This has been a strange week for me to say the least.

Like everyone else, when I first heard the news about Ryan I thought it was some kind of prank. Like everyone else, I was immediately overwhelmed when I learned it was not.

Didn't he just get married? He was only 34?

My heart goes out to the Giant Bomb family for their loss, but my first thought was of Ryan's mother and father who have to mourn the loss of their son. For me, the worst possible thing in the world is for a parent to have to bury their child. I can't imagine how they are feeling now.

The outpouring of support for those closest to him and the support this community has provided to one another is inspirational. I would hope that we can build on this and continue to be excellent to each other going forward.

In addition to taking time to remember Ryan with other members of this community, either here in the forums or in-person, I have pledged to do these things in his memory:

Live life. Fucking live the hell out of it. Take risks, but not be reckless. Step way the hell out of your comfort zone. Be fucking fearless. Greet people with a firm handshake, fist bump, high five and let them know that it is great to meet them. Bear hug the ones you love, just make sure you don't break any bones. And look them in the eyes and tell them you love them. Especially your parents, if they are still with you, and your spouse, kids, nieces, nephews, brothers, sisters, godchildren, stepchildren, wards. If you have pets, love them too.

Most importantly, be true to yourself. Don't try to be someone you're not. I didn't know Ryan personally, but I feel like I did because he was genuine and didn't try to be anyone but himself.

One last thought, if people are doing meetups over the next couple of weeks, it would be great if you could share pictures with the rest of the community.

Thanks to the community for sharing your thoughts and taking the time to read mine.

Thank you Ryan for inspiring me to be fearless and to live the fuck out of life.

Considering that I will not be able to share many of my games with my kids once they are old enough to play them, I always wondered what steps could be taken to preserve them. At PAX East 2013, there was an excellent panel on the last day where they discussed the challenges of preserving design documents for early games.

The vast majority of floppy discs aren't readable by today's computers. Hardly a year goes by before another online game disconnects its servers, closing its doors to faithful players. Small teams of independent developers release their titles on digital marketplaces without any physical copies to accompany them.

In a digital age where data erodes faster than it can be stored, the collected creativity of thousands of developers could someday be lost for good — unless we find a way to preserve it.

Credit Mike Mahardy, Polygon

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With the recent conversation about Apple getting back into game hardware, I thought this article was worth sharing:

Today, the Pippin is a curious footnote in Apple’s corporate history, a device long since laid to rest alongside the TurboGrafx-16 and the Sega Dreamcast; dug up and enjoyed almost exclusively by a few masochistic hardware modders and eBay traders. And yet, Apple is now a leader in the video game industry, with players choosing from countless titles on the iPhone and iPad. In fact, last year, iOS and Google Play apps outsold portable games from Nintendo and Sony, according to a recent industry analysis. Is it any wonder that the internet was abuzz with recent (and later debunked) rumors of Apple once again entering the console market?

Credit Adam Volk, gameological.com

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So now developers have to worry about people porting their games without permission?

The port is currently in beta and has no permissions from Ska Studios to even exist. But this isn’t a problem, according to the hacker, as they say they’re not stealing anything from Ska Studios. They go on to elaborate that Ska had no intention to port the game to PC, so it’s not like they are losing any potential profit. Instead, the hacker sees themselves as providing a service for those who wanted the game on PC, but had ho hope of that happening.

Credit Chris Priestman, IndieStatik.com

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Sony appears to be going all in with free to play multiplayer games. This title could be next on PSN.

Japanese publisher Tecmo Koei is set to experiment with free-to-play elements on console, as its upcoming Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate fighter will be available both as a full retail game, and a free download.

Credit Mike Rose, Gamasutra

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From Paola Antonelli a TED Talk on the challenges of adding video games to the Museum collection

Ben Kuchera of the PA Report states

Microsoft stepped in a load of dog shit when news of fees to play used games and account-based permissions began to hit the press, and the lack of a cohesive message in this area has hurt the public’s perception of the upcoming Xbox One. The idea of the used game, at least as we understand it, may be coming to a close.

The surprising thing? That could be great news.

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If the tech works out the way Ben imagines, it would be a game changer literally. I agree with Ben that the price of games won't necessarily change, but outlets like Gamestop would have to find other ways to do business. Who is going to pay for a disc and then turn around and pay a second time to play it?

Indie game developer James Coote blogs about the potential benefits to brick and mortar stores to hosting indie game demos. From the Gamasutra blog post:

It should be obvious to all that bricks and mortar stores selling video games must adapt or die in the face of digital distribution...One possible avenue is to get indie game developers into the stores to demo their games. This gives indies a platform to showcase their work, get feedback from the general public on their games, and provide a new way of connecting with their audience. For the store, it means an added attraction to bring people through the doors.

Credit James Coote

We spent three days in Redmond learning not only what the Xbox One looks like and what it can do, but how it became a reality. Every part of designing a console — from hardware engineering to industrial design — is a huge undertaking, and spending so much time behind the curtain drives that home. Whether designing hardware components in-house, 3D-printing dozens of controller mockups, or just making sure the final product delivers as promised, the Interactive Business Division spent nearly two years getting everything just right. And since were were already there, we thought some photography might be in order. Enjoy.

Credit Peter Rubin, Wired

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The folks at Digital Foundry have provided high res versions of the preview trailer running at 60 FPS.

Think of the trailer then as an animated version of the Gran Turismo photo mode, a stylised CG expression of the phenomenally intense modelling work that goes into the creation of the "Real Driving Simulator" - but not really representative of the final PS3 game you'll be playing later this year. That said, when we acquired 1080p60 video assets based on the trailer, we knew we had to share them with you. Gran Turismo is defined as much by its 60FPS gameplay, its precision feedback and response as it is by its lush visuals - and in sharing the full temporal resolution experience with you, you're not just seeing Polyphony's GT work at its best, we're also perhaps getting a little preview of what a next-gen port of Gran Turismo 6 may offer.

Credit: Richard Leadbetter, EuroGamer, Digital Foundry

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