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Ryse looks amazing, but I’ve heard reports I didn’t like about the gameplay. I wasn’t delighted to see quicktime events being used for almost every attack – but worse, you can get them wrong or even ignore them completely – and the attack completes in exactly the same way. This was apparently done “to reduce the player’s frustration” :-/

5 days ago on 'Project Spark': build a game, or don't, with Microsoft's incredible new sandbox

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Now, you can put the disc in another connected Xbox, install the game

Not so sure that would work, if it’s already been installed. The cdkey (or whatever mechanism MS uses to uniquely identify the disc for the initial install) would already have been used, so subsequent installs would demand payment, or at least the owner’s account credentials.

he keeps his console offline and still keeps the discs with him

That can be solved by requiring an online uninstall & licence release by the owner, before that disc can be used to install/activate on someone else’s account.

5 days ago on 'Project Spark': build a game, or don't, with Microsoft's incredible new sandbox 1 recommend

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Which can happen anyway, if one console goes offline. Easy to do with your family members (via sharing), or with friends you’ve traded the game to, though it’d only work for 24 hours (and family members can go online briefly every 24 hours to “renew”).

You can do this even more easily today, with XBLA/Games on Demand on the 360. Games are simultaneously playable on the owner’s (offline) console AND on the owner’s account when signed into a different console.

There are always edge cases, as Microsoft knows. They can be mitigated (perhaps by requiring less-frequent online checks even when the disc is present), but it’s hard to eliminate them completely.

6 days ago on 'Project Spark': build a game, or don't, with Microsoft's incredible new sandbox 1 reply

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It’s indefinite (people have gone for years) – as long as nothing touches the .blob file. Any change to that, and you have to go online to re-authenticate.

6 days ago on 'Project Spark': build a game, or don't, with Microsoft's incredible new sandbox 1 recommend

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Unfortunately he’s not entirely accurate either..

The only diff is steam you have to sign in before playing, and Xbox does it automatically

That, and that Steam can be played offline, indefinitely.

If we say "Hey publishers, you limit game to 39.99, we ensure every license transfer you get 10$

If Microsoft actually did that, I’m sure it’d deflect a fair amount of the DRM criticism – but as it is, it’s more likely that resold games will just be worth even less.

[Kinect] has to be plugged in for the console to post. You can turn off everything it does from the settings.

If you can turn it off completely, then why require it to be plugged in?

just simpleminded people not seeing the bigger picture

His candour is refreshing, and it’s great to get an inside perspective, but I don’t think he’s seeing the bigger picture either. I agree that a lot of interesting options become available with pure-digital products, but there’s also things you can only do with physical media (like offline authentication). And so long as physical discs are still being sold as well, then throwing those advantages out will just piss people off.

6 days ago on 'Project Spark': build a game, or don't, with Microsoft's incredible new sandbox 1 reply 1 recommend

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Not always :-) I just think it’s a convenient abbreviation, like PS4 or XB360. OTOH, I have do a problem with people yelling XBOX and XBOX ONE at every opportunity…

6 days ago on 'Project Spark': build a game, or don't, with Microsoft's incredible new sandbox 1 reply

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I would agree – IF (and only if) Microsoft made one simple change: Allow games to authenticate from the disc, as a fallback when offline.

If the Xbone simply reverted to the 360’s behaviour when offline (original disc required to play a game, sharing disabled or whatever), then most of the complaints would evaporate. And when online, it can allow their more flexible DRM (which as you say can be more relaxed than Steam etc). Best of both worlds.

6 days ago on 'Project Spark': build a game, or don't, with Microsoft's incredible new sandbox 4 replies 4 recommends

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I bought the first two Xboxen on day one, but I’m not tempted to get an Xbone, at least not until the next Halo.

This is the only launch game I’ve seen that might change my mind.

6 days ago on 'Project Spark': build a game, or don't, with Microsoft's incredible new sandbox 1 reply

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I don’t think you can really compare a variable focus zoom lens against fixed focus primes. Zoom lenses are always slower; that’s the trade off you make for focal range, and f/3.5 is decent enough for a zoom lens.

7 days ago on Leica's new X Vario compact APS-C camera can't compete 3 replies 1 recommend

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Yes, they can watch your every keystroke. And yes, it’s done with a prism.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Room_641A

8 days ago on Google again denies government has server access, says it sends requested data itself 1 reply 1 recommend

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[citation needed]

13 days ago on Eric Schmidt says the internet will solve global warming's 'fact problem' 1 reply

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Good call. I’m sure working for Google is exactly how it’s portrayed in this movie, so you totally should never risk it.

15 days ago on ‘The Internship’ review: welcome to Google’s island 1 reply 2 recommends

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Apart from the Mac line as badasscat1 suggests, I’d include the iPhone (still popular, but dropped from >90% to 25% market share) and perhaps soon the iPad (not niche yet but market share is dropping, perhaps due to past insistence on 10" form). You could possibly include their printer and PDA lines too, dropped rather than competing against cheaper & more popular alternatives.

They do great hardware, but it’s clearly not for everyone, and Apple just aren’t interested in serving the needs of the wider market.

20 days ago on Apple CEO hints that iOS could open up to more third-party customization

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When we’re talking about exploits, server security is arguably more important than end users – the consequences of your grandma getting a virus or your blogging site’s email & credit-card file getting stolen are quite different. Linux is certainly relevant (though the server platform running on it is more so).

20 days ago on Despite opposition, Google will make critical security exploits public after seven days

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It’s better than pretending the issue doesn’t exist. Maybe the workaround to the exploit is easy, or maybe only some users will protect their systems, but that’s still better than all users remaining vulnerable to a critical 0-day.

Note the key words here are being actively exploited. If systems are already being pwned every day, then disclosure doesn’t really make things worse – but it could help save some (or many) users, and public pressure can only help get that hole closed sooner. Keeping it secret from the users when malware is already out there doesn’t benefit anyone except the company responsible.

20 days ago on Despite opposition, Google will make critical security exploits public after seven days

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It’s that same audacity that’s ALSO been the downfall of so many of their past products.

So many of their innovative products they’ve brought to market (and there are a great many of these) have been eventually relegated to a niche when they refused to adapt to the larger market’s changing needs. They tell the customer what they should want, which often works well until the alternatives appear. Like Nintendo, their strength is innovation, not iteration.

22 days ago on Apple CEO hints that iOS could open up to more third-party customization 1 reply 5 recommends

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That must be why you can set default apps in iOS.

There’s certainly some common foundations, but you might as well claim that Xbox 360 = Windows.

22 days ago on Apple CEO hints that iOS could open up to more third-party customization 2 recommends

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Google Now isn’t Siri – you’re thinking of Google Voice Search. Separate things, and they exist and work separately as well as together.

I’m not quite sure what you’re asking for – voice control of third-party apps via Siri? Now-type cards that pop up in the notification shade? Persistent third-party widgets in the notification shade? All three?

22 days ago on Apple CEO hints that iOS could open up to more third-party customization 1 reply 1 recommend