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by Published on July 12th, 2012 00:49- Categories:
- Android News
In an effort to woo developers to its Android-powered Kindle Fire tablet, Amazon has announced GameCircle. The series of new APIs allow developers to integrate a number of new features into games designed for the Fire.
GameCircle adds an achievement system, leaderboards and sync. Sync may be the most interesting feature, as it allows players to save their game progress in the cloud, so that they can pick up a game session after switching devices or even after restoring a deleted game – a valid concern considering the Fire's roughly 6GB of usable space.
The video above explains GameCircle in more detail. Developers interested in integrating GameCircle into their games can sign up for an invitation righthere.
http://www.amazonappstoredev.com/201...ndle-fire.html ...by Published on July 11th, 2012 21:58- Categories:
- PC News
Microsoft CEO reassures PC partners as he expounds Windows 8 "ecosystem"
Microsoft
www.microsoft.com
Steve Ballmer has eased the potential worries of Microsoft's PC manufacturing partners by insisting that the Surface tablet is a design point intended to set standards, rather than a move to muscle them out of the territory.
Speaking at the Worldwide Partner Conference yesterday, Ballmer told his audience that the device would have its place, but that Windows 8 devices would have a healthy and diverse ecosystem.
"Surface is just a design point," All Things D reports Ballmer as saying.
"It will have a distinct place in what's a broad Windows ecosystem. And the importance of the thousands of partners that we have that design and produce Windows computers will not diminish. We have a mutual goal with our OEM partners to bring a diversity of solutions, Windows PCs, phones, tablets, servers to market.
"What we seek to have is a spectrum of stunning devices, stunning Windows devices. So, every consumer, every business customer can say, 'I have the perfect PC for me.' … We're excited about the work our OEM partners are doing on Windows 8."
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...t-says-ballmer
...by Published on July 11th, 2012 21:50- Categories:
- PC News
Will MS buy the house of Call of Duty?
Activision Blizzard
Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision Blizzard, Inc. is a worldwide pure-play online...
www.activisionblizzard.com
Vivendi
Vivendi chief executive Jean-Bernard Levy stepped down last month amidst growing concerns about the company's debt and flagging share price. One of the rumored ways that Vivendi could bolster its financial position is to sell off its 60 percent stake in video game behemoth Activision Blizzard, and today more fuel has been added to that fire, as Reuters has reported that Vivendi is now actively testing the waters.
"It's nothing official yet, but they've asked a bank to go and talk to possible buyers for Activision," said a source close to the Vivendi board, according to the report.
The idea is that by selling Activision Blizzard the French media conglomerate could raise about $10 billion. Those who may be interested include cash-rich firms like China's Tencent, media giant Time Warner, Microsoft, as well as private-equity heavyweights KKR, Providence and Blackstone, according to banking sources.
There already is an existing relationship between Tencent and Activision as the two recently announced a partnership to offer Call of Duty as a free-to-play online game in China. The report notes, however, that buying Activision outright may not make sense for Tencent and its very different business model.
"They have two big franchises, Call of Duty on the console side and World of Warcraft on the MMOG (massively multiplayer online game) side. And China is not a big market for console businesses; online games are much bigger for various reasons," said a banker.
Microsoft, on the other hand, may want to add some more blockbuster IP to its arsenal on Xbox, and making Call of Duty 100 percent Xbox exclusive is likely appealing, but the company may not want to invest so much when it's gearing up to launch a next-gen console in the next year or so.
"They probably don't want to distract themselves too much, but they are the ones who, if they want to stay in games, would think about owning some of these big franchises, not just providing the consoles," a banker source said.
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...ision-blizzard
...by Published on July 11th, 2012 21:48- Categories:
- PC News
Digital Foundry looks at the challenges Apple faces with the arrival of the Google Nexus 7 and Microsoft Surface.
For over three years, only one tablet product has gained traction with the mainstream: Apple's phenomenal iPad. Niche challengers have come and gone, while heavyweights including RIM, Sony, Samsung and Motorola have all singularly failed to make any kind of impact on Apple's stranglehold on the market. Now the Cupertino giant's closest rivals have finally woken up: Microsoft and Google are both rolling out the big guns with the upcoming releases of Surface and the Nexus 7.
There's little doubt that the iPad has defined the prerequisites of a mainstream-focused tablet, and to a certain extent both of these challengers are "me too" products. Each is based on the notions of a slick, user-friendly interface, capacitive touch-screens, and low-power integrated processors paired with large batteries to provide stamina in the 8-10 hour range - the defining elements of the iPad.
However, the differences between the products are interesting in that they illustrate exactly where Apple's challengers believe its weaknesses are: the question really is whether these perceived deficiencies are enough to really open up the market.
"The likes of RIM, Sony and Samsung have all failed to effectively challenge the iPad phenomenon. Now Apple's rivals have finally woken up - but can Microsoft Surface and the Google Nexus 7 compete?"
Google's approach is intriguing: with the Nexus 7, it has staked a claim to the value end of the market, looking to offer an approximate high-end experience in a package that is a fraction of the cost of the $500 top-end "New iPad" and half the price of the $400 iPad 2. Google's tablet miniaturises the experience onto a 7-inch, IPS 1280x800 screen that cuts some corners on brightness and colour reproduction but crams a lot of pixels into a small enough area to give something approaching Retina fidelity.
Elsewhere, all the core functionality you would expect from a tablet is present and correct, while more extravagant elements that have somehow become a standard on more expensive tablets have been stripped out - so there is no rear-mounted camera for example, no HDMI output - and only a single microUSB port.
Only 8GB and 16GB SKUs are planned and there is no support at all for cellular connectivity - Google's strategy seems to be in attracting the value-conscious and tablet newcomers, and perhaps convince them to upgrade when the time is right to another Android tablet. The Nexus 7 is produced by Asus, and the Nexus 7 comes across to a certain extent as a "gateway" product to the firm's more expensive offerings.
Microsoft's Surface has no pretensions in masking the "me too" elements of its design. Although it has opted for a widescreen display over the iPad's 4:3 screen, there's little doubt that it aims for the premium side of the market in exactly the same way as the Apple tablet, with its high-end magnesium finish and weight/dimension advantages over the current generation iPad. At its presentation for the device, a huge amount of focus was put into the kickstand - curious, as it suggests that Microsoft believes that a great deal of tablet-time is spent near some kind of static, flat surface that it can rest upon.
Google's Nexus 7 aims to differentiate itself from iPad with a bargain $199 price-point, along with a user-experience that offers much of the slickness and appeal of Apple's established, market-leading offering.
But the true point of difference that Microsoft is banking on is Windows 8 and everything it represents: specifically functionality, productivity and the ubiquity of the OS on other devices. A fully featured USB port means that virtually any peripheral can be run from the tablet - printers, storage drives - with standard Windows drivers being used to run them. The Touch and Type covers in combination with Microsoft Office potentially offer Surface RT a level of functionality well beyond what the iPad offers, in a pleasingly integrated manner.
Traditional, native x86 Windows programs won't work on the Surface RT however, and therein lies one of Microsoft's biggest challenges: building its own version of Apple's walled garden app store. Having failed comprehensively with Windows Phone 7, Microsoft desperately needs to create transaction infrastructure that rivals Google Play and iTunes. Just a couple of months from launch, there are still some question marks over the Metro marketplace and the level of support it will attract.
"A merging or convergence between OSX and iOS has been mooted for years now, but Microsoft has got their first by rolling out Windows 8 simultaneously on computer and mobile platforms."
Of course, the advantage Microsoft has is the sheer proliferation of Windows on traditional computers and laptops. The next version of the desktop OS features support for Metro apps, along with the compatibility with traditional x86 binaries missing from the RT tablet. The same core kernel is ...by Published on July 11th, 2012 21:36- Categories:
- Android News
Jelly Bean(s) for everyone -- essentially, that's just what Google's done for the tech savvy underground with 4.1.1's release in AOSP. Not two days after that source code was made available, has a developer by the name of Hashcode worked to get an early build up and running on Amazon's Kindle Fire. If you'll remember, that Bezos-backed slate runs a heavily customized UX with Gingerbread buried deep at its core and official plans for a software update beyond its 2.3 underpinnings have not been announced. So, for adventurous owners that are sick of living in the software-past, but aren't quite ready to part ways with 200 bills for that very now Nexus 7, a beta ROM is at the ready. Naturally, you'll need to have your device rooted and loaded with a custom recovery to get things going but, take note, this work-in-progress is far from complete: hardware video acceleration isn't yet supported and WiFi is somewhat unstable. Fixes are assuredly on the way, so the less carefree might want to abstain from flashing at the moment. For everyone else, you can find the necessary downloads at the source below and, while you're at it, check out the video tour after the break.
http://www.engadget.com/2012/07/11/j...re-in-unoffic/ ...by Published on July 11th, 2012 21:34- Categories:
- DCEmu
While today's videogames are bigger, flashier and more impressive than ever, it's hard not to think that the golden era of console gaming is behind us. Back in the late '80s and early-to-mid '90s, when a new console came out every couple of years to cut its predecessors off at the knees and brutally savage the bank accounts of the hardcore gamer who had to have them all, there was genuine excitement. Now, with modern consoles showing their age and throwing on more and more gimmicks like so much makeup to compensate, it's hard to really get properly enthused about any of them.Out of nowhere came Ouya and, based on the $2.6 million it raised in 24 hours alone, it's safe to say it has succeeded in renewing that excitement. That's a stark contrast to the general feeling of malaise at this year's E3. I'm excited too -- but cautiously so.
http://www.engadget.com/2012/07/11/e...ouyas-success/
...by Published on July 11th, 2012 21:31- Categories:
- PC News
Whether you see Windows Vista and Windows 7 Gadgets as handy tools or a blight upon a pristine desktop, you might want to shut them off for safety's sake. Mickey Shkatov and Toby Kohlenberg have found that the desktop widgets' web-based code have flaws that would allow malicious Gadgets, or even hijacked legitimate Gadgets, to compromise a PC without having to go through the usual avenues of attack. Microsoft's short-term answer to the vulnerability is a drastic one, though: a stopgap patch disables Gadgets entirely, leaving just a barren desktop in its wake. There's no word on a Gadget-friendly solution arriving before Kohlenberg and Shkatov present at the Black Hat Conference on July 26th, but we suspect Microsoft's ultimate answer is to move everyone to Windows 8, where Gadgets aren't even an option. We understand the importance of preventing breaches, of course -- we're just disappointed that we'll have to forgo miniature stock tickers and weather forecasts a little sooner than expected.
http://www.engadget.com/2012/07/11/m...security-hole/ ...by Published on July 11th, 2012 21:21- Categories:
- PC News
News both eyecatching and vague out of Microsoft today as the company has revealed Halo 4 will be compatible in some way with its Surface tablet.
Speaking during a panel at GameBeat 2012, Microsoft president of interactive entertainment Don Mattrick stated that 343’s upcoming sequel in the sci-fi shooter franchise ‘will work’ with Surface.
The statement was confirmed by VentureBeat following the talk.
No other details are available at this time on how the game will interface with the tablet, as Mattrick wouldn’t divulge any other info beyond the original mention. That said, SmartGlass is heavily speculated to be involved.
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/halo-...-tablet/099355
...by Published on July 11th, 2012 20:53- Categories:
- Wii U News
While fans are no doubt waiting for Zelda HD, Shigeru Miyamoto has other Nintendo properties on his Wii U wish list.
The iconic developer told IGN he is interested in seeing how Metroid would benefit from the upcoming console and its tablet-like GamePad controller.
"With Metroid, it's very easy to imagine some interesting implementation for Wii U," the Nintendo development legend said.
"I think that having another screen with the gyro built in really gives you a lot of interesting opportunities for development, and we can bring a lot of our games to life in a completely unique way with that.
"I feel the possibilities of the GamePad for Metroid could be really fantastic. There's certainly a lot that you could do there for that game."
Metroid had two outings on Wii, most recently with the divisive Metroid: Other M in 2010.
Miyamoto added that the series he personally wants to see the most on Wii U is Star Fox.
Aside from a 3DS re-release of N64 title Lylat Wars last year, there has not been a new Star Fox game since 2006's DS title Star Fox Command. The series last console outing was 2005's Star Fox Assault on GameCube.
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/miyam...tar-fox/099363 ...by Published on July 11th, 2012 20:45- Categories:
- Xbox 360 News
Xbox 720 will be more than just a games console – Microsoft wants it to replace all of the boxes currently sitting under your television.
That’s the prediction of Michael Pachter who yesterday told an audience at the Develop Conference that “Microsoft has a strategy to take over the world”, according to IncGamers.
“I think Microsoft’s got it right [with their console strategy], and I think Sony will keep plugging away because they have an integrated strategy across all of their consumer electronic products.
“Console will have to be multiple purpose devices, though. The Xbox 720, this is my prediction, is going to be your television as well [as your game console]. You’ll be able to tune into television through it.
“You wont need a ‘smart TV’ when you’ve got an Xbox 720, it will be your television and your internet. It’s going to be open architecture and I think its real trick will be that one Xbox will be able to display television to as many screens as you have in your possession.
“The next Xbox will be Windows for sure, and you’ll be able to open up multiple TV channels in different windows and you’ll use SmartGlass to shoot off different channels to how ever many screens you want. That is happening, that I’m certain of.”
Pachter also believes that Microsoft will embrace its subscription supported sales model, meaning the console itself will be relatively cheap in upfront terms.
“I’m pretty confident that in the US Microsoft is going to partner with a cable TV provider, so I expect that the console will be priced like a smart phone,” he added. “I expect you’ll be paying $99 for the console with a cable TV subscription.”
How smoothly such a plan could be implemented in Europe – where the TV market is incredibly fractured – remains to be seen.
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/micro...e-world/099365 ...
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