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AMD's 2014 embedded roadmap includes dedicated graphics, gaming-friendly CPU
AMD has long signaled that embedded chips will play a major role in its future, and it's backing up that claim by providing a glance at its 2014 roadmap. The highlight is Bald Eagle, a 35-watt x86 processor designed for demanding tasks like gaming; it should include up to four Steamroller cores, and it will optionally sport on-chip Graphics Core Next video. Devices that need even more visual power will use Adelaar, a dedicated graphics chipset that includes both GCN and 2GB of built-in memory. It's reportedly fast enough to be useful for PC video cards, not just the usual set-top boxes and smart TVs. Two system-on-chip designs are also joining AMD's lineup. Hierofalcon is built with data centers in mind, and carries up to eight ARM Cortex-A57 cores; Steppe Eagle, meanwhile, is a combination of upgraded Jaguar x86 cores and GCN that should speed up AMD's low-power G-series processors. With the exception of Hierofalcon, all of the new embedded chips should be available in the first half of next year. AMD hasn't named any early customers, but its embedded silicon tends to reach products that you'd recognize. Check out the roadmap after the break.
ASUS roadmap reveals bold smartphone ambitions with 5-inch 'MeMOFone'
If an ASUS roadmap unveiled at a conference in Taiwan pans out, we'll soon see a mini-me version of the PadFone Infinity, an 8-inch MeMO Pad, and more. The slides came out during the "Hero Innovation Wow Experience" portion of an investors call, showing that ASUS intends to build on recent MeMO Pad and PadFone hybrid momentum. In particular, the so-called MeMOFone HD 5 reveals the name of a standalone smartphone ASUS intends to launch in the US for those who don't need a tag-along tablet -- which jibes with recent comments it made about such a handset. Other than a likely 5-inch MeMOFone size gleaned from ASUS's overly elaborate naming scheme, there's no indication of specs, release dates or prices for such devices, of course. At least ASUS fans will know what to look forward to, though -- check after the break for the tablet strategy slide.
Camelot Unchained hires more staff, lays out roadmap
Camelot Unchained has emerged from its slumber to deliver a doozy of an update. For starters, City State Entertainment has hired three new full-time staff members for its upcoming MMO: a producer, gameplay engineer, and community manager. CEO Mark Jacobs also vowed to deliver regular roadmaps to the community regarding the current progress and upcoming goals of the team. The first such update mentions initial passes to server loops and the patching system, not to mention work on overhauling the website. The team's also beginning work on the next race: "We have two possibilities right now (both are Arthurians) and one of them is definitely a little easier than the other but we'll see. One draws heavily on a Scottish legend while the other, well, it's different and also not so different at the same time." Finally, Jacobs posted concept art for the Hamadryads after giving his team some guidance where to go with this race. "First, I told them to think of the Hamadryads in a different way than is usually seen for this type of creature," he said. "Secondly, I told them to study both Guild War 2's Sylvari and the Dark Age of Camelot's Sylvan and make sure that our Hamadryads weren't clones, or even close to, those races."
Intel leak reveals 8-core Haswell-E series desktop CPU for late 2014
Now that Haswell's available in consumer-grade laptops, it's time to look at what's next on Intel's to-do list. A leaked slide-deck is claiming that Haswell-E, the enthusiast version of the chip, is coming in the second half of 2014. The documents also promise that Intel will axe the 4-core base model in favor of 6-and-8-core editions of the CPU, which can pack up to 20MB of L3 cache. At the same time, the company is likely to release the Wellsburg motherboard chipset, which can support DDR4 RAM with a clock speed of up to 2,133MHz. If it's all to be believed, then we have one word of advice to the overclocking community -- best start stocking up on liquid nitrogen.
Pirates of the Burning Sea unfolds 2013 road map
Portalus Games Lead Programmer Hamled has apologized to players for "the lack of discernible progress and substantive information" in Pirates of the Burning Sea as of late. To make it up to fans, Hamled has posted an extensive development road map for 2013. In descending order of priority, the dev mentions the following projects for the team: getting out the 2.12 update, completing the transition from Flying Lab Software, bringing back up needed hardware infrastructure, rebuilding the account system, providing localization services, creating a dedicated game installer, and redesigning the official website. "I will be working on many of these tasks in parallel because we can't afford to wait until each one is completely finished before moving on to the next," Hamled stated.
Google's updated security roadmap details increased friction, reliance on hardware
A lot has changed in the security realm since 2008 -- remember Alicia Keys' recent attempt to convince us her Twitter account was hacked, when we all know she still uses an iPhone even as BlackBerry's Creative Director? Pranks aside, the consumer world alone has been overrun with mass data hackings -- everyone from Evernote to Microsoft to Sony to RSA has felt the wrath. To combat all of this, Google is revamping its five-year security plan, which calls for a complex authentication code replacing the conventional password in due time; in other words, Google is going to make it harder to access your accounts when initially setting up a device, but hopes you'll deal. Eric Sachs, group product manager for identity at Google, put it as such: "We will change sign-in to a once-per-device action and make it higher friction, not lower friction, for all users. We don't mind making it painful for users to sign into their device if they only have to do it once." The documents also suggest that two-step verification may soon become less of an option, and more of a mandate. Sachs straight-up confesses that Google didn't predict the current level of smartphone adoption back in 2008, but now realizes that utilizing mobile hardware and apps as friction points for logging in makes a lot more sense. A huge swath of Google users are already carrying around a product that could be used as a verification token, so the obvious solution is to make use of that. We're also told that learnings from Android will be carried over to Chrome, and further into the world of web apps. No specific ETAs are given, but trust us -- half a decade goes by quickly when you're having fun.
Alleged Office roadmap says Office for iOS possibly not until 2014
The rumor mill had previously stated that Office for iOS might be coming as soon as last month, but obviously that never happened. Now, an alleged roadmap for the Office family of products from Microsoft says we may not see Office for iOS this year at all. ZDNet reports that it has obtained a roadmap from the company which does not list iOS or Android support for Office until fall of 2014. The roadmap doesn't specify if we'll see Office for iPad or Office for iPhone then, either. Instead, it just says that iOS will finally be supported. But if this roadmap is indeed legit, fall of 2014 represents a much longer wait than anyone expected for these tools. The roadmap also says that April of 2014 is when Microsoft will have the next version of Office for Mac ready, and the plans also include a number of updates to the Windows desktop and Windows Phone and RT versions. Just like all of the rumors we've heard about these releases before (and there have been quite a few), these roadmap plans are completely unconfirmed. But if ZDNet's information is legit, there's still quite a while to wait for that iOS version of Office to see release.
NVIDIA reveals Volta next-gen GPU platform
We're here at NVIDIA's GPU Technology Conference in San Jose, and company CEO Jen Hsun-Huang has just revealed the next step in its GPU roadmap. Called Volta, it's scheduled to arrive after Maxwell, and will advance GPU technology with a ridiculous amount of memory bandwidth. Volta GPUs will have access to up to 1TB per second of bandwidth by stacking the DRAM on top of the GPU itself, with a silica substrate between them. Then, by cutting a hole through the silicon and connecting each layer it's possible to move, according to Huang "all of the data from a full Blu-Ray disc through the chip in 1/50th of a second." We aren't exactly sure what that means for graphics, but being able to process data that quickly is bound to be a boon for gamers... whenever Volta actually arrives, of course.
NVIDIA updates its mobile roadmap: Logan and Parker, mobile SoCs packing Kepler and Maxwell GPUs
Thought the new Tegra 4i was the bees knees when it we saw it last month? Well, NVIDIA gave us a bit more info on the next steps in the Tegra roadmap, Logan and Stark Parker. It turns out that these next two mobile platforms will both utilize NVIDIA's CUDA technology, with Logan packing a Kepler GPU and Parker running a Project Denver 64-bit ARM CPU and a next-gen Maxwell GPU. Logan arrives early next year, while Parker won't be in devices until sometime in 2015.
PlanetSide 2's GU04 introduces account unlocks, the two-man flash, and a new training zone
Over the next couple of weeks, PlanetSide 2 players will be treated to a number of new goodies to help in their war efforts. Between next week's GU04 update and the patch the week after, soldiers will notice new equipment along with some account and UI changes. One of the most anticipated incoming features is the account-wide unlocks for items bought with StationCash. Of course, faction items will still be restricted to factions. Speaking of factions, each one will be getting its hands on a new rocket launcher; these weapons pay homage to the empire-specific ones from the original PlanetSide. On the vehicle side, the flash buggy will have a rumble seat, allowing a passenger to come along for the ride and shoot anything that gets in the way, as well as a cloaking ability for Infiltrators. And all folks who want to give weapons or vehicles a test drive can enter VR Training, a safe zone devoid of resource costs and cool-down timers. The March roadmap video demonstrates some of these changes as well as platoon management window improvements and membership enhancements. Check out the details in the video after the break.
Matt Higby discusses PlanetSide 2's roadmap and server merges
It's unsettling for anyone to know that a game is undergoing server merges, even when it's a game that's received as much good press as PlanetSide 2. Fortunately for the game's gun-toting fans, creative director Matt Higby is on tap to provide players with a bit more clarification about exactly what the merges will involve. Ten total servers will be affected, bringing the game's total number to nine after the merges take place. Server transfer tokens will also be available afterwards for players who would prefer to move to a different server in the wake of the transfers. Higby also discusses the game's roadmap, a feature that the designers have been pleased with thus far. Going forward, the roadmap will provide more accurate dates regarding when players can expect to see the new content rather than the current system showing internal development targets. For more specific details, check out Higby's full address to the community.
Apple's place in the next generation of gaming
Sony is holding an event this Wednesday in New York, where the company is expected to announce the next version of its popular PlayStation console, essentially kicking off the next generation of video gaming (Nintendo actually did this last year with the launch of its Wii U console, but sales of that device haven't done so well, and Mario's Japanese overlords tend to do their own thing, no matter what Microsoft and Sony do). So this TechCrunch editorial about Apple entering the gaming space for real comes at a very interesting time. Sony's about to announce a new console, and Microsoft will presumably do the same soon after. Where's Apple in all of this? A full five years ago, I wrote this post, talking about five things Apple could do to bring gamers back to the platform. And if I may say so myself, many of those directions were followed. Apple essentially has a huge game store in the App Store, and not only has it created (as I said back then) a solid revenue system as well as a promotion and distribution channel, but Apple's done so in a way that helps and grows developers as well. Apple did indeed focus on casual games in the App Store, to the point that the vast majority of the top-grossing and downloaded apps are casual games. Apple made its hardware faster, so that you can basically run any PC game on any Mac these days, either with native ports in the Mac App Store (another place where games generally rule), or with emulation and Boot Camp. And Apple has done its best to provide a fairly unified gaming experience with Game Center -- on either iOS or the Mac, Apple uses that service to both reward gamers and promote other titles. I think that service could be used even more effectively, but that's a topic for another post. However, the one thing that Apple hasn't done from that post I wrote five years ago is this: provide gaming hardware. Apple has created a huge platform with iOS, obviously, and game developers of all stripes have worked very hard to create titles that not only worked on a touchscreen or with an accelerometer, but excelled with them. But Apple has never once created hardware specifically for gaming. It's never released a game controller (as many third parties have done), and it's never added a hardware feature to its devices specifically for gamers. And even with the option of AirPlay (which has opened up a lot of possibilities for game devs and players), Apple still seems more focused on the fact that you can stream movies between devices rather than the more interesting option of using one device as a controller for another. In short, Apple still doesn't get gaming. Gaming is helping to pay the bills over there (the last figure I heard was that 80 percent of app sales were from games), but Apple still hasn't made a move to officially step into the gaming market. And now, we're on the eve of brand-new consoles, with new hardware specs and new marketplaces and new delivery methods, and Apple is still not getting involved. Now, perhaps it doesn't need to. Apple's certainly seen plenty of success even holding gaming at arm's length (and only briefly mentioning it during announcements or showing it off in commercials), and it's hard to see a company with so many billions failing just because it doesn't release new hardware. As the TechCrunch editorial notes, Apple doesn't step into the fray when it doesn't need to, and there's certainly an argument that it doesn't need to step any further into gaming than it has. But on the other hand, there is (or at least there was) so much opportunity for Apple in the gaming space. We already know that apps will someday come to the Apple TV, and that's the most likely place for Apple to gain a foothold, not just with gimmicks like AirPlay, but by combining the very powerful App Store model with a living room TV-based computer. If that happens, Apple could go the Nintendo route and just turn an iPad or an iPhone into a controller, but I don't think a touchscreen is ideal for a game where you're looking at a bigger screen -- I think Apple will need to finally admit that sometimes, buttons are better. And if they admit that for the Apple TV, then I don't think it will be long until we see an official Bluetooth controller for iPhone and iPad. Not for all games -- some games are better on a touchscreen than others. But for those gamers who need their buttons, why not bring a creation for the Apple TV back to the mobile devices? So five years after my first post, that's my next roadmap for Apple and gaming: Bring apps to the Apple TV, and bring buttons (optional, of course) to their mobile devices. As always, Apple does what it wants, but if the company wants to actually expand into the gaming space, just having EA shows off its latest titles at the next few product announcements won't do it. Why? Because over the last five years while Apple was following the strategy I laid out in that last post, Microsoft and Sony have been doing plenty of their own learning. Not only will the PS4 and the Xbox 720 (or whatever the two new consoles are called) use the lessons that Apple's devices have taught, they'll also be the first two big gaming consoles created post-App Store. I expect both of them to be more open than ever, and both to provide more ways for players to access digital and downloaded games than ever before. The Xbox Live Marketplace was a huge hit for Microsoft on the Xbox 360, and it was developed in a patchwork manner over the course of the console's life; the next iteration should be ready to go and full-featured right away at launch. Likewise, Sony's PlayStation Network (and the PlayStation Plus subscription program) has been developed piece by piece over time, but the next console should make full use of that infrastructure and groundwork. In other words, Apple's had a lot of time in this past console generation to really push and develop its App Store, and to really create a market for digital games on its mobile platforms that never existed before. But a new race is starting on Wednesday this week, one where both Microsoft and Sony (if they do things right, at least) will be much better equipped to compete in terms of both game pricing and digital distribution. In that sense, it may already be too late for Apple to really take over the gaming market. The company from Cupertino has never been really excited about gaming -- that's been obvious, from Steve Jobs' own opinions to the all-important marketing and branding. But there's always been the potential for Apple to do much more there, if indeed Sony and Microsoft don't jump in and do it first.
Leaderboard: Community-driven development vs. company-driven development
SOE's Roadmap initiative for PlanetSide 2 is an interesting beast. If you're unfamiliar with it, it's basically a public polling system wherein proposed game features are upvoted or downvoted by the community. While there are no guarantees that the dev team will actually bend to the will of the people (it is SOE's game, after all), it's a fairly unprecedented setup in large-scale game development. It's also got plenty of naysayers, though, some of whom are concerned about the potential for the game to be affected by those who don't play it. What do you think of Roadmap and potential systems like it? Do you welcome community-influenced development decisions in your MMO of choice, or do you prefer to leave it to the pros? Vote after the break! Ever wish that you could put to rest a long-standing MMO debate once and for all? Then welcome to the battle royal of Massively's Leaderboard, where two sides enter the pit o' judgment -- and only one leaves. Vote to make your opinion known, and see whether your choice tops the Leaderboard!
Leaked T-Mobile doc pins BlackBerry Z10, Galaxy S III LTE for March 27th launch
Hankering for some fresh T-Mobile devices with LTE connectivity? According to a leaked roadmap courtesy of Mr. Blurrycam and TmoNews, Magenta will satisfy that craving on March 27th with the BlackBerry Z10, Samsung Galaxy Exhibit (in both pre-paid and monthly plan varieties) and the Sonic 2.0 LTE mobile hotspot. An LTE flavor of the Galaxy S III is also penciled in for March 27th, but the roadmap notes it could be available starting April 3rd instead. February's only just begun, but T-Mobile seems to have its springtime planned out pretty well ahead of time.
Entropia Universe raises a glass to its 10th anniversary
Entropia Universe, the "massively multiplayer online real cash economy," typically has been best known for its ludicrously expensive sales of virtual property and structure. Now it has another reason to be in the spotlight: The MMO(sigh)RCE has made it to its 10th anniversary. The title launched on February 1st, 2003, and has generated loads of money through the creation, sale, and purchase of its online worlds. According to MindArk, Entropia Universe is a favorite of the Guinness Book of World Records when it comes to the most valuable virtual items ever sold. MindArk recently released a mobile app for Entropia Universe and outlined a 2013 roadmap through the anniversary and beyond. [Source: MindArk press release]
Final Fantasy XIV lays out beta test roadmap
Final Fantasy XIV is ramping up its preparations for beta testing A Realm Reborn and has laid out a roadmap for its progression toward relaunch. The Final Fantasy XIV website will begin taking beta applications in January, and the beta will commence in mid-February. The beta will take part in four phases with short debugging periods between them. The main goals of the beta test are to rebalance level progression, the battle system, and crafting; to refine the user interface; to test the importing of characters from version 1.0; to stress test the servers; and to report and fix bugs. Legacy status holders and Final Fantasy XIV account holders are automatically included in the beta, while other interested parties need to apply. [Thanks to Segun for the tip!]
Entropia lays out a roadmap for development in 2013
Did you know that Entropia Universe will be 10 years old next year? Possibly not, but if you did, you probably also know how much the team at MindArk has done to improve the game over the past year. That team is looking to make 2013 even better, and to that end they've put out a roadmap for 2013's development. Aside from the obvious anniversary celebration, the developers are hard at work fixing up areas for veteran players, trying to improve the return on several activities and making the game easier to get started with. There are also plans for new server infrastructure and an entirely new taming system, both of which should make existing players happier with the game as a whole. Beyond even that, the team has plans for shoring up the game's financial transactions in several ways. New functionality with PayPal and improved starter packs are in the works. Players can also expect to see a full rollout of the Calypso Land Deed system and accompanying political mechanics within the next year. So here's to a decade of development, and let's hope the team can manage another one. [Source: MindArk press release]
T-Mobile schedules new product event on October 29th (Update: canceled)
T-Mobile has just sent out invites to the press for a product launch event on the evening of October 29th. We weren't given any clues as to what this new item (or items) could be -- aside from the fact that it will include T-Mobile's full fall lineup -- but we certainly have a few suspicions considering the timing of such an event. Microsoft and Google are both holding press events earlier in the day, after all, which means we're either going to be treated to T-Mobile's Windows Phone 8 lineup or (this is less likely, but anything's possible) a T-Mobile Nexus. Feel free to put your wagers in the comments below, and we'll work to sort out the craziness that will most certainly ensue that day. Update: T-Mobile has joined Google in canceling today's event due to Hurricane Sandy. Don't be too disheartened, though -- we'll still have a feast of Windows Phone 8 news to digest.
Intel roadmap reveals 10-core Xeon E5-2600 V2 Ivy Bridge CPU
Intel may have recently spilled its Q3 guts for 2012, but we highly doubt that the chip maker planned on outing its forthcoming projects for next year. An alleged internal slide makes the claim that the silicon giant plans to introduce a 10-core Xeon E5-2600 V2 Ivy Bridge-EP CPU in the third quarter of 2013. Compatible with Socket R LGA 2011 motherboards, this brute will max out at 20 threads through HyperThreading. Packing 30MB of L3 cache, this unannounced Ivy Bridge supports up to 1866MHz of DDR3 system RAM. If these specifications have whet your appetite, the Xeon E5-2600 V2 is only the tip of the iceberg -- Chipzilla is said to also have a 12-core processor in the pipeline as well.
T-Mobile's holiday roadmap leaked: LG Optimus L9, HTC Windows Phone 8X spotted
According to a leaked roadmap on TMoNews, the magenta carrier appears to have a few tantalizing offerings coming its way this holiday season. A curious BlackBerry handheld dubbed the Armstrong, a color refresh of the Samsung Galaxy S II, a possibly Android-flavored Huawei Summit and the LG Optimus L9 are all slated to launch just on or before Halloween. Going into the next month, we see the HTC Windows Phone 8X making the pre-Thanksgiving cut with a potential debut of November 14th. Notably absent are the Samsung Galaxy Note II and the Nokia Lumia 810, but that doesn't mean they won't be there when December rolls around. Of course, this info didn't come through official channels, so we wouldn't bank on any of the handsets as holiday gifts just yet. Still, its nice to know they're coming, and you can get the full details on these and other devices at the source.
