Microsoft bolsters PC gaming with new Games for Windows Live

Microsoft has officially launched the first of many significant Games for Windows Live updates designed to attract PC gamers to the company's free, cross-platform gaming service.Read More...

Lugaru shows why game devs should support OS X and Linux

Jeff Rosen of Wolfire Games has an intriguing post up about why developers of videogames like himself should go out of their way to support the OS X and Linux markets. Their game, Lugaru, is available on Windows, OS X and Linux, and the upcoming sequel, Overgrowth, is also being developed for OS X. Rosen says right out that the prevailing opinion, that the smaller markets aren't worth developing for because the audience isn't there, is just plain wrong -- Mac sales accounted for a full half of Lugaru's sales. The people who are buying software, his data seems to say, are using Macs.And he has five main points why it's worth the time and effort to release builds on these smaller platforms: you have sites like ours (and the great Inside Mac Games) to talk about your game for you. We Mac gamers respect companies that take the time to make sure we have just as great a gaming experience as our PC counterparts, and we talk about it when they do. He says that a Linux version gained them a mention on Slashdot, one place they'd likely never have been mentioned if they were "just another Windows game." And power users are often Mac users as well -- you want someone who will spend an entire night coming up with new content for your game just because they love it so much? Mac users are nothing if not disturbingly obsessive about the software they love.Good points all around. Many game developers, both large and small, continue to scoff at the Mac markets as too small while at the same time wondering why they can't get a foothold of a community on the Internet. Of course, releasing a Mac version doesn't guarantee you higher sales and a rabid group of fans -- you have to make a good game first and foremost. But some of the most influential and insightful game players online are Mac users, and by shrugging them off as "not a big enough audience," you're shooting yourself in the foot.TUAWLugaru shows why game devs should support OS X and Linux originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 30 Dec 2008 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Microsoft refunding gamers, Games for Windows Live goes free

Microsoft made a series of announcements this week that the company hopes will reinvigorate the PC gaming market, including the announcement of DirectX 11 and the advent of free Windows Live gaming. Ars spoke with Microsoft's Kevin Unangst about the company's present and future plans, including DX11, Games for Windows Live, and the PCGA.Read More...

Free As a Bird: The PC World Games For Windows Live Interview, Part One

Did you catch the news yesterday that Microsoft's Games For Windows Live online service, which used to cost $50 a year for multiplayer privileges, is now completely free? We caught up with Microsoft Senior Global Director of Games For...

Road to Mac OS X Snow Leopard: the future of 64-bit apps

Snow Leopard's across-the-board leap to 64-bits, from the kernel to all of its bundled apps, will make more memory available and boost performance. However, Apple will also need to manage its 64-bit lead and organize its developers. Here's why. ...

Atari 2600 controller is USB, OS X compatible

Section: Software + Apps, Games, Mac + Computers, PeripheralsHard to get more old school than this: Legacy Consumer Electronics has released an Atari 2600 joystick with a USB port.It’s compatible with OS X, Windows, and Linux, and is sure to provide hours of enjoyment until your hands get horrible, crippling cramps from the harsh plastic edges. But I ask you, who really knew about ergonomics in those days? Finally - a controller to play video games the way they should be played - OLD SCHOOL STYLE !!! Tired of trying to play video games with a keyboard/mouse? Tired of trying to use a thumbstick, flight yoke, or other thumbpad designed controllers to play video games and they just don’t work right and your game play suffers? The answer is here at long last, the classic joystick controller! Note that Legacy isn’t mentioning the name “Atari” anywhere on their store page, so hopefully this beautiful piece of nostalgia won’t run into any licensing issues. Also no word on how to configure it for use with a particular game, although they state that it should work with “almost any game that can map and use a Standard Gamepad as a controller.” The controller costs $14.99 (plus shipping, discount if you buy more than one). Product [Classic joystick controller] Full Story » | Written by Bill Stiteler for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »