General Gaming Article

General Gaming Article

BioWare Lays Off Staff After Star Wars: The Old Republic Loses 1/4 Of Its Subscribers

Posted: 23 May 2012 10:56 AM PDT

When it rains, it pours, and the BioWare Austin team behind Star Wars: The Old Republic has been caught in a veritable monsoon of crappy circumstances. Just a few weeks back, an EA earnings statement revealed that the MMO had lost about a quarter of its subscribers during the last financial quarter. Execs said it was simply free trial players cycling out of the game, but BioWare announced yesterday that it had laid off some of the SWTOR team.

BioWare founders Greg Zeschuk and Dr. Ray Muzyka told fans about the decision in the SWTOR forum:

Hey folks, since you're reading this you may likely have heard that we've done some restructuring here on the SWTOR team. Sadly, we are bidding farewell to some talented, passionate and exceptionally hard-working people who helped make SWTOR a reality. Impacting people's lives this way is always very hard, but we're ensuring the affected people are treated with dignity, fairness and respect.

BioWare didn't announce the exact number of employees affected, but Internet scuttlebutt said the axe hit a fairly large percentage of the team. Nevertheless, Zeschuk and Muzyka said they "still have a very substantial development team working on supporting and growing the game," with new content and features planned for upcoming days.

SWTOR hasn't exactly taken the galaxy by storm the way EA and BioWare hoped it would. Have you played around in SWTOR? What did you think of it? Do you think premium subscriptions still have a role in this increasingly free to play MMO world?

Watch Out, Raspberry Pi; Via Announces The APC 8750, A $50 Android PC

Posted: 23 May 2012 10:34 AM PDT

If you're getting sick of waiting for a slice of your very own Raspberry Pi mini-PC, fear not; the cavalry will soon be arriving thanks to an unexpected rival: Via, the longtime mobo makers. Yesterday, the company announced its Pi-like "APC 8750" board, a $50 Android-powered PC complete with processor, memory and a host of I/O ports.

The Via APC fits into any mini-ATX or micro-ATX case even though it's based on a new "Neo-ATX" form factor, measuring in at just 17cm by 8.5cm. This particular Android 2.3 Gingerbread variant has been optimized for keyboard and mouse input. The mini-PC sports 4 USB 2.0 ports and HDMI, VGA, Ethernet, micro SD and audio/mic connections for all your interfacing needs.

Hardware-wise, the APC rocks an 800MHz VIA processor along with a memory combo of 512MB of DDR3 and 2GB of NAND. The system is capable of pumping out 720p graphics via its HDMI port; that, combined with the Ethernet connectivity, may just make the APC 8750 an attractive little $50 media streamer for Netflix lovers and HTPC enthusiasts on a budget. The Raspberry Pi, however, can stream a full 1080p feed and comes with its own power supply -- something the APC 8750 lacks.

Via claims the APC 8750 consumes just 4W when idle and 13.5W under max load.

Interested? Head on over to the APC website, where you can find out more about the $50 Android PC and sign up to receive an email notification when the diminutive board launches. Via expects the APC 8750 to start shipping in early July.

Microsoft Details The "Boot Options" Menu, A Fix For Windows 8's Fast-Booting Ways

Posted: 23 May 2012 10:06 AM PDT

As any SSD owner can tell you, fast boot times are a wonderful thing! Except for, well, when they're not. Microsoft's been working hard at reducing the boot times in Windows 8 and to hear them tell it, your home screen pops up so fast that there simply isn't enough time to mash on the trusty ol' F2 or F8 if you need to muck around in the BIOS or enter Safe Mode. Rather than shrugging their shoulders and leaving users to press a key in a 200ms window, Microsoft instead created a new "Boot Options" menu.

Basically, you won't be able to access boot options during the actual boot-up process anymore unless some sort of error prevents Windows 8 from starting properly, in which case the Boot Options menu you see above will appear. You'll also be able to access the Boot Options from the Advanced Startup portion of the General options menu, after the PC has launched. Finally, holding down the Shift key and clicking "Restart" on the shut down menu will restart the PC and bring up the Boot Options menu.

One caveat: the new options only apply to computers with a UEFI BIOS. Don't have UEFI? You'll still get the button-mashing prompt during boot-up. Check out the Building Windows 8 blog for waaaaaay more information, or watch the video above to get a sense of just how fast the Windows 8 boot times can be.

Bragadocious Lenovo Reports Record Year, PC Shipments Booming

Posted: 23 May 2012 06:59 AM PDT

Listen, anyone who claims we're living in, or are on the verge of, the post PC era clearly isn't paying attention. All one needs to do is focus on Lenovo, a company that, quite frankly, is kicking ass and taking names, and not by selling tablets and smartphones, but by hawking PCs around the globe. To wit, Lenovo's worldwide PC shipments increased 44 percent year-over-year, compared to an admittedly anemic 4.6 percent year-over-year average industry growth rate (emphasis on 'growth'), and for the tenth consecutive quarter was the fastest growing among the top four PC vendors.

Indeed, the PC sector is alive and well, and Lenovo is rolling in the dough as a result. Lenovo today announced results for its fourth fiscal quarter and full year ended March 31, 2012, noting a full-year record sales of $29.6 billion, which is up 37 percent compared from 2010/2011. It's been a remarkable run, with Lenovo beginning its 2011/2012 period as the world's fourth largest PC vendor and finishing as the second largest.

"The 2011/2012 fiscal year was a record-setting year for Lenovo, where we set an all-time high for revenue, shipment, market share and pre-tax income. Our fiscal year ended impressively with strong momentum. Lenovo's global PC shipments grew by 35 percent year-over-year, outperforming the industry by ten times, global market share increased by three percentage points, and net profit jumped by 73 percent year-over year," said Yang Yuanqing, Lenovo Chairman and CEO. "During the fourth fiscal quarter, Lenovo was the fastest growing among the top PC vendors in Global Emerging Markets, and Commercial Markets, as well as Consumer Markets and Mature Markets, where for the first-time ever, we reached double-digit market share in both.

Lenovo's gross profit for its fourth fiscal quarter grew to $806 million, up 34 percent year-over-year. PC shipments for the entire year jumped 34.9 percent. So, what comes next and how does Lenovo go about sustaining this kind of high level performance?

"With the emergence of multiple devices such as smartphones, tablets and smart TV, our industry is entering the PC+ era. Lenovo is focused on leading the PC industry, and building upon that leadership in the PC+ era," Yuanqing added.

Image Credit: Lenovo

Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Sony and Samsung Tell Retailers to Chill Out with HDTV Discounts

Posted: 23 May 2012 06:32 AM PDT

The next time you go shopping for a high definition television, don't be surprised to find that TVs from Sony and Samsung consistently cost more than the competition. The reason, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal, is that both are forcing new policies on retailers forbidding them from advertising or selling TV sets for less than predetermined price points by each respective manufacturer. The policies apply to both online and brick-and-mortar sales.

Tough times have hit the TV industry, and for the third consecutive year, the average selling price (ASP) for flat-panel TVs has taken a backwards slide, dropping to $545 in 2011, down 15 percent from $644 in 2009. Meanwhile, the average panel size is going up and now sits at 38 inches, up from 33 inches four years ago.

For the most part, it seems as though retailers are okay with these new policies. WSJ points out that sagging prices have hurt chains like Best Buy and Target, both of which face intense online competition. So what do online vendors think?

"This allows us to make a reasonable profit," Billy Abt, co-president of Abt Electronics, told WSJ.

According to Mr. Abt, profit margins are sometimes as low as $10 on some $2,000 sets.

Image Credit: Sony

Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

AMD to Push Out Power Friendly Processors for Windows 8 Tablets

Posted: 23 May 2012 06:10 AM PDT

It hasn't been much of an ARM wrestle in the tablet space up to this point, and it's not because AMD and Intel haven't talked the talk. For the most part, they just haven't walked the walk, which has allowed ARM to dominate the category. That could change once Windows 8 comes into view in a few months, and if Microsoft's upcoming Metro infused OS proves popular on touchscreen tablets, you can expect a dogfight between AMD and Intel.

Intel hasn't been shy about saying it plans to compete in the mobile device category, but what about AMD? According to DigiTimes, AMD is readying the release of its Hondo processors, which are low power chips built around the company's 40nm Bobcat architecture. Hondo processors boast a power consumption of just 4-5W, 1-2 processing cores, and on-die DirectX 11 graphics. These will go up against Intel's Clover Trail-W CPUs.

Following Hondo, AMD will roll out Tamesh processors in 2013. These second generation ultra low power APUs will feature AMD's Jaguar architecture with additional power enhancements and performance improvements.

Image Credit: AMD

Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

HTC Publishes Blissfully Frustrating Android 4.0 Update List

Posted: 23 May 2012 05:52 AM PDT

Good news if you own an Amaze 4G smartphone from HTC. For those of you who do, HTC just released an update to Android 4.0, the latest and greatest open source mobile operating system from Google more deliciously known as Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS). Owners of HTC's Thunderbolt and Desire HD smartphones aren't as lucky, having to wait perhaps until August, or longer, receive an ICS upgrade, according to HTC's newly published Android 4.0 roadmap.

There are a total 17 smartphones on HTC's list.

"The majority of devices will receive upgrades in June and July 2012 and we expect to finish upgrades in August 2012 for all announced devices," HTC explains.

Why do some take longer than others, especially now that ICS has been out for awhile? As HTC tells it, "Because of partner and network testing, and approval processes for device updates, it can take up to 45 days for all carriers and countries to get the update after a rollout has begun."

The real unlucky bunch are those rocking devices with 512MB ROM or less, because generally speaking, those will not be upgraded to Android 4.0, HTC says. These include the HTC ChaCha, Salsa, Wildfire S, Explorer, and other smartphones, and HTC tablets such as the Flyer, EVO View 4G, and Jetstream.

As Digital Trends points out, some of HTC's devices will be in a holding pattern for ICS when Android 5.0 has been announced. Factoring in a rollout period that could be as long as 45 days, it could be September before phones such as the HTC Thunderbolt are upgraded, almost a full year after Google announced ICS.

Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook
Posted by Shri Krishna

Total Pageviews

statcounter

View My Stats