Windows 8 Marketplace won’t sell games like Grand Theft Auto in the UK, but what about the US?

Microsoft bars games with the PEGI 18+ rating like Grand Theft Auto IV from the Windows 8 Marketplace in the UK. What will happen in the US?

Windows 8 is not earning Microsoft many fans in the video game development community. Marcus “Notch” Pearson, the creator of Minecraft, said that Microsoft is “ruining the PC as an open platform” with its new operating system that apes the contained, curated style of Apple’s iOS and OS X operating systems. His sentiments echoed those of Valve’s Gabe Newell and Blizzard’s Rob Pardo.

It would seem that Microsoft’s policies for selling games through the Windows 8 Marketplace are going to further incense those developers. Microsoft’s closed policy will see video games intended for adults only, meaning those games that could potentially receive an Adults Only rating from the ESRB in the US, will not be allowed on the platform.

GamesIndustry International reported on Thursday that Microsoft will indeed ban games rated for ages 18 and older, at least in the UK. Citing an article written by Casey Muratori which outlines Microsoft’s guidelines for apps sold on the Marketplace—apps cannot contain depictions that “glamorizes illegal activity,” “irresponsible use of alcohol or tobacco products,” or “excessive or gratuitous profanity”—this means that many games rated PEGI 18 cannot be sold through Microsoft’s store at all. Grand Theft Auto IV, the original version of Heavy Rain, and many other PEGI 18+ rated games would be blocked from the market.

Kotaku confirmed these rules were official and that no game can be sold through the Marketplace without meeting them. “No, you cannot distribute Windows Store apps without going through the Windows Store. The exception to this is for enterprise apps. Developers can, however, create and offer desktop apps the same way they always have—through their own site or distribution point.”

The question though is how these policies will affect the Windows 8 Marketplace globally. The UK’s PEGI rating system is different from the ESRB’s, designating some games that receive an M for Mature rating in the US PEGI 16+ and others PEGI 18+.

A representative of Microsoft’s PR agency handling the promotion of Windows 8 told Digital Trends, “We have nothing more to share beyond what is public on the Windows Dev Center (section 6.2 of the app certification requirements discusses ratings) and information on Rating boards for Windows apps.” Section 6.2 only restricts games with an “over ESRB Mature” rating, the same guideline that tickets what is and is not allowed on the Xbox Live marketplace.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Grand Theft Auto V and BioShock Infinite delays responsible for Take-Two losses

Grand Theft Auto 5 and BioShock Infinite are going to give Take-Two a lucrative 2013, but it's hurting in 2012 as a result of their delays.

The future is bright for Take-Two Interactive. Borderlands 2 had a strong first week, with critics raving and financial analysts predicting it will be the fourth best-selling game of the year, trailing only Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, Assassin’s Creed 3, and Halo 4. XCOM: Enemy Unknown‘s got good buzz and NBA 2K13 will enjoy the series’ perennially great sales. Next year? BioShock Infinite, Grand Theft Auto V. Those two games though, the shining stars of 2K Games’ 2013, were supposed to come out in 2012. They’re the root of Take-Two’s low revenue expectation woes.

As reported by GamesIndustry International, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick explained during a meeting this week why the company saw a $107.7 million loss in the last fiscal year. “This was primarily due to our decision to postpone the release of several titles in order to allow for additional development time,” said Zelnick, “Although our commitment to quality may occasionally affect near-term results, we believe it’s the right approach for maximizing revenue and profits over the long-term.”

BioShock Infinite, by all accounts, needed the extra gestation time to be the success that Take-Two wants it to be with gamers. Irrational Games announced ahead of E3 2012 that it would push BioShock Infinite into 2013 and that it wouldn’t show the game to the press until it was close to finished. In August, though, numerous key staff members working on Infinite left Irrational amid reports that the game was in deep trouble. Cut multiplayer modes and broken play systems were just a couple of the alleged problems facing the game.

Grand Theft Auto V meanwhile didn’t come out in 2012 because Rockstar Games is, as the studio is wont to do, taking its time making the game perfect. “Grand Theft Auto V is in full development and making substantial progress,” said Zelnick in the meeting. There were rumors that GTAV might see a surprise release in October, but the game’s now a lock for the beginning of the next fiscal year.

A year that will prove markedly better than 2012. Take-Two saw sales during the April to June quarter drop to $226 million from $334 million during the same period in 2011. Max Payne 3 simply didn’t hit in the way that past spring Rockstar releases like Red Dead Redemption and LA Noire did. Grand Theft Auto V shouldn’t have the same problem, and BioShock Infinite should help Take-Two close the fiscal year in March strong.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

UKNova is the latest victim of FACT and the MPAA’s global BitTorrent crackdown

BitTorrent tracker UKNova has been forced to close down, following a cease and desist letter from the Federation Against Copyright Theft.

While sites such as The Pirate Bay and Demonoid may spring immediately to mind when discussing BitTorrent, there are plenty of other, smaller trackers out there too.

However, as of today, there’s one less, as threats from the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT) have forced private torrent tracker UKNova to shutdown.

UKNova’s situation was a little different from those sites mentioned above, in that it never defiantly rallied against the authorities, or publicly flaunted any legally dubious activities.

It existed to provide those without access to UK television the chance to catchup with shows they would otherwise be unable to watch. It benefited expatriates and anglophiles alike, but crucially, it made a point not to host commercially available content.

These so-called “ethical” guidelines included an upload ban on anything available on CD, DVD/Blu-ray or content broadcast as pay-per-view.

Not that this saved them from the watchful eye of FACT, as it has issued a “cease and desist” letter to UKNova, telling them “all links or access to content provided by UKNova are infringing, unless it can be proven that explicit permission from the copyright holder for that content has been obtained.”

UKNova trackers scrapped

According to a UKNova site member, posting on Neowin’s forums, the site published a statement saying that while it believes “legally and morally” the site has done nothing wrong, it’s “not in a position to be able to risk lengthy and costly court battles to prove this.”

UKNova, which began operating in 2003, is in the process of closing down its trackers, and although the site’s forum will remain open, the pages related to torrents will be removed.

Site administrators told TorrentFreak.com that FACT mentioned a large UK satellite provider and a football production company as the big guns behind the cease and desist letter. Using the process of elimination based on FACT membership, TorrentFreak.com assumes this to be Rupert Murdoch’s BSkyB and the Premier League.

Sharing content originally broadcast on television has long been considered, by the general public at least, something of a grey area; primarily due to the commercial availability of VHS and DVD recorders. Sites such as UKNova feel like a modern extension of this, particularly if no other way exists to view or purchase said content.

FACT and the MPAA obviously disagree, and UKNova’s closure proves that claims of “ethical” behavior don’t carry much weight, especially if you don’t have the resources to defend yourself in court.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Stolen iPhone results in cop chase, shooting, school lockdown and finally, arrests

When the victim of a phone theft reported the incident to cops in San Francisco on Monday, they probably didn't expect that a cop chase, shooting, school lockdown and eventual arrest of the suspects (with one found in the trunk of a car) would be the result.

A stolen mobile phone usually, at the very most, results in a visit to the cop shop, the filling out of a few forms and then a trip to the phone store to sort out a replacement. But, evidently, it doesn’t always work out that way.

In San Francisco on Monday, for example, a smartphone stolen in the city’s Ocean View neighborhood resulted in a police chase, a school lockdown and an officer firing their gun.

According to a San Francisco Chronicle report, it all started at around 6.30am when two men stole a pedestrian’s iPhone at gunpoint. Using the phone-locating Find My iPhone app, officers discovered that the device was somewhere in the Noe Valley neighborhood in the center of the city.

After pinpointing the suspects, officers approached them but – surprise, surprise – they both scarpered.

During the pursuit, one of the suspects turned towards an officer with their hand concealed close to their body – of course, a move like that in such a tense situation rarely ends with a friendly shake of the hands and the exchange of a few pleasantries. No, in this case, the pursuing officer, believing her life to be in imminent danger, took out her gun and fired at the suspect, who subsequently managed to escape unharmed.

As the chase continued, police locked down nearby St. Paul’s Catholic Church and its adjoining elementary school for around half an hour to secure the safety of those inside.

Cops then tracked the stolen handset to a car with a person sitting inside. After apprehending the occupant, they also found someone hiding in the trunk, together with a stash of other allegedly stolen smartphones. Job done.

It might seem like quite a palaver for one stolen phone, but with smartphone theft on the rise, and more handset owners getting up to speed with enabling find-my-phone type apps, perhaps we’ll be hearing more stories like this in the future.

Security experts also recommend that handset owners enable the lock screen on their device and install a remote wipe app to prevent personal details being taken in the event of a theft – or loss – of a phone.

[via AppleInsider]

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

avast! Mobile Security adds ant-theft features

avast! Mobile Security application for Android has received a major update in version 2.0 and now includes a very useful feature in the form of anti-theft protection. This features were initially found in the beta version but are now part of the main app. With the help of this feature, you will be able to locate your phone on a map and will also be able to use other commands such as remotely trigger a siren, remote lock and even remote wipe using the excellent web portal.

The application is also smart enough to send a message whenever it detects that the SIM has been swapped. This way, if someone steals your phone and swaps the SIM, you will be able to locate the phone on a map and also have the mobile number of the perpetrator, thus making it easier to find your phone.

You will need to create an avast! account for these features to work, which is a small price to pay for peace of mind.

Other new features in this update include network meter for tracking your data usage, real time scanning of apps and messages, improved user interface for tablets, a new widget and much more.

As before, avast! Mobile Security is a free download and is worth having on your phone at least for the anti-theft features if not for the anti-virus functionality. You can download the app here.

Source : blog[dot]gsmarena[dot]com