Microsoft unleashes 'Settlers of Catan' on the web

I thought this was interesting…

• www.engadget.com
• July 30th, 2014

Microsoft has something of an extracurricular activity: When it's not releasing Office for iPad or updating Windows, it has a habit of helping other companies build websites. Its latest project is a web version ofSettlers of Catan, the popular board game, which it co-developed with Bontom Games. As with previous Microsoft-backed sites, the appeal is that anyone, even Microsoft haters, can use it: The web version will run in any browser that supports HTML5 (in other words, not just IE). That's obviously a different approach from the existing Settlers of Catan apps for Android and iOS, which are of course reserved for people using those platforms.

The game's in beta for now, and Microsoft says more features and improvements are on the way. For now, the game can't set you up with computer opponents, nor will it pair with you some random online player. Instead, you'll have to find at least two other friends, who you can invite through either email or Facebook. (Obviously, since the game runs in any modern browser, it doesn't matter what device your friends are carrying.) Once you get a game going, you take turns asynchronously, with time limits to keep the game going. You can also opt into email notifications, so you'll know when someone's taken a turn. Throughout, you can talk to your opponents using built-in voice chat -- powered by Skype, of course.

Microsoft introduced other features too, including auto-trade and auto-roll -- again, to help keep things moving. Lastly the dice you'd normally use with the physical board game has been replaced with an on-screen button. Ultimately, the company says it plans to announce a complete rule set at GamesCon in August, including development cards, points and achievements, bringing the web game fully in line with the board game version. In the meantime, you can play the beta game here. Enjoy -- and do be patient if you encounter any performance hiccups. It's clear the site isn't fully polished yet.

Gaming News: Intel is shipping a new Core i7 chip…

IDG News Service - Intel is shipping a new Core i7 chip for gamers that runs at 4.4GHz -- and can be overclocked to 5GHz.

The Core i7-4790K is a quad-core chip based on the Haswell microarchitecture. It draws 88 watts of power and has 8MB of cache, integrated graphics, memory controllers and support for the latest I/O technologies. It also supports multithreading and allow cores to process two tasks at one time.

The chip, now Intel's flagship PC processor, is mainly for gaming and enthusiast desktops.

It's Intel's first chip capable of running at over 4GHz under normal conditions. It can be overclocked to 5GHz in air-cooled systems, said Renee James, president of Intel, during a keynote speech at the Computex trade show in Taipei.

Intel's not the first chip company to reach 5GHz though: Advanced Micro Devices offers FX chips for gamers with clock speeds of up to 5GHz.

Chip makers moved away from cranking up chip clock speeds in favor of adding cores as a way to boost performance about a decade ago. Bumping up clock speeds generated more heat and consumed more electricity. Performance improvements over time have also come by shrinking chips and integrating more components such as graphics cores.

But AMD and Intel haven't given up on clock speed altogether: They continue the battle on their flagship chips with the aim of capturing the performance crown.

Step aside AirPlay here comes SmartGlass

In a step to open up the Xbox 360’s interactivity with mobile devices, Microsoft showed off what they believe will be a great competitor to Apple’s AirPlay called SmartGlass at E3 yesterday. The new cross-platform functionality will come to Apple's iOS, as well as Google Android and Microsoft Windows Phone and Windows 8, later this year.

Microsoft showed off how content being played on the Xbox 360 could be complemented by additional content on a tablet like an iPad. In one demonstration, a user watching "Game of Thrones" on the HBO Go application had the show streaming to their HDTV, while an interactive map of the fictional world was displayed on a tablet and was updated in real-time, synced with the program.

Also expect browser integration on the Xbox 360 that you can control with your smartphone or tablet device. Other than being able to share the results I don’t know why you just wouldn’t do it on you personal mobile device. Game play was another function they showed off using Madden’s NFL. In this case they demonstrated the ability to use a tablet to select plays and draw up new ones that could them be displayed through the Xbox 360.

I haven’t purchased an AppleTV yet and I have been holding off doing so. Microsoft’s Xbox SmartGlass should be able to be used for this function as well. They will probably need to develop an application to do this but I don’t think that there will be a native AirPlay integration in the Xbox but that would be nice. Microsoft stated that they will bring the same ability on Android device as well as Windows Phone and Windows 8.

For those of us that already have an Xbox 360 in their media setup this is something to be anticipated. SmartGlass is Microsoft’s new interface platform that will hopefully allow programmers to open up your stationary media center with the Xbox at the center to all of your mobile devices.

So you want an Xbox with Connect–Take advantage of this deal from Microsoft for just $99 + $14.99/mo

Microsoft today announced that it plans to sell a special subsidized Xbox 360 bundle. The bundle, which runs for $99, comes with a 4GB Xbox 360, a Kinect, and a two-year $14.99 per-month Xbox Live Gold subscription.

There is, however, a catch: the deal can only be redeemed in a Microsoft Store, which could be a problem for those not living in the vicinity of one.

Here’s the price break down:

The cost of the rumored Xbox subscription totals $360 over two years, a number that seems too apt to not have been intentional. Add that to the cost of the bundle itself and you’re paying $459 over two years, which is a bit higher than the $418 that customers would pay for a 4GB Xbox, Kinect, and two-years of Xbox Live.

The official confirmation also sheds light on the deal’s early termination fee. Starting at $250 for the first three months of the contract, the fee decreases by $12 each month, eventually dropping to zero by the time the agreement ends.

Of course, while all of this comes a bit too late for those who already own an Xbox, the deal is certainly an attractive one for those who have yet to take the Xbox (or Kinect) plunge.

Summer 2009 Xbox 360 dashboard update

CNET Reviews took a quick look at this summer’s update to the Xbox 360 Dashboard. I’m not real big in the avatar creation and dressing but this is one of the areas that they have added. You will now be able to purchase add-on clothing and other accessories(yawn…) but there are some other features that might be cool for those of you that have a lot of contacts through the Xbox Community. The picture above taken from CNET, shows how you can share a movie from Netflix with online friends. This is called Party Mode Viewing but not all of Netflix’s movies are available for this. As I see more updates come along I will be sure to pass them along.

Beatles to star in 'Rock Band' | Tech News on ZDNet

This is good news for you Beatles lovers, a new version of Rock Band will be available in September, more than enough time for the Xmas season. Funny how this was a discussion we had around the fire on July 4th and now here it is… So there you go Jen.

Beatles to star in 'Rock Band' | Tech News on ZDNet

Microsoft pulls plug on Xbox support | Tech News on ZDNet

We always say the a product reaches its end of life when it is no longer supported. The original Xbox has finally reached the end of its road. Don’t fret though, if you haven’t replaced it with the Xbox 360 now might be the time to do it. As an all around entertainment device the Xbox 360 certainly provides many different entertainment options to your TV set. 

"On March 2, 2009, service repairs for Original Xbox video game systems for which the Warranty has expired will no longer be available," reads Microsoft's official support site. "Any other technical support, documents, and content, however, will continue to be available to all our customers. Although Microsoft is ending repair services for the Original Xbox, an upgrade program and support will be maintained for Original Xbox consoles that are still under Warranty."

There is no need to cry though. The Xbox had a good run with over 25 million units sold.

Microsoft pulls plug on Xbox support | Tech News on ZDNet