Month: January 2014

A few days before the launch of Beats Music in the United States, Spotify removed the limitations of listening to its web version and allowed free access (albeit with ads) to its whole catalog, indefinitely.

The announcement follows the removal of the same limitations for mobile versions of the application and confirmed Spotify’s conversion to completely free.

Is this drastic measure enough to outshine the Swedish application’s competitors? In fact, nothing could be less certain.

Mobile applications, smart playlists, and prices are becoming more accessible. Every day, rivals compete to pinpoint the next brilliant idea likely to capsize the opposition.

But what features would the ultimate music streaming application have? The one that would make us forget Spotify, Deezer, Rdio, and all the others? I did some research and think I’ve come up with the perfect music platform.

iTunes’ exclusives

What do Bootleg Recordings 1963 from the Beatles and the latest video album from Beyoncé have in common? Anyone? But it’s easy!

Both are available exclusively on the iTunes Store, Apple’s online music store. Offering exclusives is a good way to stand out from streaming platforms and their catalogs which are often sadly similar.

The ubiquity of Spotify

Spotify is available on almost all conceivable platforms. Personally, I use it on Android, iOS, Windows, Mac, online… and my TV. It is simply awesome, and so far, unequaled.

Spotify is available on almost all platforms

The proximity of SoundCloud

Few streaming service can boast of offering the same proximity to artists as SoundCloud. Designed for listeners rather than creators, the service allows anyone to subscribe directly to DJs, favorite bands, and singers to receive new songs before they’re released and follow their heart and moods in real time. A small revolution.

The Deezer Catalog

With over 30 million songs, the Deezer disco remains unparalleled among online music services (compared to only 20 million songs on Spotify and Rdio). And, brace yourself, the Deezer catalog even exceeds that of the iTunes Music Store if the latest figures are to be believed!

Deezer boasts over 30 million songs and counting

Third-party Spotify applications

Spotify has a growing number of third party applications that provide quality new features. Lyrics, a ticketing platform, or even music reviews. It’s pretty simple, but these small applications increase the capacity tenfold and transform Spotify into a real Swiss Army knife of a platform!

The quality of 22tracks playlists

22tracks is simply stunning. Each week, the best DJs in Amsterdam, Brussels, London, and Paris select 22 new titles in 22 different styles. In addition, it’s free and the selection is great. A level of quality to inspire the competition!

Each week, the 22tracks DJs select 22 new playlists

The sound quality of Sony Music Unlimited

The ideal music streaming service should also have the same sound quality of Sony Music Unilimited. The Sony platform blows away the competition in terms of sound quality with its high-fidelity files (AAC 320kbps). Perfect for enjoying your favorite titles in the best conditions. A must!

The elegance of Rdio

Rdio stands out with its elegant interface, as good online as it is on mobile. The clean application menus are the perfect background for album covers, all enhanced by a clear, refined skin. It’s a lesson in design for all app developers.

Rdio has a clear, refined interface

Spotify’s social network integration

I don’t know about you, but the sharing features of Spotify are hard to pass up. The Swedish application is fully integrated with Facebook and lets you comment in real-time on the musical taste (or lack thereof!) of your friends. Let it be said, the perfect music streaming service will most definitely be connected to social networks!

Well, now you know what features I think are essential for the perfect music streaming platform. Are these features also crucial for you? Have I forgotten any? Let us know in the comments!

Which functions do you think are essential for the perfect music streaming app?

As the release date for The Elder Scrolls Online approaches, Bethesda has released a new 8 minute cinematic trailer ‘Arrival.’

Like most cinematic trailers, it doesn’t show us any gameplay, but sets the scene for the game in dramatic style. A battle is interrupted by a powerful new enemy, and lots of epic action ensues.

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The Elder Scrolls Online is an upcoming subscription MMORPG, the first time the famous Elder Scrolls series has seen multiplayer gameplay. The last game in the series, Skyrim, is one of the top 20 best selling video games ever, and while the MMORPG market is very crowded, The Elder Scrolls Online has a big enough brand to make an impact.

On the other hand, as RockPaperShotgun’s John Walker points out, The Elder Scrolls Online is going to be expensive compared to other MMORPGs. Except for World of Warcraft, the trend has been for free to play games, where you make micropayments in-game, instead of buying it upfront or getting a monthly subscription. The game will have to be pretty special to succeed.

RELATED STORIES

• Group combat exposed in new Elder Scrolls Online video
• The Elder Scrolls Online release date announced
• Really Useful Dragons brings Thomas the Tank Engine to Skyrim

[Sources: Bethesda, RockPaperShotgun]

The failure of the Wii U has sent industry analysts into a spin, predicting how Nintendo can save itself. The latest rumors came from a credible source, and suggested Nintendo might finally be preparing to launch smartphone apps using its characters. Nintendo has now categorically denied it is planning to offer games on smartphones and tablets.

The massive growth of mobile gaming since the launch of the iPhone in 2007 has been perceived as a challenge to Nintendo (and other console makers). Lots of analysts have claimed Nintendo needs to bring its games to other platforms to stay competitive, but it hasn’t happened, and the success of the 3DS had put those claims to rest for a while.

Recent poor results from Nintendo, whose Wii U console is selling very poorly, have again seen claims that the company needs to go mobile to stop the rot.

Yet again, Nintendo has denied it plans to put Mario on rival platforms, saying its ‘intention is not to make Nintendo software available on smart devices and as such, we can confirm that there are no plans to offer mini-games on smartphone devices.’

This may be a disappointment to iOS and Android gamers, hoping to see Mario, Link or Donkey Kong appearing in app stores soon.

Before jumping to conclusions about ‘failing’ Nintendo, it’s worth remembering this is an old company with lots of cash in reserves. It has weathered storms and disasters before. The Nintendo Gamecube was a sales failure, and many people predicted that Nintendo would stop making hardware, as Sega had done after its Dreamcast suffered a similar fate. But Nintendo returned with the DS, Wii and then 3DS; all huge selling consoles.

It’s too early to say that the Wii U’s failure will convince Nintendo to break the link between its own games and hardware.

RELATED STORIES

• Rovio denies working with NSA to share user data
• Slender Rising 2 released for iOS
• Endless runner game NBA Rush comes to iOS

[Source: Engadget]

Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number is coming in Q3 2014 according to the game’s official Twitter account. It’s the sequel to 2012’s Hotline Miami, the retro-but-not-retro top down action game from Dennaton Games, the company formed by Dennis Wedin and indie game legend Jonatan ‘Cactus” Söderström.

“New stuff, old stuff, weird stuff and violent stuff all converging with some surprises. Should be worth the wait.”

Hotline Miami 2 was first shown at last year’s Rezzed games event, and it looks like it will continue the disturbing violence and twisted story telling that defined the first. The game’s story looks like taking place mostly after the events of the first, looking at how Hotline Miami’s protagonist inspired more masked vigilantes to take the law into their own hands.

Hotline Miami was an impressive game. It mixed retro graphics and 80s atmosphere with tight, brutally hard ‘twitch’ gameplay. While it was as violent as videogames get, unlike most it asked gamers to think about what they were doing. At the end of every level you had to walk back through all the carnage and death before continuing, unlike most games where dead bodies just disappear after a while. You play as a nameless character who is drawn into a world of violence, murder and extortion.

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Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number won’t have the same surprise value as the first – now we’re used to the gameplay and Dennaton Games’ stoytelling – but the first was such an excellent game, we’re excited about playing more.

RELATED STORIES

• Hotline Miami coming June 25 to PS3 and Vita
• Editor’s picks: top games of 2012
• The best PC games for…mods

[Source: Twitter]