GeekwithEnvy

Windows

3D Realms Sues Gearbox

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Anyone remember Duke Nukem Forever? It was in development for over a decade and it looked like it might never happen until Gearbox came along and wanted to acquire the rights to the game. Once they took over in 2009 they eventually released the title in 2011 to mediocre reviews. Although it did capture some of the greatness of Duke Nukem as a character, there was much to be desired and the game still didn’t feel complete.

DukeNukemForever

Fast forward to today and things are heating up between the two companies as 3D Realms is now suing Gearbox for $2 million claiming that they are withholding owed royalties. Gearbox’s VP of Marketing, Steve Gibson, responded to a request for further details from Joystiq with the following statement.

Everyone wished that 3DR’s game was better received by the market for the benefit of gamers and profit to its creators,” Gibson continued. “While 3DR might not wish the reality that the results make clear, 3DR turned out to be the only beneficiary of the deal. Gearbox Software, meanwhile, experienced damage to its credibility and loss of its money.”

 

It looks like there are fuzzy details surrounding this lawsuit and it’s probably in the best interest of both companies to get this situation cleaned up and unfortunately that means heading to court. This lawsuit was originally discovered by Duke4.net, where they have an image of the filing.

Titanfall is Definitely a Game Changer

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TFOverwatch
Click image to show full size.

Titanfall looks nothing like any first person shooter I’ve seen. With it’s focus on a story driven multiplayer experience and unique gameplay it looks to be a big hit. Titanfall combines two games into one as you, the pilot, fight on the ground like a more traditional FPS but then you have the option to hop into a giant mechanical extension of yourself, a Titan, and blast your enemies away.

I haven’t been this excited for a game like this in a while, mostly because FPS games have become very run-of-the-mill and I only tend to engage in a select few that I have become familiar with over the years and that have a good multiplayer experience. Sometimes I’ll commit  if the game has storyline that’s compelling but all too often I’m let down .

It’s refreshing to see a new spin on the genre and hopefully it will be as much fun as it looks. Unfortunately, it looks like PS4 owners will have to wait to find out if they will get a chance to duel as a Titan as Titanfall has only been officially been announced for PC, Xbox 360 and Xbox One.

Intel Introduces 4th Generation Processors

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Intel has just introduced it’s 4th generation Core processor line and they are pushing right along with some serious gains over previous generations.

One of the most notable improvements with the Intel’s 4th generation processors has got to be power consumption. Intel has claimed that they have achieved a 50% improvement in battery life over the last generation while watching video or browsing and that could be over 9 hours . As far as standby goes, Intel says it has gained two or three times as much battery life then the last generation and in some cases they have had 10-13 days of standby on a single charge.

Let’s not forget about graphics, Intel is pushing ahead with Intel® Iris™ graphics which will double 3D performance in gaming. It looks like there will be a few different options to choose from including the the Intel HD 4600 and the faster Iris Pro 5200.

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Intel’s Graphics Naming (Source: Intel)

Intel’s 4th genration is focusing on 2-in-1 devices and their goal was to harness the kind of power you would normally expect on a PC but in a mobile form factor. This is exactly what’s needed in today’s mobile market and it looks like Intel has delivered on their promises. If you are patiently awaiting next weeks World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC) you can probably expect Apple to include these new processors in their announcements.

You can read Intel’s official announcement for complete details.

 

 

Microsoft Gives Us a Glimpse of Windows 8.1

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Win8_1StartScreen
Screenshot of the new, more customizable, Window 8.1 Start Screen. (Credit: Microsoft)

Windows 8.1 will be here soon and it will add much needed improvements to the currently somewhat broken and fragmented experience.

To keep us excited about the release of Windows 8.1 Microsoft has created a blog post detailing some of the features of the new update. Here is a very brief summary of that update, you can read the full blog post from Microsoft for complete details.

Some of the features include:

  • Deeper customization of the Start Screen, which will allow you to have more choice in backgrounds, some even have motion.
  • Improved search functionality from the charms search feature which will now see the integration of Bing.
  • PC settings will now be fully integrated into the new UI so you will no longer need to access the control panel on the desktop to change your PC’s settings.
  • Internet Explorer 11, which will work better with touch and offer faster browsing.
  • Overall better support and features for mouse and keyboard users. Microsoft has said many times that Windows 8 is a touch-first OS but this should hopefully smooth out a lot of the desktop unfriendly issues that Windows 8 has.