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The Xbox 360 was initially backwards compatible with 279 of the games for the original Xbox.

Microsoft has defended its decision to skip backwards compatibility in the newly revealed Xbox One.

Microsoft Interactive Entertainment president Don Mattrick has confirmed to the Wall Street Journal that there are no plans for any form of backwards compatibility on the new system, saying ‘if you’re backwards compatible, you’re really backwards.’

According to Mattrick, only 5% of customers play older titles on a new system and the option was therefore deemed unnecessary. Whether this statistic encompasses both Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 players is unclear and there is no mention on whether it also factors into the fact that the Xbox 360 was not fully backwards compatible with all original Xbox titles.

By contrast, Sony is being less strict in the backwards compatibility area and have plans to include a cloud-based streaming service to play older titles on its new console, possibly leveraging cloud gaming company Gaikai which it acquired last year.

At its launch, the Xbox 360 was capable of running 279 titles from the original Xbox library, although this number whittled down over time due to new bugs being discovered by players and updates to the console hardware.

Sony’s Playstation 3 had a marginally better offering with backwards compatibility with earlier models allowing for Playstation 2 titles to be played from them and all models allowing for original Playstation titles to be run.

Microsoft’s upcoming Xbox One was revealed earlier this week and has sparked a great deal of discussion in the gaming community, in particular surrounding its ill defined stance on the second-hand games market.

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The Last Of Us Preview

Platform: PS3
Developer: Naughty Dog
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment

The Last Of Us is about scarcity. It’s about making do. That’s not just key to the way combat’s designed, it’s true of the entire development process. Seemingly The Last Of Us is about discovering what else you can provide in a game besides shooting another human. Figuring that out makes the moments where killing is inevitable stick out that much more prominently.

It’s probably not a coincidence that this echoes the setting. It’s a Cormac McCarthy-esque post apocalypse where only remnants of the current world still stand, ravaged by time. The majority of the population have been wiped out by a plant-borne infection that turns them rabid, but they’re only a portion of the threat to those that are left. Bandits roam the world trying to survive in less than admirable ways. There’s little to find in the world but danger.

Our preview build showed two brief slices early into the game’s narrative. The first contains an extended walk without seeing a single human that isn’t your character Joel or companion Ellie. They intend to meet with a friend holed up further into an abandoned town, in an attempt to barter for a car. The player is totally denied any sense of threat along the way, making it incredibly disturbing as the tension ratchets up in anticipation of what will inevitably come.

Along this walk there are a few puzzles. You have to get over a fence but it’s covered in barbed wire. You’ll notice a long plank of wood leaning against a wall which sure enough you can pick up. By climbing atop other nearby structures you can use the plank to create a bridge. Easy.

However, dropping the plank just slightly out of range of the correct position means that Joel will lay it down on the ground next to him. It’s a peculiar break in the sense of immersion; one minute the world feels real and malleable, the next you realise you’ve encountered something akin to a quicktime event. For a game that presents itself as so cinematic to suddenly remind you of the medium’s flaws makes them all the more notable. Hopefully in the full game these moments will be the exception rather than the rule.

While on your travels you can scavenge for supplies along the way. Everything you find is a consumable and mostly they’ll be converted into more useful materials. There’s a crafting system that you can access at any time, but terrifyingly it doesn’t pause the game. As such you’ll want to make preparations when you think you’re safe, especially as the equipment you’re crafting is important during combat.

On top of the risks of creating in real time, you’ll also have to choose carefully what you craft. Many items can serve multiple perhaps and be combined in a number of different ways, such that you could create a health pack or a molotov cocktail, say. For example, you can duct tape a pair of scissors to your melee weapon for two instant kills with it before they snap off, or you could fashion a shiv that can either be used for a single silent kill or break open the lock on a door. Even the weapon you’ve selected needs to be considered before a fight breaks out. You’ve a variety in your pack, but you’ll need to lay it down and root around for the one you’ll grab when necessary. That’s your choice and you don’t have the luxury of knowing what you’ll need for the situation, nor the time to decide once you’re up against it.

We do take umbrage with some of these decisions as it’s just as “unrealistic” that you wouldn’t think to fashion useful holsters for key weapons, or keep items in pockets, rather than have them all tucked away in a bag. Likewise it’s nonsense that a shiv should be single-use. Again, it’ll be interesting to see how these slight irritations feel in the full game.

When, in this preview, you’re finally attacked you’re vastly outnumbered and your only option is to run, briefly thinning out attackers who get too close to you or Ellie. Here she runs the risk of being too dependant, in stark contrast with the way that Bioshock Infinite handled the secondary protagonist of Elizabeth. Whenever she’s attacked she’ll require your help. This does of course make sense as Ellie is a young girl without the ability to rip holes in spacetime, but still. At best this’ll force you to be more bold in your combat to save her and make for better gameplay, but if it follows most other games the entire game runs the risk of feeling like an escort quest. It’d be a shame, because through dialogue Ellie is made about as great a character as only Naughty Dog appears to be able to provide. She’ll win you over the first time she calls someone a Motherf*cker, trust me.

The second glimpse of combat, a little later in the story, focused specifically on an attack by a manageable but still massive number of bandits. The combat is brutal and meaningful. It’s not something that you’re going to want to get involved in and you’re going to have to think carefully about how to handle yourself. Breaking line of sight and catching an attacker unawares is the only upper hand you have. You’ll run out of bullets if they aren’t used sparingly and you’ll be beaten bloody in any melee encounter if there’s more than one person around. You don’t want to get in fights, but you will. You’ll have to deal with the consequences when it happens.

Overall we’re so far impressed with what The Last Of Us has to offer and if the full game lives up to the preview build it’ll be well worth picking up. As one of the last major new titles for the PS3, before the PS4 arrives, it could make for a superb swansong for the console.

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AMD’s new mobile-oriented APUs include tablet-targeted system-on-chip parts as well as the company’s answer to Intel’s Ultrabook success.

AMD has announced its 2013 accelerated processor unit (APU) ranges targeting mobile devices, finally giving real product designations for what has previously been known as Temash, Kabini and Richland – and has indicated that it has no intention of leaving the burgeoning tablet market to Intel and ARM.

Announced at an event last night, the three product families target three distinct areas of mobile computing: Temash, now known as the 2013 AMD Elite Mobility APU range, looks at giving the company a presence in tablets, ultra-portable laptops, and hybrid devices of 13″ or smaller screen size; Kabini, or the 2013 AMD Mainstream APU, looks to find a home in entry-level and small form factor touch-screen laptops; and Richland, the 2013 AMD Elite Performance APU, is AMD’s answer to Intel’s Ultrabook-targeted components.

‘The client market has evolved – with greater diversity in the types of mobile form factors and higher performance demands from the software – and AMD is uniquely positioned to deliver the best processors to meet the needs of mobile device users today,‘ claimed Lisa Su, AMD senior vice president, of the launch. ‘As computing becomes more visual and the graphics processor can be leveraged to do other types of processing, our dedication to the software community and the APU architecture sets us apart from the competition and enables us to deliver the best user experience whether on a tablet, a hybrid device or a notebook.‘

First, Temash. A true system-on-chip (SoC) design, combining components normally left to a companion chipset onto the same package as the APU itself, the chip is claimed to be the first quad-core x86 SoC based on a 28nm process technology. Designed for low-power devices, including tablets, the chip will be available in dual-core A4 and quad-core A6 versions, both of which are based on the same ‘Jaguar’ processing cores as used for the semi-custom processors in the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One games consoles. The graphics portion of the APU, meanwhile, is based on AMD Radeon HD 8000 Series Graphics Core Next (GCN) hardware, boasting a claimed 212 per cent improvement in graphics performance compared to AMD’s last-generation APUs. Overall performance-per-watt, meanwhile, is up 172 per cent compared to the last generation.

Kabini, meanwhile, is designed for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) on a budget. Based on the same Jaguar cores and GCN graphics as Temash, Kabini will be available A-series quad-core SoC designs as well as dual-core E1 and E2 models for the embedded market. Graphics performance is claimed to be up by 132 per cent and performance per watt by 127 per cent compared to previous-generation parts.

Finally, the Elite Performance Richland parts. Designed to sit at the very top end of AMD’s APU family, the A8 and A10 APUs ditch the system-on-chip design ethos for raw performance. Designed for ultra-thin laptops – competition for Intel’s Ultrabook programme, in other words – the Richland chips offer a claimed 12 per cent boost in general-purpose performance and between 20 and 40 per cent improvement in graphics performance compared to current-generation APUs. More impressively, however, is the claim of a 51 per cent boost in energy efficiency during HD video playback and claims of 13 hours battery life – albeit running the CPU at idle for that period.

In terms of actual product announcements, AMD has confirmed 2013 APU parts as per the following table.

While it’s a strong line-up, AMD will have to work hard to catch up to Intel. The company’s new chief executive has already indicated his desire to concentrate harder on mobile and embedded products, and Intel’s latest Atom chips boast some impressive low-power performance for tablet and smartphone customers. Combined with the company’s Ultrabook project, it’s clear AMD is gunning to beat Intel – after which it will have the much harder task of convincing mobile OEMs to ditch Cambridge-based ARM’s low-power designs for x86 chips.

The company also confirmed the following desktop APUs:

Key features of the new generation of both desktop and mobile APUs include power efficiency improvements through increased power gating, new DDR P-states for reduced power consumption, and improved Turbo Core technology which uses up to 16 independent temperature sensors built into the APU to detect when to enable or disable the clock-speed boosting mode as well as new algorithms for detecting and preventing bottlenecks. SoC APUs also come with wireless display support, the ability to use up to 10 USB 2.0 and two USB 3.0 ports without the need for a separate PHY, and support for AMD’s Turbo Dock technology.

With AMD concentrating on products aimed at OEMs for now, pricing information has not been provided.

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Despite producing titles for the Wii U, the publisher is still not getting its Frostbite 3 engine to run on the console.

Electronic Arts has stated that it is in fact currently making games for the Wii U.

Last week, the publisher claimed that it currently had no games in development for Nintendo’s newest console. However, EA chief financial officer Blake Jorgensen has confirmed that the company is in fact working on Wii U titles after all.

Speaking at the Sitfel Nicolaus 2013 Internet, Media and Communications Conference, Jorgensen did state that EA is still focusing more on games for the upcoming Playstation 4 and recently announced Xbox One, but that it is also supporting Wii U.

Jorgensen did not however confirm exactly which games the publisher was working on, as it is still the case that Dice’s Frostbite 3 engine does not run on the Wii U and this engine underpins many of EA’s upcoming titles.

Work on getting the Frostbite 3 engine to run on the Wii U was abandoned following tests by Dice which means approximately 15 of EA’s upcoming titles will not be launched on the Wii U. This includes Battlefield 4, Dragon Age 3, the next iteration in the Mass Effect series and any of the publishers as-yet unannounced Star Wars games.

The EA Sports mainstays Fifa and Madden will also be avoiding the Wii U due to their disappointing sales on Nintendo’s previous platform, as reported by Eurogamer.

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For the better part of a decade the video game landscape remained mostly unchanged, complacent in a sea of sequels, motion controls, and downloadable content.

It’s a generation that has lasted longer than any other before it, albeit for generally good reasons. And perhaps most impressive is that though their PC gaming counterparts have long since passed them by, these aging consoles are still able to render great-looking games.

So while the sun begins to set on what will go down as a pivotal generation for video games, we look ahead to see what owning a console will be like for the foreseeable future.

And then there were two
There’s no disrespect intended here toward Nintendo, but the next great console wars will be fought by two parties, not three. Sure, Nintendo beat everyone to the punch by releasing its next-generation console an entire year early, but the
Wii U just barely catches up to the prowess of what
PlayStation 3 and
Xbox 360 had been doing all along — at least from a graphical and technical standpoint.

By no means is this a death sentence, though. Nintendo is company that needs to find itself and reposition. However that plan might play out, it most likely will not consist of picking fights with PlayStation 4 or Xbox One.

(Credit:
James Martin/CNET)

Graphics won’t define next-gen
Eye candy made a big splash at the dawn of gaming’s previous generation. That will not be the case this time around — for the most part. Sure, Xbox One and PlayStation 4 have the graphical chops that are sure to impress anyone who hasn’t experienced a high-end graphics card for the past two years. But the dramatic jaw-dropping jump from standard definition to high definition that took place eight years ago will not happen again.

Instead, next-generation gaming will be defined through a multitude of variables. Gamers want to experience interactive software in ways they never thought were possible. Perhaps that lies in the heartbeat-sensing Kinect camera or game-screen-sharing features built into PlayStation 4.

However you choose to label it is irrelevant. Games need to evolve beyond regenerative health and compelling cinematics. They need to push the envelope in new directions. The hardware is here, and the talent is ready. These are the elements that will truly define “next-gen.”

(Credit:
James Martin/CNET)

Consoles aren’t just for gamers anymore
As much as you’d like to keep these machines for yourselves, electronics manufacturers really like it when consumers outside of their intended demographic begin to take interest. That’s what happens when the Wii finds itself in senior-citizen homes and at the gym.

This really shouldn’t come as much of a shock either, though. Consoles have been slowly mutating into the all-encompassing content distribution hubs they are now for years. The biggest push, as made evident by the Xbox One’s ambitious live TV integration (and Nintendo TVii’s not-so-successful launch), is the attempt to corner the crux of the living room experience. These consoles are being designed to be the very first thing you interact with the second you sit down on your couch.

This changing focus in audience will certainly alienate some core gamers, but the truth of the matter is that consoles are not just for gamers anymore. Want a box just for gaming? Go build one.

(Credit:
James Martin/CNET)

New and used games will blur, frustrate, and confuse
Trips to the local game shop will slowly begin to go away, and digital marketplaces will soon reign supreme. We feared the worst about how the ownership of software may become fuzzy and now those fears hold a bit more weight.

While we still don’t definitively understand how both Sony and Microsoft plan on proceeding, it’s clear that the fundamental concept of buying and selling used games will be changing forever. This also means that the very psychology of consumer behavior will also evolve. Borrowing a game might be a thing of the past. Sharing games seems highly unlikely. Microsoft has gone on record claiming that there will be a way to sell a used game, but don’t expect it to resemble anything you’re accustomed to.

But before you light the torches and sharpen your trusty pitchforks, think for a second and appreciate how long this novelty has lasted. Think about other industries that have flipped out over that naughty “sharing” word. It was inevitable.

Of course there are still plenty of details that need clarification, but the message is clear. Physical media is on its way out.

Gaming voyeurism is now a thing
Maybe I’m out of touch with this trend, but I don’t really understand the joy of watching someone else play a video game. While I know plenty of gamers who feel the exact same way, it’s also tough to ignore the budding content empires that have constructed business models around the notion.

Whether or not you asked for it, the next gaming console in your living room will allow you to record and edit a highlight reel of your very own gameplay and share it with the world. All that time you spent wasting away on Facebook, Reddit and Twitter? Well, now you can continue indulging while gaming.

(Credit:
James Martin/CNET)

Get used to the cloud
A console hooked up to the Internet is nothing new. But with the architecture of these machines, titles and firmware can be automatically updated without you having to lift a finger.

As for the cloud, game saves are just the tip of the iceberg. Heck, even current consoles can sync game saves. Cloud computing in the next generation of video games will take things to a totally different level. Beyond just access to saves, games will be able to be streamed and played the way you would watch a movie on Netflix. Sony has already said PS4 owners will be able to begin playing a game as it’s being downloaded, and Microsoft has acknowledged a similar technology.

Microsoft even hinted at potentially offloading some of the computing power that Xbox One games might require, opening the door to cloud expansion within a game.

Forget about backward compatibility
Regardless of whether it’s some sort of strategic spin or crafty wording, backward compatibility, at least at its core, is soon to become a thing of the past. We’re not yet privy to how Sony will deal with it (though we’re leaning toward a Gaikai-powered streaming option), but Microsoft has definitively stated it won’t be an option.

If you want to play last generation’s video games, then hold on to that last-generation console. Or, you could always fork over the cash it’ll cost you to download these throwback titles when they inevitably make their way to your platform of choice’s online store.

This is a feature I’m quick to criticize for there being a lack of, but have grown to ultimately accept. Sure, it prevents you from reselling an old console to put toward a new one, but we forget that the very inclusion of these innards in a future system would likely increase their price anyway.

(Credit:
James Martin/CNET)

We’re all in this together
One of the advantages of a connected console was made abundantly clear over the last eight years. The Internet has afforded console manufacturers the luxury of treating these machines as works in progress. Sure, this doesn’t exist without some frustrations or glitches, but ultimately I think the pros outweigh the cons.

And if there’s one thing we’ve learned with how vocal the gaming community can be, it’s that these companies are becoming very receptive to what we want — and that’s a good thing. It’s now almost impossible to get away with a policy that the masses reject because they’ll simply boycott and bombard it with negativity.

Gamers are the constituents of the industry in this ever-evolving relationship, and we vote with our dollar. Besides, console manufacturers want us on their side anyway. In reality, the next war won’t be fought with gamers and their hard-earned cash, but with the other box in the living room that’s competing for your attention — your cable box.

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(Credit:
Screenshot by Lance Whitney/CNET)

People who write fan fiction could find a paying market for their work courtesy of Amazon.

Unveiled Wednesday, Kindle Worlds is a new publishing venture from Amazon that promises to reward both writers and the original rights holders for new fiction based on existing stories and characters.

Authors who create works of at least 10,000 words in length will receive 35 percent of the net revenue based on the actual sales price, with royalties paid each month. Those who write shorter pieces between 5,000 and 10,000 words will receive a digital royalty of 20 percent of the sales price.

As the program is just getting off the ground, Amazon has signed up one rights holder so far — Warner Bros. Television Group’s Alloy Entertainment division. This agreement paves the way for fan fiction based on the “Gossip Girl” series by Cecily von Ziegesar, “Pretty Little Liars” by Sara Shepard, and “Vampire Diaries” by L.J. Smith.

Amazon said it plans to announce more license agreements soon with an eye toward fan fiction based on books, TV shows, movies, music, and even games.

“Our goal with
Kindle Worlds is to create a home for authors to build on the Worlds we license, and give readers more stories from the Worlds they enjoy,” Philip Patrick, director of business development and publisher of Kindle Worlds, said in a statement. “We look forward to announcing additional World licensing deals in the coming weeks.”

The Kindle Worlds store is expected to open its doors in June with more than 50 stories, some from award-winning authors. The Kindle Worlds self-service submission platform will also launch at that time, allowing anyone to submit a piece of fan fiction.

Writers who want to learn more about the program can check out the Kindle Worlds Web site.

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Sharon Vaknin joins us on today’s 404.

– All of CNET’s coverage of yesterday’s Xbox One event.

– Here’s what we know about Xbox One games.

– Microsoft talks Xbox One naming, privacy and more (QA).

– Sharon Vaknin and CNET Reviews’ John Falcone at last night’s Webby Awards.

– Courts turning to UrbanDictionary as an authoritative source on slang. And here’s The 404′s contribution to UrbanDictionary.

– Rad fighting game backgrounds without the fighters.

– GIF creator: It’s a soft ‘g’, Mr. President.

Correction: On today’s episode, we mentioned that Webby winners had to purchase their awards separately. In fact, they’re included with the purchase of a ticket to the ceremony.

Episode 1,273

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Justin Bieber allegedly demands a social-media blackout regarding the happenings at his house.

(Credit:
Justin Bieber/Twitter)

After several high-profile incriminating pictures hitting the Intertubes this year, TMZ reports that Justin Bieber wants all visitors to his Calabasas, Calif., mega mansion to sign a liability waiver restricting any social-media divulge about the goings-on behind closed doors.

The supposed waiver (PDF) isn’t the friendliest welcome mat, as anyone with loose lips automatically gets pegged with a $5 million lawsuit — plus they forfeit a few rights, including the ability to sue Bieber.

“Without in any way limiting the foregoing, under no circumstances will you divulge the details of you entering and being on the Property or engaging in the Activities by any means or through any media whatsoever, including without limitation, through photographs, video, blogging, texting, “tweeting” or posting any such information on any social-media site,” says the alleged waiver.

Does anyone have a guess as to how long it will take before we hear about the first offending $5 million Instagram pic?

In case you’re scratching your head at what “Activities” means, well, that’s a doozy too. The supposed document states “participation in the Activities carries with it certain inherent risks that cannot be eliminated completely, ranging from minor injuries to catastrophic injuries, including death.”

The definition of activities seems broad, most likely crafted to cover any sort of accident, but the whole thing reads like a waiver to enter one of the murderous houses of the “Saw” movies. Whatever happened to the simple life, where a bunch of buds play video games and hang out by the pool?

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Unity Basic, the free 3D game engine and software development kit, can now deploy to iOS and Android platforms free of charge – if you’re an indie, at least.

Game engine giant Unity Technologies has announced that its suite of mobile game development tools will be made available completely free of charge to indie devs.

Announced late yesterday by chief executive David Helgason, the move sees the Unity software development kit (SDK) for Android and iOS platforms released completely free of charge. Previously, mobile support was a chargeable extra to the free Unity Basic software release. Those who have already downloaded Unity need do nothing aside from run the update tool to unlock the new features.

‘There are no strings attached, no royalties and no license fees,‘ claimed Helgason. ‘This is just an extension of Unity Free which we launched in 2009.‘ Using the tools, developers are able to write games using the Unity Engine and publish them to iOS and Android platforms as well as the usual desktop and laptop targets – and not have to worry about licensing, even if they come up with the next Angry Birds. ‘You can make as much money from your games as you like – this limitation is about large companies not using our free products, not about sharing your future revenues,‘ Helgason added.

The iOS and Android extensions to Unity Basic will be followed in the coming months by similar deployment tools for BlackBerry 10 and Windows Phone 8, which will again be made freely available under the same terms. As a result, independent game developers will soon be able to publish for all four popular mobile platforms without having to pay a penny in licensing costs for the Unity engine or its toolkit.

Despite Helgason’s reassurances, however, there is a definite catch to the offer – but it’s one that should come as no surprise: designed for smaller indie devs, the offer does not extend to a company or other incorporated entity with a turnover over $100,000 in its last financial year. Anybody meeting those criteria will need to pay for a Unity Pro licence, at a cost of $1,500 for the basic software and an additional $1,500 each for the iOS and Android deployment tools.

Those who had already splashed out on the Unity Basic iOS and Android extensions in the last 30 days will be offered discounts on future purchases by way of compensation, Helgason announced, as well as the usual discount offer for upgrading to Unity Pro.

Unity Technology’s move is a clear response to growing interest in rival Epic’s Unreal Engine for cross-platform development: the Unreal Engine has long since been ported to mobile devices, while work is well under way on a browser-based version for client-agnostic gaming. With smartphone and tablet gaming spend beginning to exceed that of dedicated hand-held gaming devices like the PlayStation Vita and Nintendo 3DS, mobile is clearly to be the next battleground for engine and middleware providers.

If you fancy giving Unity a go yourself, you can download the software free of charge from the official website.

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Microsoft’s Xbox One.

(Credit:
James Martin/CNET)

Xbox 360 owners who have a Live Gold membership will be able to use it on the Xbox One as well.

Phil Harrison, a corporate VP with Microsoft, confirmed to video game blog site Polygon that the same Gold membership will apply to both systems.
Xbox Live Gold sbscribers who buy an Xbox One won’t have to ante up for yet another subscription.

Plus, that same single membership can be shared by multiple people, according to Microsoft’s Ben Kilgore. Each user will still have access to their own settings and customizations.

“We want to make sure that you and your son both have your own account,” Kilgore told Polygon, using the example of a father and son sharing the same Live Gold membership. “We want you log in to get your stuff, and when he logs in to get his stuff. On that console, if you have Gold, he can use Gold as well.”

Xbox Live Gold memberships offer a host of features, including online multiplayer games, free game demos, access to the Web via Internet Explorer, and movies and TV shows via services such as Netflix and Hulu Plus. The current membership costs $9.99 for 1 month, $24.99 for 3 months, and $59.99 for 12 months.

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