By: wraggster

There's no question that the Surface RT comes into its own with a keyboard cover; we can't imagine using the tablet unadorned. Microsoft can't, either, as it's launching a promo that gives the covers away. Americans and Canadians who buy the Windows RT slate between now and the end of June can get either the Touch Cover or the Type Cover for free, no matter which color they fancy. Surface Pro customers are out of luck, but it's hard to dispute the value for prospective Surface RT owners -- the deal amounts to at least a $100 discount on the touch PC's real-world price.
Update: To be clear, this promo has been running in other countries; it's just now debuting in North America, however.

http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/...ctID.275275300

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Toki Tori 2+ hits Steam for PC on July 2

June 2nd, 2013, 21:50 Posted By: wraggster

Toki Tori 2+ will be released via Steam for Windows PC on July 2, developer Two Tribes has confirmed.
The '+' in the title is representative of new content that will be added to the PC version over the Wii U original.PC gamers will be treated to a new level editor letting you create your own levels, and Steam Workshop integration which will allow you to share your creations with other players.
New achievements and additional puzzles will also be added to the PC version.
Two Tribes has also made several gameplay tweaks. A guide mechanic in early levels will help prevent gamers getting stuck too early in the game.
Levels will also contain new gates to "make sure you can reach your intended destination more efficiently". Navigation will also be tweaked, with an improved world map, along with new stand-out landmarks which will "help the player to better understand its position on the world map".
A company rep has confirmed, "we'll update the Wii U version with the Steam version changes that make sense on the platform," including the level editor, which is "still planned for an update".

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...-pc-on-july-2/

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ScummVM 1.6.0 "+4 to engines"

June 2nd, 2013, 23:11 Posted By: wraggster

After 11 long months we are thrilled to announce the release of ScummVM 1.6.0.
It's not very often (if ever) that we add 4 new engines in a single release, but yes, these have been busy months for the team indeed.
Let's just list the new games 1.6.0 contains for you:

• 3 Skulls of the Toltecs
• Eye of the Beholder
• Eye of the Beholder II: The Legend of Darkmoon
• Hopkins FBI
• Tony Tough and the Night of Roasted Moths
• The Journeyman Project: Pegasus Prime

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OpenTTD 1.3.1

June 3rd, 2013, 00:05 Posted By: wraggster

via http://www.aep-emu.de/

The final version 1.3.1 of OpenTTD has been released.

Quote:
1.3.1 (2013-06-01)

• Fix: When overbuilding a reserved track with a non-track station tile, that tile would remain reserved and eventually trigger a crash upon removal [FS#5540] (r25251)

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RetroArch 0.9.9 final

June 3rd, 2013, 00:07 Posted By: wraggster

via http://www.aep-emu.de/

A new version of the multi-system emulators RetroArch (formerly known as SSNES) is released for Windows, XBOX, WII, PS3 and XBOX360.

SSNES is called RetroArch from now on, and ´libsnes´ is called ´libretro´ from now on.

Quote:

What is RetroArch?

RetroArch is a modular multi-system emulator system that is designed to be fast, lightweight, and portable. It has features few other emulators frontends have, such as real-time rewinding and game-aware shading.
What platforms does it support?

RetroArch sets the standard on cross-platform portability right now.

Linux (x86 and x86_64)
Windows (32bit/64bit)
Mac OSX (PPC/Intel)
Playstation 3 (PS3 SDK/PSL1GHT (WIP))
Xbox 1 (XDK)
Xbox 360 (XeXDK/Libxenon)
Wii
Raspberry Pi
OpenPandora

Why is it special?

Right now RetroArch is unique in that it runs the same emulator cores on multiple systems (such as Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, PC, etc).

For each emulator ´core´, RetroArch makes use of a library API that we like to call ´libretro´.

Think of libretro as an interface for emulator and game ports. You can make a libretro port once and expect the same code to run on all the platforms that RetroArch supports. It´s designed with simplicity and ease of use in mind so that the porter can worry about the port at hand instead of having to wrestle with an obfuscatory API.

The purpose of the project is to help ease the work of the emulator/game porter by giving him an API that allows him to target multiple platforms at once without having to redo any code. He doesn´t have to worry about writing input/video/audio drivers - all of that is supplied to him by RetroArch. All he has to do is to have the emulator port hook into the libretro API and that´s it - we take care of the rest.

Supported game / emu cores
bNES

Libretro port is: A Nintendo Entertainment System / Nintendo Famicom emulator.

Libretro author: Themaister

Original author(s): byuu

Compatible with: RetroArch PC

RetroConsole Level: TBD

Github: https://github.com/libretro/bnes-libretro
bSNES

Libretro port is: A Super Nintendo/Super Famicom emulator.

Libretro author: Themaister

Original author(s): byuu

Compatible with: RetroArch PC

RetroConsole Level: 3 (Performance/Compatibility), 4 (Accuracy)

Github: https://github.com/libretro/bsnes-libretro
Final Burn Alpha

Libretro port is: A multi-arcade system emulator.

Libretro author: Twinaphex, Themaister

Original author(s): Various

Compatible with: RetroArch PS3, RetroArch 360, RetroArch PC

RetroConsole Level: TBD

Github: https://github.com/libretro/fba-libretro
FCEUmm

Libretro port is: A Nintendo Entertainment System / Nintendo Famicom emulator.

Libretro author: Twinaphex, Themaister

Original author(s): Various

Compatible with: RetroArch PS3, RetroArch 360, RetroArch PC

RetroConsole Level: 0

Github: https://github.com/libretro/fceu-next
Gambatte

Libretro port is: A Game Boy/Game Boy Color emulator.

Libretro author: Themaister, Twinaphex

Original author(s): Sinamas

Compatible with: RetroArch PS3, RetroArch 360, RetroArch PC

RetroConsole Level: 0

Github: https://github.com/libretro/gambatte-libretro
Genesis Plus GX

Libretro port is: A Sega Genesis/Mega Drive, Master System, Game Gear, SG-1000 emulator.

Libretro author: Twinaphex, Themaister

Original author(s): Charles McDonald, Ekeeke

Compatible with: RetroArch PS3, RetroArch 360, RetroArch PC

RetroConsole Level: 1

Github: https://github.com/libretro/genesis-next.git
iMAME4All

Libretro port is: A multi-arcade system emulator.

Libretro author: ToadKing

Original author(s): Nicola Salmoria, Various

Compatible with: RetroArch PC, RetroArch PS3, RetroArch Pi

RetroConsole Level: 0

Github: https://github.com/libretro/imame4all-libretro
Mednafen PSX

Libretro port is: A Sony PlayStation emulator.

Libretro author: Themaister

Original author(s): Ryphecha (Mednafen)

Compatible with: RetroArch PC

RetroConsole Level: 4

Github: https://github.com/libretro/mednafen-psx-libretro
Meteor

Libretro port is: A Game Boy Advance emulator.

Libretro author: Themaister

Original author(s): Philippe Daouadi.

Compatible with: RetroArch PC

RetroConsole Level: TBD

Github: https://github.com/libretro/meteor-libretro
NXEngine

Libretro port is: A Cave Story/Doukutsu Monogatari engine.

Libretro author: Twinaphex, Themaister

Original author(s): Pixel, rogueeve

Compatible with: RetroArch PC

RetroConsole Level: TBD

Github: https://github.com/libretro/nxengine-libretro
Prboom

Libretro port is: A Doom engine.

Libretro author: Twinaphex, Themaister

Original author(s): id Software, Various

Compatible with: RetroArch PS3, RetroArch 360, RetroArch PC

RetroConsole Level: 0

Github: https://github.com/libretro/libretro-prboom
SNES9x Next

Libretro port is: A Super Nintendo/Super Famicom emulator.

Libretro author: Twinaphex, Themaister

Original author(s): Various

Compatible with: RetroArch PS3, RetroArch 360, RetroArch PC

RetroConsole Level: 1

Github: https://github.com/libretro/snes9x-next
VBA Next

Libretro port is: A Game Boy Advance emulator.

Libretro author: Twinaphex, Themaister

Original author(s): Forgotten, VBA-M Team.

Compatible with: RetroArch PS3, RetroArch 360, RetroArch PC

RetroConsole Level: 2

Github: https://github.com/libretro/vba-next

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Foxconn and Mozilla announce 5 new devices, including a tablet

June 3rd, 2013, 21:26 Posted By: wraggster

At a press conference today at Computex 2013, the two firms unveiled a new tablet prototype designed for an unnamed OEM.
Li Gong, CEO of Mozilla Taiwan, and Young Liu, general manager of Foxconn revealed at the press conference that the two firms will be working on at least five devices, and these would not be limited to smartphones and tablets.
Liu stressed that Foxconn was in prime position to extend Mozilla’s OS into television screens.
Both parties were keen to point out that Foxconn would remain a manufacturer and not a brand, with the purpose of the collaboration being to optimally integrate Mozilla’s OS with hardware.
There were no specs or price points revealed for the tablet prototype, but Li did state that Mozilla believed its HTML5 OS would help position itself in both developed markets and emerging ones.

http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/read/...-tablet/031087

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World of Warcraft movie to begin filming next year, slated for 2015 release

June 3rd, 2013, 21:27 Posted By: wraggster

Despite initial concerns, the World of Warcraft movie is set to begin filming at the beginning of next year.
Talking to Slashfilm, producer Charles Roven confirmed that production of the long-awaited film is currently in the planning stage, whilst principle photography is gearing up to begin next year.
"First quarter 2014 we’re going to shoot that movie. We’re moving forward; obviously [studio Legendary Entertainment] is making that film and I’m having a great time with Duncan,” revealed Roven.
Whilst Duncan Jones is set to direct the adaptation of the long-running MMORPG franchise, Roven's work on the film follows his involvement with both the Dark Knight trilogy and this year's upcoming release, Man of Steel.
Concerns over whether the film would ever see the light of day arose following initial director, Sam Raimi's decision to leave the project. The Spider-Man director opted to cease his involvement with the project, citing "mismanagement" on behalf of World of Warcaft's publisher, Blizzard Entertainment.
News that the project looks to be moving forward will be music to the ears of fans of the franchise, who have endured a four year wait for the adaptation since its initial announcement back in 2009.

http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/read/...release/031085

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Path of Exile update adds two new “leagues”

June 3rd, 2013, 21:58 Posted By: wraggster

Developers Grinding Gear Games will be adding two new difficulty settings, or “leagues,” to its action-RPG Path of Exile. The Anarchy and Onslaught leagues will be made available for four months, in addition to the already existing Normal and Hardcore modes.Anarchy features corrupted NPCs that share all the same abilities and items that player-controlled characters have access to. As players walk around the world, the new foes will attack them with many of the same skills they’ve come to use themselves. Once killed, the enemy exiles will drop high-quality gear.Onslaught is essentially a more difficult Hardcore mode, with more powerful creatures and permanent death. It does not include the enemy exiles from Anarchy.Both modes feature a new set of gear that is not available in Normal or Hardcore modes, but can be transferred over once the two leagues’ time is up.Along with the pair of new leagues, there will also be a slew of new items added, a “substantial” reworking of the game’s balance, and a free respec for all characters to respond to those tweaks.Read the full list of changes on the official Path of Exile forum.

http://www.edge-online.com/news/path...o-new-leagues/

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Windows 8.1 to feature internet tethering

June 3rd, 2013, 23:02 Posted By: wraggster

Despite our novel-length preview of Windows 8.1's new features, Microsoft continues to trickle out details about the updated OS as we get closer to Build 2013 later this month. This is turning out to be a hefty improvement over the love-or-hate Win8 that launched last fall, and the company appears to have plenty more tricks up its sleeve before all is said and done. This morning, Microsoft announced that 8.1 will offer native support for Miracast wireless displays, as well as internet sharing capability, NFC tap-to-pair printing, WiFi Direct print, improved IT controls and other enhancements to the platform's security and management. All told, the new features are a little more behind-the-scenes than, say, the new Start button, but it's a clear indication that we'll likely have quite a few more surprises coming our way between now and the update's official release. The source link has the laundry list of various improvements, so head there if you're looking for more info.

http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/03/w...-8-1-features/

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ARM unveils Cortex-A12 CPU and Mali-T622 GPU

June 3rd, 2013, 23:12 Posted By: wraggster

Few trend-spotters would disagree with the following prediction from ARM, but it's worth laying it out anyway: Of the 300 million mobile devices sold in 2010, the majority cost over $400. Within the next two years, however, these "crazy money" products (as a spokesperson described them) may represent just 25 percent of the total mobile market -- still huge in absolute terms, since almost two billion phones and tablets are forecast to be sold in 2015, but a distinct minority relative to entry-level and mid-range options.
In an effort to convert these expectations into an even taller heap of gold, ARM has just announced a new mid-range core, the Cortex-A12, which is designed to replace the aging Cortex-A9 while offering a 40 percent boost in performance. This gain will likely come with the added advantage of better battery life, since the Cortex-A12 will initially be fabricated at 28nm instead of 40nm, and will be offered to manufacturers alongside a new Mali GPU (the Mali-T622) and video engine (Mali-V500) that promise further power savings of their own. The Cortex-A12 will also support big.LITTLE configurations, allowing it to be installed alongside Cortex-A7 cores that will take over for low-effort tasks in order make further power savings. Big.LITTLE hasn't really blown us away so far, at least not on the Octa-core Galaxy S 4, but its wrinkles may well have been ironed out by mid 2014, which is when the Cortex-A12 is due to land. Check out the PR for more technical details on each component.

http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/02/a...a12-mali-t622/

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Star Wars: The Old Republic - Two-part 'Operation Nightmare' update detailed

June 4th, 2013, 01:16 Posted By: wraggster

BioWare has detailed plans to release its next Star Wars: The Old Republic update, titled 'Operation Nightmare', in two parts.

The first part of the update, version 2.2 - 'Terror from Beyond' - will contain new guild bonuses, and Underworld crafting gear.The second drop will be version 2.2.2 titled 'Scum and Villainy', which will combine with aforementioned update to introduce "a total of twelve nightmarishly challenging bosses at Level 55", says the developer.
The game's original level 50 cap is risen to level 55 as part of the game's first major update, Rise of the Hutt Cartel, which was released in April.
More details on each update and the range of content they will add is over on the official SWTOR blog.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...date-detailed/

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Stone Group launches Windows 8 All in One desktop

June 5th, 2013, 00:15 Posted By: wraggster

UK-based ICT services provider Stone Group has announced its new Stone All in One touch-enabled desktop.
The new Stone All in One is a Windows 8 device with bespoke custom builds and configurations.
Stone is an IT service provider specifically for the public sector and believes a device like this is beneficial to learning and working environments.
“As a manufacturer of quality PCs for over 21 years we maintain a proud tradition of providing cutting edge design as well as ever evolving services specifically for the public sector,” commented Simon Harbridge, CEO at Stone Group.
“The new Stone All in One is an exciting addition to our desktop range as it is fully customisable so can be designed to fit an exact specification. For example, users have the option of a touch enabled screen to enhance the interactive experience which negates the need for a keyboard and mouse, which is a great space saving feature.”
The Stone All in One specifications include up to 3rd Gen Intel Core i5 featuring Intel HD Graphics, 16GB of DDR3 memory, HD Mega pixel webcam, and optional DVD Super-Multi Double Layer or Blu-ray ODD support.

http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/read/...desktop/031101

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'The desktop market is far from dead,' says Dell

June 5th, 2013, 00:17 Posted By: wraggster

Computer manufacturer Dell might be struggling as the desktop market declines, but it still sees some opportunity in the sector.
“The desktop market is far from dead,” said Sarah Shields, executive director and general manager, Dell UK, talking to PCR. “At Dell, we’re seeing continued interest from consumers for desktops in the UK.”
Gaming is still a key sector: “One of the biggest areas of demand are for higher end, power intensive desktops capable of content creation and extreme gaming. Our Alienware desktops are performing exceptionally well as they deliver the graphics and processing power gamers are looking for.”
Nevertheless, Dell understands the market is evolving. Shields noted: “All-in-ones continue to be a sought-after solution – they are space saving, have a streamlined design, and with touchscreen options, offer the optimum way to experience Windows 8.”
You can read an extended analysis of the desktop market in The Desktop Dilemma, with opinion from AMD, Westcoast and VIP alongside Dell.

http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/read/...ys-dell/031100

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Google Security Expert Finds, Publicly Discloses Windows Kernel Bug

June 5th, 2013, 00:28 Posted By: wraggster

Security expert Tavis Ormandy has discovered a vulnerability in the Windows kernel which, when exploited, would allow an ordinary user to obtain administrative privileges of the system. Google's security pro posted the details of the vulnerability back in May through the Full Disclosure mailing list rather than reporting it to Microsoft first. He has now gone ahead and published a working exploit. This is not the first instance where Ormandy has opted for full disclosurewithout first informing the vendor of the affected software.

http://tech.slashdot.org/story/13/06...ows-kernel-bug

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Can Microsoft Survive If Windows Doesn't Dominate?

June 5th, 2013, 00:29 Posted By: wraggster

"In his latest Asymco blog post, analyst Horace Dediu suggested that Windows' share of the personal-computing market is declining at a faster rate than many believe, once Microsoft's cash cow is put in direct competition with Android, iOS, and other platforms built for tablets. In that context, Windows' share of the personal-computing market has dipped past 60 percent on its way to 50 percent. The big question is whether it'll keep plunging. 'If Windows tablets start growing as fast as the tablet market overall then Windows could stabilize in share,' Dediu wrote. 'But if Android and iOS tablets follow their phone brethren in growth then it will be far harder for Microsoft to maintain share.' Yet despite that gloomy scenario, Dediu doesn't necessarily see a market-share dip as a cause for concern on Microsoft's part: 'Even if Windows dips to only 20 [percent] of the world's computing market it will still be perfectly 'viable' for some time to come,' he wrote. But even if Windows can perpetuate, will its decline fatally undermine Microsoft as a company? All that Windows (and Office) money also allows Microsoft to launch projects that lose money for years before they gain traction. Without that monetary base, for example, it's possible that the Xbox (which bled money for the first few years of its existence) wouldn't have survived long enough to become a viable platform from a financial perspective—much less the center of Microsoft's future plans for living room domination."

http://tech.slashdot.org/story/13/06...oesnt-dominate

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A Serious Proposal To Fix Windows 8

June 5th, 2013, 00:33 Posted By: wraggster

Windows 8 is simply not selling, and everyone but Microsoft knows it's a mess of an OS. And the Windows 8.1 'Blue'that Microsoft revealed some details of late last week doesn't address the fundamental flaws. So a team at InfoWorld worked up a serious proposal to rework Windows 8 for both PCs and tablets that fixes those flaws and lets Microsoft's true innovations break free of today's Windows 8, complete with mockups of the proposed Windows 'Red.'

http://tech.slashdot.org/story/13/06...-fix-windows-8

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Company of Heroes 2 open beta has launched

June 5th, 2013, 00:46 Posted By: wraggster

Relic Entertainment has launched an open beta for its upcoming war RTS Company of Heroes 2 on Steam. It will last from today until June 18.The beta is free for all, and features six maps that can be played in either co-op or competitive multiplayer modes. The beta will feature the first 45 levels of character progression.If players participate in the beta and purchase the full game within 60 days of release, their progress will carry over.

http://www.edge-online.com/news/comp...-has-launched/

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Wargaming announces strategic withdrawal from 'pay-to-win'

June 5th, 2013, 01:04 Posted By: wraggster

World of Tanks developer Wargaming has launched a new free-to-play strategy called “free-to-win”.
The idea is that games such as World of Tanks – and its other upcoming titles – will not allow gamers to pay for an in-game advantage. Revenue will instead be generated from the sale of “non-advantageous content” such as premium vehicles and personalisation options.
The endgame here is to elevate the publisher’s titles in the lucrative world of eSports.
“The player community is very sensitive to changes, especially when they concern a monetisation system,” Wargaming’s VP of publishing Andrei Yarantsau toldGamasutra. “That's why we fully focus test any changes we plan to make and introduce only those new features that receive positive feedback.
“Free-to-play games have the challenge of being sometimes viewed as low quality, and we want World of Tanks to serve as proof that a quality and balanced free-to-play game is possible. However, breaking down deeply-rooted stereotypes is no easy task.
“This isn't just about the game economics of World of Tanks, either. We aim to completely overhaul the free-to-play concept that exists as a whole in the gaming community by getting rid of the idea of ‘pay-to-win’, ultimately helping lead what we consider the roll-out of ‘version 2.0’ of free-to-play gaming.”
The company believes that this fairer treatment of players will in turn bring about an increase in profits
“The classic free-to-play model, particularly in regards to pay-to-win elements, follows one simple tenet – the more you pay, the greater your advantage over other players,” Yarantsau added. “It results in huge payments from a small number of users (the so-called ‘whales’) and increases a game's average ARPU [average revenue per user] and ARPPU [average revenue per paying user] numbers.
“Top-payers end up never losing, while those who pay less or don't pay grow dissatisfied with the game. Eventually, many leave entirely and the overall player base shrinks.”

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/warga...to-win/0116539

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Razer puts 14-inch Blade up for pre-order

June 5th, 2013, 01:34 Posted By: wraggster

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ASUS ROG reveals 'the ultimate gaming machine', the Poseidon Formula One

June 5th, 2013, 01:37 Posted By: wraggster

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DuckTales Remastered confirmed for PC release

June 5th, 2013, 01:45 Posted By: wraggster

The modern-day remake of NES classic DuckTales is now also officially coming to PC.

Having only previously been outed for Xbox Live Arcade, PS3 and Wii U, Capcom announced DuckTales Remastered for PC today, confirming its release via Steam, Origin, Green Man Gaming and other PC digital outlets.DuckTales Remastered is in development at WayForward (Mighty Switch Force, Shantae, A Boy And His Blob) and released as a digital download in 'Summer'.
Capcom says the PC version "should launch within or around same window as the Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii U versions," and will be comparatively priced at $14.99.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...or-pc-release/

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HP extends its portfolio with new Chromebook

June 5th, 2013, 22:39 Posted By: wraggster

HP has unveiled its first ever Chromebook, the HP Pavilion 14.
Providing a gateway to popular Google products such as Search, Gmail, YouTube, Google Drive and Google+ Hangouts, the new device features a 14-inch screen with HP BrightView – in fact, the display is 35 per cent larger than most Chromebooks available on the market today.
Widening the company’s extensive PC portfolio, the new Chromebook is powered by an Intel Celeron processor and Intel high-definition graphics. The HP Pavilion 14 includes a 16GB SSD and has a built-in Trusted Platform Module to protect against unauthorised access to sensitive data.
Weighing just under four pounds, the device has a full array of ports, including HDMI, three USB 2.0 and Ethernet jack. It also has a combination headphone and microphone jack.
With 100GB of free storage on Google Drive for two years, customers can access their content from any internet-connected device.
The HP Pavilion 14 Chromebook has a starting price of £249 and is available in the UK now.

http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/read/...omebook/031115

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Outlook making its way to Windows RT tablets

June 5th, 2013, 22:44 Posted By: wraggster

Microsoft's widely used email suite Outlook is finally coming to Windows RT devices.
Announcing the move yesterday at the Computex show in Taiwan, Microsoft revealed that it would be porting the popular email program over to RT devices as part of the Windows 8.1 update, which is due later this year.
The initial omission of Outlook from Windows RT was puzzling, considering other Office applications from the productivity suite, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote were included.
"We're always listening to our customers and one piece of feedback was that people want the power of Outlook on all their Windows PCs and tablets," said Chris Schneider, senior marketing manager, on Microsoft's Office blog.
As expected, the RT edition of Outlook will lose a handful of the features present within the full version of the software. Amongst these are Visual Basic Tools, which allows users to write and run macros, whilst Outlook RT will also lose the program's data loss prevention capabilities and Group Policy Objects.
Schneider went on to highlight that Outlook RT is built for touch-devices, emphasising the program's "streamlined user experience that reduces clutter,"
Users of Windows RT devices will also be happy to hear that Microsoft won't charge further for Office following its release later this year.

http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/read/...tablets/031105

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Mozilla Plans Major Design Overhaul With Firefox 25 Release In October

June 5th, 2013, 22:53 Posted By: wraggster

Mozilla is planning a major design overhaul of its flagship browser with the release of Firefox 25, slated to arrive in October. The company makes a point to discuss its plans for changes openly, and this upcoming new version is by no means an exception. In fact, even though Firefox 22 is in the Beta channel, Firefox 23 is in the Aurora channel, and Firefox 24 is in the Nightly channel, Mozilla has set up a special Nightly UX channel for Firefox 25. Grab it here."

http://news.slashdot.org/story/13/06...ase-in-october

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AMD Launches New Richland APUs For the Desktop, Speeds Up To 4.4GHz

June 5th, 2013, 22:55 Posted By: wraggster

AMD recently unveiled a handful of mobile Elite A-Series APUs, formerly codenamed Richland. Those products built upon the company's existing Trinity-based products but offered additional power and frequency optimizations designed to enhance overall performance and increase battery life. Today AMD is launching a handful of new Richland APUs for desktops and small form factor PCs. The additional power and thermal headroom afforded by desktop form factors has allowed AMD to crank things up a few notches further on both the CPU and GPU sides. The highest-end parts feature quad-CPU cores with 384 Radeon cores and 4MB of total cache. The top end APUs have GPU cores clocked at 844MHz (a 44MHz increase over Trinity) with CPU core boost clocks that top out at lofty 4.4GHz. In addition, AMD's top-end part, the A10-6800K, has been validated for use with DDR3-2133MHz memory. The rest of the APUs max out at with a 1866MHz DDR memory interface."As with the last few APUs, the conclusion is that the new A10 chips beat Intel's Haswell graphics solidly, but lag a bit in CPU performance and power consumption.

http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/1...ds-up-to-44ghz

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Spelunky is coming back to PC

June 5th, 2013, 22:58 Posted By: wraggster

The XBLA version of Spelunky will be coming to PC, developer Mossmouth announced today.Spelunky was originally released as a free game in 2009 with pixelated graphics and a small amount of levels. Last year, an updated version was released for XBLA, with cartoon-style graphics and a slew of new items, levels, and characters.Mossmouth has previously stated that Spelunky will be coming to the PlayStation 3 and the Vita.Read our review of Spelunky right here.

http://www.edge-online.com/news/spel...ng-back-to-pc/

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AMD says it's open to developing chips for Android and Chrome OS

June 6th, 2013, 00:25 Posted By: wraggster

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Microsoft previews Windows 8.1 on camera, forgets the Start button

June 6th, 2013, 00:30 Posted By: wraggster

http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/05/m...preview-video/

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Lenovo's IdeaPad Y510p high-perf laptop: Haswell Core i7, NVIDIA 750M, $989

June 6th, 2013, 00:32 Posted By: wraggster

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Castlevania: Lords of Shadow: Ultimate Edition coming to PC

June 6th, 2013, 00:57 Posted By: wraggster

Konami is to release Castlevania: Lords of Shadow on PC in the form of an Ultimate Edition set to be available both at retail and digitally.

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Acer offers up Star Trek-themed Aspire R7

June 6th, 2013, 23:48 Posted By: wraggster

Acer has launched a Star Trek-themed Aspire R7. What would Kirk think?
The firm has partnered with Paramount for the promotion, which is purely on a limited edition basis for the moment.
The key to its Star Trekky glory is an engraved stainless steel Star Trek logo, plus Star Trek logo sleeve. It is not yet confirmed as to whether it has any warp capabilities.
Its flexible design means its easy for users to reposition the touchscreen - even to make it somewhat Enterprise-shaped.
Only 25 Star Trek Aspire R7's have been produced, with one on eBay, with an auction that will run from June 14th-24th. Proceeds will go to charities Save the Children and A Mission Continues.

http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/read/...pire-r7/031125

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Sony VAIO Pro 11 and 13: The world's lightest touchscreen ultrabooks

June 6th, 2013, 23:49 Posted By: wraggster

Sony has unveiled its latest touchscreen ultrabooks, the VAIO Pro 11 and 13, which are both lighter than the MacBook Air.
The firm claims the new Pro models are the world’s lightest, with the 11.6-inch device weighing 870g and the 13.3-inch model weighing 1.06kg. Apple’s lightest MacBook Air comes in at 1.08kg.
With both Pro models measuring just 0.68-inches thick, the Windows 8 devices have a distinctive Hexa-shell design which is intended to provide additional durability.
The Pro 13 has up to 8 hours battery life, while the Pro 11 manages 11 hours. There’s also an optional sheet battery available that increased the Pro 13’s battery life to 18 hours the and Pro 11’s to an impressive 25 hours.
Other features include up to 512GB of SSD storage, 8GB DDR3 1600MHz SDRAM, Windows 8 or Windows 8 Pro, and Intel Core i7-4500U processor with Intel Turbo Boost Technology.

http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/read/...rabooks/031126

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Microsoft shows off Windows 8.1 in new video, Start button reappears

June 6th, 2013, 23:50 Posted By: wraggster

For those of you wanting to see what changes are set to be introduced with Windows 8.1, Microsoft has released a video to show off what's in store for the operating system.
In the video, Microsoft shows off a variety of UI changes set to be introduced within the first update to Windows 8, narrated by Jensen Harris of the Windows User Experience Team.
Amongst these changes are flexible divisions between applications in the side-by-side multitasking view, more extensive customisation features, improved All Apps view and increased multi-tasking.
One of the most reworked features within Windows 8.1 is the OS' search feature, which have undergone a host of changes, all of which are demonstrated within the video.
Microsoft is set to ship a preview release of Windows 8.1 on June 26th, with a rollout of the final build of the update to follow via Windows Update.
However, users who opt to install the initial preview of Windows 8.1 may encounter a variety of issues, as they won't be prompted to update to the final model on its release. As a result, they won't be able to preserve their data, accounts or applications.
Meanwhile, those users who skip the preview will have access to the final Windows 8.1 build upon its arrival and won't face any of these installation issues.

http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/read/...appears/031122

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Sony Touts 25 Hour Battery Life For Haswell-Equipped Vaio Pro

June 7th, 2013, 00:13 Posted By: wraggster

Sony claims that both the new 11.6-inch and 13.3-inch models of its Haswell-equipped Vaio Pro ultrabooks are the world's lightest. The 11.6-inch model weighs in at 1.9lb (0.87k , where as the 13.3-incher is a little heavier at just 2.33lb (1.06kg). But it's the battery life on offer here that really makes the new Pros stand out. The 11.6-inch Vaio Pro offers 11 hours of battery life as standard, while the 13.3-inch achieves 8 hours. However, Sony is also offering a sheet battery you can connect to the base of the ultrabooks. On the 13.3-inch Pro that increases battery life to 18 hours, but on the 11.6-inch you get a true day-long amount of juice with 25 hours of battery life claimed."

http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/1...ipped-vaio-pro

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Steam free-play weekend: Civilization 5, Saints Row: The Third

June 7th, 2013, 14:10 Posted By: wraggster

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DCeric's Game Preview: MK Force

June 7th, 2013, 23:24 Posted By: Eric



In this Game Preview I show you MK Force for Windows PC created by Deathmofumofu.


You can download the game for free at the link below:
http://www.deathmofumofu.sakura.ne.jp

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FreeBSD 8.4 Released

June 8th, 2013, 00:15 Posted By: wraggster

"The FreeBSD project has released version 8.4 of the free operating system with the same name. Highlights of this version include GNOME 2.32.1, KDE 4.10.1. In this release, focus has been put on improving stability and storage capability. The ZFS filesystem has been updated to support feature flags for ZFS pools, asynchronous destruction of ZFS datasets, LZ4 compression and ZIO NOP-write optimization. Also, support has been added for all shipping LSI storage controllers."

http://bsd.slashdot.org/story/13/06/...sd-84-released

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Linus Torvalds Promises Profanity Over Linux 3.10-rc5

June 9th, 2013, 22:58 Posted By: wraggster

Linus Torvalds has released Linux 3.10-rc5, and he is certainly not happy with the changes merged last week. Rc5 is bigger than rc4 and has code scattered across its entire code base because it addresses many outstanding problems. In the release announcement, Torvalds noted, 'I wish I could say that things are calming down, but I'd be lying. rc5 is noticeably bigger than rc4, both in number of commits and in files changed (although rc4 actually had more lines changed, so there's that).' Torvalds has warned that he is going to start cursing again, and said, 'I'm going to call you guys out on, and try to come up with new ways to insult you, your mother, and your deceased pet hamster.'"

http://linux.slashdot.org/story/13/0...-linux-310-rc5

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Tianhe-2 may easily crush supercomputer speed record at 30.7 petaflops

June 9th, 2013, 23:07 Posted By: wraggster

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Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance hitting PC 'soon

June 9th, 2013, 23:20 Posted By: wraggster

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance is to be released on PC "soon".
There's no official release date, but the title will launch as a digital download and run at 60fps "on most modern PCs".Revengeance released on Xbox 360 and PS3 in February. Kojima Productions initially worked on the project, but progress didn't meet the standards set by Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima.
In 2011, the title was offered to Platinum Games. The Osaka based indie studio, having gained a reputation for its work on Bayonetta andVanquish, decided to redesign the game and revamp its engine.
In our Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance review, we described the game as "an ultra-slick, suitably epic entry into the Metal Gear mythology, marred by annoying, fixable problems".
In April and May, Konami released campaign-based Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance DLC.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...tting-pc-soon/

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Lords of the Fallen is a "challenging" PC and next-gen consoles action RPG

June 9th, 2013, 23:25 Posted By: wraggster

CI Games has formally announced Lords of the Fallen in a press release. There's little new information about the game besides a new piece of art and some story blurb. It will be at E3."Set in a richly created fantasy world where the Gods have failed mankind, players will take on the role of a human named Harkyn who sets out on a quest to stand against an apparently unstoppable supernatural force. Players travel across a world that is deeply dived by those that follow and others that resist the Fallen God. Along their journey they will be faced with a series of decisions that will alter both the world and their character thus dramatically impacting the storyline."

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...les-action-rpg

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Guncraft digs up a July 11 release date

June 9th, 2013, 23:36 Posted By: wraggster

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Negative PC growth expected to hit -10 per cent in 2013

June 10th, 2013, 22:28 Posted By: wraggster

Citi Research has amended its forecast for negative PC growth, voicing growing concerns over the state of the PC market.
Whilst previously predicting year-to-year growth of the PC industry to sit at minus four per cent, Citi has since forecast this decline to sink further, down to minus ten per cent.
148 million desktops were shipped in 2012, but the firm predicts that figure to fall to just 137 million in 2013. Meanwhile, laptops fared worse as 179 million devices are expected to ship this year – a sharp decline from the 201 shipped last year.
The analyst made the forecast, emphasising the damage caused by a "softening in PC end-demand" and "muted benefit from Haswell and Windows Blue".
Even the recent Computex show failed to lift Citi's spirits, as the firm downplayed the value of products unveiled at the show.
"We do not see any meaningful catalysts near-term supported by our product and company meetings at Computex in Taiwan last week which revealed a focus on convertible & higher-end Ultrabooks running Haswell, which addresses the smaller premium notebook market. We also believe investors will be disappointed when they learn that low-priced touch-capable notebooks (sub-$600) will not be available to consumers until 4Q13," read the report by Citi Research.
As expected, Citi moved to address the expected growth for tablets, all be it at the expense of traditional desktop PCs.
The analyst forecast tablet shipments to continue to grow in 2013, up to 237 million for the year – a significant jump on the 144 million shipped in 2012.

http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/read/...in-2013/031149

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Glasgow City Council fined £150,000 over laptop loss

June 10th, 2013, 22:31 Posted By: wraggster

The Information Commissioner's Office has slapped Glasgow City Council with a £150,000 after the loss of two unencrypted laptops.
In addition, the ICO found that a further 74 unencrypted devices were missing, with six of these believed to have been stolen.
One of the devices is understood to have contained personal information of over 20,000 people, including bank details of 6,069 of these individuals.
The fine is the latest for Glasgow City Council, which was served an enforcement notice three years ago following the loss of a memory stick, which also contained personal data of individuals.
It is claimed that the council employees who used the devices had requested them to be encrypted, however, this had not been the case.
Following the ban, the council stressed it had enforced immediate changes in order to ensure that similar incidents would not happen in the future.
Stephen Midgely, Absolute Software's global VP of marketing, stressed the dangers of data loss and the need for security.
“We live in an increasingly mobile age, where large amounts of sensitive data are stored on digital devices. The fact that these laptops were unencrypted is simply unacceptable.
"When sensitive data is stolen, it is vital to have the means to take control over the loss as quickly as possible. This means being able to track and lock the devices, ensuring that the criminals are not able to access the data. Businesses and government bodies need to take responsibility and invest in the appropriate security measures," continued Midgely.

http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/read/...op-loss/031145

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EA: See the latest Battlefield 4 gameplay footage

June 10th, 2013, 23:03 Posted By: wraggster



EA has released the latest gameplay footage for Battlefield 4.
Whereas MCV earlier reported that the demo was being run on Xbox One, it now appears that it's actually PC footage – as given away by the button prompts. Either way, it's very impressive.
Presumably it's all being powered by the AMD Radeon HD 7990 which was the driving force behind the game's first ever gameplay trailer.

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/ea-se...ootage/0116926

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Acer Iconia W3 up for pre-order at Office Depot, Staples starting at $350

June 11th, 2013, 00:29 Posted By: wraggster

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E3: Mad Catz unveils four new headsets and S.T.R.I.K.E 3 gaming keyboard

June 11th, 2013, 23:50 Posted By: wraggster

Mad Catz has announced a line-up of new gaming peripherals at E3 2013.
The TRITTON Kunai Universal is compatible with most popular consoles, Windows PC, and Mac, as well as smart phones and smart devices.
"The TRITTON Kunai range has proven popular thanks to its balance of performance, value and aesthetics and today's announcement will allow us to reach passionate gamers on virtually any platform," said Darren Richardson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Mad Catz Interactive.
For those looking for headsets specifically for gaming, Mad Catz announced a gaming version of the TRITTON Kunai as well as its F.R.E.Q 4D.
Part of the Company's GameSmart range, the F.R.E.Q. 4D is the first Mad Catz headset to feature ViviTouch 4D Sound. Designed to add a new dimension of sound perception to the gaming experience, ViviTouch 4D Sound combines muscular bass with sensory feedback, producing an actual physical sensation to the gaming audio.
As if that wasn’t enough to choose from in the headset department, there was also a TRITTON PRO+ True 5.1 Surround Sound headset on show, which features eight separate speakers.
Mad Catz is looking to complete your array of gaming peripherals with its S.T.R.I.K.E 3 professional gaming keyboard, which features 12 macro keys and 36 programmable commands.
The S.T.R.I.K.E. 3 features a full RGB backlit key-bed, capable of displaying up to sixteen million customisable colours, full media controls and a removable wrist-rest.

http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/read/...eyboard/031160

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AMD Making a 5 GHz 8-Core Processor At 220 Watts

June 12th, 2013, 00:04 Posted By: wraggster

It looks like the rumors were true; AMD is going to be selling an FX-9590 processor this month that will hit frequencies as high as 5 GHz. Though originally thought to be an 8-module/16-core part, it turns out that the new CPU will have the same 4-module/8-core design that is found on the current lineup of FX-series processors including the FX-8350. But, with an increase of the maximum Turbo Core speed from 4.2 GHz to 5.0 GHz, the new parts will draw quite a bit more power. You can expect the the FX-9590 to need 220 watts or so to run at those speeds and a pretty hefty cooling solution as well. Performance should closely match the recently released Intel Core i7-4770K Haswell processor so AMD users that can handle the 2.5x increase in power consumption can finally claim performance parity.

http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/1...r-at-220-watts

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XP's End Will Do More For PC Sales Than Win 8, Says HP Exec

June 12th, 2013, 00:05 Posted By: wraggster

Hewlett-Packard executives say that the coming demise of Windows XP next year may do what Windows 8 could not, and that's boost PC sales significantly. 'We think this will bring a big opportunity for HP,' said Enrique Lore, senior vice president and general manager of HP's business PCs. Lore was asked, in a later interview, whether the demand for XP replacement systems could help sales more than Windows 8. His response was unequivocal: 'Yes, significantly more, especially on the commercial side,' he said. Lore said 40% to 50% of business users remain on XP systems.

http://tech.slashdot.org/story/13/06...8-says-hp-exec

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Panasonic's AX3 is a foldable Windows 8 Ultrabook that can also take some abuse

June 12th, 2013, 01:18 Posted By: wraggster


Plan on doing some yoga while in a hostile country? Panasonic's got you covered with its 11.6-inch AX3 Ultrabook. The device's 1080p screen folds over, similar to the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga, along with Dell's officially unofficial XPS 11. Under the hood, it runs an Intel 1.8GHz Haswell chip, 4GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD, all in a package that weighs in at just 1.14kg (2.5 pounds) and promises to deliver 13 hours of battery life. In the grand tradition of Panasonic's ToughBook devices, the AX3 can survive a 2.5-foot drop if it slips off your desk, and it can also withstand 100 kilos of weight should you feel the urge to stand on top of your computer. There's no pricing or availability information to share at the moment, though we hope to get a hands-on at IFA later this summer.

http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/11/panasonic-ax3/

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AMD wins race to 5GHz CPU clock speed, in which it was the sole participant

June 12th, 2013, 01:19 Posted By: wraggster

AMD has refreshed its lineup of eight-core FX chips in what sounds like some straightforward overclocking of last year's products. The FX-9590 claims a clock speed of 5GHz in turbo mode, making it the "world's first commercially available 5GHz CPU processor," while the FX-9370 lags slightly behind at 4.7GHz, as compared to the 4.2GHz top speed of the current FX-8350. Both new CPUs are based on the familiar Piledriver core, which has a reputation for being relatively cheap and easily overclockable (honestly, the 5GHz barrier was obliterated long ago), but far behind an Intel Core i5 in terms of all-around computing. This is especially true since the launch of Haswell, which largely avoided clock speed increases in favor of architectural tweaks that didn't compromise efficiency. Maingear plans to pick up the 5GHz part for use in a gaming system coming this summer, but there's no word yet on pricing or even general availability for DIY upgraders. Now, we're just speculating, but with AMD increasingly focused on APUs, it's possible that today's chips will represent the FX's lap of glory.

http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/11/amd-5gz-fx-chips/

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Yarvik introduces the Junior Tablet

June 12th, 2013, 21:04 Posted By: wraggster

Yarvik has unveiled a new tablet designed especially with children and parents in mind.
Preloaded with KIDO’Z Fun & Safe Play Mode, the custom interface intends to make sure kids can enjoy the tablet’s applications as well as external content in a safe and fun way without being exposed to unwanted content.
The Junior Tablet features an array of colours and a rubberised grip, designed to make it appealing and easy to handle for kids from three years old and up.
With KIDO’Z, parents have full control over the content the Junior Tablet can access. Decide what kinds of videos are suitable to watch, or which websites can be viewed. It is even possible to set a timer to limit the usage of the device.
KIDO’Z also has a dedicated App Store allowing parents to add apps and games to the Junior Tablet that are specifically developed for kids.
The Junior Tablet comes with an 8-inch capacitive multi-touch screen, Cortex A9 1GHz processor, 1GB RAM, 8GB of storage, MicroSD slot and a 2.0MP rear camera.
The Yarvik Junior Tablet is available from mid-June. Visit yarvik.com/juniortablet for more information.

http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/read/...-tablet/031169

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Asus announces MeMO Pad HD 7; tablet will hit UK in August

June 12th, 2013, 21:08 Posted By: wraggster

Asus has extended its budget-friendly MeMO Pad range with new HD tablets.
The MeMO Pad HD 7 will be released in the UK in August and will have a price tag of £149. It will be available in four colours - black, white, pink and green.
The new tablet has a quad-core processor, 1GB RAM, a 7-inch display with 1280x800 native resolution, stereo speakers with Asus SonicMaster audio technology, 1.2MP front-facing 720p HD camera and a 5MP rear-facing one.
Measuring just 10.8mm thick, the MeMO Pad HD 7 packs a lithium polymer battery that lasts for up to 10 hours with 720p video playback.
The MeMO Pad HD 7 has 16GB of storage and a MicroSD card slot, plus 16GB Asus WebStorage free for one year. Together with the Asus WebStorage Office, users can view, create, edit and share Microsoft Office documents online.
This tablet joins the line-up of budget MeMO tablets from Asus, including the original MeMO Pad 7and the MeMO Pad Smart, both of which were announced at the beginning of the year.
Along with the new HD 7-inch device, Asus also revealed that it will release a 10-inch version called the MeMO Pad FHD 10, but the firm has yet to announce whether this larger tablet will make its way to the UK market.

http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/read/...-august/031164

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Half a Billion PCs To Ship In 2013, As Desktops and Laptops Dip But Tablets Grow

June 12th, 2013, 21:20 Posted By: wraggster

The PC market (desktops, notebooks, and tablets) is expected to see almost half a billion units ship this year, 493.1 million to be exact, representing 7 percent year-on-year growth. Unsurprisingly, the key driver behind this growth will be tablets, accounting for 37 percent of the overall market and seeing 59 percent growth to 182.5 million units. The latest estimates come from Canalys, an independent analyst firm. Nevertheless, it's worth emphasizing that these are estimates, though they do line up with what the broader industry is seeing: desktops are down, laptops are down, but tablets are up."

http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/1...t-tablets-grow

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Valve has paid $10 million to Team Fortress 2 user content contributors

June 12th, 2013, 23:21 Posted By: wraggster

Valve has announced that it has paid out $10 million to Team Fortress 2 content contributors, by way of the Steam Workshop item contribution program.It works like this: Player and fans of Team Fortress 2 work to design and submit new items. If approved by Valve, the items are put up for sale in the Team Fortress 2 store. Once purchased, Valve takes a percentage of the revenue, and gives the rest to those who created the items in the first place. It’s unclear what that cut is exactly.Valve has paid “close to” $250,000 to the sixty-plus people who created the recent Robotic Boogaloo update.The developer has also pushed out a new tool that makes it easier to test whether or not player creations are ready to be submitted to Valve. If the creations past the test, they get a gold star, indicating they’ve passed the test. The next Team Fortress 2 update will entirely consist of gold star items.

http://www.edge-online.com/news/valv...-contributors/

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Jon Rubinstein: Hewlett Packard's purchase of Palm was a waste

June 13th, 2013, 01:46 Posted By: wraggster

Finally, Jon Rubinstein is ready to re-open the wounds sustained from HP's bungled acquisition of Palm. When Fierce Wireless asked the former CEO what he'd do differently, he said that selling the company to Hewlett Packard was "a waste," and that he probably wouldn't do the same again. He also revealed that the company's awkward exclusive relationship with Sprint was caused by last-minute withdrawals from Verizon and Vodafone. If you're curious about Rubinstein's feelings on howwebOS has influenced mobile operating systems and his new roles with Amazon andQualcomm, head on down to the source link.

http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/12/j...hp-palm-waste/

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World of Warcraft to alleviate player loss with 'Virtual Realms'

June 14th, 2013, 00:51 Posted By: wraggster

Blizzard has announced it will address player concerns over dwindling server population by introducing 'Virtual Realms'.
The feature, which is set to be introduced within the game's upcoming 5.4 patch, will work by virtually linking a number of servers together without actually transferring or merging them.
Detailing 'Virtual Realms' within the 5.4 patch notes, Blizzard says: "Virtual Realms are sets of realms that are fused together, and will behave exactly as if they were one cohesive realm.
"Players on the same Virtual Realm will be able to join guilds, access a single Auction House, join arena teams and raids, as well run dungeons or group up to complete quests."
Players on certain servers have voiced their concerns of the declining popularity of their realm, which is no doubt a result of the 1.3 million subscriber decline that World of Warcraft suffered earlier this year.
Currently, players are able to transfer their players from server-to-server, but in order to do so must pay a fee – one that doesn't sit well with those already paying a monthly fee to play the game.
This new move is one that Blizzard hopes will maintain server popularity whilst addressing the concerns of players on low-population servers.

http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/read/...-realms/031176

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World's Smallest Dual-Core ARM Cortex-A9 Module?

June 14th, 2013, 01:05 Posted By: wraggster

"Variscite has unveiled what it claims is the world's tiniest Cortex-A9 system-on-module, measuring 52 x 17mm. The Linux- and Android-compatible DART-4460 board is based on a 1.5GHz dual-core TI OMAP4460 SoC, is available with up to 1GB of DDR2 RAM and 8GB eMMC flash, and can run at 400MHz on just 44mA. The module provides interfaces for display (HDMI, RGB, DSI), wireless (Bluetooth, WiFi), audio, camera, USB, and more, and it consumes as little as 5mA in suspend and 44mA while running from a 3.7V battery at 400 MHz, according to Variscite. And in case you were wondering, the iconic Gumstix form-factor is 12 percent larger, at 58 x 17mm."

http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/1...rtex-a9-module

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Best Buy To Carve Out Space For Microsoft Stores

June 14th, 2013, 01:07 Posted By: wraggster

Best Buy and Microsoft will launch 600 Microsoft stores within Best Buy retail locations in a store-within-a-store concept. The Microsoft stores will occupy 1500-2000 sq ft within each location. The terms of the deal are not announced, but I assume it benefits both as Best Buy would likely charge rent to help with declining revenue. For Microsoft, they may get cheaper facilities than building their own stores. The last I heard, MS had a very ambitious plan to launch hundreds of stores a year. I have doubts about the success of this venture, considering anecdotally almost every MS store I've seen in my travels was nearly empty. Since they all were located near Apple stores, the stark difference in foot traffic was apparent. The only exception was the MS store near Redmond, which had a decent crowd."

http://slashdot.org/story/13/06/13/1...crosoft-stores

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Intel Removes "Free" Overclocking From Standard Haswell CPUs

June 14th, 2013, 01:08 Posted By: wraggster

With its Sandy Bridge and Ivy Bridge processors, Intel allowed standard Core i5 and i7 CPUs to be overclocked by up to 400MHz using Turbo multipliers. Reaching for higher speeds required pricier K-series chips, but everyone got access to a little "free" clock headroom. Haswell isn't quite so accommodating. Intel has disabled limited multiplier control for non-K CPUs, effectively limiting overclocking to the Core i7-4770K and i5-4670K. Those chips cost $20-30 more than their standard counterparts, and surprisingly, they're missing a few features. The K-series parts lack the support for transactional memory extensions and VT-d device virtualization included with standard Haswell CPUs. PC enthusiasts now have to choose between overclocking and support for certain features even when purchasing premium Intel processors. AMD also has overclocking-friendly K-series parts, but it offers more models at lower prices, and it doesn't remove features available on standard CPUs.

http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/1...d-haswell-cpus

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Microsoft will give 10,000 Surface tablets to educators attending ISTE

June 14th, 2013, 01:48 Posted By: wraggster

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Command & Conquer being developed 'as a live service'

June 15th, 2013, 00:53 Posted By: wraggster

Victory Games' Command & Conquer, built on EA and DICE's Frostbite engine, is launching as a free-to-play game later this year through Origin. Tim Morten, development director, says that while Command & Conquer will require an internet connection, it makes for a more nimble game that can be updated far more frequently than a traditional retail product.

With SimCity still fresh on everyone's mind, I asked Morten about the choice to take the online path. "First thing to know is this is not only a multiplayer game – we do offer skirmish so that people can practice up. I think with SimCity, a lot of people had an expectation to play solo. Many people are going to come to us to play multiplayer so we came from the mentality of, 'How do we the make multiplayer experience as good as we can make it?' The answer to that question is: we try to get rid of as much cheating as we can, and we try to get rid of as many problems with other peoples' lag impacting your own game."

http://www.joystiq.com/2013/06/13/co...-live-service/

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E3: 'The PC is the most powerful gaming platform out there,' says Nvidia

June 15th, 2013, 23:48 Posted By: wraggster

This year's E3 saw the PC take a back seat to both the Xbox One and Playstation 4 but Nvidia reaffirmed its support of the platform.
As the industry's key publishers reeled off their upcoming triple-A titles, the PC was largely invisible as those in attendance gushed over the next-gen consoles' graphical capabilities.
But Nvidia was on hand at this year's E3 to bring everyone back down to earth: the PC has been doing that for a long time now, and will only get better.
Despite playing a key role with the previous-generation of games consoles, that responsibility has now fallen to AMD, who has voiced its support for the Xbox One and revealed it would be producing the device's chip.
That's left Nvidia to focus on what it believes is the most powerful gaming platform: the PC.
Presenting to the crowd of PC-enthusiasts at the firm's E3 booth, Tony Tamasi, Nvidia's SVP of content and technology, opened with a zinger.
"The PC is the most powerful gaming platform out there," said Tamasi.
The SVP followed up with a presentation that emphasised Nvidia's planned support for gaming on the PC, whilst stressing the performance increase that would grow to separate the platform from the next-gen consoles over the next few years.
Not one to bad mouth Microsoft's or Sony's next-gen offerings, Tamasi went on to highlight that the hardware of the consoles would be a good thing for all involved, stating that developers can now do even more with their games – something that will scale even further on the PC.
“It’s becoming more and more obvious that PC gaming is the best gaming experience right now and that won’t change even with next generation consoles launching” claimed Tamasi's slideshow.
Also on hand at the event was the Nvidia Shield – the firm's branch into the handheld gaming market.
The five-inch gaming device boasts a flip-up screen that's built into a controller and is powered by the Android operating system,
Priced at $349, the Shield beats out both the Xbox One and Playstation 4 on price but Nvidia is hoping the device will eventually be able to compete with both of the next-gen consoles.
"If Android gaming continues to get better – that's our goal and that's what we're spending a ton of money to do – the differentiation of a console becomes less and less. Sooner or later you're going to hit this inflection point," said Tom Petersen, director of technical marketing at Nvidia.
Petersen also emphasised that the device remains in its infancy, and that if successful, Nvidia would continue to take further steps into the handheld console market.
"We're going to continue to refine Shield. This is our first-generation Shield. It's probably the case if we have moderate success with this then we'll continue down this path."

http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/read/...-nvidia/031180

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World of Warcraft to alleviate player loss with 'Virtual Realms'

June 15th, 2013, 23:50 Posted By: wraggster

Blizzard has announced it will address player concerns over dwindling server population by introducing 'Virtual Realms'.
The feature, which is set to be introduced within the game's upcoming 5.4 patch, will work by virtually linking a number of servers together without actually transferring or merging them.
Detailing 'Virtual Realms' within the 5.4 patch notes, Blizzard says: "Virtual Realms are sets of realms that are fused together, and will behave exactly as if they were one cohesive realm.
"Players on the same Virtual Realm will be able to join guilds, access a single Auction House, join arena teams and raids, as well run dungeons or group up to complete quests."
Players on certain servers have voiced their concerns of the declining popularity of their realm, which is no doubt a result of the 1.3 million subscriber decline that World of Warcraft suffered earlier this year.
Currently, players are able to transfer their players from server-to-server, but in order to do so must pay a fee – one that doesn't sit well with those already paying a monthly fee to play the game.
This new move is one that Blizzard hopes will maintain server popularity whilst addressing the concerns of players on low-population servers.

http://www.pcr-online.biz/index.php/...-realms/031176

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Total War: Rome 2 is a 'completely reworked vision' from The Creative Assembly

June 16th, 2013, 22:26 Posted By: wraggster

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Intel leaks eight-core Haswell-E desktop CPU

June 17th, 2013, 22:20 Posted By: wraggster

Details of Intel's Haswell-E platform have surfaced online, which will see the firm launch the first eight-core CPUs for desktop PCs.
Leaked Intel marketing material obtained by VR-Zoneindicates that the platform aimed at enthusiasts, will launch in the second half of 2014.
But more importantly, the leak also confirms that Intel will ditch its four-core chip models in favour of both six and eight-core editions for desktops.
As the first eight-core CPU for enthusiast desktop users, the platform will also allow for up to 20MB of L3 cache, whilst the continued use of Hyper Threading will result in a maximum of 16 available logical cores for the CPU.

http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/read/...top-cpu/031188

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AMD reveals 5GHz FX CPU, but won't be selling it to the public

June 18th, 2013, 00:21 Posted By: wraggster

A new flagship PC processor is on the way from AMD… although you won’t be able to buy it.
The freshly announced AMD FX-9590 offers eight unlocked cores with an incredible boost clock of 5GHz. Also on the way is a slightly toned down version called the FX-9370 that offers a boost clock of 4.7GHz.
Base clocks for the pair come in at 4.7GHz and 4.4GHz respectively.
There’s a trade-off for the impressive performance, however. Both are expected to pack a TDP of 220W (in others words, they will operate at extremely high temperatures) and will as a result require some significant cooling solutions to operate. Indeed, it’s likely that machines hoping to offer either CPU will need to be custom built to accommodate their significant cooling requirements.
That’s possibly why AMD has revealed that neither chip is currently scheduled for a retail release for the public and are instead being reserved for system builds. This could, of course, change at some point in the future.
The first system builds boasting the chips are expected to arrive some time “this summer”.

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/amd-r...public/0117255

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Microsoft offering Surface RT tablets for $199 to educational institutions

June 18th, 2013, 00:42 Posted By: wraggster

If you thought Microsoft's effort to push Surface RT tablets into classrooms would stop with a 10,000-unit giveaway, you'd be mistaken. Ryan Lowdermilk, a technology evangelist for the company, revealed that it's offering 32GB Surface RT slates to K-12 and higher education institutions in 25 countries for $199, more than 50 percent off the $499 retail sticker price. Dropping $249 for each unit will snag organizations keyboard-infused Touch Covers, while bumping the cost to $289 will add Type Covers to the package. Education outfits can take advantage of the deal until August 31st (or while supplies last), but individual students won't be able to snag a Surface at such a deep discount on their own. The post announcing the program has gone offline since its unveiling, but we've reached out to Lowdermilk to confirm that the offer is still valid. In the meantime, you can hit the second source link to snatch an order form for school administrators.

http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/17/m...education-199/

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Google announces Chromebooks are coming to more retailers around the world

June 18th, 2013, 00:44 Posted By: wraggster

Sure, you can already snag one of those Chromebooks from places such as Amazon, Best Buy and Google's own Play shop. But, starting today, the Mountain View-based company is making various Chrome OS-sporting laptops available at more retailers around the globe -- over 6,600, to be specific. Google says the likes of Walmart and Staples will now have a selection of Chromebooks up for grabs, while Office Depot, Office Max and Fry's are expected to do the same "in the coming months." For those across the pond, you can expect to find some of Google's laptops at Dixon retailers in the UK, as well as Mediamarket, FNAC and Elgiganten stores in the Netherlands, France and Sweden, respectively. All in all, this is definitely a good thing for Google's plan to get its Chromebook machines in as many locations as possible.

http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/17/g...ore-retailers/

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Only 8pc of top spending retailers have tablet optimised sites

June 18th, 2013, 23:43 Posted By: wraggster

74 per cent do, however, have a mobile optimised site.
While the adoption of smartphones as a key marketing component amongst UK retailers continues to gather pace, tablets are still struggling to make their presence felt, after new research from IAB (Internet Advertising Bureau) revealed that only eight per cent of the nation’s top spending retailers have tablet optimised sites.
The lowly figure pales even further when compared to the 74 per cent of top spending retailers to have launched sites optimised for smartphones.
Carried out between May and June, the The Mobile Retail Audit looked at a number of different mobile measures, including, optimised sites, apps, optimised search campaigns, and in store Wi-Fi across the 50 retailers spending the most on advertising in the UK.
The findings suggest that although mobile is now firmly rooted within many retail brands’ marketing strategies, there are still certain elements that are missing. Research carried out by the IAB last year highlighted the importance of retailers having a mobile and tablet strategy, with almost three quarters of tablet users making a purchase on them every week. Furthermore, the research also found that tablet owners now spend an average of 4.4 hours per week browsing retail sites on their tablet.
Of the brands that had a mobile optimised site, 81 per cent had a transactional functionality to them. However when looking at brands that have an app (62 per cent), just 48 per cent of those apps were transactional, allowing the customer to browse and search for products but not make a purchase.
Meanwhile, the research also showed that less than half (48 per cent) of the top 50 UK retailers optimised their search campaigns for mobile.
Elsewhere, only ten per cent of the top 50 UK retailers offer a ‘single user’ approach, meaning that a user’s account worked across both desktop and mobile app. This means that 90 per cent of the retailers reviewed are preventing consumers from having a seamless digital experience.
There are, however, sectors within retail that are over-performing when compared to the average. When looking at fashion specific retailers within the study, a full eight out of eight had mobile optimised sites, while seven out of eight had mobile specific search strategies.
IAB’s head of mobile, Alex Kozloff, commented: “This research shows that although the fashion specific retailers have grasped the essentials of mobile marketing there is still a large percentage of the top spending retailers that haven’t. With so many consumers now deciding to shop online brands can’t afford to not get this right. The IAB will be reaching out to retail brands specifically over the coming months to help educate them further about how to make the most of mobile.”

http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/read/...d-sites/021640

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Google Enables VP9 Video Codec In Chromium

June 18th, 2013, 23:52 Posted By: wraggster

"Last month, Google revealed that it was planning to finish defining its VP9 video codec on June 17 (today), after which it will start using the next-generation compression technology in Chrome and on YouTube. The company is wasting no time: it has already enabled the free video compression standard by default in the latest Chromium build.

http://news.slashdot.org/story/13/06...ec-in-chromium

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State of Decay coming to Steam

June 18th, 2013, 23:59 Posted By: wraggster

Undead Studios has announced that their open-world survival horror RPG State of Decay will be coming to Steam sometime in the near future.In a post on Microsoft’s Xbox Wire blog, Undead Studios founder Jeff Strain stated, “We’re currently working on a PC version for release on Steam. Fortunately it’s been in development alongside the Xbox 360 version since Day 1, so we just need to integrate with the Steam platform and add native support for keyboard and mouse control.”As of now, State of Decay has been downloaded more than half a million times on Xbox Live Arcade.

http://www.edge-online.com/news/stat...ming-to-steam/

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EA: No next-gen FIFA 14 on PC because users have low-spec machines

June 19th, 2013, 00:19 Posted By: wraggster

It sounds like PC gamers may face a bit of a wait for true next-gen FIFA to be released on PC.
The publisher disappointed the PC market when it confirmed that while the new Ignite engine will be used to power the Xbox One and PS4 versions of the game, the PC release will be based on the current-gen build.
"Even though there were some PCs on the marketplace that could run that engine, the lion's share of PCs on the marketplace could not," EA Sports executive VP Andrew Wilson told Polygon of the delayed arrival of the FIFA 11 engine, which didn’t hit the platform until last year’s release of FIFA 13.
"The majority of the gamer base that was playing the game on PC did not have a PC spec that would work with that."
He added that the current build of Ignite is specifically built around the APU-based architecture of the next-gen consoles.
However, Wilson added that Ignite may well hit PC at some point in the future.
"So could I see the potential for EA Sports Ignite to make it to PC in the future?” he added. “Yes, I think it's possible, but a couple of things need to happen.” Those being an increase in the average PC spec boasted by a FIFA PC customer and changes to the way in which Ignite is constructed.
Ultimately, the deciding factor will be money. Next-gen titles such as Battlefield 4 are being optimised for PC because EA knows there’s a big market for the game on the platform. Can the same honestly be said for FIFA?

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/ea-no...chines/0117297

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Awesomenauts boxed collector's edition headed to UK

June 19th, 2013, 01:01 Posted By: wraggster

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Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number announced

June 19th, 2013, 21:15 Posted By: wraggster

Devolver Digital has confirmed that a sequel to last year's indie hit, Hotline Miami, is set for release in 2013.
Confirmed to appear on PC, Max and Linux, Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number will pick off where the first left off – with players donning their blood-soaked shoes and embracing on a whirlwind of retro-themed violence.
With several new characters, each with their own interlinking storylines, players can look forward to the stylised visuals and intense soundtrack of the original Hotline Miami to make a return in the sequel – and of course, an insanely high difficulty level.
Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number is due to release in 2013.

http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/read/...nounced/031208

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Steam code suggests sharing games with friends is in the works

June 19th, 2013, 21:16 Posted By: wraggster

Rumours have emerged that online games/software retailer Steam might be working on ways for users to share their digital purchases with friends.
Kotaku reports on a few lines of code dug up from the latest Steam client beta, revealing a ‘shared game library’ that gives users the ability to let other accounts “borrow” a game – as well as recall the game whenever the original owner wishes to play it.
Here’s a look at the code in question:
"SteamUI_JoinDialog_SharedLicense_Title" "Shared game library"
"SteamUI_JoinDialog_SharedLicenseLocked_OwnerT ext" "Just so you know, your games are currently in use by %borrower%. Playing now will send %borrower% a notice that it's time to quit."
"SteamUI_JoinDialog_SharedLicenseLocked_BorrowerTe xt" "This shared game is currently unavailable. Please try again later or buy this game for your own library."
No word from Valve on the potential feature as of yet. If it does roll out at some point in the near future, it’ll be interesting to see which publishers/developers participate – or, perhaps even more interesting, if Valve will attempt to make it a mandatory option for all games.

http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/read/...e-works/031206

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Nvidia to license GPU technology to manufacturers

June 19th, 2013, 21:17 Posted By: wraggster

Nvidia has announced it will begin licensing its GPU and visual computing technology out to device manufacturers.
David Shannon, Nvidia executive vice president, made the announcement during a blog post, stating the firm would license out its Kepler based GPU technology to device makers.
With the new business model, Nvidia is set to feature its patented technology in a host of different products, ranging from smartphones to supercomputers.
"It's not practical to build silicon or systems to address every part of the expanding market," said Shannon, "adopting a new business approach will allow us to address the universe of devices."
The move comes at a time where the PC market continues to slow down, and global PC shipments remain in steady decline.
Following Nvidia's reaffirmed support for the PC, stepping away from other areas such as gaming consoles and the likes of the Xbox One and Playstation 4, the new business model is one that should see the firm maintain success through the popularity of tablets, smartphones and other mobile devices.
http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/read/...cturers/031204

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EA dismisses reports of AMD exclusivity for Battlefield 4 on PC

June 19th, 2013, 22:22 Posted By: wraggster

Talk that left many Nvidia graphics card owners worried last night has been roundly dismissed by EA and AMD.
Word spread across the internet last night that EA and AMD had joined forces for a PC gaming collaboration. The talk was that EA’s entire slate of Frostbite 3-powered games – such Battlefield 4, Mirror’s Edge 2 and Need for Speed: Rivals – would be tuned for optimum performance on AMD’s Radeon cards to the detriment of Nvidia’s GeForce lineup.
Worse still, rumours even spread that EA’s PC releases could be locked to AMD hardware and incompatible with Nvidia cards.
Fortunately, both rumours seem to have been quashed, although EA and AMD are working together on Battlefield 4.
“DICE has a partnership with AMD specifically for Battlefield 4 on PC to showcase and optimize the game for AMD hardware," an EA spokesperson told IGN. "This does not exclude DICE from working with other partners to ensure players have a great experience across a wide set of PCs for all their titles.”
An AMD spokesperson added: "It makes sense that game developers would focus on AMD hardware with AMD hardware being the backbone of the next console generation. At this time, though, our relationship with DICE and EA is exclusively focused on Battlefield 4 and its performance optimizations for AMD CPUs, GPUs and APUs.
"Additionally, the AMD Gaming Evolved program undertakes no efforts to prevent our competition from optimizing for games before their release.”
Nvidia recently launched its new line of PC graphics cards. The £550 GTX 780 leads the way followed by the GTX 770. The GTX 760 is expected to be announced imminently.
Having unveiled its Radeon HD 7990 earlier this year as the driving force behind Battlefield 4, AMD is expected to unveil its HD 8000 series GPUs some time over the next three months.

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/ea-di...-on-pc/0117364

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Next Surface RT will use Qualcomm chip, may come in multiple versions

June 20th, 2013, 00:54 Posted By: wraggster

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DCeric's Mod Preview: Unleashed Project (Sonic Generations mod)

June 20th, 2013, 01:33 Posted By: Eric



On this first Mod Preview I show you the Unleashed Project mod for Sonic Generations. 8 of the daytime levels have been ported from the Xbox 360 version of Sonic Unleashed for the PC version of Sonic Generations.


Mod is available at:
http://www.moddb.com/mods/sonic-gener...


Soundtrack available at:
https://soundcloud.com/falk-2

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Company of Heroes 2 open beta extended through June 23

June 20th, 2013, 01:53 Posted By: wraggster

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Windows 8 popularity continues to grow amongst PC gamers

June 20th, 2013, 23:29 Posted By: wraggster

The results of Valve’s recently published Steam hardware survey for April have revealed that gamers are increasingly adopting Windows 8 as their operating system of choice for gaming.
Over the past month alone, the number of Steam users running the OS has risen by one per cent. Whilst that may sound insignificant at first, it’s a big jump when taking into consideration Steam’s 50 million registered accounts and 4.5 million daily users.
However, the figures only include users who have opted to take part in the survey and don’t take into consideration the service’s entire user base.
Windows 8 is now run by 12 per cent of Steam users who elected to participate in the survey, playing second fiddle only to the OS’ predecessor, Windows 7, which continues to dominate with its user share of 70 per cent.
Microsoft’s flagship now outpaces both the Mac OSX and Linux platforms.
Steam’s monthly survey collects data from participating users in order to learn more about the systems that users are using to run the digital games service.
Information such as processor, graphics card and operating system selection is recorded anonymously for the purpose of ensuring the service remains optimal for users, regardless of their personal hardware and software choices.
But outside of the advantages it provides for technical support and stability, the survey is an interesting insight into what kind of PC setup the modern gamer is running. The figures are likely to surprise many, particularly given Valve founder Gabe Newell’s recent comments about Windows 8, along with the firm’s investment into the Linux platform, recently launching a dedicated Linux port of Steam.
Following the release of Windows 8, Newell publicly lauded the service as a ‘catastrophe for everyone in the PC space’ whilst moving to highlight the importance of Linux and the firm’s planned investments into the platform in a attempt to make it a viable choice for gamers.
But despite Newell’s claims, it appears that gamers are sticking with Windows as their OS of choice when it comes to gaming, despite a selection of Steam’s games portfolio now being readily available on the Linux platform.

http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/read/...-gamers/031223

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Surface 2 could drop Nvidia for a Qualcomm 4G chip, set to feature Windows 8.1

June 20th, 2013, 23:39 Posted By: wraggster

Microsoft is reportedly set to launch a Surface 2 later this year, which will feature a new Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor and Windows 8.1.
A report by Bloomberg indicates that the amongst the Surface 2's features will be a new Snapdragon 800 processor, replacing the Nvidia Tegra chip used in the original Surface.
It is understood that Microsoft is making the switch to Qualcomm in order to benefit from the chip's LTE support as Redmond looks to incorporate 4G mobile internet into its device.
However, Bloomberg's report also highlights that Nvidia will still provide the processor for another Surface 2 device – a device that could potentially become a new Surface Pro.
Meanwhile, it is widely expected that a new generation Surface device will also include a build of Windows 8.1 RT – which will see the likes of Outlook appear on the tablet, in addition to multiple interface and Internet Explorer improvements.

http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/read/...ows-8-1/031214

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The War Z renamed Infestation: Survivor Stories

June 20th, 2013, 23:44 Posted By: wraggster

Zombie shooter changes name over trademark issues

Hammerpoint Interactive has renamed its online zombie shooter The War Z to Infestation: Survivor Stories.
The move follows a trademark dispute over the novel and film of a similar name, World War Z.

The studio said although it had been reluctant to change the name of the game given it had garnered almost one million players, it felt a new title was better to avoid confusion between the two brands.
“Effective today, The War Z has changed its name to Infestation: Survivor Stories,” read a statement from the developer.
“This change has come about primarily as a result of some confusion and trademark issues with a similarly titled property. While we were reluctant to rename the game so long after launch, especially with nearly one million registered players, it was ultimately decided to be in the best interest of our existing community as well as future players in order to eliminate confusion.

http://www.develop-online.net/news/4...rvivor-Stories

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Foxconn Betting Big On Firefox OS

June 20th, 2013, 23:51 Posted By: wraggster

Foxconn is firmly identified in the public mind as the company that manufactures iPhones and iPads. But the company is looking to forge its own identity, and sees Firefox OS as the means to do so. To that end, Foxconn ishiring thousands of developers to help work on the open source phone OS and Foxconn's own suite of cloud services."

http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/1...-on-firefox-os

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Nvidia GeForce GTX 760 surfaces online

June 22nd, 2013, 00:53 Posted By: wraggster

A new addition to Nvidia's GTX 700 GPU line-up is widely expected to debut later this month.
VideoCardz.com reports that the GTX 760 is set for release on June 25th.
Word of the GTX 760 follows the recent releases of both the GTX 780 and 770 GPUs. As expected, the GTX 760 will likely replace Nvidia's current GTX660Ti as the mid-range option for PC gamers.
Clocking in with a stock speed of 980MHz, boostable up to 1033MHz, the stock GTX 760 offers 2GB of DDR5 RAM. Meanwhile, third-party vendors are set to offer as much as 4GB RAM with their upcoming editions of the card.
Replacing the GTX 660Ti, the 760 is likely to carry a similar price tag to its predecessor of between £225 – £250 and making it the affordable solution for high-end gaming.

http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/read/...-online/031228

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Dota 2 now allows free spectating

June 22nd, 2013, 14:37 Posted By: wraggster

While Dota 2 has yet to reach its August release date, players can now download the client for free, but only the tutorial and spectator modes are available.After downloading Dota 2 from Steam and going through the tutorial, players can hop into the spectator modes, where they can view games from anyone who broadcasts them. Presumably, the change from Valve is meant to allow players to use the in-client spectator mode to view the matches leading up to The International.Beta invites or a purchase of early access is still required to play Dota 2.

http://www.edge-online.com/news/dota...ee-spectating/

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AMD promises Crossfire-fixing new drivers on July 31st

June 22nd, 2013, 14:47 Posted By: wraggster

A long-awaited driver update that promises to fix one of the biggest issues dogging AMD graphics card will be released on July 31^st.
AMD confirmed as much on Twitter last night.
The driver upgrade will apparently fix problems that were identified earlier this year with users running two AMD Radeon PC graphics cards simultaneously (known as Crossfire).
Radeon offers Crossfire functionality (with Nvidia offering the comparable SLI) so users can effectively double up their GPU power. Two £250 Radeon HD 7950s, for instance, should be able to outpace a single £800 Nvidia Titan GPU.
Crossfire (and to a lesser extent SLI) comes with complications, however. As well as the increased heat the setup generates and the sometimes excessive noise, earlier this year it was identified that AMD Crossfire solutions produce a high number of what are known as ‘runt’ frames. These frames are counted by FPS counters such as Fraps but are never actually shown on the screen.
To cut a long story short – the numbers tell users they’re getting a smooth, high frame-rate experience even when the game itself is stuttering and clearly not delivering on the numbers.
AMD promised a fix for this when it unveiled the HD 7990 earlier this year. Early reports from those allowed to access the drivers certainly indicate a stark improvement. At the end of July gamers will finally get the chance to find out for themselves.

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/amd-p...y-31st/0117526

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Firefox Advances Do-Not-Track Technology

June 23rd, 2013, 17:03 Posted By: wraggster

Despite strong advertising industry opposition, Mozilla is advancing plans to have the Firefox browser block, by default, many types of tracking used by numerous websites, and especially advertisers. 'We're trying to change the dynamic so that trackers behave better,' Brendan Eich, CTO of Firefox developer Mozilla, told The Washington Post. According to NetMarketShare, 21% of the world's computers run Firefox. Eich said the blocking technology, which is still being refined, will go live in the next few months. The blocking technology is based on that used by Apple's Safari browser, which blocks all third-party cookies. Advertisers use these types of cookies to track users across multiple websites. Mozilla's cookie-blocking efforts follow a Do Not Track capability being adopted by all major browsers. But the DNT effort stalled in November 2012, after advertisers stopped participating in the program, following Microsoft making DNT active by default in Internet Explorer 10. Advertisers wanted the feature to be not active by default."

http://tech.slashdot.org/story/13/06...ack-technology

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Vizio ships 11.6-inch Windows 8 Tablet PC for $600

June 23rd, 2013, 17:23 Posted By: wraggster

While Samsung may be dominating the Windows tablet news lately, it isn't alone -- Vizio is now shipping its promised 11.6-inch Windows 8 Tablet PC. The slate is selling for $600 with the same specs we saw back at the January unveiling. Unfortunately, they haven't aged gracefully in the past half-year. While we like the 1080p display, 64GB SSD, front-facing 2MP camera and stereo speakers, the launch also preserves the slightly older AMD Z-60 processor, 2GB of RAM and five hours of battery life. Where's our Temash upgrade, Vizio? The tablet still has more audiovisual oomph than usual, though, so it may be worth swinging past Vizio's site for a closer look.

http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/20/v...et-pc-for-600/

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Dragon Quest X headed to Japanese PCs

June 23rd, 2013, 21:58 Posted By: wraggster

Dragon Quest X will come to Japanese Windows machines on September 26, Square Enix announced today during a livestream broadcast. The Toriyama-infused MMO, which originally debuted on the Wii last August, also launched on Wii U in March, though to comparatively lackluster results.

The PC version will be available in two flavors: A ¥3,990 standard edition that includes 20 days of free game time, and a ¥9,800 "Special Pack" bundle, which comes with a DQX-themed controller, security authenticator, Monster Encyclopedia, microfiber world map and item code for an as-of-yet unannounced in-game goodie.

Folks interested in getting in on the ongoing beta test can do so by downloading Nvidia's benchmarking tool – successfully passing will provide the opportunity to apply for beta access. Oh, and you need to speak Japanese. That's kind of an important piece to this whole "non-westernized Japan-only RPG" puzzle.

http://www.joystiq.com/2013/06/22/dr...-japanese-pcs/

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'Windows 8.1 could quiet most of its detractors,' says Gartner

June 24th, 2013, 23:27 Posted By: wraggster

As Microsoft prepares to launch Windows 8.1, Garnter has credited the update with introducing a host of changes that could see the operating system become a more appealing choice for business users.
Within a blog post, Gartner analysts discuss the changes set to be introduced by Windows 8.1 and highlight the advantages for business users and those who had previously criticised the OS.
"Based on information currently available, Gartner believes Windows 8.1 features could quiet most of its detractors," write analysts Michael A. Silver and Stephen Kleynhans.
Amongst the changes discussed is the reintroduction of the Start button, the straight-to-desktop boot function and Internet Explorer 11.
"After Microsoft unveiled Windows 8, users discussing its features criticized the newly introduced user experience, the elimination of the 'start' button and the inability to boot directly to the desktop."
The analysts highlight the benefit of the straight-to-desktop boot function as one that will appeal to business users, in addition to "tighter integration with the consumer-targeted SkyDrive, more choices for splitting Windows onscreen, and the replication of relevant control panel functions in the new user interface, which reduces the need to switch to the desktop."
Gartner's report summarises with deployment advice for business considering a rollout of Windows 8, stressing the need for a testing period in order to ensure that their most important applications are compatible with the new OS.
As for business introducing new PCs and hardware, the analysts recommend adopting Windows 8.1 following a successful testing period, whilst those businesses already trialling the OS should switch over to Windows 8.1 as soon as possible.

http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/read/...gartner/031238

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NSA Releases Secret Pre-History of Computers

June 24th, 2013, 23:36 Posted By: wraggster

The National Security Agency has declassified an eye-opening pre-history of computers used for code-breaking between the 1930s and 1960s. The 344 page report, entitled It Wasn't All Magic: The Early Struggle to Automate Cryptanalysis (pdf), it is available on the Government Attic web site. Government Attic has also just posted a somewhat less declassified NSA compendium from 1993: A Collection of Writings on Traffic Analysis.

http://yro.slashdot.org/story/13/06/...y-of-computers

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RuneScape 3: The Sixth Age leaves its future up to its players

June 24th, 2013, 23:40 Posted By: wraggster

Over two games and 12 years, Jagex’s RuneScape has carved out a legend for itself. It is the original free-to-play western MMOG, having amassed 200 million registered users over its lifetime. And as competitors flood into its space, it’s the one with an established niche and community.After over a decade of iteration, though, RuneScape 3 sees Jagex deliberately upsetting the balance. The game’s Sixth Age has a grand overarching narrative that begins with the God Of Balance, Guthix, being slain at the hands of Sliske. The protective wards surrounding the realm vanish, allowing gods of varying malevolence to swoop in and claim Gielinor’s regions as their own. It is against this backdrop that RuneScape’s players are being handed the power to decide the fate of the world around them. They will pick sides and fight on behalf of their deity in World Events, which will be spaced three months apart. And these events will have a dramatic effect on the game world: familiar regions could be turned inside out, depending on which god finally wrests control of them.Isn’t there a chance this could also upset the game’s dedicated fanbase, a passionate audience of millions of monthly active users? Design director Mark Ogilvie admits that there is, but believes it’s counterbalanced by the fact that players will have the agency to decide what happens for themselves. The degree of power that we’re getting should not be underestimated; when we quiz Ogilvie on what RuneScape’s landscape might look like in a year, he replies, “We honestly have no idea.” Yet the Jagex team clearly doesn’t fear controversy – the first event is scheduled for this summer, and will take place in an area we’re told is close to players’ hearts.The main catalyst behind RuneScape’s growth has been the ubiquity of its web browser host, enabling the game to grow from a hobbyist multiuser dungeon running out of a UK bedroom to a global juggernaut. But while the client opens up the game to a huge audience, it also holds RuneScape back, leaving it unable to keep pace graphically with its peers. And this is why the second of RuneScape 3’s overhauls is a technical one.

http://www.edge-online.com/features/...o-its-players/

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Steam Summer Sale beginning this week?

June 25th, 2013, 08:36 Posted By: wraggster

Valve has dropped what is being interpreted as a hint that the Steam Summer Sale will kick off this Wednesday.
PCGamesN reports that the Steam Trading Card beta will be ending on June 26^th at 7pm UK time. At that point Steam Trading Cards will be open to everyone, with Valve saying of the move:
"Making trading cards available to all Steam users is a step towards an event we think everyone can be excited about."
Steam’s Summer Sale normally kicks off around the end of June or beginning of July and is, according to PCGamesN, often associated with some sort of meta-game – meaning a Trading Card tie-in would make perfect sense.

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/steam...s-week/0117602

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Steam top ten sellers chart: June 16-22

June 25th, 2013, 08:39 Posted By: wraggster

Relic's strategy sequel Company of Heroes 2 jumps to the top of Steam's top ten sellers list ahead of its launch on the platform this week.
The game shares the top spot with the Legendary Edition of Skyrim, while Dead Island Riptide and the original title’s Game of the Year edition shared the runner-up position.
Behind those four were some popular indies bolstered by discounts during the period, such as Kerbal Space Program (fourth) and Mark of the Ninja (sixth).
Infestation: Survivor Stories, formerly The War Z, clawed its way into the final opening, finishing tenth on the weekly chart.

1. Company of Heroes 2 and Skyrim – Legendary Edition
2. Dead Island Riptide and Dead Island: GOTY Edition
3. Crusader Kings II Collection
4. Kerbal Space Program
5. Total War: Rome II
6. Mark of the Ninja
7. Planetary Annihilation
8. ArmA 3 Alpha
9. The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings Enhanced Edition
10. Infestation: Survivor Stories

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Minecraft PC sales hit 11m

June 25th, 2013, 15:19 Posted By: wraggster

"More than the number of atoms in the observable universe" says Notch
[h=3]Mojang[/h]

The original PC, Mac and Linux version of indie hit Minecraft has now sold 11,008,706 copies, with 12,312 copies purchased in the last 24 hours alone.
"Minecraft has now sold 11 million copies on PC/Mac/Linux! That's more than the number of atoms in the observable universe," tweeted creator Markus "Notch" Persson last night.
A month ago the game's Pocket Edition for Android and iOS devices hit the 10 million sales milestone.
Persson also revealed on twitter that its success had lead to a number of interested parties
"I frequently receive emails from people who want to 'help monetize http://minecraft.net.' My reply is usually 'No', sometimes 'Go away,'" he said.
"Latest hopeful partner was avg, offering us 20k upfront to bundle it with the Minecraft launcher. No. Not as long as I work here."

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...-sales-hit-11m

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Windows 8.1 Start button makes cameo in Server 2012 R2 Preview

June 25th, 2013, 15:24 Posted By: wraggster

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The Sims 3 Island Paradise released worldwide this week

June 26th, 2013, 00:18 Posted By: wraggster

EA’s latest Sims 3 Expansion Pack is arriving to a shore near you this week.
Setting sale across retailers in North America and on Origin.com today, UK retailers will be selling the title from Wednesday (June 28th).
“In The Sims 3 Island Paradise, The Sims Studio has brought to life a tropical vacation for players to experience without ever having to leave home,” says Ryan Vaughan, Producer for The Sims. “With so many new gameplay features included in this game, players will be able to explore, inhabit and discover beachside bliss just as they would in real life.”
In the latest Expansion Pack players can dive beneath the waves and explore the ocean floor, build their very own houseboat and run a five-star resort.
Read our 'PCR Recommends' feature on The Sims 3 Island Paradise here.

http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/read/...is-week/031256

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Samsung denies it is to exit desktop market

June 26th, 2013, 00:27 Posted By: wraggster

Despite mounting reports of the contrary, Samsung has denied it is looking to exit the desktop PC market.
An initial report from The Korea Times cited comments from a unnamed Samsung official, who claimed the firm was looking to exit the struggling market in favour of more profitable ventures.
"Tablets, all-in-one and hybrid PCs are Samsung's current focus. Samsung is speeding up its restructuring of its PC business via product realignment toward profitable variants," the Samsung official told the Korea Times.
Meanwhile, a second unnamed Samsung official provided some context behind the move, commenting on the dire state of the desktop PC market.
"Demand for conventional desktop PCs is going down. We will allocate our resources to poplar connected and portable devices."
But despite the alleged claims from officials, Samsung has denied the reports, describing them as "groundless" to The Next Web.
Samsung just last week launched a new desktop PC with the Ativ Q hybrid laptop/tablet, which features both Windows 8 and Android Jelly Bean operating systems.
However, PCs have been an increasingly diminished focus for Samsung of late, as the firm continues to push its smartphone and tablet devices. Even if the South Korean device maker is commited to the desktop market, it wouldn't be surprising to see Samsung reorganise its resources to some degree.

http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/read/...-market/031249

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Arma 3 enters beta, offers early access on Steam

June 26th, 2013, 00:34 Posted By: wraggster

Bohemia Interactive’s open-world military simulator Arma 3 has officially entered open beta. Players can now pay to be a part of the early access beta on Steam.There are currently three payment options to get into the Arma 3 beta. £29.99 ($44.99) gets buyers the standard edition, while the £39.99 ($59.99) Digital Deluxe Edition, features a soundtrack, new maps, a guide, and Arma: Cold War Assault. Finally, there’s the Arma 3 Supporter edition, which costs £59.99 ($91.99), is only available on Bohemia’s website, and features everything in the Digital Deluxe edition, plus Arma X: Anniversary Edition, all future Arma 3 DLC, and a special forums badge.Anyone who participated in the Arma 3 alpha is automatically upgraded to beta status.

http://www.edge-online.com/news/arma...cess-on-steam/

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NVIDIA unveils GeForce GTX 760, brings modern Kepler down to $249

June 26th, 2013, 00:49 Posted By: wraggster

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Firefox updated to support 3D games, video calls and more

June 26th, 2013, 00:50 Posted By: wraggster

The latest version of Firefox (22) is full of big new features. Most notably, the latest update adds support for 3D gaming (care of Epic Games), for video and voice calls as well as file sharing "without the need to install additional software or use third-party plugins," and for a new version of JavaScript that Mozilla's calling, "supercharged." Mozilla's even got a 3D game for you to play called BananaBread, so you may put the company's claims through the wringer.
Should that not be enough for you diehard Firefox devotees, there's also a thrilling update that'll show download progress on OS X directly in the Dock icon. Take a breath and a seat, and maybe download the latest Firefox build right here when you've cooled down.

http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/25/firefox-22-update/

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Blizzard issues WoW security warning after rise in unauthorised logins

June 26th, 2013, 01:02 Posted By: wraggster

Blizzard has issued a World of Warcraft security warning following a recent increase in unauthorised account logins via its website and the mobile armoury app.
The studio said today: "We're in the process of notifying any account holders who were not using an authenticator and whose account showed signs of unauthorized access (e.g., logging in from an unusual IP address). If you are among this group, you will receive an email describing how to reset your account.
"As a result of these activities, access to the World of Warcraft auction house via the mobile app has been taken off-line temporarily. Upon request, our customer support team will restore in-game items and gold for any accounts impacted."
While Blizzard added that "no means of account security is guaranteed", it urged users to take precautions such as periodically changing their passwords.
World of Warcraft lost approximately 1.3 million subscribers in the first quarter of calendar year 2013, according to Activision Blizzard.
Activision CEO Bobby Kotick said further quarterly declines "are likely" as the year progresses, raising "concerns" as the firm heads towards the competitive holiday period. He said Blizzard intends to release new content more frequently in a bid to keep players engaged and make it easier for lapsed users to return to the game.
Blizzard confirmed last month that its unannounced MMO, codenamed Titan, is undergoing "large design and technology changes". According to reports, Titan is now not expected to be released until 2016.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...orised-logins/

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Retro City Rampage for PC adds mod support, enhanced graphics

June 26th, 2013, 01:05 Posted By: wraggster

The latest update to the PC version of Brian Provinciano's lo-fi parody adventure, Retro City Rampage, has added mod support and spruced up graphics.According to the game's official site, the 1.11 update's mod support allows players to "create new vehicles, characters, fonts and color palettes."Additionally, a new "Retro+" graphics mode enhances the visuals by boosting real-time soft shadows and doubling the colours on screen. The developer noted that the original 8-bit mode is still available for purists, though.To commemorate this occasion, the game is a whopping 75 per cent off on Steam for the next 23 hours, making it a scant £2.99 / $3.74.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...anced-graphics

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Introducing the Intel fourth generation core processors

June 26th, 2013, 23:34 Posted By: wraggster

'Haswell' processors launched at Computex in Taipei.
This year at Computex in Taipei, Intel launched its highly anticipated fourth generation of Core processors. These have been code named ‘Haswell’. In the keynote, Intel’s executive vice president Tom Kilroy described them as "the foundation of a new breed of two-in-one device." This includes the Ultrabook Convertible, but the chip will also be available in a range of mobile devices (including tablets and Ultrabooks) and desktop PCs. Haswell will allow tablets and two-in-one devices to become even thinner, increasing their appeal to consumers.
This is great news for cutting-edge game developers. The new chip features significant performance increases – in fact the new design is capable of delivering a 15 per cent improvement in performance over Intel’s previous generation of processors. This opens up opportunities for developers who want to develop for Ultrabooks and other mobile devices. A new integrated Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) will also be included in some versions and this enables twice the performance when handling complex tasks, such as encoding HD video. The upshot of this is that users may not need a separate graphics card.
It also includes significant power innovations – devices with fourth generation Core Processors promise up to nine hours of battery life and 13 days on standby. This equates to a 50 per cent increase in active-use battery life and 300 per cent in standby compared to the previous generation. One version of the processor uses only six watts of ‘scenario design power’ (how much power is used during standard tasks). This means that Haswell could be used in some devices without a fan. To compare once again with the previous generation – two fans are included in some tablets containing it.
With the Intel Perceptual Computing SDK, eye tracking, gestures and hand movements can be used in games to provide the most exciting experience yet for gamers. Haswell also contains innovations that ensure legacy as well as new code will perform better than ever. This enables developers to reach a broader audience by porting their games to tablets and Ultrabooks.
So, over all this is great news for developers who can incorporate exciting new elements into their games and software and take advantage of the improvements in performance and power. To find out more, watch the videos on the Intel Developer Zone.

http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/read/...cessors/021727

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AMD Overhauls Open-Source Linux Driver

June 26th, 2013, 23:38 Posted By: wraggster

AMD's open-source developer has posted an incredible set of 165 patches against the Linux kernel that provide support for a few major features to their Linux graphics driver. Namely, the open-source Radeon Linux driver now supports dynamic power management on hardware going back to the Radeon HD 2000 (R600) generation. The inability to re-clock the GPU frequencies and voltages dynamically based upon load has been a major limiting factor for open-source AMD users where laptops have been warm and there is diminished battery power. The patches also provide basic support for the AMD Radeon HD 8000 'Sea Islands' graphics processors on their open-source Linux driver."

http://linux.slashdot.org/story/13/0...e-linux-driver

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Google passes Apple to become world's most valuable tech company... sort of

June 26th, 2013, 23:46 Posted By: wraggster

Enterprise Value may not be a familiar measure on the markets, but a lot of people are paying attention to it today.
That’s because in terms of enterprise value – that is, company value assessed without taking into account cash reserves – Google last week passed Apple to become the most valuable tech company in the world, The Wall Street Journal Reports.
Specifically, Apple has an enterprise value of $233bn compared to Google’s $241bn.
Of course, looking at the more traditional market cap Apple ($378bn) still eclipses Google ($286bn).
In late 2001 Apple not only grew to become the most valuable company in the world (measured by the market cap) but also the most valuable company ever in the history of the world.
However, since the highs of August 2011 the tech giant has suffered considerably in the markets with its value dropping nearly 50 per cent to the 402.63 it stands at today.
Oil giant Exxon Mobil currently ranks as the world’s most valuable company.

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/googl...ort-of/0117750

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Half-Life 3 could actually be upon us [UPDATE: Or not]

June 27th, 2013, 10:18 Posted By: wraggster

Valve could be on the verge of announcing Half-Life 3 following what appears to be the first step of a marketing campaign.
As reported by users of NeoGaf, a sizeable Steam update for Half-life 2 has gone live that appears to change the game's text and voice track into Korean. Reports regarding the size of the download vary from 500MB to 3.7GB.
That is everything we have, however. Everything that follows is pure conjecture. Yet still alarmingly exciting for a huge community of fans.
There are lots of people out there who are interpreting this as the start of Valve's long-awaited Half-Life 3 announcement. There are also lots of people out there who are desperate for this to be the start of Valve's long-awaited Half-Life 3 announcement.
It could simply be connected to Steam's Trading Card system coming out of beta. Or the expected Steam Summer Sale.
As always expect Valve to keep its fanbase guessing. And of course expect the speculation to reach fever pitch.
UPDATE: It has been claimed that this is nothing more than a simple language update.

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/half-...pon-us/0117673

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IE 11 on Windows 8.1 preview supports HTML5 Netflix streaming right now

June 27th, 2013, 10:25 Posted By: wraggster

Netflix recently detailed some of the technological developments needed to transitionfrom Silverlight to HTML5 streaming video in the browser, and in a notable turn one of the first companies on board is Microsoft. It's not that surprising since Microsoft hasmade it clear it's pushing other technologies going forward, but it's still a stark example of how much things have changed in recent years. Netflix's Tech Blog announced today that anyone running Internet Explorer 11 in the Windows 8.1 preview can visit Netflix.com today and try out HTML5-powered video streaming right now. Already available on ARM Chromebooks (pictured above), Netflix says Microsoft has implemented the Premium video extensions it's been working on to provide support for GPU-accelerated 1080p video, DRM and encryption without proprietary plugins.

http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/26/n...crosofts-ie11/

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Microsoft confirms Internet Explorer 11 is coming to Windows 7

June 27th, 2013, 10:26 Posted By: wraggster

With Windows 8.1, Microsoft has pushed out a revamped version of Internet Explorer that is supposed to be significantly faster than its predecessor, not to mention the fact that it claims to be easier on battery life. Fortunately, it appears that the company fully intends to make IE11 available to Windows 7 users as well. While Microsoft opened up about this fact, it wasn't so keen to offer up any timing expectations. Thus, it's quite possible that we may not see it show up on Win7 until after it's had some time to bedazzle those who are already packing the latest and greatest version of Windows.

http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/26/m...t-explorer-11/

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Microsoft shows off optical character recognition for Windows 8

June 27th, 2013, 10:28 Posted By: wraggster

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Next-gen Kinect for Windows opens dev kit applications, costs $400

June 27th, 2013, 10:29 Posted By: wraggster

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Take a hybrid device over a tablet, says Microsoft

June 27th, 2013, 23:56 Posted By: wraggster

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer took to the stage of yesterday's BUILD conference to emphasise the benefits of hybrid and two-in-one devices over tablets.
Pitching the firm's upcoming two-in-one devices, Ballmer opted to mock tablets and their inability to compete with hybrid devices for everyday computing.
"How many of us have gone to a meeting with somebody who brought a tablet and then when it comes time to actually take notes, writes them down on pencil and paper. Or can't get at the spreadsheet...or try to use it in terminal emulator mode...or take [a long time] to set up and turn their tablet into something that approximates a PC," Ballmer said, reports CNET.
Ballmer continued to show off the Lenovo ThinkPad Helix – a Windows 8-powered two-in-one device, which sports an i7 processor, full day battery life, keyboard and built-in pen.
Using the ThinkPad Helix as its primary example, Microsoft stressed that two-in-one devices offer the full computing experience that users are after, providing a "powerful PC" and "powerful, capable…tablet" that negates the need for two individual devices.
Despite being a tablet itself, Microsoft extended its two-in-one strategy using its Surface device, given its inclusion of a physical keyboard and full Windows 8 OS, which is capable of offering the full Office experience.
Will hybrids take over tablets? We'll see, but Microsoft certainly thinks so.

http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/read/...crosoft/031259

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Kinect for Windows dev kits coming in November

June 27th, 2013, 23:59 Posted By: wraggster

Developers to gain access to pre-release hardware and SDK before public launch next year

Microsoft has opened applications for its Kinect for Windows developer kit program.
Those who sign up will gain early access to information to start building apps for the Kinect for Windows sensor.

Developers will receive a pre-release version of the sensor hardware and software development kit in November. A replacement of the completed sensor hardware will also be made available upon public release next year.
The program will cost applicants $399, and developers must sign up by July 31st to be considered.
The Kinect for Windows SDK is also set to get a number of updates in September, including the ability to develop desktop applications using HTML5 and JavaScript, enhancements to Kinect Fusion, including improvements to tracking and accuracy, and the ability to extract the user from the background in real time.

http://www.develop-online.net/news/4...ng-in-November

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Consoles are becoming PCs, says Alienware exec

June 28th, 2013, 00:49 Posted By: wraggster

Advances in games console technology are blurring the lines between the PS4, Xbox One and PS, a key executive at Alienware has claimed.
Frank Azor, the general manager at Alienware, said that "consoles are looking more and more like PCs every day".
In an interview with PCGamesN, Azor explained:
"If you look at what Sony and Microsoft are doing, they're taking PCs and putting them into the living room. It's an AMD CPU, it's an AMD graphics card, it's a standard desktop hard drive. It's unbelievable."
Both the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One are built with a similar PC-centric X86 architecture, but on a service level they also adopt ideas that are more familiar to desktop gamers.
"You're installing games now instead of running them off the disc, because that's the right thing to do; you're downloading games digitally, which we've been doing on PC for years; they're integrating certain TV aspects and stuff, well, ten years ago we started experimenting with media centre."
Azor's driving point was that consoles, in adopting the traits of PC, are showcasing the merits of keyboard and mouse gaming.
"That tells you that the PC is the gaming platform of choice out there, there is nothing out there that's better. You look at what they're [consoles] trying to do and they're becoming more and more like PCs."
The other school of thought is that games consoles will weaken the PC market by competing with its technologies and services. But Azor believes that PC is uniquely positioned to host the most prosperous games.
"Look at the most widely played games out there, League of Legends, World of Tanks, I mean these are the most widely played games in terms of hours played in the industry. And up until this week those were exclusive PC titles."
Sony and Microsoft will both release their next generation consoles in western markets before the end of the year.
Xbox One will be available in 21 markets this November. The Xbox One price has been set at £425 / €499 / $499.
Following a consumer backlash, Microsoft recently abandoned a number of controversial Xbox One DRM policies.
In June, two notable European retailers began listing the PS4 release date as November 13, 2013. However, a Sony Computer Entertainment Europe spokesperson told us that the retailer listings were purely speculative.
Sony showed off the PS4 hardware for the first time during its E3 2013 conference, when it confirmed a Christmas PS4 release date in Europe and the US and a PS4 price of £349 / €399 / $399.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...lienware-exec/

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Unity to support Xbox One and Windows 8

June 29th, 2013, 23:41 Posted By: wraggster

Tools free to developers who publish their games through Microsoft Studios

Microsoft has entered a partnership with the makers of the Unity game engine that will add tools and support for Windows 8, Windows Phone 8 and Xbox One.
Unity is a cross-platform development environment that offers a free license to any company that makes under $100,000, but offers additional tools and platforms for a relatively small licensing fee.

The deal, unveiled today at Microsoft's Build Conference in San Francisco, brings yet another set of tools to reach Microsoft's new platforms and will see the two companies collaborating to make Windows 8 and Xbox One even more approachable for Unity developers.
Xbox 360 and Xbox One developers who have their games published by Microsoft Studios will be given free access to Unity tools.
“Our vision is to democratize game development and provide opportunity for all developers, from individuals to massive teams,” said Unity CEO David Helgason.

http://www.develop-online.net/news/4...-One-Windows-8

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You Will Get DirectX 11.2 Only With Windows 8.1

June 29th, 2013, 23:44 Posted By: wraggster

Microsoft has just announced the next version of DirectX, 11.2, on its website. But the real 'problem' is that it is going to beexclusive to Windows 8.1 and next generation consoles — Xbox One and Play Station 4. This is not news, as DirectX 11.1 was exclusive to Windows 8. But is this going to help Microsoft convince people to ugprade or will make them angry?
http://tech.slashdot.org/story/13/06...ith-windows-81

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Google Adds Microsoft Word, Excel Editing To Latest Chrome OS Build

June 29th, 2013, 23:45 Posted By: wraggster

Google has added native Microsoft Office file editing to the dev channel for Chrome OS. The addition means Chrome OS users on the latest build of the company's browser-based operating system can now experiment with editing Microsoft Word and Excel files. The dev channel for Chrome OS is updated once or twice weekly. Since the feature has made it in there, it's likely to show up in the beta channel, and then eventually the stable channel. Today's news that Google is already working on editing, and not just viewing, Microsoft Office documents in Chrome OS is very interesting because of the potential. Maybe by the end of year, the functionality will make it into the Chrome browser, too."
http://tech.slashdot.org/story/13/06...hrome-os-build