Windows 10 Preview Announced October 2, 2014

Microsoft has announced their next major operating system and it is Windows 10.  Just from a short glance at many of the screenshots posted after the OS’s announcement, it looks like Windows 10 will improve on Windows 8’s interface in almost every way.  The START button has been restored to all of its further glory, and the improved interface for mouse and keyboard users should impress many who preferred the classic Windows interface.

However, if screenshots are not enough for your, Microsoft is offering an advanced preview of Windows 10 right now, completely free of charge.  That’s right, the entire operating system can be downloaded and installed free of charge and will continue to work on your PC or Laptop for at least a few months.  Both 32 and 64-bit versions of the preview OS are being offered for download.  As for recommended system specs, Microsoft has stated that anyone currently using Windows 8 should be able to run Windows 10 without much problem.

You must have a Microsoft Live account (yes, Xbox Live accounts will work) to download the Windows 10 Preview.  If you already have one, you can use it to log into the Windows Technical Insider site, where you can get all the information you need to download and install the Windows 10 Preview.

According to recently released information, if you plan to install Windows 10 on an already existing PC, you should be able to do a simple upgrade from either Windows 7 or Windows 8 without having to wipe your PC’s hard drive.  However, we don’t yet know if the final version of Windows 10 will be compatible with the preview build, and you might have to wipe your PC to install the final version when it is released.

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Free Through Games With Gold October 1, 2014

Xbox Live Gold members using their Xbox 360s will be happy to find that the classic Electronic Arts game Battlefield: Bad Company 2 can be downloaded free of charge for all Xbox Live Gold Members.  I recommend telling all your Xbox Live friends you have as from what I’ve been told this game has a great cooperative mode.  The game takes up over 4 GB of space, so I would recommend downloading it to an Xbox 360 Hard Drive.

All Xbox 360 games download through Games With Gold will remain playable even after their Gold account expires.  Battlefield Bad Company 2 will continue to be offered for free until October 15th, 2014.  After that, Darksiders II will be made free through Games With Gold.

Pokemon Trading Card Game Online Launches on iPad October 1, 2014

Pokémon Trainers hoping to bring their online trading card battles on the go with them will be happy to know that The Pokémon Company has officially released the Pokémon TCG App to iPad!  Take a look.

You can download the app right now from the iPad’s App Store, it is free and takes up about 550MB.  The minimum requirement to use the app is an iPad with retina display, it is not compatible with the first two generation iPads or the original iPad Mini.  Sadly, the app is not compatible with any iPhone or iPod Touch devices either.

New D4 Clothing DLC Released for a Limited Time October 1, 2014

Some new clothing sets were released today for Swery65’s quirky new Xbox One exclusive adventure game D4: Dark Dreams Don’t Die. The cool thing about this clothing is that it is based on two of Microsoft’s strongest console properties, Gears of War and Fable.

The two sets of clothing are completely free and you can download them to your Xbox One right now from the Store. Hurry up on that, because Microsoft has made it clear this clothing will only be available for two weeks!

D4 is out now exclusively on the Xbox One.

Wii U System Update 5.2.0U Released September 29, 2014

Nintendo has released a new System Update for the Wii U in the form of version 5.2.0U. The new update makes the interface A LOT faster, and changes the appearance of the console’s HOME menu.

You don’t have to run your Wii U system update immediately as it is currently not required to continue using the Wii U system, but you won’t be able to update any programs without having the most recent Wii U system software.

Once updated, you will be required to accept an updated Terms of Service in order to continue using the Nintendo Network.

D4 Free DLC Released September 27, 2014

I finally got the chance to take a closer look at the quirky new downloadable Xbox One title, D4. Directed by Swery65, D4 is a new type of adventure game which puts you in the shoes of a time traveling detective trying to solve the murder of his wife.

Well, fans of this game might notice we got a nice little present from Microsoft this week in the form of some new clothing options for the game which were released as DLC. The clothes range in appearance but they do promote some of the other new Xbox One titles such as Powerstar Golf and Killer Instinct. The new clothes also give a stat bonus so they are definitely worth checking out. The best part out of all of this is all three of the new clothing DLC packs are free of charge and you can download them all right now.

If you plan to give this quirky game a look, totally give these clothes a download. You won’t be disappointed. Now where can I find a real world version of that Killer Instinct hoodie?

D4 is out now exclusively for download on Xbox One.

The Evil Within Has Gone Gold September 26, 2014

There is probably no game coming out in the month of October that I’m anticipating more than Bethesda’s upcoming horror title, The Evil Within, and yesterday Bethesda announced that their game has officially Gone Gold.  Gone Gold is an old gaming term meaning that a developer has completed development of a game and created a Gold Master release on disc which will be used for its mass duplication.

If you would like to know more about the game’s development, I recommend checking out Adam Sessler’s three-part documentary series about the making of the game, which was recently posted.  You can watch it below.

For those of you who are interested, here are the recommended PC technical requirements for the game, as well as the installation requirements for the console versions, pulled directly from Bethesda’s Blog.

Recommended PC System Specifications

• 64-bit Windows 7/Windows 8
• i7 with four plus cores
• 4 GBs RAM
• 50 GB of hard drive space*
• GeForce GTX 670 or equivalent with 4GBs of VRAM
• High Speed Internet Connection
• Steam account and activation

*It’s worth noting that the 50 GB of space required is for the PC install. When the installation is complete, the game will take up ~41 GB of HDD space.

Console Installation Requirements

• Xbox One — 40 GB HDD Space
• PlayStation 4 — 40 GB HDD Space
• PlayStation 3 — 7 GB HDD Space
• Xbox 360 — 7 GB  Note: The Evil Within requires a mandatory install to the Xbox 360’s HDD or a USB 2.0 (or higher) flash drive.

The Evil Within is launching October 14th, 2014 on PC, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3 and PS4.

iOS 8.0.2 Released September 26, 2014

Earlier this week Apple released an update to iOS 8 devices in the form of update 8.0.1.  It promised to fix several issues with the operating system.  Upon release, it did indeed fix several issues with iOS 8, at the cost of adding several extreme problems with the iPhone 6 family of handsets, and the update was pulled about an hour and a half into its distribution.

Today, Apple released iOS 8.0.2, which promises to fix everything the pulled update was able to fix and includes the added benefit of not breaking the iPhone 6.  If you are currently running iOS 8 or iOS 8.0.1, you should be able to update your iOS device without much issue right now either using iTunes or your device’s Software Update feature.

Pokemon World Championships 2014 Videos September 24, 2014

This year’s Pokémon World Championships were broadcast live online over the course of two days. Since the live stream was kept running for several hours each day, there was a ton of airtime to fill. Aside from all the matches, interviews and commentary the feed provided, there still was a lot of dead air broadcasted as we waited for matches to begin. To remedy this, The Pokémon Company produced some short videos during the show which streamed during breaks and now those videos are available to watch at your leisure.

Whether you missed the event or are like me and want to see it again, take a look.

I can’t wait to see what’s in store for us next year.

iOS 8.0.1 Released (Pulled) September 24, 2014

Since iOS 8 released last week, the Internet has been buzzing with complaints about issues with the newest operating system powering Apple’s handhelds. Today, Apple released an update to iOS 8 which hopefully will fix a lot of the issues people are having, version 8.0.1.

The new update brings in a laundry list of new fixes on a wide variety of different apps that are part of the OS. You can download it right now on your iPhone or iPad. The update is only about 65-75 MB in size and if you already have iOS 8 installed, it shouldn’t take too long to update your device.

UPDATE: I’ve just received word that the update has been pulled by Apple after some users had problems with Touch ID and cellular reception. However, this may be specific to only a few model devices, as I’ve used the update on a third generation iPad and iPhone 5s and so far haven’t had any issues with either.

I’m sure once Apple has a fix they’ll make it available as soon as possible.