Articles about Gaming

Pokémon Go has proved almost unbelievably popular, and like any app that gains a huge following, malicious versions of the app soon appeared. The game has been in the headlines after hackers knocked gaming servers offline, but there have also been major privacy concerns.

Now there could be a nightmare brewing for developer Niantic Labs in Germany, where consumer advocates say the game violates the country's consumer and privacy laws. Federation of German Consumer Organizations (VZBV) says the company needs to make sweeping changes to a raft of clauses in the app's terms of use in order to avoid further action.

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Pokémon Go has proved itself to be a rare phenomenon, and it has taken the world by storm. Attracting casual gamers of all ages the augmented reality title, Pokémon Go has seen people hitting the streets in search of elusive Pokémon -- until the servers overloaded.

There have been a few glitches with Pokémon Go, largely due to its staggering popularity. But today many people found that they were unable to get online for a different reason -- the game servers were hit by hackers. A group called PoodleCorp claims responsibility for the takedown and says worse is to come.

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Pokémon Go is undoubtedly the hottest mobile game at the moment. In the first week after its release it has skyrocketed to the top of the free and top grossing charts on both the App Store and Google Play in Australia, New Zealand and United States.

Pokémon Go has already reached over 10 million installs on Google Play, which is very impressive when you consider that it is officially available only in the three aforementioned countries. However, this changes today as the makers of the game just added one more market to the list.

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After months of hype, Pokémon Go finally began rolling out in a few countries this week. At this point, I can safely say, it has turned out to be one of the biggest viral hits in recent years. While the Pokémon IP played a significant role in the game's quick uptake, I believe that Pokémon Go's status as the first accessible augmented reality game at scale will be much more important to its long-term success. There are multiple elements of business model innovation at play here, far deeper than a simple extension of pre-existing IP.

Many analysts have already put out their takes on the game's success. Essentially, they believe that this was a long overdue move for Nintendo and they should develop similar mobile games to monetize their IP (e.g. Mario). If it were that simple, wouldn't Nintendo have done it years ago? Mobile isn't exactly a brand new platform. If we look deeper, it becomes obvious that the business model behind Pokémon Go was only possible at this point in time and is not scalable to all Nintendo IP.

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Pokémon Go may be proving jaw-droppingly popular, but in the rush to catch 'em all, it seems that users have overlooked something of a privacy issue with the game. It's not unusual for apps and games to request, or require, access to your Google account but there are usually limits in place.

Not so with Pokémon Go. As reported by Search Engine Journal, iOS users have discovered that the game not only requires access to users' Google accounts, it requires full access. This is the highest level of access available to any app and if it is revoked, the game won't work.

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Gotta catch 'em all! The Pokémon phenomenon, it seems, did not die. Nintendo suddenly has a surprise hit on its hands in the form of augmented reality title Pokémon Go which is already riding high in the charts. The game has proved so successful, that in the few days since its launch it has been installed on more than 5 percent of Android smartphones.

The international roll-out has been paused while developer Niantic tries to beef up its servers to cope with demand. But while US Pokémon catchers are having a whale of a time, would-be gamers in other parts of the world -- such as the UK and the rest of Europe -- are turning to nefarious sources to grab Pokémon Go APKs. The bad news is that malware writers have already picked up on the title's popularity and developed infected versions.

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For every successful business you see, there are many more that fail. In other words, having a long lasting company is not an easy feat -- the odds are stacked against business owners. To make matters worse, the economy has been truly horrific for a while now, making success even harder.

One such company that is thriving is SteelSeries. In fact, next month, the gaming-focused accessory maker will celebrate a 15th birthday. While tradition dictates that SteelSeries should receive gifts for its birthday, it is instead flipping the script. You see, the company is giving away $40,000 in prizes to mark the occasion -- including a trip to Valve HQ and a hardcore gaming laptop! Want to enter? Keep reading, y'all...

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The world of technology relies on encryption. Everything from private messages to online payments are secured in this way -- but how does it all work? Mozilla has come up with a way to teach people about encryption, combining gaming and emoji into a useful learning tool.

Codemoji is described as "a fun way to learn about ciphers", and while you might think that it's aimed solely at children, there's something here for all ages. The idea is very simple: letters and words are translated into emoji so they can only be read by those who understand the decryption technique.

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While E3 2016 doesn't officially begin until June 14th, gaming news is starting to come fast and furiously. For example, the new Xbox One S console has leaked prematurely; I am sure Microsoft is not happy about this.

Electronic Arts and Respawn on the other hand, have chosen to intentionally release information early regarding one of its fan-favorite franchises. Titanfall 2, the sequel to the wildly popular shooter, will be coming to Xbox One and PC this year. The title will also come to PlayStation 4; this is significant, as the original did not come to Sony's console. Curious of the release date? Read on for more info!

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Rumors have been circulating for some time about the arrival of a new Xbox One console, and now an image of the new model has leaked out. Known as the Xbox One S, the updated console is not just slimmer than the current Xbox One, but also boasts additional features.

Widely expected to be announced at the E3 expo which kicks off on Tuesday, Microsoft describes the Xbox One S as 'sleeker, slimmer, sharper'. At the moment no details of pricing or launch date are known, but the leak does gives up interesting titbits.

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A free update released today for The Sims 4 introduces a swathe of new options relating to creation of Sims. Significantly, gender-specific options no longer exist. Players can access the full range of clothing, hairstyles, physiques and voices regardless of the gender selected.

Electronic Arts says that in all, some 700 options that were previously tied to male or female Sims are now gender neutral. The move, part of a general trend in the technology industry to diversity, has been warmly welcomed by players.

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PC gaming is so much more than graphics cards and powerful processors. Once you build your rig, you need to get quality accessories too. Things like keyboards, mice, and headsets contribute to the overall experience.

The latest rage in keyboards are the mechanical variants. While they can be more expensive than a rubber dome style keyboard, they are certainly worth the extra cost. Mechanical keyboards offer more precise and satisfying keystrokes, which is not only ideal for gaming, but all uses, really. Today, famed memory manufacturer, G.SKILL, announces two new mechanical keyboards -- the KM570 MX and KM770.

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If a discovery by a reddit user is anything to go by, Xbox One game streaming could be making its way to Windows 10 Mobile. The Xbox Beta app from the latest Fast Ring Insider Preview build appears to include references to streaming games from an Xbox One to a mobile device.

Reddit user, eric5949, noticed that a new 'Play from console' option has appeared on his handset. Microsoft has not said anything about this feature yet, but it's possible that it's something we could see later in the year in Windows 10 Anniversary Update.

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If you're a Batman fan and like the Galaxy S7 edge then you're in for a treat. In celebration of the third anniversary of the Injustice: Gods Among Us game, Samsung has teamed up with Warner Bros. to release a Batman-themed, limited-run version of its latest Android flagship phablet.

Known as the Injustice Edition, it features a black Galaxy S7 edge with a gold Batman logo on the back and matching accents and a number of attractive extras which include a black Gear VR headset and what appears to be a gold-plated batarang.

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PC gaming is a huge deal nowadays. Not only are consumers playing these computer games themselves, but watching other people stream them on services like Twitch and YouTube Gaming. While prior generations of humans enjoyed watching "classic" sports such as baseball, basketball and football, modern millennials -- some of whom like the aforementioned sports too -- are increasingly spectating e-Sports. In other words, video games are beyond mainstream -- they are no longer just a hobby, and certainly not just for kids.

Today, HP announces that it is refreshing its "OMEN" gaming brand. These gaming PCs have the normal elegance of high-end HP computers, while also blending in youthful -- yet tasteful -- styling to appeal to gamers and millennials. Even if a consumer isn't necessarily a hardcore gamer, these OMEN branded desktops, laptops, and monitors are drop-dead gorgeous, and should appeal to all PC enthusiasts. The beauty is not skin deep, however, as HP has equipped these machines with high-end specs too.

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