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Good news for all you budding game developers out there. Epic Games has made its acclaimed development software, Unreal Engine 3, available to the public free of charge. Epic’s engine has been used to power some of this generation’s biggest titles including Gears of War, BioShock, and Batman: Arkham Asylum, Mass Effect and many more. The only difference between the free Unreal Development Kit (UDK) and the one that professional developers use is the lack of access to the Unreal Engine 3 C++ source code.

Now, as long as you use the engine for noncommercial or educational purposes, the UDK is free to use, and you will not be required to fork over cash for a licensing fee. However, if you intend to use the software to create any kind of game, movie, demo, whatever, and then sell that creation, then you’ll have to throw down cash to do so. You can find out more about all the legal issues that come from using the UDK in commercial projects over at the UDK’s official site.

Anyone thinking about trying their hand at creating something with the UDK? Any programmers out there care to explain what the exclusion of C++ source code access means in terms of what people will be capable of creating with the free UDK?

Remember that adorable virtual scamp Milo that Peter Molyneux and Lionhead Studios introduced to the world during this year’s E3? Well, it appears that Molyneux’s most ambitious project yet – primarily creating a digital character that is capable of believably interacting with players through the use of Microsoft’s Project Natal motion technology – will be getting a little help from a very lucky doctoral student.

Lionhead recently sent out a recruitment notice for an AI researcher and programmer interested in doing his/her dissertation on real-time humanoid behavior. While the dissertation would be supervised by the University of Bath and funded in part by the Centre for Digital Entertainment, three of the four years would be spent working at Lionhead Studios in Guildford, England. Judging from that timetable, it seems that whatever the Milo project ends up being, it won’t be ready for at least another three years.

Here’s the position’s official description:

“The target of the research is to use upcoming game technology to create a humanoid character that will enhance the human computer interaction experience. The research should make use of multiple concurrent sensory inputs including 3-dimensional optical and audio, as well as user pose. These inputs may be used as part of communication exchanges, emotional empathy, and possibly physical interactions of some kind such that under a restricted set of circumstances it would appear that the Turing test had been passed between the character on the computer and the human subject.  Systems AI engineering will be emphasised, as we aim to develop not only impressive demonstrations, but reusable components for human-like AI systems.”

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Earlier, Stephen Johnson told you about Epic perhaps making its Unreal 3 technology available to consumers. Well, while you’re waiting around to get your hands on those crazy powerful design tools, you might want to check out the free, Unreal 3-powered, movie-making software Muvizu.

I’ve been playing around with the program, and it’s actually pretty solid. It comes packed with a number of pre-designed scenes like a living room, a court room and the deck of a space ship, as well as a number of various objects (trees, furniture, vehicles, dead bodies, etc.) that can be used however you see fit. Dropping in and manipulating cameras, lights, music, etc. is all super easy, and you can even add lip synching to your characters (Although, I read online that the lip synching can be kind of finicky so some trial and error might needed to get it working just right.).

With regards to Epic Games' involvment, Muvizu's lead developer Robert McMillan said in a statement, “While we could have run with another engine, we preferred the robust, proven technology that Unreal provided and the added ability to accept assets created in Maya, the tool of choice for our creatives."

The software is in alpha at this point, so don’t freak out if you encounter bugs and such, but I would definitely recommend checking it out, especially if you are even remotely interested in animation or filmmaking.

Has anyone tried Muvizu out yet? What do you think? Should Pixar be shaking in its golden boots?
 

Microsoft reported today that it saw a decline in net profit for its first fiscal quarter, but it also received some much appreciated help from its Xbox division. The company's net profit came in at $3.57 billion, which is an 18 percent drop compared to last year.

Because of Microsoft’s Windows 7 push, the company saw sales fall to $12.92 billion (14 percent), which was due in large part to Microsoft offering new PC buyers the chance to upgrade to the company’s new operating system for free. This incentive program ended up costing Microsoft an extra 10 percent in losses. Then again, there’s a good chance that Microsoft will receive a significant revenue boost this quarter now that Windows 7 has gone to market.

Microsoft received some much needed help from its Entertainment and Devices division (Xbox 360, Zune, PC games, etc.), which pulled in $1.98 billion, and saw its operating income jump to $312 million, double that of last year.

The company’s chief financial officer, Chris Liddell, said in a statement, "We are very pleased with our performance this quarter and particularly by the strong consumer demand for Windows. We also maintained our cost discipline, which allowed us to drive strong earnings performance despite continued tough overall economic conditions."

I know you kids love corporate financials, so I won’t even bother with a discussion prompt. Have at it!

So long Windows Vista. Microsoft today released its latest greatest operating system Windows 7, meaning the PC users have finally been given the OS that Vista should have been, but sadly never was. Windows 7 boasts quite a few performance, interface and feature improvements over Vista, and best of all, it doesn’t require any addition hardware upgrades for computers that currently run Vista without issue.

Still, if you want to make sure your computer has what it takes to run Windows 7, you can download an upgrade advisor tool from Microsoft that will tell you how your machine stacks up with the OS’s requirements.

Unfortunately, Windows 7 isn’t expected to drastically improve gaming at all, even though it does include support for Direct X 11 API, but so will Vista once Service Pack 3 is released. Plus, it’s going to be a while before developers start incorporating DirectX 11 into their titles on a regular basis. Still, having a more stable and snappier OS is never a bad thing, and that in itself should make for a more enjoyable experience overall, which is appreciated.

Anyone out there picked up or planning to pick up a copy of Windows 7 today? Anyone already using it? What are your thoughts so far? What improvements (if any) have you noticed?

Update: Ha! When I called this quote a "slip-of-the-tongue" below, I was right! Reader Eric R. pointed me to Major Nelson's blog, where the Xbox Community head pointed out that Ballmer was talking about Blu-Ray accesorites for PCs, not the 360. So... ignore the rest of this story -- it just ain't so.

Now that the HD-DVD format has officially and totally joined Betamax and Marxism in History's dustbin, Microsoft's Steve Ballmer says Blu-ray is coming to the Xbox 360, but not in the form of a built-in Blu-ray drive.

"I don't know if we need to put Blu-ray in there—you'll be able to get Blu-ray drives as accessories," Ballmer told gadget blog Gizmodo. So, seemingly, Ballmer confirmed Blu-ray for the 360... kind of.

When Gizmodo contacted Microsoft's P.R. department, they didn't exactly back up Ballmer's revelation 100%. Instead, the clever PR flack replied with:

Our immediate solution for Blu-ray-quality video on an Xbox 360 is coming this fall with Zune Video and 1080p instant-on HD streaming. As far as our future plans are concerned, we're not ready to comment.

Which isn't exactly a denial, but isn't a confirmation either. Did Ballmer let information out early? Was it a slip-of-the-tongue? A mistake? No one can say for sure, so for now, file this one under "unconfirmed...but seems pretty reasonable."

I have both a PS3 and a 360, so the idea of an external Blu-ray drive doesn't appeal to me, but if a 360 was my sole system, this news would be amazing... if it turns out to be true. What do you think? Would an external Blu-ray drive make your life complete or what?

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In "things Blockbuster should have done a long time ago but now just seems like a desperate move to stay competitive with Netflix even though Netflix is clearly going to end up winning the fight" news, DVR juggernaut TiVo has partnered with the floundering rental company to give TiVo users the ability to rent and stream movies from Blockbuster through their DVR boxes.The new service is available in the TiVo Series2, TiVo Series3, TiVo HD, and TiVo HD XL models starting today.

Now, had Netflix not already secured a deal of its own with TiVo (and Microsoft for that matter) earlier in the year, this might have been seen as a cunning move on Blockbuster's part, as it would have perhaps taken at least some of the spotlight off of Netflix for at least a little while. Instead, Blockbuster just comes off as trying to imitate a superior opponent far too late in the game in the hopes of staying afloat for a little while longer

The only thing Blockbuster has going for it is that you don't have to pay for a subscription (other than TiVo of course) to take advantage of this new service. However, if you watch a lot of movies, paying for a Neftlix subscription and a TiVo (or Xbox Live) subscription could very well end up costing less than having to pay $3.99 (new releases) or $2.99 (classics) a pop every time you want to watch a movie. As always though, I could be wrong.

What do you think of this TiVo/Blockbuster deal? Anyone out there tried the service? How does it compare to Neflix streaming, either on TiVo or the 360?

The United Kingdom is about to launch the largest ARG in history! In this case, "ARG" doesn't' stand for "Alternative Reality Game," though. Here it means "Actual Reality Game." You see, Web users in the U.K  will soon have to ability to monitor the nation's network of  four million or so video cameras streaming video of public spaces to the internet. If you see anyone committing a crime on-cam, report him or her to the coppers and collect points (one point for seeing a suspected crime and three points for a confirmed crime.) Winning players will get their usernames on the internet in connection with the criminals they helped nab as well as cash prizes up to 1,000 Euros.

Apparently, the phrase "snitches get stitches" hasn't made it across the Atlantic.

The game will initially use CCTV cameras in shops and businesses in Stratford-upon-Avon but will be rolled out across Britain by December before going worldwide next year. As you'd expect, civil libertarians are quite upset at the idea of turning an entire nation into finks, but the police, as you'd expect, see no problem with the scheme at all.

As a fan of message-heavy, high-concept science fiction films, I am very happy to hear that the movie is finally starting. I can only assume an organized underground network of freedom fighters will attempt to disable all the cameras with laser beams. Also: A volcano will be involved somehow.

What do you think about this "game?" Would you play it if it was here in the States?

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There is very little time for you to take advantage of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make $10,000. All you have to do is check your LG Chocolate phone, and if its serial number matches the ones in the photo above, LG will buy the phone for 10 grand. You have until midnight tonight to contact them and let them know.

If any TheFeed reader sees this notice and actually wins this contest, they are not obligated, legally, to split this money with me. They are, however, obligated morally to give me half of the cash. It's the right thing to do.

Of course, maybe it's not actually a contest. Maybe there's something peculiar and special about these five phones. Are they prototypes? Are they actually robots in disguise? 

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You know who Justine Bateman is? She was a popular actress in the 1980s. She starred in Family Ties and a bunch of other stuff. She was actually pretty hot. But it's not the 1980s any more, and Bateman is on the Twitter.

This morning, the high-strung actress apparently got angry when people she didn't even know started showing up on her Twitter Feed. She posted the following to a total stranger:

I don’t know what kind of deal you cut with TwitterBerry or how much it cost you, but suddenly you’re on my Twitter feed and I NEVER OPTEN TO FOLLOW YOU nor do I wan to.

I’m set to flame this incident all over the Internet. I suggest for the sake of your reputation on-line, YOU GET YOUR TWITTER ACCOUNT TOGETHER, and stop attempting to shove your posts into other people’s feeds.

The problem is, her new online nemesis didn't cut a deal with TwitterBerry or anyone else -- he was an innocent man. It was just the first time Bateman ran across a new twitter feature that builds "re-tweets" into twitter streams.

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Gadget blog Gizmodo has revealed a crap-ton of details on the Microsoft Courier. The booklet PC is in its prototype stages, but based on the info revealed, and the photos and a video of the thing in action, it will be a must-have very, very soon.

Currently in the "late prototype" stage, Courier is controlled through a combination of stylus input and touch-controls. Although technically a tablet, it's hinged in the middle, so it's more like a notebook. Courier  sports two screens that will be around 7" in size.

The video game connection: Entertainment & Devices tech chief J. Allard, is in charge of the project. Allard was the head of the team that created the original Xbox, and Xbox Live. He also spearheaded the Microsoft Zune, so there is some serious experience behind the development of Courier.

If you want to know more about Courier, check out Attack of the Show today at 7 PM. Gizmodo's Adam Frucci will be on hand to give in-depth analysis of the device.

What do you think? Sexy, right? But how much would you seriously pay for one? A grand? Five hundred bucks?

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You might not be fully aware of it, but right now, one of the most important battles in the history of the internet is being fought. This issue is net neutrality. To sum up the conflict: Some big companies would like internet service to be tiered, so info sent from some corporations could potentially be give priority on the internet. That way, ISP's could provide premium service for internet sites and customers willing to pay for prominent positions. As things are now, Joe's Awesome ISP/Search Portal and AT&T both share the same level of service over the internet.

The FCC is leaning toward ensuring net neutrality right now, and most internet-freedom types think it needs to be ensured... but wireless providers are becoming concerned. AT&T and Verizon's wireless divisions have both expressed their worries.

The wireless providers' argument goes like this: Bandwidth on physical networks (like phone lines) is essentially limitless, so net neutrality makes sense in that context, but wireless internet is a different story. Wireless bandwidth is limited by the available spectrum, and if the carriers don't have authority to limit some types of heavy use, everyone loses.... or so they say.

As more and more people switch to wireless internet, the issue of how the resource is allocated becomes more and more important. Should we let the free market decide? Should the government step in? How about a nice middle-ground? No one really knows how it will shake out, so leave your idea in the comment section below...who knows, maybe you'll solve the problem!

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Apple's apparent rejection of Google Voice for iPhone is silly. The company claims that it's evaluating the product and hasn't approved it because it duplicates some of the iPhone's features and might confuse its users. As much as I admire certain Apple executives and enjoy the company's products, its line of reasoning has me thinking one thing: what a load of crap!!! Let's break it down.

Google Voice duplicates iPhone features: It sure does...but so do several other programs that are available on the iTunes App Store. Whether you're talking about TomTom's GPS app, Spotify, Vonage, or countless other applications, Apple has approved many programs that duplicate the iPhone's functionality. This "concern" is garbage.

Google Voice might confuse iPhone users: Apparently all iPhone users are stupid, unable to tell the difference between the phone's native dialer and Google Voice's. Or maybe iPhone users are stupid for paying AT&T's rates for sending text messages and making international calls -- things Google Voice can do for free and cheap, respectively. Seriously though, there are many iPhone users that aren't tech savvy, but I have to believe that the majority of iPhone owners aren't complete morons. I don't see how the app is confusing to a reasonably intelligent person.

So what's the real reason for the "rejection" of Google Voice? That's easy: Apple doesn't like it. As I explained last month, Apple and Google are competing in more and more areas. Apple doesn't want a filthy Google product infecting its precious iPhone. Furthermore, the iPhone is Apple's house and any visitors have to abide by its rules. I wish the company would fess up and just say that, instead of making pretentious claims about confusing its users.

Anyway, that's my rant on the matter. What do you guys and gals think? Do you think Apple is genuinely concerned about duplicating features and confusing users? Or is that all a bunch of hot air?

The war between Apple and Google just got a wee bit more interesting -- an unredacted version of a document filed with the FCC shows Google claiming that it was informed of Google Voice's rejection from the iTunes App Store by Apple senior vice president Phil Schiller. According to the Google-filed document:

"The primary points of contact between the two companies were Alan Eustace, Google Senior Vice President of Engineering & Research, and Phil Schiller, Apple Senior Vice President of Worldwide Product Marketing. On July 7, Mr. Eustace and Mr. Schiller spoke over the phone. It was during this call that Mr. Schiller informed Mr. Eustace that Apple was rejecting the Google Voice application."

As I reported in August, Apple filed a document with the FCC that claimed, "Contrary to published reports, Apple has not rejected the Google Voice application". The whole affair has become a "he said, she said" matter and I'm sure both sides are going to claim miscommunication. Certainly someone's pants should be on fire because one of the parties isn't telling the truth.

What do you make of this latest information? Who's telling the truth? Did Apple reject Google Voice? Or is Apple merely evaluating the product (over the course of several months)? Leave a comment and let me know (please)!

Source via Engadget Mobile