Oculus Rift support for Minecraft is just around the block

Want to play Minecraft in virtual reality on your Oculus Rift? Well, we've got some good news for you – Microsoft has announced that Windows 10 users will soon be able to do so.

In a blog post celebrating the fact that Minecraft: Windows 10 Edition Beta is now a year old, Microsoft thanked players for their support, and said that a free update was on the way for the game to make it playable with the Oculus Rift. It'll be available in the next few weeks, apparently, so we've not got long to wait.

Redmond also released a new rollercoaster map which is a twisty-turny, up and down experience as you'd expect, and something which will show off the game's new VR chops with suitable aplomb.

Deadline day

Naturally, Microsoft didn't fail to take the opportunity to remind folks that if they want a slice of Minecraft virtual reality on their PC, and they haven't upgraded to Windows 10 yet, the deadline is about to expire (the free offer ends today).

This isn't the first virtual reality outing for Minecraft, mind you, as it was made available for the Gear VR a few months back.

Minecraft: Windows 10 Edition has seen some 15 updates in the past year, and Microsoft said that it has fixed over 6,000 bugs in that time.

Developer Mojang also said that apart from the VR update, some fresh add-ons are planned for the Windows 10 Edition, and these will let players "dramatically" change the rules of the game, by all accounts. So there's plenty to look forward to.

Via: CNET

• We show you how to make a Minecraft gesture controller with the BBC Micro Bit

July 29, 2016 at 04:41PM
Darren Allan

Here are the free PlayStation Plus games for August 2016

Video: How bionic limbs are being made more affordable, with a hand from Deus Ex

Leaks show AMD's Radeon RX 470 owning Full HD gaming

We now have the full specs on the Radeon RX 470 and RX 460 graphics cards, the lesser and more affordable siblings of the already launched RX 480 – assuming the press slides which have been leaked are the genuine article (and they certainly look it).

AMD has already released some details on these cards, which will be available at the start of August, and the firm said a month ago that the RX 470 would offer over 4 teraflops in performance terms, 32 compute units, have 4GB of on-board memory, and would deliver a premium HD gaming experience.

According to the slides spotted by Videocardz, the RX 470 will actually almost touch 5 teraflops – 4.9 Tflops to be precise – and it will pack 2048 stream processors, a base clock speed of 926MHz (with boost to 1206MHz), and a memory speed of 1650MHz. It will also have a TDP of 120W.

In the blurb, AMD describes the card as future-proof, and capable of "brilliant HD gaming" to echo what the company said before. To back this point up, some benchmarks were provided of games running at full HD (in 'ultra' settings), and the RX 470 was apparently 2.4 times faster than the R9 270 in Doom and Total War: Warhammer, and 1.5 times faster in Battlefield 4.

Look ma, no power connector

As for the RX 460, the lowest-end offering boasts 2.2 Tflops of compute power, 896 stream processors, and a base clock speed of 1090MHz (with boost to 1200MHz) along with a memory speed of 1750MHz. It will come in 2GB and 4GB flavors, with a TDP of under 75W – meaning it won't need to be hooked up to your PSU with a power connector.

It's billed as having "console-class GPU performance" and benchmarked in eSports titles against the R7 260X, being 1.3 times faster in Dota 2, Overwatch and Rocket League, and 1.2 times quicker in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.

If this leak is on the money, the Radeon RX 470 should be out on August 4, and the RX 460 should emerge a few days later on August 8.

• Check out why your Radeon RX 480 might be more powerful than you think

July 28, 2016 at 08:37PM
Darren Allan

You can now download the world's first Apple Watch RPG, and it's by the creators of Final Fantasy

The world's first Apple Watch RPG, which was revealed by a teaser site just last week, has been released today.

The game, called Cosmos Rings, is available right now at a discounted price of $5.99 (£4.49, AU$9.99) as part of a simultaneous worldwide release.

The regular price of the game will be £6.99 (full US and AU prices to be confirmed soon) after August 31.

Unique hardware

The game makes use of both the Digital Crown on the watch and the built-in pedometer to drive various gameplay mechanics which include time travel.

So it's reassuring to know that this will not just be a smartphone game scaled down to an even smaller screen.

Whether it's possible to fit a full-scale RPG into the Apple Watch's diminuative size remains to be seen, but we're interested to see what developers end up doing with the device.

• Check out our list of the best Apple Watch apps

July 28, 2016 at 08:08PM
Jon Porter

In Depth: How to install Windows 7 from a USB key

Microsoft's TechNet magazine has posted instructions on installing Windows 7 from a USB key - which will be very handy for anyone installing Windows 7 on a netbook, in particular.

Installing Windows 7 from a USB key will also be faster than installing it from DVD.

Here, according to TechNet, is what you need to do:

1. You should already have DiskPart installed on your Windows machine - you'll use this to prepare the USB drive. If this free disk partitioning app isn't already already installed, you can download DiskPart from Microsoft.

2. Launch DiskPart by typing diskpart into the Start search box.

3. Now run the list disk command to check the status of your drive.

4. Next, run select disk 1 where the "1" is actually the corresponding number of your USB drive.

5. Now run clean.

6. Once that's done, run create partition primary.

7. Now you can make the partition active by entering active.

8. Next, set up the file system as Fat32 by running format fs=fat32 quick.

9. Enter the assign command to give the USB drive a drive letter - this will make it easier to access from Windows Explorer.

10. Drag and drop the contents of your Windows 7 installation DVD onto the USB drive to copy the files across.

11. Stick the USB key drive into the machine you want to install Windows 7 onto and boot the system from the drive. The Windows 7 installation will now begin.

Via TechNet

July 28, 2016 at 04:35PM
Paul Douglas

Windows 10: TechRadar's writers reflect on upgrading to Windows 10

Introduction

To upgrade or not to upgrade? With Windows 10 turning from a free to a paid upgrade on July 29, that's very much the question of the moment.

Being a tech savvy bunch, most of us here at TechRadar were champing at the bit to upgrade to Microsoft's latest (and, as it seems, greatest) operating system at the first opportunity. Following several mis-steps in recent memory (Windows Vista and 8, anyone?) we wouldn't blame you for being a little more cautious.

• Windows 10 Anniversary Update: everything you need to know

One year down the line, we're taking the opportunity to sit back and observe the Windows 10 landscape to see just how far Microsoft has come since July 29, 2015.

This article is part of TechRadar's Windows 10 week. Microsoft's latest operating system turns from a free to a paid upgrade on July 29, and we're looking to answer the question of whether it's good for you.

Kane Fulton, Computing Editor

Any regrets? No

Tell us more... Though it doesn't feel wildly different, upgrading to Windows 10 from 8.1 has brought numerous small improvements that add up to make for a smoother and more pleasurable experience.

I use the Action Center's quick access settings on a daily basis, and the ability to independently adjust scaling settings on my monitor and laptop's display was sorely missing from Windows 8.

Windows 10 certainly isn't perfect, but it crashes less, run smoother and looks slicker than its predecessor. Crucially, my two most used apps - Parallels 11 and Word 2016 (with OneDrive integration) - work flawlessly together.

Joe Osborne, Senior Editor

Any regrets? No

Tell us more... To be frank, you only stand to miss out by not updating to the latest version of an operating system, whether it be Windows, macOS or even Linux. Firstly, Windows 10 has more helpful features than any version before, especially when it comes to interconnectedness between your devices – regardless of those devices' OS in many cases. Cortana and search on the taskbar has been a boon for my productivity, too.

Secondly, the OS runs more lightweight than any version before, and, if you're a PC gamer, it's the only way to get DirectX 12.

And lastly, reactions to the data Microsoft collects through use of Windows 10 have been unnecessarily heated. I won't disagree that Microsoft could have been far, far more transparent about this – like, way more. But, if you don't think that the makers of every app, service and operating system you use are not using anonymized telemetry to improve said app, service or OS – or, hell, to get more money out of you somehow – you're out of your right mind. We've all signed the EULA's without reading them, after all...

Kevin Lee, US Computing Editor

Any regrets? No

Tell us more... Aside from up upgrading my graphics card last year, Windows 10 is easily the best thing to happen to my home gaming PC.

In a single play session I switched between playing Overwatch, to running a lap in Forza 6 Apex and ending the night with some time in Red Dead Redemption streaming from my Xbox One by way of backwards compatibility.

In the future gaming on Windows 10 is only going to get better with more titles developed on DirectX 12 and Xbox Play Anywhere titles coming to PC as well.

Desire Athow, Editor TechRadar Pro & Itproportal

Any regrets? No

Tell us more... Upgrading to Microsoft's latest OS is the logical continuation in the saga of Windows.

Nadella's team managed to take it to another level is by making it free for WIndows 7 and 8.1 users for a whole year while offering continuous improvements to early adopters.

I look forward to try the Anniversary edition as soon as it lands. Windows 10 is a more friendly, less arrogant and far more - dare I say - humane operating system than its predecessors.

Jon Porter, Home Technology Writer

Any regrets? No

Tell us more... Why? As much as I appreciate the small changes Microsoft made in the transition from Windows 8 to 10 (chief among them the return of the Start menu), I'd be lying if I said that my main reason for switching wasn't gaming.

With DirectX 12 - and its huge performance increases - remaining exclusive to Windows 10, there was no way I wanted to be left out in the cold.

That doesn't mean I don't have issues with the way Microsoft handled the upgrade process. My dad came home to find his PC, which is only a couple of years old, had automatically upgraded to Windows 10 without his permission, and had broken his graphics drivers in the process.

It turns out his CPU's integrated graphics was no longer supported by Windows 10, and so his only option was to fight his desktop to keep it un-upgraded or else buy a basic graphics card that still had support.

Ultimately I'm happy that Microsoft chose to make the upgrade free of charge, but that didn't give them the right to force it upon everyone, since many people, like my dad, have very good reasons to not want to upgrade.

John McCann, Phones & Wearable UK Editor

Any regrets? No

Tell us more... Why? It still works. To be honest, I can't really remember what Windows 7 was like.

Windows 8 sounded like a car crash, so I'm happy I held off until 10 - although the fact it was free helped massively in my decision to upgrade.

Marc Chacksfield, Global Managing Editor

Any regrets? No, but…

Why? Well, it works for me. I'm not that enamored with it but it's not broken anything (so far) and I can do day to day tasks without fear the OS is going to betray me. But, it was a 'mare to upgrade - the free path didn't seem to work on my Lenovo and I ended up having to get a USB with Windows 10 on it to upgrade properly.

My family, on the other hand, HATE Windows 10. My wife's granddad was told he wouldn't be able to get it because Sony stopped supporting the OS on selected models - to be fair he is more than happy with Windows 7, but it's still annoying for him given this was an OS meant to be available to all.

And my mother in law got a new laptop with Windows 10 and hated it so much - something to do with its picture organisation and other niggles, and just not being as good as Windows 7 - that she's going to replace the laptop with an older model that has Windows 7 on it. And, yes, I sent her all the Windows 10 tips and tricks I could find on TechRadar, but nothing worked for her.

She did look into the possibility of downgrading the OS on the laptop she has but Microsoft has made it almost impossible to do this. It really really wants everyone on Windows 10, but hasn't really taken into consideration for many non-techy people having a brand-new OS pushed on to them is a big deal. I've seen first-hand the frustrations that can be caused when the learning curve is that bit too steep.

Matt Hanson, How To Editor

Any regrets? No….with reservations

Tell us more... I think Windows 10 is a big improvement over Windows 8.1, though that doesn't say much. I use Windows on a laptop and desktop PC, so with Windows 10 i no longer feel like I'm using a tablet OS that is awkwardly bolted onto a desktop operating system.

The return of the start menu is welcome, and it performs very fast, and reliably, on an SSD. However, I'm not too happy with the data collecting Windows 10 has been involved with, and i needed to turn off a number of settings before i was happy with Windows 10. Check out our how to fix Windows 10 privacy issues feature to find out more.

I also find it a bit distasteful how Microsoft has been forcing the upgrade on people. Windows 10 is a genuinely good OS, and I'd recommend people upgrade, especially while it's free. But if people want to stick with what they know, let them.

Cameron Faulkner, US Mobile Editor

Any regrets? No

Tell us more... I'm not a power user by any means. If I'm on the computer, I'm either playing games on Steam, using Photoshop, or browsing on Chrome. For my needs, Windows 10 doesn't stand in my way of doing these things.

That said, I have turned off basically every single marquee feature of the OS, reducing my experience to a very limited and resource-light shell of what most will run into with the upgrade. It's not that I hate Cortana - I just don't want it. And I like that Windows 10 lets me turn off the features that I don't have a use for.

Of course, for people hoping to run a slew of legacy programs, I can see how the upgrade might be worrying or cause compatibility issues. But I'm hopeful that the upcoming anniversary update will address any regrets that people might have.

July 28, 2016 at 03:00PM
TechRadar