Sony A5100 - another world's smallest camera unveiled
Sony has introduced a new camera to sit in its range of APS-C E-mount cameras. One is claimed to be the world's smallest for its sensor size that includes a built-in flash and Wi-Fi.
The Sony A5100 replaces the NEX-5T and sits underneath the A6000 in Sony's current-line up of compact system cameras.
It features a 24.3-million pixel APS-C sized Exmor CMOS sensor, along with Sony's latest generation Bionz X processor - the same processor as found in Sony's flagship A7 cameras.
Also included is a 180-degree tilting touchscreen, which, somewhat unusually for Sony, is touch sensitive.
Connectivity
Wi-Fi connectivity is included, as is the ability to expand the camera's functionality with apps downloadable from the Sony PlayMemories store. NFC technology is included for making quick connections between the camera compatible devices, too. You can easily transfer images between devices, or use a smartphone or tablet to control the camera.The A5100 features the same Hybrid AF system as found in the A6000, with 179 phase detection points designed to capture fast action. The touch sensitive screen can be used to focus or fire off the shutter release.
Video recording is also available, with full HD (1080p) at 50 Mbps.
Sony claims that the camera is the world's smallest, but that comes with some caveats. It's not as small as some compact system cameras with smaller sensors, such as the Panasonic GM1.
The Sony A5100 price will be around £550/US$700/AU$899, including kit lens, and is available to pre-order now.
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Hands-on review: Sony Alpha a5100
Sony has introduced a new camera to sit in its range of APS-C E-mount cameras. One is claimed to be the world's smallest for its sensor size that includes a built-in flash and Wi-Fi.
The Sony A5100 replaces the NEX-5T and sits underneath the A6000 in Sony's current-line up of compact system cameras.
It features a 24.3-million pixel APS-C sized Exmor CMOS sensor, along with Sony's latest generation Bionz X processor - the same processor as found in Sony's flagship A7 cameras.
Also included is a 180-degree tilting touchscreen, which, somewhat unusually for Sony, is touch sensitive.
Connectivity
Wi-Fi connectivity is included, as is the ability to expand the camera's functionality with apps downloadable from the Sony PlayMemories store. NFC technology is included for making quick connections between the camera compatible devices, too. You can easily transfer images between devices, or use a smartphone or tablet to control the camera.The A5100 features the same Hybrid AF system as found in the A6000, with 179 phase detection points designed to capture fast action. The touch sensitive screen can be used to focus or fire off the shutter release.
Video recording is also available, with full HD (1080p) at 50 Mbps.
Sony claims that the camera is the world's smallest, but that comes with some caveats. It's not as small as some compact system cameras with smaller sensors, such as the Panasonic GM1.
The Sony A5100 price will be around £550/US$918/AU$986, including kit lens, and is available to pre-order now.
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SBS On Demand lands on Telstra T-Box
Telstra will be adding a Catch Up TV option to its T-Box offering, with SBS On Demand on board from launch.
The new Catch Up TV menu will be available from the main menu starting from September, including all SBS catch-up content, as well as other content available through SBS's app.
"SBS is delighted to be partnering with Telstra and continuing to make our distinctive content as broadly available as possible," said Marshall Heald, SBS Chief Digital Officer.
SBS says that its On Demand app and content is available on more platforms that any other Australian broadcaster.
T-Box goes free-to-air
Telstra has said that it has an on-going plan to bring more free-to-air TV content to T-Box customers, including more catch-up services."This partnership with SBS opens up a great deal of fantastic content to our customers, available on-demand after its broadcast," said Eric Kearley, Telstra Director IPTV and Pay TV.
"We are working on adding more free-to-air catch up services to the T-Box, which we hope to announce soon."
Freeview Plus, which will bring together all free-to-air catch-up services through HbbTV technology, is also gearing up to launch September 2.
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Another weird Twitter experiment is treating favourites like retweets
Twitter has angered some users with an experiment that displays tweets 'favourited' by people they follow appear within their timelines.
The limited test, which appears to be expanding to more users following rumblings of its existence late last month, essentially treats favourited tweets just like retweets.
The experiment has annoyed some 140-character aficionados who're upset about seeing more content from people they don't choose to follow.
Twitter itself is yet to comment on the test, which seems to blur the lines between the two of the main ways of interacting with timeline content.
Fundamental change
If the feature were to roll out across all users, which still appears unlikely, it would fundamentally change the way users interact with the favourites tool.Currently its used in a similar way to a Facebook Like, on some occasions it can be used as an acknowledgment a tweet has been received, while in other cases it can draw a line under a conversion. Some users also treat it as a way to bookmark a tweet they wish to return to at a later date.
However, users may be much more careful and conscious about clicking that star if the tweets begin appearing in their followers' timelines.
Twitter has already riled users with recent experiments, which has seen content from accounts followed by their friends also show up in timelines.
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US retailer reveals Moto 360 price and spec sheet, says it's 'coming soon'
The Moto 360 smartwatch will cost US$250 (around £149, AU$269) when it goes on sale this year, according to US big box retailer Best Buy.
The electronics store has listed the Android Wear device on its website, complete with the price and a complete spec sheet, while advising visitors it is 'coming soon.'
The listing promises the Moto 360 will have a 1.5-inch LCD display with 320 x 290 resolution and 205 ppi, a Texas Instruments processor, a built-in pedometer and heart rate monitor.
According to the Best Buy listing, it'll also be waterproof for 30 minutes in up to 3.3 feet of water.
Wireless dock
Best Buy says the Moto 360 will ship with a dock, which may well be the fancy wireless charging cradle recently leaked into the public domain.The retailer stopped short of confirming when the watch will be available, but that's likely to be revealed at the Motorola media event on September 4 at the IFA tech show.
Does a US$250 sound like a fair price to you, considering the Samsung Gear Live is US$199 (£169, AU$250) and the LG G Watch can be picked up for around $229 (£159, AU$290)? Share your thoughts below.
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Best Buy reveals Moto 360 price and full spec sheet, says it's 'coming soon'
The Moto 360 smartwatch will cost $250 (around £149, AU$269) when it goes on sale this year, according to US big box retailer Best Buy.
The electronics store has listed the Android Wear device on its website, complete with the price and a complete spec sheet, while advising visitors it is 'coming soon.'
The listing promises the Moto 360 will have a 1.5-inch LCD display with 320 x 290 resolution and 205 ppi, a Texas Instruments processor, a built-in pedometer and heart rate monitor.
According to the Best Buy listing, it'll also be waterproof for 30 minutes in up to 3.3 feet of water.
Wireless dock
Best Buy says the Moto 360 will ship with a dock, which may well be the fancy wireless charging cradle recently leaked into the public domain.The retailer stopped short of confirming when the watch will be available, but that's likely to be revealed at the Motorola media event on September 4 at the IFA tech show.
Of course, the UK pricing is likely to be higher than the straight dollar-to-pound conversion of £149, judging by previous smartwatch launches, so expect it to be north of £175.
Does $250 sound like a fair price to you, considering the Samsung Gear Live is $199 (£169, AU$250) and the LG G Watch can be picked up for around $229 (£159, AU$290) Share your thoughts below.
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Performing a factory reset on your Tesco Hudl tablet will not wipe its data
Owners of the £99 Tesco Hudl tablet should think twice before selling it on, after tests showed personal data remains on the device even in the event of a factory reset.
The BBC worked with security expect Ken Munro to test Android tablets that had been purchased second hand on auction sites like eBay, including the Hudl.
Munro found he was able use a simple piece of software to view retrieve personal data like photos, browsing history web cookies, Wi-Fi keys and the pin codes used to unlock the Hudl.
The data could even be used to log in to websites and pose as the previous owner.
Flaw
Munro says the flaw is due to a known about bug within the Hudl's Rockchip processor.In response, Tesco advised all customers to use a data wiping app before bestowing the tablet on another owner, and said devices returned to the store would be wiped.
A Tesco spokesperson said: "Customers should always ensure all personal information is removed prior to giving away or selling any mobile device. To guarantee this, customers should use a data wipe program."
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iPhone 6 could debut a new Lightning cable that's reversible at both ends
Apple is likely to introduce a new Lightning cable which is reversible at both ends, according to a new leak.
Sonny Dickson, the man who revealed the iPhone 5C in all its glory last year, posted a photo of a new cable showing a USB end that could slot into the power adapter or computer either way up.
The new cable looks like it has a thinner, floating centre that could come to the aid of gadget users fed up with faffing about in order to plug in their Apple devices.
A new USB standard is on the way, which does include reversible cables, but Apple could bring them into play in a matter of weeks when the firm is expected to release the iPhone 6.
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Roundup: Forever Delayed: the 10 Xbox One and PS4 games we won't see this year
Kingdom Hearts to The Witcher 3
Remember back when the Xbox One and PS4 were released? Remember how excited we all were? Fast forward almost a year to today and it seems like the 'next' generation of consoles has barely even got started.What happened? Delays happened. It seems all the games we were hoping to play this year slowly slipped back and back. Some argue that there aren't many reasons to upgrade from an Xbox 360 or PS3 yet.
Without wanting to wish our lives away, that's all going to change in 2015. Here are the 10 games we've been gagging to play all year, which we'll now have to wait a bit longer for.
Kingdom Hearts 3 (PS4, Xbox One)
Planned release: No promised date
Actual release date: Possible 2015
What's the excuse? It's not Disney enough yet, more or less
Okay, so Square Enix never promised that Kingdom Hearts 3 was going to come out in 2014, but there comes a point where teasing a game constitutes a promise that it'll be out in our lifetime. Square Enix originally showed off the game - or at least the idea of it - during E3 2013. Then we got a bonafide trailer in E3 2014.
It's in development alongside a remastered version of Kingdom Hearts 2 for Xbox One and PS4, so we wouldn't bet against the game being delayed even further into our dotage.
Not already a fan? Kingdom Hearts has one of the most bizarre premises in the video game… kingdom. It's a Japanese RPG starring the cast of Disney's most popular properties – Mickey, Hercules, Donald, and all the other greats - who star alongside the usual cast of spikey-haired anime types. Weird combo? It sure is.
The series has sold more than 50 million games in its lifetime, though. So either it has a big fan base or someone incredibly rich likes it a bit too much.
Anticipation level: Embarrassed whimper
Battlefield: Hardline
Planned release: October 2014
Actual release date: Early 2015
What's the excuse? Everyone sorta hated the beta
Battlefield: it's the thinking man's Call of Duty, and a troll's multiplayer dream. But Battlefield: Hardline has been pushed back into early 2015. In a blog post on the Battlefield website, DICE explained it wanted to make a better game than it could bring out in October 2014, the original intended release date.
Of course, it was all relayed terribly positively in the post, but our takeaway was that the game as-is would be a buggy, derivative and shallow mess. The beta told us much of this already.
It took place in June 2014 for a couple of weeks, and showed the game felt a bit like a Battlefield 4 expansion pack. While Battlefield 4, the first Xbox One/PS4 Battlefield game, received a decent reception, it was hardly the height of next-gen.
If the series wants to uphold its good name, it needs to up its game. And boy do we want it to – we don't want it to become a derivate stream of yearly updates like Call of Duty.
Anticipation level: Tickly trigger finger
The Order: 1886 (PS4 only)
Planned release: Late 2014
Actual release date: 20 February 2015
What's the excuse? It's not good enough, yet
The Order: 1886 is one of the games we're most looking forward to in 2015. Why? Because it's something new, and it's set right in the (one of the) homes of TechRadar towers, sunny London.
We say sunny, but in The Order: 1886 it's a grim and grey place where the colour palette alone is enough to give you an existential crisis.
It's serious, not fluffy. And it has guns. And knights. What's not to like?
It's also not hard to understand why The Order: 1886 has been delayed. This is one of the most anticipated PS4 exclusives, and if it's to be a lasting franchise then it needs to be good. It also runs on a new game engine, RAD 4.0. Pretty much everything is working against it.
On the PlayStation blog, developer Ready at Dawn's Ru Weerasuriya explained the 2015 delay was to ensure they can "deliver on the promise we made when we first introduced the game." So basically, it's still a tiny bit crap at the moment. The prospect of releasing in October against all the gigantic pre-Christmas names probably wasn't too appealing, either.
Fingers crossed the 20 February release date will give Ready at Dawn enough time to perfect this potential classic.
Anticipation level: Speaking in Dickensian tongues
Evolve
Planned release: 21 October 2014
Actual release date: 10 February 2015
What's the excuse? "to meet our collective standards of creative excellence"
Evolve is about as high-concept as games get. It's a multiplayer title for Xbox One and PS4 that sees four people play co-operatively to try and take down a fifth. The four play as humans, the fifth as a much more powerful monster than can power up (evolve) by consuming small animals it finds.
It's a novel idea, but will it hold our interest for the span of a full game? Perhaps that's what developer Turtle Rock Studios is out to improve by delaying for four months until February 2015. We know it's fun from a fairly brief hands-on, but it needs to go the distance. Like a big old leaping, terrifying monster.
As part of the original release delay announcement, publisher Take Two said it was looking for a "favourable release window" - i.e. it'll sell more if it releases in February because there's less competition for your bucks then. Dropping a new IP game into this period can be like dropping a defenceless piece of steak into a pond of pirhanas.
However, in a later statement given to Polygon, it was suggested that the extra couple of months would also give the chance for some more improvements.
Anticipation level: nervous anticipation
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Planned release: 2014
Actual release date: 24 February 2015
What's the excuse? To bring the open world to life
The first two Witcher games are among the best role-playing adventures of the past decade. Which is exactly why we can't wait for The Witcher 3.
Developer CD Projekt Red is one of the few remaining fairly PC-centric game developers, and its approach helps give its console games an edge that makes them quite different from the other stuff we'll see released in 2015.
People who are disappointed Bethesda is focusing on The Elder Scrolls: Online rather than making a 'new Skyrim' should have both eyes on The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt too. It's a drop-dead gorgeous open-world role-playing game with all the exploring and storytelling you'd expect.
Originally The Witcher 3 was pencilled in for 2014, before being delayed until 2015 in May. In July, the game's creative director explained to GameRant that the delay was in order to improve the open-world experience. CD Project Red is one of those 'it's ready when it's ready' developers. Fair enough, considering the quality of its games.
Anticipation level: Full-on geeksplosion
Max Max to Arkham Knight
Mad Max
Planned release: 2014, at some point
Actual release date: 2015, at some point
What's the excuse? Max don't need no excuse
Think of a good vehicle combat game. Got one? There's a good chance it was released a decade or more ago, because they don't come around very often.
Could Mad Max be the next one? Who knows, stranger things have happened.
All we've seen so far of Mad Max are a couple of teaser videos showing a pretty predictable kind of vehicular carnage – wheels and explosions. Even the release dates suggested so far are very vague.
At first we were told Mad Max would come out in 2014, and the latest teaser suggested it'll come in '2015'. More details are sure to come, but unlike many of the other games here, you shouldn't expect this one to land in February. We're sure one of the films will be on over Christmas if you want to whet your appetite, though.
Anticipation level: Curious antipathy
Tom Clancy's The Division
Planned release: 2014
Actual release date: 2015 is as specific as we have
What's the excuse? It's nowhere near done yet
Could this be the most interesting Tom Clancy-branded game ever made? It certainly sounds like it.
The Division is a massively multiplayer tactical shooter with role-playing elements. It takes place in an apocalyptic New York, where the city has been all but decimated following a virus outbreak. You play as a sleeper agent trying to bring the city back to some kind of order.
Rather than being a bog-standard tactical shooter, you could even say The Division has a bit of the The Last of Us about it. You'll have to level up your character too, which should give you a much greater connection with exactly what he/she is all about.
You'll be able to explore in, around and even underneath the city, in a labyrinth of tunnels. Why do we have to wait so long for it? The Division uses a new game engine, making it trickier to make. Last we heard the actual game development was only just underway.
Anticipation level: Bring on the apocalypse
Dying Light
Planned release: 2014
Actual release date: February 2015
What's the excuse? It's not innovative enough yet
Think zombies are a played-out gaming cliche? Dying Light is here to prove they aren't. Described as a cross between Dead Island and Mirror's Edge by many, this free-running-style zombie game has quite a different feel to the zombie games of old. Ok, maybe it has the odd shade of Left 4 Dead, but who doesn't want that?
Early this year, Amazon reckoned the game would ship in March/April 2014. Of course, that never happened, and in May developer Techland announced the game wouldn't be out until 2015. Like so many others, we're looking at a February release date
"We have now come so close to realizing our initial vision we feel we cannot stop before it is ready," said Techland.
Will it be more than just another mindless zombie game? Fingers crossed.
Anticipation level: Half-infected
Quantum Break (Xbox One only)
Planned release: Vague 2014 rumours
Actual release date: 2015 (not early)
What's the excuse? 2014 was never likely anyway
Story is still the weakest point in most games, but Quantum Break comes from Remedy, developer of two of the most atmospheric, story-driven action series – Max Payne and Alan Wake. There's more than just a shade of these two's husky charm in Quantum Break.
It's a narrative-infused action game that lets you manipulate time. Yup, your character has supernatural powers, like a low-key, moody X-Man. It's all because of a time-travel experiment gone wrong. This is probably as close as we'll get to the Quantum Leap game we've all been dreaming of.
There's even a TV show that'll accompany the game, presumably a bit like the Night Springs TV show of Alan Wake. Remedy is up to its old tricks again.
While some hoped Quantum Break would arrive in 2014, with the hindsight of all these other delays, that was never likely.
Anticipation level: Engrossed
Batman: Arkham Knight
Planned release: 14 October
Actual release date: 2015
What's the excuse? No excuses this time
Batman: Arkham Knight is the biggest game in the Arkham series, which more-or-less re-proved that superhero games don't have to be rubbish.
This first Xbox One/PS4 title in the series, Arkham Knight fits in the whole city of Gotham, making its play area five times larger than the previous Batman: Arkham City. As well as being absolutely massive, you also get to drive the Batmobile. We're sold.
Having a vaster play area for Arkham Knight lets it reproduce that Batman-grade speed much better than the previous games. We'll have to hope that the thwacks feel just as weighty too.
The 2015 delay was announced in June 2014, after having been originally pencilled in for October. Rocksteady didn't give a reason why – we'll assume it's because the big bad bat got a bit scared of all the other games coming out in the pre-Christmas period.
Anticipation level: Spidey sense on full alert. Oh wait.
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Week in Gaming: The best of Gamescom: Silent Hills, Tearaway Unfolded and more
It was the best of times. It was the wurst of times. It was Gamescom 2014, and the German gaming expo has just wrapped for another year.
Is it just us or was this year's show actually better than E3? There were more surprises, better trailers, some interesting updates on the consoles, and a lot more people braving the show floor.
Ok, that last one might be your personal idea of hell, but we're hearing no complaints about all the other stuff. There was plenty to get the proverbial teeth stuck into, so we've cherry picked the best moments of the show.
Silent Hills
When Sony teased "P.T." at Gamescom, a) no one knew what it was, and b) no one really cared. But then word came from people who had played the PS4 teaser: this was a demo by Hideo Kojima and Guillermo del Toro, and it's for a new Silent Hill game.SAY WHAT!?
But the bigger surprise was the quality and terrifying nature of the teaser itself. We've not experienced horror like this in a long time, perhaps not since Amnesia. Even stranger, we're still not 100% certain of how the demo works; some parts seem scripted, but then, are they?
"If you don't want to continue playing through the game, so be it. We don't care," said Kojima in a Gamescom livestream. "We are aiming for a game that will make you s**t your pants."
Watch the clip below if you want to taste Kojima's and del Toro's corridor of nightmares. Just don't say we didn't warn you.
PS4 Share
Described by SCE Worldwide Studios boss Shuhei Yoshida as a "mini PlayStation Now", PS4 Share is Sony's newly-announced feature for sharing games with friends remotely. It'll allow you to stream directly to someone who doesn't own the game, allowing them to join in on some multiplayer co-op.Each session will be restricted to 60 minutes but there's no limit on the number of times you use the feature. All it will require is for both parties to have a PlayStation Plus account.
Rise of the Tomb Raider is an Xbox One exclusive
It is. Sort of. Kinda. Well, for a bit.Tearaway Unfolded
It's a pity the Vita hasn't sold better because Tearaway is a wonderful game that deserves a much bigger audience. But it's soon to get it, as Media Molecule announced it's bringing its charming title to the PlayStation 4 under the guise of Tearaway Unfolded.But this is no simple port, friends; the team has totally remade the game for the PS4 and, more importantly, for the DualShock 4 controller. There's also a pile of new content. Our bodies have never been more ready for anything.
Next-gen cardboard box tech
Kojima travelled all the way to Germany to talk about a box. No, really.Lots of lovely PC games coming to consoles
Day Z for PS4, Goat Simulator for Xbox One, Papers Please for PS Vita (now you can be a merciless bastard on the go!). Lovely, lovely stuff.Microsoft is finally taking indies seriously
Microsoft's been a lot of talk and little walk with its indie gaming initiative, but at Gamescom it proved that it's pulled its socks up.Between Superhot, Ori and the Blind Forest, Space Engineers, and The Escapist (a new game from Team 17), the horizon is looking pretty sweet.
And of course, Bloodborne
We all knew that Bloodborne would get a Gamescom showing, and sure enough the next title by Dark Souls developer From Software had one of the headline slots at Sony's presser.It may have the spirit of a Souls game, but Bloodborne adds a bit of distance with a more fast-paced, fluid and offensive style of play. Shame we have to wait until next year to get our hands on the final game.
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Inflame: Exclusive: Tomb Raider proves word 'exclusive' has lost all meaning
The games world was, not for the first time, thrown into confusion, anger, confused anger and bewilderment this week, after Microsoft claimed to have some sort of "exclusive" on the next Tomb Raider game.
There then followed some meetings and interviews in which it turned out it might not be exclusive to Xbox One. It might be exclusive to Xbox One and Xbox 360, as in, exclusive to the Xbox brotherhood. And just for Christmas. And maybe a while after. And how long is a while?
This sort of baffling marketing mirage worked well a decade or two ago, back when news was news and that was that and there was no subsequent forensic analysis of every word presented by every corporation.
Nowadays, you can't get away with masking the facts for more than 30 seconds before the truthers dig out the secret hidden meaning of every skewed announcement and reveal it along with an animated GIF summary of the scandal. As they did this week, much to the embarrassment of Microsoft and developer Square Enix.
X-Files
On Polygon, reader WalkingP thinks the enforced delay in releasing the next Tomb Raider on non-X formats might be a good deal for PS4 owners, as Xbox buyers will effectively work as a mass of reviewers. He said: "With the game being released for the Xbox One first, all of the game reviewers will get a chance to play and review it, thus giving PlayStation owners the chance to read the reviews and decide if it's a day-one purchase for them. If the reviews are just mediocre, there may be a lot of people who just wait on the price drop and buy it."There are people who don't wait six months after release to buy everything for £17.99?
In reply, WalkingP found a friend in VisjeBliep, who said: "It's also likely a lot of the initial release bugs will be solved for the other platforms when the game does eventually does launch there."
But that's not good enough. VisjeBliep continued: "However, just out of spite I will not be picking up this game. I hate it when games are delayed for non-technical or game-related reasons."
Bet you will. When it's £17.99 and if all those Xbox buyers gave Lara's latest virtual hair a good score for glossiness and bounce.
Fantasy Tactics
Ars Technica reader Silellak summarised the feeling that we've been had, saying: "I can understand why some people feel betrayed, as I think there's a difference between securing a brand-new IP like Sunset Overdrive, and making the sequel of a successful multi-platform game (a game which, apparently, sold better on the PlayStation) available exclusively on the Xbox. At the end of that day, though, that's business, and Crystal Dynamics must have been written a pretty huge check to both make the game exclusive and potentially alienate any number of fans."That comment was made in the gap between the game being announced and thought of as a proper "exclusive" and before it was embarrassingly relegated to "timed exclusive" status. Several tens of Xbox Ones may have been sold due to false/misunderstood promises during that time frame.
Commenter Chuck Knucka broke it down into simpler layman terms, posting: "While the last Tomb Raider was certainly fun, it's not the kind of game I'm drooling to play. And even though this exclusivity doesn't affect me very much, I still despise the tactic. It's clearly not done with the consumer in mind. If there's anything that makes me think that Microsoft and Square Enix think we are all just walking wallets, it's this."
Malformed platform
On PC Gamer, the PC hardcore were, as you might expect, not entirely bothered by Microsoft's petty console manoeuvrings. Reader DatFalkn captured the dismissive feelings well with: "Loved the first game on PC. Hyped for the 2nd since E3. I'm not going to buy a $400 console just to play it. RIP."Reader LordPancake85 (please can we all start using our real names on the internet?) is happy with the move, though, as it means when it does eventually arrive on a format he owns and assembled out of individual components himself, it'll be better, explaining: "...the PC version will end up being the 'Definitive' or 'Complete' edition, and we will get all the enhancements and upgrades/DLC/preorder bonuses included. These days, being around for the release of a game almost punishes you. You end up spending a lot more money, and sometimes have to wait on the game to be fixed."
Reader Biohazard89 thinks it's bad business for current Tomb Raider franchise holder Square Enix, saying: "One way or the other, Square Enix will see a further decline in sales. If it is indeed exclusive to Xbox, the sales will be low because it's only available on the least successful of the three major platforms. If the exclusivity is only for a few months, it means the hype for the game will have died down considerably by the time it gets released on PS4 and PC."
Triple negative
It was in an interview with Eurogamer that Microsoft man Phil Spencer admitted the exclusive was only exclusive if you're talking about the year 2015. Commenter Grassyknoll was not impressed by the tactic or the revelation, saying: "Timed deals like this cost an absolute fortune. That money could have gone on a game the scale of Uncharted 2 or Alan Wake (both cost about 20 million to make, probably far less than this deal). All MS has done is stopped others playing a game for a bit. Pure stupidity."Reader Shotbyascot was a bit more scathing about the deal, posting: "Seriously terrible marketing to put your eggs 'half' in the smaller basket when your eggs aren't even that great to start with."
And the further you scroll the worse it gets, with reader CuttlefishJones raging: "Reading his replies almost made me feel uncomfortable, the squirming and slimy marketing BS is just sickening."
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No queue jumping please, we're British! EE angers users with 50p priority charge
Mobile network EE has provoked anger by introducing a priority customer service line that allows users customers to jump to the front of the queue for a flat rate of 50 pence.
When calling through to EE's customer service line, an automated message now entices callers to move straight through to a representative, rather than wait in line.
In June this year Ofcom named and shamed EE as the UK's most-complained mobile network, with 0.12 calls per 1,000 customers. Now the firm is asking users whether they want to pay for the privilege.
The Priority Answer initiative, which is available to EE's pay monthly users, has angered long-time customers who believe all calls should be treated equally.
'A joke'
@PhilUK53 tweeted: "Thought it was a joke that @EE were allowing customers to jump queue for 50p. Do they not think great customer service should be a given?"@Gadget_Ry wrote: "EE is just the RyanAir of mobile networks. They've introduced a 50p "queue jump" charge for their customer service calls."
The network defended the move claiming it had made a heavy investment in customer service, which included bringing call centre jobs back to the UK.
"We've already committed to returning over 1,000 roles to the UK from overseas call centres, and have already opened two new UK centres. To contribute to this and other investments in service we have introduced some small charges for certain customer services," a spokesperson said.
Would you pay for the very un-British privilege of jumping to the front of the line? Share your thoughts below.
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