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Microsoft's Flight Simulator won't require a super-powerful PC rig
One of the most anticipated games this year is Microsoft’s Flight Simulator 2020. Not only do the graphics look lush and detailed, but it’ll simulate the entire flying world, including all 37,000 real-world airports, real-life air traffic and up-to-date weather conditions. You’d think all that would require quite a powerful PC rig, but Microsoft has just unveiled the machine specifications for Flight Simulator 2020 and you won’t necessarily need the latest and fastest gear.
Google plans certification program for Android gaming phones
Google is developing a Game Device Certification program to ensure that future gaming smartphones meet minimum standards and pack enough power to behave predictably for Android game developers. Google hasn't announced the program yet, but XDA Developers obtained documents outlining new requirements for manufacturers. In one section, Google details the new Game Device Certification technical requirements, which manufacturers will have to meet in order to declare an Android device is certified and game-ready.
Congress could require a car alarm for kids left inside
In the past 20 years, more than 800 children have died of heatstroke in cars in the US. Now, a group of lawmakers wants to require alerts that would remind parents to check for children in the backseat before exiting the vehicle. Legislation announced today would mandate "a distinct auditory and visual alert," and it would require a feasibility study for retrofitting existing vehicles with the system.
Hyperloop TT outlines how it should be regulated in Europe
The European Commission is reviewing what could become the first set of industry-wide hyperloop guidelines. Today, Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HTT) and TÜV SÜD presented the EU with generic guidelines for hyperloop design, operation and certification. In a press release, HTT said the recommendations could inform future regulation.
Gear up for The Crew with minimum, optimal PC specs
You've got one month to pop your PC's hood and tune its innards for The Crew, Ubisoft's social, open world racer. Optimizing your machine would probably be easier if you knew what sort of performance you're aiming for though, which is where Ubisoft's recent post to the Ubiblog comes in. While a bulletpoint-style breakdown of minimum, recommended and best-case-scenario specs is waiting for you after the break, The Crew will only support 64-bit operating systems and will need a sound card that's up to date with DirectX drivers. Support for Xbox 360 (or similar controllers) will be offered. While laptops that resemble or exceed the recommended specs may be able to run The Crew, Ubisoft notes that such models "have not been exhaustively tested." You don't have to own a competent PC to play The Crew, of course – drivers sporting a PS4 or Xbox One can rev their respective triggers in anticipation for next week's beta. [Image: Ubisoft]
Remember Me PC requirements remind you to prep for playtime
Remember Me appears to have something against kids and/or opening presents, but it's not entirely opposed to handing out treats. Sweet, sweet PC-requirement treats.Remember Me minimum specs include 2GB of RAM, 9GB of free hard drive space, and at least an Nvidia GeForce 8800GTS or an ATI Radeon HD 3850 video card, running DirectX 9 or greater. For high performance, save 4GB of RAM and play with a GeForce GTX 560 video card or better. Check out the full PC requirements below.Don't forget, Remember Me launches on June 4 in North America for PS3, Xbox 360 and PC.
BioShock Infinite's PC specs revealed
BioShock Infinite's PC requirements have surfaced from the depths of the development sea, and the minimum specs aren't as tremendously demanding as one might imagine. We'd even wager that most modern-ish non-gaming laptops will be able to run Infinite, albeit at "Low" settings, provided that they run Vista (at least), rock an Intel Core 2 Duo/AMD Athlon X2 processor and have DirectX10 compatible on-board graphics.Irrational Games also dropped news that the PC version of Infinite will include controller support and is compatible with Steam's Big Picture Mode, in addition to supporting multiple monitors for those who really exceed the minimum system requirements. The game also spans three DVDs, due to the size of its textures. The full list of both Minimum and Recommended specifications can be found after the break.
Far Cry 3 PC specs outline your chances of survival
Far Cry 3 will be able to run on PC rigs with 512MB of video RAM and 4GB of memory, although it'd be nice to have 1024MB, and it'd be really ideal if you had the latest DirectX 11 graphics card and 8GB of memory. Below find the official Far Cry 3 PC requirements, broken down into "minimum," "recommended" and "hi-performance," with AMD and Nvidia examples for each.Far Cry 3 will need to be activated once via Ubisoft's Uplay, but doesn't require an always-on internet connection to run through the single-player campaign (in offline mode, obviously). Now that your DRM-panic-attack meter has settled, see if your PC is up to the challenge after the break.
Apple sunsets a few 64-bit Macs with Mountain Lion, video drivers likely the culprit
Apple is well-known for wanting a close spread in hardware requirements with OS X upgrades, having dropped PowerPC like a hot potato when Snow Leopard arrived just three years after the Intel switch. Whether or not you're a fan of that policy, it's certainly carrying forward with Mountain Lion. When the newly-finished OS hits the Mac App Store, it will rule out the very first wave of 64-bit Macs: certain MacBook Pros, Mac Pros and other early systems will be denied a taste of 10.8. Some sleuthing from Ars Technica suggests that it's a matter of graphics drivers rather than capriciousness on Apple's part, as the Macs excluded from the mix are using 32-bit drivers that won't play nicely with Mountain Lion's 64-bit Utopia short of a wide-scale conversion effort. It's little consolation to those who dropped a pretty penny on certain Macs just a few years ago. That said, Apple is still going the extra mile to support some systems -- if you're reading this on an original aluminum iMac, you're sitting pretty.
Dark Souls PC requirements make sure you're prepared to die
Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition is set to hit Steam on August 24, but before you ready your deathbed, make sure you actually can expire. Steam lists the following PC requirements for Prepare to Die Edition:OS: Windows XP , Windows Vista, Windows 7, or newerProcessor: 2.6 GHz Dual-CoreMemory: 1 GB (XP), 2GB (Vista/7)Hard Disk Space: 4 GBVideo Card: 512 MB RAM, ATI Radeon 4850 or higher, NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT or higherDirectX®: 9.0cSound: Direct Sound CompatibleSteam also says "multiplayer requires microphone headset support," but that isn't true, Namco Bandai tells Eurogamer. Prepare to Die Edition will not support in-game chat at all, it turns out.The PC version comes with a new expansion, Artorias of the Abyss, which features an untold chapter in the world of Lordran. The expansion will be sold as DLC for PS3 and Xbox 360 versions this winter.
iRise visual prototyping platform updated with new iPad emulation capability
iRise is a visual prototyping platform that is used by enterprise organizations to quickly create UI simulations for apps. The company today announced that the newly-released iRise 8.10 can now create those visual simulations for iPad and Android apps. iRise is useful when organizations are pushed to get new iOS apps out the door as quickly as possible. By creating realistic simulations, iRise speeds development time by shortening the requirements specification process and allowing developers to elicit feedback from stakeholders before coding begins. That, in turn, cuts the amount of rework required at later stages of development. Once a group of stakeholders has had a chance to use a prototype of an app and agrees on the look and functionality, iRise generates HTML for the final code user interface. The iRise simulations are described as "visual blueprints" for complex business applications. Other new features include the ability to use system fonts, model push transitions, and the ability to review simulations directly on mobile devices. Previously, simulations needed to go through the iRise Definition Center server access. iRise has a series of tutorial videos available on YouTube that show how the platform works to speed iOS software development. Trial versions of iRise are available for download.
Samsung undecided about Gingerbread on Galaxy S, Google says hardware needs 'similar' to Froyo
If the Nexus S is basically a Galaxy S in Gingerbread disguise, you'd think Samsung would be bursting at the seams to offer a software upgrade for all the phones it's already sold from that family. Okay, you really wouldn't, but you'd hope that would be the case, right? Well, Pocket-lint prodded Samsung on just that point and managed to finagle the following response from a local UK contact presumably speaking on behalf of the mothership: "In case a new version of Android operating system is publicly announced and released, Samsung will review the possibility of implementation of such new version to the existing Samsung products with Android operating system ("Update"). Such a review will be based on various factors including, without limitation, the overall effect of such Update to Samsung products, the system requirements, the structural limitations, and the level of cooperation from the component suppliers and the software licensors". Right, so the Gingerbread launch and that whole new handset that's coming in a week's time, not public enough? And what's "the overall effect" of a Gingerbread update beyond a group of very happy users? Samsung seems to be matching its country-mate LG in taking an evaluative approach to Gingerbread, though Google's own Android lead developer is pretty definitive about the software, saying that "Gingerbread hardware needs are similar to Froyo." So if your handset can run version F, it should have no trouble handling version G... no trouble other than its own maker. Update: And now, in typical Samsung fashion, we're getting mixed messages as its Indian mobile arm has come out and confirmed that "Gingerbread will be available to Galaxy S users." Thanks, Shrinikketh!
The Daily Grind: From start to finish in no time
There is a grind. There is almost always a grind in any MMO, whether it be the real-time skill progression of EVE Online or the slow acquisition of deeds in Lord of the Rings Online. Conventional wisdom shows that the grind has to be there, that slowing progression is what keeps you playing, and removing it entirely would result in players leaving the game in short order. Anyone who is having flashbacks to the state of MMOs in the heyday of EverQuest would not be entirely incorrect. After all, conventional wisdom at the time was that you had to force players to party early on, or no one would keep playing. More recent games have greatly streamlined the need for grouping, and the idea of being unable to solo to the level cap in most games is a thing of the past. So, would you play a version of your favorite game that removed all of the grind? Would you keep coming back, day in and day out, if there was almost nothing grindy left? Or would you lose interest if the pacing was closer to a game like Mass Effect 2, where any level grinding is almost an afterthought?
Firewire's future on DVRs is up for debate
Mandated by the FCC, Firewire ports have been commonplace, and sadly mostly unused, on our HD DVRs for some time, but recent requests by Intel and TiVo to forego their inclusion have brought the situation to a head. Multichannel News reports the 1394 Trade Association is calling Intel's waiver request "too broad" and cited its wide deployment as reasons it should still be included. Beyond some driver hacks to enable transfers of DVR'd programming, it seems like Ethernet and USB are getting the lion's share of use on boxes, while emerging DLNA and MoCa tech makes moving content around even easier, is anyone actually getting a benefit from the extra port on their boxes as we go into 2010?
Yogg-Saron in blues
This story's from last week, but I love it anyway -- over at the Greedy Goblin, Gevlon's guild was getting a little tired of all of the achievement-checking and gear requirements for endgame raiding, and so they set out to do something that many experienced raiders might admit seems impossible: take down Yogg-Saron with nothing but blues on. That means no epics at all -- no epic gear, dropped or crafted, no epic enchants, no epic gems. They did use profession bonuses, but everyone should have access to those by now (all it takes is money, and all that takes is time). And of course, they did it: toppled Yoggy with the group you see on the page there. The combat log is also posted, and it's about what you'd expect: none of the damage numbers are crazy high, but the group works so well together and plays so evenly that they get it done. That's the message to be taken away here: gear is nice, but nothing will get you farther than a well-oiled group of solid players.
Nvidia Quadro FX 4800 requires 10.5.7, which should be out soon
Sunday night on the Talkcast, we approached the rumors of a 10.5.7 release coming soon, and all pretty much agreed that yes -- whatever is in it, it's very likely coming soon. Here's another rumble of thunder that hints at the storm: Nvidia announced a brand new card recently for Macs, called the Quadro FX 4800 -- it offers "ultra fast performance," "realistic effect," and tons of triangles and all of the other things that comes along with a video card that looks more like a Flip Mini than an actual set of circuits.But most importantly, under "Drivers and Downloads," you can see that the Mac drivers require Leopard 10.5.7. Combine that with all of the other speculation flying around, and odds are that we'll see a new version of the OS in Software Update as soon as later today.Thanks, Daniel N!
Twinking post patch 3.1
The twinks were a little doom-and-gloom before the patch, but it seems like the end of the world has come and gone, and they're still interested in twinking. As Drayner over at Twinkinfo predicted, all of the changes on the PTR went live: enchants have level requirements, as did profession buffs, and those aren't scaling either. At this point, it sounds like the only way to twink out your character (which means make it super powerful at a certain low level) is to fit them out in the best gear you can find for the level.If you can keep them at that level, that is -- apparently there's a bug in the game with queuing up for BGs where you are sometimes accidentally transported to a graveyard when you queue. And for some twinks sitting just on the brink of leveling, that extra few points of exploration XP could ruin everything. Be careful with that, though we're sure a hotfix is incoming soon.But nevertheless, people apparently still twinking -- while there are good numbers of people ready to leave twinking (or even the game), the majority of answers on their poll over there say that people are still going to try ruling the lower level battlegrounds. Which is about what we expected before the patch: these people live to bend the rules as far as they'll go, and a few more probably won't stop them.
Level requirements changed on some enchants, items
Ishh over at Twinkinfo has some pretty big news for lower-level players: the enchants, librams, and even jewelcrafting trinkets that used to work for almost everybody ingame have gained a few level requirements on the PTR. Twinks especially love these items, as they can be used to give big buffs to even low-level players, but Blizzard isn't down with that any more, apparently. Even applied enchants and Leatherworking leg armor will apparently stop working if this change goes out to the live realms -- they have pictures, as you can see, of enchanted stats turning red due to level requirements.Most of the time, when Blizzard makes changes like this, they aren't actually targeted at twinks -- they're just designed to keep the game from becoming extremely easy at a given level (I'm still bummed that my Leatherworking drums have no effect after level 70). But obviously twinks are affected by these changes, and as you can see from the comments on that post, they're not very happy with having even more limits placed on how they can buff up.But then again, as I said a little while ago, twinks have always dealt just fine with limits. Twinkinfo has a poll up on what twinks will do if these changes go live, and the majority of votes say that they'll just keep twinking. They've gone around level restrictions before -- a few more won't be the end of the world.
Garageband's Learn to Play will run on a PPC... kind of
Good news for those of us who still have PowerPC-powered Macs lying around: while the new Garageband Learn to Play feature isn't actually designed to work with the old machines (part of Apple's switch to the new Intel chips), it apparently still does. If you've got iLife installed on your old Mac and double-click on the Learn to Play files themselves (hidden in /Library/Application Support/GarageBand/Learn To Play/), Mac.Blorge says that they'll work just fine. Unfortunately, you won't be able to buy new lessons from the store (people are still testing -- there may be a workaround here eventually), but if you want to play the ones you've got, they should work, even if playback isn't perfect.Additionally, if you want to try to do a little hex editing, you may be able to get iMovie '09 playing on a PowerPC Mac as well. That one's just dodging the PowerPC check, though, so there's a good chance that some things won't work right on the old machine. Either that, or Apple is just trying to build in random requirements to get us to upgrade. Conspiracy hats, anyone?At any rate, this isn't unexpected -- we're two years past the official switch, and of course at some point Apple had to move on with their new software. For the moment, you might get things working with a few tweaks, but eventually you'll have to look at replacing that old G4 if you want to run the shiny stuff.
Wrath of the Lich King's gentle PC requirements
There's no denying that World of Warcraft's latest expansion, Wrath of the Lich King, is likely to have a purple (epic) orange (legendary) launch. The only thing standing in the way of the WoW faithful from getting their Northrend on is the new tech specs a meeting with Arthas will require.PC: Windows XP SP3 or Vista SP1 (Windows 2000 no longer supported) Pentium 4 1.3 GHz or AMD Athlon XP 1.5 GHz (up from 800 MHz Intel/AMD). Dual-core recommended. RAM: 512 MB/1 GB for Vista, same as before. 1 GB/2 GB recommended. Video: GPU with hardware transform and lighting and 32 MB VRAM, same as before. Recommended 128 MB VRAM. Mac: Mac OS X 10.4.11 (10.3 no longer supported) PowerPC G5 1.6 GHz or Intel Core Duo. G4s are no longer supported. Intel 1.8 GHz recommended. RAM: 1 GB, up from 512 MB. 2 GB recommended. Video: Hardware transform and lighting, 64 MB VRAM. 128 MB VRAM recommended. Although it's a boost up from The Burning Crusade expansion, Wrath won't require most to get a new PC. Blizzard has already stated that it loves its money more than pushing the graphics envelope and will evolve WoW slowly over time not to lose customers. [Via WoW Insider]
