The first games published by Humble Bundle are super clever

Humble Bundle has ballooned from a small company offering “pay what you want,” charity-focused video game sales to become a major player in digital distribution. Humble is taking on Steam’s marketplace with the Humble Store and it’s attracting subscriptions with Humble Monthly, a program that delivers a curated selection of games to your digital doorstep twelve times a year.

This month, Humble announced it would start funding and publishing games, starting with seven titles across a range of genres. At GDC 2017, we got our hands on four of these new games — Staxel, HackyZack, Ikenfell and Keyboard Sports.

Though each game is vastly different and built for disparate audiences, they’re all refreshingly creative in their own way.

Staxel

Combine Minecraft with Harvest Moon and add a dash of Animal Crossing, and that’s Staxel. Well, that’s a very simplified version of Staxel, the online farming simulator that takes place in a bright voxel-based world. Staxel comes from the studio Plukit and it’s a kid-friendly game that offers plenty of depth for adults to enjoy as well.

It’s a sandbox game with few limitations — the developers at Plukit have made it as easy as possible to mod the game and share their new worlds with other players. Customize your character with cat hats and wild hairstyles, play a game of broom hockey in the village square and fix up your house on the farm.

“Our game is really friendly,” director Bart van der Werf says. “There’s no enemies or anything like that. I think Humble really fits that brand.” Staxel is due out via Steam and the Humble Store later this year.

HackyZack

This is a new kind of platformer. HackyZack starts out simply enough — kick the ball into a strip of gold light without sending it sailing off the edge of the platform (or falling into the abyss yourself). Most platformers ask players to run, jump and duck around obstacles themselves, but the ball in HackyZack adds a new layer to the genre. It challenges players to not only stay alive on a floating walkway, but to keep the ball in play as well.

As HackyZack progresses, the levels get more complex, with spike traps, super-bouncy balls, voodoo balls that control the main ball and all manner of complicated platform designs. This is a speedrunner’s dream, built to showcase split-second reflexes and fancy footwork.

HackyZack comes from Spaceboy and Zack Bell, the creator of the 2015 platformer Ink. It’s heading to PC, Mac and Linux in late March.

Ikenfell

Imagine you’re the sister of the world’s most famous magician, but you can’t perform magic yourself. Your sister is a young woman who attends the Ikenfell school of magic and she’s saved the world countless times over — but suddenly, she disappears. As her (magic-less) sister, you travel to Ikenfell intent on finding her, only to discover the magic within yourself.

Yes, that’s incredibly cheesy. But it’s also completely accurate.

Maritte, the main character in Ikenfell, discovers she actually does possess magic, though it showed up at a much later age than usual — 16. Regardless, Maritte uses her newfound powers to explore the school and defeat the beasts inside, all while frantically searching for her sister.

Ikenfell is a turn-based RPG from Chevy Ray Johnston and it’s filled with dialogue, battles, personality and charm (no pun intended). With the help of some friends, Maritte takes on the evil forces around Ikenfell and learns how to control the magic inside of her. It’s not the Harry Potter or Carry On RPG that fans have been waiting for, but it’s damn close. And it’s gorgeous to boot, if you’re a fan of pixel art.

Ikenfell is due to land on PC and Mac in summer 2018.

Keyboard Sports

“In a time where new gadgets are invented every day this is our final tribute to the keyboard before it goes extinct.”

That’s how the developers at Triband introduce Keyboard Sports, a wildly inventive game that uses the entire QWERTY keyboard as a controller. Press the Caps Lock button and the protagonist — an adorable orange blob of a creature — runs to that key. Press the Delete key and he shoots to the other side of the screen. It sounds simple enough, but for anyone who uses a keyboard as a writing tool every day, it’s a real trip to simply pound away at the keys without regard for the functions they usually serve. It’s thrilling in a low-stakes rule-breaking kind of way.

Keyboard Sports developer Tim Garbos says it’s a backward kind of experience — the more that someone knows about the keyboard, the more challenging the game actually is. So, forget everything you know about the keyboard by fall 2017, when Keyboard Sports is set to hit PC, Mac and Linux.

Shockingly, there are no plans to bring this one to consoles.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from GDC 2017!

Windows 10 will soon block non-Store apps like OS X does

In its latest beta build of the Windows 10 Creators Update, Microsoft has slipped in a new feature that could make your PC either safer or more irritating, depending on your point of view. If you try to install a Win32 (desktop) app, it’ll either pop up a warning that “the app you’re installing isn’t from the Windows Store” or completely block it, depending on the level of security you select. When enabled, you can still install Windows Store and Universal Windows Platform (UWP) apps with no warning.

The feature, noticed by Twitter user @vitorgrs (below) is disabled by default, so it won’t bother you unless you search for it and turn it on. It might be incredibly annoying to power users, as it would block Photoshop, Firefox and other desktop apps. it could be a boon for your parents or grandparents, though, as it’ll stop them from accidentally installing bloatware or other problematic apps.

Starting with 15042, you can block installation of Win32 apps on ANY edition. Even Enterprise. pic.twitter.com/MHzpBkNLE3

— Vitor Mikaelson 🦄 (@vitorgrs) February 26, 2017

Microsoft already blocks unknown Windows 10 software from being installed with a message that “the publisher could not be verified.” However, it’s relatively easy for bad actors to get around that and users can just bypass the error message.

With the new security settings, Windows 10 blocks any app that isn’t in the Windows Store, whether it’s a UWP or desktop app (Microsoft only recently allowed third-party desktop apps in the Windows Store). That means its policy will be very similar to Mac’s OS X, which makes you jump through hoops to install non-App Store software.

Microsoft is reportedly testing a “Windows Cloud” service that’s basically a Chrome OS-like version of Windows 10. The software giant may eventually offer it for free or at a discount to try to claw back hordes of educators and other uses that have switched to Google’s OS. If the rumors are right, that new OS doesn’t allow you to install regular Windows apps either, but it’s apparently not the same thing as with the new Windows 10 Creators Update feature.

Via: MS Power User

Source: Vitor Mikaelson (Twitter)

Google will help mobile carriers run their networks better

If you didn’t think that Google was into everything before, wait until it’s providing the infrastructure for your mobile network. The company has announced that it’s building tools for cellular carriers to use to run their businesses. Businesses such as India’s Bharti Airtel and South Korea’s SK Telecom have both signed up to use Google’s new platform for network services.

Long story short, Google knows how to run a pretty big network, given that it’s running both its own branded services, Android and YouTube. By sharing its know-how, it’s expected that the networks can cut costs on hardware and be faster to implement new features. Google uses innovations like YouTube’s Smart Offline, that trickle-downloads clips overnight when data costs drop, as one such example.

It’s also another step towards becoming an infrastructure provider for a much bigger chunk of the world’s services. After all, Google already runs its own fiber business, as well as a burgeoning mobile network in the form of Project Fi. The search engine is also contributing to an open-source project to improve cloud computing, CORD. That puts it alongside other heavy-hitters like AT&T, China Unicom, NTT and Verizon.

Source: Google

Apple CEO Tim Cook: ‘You Will See Us Do More in the Pro Area’

During a Q&A session at today’s shareholder meeting held at Apple’s Cupertino campus, Apple CEO Tim Cook reassured investors that Apple is still very much focused on its professional customers and has plans to “do more” in the pro area.

“You will see us do more in the pro area,” Cook said. “The pro area is very important to us. The creative area is very important to us in particular.”

Cook’s comments were directed towards the Mac, Apple Watch, services, and iPad, but may reassure those who are worried that Apple is abandoning its desktop Mac lineup, especially the Mac Pro. The Mac Pro has not been updated since December of 2013, going more than 1,100 days without a refresh.

Other desktop Macs have also gone more than a year without an update. The iMac last saw a refresh in October of 2015, more than 500 days ago, while the Mac mini was last updated in October of 2014, over 860 days ago.

“Don’t think something we’ve done or something that we’re doing that isn’t visible yet is a signal that our priorities are elsewhere,” Cook also told investors.

There have been no hints that a Mac mini or Mac Pro refresh is on the horizon, but Apple is rumored to be planning to introduce new iMacs in 2017, perhaps as early as March. Future iMacs are expected to be updated with USB-C ports and AMD graphics chips.

At the meeting, Cook was also questioned about a potential convergence between the Mac and iPad lines, in the from of a touchscreen Mac. While Cook said he didn’t want to comment on future product plans, he again reiterated that he sees the iPad and the Mac as two separate product lines that serve different purposes.

“Expect us to do more and more where people will view it as a laptop replacement, but not a Mac replacement – the Mac does so much more,” he said. “To merge these worlds, you would lose the simplicity of one, and the power of the other.”

Much of the rest of the shareholder meeting consisted of voting on several proposals and reiterating information that was previously shared during Apple’s January earnings call. While no shareholder proposals passed – including those calling for increased diversity and more transparency about donations – Apple reelected its board of directors, approved board compensation, and approved Ernst and Young as the company’s accounting firm.

Tag: Tim Cook
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Qualcomm: There’s no Samsung contractual exclusivity on the Snapdragon 835

There’s been plenty of rumour circulating that Samsung has “first dibs” on the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset. Qualcomm however, talking at Mobile World Congress 2017, told us that there was no contractual exclusivity on the Snapdragon 835.

It was previously announced that Samsung would be manufacturing the new 10nm chips in partnership with Qualcomm and with the scheduling of the launch of the new Samsung Galaxy S8 moving slightly later in the year, it was assumed that this was the case – that Samsung would get to use the new hardware before anyone else. 

Keith Kressin, senior vice president of product management at Qualcomm said that this isn’t the case and that “there’s nothing exclusive about a specific OEM [original equipment manufacturer]” and that the development cycle of the new chipset really comes down to supply and the launch strategy for the manufacturer, and there’s “nothing structurally or contractually that would limit one from the other.”

The OEM has to make the decision about what fits with its launch strategy for a new device the best: the LG G6, for example, has been announced on the Snapdragon 821, meaning LG can bring the device to market sooner, rather than waiting for later chipsets.

For those looking to use a newer chipset like the Snapdragon 835, pushing for a more immediate launch runs in conflict with the development cycle and the OEM would then have to decide whether to skip steps in testing and preparing the new hardware.

In 2017, the development cycle is running later than it has in previous years. For example, the Snapdragon 820 in 2016 saw devices launched in January 2016; for the Snapdragon 835 the cycle is running later and this isn’t because Samsung gets exclusive rights. 

Qualcomm also confirmed that when an OEM wanted to use a product, the order goes direct into Qualcomm, and Samsung has no say in that part of the process.

Sony announced the Sony ZX Premium at Mobile World Congress 2017, one of the first Snapdragon 835 devices to be announced, but the device isn’t actually going to be launched until later in June 2017.

There are a number of flagship devices still to be launched: not only are we waiting for those Samsung phones to launch (and some will certainly be Exynos powered), but also a new flagship from HTC. The wait, it seems, continues.

2000 AD’s Rogue Trooper returns to gaming, PS4, Xbox One, PC and Switch Redux announced

Rogue Trooper is returning to games platforms after an 11-year absence.

One of 2000 AD’s most endearing characters, Rogue last appeared on PlayStation 2, the original Xbox and PC in 2006. He then made a brief outing on the Nintendo Wii in 2009.

Now he returns to Nu Earth in Rogue Trooper: Redux, a heavily remastered and remodelled version of the original, much-loved game.

Rebellion has handed development duties over to TickTock Games, which will be providing all new versions for PS4, Xbox One, PC and the forthcoming Nintendo Switch.

We haven’t learned of a release date yet, but Rebellion promises us that more information will be forthcoming.

• Dredd 2: Everything you need to know about the Judge Dredd TV show or movie sequel

It also intriguingly tantalises us with the news that it plans to farm out other 2000 AD licences to third-party developers, including, potentially, Judge Dredd and Sláine.

This is in addition to the prospect of a TV series or sequel movie to the critically acclaimed Dredd. Rebellion CEO and co-founder, Jason Kingsley, told us earlier this month that plans for a possible television spin-off are “strongly moving in that direction”.

“Nothing has been announced yet but we are very, very keen on doing more with the huge depth of 2000 AD licences that we’ve got,” he added.

“We have to work out how to get more, cool 2000 AD stuff out to the marketplace. And hopefully, later on this year, that will be something we’ll be talking about in a bit more detail.”

Clearly that now means future games too.

LG Watch Style preview: The crown princess of Android Wear 2.0

LG announced two new smartwatches at the beginning of February in the form of the Watch Sport and Watch Style, both of which serve as poster boys for Android Wear 2.0.

We’ve previewed the Watch Sport previously, which you can read about in our separate feature, but here we are looking at the more fashion-friendly Watch Style.

• LG Watch Sport preview: The prince of Android Wear 2.0

LG Watch Style preview: Design

• IP68 rated, interchangeable straps
• Slim and sleek
• 42.3 x 45.7 x 10.79mm

The LG Watch Style is the slimmer and sleeker of the two Android Wear 2.0 watches. The Watch Sport is chunky and rugged, while the Watch Style is stylish and sophisticated. It is comfortable to wear and it looks lovely on the smaller wrist.

The watch body is stainless steel, while the back is plastic, though it doesn’t feel cheap like the LG Watch Urbane. It is light, perhaps a little too light, but the Watch Style still feels like a solid device.

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There is just one central rotatable crown on the right of the watch face, rather than the three on the Watch Sport and the bezel surrounding the display is narrower too, as well as shiny for a smarter finish. The crown is very responsive and easy to use, sliding through the menu options quickly and easily with no lag.

The Watch Style measures 42.3 x 45.7 x 10.79mm and it comes in rose gold, titanium and silver colourways, each of which has an IP68 water and dust resistance rating. The rose gold is our favourite, though we suspect the cream leather strap it comes with would need to occasionally be swapped for darker colour to stop it getting too grubby.

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The strap is easily changed however, requiring a simple pull back of the pins positioned on the underside of the device and unhooking the strap. Overall, the Watch Style’s design is lovely, simple and subtle, the latter of which isn’t always the case with smartwatches so always a bonus.

• LG Watch Sport vs LG Watch Style: What’s the difference?

LG Watch Style preview: Hardware and specs

• 1.2-inch 300 x 300 pixel display
• No flat tyre 
• Less features than Watch Sport 

The Watch Style offers a smaller 1.2-inch display, compared to the 1.38-inch display on the Watch Sport. The display is nice and bright, offering vibrant colours and crisp text thanks to its 360 x 360 resolution that provides a pixel density of 299ppi.

It didn’t seem as punchy as some of the OLED screens we have seen on the likes of the Apple Watch, but that could be down to the brightness setting, as well as the conditions. There is no flat tyre like there is on the Moto 360 or the Michael Kors Access though, which is definitely a good thing and the touch was very responsive.

Pocket-lint

Like the Watch Sport, the Watch Style runs on Qualcomm’s Wear 2100 chip but it has a smaller battery capacity at 240mAh and a little less RAM at 512MB. Operation appeared to be very smooth and fluid though, with no stuttering as we were switching between various features and functions.

The Watch Style also misses out on the other features present on the Watch Sport however, including LTE connectivity, NFC, GPS and heart rate monitoring. It means that while the Style is significantly slimmer in design because it ditches these features, you essentially get a much dumber smartwatch compared to the Sport model.

• Michael Kors Access review

LG Watch Style preview: Android Wear 2.0

• Lots of improvements in software
• Crown is great for navigating

The LG Watch Style was announced at the same time Google released Android Wear 2.0, designed to show off the new features of the updated wearable platform. The new software is lovely compared to the previous version, oozing maturity, practicality and refinement.

The rotational control is great. Pressing the crown button on the right of the Watch Style opens the app menu, and presents you with round icons around the display. The crown will then scroll through these apps (you can favourite apps to keep them at the top of the list), to make it easy to get to things – it’s much more dynamic than the old flat list.

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Users can switch watch faces easily with a swipe too, like you can on Apple Watch, and complications have also been added, allowing you to customise watch faces with the elements you want to see, such as step count.

There is also a new quick settings shade for instant actions and the Google Fit app has also been significantly improved, though the Watch Sport is the more suitable device to give you a better idea of your activity progress.

• What’s new in Android Wear 2.0?

First Impressions

The LG Watch Style is simple, sophisticated smartwatch that’s great for showing off Android Wear 2.0.

It offers a much smarter and more feminine design to its more rugged brother, as well as interchangeable straps, though it does miss out in several useful features in the process, like NFC.

We’ll let you know our full verdict once we have it in for full review.

Netflix app update: Better compression for less data usage incoming, mobile HDR for LG G6 launch

Netflix is pushing hard when it comes to mobile streaming in 2017. The video-on-demand service has told Pocket-lint at Mobile World Congress 2017 that its mobile app is about to receive a major update which will mean better quality streaming at lower bitrates. Furthermore mobile HDR (high dynamic range) will be supported for the LG G6 at launch.

• What is mobile HDR? Dolby Vision, HDR10 and everything you need to know about future mobile entertainment

How will this be achieved? Netflix will use Google’s VP9 codec, which means shows can be compressed more effectively without adversely affecting quality. Smaller file sizes, better quality when your on-the-go signal isn’t so hot, plus less data used overall. It’s a win-win situation. We’ve seen the side-by-side before and after comparisons, which clearly show how significant the quality difference is on a lowly connection (at around 156kbps).

For now this update applies for mobile only, with content delivered in up-to-1080p at various bitrates depending on the quality of connection. Netflix, at this time, has no plans to release 4K content for mobile – that’s reserved for TVs via smart apps, compatible set-top boxes and consoles.

Just because there’s no ultra-high definition for mobile, however, doesn’t mean the streaming service isn’t seeking out ways to improve quality. Mobile HDR will be available for the LG G6 at launch, with Dolby Vision support, meaning 10-bit colour and enhanced maximum brightness compared to a non-HDR handset. Other devices will follow (some with HDR10 only, not Dolby Vision), but Netflix isn’t say exactly what or when.

• LG G6 preview: All screen, no frame

We got to see a side-by-side SDR (standard dynamic range) and HDR pair of G6 handsets. The difference is subtle – the G6 won’t go as bright as some HDR TVs, for example – but the added depth from the colour clearly makes everything look that much richer. Mobile HDR footage will demand around an additional 15 per cent bandwidth to achieve its extra colour and brightness.

With more and more content appearing on Netflix – including exclusive Originals shows and feature-length movies – there will be greater scope than ever before to stream on the go and achieve high quality, even when not in a great signal area. Top banana.

• Netflix review: The leading light in home entertainment

Android at MWC 2017: 87 pin badges on the Android Walk, and something retro special

Android likes to bring a little fun to Mobile World Congress and in 2017, as it has done in two previous years Google has peppered the show with Android pin badges, providing show visitors with a distraction, while also hammering home just how far the Android ecosystem reaches.

Called the Android Walk, there are a total of 87 badges available, distributed over 3 days of the show across all the different Android partners.

These all follow Android’s “together not the same” theme, with a range of different chappies dressed in funky regalia: there’s Santa, a snowboarder, samurai, Mr Man in his lederhosen and every other national stereotype you can think of.

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These badges are divided into bronze, silver and gold, with 28 pins in each section; when you collect a badge, there’s a sticker in the pack for you to put in your Android Passport. When you have all the pins, you get a stamp on your passport and a special bronze, silver or gold pin badge. 

There are, however, a couple of special extras at the show. Nokia has its own Android holding a 3310, and this is available in a couple of different skin tones.

The question is, with so much happening at MWC 2017, will anyone have the time to collect all these badges?

• Best of MWC 2017: Samsung, LG, Sony, Huawei and more

Nokia Android

One Analyst Thinks the iPhone 8 Will Still Have a Lightning Connector With USB-C Adapter for Europe

The Wall Street Journal today reported that at least one upcoming iPhone model will include a USB-C port instead of a Lightning connector.

If the report is accurate, a single USB-C cable could be used to charge the so-called iPhone 8, 12-inch MacBook, or the latest MacBook Pro models.

People familiar with Apple’s plans said its release this year would include two models with the traditional LCDs and a third one with the OLED screen.

They said Apple would introduce other updates including a USB-C port for the power cord and other peripheral devices instead of the company’s original Lightning connector.

The Wall Street Journal has historically been a reliable source for iPhone rumors, so there is a good chance the report is true.

Nevertheless, the move towards USB-C has yet to be substantiated by other credible sources, and Apple changing the charging port on iPhones for the second time in five years, after switching from the 30-pin Dock Connector to Lightning connector in 2012, would certainly be a controversial decision.

At least one analyst is not convinced that Apple will ditch Lightning on its next iPhones, but he does believe USB-C will be in the mix.

Barclays managing director Blayne Curtis told MacRumors that he expects the iPhone 8 to keep its Lightning connector, while he believes that Apple will sell a Lightning to USB-C adapter in European countries to adhere to the European Commission’s “one mobile phone charger for all” campaign.

This adapter would likely be similar to Apple’s female-to-male Lightning to Micro-USB adapter, which allows an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with a Lightning connector to charge and sync with a micro USB cable. Apple sold a similar 30-pin Dock Connector to Micro-USB adapter in Europe to adhere to EU policy.

Many consumers have advocated for Apple to ditch its proprietary Lightning connector in favor of USB-C, which has become a standard feature on several Android smartphones, notebooks, and other devices. Whether it is an all-out USB-C port or yet another adapter, it seems that Apple might be listening.

Related Roundup: iPhone 8 (2017)
Tags: USB-C, Lightning
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