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Microsoft pulls offline USB updating instructions for Xbox One [Update: Microsoft responds]
Microsoft pulled its support page that instructed users how to update their Xbox One systems offline using a USB drive. We've included an image of the cached support page above, which is no longer available to view. The Xbox Support page instructed Xbox One owners with a two gigabyte USB stick to download one of two compressed update files to their computers, then unzip them to the root of the USB drive. The process then had owners holding the bind and eject buttons while turning their consoles on, releasing the two buttons once they hear two start-up tones. According to the now-unavailable support page, that last step told the Xbox One to search for an update from a USB drive, a procedure that isn't part of the system's initial booting process. We've contacted Microsoft for comment. Update: A Microsoft spokesperson tells Joystiq that "the site was not an alternative way to take the Day One update and customers still need to connect to Xbox Live for the update. Because of the complexity of this customer support process we've actually removed the page and we will work with customers directly to make sure they have a smooth experience."
PlayStation Support offers advice for 'blinking blue light PS4 issues'
PlayStation Support has opened a thread on the official Sony forums for users experiencing problems with the PS4. The post lists "blue indicator light blinking," "no video/audio output to television" and "console powering off after blinking blue" as potential symptoms, but does not point to single cause. Instead, the post suggests issues may stem from TV compatibility alongside potential issues with the PS4 power supply, hard drive or "other PS4 hardware." The frequency of these issues was not confirmed in the post. To troubleshoot the system, PlayStation Support suggests performing a hard reset, checking your hard drive connection, booting the PS4 in Safe Mode and checking the firmware of your television. If none of the above work and you need to contact Sony for further assistance, the company suggests using live chat as opposed to calling in. All contact information can be found here.
PS4 launch puts strain on Playstation Network
Some users are having problems connecting to the PlayStation Network, after Sony noted a "very high volume" on the service following the midnight launch of the PS4. There's no word yet as to when these issues are likely to clear up. With hundred of thousands of new consoles in the wild, and a significant 308MB firmware patch to download, it's perhaps unsurprising to see issues at this stage. Sony said it thanks users for their patience, and through its Ask PlayStation account asked them to "please sit tight" for the time being. That account directs people to a PlayStation Forum thread for further updates, and we'll be keeping an eye on how things develop too. Update 12PM ET: PS4 owners will receive a notification that "Sony Entertainment Network is currently undergoing maintenance."
Infinite Crisis shows off Harley Quinn
Harley Quinn has gone from being a simple sidekick for the Joker to being a respected villain in her own right, albeit one that's generally seen as something of an airhead. It's easy to forget that she was a psychiatrist assigned to take care of the Joker in the first place. So it kind of makes sense that she'd be more than just another pretty smash-happy character in Infinite Crisis, instead taking a more subtle role as a healer and support. Harley's passive ability buffs movement and attack speed for all nearby allies, while her activated abilities consist of a direct heal, a ranged attack, a knockback, and a knockup. The net result is that Harley works as support for teammates, knocking away certain enemies while keeping her immediate team healed and buffed. Check out the video preview past the break for more details on how to make the most of Harley's specific arsenal.
Google Helpouts aims to improve your life with the healing power of web video
It's like a Hangout, only with less loitering and more healing. Or something. After months of behind-the-scenes testing, Google's launching Helpouts, a new service that leverages the company's video offerings to pair users up with doctors, teachers, personal trainers and the like. Those professional life maker-betters need to list their credentials, as per the Hangout-powered service's fine print, so you don't wind up showing off that gaping shotgun wound to just any Joe Webcam (also, you should probably see a real life doctor. That looks infected). It should come as no surprise, too that the offering will be available on mobile devices, as well, so you embark on that pilates session on the bus to work. And once you're all done, you can check out with Google Wallet.
Google extends Chrome support for Windows XP until April 2015
If you have to keep using Windows XP for the next couple of years, you won't necessarily be stuck using an outdated web browser. Google now says that Chrome will get XP-compatible updates until "at least" April 2015, one year after Microsoft drops support for its aging OS. The extension should minimize the threat of browser-based exploits for those who can't transition to newer platforms all that quickly. While an OS upgrade would ultimately be the safest move for many users, it's good to see Google offering some love to older PCs.
MMO bloggers band together to encourage new writers
Have you heard of the Newbie Blogger Initiative? It's only the latest and greatest craze to hit the MMO circuit. Basically, several experienced MMO bloggers decided to band together to encourage and support players in trying their hand at starting up a new blog. During the month of October, the NBI will be raging across blogs, on its website, and especially on its forums. Veteran MMO bloggers have gathered to offer advice through posts, mentoring, Q&A sessions, and promoting start-up blogs. Yours truly will be a part of this, as will Storybricks' Brian Green. If you've thought about starting up an MMO blog, then this is the perfect month to do so. Sign in, peruse the forums, get posting, and enjoy the resources that the blogging community is setting up to give you the best possible beginning! The NBI should interest all MMO players, as it's a great central location to find interesting and entertaining blogs both new and old.
AppleCare+ to cover international iPhone replacements, starting September 27th
A welcome bit of news for globe trotters, as Apple is widening the safety net of AppleCare+ to include hardware repair or replacement while abroad. According to a leaked support document obtained by Sonny Dickinson, replacement coverage for the iPhone will become effective on September 27th. Separately, customers may also initiate repairs of the iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple display and Apple TV while traveling. This move follows a recent expansion of AppleCare+ within western Europe, and easily beats Apple's previous requirement that customers initiate repairs in the same country where AppleCare+ was first purchased. As an important caveat, Apple isn't guaranteeing that model-specific replacement hardware will be available in all countries, but this is a step in the right direction.
Apple rickrolls the world with iOS 7 knowledge base article
Perhaps Apple's getting a sweet bit of revenge for the unjustified criticism of iOS 7 over the last day, or maybe there's just a person in the Apple Support department who has a really good sense of humor. Regardless of the source of the fun, somebody slipped in a humorous screenshot on knowledge base article HT5858, titled "iOS: Understanding Control Center". As you can see in the image above, Rick Astley's "classic" tune "Never Gonna Give You Up" is playing on the iPhone belonging to the wag who wrote the KB piece. And that, my friends, is a classic rickroll.
Rockstar working out Social Club and iFruit companion app issues [Update]
With the launch of Grand Theft Auto 5 this week, both Rockstar Games Social Club and the GTA iFruit companion app have had numerous issues. According to an update on its support page, Rockstar is aware of problems like account linking being down, stats not syncing properly and content not loading correctly, and is working to resolve them. While Social Club has been around for years, Rockstar just launched the iFruit companion app this week to coincide with GTA 5's release. The free app allows players to take care of Chop, the pet dog owned by one of the game's characters, as well as customize vehicles and license plates for use in the game. Update: Rockstar updated its support page, noting it "made some changes that should help to resolve some of these issues, and will continue to work toward a full resolution for any remaining problems such as logging into iFruit."
AppleCare+ rolls out to three European countries, but incident fees climb to $79 in the US
While we were busy gawking at the iPhone 5c and iPhone 5s, Apple was quietly expanding the reach of its AppleCare+ extended support program. The service is now available in France, Italy and the UK, giving locals two years of iOS and iPod hardware support (including two accident claims) beyond the European requirements. Customers pay £79 (€99 in Europe) to cover an iPad or iPhone, and £49 (€59) to safeguard an iPod. Unfortunately, the expansion comes at a cost for Americans -- Apple is quietly hiking its AppleCare+ accident repair fee in the US from $49 to $79. While that's still cheaper than regular service, it's expensive enough that some may simply prefer to take better care of their gadgets. May we suggest a case?
Why Age of Empires Online failed
Since the beginning of this year, Age of Empires Online has shifted into stagnation and decline -- and done so intentionally. So why did Microsoft Studios decide to all but abandon the future of this game? In short, the title launched with far too little content, a bad business model, and couldn't crank out the goods fast enough to retain an audience. This resulted in a sharp drop-off from 100,000 players to 15,000 in a few months. Executive Producer Kevin Perry criticized the game's launch at GDC Europe, pointing at its skimpy features (including only two civilizations at launch) and bad public perception: "You don't get a soft launch for a branded title. Players come there for your brand. You only get word-of-mouth once. Whenever we got new players, they always came in with the overhead, 'but I heard this game sucks.' That hill was extremely difficult to climb." Even after tinkering with the game's cost, adding in more content, and figuring out ways to allow players to spend more money, the company ultimately realized that the players were mostly demanding new content which couldn't be generated to make a profit. "The content itself was too expensive to create," Perry admitted. "We did do a lot of things right, but they weren't enough to actually save the game."
Flipside controller tries again, thanks to iOS 7
The Flipside iPhone game controller was a Kickstarter project that began last year with an ambitious goal of US$135,000, raising only about $10k of that before getting canceled due to lack of interest. Things have changed since the project was shut down in January, however. Apple has announced iOS 7, and with it, a set of official SDK hooks for game controller support, which means we're going to see a resurgence in third-party controllers like this one. Now the Flipside is back, restarting its campaign on Indiegogo for a more reasonable $40,000. For $60, you can pick up an early founder's deal on the controller, which is set to be ready for use sometime next year. So far, the Flipside isn't exactly raking in the dough (it's earned about $300 as of this writing), but maybe the second time will be the charm. This definitely won't be the last we see of third-party controllers getting a big boost out of Apple's iOS 7 game controller hooks. Once the operating system is ready and out in the public's hands, we'll see many more of these units become available. Who knows -- maybe if Apple sees a market for controllers like this, we'll eventually see an official controller designed in Cupertino. It would certainly be a great way to kick off the market for apps on the Apple TV.
Crytek showed off a new iOS title called The Collectibles at WWDC
Crytek is the company behind the Crysis series of games, as well as the CryEngine game engine that powers them, and it's released a game on iOS before. Now, it looks like the AAA developer is planning to make a return to Apple's touchscreen platform, with a new game called The Collectibles (or The Collectables, depending on who you hear about it from). Last week at WWDC, Crytek showed off the new game during a panel, and as you can see above, the game looks like a top-down action title, probably a shooter of some description. The other interesting thing you'll notice about the game is that the developer demoing it was using a controller. iOS 7, you'll remember, adds official Apple support for "Made for iPhone" controllers, and we've already seen this hardware leaking out into the world. There have already been a number of third-party controllers available for iPhone and iOS devices, but it looks like Apple is finally supporting buttons officially, and Crytek's game might be one of the first titles to work with this new standard. The game also uses the touchscreen, however, so you probably won't absolutely need to have a controller just to play. Of course, that probably also means we won't see The Collectibles in action until iOS 7 is out, which means sometime later on this year. Hopefully we'll get a chance to see the game in action sooner rather than later.
The Realm fails to meet Kickstarter goal, plans US-based relaunch later this year
Atomhawk Design and Lantern Interactive's Kickstarter for its point-and-click adventure game The Realm has failed to reach its goal of £195,000 (about $300,000), but it says the project isn't dead yet. Despite not getting the money it needed, The Realm ended up as one of the top UK-based game Kickstarters to date. Being based in the UK was one of the main issues, however, as users in the United States weren't able to contribute directly due to Kickstarter's funding rules. So Atomhawk and Lantern have decided to relaunch the campaign later on this year, this time from a US-based account. Potential contributors were also asking to see gameplay footage, so that will be a priority next time around. In the meantime, the team asks that anyone interested in getting more updates on the game sign up to a mailing list. "We may not have have won the battle," says The Realm team's post, "but the war is not over yet!"
Mixed messages on Nexus Q support suggest Google doesn't know what to do with it, either
Yesterday there was some pretty damning news for owners of Google's Nexus Q musical orb: the device isn't supported in the current version of the its Play Music app. This much is undoubtedly true, and verified by many owners. What's less clear, however, is whether this really is the end of the road. All the signs may be there, but some readers have forwarded us emails received from Google Play Support advising that a fix for Nexus Q streaming is definitely on the way. We contacted Google directly, but it was unable to give an official statement on the issue. We were simply told that the developer product never made it to commercial release, and as such the company can't promise either way. Mountain View isn't shy about shuttering much-loved services, so Nexus Q owners might take a small amount of solace from this current ambiguity, at least enough to delay taking matters into their own hands.
Google confirms Nexus Q not supported in latest version of Play Music
Google Play Music is about to reveal its saddest song... for owners of the Nexus Q that is. In fact, some might guess it's the funeral march. Phandroid and Android Police both report having received confirmation that the latest update of Google's Play Music service -- that we saw outed yesterday -- doesn't support the firm's own music streamer. A statement given to the websites confirms the fact, with little to suggest it'll get any better for the little black ball going forward. Does this signify the final nail in the coffin? Potentially. But, given that it was erased from view on the Play store some time ago, and orders never charged, you might have already guessed that outlook not so good had been the prediction for some time.
Facebook Home official on the HTC One, unofficial on Galaxy S 4 (but you can use it anyway)
When it first announced Home, Facebook said that it would support the HTC One and Galaxy S 4 as soon as they arrived. But unless you were into sideloading, any attempt to actually run it on either of those two handsets was greeted with a "not supported" message -- at least until now. Though the app version hasn't changed and there's no mention of support for new handsets, the HTC One now appears to be officially supported, and after bypassing a warning (see the image above), you can now download and run it unofficially on the GS4 as well. That requires the main Facebook app to be up-to-date, however, and we noticed that Home (which has a tiny download size) leans on its much bigger brother for most of the heavy lifting -- updating Facebook actually changes features in the Home app. Android Central noted that it also worked in that way for other previously unsupported devices it tried, namely the Sony Xperia ZL and HTC One X. However, we still couldn't even download the app on the Nexus 4 or LG Optimus G, although it worked just fine via a sideload -- producing the same warning and allowing us to "use home anyway." That jibes with what Facebook told us yesterday -- namely, that it would change permissions so that sideloaders would get all the updates and not be saddled forever with version 1.0. Myriam Joire contributed to this report.
Make Chrome open iTunes store links in iTunes
If you're having a hard time getting iTunes and App Store links to launch from Google Chrome right to the app from your browser, MacStories editor-in-chief Federico Viticci has found a nice workaround in the App Store support community. The workaround requires editing program files, so be careful if you're new. The issue deals with Chrome's protocol handlers. If your issue is with iTunes rather than the Mac App Store look for the line that says "itms" instead of "macappstore." Here's the hack from support community member Dahveed. 1. Close Chrome 2. Open "/Users/[my user name]/Library/Application Support/Google/Chrome/Local State" in a text editor. TextEdit will do fine. 3. Look for the line "macappstore": true, under "protocol_handler": 4. Delete this line and Chrome will start to prompt you to open MAS links. 5. Change the true to false and MAS links will open without prompting. 6. Save the file and Quit the text editor. Double check to make sure this is actually a problem for you before you dive head-first into that code, but if you've been aggravated by this glitch, we're happy to have passed this information along.
The Summoner's Guidebook: Support in League of Legends doesn't mean healing
Out of all the roles in League of Legends, support is the most misunderstood. People expect supports to be similar to healing classes in other games, the kinds of characters who knit sweaters and cook dinner while the real warriors go out and fight on the front lines. When people first learn about the metagame, they often have the mistaken impression that because the support doesn't farm, there are fewer expectations of the playstyle. However, supports are less like MMO healers and more like the shortstop in baseball. He's not a baseman, but that gives him flexibility to be where a baseman can't be. He's constantly in the thick of the action, and his team regularly relies on him to make plays. In League, the support's freedom from farming gives her the freedom to roam, to fish for aggressive opportunities and shut down the enemy. She can even wander into mid lane or the enemy jungle in search of these opportunities. Far from a shrinking violet, the support is one of the biggest playmakers on her team. I got my start in LoL playing support, and it's a role I inherently understand well. I'm not really happy making aggressive lane plays and would prefer to relax and let my mechanics win my games for me (hence why I like ADC), but when thrust into the role of playmaker, I do reasonably well. For team leaders or just people who like to make others play by their rules, support is the role of choice.
