Take it from a pro, Street Fighter 5’s changes are for the greater good

One Guinness Worlds Record-holding champ believes the community needs SFV to succeed.

1987's Street Fighter wasn't the first fighting game—see the likes of Yie Ar Kung Fu and Karate Champ—but it remains the most influential. With three levels of attack speed and strength for punches and kicks mapped to six buttons (replacing an earlier version with pressure-sensitive pads), along with three special attacks that required a specific combination of button presses and joystick movements, Street Fighter was far more complex that its trivial title implied.

Street Fighter II improved on its predecessor to that point that it was almost unrecognisable. Eight playable characters. Hugely improved graphics. And a combo system that—while fabled to have come about by accident, rather than by design—resulted in huge depth. For children of the '90s, huddling round a coveted cabinet in a local chippy, mini-cab station, arcade, or wherever else one would randomly turn up, Street Fighter was a rite of passage.

Many of those children, myself included, went on to enter tournaments. A lucky few became superstars. Others became heroes. Despite its ups and down—particularly when it comes to female participants—the fighting game community that evolved out of Street Fighter is thriving. 2015's Evo tournament, arguably the largest fighting game tournament in the world with a prize pot of over $300,000 (£200,000), was watched by just under four million people. The most popular game in the tournament? Ultra Street Fighter IV, which drew more 250,000 viewers on Twitch during the momentous final between Momochi and Gamerbee. Sure, Evo might ostensibly be about more than just Street Fighter thanks to having games like Super Smash Bros. Melee and Killer Instinct on its roster, but to the average joe who might not know his high kick from his Hadouken, Street Fighter is Evo.

Read 10 remaining paragraphs | Comments

Tauchfähiges Fluggerät: Der Copter, der aus der Tiefe kommt

Forscher haben einen Quadcopter gebaut, der über mehrere Monate lang in einer Tiefe von über 100 Metern in Salzwasser verbleiben kann. Anschließend taucht Cracuns auf und fliegt los – ohne Korrosionsschäden. (Drohne, Luftfahrt)

Forscher haben einen Quadcopter gebaut, der über mehrere Monate lang in einer Tiefe von über 100 Metern in Salzwasser verbleiben kann. Anschließend taucht Cracuns auf und fliegt los - ohne Korrosionsschäden. (Drohne, Luftfahrt)

To arms! A revamped Game of Thrones card game delivers combat and treachery

Ars test drives the second edition of the game inspired by George R.R. Martin’s world.

This is how a typical game looks a few turns in. Of course, your game board won't be this tidy. (credit: Fantasy Flight Games)

Welcome to Ars Cardboard, our weekend look at tabletop games! Check out our complete board gaming coverage right here—and let us know what you think.

Six decades have passed since J.R.R. Tolkien's The Return of the King first hit bookstores, and since then, The Lord of the Rings has reigned over the fantasy genre. Yet in recent years, no challenger has come closer to toppling Tolkien's epic in popular culture than George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire.

The series' widespread popularity, due in part to a wildly successful HBO series, has opened the door to countless spinoff products. But even before the show brought Tyrion Lannister into our living rooms, Fantasy Flight Games (FFG) had been catering to George R.R. Martin fans for years. And because Martin’s world is populated with dozens of vivid, unpredictable, and often downright evil characters, it's no surprise that FFG launched A Game of Thrones: The Card Game back in 2008. Who wouldn't want to do battle as Jaime, Cersei, or Tywin under House Lannister, or wield Sand Snakes as The Red Viper of House Martell, or fight alongside the other factions?

Read 14 remaining paragraphs | Comments

Social Media: Twitter belässt es bei 140 Zeichen pro Nachricht

Bei Twitter werden auch künftig keine Nachrichten mit mehr als 140 Zeichen möglich sein. Als Alternative bleibt Nutzern, die mehr zu sagen haben, weiterhin der Screenshot. (Twitter, Microblogging)

Bei Twitter werden auch künftig keine Nachrichten mit mehr als 140 Zeichen möglich sein. Als Alternative bleibt Nutzern, die mehr zu sagen haben, weiterhin der Screenshot. (Twitter, Microblogging)

Windows 10 Mobile: Microsoft bricht Upgrade-Versprechen

Wer gestern sein Windows-8-Smartphone nicht auf Microsofts Liste der für ein Upgrade auf Windows 10 Mobile in Frage kommenden Geräte entdeckt hat, wird es wohl auch nicht mehr tun: Die Liste ist final – Microsoft hat damit sein anfängliches Versprechen klar gebrochen. (Windows 10 Mobile, Smartphone)

Wer gestern sein Windows-8-Smartphone nicht auf Microsofts Liste der für ein Upgrade auf Windows 10 Mobile in Frage kommenden Geräte entdeckt hat, wird es wohl auch nicht mehr tun: Die Liste ist final - Microsoft hat damit sein anfängliches Versprechen klar gebrochen. (Windows 10 Mobile, Smartphone)

Copyright Holders Want to Ban Talk About Piracy Blocklist Circumvention

Site blocking is viewed by entertainment companies as a key weapon in the piracy wars but since workarounds are easily available, its efficacy remains suspect. However, if entertainment companies have their way, amendments to Russian law will outlaw the promotion and discussion of block circumvention techniques.

Source: TF, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, torrent sites and ANONYMOUS VPN services.

censorshipThis week following further intense discussions on how to bring Internet piracy under control, rights holders submitted new proposals for amendments to local copyright law.

Supported by communications watchdog Roskomnadzor, one of the key aims of the working group is to bring an end to the game of whac-a-mole caused by the country’s site blocking regime.

Ending the proxy wars

Like other countries, once pirate sites are blocked by local ISPs, proxies, mirrors and clones of those sites reappear elsewhere, rendering the blockades ineffective. This means that copyright holders have to head back to court to obtain a new blocking order if they are to keep up with the pirates.

As is already loosely the case in the UK, rightsholders with interests in Russia want mirror and proxy sites to be classified as extensions of the original blocked site and given the same illegal standing. This would mean they could be quickly blocked without need for a new trial.

Currently the courts require an individual process for each site, a position highlighted recently when ISPs were ordered to permanently block huge torrent site RuTracker but several sites appeared online which effectively circumvented the blockade.

“The Working Group proposes to simplify the blocking procedures in respect of mirrors of sites that have already been recognized by the court as illegal resources,” National Federation of the Music Industry (Sony, Universal, Warner, EMI) chief Leonid Agronov explains.

Circumventing blockades? You can’t talk about that

While the proposed measures against mirrors, clones and reverse proxy sites are not unexpected, demands being made by anti-piracy group Association for the Protection of Copyright on the Internet (AZAPO) really take things to the next level.

Just as sites can take measures to avoid being blocked, users can circumvent blocks with a variety of tools including VPNs, TOR and other proxies. People learn about these techniques online but if AZAPO has its way – and that looks likely – telling people how to circumvent web-blocking measures will become an illegal act.

In a document penned by AZAPO, approved by telecoms watchdog Rozkomnadzor, and seen by Gazeta.ru, the anti-piracy group says that banning discussion of workarounds will enhance the country’s blocking regime.

“The introduction of [a system of fines] for those who promote methods for bypassing Internet blockades will enhance the effectiveness of blocking prohibited Internet resources,” the group writes.

At this stage the proposals suggest fines ranging from around $70 for “entrepreneurial individuals” right up to $14,500 for those operating within a legal entity but it’s not yet clear how these fines will be managed or enforced.

While discussion of circumvention could soon be off-limits, there’s no intention of banning circumvention tools outright. Noting that they have legitimate uses, Rozkomnadzor says it simply wants to draw a line in the sand over the way they’re promoted online.

“These technical software tools have a wide range of useful applications. But advertising these as a way to bypass website blocks should not be a legitimate action,” a spokesperson said.

Not surprisingly, representatives from the Internet industry see things somewhat differently. Karen Ghazaryan, principal analyst at the Russian Association of Electronic Communications, told Gazeta that tightening of the law will only lead to further dissemination of information detailing how to bypass blockades.

Indeed, there would be little the authorities could do about advice pages appearing outside the country, unless they wanted to enter into the biggest game of whac-a-mole ever seen.

Crucially, clamping down on discussion is unlikely to stimulate the market for legal content consumption among consumers, Ghazaryan says.

Presented this week, the draft proposals will now be sent to the Ministry of Communications for subsequent discussion in the State Duma.

Source: TF, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, torrent sites and ANONYMOUS VPN services.

Apple: 9,7 Zoll großes iPad Pro soll 100 Euro teurer werden

Das kleine iPad Pro soll teurer werden als das iPad Air 2 und nur mit 32 und 128 GByte auf den Markt kommen. Die bisherige 16-GByte-Variante und das 64-GByte-Modell sollen entfallen. Dafür wird es das iPad Air 2 weiter geben. (iPad, Apple)

Das kleine iPad Pro soll teurer werden als das iPad Air 2 und nur mit 32 und 128 GByte auf den Markt kommen. Die bisherige 16-GByte-Variante und das 64-GByte-Modell sollen entfallen. Dafür wird es das iPad Air 2 weiter geben. (iPad, Apple)

Die Woche im Video: Frankfurt, Hannover, San Francisco

Eine Woche voller Messetage: Wir haben uns auf der GDC in die virtuelle Realität begeben, auf der Light+Building ging uns ein Licht auf. Und Cebit war auch noch. (Golem-Wochenrückblick, Internet)

Eine Woche voller Messetage: Wir haben uns auf der GDC in die virtuelle Realität begeben, auf der Light+Building ging uns ein Licht auf. Und Cebit war auch noch. (Golem-Wochenrückblick, Internet)

Playstation VR: “Spiele mit unter 60 fps lehnen wir ab”

Entwickler sollten bei Playstation VR beachten, dass 60 fps für Sony die absolute Untergrenze darstellen. Die muss die Playstation 4 alleine liefern, die Processing Unit hilft nicht bei der Berechnung. Wichtig ist daher die Asynchronous Reprojection für bis zu 120 Hz. (Playstation VR, Sony)

Entwickler sollten bei Playstation VR beachten, dass 60 fps für Sony die absolute Untergrenze darstellen. Die muss die Playstation 4 alleine liefern, die Processing Unit hilft nicht bei der Berechnung. Wichtig ist daher die Asynchronous Reprojection für bis zu 120 Hz. (Playstation VR, Sony)