Are you getting a next-gen console? Activision has made it easy for you to upgrade your copy of Call of Duty: Ghosts, for just £9.99. If you already own a season pass for current gen, no problem, you can upgrade it for free on next gen consoles, and your Ghosts MP player profile will also travel with you when you upgrade for more information on the upgrade to next-gen please visit http://www.callofduty.com/ghosts/nextgen .
XCOM: Enemy Within is out now and we thought we would try a different type of review.
Enemy Within adds an incredible array of new abilities, upgrades and weapons to combat new enemy and alien threats. This expansion pack also introduces new maps, new tactical and strategic gameplay, and new multiplayer content providing a fresh new gameplay experience.
Mechs, Augmented Soldiers and The Exalt, 2K’s latest game ‘XCOM Enemy Within’ blew our socks off. A tough yet rewarding expansion filled with more action and a new threat. Are you prepared to head back to XCOM, Commander?
It is available now for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC.
Are you going to buy it? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
Seagate has released a new NAS unit, powered by Storage Server 2012 R2, aimed at small to medium sized businesses. Read on for details.
Seagate has released a new NAS unit, powered by Storage Server 2012 R2, aimed at small to medium sized businesses. Here is the press release:
November 18, 2013 — Seagate Technology plc (NASDAQ: STX) today introduced the latest addition to the company’s business storage product offerings, Seagate® Business Storage Windows® Server 4-bay NAS. Designed for offices or workgroups with up to 50 employees, this new 4-bay NAS centralises storage to allow access, collaboration and sharing of files securely from all computers within a business network, while simultaneously hosting PC backups in one central location.
“Windows Storage Server 2012 R2 introduces groundbreaking new storage functionality for organisations of all sizes, and the Seagate Business Storage Windows Server 4-bay NAS takes advantage of these advances to serve the growing demand from small- and medium-sized businesses,” said Brian Hillger, director, product marketing, Microsoft. “We are happy to have collaborated with Seagate in developing a NAS solution that integrates into existing server infrastructures.”
Seamless Windows Integration
Seagate Business Storage Windows Server 4-bay NAS makes it easy to expand into a branch office or add local storage to an existing network because it’s designed specifically for businesses utilising an existing Windows IT infrastructure. With native support for Active Directory, management of users is easy with simple setup through an existing directory instead of the manual entry of users for access and control on each device. Perfect for the IT pro, the Windows Storage server seamlessly integrates into existing Windows environments, including complete compatibility with Active Directory.
“Seagate takes great pride in our ability to develop specialised solutions for a wide-range of business storage use cases,” said Scott Horn vice president of global marketing for Seagate. “As businesses grow, they will need a simple way to seamlessly integrate more storage capacity within their existing business applications. The new Seagate Business Storage Windows Server 4-bay NAS provides a reliable yet simple data management and data protection solution for these fast-growing small business customers.”
Keep Business Critical Data Secure
Windows Storage Spaces helps protect your data by storing redundant copies on multiple disks. The BitLocker encryption provides peace of mind in knowing that files are secure from unauthorised access. Windows Storage Spaces automatically manages installed drives to give you the best blend of capacity and redundancy.
“Growing small businesses demand dependability and security for their data storage, backups and transactions,” said Richard Doherty, research director for The Envisioneering Group. “Seagate’s employment of Windows Server 2012 in the company’s latest addition to their new Business Storage portfolio delivers on these storage demands that are so central to the growth of small businesses.”
Performance at a Value
The Seagate Business Storage Windows Server 4-bay NAS delivers on performance at an affordable price point for small to medium businesses.
- Powered by a 2.13 GHz dual-core Intel Atom processor combined with Windows Storage Server 2012 to deliver incredible network file transfer performance.
- Featuring best in class hard drives optimised for NAS to support customised error recovery controls, specialised power management and vibration tolerance for optimum performance and reliability, Seagate NAS HDD drives provide the best performing high-capacity storage for NAS servers.
Support for third-party Windows Server add-ins allows a business to do even more with a Windows Server enabling the 4-bay NAS to be customised for specific business needs. Additionally, Seagate has developed and included System Monitoring software that simplifies management by integrating the most common tasks into a single interface. Plus, the built-in support for iSCSI enables maximum performance and compatibility for virtualised environments.
“HDD manufacturers, such as Seagate, are uniquely positioned in the SMB NAS market given their expertise to integrated workload-optimised HDDs into a multi-bay Windows Storage Server device,” stated Mark Geenen, president of TRENDFOCUS. “Seagate’s NAS-specific HDDs include datacenter-class features tuned for smaller multi-drive racks, ensuring high performance, reliability and affordability for a wide range of small and medium business environments.”
Seagate Business Storage Windows Server 4-bay NAS comes in a range of capacities from 8TB for $1599.99 MSRP to a high capacity 16TB for $1999.99 MSRP to meet the needs of IT professionals with existing Windows Servers systems deployed.
The pricing quoted above is for a unit with hard drives installed. This looks like an interesting option for businesses needing reliable storage.
QNAP has begun to ship their new TS-X70 Pro NAS units, with support for on-the-fly transcoding. Read on for details.
QNAP has begun to ship their new TS-X70 Pro NAS units, with support for on-the-fly transcoding. Here is their press release:
Pomona, CA – 11/15/2013 – QNAP, Inc a global network attached storage (NAS) company announced the availability of the TS-x70 Pro series Turbo NAS, available in 4, 6 and 8-bay tower models, for home and small/home office use. Powered by a Dual-Core Intel® Core™ i3 3.3 GHz Processor, the TS-x70 Pro series is not only a powerful storage with raw capacity up to 32 TB, but also supports streaming with on-the-fly transcoding. The TS-x70 Pro series delivers unbeatable high system performance along with ultra-fast transferring speed and is specifically designed as a storage center for multimedia files for home theater, designers and video production houses.
TS-x70 Pro pairs the high performance and scalability with cutting-edge technologies such as:
- 447 MB/s Read and 446 MB/s Write speed with optional 4 Gigabit LAN port configuration
- QTS 4 operating system
- Multiple HD video stream support plus on-the-fly transcoding with low CPU usage
- Ultimate multimedia experience powered by XBMC, remote controllable by iOS & Android app
- Qsync: A powerful Dropbox-like feature to synchronize files between PC, NAS and mobile devices
- Plex Media Server, DLNA and AirPlay support
- Optional 10GbE card support for performance-demanded applications
By connecting a TS-x70 Pro to a HDTV via HDMI, users can enjoy multimedia contents with 5.1 channel surround sound through the XBMC media player provided in the QNAP HD Station. The TS-x70 Pro series delivers high-speed transcoding capabilities with high-quality audio to provide a complete home theater experience.By using the Photo Station, Music Station and Video Station, users can easily play, manage and share all of their multimedia files.
The TS-x70 Pro series is also a flexible backup center to store files and media contents. Windows and Mac users can use the QNAP NetBak Replicator and Apple Time Machine for simple data backup and restore.
Lastly, Users can enjoy and explore the unlimited capability of their NAS with the built-in App Center which provides various install-on-demand apps developed by QNAP and 3rd-party developers. QNAP’s development platform also allows developers to create various applications, adding more value to the TS-x70 Pro series and providing near-unlimited functionality for users.Availability
The new TS-x70 Pro series is now available. For more information on the TS-x70 Pro series and the full QNAP Turbo NAS lineup, including where to buy, please visit www.qnap.com.
The TS-670 Pro shows up at NewEgg for about $1,500 diskless at this point; if you are looking for a high-performing home or small business NAS with HDMI and live transcoding support, this should be on your list.
Techland and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment has released a video to give you a deeper look at the technology behind Dying Light. With the next generation of consoles upon us, Techland harnessed the added power to develop a physically based lighting system using its in-house Chrome Engine 6. This allows them to not only create realistic lighting and shadows in the game world but more importantly make the game world more authentic and immersive.
Konami Digital Entertainment has extended the reach of its popular myPES social element of PES 2014, with the release of a dedicated app for iOS users, with an Android version to come shortly.
myPES was introduced in PES 2012 in a very basic form, and was designed to allow the sharing of results within the PES community. It has now been extended greatly and the free app allows for more detailed player and game data to be shared between users.
The app is released alongside the second PES 2014 Data Pack, which includes functions to support sending stats data from PES 2014. The companion app thus allows users to check and organise their match stats on their iOS and Android device, and offers analysis of shots, possession, passing, and patterns of play. The build-up to goals, potential weaknesses in the opposition, and data to adapt playing styles against key opponents can then be viewed.
The app is also key to building community structures within PES 2014. Groups can be created, and myPES will track results and rank players accordingly. Users that do not have their consoles connected online will have the option to save their stats through a QR code displayed after matches, which can be scanned using the app to synchronise results for future analysis.
Konami Digital Entertainment has released Data Pack 2 for its PES 2014 title, adding a wealth of new elements to the popular football simulation.
The free DLC brings all team rosters fully up to date, and also adds 800 new faces for additional realism. Amongst those benefitting from incredibly realised likenesses are Manchester United’s Da Silva twins, Boca Juniors’ Riquelme, Real Madrid’s Isco and England midfielder, Jack Wilshere.
Similarly, following feedback been gathered from the PES community, the download also adds a many much-wanted elements to the game. The update extends PES 2014’s online elements, with the long awaited addition of the 11 Vs 11 mode, enhancements to chat elements, and gameplay tweaks. A new ‘Team Play’ lobby system has been incorporated, together with Online competitions and Master League Online competitions.
The popular myPES element is also reintroduced in a greatly expanded form. Working via a new dedicated app, myPES enhances the competitive element of PES 2014, ranking all users and a bank of stats related to each match played. Full details of myPES’s exhaustive new content will be released imminently.
New official kits have also been added, with third kits added to the likes of Santos, Palmeiras and Flamengo, while sponsorships have been amended where necessary. New adidas, Nike, Puma and Mizuno boots have also been included, and will be available via the game’s Edit mode, which has also been enhanced for ease of use with the addition of the player base copy and even more user-friendly options.
Independent games publisher and developer GIANTS Software announced today that Farming Simulator 14 has launched on the iTunes App Store and Google Play for mobile and tablet devices. Featuring a wide range of farming tools and machines from well-known manufacturers, Farming Simulator 14 provides a realistic farming experience that fans of the franchise and new players alike will enjoy!
Download Farming Simulator 14 for £1.99 from the iOS App Store here, or on Google Play here.
The app will also be available for Windows 8 Phone, Microsoft Surface RT and Amazon Kindle later this year. Farming Simulator 14 will also launch on Playstation Vita and Nintendo3DS in spring of 2014.
“GIANTS is pleased to commercially release our latest iteration of the most popular farm simulator in the world”, said Thomas Frey from GIANTS Software. “We’ve put hours of research into creating an even more realistic experience with Farming Simulator 14 than with its predecessor and can’t wait for our fans to try it out today on iOS and Android, and soon on Windows 8 Phone, Microsoft Surface RT and Amazon Kindle”!
The 2014 version of Farming Simulator comes with a new redefined look and double the equipment to use as its predecessor. Players can take control of a huge range of authentic farm machines from agricultural manufacturers, including Case IH, Deutz-Fahr, Lamborghini, Kuhn, Amazone and Krone, and then set their agricultural workers to the tasks of growing and picking fruit, corn, canola and wheat. Successful time and resource management will help players turn a hefty profit to purchase new tools and supplies in the shop to grow their farm even more.
Launched in 2008, the Farming Simulator franchise has become a global phenomenon with over 4 million downloads on mobile, PC and other main platforms such as Xbox 360™, PlayStation®3, Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation®Vita
This week for the Nintendo Wii U and 3Ds is the demo of Sonic Lost World Demo for both consoles available from the eShop. Also out is Ubisoft game of Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag on disc and aswell as a download via the eShop (£55.99/€69.99). With Lego Marvel Super Heroes out this week on disc and download for £44.99/€49.99, and the Legend of Zelda : A Link Between Worlds for the 3DS via card and e-Shop(£39.99/€44.99). How most more Nintendo 3Ds game this time from Warner Bros Games is Lego Marvel Super Heroes : Universe in Peril (£39.99/€39.00).
Square Enix Ltd has announced today that FINAL FANTASY X|X-2 HD Remaster will be released 21st March 2014, for the PlayStation 3.
Two of the most acclaimed FINAL FANTASY adventures of all time are back. Return to the world of Spira, the sport of Blitzball and fall in love with a cast of fan favourite characters including Tidus and Yuna, looking better than you’ve ever seen them before. The creators’ original vision is stunningly realised with today’s technology to deliver the definitive versions of these classic RPGs.
PlayStation 3 owners can get both games in one single-disc bundle. Choose from the standard edition or a special Limited Edition version, which includes an exclusive to Europe and PAL territories 48-page art book showcasing an elegant collection of concept art from the games, along with commentary from the original FINAL FANTASY X and FINAL FANTASY X-2 development teams, and a special message from Producer Yoshinori Kitase. Additionally, the PlayStation 3 release will also be available as a digital download via PlayStation Network.
Full details of the PlayStation Vita version and release timing will be revealed at a future date.
Features
Product Information
PlayStation 3 boxed versions:
PlayStation 3 digital download version:
So I was one of the crazy people who went out to Best Buy at midnight on Friday to buy a PS4. Andrew asked me for my initial impressions…read on for details!
So I was one of the crazy people who went out to Best Buy at midnight on Friday to buy a PS4. Andrew asked me for my initial impressions so here goes!
I procrastinated on pre-buying the PS4 until it was too late; all outlets were sold out on pre-order when I went to buy one. Therefore, I decided to head down to the local Best Buy for their midnight release to see if I could snag one. I headed out shortly after 9pm, showed up at the store and saw 29 people in line ahead of me. I took my slot on line and struck up conversations with the other customers, talking release games and swapping plans of what to buy with the PS4. Best Buy handed out tickets to each of us, as their stock was limited, and then allowed us to come into the store one at a time to buy one. 44 people lined up and only three went away empty-handed…and the Best Buy employees were a pleasure to deal with. After ringing up our sales, they let us hang out in the store until the midnight release time, so a few of us watched TV and killed some time. Once midnight hit, we were each given our PS4 and we left. Thanks to Best Buy #207 for a great shopping experience!
I was home by 12:45am, and went ahead and set up the PS4. The day-one patch came down just fine, but PSN was down. After fooling around with PSN for about 30 minutes, I went to bed and tried again at 6am. I was able to set up the unit very quickly, then went to work. If PSN had been up and working, setup with a pre-existing PSN account should have taken 15 minutes.
I loaded the Call of Duty Ghosts PS3-PS4 upgrade via PSN, and the download took a few hours. PSN was clearly being stressed; hopefully that works more smoothly in future downloads.
The graphics are really fantastic. Light and shadows are a step up from the PS3, and the overall games just look great. Here are some Killzone Shadow Fall screenshots for you to look at:
The visuals are stunning, especially in comparison to the PS3.
The new Dual Shock 4 controller is a real step up, and the integrated touch pad is useful. The camera is optional, and does not seem to add much yet, but I have liked how it helps to log you in using facial recognition.
Social sharing is interesting; the above screenshots were shared on Twitter from inside the game, and videos can also be shared on Facebook. You can also live-stream your gameplay on Twitch.TV and UStream, along with your audio commentary and viewer comments, but that is streaming in a fairly low resolution. Of course, none of this was possible on the PS3.
Remote Play to the PS Vita is really nicely done, with no lag. I was able to connect with the PS4 and stream Killzone Shadow Fall on the Vita one floor removed from the PS4 in my house…this looks like a feature that I might use in the future!
We’ll have a full-blown review soon, but in the meantime (especially for UK fans who have to wait for two more weeks) hopefully this gives you a taste, and enjoy these product pictures an screenshots!
Studio MONO have released a statement regarding the cancelation of the Kickstarter campaign for InSomnia.
![f87112d6bc5ce6629d8104c376f32e56_lar[2]](https://i0.wp.com/moviesgamesandtech.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/f87112d6bc5ce6629d8104c376f32e56_lar2.jpg?ssl=1 "f87112d6bc5ce6629d8104c376f32e56_lar[2]")
It is with some regret that we have decided to cancel the current Kickstarter campaign for InSomnia. However, we want to make it absolutely clear that this isn’t the end of InSomnia, rather an opportunity for us to regroup and come back again in a few months stronger and wiser.
We have received great feedback and support for the project (and a massive thank-you to everyone that has already backed us), but it soon became apparent based on that feedback that there were key components in our campaign that we had overlooked, that we needed to reveal a lot more about certain aspects of the game and to ultimately provide a much better explanation of what InSomnia is and what it is not. For example, a lot of people took from the Kickstarter page that is some sort of modern MMORPG which is not the case. This was obviously our fault. So, based on this we have taken the difficult decision to bring the campaign to a halt. Our focus over the next few months will be on the copywriting and further developing the game itself before we return at the end of January with a much better campaign.
Once again, deep thanks to all the backers for your support and feedback which we have listened to and taken on board and we look forward to unveiling the new and improved InSomnia campaign soon.
To keep updated on the project’s progress, keep an eye on the InSomnia facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/Insomniathegame and the InSomnia twitter feed at https://twitter.com/insomniathegame
From Paradroid to Pinball Dreams. Andrew Hewson shares experiences & insights from his pioneering videogames career in this new book.
Hints & Tips for Videogame Pioneers is a new book by Andrew Hewson, founder of Hewson Consultants, 21st Century Entertainment and the founding Chairman of UK videogames trade body ELSPA (now UKIE).
If you were a Spectrum, Commodore 64, Amstrad, Atari ST or Amiga gamer, then the chances are you played games published by Andrew’s companies.
So check out the Kickstarter today, and consider getting involved.
This Teksta Robotic Puppy will become your new best friend! With the ability to respond to your own voice and physical gestures, it is just like having a real life puppy. He has over 100 physical and interactive play features including a ball and a bone for you to play with.
Teksta is a life-like robotic puppy that responds to your voice, physical gestures, lights and sounds.
He barks, cries, whimpers and uses expressive eye patterns to share his feelings. With over 100 physical and interactive play features, he also includes a ball and a bone.
The puppy comes in both pink and blue and will make someone very happy this Christmas.
The Teksta Robotic Puppy is for children of ages 5 years and over and retails for £59.99.
