Ransomware is one of the latest tactics used by cybercriminals to extract money from victims. CryptoLocker hit the headlines last year, encrypting the files on infected machines until a ransom was paid. Now the same idea has spread to the world of gaming thanks to Teslacrypt.

Teslacrypt works in much the same way as CryptoLocker, but its raison d'etre is seek out game saves and download content for dozens of popular titles and hold them to ransom. Until victims cough up $500 in Bitcoins, or make a $1,000 PayPal payment, there is no way to access the games.

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Microsoft continues to update its latest gaming console on a regular basis, though the company also keeps the Xbox 360 alive as well. Now a new update rolls out to the Xbox One, bringing all sorts of features that fans have been waiting for since the box debuted in late 2013. In fact, Xbox Live's Larry Hryb, AKA Major Nelson, states "This month’s system update on Xbox One brings you some of the most-requested features by our fans".

First up is screenshots, which should make many gamers happy. Simply double-click the Xbox button on the controller to snap a shot, then press Y to save it. Or, even better, you can say "Xbox take a screenshot" and handle both tasks at once.

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Gaming has become a major function of today's mobile devices, allowing for hours of wasted productivity time. In fact, it's so popular that today's set-top box makers are building the feature right into their hardware, Amazon going as far as offering an Xbox One-like controller for customers to purchase separately.

Now the retail giant is in attendance at PAX East, a gaming conference being held in Boston. The show kicked off March 6th and runs through the 8th. Amazon is there to show off several new titles it has. These are more than just for Fire devices, as the company is making them available for iPhone and iPad as well.

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While many users likely don't give much thought to the computer mouse, there is a segment of the population that cares a great deal -- travelers want portable and gamers tend to look for fast response times, extra buttons to control things and a bit of bling to go along with it. After all, if you invest in a computer from, say, Alienware then you'll want a mouse that matches up with that tower case.

The mouse is an area of computing in which Logitech excels, designing several top products, including the specialty models. Now the company is introducing the latest member of its family, the G303 Daedalus Apex.

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Microsoft and Minecraft are two of the biggest entities in their respective fields -- software and gaming. While the former captures most desktop users, the latter has become an almost obsessive fascination for kids and even many adults. Logic dictated the two should team up, and that's exactly what happened when Microsoft bought Mojang and Minecraft last year.

As a testament to the partnership, two kids -- Alec Baron and Alessio Tosolini -- are using Minecraft in a cool and geeky way. The work, according to the boys, took more than 100 hours of collaboration. When they were finished, they had recreated the Microsoft Production Studios in Minecraft.

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When I was a young man, around the age of 8 or 9, a friend of mine got a NES and Super Mario Brothers. I went to his house almost every day to watch him play. Yes, he would give me turns, but you know how that goes -- you play for maybe 5 minutes while your friend plays for 3 hours. After a while, this became unbearable -- watching someone else play was torturous. I begged my dad for my own, so I could play as much as I wanted. My pops came through for me after a while, coming home with a NES, Super Mario Brothers and The Legend of Zelda. I had to play it on a black and white TV, but I didn't care; no more watching people play.

Fast forward to 2015 and I don't have the time to play video games; it is tragic. With that said, I do find time to watch others play. I know this sounds crazy, as I used to hate never getting a turn to play, and having to watch watch my friend, but now I watch Pewdiepie on YouTube, and many others on Twitch, playing video games. Why is this enjoyable? I have no idea. I'm not alone, however, as Twitch is massively popular. In fact, it is so popular that the first-ever TwitchCon has been announced. Will you be going?

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Microsoft has released its earnings report for Q2 FY2015 (that's Q4 CY2014 for everyone else), revealing figures that closely match analyst expectations. The software giant achieved $26.5 billion in revenue, with operating income coming in at $7.8 billion. Gross margin and diluted earnings per share were $16.3 billion and $0.71, respectively. However, in after-hours trading, Microsoft's shares dropped by $2, or 4.28 percent, to $45 per share.

Microsoft has delivered some good news through its earnings report concerning its Devices and Consumer part of the business. Surface revenue reached $1.1 billion at the end of the quarter, which translates to a healthy increase of 24 percent over Q2 FY2014. Lumia sales topped 10.5 million, which, again, is better than the same quarter from a year prior as well as the previous quarter, Q1 FY2015. And the list goes on.

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Just yesterday Microsoft held its big Windows 10 event -- you likely may have seen something in the news about it. Sort of hard to miss. There was much more to the show than just a new operating system. Surprises included HoloLens and more. One thing that featured prominently was the company's gaming console.

Yes, Xbox will be a part of Windows 10, and a big one if Phil Spencer is to be believed. The head of this wing of Microsoft did an extensive presentation during the event. According to Spencer, games are about being social, and that is one of the things the company tried to work into this. He also talks about gaming as a personal experience.

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Regardless of which console you prefer, Xbox One or PlayStation 4, one thing is for sure -- you love video games. Sure, the consoles can do much more than gaming, but it would be silly to spend so much money to just watch video services; you can buy a Roku or Fire TV instead. So again, if you own a game console, you do love video games.

With that said, I am sure you love reading and talking about them too. Tonight, Larry Hryb, aka 'Xbox LIVE's Major Nelson', is conducting a live Google+ Hangouts session with fans. Not only can you listen to and watch him speak about video games, but interact with him and the Xbox team too. Even if you are a PlayStation fan, you should be excited for the opportunity to chat with the Director of Programming for Xbox Live. So what are you waiting for? Watch it here with us, live!

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January is the time of year when people traditionally decide to lose weight and get fit. Partly it’s because a new year equals a new start, and secondly it’s because the month follows the holidays when we’ve all overindulged and packed on the pounds.

This is the perfect time for companies to release fitness products, and veteran games company Atari is hoping to cash in with the announcement of a new 'gamified' fitness app that offers an unusual nostalgic twist.

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As a system builder, I am a sucker for all hardware. What really gets my motor running is when something is the "world's first". Yes, I am an early adopter. What does this mean? I buy unproven new hardware at a premium, just for the glory of having it first. Smart buyers will wait for price drops and bug fixes, but not I!

Today, MSI announces a new motherboard that has a world's first, and quite frankly, it is something the world has been waiting for. Here it is folks, the first-ever motherboard with an integrated reversible USB 3.1 Type-C port! This is definitely something that will have early adopters drooling.

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In late 2013, the Internet Archive introduced a new area of its site called the Console Living Room which lets visitors play classic console games from systems of the past (including the Atari 2600, Atari 7800, ColecoVision, Magnavox Odyssey and Astrocade) in a web browser. In 2014, it made over 900 classic arcade games playable in its Internet Arcade. And now, in 2015, playable DOS games arrive on the site.

If, like me, you spent a lot of the 90s playing games on the PC, this is like a late, but very welcome, Christmas present. There are currently 2,391 games available to play, including classics like Cannon Fodder 2, Boulder Dash, Duke Nukem 3D, Prince of Persia, Championship Manager, The Incredible Machine, Eye of the Beholder (and its sequels), Hexen, Sim City, Wing Commander Academy, and the Kings Quest, Space Quest, and Leisure Suit Larry series -- to name just a few. More titles are promised, and the collection will change over time.

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The news the past couple of days has been filled with security, or lack thereof, as the case may be. Really, it has surrounded DDoS attacks launched against gaming networks. Both Sony and Microsoft experienced outages beginning Christmas day. The attacks have been credited to hacking group Lizard Squad.

According to security researcher Brian Krebs, the group has done a poor job hiding its members' identities. "While most of the group’s acolytes are known to U.S. enforcement investigators, many are minors, and the sad truth is that federal prosecutors don't really know what to do with underage felons except to turn them into informants".

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As a system-builder, I take great pride in building my own machines. Quite frankly, selecting all of your components, one by one, can be very rewarding. Unfortunately, buying piece by piece can be rather costly, adding up to more than many pre-built systems. Not to mention, it can be time and labor intensive, and many people, including myself, are very busy. It is for these reasons that I am considering forgoing a new build next year, and instead, opting for a pre-built desktop.

Let's be honest though, it can be confusing to pick a manufacturer for your new PC -- there are so many companies to choose from. Today, one such company, Digital Storm, announces the ECLIPSE -- a PC that it calls "Slim Gaming Tower of Power". Not only is the computer powerful and sexy, but starts at a very low $699. Hey, this is just in time for Christmas -- this will surely make the gamer in your life happy.

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Ralph Baer, the man credited with helping develop the world's first commercial video games console, died this weekend at the age of 92. He may not have been exactly a household name, but without Baer, video gaming as we know it might have taken a very different turn. Without him, the Xbox One and PS4 might not yet exist.

The German-born electronic fanatic and inventor's work led to the creation of the Odyssey console. The games unit was launched by Magnavox in 1972, managing to pre-date Pong, and Baer went on to invent the first light gun for games as well.

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