Tech Culture

My gut reaction to seeing the $299 price tag of Nvidia's Shield gaming handheld: way overpriced.

And that was after Nvidia cut the price of the Android-powered device -- which will be available June 27 -- by $50 on Thursday.

But in reality, the Shield may end up being a relative bargain for folks who want a dedicated gaming device. It comes down to the video games available on Android. Many are free, or cost 99 cents. An "expensive" game would run you $10.

Now compare that with the Nintendo 3DS or PlayStation Vita. An average 3DS … Read more

Call me inverse Marty McFly, for today I'm writing from the faraway world of the 1980s.

Or at least that's the the era that comes to mind in my home base of Taos, N.M., since about 7:30 Wednesday evening, when one of CenturyLink's fiber-optic lines east of town was severed, knocking out virtually all cell phone service and much of the Internet access in town.… Read more

BEAVERTON, Ore. -- Earlier this month, Phil Black bounded onto the stage at the Tiger Woods Center at Nike's world headquarters here, dropped to ground, and pumped out a handful of perfectly executed pushups with the precision of a former Navy Seal instructor, which Black is.

And then, with a booming voice that commands attention, he reeled off a litany of reasons why the collected venture capitalists should pump money into his startup, FitDeck, with just as much as ease. FitDeck, which has already sold $4.3 million worth of fitness-focused playing cards from his garage, is raising funds … Read more

Kids, you know that studying is boring.

Now I can tell you that it's useless, too. Oh, of course I always knew this deep down inside, but I was waiting for the one thing that would confirm this: data.

My eyes and ears are bathing in the finest and most accurate data money can buy: data from Google.

The quote that Google's Laszlo Bock -- who enjoys the stunningly human title of senior vice president of people operations -- emitted to The New York Times is joyous: "GPA's are worthless as a criteria for hiring, and … Read more

"Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope" is getting a new premiere on July 3 in Window Rock, Arizona, more than 36 years after it first opened in theaters. This version is a little different.

Instead of hearing the voices of actors Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, and James Earl Jones, some lesser-known voice actors are getting a shot. This version will also be in Navajo.… Read more

Gamers eyeing Nvidia's Shield will be able to buy the device on June 27 to the tune of only $299.

Officially unveiling the date and the price drop via a blog on Thursday, Nvidia explained why it cut the cost from $349.

We've heard from thousands of gamers that if the price was $299, we'd have a home run.

So we're changing the price of Shield to $299.

If you've already pre-ordered Shield , you'll be charged the new, lower price. You will only be charged $299 when the product ships.

Demoed at CES 2013 … Read more

Microsoft says its decision to reverse its stance on Internet-connection requirements and used-games limitations was held up by last week's E3 gaming expo.

Speaking to All Things Digital in an interview published Thursday, Microsoft Xbox Chief Product Officer Mark Whitten said the company's E3 presentation was "the first time we had a chance to really lay out our program," adding that Microsoft believed it could explain the "complete story" at E3 and get to see what consumers "liked and what they didn't like."

In other words, Microsoft wanted to use its … Read more

EMERYVILLE, Calif. -- It's early April, and there's just over two months before Pixar's newest film, "Monsters University," hits theaters. For years, the filmmakers at this hit factory have been working like crazy, taking what was once a mere idea for a prequel to 2001's "Monsters, Inc." through every step on the way to the silver screen.

Thirty-two miles away, some of the "MU" team is still toiling away, mixing the film's sound at Skywalker Ranch, but here at the studio's headquarters, inside the Steve Jobs Building, it'… Read more

Microsoft changed its controversial stance on always-on connectivity and game DRM on Wednesday, a reversal that comes after more than a week of harsh criticism from consumers, press and especially competitors.

The move comes just a few months before the console is set to hit store shelves, and is widely-viewed as reactionary. Rival Sony, which priced and further detailed its PlayStation 4 console at E3 last week, made waves for not having DRM on its games, as well as coming in $100 less than Microsoft's $499 Xbox One.

Of course, it's not the first reversal by Microsoft following … Read more