| Fallout 4 On the Way, Takes Place in Boston Posted: 11 Dec 2013 06:12 PM PST  War never changes, but Fallout does
Rumors about Fallout 4 have been flying around for a while. One of the most popular was the suggestion that the game would call Boston home and it seems that the game and locale have been confirmed by casting documents leaked to Kotaku. The documents sent in by a reader reference a project code-named Institute—not unlike the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Fallout isn't explicitly mentioned in any of the documents, but they do include specific descriptions of characters and actual scripts including one that starts off with the franchise's characteristic: "War. War never changes." Possible characters include DJ Travis Miles and "a cross between Buddy Holly and Vin Diesel" named Sturges. The documents also reveal that the game starts with the player in a cryogenic sleep chamber. None of the details are set in stone, but they're interesting tidbits to hold us over until we get an official announcement. We're not sure who's developing the game although Bethesda Game Studios is the obvious choice with Fallout 3 and The Elder Scrolls series under their belt. We do now know that Fallout 4 is on the way and that it's set in Boston. What do you think? Are you excited to explore the Commonwealth? |
| Get Your Hands on SteamOS This Weekend Posted: 11 Dec 2013 05:56 PM PST Valve's operating system is coming out December 13 Prototype Steam Machines will ship out on December 13 to 300 lucky users with the Steam Controller and Linux-based SteamOS in tow. For everyone else, Valve has announced that SteamOS will be available for download once the prototypes ship. 
Unfortunately, the operating system might not be ready for primetime. Valve warns that "unless you're an intrepid Linux hacker already, we're going to recommend that you wait until later in 2014 to try it out." At the very least, it's a chance for us to get a hands-on look at it before further announcements at CES. The 300 selected beta testers should already know who they are since the notifications went out earlier today, but diehard fans should be content with fiddling around with SteamOS. Valve also casually mentioned that the in-home streaming beta is also almost ready. Were you one of the lucky 300? Are you excited for SteamOS? Tell us in the comments! |
| EU Court Shoots Down Cisco's Complaint Against Microsoft's Skype Deal Posted: 11 Dec 2013 01:34 PM PST  Microsoft's deal with Skype stands
Everything is rosy in Redmond today. In one of Steve Ballmer's last stands before handing the reigns to someone else, a European court ruled against claims made by Cisco that Microsoft's $8.5 billion acquisition of Skype would amount to an anti-competitive advantage. With the decision, Microsoft is free to continue marketing Skype's video calls to consumers and businesses without making concessions to Cisco or other competitors. Cisco mounted the challenge last year, at the time urging the European Commission to implement restrictions on the takeover to prevent Microsoft from ever being able to have a monopoly on the future of video communications, Reuters reports. "Imagine how difficult it would be if you were limited to calling people who only use the same carrier or if your phone could only call certain brands and not others," Marthin De Beer, senior vice president of Cisco's video and collaboration group, wrote in February 2012, according to AllThingsD. "Cisco wants to avoid this future." Cisco failed to convince the Luxembourg-based General Court that Microsoft's deal with Skype would ultimately harm competition. "Today's judgment by the EU General Court confirms that the Commission was correct in its assessment that the acquisition of Skype by Microsoft would not significantly impede effective competition in the European Economic Area," the EU antitrust regulator said in a statement following today's ruling. In March of this year, Microsoft COO Kevin Turner stated that over 280 million users spend more than 100 minutes per month making voice calls via Skype. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Dell Unaffected by Scroogled Campaign, Joins the Chromebook Movement Posted: 11 Dec 2013 12:38 PM PST  Yet another OEM is swayed by Chromebooks
Microsoft really should rethink its relentless "Scroogled" campaign and in particular its vendetta against Chromebooks. We're not saying Microsoft should readily embrace a competitor's ecosystem, but the more hardware partners that join the Chromebook movement, the sillier Microsoft looks for disparaging the platform. We bring this up because Dell, the world's third largest PC maker, just announced a Chromebook of its own. It's the Dell Chromebook 11 and like most Chromebooks, it's best suited for the education segment. There are two configurations available, both with an 11.6-inch display with a 1366x768 resolution, Intel Celeron 2955U processor (Haswell architecture), 16GB embedded solid state drive, 720p webcam, 802.11n Wi-Fi, two USB 3.0 ports, Bluetooth 4.0, HDMI output, and a battery good for up to 10 hours of run time. One configuration will have 2GB of DDR3 RAM and the other will have 4GB of DDR RAM. "Dell believes that when implemented successfully, teachers, students and technology work together to enrich the learning process," said Neil Hand, vice president, Tablet and Performance PC Group, Dell. "The Dell Chromebook 11 will give schools and districts another tool to consider as they plan their digital content and curriculum strategies, and its competitive pricing will help open access to technology for more students around the country." 
The Dell Chromebook 11 with 4GB will be available in January 2014 and the 2GB model during the first quarter of 2014. Dell was a little coy on pricing, saying only that the "Chromebook 11 is expected to sell below $300." Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| SugarSync Turns Bitter Towards Freeloaders, Going Paid-Only in February 2014 Posted: 11 Dec 2013 12:05 PM PST  The free ride is almost over
SugarSync users who have been enjoying the service's free 2GB tier received some news today that they may find hard to swallow. Beginning February 8, 2014, SugarSync will no longer welcome freeloaders to the fold, and instead will adopt a paid-only model. On the bright side, customers will still be able to try the service at no cost for 90 days and 5GB (or 30 days for any of the paid plans), but after that, it comes time to pay the piper. "There are many companies in this space that are giving away free storage, however, most of these companies will not be viable. We are already in a solid financial position and this shift will further strengthen our business," SugarSync CEO Mike Grossman said. "Also, this change will allow us to better serve loyal customers and expand our service offerings. We're excited about the next stage in our growth and confident that our customers and new users alike will achieve greater value through these enhancements." It's not clear if pricing for any of the tiers will change in February, but as it currently stands here are the paid options to choose from: - 60GB: $7.49/month ($74.99/year)
- 100GB: $9.99/month ($99.99/year)
- 250GB: $24.99/month ($249.99/year)
- 1000GB: $55/month ($550/year)
As previously mentioned, SugarSync allows a 30-day trial for any of the above plans, or you can test the service free for 90 days capped at 5GB. Once that expires, however, you must move to a paid tier. This is a bit of a bummer, as SugarSync is one of the better cloud-based backups out there. It's also risky on SugarSync's part when you consider the free alternatives that are available. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Digital Storm Teases High End Steam Machine for Power Players Posted: 11 Dec 2013 11:30 AM PST  A boutique built Steam Machine with a 'take no prisoners' approach
Let's get one thing straight -- even though Valve is making a push for PC gamers to plop their rumps in the living room where console gaming has traditional ruled the roost, there's no mandate that says a Steam Machine has to be only as powerful as an Xbox One or PlayStation 4 (or Nintendo Wii). Taking that to heart, boutique builder Digital Storm makes no bones about the fact that it's upcoming Steam Machine won't compete with consoles on price, but in return for a higher price tag, gamers will receive a premium set of components that send consoles cowering in the corner. Details are light at the moment, though we did manage to squeeze a few tidbits out of Digital Storm. The company's first Steam Machine will start at $1,469 and offer configurations that can handle an Nvidia GeForce GTX Titan graphics card. It will have a liquid-cooled CPU, advanced airflow thermal management, and up to a 700W power supply. Digital Storm's rig will ship with both Valve's Linux-based SteamOS and Microsoft Windows, allowing the PC gaming master race to play any computer game out there. As for setup, you can place the system horizontally or vertically in your entertainment center, whichever is more convenient. That's all Digital Storm is willing to divulge at the moment. More information will come to light at CES in January, though in the meantime, you can subscribe to receive updates on Digital Storm's pre-launch website. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Geek Holiday Gift Guide 2013 Posted: 11 Dec 2013 11:23 AM PST  Maximum PC's Geek Holiday Gift Guide 2013
It's that time of year again where we get to pretend we're sharing with you gift ideas to show that special geek in your life just how much you care, but in reality, we all look at these guides and think to ourselves, "That's flippin' cool, I'm gonna buy that for myself!" Hey, there's no shame in that. There's some seriously cool swag for geeks out there, and if you're primarily interested in shopping for yourself, so be it -- go treat yourself to whatever floats your fancy on this list and re-gift Aunt Mabel's fruitcake to whoever it was you were shopping for in the first place. If, on the other hand, you're truly interested in culling gift ideas for your Star Trek-loving boyfriend or bacon-obsessed girlfriend, well friends, you still came to the right place. Is he or she a fan of The Walking Dead? We've got you covered with a wide range of gift ideas, everything from canned unicorn meat (seriously) to a peripheral that will turn an iPhone into a handheld game console, to more traditional items like computer components. We've separated our gift ideas into four different categories to make it easier to find exactly what you didn't know you were looking for. However, for best results, give each gallery a glance -- there's some seriously cool stuff in here and you don't want to miss out! Jump To: Gadgets
Games
Toys PC Hardware You know what you won't find in this guide? Console recommendations. Let the peasants debate over which is better, the Xbox One or PlayStation 4. We're part of the PC master race and we'll defend our platform of choice until the end of time. We're also always willing to invite new members into the fold, and what better way to do that than by gifting someone a pile of parts? From CPUs to GPUs and beyond, here's a look at some bang-for-the-buck PC parts and components that hit the price-to-performance sweet spot and would make great gifts. *Note: Prices reflect time of print. They are subject to change. |
| Geek Holiday Gift Guide 2013 - Toys Posted: 11 Dec 2013 11:22 AM PST Jump To: PC Hardware
Gadgets
Games Toys and MISC This is our catch-all category for items that don't fit tidily into any other space. You know, standard fare stuff like canned unicorn meat and The Walking Dead Monopoly. Think both of those are awesome? We do too, but wait until you see what else is included here. These are surefire winners for any geek. *Note: Prices reflect time of print. They are subject to change.
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| Geek Holiday Gift Guide 2013 - Games Posted: 11 Dec 2013 11:21 AM PST Jump To: PC Hardware
Gadgets
Toys Games Rockstar Games sure is taking its sweet little time porting Grand Theft Auto V over to the PC, but if history has taught us anything at all, it's that eventually GTA V will find its way home. In the meantime, there are plenty of other games worth gifting. If you're feeling particularly cheap, send your recipient the URL to download Dota 2 (it's free!). Otherwise, you can't go wrong with any games on this list. |
| Geek Holiday Gift Guide 2013 - Gadgets Posted: 11 Dec 2013 11:20 AM PST Jump To: PC Hardware
Games
Toys Gadgets Building a PC is the first (big) step towards becoming a true geek. What comes next? Rounding up essential gadgets, of course! You can think of gadgets as tools, and just as every carpenter should always have access to a razor sharp saw and sturdy hammer, a geek needs to surround himself with tools of a different kind, like capable earbuds and a reliable router. *Note: Prices reflect time of print. They are subject to change. |
