General Gaming Article

General Gaming Article

Google Announces Gmail Always Encrypted Now

Posted: 20 Mar 2014 06:39 PM PDT

Google LogoPrivacy is the name of the game

Google has announced that Gmail will always use an encrypted HTTPS connection, encryption was implemented back in 2010 as a default option, for users sending and checking their email starting today. According to Google, this means that no one will be able to listen in if using Gmail on public Wi-Fi, phone, tablet, or computer. 

If that weren't enough, Gmail security engineering lead Nicolas Lidzborski revealed that all emails will be encrypted saying, "In addition, every single email message you send or receive—100 percent of them—is encrypted while moving internally. This ensures that your messages are safe not only when they move between you and Gmail's servers, but also as they move between Google's data centers—something we made a top priority after last summer's revelations."

Lidzborski is referring to the revelation, courtesy of former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, that the NSA would intercept email messages moving between data centers and servers as part of its strategy. 

The implementation of the encrypted emails is good news for those wishing for privacy from agencies such as the NSA. However, last August it was reported that Google had been accused of scanning Gmail users' email messages and that the company believed people have no "reasonable expectation" concerning their communications being confidential. The discovery was made when a class action lawsuit was filed against Google claiming the company "unlawfully opens up, reads, and acquires the content of people's private email messages." 

Google's response to these accusations was that it was "an attempt to criminalize ordinary business practices."

How do you feel now that the NSA can, supposedly, no longer read your email? Sound off in the comments below!

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No BS Podcast #220: Windows 8.1 with Bing, Nvidia 800M Series, Intel NUCs and SSDs

Posted: 20 Mar 2014 04:42 PM PDT

Maximum PC No BS Podcast #220

Cheaper Windows 8, smaller PCs, SSDs of the future, reader questions, and a rant

We've assembled once again in the podcasting dungeon to argue about Windows 8 and the latest hardware; also known as the No BS Podcast episode #220. We begin by discussing Microsoft's strategy to give Bing a shot in the arm by packaging the search engine with a more-affordable version of Windows 8.1, and then we chat a bit about Nvidia's 800M mobile GPU series and its ability to conserve battery life. Next Gordon gives us his thoughts on wee PCs and finally Josh talks about his recent visit to Intel's SSD testing facility. We finish by answering reader questions, giving you our Editor's Picks, and letting Gordon pontificate in his trademark manner. 

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Editors' Picks

Tom McNamara: Pixel Dungeon

Gordon Ung: Surface Pro

Josh Norem: Team Viewer, GFYcat.com

Jimmy Thang: KeePass

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Thanks for listening!

Microsoft Spills the Beans on DirectX 12, SupportedTitles Scheduled for Holiday 2015

Posted: 20 Mar 2014 02:12 PM PDT

Forza 5DirectX 12 provides developers with lower level access to hardware

Microsoft unveiled details about its DirectX 12 API at the Game Developer Conference (GDC) today. According to Microsoft, its team of engineers redesigned the API with a focus on speed and efficiency. DX12 will enable richer scenes, more objects, and fully utilize modern GPU hardware. On top of it all, DX12 works across different types of Microsoft devices, including phones, tablets, laptops, desktops, and the Xbox One.

Let the comparisons to AMD's Mantle API begin, primarily because both technologies promise a deeper level of access to the hardware.

"[DX12] provides a lower level of hardware abstraction than ever before, allowing games to significantly improve multithread scaling and CPU utilization," Microsoft stated in a blog post. "In addition, games will benefit from reduced GPU overhead via features such as descriptor tables and concise pipeline state objects. And that's not all – Direct3D 12 also introduces a set of new rendering pipeline features that will dramatically improve the efficiency of algorithms such as order-independent transparency, collision detection, and geometry culling."

Perhaps the biggest news for some is that DirectX 12 will run on most of the cards out in the wild today, so you don't need to wrestle with the question of whether or not it's worth it to upgrade.

3DMark DX12

Obviously it's too early to make any kind of conclusions about DX12, but so far, it looks promising. To show off what's capable with the new API, Microsoft ported Futuremark's 3DMark benchmark to use Direct3D 12, which resulted in two major improvements. The first is a 50 percent improvement in CPU utilization, and the second is better distribution of work among threads.

There are a lot of other things going on with DX12, some of which will be revealed at a later date. As for when you'll see DX12 games, Microsoft says it's targeting the holiday period in 2015.

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Crytek Rains on Unreal Engine 4's Parade with $10 Royalty-Free CryEngine Subscription Plan

Posted: 20 Mar 2014 12:26 PM PDT

RyseIn a game of one-upmanship, Crytek undercuts Epic Games on subscription pricing model

Crytek today announced the launch of its "Engine-as-a-Service" (EaaS) program, which is a fancy pants way of saying developers can license its CryEngine technology on a subscription basis. The cost is $9.90 per month, which trumps the $19 per month subscription plan Epic Games rolled out for its Unreal Engine 4. Further upping the ante, developers who subscribe to the EaaS program don't have to make any royalty payments on commercial products they build using CryEngine, whereas Epic Games requires a 5 percent kickback.

"When we announced the new CryEngine this was our first step towards creating an engine as a service. We are happy to announce now that the latest update of CryEngine will soon be available to all developers on a subscription basis," said Carl Jones, Crytek's Director of Business Development. "We are really excited to make CryEngine available to hundreds of thousands of developers working with Crytek to make awesome games."

EaaS subscribers will have access to same exact toolset that was used to create Ryse: Son of Rome. Now in its fourth generation, the latest version of CryEngine was optimized for the newest consoles, though it also added support for Linux. CryEngine can also be used to build titles for older consoles, as well as Windows PCs.

Some new features to CryEngine include Physically Based Shading to simulate the interaction between light and materials using real world physics, Geometry Cache to compute cache-based animations, some advances in character animation and rendering, and Image Based Lighting.

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AMD and Crytek Ink Deal to Wedge Support for Mantle API into CryEngine

Posted: 20 Mar 2014 11:56 AM PDT

MantleMantle notches another milestone

It remains to be seen if AMD's Mantle API can be a game changing force, but it at least bodes well that developers are showing interest. The newest member to the Mantle team is Crytek, which entered into a technology partnership with AMD to add native Mantle support to its CryEngine game engine. Make no mistake, this is a big win for AMD, which itself is still figuring out how best to utilize Mantle.

Bear in mind that Mantle is still a beta product that's gone from concept to development in two short years. We've already seen some performance gains as a result of Mantle, and while the API won't magically transform an inept gaming PC into a pixel pushing power house, some of the performance boosts at this early stage have been impressive.

Now we'll get to see what Mantle can bring to CryEngine titles.

"Crytek prides itself on enabling CryEngine with the latest and most impressive rendering capabilities," said Cevat Yerli, Founder, CEO & President of Crytek. "By integrating AMD's new Mantle API, CryEngine will gain a dimension of 'lower level' hardware access that enables extraordinary efficiency, performance and hardware control."

CryEngine has been powering games since 2004. The latest iteration was used to make Ryse: Son of Rome for the Xbox One as well as a small handful of other titles.

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Valve’s "Free to Play" Movie Review

Posted: 20 Mar 2014 11:28 AM PDT

Not just a good videogame documentary, but one of the best documentaries. Period.

Dota 2 is one of the most competitive and popular online games today. While Valve's complex strategy game may sound intimidating to someone unfamiliar with the massive online battle arena (MOBA) genre, the goals of the game are fairly straightforward: Two teams of five players are engaged in a territorial tug of war and the ultimate goal of each match is to destroy the enemy base. While the premise is relatively simple, the depth and skilled required to master the game has captivated millions around the world. 

Free to Play

Free to Play centers around teams duking it out in Dota 2 tournament for a million-dollar cash prize. 

Before I saw Free to Play, I was skeptical that Valve could put together a compelling and engaging film centered around a videogame. I am happy to admit that my initial hesitations were proven wrong as Free to Play not only turns out to be a great documentary about e-sports and video games, but one of the best documentaries I've ever seen. Period. 

Valve's documentary Free to Play is also free to watch.

Before I delve more into the review, I should let you know that I don't play Dota 2 or know anything about its online community. As a matter of fact, I have never really followed e-sports in general. Regardless, this did not prevent me from enjoying the documentary one bit. 

The film's story centers on the first Dota 2 International tournament held in Cologne, Germany, in 2011. This unprecedented tournament featured a prize pool of 1.6 million dollars. The winning team would walk away with a million dollars, which at the time was the largest single cash prize for any e-sports tournament ever.

The film highlights several international teams, but focuses on three major players that include "HyHy" (Benedict Lim Han Yong) of Singapore, "Dendi" (Danylo Ishutin) of Ukraine, and "Fear" (Clinton Loomis) from the US. The film shows how each player got into the game and throughout the process, you see trials and tribulations that any person could relate to, whether they play videogames or not. You get a strong sense of their passion and see how much they've had to sacrifice to become the best players in the world. The story is fantastic, emotional, and definitely something both PC gamers and non-gamers can both enjoy. It's a film even your non-gaming mother could appreciate and enjoy. 

The pacing of the film was also well done. We watched the film in a theatre packed with journalists and game developers, and by the time it ended, we were surprised that only an hour and sixteen minutes had passed. Valve said they will have more content coming in the next few days, and they will roll out new snippets periodically. The company also said they filmed over 100-hours of footage in making of Free to Play so hopefully all of that starts trickling online soon.

In the end, we highly recommend watching this documentary because it is truly a fantastic film with a strong story, great pacing, and fun, likeable characters. This is the movie you'll want to show your family and friends that don't understand why you play competitive online games. 

Instead of giving the movie a review score, we're just going to simply say that you should watch it. It is free to play after all, what do you have to lose?

The movie is currently available on Steam and YouTube, and will be coming to iTunes soon.

Several PC Makers to Test Market for Smaller All-in-One PCs

Posted: 20 Mar 2014 09:47 AM PDT

HP AIOGet ready to see 15-inch and 17-inch all-in-one systems

We're still waiting on someone to build a premium 30-inch all-in-one (AIO) with high-end gaming components, ample cooling, and easy upgrade features. Perhaps someday. On the opposite end of the spectrum, a handful of PC makers are reportedly going to test the market for smaller size AIO PCs. We're talking 15-inch to 17-inch models, which some surmise could decrease the demand for larger laptops.

Citing information obtained from supply chain players in Taiwan, news and rumor site Digitimes says Hewlett-Packard (HP), Asus, and "other vendors" are all on board with the smaller AIO movement. As the market currently stands, over 70 percent of AIO PCs range in size from 21 inches to 23 inches, with 23-inch models being the most popular, according to Digitimes.

By going smaller, OEMs can offer users more affordable AIO models. HP currently ships between 2 million and 2.5 million AIO PCs per year at an average selling price of $600. That will come down if smaller AIOs prove popular.

In addition to smaller displays, system builders have begun experimenting with Chrome OS-based AIO PCs, as well.

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Former Microsoft Employee in Hot Water for Allegedly Leaking Windows 8 Trade Secrets

Posted: 20 Mar 2014 08:35 AM PDT

Microsoft BuildingAn ex-Microsoft worker is accused of sending confidential Windows information to a French blogger

One of Microsoft's former employees has been arrested and ordered held without bail for allegedly leaking Windows 8 trade secrets to a French blogger, court documents revealed today. His name is Alex Kibkalo and he used to work for the Redmond outfit in Lebanon and Russia. Prosecutors in the case claim that Kibkalo provided the blogger with confidential Microsoft documents, including screenshots of unreleased versions of Windows.

Microsoft's main beef here doesn't appear to be that Kibkalo supplied screen captures to the blogger, who then posted them online for all the Internet to see. The bigger issue is that of allegedly sharing "proprietary and confidential trade secrets," including actual code, via email to the blogger's Hotmail account, The Register reports.

According to court documents, Kibkalo shared Microsoft's Activation Server Software Development Kit (SDK) along with unreleased versions of Windows Live Messenger. The documents point out that having access to the SDK could allow a hacker to reverse engineer the code that's put in place to protect against piracy.

Kibkalo was in Lebanon at the time the alleged leak took place. Based on the findings of an internal investigation by Microsoft and that of the FBI, it's believed that Kibkalo used a virtual machine on a Microsoft server to send the files from a mail.ru account. It's also said that the two talked about the illegal exchange on MSN chat.

Why do it, if in fact he's found guilty? Investigators believe he was motivated by a poor performance review he received after having been employed at Microsoft for 7 years.

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CyberPowerPC Releases Mega Miner PC Series for Mining Cryptocurrencies

Posted: 20 Mar 2014 08:07 AM PDT

CyberPowerPC Mega MinerPut your mining hat on

Loretta Lynn already captured in song what it's like being a coal miner's daughter, but the market is wide open if someone wants to list some lyrics about being raised by a virtual coin miner. In the meantime, if digging for cryptocurrencies is your thing, consider CyberPowerPC your company store -- it's where you can purchase tools for the job, including a new Mega Miner series of systems designed for gaming and virtual coin mining.

"The Mega Miner series is powered by AMD's Radeon R9 series graphics cards, which provide up to 1000KHash/sec on a single card," CyberPowerPC says. "With the ability to add up to three cards per system, the Mega Miner has been intelligently designed with the GPU power to perform the necessary calculations faster to earn more coins."

While an AMD graphics card is the obvious choice for coin miners, you can choose between an Intel or AMD processor foundation.  The three baseline models look like this:

Mega Miner 100
AMD FX-4300 Processor
4GB DDR3-PC1600
2 x AMD R9 270X 2GB Graphics
Gigabyte 970A-DS3P MB
500GB SATA3 7200 RPM HDD
24X DVD±R/±RW Drive
MS Windows 8.1 + Office 365
MSRP $989

Mega Miner 200
AMD FX-4300 Processor
4GB DDR3-PC1600
3 x AMD Radeon R9 280X 3GB Graphics
ASRock 990FX Extreme3 ATX Motherboard
500GB SATA3 7200 RPM HDD
24X DVD±R/±RW Drive
MS Windows 8.1 + Office 365
MSRP $1929

Mega Miner 300
Intel Core i3-4130 Processor
4GB DDR3-PC1600
3 x AMD R9 290 4GB Graphics
MSI Z87-G45 Gaming ATX Motherboard
1TB SATA3 7200 RPM HDD
24X DVD±R/±RW Drive
MS Windows 8.1 + Office 365
MSRP $2569

All three system systems are configurable and available to purchase now.

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Newegg Daily Deals: Antec Three Hundred Case, Samsung 840 Evo 1TB SSD, and More!

Posted: 20 Mar 2014 07:10 AM PDT

Antec Three Hundrednewegg logo

Top Deal:

Remember Larry, the guy with the crusty old PC? Well, we're determined to get this fictitious character up to speed with a new system, one piece at a time. Yesterday he picked out an affordable processor, and today he's going to be even more stoked by the top deal -- its' for an Antec Three Hundred Mid Tower Case for $35 with free shipping (normally $55 - use coupon coude: [EMCPGWF36]). That's a pittance to pay for a name brand chassis. This one has a bottom-mounted 2.5-inch drive bay, six 3.5-inch drive bays, three 5.25-inch bays, a washable air filter, CPU cutout, and several other amenities.

Other Deals:

Samsung 840 Evo MZ-7TE1T0BW 2.5-inch 1TB SATA III TLC Internal Solid State Drive for $462 (normally $470 - use coupon code: [EMCYTZT58829])

G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin SDRAM DDR3 1600 Desktop Memory for $74 with free shipping (normally $87 - use coupon code: [EMCPGWF34])

AMD FX-4300 Vishera 3.8GHz (4.0GHz) Socket AM3+ 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor for $100 with free shipping (normally $110 - use coupon code: [EMCPGWF25])

Asus Sabertooth 990FX R2.0 AM3+ AMD 990FX + SB950 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard for $170 with free shipping
Posted by Shri Krishna

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