Categories
Videogames

Steam’s Big Picture is way bigger

Steam announced yesterday that the world’s most popular online gaming store is getting a brand-new UI for using it on your TV, with a gamepad. They call it Steam Big Picture.

Many will dismiss this as something irrelevant. After all it has always been possible to plug your desktop or laptop to a big screen and play games with a controller. That’s nothing new.

But folks, we’re talking about Steam here, so we need to look at the bigger picture (see what I did there?) I honestly think that this is one huge step in moving the entire games industry forward.

Let me go back in time for a moment: it used to be that game consoles such as the NES and the MegaDrive had great games with nice graphics. But PCs were always the big guys that could display bigger worlds, more detailed characters and play online games. But at some point games started becoming more mainstream. Incredibly complex stories arrived with much higher production values as game consoles became the easiest solution to play games comfortably on the sofa. PC games also got more complex, but so did the hardware part: users were no longer buying big desktop PCs and instead they favored small, portable laptops that they could take anywhere. This meant that most laptops had small graphics cards incapable of running the newest games comfortably.

Consoles offered one huge bonus against computers in terms of gaming: you just had to connect them to the TV, put the disc in, and start playing (though nowadays you also get the constant nagging of online updates). But they also meant a much more closed environment where what can be sold was strictly controlled by the hardware maker. So pretty much everything has been in the hands of Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft for the past few years.

But PC gaming never stood still either, because while the Xbox 360 and the Playstation 3 were fighting to get a better media consumption system in the living room that could stand up against computers, Valve was building what would eventually become gaming’s biggest online store, focusing solely on making the gaming experience better on the PC and letting other software makers and web developers do the media and web consumption thing.

The result was Steam, and the previously maligned service is now a heaven for gamers worldwide. It has amazing online community services, the possibility of making your game free-to-play and then buy add-ons, holiday sales that knock your wallet off your pocket, cloud-based game saves, automatic background updates for games and, recently, a new gateway for indie developers to showcase and possibly sell their games on Steam based on what the community likes best.

And now you can use it on your TV without the need of a mouse and keyboard.

An addition like that on its own means nothing. But when you add to that the impressive catalog that Steam offers of both casual and hardcore games plus all the features mentioned above, you start to realize that if Steam was a console it would be right now the most powerful console ever.

Now what would happen if Dell, HP, Acer or any other PC manufacturer decided to create a small, affordable computer that was advertised along with Valve as a Steam-capable machine? What if that machine had Steam pre-installed and came with a wireless controller?

Well, you’d have the console with the biggest games catalog ever, the most complete online service and the choice of buying whichever brand you liked most. Depending on the brand you might even be able to upgrade it with newer graphics cards and processors instead of having to wait for the next generation console to arrive. Even better, you’d have instant access to every single game you’ve purchased even on a Mac and still play them on other systems.

The funny thing is that Microsoft has been trying to aim for this to happen for a long time ever since they announced Windows XP Media Center edition. They just never pushed it forward as much as they should have. They had ease of use from a couch with a TV remote, access to online services and a few games started integrating themselves in the system when Windows Vista came out. Then there was Games for Windows LIVE, later renamed to Xbox Games for Windows, which gained more haters than supporters. The reason why they never pushed it further was probably the fact that Microsoft already had the Xbox 360 on good standing and they didn’t feel the need to risk cannibalizing their hardware sales.

And now Steam has beaten them to the punch. Right on the verge of Windows 8 arriving on stores as Valve readies Steam and all its games to work on Linux-based computers. Right when it is time for the next generation consoles to arrive, starting with the WiiU later this year.

If these next-gen consoles take too long to arrive and Valve plays its cards well (and it has way too many aces in its sleeve to fail) this new Steam Big Picture might mean a new current in the games market. It might drive more people to buy PC games. It might mean less next-gen console sales. It might potentially give indie game developers broad access to a huge new wave of customers. It might.

This is all but my own conjecture. Obviously the console market is not going to die just like that simply because of a program adding a coach-friendly UI. But it does mark the beginning of a new trend, and it could change many things in the long term. All we can do for now is wait and see. And try the Big Picture mode ourselves for free.

Categories
General Internet and technology

Yikes! Temporarily blacklisted by Google!

What you see above is a picture of what Google Chrome showed the visitors of websites that linked to my site for the last couple of days. A similar warning was shown to Firefox users.

First of all, my apologies to all those whose site was affected by this problem.

Apparently my site got hacked somehow, and though everything seemed to be working normally, the truth is that some malicious code had inserted itself into my WordPress installation, resulting in almost every page attempting to redirect users to shady websites.

Google’s frequent security scans detected this and immediately blacklisted Anchel.com as a malware-affected domain, triggering warning messages on all web browsers that use Google’s blacklisting service. And not only that, but every other website that had content coming from mine would receive a similar warning as well. This affected a couple of friend’s websites (such as AloneInTheDark211 as seen in the picture above) and fellow game designer Hugo Bille for whom I’m helping out with the Spanish translation of his upcoming game.

It has taken me much longer than expected, but it seems like I have been able to (manually) take out all the injected malicious code from my web server after several scans, checking many PHP files and asking friends for help.

So, once again, sorry to all the affected people and thanks a lot to Gustav Dahl and Emil Erik Hansen for their advice! Take this as well as a word of warning to everyone out there with a WordPress site! Even if you think your website is not at risk, you’d do well to check your security settings (the WP Security Scan plugin checks for some basic mistakes your installation might have).

And now Anchel.com is back on track!

Categories
betaDwarf Videogames

FORCED is ready for Steam… if you vote for us!

Remember those BetaDwarf developer diaries I posted about a few months ago?

What about that post about BetaDwarf at Copenhagen Games?

Back then their game Faith of the Guardians had a very different look and certainly it wasn’t as polished as it is now.

But that’s also because the team has been pushing VERY HARD to get the game ready for showcasing on the new Steam Greenlight section. This is a digital game showcase where indie game developers can display their work in progress (or already finished games) and get people to vote for them. The games that get the most attention will strike a deal with Valve to sell their game on the all-powerful and ever-popular Steam Store.

So yes! FORCED is the title for BetaDwarf’s first commercial game and it’s waiting for you to watch its new amazing trailer (which I participated in creating!) and vote for them so that they can get a sales deal on Steam!

If you like what you see here, make sure you go right now to their Steam Greenlight page and rate them, mark as a favorite and share the link with all your friends! Everyone at BetaDwarf will really appreciate it and you will also be helping the Danish game developers community! =)

So what are you waiting for? Go on and vote for us!

Thanks!

 

Categories
General

A personal post: I’m finished! And… now what?

Well, it’s been a while.

I haven’t been posting many new updates on the blog lately but I’ve definitely been maintaining the Portfolio page with new content such as the No More Sweden game Super Screaming Skull Bros 2 I made with K. Shonibare-Lewis and Mattia Traverso or a list of the most important articles I wrote while I was working as a technology columnist for US-government news website Voice of America.

But the thing is that now I am officially finished with my studies at the IT University of Copenhagen and I am now a Master’s in Game Design after writing my thesis “Cutscenes did not kill the gameplay” (which I hope to make available soon on this website).

So… what’s next?

For starters, I am now working for Den Danske Filmskole, which is the National Film School of Denmark. And what does that have to do with games? A lot actually: I’m working for the program called EUCROMA, which stands for the European Cross-Media Academy.

What we do is a program for students from all over Europe where they are guided through the process of creating a cross-media production which encompasses both a short 3D animated movie and a videogame based in the same universe. I’ll keep the specifics for a later post, but for now it will suffice to say that I am one of the people organizing the entire program which will start next January.

At the same time I’m helping randomly here and there with little things that come up and I am actively participating in several Danish game institutions (I am now one of the five board members of the IGDA Denmark (International Game Developers Association).

So YES, I will be staying in Denmark for a while longer. How much longer you ask? I do not know yet, but I am not in a hurry to get back to Spain. The one thing that matters to me right now is that I have found a place where I can work for a living while I expand my skills and knowledge, putting into practice all I have learned so far during my radio, TV and film studies both at the University of Navarra (Spain) and the University of North Texas (USA) as well as my game design studies at the IT University of Copenhagen (Denmark).

I have several plans going forward from now on. Some may succeed, many may fail. But whatever the case I will be updating this website with my portfolio, my resumé and other blog posts about videogames and technology. At the same time feel welcome to subscribe to both my Twitter and Facebook feeds, which I definitely keep updated way more often than this website.

Categories
Videogames

Heroes & Generals trailer is out!

A few months ago I posted about the recording of a trailer for the upcoming game Heroes & Generals by Reto-Moto, a Danish video game developer based in Copenhagen with some of the original developers of the popular series Hitman.

Today the trailer made its way to games website Gamespot, where it is already getting some attention. Can you spot me in the video? 😉

Why don’t you go ahead and give it a look?

Oh, and here’s once again a picture of the entire team for the trailer!

Categories
Internet and technology Microsoft

Some quick thoughts on the new Microsoft Surface

I was really skeptical of this when I first heard the rumors of a possible Microsoft tablet. First because I didn’t think they would risk their relationship with all the OEMs like HP, Dell and Sony. Second because a Microsoft-built tablet would probably be too business-oriented and just lack the whole “cool” factor that many tablet users are looking for.

Then I saw the live presentation of the new Surface by Microsoft (they are calling it like that) and it totally blew my mind.

I hadn’t been this excited for a Microsoft product for a long time. Sure, it’s yet another tablet, but they seem to have learned a few tricks from the Apple book of “how to make products look exciting during keynotes” (read: they are all magical). It’s sleek, it screams amazing build quality, it has innovative touches like its colorful touch-covers (which also happen to change the background color of the Windows 8 start screen automatically) and it is the only tablet that comes with a fully functional office suite (Microsoft Office 2013). All of a sudden it makes Windows 8 look a lot more interesting too! This is definitely one bold new direction for Microsoft. Say goodbye to the old “play-it-safe” dinosaur of the last decade.

Now, some would say this is too late, but I don’t think Microsoft is late to the game at all. Look at the current state of the tablet market. Some people have completely replaced their daily computer use for a daily tablet use. I know some friends who just leave their laptops at work and only bring home their iPad so they can still read the email, check Facebook and watch the occasional movie or TV show. But that’s not everyone yet. Many people still need proper document editing and higher quality games that do more than just touch and gyro.

Microsoft is now offering a solution for this with a tablet that not only has all the hardware necessary to make it a possible notebook replacement (or just complementary), but they also have an OS that is custom-made to work great on both tablets and PCs, unlike iOS and Android.

Also it’s interesting to see how during the presentation Microsoft’s CEO Steve Ballmer kept mentioning that this is the perfect integration of hardware and software, making it as good as it can be. Interesting because this is exactly the same mantra that Apple has been pushing for the last 10 years…

And think about the possibilities in gaming: we’re talking about Windows here, so it’s going to accept any gamepad you connect to it. Play a game on the go… and then plug the tablet to the TV when at home and play a game like Portal 2 (which, on the Intel version of the tablet, it might run moderately well).

Right now I have a very unexciting Android tablet (Sony Tablet S). I think I just found its future replacement. But I’ll want to see prices first…

For now all I can say is good move, Microsoft.