| “PC Games Have Surpassed Console Games,” Says DFC Intelligence Owner Posted: 25 Apr 2014 08:38 PM PDT  The MOBA genre dominates PC gaming
On a global scale, the PC gaming market appears has surpassed the console gaming market when it comes to revenue. This is according to DFC Intelligence owner David Cole who spoke to PCR about the market research company's findings. A reason for this shift is that, Cole explained, "Among core gamers there is a heavy overlap with most console gamers also playing on a PC. The big difference is that consoles are now the luxury item and PCs are the necessity. Just a few years ago the reverse was true. This means PCs have the broader audience." DFC predicted, back in January, that the PC market would exceed $25 billion for 2014 and, according to their prediction back in 2011, that its revenue would surpass console gaming. One of the reasons why PC gaming revenue has passed that of console gaming has to do with the popularity and success of the MOBA genre. According to Cole, "The MOBA games League of Legends and Dota 2 dominate everything else by an order of magnitude in terms of more usage than other products. In the first part of 2014 we saw some signs that may change with the introduction of new titles and increased play of games outside the MOBA category." While the MOBA genre has risen to dominance, Cole also attributed the MMO, strategy, and first-person shooter genres for PC gaming's growth as well. In addition, the European market has been a big factor for PC trends when it comes to free-to-play games. Will PC gaming continue to outgrow console gaming in terms of revenue? Or will the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 push console gaming ahead? Follow Sean on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Xbox One Production Could Temporarily Cease Posted: 25 Apr 2014 05:38 PM PDT  Too much supply and not enough demand
Microsoft has revealed its financial results for the third quarter of fiscal 2014. During an investor call, the company reported that there was a gross revenue of $20.4 billion for the period of January 1 to March 31, 2014 with a net income of $5.66 billion, Gamasutra reported. While the Xbox One was not the primary topic of discussion, implications were made that Xbox One production might cease or slow down in the coming months. According to Microsoft, 1.2 million Xbox One consoles were shipped globally in addition to 800,000 Xbox 360s within the third quarter. Last week, Microsoft had announced that five million Xbox Ones had been sold to retailers but didn't provide any numbers as to how many of those consoles were sold to consumers. While the Xbox One has seen impressive sales numbers, Microsoft revealed back in January that three million units had been sold to consumers, there are units just sitting on store shelves. To deal with the inventory surplus Microsoft CFO Amy Hood said, during the investor call, "We do expect to work through some inventory in Q4." In that same call, however, she also referred to, "channel inventory drawdown for Xbox consoles" which could mean a halt to production or slowdown of production until the stock currently sitting on shelves has been sold by retailers. But will Microsoft slow or halt production of its Xbox One console so that retailers can sell through its inventory? Sound off in the comments below! Follow Sean on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| No BS Podcast #222: Future of VR, Nvidia Shield 2, and AMD Never Settle Bundle Posted: 25 Apr 2014 04:02 PM PDT |
| Microsoft's Cortana Won't Talk to Kids Under 13, Says It's a COPPA Thing Posted: 25 Apr 2014 09:55 AM PDT  Child protection laws prevent Cortana from interacting with kids under 13 years old
Here's something interesting -- if you're planning to purchase a Windows Phone device for your child who's not yet 13-years-old, be aware that the Cortana voice assistant software will give him or her the silent treatment. The revelation came in a Microsoft forum post in which a father asked why Cortana was telling his daughter she needs to be older to use that feature. "I'm sorry, you'll need to be a bit older before I can help you," Cortana tells people who are under 13-years-old. Microsoft's Rob Chambers explained that his daughter, along with anyone with a Microsoft account listed as under 13, can't use Cortana because of "Cortana's highly personalized approach" and Microsoft's "efforts to comply with COPPA," or Children's Online Privacy Protection Act. Cortana, which is similar to Google's Google Now and Apple's Siri software, is one of the highly touted features being rolled out with the Windows Phone 8.1 update. It's currently in beta form, so there's a chance Microsoft could offer a gimped version of Cortana that would be allowed to work on devices used by kids protected by COPPA. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| FCC Responds to Critics of Net Neutrality Proposal Posted: 25 Apr 2014 09:23 AM PDT  FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler says reports of end of net neutrality are "flat out wrong"
There's a lot of hubbub on the Internet over a controversial set of proposed rules by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which if passed would allow broadband providers to charge companies for faster delivery of their content. On the surface, this seems to fly in face of the concept of net neutrality, but FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler insists that reports of the agency pulling an about-face on the subject are "flat out wrong." "There are reports that the FCC is gutting the Open Internet rule. They are flat out wrong," Wheeler said. "Tomorrow we will circulate to the Commission a new Open Internet proposal that will restore the concepts of net neutrality consistent with the court's ruling in January. There is no 'turnaround in policy.' The same rules will apply to all Internet content." In a separate statement from Wheeler, who used to be a cable industry lobbyist, the FCC voiced concern over a "great deal of misinformation" over the topic of net neutrality and what the proposed rules will mean. "To be very direct, the proposal would establish that behavior harmful to consumers or competition by limiting the openness of the Internet will not be permitted," the FCC said. All of these comments and statements appear to be contradictory to the wording of the proposed rules, as they would allow companies like Comcast to charge Netflix and other streaming service providers a fee for a faster Internet connection into homes. The FCC defends this notion by saying it will establish a baseline level of service to subscribers and establish a high bar for what is considered "commercially reasonable," the standard by which ISPs would have to act when making delivery deals with companies. Image Credit: Flickr (pfly) Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Toshiba Now Mass Producing Speedy 15nm NAND Flash Memory Chips Posted: 25 Apr 2014 08:13 AM PDT  Toshiba wins race to 15nm in NAND flash memory field
What a relief it must be for OCZ to now be owned by Toshiba. Prior to the acquisition, OCZ had to fret about its supply of NAND flash memory chips, and that's not a concern for Toshiba, which makes its own. On top of that, Toshiba continues to advance the technology. To wit, Toshiba just announced it developed the world's first 15nm processor technology, which it's applying to 2-bit-per-cell 128-gigabit (16 gigabytes) NAND flash memories. Mass production of these new chips is getting under way at Toshiba's Fab 5 Yokkaichi Operations in place of second generation 19nm parts. Toshiba's also working on a second stage at its Fab 5 plant, which will also focus on 15nm memory. The 15nm NAND flash memory chips are smaller, sport improved circuitry, and achieve the same write speeds as Toshiba's 19nm parts, though the data rate is boosted to 533 megabits per second, which is 1.3 times faster. That speed increase is largely due to a new high-speed interface. These faster chips will make their way into smartphones, tablets, and solid state drives (SSDs), Toshiba says. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Done Deal: Nokia Completes Sale of Mobile Unit to Microsoft Posted: 25 Apr 2014 07:52 AM PDT  Microsoft and Nokia clear all remaining hurdles in mobile unit sale
It took a bit longer than anticipated -- regulatory hurdles require a lot of jumping and maneuvering, especially when it's on a global scale -- but just as originally planned, Microsoft now owns substantially all of Nokia's Devices & Services business (essentially the company's mobile division). The transaction also includes an agreement to license patents to Microsoft, Nokia announced. The final price is a little more than the original €5.44 billion (around $7.2 billion) announced back in September, as it was subject to potential price adjustments, Nokia said. However, the total amount won't be revealed until next week when Nokia announces its first quarter financial results. "Today we welcome the Nokia Devices and Services business to our family. The mobile capabilities and assets they bring will advance our transformation," said Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. "Together with our partners, we remain focused on delivering innovation more rapidly in our mobile-first, cloud-first world." Former Nokia chief Stephen Elop will serve as executive vice president of the Microsoft Devices Group, which will oversee an expanded devices and business that includes Lumia smartphones and tablets, Nokia mobile phones, Xbox hardware, Surface, Perceptive Pixel (PPI) products, and accessories. It will be interesting to see what Microsoft does with this transaction. Microsoft is woefully behind both iOS and Android in mobile market share, though the roll out of Windows Phone 8.1 with Cortana voice assistant software along with new devices could help boost Microsoft's position, especially as BlackBerry continues to struggle. Image Credit: Flickr (Nicola) Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Newegg Daily Deals: Corsair Carbide Series 500R White Case, Acer 27-inch IPS Monitor, and More! Posted: 25 Apr 2014 06:30 AM PDT |
Episode 222 introduces a new host and brings back video
