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The new iMac's paltry port selection doesn't bode well for the next MacBook Pro
Apple's new iMac has far fewer ports than the model it replaced, and that could be a bad sign for the next MacBook Pro.
Is this the back of the Xbox Series X?
Behold the derrière of the Xbox Series X. Images of an alleged prototype have surfaced on Twitter and the gaming forum Neogaf, hinting at the various ports that will be available on Microsoft's next console. Thurrott's Brad Sams believes they are authentic and not the work of a 3D-printing whizz kid. We can't confirm their legitimacy, but they're an improvement over the fake render AMD used during its CES presentation (oh, what a fun day that was...) A large panel reads "prototype - not for sale," so it's also possible the design and exact arrangement will change before release. The alleged images show an optical audio port, two USB-A ports, ethernet, power and a single HDMI port. (The Xbox One family, for comparison, had a second HDMI port for pass-through shenanigans.) There's also a long, rectangular slot which Sams explains is for diagnostic reporting and likely won't feature on the final console. We're months away from the Xbox Series X release, so the retail version could look completely different. The general shape, though, is identical to what Microsoft showed during The Game Awards last year. Provided these images are legitimate, we would be surprised if the company made anything more than slight alterations. @IdleSloth1984 @blueisviolet @XcloudTimdog pic.twitter.com/qmVlhTTaqi — Doug - XBOX SERIES X (@Doug_DragoX) January 22, 2020
Legacy ports on a MacBook Pro will cost you $1,999
Give our regards to anyone still clutching a four-pin USB cable out there: Apple is slowly winnowing down its MacBook Pro line and eliminating the remaining machines built with anything other than USB-C Thunderbolt ports. After Monday's WWDC 2017 keynote, the low-end 13-inch, non-TouchBar MacBook disappeared from the Apple Store. That leaves the aging MacBook Air and the $1,999 previous-generation 15-inch MacBook Pro as the only Apple notebooks that won't need a dongle to charge your iPhone.
India will be the first to power its ports with green energy
As the US comes to terms with President Trump's decision to withdraw from the Paris climate change agreement, India is celebrating government efforts to promote green energy. Earlier this week, officials announced that all 12 of its major shipping ports will switch to renewable sources, making India the first country to convert all of its dockyards to run on electricity generated from solar and wind installations.
Apple may ditch traditional USB ports on the MacBook Pro
Apple reportedly plans to eliminate the USB 3.0 and Magsafe ports on its next-gen MacBook, and kill the 11-inch MacBook Air altogether. That's according to Macotakara, the Japanese rumor site that was among the first to predict the company would kill the traditional headphone jack on the iPhone 7. It also claims that Apple will unveil a 15.4- and 13.3-inch MacBook Pro at an event sometime this month.
'Dead Rising Triple Pack' brings zombie carnage to PS4 owners
Just in time to get in on the Dead Rising 4 hype and the series' 10th anniversary, Capcom is rewarding fans for their patience by porting all three of the franchise's previous entries to both PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on September 13th.
Sega is 'investigating' a 'Shenmue' HD remaster
Shenmue fans may have some significant announcements to look forward to from Sega if all goes well. The company, when responding to a recent fan question about possible HD remasters of the Dreamcast's seminal 1999 role-playing game Shenmue and its 2001 sequel, expressed that it's "currently investigating" the idea.
'Street Fighter' cheating means dropped ranks and lost points
Last week Capcom asked for your help catching Street Fighter V rage quitters in the act. Using the evidence the community provided, the publisher/developer was able to cross-reference it with internal data to find the folks with 80 - 90 percent disconnect rates and "unrealistic win rates," and punish the jerks.
RuneScape's sub fee hike goes into effect March 1st
Jagex announced a sub rate hike for long-running sandbox RuneScape back in November, and this week, the studio has declared that the new fees will go into effect beginning March 1st. While the game is still free-to-play, the optional sub will increase from $8 US to $9.49 US; the official site includes a conversion chart for the international community and multi-month subbers. For existing Premier Club customers, Jagex posted a reminder about grandfathering in the old rates as long as the sub is maintained: Don't forget - as long as you're a member and don't lapse out for more than 14 days, you're eligible to keep your current rate of membership. Subscribe now to secure access to all of RuneScape's members' content at current prices. The studio is also talking up its inbound ports expansion; there's a fresh trailer on the mechanic after the cut.
Report: More Dragon Quest mobile ports on the way
Square Enix's mobile ports of Dragon Quest 4 and Dragon Quest 8 must not have strained the publisher's budget too terribly, as Game Informer reports the RPG nostalgia train will keep running on mobile devices. According to the report, a mobile port of the first DQ is due within the next few weeks, though it's to be based on a 2004 remake that was for Japanese mobile devices. The report also claims that versions of DQ2 and DQ3 will follow in the coming months. It's fair to assume Square Enix will exhaust the numerical DQ lineup until they catch up to DQ8, but there could be an interesting exception: according to the report, DQ mobile producer Noriyoshi Fujimoto has said that DQ7 is "technically impossible" to port at this time due to its volumes of text. The report also states that the DQ games that do arrive on phones and tablets will be tweaked to be more accommodating, with frequent saves, tweaked encounter rates and boosted experience payouts among the adjustments. Unfortunately, we're still without word on whether the briefly-popular Dargon Quest spinoff series will ever see a successor. [Image: Square Enix]
Next-gen Tomb Raider framerate differs, Microsoft defends Xbox One
Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition has gone digging in the not-so-ancient ruins of next-gen gaming consoles and come back with a shiny debate over framerate differences. While the PlayStation 4 version of the game has been confirmed to run at 60 frames per second, the Xbox One version's framerate is, as of writing, unconfirmed. A Square Enix rep weighed in on the issue to VideoGamer.com, stating that, "Delivering the core Tomb Raider gameplay at native 1080p and running at 30fps was always our primary goal given the type of experience Tomb Raider is and the exploration we want players to do. Anything beyond 30fps for this version is gravy." Microsoft Senior Director of Product Management Albert Penello told Gamertag Radio that the differences between the two versions were minor, and defended the Xbox One version by reminding listeners that we've only just begun the new generation of consoles. "Everybody wants to focus on, you know, there's a framerate thing going on in Tomb Raider, there is a resolution thing going on and okay, there's a lot of reasons why that could be true, but we're weeks in. We just shipped, it's a long generation."
RuneScape expands player-owned ports
RuneScape's player-owned ports have added a new layer of intrigue and adventure today with the game's first patch of the year. Player-owned ports can now launch 300 additional voyages to two new regions. There are also three new adventurers available for recruitment: the Trapper, the Architect, and the Chef. A shady trader has also set up shop in these ports to offer goods at a questionable exchange rate. This high-level minigame sees players operating their own sea ports and equipping ships to go on real-time adventures around the virtual world. Player-owned ports launched in late 2012.
Notch: 'No current plans' for Minecraft on Wii U
Minecraft developer Mojang has been building bridges to all kinds of platforms for ports of its build-what-you-want hit, but we think we've all been wondering the same thing - when will we be able to construct pixel art of classic gaming sprites using the Wii U GamePad? Judging by Minecraft creator Markus "Notch" Persson's recent tweet stating he was not "aware of any plans" for a Wii U version, the answer is probably not any time soon. Notch acknowledged that a Wii U version of Minecraft "would make sense," but explained that the "only reason for no current plans is [Mojang has] too much work already." While it is a denial of any progress being made on a Wii U port, it's a bit more promising than Minecraft Lead Designer Jens Bergensten's comment in March about a Wii U version being "very unlikely." Maybe when Mojang finds some downtime, though with work still being done on Scrolls and Minecraft Realms, downtime seems like a distant concept for the studio at the moment.
The Daily Grind: Do you prefer games available on multiple platforms?
There's a certain glee in knowing that any time I want, I could buy a copy of Final Fantasy XIV for my PlayStation 3 and just play there instead of on the computer. I doubt I ever will, but I always have the option. And I've met more than a few people whom I enjoy playing alongside and who do play on the console, so it's certainly enriched my overall game experience. Most MMOs launch for the PC and that's it. A small number go on to develop a native Mac client, some are available on consoles or mobile decides, and so forth. You can argue that developing these extra clients takes time and resources away from improving the main game, but you can also argue that these extra clients allow people who would otherwise have never played the game to experience something awesome. So how do you feel? Do you prefer games available on multiple platforms, do you prefer development focused on just one, or do you not really care? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Ubisoft 'not ruling out' Rayman Legends for 3DS
Just because Rayman Legends has already launched on most modern platforms doesn't mean you should rule out its eventual jump to the 3DS, Ubisoft executive Alain Corre told CVG last week. "When you look at Rayman Legends you see it's a very big game with a lot of levels," Corre said. "It takes time to squeeze everything and downsize it into other formats." Corre's statements toward a 3DS version were more of a musing than a confirmation, however, as he added that Ubisoft can't "say anything for the moment, but we can't rule the format out." The 3DS version of Rayman Origins launched six months after the game's initial launch on the PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii. Considering Legends just launched weeks ago, Ubisoft has plenty of time to follow suit with its hypothetical port to the 3DS.
Vendetta Online pushes its Kickstarter program with new videos
Kickstarter isn't just being used by studios trying to get a new MMO off the ground. In the case of Vendetta Online, it's being used to fund something that the game otherwise simply wouldn't have. After nearly a decade of continual operation, the sandbox title wants to expand beyond desktop computers (it already has clients for Linux, Macintosh, and Windows, not to mention an Android client) by porting over to the iPad while launching a major graphical upgrade. Not convinced? The founder of Guild Software, John Bergman, has taken the time to outline some of what the small team wants to do with the added funding for development. First he discusses the dynamic warfare systems with full-on RTS elements, and next he discusses how new graphics will improve the game overall rather than just making it prettier. The campaign's modest $100,000 goal is already a quarter of the way to completion as of this writing, so if this seems like it'd be right up your alley, it's well worth a closer look.
Deepworld, You Don't Know Jack, Theatrhythm Final Fantasy, and more available now
We're deep in the holiday season at this point, and right now that means dozens (if not more) of game developers out there are getting their best and brightest titles out onto the App Store, making sure they're all ready to download when the Christmas rush rolls around. Here's a look at some of the biggest new App Store releases today. Deepworld isn't brand new, but it is out for the iPad -- it's a great sandbox-style building game that we've been covering here at TUAW for quite a while. It's available as a free download right now. Theatrhythm: Final Fantasy is a great music game that originally appeared on the 3DS, but has now brought its Final Fantasy-based music/RPG gameplay to iOS. It's available as a free download with two songs to play, though if you want more, you'll have to buy them with in-app purchases. You Don't Know Jack has been on iOS before, but today we've got a brand new (free!) version of the title that appears to be ported from the Facebook version. It features the same old quiz show gameplay, now with updates from your friends through the big blue social network. Fluxx is a really incredible card game, and it's now been ported over to iOS as well. You can buy the whole thing for $2.99. Mike Lee's new Lemurs Chemistry game is available for $1.99. SNK has released a port of the original Metal Slug as a $1.99 game. As expected, Disney's Monsters Inc. Run has appeared. It's a mashup of Mega Run and the great Pixar movie, available for 99 cents. Zooniverse is a brand new free-to-play zoo building game from Chillingo. This isn't a new app, but Finger Tied finally got its big level sharing update, so definitely download that and check it out. If you don't have it already, the app is 99 cents. And finally, for those of you who appreciate soccer/football and managing it, Football Manager Handheld 2013 was released by Sega. The game's $9.99, and... it looks complicated. There you go! Stay tuned for full reviews and more insight on these apps and all of the others due out this holiday season here on the site.
Glu Mobile closes Brazil office; Washington and California studios hit with layoffs
Glu Mobile, the developers behind mobile versions of Guitar Hero and Call of Duty: Black Ops, has announced that it is closing its San Paulo, Brazil office and laying off employees in Kirkland, Washington, and San Francisco, California.A statement from the company says that it needs to hold its research and development investments flat over the next year, and to do that, changes are being made. Twenty-five percent of the Kirkland office and 5% of the San Francisco office are being let go today as part of the restructuring process.Glu's plan is to add "the necessary monetization and server-side research-and-development resources" to the company's existing titles, and "focus on increasing average revenue per daily active user company-wide." More monetization and more revenue per daily active user should help turn the company's financial future around, though game quality often suffers when those two elements are focused on. Joystiq hopes affected employees land on their feet soon.
Hubs du jour: A couple of USB 2.0 offerings
A pair of USB 2.0 hubs arrived at TUAW Central today for testing and review. If you're thinking that I may have mistyped USB 3.0, unfortunately I didn't -- for some reason, Mac accessory manufacturers seem to forget that new Macs are equipped with the faster USB 3.0 ports. For a USB 2.0 hub, the Satechi Premium 4-port Aluminum hub is actually quite striking in looks. It's an unpowered USB 2.0 four-port hub, styled to perfectly match your Apple keyboard or MacBook Air. As you can see in the photo above, Satechi's offering even has round burnished aluminum disks on the sides like those that you see on the Apple Wireless Keyboard and Magic Trackpad. It's a pretty little thing and I quite like how the ports naturally lie within easy access. You can pick one up for $28 at Amazon. That's a bit pricey for what it is -- an unpowered four-port hub after all -- but gosh if it isn't lovely to look at, convenient to use and super-nice to feel. This is, basically, Apple candy and it would make a perfect gift for the Apple aficionado in your life. The NewerTech 7-port USB 2.0 powered hub ($28) offers 4.0 Amps, delivering a full-powered solution for most users. It's an absolutely standard-looking hub, and its big feature is its dedicated high-powered charging port, built for both iPhones and iPads. I plugged my aging first-gen iPad in the NewerTech hub and it had no problems charging up, even after I connected a bunch of other items to the other available ports. NewerTech's offering seemed to be better built than the cheap no-name seven-port hubs you normally find on Amazon, and the iPad-friendly super-port is a nice feature to have. So there you have it -- two USB 2.0 hubs that might come in handy for use with your existing Mac. Stay tuned to TUAW for a future look at hubs that work with more recent Macs featuring the newer USB 3.0 ports.
Sony: Vita won't repeat PSP's port-heavy lineup
The Vita's sales pitch – "console-like" games in a mobile device – mirrors that of the PSP when it first launched, admits John Koller, Sony Marketing VP for handhelds and consoles. The Vita, however, has learned from the PSP's failures."The issue that happened with PSP is we got overrun with ports," Koller tells Gamasutra. "It became very difficult for us to define what made PSP unique. The content development became a bit unstructured or decentralized, in that we got a lot of content that was on PlayStation 2 and got thrown over to the handheld."Sony is recommending publishers create unique content for the Vita, citing Ubisoft with Assassin's Creed 3: Liberation or Activision with Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified, rather than ports."The messaging is similar [between PSP and PS Vita], but I think the output is going to be quite different," Koller says.
