Tomorrow Diablo III is released to the world, 12 years after the second iteration hit the shelves. It’s time to pause and take a minute to remember the past.
Diablo II was nearly perfect. Firstly the graphical styling used a isometric view eliminating the need for tricky camera angles or complicated graphics and made it possible to run the game on nearly any PC and gave it a unique feel. The music was great, a dark and moody medley which was topped by a theme tune which I challenge any fan not to hum, complemented by sound effects which sounded real. Doors snapped open with a crash, books flipped to the floor and pots smashed like you where kicking them yourself. The quests were great, initiated by well voiced NPC’s and often multi-layered and complicated (Looking at you Act 2) creating a feeling that the hero had a purpose.
What made Diablo II really special thought was it’s addictiveness. I know people, including myself, who will not reinstall Diablo for fear of loosing their social lives, girlfriends and jobs. It was a 3 or 4 years cycle – Install, play, get the elite kit, own, let account expire. It was the items which drove the machine forward. Every monster dropped swag which made the player’s character better. The elite monsters dropped better items, kill them and get even more powerful. Its not a unheard of idea, but this gave the game a near rehab-worthy addiction. No other game has ever, in my opinion, quite reproduced this magic, and I’m not sure that Diablo III will either.
Any player will know what I mean when i say this game is a work of art which I hold as one of the best, if not the best, game I have ever played. This tribute only touches on some of the great points of the game. Things have to move on and I hope that Diablo III can fill the boots of it’s elder. Bring it on.
Great article over at fiftyfootshadows discussing how the current shortcomings of the device make the iPad inadequate as a desktop replacement.
I think the iPad is somewhat of a unknown at present. It has achieved greatness in an emerging catagory due greatly to the App Store and the quality and variety of software available to the platform. The fact that the device holds 54.7% of the market, but I would argue little hardware superiority over it’s competitors, shows the lure of great software. Never before has a platform with and ecosystem such as this faced such limitations on how it software can interact with the OS and this may currently limit it’s growth, but this simplicity and security is also what makes the OS great. At current the iPad cannot replace the laptop and nor should it, but I agree that, given another couple of years to develop and the possibility that Apple may loosen it’s grip on the core OS, we may see a shift in our PC use.
Cult of Mac has a report today on a source who claims to have seen the fabled Apple TV -
Fairly tenuous claim supported by a incredibly simple list of predictions. Once we see some content integration this will be more believable, else the described is simply a monitor. This device is coming, but when it does it won’t be so simple, Apple wont release it if it isn’t game changing.
The Verge has an interesting piece today which suggests that Microsoft could roll out a subsidised Xbox 360 bundled with a monthly plan for Xbox live, much like a mobile phone contract -
I would suggest that this will not interest the casual players, as tying their gaming to a monthly contract is a larger commitment than most twice-a-week players would want, and neither to the ‘hardcore’ market as they are unlikely to want a 4GB console. I personally can’t see the market. The addition that the total cost is $39 more that the cost of buying the Xbox outright and then paying for Xbox Live separately, will only lower the appeal.
Microsoft could play this as their trojan horse into the ‘cable’ market, boosted by their multimedia usage figures last week, but with the current offerings this simply isn’t meaty enough to warrant it. The company have always lost money on hardware to make profit in software however tightening the ecosystem, creating a monthly subscription and offering digital downloads at controlled cost – in the long term – could be a winner. Just not for the consumer.
This plan may make more sense as we see the next generation of hardware and a changing market, but not at present.
UPDATE – Turns out its only a “pilot program” in Microsoft Stores, which I’m not sure actually exist anyway.
Torrentfreak reporting on the censorship of TPB in the UK. More silly and uneducated moves to try and stop ‘piracy on a massive scale’ whilst using loss of sales revenue as a reason for infringing on civil liberty.
BPI, the recorded music business’s trade organisation, which revealed that digital music revenue in the UK grew 24.7% in 2011 to £281.6m, offsetting two-thirds of the decline in income from physical sales. Overall, recorded music revenues were down just 3.4% year-on-year at £795.4m”
A Pirate Bay spokesperson told TorrentFreak that this measure is going to do very little to stop people from accessing their site, as there are many ways to circumvent it. “This will just give us more traffic, as always. Thanks for the free advertising.”
The UK Pirate Party is also prepared for the block and is offering a reverse proxy which allows blocked Internet users to access The Pirate Bay.”
It’s 2006. Nintendo, one of the largest and most successful computer games manufacturers in the world, launched their new console. The name was bizarrely catchy, Wii, and it sported a revolution in motion technology which allowed gamers to interact with their games on a level never seen before. Sales since have been nearly a third greater that either of it’s rivals the PS3 or Xbox 360 and ‘Wii’ has become a household name, the charm of motion control spanning all age groups. The handheld DS system launched in July of the same year and found similar success, bringing touch screen gaming to the masses – Nintendo were on to a winner. However 2006 was 6 years ago. This week Nintendo reported a operating loss of ¥37.3 billion, or $460 million, for the last financial year. Sales have slipped sharply with Net sales dropping by 36.2 percent compared to 2010-2011, and price cuts have simply not been enough to plug the gap.
The company seem to have ridden the wave for too long. The Wii remains identical to the original design. This includes no HD, limited entertainment capability, storage on SD card only and relatively crude motion controls. Compare this to it’s rivals and it simply doesn’t stand up. Yes, the Wii may be aimed at a younger, less feature demanding market, but the huge lack of capability is now starting to show. The audience also appears to be spread too thin. Games such as Splinter Cell and Call of Duty try to please the older ‘hardcore’ gamers, but often fail to charm for poor graphics or frustrating controls. The alternatives on Xbox and PS3 are simply more equipped and better connected, thus cutting out the majority of people who will sit and play games on a serious level. The only exemption to this are games such as the Metroid series which hark back to the older days, Nintendo’s A Games. The army of kids form the rest of the Wii owners. The ‘bottom end’, full of mini games, poorly implemented gestures and little replayability. The DS is now the elephant in the room. Numerous reiterations of the handheld have come and gone, delving into the flash in the pan concept of 3D and half hearted attempts to push into the camera/app/social market. However the shift towards the cheaper, more accessible ‘app’ market is momentous. Apple now have multiple devices capable of touch screen gaming, with digitally distributed games beginning at the unbeatable price of Free. A separate device for gaming alone now feels clunky. The times have changed.
The worrying thing is that Nintendo don’t seem to have planned for this. The Wii U is still lacking a release date and will cost more than its competitors. I also don’t see the scalability of a touch screen controller – what if I have friends around? Do I need another £50 controller? The 3DS is a fad and the number of games is poor, still clinging to their old school price points. Nintendo now run the risk of falling down the gap between major consoles and the App Store. I love Nintendo and have spend many hours on their consoles, but the recent news and their lack of urgency worry me. To their credit they haven’t yet showed any signs of flailing, but this ship needs turning around, the company needs to innovate and innovate quick to regain their customer base – including me.
This week has seen the Flashback trojan hit the news, having infected over 500,000 Macs. Is this important? Not as much as some people will hype it to be.
The facts are that this is a vulnerability in un-patched Java and not the core of the Mac OS. Java is not installed on factory Macs, and without the end user authorising the install) (which is downloaded directly from Apple) this exploit isn’t possible.
The security of Mac OS users may now be perceived as in it’s twilight, but overreaction simply isn’t needed. Mac antivirus is still, in my eyes unnecessary, and a simple reality check for Mac users seems the best solution. Java is not installed on factory Macs. The Internet is not rose tinted through a Mac nor the OS a fortress, so pay just as much attention to your content sources and activity as you would on a Windows machine. Simple.
The security of the Mac OS platform will grow before it fully begins a decline, as users become more savvy to their own security. This will be followed by the inevitable increase of exploits as the platform grows, but I debate whether this will be in the platforms lifetime, before the time comes to hand the reigns to iOS.
Commenters seem to rue the day. The day when the Mac gets infected, the day when Windows doesn’t look so bad in comparison to blow the matter out of all relativity. The Mac is not impervious to evil and to think so would be short-sighted, but neither is it ‘just as insecure as Windows’
To begin, a confession… I’m a serial social networking app downloader, there I said it. My iDevices are littered with the disused remains of scores of predominantly mediocre apps which now are mostly defunct. They have all been in vain, as the search continues for a perfect twitter client, new social network entirely or app that simply makes the masses of socially generated content easier to digest. So enter Path.app. I jumped at Path.app when it first hit the app store and my checklist goes a little as follows…
if(app=nicescreenshots + icon) { buyapp } else if{printf:”69p is too much”}
[Warning may not compile]
After first run I was impressed. The intuitive and fresh UI was beautifully drawn and the ease of sharing was great. The smaller touches such as a ’sleep’ mode, allowing for posting of sleep timings ,make the app a great alternative to Tumblr – in the petite nature of it’s content. The sharing features, although a little hard to setup, also allow for sharing to Tumblr, The Book of Faces or Twitter – and this made me think.
Path is a weird concept, like a private Facebook. It works, for the Facebook escapees who loath the masses of drivel forced down their throats, allowing focus, but does not fill an entire void. Firstly is no web app. This means that the service is Android or iOS specific and only images, no text postings, can be shared for other users to see outside their respective OS. Desktop is dying, but not quite this fast. Secondly who wants, nay, needs a seventh social circle of ’friends’ – or will actually stick to the idea of just using the service for close friends. I suggest just making a list to segregate your current social offerings – Facebook has lists, Twitter has badly implemented lists and Tumblr is one huge list.
I suppose this is not the real point. Facebook could be slayed, hopefully, by a real talent like Path… and I hope they do. However at present Path forms simply a nice looking and great app to post to the other social networks it allows you to link to, it’s use limited to the simple saturation of the market and current restraints. I hope Path takes the ethos of this app and forces it forward. If this helps to create a better world where Facebook is no longer top dog, we would all be better off.
The first item that Apple dealt with at it`s 7th March event was simply the company’s `hobby`, the Apple TV. One could say that ATV was a forced feature in this announcement for fear of a backlash by the press for the failure to deliver the fabled ‘TV’, which has become close to legendary, only seen on misty moors on a moon lit night. However as the iPad 3 would fill the news outlets of the world regardless and the hundreds of raised eye brows when `new` was the only distinction given, the effect of ATV was debatable. However new is good, and the same goes for the new Apple TV, which may already be more real concept than rumor.
Now when I say new, I don’t mean the hardware. OK, so 1080p is a nice step and Bluetooth 4 support plus the new A5 inside will help in years to come, but none of these additions will really push the man on the street to buy – it’s still a ‘black hockey puck’ with little room in Apple`s limelight. The interface, however, may convince people who care enough to move past first impressions and give the device the HDMI space it deserves. Couple this with the already close relation of interface metaphors and buyable content from the store and the device makes a welcome addition to the line.
The old interface, although iOS based – felt detached and somewhat neglected. Setup was convoluted, menus were several levels deep and the remote left for a less than ideal interface for text entry. Most of these niggles remain, but now in a varied severity. The new home screen takes away the uninspiring menus and replaces them with bright and pleasant iconography. Content from the highlighted item is paraded front and centre. The improved Netflix app allows for Subscription purchase as an in-app transaction and billed directly to the Apple Store account, making it much easier to setup. The menu system, although still “right align white menu items on black background” has a bottom level of dvd style, cover filled, goodness. Even these refinements, without iTunes match support, better iCloud integration and MLB to boot – makes this new interface a real improvement.
So whaddaya think Doc? What about the future? The presence of a App Store now seems like a logical step for the device, and it wouldn’t shock me if in the following months this makes an appearance. Apple users are now so involved with their apps that the device feels peripheral without them. Imagine the BBC iPlayer, Twitter and Facebook (to name a few) integrating with the content already provided, iCloud syncing their settings and content seamlessly. This hasn’t happened thus far for what I think if one major reason – there is no touch interface, but the ATV and the iPad now have the resolutions and connectivity to support such a interface. Sit in front of the TV and use the iPad to control it, accessing all your content on a much more immediately social, integrated and viewable device.
This is what the rumours of an Apple`s “TV”, in my opinion, will become. Take the existing hardware, possibly, of the ATV (which can simply jack into an already saturated TV market) and deliver content on a buffet basis, all through a touchable interface using devices which customers already own and a store they are already members of. Apple will then hold all the cards ; the device, the content, the remote and the customers which will give them ample leverage to kill the cable and satellite companies and become omnipresent in customers lives.
The ATV may be brushed over at present, but this may not always be the case.