General Gaming Article

General Gaming Article

The No BS Podcast Returns Tomorrow

Posted: 02 Feb 2015 04:03 PM PST

Maximum PC, No BS

Hi! I'm happy to say that our No BS Podcast returns tomorrow!

The last podcast debuted on October 31, 2014, and since then there hasn't been an update. The good news is that the Maximum PC crew will be at it again, fresh, tomorrow! There are a good number of things we're going to be talking about, including some of the things that happened over the holidays, CES, office shenanigans, and cool changes that are happening with Maximum PC--both print and online.

With that said, we'll continue to do the podcasts in its regular schedule going forward and we'll continue making it both entertaining and informative for you.

One thing that we're going to attempt to do is live-stream the podcast, via Twitch.tv. But that won't happen until the next podcast. For tomorrow's podcast, we'll just do it the way we've done it in the past.

However!

If there are any questions you guys want to be answered on the podcast tomorrow, feel free to peg them in the comments below. Consider it a psuedo-AMA of sorts. You can ask about what's changing, what the office is like, the team, me, etc.

I'm super thrilled to be doing my first Maximum PC podcast. Time to get my American Idol voice on. Where's that auto-tune software?

/ Tuan

Head 2 Head: Oculus Rift vs. HoloLens

Posted: 02 Feb 2015 03:33 PM PST

We've tried HoloLens and Crescent Bay—our thoughts on both headsets

With Microsoft now entrenched in the headset realm with HoloLens, many of you might be wondering how it stacks up against Oculus VR's Oculus Rift. After all, both are head-mounted displays. Still, while they have their similarities, they are also quite different. 

Whereas a virtual-reality headset aims to pull you into a virtual world, Microsoft has said many times that its augmented reality headset is content with keeping you in the real world, but simply wants to inject your life with holograms. We've had the rare chance of trying out both Microsoft's HoloLens development kit and Oculus VR's newest Crescent Bay headset. Which one do we think is better? While consumer versions aren't out for either device, we thought we would weigh the pros and cons of each via five categories below. 

hololens vs oculus rift

Left to right: Oculus Rift (Crescent Bay), Microsoft HoloLens prototype

Keep in mind that as neither headset has had its official release, our opinions are subject to change. Also, we haven't included unknown categories such as price, etc.

Round 1: Design

While both products are likely several months away from release, we know slightly more about the consumer version of the Oculus Rift than than the HoloLens. Rumor is that Crescent Bay, which Oculus says is a prototype of what its first consumer version might look like, is using a 2560x1440-resolution panel, and we suspect the consumer version will be in that vicinity as well. When we asked Oculus VR founder Nate Mitchell what refresh rate we can expect to see for the consumer headset, he told us, "At least 90hz." In addition, we suspect the consumer version of Oculus Rift will support roughly a 100-degree field of view (give or take a few degrees). We also know that there will be a SKU that offers 3D positional audio that will tie in well to the Rift's excellent stereoscopic 3D visuals. We also know that, unless something changes, CV1 of the Oculus Rift will rely on an external camera for positional head tracking, which Microsoft's HoloLens will not use. And because the Oculus Rift obstructs your view of the "outside world," Oculus maintains that the Rift is intended for seated experiences at the moment.

A grandmother is blown away by the Oculus Rift

This isn't the case with HoloLens, however. Because you can see the virtual along with the real, Microsoft is fine with you walking around with the headset on. When we tried out an early HoloLens prototype headset, it was wired and also had a connected chest strap, but Microsoft says that the final version will be wireless. Unlike the Oculus Rift, which needs to be plugged into a PC, the HoloLens will essentially be a self-contained computer running Windows 10. It will have its own CPU, GPU, and a new holographic processing unit (HPU) that will tie everything together. 

A prototype for Microsoft's HoloLens

HoloLens does have some similarities to the Oculus Rift, however—it will support stereoscopic 3D and have speakers that provide positional audio. Other HoloLens features include an integrated depth sensor, finger-swiping gesture support, and a built-in mic. Some of that could be coming to the Oculus Rift as well, especially considering Oculus acquired camera/hand tracking company Nimble VR, so we'll have to wait and see if the two headsets become more similar over time. 

A big difference between the two headsets in their current states is that the virtual field of view is smaller on Microsoft's headset. There's also no definitive word on how sharp the final version of HoloLens will be. Microsoft simply told us "HD," which indicates at least a 720P display. If what we saw at Microsoft's Windows 10 event was any indication of what the resolution might look like for the consumer version, we'd say were in pretty good shape, as we thought it looked pretty sharp. 

Because there's so much up in the air at this point, with designs and specs always changing, We can't award a winner in this category. 

Winner: Too early to predict

Round 2: Immersion

Both headsets are trying to sell you on immersion, but which one is more immersive? They offer two very different kinds of experiences. With the HoloLens, Microsoft isn't trying to shield you from understanding where you are, but it does an excellent job of representing virtual things in your room that aren't really there.

Microsoft HoloLens possibilities video

Still, we'd have to give this nod to the Rift, because if it's pulled off correctly, it can actually do a pretty great job of selling you on the fact that you're in a different universe altogether. We're confident virtual tourism will work better with the Rift, and that games will also be more intense and scarier with Oculus's offering. When we tried on the Crescent Bay demo at GDC 2014, there was a demo where we saw a giant T-Rex approach us and it felt like it could really bite off our heads (à la Jurassic Park lawyer scene) if he really wanted to. It was kind of unsettling. Plus, the Rift currently offers a more encompassing field of view. 

Winner: Oculus Rift

Round 3: Productivity

With Facebook purchasing Oculus for 2 billion dollars, we're sure social media, video chat, and such will be big components of the headset, but considering you can see the virtual along with the real with Microsoft's solution, we're going with HoloLens for productivity potential at this point. 

At Microsoft's Windows 10 press conference, the company brought us into a room, asked us to put on HoloLens and fix an electrical wall socket with real, physical tools. Using Skype, the person on the other end could see what we we were seeing and they could draw on their touchscreen to point out problem areas that needed to be addressed. This worked about as well as someone looking over our shoulder in real life. 

We can see this being used to fix cars or even people, and can easily imagine HoloLens being used in the ER or to help soldiers detect  landmines on the battlefield in real time.  

In addition to this, we know that HoloLens will support finger gestures (though we could also see Oculus adding this to its headsets later on). This will allow you to use Microsoft's HoloStudio program to create 3D objects, which you can later send to a 3D printer. Microsoft says it's the best print preview for 3D printing out there, and it's a pretty convincing argument. With HoloLens, the lines between the real and digital will become blurrier.  

Winner: HoloLens

Round 4: Gaming

We're still not entirely sure what games to expect from the Oculus Rift. Right now we're in a stage where lots of traditional first-person games are being ported over, but Oculus has said time and time again that the best VR games will have to be tailor made for VR, and we're inclined to agree with them. That is because locomotion is currently an issue, that is the queasiness you experience when your eyes think your body is moving but your brain does not. And there isn't yet a silver bullet controller that will help you best interact in these VR worlds.

There are perhaps even more questions for gaming on HoloLens. We could see I-spy games being really popular around the house, and perhaps we can see FPS games that have us blasting aliens that come in from the kitchen, but at the same time, Microsoft hasn't said how easy/hard the programming for any of this would be. 

From the information we have, it seems much easier to program games for Oculus, since developers won't have to deal with real-world variances, etc. The HoloLens does have mobility going for it, though.You should be able to run around the house, and this could open up new gameplay opportunities. While we're confident that some cool casual games could come out of this, at this point we're inclined to say the bigger AAA games will be on Oculus. 

Winner: Oculus Rift

Round 5: Entertainment

With a bunch of VR documentaries already announced, including one from legendary nature documentary producer David Attenborough, it's going to be tough to beat the Rift here. We also expect to see more videos and movies created for VR. Plus, much of the porn industry is also behind VR as well, so there's that…

Zero Point VR documentary trailer

We think the wider viewing angle and all-encompassing approach that Oculus brings to the table help it trump HoloLens for entertainment, at least for now.

Winner: Oculus Rift

Conclusion: 

We know Oculus won three out of the five categories here, but really, the two devices aim to serve different purposes. Is there room for both headsets? Only time will tell. Perhaps one day we might see an amalgamation headset that combines elements of VR and AR. Conversely, both of these headsets still have a lot to prove and if they aren't executed well, could both become shovelware. 

If we had to give the overall momentum to one solution over the other, however, we'd have to give Oculus Rift the advantage. At this point, people can relate more easilty to the idea of VR. Admittedly, it has the benefit of getting an earlier start. And with Oculus VR doing a good job embracing the open-source community, there are currently more people/developers behind its headset at the moment. 

Considering both are rumored to release this year, we're hoping we won't have to wait too much longer to see which one makes a bigger splash when they officially arrive. 

Android 5.0 Lollipop Is Finally on the Market Share Map

Posted: 02 Feb 2015 12:58 PM PST

Android 5.0 LollipopThe latest version of Android climbs to a 1.6 percent share

Google released Android 5.0 Lollipop to the public on November 3. 2014, but in the three months that have passed since then, it never registered a blip on the Android Developers Dashboard, until now. That's because Google doesn't list any versions with less than a 0.1 percent distribution. Within the last few days, however, Android 5.0 has gone from virtually non-existent to a 1.6 percent share.

That's still not much, but at least it's a start. I also expect to see that number grow somewhat steadily in the coming weeks and months -- HTC is working on doling out Lollipop to its One M7 and M8 devices in the U.S., the Verizon Galaxy S5 is supposed to unwrap the latest build today, and several other phone models should be receiving updates fairly soon as well.

As it stands, Jelly Bean (Android 4.1.x to 4.3) is the most popular major version with a collective 44.5 percent share, followed by KitKat, which is installed on 39.7 percent of all Android devices, at least as recorded by Google.

Out of all versions of Android, only Lollipop and KitKat gained ground compared to last month, increasing 1.6 percent and 0.6 percent, respectively.

Google gathers its market share data through the Google Play Store, so these numbers don't paint a perfect picture, though they do give a rough idea of the level for fragmentation.

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Selling Out to Sprint Would Be a Fitting End to RadioShack

Posted: 02 Feb 2015 11:54 AM PST

RadioShackShakespeare couldn't have written it better

RadioShack is reportedly in talks with Sprint to sell half its stores and shutter the rest. Should the deal go through as currently being discussed, the locations acquired by Sprint would operate under the wireless carrier's name, and with the other half going out of business, a recognizable brand that's been around for almost a century would suddenly cease to exist. It would be a tragic ending, and entirely appropriate, too.

As pointed out last month when talks of bankruptcy emerged, it was a series of missteps that brought RadioShack to this point. The company thrived for many years, but more recently was reduced to surviving the Internet era, and perhaps its biggest mistake was missing out on the maker movement in favor of mobile. Instead of shelves filled with 3D printing parts and hard-to-find electronic components, a typical RadioShack is now headlined by smartphones and tablets. It's a glorified kiosk with a spattering of interesting gear in back, behind the phones and batteries.

Granted, mobile devices are what's propping up RadioShack, but it's fool's gold, and so here we are talking about a 94-year-old chain that is on the verge of extinction. To be clear, this isn't a foregone conclusion—Bloomberg says the negotiations could still break down without a deal in place, or the terms of the deal could still change. Or another bidder could jump into the mix, buy the chain, and continue its operations.

So, yes, as Kevin Garnett famously screamed after winning his one and only NBA championship, "Anything is possible!" But what's likely is that RadioShack is nearing its end, and if Shakespeare could be given an opportunity to pen its ending, that chain's final act would be death by mobile, selling out to the very industry that took its soul.

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The Pirate Bay Returns Sans Moderation Panel, Causes Mutiny Among Staff

Posted: 02 Feb 2015 09:58 AM PST

TPBPopular torrent site is back online but short on staff

The Pirate Bay may ultimately prove an unsinkable torrent site. There have been repeated attempts to remove TPB from the web, and after Swedish authorities raided the site's servers and electronics equipment nearly two months ago, some wondered if it would ever return to form. Well, wonder no more -- TPB is back online, though not before a mutiny broke out among staff members.

According to TorrentFreak, staff members decided to lock themselves out of the moderation panel on the reborn site to prevent being taken down for a third time. It's a decision that didn't sit well with some of the original staff members, so some of the them jumped ship with plans of launching their own version of TPB. They also plan to relaunch the official "Suprbay" forums, which no longer appears in Thepiratebay.se's links section.

As far as the outgoing staff is concerned, their forthcoming site will be the real Pirate Bay, not the one that's back up and running. It's an interesting power play that's developing, and whichever one thrives will ultimately be decided by users, or authorities if they again target one or the other.

Not all parts of TPB are fully working -- Contact Us, RSS, and Register links spit out a 404 error. Otherwise, it performs as before with what looks to be very little data loss. The last upload was on December 9, 2014, the day Swedish police swooped in and confiscated TPBs equipment.

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Microsoft Surface Pro 3 Sale Results in $100 Price Cut and Free Sleeve

Posted: 02 Feb 2015 09:23 AM PST

Microsoft Surface Pro 3Save $100 on a Surface Pro 3 for a limited time

If you've been on the fence about purchasing a Surface Pro 3 tablet, perhaps a price cut might help make up your mind, or so Microsoft hopes. From today until February 7 (Saturday), U.S. customers can grab a Surface Pro 3 tablet from the Microsoft Store (online or retail) for $100 off MSRP. In addition, Microsoft is throwing in a protective sleeve valued at $40 at no extra cost -- you can choose from a dozen different styles.

The $100 savings and free sleeve offer applies to four of the five available SKUs -- as you might have guessed, it doesn't apply to the $799 Intel Core i3 4020Y CPU / 64GB SSD model, which is the least expensive of the bunch.

With regards to the four remaining models, they can now be purchased for $899 (Core i5 4300U / 128GB), $1,199 (Core i5 4300U / 256GB), $1,499 (Core i7 4650U / 256GB), and $1,849 (Core i7 4650U / 512GB).

All of the Surface Pro 3 slates sport a 12-inch multi-touch display with a 2160x1440 resolution, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 LE, Full HD 1080p front-facing camera, 5-megapixel rear-facing camera, front and rear microphones, stereo speakers with Dolby Audio, full-size USB 3.0, mini DisplayPort, microSD card reader, various sensors, and Windows 8.1 Pro.

Bear in mind that if you're student, parent of a student, or a faculty member, you can save 10 percent on select models at the Education Store. The $100 sale doesn't apply, but it still ends up being cheaper this way, and the entry-level model is included. Here's a look:

  • Core i3 4020Y / 64GB: $719.10 (down from $799)
  • Core i5 4300U / 256GB: $1,169.10 (down from $1,299)
  • Core i7 4650U / 256GB: $1,394.10 (down from $1,594)
  • Core i7 4670U / 512GB: $1,754.10 (down from $1,949)

For more info or to order a Surface 3 Pro, hit this link for the $100 savings, and this link for the Education Store.

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Raspberry Pi 2 Supports Windows 10 IoT, Gets Cooking with Faster Hardware

Posted: 02 Feb 2015 08:35 AM PST

Raspberry Pi 2Faster components get baked into Raspberry Pi 2 for the same price

Sequels are rarely as good as or better than the original, though that isn't the case with the Raspberry Pi 2, a faster version of the original with the same tantalizing $35 price tag. This time around, it's been upgraded with a 900MHz quad-core ARM Cortex-A7 CPU (Broadcom BCM2836 SoC) offering roughly six times better performance compared to the 700MHz ARM11 part (Broadcom BCM2835 SoC) found in the Raspberry Pi Model B+.

The Raspberry Pi 2 also sports twice as much RAM at 1GB of LPDDR2 SDRAM (400MHz) and is completely compatible with the first generation Raspberry Pi. And speaking of compatibility, it can run your typical Linux distros, as well as a special version of Windows 10.

"For the last six months we've been working closely with Microsoft to bring the forthcoming Windows 10 to Raspberry Pi 2. Microsoft will have much more to share over the coming months. The Raspberry Pi 2-compatible version of Windows 10 will be available free of charge to makers," the Raspberry Pi Foundation stated in a blog post.

Microsoft expanded its Windows Developer Program for IoT with a version of Windows 10 that will support the Raspberry Pi 2 PC. The Redmond outfit hasn't shared many details about this version of Windows 10, though we know it's aimed at devices that can't run the full OS. According to ZDNet, it's also expected the be built on the new common core (OneCore), share the common Windows 10 Runtime, and be available in the forthcoming unified Windows Store.

This is a potentially big deal for Raspberry Pi and Microsoft alike, and it should lead to broader interest, especially since it retains the same price as its predecesor.

As for the entry-level Model A+ ($20) and Model B+, both will continue to be sold, while those interested in the Raspberry Pi 2 can order one today from element14 and RS Components.

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EVGA GeForce GTX 980 'Kingpin' Edition Sports Three Power Inputs for Serious Overclocking

Posted: 02 Feb 2015 05:55 AM PST

EVGA GeForce GTX 980 KingpinA graphics card build for overclocking

Renowned overclocker K|NGP|N (or Kingpin, from here on out) has endorsed EVGA's latest GeForce GTX 980 graphics card, which has been "meticulously designed for the extreme overclocker." More than just lip service, this card packs a 14+3 power phase design, a new digitally controlled VRM capable of delivering up to a whopping 600A of current, and three power inputs (two 8-pin and a single 6-pin).

According to EVGA, Kingpin "contributed to the design" of the card, though the company didn't specify how. We have a hard time envisioning Kingpin going over schematics and technical blueprints with EVGA, though given his overclocking background, it's possible he gave them a list of features and abilities that would help his efforts.

Whatever his real role in the design was, the card ended up with several bullet points, including customizable lighting, a 12-layer PCB with extra copper, memory MOSFET cooling plate, onboard thermal sensors to allow for automatic realtime extreme overclocking tuning, quick switch triple BIOS, straight heat pipes (supposedly offers 6 percent better heat dissipation than bent heat pipes), a backplate, and EVGA's ACX 2.0+ cooling and metal shroud. The card also comes with a single slot bracket for water cooling.

We'll talk about pricing as soon as you swallow that swig of coffee you took. Ready? The EVGA GeForce GTX 980 Kingpin carries an MSRP of $750 and is available to pre-order now.

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Google Earth Pro Gets Massive Price Cut, Goes from $399 a Year to Free

Posted: 02 Feb 2015 02:40 AM PST

Google Earth Pro is Now FreeFour hundred to zero in ten years

Perhaps unbeknownst to most of humanity, a paid version of Google Earth has been available for the last ten years to anyone willing to fork out $399 per year. We say "unbeknownst to most of humanity" because that is one of the few possible reasons we can think of—apart from Google's largesse and a poor value proposition—for the vertiginous drop in Google Earth Pro's price, which is now an unbelievably low $0 per year.

"Over the last 10 years, businesses, scientists and hobbyists from all over the world have been using Google Earth Pro for everything from planning hikes to placing solar panels on rooftops. Google Earth Pro has all the easy-to-use features and detailed imagery of Google Earth, along with advanced tools that help you measure 3D buildings, print high-resolution images for presentations or reports, and record HD movies of your virtual flights around the world," the company said in a blog post Friday.

"Starting today, even more people will be able to access Google Earth Pro: we're making it available for free. To see what Earth Pro can do for you—or to just have fun flying around the world—grab a free key and download Earth Pro today. If you're an existing user, your key will continue to work with no changes required."

All you have to do to get the key is fill out a short form. Once you submit the form, you will receive an email containing your free Google Earth Pro license key.

But what about those who may have purchased a Google Earth Pro subscription just prior to this announcement? Don't they deserve a refund?

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Google Expands Bug Bounty Program to Mobile Apps, Announces ‘Vulnerability Research Grants’

Posted: 02 Feb 2015 12:37 AM PST

Google Bug Bounty ProgramThe company has paid out over $4 million in bug bounties since the program's inception

Now into its fifth year, Google's bug bounty program has already seen the search engine giant pay security researchers in excess of $4 million for identifying security vulnerabilities in its various products. And according to a recent post on the company's Online Security Blog, over $1.5 million was paid out in 2014 alone, with the largest single reward during the year being a whopping $150,000. Still not impressed? Well, neither is Google.

The company is expanding the scope of its Vulnerability Reward Program to include all mobile apps developed by it for Android and iOS, Eduardo Vela Nava, a security engineer at Google, announced in a blog post Friday.

But in even bigger news, the company has announced a new, experimental Vulnerability Research Grants program under which it will give security researchers upfront grants of up to  $3,133.70 to carry out security research on "newly launched features and products." 

"The program is intended for our top performing, frequent vulnerability researchers as well as invited experts, and we hope it will allow us to reward the security researchers time and attention including the situations when they don't find any vulnerabilities," reads the Vulnerability Research Grants rules page. "If, as a result of the grant, a vulnerability is found, then it will also be eligible for a reward under our Vulnerability Reward Program.

"Aimed at rewarding researchers looking for new research targets, and curious on what was recently launched by Google. Note the Google product security team reviews new products and services before launch, but we want to support external research and scrutiny."

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