Archive vintage games collection enhanced: holiday blues defeated!

This week the folks at the Internet Archive have released a new collection of in-browser emulated games, a whole mess of vintage titles released recently into the public domain. This collection runs on an emulator based on MESS software, working with JSMESS (Javascript MESS) allowing most modern browsers to play immediately. Most games work with a simple tapping of your space bar and arrow keys on your average keyboard.

At the moment you'll have to suffer through the lack of sound on this collection of games, but messing with them yourself in your own software environment is not out of the question. The IA collection is optimized for their own super-simple environment so that users can enjoy these ultra-tiny games as quickly as possible.

The current collection consists of games from the Atari 2600, the Atari 7800 ProSystem, the original ColecoVision, the Magnavox Odyssey2 - aka the Philips Videopac G7000, and the Astrocade. Users will be able to browse through each system or by subject or keyword.


Just this week a new wave of games has made this vintage collection burst at the seams, with a load of Atari 2600 games coming up fully prepared to be played instantly. Each game works as a download - if you're logged in - or as an in-browser emulation.

Let us know if you're jumping in to have a go, and be sure to note which games you're finding most entertaining! It's a strange, strange world we're living in when the oldest games can turn out to be the most enticing in an odd situation like this.





Source: Slashgear

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Philips and Samsung raided in Europe anti-competition investigation

Samsung and Philips have confirmed' that they are under investigation by the European Commission' about potential anticompetitive behaviors, after EU inspectors raided a number of companies' earlier this week. The EC did not name the targeted companies; however, both firms revealed to the BBC that they' were co-operating with investigators around concerns that they have forced' higher prices by restricting availability of certain consumer' electronics and small appliances in Europe.

The Commission has concerns that the companies' concerned may have violated EU antitrust rules that prohibit' anticompetitive agreements or concerted practices' the EC said in a statement. “The Commission has grounds' to suspect that the companies subject to the inspections may have' put in place restrictions on online sales of consumer' electronic products and small domestic appliances.

Although the Commission' is keen to point out that being raided isn’t necessarily' a sign of presumed guilt, the potential penalties' should Samsung, Philips, or other firms involved be found' guilty are significant.

These restrictions, if proven, may lead to higher consumer' prices or the unavailability of products through' certain online sales channels the EC points out. As a result, it has the right to impose' fines of as much as 10-percent of global annual' turnover.

Were the maximum' penalty applied to Samsung something highly unlikely that could mean a fine' in the region of billions of dollars.

Exactly which products are proving' contentious is unknown, the practice of limiting availability of particular models to different' countries or even specific retailers is not especially unusual. What would incur EC wrath, however, would be if that exclusivity' was also used to artificially buoy' pricing to the point that it was deemed anticompetitive' for consumers.

It’s not the only 'anti-competition issues Samsung is facing in Europe at the moment. The company is under investigation for alleged antitrust' behaviors around patent licensing, after Apple complained that it was 'refusing to agree to fair terms for vital 3G standards. Back in October, Samsung offered a portfolio' of concessions to the EC in the hopes of escaping' a fine over the issue.


Source : definefreak

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