Tech Culture

Google talks up Chromecast in 2014

Google talks up Chromecast in 2014

Google has big plans for its surprise hit Chromecast to take it far beyond its status as a low-cost, limited-function dongle for streaming media.

The company wants to make it available to an international audience, Mario Queiroz, Google's vice president of product management, told GigaOm on Friday. Fans of the device will be "pleasantly surprised," he said.

As more people are able to get the device, Google expects that they will want more apps to be compatible with it, Queiroz said. That requires finalizing and opening the Chromecast Software Development Kit (SDK), which the company hopes to … Read more

2015 Mustang joins Need for Speed Rivals as free download

2015 Mustang joins Need for Speed Rivals as free download

Getting a little bored with the chase-or-be-chased gameplay in Need for Speed Rivals? Maybe a little pony power is all it will take to get you back on the streets of Redview County.

The 2015 Ford Mustang, unveiled with no shortage of pomp just last week, today joins the ranks of playable cars. A patch hitting all platforms sometime before the day is through will add the car to the game. Also included will be a series of liveries, some created by the devs, others voted on by the fans.

We had a chance to take the car for a … Read more

Ask the Experts, Episode 2: Streaming and Video Sharing

Next-gen means more than just flashier graphics and better performance. It also means new and innovative features that fall in line with what's popular in gaming culture. Right now, there's nothing bigger than videogame spectating.

What started as a DIY phenomenon is now a worldwide spectacle, where millions of viewers spend time broadcasting, watching, and commenting on live and recorded video game action. To catch up with that trend, the Xbox One and the PlayStation 4 both have game DVR functionality built right into their framework, making it easier for gamers to participate.

In this latest episode of … Read more

Oculus Rift gets major boost with $75M in funding

Oculus Rift gets major boost with $75M in funding

Oculus VR, the company behind the highly anticipated Oculus Rift virtual reality gaming goggles, has just secured a boatload of cash to bring the product to market.

The company late Thursday announced that it has secured $75 million in a venture funding round led by Andreessen Horowitz. Spark Capital and Matrix Partners, among others, participated in the round.

The cash infusion, which dwarfs the more than $18 million Oculus has raised through Kickstarter and a Series A round, will be used to hire more staff, the company said in a statement. That staff, coupled with the funding, will provide the … Read more

Netflix finds TV binge watchers more common than you think

Netflix finds TV binge watchers more common than you think

We've all been there -- sitting on the couch, finding a great show, and watching as many of its episodes as possible in one sitting. And a new study seems to prove it's becoming awfully commonplace.

Netflix on Friday released the results of a survey conducted on its behalf by Harris Interactive, revealing that 61 percent of 1,500 TV streamers binge-watch shows at least every few weeks. So what precisely is binge-watching? According to the poll, 73 percent of respondents say it's watching between two and six episodes of the same TV show in a single … Read more

Interactive LED choir spreads holiday cheer

Interactive LED choir spreads holiday cheer

An installation in Sydney, Australia's Pitt Street Mall consists of person-shaped, LED-filled sculptures that use proximity sensors to sing beautiful music when people pass by.

Called the Infinite Choir, it consists of two rows of abstract human-shaped sculptures with speakers instead of heads that sing when people walk by. But it's a far cry from the twee Christmas carols: each of the 16 "singers" (eight per row) is fitted with a pre-recorded voice that sings an angelic, wordless phrase. … Read more

SteamOS gets official launch date: December 13

SteamOS gets official launch date: December 13

SteamOS, the highly anticipated software platform for gamers, will launch on Friday, Valve, the company behind the platform, has confirmed.

In addition to launching SteamOS, Valve says that it'll make available 300 prototype Steam Machines and controllers to those who signed up for the Steam Machine beta test. The Steam Machine is essentially a PC designed for the living room that will allow gamers to play titles through SteamOS on their televisions.

SteamOS was announced earlier this year as an ambitious project to bring yet more streaming to the living room. The Linux-based platform comes with Steam's Big … Read more

Ask the Experts, Episode 1: Exclusives Breakdown

In what can only be described as a match made in Internet heaven, CNET and GameSpot have finally teamed up to bring you a brand new series called "Ask the Experts."

Well versed and highly regarded experts Jeff Bakalar (CNET) and Peter Brown (GameSpot) have put together seven episodes designed to carefully navigate viewers through the treacherous waters of next-gen gaming. Using reader-submitted questions from each site's audience, Jeff and Peter break down the sometimes confusing details about each console and give their professional advice on the future of video games.

In our first episode our experts … Read more

Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga storms onto iOS

Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga storms onto iOS

Lego's marriage with Star Wars for years has set the average geek's heart aflutter. And now, they have something else to get excited about.

Warner Bros. on Thursday launched, in Apple's App Store, Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga. The game, which is designed for both iPhone and iPad, combines Legos with Star Wars to create a new way for players to interact with the famed franchise's environment.

Interestingly, the "Complete Saga" moniker doesn't necessarily tell the whole story. After downloading the free game, iOS users will find that they can play Episode … Read more

StarCraft player recognized by US as pro athlete

StarCraft player recognized by US as pro athlete

South Korea's Dong-hwan "Violet" Kim has earned nearly $100,000 playing video games. Now, he also has a US professional athlete visa to boast about.

Kim this week became the first professional StarCraft 2 player to receive a P-1A internationally recognized athlete visa.

The visa is for those "coming to the U.S. temporarily to perform at a specific athletic competition as an athlete, individually or as part of a group or team, at an internationally recognized level of performance," according to the U.S. government. … Read more