All Tricks, No Treats for PC Gamers
“Ever have one of those weeks?” That was the understated post from Gabe Newell, managing director of Valve Software, shortly after discovering that the source code for his company’s hotly anticipated game, Half-Life 2, was stolen. Apparently, some hacker broke into Newell’s email system to extract the code, which has since been disseminated across the Internet.
The resulting delay in the release of Half-Life 2, the sequel to one of the bestselling and most critically acclaimed shooters of all time, is more than just a bummer for twitchy gamers. Graphics chips makers including ATI and Nvidia rely on these new graphics-intensive titles to bolster sales of newfangled video cards. It’s not surprising that analysts have lowered their forecasts for the PC gaming industry since news of the Valve’s stolen code broke. With Half-Life 2 and Doom III, another bleeding edge shooter, slipping into 2004, the holiday season for PC gamers is shaping up to be all trick, no treat.
Keep Reading
Most Popular
Geoffrey Hinton tells us why he’s now scared of the tech he helped build
“I have suddenly switched my views on whether these things are going to be more intelligent than us.”
ChatGPT is going to change education, not destroy it
The narrative around cheating students doesn’t tell the whole story. Meet the teachers who think generative AI could actually make learning better.
Meet the people who use Notion to plan their whole lives
The workplace tool’s appeal extends far beyond organizing work projects. Many users find it’s just as useful for managing their free time.
Learning to code isn’t enough
Historically, learn-to-code efforts have provided opportunities for the few, but new efforts are aiming to be inclusive.
Stay connected
Get the latest updates from
MIT Technology Review
Discover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.