Once upon a time Facebook gaming kingpin Zynga, has had a changing of the guard at the very top of its organisation. Two time CEO and founder, Marc Pincus is gone again, this time being replaced by ex-executive vice president at EA Games, Frank Gibeau, who has sat on the …
Read More »EA makes more than a billion dollars a year on micro-transactions
One of the most hated aspects of modern gaming is micro-transactions. Games that ask for real money in the middle of a tense historic drama, or offer you the chance to upgrade your weapons beyond what the game otherwise offers, or simply extras that are hard to get any other …
Read More »Blackmailers now targeting wives of Ashley Madison members
We may never know how many real people had their details leaked to the world as part of the Ashley Madison hack that took place last year, but we do know its effects are far reaching. In the latest follow up scandal, someone is sending letters to the wives of …
Read More »Steam bundles now discount titles you already own
As much as bundled games have made expanding our collections that much easier, there are often diminishing returns on their discounts. There are only so many bundles you can buy, before the same games start appearing and if you already own them, that's not much of a saving. Except now …
Read More »Investigatory Powers Bill re-drafted, more of the same
Yesterday saw the British government publish the latest draft of the Investigatory Powers Bill and though it promised to take into consideration the three committees that have attacked it, addressing their 100+ concerns, it hasn't. In many cases it has ignored major problems raised by various parliamentary bodies and has …
Read More »FBI, authorities admit they would use iPhone hack again
In the case of Apple vs the FBI over hacking the San Bernardino attacker's iPhone, the authorities have made the case that this is about one device. However countering that claim, the FBI and the Manhattan district attorney, have now both admitted that they would use an Apple back door …
Read More »Astronaut twin Scott Kelley ends year in space, lands safely
Astronaut Scott Kelley and cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko have made it safely back to Earth after spending almost a year aboard the International Space Station (ISS). This represents one of the longest periods anyone has ever spent consecutively in space and will give scientists invaluable data on what effect such a …
Read More »Do you have space for room-scale VR? Check here
If you're a VR fan with deep pockets, then likely you've gone back and forth in your mind about whether to pre-order an Oculus Rift or HTC Vive. Making that choice comes down to a lot of different factors, but one is whether you actually have the physical space for …
Read More »MSI wants you to ‘harness the power of gaming’
We are in the dark as much as you are at this point, but it seems like MSI is up to something. It got in touch this morning to send us over the below image, and a link to a MSI webpage featuring a 50 day countdown and the phrase, …
Read More »Mixed reality trailers are a better way to demo VR
One of the biggest issues faced by those hoping to showcase virtual reality games, is that conveying why they are awesome can be really difficult. Player motion alone is boring and in-game footage doesn't explain what the player is doing. Blending the two together however, is a much better solution, …
Read More »Apple protected by Judge in separate phone cracking case
A judge has ruled that the American government is not legally entitled to force Apple to unlock an iPhone in a drug case, currently taking place in New York. Although entirely unrelated to the ongoing FBI demands of Apple with regards to the San Bernardino attacker's phone, this case is …
Read More »Despite calls for change, Snooper’s Charter to be rushed through
The Investigatory Powers Bill, Theresa May's revamped “Snooper's Charter ” as it has so often been termed, is set to be published in full later today, re-introduced to parliament on the 14th and voted on by the 22nd. This is far faster than it was ever meant to be pushed …
Read More »Hololens’ Young Conker is skinny, clean and contextual
Yesterday was a big day for virtual reality, with thousands of HTC Vive headsets sold to pre-orderers around the world. But Microsoft also debuted a developer version of the Hololens headset. Priced at $3,000 (£2,150), its augmented reality offers something very different, even if it can also do gaming. One of …
Read More »HTC sold more than 15,000 Vives in first 10 minutes
One of the big questions about this year's virtual reality landscape was answered yesterday, when the HTC Vive finally went on sale. Initially playing a distant second fiddle to Oculus' Rift headset, it pulled back a lot of ground thanks to launching with motion controllers and a more room-scale focused …
Read More »HTC Vive pre-orders now live, priced at £689 in UK
The HTC Vive is now available for pre-order around the world, with international pricing revealed over the weekend. To put in your own order, visit the official HTC site, but consider pre-warning your your credit card company, as though there are no charges going through today (unless you use Paypal), …
Read More »Morrisons to begin shipping food to Amazon customers
Amazon is continuing its expansive attempt to become the only shopping destination in the world, by teaming up with Morrisons to offer grocery deliveries to UK customers. Amazon Prime Now and Amazon Pantry customers will soon be able to take advantage of the service which will deliver fresh, frozen and non-perishable …
Read More »Palmer Luckey and Notch spar over Rift quality
Founder of Oculus VR and the original creator of Minecraft, Markus “Notch” Persson, have been going back and forth via Twitter, with the latter suggesting that Oculus has fallen behind its main VR headset rival, HTC with its Vive. While Luckey countered, the back and forth shows the heated landscape …
Read More »G.Skill Ripjaws SV710 7.1 surround sound gaming headset review
Fitting a surround sound speaker set up in your home is never easy, which is why headphone solutions are so popular. Not everyone has that space or spare cash so G.Skill is looking to tap into a new market with the Ripjaws SV710 7.1 surround sound gaming headset – the entry …
Read More »Hololens pre-orders may start today, with bundled Conker game
Although the last news we heard about Microsoft's Hololens headset was that it wouldn't be available to consumers for some time, there's now a real suggestion that it may officially go up for pre-order later today, 29th February. The rumour also suggests that it will be bundled with a few games, …
Read More »Samsung teams with William H. Macy for Gear VR Oscars ad
If you didn't know that 2016 was going to have a big virtual reality focus, perhaps watching the Oscars this weekend will have tipped you off. As well as bundling one of Samsung's mobile-orientated Gear VR headsets in the nominee goody bags, the event also had William H. Macy enjoying …
Read More »Vivendi is trying to muscle in and take over Ubisoft
Vivendi is a company with a lot of fingers in a lot of pies, though most recently it took a step back from the gaming industry when it sold its stake in Activision/Blizzard back to the publishing giant. However it soon set its sight on another large corporation: Ubisoft, and …
Read More »Space X cancels second launch attempt two minutes before takeoff
Space X has a lot of planned launches in 2016, more so than any previous year in-fact – that's why it's now mass producing the Falcon 9 rocket. However the second launch attempt since the new-year has been rather problematic, with the commercial space venture cancelling its last two launch …
Read More »Be careful in VR – wife nearly takes a punch from gamer
If anyone remembers the early days of the Nintendo Wii, there were a lot of people posting images and video online of their Wiimotes buried in their TV screens, smashing mirrors and of course hitting other people. That problem is only exacerbated in VR, as you can't even see the …
Read More »Razer Orochi 8200 4G wireless gaming mouse review
One of the tropes of gaming peripherals is that they tend to be big and very flashy. Extra buttons and gimmicks galore are commonplace on hardware from all manufacturers, including Razer. Not so with the new Orochi though. This remake of the classic, small form-factor design has many of the …
Read More »Facebook takes down Syrian groups selling ‘CIA’ weapons
Facebook is playing whack-a-mole with a number of specific groups on its social networking site that claim to be selling weapons in the Middle East. There's even a suggestion that they were supplied by agencies like the CIA. The pages offered everything from small arms to grenade launchers, with admins …
Read More »Apple may use fifth amendment to block iPhone hack request
Apple is bringing out the big guns in its dispute with the FBI and U.S. court system over a request to hack the iPhone of one of those behind the San Bernardino attacks last year. It's now citing the first amendment, claiming that forcing Apple to write code was akin …
Read More »Boston Dynamics next-gen Atlas robot is much more lifelike
Every time we catch a glimpse of what Google owned robotics development firm Boston Dynamics is working on, it's always impressive. Whether we consider Big Dog, Little Dog or Cheetah, they're all amazing and terrifying in equal measure. The next-generation Atlas however, could be the most lifelike yet, with accurate bipedal …
Read More »Coca Cola design builds cardboard VR viewer from 12 pack
If the price of the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift put you off virtual reality, what if all it cost you was the price of a 12 pack of Coke? That's something that Coca Cola has been experimenting with with a new type of packaging that lets you turn a 12 …
Read More »OfCom forces BT to open up its cable network to competitors
Amid threats that it could still force BT to break up its businesses if it doesn't play ball, industry regulator OfCom is forcing the British Telecom firm to open up its copper wire and fibre network for more companies to take advantage of. The idea is to offer a more …
Read More »Streets of Rage II soundtrack to be released on vinyl
If you're the type of music fan that believes vinyl offers a superior sound, it must be disappointing that in-game music is something you can almost never experience in that format. Sometimes there is an exception though. One of the most beloved Mega Drive soundtracks, the one that accompanies Streets …
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