Software

Next Generation Consoles Needed to Save Slumping Game Sales

Paul Lilly — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:49:12 +0000

Decline In game sales just par for course.

Another month is in the books, and yet again, NPD Group noted a drop in overall game sales compared to the same period a year ago. No minor decline, total game related sales dropped 25 percent to $386.3 million from May of last year when hardwre, software, and accessories totaled $517 million, according to NPD Group's data. Breaking it down by category, software sales fell 31 percent to $175.1 million and system sales declined by the same percentage, raking in just $96 million.

"Softness in new physical entertainment software sales stemmed from a decline in the number of new launches, with over 30 percent fewer new SKUs, as well as poor performance of the new SKUs that were released," said NPD analyst Liam Callahan, according to USA Today.

The numbers were somehwat bolstered by consumer spending on digital sales, micro-transactions, and used game sales and rentals, all of which combined to drive total spending to around $787 million, but as impressive as that sounds, it too was the lowest of 2013.

Both Microsoft (Xbox One) and Sony (PlayStation 4) plan to launch new consoles in time for the holiday shopping season, and it's likely the new hardware, along with developer and consumer excitement, will reverse the recent trend in consumer game spending.

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Were Xbox One E3 Demos Powered by Windows 7 and Nvidia Graphics?

Paul Lilly — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 15:36:08 +0000

Things that make you go hmmm.

Microsoft made a splash at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) last week by showing off a number of fantastic looking games for its upcoming Xbox One console. It was hard not to get excited by some of the titles, including Dead Rising 3 and Forza Motorsport 5, but as it turns out, the game demos we saw might have actually been running on Hewlett-Packard PCs running Windows 7.

Before we go any further, let's be clear that it's not all that unusual for game developers to use PC hardware to show off future titles, so that in and of itself isn't reason to rake Microsoft over the coals. However, it's at least a little bit interesting that these tech demos were being run on Windows 7 rather than Windows 8, which the Xbox One's OS is partly based on.

Secondly, it was discovered that the HP PCs were equipped with Nvidia GeForce GTX 700 Series graphics cards. Given the risk of exposure, it would have made more sense to use machines running AMD graphics cards since the GPU in the Xbox One is an AMD part that's comparable to a mid-range Radeon HD 7790.

All of this came to light when Julian Rignail from U.S. Gamers posted to Twitter a message saying, "I just played an Xbox One game using an Xbox One controller that crashed... to a Windows 7, Hewlett Packard-branded desktop. Magic!" The Internet demanded pics, and lo and behold, there are a couple shots of Windows 7 PCs tucked inside Xbox One cabinets.

Again, using PCs to show off console games isn't unusual, but the choice of OS and GPU certainly raise an inquisitive eyebrow. And according to Cinema Blend, which first broke the story, developers have confirmed that PlayStation 4 game demos shown off at E3 were running on PS4 Dev kits, not PC hardware.

File this under "T" for "Things that make you go hmmm."

Update 12:30 PM

Or maybe not. A developer for Twisted Pixel's LocoCycle claims that his game was the only one of the bunch running on a PC, and that the choice of hardware was "solely [Twisted Pixel's] decision," not Microsoft's. That would certainly explain a few things, and hopefully blunt those pitchforks and douse the torches.

Kudos to "dracx619" for the update in our comments section.

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Microsoft is Paying Upwards of $100,000 To Secure Key Windows Phone 8 Apps

Justin Kerr — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 16:22:41 +0000

Microsoft throws money at the problem.

Sources close to Microsoft have confirmed that the tech giant is determined to prop up its Windows Phone 8 App Store, and it’s willing to bust out the big boy checkbook to do it. According to Business Insider, Microsoft has offered several top tier developers upwards of $100,000 to bring key apps to its mobile platform, and that’s in addition to smaller incentives currently open to anyone.

For the month of June Microsoft is also offering developers of any size a cool $100 for any app that gets published to the store up to a maximum of $2,000. This could certainly help Microsoft pad the numbers a bit on paper, but it won’t help with the quality vs. quantity argument. That’s where the big payouts come into play. If Microsoft can write a check to convince just a few more key developers to join the platform, Windows Phone could end up being the only viable alternative to Apple and Google in the mobile space.

Buying your way into a market is a questionable and expensive strategy, but it also shows Microsoft’s commitment to the platform. Will throwing money at the app problem make it go away? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

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Microsoft Office Casually Moseys Over to iPhone, Caveats Follow

Paul Lilly — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 14:57:15 +0000

"You have to call me Dragon."

Remember that scene in Step Brothers when Dale Doback and Brennan Huff meet for the first time? They stare each other down and insist on being called Dragon (Dale) and Nighthawk (Brennan). It's a scene that immediately came to mind when we found out Microsoft's Office productivity suite had wandered over to iOS to meet the iPhone -- and only the iPhone -- in the form of Office Mobile.

You read that right -- Office is (finally) available for iPhone via iTunes, though not without caveats. Though it's a free download (yay!), it's only accessible to Office 365 Home Premium and ProPlus subscribers (boo!). The other caveat is that Office Mobile is only optimized for iPhone, not the iPad or iPad mini, both of which offer larger displays to work with.

Regardless, it's a first step -- and a big one at that -- in bringing Office over to iOS.

"After signing in to an Office 365 account, you can access, view and edit Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents from anywhere," Microsoft stated in a blog post. "And, you can count on Office Mobile to keep all your content and formatting intact so the document still looks great when you're back on your PC or Mac."

Microsoft promises a consistent Office experience across platforms, meaning your formatting and layout will remain intact when going from PC or Mac over to iPhone. The software maker also touts the ability to make quick edits and share documents from your iPhone, with the ability to save directly to SkyDrive, Microsoft's cloud-based storage locker.

Office Mobile is available to download right now.

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Nvidia E3 2013 Highlights

Paul Lilly — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 18:43:22 +0000

Nvidia shows off Warframe, Witcher 3, and more!

Folks, PC gaming is alive and well. That's the big takeaway from our time spent with Nvidia at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), in which the GPU maker declared that the PC is the "most important gaming platform." To prove it, Nvidia hit us with some statistics from GDC indicating that 48 percent of game developers are focusing their efforts on the PC, versus 13 percent who are working on titles for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, 11 percent on the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, and 5 percent for the Wii U. That's only one example.

Game revenue paints a similar portrait. According to DFC Intelligence, the PC platform generates more revenue than either the PlayStation or Xbox platforms. By 2015, DFC predicts PC game revenue will top $20 billion, roughly twice as much as PlayStation and four times as much as Xbox. Pretty staggering, isn't it?

Worried that might change with the introduction of the PS4 and Xbox One? Rest easy, PC gaming worry-wart, because as we've seen in the past, the dynamic nature of PCs and inevitable upgrades to components always end up trumping the hardware baked inside of consoles. As for the next generation of consoles, Nvidia points out that even its current generation GPUs for the PC beat what's coming on the console later this year (see above slide).

Not that we need Nvidia to tell us PC gaming is thriving, it's certainly nice to hear a major GPU player reaffirm its commitment to a platform that everyone in the media seems to be overlooking these days. Nvidia also hit us over the head with several upcoming game demos showcasing its technology. Here's a look at Borderlands 2 DLC:

The DLC was built inside of Gearbox and delivers more content, more playtime, and pretty much more of everything. It will cost $10 -- same as previous DLC -- and will be free to those who own a Season Pass. As you're watching the demo above, pay attention to the particle effects and PhysX simulation.

Next up we have a peek at Hawken, a free-to-play, multiplayer mech combat game developed by Adhesive Games.

One of the neat things about Hawken is that all of the destructible pieces are interactive and can be kicked around the landscape. Like the Borderlands 2 DLC demo, there's heavy use of particle effects. What you're watching above is a tech demo showcasing the dynamic particle system.

Moving right along, here's a look at Warframe, a free-to-play cooperative third-person shooter developed by Digital Extremes. Or, as the developers describe it, "a little bit like Mass Effect 3 multiplayer meets Ninja Gaiden."

Some of the Nvidia-based technical aspects found throughout are screen space reflections (they're not geometry dependent like most reflections, so they can be applied at any angle), APEX snow and other particle effects, shadows, turbulence, and more. Warframe uses APEX effects liberally, which means the game will look best on Nvidia hardware.

Next is a look at Splinter Cell Blacklist, an upcoming third-person action-adventure stealth game published by Ubisoft and the sixth installment of Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell series.

One thing the developer wanted to point out right away was that it began working with Nvidia a few months ago on lights and shadows. Three things that helped with that were TXAA (the "platinum standard for anti-aliasing"), horizon-based ambient occlusion, and high resolution shadows. The three combined ensure the light and shadows have depth, which is critical to the core gameplay. Unfortunately, the demo we saw was of a DirectX 9 version of the game, though a DirectX 11 version with all the bells and whistles is definitely planned.

Finally, we have some footage of Witcher 3, which we've broken up into two separate videos. The first shows off some Nvidia effects.

The short demo highligts things like bloom shafts, aerial perspective fog, volume based translucency, semi volumetric clouds, fur simulation, real-time reflections, some water effects, and other goodies. All neat stuff.

The second Witcher 3 video shows the fur effects in more detail. It's an interesting demonstration that comes on the heels of AMD bragging about its TressFX technology for more realistic hair effects. Apparently Nvidia users can look forward to detailed hair, too.

That wraps up our collection of game demos from Nvidia's booth, though before you click on out of here, be sure to flip through our gallery to see some slides from the presentation.

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ESET Nod32 Antivirus 7 and Smart Security 7 Blasts Into Beta

Paul Lilly — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 15:34:08 +0000

Solid AV solution updated with another layer of protection.

If you're a longtime reader of Maximum PC, you know that we run an antivirus roundup each year, along with intermittent standalone reviews in between. One company that, for the most part, has consistently performed well is ESET, which again had a strong showing in our most recent roundup. ESET also just announced that its NOD32 Antivirus 7 and Smart Security 7 products are now available in beta trim.

Like previous versions, ESET says its version 7 offerings maintain a light system footprint while still offering stellar protection against all forms of malware.

"To combat this security industry challenge, our team has added a new layer of protection for our users in the beta products," said Palo Luka, ESET Chief Technology Officer. "The new technology we are introducing with the beta release of our flagship products, ESET NOD32 Antivirus and ESET Smart Security, will make it much more difficult for malware to go undiscovered."

New to version 7 is an advanced memory scanner that's supposed to thwart heavily encrypted threats. The added layer of protection is an extension of the Host-based Intrusion-Prevention System (HIPS) technology that monitors process behavior and offers real-time memory scanning.

ESET's beta releases are available for free to the general public.

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E3 2013: Arma III

Paul Lilly — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 18:49:55 +0000

Arma III game footage.

In just less than two weeks from now -- June 25, 2013 -- Arma III will release to PC in beta form, though you don't have to wait until then to see what the upcoming open world tactical shooter is all about. Maximum PC Online Managing Editor Jimmy Thang made his way over to Arma III's booth at E3, where he was able to record several minutes of gameplay footage and extract some information about the title.

Like previous versions, Arma III is influenced by information obtained from real military experts in order to keep the game as authentic as possible. Thang also found out that the landscape will be huge, about 270 square kilometers, the largest yet in the Arma series.

Arma has been known for being demanding in terms of hardware, and it sounds like Arma III won't be an exception, though it sounds like minimum specs will be around a Core 2 Duo processor and 2GB of RAM.

Take a look!

Arma III is scheduled to launch in Q3 of this year.

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E3 2013: A Look at Battlefield 4

Paul Lilly — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 17:43:59 +0000

Dominate on all fronts: Land, air, and sea!

Battlefield 4, the 13th installment in the popular Battlefield franchise, is due to release on October 29, 2013 in North America and shortly after in other parts of the world on PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. Some of the elements will be the same or similar to prior versions, like the heads-up display (HUD) with a mini-map and compass in the lower left corner, and ammo counter and health meter in the lower right. The potential for destruction is greater than it's ever been, as we got a chance to see first hand at E3.

We have three BF4 videos to share, the first of which shows narrated gameplay elements. One of the cooler things we got to see was the destruction of a skyscraper, which is always an option if you're having trouble taking out your enemy's defenses in a particular location.

The second video shows nearly six minutes of unscripted gameplay, as E3 attendees got a chance to strap on their military boots and join the action. All the footage you see is from next-gen platforms.

One of the most interesting elements is the return of Commander Mode, which we last saw in Battlefield 2142. This gives players a tactical map and the ability to issue orders. You can use Commander Mode to gather intelligence and issue supply drops, among other things. And, you can do these things from a tablet. Have a look:

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Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5 Leaves Beta, Now Available for $149

Paul Lilly — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 16:30:05 +0000

Lightroom 5 sheds it beta digs.

Adobe today announced the immediate availability of its Photoshop Lightroom 5 software for Windows and Mac OS. The photo editing software is being offered both as a standalone product and as part of Adobe's Creative Cloud, a $50 per month streaming subscription package that includes continually updated versions of various Adobe software, including Photoshop, Illustrator, Dreamweaver, and more.

"Lightroom was originally conceived through the requests of Adobe customers, and this feedback continues to drive each new iteration," said Winston Hendrickson, vice president of products, Creative Media Solutions, Adobe. "As the digital photography landscape advances and evolves, Lightroom is the best solution for photographers and passionate hobbyists who want to get the most out of their digital images."

Adobe added new editing tools to Lightroom 5, such as an Advanced Healing Brush to fix irregularly shaped imperfections like dust spots, splotches, and other nuisances. There's also an Upright tool that analyzes each image and automatically straighten objects such as buildings and level horizons.

Creative Cloud members have immediate access to Photoshop Lightroom 5. For those wanting to purchase it as a standalone application, it's available at Adobe.com and participating retailers for $149 outright or $79 for upgrades.

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Study Crowns Internet Explorer 10 as the Most Energy Efficient Browser

Paul Lilly — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 16:48:58 +0000

A new twist in the browser wars.

Up to this point, the browser wars have been defined by market share, standards support, privacy protocols, speed, add-ons, and various other features that make surfing the web a more pleasurable experience. Microsoft would be tickled pink if you'd also consider energy efficiency when deciding which browser to use, because if that's your primary criteria, look no further than Internet Explorer 10.

According to a new study conducted by Fraunhofer USA, IE10 is the most energy efficient browser on Windows 8, though there a couple of caveats, starting with that fact that this is a Microsoft commissioned study; if you're into conspiracy theories, there you go. It's also worth noting that we're only talking a couple watts difference, at best, depending on the situation.

Browsing YouTube on a notebook with Chrome, for example, consumed about 18.5 watts, versus around 17.8 on Firefox and 16.5 on Internet Explorer 10. If you're surfing Craigslist, all three browsers consume a little over 15 watts, on average.

If you average out the power consumption when surfing the web's top 10 sites, Chrome consumes 16.6 watts, Firefox consumes 16.3 watts, and IE10 consumes 15.6 watts. We suppose that could add up if you're a power surfer, though it's not enough to get overly excited about.

See more results in the full report (PDF).

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Uh Oh Microsoft, AMD Wants to See Other OSes (Android and Chrome)

Paul Lilly — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 17:06:02 +0000

AMD to bring chips to Google's OS party.

Never has the future of Microsoft looked as uncertain as it does right now. Not only are PC sales down, but Windows 8 is such a drastic change over previous versions, it has OEMs and hardware makers looking at supporting alternative platforms. That includes AMD, which revealed at Computex that it's suddenly interested in developing hardware for Google's open source Android and Chrome OS platforms.

Lest we overstate AMD's decision, it's not as though the chip designer is wiping its hand of the Windows ecosystem, or even just Windows 8.

"We are very committed to Windows 8, we think it's a great operating system, but we also see a market for Android and Chrome developing as well," Lisa Su, senior vice president and general manager of global business units at AMD, said in an interview at Computex, according to PCWorld.

Do you think AMD would go this route if Windows 8 was the raging success Microsoft had hoped? Not a chance. The company previously stated it wasn't interested in serving Android, but with Windows 8 failing to win fans, especially among mobile users, the Sunnyvale chip designer is singing a different tune.

This is a trend Microsoft needs to nip in the bud, to borrow one of Barney Fife's commonly used phrases. While there's no immediate threat to Microsoft's business model, AMD isn't the only one looking at other platforms. HP, for example, launched a Chromebook earlier this year, and according to Amazon, Samsung's Chromebook is its best selling laptop.

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Microsoft Gives a First Look at Windows 8.1

Paul Lilly — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 16:34:33 +0000

First public demo of Windows 8.1.

Microsoft last week formally introduced the world to Windows 8.1, an upcoming update to Windows 8 that will bring back the Start button (yay!) but not the Start menu (boo!), along with a handful of other features. Following up that announcement, corporate vice president of Windows program management Antoine Leblond joined Windows CFO and CMO Tami Reller and a few other top Microsoft executives on stage at Computex do demo the upcoming free update. Don't worry if you couldn't attend, the software giant also released a YouTube video highlight the release.

Of course, the big news yesterday was that Outlook 2013 RT would be hitching a ride to Windows RT tablets via the Windows 8.1 update, but if you're not interested in Windows RT, there's still plenty to digest in the Windows 8.1 update.

For starters, the lock screen is transformed into a cloud-powered photo stream. Once you jump into Windows, you'll notice some new tile sizes, both big and small. If you swipe up, you'll see a list of all the apps you have installed, which you can sort by name, date installed, most used, or by category.

Have a look at these and other changes:

Windows 8.1 will be available later this summer.

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Microsoft Outlook 2013 Shipping Free to Windows RT Tablets via Windows 8.1 Update

Paul Lilly — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 16:11:50 +0000

Will this make you consider a Windows RT tablet?

There's no need to wear a helmet when you walk down the Windows RT tablet aisle at your local Best Buy or Microsoft retail location, it's not as though the ARM-based devices are jumping off of store shelves. Might that change sometime in the future? Adding to the value proposition of owning a Windows RT slate and in an effort to boost demand, Microsoft announced that Outlook 2013 RT will be available on such devices as part of the free Windows 8.1 update that's coming later this year.

It doesn't matter whether you own a Microsoft Surface RT or a Windows RT tablet made by one of the company's hardware partners, you'll receive Outlook for free either way.

"We're always listening to our customers and one piece of feedback was that people want the power of Outlook on all their Windows PCs and tablets. In fact, a Morgan Stanley research study found that 61 percent of people shopping for tablets consider Microsoft Office to be the single most important software feature, Microsoft stated in a blog post. "We're pleased to have Outlook 2013 RT join the other best-in-class Office 2013 RT applications including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote. And just like those applications, Outlook 2013 RT delivers a great touch experience for people using tablets."

Outlook 2013 introduces a cleaner, more streamlined look compared to previous versions. It supports inline replies, lets you see all your contacts in one place, has built-in support for Exchange ActiveSync, and more. As a standalone application, Microsoft sells Outlook 2013 for $110.

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Ubuntu Founder Officially Gives up Trying to Topple Microsoft

Justin Kerr — Sun, 02 Jun 2013 19:27:54 +0000

Mission accomplished. Sort of…..

Canonical founder Mark Shuttleworth announced on Thursday that Ubuntu Linux bug #1 – "Microsoft has a majority market share" – is now officially closed. Rather than boasting about his victory, he gives much of the credit to iOS and Android. “Android may not be my or your first choice of Linux, but it is without doubt an open source platform that offers both practical and economic benefits to users and industry. So we have both competition, and good representation for open source, in personal computing.”

We use the term “victory” above very loosely since it’s quite clear Shuttleworth didn’t achieve his overarching goals of dominating the PC industry. Back in 2004 he believed pretty strongly that all PC’s should ship with primarily free and open operating systems, a goal which quite clearly hasn’t played out like he expected. Even Android phones for the most part ship with locked boot loaders, and OEM’s do everything possible to restrict access.

Despite the technicalities, Shuttleworth notes that the Microsoft of 2013 is nothing like the company he declared war on back in 2004. He writes that Microsoft Azure in particular is "a pleasure to work with" on Linux, and that today "circumstances have changed.”

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Microsoft Teases Return of Start Button in Windows 8.1

Paul Lilly — Thu, 30 May 2013 19:31:37 +0000

This isn't the Start button you're looking for.

Sound the trumpets and cue the chorus line to begin singing songs of praise, Microsoft is bringing back the Start button! That's right, in a sneak peek at Windows 8.1, the Redmond software giant displayed the Start button's triumphant return, which at a glance is cause for celebration. Are you excited!? Well, don't be. Sorry to play with your emotions like that, but even though the Start button is making a return, clicking it only drops you right back into the modern UI. You can toss those trumpets aside and tell the chorus line to put a sock in it.

Surely Microsoft must know that the disdain for its decision to remove the Start button in the first place has nothing to do with users wanting a quicker way to jump back into the tiled UI. Nevertheless, the company isn't willing to concede that a real Start button -- one that will bring up a list of programs and settings -- is truly needed, so this is what you get, along with the ability to now boot directly to the Desktop (as well as other screens), so at least there's that. Grumble, grumble...let's move on.

Microsoft says you'll be able to do more to personalize their experience in Windows 8.1, starting with the ability to load up a slide show of pictures on the Lock screen. These can be photos that are stored locally or in the cloud in SkyDrive. You can also take pictures from a device's built-in camera from the Lock screen, negating the need to first log-in.

Global search results, improvements to built-in apps, updated PC settings, and better mouse and keyboard options are all part of the many upgrades Microsoft will introduce in Windows 8.1, which will be available later this year as a free update to Windows 8.

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