Cthulhu catches up: indie RPG struggles on Xbox, thrives on Steam

<em>Cthulhu</em> catches up: indie RPG struggles on Xbox, thrives on Steam

Xbox supports indies games with a dedicated area on the 360, but it has its limits. Ars explores what happens when a great game jumps from Xbox Indie Games to Steam, and finds great success in the world of the PC. The world has never been friendlier to niche games.

Swartz supporter dumps 18,592 JSTOR docs on the Pirate Bay

Swartz supporter dumps 18,592 JSTOR docs on the Pirate Bay

In the wake of Tuesday's arrest of Internet activist Aaron Swartz for excessive JSTOR downloads, one of his supporters has released thousands of academic papers onto peer-to-peer networks, telling Ars it's worth it if it means "one less dollar spent in the war against knowledge."

Ars Technica is increasing its commitment to PC gaming coverage

Ars Technica is increasing its commitment to PC gaming coverage

With a brand-new testing rig and a slate of big-name PC games coming out in the near future, it's time for us to take a stand: more PC gaming coverage is coming.

Troll sues Apple again: same patent, new devices

Troll sues Apple again: same patent, new devices

Personal Audio LLC is going after Apple again after having won an $8 million judgment earlier this month. This time, the patent firm wants to hold Apple responsible for allegedly infringing on its playlist patent with newer products, such as the iPhone 4 and iPad 2.

Latest climate change kerfuffle pits expertise vs. conflict of interest

Latest climate change kerfuffle pits expertise vs. conflict of interest

The recently released IPCC Special Report on Renewable Energy Sources and Climate Change Mitigation had an author that is a member of Greenpeace, raising cries of a conflict of interest.

Deep packet inspection used to stop censorship in new "Telex" scheme

Deep packet inspection used to <em>stop</em> censorship in new "Telex" scheme

University of Michigan researchers have developed technology that silently reroutes traffic in response to steganographic tags. The technology could make it harder for repressive regimes to censor the Internet.

Miss Wing Commander? SOL: Exodus is a return to space combat

Miss <em>Wing Commander</em>? <em>SOL: Exodus</em> is a return to space combat

SOL: Exodus is a space combat title coming to the PC and other unnamed platforms. The team behind the game has worked on a number of big-name projects, so the talent is there, and the appetite for space operas is growing. There may not be much information, but there is already a lot of hope.

A pound of flesh: how Cisco's "unmitigated gall" derailed one man's life

A pound of flesh: how Cisco's "unmitigated gall" derailed one man's life
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As part of a legal battle with a rival firm, computer networking giant Cisco convinced the US government to have the opposing CEO arrested in Canada—where he faced a bizarre one-year battle to free himself. The Kafka-esque story was enough to "make the average well-informed member of the public blanche at the audacity of it all," said the Canadian judge handling the case.

Roku adds gaming to streaming media with sub-$100 Roku 2

Roku adds gaming to streaming media with sub-$100 Roku 2

Roku has updated its line of streaming media players with sub-Apple TV size and the ability to play games using an enhanced remote with motion control.

Hands off the Internet: presidential candidate Gary Johnson speaks

Hands off the Internet: presidential candidate Gary Johnson speaks

Former New Mexico governor Gary Johnson is against the Patriot Act, the PROTECT IP Act, and FCC regulations of dirty words on television. Can he really win the GOP presidential nomination? Our interview inside.

Introducing our "Tech President 2012" coverage

The 2012 US presidential campaign is already under way. Where do the candidates stand on tech policy questions? We're going to find out.

T-Mobile's new data plans: limited 3G/4G, unlimited 2G

T-Mobile's new data plans: limited 3G/4G, unlimited 2G

T-Mobile has announced its plans to begin offering unlimited data plans on July 24, reducing the base prices of their plans, though beyond a certain limit data speeds will drop.

"A troubling backward step": Congressmen pick sides on AT&T;/T-Mobile

Key Democrats in the House and Senate today expressed open skepticism about the $39 billion AT&T;/T-Mobile buyout.

Ask Ars: Do I have to use the Mac App Store to reinstall Lion?

Ask Ars: Do I have to use the Mac App Store to reinstall Lion?

If you don't want to download Lion over your own pokey Internet connection, there are a few alternatives. Once you have a copy of the installer, though, you can make a backup to boot and install on other Macs or just keep handy in emergencies.

Google senses proxy requests to warn users of malware infestation

Google has just started warning people with certain malware that their computers are infected and that they should run anti-virus software. It's a nice effort, but arguably doesn't do enough to help out the infected.

Playing with Hasbro's Kre-O Transformer kits: don't call them Lego

Playing with Hasbro's Kre-O Transformer kits: don't call them Lego

Hasbro is taking on Lego with this set of Transformers models, and the pieces are well designed and easy to put together. Fragile robot forms and oddly combined looks for the classic characters may put off both collectors and children, however.

iBook legacy comes to an end with white MacBook cancellation

iBook legacy comes to an end with white MacBook cancellation

Twelve years after the G3-sporting white iBook was introduced, its line has come to an end. Apple's classic white entry-level laptop is no more.

Ars Technica OS X Lion review e-book, PDF available

Ars Technica OS X Lion review e-book, PDF available

Our 27,000 word review of the new OS X Lion is out, but you don't have to read it solely on the Web; PDF and e-book versions are also available for those of you who want to support longform, in-depth work here at Ars. Details inside.

Apple intros new Mac mini, MacBook Air, Cinema Display with Lion

Apple intros new Mac mini, MacBook Air, Cinema Display with Lion

Apple has updated its MacBook Air line with Sandy Bridge processors, added Thunderbolt support to the Cinema Display, and made a number of changes to the Mac mini. And they all come with Lion!

Mac OS X 10.7 Lion: the Ars Technica review

Mac OS X 10.7 Lion: the Ars Technica review
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Mac OS X 10.7 Lion is no shrinking violet. Unlike its predecessor, Snow Leopard, which concentrated on internal changes, Lion aims to remake the Mac desktop experience in the image of its mobile sibling, iOS. But is this a good thing? John Siracusa gives Apple's new OS his usual thorough consideration.

Mac OS X Lion: a screenshot gallery

Mac OS X Lion: a screenshot gallery
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We put together a gallery of images of Apple's latest operating system, highlighting some of the changes you can expect to see after installing Lion.

How a computer beat Civilization by RTFM

How a computer beat <em>Civilization</em> by RTFM

Researchers have created a software package that can teach itself how to win at Civilization by playing. Then they let it analyze the game's manual, and saw its scores go up significantly.

FBI arrests 16 Anons across US; UK police pick up LulzSec member

The FBI has seized computers and made 14 arrests across the US in response to the Anonymous distributed denial of service attacks made on PayPal last December. Further arrests were made for breaking into the FBI-sponsored InfraGard organization, and for stealing confidential data from AT&T. And in the UK, police have arrested a teenager thought to be a member of LulzSec.

Hands-on with the native Google+ app for iPhone

Hands-on with the native Google+ app for iPhone

The native Google+ app for iPhone is now on the App Store. Ars gave it a spin to see how well it works with the overall service and we came away liking what we saw, even if there are a few elements that could use refining.

Apple posts record quarter on sales of 20 million iPhones, 9 million iPads

Apple posts record quarter on sales of 20 million iPhones, 9 million iPads

Apple breaks revenue and profit records yet again with record sales of iPhones and iPads. Mac sales are also up year-over-year at just under 4 million units, though the iPad may be to blame for less-than-expected Mac growth.