Is Windows 8 a Catastrophe Waiting to Happen?
Nelson Schneider - wrote on 07/29/12 at 02:30 PM CT
This past week, two of the biggest names in PC game development/publishing, Blizzard and Valve, had some… unflattering things to say about the upcoming Windows 8. According to both Gabe Newell and Rob Pardo, Windows 8 is shaping up to be “a catastrophe.” While I have not personally had the chance to try out Windows 8 yet, my impression of Newell’s comments – and his apparent newfound interest in Linux as a gaming platform – is that he’s just spreading a bunch of FUD.
Why do I think that the man in charge of the greatest PC gaming platform is mistaken? Here are five reasons:
1. Linux is Linux
If Gabe thinks gamers will switch from Windows to Linux in droves, he’s insane. Linux has been under open-source development for 21 years, and is still a user-unfriendly POS that has no place in the typical PC user’s life. You think Windows has been sold in too many different flavors recently? Linux laughs at the tiny variety of Windows versions, then goes back to …
Why I Don’t Own a Tablet PC
Nelson Schneider - wrote on 07/20/12 at 07:37 PM CT
I have been intrigued by the concept of tablet computers since they were referred to as "UMPCs." Yet, here we are in 2012, in the midst of the “post-PC” tablet revolution, and I still don’t own one. No iPad, no Droid, no nothin’! Why? Allow me to elaborate.
I never sprang for a UMPC back in 2006 because they were high-priced gadgets with anemic hardware. If I was going to own such a device, I wanted the ability to use all of my regular Windows software on it. Paying twice as much for half the hardware capability as my regular desktop PC just didn’t click with me, so I waited for the price to drop.
I’m still waiting.
While the UMPC evolutionary branch still exists, it was largely a dead-end, supplanted by true tablet PCs inspired by touchscreen smartphones. Thanks to a huge marketing blitz and rapid release schedule most people think Apple invented the tablet PC concept with their iPad, despite the fact that similar concepts were actually in development by a …
Ouya! Oh Yeah?
Nelson Schneider - wrote on 07/15/12 at 02:58 PM CT
This past week, a new Indie developer came out of nowhere and took the world of console games by surprise. This new company, called Ouya, isn’t, however, an Indie game developer, but an Indie console developer. Could such a thing actually work?
Ouya launched via Kickstarter with a relatively-small venture capital goal of $950,000. Less than $1 million to engineer, manufacture, and distribute a game console? Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo should take notice! Of course, Ouya didn’t just earn their initial goal: As of this writing, they have accumulated nearly $5 million in contributions, the vast majority of which comes from backers at the $99 level, which essentially amounts to pre-orders, as $99 will be the Ouya console’s retail price.
In the modern console environment, the Ouya is bucking all of the trends. While the PS3 launched at the price of a decent laptop computer, the Xbox 360 launched at an equivalent price to a reasonable desktop PC, and the Wii launched at the …
Backlog: The Embiggening - July, 2012
Nelson Schneider - wrote on 07/05/12 at 01:42 PM CT
Welcome to another look into the near future. As the summer game drought continues, let’s see what has managed to trickle forth from the dry well in July.
In a shocking turn of events, not a single FPS is coming in July. Is this a sign that the Mayans were right about the world coming to an end? If so, why are there no FPSes in July, while the Mayan calendar runs out in December? Regardless, I’m just happy that the cockroach of genres this-gen is taking a little break.
Of course, the OTHER genre cockroach is still going strong: Licensed games. This month every platform capable of running it is getting a tie-in for “Ice Age 3: Continental Drift.” In addition, the two big-boy consoles are getting a licensed exercise game based on Adidas shoes for use with their respective motion controllers.
The only other noteworthy console releases consist of multi-platform titles. For driving fans, there’s “Test Drive: Ferrari Legends.” For jocks, there’s “NCAA Football …
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