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Great keyboard design can be undermined by bad decisions
One problem with loving quirkily designed mechanical keyboards is that there's a risk of falling onto a hype train of your own making. At first blush, Lofree's wireless mechanical keyboard looked like a dream product, thanks to its Henrik Thor-Larsen-inspired design. It showed plenty of promise too, thanks to its Gateron Blue switches and Mac-first layout that works with both iOS and macOS devices (as well as Windows and Android). But despite its gorgeous looks, the Lofree keyboard is unpleasant to use.
Twitch goes full Facebook
Twitch is starting to look a lot like Facebook or Twitter. Following the addition of private messaging and live update tools, today Twitch unveiled Pulse, the next step in the site's transformation into a full-on social networking service. Pulse allows Twitch streamers and users to post updates that show up on one newsfeed-style page, including stream clips, YouTube videos, links, photos and written messages.
'Outlast 2' will seriously creep you out this April
The follow-up to hit survival-horror game Outlast is coming to PC, Xbox One and Playstation 4 on April 25. Outlast 2 will attempt to raise the creep factor with more genre-defining "WTF" moments than were possible in the first game, due to budgetary restrictions.
The tech that makes MMO development easy for indies
SpatialOS is the technical foundation that makes massive, persistent, online world-building possible, even for small video game studios. Think of large, mainstream games like Destiny or Elder Scrolls Online: These are huge universes that support thousands of players at a single time. It typically takes millions of dollars and hundreds of people multiple years to make one of these games -- let alone support it post-launch -- which is one reason it's notoriously difficult to secure funding for the development of massively multiplayer online games. However, SpatialOS puts a spin on this standard. Improbable's computational platform offers cloud-based server and engine support for MMO games, allowing developers to easily create and host online, multiplayer experiences with persistent features. SpatialOS first made a splash at GDC 2015, when it promised to power MMO games with a swarm-like system of servers that switch on as they're needed in locations around the world.
Nintendo Switch controllers can steer games on your computer
Ever since gamers discovered that the Nintendo Switch's Pro Controller works with computers, there's been a lingering question: what about the Joy-Cons you get with the system itself? Yes, thankfully. Both Nintendo Actu and Sam Williams have verified that the peripherals work as Bluetooth controllers on Macs and Windows PCs so long as you use an app that binds buttons to mouse and keyboard controls. They should work with Android, too, although Nintendo Actu warns that it saw serious lag -- your experience may vary depending on the mobile device you're using.
IBM plans to build a universal quantum computer
Companies can technically buy a quantum computer right now, but it's not really the same as a general-purpose computer. Even if you don't question whether or not it is quantum computing, it really amounts to specialized hardware. However, IBM hopes to change all that: it's planning to build the first commercially-oriented universal quantum computer. The plan is to build a system with roughly 50 quantum bits (the Quantum Experience started with 5 and now simulates 20) within the next few years. That may not sound like much, but 50 qubits could be more powerful than the best supercomputers when handling some calculations -- tasks that were impractical before would suddenly be within reach.
'League of Legends' creator wins $10 million in cheating lawsuit
If you've noticed fewer cheaters in your League of Legends matches in recent weeks, you now have a good idea as to why. Riot Games has won a settlement in its lawsuit against LeagueSharp, the subscription cheating service that offered automated play (that is, bots) to win in League games. The agreement has LeagueSharp paying $10 million, bans its software and gives Riot control over its websites. LeagueSharp technically shut down in January, but the terms of the settlement weren't circulating until now.
Brave's ad-blocking browser now syncs between computers
Brave's web browser may stand out through its emphasis on blocking and swapping ads, but its team still has a while to go before it nails some of the features you take for granted. Case in point: browser syncing. Brave has updated its software with a beta syncing feature that, much like in Chrome or Firefox, will share your browser data between computers. There's no support for mobile yet (that's due "soon"), but this could help a great deal if you were thinking of switching browsers and needed the reassurance of sync support to make the switch.
Your WD networked drive is vulnerable to remote attacks
If you have one of Western Digital's My Cloud nstorage drives, you might be particularly vulnerable to internet attacks. Exploitee.rs has discovered a number of unpatched security flaws in most My Cloud models that let remote intruders bypass the login, insert their own commands and upload files without permission. In numerous cases, it's a matter of poorly implemented scripts. Also, every command exectued through the web interface has full access to the operating system -- an attacker would have the keys to the kingdom.
Play laser tag in the real world with this smartphone attachment
Playing laser tag is fun, but in order to do so, you have to go to a special venue, get specialized equipment and basically block off the entire day. With Proxy42's Inceptor, however, you don't have to. This little accessory combined with a game called Father.io essentially changes any smartphone into a mobile laser tag machine, without the need for a plastic toy gun attachment.
Google reveals HP's Chromebook for schools coming out in April
There's another Chromebook option for schools looking to equip their students with Google's laptops. Mountain View has revealed that HP will release a new rugged Chromebook for education in mid-April. It's a 360-degree convertible that features USB-C charging and a rear/world-facing camera, just like the Chromebooks Asus and Acer debuted in January. The computer also works with an optional stylus. However, it's unclear if it's the same low-cost stylus based on the the #2 pencil that comes with the Asus and the Acer machines -- Google didn't exactly go into details about the product's specs.
Watch the first 10 minutes of Fullbright's 'Tacoma'
Tacoma feels a lot like its predecessor, Gone Home, even though its environments couldn't be more different. Rather than leading players on an emotional journey through an abandoned family house, Tacoma places players on an abandoned space station. The feeling of familiarity comes from the game's design and mechanics: Players are encouraged to explore all the nooks, crannies, notes and recordings scattered around the station, while the layout of the winding metal hallways and air locks quietly guides them through a mysterious, dangerous storyline.
Beam's next update makes game livestreams more interactive
Seven months after snapping up Twitch competitor Beam, Microsoft is unveiling a major update to its interactive tools for video game streamers. Called Interactive 2, the new system is "built from the ground up" to improve interactive features for both game streamers and the folks who watch them, starting in March of this year.
Microsoft reduced Windows update sizes by 35 percent
Fans of Windows and snappy downloads will be relieved to learn that Microsoft's Unified Update Platform, which has been rolling out to Windows Insiders since November, will be available to all retail users starting with the release of the Creators Update coming later this spring. In addition to those very handy snooze and schedule features, the UUP significantly shrinks the size of future updates by saving users the trouble of downloading an entire build of their operating system.
New Alexa devices could get speakerphone, intercom features
Amazon plans to reveal new voice-controlled devices this year that will let you make phone calls, according to a report today from Recode. These gadgets might also allow you to "call" a buddy who has another Alexa-powered speaker, making for a sort of intercom system. Just last month, both Google and Amazon started looking at adding telephony to their respective digital assistants, but it looks like Amazon has taken the first step. Recode's sources say that we might see an official announcement in the coming months.
The cyberpunk revolution begins with video games
Hey, game developers: William Gibson called. He wants his dystopian sci-fi future back. The annual Game Developers Conference showcases the latest projects from studios around the world, offering a first-hand look at the themes and trends driving the industry forward. And this year, it's all about cyberpunk. Walking among the flashy, flickering and noisy booths of the GDC show floor and its surrounding events, the pattern becomes clear -- a significant portion of these games have a strong sci-fi vibe, many of them dealing with the idea of futuristic corporate overreach and gritty technological espionage.
The Border Patrol can take your password. Now what?
There's a whole world of bad security advice going around about traveling in and out of the United States. It's largely because under the Trump Administration there has been an uptick in Customs and Border Protection agents searching the phones and digital devices of travelers at airport checkpoints.
Hard drives of the future could be made of DNA
Our data-driven society is churning out more information than traditional storage technology can handle, so scientists are looking for a solution in Nature's hard drive: DNA. A pair of researchers at Columbia University and the New York Genome Center recently wrote a full computer operating system, an 1895 French film, an Amazon gift card and other files into DNA strands and retrieved them without errors, according to a study published in the latest edition of Science.
NASA releases a treasure trove of space and science programs
Now you can code like an astronomer. NASA released its software catalog for 2017-2018 on Thursday and it is chock full of cool app, code libraries and utility programs that have been made available to the public, free of charge.
There were so many games at GDC's ID@Xbox showcase
Microsoft's ID@Xbox showcase is a staple of GDC, packing a ton of independent video games into a single room and letting players go wild. This year, ID@Xbox featured 20 games across a range of genres, from shoot-em-ups and RPGs to first-person cyberpunk horror. It's impossible to play every game, so we picked four at random: Full Metal Furies, Observer, Moonlighter and Ruiner. And we had a blast.
