Gaming

Windows Phone customers sometimes feel left behind when it comes to apps and games. Many eventually make it to the platform, but are frequently behind Android and iPhone counterparts. In the case of some apps, such as YouTube, customers are left with nothing but a second-hand mess.

Rovio, for its part, is trying to make up for the shortcomings of others, even releasing its brand new Star Wars 2 game to Windows Phone ahead of the Android release, albeit only by hours. Now the Finnish game maker is rolling out major updates to three more games from its popular bird-slinging  empire.

I used to exclusively be a home console gamer -- I preferred playing games on a TV screen as opposed to a tiny handheld display. Heck, I even grew up during the GameBoy era but never got one. The NES was a better option for me, as portability was not a need at the time. Truth be told, I didn't get into mobile gaming until I got my first Android phone. Since then, I play all of my games on a smartphone or tablet. Sadly, platformer games are my favorite genre and virtual d-pads are a poor experience. I have always dreamed of an Android device with dedicated gaming buttons.

In July, the NVIDIA Shield was released. However, it serves as a dedicated gaming handheld -- it cannot realistically replace a tablet. It didn't make financial sense to buy both a tablet and the NVIDIA handheld. Today, Archos announces a new Android-based, 7-inch tablet that also serves as a gaming machine, called the GamePad 2 (the successor to the GamePad 1). In other words, it combines the functionality of a Nexus 7, with the gaming controls of the NVIDIA Shield. Amazingly, the company is releasing the product in Q4 of 2013, for the low price of $199.

Guinness World Records, home to facts and figures such as who is the fattest, tallest, strongest and hairiest person on the planet, confirms that GTA V is the holder of numerous records. We already know that the game franchise is extremely successful, but it is interesting to see just how successful it is.

It is less than a month since the latest installment in the Grand Theft Auto series was released, and it has already grossed over $1 billion -- hardly surprising when you consider that 11.21 million units were sold in the first 24 hours. In all, the game has broken seven world records, and while the first six relate to sales figures, GTA V also has the "most viewed trailer for an action-adventure videogame".

Market intelligence specialist IDC has released a game and entertainment console forecast which concludes that the number of consoles shipped this year will be higher than in 2012. The total for 2013 is predicted to be around 33 million bundles, this ends a four year slide which began in 2009.

The forecast also suggests that Sony PlayStation 4 bundle sales will edge out Microsoft Xbox One sales during this year's holiday season. This is due to a variety of factors, most notably the PS4's lower price point.

If you can cast your mind back far enough to the dim and distant days when Windows 95 was taking the world by storm, you may well remember Hover. Taking more than a little inspiration from Doom, this fun driving/maze game was buried on the installation CD of Windows 95. It was responsible for the loss of many hours that could have been spent doing something far more worthwhile -- but probably less entertaining -- and it's back! Hover is back!

The game has been revived to show off the capabilities of Internet Explorer 11, and you can try your hand at it -- for the first time or to relive your youth -- by heading over to Hover.ie. But more than this, the game feature touchscreen control so it's also a great way for Microsoft to highlight the causal gaming capabilities of the recently announced Surface 2.

The video game controller has evolved over the years. However, from the iconic NES and going all the way to the soon-to-be-released PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, they are basically the same; directional pad on the left and buttons on the right. Sure, the number of buttons has increased, and there are now analog thumb-sticks, but overall, the concept hasn't changed -- until now.

Today, Valve announces that it is revolutionizing the game controller with its innovative Steam Controller. This controller is designed to accompany its new Steam Machine hardware and SteamOS Linux distro. Clearly, the company has its sights set not only on your living room, but competing with Sony and Microsoft. Yes, the company is using Linux and a custom-designed controller to compete with PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) is calling on the games industry to avoid pressuring children into making in-app purchases in games and potentially running up large bills. Back in April, an investigation began into the ways in which children are pressured into making in-app purchases. 38 web and app-based games thought to appeal to children were looked at, and the results of the investigation are available in the Children's Online Games report.

The OFT aimed to determine whether the way in-app purchases were presented could be considered "misleading, aggressive or otherwise unfair". As a result of the investigation, the OFT has drawn up a set of eight proposed principles that apps and games should follow. The principles include clearly and prominently informing app users about the potential for costs to be incurred through the app. It is suggested that users should be able to fully understand the current and future costs associated with any app they download.

Those waiting to do battle with the pork side in the next version of Rovio's popular Angry Birds series of games got a surprise treat today when, without announcement, the much anticipated Star Wars II appeared in the Windows Phone Store.

The Finnish game maker has been building momentum and anticipation towards a big launch tomorrow, which was expected to be cross-platform. But, for once, it was customers of the Windows mobile platform that received the bonus often reserved for Android and iOS users.

Big news came from Apple and Microsoft this week. Microsoft seemingly had a change of heart; having previously said that Windows 8.1 RTM would not be made available before its official launch date, the company announced that it would be released to people with TechNet and MSDN subscriptions.

The same group of people also gained access to the pre-release version of Skype. Microsoft was clearly in a very giving mood this week as the company also announced that it was giving free copies of Office 365 to non-profit organizations.

Summer is over, the nights are getting cooler and thoughts turn to... holiday shopping season, of course. 2013 promises to be a big one, with Windows 8.1 devices on the market and a new round of console wars ready to heat up consumers in overcrowded retail outlets around the globe.

Sony plans to launch its competitor, the PS4, on November 15, and today we learn that Microsoft will follow its rival into the market, albeit one week later, on November 22. Both consoles will be awaiting shoppers on Black Friday -- providing there is any stock left by that point.

Last month, a young child in my family celebrated her sixth birthday, so I decided to buy her a Nintendo 3DS. Unfortunately, I discovered that the 3DS is only recommended for children 7-years in age and up as the 3D can negatively affect their vision. Sure, you can turn the 3D off with a slider but it is too easy for the child to enable it again; even by accident. And so, I ordered the generation-older DS console instead as a safety precaution.

Today, Nintendo announces a solution to my conundrum, the Nintendo 2DS -- a handheld console which does not offer 3D. The video game company says "the new Nintendo 2DS system gives you all the features of the Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo 3DS XL, minus 3D viewing. And the price makes the world of Nintendo games even more accessible."

Some of the most popular games for Android and iOS are slowly making their way onto the Windows Phone platform. Angry Birds have landed, and Temple Run has already arrived, paving the way for the latest release -- Temple Run Oz, a variant of the addictive jungle game.

In this version, you turn, jump, and slide down the Yellow Brick Road to escape an onslaught of ferocious flying baboons, combining elements from both the original game, as well as those from the hit movie "Oz the Great and Powerful".

When it comes to modern PC gaming, you can never have too many buttons. Sure, there is an argument to be made that less is more on game controllers. However, hardcore-PC-gamers need any advantage they can get in today's fast-paced first-person-shooter world. Logitech is aiming to help these gamers to, well, aim, with the new Logitech G602 wireless gaming mouse ($79.99).

Logitech says, "the newest mouse in the Logitech G lineup, the Logitech G602 Wireless Gaming Mouse sets a new standard in wireless gaming. Without cords, clutter, or interference, the mouse’s lag-free wireless connection and unprecedented battery life allow better, uninterrupted game play. Featuring two modes, Performance and Endurance, the G602 Wireless Gaming mouse delivers 250 hours of non-stop battery life when in full gaming mode -- Performance mode -- and more than 1400 hours of use in non-gaming mode -- or Endurance mode".

Looking at the the biggest stories on BetaNews from August, 18 - 24, 2013. Perhaps the biggest news from the last seven days -- at least in part because it came as such a surprise to most people -- was the announcement that Steve Ballmer intends to resign from Microsoft within the year. The CEO is planning to step down as soon as a suitable replacement is found, but there has been speculation that Ballmer may have been pushed rather than opting to jump.

Getting my hands on a Surface Pro for the first time gave me an opportunity to try out Windows 8 as a touchscreen operating system. Despite loving the Surface in general, I pondered whether the use of the same version of Windows 8 as on desktop machine may have been what's stopping Microsoft’s convertible devices from becoming more popular. At the same time, Brian fell in love with the Lenovo Yoga, citing Windows 8 as one of the computer’s strengths.

Microsoft's next-generation console...ahh...living room entertainment hub will not ship until this November, but still promises to light up the holiday shopping season. The company already showed it off and announced games, plus my colleague Derrick Wlodarz recently laid out very good reasons why he expects this war to be won by Xbox, as opposed to Sony and its PS4, which is expected around the same time.

Now potential customers can get one more sneak peak at what to expect. In a new video from Xbox Live chief Larry Hryb, better known as MajorNelson, the new console is unboxed -- something many a person likely hopes to be doing themselves this holiday season.