Mario comes to the Apple App Store… Sonic the Hedgehog fans rejoice
At today’s Apple event, Tim Cook spoke about the success of the App Store, with the big numbers being 140 billion downloads to date, 106 percent year-over-year growth, and 500,000 games in the store. But while there are some excellent games and franchises available, someone, he lamented, has been missing, until now… Mario!
Yes, Nintendo’s most famous character is set to finally arrive, officially, and exclusively on iOS, but anyone hoping for a traditional Super Mario Brothers game will likely be disappointed.
MAINGEAR R1 RAZER Edition -- gaming PC excellence bred from collaboration
PC gamers have two routes to take nowadays when wanting a new gaming rig. They can build a PC or buy one. While building a machine definitely is deserving of geek credibility, not everyone has the time or know-how to do it. Quite frankly, buying a pre-built system can often provide a more convenient warranty -- giving the consumer a central point of contact if something goes wrong.
One of the lesser-known system building companies, at least from a household-name perspective, is MAINGEAR. With that said, in-the-know gamers will recognize -- and respect -- the brand. Today, it announces a collaboration with accessory-maker RAZER. The fruit of the partnership is a gaming PC called MAINGEAR R1 RAZER Edition.
Microsoft enables video game pre-orders in Windows Store
The Windows Store can sometimes be a satisfying place to download and manage video games, apps, movies, and music. Regarding apps and games, however, the store is littered with a lot of low-quality items. In other words, Microsoft still has a lot of work to do, but it is slowly getting there.
Today, the Windows-maker announces that Windows 10 users can now pre-order video games through the Windows Store. It is one of those things that probably should have been possible from the start, but better late than never, right? The real question is, should Valve, owner of Steam, be worried?
Logitech G unveils 'Prodigy' line of PC gaming gear for the casual 'everyman'
There is a stereotype that all PC gamers are the hardcore variant -- drinking Mountain Dew in their mom's basement while spending their entire paycheck on video games and associated accessories. While those people surely do exist, there are plenty of people -- myself included -- that are casual gamers with limited budgets. When I say casual, I don't mean Candy Crush and Words with Friends -- we enjoy the same games as the hardcore folks. Sadly, we just don't have as much time and resources to dedicate to playing.
Unfortunately, companies don't seem interested in catering to the PC gaming everyman (or woman). Today this changes as Logitech G announces a new line of accessories for the casual segment. Called 'Prodigy', it offers capable gear without nonsense.
Samsung unveils curved Quantum Dot gaming monitors with AMD FreeSync
When buying a gaming monitor, there have historically been many things to consider, such as brand, budget, size, and resolution. Nowadays, however, there are even more features to investigate, like whether or not to buy a curved screen and deciding if you need AMD FreeSync or NVIDIA G-SYNC.
Today, Samsung announces some new gaming monitors that check many of the marks -- curved screen, AMD FreeSync, plus respectable resolutions and refresh rate. Stepping things up further, it also has Quantum Dot technology, which should produce remarkable colors.
Hacked: Epic Games forums
Reusing a password on multiple sites is a recipe for disaster. Why? Well, the password is now only as safe as the weakest site. For example, if you use the same user credentials for a shopping site that you do for a banking site, and the shopping site is hacked, your banking password is now exposed. Bad guys will try stolen credentials on various sites looking for where they might work.
Today, Epic Games, maker of popular games like Unreal and Infinity Blade, announces that its forums have been hacked. Now, if you don't reuse passwords, that isn't a huge deal, right? Sort of. True, your discussions about games might not be particularly sensitive, but you may still feel pain.
Facebook teams up with Unity to create a gaming platform to rival Steam
Facebook is starting to take gaming far more seriously. Not content with funneling the likes of Candy Crush through its servers, the social network is now joining forces with the company behind the Unity game engine to create its own desktop gaming platform.
The aim is to tap into not only the millions of gamers that are already on Facebook, but also to gather more from the PC-gaming community. It's a new venture that very clearly treads on the toes of Steam, and is likely to cause ripples in the gaming world.
'Cool off' with the Logitech G933 Artemis Spectrum Snow 7.1 Wireless Gaming Headset
During the colder months, some folks look forward to the summer so they can have fun in the sun. Yeah, at first hanging out in the pool or at the beach can be totally fun. When hardcore heatwaves hit, however, and the temperature becomes too much to take, the summer novelty quickly wears off.
In many places this week, it has been sweltering -- my air conditioning has been cranked up in both my house and car. Today, Logitech announces a new way to cool down -- sort of. Well, not really. You see, the existing G933 Artemis Spectrum 7.1 Wireless Gaming Headset is getting a fresh coat of white paint. The company is calling this edition 'Snow' which, from a psychological aspect, sounds pretty good to this sweaty gamer. Phew!
Logitech G unveils eSports-focused 'Pro' gaming mouse
As a casual gamer, I don't necessarily need hardcore gaming accessories designed for professional eSports competitors. With that said, I place a high value on quality products. If there is a well-built mouse or keyboard that can improve my gaming performance, I am all for it.
The problem, unfortunately, is that many products designed for 'gamers' can look downright ridiculous. Look, just because a mouse, for instance, is designed for playing games, doesn't mean it has to look like an alien spacecraft. Today, Logitech G (as in Gaming) unveils its newest gaming mouse, called simply 'Pro'. Guess what? The wired mouse's design is both simple and elegant, while not being boring (you can customize the RGB lighting). Finally!
Minecraft Windows 10 Edition Beta gives the game an Oculus Rift-friendly VR makeover
Last year, Microsoft announced that a virtual reality version of Minecraft was in the works. Today Minecraft: Windows 10 Edition Beta gains VR support, as Microsoft works with the Oculus Rift team to produce a more immersive version of the game.
In terms of controlling the VR version of Minecraft, you have the option of using a keyboard and mouse, or sticking with your trusty Xbox One controller. There are also a host of new VR-specific options to work with.
If you cheat at Pokémon Go you could be banned... permanently
The relentless popularity of Pokémon Go continues and shows little sign of abating. Despite the threat of privacy issues and malware, millions of gamers continue in their mission to catch 'em all.
But if you were feeling tempted to use one of the various techniques that have been developed for cheating at the game, you might want to reconsider. Developer Niantic is now handing out permanent bans to cheaters after updating its terms of use.
SteelSeries unveils Siberia 840 Bluetooth Gaming Headset for PC, Mac, consoles, and mobile
Gaming headsets are rather curious products. As the name implies, they are designed for chatting during gaming, but in reality, they are so much more. Actually, many of them can be used for non-gaming communication, such as on Skype, plus listening to music or watching movies. Just because they have a microphone, doesn't mean they can't be used as headphones too. Am I right?
Today, SteelSeries announces a new gaming headset. Dubbed "Siberia 840", it builds on the company's existing Siberia 800 with the addition of Bluetooth. This means the headset should work brilliantly for PC, Mac, consoles (Xbox One and PlayStation 4), and mobile.
Play thousands of classic Amiga games for free in your web browser
The Internet Archive has a good selection of games in its collection. You can play vintage console games, classic DOS games, and more, all directly in your browser.
If you were an Amiga owner back in the day you’ll be thrilled to know that the site has now added thousands of games from that classic computer to its library.
Google tells Android developers how to squeeze the most money out of mobile gamers
Mobile apps, particularly games, are not just about providing functionality or entertainment to users, they are about making money for developers. This has been the case for some time, and people's reliance on free apps has seen a huge surge in alternative income streams, such as advertising and in-app purchases.
But it's not just developers that reap the financial rewards of micro transactions within apps and games, as Google takes something of a cut. To help improve the flow of money for both parties, Google has shared a number of tips with Android developers that reveal how to "improve game-as-a-service monetization".
Xbox Summer Update is rolling out bringing closer Windows 10 integration
It's another couple of days until Windows 10 Anniversary Update rolls out to users, but Xbox One users now have something very exciting to download -- the Xbox Summer Update. Previously available as a preview, the latest system update sees the arrival of Cortana, background music and much more.
Major Nelson has announced that the rollout of the update starts this weekend, but there is no guarantee of when it will arrive on your Xbox One. If you're the impatient kind, you'll be pleased to hear that you can force the update to download and install it straight away!
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