Nintendo rose a fair few eyebrows in technology circles, as well as here at Sanitarium Towers, when it announced the 3D Classics line – classic games from older consoles such as the NES and Game Boy with a 3D graphic upgrade, offering a unique way to show of the power of the Nintendo 3DS handheld. While the idea has its merits, with a number of classic Nintendo titles getting the 3D Treatment – and persuading SEGA to join in and do the same to some classic SEGA titles – it has to be said that there are actually very few titles that have had the 3D Classic treatment.

Wouldn’t it be cool if you could take a NES game of your own choosing, and add 3D? If you’ve found yourself thinking that, you may want to check out Geod Studio’s new project, 3DNes – a work-in-progress Unity-based emulator that, as the name suggests, converts NES games into 3D.

Considering the simplicity of NES games, translating them into 3D is actually a difficult task. Unlike SNES games, which have four background layers, NES games have a single layer for the entire background. Imagine a diorama or a board game – everything in the background is printed on one board, while all the sprites – like your character the ground, enemies, items – are all just pieces on top. To allow the entire game to look 3D, 3DNes uses an algorithm that analyses the flat background and cuts it up into the pieces that make it up, then attempts to turn each piece into a 3D Object. The software is even clever enough to turn round objects into spheres or tubes, so for example, a ball will actually look like a ball instead of just a circle.

Exactly how well this works depends on the game in question, with things getting messier as the backgrounds get more complex. Games like my favourite franchise, Mega Man are translated well and benefit greatly from the effect, but games such as Contra or Castlevania somewhat struggle. Perhaps the best-emulated game is the original Super Mario Bros., which the developer admits was the main focus of the emulator and the most tested, which may explain the gap in quality between it and other games.

This having been said, Geod Studio hopes to improve the number of games that work well through subsequent beta releases, with head of the project Trần Vũ Trúc aiming for one-tenth of the entire NES library as his marker for success. He also suggests that there might be the potential for users to individually tailor the emulator for certain games, but is quick to state this is not currently the case, as he wants to ensure there’s “a strong emulation engine as the backbone” first.

At the moment, the emulator exists only online, as a WebGL game playable through the Unity Player. This means it only properly supports Mozilla-based browsers, such as Firefox or Seamonkey. It’s also extremely unstable, particularly when not using a AMD Graphics card, and may fail to go beyond loading the ROM, or even fail to work at all. However, Trần states that future releases of the emulator will be made available as software downloads, so it should only be a matter of time before we all get to try it properly.

This article originally appeared on Technically Motivated.

This week, Microsoft has touted a new initiative that they’ve said will unify platforms, making it easier to for developers to release games on both PC and Xbox One. But at least one major developer isn’t thrilled with Microsoft’s plans.

In an opinion piece published in The Guardian this morning, Epic Games co-founder Tim Sweeney absolutely railed against Microsoft, calling upon other developers to fight against the corporation for “moving against the entire PC industry.” Specifically, Sweeney criticized Microsoft’s new Universal Windows Platform, which allows developers to build games and apps that can run across all of Microsoft’s hardware including Windows 10, Xbox One, and any Windows-branded tablets and phones.

The problem, Sweeney wrote, is that with UWP, Microsoft has created a closed ecosystem where developers must use the Windows Store and go through Microsoft’s certification processes to release games on that platform. Sweeney said he sees this as contrary to the spirit of PC development—a huge blow for Microsoft, as Epic is one of the biggest companies in the space. Epic is best known not just for their developer toolset, the Unreal Engine, but for creating the popular Xbox franchise Gears of War, which Microsoft purchased in 2014.

“They’re curtailing users’ freedom to install full-featured PC software, and subverting the rights of developers and publishers to maintain a direct relationship with their customers,” Sweeney wrote.

Microsoft disagrees with this assessment. Windows vice president Kevin Gallo told The Guardian in a response to Sweeney’s op-ed that Microsoft is not, in fact, building a closed platform. “The Universal Windows Platform is a fully open ecosystem, available to every developer, that can be supported by any store,” he said. “We continue to make improvements for developers; for example, in the Windows 10 November Update, we enabled people to easily side-load apps by default, with no UX required.”

Sweeney had criticized Microsoft for making it difficult and confusing to install UWP-developed apps outside of the Windows Store, pointing out that any user who wants to do so would have to dig through a series of convoluted menus and options. “It’s true that if you dig far enough into Microsoft’s settings-burying UI, you can find a way to install these apps by enabling ‘side-loading,’” Sweeney wrote. “But in turning this off by default, Microsoft is unfairly disadvantaging the competition. Bigger-picture, this is a feature Microsoft can revoke at any time using Windows 10’s forced-update process.”

The whole op-ed is brutal and worth reading, encouraging developers and customers to fight against Microsoft’s new initiative.

“As the founder of a major Windows game developer and technology supplier, this is an op-ed I hoped I would never feel compelled to write,” Sweeney wrote. “But Epic has prided itself on providing software directly to customers ever since I started mailing floppy disks in 1991. We wouldn’t let Microsoft close down the PC platform overnight without a fight, and therefore we won’t sit silently by while Microsoft embarks on a series of sneaky manoeuvre aimed at achieving this over a period of several years.”

Of course, all of Epic Games otehr games, the new Unreal Tournament, Paragon, etc are ONLY available through Epic’s own launcher, which also make you wonder if this is a case of pot and kettle…

What do you think?

Forza Motorsport 6: Apex is an invitation for Windows 10 PC gamers to join millions of Forza players worldwide and experience thrilling racing, addictive gameplay and stunning graphics.

Arriving on the Windows Store this spring and available for free, Forza Motorsport 6: Apex is a powerful demonstration of what the ForzaTech™ engine can do when unleashed by DirectX 12 at resolutions up to 4K. Developed by Turn 10 Studios, Forza Motorsport 6: Apex is the first step in Microsoft’s commitment to creating amazing Forza experiences for Windows 10 PC gamers.

New Showcase Tour, Objective System and Spotlight Series
Designed for players who are new to the Forza franchise, Forza Motorsport 6: Apex delivers a curated experience, featuring authentic wheel-to-wheel action, unique automotive content and constant rewards. The career mode is anchored by a new 12-event “Showcase Tour,” which introduces players to fascinating cars and unique automotive match-ups through a series of beautifully crafted and entertaining videos, narrated by automotive celebrities such as James May and Richard Hammond.

Forza Motorsport 6: Apex features a new objective and scoring system, which challenges the player to grow their skill and compare scores with their friends, and each event is a completely unique experience with unending replay value.

In addition, a new “Spotlight Series” will feature new Showcase-style events that will be updated on a regular basis. Whether you’re barreling around rainy Brands Hatch in your all-wheel-drive street weapon of choice or chasing down The Stig from “Top Gear” in cockpit view, there are always new and fun challenges to explore.

Signature Forza Features Drivatar™ and Forzavista™ Arrive on Windows 10 PCs
Forza Motorsport 6: Apex features trademark Forza innovations such as Drivatar™ opponents and a hand-picked selection of 63 fully functioning Forzavista™-enabled cars, each with working cockpits and full damage.

With bleeding edge race cars like the 2014 Audi #2 Audi Team Joest R18 e-tron quattro, modern masterpieces like the 2017 Ford GT, and classic American Muscle like the 1973 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am SD-455, the cars in Forza Motorsport 6: Apex represent the far-reaching diversity that is part of Forza’s DNA.

Players can race those cars on 20 exciting track configurations across six locations – Brands Hatch, Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Rio de Janeiro, Sebring International Raceway, Top Gear and Yas Marina – including night and wet-weather variants.

Available for free in the Windows Store this spring, Forza Motorsport 6: Apex paves the way for future Forza experiences on Windows 10.

Reported today is news on the availability of Fallout 4 mods coming to game consoles. Fallout 4 is a post-apocalyptic role playing game, set across a sprawling world and influenced by the post-war 1950s. The game gives players a huge amount of content to explore and many hours to invest. However, the PC community has been taking things a step further since its availability on that platform.

The PC gaming community is known for making mods to games. Mods are basically community developed game add-ins that can enhance gameplay or add in additional content for almost any purpose. For console gamers, the ability to use Mods has never been available for any game. Things may be looking up for those wishing to have this feature on their Xbox One, however.

In a recent tweet, the official Fallout Twitter account, responded to a fan’s inquiry about Mods on consoles, with:

@Godly_shit1 we’ll be sharing more details soon. stay tuned.

— Fallout (@Fallout) January 25, 2016

While not official confirmation about this feature coming to consoles or when a date has been set, we can have at least a tiny bit of hope that it’ll be sooner, rather than later. With the Xbox One now running Windows 10, we do know that the Xbox One would receive this feature due to running the same OS as its PC counterpart. The goal for Bethesda would be to add these Mods seamlessly into the gameplay with upcoming DLC packs.

With this new information, what mods from the PC version of Fallout 4 would you like to see on the Xbox One or Playstation 4? Let us know in the comments.

You know, I have to hand it to Acer. Once derided for being a manufacture of cheap computing goods that were also cheap in quality (I recall various horror stories of laptops whose screens would fall apart with very little force, among other tales), these days the company has made a niche for themselves in making electronics that are solidly built and offer something interesting while still remaining fairly priced. So it is with their latest product lines as announced by the company today: the R1 and the H7 series of monitors, and the next generation of its XR series.

Let’s be up front here. None of these monitors would qualify as “gaming” screens for those who take gaming seriously. However, all three models offer vibrant IPS panels with 178-degree wide viewing angles; and each has a different, unique touch for their price.

Take the new R1 series monitors, which seem very much geared towards the Apple creed that “thinner is always better”. Acer claims this range contains the “world’s thinnest” monitors with under 7mm thickness, and that its ZeroFrame design maximizes the view with an ultra-thin bezel. Monitors in this range will be available in a range of five sizes – 21.5, 23, 23.8, 25, and 27-inches wide – and will be capable of pixel resolutions up to 1920×1080 (making them 16:9 widescreens). Monitors in this series will first hit Europe this month (January) with prices starting at €139. North America will see them later in the first quarter of the year with prices starting at $130; other territories are to be confirmed.

For those who prefer function over form, the next set of monitors might be more interesting. Acer’s second new range of monitors, the H7 series, will include USB Type-C connectors allowing devices to be connected to the screen. While USB Type-C is still not hugely common, the standard is gaining traction and is already used to charge and for fast data transfer between smartphones, USB Hard Drives and other peripherals; and is likely to become more popular as time goes on. While still widescreen 16:9 format, screens in this range will not only have a higher screen resolution than the R1s – with a stated max of 2560×1440 – but will also be larger, with 25 and 27-inch models. They won’t be as thin, but will feature the same ZeroFrame design, to maximise the screen space. Europe can expect these monitors to reach their shores February, America later in Q1, with prices in both territories starting at 500 euros/dollars respectively. Acer claim USB 3.0 in a monitor is a “world first”, although Lenovo also announced similar monitors mere hours before.

Last but not least, Acer also revealed the next model in its range of XR series monitors. The snappily-named XR342CK feature a curved 34-inch 21:9 panel at a resolution of 3440×1440, and could reasonably pass as a good gaming screen as it uses Freesync technology for a super-fast refresh rate. Naturally it has a price to match – this model is only currently confirmed for Europe, and will retail at €1,100 in March, with other territories to be confirmed later.