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Audience's new voice processors offer always-on listening without sacrificing battery life
We'll admit, the touchless controls on the Moto X have spoiled us. It's far too enjoyable to jolt the smartphone out of a deep slumber by speaking a keyword-based trigger phrase (for the X, it's "OK Google Now") and commanding it to do our bidding. And while Motorola managed to integrate this feature into its flagship smartphone without taking a huge hit on battery life, there's always room for improvement. Audience, a manufacturer of digital voice and audio processors that are commonly found in a large number of smartphones, is introducing its next-gen chip with VoiceQ, an always-listening feature the company claims is even more efficient and powerful than Moto's X8 chipset. VoiceQ, much like its Moto X rival, will be continually ready and waiting for your trigger phrase (it's "OK Audience" by default) and verbal commands. Your mileage may vary here, since it'll be up to each handset maker to program those phrases and commands to their own satisfaction. The difference between the two devices, Audience tells us, is that VoiceQ not only uses a lot less power (less than 1.5mA) as it listens for you, it also doesn't require you to pause between the trigger and the commands; you won't find yourself speaking the same command twice just to ensure the phone heard the whole thing. VoiceQ isn't the only enhancement to the next-gen chips, known as the eS700 series. It also comes with noise suppression for windy conditions, a type of speech-restoration tech that filters out extremely noisy situations and 48kHz voice processing. In other words, if touchless controls aren't really your thing yet, at least your smartphone will be much clearer on the other end for whoever you call. Device manufacturers are already testing samples of Audience's new chips, and company reps tell us that we can expect to see it show up in the second half of this year.
How game licensing works on the Xbox One (yes, it supports used games)
You will be able to give your Xbox One games to your friends, but only once and only to friends you've known for more than a month. That's according to the new rules shared today about Xbox One game licensing by Microsoft. All games will be available new in both disc or digital form, and will need to be installed on your Xbox One while logged in. From there, you'll be registered for the game on the cloud, so you'll be able to play it wherever you're logged into an Xbox One, even if you happen to be at a friend's house. You will have the option to resell that game back to a retailer, but that retailer will have to sign up with Microsoft to allow you to do so. Microsoft won't charge fees to do that, but it does say that "third party publishers may opt in or out of supporting game resale and may set up business terms or transfer fees with retailers." You can give the game away, but only once and only to someone who's been on your friends list for that required 30 days. Microsoft also says that the ability to loan or rent games "won't be available at launch, but we are exploring the possibilities with our partners." All of the information about game licensing on the new console can be seen on the official Xbox One site.
Xbox One requires online connection every 24 hours, at least
The Xbox One needs to connect to the internet at least once every 24 hours, or its ability to play games is shut down, a post on Xbox Wire says. This is for a player logged into his own console – if a player logs into his account on a separate console at a friend's house, for example, the Xbox One needs to be connected to the internet at least once every hour. "With Xbox One you can game offline for up to 24 hours on your primary console, or one hour if you are logged on to a separate console accessing your library," Xbox Wire writes. "Offline gaming is not possible after these prescribed times until you re-establish a connection, but you can still watch live TV and enjoy Blu-ray and DVD movies." This is the clearest explanation of the Xbox One's internet requirements since Microsoft's reveal on May 21. In a post it removed from Xbox Wire, Microsoft said the console "does not have to be always connected, but Xbox One does require a connection to the Internet." Microsoft recommends a broadband internet connection of 1.5Mbps for the Xbox One, and suggests mobile broadband for those without access to an Ethernet connection. Xbox One has two wireless antennas, and a gigabit Ethernet port and 802.11n wireless. "Because every Xbox One owner has a broadband connection, developers can create massive, persistent worlds that evolve even when you're not playing," Xbox Wire says.
Xbox One will definitely be in used games market, details still blurry
Microsoft isn't prepared to share how used games on Xbox One will be handled – which had adverse effects on retailer GameStop's stock price yesterday – but the company is definitely going to be in the market. "We understand the secondary market is incredibly important today in the current generation. It will be incredibly important in the next generation," Phil Spencer, Microsoft Corporate VP of Microsoft Studios, said in an interview with us. "I love the fact that my identity, my saves and my content can go with me to any console I move to. The ability to have me and my content save in the cloud who I am, and I can move around, that obviously requires some capability to know what content you own, associated with you and how you move." He also danced around the always-online issue, something that already caused one public firing at Microsoft. "We also understand that sometime people's internet goes down and I shouldn't stop watching a movie or stop playing a single-player game when that happens. We'll support a tolerance where we can," he noted, but we were seeking specifics on how long the console could be offline. "You asked about the boundaries, how long will that work? I'll just tell you we don't know yet. We'll tell you when we have the answer and we can tell everybody. But we understand that secondary market is important to the ecosystem, no doubt." Asked about the game trading that Microsoft previously mentioned, Spencer said, "Yeah, these are some of the specifics... honestly, I'm not really dodging, I just don't want to tell you something we haven't fully baked yet. "We basically set this reveal up so we could show the hardware, announce the name, talk about worldwide launch this year, show EA and Activision on our stage during our announce – which I think was a pretty compelling point to have both – with their biggest franchises in FIFA and Call of Duty," he concluded the topic. "Then we're gonna use E3 to game, game, game."
Microsoft: Xbox One isn't always online, but requires internet connection
Xbox One, Microsoft's next-gen console, does not require users to be constantly connected to the internet, but it does require an internet connection, a Q&A post on Xbox Wire said. The post itself has since been removed. The answer said the Xbox One "does not have to be always connected, but Xbox One does require a connection to the Internet." Developers are able to use Microsoft's Azure cloud computing service with Xbox One – this could potentially shift certain computations to the cloud and require players to be online, even for single-player runs, Wired reports. For pre-owned games, the Xbox One is designed "to enable customers to trade in and resell games," Microsoft said in the same Q&A post, promising more details later. All games can be installed to the Xbox One's 500GB hard drive, removing the need for a disc entirely after the initial load-up, Microsoft tells Wired. If a second account wants to play that game the player will be asked to pay a fee and install the game on his own console. Whether this is a mandatory installation for every game, Microsoft says, "On the new Xbox, all game discs are installed to the HDD to play."
Yoshida: Sony did not consider an always-on PS4
The PS4 won't require an "always-on" internet connection, and it was never going to need one, Sony President of Worldwide Studios Shuhei Yoshida told Game Informer (via Gamespot). "Did we consider it? No, we didn't consider it," Yoshida said. "The main reason being that many countries don't have robust Internet connections. It makes sense for people to have Internet connections to play online games, but for offline games there are many countries that we saw [that] do not really have robust Internet." Fair point. Yoshida previously confirmed an offline mode in terms of the PS4's social and sharing features, saying, "Oh yes, yes, you can go offline totally. Social is big for us, but we understand there are some people who are anti-social. So if you don't want to connect to anyone else, you can do that." Developers, too, will be able to limit which aspects of their games players can share with the world. Sony's major next-gen competitor, Microsoft, is set to reveal its new console on May 21. The latest internal memo regarding the next Xbox's online functionality says that some features should "just work" whether a player is on- or offline.
Report: Internal Microsoft memo outlines 'always-on' connectivity for next Xbox
An internal Microsoft memo regarding the "always-on" connectivity of the next-generation Xbox reveals the hardware manufacturer's plans for modern connectivity issues, Ars Technica reports. Microsoft's primary focus: specific console functions will "just work" regardless of connection status. "There are a number of scenarios that our users expect to work without an Internet connection, and those should 'just work' regardless of their current connection status. Those include, but are not limited to: playing a Blu-ray disc, watching live TV, and yes playing a single player game." The memo also adds that Durango – the code name for Microsoft's next-gen console – is "designed to deliver the future of entertainment while engineered to be tolerant of today's Internet." Though the supposed memo does much to assuage fears the next Xbox system will be useless when in an offline environment, it still does not detail the depths of the console's offline functionality. Rumors of the console's always-on connectivity have persisted, leading one Microsoft employee to express his personal opinion on the matter before leaving the company after a public statement from Microsoft, which distanced itself from the comments. Microsoft's next Xbox is scheduled to be revealed on May 21 at an event in Redmond, Washington. Joystiq has contacted Microsoft for comment regarding the supposed memo, but has yet to hear back at the time of publishing.
Xbox SmartGlass nabs Android update with support for 7-inch or larger tablets, screen sleep override
Microsoft's SmartGlass for Android app has just hit version 1.5 thanks to a fresh update on Google Play. The app, which lets users control their XBox via a smartphone or tablet, will now be optimized to work on 7-inch and larger Android tablets. Other new features include an (unfortunately-worded) "always-on" Smartglass Experiences state, which actually just prevents your handset or slate from sleeping while it's running, along with bug fixes and "numerous design and usability improvements." We'll have to give it a further play to see if there's anything juicy buried in the latter, but meanwhile, you can grab it at the break. Update: A post on Major Nelson's blog reveals it's also added the ability to open a web browser from within the app.
Report: Microsoft Studios creative director Adam Orth no longer with company
Adam Orth, the Microsoft Studios creative director who caused a stir among consumers last week by tweeting his opinions on "always-on" devices, is no longer a Microsoft employee, according to "two sources" speaking with Polygon.Last week, Microsoft publicly apologized for Orth's comments, saying that "this person is not a spokesperson for Microsoft, and his personal views do not reflect the customer centric approach we take to our products or how we would communicate directly with our loyal consumers."We have reached out to Microsoft for a statement on the situation and will update this story if we learn more.
Microsoft responds to creative director's 'always-on' console comments
Microsoft has issued an official missive (via Major Nelson) in response to the comments made yesterday by Microsoft Studios creative director Adam Orth's tweets regarding his opinions surrounding what he called "the drama around having an 'always on' console.""We apologize for the inappropriate comments made by an employee on Twitter yesterday," the response reads. "This person is not a spokesperson for Microsoft, and his personal views do not reflect the customer centric approach we take to our products or how we would communicate directly with our loyal consumers.""We are very sorry if this offended anyone, however we have not made any announcements about our product roadmap, and have no further comment on this matter."Yesterday, Orth took to Twitter to publicly dismiss criticisms of always-online consoles, likely in response to rumors that the next-generation Xbox will require an online connection to play games. As of press time, Orth's Twitter account remains under lock and key.
Maxis: SimCity offline mode is 'just not possible'
@azbiker72 The game was designed for MP, we sim the entire region on the server so this is just not possible - SimCity (@simcity) March 9, 2013The issues barraging SimCity stem from its requirement that players are always online and connected to EA's servers, even if a player wants to experience the game alone. Making the game available offline could solve many players' issues, but that's "just not possible," developer Maxis General Manager Lucy Bradshaw said during a Twitter Q&A session."The game was designed for MP, we sim the entire region on the server so this is just not possible," Bradshaw said, in response to a question about offline modes. Previously Bradshaw responded to another question about an offline patch: "We have no intention of offlining SimCity any time soon but we'll look into that as part of our earning back your trust efforts."Making SimCity offline would be a significant undertaking, if it were in the cards at all. Bradshaw further reiterated the sentiment of a leaked internal memo, noting that EA wasn't responsible for SimCity's issues; Maxis was."Hey, this is on Maxis," she wrote. "EA does not force design upon us. We own it, we are working 24/7 to fix it, and we are making progress."Recent progress included increasing SimCity's server capacity by 120 percent, disabling "non-critical" game features, and a report that EA asked SimCity affiliates to stop actively promoting the game.
PS4 doesn't require an always-on internet connection
The PlayStation 4 does not need to be constantly connected to the internet, president of Sony Worldwide Studios Shuhei Yoshida told Eurogamer following Sony's conference yesterday. The PS4's internet settings are fully customizable, whether someone is concerned about data limits or simply wants to be left alone."Oh yes, yes, you can go offline totally," Yoshida said. "Social is big for us, but we understand there are some people who are anti-social. So if you don't want to connect to anyone else, you can do that."The PS4 has a secondary custom chip that allows users to play games as those games are downloading, and Yoshida said the PS4 will have a low-power mode where the main system is asleep but the subsystem is awake, downloading or uploading content.Players will be able to wake up the PS4 via tablets, smartphones or with the Vita, Yoshida further explained. The Vita will be able to play PS4 games remotely, with the goal of all games using remote play functionality.
Ubisoft doing away with 'always-on' DRM
Ubisoft is doing away with its always-on digital rights management (DRM) policy, the company's worldwide director for online games Stephanie Perotti told Rock, Paper, Shotgun in a recent interview. The policy dictated that those playing Ubisoft's PC games would have to maintain a constant connection to the internet, even when playing single-player content. According to Perotti, Ubisoft PC games will now require "a one-time online activation when you first install the game, and from then you are free to play the game offline." In fact, Perotti noted that this has been Ubisoft's policy since June of 2011.Digging into the ol' Joystiq archives, it looks like that isn't exactly true. While there have since been high-profile releases that shipped without the typical always-on DRM – notably Assassin's Creed Revelations – others definitely shipped with the restrictive protection. From Dust and Driver: San Francisco, both released after June 2011, each shipped with always-on DRM – only to see Ubisoft patch it out after receiving negative feedback.Still, if the new policy is now firmly in place, it marks a huge change in direction for Ubisoft's PC releases, especially considering that CEO Yves Guillemot stated only two weeks ago that the company's PC products have a "93-95 percent piracy rate."Beyond the issue of piracy, Perotti also addressed the customary delays faced by Ubisoft's PC games, saying, "We need to improve our communication, and make sure we provide better visibility to the PC community on our release dates for PC." She added that Ubisoft is "committed" to doing better and releasing its PC games "as close as possible to console releases." As an example, she mentioned Far Cry 3, which is slated to release on the same day as its console counterparts, and Assassin's Creed 3, which arrives November 23, "just a few weeks after the console version."
Blizzard acknowledges Diablo III always-on is DRM
Despite weeks of insisting that Diablo III's internet connection requirements were all about improving the experience for gamers, Blizzard has finally copped to the fact that the feature was actually designed to prevent piracy. "While we've never said that this requirement guarantees that there will be no cheating or game cracks, it does help us battle those problems," Blizz co-founder Mike Morhaime said in a D3 state-of-the-game post. As Rock, Paper Shotgun points out, Morhaime claims to "fully understand the desire to play Diablo III offline" despite the fact that the game was "designed from the beginning to be an online game that can be enjoyed with friends." The online requirement "is the best way for us to support that design," Morhaime writes.
Skyhook SDK for Android touts always-on location finding without the battery hit (video)
Enabling persistent location in a third-party mobile app isn't always easy -- it usually requires either cautious uses of updates, like iOS 5's geofencing, or an acceptance that there will inevitably be a knock to the battery life while it's running. Skyhook doesn't want there to be any compromise, at least on Android: an update to its developer kit has rolled in an Always-On location option that theoretically represents the best of both worlds. Third-party app writers can opt for position refreshes as quick as 30 seconds apart, if that birthday gift reminder needs just that many updates, but will supposedly face "little to no noticeable impact" on how quickly users' smartphones sip energy. We like the idea of guilt-free GPS, and there's even an airplane tracking mode for when you just have to check into Foursquare from 30,000 feet in the air. Developers can start working on the option today; until implementations reach the wild, everyone else will have to make do with a clip of the airplane tracking feature after the break.
Single-player games will be dead in three years, says industry analyst
So game development studios desperately want to move the entirety of our hobby online in order to mimic the recurring revenue model of MMORPGs. That's not exactly news, but it is news when an industry analyst makes an eyebrow-raising claim regarding the immediate future of the genre. To that effect, Eurogamer recently attended a "closed-door, Sony-organized panel discussion on the future of video games," which featured an analyst predicting the end of single-player titles by 2014. Mark Cerny, a "veteran video game consultant," used the 2009 single-player RPG Demon's Souls as an example, saying that its mixture of traditional offline gameplay and social connectivity to other gamers experiencing the same title is the wave of the future. "The funny thing here is, we don't even know what to call this. Is it single-player or is it multiplayer? We don't even have the words. It's kind of Orwellian. If you don't have any word for freedom you can't have a revolution," Cerny said. What exactly is that revolution, and will it be good for gamers? Check back in 2014 to find out.
Blizzard responds to complaints over Diablo 3 connection requirement
Diablo 3 requires a constant internet connection -- a decision that has caused some strong reactions from folks looking to play the game solo, or those pushing against overly demanding DRM schemes. MTV spoke with Robert Bridenbecker, the Vice President of Online Technologies at Blizzard to get the developer's side of the story. "Internally I don't think [always-on DRM] ever actually came up when we talked about how we want connections to operate. Things that came up were always around the feature-set, the sanctity of the actual game systems like your characters," said Bridenbecker. "You're guaranteeing that there are no hacks, no dupes. All of these things were points of discussion, but the whole copy protection, piracy thing, that's not really entering into why we want to do it." Bridenbecker goes on to mention that Diablo 2 offline characters couldn't be used online, which got messy for players and the developer, so this time they decided to "just keep everything clean." As for those looking to play alone, they don't have to interact with any other online players if they don't want to -- but they'll still need that internet connection.
TUAW TV Live: Brian X. Chen, author of 'Always On'
Thanks for joining me today for a very special episode of TUAW TV Live. Today's guest is Brian X. Chen, interim editor for Wired.com's Gadget Lab and the author of the recently published "Always On: How the iPhone Unlocked the Anything-Anytime-Anywhere Future--and Locked Us In." To quote the promotional materials for the book, "The iPhone is opening the way to what Brian X. Chen calls the 'always-on' future, where we are all constantly connected to a global Internet via flexible, incredibly capable gadgets that allow us to do anything, anytime, from anywhere. This has far-reaching implications -- both positive and negative -- throughout all areas of our lives, opening the door for incredible personal and societal advances while potentially sacrificing both privacy and creative freedom in the process. Always On is the first book to look at the surprising and expansive significance of Apple's incredibly powerful vertical business model, and the future it portends." Below, you'll find a Ustream livestream viewer and a chat tool. The chat tool allows you to participate by asking questions or making comments. If you're driving somewhere and would like to watch TUAW TV Live while you're stuck in traffic, please don't -- keep your eyes on the road! However, if someone else is doing the driving, you can watch the show on your iPhone and join the chat by downloading the free Ustream Viewing Application. If you're on an iPad, you should be able to use the Skyfire Browser to watch the stream, although you will not be able to participate in the chat. We'll start at about 5 PM ET, so if you're seeing a prerecorded show, be sure to refresh your browser until you see the live stream. For those of you who are not able to join us for the live edition, you'll be able to view it later this evening on our TUAW Video YouTube channel and as part of the new TUAW TV Live podcast viewable in iTunes or on any of your Apple devices. Can't see the video below? Click here to view it.
TUAW TV Live at 5 PM EDT: Brian X. Chen talks about "Always On"
Today's TUAW TV Live features a guest whose new book, "Always On: How the iPhone Unlocked the Anything-Anytime-Anywhere Future--and Locked Us In" is garnering praise for its unblinking look at the good and bad aspects of the iPhone phenomena. Brian X. Chen is the interim editor of Wired.com's Gadget Lab and was formerly an editor at Macworld, and he'll be joining me for a discussion of the book and of the device that launched our always-connected digital future. The book is a fascinating and fast read, and loaded with anecdotes about how the ability to have hundreds of specialized apps can help our lives. It's also a cautionary tale filled with discussion of how Apple's vertical integration in the iPhone ecosystem has made the company wildly successful, but at a cost to consumers and developers alike. As usual, I'll be starting the show at 5 PM EDT (2 PM PDT / 10 PM BST) sharp, and we'll take a few minutes to chat before the fun starts. To join in on the chat and watch the live streaming video, drop by TUAW about five minutes before the start time to get your instructions on how to participate. If you're unable to join us for the show, remember that you can always subscribe to the video podcast and watch the show at your leisure in iTunes or any other favorite podcatching app. The past shows are also available on the TUAW YouTube channel.
European Nissan Leaf gets always-on connection, lets you turn up the AC wirelessly
We've already marveled at the Chevy Volt's ability to let you turn up the AC while it's still plugged in to the A/C, courtesy of its OnStar app. Now we can confirm the European model of Nissan's Leaf is getting the same sort of functionality, and it's said to be standard -- no monthly fees like you'll be stuck with on the Volt. We're still not sure who's providing the wireless connectivity in the US, but abroad it comes courtesy of Telenor Connexion, which will enable a mobile phone or PC to access the Carwings Data Center remotely, to check charging status and modify the car's climate controls. In an EV the car's heating and cooling can be two of the biggest sinks for the onboard battery packs, so this ability to get the car up or down to temp while it's still plugged in could help you spend more kW driving and less on acclimatizing. Update: As it turns out Chevy is kindly throwing in five years of free OnStar service to Volt owners. So, it's free there as well.
