Ian is an independent writer based in Tel Aviv, Israel. His current focus is on all things tech including mobile devices, desktop and laptop computers, software, social networks, Web apps, tech-related legislation and corporate tech news. More by Ian Paul
Just when you thought software makers were backing away from Nintendo’s Wii U, a gaming exec appeared to throw the struggling console a bone on Tuesday. It looks like Electronic Arts may be building a game or two for Wii U after all, despite earlier comments from a company spokesperson who said no Wii U games from EA were in the works.
“We are building titles for the Nintendo console,” said EA CFO Blake Jorgensen during the Stifel Nicolaus 2013 Internet, Media, and Communications Conference. “But not anywhere near as many as we are for PS and Xbox.”
EA was not available for comment at the time of this writing, but we will update this article once the company responds.
Security researchers found serious vulnerabilities in the engines of several popular first-person shooter video games that could allow attackers to compromise their online servers and the computers of players accessing them.
Security researchers Luigi Auriemma and Donato Ferrante from Malta-based security consultancy firm ReVuln found memory corruption and buffer-overflow issues in “CryEngine 3,” “Unreal Engine 3,” “Hydrogen Engine” and “id Tech 4.” These are game engines that are used in video games like “Quake 4,” “Crysis 2,” “Homefront,” “Brink,” “Monday Night Combat,” “Enemy Territory: Quake Wars”, “Sanctum”, “Breach,” “Nexuiz” and many others.
The vulnerabilities found by the two researchers can be used to launch remote code execution or denial-of-service attacks against game clients and servers by sending maliciously crafted data packets to them.
PC gamers, get ready for a brand new Call of Duty game on November 5. The developers at Infinity Ward have developed a new game engine to push PC gaming, as well as next-gen consoles, towards more immersive and enthralling games. The latest game in the Call of Duty franchise, Ghosts represents a fresh start for the series with a fresh story and a new squad of soldiers. The multiplayer gameplay also includes some new additions, and we recently sat down with Yale Miller, senior producer on Call of Duty: Ghosts, to talk about what we should expect from the latest in a long line of excellent first-person military shooters.
Why did you decide to leave the Modern Warfare narrative behind?
Yale Miller: We felt the story for Modern Warfare 3 really wrapped up that trilogy nicely and it was just a perfect storm, with the next-gen consoles coming out and the idea of being able to start a new story with the new generation. It organically came about, and really we were ready for a new story.
Jason has written professionally about technology and video games for almost 15 years. His goal in life is to figure out how complicated technology works and explain it in a way anyone can understand. More by Jason Cross
On May 21st at 10am Pacific time, Microsoft will unveil its next-generation Xbox console. And if this article were titled "What we know for sure about the next Xbox," we could end it here. Microsoft has been very tight-lipped about the successor to the Xbox 360, but that's about to change.
Some members of the press were invited to an event on May 21, but you can watch at home on Xbox Live.
Sony revealed the Playstation 4 in Feburary, promsing more info at the E3 Expo in June. Sony set the bar, and now it's up to Microsoft to clear it. In truth, there's not a lot of really solid information about the next Xbox. Rumors have circulated online for years, and seem to change with the tide. That said, when you hear the same things repeated often enough, from generally reliable sources, you start to get a reasonable idea of what to expect. We know what we would like to see in the next Xbox, but what are we likely to see?
Always-on, DRM, and used games
Perhaps the most debated rumor about Microsoft's successor to the Xbox 360 is that it would require an always-on internet connection and prohibit the use of used games. It's probably not that simple, but like many rumors, there's probably a grain of truth there that has been misreported, blown out of proportion, and misunderstood.
Retailers love used games, but publishers hate them, and the future is clearly online distribution.Read more »
I’ve never gave Frozen Synapse much of a shot when it launched on PC (and Mac) a couple years ago. It's a fast paced, turn-based strategy game with brutally competitive multiplayer—and the thought of needing to fire up my gaming PC just to play a few quick turns always rubbed me the wrong way. Fortunately, and after a bit of a hefty wait, the long-promised iPad port has arrived.
