With Super Bowl XLVIII just hours away, Microsoft is airing
its first national Super Bowl advert on Sunday. The company while searching for
a new CEO, has also found the time to create a series of "empowering"
videos that mark a fresh marketing approach for the company. It’s easy to think
of Microsoft as a corporate giant that has was late to the mobile and tablets
party, but the reality is that millions of people still rely on its vast array
of software products for their daily work. That’s the message that Microsoft is
trying to hammer home during the Super Bowl this year.
Microsoft’s Super Bowl ads this year will run for 60 seconds
during Sunday’s game, showing people using the company's software for the “greater
good”. The software maker isn't revealing its exact Super Bowl ad until
tomorrow, but it’s clear from the new "empowering" series of videos
that it will include appearances from various people that have used Microsoft’s
software across medicine, education, and everyday life.
It’s an unusually emotional ad for Microsoft, as the company
has traditionally opted to market its products front and center. It's also a
welcome move away from controversial campaigns such as Scroogled.
The ads, include the story of former professional football
player Steve Gleason who was diagnosed with neuro-muscular disease ALS in 2011,
and the ad shows how he uses a Surface along with Tobii’s eye tracking hardware
to interact with friends and family.
A Swedish surgeon, who uses Kinect to perform surgeries in a
better manner.
Classrooms across the world connecting to each other via
Skype.
Hal Pasko, a 97 year old man who continued his love for art
using Microsoft Paint.
Braylon O'Neill was born missing the tibia and fibula bones
in both of his legs. Now, he's making strides, pushing limits, and playing
sports because of Microsoft technology.
Sarah Churman also stars in one of Microsoft’s
"empowering" ads. Churman was born deaf, but in 2011 a hearing
implant allowed her to hear her children properly following years of having to
use traditional hearing aids.
Combined together, Microsoft’s set of "empowering"
ads are incredibly moving, that tugs at the heartstrings. Good work Microsoft!
The Android custom ROM development community, is a small
tight group. Shaking things up was the announcement of Roman Birg, founder and
leader of the Android Open Kang Project (better known as AOKP) joining the
newly established Cyanogen Inc., the company that's now formally developing and
promoting the CyanogenMod ROM.
Birg's role at Cyanogen is still unclear, although many
believe it has come in effect of the company advertising job openings for
software engineers. Birg says that he will continue to work on the AOKP ROM
while he's employed by Cyanogen Inc.
AOKP was formed post Android 4.0 nearly 2 years back, but
built a very strong following because of the great amount of user friendly
customization and tweaking built upon the stock Android experience. With more than 3.5 million installations,
AOKP has become the second most popular version of Android developed and
released by the community, currently supporting over 60 official devices.
While CyanogenMod is the leader among custom ROM users, it's
still a tiny minority of Android as a whole, and the path that the new
corporation takes will be one to watch. It will be interesting to see where
Cyanogen Inc. goes with input from the founder of its biggest custom ROM competitor. Please take a few seconds to share! Source: AOKP Blog
Let’s face it, Windows 8 was not the grand success the
people at Microsoft were hoping for. What people forgot was that it was the
first step towards Microsoft’s vision of a hybrid tablet and desktop operating
system and it is still an evolving UI/OS (Remember the Android 1.6, 2.0 stock
UI?).
Although the company is focused on continued development on
Windows 8.1, with an “Windows 8.1 - Update 1” on the cards, Windows watcher
Paul Thurrott is reporting that the company has started planning on a release
of Windows 9, code-named "Threshold"sometime around April 2015. Allegedly, Microsoft will unveil its ideas/plans/vision for Windows 9 at the company’s Build 2014 developer
conference in April later this year.
The move to Windows9 could help Microsoft to move away from
the criticism that Windows 8 received. It’s currently unknown what type of
changes will be made in Windows 9, but a "Metro 2.0" is being
reported, which will focus on improving Microsoft’s new app world and tiles.
One of the major things that will supposedly come in between now and April 2015
is a full return of the Start Menu, although it is more likely that Microsoft
will include this change in the Update for Windows 8.1 rather than in an
entirely new operating system next year.
BUILD 2014 Will Set the Vision for Windows 9
Like it did with Windows 8, Microsoft will use three major
milestone development points for Windows 9, but it’s not clear how many of them
will be released to the public during the development period.
Windows certainly needs public excitement, more Windows
8-style apps, and in house innovation if it is to succeed with its vision of a
hybrid tablet and desktop operating system. Hopefully Build 2014 and Windows 9
will provide the company just that.
One thing is clear, while there will be further modifications
to Windows 8.1 in the coming updates, Windows
9 looks to be the next major release.
2013 saw two new amazing consoles
land in the market. 2014 will see developers using the new tools and extra
power to come out with games, with even better graphics. I pick the games, I’m
looking forward to most.
1. Titanfall
This is by far one of the
most anticipated games of 2014. A FPS with giant robots, what more could any
man want?! The game is an online- multiplayer only game. Judging by the trailer
and initial response, the game is action packed, with abilities to run on walls
and hijack mechs. If you are still not convinced, the fact that the game won
over 60 awards at its E3 2013 reveal, including a record-breaking six E3
Critics Awards should convince to put it on your must buy list.
Platform: PC, Xbox 360,
PS3
Launch Date: 14 March 2014
2. Destiny
This game has been
creating hype for quite some time now. Initially expected to come out in 2013
(It was included in our last year’s list too), the game is now coming in
September. With BUNGIE behind the game (The studio that brought us Halo 1-3) along
with Activision, expectations are bound to be high.
Players create a custom
Guardian avatar, choosing from powerful hunters, warlocks, and titans, and set
out to defend the last city on Earth using a combination of weapons and magic. Will
bungie once again reinvent FPS? Time will tell.
Platform: PC, Xbox 360,
Xbox One, PS 3, PS4
Launch Date: 9 September
2014
3. Watch Dogs
This is the game I have
been waiting for, originally scheduled for a November 2013 release, the game
has been pushed to mid-2014. Forget iOS vs Android. In Watch Dogs’ future,
everyone is jacked into a centralized operating system, which means that the
game’s hacker protagonist (Aiden Pearce) has access to the digital lives of the
entire city. The game blends on-foot stealth and action gameplay with driving
(more than 65 vehicles are available!), allowing players to work their way
through the overarching storyline any way they wish. And multiplayer allows players
to hack into other player's games and toy with them in different ways.
Being a fan of the CBS hit
show, Person of Interest, the similar theme excites me a lot. While the TV show
is set in New York City and this game takes place in Chicago. Moreover, with
the recent NSA spying revelations, Watch Dogs launches at an interesting time.
Platform: PC, Xbox 360,
Xbox One, PS 3, PS4
Launch Date: 30 June 2014
4.South Park: The Stick
of Truth
This game has been delayed
more time than any other, hopefully the final release will occur soon for what
may be the first worthwhile South Park game ever made – and potentially even a
decent role-playing game. The game supposedly turns the foul-mouthed boys into
wizards, warriors and auctoritas.
Platform: PC, Xbox 360,
PS3
Launch Date: 7 March 2014
5. Dark Souls II
The original game took the
world by surprise in 2012, making the sequel highly anticipated. The game like
its predecessor, is an action role-playing open world video game. The story
will revolve around a cursed character trying to find a cure for their agony, and
will be emotional and involved in the fashion of the original Demon's Souls's
story. Miyazaki (who served as director on Demon's Souls and Dark Souls) stated
there will be no direct connection between Dark Souls and Dark Souls II. The
game will use its own dedicated multiplayer servers.
Platform: PC, Xbox 360,
PS3
Launch Date: 14 March 2014
6. Game of Thrones
Very little is known about
this game, but with Telltale behind the game expectations are sky high. The
game developer is trying to take the same approach that it did with ‘The
Walking Dead, which saw the game earn 90 Game of the Year awards in 2012 and
apply it to Game of Thrones. The game makers are working with HBO to deliver an
episodic adventure that follows George R.R. Martin's bestselling fantasy book
series.
While not much has been
revealed about this just-announced game, it's expected to deliver virtual
seasons of interactivity as players explore Westeros and the seven noble
families vying for control of the Iron Throne and the Seven Kingdoms. A key
component of most Telltale's games are the interpersonal relationships among
characters and the hard decisions that need to be made. Game of Thrones is the
perfect suit for this type of gameplay. Highly Excited!
Platform: TBA
Launch Date: TBA 2014
7. Dragon Age: Inquisition
I’m a huge fan of the
Dragon Age series and consider it to be one of the best RPG’s to play. Bioware
has supposedly worked on the criticism that Dragon Age II received, and
promised a much wider scope and much more developed role-playing elements,
while blending elements from the highly successful first game.The hopes of the
fans are high on this one!
Platform: PC, Xbox 360,
Xbox One, PS 3, PS4
Launch Date: Q3 2014
8. Metal Gear Solid V
The Metal Gear franchise
is one of which no one can have had enough. Every sequel introduces
fundamentally new concepts/ideas while killing a few things you loved from the
prequels.Metal Gear Solid V's addition to the franchise, will be
an open world map design and a much less linear structure.
The game is supposedly so
big, that Konami is splitting the release into two parts. A
"prologue" called Ground Zeroes will be released in March. The full
game, The Phantom Pain, will be released... at some point, later.
Platform: PC, Xbox 360,
Xbox One, PS 3, PS4
Launch Date: 18 March and
TBA 2014.
9. The Witcher 3: Wild
Hunt
Developer CD Projekt has
created the third game in its bestselling franchise exclusively for PC and
next-gen consoles. This game is a must for Skyrim fans, gamers who love massive
RPG’s with nonlinear story lines.
But what will ultimately draw
gamers is the deep and complex nature of the game's storyline. Gamers will be
challenged to make hard choices throughout the epic adventure as the world
evolves based on each decision that the protagonist, Geralt. There will also be
plenty of vicious monsters to slay, inspired by European ghost stories and
Celtic legend. A dynamic weather system and day/night cycle impacts the
gameplay, as some creatures only come out in the dark. This game promises to
deliver the first truly next-gen fantasy role-playing experience.
Platform: PC, Xbox One, PS4
Launch Date: Q2 2014
10. Broken Age
This one is for the point and click adventure fans! With the legendry game designer Tim Schafer (the man behind Monkey Island, Grim Fandago, Full Throttle) returning, the hopes are high for this game. The Kickstarter fund gives
a good idea of the hopes behind this
game, the developers set out with a $400,000 goal but with thousands of people
backing, managed to raise a whooping $3,336,371! This game better be good..
The first episode is out
in January though and the second in May.
Platform: PC, iOS, Android
Launch Date: 14 January
2014 and 14 May 2014
11. X
How time has changed the dynamics. Nintendo basically was forced by the
fans to release the gorgeous, fun RPG Xenoblade Chronicles on Wii, and now its
follow-up is one of the most anticipated titles for Wii U. Even if X is as good
as its predecessor, it still probably won't sell many copies. But, at least
it'll give content-starved Wii U owners the kind of lengthy single-player
adventure that the system has sorely lacked thus far.
Platform: Wii U
Launch Date: TBA 2014
12. inFAMOUS: Second Sons
One of the few PS4 exclusive that caught the eye of the gamers at the PS4
launch. From the gameplay trailer I saw released by PlayStation, it looks
incredibly amazing. The graphics are awesome, you can jump from a building and
use your fire hands to lift you upwards and the animation when you kill people
is freakin cool!!!
Platform: PS4
Launch Date: 21 March 2014
13. The Division
A disease has wreaked havoc in the US, triggering a complete social
breakdown. It’s up to you now to sort it out. This online multiple tactical
shooter + role playing game looks to be one of the most exciting prospects of
the year. One of the most graphically impressive next gen games at last year’s
E3, this new Tom Clancy third person shooter is also extremely ambitious in
terms of its online features and smart device connectivity.
Platform: PC, Xbox One, PS4
Launch Date: Q4 2014
14. Dying Light
Zombies were the fad of 2012-13. But it’s getting a bit boring now. Still,
Techland has given the zombie apocalypse horror game another go and the result
looks pretty entertaining.
In this fast paced game, you play a man who tries to survive against the
zombies that grow aggressive and dangerous everyday especially at night, you
have to scavenge and hunt for tools to make weapons and fight them.
Platform: PC, Xbox 360,
Xbox One, PS 3, PS4
Launch Date: TBA 2014
15. Thief
Thief is an upcoming stealth action-adventure game that focuses on
Garrett, a master thief. This is the fourth game in the series. The reason it's
on the list is because you can do all sorts of things that is awesome. Firstly,
you can pickpocket someone and turn into smoke, secondly, you can be as free as
you like in the game, you choose your own paths and you choose your fate in the
game. Sadly, the game only has a campaign mode and no multiplayer mode.
Platform: PC, Xbox 360,
Xbox One, PS 3, PS4
Launch Date: 25 February 2014
Honorable Mentions:
1. The Walking Dead Season 2 and the Wolf Among Us by Telltale.
2. The Elder Scrolls Online (4 February 2013) on PC, Xbox One and PS4.
3. The Order: 1886 on PS4.
4. Sunset Overdrive on Xbox One.
5. The Witness on PS4 and PC, by Jonathan Blow (creator of Braid)
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