Leaked press images show Samsung's ATIV SE for Verizon

March 16th, 2014, 20:54 Posted By: wraggster

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Wikipad drops from $250 to $200

March 16th, 2014, 18:24 Posted By: wraggster

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Ouya to show new exclusive games at GDC 2014

March 16th, 2014, 18:18 Posted By: wraggster

The moddable, Android-based Ouya hasn't won over all developers with strong sales from its userbase, but the open-source console still gets the occasionalexclusive release. According to Ouya's announced plans for GDC, that trend is going to continue. Six titles planned to launch exclusively on the Ouya will be present at the show, with Whispering Willows and Neverending Nightmaresjoining the selection in console-exclusive releases. This pair of games will also reach PC, Mac and Linux.

Among Ouya's GDC lineup is Glitchnap's LAZA KNITEZ!!, the multiplayer jousting competition in space that's shown in the above trailer. Toto Temple Deluxe also pits up to four players against each other, demanding an answer to the question: "Who can hold this goat the longest?" Players propel themselves into each other to knock the goat loose before sprinting away with it to boost their own score.

Reagan Gorbachev might be the oddest of the bunch, though - in the game's universe, ninjas attack a summit between the US and Russia during the Cold War, instigating an unlikely partnership between President Reagan and Soviet Union President Mikhail Gorbachev. Reagan Gorbachev's recent trailerresembles the top-down action of Hotline Miami, albeit with a bit less neon and blood geysers.

If any of the involved games interest you but you're without an Ouya, keep in mind that you'll soon be able to find Ouya games elsewhere, starting with Mad Cat's MOJO microconsole in the spring.

http://www.joystiq.com/2014/03/15/ou...s-at-gdc-2014/

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How Steve Jobs Got the iPhone Into Japan

March 15th, 2014, 00:36 Posted By: wraggster

Masatoshi Son, SoftBank CEO, remembers the early days when he tried to cut a deal with Steve Jobs in order to be the first to offer the not-even-named-iPhone-yet- 'new phone' from Apple, back in 2005. At the time, Son didn't even own a mobile carrier. He then purchased Vodafone, and was indeed the first to sell the iPhone in 2008 (then Au-Kddi in 2011, and DoCoMo in 2013). Today, 75% of smartphones sold in Japan are iPhones."

http://apple.slashdot.org/story/14/0...one-into-japan

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Weak Apple PRNG Threatens iOS Exploit Mitigations

March 15th, 2014, 00:34 Posted By: wraggster

A revamped early random number generator in iOS 7 is weaker than its vulnerable predecessor and generates predictable outcomes. A researcher today at CanSecWest said an attacker could brute force the Early Random PRNG used by Apple in its mobile operating system to bypass a number of kernel exploit mitigations native to iOS. 'The Early Random PRNG in iOS 7 is surprisingly weak,' said Tarjei Mandt senior security researcher at Azimuth Security. 'The one in iOS 6 is better because this one is deterministic and trivial to brute force.' The Early Random PRNG is important to securing the mitigations used by the iOS kernel. 'All the mitigations deployed by the iOS kernel essentially depend on the robustness of the Early Random PRNG,' Mandt said. 'It must provide sufficient entropy and non-predictable output.'

http://it.slashdot.org/story/14/03/1...it-mitigations

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Google and Microsoft Both Want To Stop Dual-Boot Windows/Android Device

March 15th, 2014, 00:34 Posted By: wraggster

"The laptop has undergone many changes over the past decade. At various times, netbooks, ultrabooks, and Chromebooks have been en vogue. Over the past several months, we've seen signs of the next step in the laptop's evolution: Android/Windows dual-boot laptops. Several companies have built these machines already, including Asus and its upcoming Transformer Book Duet TD300. However, neither Google nor Microsoft seem to want such an unholy marriage of operating systems, and they've both pressured Asus to kill off the dual-boot product lines. Asus has now complied. 'Google has little incentive to approve dual-OS models, since that could help Microsoft move into mobile devices where Android is dominant. ... Microsoft has its own reasons for not wanting to share space on computers with Google, particularly on business-oriented desktop and laptop PCs that could give the Internet giant an entry point into a Microsoft stronghold. Computer makers that make dual-OS machines risk jeopardizing a flow of marketing funds from Microsoft that are an important economic force in the low-margin PC business.'"

http://tech.slashdot.org/story/14/03...android-device

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EU Votes For Universal Phone Charger

March 15th, 2014, 00:33 Posted By: wraggster

The European Union has voted in favor of a draft legislation which lists among the 'essential requirements' of electrical devices approved by the EU a compatibility with 'universal' chargers. According to a German MEP, this move will eliminate 51,000 tonnes of electronic waste. The draft law was approved by an overwhelming majority: 550 votes to 12. At the moment, according to estimates, there are around 30 different types of charger on the market, but manufacturers have two years at their disposal to get ready for the new restriction.

http://mobile.slashdot.org/story/14/...-phone-charger

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Samsung S Band images and details leaked

March 15th, 2014, 00:29 Posted By: wraggster

Details and images of the Samsung S Band have been leaked.
Originally announced alongside the Samsung Galaxy S4, the health tracking band is similar in function to a FitBit or Jawbone Up device.
SamMobile revealed a series of supposedly leaked slides showing the wearable tech and highlighting some of its features.
Worn on a wrist like a watch, the S Band has no display and is available in a selection of colours. Like a FitBit, the electronic hub of the device can be detached and swapped into a different strap, or clipped onto a belt.
The slides describe some of the S Band’s features, including the ability to track steps taken, distance travelled, calories burned and sleep quality.
No prices or release date details were revealed.

http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/read/...-leaked/033536

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Samsung Ultrasonic Cover helps the blind detect obstacles around them

March 15th, 2014, 00:26 Posted By: wraggster

Samsung has unveiled a new case for its Galaxy Core Advance smartphone that aims to improve accessibility for people with sight difficulties.
The Ultrasonic Cover sends vibration or Text-to-Speech alerts whenever an object comes within two meters of the front of the case.
The idea is that visually impaired users can hold their phone in front of themselves and navigate around rooms.
As well as the cover, Samsung unveiled a stand that works with the galaxy Core Advance to allow for automatic reading of written material, along with an NFC-based Voice Label, which allows users to easily record notes.
Samsung said it developed the tools after conducting in-depth interviews with disabled and visually impaired people.

http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/read/...nd-them/033539

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Respawn CEO: 'We are talking to Aspyr' about Titanfall on Mac

March 15th, 2014, 00:21 Posted By: wraggster

The giant, stompy robots and diminutive, squishy pilots of Titanfall may find a new battlefield on Apple's OS X.

Vince Zampella, CEO and co-founder of Titanfall developer Respawn Entertainment, was asked point-blank if the hit shooter would appear on Macs. "We are talking to Aspyr," Zampella tweeted, adding, "they should do it." Aspyr is a company that specializes in porting PC games to the Mac. Its most recent efforts include BioShock Infinite and Borderlands 2.

Mac gamers should be pleased by this news, but shouldn't get their hopes up just yet. Zampella's tweet is far from a confirmation that the game is coming to Mac, and even if things pan out that way, it will take a while for Aspyr to bringTitanfall to Apple's hardware. Aspyr's Borderlands 2 port appeared four months after its PC incarnation, while BioShock Infinite lagged behind its counterpart by half a year.

http://www.joystiq.com/2014/03/13/re...anfall-on-mac/

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Crazy Taxi: City Rush is a new mobile game that's free-to-hey-hey-hey

March 15th, 2014, 00:16 Posted By: wraggster

Sega announced Crazy Taxi: City Rush this morning, a new free-to-play entry that's being developed exclusively for mobiles. Kenji Kanno, the man who created the original 1999 arcade game, is back as an exec producer on the series' first new entry in seven years.

The dev behind the steering wheel is Hardlight Studios, the mobile specialist team that recently delivered Sonic Dash. Hardlight is going with one-touch controls like swiping to switch between lanes, but the aim of City Rush remains the same: grab some unsuspecting passenger and deliver them to their destination as quickly and recklessly as possible.

Looking at the nitty-gritty features, in City Rush you can cab Facebook friends around the city, and there's support for both portrait and landscape play. Most important of all, you select your own music to drive to; we've already got the four Offspring and Bad Religion songs we need lined up and ready to cycle endlessly.

Also, Sega is marking today's announcement by making the original Crazy Taxifree on iOS and Android for a limited time. Meanwhile, City Rush is due to screech onto our sidewalks later this year.

http://www.joystiq.com/2014/03/14/cr...ree-to-hey-he/

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Card Hunter heading to mobile

March 15th, 2014, 00:10 Posted By: wraggster

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Metal Gear creator Kojima talks Snatcher, potential mobile adventures

March 15th, 2014, 00:09 Posted By: wraggster

Though it's not likely that we'll see a Hideo Kojima game on mobile devices in the near future, it is a possibility that the Metal Gear Solid creator has put some thought into.

In a interview broadcast via Twitch, Kojima sat down with Geoff Keighley to field questions from the public. When asked if he'd ever develop a game for the mobile platform, Kojima stated that he has no desire to create the short, replayable diversions that constitute most mobile games. Instead, he cites indie hit Papers, Please as a personal favorite and claims that he would eventually like to develop "a practical, easy to play adventure game that is quite deep."

"[I have] no idea when I'll be able to do this, but I'll ask," Kojima added via translator. "[H]opefully someday in the future I will be able to develop one of those, but unfortunately, right now, my full time is devoted to The Phantom Pain."

A later question centered on the future of Snatcher, Kojima's cult classic adventure game that, while highly regarded, has been overshadowed by Metal Gear Solid. While Kojima would like to see Snatcher return, he has no time to develop a sequel himself, but wouldn't be opposed to someone else reviving the sci fi epic. "If someone wants to adapt those games ... I would definitely support that person, I would help out that person, but I don't think there are too many people like that."

http://www.joystiq.com/2014/03/14/me...-mobile-adven/

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Humble Bundle of Love for Boyer packs in a ton of games for $25

March 15th, 2014, 00:09 Posted By: wraggster

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How clones, fear, sanitisation and free-to-play soured Apple’s iOS gaming revolution

March 13th, 2014, 23:13 Posted By: wraggster

Much has changed in the two years since we called Apple “the hottest property in handheld gaming” and said that the company had “changed the videogame industry irrevocably”. Between E236 and today, Apple co-founder Steve Jobs has passed away, iPhone 5 has launched and bifurcated, Game Center’s poker-table felt has been torn off in favour of a spartan interface, and a wave of licensed iOS controllers has reached the market, drawing iPhones and iPads closer to the traditional world of videogame hardware. In other respects, though, nothing is different – Apple seems no closer to infiltrating the home console business through its set-top box, for example.But crucially – at least for the people who have seen iOS platforms become integral parts of their gaming lives – it feels like the potential we saw in Apple’s devices to become a disruptive force has dissipated. Where we once saw a promising new marketplace of fresh ideas, unrestricted creativity, and daring new ways to play, the App Store of 2014 is swamped with cash-guzzling junk, shameless knockoffs and predictable sequels. Games worth discovering still exist, but they mostly dwell on the fringes and in the shadows, while endless horror stories suggest that paid-for games are simply no longer profitable and are dying out. What happened to the iOS gaming revolution?The App Store is still turning over an extraordinary amount of money – the marketplace attracted spending in the region of $1bn in December 2013 alone – but the lion’s share of the profits is going to an elite cabal of developers making free-to-play games. The App Store’s Top Grossing chart, which remains the most prominent method of getting games in front of players, has effectively frozen. “All of the top-ten-grossing apps in 2013 were over a year old,” says free-to-play design consultant Nicholas Lovell. “There is no other entertainment industry where month on month it’s the same things at the top of the charts – not for books, not for DVDs, not for movies.”This chart has become a self-sustaining cycle, acting as a billboard for games such as King’s Candy Crush Saga the whole year round, which in turn keeps them at the top. And while the most egregious ways to game the rankings have been stamped out by Apple, “people are definitely buying their way to chart positions”, according to Lovell. “There’s no doubt about that.”The App Store’s Top Grossing chart remains largely static, acting as a year-round banner advertisement for hugely successful games like Candy Crush Saga.

“I think the Top Grossing charts should be removed from the stores,” says Barry Meade of The Room developer Fireproof Games. “It’s entirely unreflective of what is actually for sale and teaches users nothing about the exciting new stuff that’s out there on their devices.”But no matter how much the stagnant chart positions have played a role in free-to-play’s uprising, it’s not surprising that the model would become dominant on iOS and Android. These platforms have always been skewed towards those looking to fill snatched moments here and there, and they’re markets where straightforward, inexpensive games such as Angry Birds have long ruled the roost. But dropping up-front pricetags has smashed even the perceived barrier to entry, massively broadening the player pool.In itself, free-to-play isn’t an evil phrase or business model. Even self-identifying ‘hardcore’ gamers have flocked to free PC games such as Dota 2 and PlanetSide 2, after all. And there are certainly cases on iOS where the model supports, rather than undermines, an enjoyable game design, most notably in GungHo’s Puzzle & Dragons. But there’s still a problem. “With seemingly everybody in mobile development hearing the call of the cash, free-to-play mechanics are skewing investment into an ever-narrowing field of game types,” Meade warns.Successful free-to-play games tend to be endless runners, match-three puzzlers, lightweight city builders and strategy games, with few exceptions. Attempts to adopt the model beyond this narrow band have not been positively received: hyped FPS The Drowning was critically panned, while even a big-name, well-promoted title such as PopCap’s Plants Vs Zombies 2 dropped out of the top 100 in many countries’ Top Grossing charts in a matter of months.

http://www.edge-online.com/features/...ng-revolution/

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Twenty iOS games to play today

March 13th, 2014, 23:11 Posted By: wraggster

In January 2012, we suggested 50 iOS games that deserved your time. These 20 represent the progress of the past two years, and span from cult curios to the big names that spawn clones. You can read our latest in-depth report on the state of iOS gaming here.

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Microsoft Dumping License Fees For Windows Phone?

March 13th, 2014, 22:37 Posted By: wraggster

For years, Microsoft remained adamant about its licensing fees for Windows Phone: if a smartphone manufacturer wanted to include the software on its devices, it would need to pay Microsoft a certain amount per unit. That was a logical strategy for Microsoft, which became a very big company thanks to licensing fees for Windows and other platforms. Unlike some of those other products, however, Windows Phone has struggled for adoption in its marketplace, which is dominated by Apple and Google. In response, suggests the Times of India, Microsoft may have dumped licensing fees for two Indian smartphone makers, Karbonn and Lava (Xolo). Microsoft's biggest rival, Google, gives its Android mobile operating system away for free, a maneuver that helped it gain spectacular market-share in a relatively short amount of time. If Microsoft pursues a similar strategy in different markets, it could encourage more smartphone manufacturers to produce Windows Phone devices, which could increase the platform's market-share—but there are no guarantees that scenario will actually play out. The smartphone market is increasingly saturated, and Microsoft's opponents have no intention of allowing Windows Phone to gain any ground.

http://tech.slashdot.org/story/14/03...-windows-phone

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Asus Game Box controller leaked

March 13th, 2014, 22:34 Posted By: wraggster

A picture of the controller for Asus’ as-yet announced Android gaming console, the Game Box, has surfaced.
According to previous reports, the Asus Game Box will feature an Nvidia Tegra 4 chipset, 2GB of RAM, 8GB of onboard storage capacity, and will run on Android 4.3 ‘Jelly Bean’.
The controller for the box was leaked via the Bluetooth Special Interest Group, which certifies devices with Bluetooth connectivity.
The form of the peripheral resembles that of a PlayStation controller, but has face buttons more like of an Xbox controller, labelled A, B, X and Y.
Further details of both the Game Box and controller are yet to surface, but the Bluetooth SIG post describes the Box as an “Android system for gaming markets that also added [sic] mouse mold [sic] for controlling on smart TV. 10 meters wireless bluetooth control, 430mAH for up to 12 hours playing time.”

http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/read/...-leaked/033519

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Over 55s are biggest showroomers

March 13th, 2014, 22:29 Posted By: wraggster

According to a new report by Omnico Group, 50 per cent of 55-59 year olds use their smartphones to compare prices in store.
This is compared to on 37 per cent of 18-24 year olds.
The younger generation are also much keener on loyalty programmes such as vouchers or mobile loyalty schemes, with 29 per cent of 18-24 years old claiming that such schemes make them more likely to give their custom to a retailer.
“Some people may be surprised to see Generation Y – the smartphone generation – as less savvy than their parents and grandparents when it comes to shopping for offers whilst on the go,” commented Steve Thomas CTO of Omnico Group.
“Instead, we’re seeing younger people being drawn in by mobile loyalty schemes, rather than offers. This gives brands a golden opportunity to target Generation Y with mobile marketing and intuitive mobile apps and offers, in order to secure brand ambassadors and sustainable customer loyalty in the future.”

http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/read/...roomers/033527

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Flappy Birds creator removed app because it was 'distracting the children of the worl

March 13th, 2014, 22:28 Posted By: wraggster

Flappy Birds developer Dong Nguyen reveals why he took one of the most talked about apps of all time offline.
Speaking to Rolling Stone, Nguyen said that he was bombarded with messages from parents, teachers and players complaining that his game was damaging their lives.
One message was from a woman saying Nguyen was "distracting the children of the world”, another complained that "13 kids at my school broke their phones because of your game, and they still play it cause it's addicting like crack."
Other messages were from workers saying they had lost their jobs because of playing the game.
Nguyen told the publication that he realised that people were hurting themselves playing the game. That coupled with the constant attention from the media led to the developer deciding to take the game offline.
Flappy Birds was released on the iOS App Store on May 24th and went viral eight months later, where it was downloaded more than 50 million times, earning Nguyen an estimated $50,000 a day.

http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/read/...e-world/033529

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