Tim Sweeney | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net KitGuru.net - Tech News | Hardware News | Hardware Reviews | IOS | Mobile | Gaming | Graphics Cards Mon, 18 Dec 2023 20:29:25 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://www.kitguru.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/cropped-KITGURU-Light-Background-SQUARE2-32x32.png Tim Sweeney | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net 32 32 Epic CEO claims “The end of these ridiculous 30% fees is near” https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/mustafa-mahmoud/epic-ceo-claims-the-end-of-these-ridiculous-30-fees-is-near/ https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/mustafa-mahmoud/epic-ceo-claims-the-end-of-these-ridiculous-30-fees-is-near/#respond Mon, 18 Dec 2023 13:30:32 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=641113 Last week, we reported on a statement from Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney in which he explained why Fortnite is not available on the Steam Deck. Sweeney has since made his position even clearer, suggesting that Steam’s 30% fees are to blame. In response to a Twitter post discussing the recent court win by Epic …

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Last week, we reported on a statement from Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney in which he explained why Fortnite is not available on the Steam Deck. Sweeney has since made his position even clearer, suggesting that Steam’s 30% fees are to blame.

In response to a Twitter post discussing the recent court win by Epic Games vs Google regarding android and the relatively closed nature of its app store, Tim Sweeney made an emboldened statement, saying:

“We’ll compete, and we’ll also put Fortnite on any serious store that gives all developers an awesome deal. Steam, Microsoft, OneStore, anyone: give all developers an awesome deal and we’ll support you. The end of these ridiculous 30% fees is near.”

This represents a rather different tone to that which Sweeney was presenting last week, where in response to the question “Why is Fortnite still not playable on Steam Deck?” Sweeney stated:

“If we only had a few more programmers. It's the Linux problem. I love the Steam Deck hardware. Valve has done an amazing job there; I wish they would get to tens of millions of users, at which point it would actually make sense to support it.”

While not quite an apples-to-apples conversation, Sweeney’s more aggressive approach to withholding Fortnite as leverage is interesting to see once again. Perhaps the recent boost in its popularity is the reason why?

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: What do you think of Sweeney’s statement? Do you agree? Is he going about it the right way? Let us know your thoughts below.

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Epic CEO explains why Fortnite isn’t on the Steam Deck https://www.kitguru.net/desktop-pc/mustafa-mahmoud/epic-ceo-explains-why-fortnite-isnt-on-the-steam-deck/ https://www.kitguru.net/desktop-pc/mustafa-mahmoud/epic-ceo-explains-why-fortnite-isnt-on-the-steam-deck/#respond Thu, 14 Dec 2023 12:00:07 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=640777 Epic Games has spent the last few years making a massive name for itself, going from a ‘mere’ engine developer to one of the biggest game publishers around, releasing arguably the most popular game currently (Fortnite) and even opening up their own PC store. Despite this, Fortnite isn’t available on any PC Linux platforms, including …

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Epic Games has spent the last few years making a massive name for itself, going from a ‘mere’ engine developer to one of the biggest game publishers around, releasing arguably the most popular game currently (Fortnite) and even opening up their own PC store. Despite this, Fortnite isn’t available on any PC Linux platforms, including the Steam Deck. Epic’s CEO has now explained why.

In an interview conducted by The Verge following the conclusion of the company’s most recent trial against Google (in which Epic won), CEO Tim Sweeney was asked “Why is Fortnite still not playable on Steam Deck?”, to which he responded:

“If we only had a few more programmers. It's the Linux problem. I love the Steam Deck hardware. Valve has done an amazing job there; I wish they would get to tens of millions of users, at which point it would actually make sense to support it.”

With the sheer and seemingly-endless amount of resources that Epic throws at Fortnite, it is surprising to see that they still have not released a Linux compatible version.

That said, based on Sweeney’s statement it is clear that the reason they haven’t done so yet is simple – it won’t make Epic as much money as they want.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: What do you think of Sweeney’s statement? Do you appreciate the relative candour or does it go against the ethos of art and accessibility? Let us know your thoughts down below.

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Tim Sweeney says offering games for free can help increase their sales on other platforms https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/joao-silva/tim-sweeney-says-offering-games-for-free-can-help-increase-their-sales-on-other-platforms/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/joao-silva/tim-sweeney-says-offering-games-for-free-can-help-increase-their-sales-on-other-platforms/#respond Wed, 03 Jun 2020 09:10:27 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=470284 In an interview with Gamespot, Tim Sweeney from Epic Games claimed that the Epic Games Store giveaways can lead to increased sales on other platforms. Additionally, the founder of Epic Games also said that he plans to launch Epic Games Store for Android and iOS devices. The interview was part of Gamespot's Play For All, an …

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In an interview with Gamespot, Tim Sweeney from Epic Games claimed that the Epic Games Store giveaways can lead to increased sales on other platforms. Additionally, the founder of Epic Games also said that he plans to launch Epic Games Store for Android and iOS devices.

The interview was part of Gamespot's Play For All, an event to celebrate the gaming industry and raise funds to fight the damage caused by COVID-19. The event will feature over 100 hours of content with developers and publishers, including Xbox, EA, Bethesda, CD Projekt Red, Deep Silver, Devolver Digital, Larian Studios, Google Stadia, Bandai Namco, Private Division, Square Enix, SEGA, 2K Games, and many more.

According to Sweeney, giving out games allows players to try different genres that they wouldn't necessarily try if the games weren't given out for free. Developers have reported that sales of their games offered for free by Epic Games Store have increased on other platforms. As Tim Sweeney said, “You're not going to go out and buy—If you're not into games like Satisfactory, you're not going to go out and spend money to buy Satisfactory. But if you get it for free you realize it's an awesome game. People have discovered a lot of great games that way.”

This way, people will try and enjoy new games, raising awareness for game developers, while also bringing “tens of millions of new users into the Epic Games ecosystem.”

Additionally, the founder of Epic Games also plans to bring its store to mobile platforms. This seems like a logical move given that a big part of Epic Games' audience is on Android and iOS since Fornite has launched for both platforms.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: Have you discovered any new developers after EGS offered one of their games for free? Will you try the Epic Games Store app once it has been released?

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Epic would ‘hastily retreat’ from store exclusives if Steam matched its revenue split https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/epic-would-hastily-retreat-from-store-exclusives-if-steam-matched-its-revenue-split/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/epic-would-hastily-retreat-from-store-exclusives-if-steam-matched-its-revenue-split/#respond Thu, 25 Apr 2019 14:00:33 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=411409 Over the last few months, Epic Games has been poaching plenty of games from Steam for its own store with timed exclusivity deals. In some examples, Epic Games has thrown so much money at developers that their games are profitable before they even launch. This strategy won't remain in place forever though, in fact according …

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Over the last few months, Epic Games has been poaching plenty of games from Steam for its own store with timed exclusivity deals. In some examples, Epic Games has thrown so much money at developers that their games are profitable before they even launch. This strategy won't remain in place forever though, in fact according to Tim Sweeney, Epic Games would stop exclusives much sooner if Valve were to match the Epic Games Store revenue split.

Replying to questions on Twitter, Epic CEO, Tim Sweeney, said that he sees the 30% revenue cut on other stores as the “#1 problem for PC developers, publishers, and everyone who relies on those businesses for their livelihood”. When another user approached asking what Epic Games would do if Valve slashed its revenue cut, he replied: “If Steam committed to a permanent 88% revenue share for all developers and publishers without major strings attached, Epic would hastily organize a retreat from exclusives (while honoring our partner commitments) and consider putting our own games on Steam.”

Sweeney then added that this would be “a glorious moment in the history of PC gaming”, which would have “a sweeping impact on other platforms for generations to come”.

This wouldn't be the first time that Epic Games has talked about dialling back on exclusives. During GDC in March, one employee claimed that the company would dial back on buying exclusivity for games previously announced for Steam. However, Epic Games walked back on that idea, stating that it would leave those decisions up to developers or publishers instead.

Of course, there is no sign that Valve is going to cut its current revenue split policy. However, we do know that Valve is continuing to push ahead with feature development for Steam, an area where Valve is still vastly superior. Later this year, Steam will be getting a UI overhaul. Beyond that, Valve is also working on providing Steam developers with tools for hosted multiplayer servers and anti-cheat software.

KitGuru Says: It would be easier for Valve to just scale back its revenue cut but it seems more likely that we'll see Valve adding more value to its platform in other ways. How do you guys feel about the Epic Game Store/Steam situation?

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Epic Games backtracks on GDC statement, will continue to poach games from Steam https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/epic-games-backtracks-on-gdc-statement-will-continue-to-poach-games-from-steam/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/epic-games-backtracks-on-gdc-statement-will-continue-to-poach-games-from-steam/#respond Thu, 04 Apr 2019 08:14:08 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=409051 Over the last few months, we have seen more and more games jump from Steam over to the Epic Games Store with timed-exclusivity attached. This tends to cause quite a bit of controversy, especially if a Steam version of a game has already been announced. At GDC this year, Epic Games hinted that it might …

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Over the last few months, we have seen more and more games jump from Steam over to the Epic Games Store with timed-exclusivity attached. This tends to cause quite a bit of controversy, especially if a Steam version of a game has already been announced. At GDC this year, Epic Games hinted that it might slow down on this strategy soon but it turns out, that probably won't be the case.

Speaking at GDC in March, Epic Games' Steve Allison said that the company wanted to avoid poaching games from Steam moving forward. This statement was made right after Obsidian's upcoming title, The Outer Worlds, abandoned its announced plans to launch on Steam in favour of timed exclusivity.

Since then, Epic Games CEO, Tim Sweeney, has clarified things a bit, stating that the company has “had a lot of discussions” about its exclusivity strategy since GDC. He then added that “Epic is open to continuing to sign funding/exclusivity deals with willing developers and publishers regardless of their previous plans or announcements around Steam”.

Sweeney also said that “these calls must be up to developers and publishers”. Right now, Ubisoft seems to be in full support of the Epic Games Store, pulling The Division 2 and Anno 1800 from Steam despite previous plans to release on Valve's platform. 2K Games is also making a push for the Epic Games Store, with The Outer Worlds and Borderlands 3 both being timed exclusives.

KitGuru Says: Steam has spent years as the ‘go to' place for PC gaming but the tides have been shifting. Personally, I wish that Epic Games would spend more time fighting Steam on the features/usability front rather than exclusives. Right now, the Epic Games Store doesn't even have a shopping cart and it only recently added a search bar. Meanwhile, Steam has been fleshed out with consumer and developer-friendly features for years now. 

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Epic Games dismisses accusations of data sharing and explains how it locks in exclusives https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/featured-tech-news/damien-cox/epic-games-dismisses-accusations-of-data-sharing-and-explains-how-it-locks-in-exclusives/ https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/featured-tech-news/damien-cox/epic-games-dismisses-accusations-of-data-sharing-and-explains-how-it-locks-in-exclusives/#respond Tue, 01 Jan 2019 13:56:38 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=399563 The Epic Games Store has quite a way to go before it can truly compete with already-established vendors such as Steam, but locking in Ashen, Hades, and The Walking Dead: The Final Season as launch exclusives is no small feat for the newcomer. Founder Tim Sweeney has since shared that it is Epic’s “pro-competitive” efforts …

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The Epic Games Store has quite a way to go before it can truly compete with already-established vendors such as Steam, but locking in Ashen, Hades, and The Walking Dead: The Final Season as launch exclusives is no small feat for the newcomer. Founder Tim Sweeney has since shared that it is Epic’s “pro-competitive” efforts that have allowed this seemingly unlikely feat to become possible.

Following accusations on Reddit that the Epic Games Store is being “literal Spyware and worse,” Sweeney stated that it is “up to you guys to decide what’s anti-consumer” but Epic does its best to “compete as a store and encourage healthy competition between stores.” The frustration understandably comes from the increasing amount of launchers on the PC platform, including but not limited to the Epic Games Store, Steam, Ubisoft’s Uplay, EA’s Origin, Blizzard’s Battle.net and CD Projekt Red’s GOG.

According to Sweeney, competition helps to provide “better prices” for the customer, “better deals for developers, and more investment in new content and innovation.” The main draw to alternative launchers then becomes exclusives, which “don’t come to stores for free; they’re a result of some combination of marketing commitments, development funding, or revenue guarantees. This all helps developers.”

The founder relates these developments in the video game industry to film and television, in which “much of the investment is the result of Netflix and Amazon competing with new stores.” Unfortunately “the proliferation of launchers is an annoying side effect of this, but the problem could eventually be solved through federated or decentralized software update tools,” according to Sweeney.

“There are ongoing conversations about this,” explains the post. “But multiple stores are necessary for the health of an ecosystem. When there’s only one, their natural tendency is to siphon off more and more of the revenue, which then go to monopoly profits rather than CREATORS! All developers recognize this because their business are being crushed under the weight of these increasing store taxes. This is why devs have been super enthusiastic about the Epic store.”

Specifically addressing the accusations of being spyware, Sweeney clarified that “Epic does not share user data with Tencent or any other company. We don’t share it, sell it, or broker access to it for advertising like so many other companies do,” and will not so long as Sweeney is the controlling shareholder.

“The language related to sharing data with the parent companies refers to Epic Games Inc. It’s a US-based company. This language exists because when you buy an Epic game in certain territories (like Europe), the seller of record is our local (e.g. European) subsidiary company for tax purposes, but the data is ultimately stored by Epic Games Inc.”

The Epic Games Store has also been criticised for its lack of features, particularly customer feedback. Sweeney echoes that the Store is still in its early stages and will receive a “review system based on the existing one in the Unreal Engine marketplace. It will be opt-in by developers. We think this is best because review bombing and other gaming-the-system is a real problem.”

KitGuru Says: The Epic Games Store is bound to be scrutinised in its infancy, compared to launchers that are significantly more fleshed out, but Sweeney and his teams are dedicated to making it a true competitor in the market. Time will tell whether or not it will truly stack up but the promised features are certainly worth the wait and support for. How do you feel about the Epic Games Store?

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Epic Games is now worth $8 billion following Fortnite success https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/ryan-burgess/epic-games-is-now-worth-8-billion-following-fortnite-success/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/ryan-burgess/epic-games-is-now-worth-8-billion-following-fortnite-success/#respond Wed, 25 Jul 2018 13:48:22 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=380758 Like it or not, Fortnite has gone on to become a huge success and is one of few games to cross over into the mainstream public eye. Epic Games has always had success thanks to the Unreal Engine, but Fortnite has given it a substantial push, with the studio as a whole now being worth …

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Like it or not, Fortnite has gone on to become a huge success and is one of few games to cross over into the mainstream public eye. Epic Games has always had success thanks to the Unreal Engine, but Fortnite has given it a substantial push, with the studio as a whole now being worth a staggering $8 billion.

Epic Games is now worth $8 billion following the success of Fortnite. Unreal Engine also makes up for a substantial amount of that value as one of the most popular game engines around. Either way, this rise to $8 billion is significant, as GamesIndustry.biz points out, Epic was valued at ‘just' $825 million back in 2012.

This is another huge win for gaming behemoth Tencent as well which owns 40% of Epic Games. Epic co-founder, Tim Sweeney is also doing well following the studio's recent success, as it is reported that Sweeney is now a billionaire.

Fortnite is making Epic Games a tonne of cash, daily revenue for the iOS version is at $2 million, with a total income of more than $1 billion since its release with no signs of slowing down.

KitGuru Says: I remember back when Fortnite was first announced, to think it is now the world’s most popular game is mind-boggling, Epic Games must be laughing all the way to the bank. Are you a big Fortnite fan?

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Tim Sweeney’s anti-Microsoft crusade is still going, claims Windows is ransomware https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/matthew-wilson/tim-sweeney-continues-his-anti-microsoft-crusade-claims-windows-cloud-is-ransomware/ https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/matthew-wilson/tim-sweeney-continues-his-anti-microsoft-crusade-claims-windows-cloud-is-ransomware/#comments Wed, 08 Feb 2017 19:49:29 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=321237 Over the last year or so, Tim Sweeney has been incredibly vocal about his distaste for Microsoft and some of the company's new Windows 10 initiatives. At first, he took issue with the Universal Windows Platform and went as far as to claim that Microsoft wants to try and kill Steam but this week, he went …

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Over the last year or so, Tim Sweeney has been incredibly vocal about his distaste for Microsoft and some of the company's new Windows 10 initiatives. At first, he took issue with the Universal Windows Platform and went as far as to claim that Microsoft wants to try and kill Steam but this week, he went in a slightly different direction, branding the recently leaked ‘Windows Cloud' build as ransomware.

Windows Cloud has not been officially announced or revealed by Microsoft yet. However, a build for it has been leaked and it is essentially a spiritual successor to Windows RT. Cloud is set to be a stripped back version of Windows 10 with some key functionality removed, locking things down to just UWP apps. However, it is rumoured that Windows Cloud users will be able to upgrade to a full version of Windows 10 if they need the extra tools and program support.

Mr. Sweeney himself caught wind of this and proceeded to post a series of tweets on the subject:

 

The main issue with this argument is that Windows Cloud isn't going to be forced on anyone and therefor won't be ‘stealing your Steam library'. From what we know so far, it is just a stripped back version of Windows intended as another option for those who don't need all of the features of a proper desktop system. Aside from that, we still don't know when Microsoft intends to launch Windows Cloud.

KitGuru Says: While I don't necessarily like the idea behind Windows Cloud, calling it ransomware seems like a bit of a stretch. Then again, it can be hard to present a proper argument for or against something on Twitter where the 140 character limit reigns supreme. 

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HTC Vive outselling Oculus Rift 2:1, claims Tim Sweeney https://www.kitguru.net/components/vr/jon-martindale/htc-vive-outselling-oculus-rift-21-claims-tim-sweeney/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/vr/jon-martindale/htc-vive-outselling-oculus-rift-21-claims-tim-sweeney/#comments Mon, 09 Jan 2017 11:48:14 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=316931 According to the founder of Epic Games, Tim Sweeney, the HTC Vive is outselling the Oculus Rift by a ratio of 2:1. Claiming that the reason for the greater success rate of the Vive is its open-platform design, Sweeney said he expects this trend to continue and that ultimately open platforms will dominate in the …

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According to the founder of Epic Games, Tim Sweeney, the HTC Vive is outselling the Oculus Rift by a ratio of 2:1. Claiming that the reason for the greater success rate of the Vive is its open-platform design, Sweeney said he expects this trend to continue and that ultimately open platforms will dominate in the VR space.

Oculus was once the darling of the virtual reality world. The developer of early VR kits like the DK1 and DK2 and headed by then well-loved, VR evangelist, Palmer Luckey, Oculus rode a wave of popularity to its consumer release. However after backtracking, a higher than expected price and a very Apple-like stance on software stores, much of the Oculus good will evaporated throughout 2016.

That seems to be the case for developers too, as Sweeney was heavily critical of Oculus' strategy in his chat with Glixel. He's not just mindlessly hating on Oculus either, as Epic has provided a lot of support for Oculus and vice versa with the development and impending release of Robo Recall. However much like his dislike for the locked down Windows Store, Sweeney just does not like closed software ecosystems.

sweeney

Sweeney shown here during his chat at GDC 2016. Source: OfficialGDC/Flickr

“I think it's the wrong model. When you install the Oculus drivers, by default you can only use the Oculus store,” Sweeney said. “You have to rummage through the menu and turn that off if you want to run Steam. Which everybody does. It's just alienating and sends the wrong message to developers. It's telling developers: “You're on notice here. We're going to dominate this thing. And your freedom is going to expire at some point.” It's a terrible precedent to set. I argued passionately against it.”

He went on to highlight that the most successful games and apps were always multi, if not cross-platform. Tools designed for interaction and communication are only great if you can use them to talk to everyone he said.

Although he didn't provide hard numbers to show that the Vive is outselling Rifts, our own research into the UK marketplace offers evidence that should back it up. While you can find the Vive at many hardware stores – and OCUK alone has sold thousands, we were told – the Rift is only buyable from a few select outlets. For some reason, one of them is John Lewis.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Even though the Rift is excellent, the Vive's open platform is a major reason I would still recommend it over its competitor. 

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Epic’s Tim Sweeney thinks Microsoft wants to kill Steam https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/epics-tim-sweeney-thinks-microsoft-wants-to-kill-steam/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/epics-tim-sweeney-thinks-microsoft-wants-to-kill-steam/#comments Wed, 27 Jul 2016 11:42:31 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=300639 Epic Games founder Tim Sweeney has been a vocal opponent of Windows 10 and its Windows Marketplace, which he sees as Microsoft's attempt to lock down the entire ecosystem. Although his comments are often factually debatable, he's still not a fan of either and thinks Microsoft could drop W32 to try and kill off Steam. As …

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Epic Games founder Tim Sweeney has been a vocal opponent of Windows 10 and its Windows Marketplace, which he sees as Microsoft's attempt to lock down the entire ecosystem. Although his comments are often factually debatable, he's still not a fan of either and thinks Microsoft could drop W32 to try and kill off Steam.

As it stands, everyone uses W32 as a programming interface for Windows gaming he says, but Microosft wants to drive its Universal Windows Platform (UWP) technology instead.

“The risk here is that, if Microsoft convinces everybody to use UWP, then they phase out Win32 apps,” he said to Edge magazine. “If they can succeed in doing that then it's a small leap to forcing all apps and games to be distributed through the Windows Store.”

The concern there, is that once all new games use UWP, what is the incentive to support much older W32 titles? Especially since they would weaken the security of a sandboxed Windows store ecosystem.

sweeney

Source: Official GDC/Flickr

Fortunately it sounds like his fears might be misplaced. Ars has a solid breakdown debunking his concerns, pointing out that W32 is required for UWP and much of Windows' other important functions, like the Explorer shell. Other major applications like Photoshop heavily utilise W32, so why would they get on board with Microsoft halting its support for the platform?

It argues that the very reason Windows has remained popular for so long is its backwards compatibility. If that went away, many, many users would refuse to upgrade. Microsoft has had enough trouble getting people to move over to an entirely free version of Windows 10. If that platform no longer supported most of the world's mainstream software, future upgrade attempts would be basically impossible.

Playing chicken like that with gamers would also be a dangerous move. With the rise of Linux gaming through SteamOS and other alternatives, no matter its slow progression, any big changes like this would quickly see people jump ship to maintain playing their favourite games.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Do you think Sweeney is right and that Microsoft will try and shut down future Windows so they can only play approved games? Or is it just being paranoid for some reason?

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Tim Sweeney still isn’t happy about Microsoft’s UWP https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/tim-sweeney-still-isnt-happy-about-microsofts-uwp/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/matthew-wilson/tim-sweeney-still-isnt-happy-about-microsofts-uwp/#comments Wed, 04 May 2016 15:41:22 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=291692 Earlier this year, Epic Games' co-founder, Tim Sweeney, spoke quite openly about his issues with Microsoft's new Universal Windows Platform, which is created to allow software to run across the PC and Xbox One. Microsoft did announce plans to keep improving the new platform at its Build conference last month but it looks like Sweeney …

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Earlier this year, Epic Games' co-founder, Tim Sweeney, spoke quite openly about his issues with Microsoft's new Universal Windows Platform, which is created to allow software to run across the PC and Xbox One. Microsoft did announce plans to keep improving the new platform at its Build conference last month but it looks like Sweeney still isn't impressed.

Speaking at the GamesBeat summit earlier today (via: PC Gamer), the Epic Games' co-founder talked about Microsoft's approach with Windows as a whole, claiming that it has been slowly tightening its grip over time, slowly getting Windows owners used to the idea of a closed platform and changing the rules as it goes: “If you throw a frog in boiling water, he’ll just hop out. But if you put him in warm water and you slowly ramp up the temperature, he will not notice and he’ll be boiled”.

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“Look at Facebook: Every company moved their brand presence to Facebook, sending out messages for their customers to receive. Now, you have to pay to send out your messages to people who chose to follow you. You’ve become a boiling frog.”

While Microsoft may talk a big game when it comes to supporting open platforms, Sweeney is unconvinced: “Microsoft has given itself the ability to force dash updates without your authorisation. It will just update itself and you can’t do anything about it. They can change the rules of the game at any time.”

The final point of Sweeney's talk was that by closing its platform off, Microsoft may well be stifling future innovation, rather than encouraging it: “Open platforms encourage innovation, and when you have a closed platform and a monopoly on commerce, it stifles it.”

KitGuru Says: Microsoft has been making some huge changes to its policies with Windows 10 but I do wonder how many other developers aren't on-board with the new approach. Maybe if more spoke up, Microsoft would re-evaluate its approach a bit.

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Microsoft: DirectX 12 adoption rate is fastest ever https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/matthew-wilson/microsoft-directx-12-adoption-rate-is-fastest-ever/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/graphic-cards/matthew-wilson/microsoft-directx-12-adoption-rate-is-fastest-ever/#comments Wed, 30 Mar 2016 18:35:45 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=288373 It looks like developers are wasting absolutely no time in upgrading to DirectX 12 as Microsoft has revealed that its new graphics API has the fastest adoption rate of any DirectX version. DirectX 12 is the latest graphics API from Microsoft and it has strong ties to Windows 10, which has also been seeing strong …

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It looks like developers are wasting absolutely no time in upgrading to DirectX 12 as Microsoft has revealed that its new graphics API has the fastest adoption rate of any DirectX version. DirectX 12 is the latest graphics API from Microsoft and it has strong ties to Windows 10, which has also been seeing strong adoption rates over the last year.

Speaking at the Build conference today (via: VentureBeat), Phil Spencer spoke out on ways that Microsoft is trying to make it easier for developers to create games that can then be deployed across multiple devices, including Xbox One and PC.

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While early examples of real-world DirectX 12 performance from Rise of the Tomb Raider, Gears of War: Ultimate Edition or Hitman haven't been the best, on paper, the new graphics framework should be 50 percent more efficient than DirectX 11. DX12's other major advantage is a reduction in latency between the CPU and the GPU, providing an overall bump to frame rate.

As more and more developers get on board with DirectX 12, the kinks that we are currently seeing in some games will be ironed out. The next game to launch sporting DirectX 12 will be Quantum Break, which is built on Microsoft's new UWP format, which comes with a few limitations for PC gamers but Spencer has said that support for more PC-centric technologies is coming, like G-Sync/Freesync and V-Sync. The platform is also going to take a more open approach going forward, following on from Epic founder, Tim Sweeney's concerns that were voiced a short while back.

KitGuru Says: DirectX 12 is still relatively new and developers are still working out the kinks. However, if adoption rates continue to be strong, then maybe we will be moving on from DX11 fairly quickly. 

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Epic founder Tim Sweeney attacks unified Windows idea https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/operating-systems/jon-martindale/epic-founder-tim-sweeney-attacks-unified-windows-idea/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/operating-systems/jon-martindale/epic-founder-tim-sweeney-attacks-unified-windows-idea/#comments Fri, 04 Mar 2016 16:37:03 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=286028 If one thing has become clear from the way Microsoft has handled the launch and updates of the Xbox One, the launch of Windows 10 and its latest push for smartphone acceptance, it wants to build a single, unified Windows platform. Epic co-founder Tim Sweeney however, thinks that's a horrible idea and represents Microsoft's attempt …

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If one thing has become clear from the way Microsoft has handled the launch and updates of the Xbox One, the launch of Windows 10 and its latest push for smartphone acceptance, it wants to build a single, unified Windows platform. Epic co-founder Tim Sweeney however, thinks that's a horrible idea and represents Microsoft's attempt to lock down the traditionally open, PC platform.

“With its new Universal Windows Platform (UWP) initiative, Microsoft has built a closed platform-within-a-platform into Windows 10, as the first apparent step towards locking down the consumer PC ecosystem,” Sweeney said in a piece written in The Guardian.

Throughout the rest of the piece he goes on the attack, claiming that Microsoft is declaring war on publishers, developers and platform providers, in an attempt to force people to use its Windows app store, by benefiting those that do, and disadvantaging those that don't.

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This animosity might seem surprising considering Microsoft and Epic Games have worked together on big exclusives like Gears of War in the past, but that merely shows how much Sweeney fears what Microsoft is planning. The fact that the recent Gears of War: Ultimate Edition re-release on PC has been disastrous in many ways, probably didn't help.

Sweeney goes on to point out specific complaints in his piece, stating that part of the issue is that the Unified Windows Platform (UWP) stops you being able to update or use applications outside of its shopfront. He wants that to end, as well as the locking out of other platform providers.

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Gears of War: Ultimate Edition on PC ran into a lot of visual and performance issues. Source: ExtremeTech

Perhaps the most egregious part of the whole thing though, according to Sweeney, is that the service offered to consumers is a poor one. Months on after its launch, the Windows Store lacks most top-tier, popular games from major publishers and developers. How can Microsoft pretend to operate a high-level distribution service if the content on it doesn't represent what people want?

To fix this, Sweeney says he wants a guarantee that Microsoft will not restrict other marketplaces and that it will not force a 30 per cent cut of sales on everyone who wants to sell anything through Windows. It all needs to be obvious too, no deliberate hiding or obfuscation.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: These are the kinds of concerns we all had before Windows 10 launched last year. As much as it is a neat OS, the real concern was what would come next. Would Microsoft lock it down even more with Windows 11? The UWP threatens that. Are you willing to fight it?

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Tim Sweeney: VR will look as good as real life 10 years from now https://www.kitguru.net/peripherals/monitors/anton-shilov/tim-sweeney-vr-will-look-as-good-as-real-life-10-years-from-now/ https://www.kitguru.net/peripherals/monitors/anton-shilov/tim-sweeney-vr-will-look-as-good-as-real-life-10-years-from-now/#comments Fri, 20 Feb 2015 03:16:58 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=236717 Tim Sweeney, the founder of Epic Games and one of the best experts in computer graphics and video games in the world, believes that virtual reality will have dramatic influence on gaming. Moreover, rapid development of VR will mean that 10 years from now it will be impossible to distinguish between reality and virtual reality. …

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Tim Sweeney, the founder of Epic Games and one of the best experts in computer graphics and video games in the world, believes that virtual reality will have dramatic influence on gaming. Moreover, rapid development of VR will mean that 10 years from now it will be impossible to distinguish between reality and virtual reality.

Computer graphics in general is evolving pretty quickly thanks to development of graphics processing units and new game engines. Tim Sweeney, whose company Epic Games is behind Unreal Engine, one of the most advanced 3D engines for video games in the industry, believes that the same thing will happen to evolution of virtual reality computer graphics, which includes quick development of both software and hardware.

“It is going to change the world,” said Tim Sweeney in an interview with Engadget. “The hardware is going to double in quality every few years for another decade, to the point where, 10 years from now, it is going to be hard to tell the difference between virtual reality and the real world.”

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While there is a lot of hype regarding virtual reality on the market these days after Facebook acquired OculusVR for $2 billion last year, there are almost no actual VR headsets and virtual reality games on the market, except experimental hardware and software. In fact, the VR gear in general has not even entered the market of early adopters. However, software developers are working on multiple interesting virtual reality projects that will emerge in 2016 and onwards, according to the founder of Epic.

“There are some amazing things happening in VR right now, and a lot of them have not seen the light of day publicly at all,” said Mr. Sweeney. “But next year is going to just be a watershed time for VR.”

Sweeney predicts that this year will be crucial for virtual reality. OculusVR is expected to finally release its highly-anticipated commercial version of Oculus Rift VR headset and a number of other companies are working on their virtual reality gear too. Software makers are also projected to reveal their VR products.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: There are no doubts that the ultimate goal of virtual reality technologies is to match real life and eventually it could be achieved. However, before VR starts to evolve at a rapid pace, industry standards will have to be created. If there is a standards war between OculusVR, Microsoft (and its HoloLens), Sony (project Morpheus), Razer OSVR and others, do not expect VR technology in general to become ubiquitous any time soon.

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Tim Sweeney: Virtual reality will be bigger than smartphones https://www.kitguru.net/peripherals/monitors/anton-shilov/tim-sweeney-virtual-reality-will-be-bigger-than-smartphones/ https://www.kitguru.net/peripherals/monitors/anton-shilov/tim-sweeney-virtual-reality-will-be-bigger-than-smartphones/#comments Tue, 01 Apr 2014 22:57:24 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=185431 Tim Sweeney, a legendary game developer, said in an interview that virtual reality technologies will have higher influence on video games than the smartphones had. At present the VR technology is mostly aimed at game developers, researchers, enthusiasts and early adopters, but eventually it will not only appeal to loads of people, but will have …

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Tim Sweeney, a legendary game developer, said in an interview that virtual reality technologies will have higher influence on video games than the smartphones had. At present the VR technology is mostly aimed at game developers, researchers, enthusiasts and early adopters, but eventually it will not only appeal to loads of people, but will have an extremely strong influence on the world of gaming.

“It is technology that I think will completely change the world,” said Tim Sweeney in an interview with Polygon. “I think it is going to be a bigger phenomenon than smartphones. You have to put it in perspective and realize we're in maybe the [first-generation] iPhone stage right now where you have this really cool device, but it has some real flaws that prevents it from being a pervasive device for everyone.”

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Mr. Sweeney did not reveal whether Epic is working on a title that will support virtual reality helmets, but confirmed that his company is researching the VR technology using the Oculus VR headsets. Keeping in mind that Epic has developed a number of demos for Oculus using the latest Unreal Engine 4 tech, there is little doubt that the company is interested in the VR gear in general and will add support for the tech into future titles.

“We are doing a huge amount of research in VR, working with Oculus kits,” he said. “We see this as a technology that will influence every game and every platform.”

It is pretty much obvious that virtual reality games should be completely different than games designed today, so there are plenty of things for game developers to learn. However, it will also be possible to create all-new types of video games and revolutionise gaming in many ways once the VR gear becomes widespread.

KitGuru Says: It is rather funny: virtually all leading game developers consider virtual reality an extremely promising technology. However, before VR headsets become popular (and that will take years), just a few companies will invest some moderate money into VR games.

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