Final Fantasy 9 for iOS and Android hits mobile devices

TechRadar: All latest feeds http://www.techradar.com/rss/MWC%2525202012%252520LG%252520Media%252520Preview.doc.doc TechRadar UK feeds TechRadar UK latest feeds en-gb Copyright ©Future Publishing Mon, 07 Mar 2016 04:53:08 +0000 15 TechRadar.com http://cdn0.static.techradar.com/img/logo/tr_rss_logo.png http://www.techradar.com/ Buying Guide: 10 best Chromebooks 2016: top Chromebooks reviewed http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/laptops/Buying%20Guide%20Heroes/best_chromebook-470-75.jpg <img src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/laptops/Buying%20Guide%20Heroes/best_chromebook470-75.jpg" alt="Buying Guide: 10 best Chromebooks 2016: top Chromebooks reviewed"/><h3>Best Chromebooks</h3>Chromebooks are budget-friendly laptops that are both quirky and smart, lowimpact and capable.Running Google's <a href="http://www.techradar.com/us/reviews/pcmac/software/operating-systems/google-chrome-os-1082513/review">Chrome OS</a> operating system rather than, say, <a href="http://www.techradar.com/us/reviews/pc-mac/software/operatingsystems/windows-10-1267364/review">Windows 10</a>, they focus on what computing has been all about since the late '90s, the internet and your web browser.Mostly with low-power chips and barely HD screens starting at 1,366 x 768 pixel density, most of these laptops are designed to last. Almost every Chromebook claims between 7 and 9 hours of battery life and comes within a few hours of that estimation, based on our benchmarks. If you're not sure of what you should look for when purchasing a Chromebook, we've developed a helpful cheat sheet for you.<ul><li><a href="http://www.techradar.com/us/news/mobile-computing/laptops/should-your-business-be-usinggoogle-s-chromebooks--1314532">Should your business adopt Chromebooks?</a></li></ul>Prices do start to climb above the "affordable" range, as is the case with the MacBook-rivaling, $999 Chromebook Pixel 2 (£670, AU$1,320), especially in schools, where Chromebooks are gaining significant exposure. Despite their growth, there should always be a Chromebook within your range.Then, it all comes down to size and price, with Chromebooks available as little as 11.6 inches and as large as 14 or even 15 inches. (There are even 2in-1 Chromebooks now.) Always up-to-date, here are our top-ranking Chromebook reviews.<img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/laptops/Toshiba/Chromebook%202%20%28Skylake%20C ore%20i3%29/Toshiba%20Chromebook%202%20%28Skylake%20Core%20i3%29-2-420-90.jpg" alt="best Chromebook" width="420"></img><h3>1. Toshiba Chromebook 2</h3><div class="subtitle _hawk">Full HD on a Chromebook just got better</div>CPU: 2.1GHz Intel Core i3-5015U | Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 5500 | RAM: 4GB | Screen: 13.3-inch, 1,920 x 1,080 | Storage: 16GB eMMC | Connectivity: Intel Dual-Band Wireless-AC 7260; Bluetooth 4.0 | Camera: HD webcam | Weight: 2.97 pounds | Dimensions: 12.6 x 8.4 x 0.76 inches (W x D x H)<div class="hawk-widgetinsert _hawk widget_type:price model_names:Toshiba%20Chromebook%202 deals_link:http%3A%2F%2Fwww.techradar.com%2Freviews%2Fpc-mac%2Flaptops-portablepcs%2Flaptops-and-netbooks%2Ftoshiba-chromebook-2-1272472%2Fprice-comparison "><a href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portable-pcs/laptops-and-netbooks/toshibachromebook-2-1272472/price-comparison">See more Toshiba Chromebook 2 deals</a></div><div class="icon icon-plus_circle _hawk"> Gorgeous 1080p screen</div><div class="icon icon-plus_circle _hawk"> Intel Core i3 power</div><div class="icon icon-minus_circle _hawk"> Screen glare</div><div class="icon icon-minus_circle _hawk"> A bit pricey</div>For a steeper $429 (about £299, AU$612), the newest Toshiba Chromebook 2 is a beautiful laptop that – clearly, seeing the price – has very few flaws. It comes with more memory and a 1080p display, lining it up with rival, (pseudo-) premium models in this class, like the Dell Chromebook 13 and Chromebook Pixel.However, note: the Toshiba Chromebook 2 is now officially in cheap Windows 10 laptop territory. Unless you're buying this laptop solely for the Google ecosystem, you might be overpaying. That said, the Intel Core i3 processor behind that 1080p screen is an undeniable bonus. Read the full review: <a href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portable-pcs/laptops-and-netbooks/toshibachromebook-2-1272472/review">Toshiba Chromebook 2</a><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/laptops/Asus/Chromebook%20Flip/Asus%20Chromebook %20Flip-10-420-90.jpg" alt="Best Chromebook" width="420"></img><h3>2. Asus Chromebook Flip</h3><div class="subtitle _hawk">A flipping premium Chromebook for almost nothing</div>CPU: 1.8GHz Rockchip 3288-C (quad-core, 1MB cache) | Graphics: ARM Mali T624 | RAM: 2GB LPDDR3 SDRAM | Screen: 10.1-inch, WXGA (1,280 x 800) IPS multi-touch display | Storage: 16GB eMMC | Connectivity: 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1 | Camera: 720p HD webcam | Weight: 1.96 pounds | Dimensions: 10.6 x 7.2 x 0.60 inches (W x D x H)<div class="hawk-widgetinsert _hawk widget_type:price deals_link:http%3A%2F%2Fwww.techradar.com%2Fus%2Freviews%2Fpc-mac%2Flaptops-portablepcs%2Flaptops-and-netbooks%2Fasus-chromebook-flip-1300115%2Fprice-comparison model_names:Asus%20Chromebook%20Flip "><a href="http://www.techradar.com/us/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portable-pcs/laptops-and-netbooks/asuschromebook-flip-1300115/price-comparison">See more Asus Chromebook Flip deals</a></div><div class="icon icon-plus_circle _hawk"> Fully metal construction</div><div class="icon icon-plus_circle _hawk"> Excessive battery life</div><div class="icon icon-minus_circle _hawk"> Occasional crashes</div><div class="icon icon-minus_circle _hawk"> Large screen bezels</div>The Asus Chromebook Flip isn't perfect, but it's an impressive little piece of gear. At just $249 (about £160, AU$337), it's so affordable that you might want to pick one up just to have a Chrome OS device on hand – even if you already own a MacBook or Windows notebook. Aside from the approachable price tag, the Flip is one of the best-built Chromebooks to blaze the trail forward for more convertibles. Touchscreen functionality feels a bit more logical, with a screen that actually rotates for once.All the while, the Flip meets all the core tenants of an ideal Chrome OS machine, including awesome battery life. If you've been ho hum on Chromebooks before, this is definitely one to ... flip out about. (Sorry.)Read the full review: <a href="http://www.techradar.com/us/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portable-pcs/laptops-andnetbooks/asus-chromebook-flip-1300115/review">Asus Chromebook Flip</a><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar//art/laptops/Acer/Chromebook%2015/Review/Acer%20Chro mebook%2015-1-420-100.jpg" alt="Best Chromebook" width="420"></img><h3>3. Acer Chromebook 15</h3><div class="subtitle _hawk">Chrome OS on the big screen with the first 15inch Chromebook</div>CPU: 1.5GHz Intel Celeron 3205U | Graphics: Intel HD graphics | RAM: 4GB | Screen: 5.6-inch Full HD 1,920 x 1,080 resolution, LED-backlit display | Storage: 32GB SSD | Connectivity: 802.11ac Wi-Fi; Bluetooth 4.0 | Camera: 720p HD webcam | Weight: 4.85 pounds | Dimensions: 15.08 x 9.65 x 0.95 inches<div class="hawk-widget-insert _hawk widget_type:price model_names:Acer%20Chromebook%2015 deals_link:http%3A%2F%2Fwww.techradar.com%2Freviews%2Fpc-mac%2Flaptops-portablepcs%2Flaptops-and-netbooks%2Facer-chromebook-15-1277917%2Fprice-comparison "><a href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portable-pcs/laptops-and-netbooks/acerchromebook-15-1277917/price-comparison">See more Acer Chromebook 15 deals</a></div><div class="icon icon-plus_circle _hawk"> Absolutely radiant display </div><div class="icon icon-plus_circle _hawk"> All-day battery life</div><div class="icon icon-minus_circle _hawk"> Tinny but serviceable speakers</div>The Acer Chromebook 15 is a breath of fresh air in the Chromebook space. It takes Chrome OS devices to all new heights with a radiant 15.6-inch display and the power of Intel's Broadwell processors. It has all the guts it needs to be a capable multi-tasking machine and a screen you'll actually want to look at for long Netflix binges.Read the full review: <a href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portablepcs/laptops-and-netbooks/acer-chromebook-15-1277917/review">Acer Chromebook 15</a><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/laptops/Dell/Dell%20Chromebook%2011/Review/Dell%2 0Chromebook%2011%20Review-4-420-90.jpg" alt="Best Chromebook" width="420"></img><h3>4. Dell Chromebook 11 (2015)</h3><div class="subtitle _hawk">Dell's updated Chromebook is a star in almost every regard</div>CPU: 2.6GHz dual-core Intel Celeron Bay Trail-M N2840 | Graphics: Intel HD for Intel Celeron processors | RAM: 4GB RAM (DDR3L, 1,600Mhz) | Screen: 11.6-inch HD, 1366 x 768 touchscreen |Storage: 16GB SSD | Optical drive: none | Connectivity: Bluetooth 4.0; 802.11ac (B/G/N), dual-band Wi-Fi | Camera: 720p webcam | Weight: 2.91 pounds Dimensions: 12.6 x 8.4 x 0.76 inches<div class="hawk-widget-insert _hawk widget_type:price model_id:9413 deals_link:http%3A%2F%2Fwww.techradar.com%2Freviews%2Fpc-mac%2Flaptops-portablepcs%2Fdell-chromebook-11-2015-1284386%2Fprice-comparison"><a href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portable-pcs/dell-chromebook-11-20151284386/review">See more Dell Chromebook 11 deals</a></div><div class="icon iconplus_circle _hawk">Rugged design</div><div class="icon icon-plus_circle _hawk">180-degree barrel hinge</div><div class="icon icon-minus_circle _hawk">Touchscreen not standard</div><div class="icon icon-minus_circle _hawk">Small keyboard</div>Don't let the understated looks of the $249 (£170, AU$320) Dell Chromebook 11 fool you. Dell stuffed in features that are typically reserved for pricier business notebooks into its Chromebook 11, an effort to create a durable product for the education market.In the Chromebook 11, you'll find a 180-degree reinforced hinge, rugged design, sealed keyboard and trackpad, and a punchy typing experience inside a portable package. In addition to using the Chromebook for school work, students will appreciate the loud stereo speakers for videos. There's a new version of this Chromebook available. We've jotted down our first impressions <a href="http://www.techradar.com/us/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portablepcs/dell-chromebook-13-1301691/review">here</a>. Read the full review: <a href="http://www.techradar.com/us/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portable-pcs/dellchromebook-11-2015-1284386/review">Dell Chromebook 11 (2015)</a><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/laptops/Google/Chromebook%20Pixel%202015/Chromeb ook%20Pixel%202015%20review-1-420-90.jpg" alt="best chromebook" width="420"></img><h3>5. Google Chromebook Pixel 2015</h3><div class="subtitle _hawk">The end all, be all of Chromebooks.</div>CPU: 2.2GHz Intel Core i5-5200U (dual-core, 3MB cache, up to 2.7GHz with turbo boost) | Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 5500 | RAM: 8GB DDR3 | Screen: 12.85-inch 2,560 x 1,700 IPS touchscreen display | Storage: 32GB SSD | Optical drive: none | Connectivity: Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7260; Bluetooth 4.0 LE | Camera: 720p HD wide angle camera with blue glass | Weight: 3.3 pounds Dimensions: 11.7 x 8.8 x 0.6 inches (W x D x H)<div class="hawk-widget-insert _hawk widget_type:price model_names:Google%20Chromebook%20Pixel%202015 deals_link:http%3A%2F%2Fwww.techradar.com%2Fus%2Freviews%2Fpc-mac%2Flaptops-portablepcs%2Flaptops-and-netbooks%2Fchromebook-pixel-2015-1289817%2Fprice-comparison"><a href="http://www.techradar.com/us/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portable-pcs/laptops-andnetbooks/chromebook-pixel-2015-1289817/price-comparison">See more Google Chromebook Pixel 2 deals</a></div><div class="icon icon-plus_circle _hawk">Inter Core i5 or i7 processor</div><div class="icon icon-plus_circle _hawk">Long, long battery life</div><div class="icon icon-minus_circle _hawk">Very expensive</div><div class="icon icon-minus_circle _hawk">3:2 screen hurts multitasking</div>Outfitted with a Core i5 processor, USB 3.1 (and USB-C) ports, a high-resolution display, and more RAM than it will ever need, the Chromebook Pixel sets a high bar for Chrome OS machines.Hardware and performance aside, the Pixel is one of the few Chromebooks that seems like it has itself completely figured out. The build quality of this machine is exquisite; the design has been engineered down to a science. A vivid screen – plus the amazing keyboard and trackpad – helps to round out the Pixel as one excellent, premium package.That said, this one's quite an investment. For the same amount, you could buy several Chromebooks or a decent Windows laptop. So, before you buy, we suggest you consider all the much more affordable options out there before investing so much money into the best Chrome machine.Read the full review: <a href="http://www.techradar.com/us/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portable-pcs/laptops-andnetbooks/chromebook-pixel-2015-1289817/review">Google Chromebook Pixel 2</a><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/laptops/Acer/Chromebook%20C910/Review/newhero2420-90.jpg" alt="best chromebook" width="420"></img><h3>6. Acer Chromebook 15 C910</h3><div class="subtitle _hawk">The colossus of Chromebooks</div>CPU: 2.2GHz Intel Core i5-5200 dual-core processor | Graphics: Intel HD 5500 Graphics with shared memory | RAM: 4 GB, DDR3L SDRAM | Screen: 15.6-inch full HD (1,920 x 1,080) | Storage: 32GB SSD | Optical drive: none | Connectivity: 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi | Camera: 720p HD webcam |Weight: 4.85 pounds Dimensions: 1.0 x 15.1 x 10.1 inches (H x W x D)<div class="hawk-widget-insert _hawk widget_type:price model_names:Acer%20Chromebook%2015 deals_link:http%3A%2F%2Fwww.techradar.com%2Freviews%2Fpc-mac%2Flaptops-portablepcs%2Facer-chromebook-15-c910-1294001%2Fprice-comparison"><a href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portable-pcs/acer-chromebook-15-c9101294001/review">See more Acer Chromebook 15 deals</a></div><div class="icon iconplus_circle _hawk">Fast processing speed</div><div class="icon icon-plus_circle _hawk">Long battery life</div><div class="icon icon-minus_circle _hawk">Very heavy</div><div class="icon icon-minus_circle _hawk">Awkward keyboard</div>If you're mulling over the $279 (about £195, AU$389) Acer Chromebook 15 C910 for your next laptop, then you'd better have big ideas. Compared to most other Chromebooks, the C910 has a bigger screen, bigger processing power and it comes with a relatively bigger price tag.The C910 took this series of laptops to two new places, as the first with a 15.6-inch screen and the first to introduce the fifth-generation Broadwell processors to Chromebooks.Specifically geared toward students and teachers – thanks to its rugged frame and gorgeous visuals – the C910 is perfectly suitable for any consumer who doesn't mind schlepping around a few extra pounds and inches.Read the full review: <a href="http://www.techradar.com/us/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portable-pcs/acer-chromebook-15-c9101294001/review">Acer Chromebook 15 C910</a><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/laptops/Acer/AcerChromebookR11/Acer%20Chromebook %20R11%20review/acer-cbr11-dispay-inverted-angle-420-90.jpg" alt="Acer Chromebook R11" width="420"></img><h3>7. Acer Chromebook R11</h3><div class="subtitle _hawk">360degree flips all day long</div>CPU: 1.6 GHz Intel Braswell Quad-Core Celeron N3150 Processor | Graphics: Intel HD Graphics | RAM: 4GB DDR3L | Screen: 11.6" 16:9 HD (1366x768) | Storage: 32GB | Optical drive: none | Connectivity: Dual-band 802.11ac; Bluetooth 4.0 | Camera: HD Web Camera | Weight: 2.76 lbs | Dimensions: 11.57 x 8.03 x 0.76 inches (WxDxH)<div class="hawk-widget-insert _hawk widget_type:price model_names:Chromebook%20R11 deals_link:http%3A%2F%2Fwww.techradar.com%2Freviews%2Fpc-mac%2Flaptops-portablepcs%2Facer-chromebook-r11-1311770%2Freview%2F1 "><a href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portable-pcs/acer-chromebook-r111311770/review/1">See more Acer Chromebook R11 deals</a></div><div class="icon iconplus_circle _hawk"> Convertible</div><div class="icon icon-plus_circle _hawk"> Good battery life</div><div class="icon icon-minus_circle _hawk"> HD-only display</div><div class="icon iconminus_circle _hawk"> Terrible trackpad</div>The Acer Chromebook R11's minimalist design may not be the most attractive, but that shell hides a surprisingly capable laptop that'll last all day. Oh, and it can flip 360 degrees into a tablet. No big deal.Acer's R11 packs in all-day battery life, capable performance and a 360-degree hinge with touchscreen into a minimalist design for just $289 (about £202, AU$402). That makes flaws, like an iffy trackpad and barely-HD touch display, a little easier to ignore.Read the full review: <a href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portable-pcs/acer-chromebook-r111311770/review/1">Acer Chromebook R11</a><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/laptops/Acer/Acer%20Chromebook%2013/Acer%20Chro mebook%2013-9-420-90.jpg" alt="Best Chromebook" width="420"></img><h3>8. Acer Chromebook 13</h3><div class="subtitle _hawk">With incredible battery life, the Chromebook 13 is a winner</div>CPU: 2.1GHz Nvidia Tegra K1 CD570M-A1 (quadcore) | Graphics: Nvidia Keplar | RAM: 2GB DDR3 (1,333MHz) | Screen: 13.3-inch, 1.920 x 1.080 | Storage: 16GB SSD | Optical drive: None | Connectivity: 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 | Camera: 720p HD webcam | Weight: 3.31 pounds Dimensions: 12.9 x 9 x 0.71 inches (W x D x H)<div class="hawk-widgetinsert _hawk widget_type:price model_names:Acer%20Chromebook%2013 deals_link:http%3A%2F%2Fwww.techradar.com%2Freviews%2Fpc-mac%2Flaptops-portablepcs%2Flaptops-and-netbooks%2Facer-chromebook-13-1260969%2Fprice-comparison"><a href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portable-pcs/laptops-and-netbooks/acerchromebook-13-1260969/review">See more Acer Chromebook 13 deals</a></div><div class="icon icon-plus_circle _hawk">Battery life</div><div class="icon icon-plus_circle _hawk">Great speakers</div><div class="icon icon-minus_circle _hawk">Strange port locations</div><div class="icon icon-minus_circle _hawk">Lackluster visuals</div>Powered by Nvidia's powerful Tegra K1 chip, this Chromebook packs a lot of oomph in a tiny frame. Users will love its 13.3-inch 1080p resolution screen, as well as its portability. At 3.31 pounds, the Acer Chromebook 13 is a relatively feathery laptop.This Chromebook does have some minor problems: it doesn't multitask very well, and the laptop itself only comes in one color. But for the tiny price of $249 (about £174, AU$347), you're likely to enjoy the simplicity and productivity as you learn to overcome the design limitations.Read the full review: <a href="http://www.techradar.com/us/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portable-pcs/laptops-and-netbooks/acerchromebook-13-1260969/review">Acer Chromebook 13</a><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Laptops/Asus/C300M/Asus%20C300M%20top%2 0down-420-100.jpg" alt="Best Chromebook" width="420"></img><h3>9. Asus Chromebook C300</h3><div class="subtitle _hawk">A long-lasting Chromebook that just won't quit </div>CPU: 2.16GHz dual-core Intel Celeron N2830 | Graphics: Intel HD Graphics | RAM: 2GB | Screen: 13.3-inch, 1366 x 768 HD display | Storage: 32GB SSD | Connectivity: Integrated 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.0 | Camera: HD webcam | Weight: 3.08 pounds | Dimensions: 13.0 x 9.1 x 0.9 inches<div class="hawk-widget-insert _hawk widget_type:price model_names:Asus%20Chromebook%20C300 deals_link:http%3A%2F%2Fwww.techradar.com%2Freviews%2Fpc-mac%2Flaptops-portablepcs%2Flaptops-and-netbooks%2Fasus-c300m-1288362%2Freview%2F "><a href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portable-pcs/laptops-and-netbooks/asusc300m-1288362/review/">See more Asus Chromebook C300 deals</a></div><div class="icon icon-plus_circle _hawk"> Great performance under pressure</div><div class="icon icon-plus_circle _hawk"> Battery life goes on and on</div><div class="icon icon-minus_circle _hawk"> Divisive bright colors</div><div class="icon icon-minus_circle _hawk"> Narrow viewing angles</div>After years of refinement, we're finally getting to the point of seeing bigger, better and bolder devices Chrome OS devices like the Asus Chromebook C300. This 13-inch Chromebook comes with a slightly faster processor than the rest of its cloud-based flock – all while ditching the fan at the same time. The TN screen unfortunately is a wash (both figuratively and literally in terms of color reproduction), but this Chromebook simply goes on and on with its nearly excessive battery life.Read the full review: <a href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pcmac/laptops-portable-pcs/laptops-and-netbooks/asus-c300m-1288362/review/">Asus Chromebook C300</a><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/laptops/Lenovo/N20p%20Chromebook/lenovon20pchrom ebook-hero-420-90.jpg" alt="Best Chromebook" width="420"></img><h3>10. Lenovo N20p Chromebook</h3><div class="subtitle _hawk">A versatile Chromebook experience for a reasonable price</div>CPU: 1.83 GHZ Intel Celeron Processor N2930 | Graphics: Integrated Intel HD Graphics | RAM: 2GB PC3-10600 DDR3L 1333 MHz | Screen: 11.6" HD (1366 x 768) dsplay with 10-point multitouch | Storage: 16GB eMMC storage | Optical drive: none | Connectivity: Bluetooth® 4.0, 802.11 a/c WiFi | Camera: 720p webcam | Weight: 2.86 lbs Dimensions: 11.6" x 8.34" x 0.70"<div class="hawk-widget-insert _hawk widget_type:price model_id:9806 deals_link:http%3A%2F%2Fwww.techradar.com%2Freviews%2Fpc-mac%2Flaptopsportable-pcs%2Flaptops-and-netbooks%2Flenovo-n20p-chromebook-1247015%2Fpricecomparison"><a href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portable-pcs/laptopsand-netbooks/lenovo-n20p-chromebook-1247015/review">See more Lenovo N20p deals</a></div><div class="icon icon-plus_circle _hawk">Gorgeous design</div><div class="icon icon-plus_circle _hawk">Super fast</div><div class="icon icon-minus_circle _hawk">Poor viewing angles</div><div class="icon icon-minus_circle _hawk">Bad speakers</div>This is one of the "sexier" Chromebooks around, showcasing Lenovo's affinity for style. However, the best feature is the N20p's 300-degree hinge, flipping the N20p's screen backward all the way into stand mode (or "tent" mode), which lends itself quite well to watching movies or showing presentations.The touchscreen controls also work in a jiffy for, say, watching shows on HBO Go or Pinteresting. Still there's some difficulty when using it as a tablet, as Chrome isn't entirely made for touch as a largely browser-based interface.It's not very tuned for work use, but the Lenovo N20p offers great versatility for a leisure computer. Plus, with two USB ports (one 3.0), an HDMI port and an SD card reader, this Chromebook delivers a great bang for its buck.Read the full review: <a href="http://www.techradar.com/us/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portable-pcs/laptops-andnetbooks/lenovo-n20p-chromebook-1247015/review">Lenovo N20p Chromebook</a>Juan Martinez has also contributed to this article. http://www.techradar.com/news/mobile-computing/laptops/best-chromebooks-top-5-chromebooks-inthe-us-1233696?src=rss&attr=all http://www.techradar.com/1233696 Joe Osborne 2016-03-07T04:20:00Z Buying Guide: 10 best gaming laptops 2016: top gaming notebooks reviewed http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/laptops/Buying%20Guide%20Heroes/best_gaming_laptop-47075.jpg <img src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/laptops/Buying%20Guide%20Heroes/best_gaming_laptop-47075.jpg" alt="Buying Guide: 10 best gaming laptops 2016: top gaming notebooks reviewed"/><h3>Gaming laptops we recommend</h3>Updated: If you're looking for desktop-level performance, newly minted Origin EON17-SLX brings the heat in a (huge) laptop-sized package.You don't even need to tell us what happened when you told your friends that you want to buy a gaming laptop. Their inner elitist got the best of them, and bashed you for not just building an outright gaming desktop. But we get you. Building a gaming PC takes knowledge and dexterity that you just don't have or care to develop.That's where the gaming laptop shines, as a fast lane to PC gaming. No need to build a case or even buy a monitor. Of course, that convenience usually comes with a hefty price tag. Most vendors start their asking prices at around $1,400 (about £900, AU$1,900) for 13 and 14-inch products, whereas the biggest and beefiest 17 and 18-inch models can skyrocket upwards of $3,000 (around £1,900, AU$4,000).If you're ready to accept that a gaming laptop will almost never be as affordable or offer the same level of performance as a comparably-priced gaming desktop, then your decision is already made. But again, the gaming notebook is a device of convenience and portability over raw power. Without further ado, here are our favorite gaming laptops that we've reviewed thus far.<img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/laptops/Origin/EON15-X/Review/Origin%20EON15X%20review-14-420-100.jpg" alt="Best Gaming Laptops" width="420"></img><h3>1. Origin EON15-X</h3><div class="subtitle _hawk">A desktop-grade CPU in an unbeatable gaming laptop</div>CPU: 4GHz Intel Core i7-4790K | Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 980M (8GB GDDR5 RAM), Intel HD Graphics 4600 | RAM: 8GB | Screen: 15.6-inch, 1920 x 1080 LED Backlit Matte Display | Storage: 240GB SSD; 1TB HDD (5,400 rpm) | Connectivity: Intel PRO Wireless AC 7265 + Bluetooth Wireless LAN Combo | Camera: 2MP Video Camera | Weight: 7.5 pounds | Dimensions: 15.2 x 10.31 x 1.40 inches (W x D x H)<div class="icon iconplus_circle _hawk"> Great value</div><div class="icon icon-plus_circle _hawk"> Desktop-grade performance </div><div class="icon icon-minus_circle _hawk"> Razor thin viewing angles</div>The <a href="http://www.originpc.com/gaming/laptops/eon15-x/">Origin EON15X</a> is a real head turner. It packs a desktop processor into a fairly compact 15.6-inch laptop that, while smaller, offers even more performance compared to other, bigger hardcore gaming rigs. This extra CPU power is handy for users who need to edit video and other processor intensive tasks that a mobile chip can't handle. You'll also get an extra kick of performance in no matter what game you're running. This machine is definitely worth consideration over all others.Read the full review: <a href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portable-pcs/origineon15-x-1288075/review">Origin EON15-X</a><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/laptops/Gigabyte/P35X%20v5/Gigabyte%20P35X%20v55-420-100.jpg" alt="Best Gaming Laptops" width="420"></img><h3>2. Gigabyte P35X v5</h3><div class="subtitle _hawk">Underneath the plain exterior lies a 4K gaming beast</div>CPU: 2.6GHz Intel Core i7-6700HQ | Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 980M 8GB GDDR5, Intel HD Graphics 530 | RAM: 16GB DDR4 SDRAM | Screen: 15.6-inch, UHD 3,840 x 2,160, IPS LCD | Storage: 256GB SSD, 1TB HDD | Optical drive: 6X Blu-Ray Writer/DVD-RW | Connectivity: Intel Wireless-AC 7260; Bluetooth 4.0 | Camera: 1.3MP HD webcam | Weight: 5.29 pounds | Dimensions: 15.16 x 10.63 x 0.83 inches<div class="hawk-widgetinsert _hawk widget_type:price model_names:Gigabyte%20P35X%20v5 deals_link:http%3A%2F%2Fwww.techradar.com%2Freviews%2Fpc-mac%2Flaptops-portablepcs%2Flaptops-and-netbooks%2Fgigabyte-p35x-v5-1315087%2Fprice-comparison "><a href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portable-pcs/laptops-and-netbooks/gigabytep35x-v5-1315087/price-comparison">See more Gigabyte P35X v5 deals</a></div><div class="icon icon-plus_circle _hawk"> Splendid performance at 4K</div><div class="icon iconplus_circle _hawk"> Surprisingly decent battery life</div><div class="icon icon-minus_circle _hawk"> Poor ergonomics</div><div class="icon icon-minus_circle _hawk"> Pointless optical drive</div>The Gigabyte P35X v5 is a mighty powerful, 4K gaming laptop equipped. While most machines have failed to play games at Ultra HD resolutions, this 15-inch rig has come closest to making it a reality with speed Intel Core i7 processor and an Nvidia GTX 980M stacked with the maximum amount of video memory on a mobile GPU. All of this overwhelming power will see that you're able to play 4K games at a decent 30 to 60 fps clip. All the while, the P35X v5 offers decent battery life to boot.Read the full review: <a href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portable-pcs/laptops-and-netbooks/gigabytep35x-v5-1315087/review">Gigabyte P35X v5</a><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/laptops/Lenovo/IdeaPad%20Y700/Lenovo%20IdeaPad%2 0Y700-1-420-100.jpg" alt="best gaming laptops" width="420"></img><h3>3. Lenovo Ideapad Y700 15-inch</h3><div class="subtitle _hawk">An attractive and long lasting 15-inch gaming laptop</div>CPU: 2.6GHz Intel Core i7-6700HQ | Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 960M (4GB DDR5 VRAM), Intel HD Graphics 530 | RAM: 16GB DDR4 (2,133MHz) | Screen: 15.6-inch FHD LED AntiGlare Backlit Multitouch (1,920 x 1,080) | Storage: 128GB SSD, 1TB HDD (5,400 RPM) | Connectivity: Intel wireless AC 8260, Bluetooth 4.0 | Camera: 720p HD webcam | Weight: 5.72 pounds | Dimensions: 18.9 x 28.3 x 1.7 inches<div class="hawk-widget-insert _hawk widget_type:price model_names:Lenovo%20Ideapad%20Y700%2015-inch deals_link:www.techradar.com%2Freviews%2Fpc-mac%2Flaptops-portable-pcs%2Flaptops-andnetbooks%2Flenovo-ideapad-y700-1315711%2Fprice-comparison "><a href="www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portable-pcs/laptops-and-netbooks/lenovoideapad-y700-1315711/price-comparison">See more Lenovo Ideapad Y700 15-inch deals</a></div><div class="icon icon-plus_circle _hawk"> Stylish look</div><div class="icon icon-plus_circle _hawk"> Ample battery life</div><div class="icon icon-minus_circle _hawk"> Gets hot</div><div class="icon icon-minus_circle _hawk"> Terrible trackpad buttons</div>Entry-level gaming are a great introduction into the glorious world of PC gaming, and from performance to looks, it's hard to beat the Lenovo Ideapad Y700. It's an inexpensive machine that stands out amongst other budget gaming machines with its all metal chassis and included SSD. It also comes packed with enough power to run modern games at decent settings.Read the full review: <a href="www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portable-pcs/laptops-andnetbooks/lenovo-ideapad-y700-1315711/review">Lenovo Ideapad Y700 15-inch</a><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/laptops/HP/Pavilion%20Gaming%20(2015)/HP%20Pavili on%20Gaming-1-420-90.jpg" alt="Best gaming laptops" width="420"></img><h3>4. HP Pavilion Gaming Notebook</h3><div class="subtitle _hawk">Gear up on a budget</div>CPU: 2.6Ghz Intel Core i7-6700HQ | Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 950M (4GB DDR3L VRAM), Intel HD Graphics 530 | RAM: 8GB | Screen: 15.6-inch, 1,920 x 1,080 IPS display | Storage: 1TB HDD | Connectivity: 802.11ac (1 x 1) and Bluetooth 4.0 combo | Camera: HP TrueVision HD webcam | Weight: 5.11 pounds | Dimensions: 15.2 x 10.4 1.13 inches<div class="hawk-widget-insert _hawk widget_type:price model_names:HP%20Pavilion%20Gaming%20Notebook deals_link:http%3A%2F%2Fwww.techradar.com%2Fus%2Freviews%2Fpc-mac%2Flaptops-portablepcs%2Flaptops-and-netbooks%2Fhp-pavilion-gaming-notebook-1306202%2Freview%2F "><a href="http://www.techradar.com/us/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portable-pcs/laptops-and-netbooks/hppavilion-gaming-notebook-1306202/review/">See more HP Pavilion Gaming Notebook deals</a></div><div class="icon icon-plus_circle _hawk"> Excellent value</div><div class="icon icon-plus_circle _hawk"> Gaming power</div><div class="icon icon-minus_circle _hawk"> Not entirely future-proof</div>If you're looking to jump into PC gaming on a budget, the HP Pavilion Gaming Notebook offers a Intel Core i7 and discrete graphics without breaking the bank. While that might not sound like a lot to work with, you'll be able to play games at 30fps on Ultra. Going with a Nvidia GTX 960M configuration will also grant you enough power to hit the 60fps holy grail in almost any game so long as you knock your settings a peg or two below Ultra.Read the full review: <a href="http://www.techradar.com/us/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portable-pcs/laptops-and-netbooks/hppavilion-gaming-notebook-1306202/review/">HP Pavilion Gaming Notebook</a><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/laptops/MSI/GS60%20Ghost%20%282015%29/review/M SI-GS60-Ghost-Pro-6-420-100.jpg" alt="best gaming laptop" width="420"></img><h3>5. MSI GS60 Ghost Pro</h3><div class="subtitle _hawk">The best thin-and-light gaming laptop</div>CPU: 2.6GHz Intel Core i7 6700HQ | Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M, Intel HD Graphics 530 | RAM: 16GB DDR4 | Screen: 15.6-inch, 1,920 x 1,080 eDP Wide View Angle | Storage: 128GB SSD; 1TB HDD | Connectivity: Killer N1525 Combo (2 x 2 AC) Wi-Fi; Bluetooth 4.1 | Camera: FHD webcam | Weight: 4.2 pounds | Dimensions: 15.35 x 10.47 x 0.78 inches (W x D x H) <div class="hawk-widget-insert _hawk widget_type:price model_names:MSI%20GS60%20Ghost%20Pro deals_link:http%3A%2F%2Fwww.techradar.com%2Freviews%2Fpc-mac%2Flaptops-portablepcs%2Fmsi-gs60-ghost-pro-1307717%2Fprice-comparison "><a href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portable-pcs/msi-gs60-ghost-pro1307717/price-comparison">See more MSI GS60 Ghost Pro deals</a></div><div class="icon icon-plus_circle _hawk"> Performance pusher</div><div class="icon icon-plus_circle _hawk"> Stupendous keyboard</div><div class="icon icon-minus_circle _hawk"> Fleeting battery life</div><div class="icon icon-minus_circle _hawk"> A bit expensive</div>High on mature styling and light on weight, the MSI GS60 Ghost Pro is one of the thinnest gaming laptops you can buy. Don't think this svelte machine has sacrificed performance for the sake of cutting weight. It still comes packed with a high-end Intel Skylake processor and graphics card to make it a one of the strongest platforms we've ever tested. Just make sure to stick with a 1080p resolution and medium to high visual settings.Read the full review: <a href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portable-pcs/msi-gs60-ghost-pro1307717/review">MSI GS60 Ghost Pro</a><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/laptops/Asus/ROG%20G752/review/Asus%20ROG%20G 752-6-420-100.jpg" alt="Best Gaming Laptops" width="420"></img><h3>6. Asus ROG G752</h3><div class="subtitle _hawk">This mobile PC gaming powerhouse throws a hefty punch</div>CPU: 2.6GHz Intel Core i7-6700HQ | Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 970M (3GB GDDR5); Intel HD Graphics 530 | RAM: 16GB DDR4 | Screen: 17.3-inch, full HD 1,920 x 1,080, IPS LCD | Storage: 128GB SSD; 1TB HDD (7,200rpm) | Optical Drive: 6x Blu-ray/DVD combo drive ** | Connectivity: 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 | Camera: HD webcam | Weight: 9.7 pounds | Dimensions: 16.4 x 12.7 x 1.5 inches<div class="hawk-widget-insert _hawk widget_type:price model_names:Asus%20ROG%20G752 deals_link:http%3A%2F%2Fwww.techradar.com%2Freviews%2Fpc-mac%2Flaptops-portablepcs%2Flaptops-and-netbooks%2Fasus-rog-g752-1314991%2Freview%2F "><a href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portable-pcs/laptops-and-netbooks/asus-rogg752-1314991/review/">See more Asus ROG G752 deals</a></div><div class="icon iconplus_circle _hawk"> Distinguished design</div><div class="icon icon-plus_circle _hawk"> Top-end specs and performance</div><div class="icon icon-minus_circle _hawk"> No 4K screen</div><div class="icon icon-minus_circle _hawk"> Poor battery life</div>The Asus ROG G752 has an aggressive design that sets it apart from many of the world's sedate gaming laptops. Instead of donning the typical appearance of black plastic, the ROG G752 sports a shell with brushed aluminium panels, angular lines and the glowing red segments. On top of its in-your-face styling this 17-inch gaming laptop delivers a hefty performance and it can play modern games at a smooth clip even if you put the graphical setting to max. The only thing the Asus ROG G752 is missing is the option of a high-res 4K display.Read the full review: <a href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portable-pcs/laptops-and-netbooks/asus-rogg752-1314991/review/">Asus ROG G752</a><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/laptops/Acer/Predator%2015/AcerPredator15-14-420100.jpg" alt="Best gaming laptops" width="420"></img><h3>7. Acer Predator 15</h3><div class="subtitle _hawk">The ultimate over-the-top gaming laptop</div>CPU: 2.6GHz Intel Core i7-6700HQ | Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 980M (4GB GDDR5 RAM), Intel HD Graphics 530 | RAM: 32GB DDR4 | Screen: 15.6-inch, 1,920 x 1,080 Active Matrix TFT Color LCD | Storage: 512GB SSD, 1TB HDD | Connectivity: Killer Wireless-AC 1535 , Gigabit Ethernet, Bluetooth 4.2 | Camera: Front-facing 1,280 x 720 webcam | Weight: 7.5 pounds | Dimensions: 15.4 x 11.8 x 1.5 inches<div class="hawk-widget-insert _hawk widget_type:price model_names:Acer%20Predator%2015 deals_link:http%3A%2F%2Fwww.techradar.com%2Freviews%2Fpc-mac%2Flaptops-portablepcs%2Flaptops-and-netbooks%2Facer-predator-15-1303247%2Freview%2F "><a href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portable-pcs/laptops-and-netbooks/acerpredator-15-1303247/review/">See more Acer Predator 15 deals</a></div><div class="icon iconplus_circle _hawk"> Gorgeous screen </div><div class="icon icon-plus_circle _hawk"> Surprising battery life</div><div class="icon icon-minus_circle _hawk"> Heavy</div><div class="icon iconminus_circle _hawk"> Loud</div>The Acer Predator 15 is a monster of a gaming laptop in both presence and performance. While most gaming notebooks have become thinner and lighter, this 15inch rig buck the trend, opting to pack in some of the best graphics and CPU parts on the market today. Thanks to an modular DVD drive bay, users can choose between equipping this gaming notebook with either an optical drive or an extra fan for extra cooling.Read the full review: <a href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portable-pcs/laptopsand-netbooks/acer-predator-15-1303247/review/">Acer Predator 15</a><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/laptops/MSI/GT80%20Titan/review/MSI%20GT80%20Tit an-8-420-100.jpg" alt="best gaming laptops" width="420"></img><h3>8. MSI GT80 Titan</h3><div class="subtitle _hawk">An outrageously sized and powerful gaming laptop</div>CPU: 2.6GHz Intel Core i7-4720HQ | Graphics: 2 x Nvidia GTX 980M SLI (16 GB GDDR5); Intel HD Graphics 4600 | RAM: 16GB | Screen: 18.4-inch WLED FHD (1920 x 1080) Anti-Glare Display | Storage: 256GB SSD; 1TB HDD (7,200 RPM) | Optical drive: Blu-Ray Burner | Connectivity: Killer DoubleShot Pro 11ac + Bluetooth 4.1 | Camera: Full HD type (30 fps, 1080p) | Weight: 9.9 pounds | Dimensions: 17.95 x 13.02 x 1.93 inches<div class="hawk-widget-insert _hawk widget_type:price model_names:MSI%20GT80%20Titan deals_link:http%3A%2F%2Fwww.techradar.com%2Freviews%2Fpc-mac%2Flaptops-portablepcs%2Flaptops-and-netbooks%2Fmsi-gt80-titan-1277921%2Fprice-comparison"><a href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portable-pcs/laptops-and-netbooks/msi-gt80titan-1277921/review">See more MSI GT80 Titan deals</a></div><div class="icon iconplus_circle _hawk"> Authentic mechanical keyboard</div><div class="icon icon-plus_circle _hawk"> Easily upgraded</div><div class="icon icon-minus_circle _hawk"> H-E-A-V-Y</div><div class="icon icon-minus_circle _hawk"> Impossible to use on your lap</div>The MSI GT80 Titan goes above and beyond to give gamers a desktop experience in a notebook with a complement of high-performance parts to a built-in mechanical keyboard. However, weighing in at nearly 10 pounds and measuring roughly two-inches thick, this laptop is seriously pushing the limits of what you can call portable. For all the strain it'll put on your back and wallet, though, this 18.4-inch gaming laptop absolutely plow through almost any graphically intense game you try to run. This gaming behemoth proved to be a monster with the best in class mobile GPUs so we can't even fathom <a href="http://www.techradar.com/us/news/mobile-computing/laptops/nvidia-crams-desktop-graphicsinto-laptops-in-the-name-of-vr-1304758">what it could do with a Nvidia GTX 980</a>.Read the full review: <a href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portable-pcs/laptops-and-netbooks/msi-gt80titan-1277921/review/">MSI GT80 Titan</a><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/laptops/Alienware/Alienware%2017%20%282015%29/Ali enware%2017%20%282015%29-17-420-100.jpg" alt="best gaming laptop" width="420"></img><h3>9. Alienware 17 (2015)</h3><div class="subtitle _hawk">The Alienware 17 is an impressive refinement for this series of gaming laptops</div>CPU: 2.5GHz Intel Core i7-4710HQ | Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 980M (4GB GDDR5 RAM), Intel HD Graphics 4600 | RAM: 16GB | Screen: 17.3 inch, 1,920 x 1,080 IPS antiglare display | Storage: 256 GB M.2 SATA SSD + 1TB HDD (7,200 rpm) | Connectivity: Killer 1525 802.11ac 2x2 WiFi + Bluetooth 4.1 | Camera: 2MP Full HD webcam | Weight: 8.33 pounds (3.78 kg) | Dimensions: 16.93 x 11.49 x 1.35 inches (W x D x H<div class="hawk-widgetinsert _hawk widget_type:price model_names:Alienware%2017%20(2015) deals_link:http%3A%2F%2Fwww.techradar.com%2Freviews%2Fpc-mac%2Flaptops-portablepcs%2Flaptops-and-netbooks%2Falienware-17-2015-1291790%2Fprice-comparison"><a href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portable-pcs/laptops-andnetbooks/alienware-17-2015-1291790/review">See more Alienware 17 (2015) deals</a></div><div class="icon icon-plus_circle _hawk"> Flexible desktop mode</div><div class="icon icon-plus_circle _hawk"> Excellent large screen </div><div class="icon iconminus_circle _hawk"> Still quite expensive</div><div class="icon icon-minus_circle _hawk"> Slightly bottlenecked Amplifier performance </div>The Alienware 17 is one of those few outrageously priced gaming laptops that's actually worth it. The notebook is a fully capable gaming machine on its own, but with the added power of desktop graphics through the GPU Amplifier it can play almost any game on Ultra settings.If you're looking for something smaller, the <a href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portable-pcs/laptops-andnetbooks/alienware-13-1270655/review">Alienware 13</a> also works with the optional GPU box.Read the full review: <a href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pcmac/laptops-portable-pcs/laptops-and-netbooks/alienware-17-2015-1291790/review">Alienware 17 (2015)</a><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/laptops/Origin/EON17SLX/review/Origin%20EON17-SLX-16-420-100.jpg" alt="Best gaming laptops" width="420"></img><h3>10. Origin EON17-SLX</h3><div class="subtitle _hawk">The ultimate gaming laptop built with desktop-grade power</div>CPU: 4GHz Intel Core i7-6700K | Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (8GB GDDR5 VRAM), Intel HD Graphics 530 | RAM: 16GB DDR4 (2,133MHz) | Screen: 17.3-inch, 1,920 x 1,080 IPS Matte Display with G-SYNC | Storage: 256GB SSD, 1TB Hybrid Drive (7,200 rpm) | Connectivity: Killer Wireless AC 1535 Dual Band +BT | Camera: 2MP webcam | Weight: 10.5 pounds | Dimensions: 16.8 x 12 x 1.8 inches<div class="hawk-widget-insert _hawk widget_type:price model_names:Origin%20EON17-SLX deals_link:www.techradar.com%2Freviews%2Fpc-mac%2Flaptops-portable-pcs%2Flaptops-andnetbooks%2Forigin-eon17-slx-1316297%2Freview%2F "><a href="www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portable-pcs/laptops-and-netbooks/origin-eon17slx-1316297/review/">See more Origin EON17-SLX deals</a></div><div class="icon iconplus_circle _hawk"> Nearly unrivaled performance </div><div class="icon icon-plus_circle _hawk"> Sharp, aggressive styling</div><div class="icon icon-minus_circle _hawk"> Awful battery life </div><div class="icon icon-minus_circle _hawk"> Astonishingly heavy</div>The Origin EON17-SLX takes gaming laptops to their ultimate conclusion of being portable desktops. This 17inch notebook comes packed with a desktop-grade Intel processor and Nvidia GPU chip, making it one of history's most powerful mobile machines. Of course, it comes with the sacrifice of portability in both weight and battery life. If these are worthy trade-offs for greater performance, you won't find a better machine whether you're a hardcore gamer to in the media creation business.Read the full review: <a href="www.techradar.com/reviews/pcmac/laptops-portable-pcs/laptops-and-netbooks/origin-eon17-slx-1316297/review/">Origin EON17SLX</a><ul><li><a href="http://www.techradar.com/us/reviews/pc-mac/software/operatingsystems/windows-10-1267364/review">Windows 10</a> works well with games, too</li></ul> http://www.techradar.com/news/mobile-computing/laptops/best-gaming-laptops-top-5-gamingnotebooks-reviewed-1258471?src=rss&attr=all http://www.techradar.com/1258471 Kevin Lee 2016-03-06T23:30:00Z TechRadar Deals: The best HTC One M9 deals in March 2016 http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/deals/deals%20hero/batch2/HTC_OneM9-470-100.jpg <img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/deals/deals%20hero/batch2/HTC_OneM9-470100.jpg" alt="TechRadar Deals: The best HTC One M9 deals in March 2016"/><h3>Best HTC One M9 deals</h3><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/deals/deals%20hero/batch2/HTC_OneM9-300-100.jpg" alt="htc one m9 deals" width="300" class="lft"></img>The <a href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/phones/mobile-phones/htc-one-m9-1285623/review">HTC One M9</a> is, first and foremost, a beautiful phone. Some say it's not a huge advancement on the <a href="http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/the-best-htc-onem8-deals-1238843">HTC One M8</a> which preceded it but the company has switched the camera to a new, higher resolution version that produces much sharper photos than its predecessor. No matter what people think about the One M9, HTC is a leader in design, and its handsets are always solid, well-built and reliable - and this is the best ever in terms of craftsmanship. It's getting on for a year old, and may be superseded soon by the new HTC 10, but that means it's down in price and still a great buy if you're looking for the blend it offers.And let's be honest, if you're someone that works phones hard during their lifetime then you'll appreciate the tough metal body of the One M9. Oh, and good news if you're after more data: we've got some ace deals for you.<div class="hawkwidget-insert widget_type:comparison model_names:HTC%20One%20M9 rows:6 upfront:0 data:2000"><a href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/phones/mobile-phones/samsung-galaxys6-1285636/price-comparison">See all HTC One M9 deals</a></div>The camera is, as we said, sharper by far than the dual snapper found in the M8. HTC also made the sensible decision to keep the microSD slot, something Samsung has removed from its Galaxy S6 phones.It does have to be said that, while this phone is ideal for most people, you may want to consider the M8 as a standalone purchase, which offers a similar design with many of the features that make HTC's handsets so attractive. <img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/techradar/LINE-420-90.jpg" alt="htc one m9 deals" width="420"></img><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/mobile_phones/HTC/M9/htc%20one%20m9-150-100.jpg" alt="htc one m9" width="150" class="lft"></img><h3>The UK's best HTC One M9 deals:</h3>£225.99 upfront | TalkMobile | 500 minutes | 5000 texts | 1GB data £10pm Look, we know it's a lot of money upfront - but it's waaaay less than last month - but then after that you're not paying much at all. It's only £10 a month for 1GB of data (although it's non-4G), so this is a deal that barely costs more overall than the phone can be bought for outright. With 500 minutes, you'll need to keep an eye on the allowance, but why you'd ever need more than 5000 texts is beyond us. Total cost over 24 months is £465.99.<ul><li>Get this deal: from <a href="http://track.webgains.com/click.html?wgcampaignid=138485&wgprogramid=8497&p roduct=1&wglinkid=478091&productname=HTC+One+M9&wgtarget=http%3A%2F %2Fwww.mobilephonesdirect.co.uk%2Fbasket%2Fadd%2Fcontract%2Fhtc-one-m9-silvergold%2Ftalkmobile-10-500-24-1gb%2Ffree-delivery%3Fsource%3Dtechradar&clickref=hawkcustom-tracking" rel="nofollow">Mobile Phones Direct</a></li></ul><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/techradar/LINE2-420-90.jpg" alt="line" width="420"></img>Free phone | EE | unlimited calls | unlimited texts | 5GB data | £35pm Coming with a large slab of 4G data (5GB, dontchaknow) is this offer from EE, and it won't cost you anything upfront either. This is better than a similar Vodafone dal we advocated last month - 1GB less data, but a lot less cash over the lifetime. We challenge you to break that much data in one month - and with EE, you're getting the fastest network around. Total cost over 24 months is £780<ul><li>Get this deal: <a href="http://track.webgains.com/click.html?wgcampaignid=138485&wgprogramid=8497&p roduct=1&wglinkid=478091&productname=HTC+One+M9&wgtarget=http%3A%2F %2Fwww.mobilephonesdirect.co.uk%2Fbasket%2Fadd%2Fcontract%2Fhtc-one-m9-silvergold%2Fee-4g-32-49-unlimited-24-5gb%2Ffreedelivery%3Fsource%3Dtechradar&clickref=hawk-custom-tracking" rel="nofollow">on Mobile Phones Direct</a></li></ul><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/techradar/LINE2420-90.jpg" alt="line" width="420"></img>Free phone | EE | 1000 minutes | unlimited texts | 2GB | £29.99pm Thinking of going a little lower on the ol' data? Then here's something to cheer you right up! On offer here we have 2GB and that's a decent chunk for most to play with per month - trust us, if you're canny when you're in Wi-fi, you'll struggle to hit the limit. It's unlimited calls and texts too, with no upfront cost for sleek silver or gold. Total cost over 24 months is £719.76<ul><li>Get this deal: from <a href="http://track.webgains.com/click.html?wgcampaignid=138485&wgprogramid=8497&p roduct=1&wglinkid=478091&productname=HTC+One+M9&wgtarget=http%3A%2F %2Fwww.mobilephonesdirect.co.uk%2Fbasket%2Fadd%2Fcontract%2Fhtc-one-m9-silvergold%2Fee-4g-29-99-1000-24%2Ffree-delivery%3Fsource%3Dtechradar&clickref=hawkcustom-tracking" rel="nofollow">Mobile Phones Direct</a></li></ul><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/techradar/LINE2-420-90.jpg" alt="line" width="420"></img>£19 upfront | Three | unlimited calls | unlimited texts | unlimited data | £52pm Unlimited data, right here for you. Oh, and unlimited texts and calls too. Seriously. That's loads. In fact, it's the perfect amount if you're someone who is always downloading things wherever you are, and don't want to worry about data limits. The quite glaring issue is the monthly cost - it's rather high, but at least it's not moved from last month. At least there's no worry that you'll go over the limits here. Total cost over 24 months is £1267<ul><li>Get this deal: from <a href="http://track.three.co.uk/ctv2/ar.aspx?aff_id=3713&link_id=fc17445&url=view%2Fpla n%2FContractD09062015T132728%3Fmanufacturer%3DHTC%26deviceType%3DHANDSET&amp ;link_ref=hawk-custom-tracking" rel="nofollow">Three direct</a></li></ul>Now let's break down the best HTC One M9 deals by network…<img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/techradar/LINE-420-90.jpg" alt="htc one m9 deals" width="420"></img><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/mobile_phones/Phone%20deals%20UK/Best%20iPhone% 206%20deals/voda-150-100.gif" alt="vodafone" width="150" class="lft"></img><h3>Best HTC One M9 deals on Vodafone</h3>Vodafone prides itself in coverage and quality - it's often a bit mean with data, but there are extras like Spotify and Sky Sports Mobile thrown in.Free phone | unlimited minutes | unlimited texts | 2GB data - £30pm This was a middle of the road deal, and while the cost has stayed the same month on month it's lost the cashback that made it so attractive last time out. It still has a fairly decent slug of data and a dollop of unlimited business in the call and text arena, and is a nifty deal that will also come with two months of unlimited data - for not a huge amount of cash and a good set of allowances, you would say this is a good deal, but the new cashback offer on the 6GB tariff means you should probably check that one out instead. Total cost over 24 months is £720<ul><li>Get this deal: from <a href="http://track.webgains.com/click.html?wgcampaignid=138485&wgprogramid=8497&p roduct=1&wglinkid=478091&productname=HTC+One+M9&wgtarget=http%3A%2F %2Fwww.mobilephonesdirect.co.uk%2Fbasket%2Fadd%2Fcontract%2Fhtc-one-m9-silvergold%2Fvodafone-4g-30-unlimited-24-2gb%2Ffreedelivery%3Fsource%3Dtechradar&clickref=hawk-custom-tracking" rel="nofollow">Mobile Phones Direct</a></li></ul><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/techradar/LINE2-420-90.jpg" alt="line" width="420"></img>Free phone | Vodafone | unlimited calls | unlimited texts | 6GB data | £35pm Coming with a good slab of 4G data is this lovely offer from Vodafone, with the same impressive two months of unlimited data to start you off - plus this phone won't cost you anything at all up front (although the monthly cost has risen). Most of us will find that the 6GB on offer is more than enough month to month, especially if you're living in a Wi-Fifilled world that's going to keep you safe from accidentally downloading schematics to the moon and costing you thousands. On top of that, this deal now has £180 cashback, making it more cost effective than the 2GB deal above. Total cost over 24 months is £660<ul><li>Get this deal: <a href="http://track.webgains.com/click.html?wgcampaignid=138485&wgprogramid=8497&p roduct=1&wglinkid=478091&productname=HTC+One+M9&wgtarget=http%3A%2F %2Fwww.mobilephonesdirect.co.uk%2Fbasket%2Fadd%2Fcontract%2Fhtc-one-m9-silvergold%2Fvodafone-4g-35-unlimited-24-6gb%2Ffreedelivery%3Fsource%3Dtechradar&clickref=hawk-custom-tracking" rel="nofollow">on Mobile Phones Direct</a></li></ul><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/techradar/LINE2420-90.jpg" alt="line" width="420"></img>Free phone | unlimited calls | unlimited texts | 10GB data | £40pm Fancy a nip up to Higher Amounts of Data Crescent as you're tired of cruising through Medium Allowance Avenue? Well, we've got the streetmap to get you there (well, a link to a website that will let you buy the HTC One M9 with 10GB of data). There's now an improved £60 cashback too, and with the unlimited calls and texts you can do what you want outside of all that internet browsing. Plus the phone comes in lovely, lovely gun metal grey (great if your New Year's resolution was to have a more refined, steely collection of things in your life). Total cost over 24 months is £900.<ul><li>Get this deal: on <a href="http://track.webgains.com/click.html?wgcampaignid=138485&wgprogramid=8497&p roduct=1&wglinkid=478091&productname=HTC+One+M9&wgtarget=http%3A%2F %2Fwww.mobilephonesdirect.co.uk%2Fbasket%2Fadd%2Fcontract%2Fhtc-one-m9-gun-metalgrey%2Fvodafone-4g-40-unlimited-24-10gb%2Ffree-delivery%2Fautomaticcashback%3Fsource%3Dtechradar&clickref=hawk-custom-tracking" rel="nofollow">Mobile Phones Direct</a></li></ul><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/techradar/LINE2420-90.jpg" alt="line" width="420"></img>Free phone | unlimited calls | unlimited texts | 20GB data | £46pm LOOK AT ALL THE DATA. THERE'S SO SO MUCH! THINK OF ALL YOU COULD DO WITH THAT! And if you're thinking 'well, I'd like to start off with unlimited, actually' - well, that's there too, for two whole months. It's not a cheap deal, true, but it's marginally cheaper than Three's unlimited choice - but the sad news is it's dropped the £120 of cashback, making this a rather expensive deal - only one for those that want oodles of allowance on Vodafone... Total cost over 24 months is £1104.<ul><li>Get this deal: on <a href="http://track.webgains.com/click.html?wgcampaignid=138485&wgprogramid=8497&p roduct=1&wglinkid=478091&productname=HTC+One+M9&wgtarget=http%3A%2F %2Fwww.mobilephonesdirect.co.uk%2Fbasket%2Fadd%2Fcontract%2Fhtc-one-m9-silvergold%2Fvodafone-4g-46-unlimited-24-20gb%2Ffreedelivery%3Fsource%3Dtechradar&clickref=hawk-custom-tracking" rel="nofollow">Mobile Phones Direct</a></li></ul><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/techradar/LINE420-90.jpg" alt="htc one m9 deals" width="420"></img><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/mobile_phones/Phone%20deals%20UK/Best%20iPhone% 206%20deals/ee-150-100.gif" alt="iPhone 6 deals on EE" width="150" class="lft"></img><h3>Best HTC One M9 deals on EE</h3>EE is the network to go to if you want high-speed 4G£59.99 upfront | unlimited minutes | unlimited texts | 2GB data | £27.49pm EE goes straight in with the 2GB deals - no messing around with a smaller 1GB option. Really, this is ideal if you plan to just generally browse the web on your commute and spend the rest of your time swimming in Wi-Fi - and EE's 4G network remains one of the quickest out there. It's all about the gun metal grey colour here - the most smooth of all the options.On top of that, the upfront cost has halved this month, so it's an even better choice. Total cost over 24 months is £719.75.<ul><li>Get this deal: from <a href="http://track.webgains.com/click.html?wgcampaignid=138485&wgprogramid=8497&p roduct=1&wglinkid=478091&productname=HTC+One+M9&wgtarget=http%3A%2F %2Fwww.mobilephonesdirect.co.uk%2Fbasket%2Fadd%2Fcontract%2Fhtc-one-m9-gun-metalgrey%2Fee-4g-27-49-unlimited-24%2Ffree-delivery%3Fsource%3Dtechradar&clickref=hawkcustom-tracking" rel="nofollow">Mobile Phones Direct</a></li></ul><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/techradar/LINE2-420-90.jpg" alt="line" width="420"></img>Free phone | unlimited calls | unlimited texts | 5GB | £32.49pm Let's go all out - this is where you're getting into the bigger leagues in terms of data allowances for when you want to get your downloading mojo going on the train or living la vida loca in the clubs. Although, we're not sure what you're downloading when you're supposed to be on a night out at 3AM. On offer here we have 5GB and it's awesome having that much to play with per month - trust us, you'll get a kick when you see how much you can do. It's unlimited calls and texts too, with no upfront cost for sleek gunmetal grey... a really cracking deal when you do the sums, although the £15 cashback has disappeared. Total cost over 24 months is £764.76<ul><li>Get this deal: from <a href="http://track.webgains.com/click.html?wgcampaignid=138485&wgprogramid=8497&p roduct=1&wglinkid=478091&productname=HTC+One+M9&wgtarget=http%3A%2F %2Fwww.mobilephonesdirect.co.uk%2Fbasket%2Fadd%2Fcontract%2Fhtc-one-m9-silvergold%2Fee-4g-32-49-unlimited-24-5gb%2Ffreedelivery%3Fsource%3Dtechradar&clickref=hawk-custom-tracking" rel="nofollow">Mobile Phones Direct</a></li> </ul><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/techradar/LINE2420-90.jpg" alt="line" width="420"></img>Free phone | unlimited calls | unlimited texts | 10GB data | £44.99pm If you want to stay with the network that can offer you not one, but two of the same letter in its name, and you're after the nifty One M9 to do it with, then look no further than this offer.The 10GB of data limit is one that seems particularly indulgent, and while the cost is higher per month than other deals here you do get an (even better) £185 right into your bank account when you buy the phone, making the monthly costs a lot cheaper if you're sensible and keep £7.71 per month in your account from your initial lump sum.Loads of minutes, loads of texts and the phone in gold (and it's also available in grey too). A nice deal that gives you a lot of data and cashback too. Total cost over 24 months is £894.76<ul><li>Get this deal: From <a href="http://track.webgains.com/click.html?wgcampaignid=138485&wgprogramid=8497&p roduct=1&wglinkid=478091&productname=HTC+One+M9&wgtarget=http%3A%2F %2Fwww.mobilephonesdirect.co.uk%2Fbasket%2Fadd%2Fcontract%2Fhtc-one-m9-gun-metalgrey%2Fee-4g-44-99-unlimited-24-10gb%2Ffree-delivery%2Fautomatic- cashback%3Fsource%3Dtechradar&clickref=hawk-custom-tracking" rel="nofollow">Mobile Phones Direct</a></li></ul><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/techradar/LINE2420-90.jpg" alt="line" width="420"></img>Free phone | unlimited calls | unlimited texts | 20GB data | £54.99pm TWENTY GIGABYTES OF DATA! Seriously, if you're someone who is always downloading something over a cellular connection then this tariff is absolutely the best possible for data if you're wedded to EE - there's no more to be had here - and it's a very powerful network to choose from. Three might offer unlimited data and 'free' 4G but EE has far better speeds and broader coverage. This isn't all that cheap though, so you'll really have to want that extra bit of data to warrant forking out this much per month for an older phone - and the dealsweetening £200 cashback has sadly gone bye-bye this month. Total cost over 24 months is £1319.76<ul><li>Get this deal: From <a href="http://track.webgains.com/click.html?wgcampaignid=138485&wgprogramid=8497&p roduct=1&wglinkid=478091&productname=HTC+One+M9&wgtarget=http%3A%2F %2Fwww.mobilephonesdirect.co.uk%2Fbasket%2Fadd%2Fcontract%2Fhtc-one-m9-gun-metalgrey%2Fee-4g-54-99-unlimited-24-20gb%2Ffreedelivery%3Fsource%3Dtechradar&clickref=hawk-custom-tracking" rel="nofollow">Mobile Phones Direct</a></li></ul><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/techradar/LINE420-90.jpg" alt="htc one m9 deals" width="420"></img><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/mobile_phones/Phone%20deals%20UK/Best%20iPhone% 206%20deals/o2-150-100.gif" alt="iphone 6 deals on o2" width="150" class="lft"></img><h3>Best HTC One M9 deals on O2</h3>O2 is the network with extras, including the popular O2 Priority serviceSadly, the HTC One M9 is now out of stock at O2, so if you wanted to stick with the bubbly network and HTC, have a look at our <a href="http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/htc-one-a9-deals1310224">HTC One A9 deals</a> instead.<img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/techradar/LINE-420-90.jpg" alt="htc one m9 deals" width="420"></img><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/mobile_phones/Phone%20deals%20UK/Best%20iPhone% 206%20deals/three-150-100.gif" alt="iphone 6 deals on Three" width="150" class="lft"></img><h3>Best HTC One M9 deals on Three </h3>Three is one of few providers that offers unlimited data, and Feel at Home is amazing for regular travellers. £19 upfront | Three | unlimited calls | unlimited texts | unlimited data | £52pm Get ready for this... get ready... it's all you can eat data! Still, even though it's being slowly phased out! Seriously. That's a lot. In fact, it's the perfect amount if you're someone who is always downloading things wherever you are, and don't want to worry about data limits. Oh, and you're getting all the minutes and texts you could want too - not bad.The problem you'll have here is with how much you'll need to fork out each month - it's rather high, but at least it's staying the same as last month and is the perfect tonic for someone that lies awake worrying about going over their data allowance.Total cost over 24 months is £1267<ul><li>Get this deal: from <a href="http://track.three.co.uk/ctv2/ar.aspx?aff_id=3713&link_id=fc17445&url=view%2Fpla n%2FContractD09062015T132728%3Fmanufacturer%3DHTC%26deviceType%3DHANDSET&amp ;link_ref=hawk-custom-tracking" rel="nofollow">Three direct</a></li></ul><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/techradar/LINE2-420-90.jpg" alt="line" width="420"></img>£59.99 upfront | Unlimited minutes | unlimited texts | 2GB of data | £34pm 2GB is a decent amount of data to play with, although it's on a pretty pricey deal here. The key thing to remember here is, again, Three doesn't have the best deals but as long as you're willing to pay a little upfront - and it's for the gun metal grey version, which we think is just the tops thanks to its lovely rounded edges. Total cost over 24 months is £875.99<ul><li>Get this deal: <a href="http://www.awin1.com/pclick.php?p=3444543923&a=103504&m=3202&clickre f=hawk-custom-tracking" rel="nofollow">on buymobiles.net</a></li></ul><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/techradar/LINE2-420-90.jpg" alt="line" width="420"></img>Free phone | 600 minutes | unlimited texts | 8GB of data | £39pm Here's a decent amount of data for you, and while it comes somewhat at the cost of the included minutes (only 600 here to use, we're afraid, although many will find this is more than enough in today's WhatsApp calling world), this is still a great tariff for those who want to watch a lot of YouTube or listen to streaming music - and it's still not a bad price for the amount of data you're getting. Perhaps a touch expensive for this ageing phone, but perfect if you're looking to safeguard yourself if you accidentally download a movie with Wi-Fi switched off. Total cost over 24 months is £936.<ul><li>Get this deal: <a href="http://www.awin1.com/pclick.php?p=3444544009&a=103504&m=3202&clickre f=hawk-807834080" rel="nofollow noskim">on Buymobiles.net</a></li></ul><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/techradar/LINE2-420-90.jpg" alt="line" width="420"></img> http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/the-best-htc-one-m9deals-in-april-2015-1290081?src=rss&attr=all http://www.techradar.com/1290081 TechRadar Deals 2016-03-06T20:24:00Z Driverless lorries are heading to the UK's motorways http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/features/CA%20Driverless%20Cars/Volvo%20Truck-470-75.jpg <img src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/features/CA%20Driverless%20Cars/Volvo%20Truck470-75.jpg" alt="Driverless lorries are heading to the UK's motorways"/>Head out on the motorways of Britain later this year and you might come across a self-driving HGV convoy or two: Chancellor George Osborne is expected to announce new trials of the technology in his upcoming budget speech, <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-35737104">the BBC reports</a>.The M6 in Cumbria will be one of the test sites, with an automated "platoon" of lorries led by a front vehicle carrying an actual real human driver. Apparently, the trials are going to take place on quiet stretches of motorway.The end goal is to cut congestion, government sources say. Up to 10 lorries could drive in tandem, using advanced mathematics and computer software to drive as efficiently and as close to each other as possible.<h3>Rise of the robot vehicles</h3>Driverless trucks have already been tested in various locations across the world, including the United States and Germany, and it appears Osborne doesn't want the UK to get left behind - the new scheme is believed to be part of a larger funding boost for <a href="http://www.techradar.com/news/car-tech/jaguar-land-rover-self-driving-car-researchtakes-an-ironic-twist-1314164">self-driving technology</a>.Not everyone is convinced this is such a good idea: the AA's Edmund King told the BBC that the large number of exits and entrances on the UK motorway system made it impractical to have convoys of robot lorries clogging up the inside line."We are planning trials of HGV platoons - which enable vehicles to move in a group so they use less fuel - and will be in a position to say more in due course," said a Department for Transport spokesman.<ul><li>Read more on <a href="http://www.techradar.com/news/world-of-tech/yamaha-s-motobot-can-autonomously-drive-amotorcycle-1307887">the robot who can drive a motorcycle</a></li></ul> http://www.techradar.com/news/car-tech/driverless-lorries-are-heading-to-the-uk-s-motorways1316341?src=rss&attr=all http://www.techradar.com/1316341 David Nield 2016-03-06T15:31:00Z Updated: The 19 best indie games on PC and consoles http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/games/towerfall-ascension-470-75.JPG <img src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/games/towerfall-ascension-470-75.JPG" alt="Updated: The 19 best indie games on PC and consoles"/><h3>Introduction</h3><img src="http://cdn1.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/Features%202/5%20awesome%20indie%20pc%20ga mes/pamela-420-100.JPG" alt="POLLEN" width="420"></img>No one can agree what an indie game is. Some combination of a small studio, a weird idea and no publisher is the nearest we can get to agreement - but to paraphrase Potter Stewart - you know one when you see it. We've picked out the best indie games and a few that we're anticipating most.We admit this is somewhat foolhardy as there are so many great indie games released each day and each game's community is so rabidly aggressive that to pick out highlights is like dipping a hand with a cut pinky into a shark tank and waiting.So, to be clear; we don't expect that you agree with this list, and we admit it's purely subjective. If you want to evangelize on what you think are the best indie games, share your favorites in the comments section below.Joe Osborne and Kane Fulton have also contributed to this article<h3>Indie games on our radar </h3><h3>P.O.L.L.E.N</h3><img src="http://cdn4.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/Features%202/5%20awesome%20indie%20pc%20ga mes/pollen-420-100.JPG" alt="Best indie games: POLLEN" width="420"></img> Format: PC Due to the immersive nature of VR, it's likely that tons of games like Pollen get released in 2016. Pollen sees you explore an abandoned spaceship to discover its mysterious past, taking advantage of the how virtual reality allows you to observe more of the environment and interact with objects. Developed by Finland-based indie studio MindField games, Pollen has been designed from the ground up for the Oculus Rift. It's hugely immersive and almost entirely interactive, meaning you can pick up, spin round and (probably) sniff any objects you come into contact with.<mediainsert caption="null" mediatype="YouTube" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_1x_y15Pdw" width="420">YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_1x_y15Pdw</mediainsert><h3>Cobalt</h3><img src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/games/cobalt-420-100.JPG" alt="Best indie games: Cobalt" width="420"></img> Format: PC, Xbox One, Xbox 360 It's unsurprising to see a game that looks like Cobalt after the success that was Towerfall: Ascension. In development by the creators of Minecraft, Cobalt employ's Ascension's runand-gun gameplay mechanics - only with guns instead of bows and arrows.There's no online multiplayer, but four players will be able to duke it out locally by rolling, jumping, shooting, throwing, sliding, hacking and looting their way through a number of colorful 2D environments when it lands on October 10.<mediainsert caption="null" mediatype="YouTube" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sBNq7nADZWc" width="420">YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/embed/sBNq7nADZWc</mediainsert><h3>That Which Sleeps</h3><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/Features%202/Best%20Indie%20Games/thatwhichsleeps420-100.jpg" alt="Best indie games: POLLEN" width="420"></img> Format: PCThere's nothing that says indie like some Eldritch Horror poking its fingers up a mortal's ken - whether Five Nights At Freddy's, Amnesia or the numerous Slender games, indie gamers love a good fright.But to play as the origin of that fear… to slowly subvert the heroes and people of a peaceful land before emerging to consume them all..? Well, we've not seen that since Cthulhu Saves The World or Barbie's Horse Adventures.<mediainsert caption="null" mediatype="YouTube" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=neOqkdZOhiQ" width="420">YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=neOqkdZOhiQ</mediainsert><h3>Hyper Light Drifter</h3><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/Features%202/Best%20Indie%20Games/hyperlightdrifter420-100.jpg" alt="Hyper Light Drifter" width="420"></img> Format: PC / Mac / Linux / PS4 / Vita / Wii U / OuyaA 2D action RPG based on the best 8- and 16-bit classics, Hyper Light Drifter was a big Kickstarter success, presumably because of its glorious pixel graphics and its combat that's halfway to SuperGiant's seminal Transistor.Despite appearances, it's a combat-focused game where you explore the unknown, ruined world of Buried Time, inspired by nightmares and dreams, where your Drifter is searching for a cure for a fatal disease...<mediainsert caption="null" mediatype="YouTube" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKgLJiJYvY8" width="420">YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKgLJiJYvY8</mediainsert><h3>No Man's Sky</h3><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/Features%202/Best%20Indie%20Games/nomansky-420100.jpg" alt="No Man's Sky" width="420"></img> Format: PC / PS4Previously, Hello Games was known for Joe Danger - a so-so series of games that tracked a kid-friendly stuntman.So No Man's Sky is a big departure, as the team promise to create a huge procedurally-generated universe where you can fly to distant worlds, then land on them and walk around. Oh, and you can play with your friends. And it's probably going to be amazing in Sony's Morpheus VR headset. <mediainsert caption="null" mediatype="YouTube" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmwG6Sj1Yfg" width="420">YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmwG6Sj1Yfg</mediainsert><h3>Pathologic</h3>< img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/Features%202/Best%20Indie%20Games/Pathologic420-100.jpg" alt="Pathologic" width="420"></img> Format: PC / PS4 / Xbox One / Linux / MacOne of the most bizarre, theatrical games ever made (alongside Ice Pick Lodge's other titles The Void and Cargo!), Pathologic was first released in 2005. Ten years later, the original developers are releasing a new version for console and PC.You play one of three disturbed individuals investigating a strange plague in a surreal town on the steppes. We say investigating - surviving each day yourself is a challenge, let alone keeping the important members of the town alive until the plague and plot have run their courses.<mediainsert caption="null" mediatype="YouTube" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gh5CB2lnZ7c" width="420">YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gh5CB2lnZ7c</mediainsert><h3>1. Braid</h3><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/Features%202/Best%20Indie%20Games/braid-420100.jpg" alt="Braid" width="420"></img>Jonathan Blow's masterpiece first appears to be a simple pastiche of Super Mario Bros, with a middle-aged curmudgeon replacing the titular plumber but still seeking to rescue a princess.But as you spend time with it, it reveals more of itself, moving from a series of time-bending puzzles to quiet reflective texts – which doesn't stop it being the smartest puzzle game until SpaceChem. Blow himself has hinted that the ultimate story might be something to do with the atomic bomb.<h3>2. Cave Story</h3><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/games/Pixel/Cave%20Story/cave_story-420-90.jpg" alt="best indie games" width="420"></img>First released as PC freeware by Japanese designer Daisuke "Pixel" Amaya back in 2004 after five years of 100% solo development, Cave Story predates the recent indie renaissance by a few years. Because of when and how it was first released, it's often forgotten in discussions of indie gaming.But this classic deserves to be on every best-of list for its loving homage to the classic action platforming games of the Super Nintendo era, its incredible music and its incredibly vibrant world. Oh, and don't forget the hugely intuitive controls, gobs of secrets and weapons that are entirely too fun to use. If you've yet to enjoy this one, just put it on your backlog already.Cave Story is available now on Steam as Cave Story+ as well as Nintendo 3DS as Cave Story+ 3D. Both versions include updated visuals and music to better suit the modern machines they're played on, the latter of which getting a neat 3D treatment.<h3>3. Papers Please</h3><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/Features%202/Best%20Indie%20Games/papersplease420-100.jpg" alt="Papers Please" width="420"></img>Most mainstream games are escapist power fantasies, where the player grows their capabilities until they dominate the game's universe - and then the game ends. Yet many indie games are dis-empowerment fantasies - like the IGF award winner and misery sim Cart Life.Papers Please is similar to Cart Life - it's also an IGF winner with elements of misery about it - but it's better, being a smart, weird sim about the compromised life of a border guard under a totalitarian regime. It's ugly and desperate, but also innovative, uproariously funny and terribly smart.<h3>4. Spelunky</h3><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/Features%202/Best%20Indie%20Games/spelunky-420100.jpg" alt="Spelunky" width="420"></img>Among the hardcore gamers of my acquaintance, Spelunky is the go-to drug. Even today, several years after its release, some of them still play it every day, despite having completed it many times over. That's because Spelunky, ostensibly a rogue-like platformer with a definite end, is tough, varied and highly randomized.It also has more dark secrets than a presidential candidate, meaning there are many, many ways to finish it, and its daily challenges are a sure-fire way to public humiliation.<h3>5. The Stanley Parable</h3><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/Features%202/Best%20Indie%20Games/stanley-parable420-100.jpg" alt="The Stanley Parable" width="420"></img>Humor is often something absent from games, mostly being restricted to slapstick comedy or crude one-liners. The Stanley Parable, by contrast, is hilarious without dumbing down. Players follow (or don't) a very English narrative voice who changes the world around you, depending on your decision.No decision is punished, every play-through throws up new humor and weirdness. Being trapped in the closet in the Stanley Parable is more moving and funny than 9/10 other games.<ul><li>Further reading: Retrome-do! <a href="http://www.techradar.com/news/gaming/retro-me-do-digitiser-s-mr-biffo-on-his-toppc-games-of-all-time-1289664">Digitiser's Mr Biffo on his top PC games of all time</a></li></ul><h3>6. Crypt of the Necrodancer</h3><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/Features%202/Best%20Indie%20Games/necrodancer-420100.jpg" alt="Crypt of the Necrodancer" width="420"></img>The rogue-like genre is increasingly dominant in indie games, but plunging to the 23rd level to grab the amulet of Yendor doesn't half get old. So Necrodancer changes the mix, adding in a rhythm-action element to the traditional turn-based combat, setting the combat to a series of funky soundtracks, and speeding it up as you succeed.It can even be played with a dance-mat as a controller. There's a nice variety of characters to play as, but if you don't have rhythm you can play as The Bard who's got rhythm enough for both of you.<h3>7. Kerbal Space Program</h3><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/Features%202/Best%20Indie%20Games/kerbal-420100.jpg" alt="Kerbal Space Program" width="420"></img>Only SpaceChem has mingled education with entertainment as successfully as The Kerbal Space Program. The game is simple design and build spacecraft to take the cutesy Kerbals to the Mun and beyond.Yet its focused use of real physics means that you'll find yourself following NASA in building multi-stage rockets, space stations and exploring the Kerbal's strange universe on EVAs, before bringing your discoveries back to research on the Kerbal planet - that's if you can get off the ground at all. It's a huge, complex, challenging and fun game, that's smart without being preachy. <h3>8. The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth</h3><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/Features%202/Best%20Indie%20Games/binding-420100.jpg" alt="The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth" width="420"></img>The exact opposite of the Kerbal Space Program, The Binding of Isaac is an action roguelike par excellence. Matched only by the equally visceral Nuclear Throne for replayability, you play as a young boy attempting to kill his damned siblings, his Mom, and possibly the Devil, using only his tears. Which he shoots from his eyes, of course.With hundreds of weird modifiers to discover, endlessly touch procedurallygenerated levels, and secrets galore, Isaac is a very dark take on the exploratory model established by Spelunky. <h3>9. Prison Architect</h3><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/Features%202/Best%20Indie%20Games/prison-420100.jpg" alt="Prison Architect" width="420"></img>Introversions was one of the earliest 'indie' companies, releasing games like Uplink, Defcon and Darwinia whilst Vlambeer were still in short pants. After years of struggling, they've finally hit a huge success with Prison Architect, a game where you build, staff, outfit and manage a maximum security prison.With smart prisoners who are willing to do anything to escape, you'll struggle to keep them all inside - or keep them from rioting - and turn a profit. It's still in alpha, but it's eminently playable right now..<h3>10. To The Moon</h3><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/Features%202/Best%20Indie%20Games/to%20the%20mo on-420-100.jpg" alt="To The Moon" width="420"></img>While The Kerbal Space Program might actually take you (or at least those poor doomed Kerbals) to the moon, To The Moon is a game about wish fulfillment, and thrives on narrative. In terms of movies, Kerbal is Gravity and Isaac is Saw, To The Moon is Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.You control two doctors who are exploring a dying man's memories to implant a false memory so he can die in peace. Which is all depicted in a classic 16-bit Zelda style. It's a rare, brave, adult game.<h3>11. Dwarf Fortress</h3><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/Features%202/Best%20Indie%20Games/dwarf%20fortress -420-100.jpg" alt="Dwarf Fortress" width="420"></img>Dwarf Fortress is its own genre, its own industry. This is a game that, before you've even set foot in it, has to generate the entire geography, mythology and history of its massive world. Then it tracks every single one of the dwarfs you're managing down to the hairs on their legs and the particular horrible elephant murder that they witnessed and they're now carving on an ornamental chair.Your task is to keep the dwarves alive as they carve out their subterranean kingdom - given that insanity, monsters, and starvation plague are thrown at them at every stage that's not easy. And dwarves, always *always* mine too deep.<h3>12. Super Meat Boy</h3><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/games/super-meat-boy-420-100.JPG" alt="Super Meat Boy" width="420"></img>Run. Jump. Die. Repeat. That's the basic premise of Super Meat Boy, a fiendishly addictive 2D platformer that's also bloody hard, with an emphasis on bloody. Pints of the red stuff is spilled as the game's eponymous meaty hero leap over deadly drops, spinning blades and walking chainsaws in a bid to rescue his girlfriend, Bandage Girl, from the evil Dr Foetus. Obviously. Boasting tight controls, plenty of humor and color graphics, Super Meat Boy leapt onto the PS4 and Vita this year in style.<h3>13. Limbo</h3><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/games/limbo-420-90.JPG" alt="Limbo" width="420"></img>Limbo is a platformer with a difference. Five years after its initial release, the game's haunting storyline still affects us. You play The Boy, a child with glowing eyes who's cast into Limbo to find his sister. Making your way through a bleak and dangerous world full of hostile silhouettes, giant spiders and deadly gravitational fields, you'll need to think on your feet and time your movements to perfection to survive.But Limbo is much more than a simple platformer: it's an experience, and one that has you pondering the very essence of life by the time it's over. Deep, profound and absorbing, it's one indie game everybody should take time out to play.<h3>14. Towerfall: Ascension</h3><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/games/towerfall-ascension-420-90.JPG" alt="Towerfall: Ascension" width="420"></img>If you're yearning for a retro-styled multiplayer archery combat game (aren't we all?), TowerFall: Ascension is the pick of the lot. Fast, frenetic and teethgnashingly hard in hardcore mode, the game's mechanics are simple: fire arrows at enemies or jump on their heads to stay alive until the round ends. Arrows that don't hit are embedded in walls, making for tense scenarios when you have to traverse the map while dodging enemies to retrieve them. As such, practicing until you achieve Robin Hood-esque levels of accuracy is recommended. Ascension is best experienced with friends in local multiplayer mode, which recalls Super Smash Bros' most manic moments.<h3>15. Nidhogg</h3><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/games/nidhogg-420-90.JPG" alt="Nidhogg" width="420"></img>Picture the scene for a moment. Two pixelated fencers stand face-to-face underneath a giant swinging chandelier, ready to do battle. After 10 minutes of frantic dueling, the orange combatant successfully pierces his adversary in the chest before leaping over his head into the gaping mouth of a giant flying worm. That's right: the surreal Nidhogg makes about as much sense as a 2014 Spider-Man reboot, but damned if it isn't the most addictive local multiplayer fence-em-up, like, ever.<h3>16. The Witness</h3><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/games/The%20Witness/screens/the-witness-04-42090.jpg" alt="best indie games" width="420"></img>Esteemed indie designer Jon Blow's follow up to Braid may look like an entirely different adventure, being 3D and all, but the two are more thematically alike than you might think. The Witness, at its core, is another puzzle game that tells an interesting story through said puzzles.This puzzler takes place in an almost equally impressionist – albeit heavily Myst-inspired – world, but it's story is far more nuanced and mysterious than Blow's previous. At almost every corner of this island that you've simply woken up on (or beneath), there is a clue as to how you got onto this island and why you're here.Available for PS4 and PC through Steam, The Witness promises 60 to 80 hours worth of poring through increasingly difficult puzzles to solve the mystery. Now, there's an indie game you sink your precious life minutes into.<h3>17. BroForce</h3><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/games/BroForce/broforce-hero-420-90.jpg" alt="best indie games" width="420"></img>If you remember games like Contra or Jackal even a little bit, then BroForce will immediately speak to you. This four-player, side-scrolling cooperative shoot-em-up combines modern action game features, like destructible environments, with an obvious respect for the nostalgia many of us hold for these games.Every level in BroForce is a race to the rendezvous point, and you're one of countless "Bros", goofy characters inspired by the real-life action heroes of today. Complete with a rescue system for Bros that have lost one too many lives, BroForce both parodies the bro-tastic action flicks that rake in millions and instills a fun level of camaraderie through clever mechanics.In short, this is The Expendables meets Contra in the best ways, and it's available now on Windows through Steam.<h3>18. Firewatch</h3><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/games/Firewatch/firewatch-1-420-90.jpg" alt="best indie games" width="420"></img>Exploring a surreal wilderness seems like quite the trend these days in gaming, and developer Campo Santo's debut only serves to keep it going strong. Set in the wilderness of 1989 Wyoming, you're Henry, a fire lookout that's all alone in the woods after exploring something strange in the distance.That is, save for your partner on the other line of a walkie- talkie: Delilah. She's your only point of contact as you explore the wilderness. Will you make it back alive? Will the decisions you make help or harm the relationship with your only lifeline to the outside world, your boss? Don't worry about those questions just yet – just look at those forestscapes!Firewatch is available now on Windows, Mac and Linux through Steam – as well as Sony <a href="http://www.techradar.com/us/reviews/gaming/games-consoles/sony-ps41131803/review">PS4</a>.<h3>19. Rust</h3><img src="http://cdn2.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/Features%202/5%20awesome%20indie%20pc%20ga mes/rust-420-100.JPG" alt="Rust" width="420"></img>Rust is one of the more successful indie titles of recent times. By the end of 2015 it had sold more than 3 million copies, which isn't too shabby considering it isn't even finished — the game has been on Steam's Early Access scheme since launching in December 2013.Still, it seems people can't get enough of the Day Z-inspired survival sim. It sees you use your wits and bearings to survive its harsh open world, starting off with nothing but a rock. After gathering resources needed to build a house and weapons to fend off attackers (other online players, in other words), Rust gradually becomes more intense as you defend your growing base — or attempt to breach others'.Marrying Minecraft's crafting and building elements with Far Cry: Primal's back-to-basics combat and general feel, Rust is a game best played with a little imagination. Loincloth and pet mammoth optional. http://www.techradar.com/news/gaming/10-best-indie-games-top-indie-games-on-pc-and-consoles1300583?src=rss&attr=all http://www.techradar.com/1300583 Dan Griliopoulos 2016-03-06T15:11:00Z Review: Updated: MacBook http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/laptops/Apple/New%20MacBook%20(2015)/review/table-tennis470-75.JPG <img src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/laptops/Apple/New%20MacBook%20(2015)/review/tabletennis-470-75.JPG" alt="Review: Updated: MacBook"/><h3>Introduction and design</h3>Update: We've added a new section to this review called How to master your MacBook, which you can check out on Page 2. Featuring links to our latest how-to guides, we show you how to get the most out of your Apple laptop.Original review follows...Knock it for its <a href="http://www.techradar.com/news/mobilecomputing/laptops/why-a-uni-port-macbook-makes-sense-in-a-wire-free-world-1283051">USB TypeC</a> port. Bash it for its wimpy horsepower. But don't even try to deny that Apple's new MacBook is one of the most attractive, impressively-engineered laptops that the world has ever seen - there's simply nothing quite as slick out there.<ul><li><a href="http://www.techradar.com/news/mobilecomputing/tablets/tim-cook-says-apple-s-not-planning-a-macbook-ipad-hybrid-1308989">Tim Cook says Apple's not planning a MacBook-iPad hybrid</a></li></ul>Even though it combines the portability of Apple's <a href="www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portable-pcs/laptops-andnetbooks/13-inch-macbook-air-1158388/review">MacBook Air</a> with the <a href="cms.techradar.com/article/www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portable-pcs/laptopsand-netbooks/macbook-pro-13-inch-with-retina-display-early-2015-1290626/review">Retina MacBook Pro's</a> high pixel-density Retina display, the new MacBook doesn't resemble either product line – or Apple's older, polycarbonate white MacBook of the same name, for that matter.<img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/laptops/Apple/New%20MacBook%20%282015%29/revie w/bench-side-420-100.JPG" alt="New MacBook" width="420" title="The new MacBook brings the shiny shiny"></img>Instead, it feels like an entirely new species of otherworldly laptop that has more in common with an <a href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/tablets/ipad-air1191350/review">iPad Air</a> than a ThinkPad. Flip open the lid, and you're transported into the best-looking <a href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/software/operating-systems/os-x-1010-yosemite-1258661/review">OS X Yosemite</a> playground yet – one that goes wherever you go.But it's far from perfect: the new MacBook's sole USB Type-C port and moderatelypowered <a href="http://www.techradar.com/news/computing-components/processors/intel-core-m- everything-you-need-to-know-1264342">Intel Core M</a> processor mean that many of this playground's games are off-limits, and while some will find its unique keyboard more fun than a revolving roundabout, it will make others sick with frustration.Divisive and sickly sweet, the new MacBook is the notebook equivalent of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marmite" rel="nofollow">Marmite</a>. Personally, I love the stuff (and like the new MacBook a lot), but whether it's for you depends on how much you're prepared to compromise.<h3>Recent developments</h3>Want one of these but aren't prepared to plunk down quite this much? <a href="http://www.techradar.com/us/news/mobile-computing/laptops/you-can-now-make-a-big-savingon-a-12-inch-macbook-if-you-go-refurbished-1313602">Apple is now selling refurbished 12-inch MacBooks</a> for a rather sizable discount (at least relatively) in the UK and US.The entrylevel, refurbished 12-inch MacBook goes for a much lighter £889 – 15% off, to be exact. The model packing a 1.2GHz CPU, 8GB of memory and a 512GB flash storage drive goes for £1,099 refurbished, a saving of £200.<img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/laptops/Apple/New%20MacBook%20(2015)/review/portright-420-90.JPG" alt="MacBook" width="420"></img>In the US, the low-end model carries a $1,099 price tag when refurbished (a $200 discount), and the 1.2GHz model calls for $1,359 ($240 cheaper than it normally sells for) after being prepped for re-sale.Of course, your chances of scoring a refurbished MacBook depend entirely upon what Apple has in stock in either region, so your milage may vary on this one.<ul><li><a href="http://www.techradar.com/news/mobilecomputing/laptops/5-reasons-why-you-should-reconsider-apple-s-12-inch-macbook-1312877">Five reasons why you should reconsider the 12-inch MacBook</a></li></ul>But, if you're looking out for savings on a brand new MacBook, check out our page for the <a href="http://www.techradar.com/us/news/computing/apple/cheap-macbook-deals-1295699">best cheap MacBook deals</a> for February 2016. You'll find deals on just about every other MacBook model there, too.Also, for those growing bored of <a href="http://www.techradar.com/us/reviews/pc-mac/software/operating-systems/os-x-10-11-elcapitan-1305904/review">OS X El Capitan</a>, Apple issued a new beta version of the operating system recently, allowing you to play with new features before they make it into an official update. So long as you're enrolled in the <a href="https://beta.apple.com/sp/betaprogram/">Apple Beta Software Program</a>, you can now enjoy toying with password-protected notes and throwing Live Photos directly into Messages.<h3>On the catwalk</h3>Two qualities stand out above all else when it comes to the new MacBook: thin and lightweight. Apple has managed to squeeze its components into an incredible aluminum body that measures just 0.35cm at its thinnest point and 1.31cm at its thickest.Its thinness is in part due to Intel's fan-less Core M CPU, which is passively cooled and runs whisper quiet. There's no fan inside, which enabled Apple's engineers to make its chassis slimmer. The new MacBook is an ideal option if you're frequently sharing a room with light sleepers – particularly compared to noisier, fan-based notebooks sporting Intel's Core-series chips.<img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/laptops/Apple/New%20MacBook%20%282015%29/revie w/lid-rear-420-100.JPG" alt="Lid Rear" width="420" title="The Apple logo's there - but it no longer glows"></img>Another factor that's helped Apple achieve the new MacBook's svelte dimensions is its dramatically thinner keyboard, which uses an Apple-designed butterfly mechanism instead of a traditional scissor type underneath the keys.And while we're on the topic of thin, the new MacBook's bezel is slimmer than ones on previous MacBooks and is complemented by a matte strip along the bottom that bears the MacBook logo. It's available in three colors: Space Grey, Silver and Gold.<h3>Cost and competition</h3>Everything about the new MacBook's design screams premium, which is what you're shelling out for at the end of the day – you can almost forget what's housed inside.Of course, we've been here before. The original MacBook Air, which was more portable than other notebooks at the time but came with fewer ports, cost an arm and a leg when it first came out - and history has repeated itself with the new MacBook.Starting at £1,049 (US$1,299 or AUS$1,799), the entry-level MacBook comes with 256GB of flash storage and is powered by a 1.1GHz (Turbo Boost to 2.4GHz) dual-core Intel Core M flash storage, 8GB of RAM and Intel HD Graphics 5300. Rising to £1,299 (US$1,599 or AUS$2,199), the top-end model comes with a slightly faster 1.2GHz chip (Turbo Boost up to 2.6GHz) and 512GB flash storage.<img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/laptops/Apple/New%20MacBook%20(2015)/review/retina -icons-420-100.JPG" alt="New MacBook" width="420" title="Pixels? What pixels"></img>The nearest alternative price-wise is Apple's less portable but more capable 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina that starts at £999 (US$1,299 or AUS$1,799). That gets you a 2.7GHz (Turbo Boost to 3.1GHz) dual-core Intel Core i5 CPU, 8GB of RAM, 128GB flash storage and Intel Iris Graphics 6100.If you're not too bothered about a Retina display, the top-end 13inch MacBook Air costs the same price and comes with a 1.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 CPU (Turbo Boost up to 2.7GHz), Intel HD Graphics 6000, 4GB of memory and 256GB flash storage.If you're in the Windows camp, the number of Core M-powered alternatives are growing all the time. Of those, the <a href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portable-pcs/laptops-andnetbooks/lenovo-yoga-3-pro-1268489/review">Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro</a>, <a href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portable-pcs/laptops-and-netbooks/asustransformer-book-t300-chi-1278957/review">Asus T300 Chi</a> and <a href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portable-pcs/asus-zenbook-ux3051264384/review">Asus UX305</a> share the new MacBook's traits of slimness and portability. (Plus, it's aligned rather closely in terms of power with the <a href="http://www.techradar.com/us/reviews/pc-mac/tablets/microsoft-surface-pro-41290285/review">Surface Pro 4</a>.)Joe Osborne also contributed to this review<h3>Specifications and features</h3>While the 13-inch MacBook Air (which weighs 2.96 pounds) never exactly felt unwieldy in the hand, being almost a pound lighter means that the new MacBook (2.03 pounds) is on a different level of portability.The difference in weight between the 11-inch MacBook Air (2.38 pounds) is more subtle; while it's noticeable holding each device in a hand, you're unlikely to tell the difference between the two when they're slung into a backpack.Taking a peek at the new MacBook's Windows 8.1-powered contenders, the Asus UX305 (2.64 pounds) and the Yoga 3 Pro (2.62 pounds) lie somewhere inbetween the new MacBook and the 13-inch MacBook Air. The UX305 wins the gong for being the model with the lowest height, measuring 12.3mm, followed by the Yoga 3 Pro's 12.8mm.<img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/laptops/Apple/New%20MacBook%20%282015%29/revie w/underside-420-100.JPG" alt="New MacBook" width="420" title="Four rubber feet on the base keep it steady"></img>Although the new MacBook is a whisker taller than the Yoga 3 Pro at 13.1mm, that's when measured from the tallest point at the back. Thanks to its tapered design, it measures just 3.5mm at the front and is easy to open with one hand thanks to a cutaway at the front.At 280 x 197 x 13.1 mm (W x D x H), the new MacBook has the smallest footprint of the three, versus the UX305 (324 x 226 x 12.3), Yoga 3 Pro (330 x 228 x 12.8) and 13-inch MacBook Air (325 x 227 x 17mm), making it the clear winner if you're a frequent traveller requiring that inch or two of extra space on the plane or train.<img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/laptops/Apple/New%20MacBook%20(2015)/review/macb ook-train-420-90.JPG" alt="MacBooks" width="420" title="The new MacBook is a snug fit for train tables"></img>Here is the configuration of the review model supplied to TechRadar:<h3>Spec sheet</h3><ul><li>Processor: 1.1GHz dual-core Intel Core M (Turbo Boost up to 2.4GHz; 4MB shared L3 cache) </li><li>Operating System: OS X Yosemite </li><li>Memory: 8GB DDR3 (1,600MHz)</li><li>Display: 12-inch LED-backlit IPS </li><li>Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 5300 (video support up to 3,840 x 2,160) </li><li>Storage: 256GB PCIe-based onboard flash </li><li>Camera: 480p FaceTime camera </li><li>Networking: 1/10/1000BASE-T Gigabit Ethernet</li><li>Connectivity: 802.11ac Wi-Fi; Bluetooth 4.0 </li><li>Audio: Stereo speakers; Dual microphones; headphone port (support for Apple iPhone headset with remote and microphone) </li><li>Dimensions: 28.05 cm / 0.35 - 1.31 cm / 19.65 cm (H x W x D) </li><li>Weight: 0.92kg (2.03 pounds) </li><li>Battery: Built-in 39.7-watt-hour lithiumpolymer battery</li></ul>Wave goodbye to full-size USB 2.0 ports, and the MagSafe adapters that juiced Apple's old MacBooks, because both have been replaced with a single USB Type-C port on the new MacBook's left-hand edge. The only other port is a headphone jack on the right-hand side.That's right: there are no other USB ports or video outputs to be found – including Apple's own Thunderbolt port. The absence of MagSafe is also disappointing. It was nice to know that you could wrap your leg around the power chord without sending your MacBook flying into the air.<img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/laptops/Apple/New%20MacBook%20%282015%29/revie w/thin-side-420-100.JPG" alt="New MacBook" width="420" title="A headphone jack survived the port cull"></img>Unlike MagSafe, which came out easily (which was the whole point), the USB Type-C connector feels uncharacteristically snug. If we're scraping the barrel to look for a positive, using the MagSafe adapter with the cord at full length meant that it had a tendency to fall out, whereas once a USB-C charger is inserted, it's rock solid. Plus, like Apple's Lightning connector it works both ways around.Oh, forget it: let's hope a USB Type-C MagSafe adapter is invented soon. (Wait, what's that? <a href="http://www.techradar.com/us/news/computing-components/griffinbreaksafe-brings-magsafe-capabilities-to-macbook-s-usb-c-port-1312170">One's been finally made</a>? Sweet!)<img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/laptops/Apple/New%20MacBook%20%282015%29/revie w/lid-recline-420-100.JPG" alt="MacBook" width="420" title="The MacBook's lid reclines just enough"></img>On a practical level, the change to USB Type-C is the bigger issue as it means that you'll have to connect USB peripherals and monitors using a USB Type-C adapter, which Apple and other vendors supply. You can pick up a USB-C-to-USB-A adapter or a Multi-port adapter that lets you connect another USB-C device, a USB-A device and VGA or HDMI-equipped external monitor.For writing this review, I used a USB Type-C Multi-port adapter with a VGA connection to hook up a 1080p monitor, inserting a USB mouse into the empty USB-A slot and hooked up the USB-C power supply to complete the adapter's trio of connections.<img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/laptops/Apple/New%20MacBook%20(2015)/review/macb ook-adapter-420-90.JPG" alt="MacBook adapter" width="420" title="You'll have to adapt in more ways than one"></img>Did it annoy me? Well, not really. It felt tidy and practical and certainly wouldn't prove a dealbreaker to buying a new MacBook. Of course MagSafe would be better, as would more ports, but it wasn't quite the hair-tearing experience I was expecting. The obvious drawback is that the adapters aren't free.If you're thinking about prying the new MacBook open and switching that pesky USB-Type C port for the old traditional one, well - you can't. Sorry. In fact, the whole device is incredibly difficult to upgrade, as the guys at iFixit found out in their <a href="https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Retina+Macbook+2015+Teardown/39841" rel="nofollow">teardown</a>, rating the new MacBook a measly 1 out of 10 for upgradability.<h3>Bundled software</h3>One of the positives of buying any MacBook is that it comes with a slew of free Apple software, most of which is of an excellent quality and far from the bloatware your might run into on Windows machines – and Apple's apps look even better on the new MacBoo, thanks to its high-resolution display.The 12-inch MacBook first shipped with <a href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/software/operating-systems/os-x-10-10-yosemite1258661/review">OS X Yosemite</a> back in spring 2015, and future upgrades are bound to be free. The next version of Apple's desktop operating system, called <a href="http://www.techradar.com/news/software/operating-systems/os-x-10-11-release-date-featuresand-rumors-1294317">OS X 10.11 El Capitan</a>, was released in late 2016. The update is once again free for existing OS X users. The update brings a number of new features and under-thehood performance improvements, the latter of which will be more than welcome to owners of Apple's new MacBook.<img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/laptops/Apple/New%20MacBook%20(2015)/review/yose mite-420-90.JPG" alt="The new MacBook fits OS X Yosemite like a glove" width="420"></img>Plus, Apple's Mac App Store has come on in leaps and bounds in recent years, proving an excellent resource with frequent recommendations on apps in multiple categories, such as Games, Productivity, Writing, Navigation and more. Here's every app you'll find upon booting up a New MacBook for the first time:<ul><li>iPhoto </li><li>iMovie </li><li>GarageBand </li><li>Pages </li><li>Numbers </li><li>Keynote </li><li>Maps </li><li>iBooks </li><li>Safari </li><li>Mail </li><li>Facetime </li><li>Messages </li><li>Calendar </li><li>Contacts </li><li>Time Machine </li><li>Photo Booth </li><li>Mac App Store </li><li>iTunes </li><li>Game Centre </li><li>Preview </li><li>Notes </li><li>Reminders</li></ul><h3>Performance and benchmarks</h3>The new MacBook's Intel Core M processor is adequate for handling daily computing tasks. I can browse the internet, stream audio and 1080p video and multi-task with several browsers open with up to 10 to 15 tabs each. It can't quite match the power of Intel's Core i3, i5 and i7 processors, but it does allow the new MacBook to run silently. Plus, it's mostly cool with the exception of a section along the right-hand side of the base that occasionally gets hot under heavy load.You certainly won't be able to escape the odd bit of slowdown when you start to run 10 or more apps in addition to a ton of browser tabs. After that point, I would find that tasks such as clicking on Google Drive to open its preferences pane, or moving a Firefox window to a different monitor can cause apps to fill with white or black color and freeze, motionless, before springing back into life.<img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/laptops/Apple/New%20MacBook%20%282015%29/revie w/grasshopper-420-100.JPG" alt="New MacBook" width="420" title="Outdoor visibility is good, but not excellent"></img>I actually found that, when using it from day-to-day, the new MacBook felt more responsive overall than my 2014 MacBook Air, which is likely down to it having 8GB of RAM, rather than the MacBook Air's 4GB. On the other hand, tasks that required the MacBook to do any sort of heavy lifting, such as using Gimp to scale the 60MB (or so) images that I took for this review up or down, took anything from 10 to 15 seconds longer than the Air.Given that editing images is a vital but infrequent task that I need to carry out, the longer scaling and export times were well worth the trade off to get the new MacBook's svelte build and impressive display. Plus, since using Mac OS X 10.11 El Capitan on the latest MacBook Air compared to Yosemite, I find it to perform much better. So, you should have an all-round much smoother MacBook if you've yet to plunk down for Apple's new hotness.<img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/laptops/Apple/New%20MacBook%20%282015%29/revie w/macbook-stool-420-100.JPG" alt="New MacBook" width="420" title="It's like carrying around an iPad"></img><h3>Benchmarks</h3><ul><li>Xbench: Overall: 314.66; CPU: 202.72 </li><li>Cinebench R15 (CPU) Single Core: 98cb; Multi Core: 209 cb; Open GL: 19.05 fps </li><li>Unigine Heaven 4.0 Medium Quality (1,680 x 1,050): Score: 219; FPS: 8.7</li><li> Unigine Heaven 4.0 Ultra Quality (1,680 x 1,050): Score: 153; FPS: 6.1 </li><li>NovaBench: Score: 500; Graphics: 29 </li><li> Batman: Arkham City: Minimum 13 , maximum 25, average 19, 1440 x900 </li><li>Tomb Raider: Medium quality, minimum 6fps, maximum 11.7, average 8.7 </li><li>Geekbench 3 (Single Core): 2,299; (Multi Core): 4,423</li><li>Battery life (looping HD video over Wi-Fi, three-quarter brightness): 7 hours and 5 minutes</li></ul>But make no bones about it: the new MacBook is no powerhouse, and that's reflected in the benchmarks. With a Geekbench 3 score of 4,423 on the Multi-Core test, its CPU came out 46% slower than the dual-core 2.7GHz Core i5 chip in the early 2015 Retina MacBook Pro.<img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/laptops/Apple/New%20MacBook%20%282015%29/revie w/macbook-bench-420-100.JPG" alt="New MacBook" width="420" title="The new MacBook is good for light computing tasks"></img>While that may not come as a huge shock, it was also soundly beaten by the top-end 11- and 13-inch MacBook Air models from earlier this year, which attracted an average Geekbench user score of 8,947 and 6,828, respectively. If you're looking to use a MacBook for regularly editing image files or editing or converting video, those MacBook Airs both cost less than the new MacBook and would be far more suitable while remaining plenty portable.The new MacBook's graphical grunt was nowhere to be found due to the inclusion of Intel's integrated graphics. Both Batman: Arkham City and Tomb Raider mustered low frames per second scores that would make either game unplayable. <h3>Display</h3>Here it is: the highlight of the new MacBook. The display is one of the best I've seen on a notebook, with incredibly rich colors and excellent 170-degree viewing angles.Measured with our X-Rite colorimeter, it notched up a brightness level of 375.15cd/m2, which easily proved bright enough to see indoors and was just about good enough to read websites in bright sunlight too - even if videos were a little harder to follow.Elsewhere, the MacBook produced decent black levels of 0.33 cd/m2 black levels, with color accuracy standing at 91.3% of the sRGB color gamut. While it's not quite high enough for media professionals, you probably won't notice the difference. The display's inky blacks and bold colors make text and images 'pop' on the impressive display – and once you've seen it, it's so, so hard to go back to a MacBook Air.<img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/laptops/Apple/New%20MacBook%20%282015%29/revie w/techradar-video-420-100.JPG" alt="New MacBook" width="420" title="The display holds up well in bright sunlight"></img>There's another advantage to that 2,304 x 1,440 pixel-resolution display: you can scale it up to get more desktop space and go far beyond Apple's default scaled resolutions.By adding a custom resolution, I managed to soar all the way up to 1,920 x 1,080 in High-DPI mode using SwitchResX, which allowed me to see the same amount of spreadsheet rows and columns as a 27-inch monitor. Sure the text was tiny, but I could still make out the numbers and edit the spreadsheet without any trouble.I might not be doing it all the time, but compared to my old setup, which was an 11-inch MacBook AIr connected to a portable USB DisplayLink monitor, I now have enough desktop real-estate to switch to see more on the screen at the same time. Sure, that's been possible on high-resolution Windows and Apple machines for some time, but having all that desktop space is even more impressive on a 12.1-inch machine as thin as a pencil.<img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/laptops/Apple/New%20MacBook%20%282015%29/revie w/big-res-420-100.JPG" alt="MacBook" width="420" title="Scale to 1,920 x 1,200 and you can fit LOADS in"></img>The new MacBook's stereo speakers are one the of the surprising highlights of the new MacBook. It's incredible what Apple has managed to do in that department. Located on the top of the base under the bezel, they're pleasingly punchy with good mid-range tones, even if the bass is predictably lacking. They're loud, too, for the size – and sound far better than the 11and 13-inch MacBook Air's comparatively tinny speakers.<img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/laptops/Apple/New%20MacBook%20%282015%29/revie w/trackpad-420-100.JPG" alt="New MacBook" width="420" title="The Force Touch Trackpad is weird, but effective"></img>The new MacBook uses a new Force Touch trackpad that adds an extra click using haptic feedback. That means there's no mechanical construction under the trackpad, instead using haptic feedback to let you indicate where about on the trackpad the click takes place.Initially I found that the larger trackpad size actually made me accidentally miss the right-click zone more often than I did on the 11-inch MacBook Air (which was never). However, after some practice I soon got used to the larger trackpad, which has tons of potential once developers get to grips with Yosemite's Force Touch Trackpad API (or application programming interface).The new MacBook has good, but not excellent battery life, eking out 7 hours and 5 minutes from its 39.7Wr battery on our looping video test over Wi-Fi. That's not quite post-Haswell MacBook Air levels of battery life longevity, but it isn't far off Apple's older Ivy Bridge models. Still, that Retina display has to draw oodles of power from somewhere, and if you need the best battery life in a MacBook you can get, the new MacBook is not the way to go.<h3>Keys to the heart</h3>Apple has completely redesigned the new MacBook's keyboard, which now uses a new Butterfly hinge rather than the scissor switch under each key. The keys are still backlit, only now they have individual lighting zones that prevents light from bleeding between the keys – and you get fewer crumbs dropped between them, too.The changes make the keyboard by far the most divisive feature of the new MacBook – and it took me a week to get fully used to it after using an 11-inch MacBook Air for five years.Initially I couldn't quite type as fast as I could on the MacBook Air, but the reduced amount of pressure needed to make each key actuate makes the New MacBook's keyboard slightly more comfortable for typing on for hours at a time. Like me, once you get used to it, you'll find yourself flying.<h3>How to master the MacBook</h3>If you've already splashed out on the MacBook, or are interested in what you could do one, our how-to guides are here to help. In our latest guide, we show you <a href="http://www.techradar.com/news/audio/spotify-a-laptop-and-abargain-controller-equals-instant-dj-1314378">how to become an instant DJ</a> using nothing other than a MacBook, Spotify and a bargain controller.<ul><li><a href="http://www.techradar.com/how-to/computing/overhaul-the-today-view-in-mac-os-x1313917">Overhaul the Today view in Mac OS X</a></li><li><a href="http://www.techradar.com/how-to/computing/apple/how-to-fix-bluetooth-problems-on-mac1311712">Fix Bluetooth problems on a Mac</a></li><li><a href="http://www.techradar.com/howto/computing/apple/how-to-mute-or-enable-the-mac-startup-sound-1308461">Mute (or enable) the Mac startup sound</a></li><li><a href="http://www.techradar.com/how-to/computingcomponents/peripherals/how-to-use-mac-arrow-key-shortcuts-like-a-pro-1298954">Use Mac arrow key shortcuts like a pro</a></li><li><a href="http://www.techradar.com/howto/computing/apple/how-to-move-the-location-of-your-itunes-library-on-mac-1296506">Move the location of your iTunes library</a></li><li><a href="http://www.techradar.com/howto/computing/apple/how-to-use-terminal-to-add-the-power-chime-to-your-macbook-air-or-macbookpro-1296138">Use Terminal to add the power chime</a></li><li><a href="http://www.techradar.com/how-to/computing/apple/how-to-reset-the-mac-dock-to-defaultsettings-1297996">Reset the Mac Dock to default settings</a></li></ul><h3>Verdict</h3>The New MacBook is the future, but it isn't for everyone just yet. The lack of USB ports and the need to buy an adapter (if you have peripherals and a monitor) will likely be the first deal-breaker, followed by its price. If you're still onboard after those potential pitfalls, the new MacBook is one of the most luxurious, compact and fun notebooks to use today.<h3>We liked</h3>After witnessing the Retina MacBook Pro's display, it was always likely that the new MacBook would have a stunning display – and it doesn't disappoint. Great viewing angles and bold colors make it one of the best we've seen in a laptop. It's all part of a brilliantly portable package that's the closest a laptop has come yet to offering the portability of a tablet (well, an iPad).The new MacBook's speakers gave surprisingly full-bodied sound that won't shake the room but make for a far more pleasant listening experience than Apple's previous MacBook Air or MacBook Pro models. While many will sit on the fence when it comes to the keyboard, my experience with it only got better in time – and I ended up preferring it to the MacBook Air's after almost two weeks.It's a similar scenario with the Force Touch Trackpad, which felt a little alien at first but became more comfortable over time.<h3>We disliked</h3>The new MacBook is far from a monster under the hood. However, if you can get over the fact that it's designed for anything from browsing the internet to light image editing, streaming video and music to other light computing tasks, it should perform OK for what you want it to do.Bear in mind that you will need to pay for at least one of several USB Type-C adapters out there to use your existing peripherals and monitors. Some say that's just the price to pay for being an early adopter, but it could be hard for you to stomach considering its already high starting cost.<h3>Final verdict</h3>The decision of whether you should buy a new MacBook is a simple one: does it play to your strengths? Perhaps you need the lightest and most portable OS X machine out there today, one with good battery life. Maybe you appreciate an incredible, vibrant display that's equally as good at rendering your crisp documents as it is displaying the same amount of a spreadsheet as a 24-inch monitor.Maybe, just maybe, you travel a lot and play music out of your laptop's speakers. But – and it's a big but – you need to be prepared to put up with its pitfalls. Don't expect to crunch through major multitasking without slowing down. And you may end up merely coping with its keyboard rather than falling in love with it. You'll definitely have to put up with at least one adapter if you want to use any peripherals or an external monitor.Like in any relationship, the one between you and your MacBook will be fraught with compromises. But if it's meant to be, then you will be prepared to make them. If you're not, you can always take it back to the Apple store to save yourself a messy divorce. In other words: if possible, try before you buy. http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portable-pcs/laptops-and-netbooks/macbook1287806/review?src=rss&attr=all http://www.techradar.com/1287807 Kane Fulton 2016-03-06T14:40:00Z Updated: Top 100 best free games you should play today http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/games_consoles/Valve/Steam%20Controller/cardboard%20living%2 0room-470-75.jpg <img src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/games_consoles/Valve/Steam%20Controller/cardboard%20livin g%20room-470-75.jpg" alt="Updated: Top 100 best free games you should play today"/><h3>Best free games to play today</h3><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/games/thecrooked-man-420-90.JPG" alt="The Crooked Man" width="420"></img>Update: Part Destiny, part Crysis, Warframe is a treat for third-person co-op shooter fans. Check out entry 17 to find out more.Original article follows...Gaming is an expensive hobby. Consoles cost hundreds, and gaming PCs can easily run to over a grand. However, once you're set up with a rig, the amount of games you can get for free is staggering. Sure, to play the latest AAA console smash, you're going to have to put your hand in your pocket, but there's a different route too.As well as an army of top free-to-play online games that attract players in their thousands, if not millions, there are scores of freeware titles you'd be mad to miss. Everyone from EA to the tiniest indie developer has something to offer.It isn't just new games that make the cut either. Some of the greatest titles to ever grace the gaming world are now free to own and play to your heart's content just like you never used to because they all cost too much money back in the day. There's even a glut of early browser-based classics that were once the preserve of school kids countrywide attempting to offset the boredom of maths on a Wednesday afternoonWe've gathered together over 100 of the best free games available for the PC, and some on the Mac, from browser Flash titles and giant sprawling MMORPGs to sporting classics and fiendishly difficult puzzlers. And there are a few games here that you used to have to pay top dollar for, thrown in for good measure. Of course let us know if you find any of those pesky dead links or whether we've missed your favorite one off.Joe Osborne and Kane Fulton have also contributed to this article<h3>1 - 4</h3><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202014% 20Part%202/planetside-2-420-100.jpg" alt="Planetside 2" width="420"></img>1. Planetside 2Two years before Destiny, back in 2012, we had <a href="https://www.planetside2.com">Planetside 2</a>. It's an epic, all-out first-person battle so impressive, you'll give yourself a quick pinch every time you remember it's completely free. There are in-game purchases of course, but you can still dive into gaming's biggest ever battlefield and be useful with just default gear.There's simply nothing like taking part in a massed assault on an enemy base and coming out on top, or living in a world where an enemy convoy could appear on the horizon at any second. If you need any proof that 'free' doesn't mean making compromises any more, Planetside 2 will provide it.<img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202014% 20Part%202/dota2-420-100.jpg" alt="Dota 2" width="420"></img>2. Dota 2The Dota universe came from a mod made for World of Warcraft 3, but <a href="http://blog.dota2.com/?l=english">Dota 2</a> is very much its own entity, not to mention one of the most popular free-to-play games. This top-down arena battler is incredibly active, attracting multi-million dollar prize funds for serious tournament players. It's not just for obsessives, though. A brief tutorial now points out the ropes, with the Steam Community stepping in to provide guides to the original MOBA (or whatever-you-want-to-call-this-genre-if-notMOBA).Don't expect a warm welcome or easy learning curve from this surprisingly complex game, but bring a few friends and you have a good chance of being hooked on one of the biggest crazes in PC history.<img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202014% 20Part%202/tribesascend-420-100.jpg" alt="Tribes Ascend" width="420"></img>3. Tribes: AscendJetpacks rule: it's one of the few things you can rely on apart from death and taxes. And <a href="http://www.hirezstudios.com/tribesascend/home">Tribes: Ascend</a> is the world's premiere online jetpack shooter. Don your jetpack and launch into battle across huge maps, with weapons that take real skill just to land a hit – never mind a kill. Tribes: Ascend is fast, furious, and absolutely brilliant, and there's no reason to spend any money in the in-game shop if you simply want to hold your own in battle. Though there's plenty of stuff to buy if you do fancy splashing some cash…You can pay to unlock more classes, weapons and perks, but if you're going to keep it casual you can still have loads of fun with Tribes: Ascend. <img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202014/p ath-of-exile-420-100.jpg" alt="Paths of Exile" width="420"></img>4. Path of ExileA Diablo III-style third-person role-playing game, <a href="https://www.pathofexile.com/">Path of Exile</a> is a bit different from most free-to-play games out there. It's not just about whacking real life people until they scream at you in shrill pubescent tones through their Skype headsets. It's more of a slow-burner than a multiplayer blaster, but give it time and you may well fall in love with this free-to-play loot-gathering hit. There are hidden depths that you only uncover after playing for hours (and hours), and a huge skill tree to slowly pick away at. There are no game-ruining things like real money auction houses here, either.Instead, even basic loot can be useful because there's always an opportunity to enhance even the simplest weapon with magic. If you got tired of the grind of Diablo III, it's a good one to check out.<h3>5 8</h3><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202014% 20Part%202/leagueoflegends-420-100.jpg" alt="League of Legends" width="420"></img>5. League of LegendsPick your champion and head into battle in this amazing free-to-play game from the creators of Dota. <a href="http://euw.leagueoflegends.com/">League of Legends'</a> automated matchmaking, range of characters and excellent maps have made it a multiplayer star over the last year, and one well worth a play. It's a very aggressive game to play, but one that rewards good teamwork and careful tactics. Don't expect to master it overnight, but it won't be long before you're having fun.Like Dota 2, League of Legends attracts many high-end players, and the top tournaments offer prize pools of over £1,000,000. The weird world of e-sports, eh?<img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202014% 20Part%202/Hearthstone-420-100.jpg" alt="Hearthstone" width="420"></img>6. Hearthstone: Heroes of WarcraftEver played Magic the Gathering, the card game? <a href="http://us.battle.net/hearthstone/en/">Hearthstone</a> is Blizzard's attempt at making an online free-to-play alternative to it. And in typical Blizzard fashion, it's excellent. It's immediately inviting, lacking the terrifying learning curve you might expect from an online fantasy card game. Hearthstone plays quickly, boasts an almost casual-style visual approach, and benefits from a basic rule set, all of which adds up to a very accessible card battler that will give you hours of enjoyment.<img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202014/d uel-of-champions-420-100.jpg" alt="Duel of Champions" width="420"></img>7. Might & Magic: Duel of ChampionsThere's one other alternative to Hearthstone we need to mention, too, and that's <a href="https://www.duelofchampions.com/">Might & Magic: Duel of Champions</a>. It initially seems a bit less accessible, with a less glossy approach that feels a bit closer to card battling's roots, but there's actually a bit less grind involved in the game.That means a bit less of the casino-effect visual hit when you win, but it won't sap your time in quite the same way either. Unless that's what you're after. Where's the official Magic: The Gathering take on the fantasy card battler? There is one, called Magic Online, but as there's real money involved it's anything but free. <img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202014% 20Part%202/starwarstheoldrepublic-420-100.jpg" alt="Star Wars Old Republic" width="420"></img>8. Star Wars: The Old RepublicTaking over from the original Star Wars MMORPG Star Wars Galaxies in 2011, <a href="http://www.starwarstheoldrepublic.com/">Star Wars: The Old Republic</a> was not free at release. But it has since, like so many games of this kind, adopted the free-to-play model. If you want to get Sith kicks, this is the best way to get them for free. However, subscriptions are still available, giving you more in-game potential. All the story missions are available without a sub – they just might take you that bit longer. It's worth the download simply to experience the Star Wars universe from different perspectives, like the hyper-professional Imperial Agent and Bounty Hunter. If you want to go with the dull option and just have a generic Jedi Knight, though, that's fine too.<h3>9 - 12</h3><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202014% 20Part%202/supercratebox-420-100.jpg" alt="Super Crate Box" width="420"></img>9. Super Crate BoxDullest name in the world? Possibly! <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/212800/">Super Crate Box</a> makes up for it, though, with a simple mechanic that's far more fun than it has any right to be. How long can you last against a stream of incoming monsters? It probably depends whether you're fighting them off with a pistol or a rocket launcher. The catch is that you don't score points for killing, but collecting crates – and every crate gives you a different weapon. And not killing the monsters only makes them crosser. It might not sound like much, but its speed and difficulty will keep you hooked from the off.<img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202014/ wesnoth-420-100.jpg" alt="Battle for Wesnoth" width="420"></img>10. The Battle For WesnothYou might have already encountered this little gem on your phone – it's available for iOS and Android – but it's totally free on PC and Mac. Those who were avid gamers in the 90s and 2000s will appreciate its old-school blend of turn-based battling. The fantasy setting and hex-based map make <a href="http://www.wesnoth.org/">Battle for Wesnoth</a> feel a lot like an indie alternative to the Heroes of Might and Magic games – titles we've plunged many hours into over the last two decades. Younger gamers may notice the game style is a little like Advance Wars, but there's a lot more beef to this epic strategy battler. It started out with six factions available to play back in 2009, but since then user-generated content has added a bunch of completely new eras, making this a gargantuan game. <img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202014% 20Part%202/worldoftanks-420-100.jpg" alt="World of Tanks" width="420"></img>11. World of Tanks<a href="http://worldoftanks.com/">World of Tanks</a> is a different kind of MMO – the clue being in the title. Team-based, massively multiplayer action with a huge range of war machines to drive into battle awaits, with new players able to join the action immediately. An upgrade system adds a sense of personalisation, while being surrounded by a whole army constantly reminds you that loners don't do well on the battlefield. Get sucked in, though, and you may find you end up spending a chunk of your wages on great big chunks of virtual metal. While some premium tanks cost just a few pounds, others tip above £30. You can see where maker Wargaming is going to earn some cash from World of Tanks enthusiasts. <img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202014/ war-thunder-420-100.jpg" alt="War Thunder" width="420"></img>12. War ThunderThink World of Tanks is a bit too arcade-like for your tastes? You need to try out <a href="http://warthunder.com">War Thunder</a>. Despite being lesser-known, it's a great alternative to that tank battler. And for an extra sweetener, it throws airplanes into the mix too. As you might expect, they're a great deal of fun. With a fast enough PC, War Thunder offers visual quality you don't see too often in free-to-play games. You will need to pay some cash to get hold of the more interesting planes and tanks early on, but getting Battlefield-like play for free sounds like a good deal to us. There are arcade and historical battles on offer – the former is great for a more casual blast while historical battles are more for players with a few hours on their flight card.<h3>13 - 16</h3><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202014/u r-quan-420-100.jpg" alt="The Ur-Quan Masters" width="420"></img>13. The UrQuan MastersThis game proves you don't need flashy visuals to create an offering with a compelling narrative. <a href="http://sc2.sourceforge.net/">The Ur-Quan Masters</a> is a fantweaked version of one of the classic PC space operas, Star Control 2. It's an action-strategy game where you build up a fleet of spacecraft from various races, to finally do battle with the Ur-Quan. Adventure, strategy, action – it's all bunged into this melting pot. The Ur-Quan Masters sees you navigate through an intergalactic space war where the politics are more tangled than that bag of cables you have stashed in a cupboard somewhere. You have to convince races to join you in battle, or risk taking them on as enemies.<img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202014% 20Part%202/blackmesasource-420-100.jpg" alt="Black Mesa Source" width="420"></img>14. Black MesaRemember a little game called Half-Life? It was quite popular. <a href="http://www.blackmesasource.com/">Black Mesa Source</a> is the long-awaited rebuild of it in Valve's Half-Life 2 Source engine, and a must-play for any fan of the series.It's not simply a pixel-for-pixel recreation, but a re-imagining of it – adding detail so seamlessly that you'll forget how primitive the original was, as well as a few extra elements of its own, like female Black Mesa scientists. It was an epic project, and the (mostly) complete version was finally released in late 2012. It's worth experiencing. You can download the full version as a legal torrent. In 2013 some improvements were made to certain levels in Black Mesa, so be sure to grab those files too. <img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202014% 20Part%202/runescape-420-100.jpg" alt="Runescape" width="420"></img>15. Runescape<a href="http://www.runescape.com/community">Runescape</a> is one of the biggest free-to-play MMOs out there, and now would be a good time to take a look. In 2013 it entered its third reboot – this is actually 'Runescape 3', although just jumping in now you might not appreciate it has been around in one form or another for more than 10 years. It's certainly not the shiniest MMO in the world despite the revamp, but hanging onto this many players shows it's doing something right. The big change introduced in Runescape 3 that made it appear a lot more modern was the ability to see much further – in Runescape 2 the horizon quickly gave way to fog. Not so now. You can download the game or run it in your browser using Java, making it much more convenient than most other online role-players of this epic scale. <img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202014/fr eeorion-420-100.jpg" alt="FreeOrion" width="420"></img>16. FreeOrionEver wanted to run your own galaxy? Such real life aspirations might be a sign you have a hint of a megalomania problem, but in the game world it's perfectly acceptable. The dominance of consoles mean that we rarely see games of such scope, but for the more ambitious gamer, there's <a href="http://www.freeorion.org/index.php/Main_Page">FreeOrion</a>.It's a free indie title inspired by the classic space strategy series Master of Orion, the first two instalments of which were adored back in the 90s. But as games that old seem a bit musty these days, we have FreeOrion. As it's still in the thick of development, it's best for those who have some experience of the genre. Let's just say it's not exactly user-friendly yet. <h3>17 20</h3><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/games/warframe-420-90.JPG" alt="Warframe" width="420"></img>17. WarframeIf you're into third-person co-operative shooters, <a href="https://warframe.com/">Warfarme</a> is one of the best free games out there. After joining one of three factions: Tenno, Grineer or Corpos, your soldier is decked out in a Crysis-styled exosuit and equipped with guns or melee weapons. Better looking than your average free-to-play shooter, much fun can be had in Warframe's player-vs-enemy raids — so much so that some gamers see it as, "The Destiny that never was". High praise indeed.<img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202014% 20Part%202/smite-420-100.jpg" alt="Smite" width="420"></img>18. SmiteGods from around the world get together to battle it out in a Dota/MOBA inspired clash of divine vengeance in this effort. Despite <a href="http://www.hirezstudios.com/smite">Smite's</a> obvious inspirations, it comes from the same developer that made FPS smash Tribes Ascend – a completely different beast. The camera is behind the characters this time, making for a more direct connection to the action than simply guiding your lord around with a mouse, but the premise will be either familiar if you've played its inspirations, or a way to get the feel for the style if you haven't. Gods include Zeus, Thor, Kali, Artemis and... Cupid? Well, at least he has his own bow…<img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202014% 20Part%202/lord%20of%20the%20rings-420-100.jpg" alt="LoTR Online" width="420"></img>19. Lord of the Rings OnlineMany MMOs are being launched or relaunched as free-to-play at the moment, but <a href="http://www.lotro.com/en">Lord of the Rings Online</a> is one of the titles that most warrants a second look. Not only is it an excellent game in its own right, it's one of the more mature MMOs out there. You will likely have to pay eventually, if only to unlock adventure packs, but there's no subscription fee and nothing to buy up-front. If you missed it at launch, it's time to give it a try.<img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202014% 20Part%202/questforglory-420-100.jpg" alt="Quest for Glory II" width="420"></img>20. Quest for Glory II VGAWhile many veteran gamers remember the LucasArts classic adventures – the Monkey Island games, Grim Fandango, Sam & Max and so on – AGD Interactive has busily been recreating some of the lesser-known 90s adventures. <a href="http://www.agdinteractive.com/games/qfg2/">Quest for Glory II</a> is our favourite of the lot. It's an adventure/RPG hybrid that can be played as a Warrior, Magic User or Thief, with each path unlocking new challenges and opportunities. It's funny, exciting, and incredibly open, and one of the most beloved adventure games ever made – both in its original form, and in this more recent remake.On the ADG website you'll also find remakes of King's Quest I-III. All for free. <h3>21 - 24</h3><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202014% 20Part%202/galactica-420-100.jpg" alt="Battlestar Galactica" width="420"></img>21. Battlestar GalacticaThe official <a href="http://en.battlestar-galactica.bigpoint.com/">Battlestar Galactica MMO</a> is interesting for two reasons – it plays in the browser (and looks pretty good), and it's completely free-to-play. That's unusual for any licensed game, although as ever, the words 'free-to-play' have the words 'withoptional-purchases' slapped right onto the end. The story is that both Galactica and the Cylons have been blasted into a new area of space by a mysterious bit of technology, and now both sides are fighting over outposts and control points. You can choose either, with a bit of wandering around the ships, and lots of mouse-based space combat and mining.<img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202014/fl ight-of-the-amazon-queen-420-100.jpg" alt="Flight of the Amazon Queen" width="420"></img>22. Flight of the Amazon queenOne of a handful of classic adventure games now available for free, <a href="http://www.gog.com/game/flight_of_the_amazon_queen">Flight of the Amazon Queen</a> is the story of the wise-cracking, slightly bone-headed Joe King. Think of Indiana Jones with about 90% more buffoonery and you're there. The old-school interface may take a little getting used to, but this classic adventure is worth downloading, particularly for fans of the genre. It also offers full speech, giving it more of a vibrant feel than some older point 'n' clicks. Available from GoG, there's no messing about needed to get it working on modern operating systems, despite being originally released back in 1995.<img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202014% 20Part%202/hawken-420-100.jpg" alt="Hawken" width="420"></img>23. HawkenJump behind the controls of your own mech and fight it out in a gloriously realised future world with <a href="http://www.playhawken.com/">Hawken</a>. They're the agile kind of mech rather than the slow lumbering tanks of MechWarrior Online, so purists should head there instead, but still, this is a change of pace from blitzing around in soldier uniforms with automatic rifles. Expect to pay to upgrade your starter mech if you enjoy the action, but you can jump in and get the flavour of the thing without paying a single penny.Hawken is also one of the higher-profile games to support Oculus Rift. No one may own one of those virtual reality headsets yet, but using one as a giant mech sounds fun, right?<img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202014/tr ackmania-nations-forever-420-100.jpg" alt="TrackMania Nations Forever" width="420"></img>24. TrackMania Nations ForeverPrefer cars that fly through the air, performing tricks like a 20 year-old Tony Hawk, rather than ones that come with a £20,000 bill should you nudge them against a bollard? The OTT style of <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/11020/">TrackMania Nations Forever</a> will be hard to resist.The real laws of physics have little to do with the way this racer plays, but it provides more action than your average power sliding arcade racer as a result. It's racing meets extreme sports with an unlimited rev counter – and that's a great combo. <h3>25 - 28</h3><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202014/d aggerfall-420-100.jpg" alt="Elder Scrolls: Daggerfall" width="420"></img>25. Elder Scrolls: DaggerfallPlayed Skyrim or Oblivion? You should at least give the classic <a href="http://www.elderscrolls.com/daggerfall/">Elder Scrolls: Daggerfall</a> a nod. This 1990s RPG is a precursor to those incredibly popular RPGs, and is a bit of a classic in its own right. Its game world is many times the size of any of its successors, and indeed it's the size of a continent, one absolutely packed with atmosphere. You might not all be able to stomach the oldfashioned visuals, but it's worth investigating if you want to see where Skyrim came from.It's available direct from Bethesda. The publisher started offering it for free to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the game. As if we didn't feel old enough already. <img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202014% 20Part%202/tyrian-420-100.jpg" alt="Tyrian 2000" width="420"></img>26. Tyrian 2000Technically, it's been freeware for a while now, but Good Old Games' rerelease of this title in December 2010 breathed new life into one of the PC's most beloved shooters. <a href="http://www.gog.com/game/tyrian_2000">Tyrian 2000</a> offers loads of levels, a ridiculous amount of ship customisation, and some of the best Easter eggs around. If you get bored of the top-down shooting, try typing 'destruct' at the title screen to see its weapons-grade version of the classic Scorched Earth. Alternatively, unlock the ship that looks like a carrot, and banana bomb your way to victory.<img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202014/ wolf-3d-420-100.jpg" alt="Wolfenstein 3D" width="420"></img>27. Wolfenstein 3DWant to know what FPS games started out like? You can now play the classic <a href="http://3d.wolfenstein.com/game_NA.php">Wolfenstein 3D</a> from Id Software directly in your browser. Despite being released all the way back in 1992, Wolfenstein 3D is still fun for a few minutes' blasting. And you can even head straight to the final level where you battle a giant robot Hitler. It's the stuff of nightmares. And despite the kind of antics developers get up to, we're not sure they could get away with pitting you against a giant Hitler today. <img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202014/ warcraft-420-100.jpg" alt="World of Warcraft" width="420"></img>28. World of WarcraftNo, you haven't missed the front-page story suggesting Blizzard is in such desperate need it has had to make <a href="http://eu.battle.net/wow/en/">World of Warcraft</a> totally free-to-play. But you can play the first 20 character levels without paying a penny these days. Experts may be able to blast though these initial levels in just a few hours, but if you're yet to walk into Azeroth, it'll keep you busy for a long, long time. Watch out, though, World of Warcraft is… a mite addictive. This freebie is also worth investigating if you haven't played WoW since the early days. While much of the content added in recent years has focused on high-end players, the whole game has evolved. <h3>29 - 32</h3><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202014% 20Part%202/teamfortress-2-420-100.jpg" alt="Team Fortress 2" width="420"></img>29. Team Fortress 2It may be an old vet in gaming terms, but nothing offers so much crazy fun as <a href="http://www.teamfortress.com/">Team Fortress 2</a>. Unlike most shooters of its age, players are still there to have a good time rather than hurl abuse at newcomers, and there's no shortage of cool toys to have fun with. Endlessly silly and amazingly fresh, it's still one of the shooter genre's kings, free-to-play or not.As you might guess, there are some micro-transactions involved. You can buy additional items, often used to customise your character. You can create your own. It's fun, and gets you even more involved in TF2. Those cheeky devils at Valve know what they're doing.<img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202014% 20Part%202/reprisal-420-100.jpg" alt="Reprisal" width="420"></img>30. ReprisalPopulous returns in <a href="http://www.reprisaluniverse.com/site/playreprisal/">Reprisal</a> – a gorgeous pixel-art reinvention. As a God, use your powers to build a civilisation and crush all who oppose you – but don't think magic powers will make things too easy. Best of all, it's playable right from your web browser.The game's maker said Reprisal was made as an homage to the early God games. There's now also a larger, paid version called Reprisal Universe – but there's more than just a taster on offer in the browser version. <img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202014% 20Part%202/realm-of-mad-god-420-100.jpg" alt="Realm of the Mad God" width="420"></img>31. Realm of the Mad godOnline RPGs have never been so streamlined, or so insane. Join groups of up to 85 players to fight through an insanely lethal world that borrows as much inspiration from bullet hell shooters as hack and slash action games. When you die, you die for good... but <a href="http://www.realmofthemadgod.com/">Realm of the Mad God</a> is so fast that rolling a new character and jumping back in from the start is no real hardship.<img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202014/a lien-swarm-420-100.jpg" alt="Alien Swarm" width="420"></img>32. Alien SwarmDid you know that Valve, maker of Half-Life and Portal, made a multiplayer twin stick shooter? Well it did. <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/630/">Alien Swarm</a> is a co-op experience that sees you face-off against hordes of aliens, and it really has more in common with Left 4 Dead than the RPGs that are commonly called free-to-play. The look is quite different, though. You see the action from high above, not that it's enough to stop the white knuckle effect when the blasting really heats up. This is a gem many people have missed out on, so look it up on Steam now.<h3>33 - 36</h3><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202014% 20Part%202/dcuniverseonline-420-100.jpg" alt="DC Universe Online" width="420"></img>33. DC Universe Online<a href="https://www.dcuniverseonline.com/home">DC Universe Online</a> lets you create a hero and leap into action in the streets of Gotham and Metropolis, either backing up Batman or signing up with your favourite super-villains. The outside street action is pretty bland, but the dungeon design includes just about everyone from the DC Universe to fight or team up with, and is just as much fun whether you want to form your own Justice League or live the life of a super-powered lone wolf. (But not Wolverine.)It's one for superhero fans only, perhaps, but who wouldn't want to try out life as a flying super villain for a few hours?<img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202014% 20Part%202/fallenlondon-420-100.jpg" alt="Fallen London" width="420"></img>34. Fallen LondonDescend if you dare into a vision of Victorian London abducted by a swarm of bats and moved to the edge of Hell. <a href="http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/">Fallen London</a> is the digital equivalent of a classic 'choose your own adventure' book.Slightly simplistic mechanics don't spoil a gorgeously written world of demons and social intrigue, and while there are some social elements, you don't need to annoy friends to make the most of your new life in this surreal underworld.<img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202014% 20Part%202/autoclub-revolution-420-100.jpg" alt="Auto Club Revolution" width="420"></img>35. Auto Club RevolutionThere are plenty of free-to-play driving games out there, but one of the few not tied to a single car-maker is <a href="http://beta.autoclubrevolution.com/en/">Auto Club Revolution</a>. Instead, there are two – it was made in association with BMW and Renault. The game lets you drive some of the world's best cars for free – especially if you play through the BMW Experience, which gives you the Series M Coupe as your starter vehicle. Auto Club Revolution features racing, driving for pleasure, and a huge community waiting to welcome you onto assorted real-world courses. If you want to get your hands dirty, you can also customise each car with actual parts, and give them a full makeover with decals and other neat touches. <img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202014/s pelunky-420-100.jpg" alt="Spelunky" width="420"></img>36. SpelunkyYou can now get <a href="http://www.spelunkyworld.com/original.html">Spelunky</a> on all sorts of platforms – it's pretty high-profile for an indie title. But it began its life PC-only, and it's this original 'non HD' Classic version you can still get for free today.Spelunky is about anger, hate and, most of all, death. It looks like a simple enough platform game – an Indiana Jones pastiche set in a cavern full of tricks and traps – and it is.There's nothing complicated about it. Every enemy is avoidable. Every trap can be dealt with.The catch is that every time you play, the entire game is randomised. In one game you'll stumble through screen after screen of spiked horrors and swarming monsters; in the next, the software will bend over backwards to give you gold and help you on your way.The trick is learning the ropes, figuring out how to get past every obstacle, and then doing so perfectly as and when the game throws things at you. You will die. You will die a lot. But the important thing is that in death, you learn.You discover ways of stealing from the shopkeepers who inhabit the levels, or find out that the damsels you can rescue for a health boost can just as easily be taken to the nearest sacrificial altar, or thrown around to trigger traps before you go down yourself.You learn how each randomised world ticks and which equipment will give you a fighting chance. And then you'll die some more. And scream. And restart. Again. <h3>37 - 40</h3><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202014% 20Part%202/superhouseofdeadninjas-420-100.jpg" alt="Super House of Dead Ninjas" width="420"></img>37. Super House of Dead NinjasThis is one of the most enjoyable Flash games in recent memory, which is also available as an expanded commercial-but-cheap release on Steam if you fancy more toys and full-screen action.The free version of <a href="http://games.adultswim.com/super-house-of-dead-ninjas-action-onlinegame.html">Super House of Dead Ninjas</a> feels like a complete game in its own right though, as you guide the Crimson Ninja from the top of a demon-infested tower to the horror waiting at ground floor. Randomly generated adventures keep things fresh, with the speed of the action more a challenge than any individual enemy. You can handle any situation in front of you – you just don't get to stop to catch your breath. Ever. Until you die, of course.<img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202014/ti berian-sun-420-100.jpg" alt="Tiberian Sun" width="420"></img>38. Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun<a href="http://cnccomm.com/community/index.php?action=downloads;sa=view;down=41">Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun</a> got a bad rap at its original release back in 1999. It was too slow and buggy, people said, but many of the issues were patched out. If you remember turning your nose up, it's time to take another look. EA made the game freeware to celebrate the release of Command & Conquer 4 back in 2010. It didn't work too well – C&C 4 hardly resurrected the brand.In standard EA fashion, Tiberian Sun is no longer widely available from Origin, the EA Steam equivalent, but you can still find the <a href="http://cnccomm.com/community/index.php?action=downloads;sa=view;down=41">freeware installer package for the game and its expansion online</a>. <img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/games/Free%20to%20play/spiral-knights-420-90.jpg" alt="best free games" width="420"></img>39. Spiral KnightsMany free-to-play (F2P) gamers (even we) look to RuneScape as one of the most storied, revered online games, and they're absolutely right. However, I doubt many of those folks have played <a href="http://www.spiralknights.com/">Spiral Knights</a> from developer Three Rings and Sega.Available both in your browser and through Steam, think of Spiral Knights as a massively multiplayer The Legend of Zelda – and you and your comrades are each unique little Links. It's your job to dig deeper and deeper through a series of isometric dungeons to find a secret – any secret – that will get you and your people off of this planet.Frankly, it's a crazy fun, lowimpact romp of hacking your way through dungeons teeming with monsters and puzzles that will require some friends to enjoy to the fullest. Plus, it's five years old and still going strong with updates, so that's a good sign.<img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202014% 20Part%202/bass-420-100.jpg" alt="Beneath a Steel Sky" width="420"></img>40. Beneath a Steel Sky<a href="http://www.gog.com/game/beneath_a_steel_sky">Beneath a Steel Sky</a> is a classic adventure from British developer Revolution, the maker of the Broken Sword games. It's a sci-fi adventure with more than a hint of Blade Runner flavour. Like all the best point 'n' click titles, though, there's also more than just a little humour in the script.A Remastered version is available for iPad and iPhone, but it's the original you'll find on Mac and PC. While the game runs through the ScummVM system, <a href="http://www.gog.com/game/beneath_a_steel_sky">you can grab it on GoG</a> to avoid any fiddling about. If you're still thirsty, check out Lure of the Temptress, another Revolution adventure. <h3>41 - 44</h3><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202014/sl ender-420-100.jpg" alt="Slender" width="420"></img>41. SlenderThe question of whether games are art or not is a dull debate that has raged on for years. But making you terrified from one minute to the next is an art in itself. An art <a href="http://www.parsecproductions.net/slender/">Slender</a> has down. Although it's just a simple 3D exploration jaunt where you look for eight pages seemingly scribbled by the Slender Man's victims, this game is terrifying. Our monster in this little slice of horror is a tall faceless man who stalks you, hunts you.Set in a dark forest with nothing but a flashlight to keep you company, if this doesn't give you chills, nothing else on this list will. Once you've completed the Eight Pages, you can also check out the slightly beefier horror-adventure Slender: The Arrival. It's not free, but is a good way to test your nerve.<img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202014/k ingdom-rush-420-100.jpg" alt="Kingdom Rush" width="420"></img>42. Kingdom RushNuggets of tower defence gaming are perfect if you want the sort of light strategy that gives you a feeling of power without sucking away your whole day to provide it. And <a href="http://www.kongregate.com/games/Ironhidegames/kingdom-rush">Kingdom Rush</a> is one of the best tower defence experiences you can get.As well as being available on mobile phones and tablets, you can play it directly in your browser. It's a true smash, offering great balance and more charm than a half-dozen other free TD titles combined. There's also a sequel available, Kingdom Rush Frontiers, when you've picked the bones of the original clean. Which you probably will do if you fire up Kingdom Rush. Trust us. <img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202014/d igital-a-love-story-420-100.jpg" alt="Digital a Love Story" width="420"></img>43. Digital: A Love StoryRemember the excitement of logging into your first BBS? What if you'd found something more than just files and chatter and naked pictures of assorted Star Trek actresses?To explain <a href="http://scoutshonour.com/digital/">Digital: A Love Story</a> would be giving away too much, so let's just say that it's a great nostalgia trip with a bit of future-gazing thrown in for free. Played out entirely on 1988-style bulletin boards, it starts when you respond to an email from a lonely sounding girl called Emilia.The relationship plays out as a hacker's romance as you jump between BBS systems to uncover a conspiracy, mostly interacting by firing off emails to the characters. You never get to see what you've said, only the responses, which adds an unusual but effective disconnect to the conversations.It's not a long game – only an hour or so of action at most – but it's a testament to the writing that you quickly get sucked into what is basically just typing out a lot of phone numbers. The authentic sounding music and sound effects help: the sweet siren song of a modem connecting still sends a chill down the spine. <img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202014/n eptune-pride-2-420-100.jpg" alt="Neptune's Pride 2" width="420"></img>44. Neptune's Pride 2Where some free-to-play games want to consume hours of your life every day, <a href="http://triton.ironhelmet.com/#landing">Neptune's Pride 2</a> only wants a handful of minutes.It's an intergalactic version of Risk you play with real people, over a period of weeks or months. You can forge alliances and work together, but every player has to know there can only be one winner… the one who 'owns' more than 50% of the galaxy.Every day you earn more money and make your strategic decisions. It's like chess, but with star systems instead of pawns. If you want to deep-dive into a game with some friends, Neptune's Pride 2 is great. But be warned: this stuff can ruin friendships. <h3>45 - 48</h3><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202014/d warf-fortress-420-100.jpg" alt="Dwarf Fortress" width="420"></img>45. Dwarf FortressIf you find games like SimCity or Civilisation a little too simple, <a href="http://www.bay12games.com/dwarves/">Dwarf Fortress</a> is the game for you. Technically, its full name is Slaves to Armok: God of Blood: Chapter II: Dwarf Fortress, but absolutely nobody calls it that. It procedurally generates a whole work, complete with its own history, in very (very) basic visuals. But to get hung up on the graphics is to miss the point of Dwarf Fortress.You can build your own fortress, or go out adventuring. It is not easy or at all forgiving, though. When adventuring, it's roguelike in style, meaning that when you're dead, you're dead. Casual this is not. And as the game looks like it has been drawn with a typewriter, you will need to use your imagination a bit. However, Dwarf Fortress is quite unlike anything else on this list. <img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202014% 20Part%202/sarien-420-100.jpg" alt="Sarien.net" width="420"></img>46. Sarien.netRemember the Sierra adventures of old? <a href="http://sarien.net/">Sarien.net</a> revives them, and makes them multiplayer – at least, partly. Technically, you still play on your own, but you can see other players wandering around the world as you do. That said, there were only a few players online when we last tried the site.Sarien has access to King's Quest I-III, Space Quest I-II, Police Quest, and a lesser-known game, The Black Cauldron. These are titles from the early days of games, so be aware that the visuals are not going to wow you. For a better-looking adventure, check out the remakes of King's Quest, available online. We've hesitated to mention this one before due to legal questions over it, but now it's been officially approved by Activision, there's nothing stopping you from jumping right in.<img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202014% 20Part%202/vindictus-420-100.jpg" alt="Vindictus" width="420"></img>47. VindictusThe sequel to a Korean MMO virtually no one we know has even heard of, <a href="http://en.vindictus.nexoneu.com/NXEU.aspx">Vindictus</a> doesn't have the clout of something like Dota 2, but it offers something quite different too. The visual style is distinctly Asian, giving it an unusual feel in a world of fairly West-friendly free-to-play role-players.It is an online RPG, but one focused on hack and slash action over questing and levels. It looks great thanks to the Source engine, and the combat is enough to get you past the inherently grindy nature of much of the progression curve. Arachnophobes beware though – the tutorial has one of the biggest spiders you've ever seen, and yes, you do have to get right up into its face to fight it.<img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202014% 20Part%202/desktop-dungeons-420-100.jpg" alt="Desktop Dungeons" width="420"></img>48. Desktop DungeonsAh, the quest you can complete without ruining your appetite for monster slaying. <a href="http://www.desktopdungeons.net/media/">Desktop Dungeons</a> is as simple as heroics get – really, the entire game is about fighting your way up the local monsters' organisation chart without picking a fight with something capable of crushing you back.It's Rogue in style – meaning when you die it's really game over – but without the usual complexity, and it's still very moreish. This is the perfect way of killing a boring lunchtime.<h3>49 - 52</h3><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202014% 20Part%202/cave-story-420-100.jpg" alt="Cave Story" width="420"></img>49. Cave StoryThis is a classic Japanese freeware game with a lot of shooting, even more jumping, and a five year development time that still barely explains where all the great ideas came from.<a href="http://www.cavestory.org/download/cave-story.php">Cave Story</a> is a little fiddly to get running, but an absolute must-play that's influenced a great many other indie developers since it came out.<img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202014% 20Part%202/flightgear-420-100.jpg" alt="FlightGear" width="420"></img>50. FightgearWith the new version of Microsoft Flight Simulator not arriving until 2015, if you want to indulge the aviation nerd within you, <a href="http://www.flightgear.org/">FlightGear</a> is currently one of your best bets. FlightGear is free, with extensive terrain mapping, lots of aircraft, support for multiple desktops, and more. You can even download the source code if you want to get deep into its guts.It's not the prettiest game, mind, and if you're after action you're much better off with something like War Thunder. This is a flight simulator, not a war game.<img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202015/E lders-of-Madness-420-100.jpg" alt="Elders of Madness" width="420" title="Elders of Madness"></img>51. Elders of MadnessHowever detailed games get there will always be a place for the top-down 2D shooter that requires little know-how and maximum concentration. <a href="http://www.magarciaguerra.com/2015/01/elders-of-madnessenglish/" rel="nofollow">Elders of Madness</a> delivers on this promise in all the pixellated glory you want from an indie shooter and as you might expect from the name, there's a detailed story mode to get your teeth stuck into. It's not as easy as you might expect and the presence of various quotations along the way could even teach you a thing or two about literature.<img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202015/ wilbler-park-420-100.jpg" alt="Wilbler Park" width="420" title="Wilbler Park"></img>52. Wilber ParkUpon entering <a href="http://gamejolt.com/games/other/wilbler-park/47900/" rel="nofollow">Wilbler Park</a> you may think about why you are wasting time inside a game that is nothing more than a wander about through a wide vista with all there is to break it up a pair of binoculars that only seem to give you a blurry close-up of boring objects. Give it some time though. Eventually you'll be climbing to the top of the game's world and then able to use your trusty binoculars to zoom in on…well, we'll leave that to you.<h3>53 - 56</h3><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202015/ murder-simulator-666-420-100.jpg" alt="Murder Simulator v.666" width="420" title="Murder Simulator v.666"></img>53. Murder Simulator v.666Room for another PC local multiplayer in your life? Then <a href="http://lorenschmidt.itch.io/murder-simulatorv-666" rel="nofollow">Murder Simulator v.666</a> will be your cup of tea. Playable for between two and four players, the game features a gun that makes things inexplicably pink (yes pink, not red) and as players cannot jump they have to use a series of lifts to be able to get around the levels. There is even the ability to create your own levels and then import them into the game to play against your friends. The pixellated madness might not look like much but it's something to be admired.<img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202015/ OpenTTD-420-100.jpg" alt="OpenTTD" width="420" title="OpenTTD"></img>54. Open TTDBuilding a transport system around a virtual world might not be the most appealing thing to a large swathe of the online gaming population but don't write off <a href="http://www.openttd.org/en/download-stable" rel="nofollow">OpenTTD</a> before you've given it a try. Transport Tycoon, which was created by Chris Sawyer of Rollercoaster Tycoon fame (TT came first incidentally), forms the basis for this version that is exactly the same as the original except that it is online. The open sourced version has been kept alive by a motley band of enthusiasts and it has never felt so good to build stuff. Nothing gets closer to OpenTTD in allowing you to build an extensive transport system in a fictional nation. No, not even Sim City.<img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202015/a lleyway-420-100.jpg" alt="Alleyway" width="420" title="Alleyway"></img>55. AlleywayOld Nintendo games have found quite a home online thanks to the wealth of top-notch emulators out there, but one of the best to pick up and play straight from a browser is <a href="http://www.playr.org/play/alleyway/19" rel="nofollow">Alleyway</a>. The premise of the game is exactly the same as it was on the Game Boy: control Mario inside a long metal tube and help him to destroy a series of blocks at the top of the screen. Mario's flying craft eventually gets smaller and smaller with the ball moving at a faster pace, and your eyes will take quite a pounding.<img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202015/p andemic-2-420-100.jpg" alt="pandemic 2" width="420" title="pandemic 2"></img>56. Pandemic 2There isn't anything more morbid than wishing disease on someone else and that is literally the aim of <a href="http://www.crazymonkeygames.com/fullscreen.php?game=Pandemic-2" rel="nofollow">Pandemic 2</a>. You get to choose a disease from the outset and it is then your aim to make it spread across the globe as stealthily as possible by using a number of parameters and to prevent governments taking measures to stop it escalating further. With an in game world population of some six billion you'll have your work cut out and you win by…causing everyone to die.<h3>57 - 60</h3><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202015/T rack-and-field-420-100.jpg" alt="Track and Field" width="420" title="Track and Field"></img>57. Track and Field 2Become Usain Bolt or Tom Daley in a virtual world where button bashing is the real winner. <a href="http://www.2flashgames.com/f/f-147.htm" rel="nofollow">Track & Field 2</a> harps back to a time when sports games were anything but realistic and the faster you were at hammering on your controller the better. It lets you complete an entire Olympic Games campaign across a variety of sports and you collect points with the hope of eventually obtaining a gold medal. Oh, and you might need to replace your keyboard.<img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202015/ Magical-Kicks-420-100.jpg" alt="Magical Kicks" width="420" title="Magical Kicks"></img>58. Roby Baggio's Magical KicksEver played FIFA 15? Good, because the <a href="http://www.myfootballgames.co.uk/game/80/Baggio_sMagical-Kicks.html" rel="nofollow">Roby Baggio's Magical Kicks</a> game that Roberto Baggio endorses is about as far away as you can get in the football genre. A favourite of school kids everywhere in the late 1990s as one of the original games that could be played in browser, Magical Kicks was and still is fiendishly difficult to master and not even Baggio's wisdom can help you get the ball in the net.Every time you kick the ball the wind changes and there's always a wall plus a goalie to contend with. If you find any of the modern football games too easy then just give this a blast.<img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202015/2 048-420-100.jpg" alt="2048" width="420" title="2048"></img>59. 2048If you haven't heard of this ridiculously addictive numbers based game then where have you been? The aim of the game is to achieve the number <a href="http://gabrielecirulli.github.io/2048/" rel="nofollow">2048</a> by only moving left and right with squares being removed when they contain the same number and bump into each other. It starts off easy with just 2 and 4 but once you get to the higher numbers it's neigh-on impossible to reach the magic 2048. Needless to say, I'm yet to complete it…<img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202015/P ortal-420-100.jpg" alt="Portal" width="420" title="Portal"></img>60. PortalThe Valve version of <a href="http://www.addictinggames.com/puzzlegames/portalflashversion.jsp" rel="nofollow">Portal</a>, where you use a teleporting gun to get a boiler-suit clad man through a series of levels, has been reimagined as a completely free 2D version right in your browser. Anyone that played the original copy will be thrilled by the free online rehash and find themselves wiling away the hours using the trusty portal gun to try and complete what is a simple concept but at the same time fiendishly difficult.<h3>61 - 64</h3><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202015/T etris-420-100.jpg" alt="Tetris" width="420" title="Tetris"></img>61. TetrisOld Game Boy games port extremely well to browsers and the building blocks game of yesteryear is no exception. <a href="https://www.freetetris.org/game.php" rel="nofollow">Tetris</a> works on the same premise as its much older sibling albeit with a splash of colour and you'll surprise yourself by how easy it still is. That's until the blocks start stacking up and before you know it, it's game over. There's no elaborate back story to Tetris except that it's about making sure you eliminate the bricks before they stack up. Surely there's metaphor in there somewhere?<img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/games/sven-co-op/sven-co-op6-420-100.JPG" alt="best free games" width="420"></img>62. Sven CoopIt may take a lot of finagling to get this game running on your PC, but the classic Half-Life mod is now available to play as a standalone game on Steam. Yes, what I'm saying is that you can play the original Half-Life with your buddies online both in campaign and competitive modes.The game even provides the tools for you to run your own <a href="http://www.techradar.com/us/news/gaming/6-reasons-why-you-should-play-online-half-lifeshooter-sven-co-op-right-now-1313645">Sven Co-op</a> servers on. That way, you can enjoy games of this seminal shooter with only the people you want – not a room full of griefing dweebs.<img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202015/R icochet-Heroes-420-100.jpg" alt="Ricochet Heroes" width="420" title="Ricochet Heroes"></img>63. Ricochet HeroesFinal Fantasy is and remains one of the greatest RPGs of all time so why not combine it with a pinball game and see what happens? That's clearly what the creators of <a href="http://www.freewebarcade.com/game/ricochet-heroes/" rel="nofollow">Ricochet Heroes</a> thought of during a night at the bar whilst playing a pinball machine and the result is this beauty. The layout is clean and features a roster of characters (the pinballs), dialogue and monsters that have to be killed by bouncing off them numerous times before their health is done.<img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202015/si lhouette-420-100.jpg" alt="Silhouette" width="420" title="Silhouette"></img>64. SilhouetteLike a murder mystery and beat-em-up all rolled into one, just without much of the mystery, <a href="http://www.manikingames.com/silhouette/" rel="nofollow">Silhouette</a> is another local multiplayer that presents a number of maps where one player plays the victim and tries to evade the other, who is the murderer or Silhouette (complete with Psycho-esque attack weapon). Each take one side of the keyboard and battle it out to see who can stay alive for the longest, and as the two of you get closer together the turns get shorter before *BAM* you're dead.<h3>65 - 68</h3><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202015/E scape%20Goat-420-100.jpg" alt="Escape Goat" width="420" title="Escape Goat"></img>65. Escape GoatIf you didn't know already, goats that practice witchcraft go to jail and our bearded friend that is the subject of <a href="http://www.playescapegoat.com/" rel="nofollow">Escape Goat</a> has been incarcerated for that very deed. Help him escape from the confines of the brick and mortar in this top-down platform where our noble steed butts and jumps his way out with the help of the player and a mouse. The free version can be played in browser and should you want to guide our goat on even more adventures there's even a version that can be downloaded from Steam.<img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202015/F ishy-Waters-420-100.jpg" alt="Fishy Waters" width="420" title="Fishy Waters"></img>66. Fishy WatersWe all know the drill. You head out for a day fishing on the seas with father until disaster strikes and he gets eaten by the kraken! What to do?! That's right. Get back out on the seas to catch all kinds of different fish, sell them and upgrade your boat so that you can eventually rescue your dad and release him from the bowels of the kraken. Catching fish in <a href="http://www.kongregate.com/games/hillbridge/fishy-waters" rel="nofollow">Fishy Waters</a> is as easy as pressing spacebar to put the bait down but that's where the simplicity ends and you are forced to use the arrow keys in a number of combinations to land your catch.<a href="http://www.galactic-cafe.com/kanye/" rel="nofollow"><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202015/li fe-in-the-west-420-100.jpg" alt="Life in the West" width="420" title="Life in the West"></img></a>67. Life in the WestContrary to what the name may suggest this game is not a simulation about what it's like to live in Western Europe or a comic book series that allow you to wander around the Wild West. <a href="http://www.galacticcafe.com/kanye/" rel="nofollow">Life in the West</a> is a mock-up of Kanye West's Twitter account where you spout unadulterated nonsense and get rewarded for it. The faster you type the more Kanye Points come your way and with those points you can buy new followers such as Xzibit, Barack Obama and our personal favourite Fake Kanye. Some of the Tweets are genuinely quite funny and if nothing else the authenticity of the interface makes you feel like you've become king Kanye for the day.<img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202015/r epublia-times-420-100.jpg" alt="Republia Times" width="420" title="Republia Times"></img>68. Republica TimesIf you once had a dream to edit your own newspaper then <a href="http://dukope.com/play.php?g=trt" rel="nofollow">Republia Times</a> has answered all your prayers. The game allows you to take on the role of the editor in chief of the Republia Times just after a war has ended against the rebels. Your remit is to increase the loyalty towards the government by choosing the right stories and putting them in the correct places on the page, with one small catch - the government has your family! Messages will come through on the screen from rebels attempting to make your switch sides and the time to deadline speeds up the further you get through the game.<h3>69 - 72</h3><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202015/ New-Star-Soccer-420-100.jpg" alt="New Star Soccer" width="420" title="New Star Soccer"></img>69. New Star SoccerOne of the best football games on any smartphone platform is <a href="http://www.mousebreaker.com/games/newstarsoccer/playgame" rel="nofollow">New Star Soccer</a> and it can also be played for free in browser. Take your player from the Conference North or South all the way up to the Premier League and live the life of the footballer along the way in this addictive top-down football simulator.<img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202015/R acehorse-Tycoon-420-100.jpg" alt="Racehorse Tycoon" width="420" title="Racehorse Tycoon"></img>70. Racehorse TycoonOwning a racehorse is beyond almost all people unless you've tried your hand at <a href="http://www.addictinggames.com/strategy-games/racehorsetycoon.jsp" rel="nofollow">Racehorse Tycoon</a>. It doesn't have the extensive feel of Rollercoaster Tycoon or Transport Tycoon but what it loses in simulation it more than makes up for in good old fashioned fun and straight out addictiveness. Pick a horse, trainer, mode of transportation and even the food for your horse to guide him to victory. There's even the chance to place bets on any horse competing and satisfy your gambling urges.<img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202015/a mbulance-madness-420-100.jpg" alt="Ambulance Madness" width="420" title="Ambulance Madness"></img>71. Ambulance MadnessOn Grand Theft Auto there was always that one friend who would insist on stealing the first ambulance they came across and then running down as many people in their path whilst another person wondered what it would be like to run missions as an ambulance driver. The latter will find their place in <a href="http://www.agame.com/game/ambulance-madness" rel="nofollow">Ambulance Madness</a> where you use a GTA-esque top-down view to drive to patients and treat them on the way to hospital. You're against the clock and the patient's health goes down rapidly so don't crash into any cars on the way to the hospital as they will slow you down rapidly.<img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202015/a steroids-420-100.jpg" alt="Asteroids" width="420" title="Asteroids"></img>72. AsteroidsWhere Nintendo GameBoy games do well online, the same can be said for the ones that used to be magically built into tables like <a href="http://www.freeasteroids.org" rel="nofollow">Asteroids</a>. Nothing has changed from the old version of Asteroids to this one with the aim still to break up the pieces of rock using your spacecraft and to avoid being destroyed by UFOs. The arrow keys make it even easier to play than with a sticky joystick and buttons that have been scarred by years of spilled beers.<h3>73 - 76</h3><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/other/adventure-capitalism-420-100.jpg" alt="AdventureCapitalism" width="420"></img>73. AdVenture CapitalistAnyone that's owned a lot of diverse businesses will be put off by <a href="http://www.miniclip.com/games/adventure-capitalist/en/" rel="nofollow">AdVenture Capitalist</a> but for the rest of us there's plenty of fun to be had. You start off your entrepreneurial life selling lemons from a stall and attempt to eventually make your way up to ownership of an oil company with some pizza, donuts and ice hockey along the way. Eventually investors will circle and try to grab a piece of the action, and for a game that starts off as a glorified click-a-thon it's surprisingly addictive.<img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202015/st ick-cricket-420-100.jpg" alt="Stick Cricket" width="420" title="Stick Cricket"></img>74. Stick CricketCricket remains one of the few sports that England can lay claim to being in the top 10 of after having a hand in inventing it. <a href="http://www.sticksports.com/game/stick-cricket/classic/" rel="nofollow">Stick Cricket</a> is the internet's best representation of leather on willow and it's all about the timing. The names of the players are a few years old yet any cricket fan worth their weight will have a smile on their face at this fact and if that doesn't please you then the gameplay definitely will.<img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202015/p romotion-wars-420-100.jpg" alt="Promotion Wars" width="420" title="Promotion Wars"></img>75. Promotion WarsWrestling used to be up there alongside UFC in the contact sports ranks in the 1990s and 2000s when the feuding parties of WCW and WWF were separate and it created quite a stir. <a href="http://promotionwarsreborn.proboards.com/thread/2/download-game" rel="nofollow">Promotion Wars</a> beams you back to that time with a management sim that is basically the same as the earlier versions of Football Manager except that you are managing a wrestling promotion as opposed to a football club. It covers everything from signing players, creating stables and establishing feuds to booking shows and deciding the results before hand. A hearty band of developers have opened up a Promotion Wars 2014 website and forum where the game is offered along with a number of different scenarios that make it remain relevant and thus it remains one of the better free management sims out there.<img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202015/a -grain-of-truth-420-100.jpg" alt="A Grain of Truth" width="420" title="A Grain of Truth"></img>76. A Grain of TruthAdventure based games that require you to simply click and explore never get old, and <a href="http://www.zamolski.com/agot/" rel="nofollow">A Grain of Truth</a> follow this lead as you make your way across the endless plains of grass capturing stones and cloud along the way. Your task is to guide Myosotis, the heroine of the tale, across the grass and take in everything that comes with it. There are small puzzles to solve, areas to examine and cloud catchers to climb, with enough here for even the most seasoned of gamers to get stuck in to.<h3>77 - 80</h3><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/games/the-crooked-man-420-90.JPG" alt="The Crooked Man" width="420"></img>77. The Crooked Man Bleak, intriguing and scary in equal measure, <a href="http://www.vgperson.com/games/crookedman.htm">The Crooked Man</a> is an indie RPG with a horror slant. You play as a David, who has moved into a creaky new apartment. It soon becomes apparent that all is not as it seems, and before long you're facing decisions based on real-life fears: dimentia, death, loneliness and expectations, to avoid being killed by The Crooked Man. Featuring an eerie soundtrack and hard-hitting dialogue, it's one freaky adventure that you're not likely to forget in a hurry.<img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202015/b ig-mamas-salon-420-100.jpg" alt="Big Mamas Salon" width="420" title="Big Mamas Salon"></img>78. Big Mama's SalonFrom the outset <a href="http://www.dailyfreegames.com/flash/arcade-games/big-mama's-salon.html" rel="nofollow">Big Mama's Salon</a> doesn't strike you as something that's worth a second look, but after you've given our first haircut we can see why this one has quite a following. Your task is to help Big Mama to serve customers in her new salon that grows as she becomes more successful. Click to clean, cut and dry plus attempt to keep your customers from getting frustrated by offering them magazines. You even have to click to get the money at the end of it and the frenetic clicking of the higher levels will make you feel like you've actually been cutting hair all day.<img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202015/e arn-to-die-420-100.jpg" alt="Earn to Die" width="420" title="Earn to Die"></img>79. Earn To DieZombie apocalypse makes a great subject for games and movies alike, which is exactly what you'll find by playing <a href="http://www.miniclip.com/games/earn-to-die/en/" rel="nofollow">Earn to Die</a>. The aim of the game is simple: use a car to plough through zombies and earn money depending on how far you get or the way that you manage to knock them out. At the end of each day there's the chance to upgrade your vehicle with cool extras such as turbines, guns, huge tyres and fuel. The further you get the better the decrepit heaps aka cars become and the better your ability to smash up zombies. All in all it's basically an afternoon out on the Hills Have Eyes set.<img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202015/1 8-hole-crazy-golf-420-100.jpg" alt="18 Hole Crazy Golf" width="420" title="18 Hole Crazy Golf"></img>80. 18 Hole Crazy GolfCrazy golf doesn't just have to be something reserved for seaside outings thanks to the quirky <a href="http://www.mousebreaker.com/games/crazygolf/playgame" rel="nofollow">18 Hole Crazy Golf</a>. The levels start off very easy but get progressively harder so that you're attempting to get past all manner of obstacles including bunkers with nothing more than a trusty putter and golf ball. There's really nothing more to it than that.<h3>81 - 84</h3><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202015/s hop-empire-420-100.jpg" alt="Shop Empire 3" width="420" title="Shop Empire 3"></img>81. Shop Empire 3Reports of the demise of the high street are greatly exaggerated in <a href="http://www.notdoppler.com/shopempire3.php" rel="nofollow">Shop Empire 3</a> where you build up medieval looking multi-storey shopping centres to service the citizens complete with elevators and all the staff that you would expect to see. Shoppers often chat away to each other all about your shopping centre and the ultimate aim is to make as much money as possible whilst at the same time keeping your shoppers happy.<img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202015/z ombie-trailer-park-420-100.jpg" alt="ZTP" width="420" title="ZTP"></img>82. Zombie Trailer ParkWhen the time finally comes and we have to start fighting zombies then there are enough games to prepare us for this eventuality to mean that we can fight them off, right? <a href="http://www.addictinggames.com/shooting-games/zombie-trailer-park-game.jsp" rel="nofollow">Zombie Trailer Park</a> is another of that category and involves you operating a trailer park in the most efficient way possible by building trailers where zombie fighters are created. The further you get the more persistent and larger the zombies get and it'll be your job to stop them getting inside the trailer park to pilfer your goods.<img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202015/u ltimate-football-management-420-100.jpg" alt="UFM 13/14" width="420" title="UFM 13/14"></img>83. Ultimate Football Management 13/14The football management sim genre has been dominated by Championship Manager then Football Manager since the early 90s, yet there is one free game that goes by the name of <a href="http://www.mousebreaker.com/games/ultimatefootballmanagement1314/playgame" rel="nofollow">Ultimate Football Management 13/14</a> that gets closer than any other. You take control of a team in one of Europe's top leagues and players are rated according to a star system, which all has to be taken into consideration when choosing your lineup. There's an incredibly easy transfer system that makes buying anyone pretty simple and the game ends if you get sacked.<img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202015/P ixelbox-Worlds-420-100.jpg" alt="Pixel Box Worlds" width="420" title="Pixel Box Worlds"></img>84. Pixel Box WorldsEver seen people playing Minecraft and wondered what all the fuss it about? Well now you can create 2D worlds in pixellated glory on <a href="http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/652921" rel="nofollow">Pixel Box Worlds</a> without any of the intricacies that puts many off Minecraft. Pick from pages of different small boxes to place on your landscape and before starting off it really pays off to look through some of the custom worlds to get the gist of what Pixel Box Worlds is all about. It's not the most exciting of games but you can create some very cool looking landscapes.<h3>85 88</h3><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202015/R oad-of-the-dead-420-100.jpg" alt="Road of the Dead" width="420" title="Road of the Dead"></img>85. Road of the DeadYes this is another zombie entry but they make for good fun games so we figured, why not?! <a href="http://armorgames.com/play/7164/road-of-the-dead" rel="nofollow">Road of the Dead</a> sees you take the role of a worried citizen trying to escape the city limits, which have been overrun by, yes you've guessed it, zombies. One word of warning: whatever you do don't crash into any cars that are on fire as you will immediately blow up.<img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202015/P ool-Live-Pro.jog-420-100.jpg" alt="Pool Live Pro" width="420" title="Pool Live Pro"></img>86. Pool Live ProYahoo has recently done away with its online games, which included the addictive Yahoo Pool, and in its place is <a href="https://games.yahoo.com/game/pool-live-pro.html" rel="nofollow">Pool Live Pro</a>. If hustling is your game then there's no shortage of opponents to play against considering anyone that signs on to play pool on Yahoo is open for a game. As you get better you level up and gain locations to play pool instead of just the motorcycle hall. If playing pool is your thing then this game will be your new thing.<img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202015/ Decision-3-420-100.jpg" alt="Decision 3" width="420"></img>87. Decision 3It often feels like zombie shooters could have a top 100 list of their own, although <a href="http://armorgames.com/play/16123/decision-3" rel="nofollow">Decision 3</a> is another more than worthy member of the overall top list of games. The top down shooter is simple to play and sees you roam around a barren landscape with an army of civilians and soldiers to stave off the scores of zombies that only grow in number and ferocity as the game progresses. The in-game animation sequences are exceptionally well drawn for a game that is definitely worth a look.<img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202015/ Mortal-Kombat-420-100.jpg" alt="Mortal Kombat" width="420" title="Mortal Kombat"></img>88. Mortal KombatMakes no bones about it. The original Mortal Kombat set a standard along with Street Fighter for the fighting genre and it's the fully old school version of <a href="http://www.playr.org/play/mortal_kombat/343" rel="nofollow">Mortal Kombat</a> that you will find here. Anyone that played Mortal Kombat way back when will recognise the soundtrack and the character names of Scorpion, Sub Zero et al. No fancy graphics have been added at all and the game feels slightly slow these days but nostalgia-wise this title still holds significant value.<h3>89 - 92</h3><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202015% 20Update/ecity-420-100.jpg" alt="eCity" width="420"></img>89. eCity Game download site Desura has some of the best deals around right now and one such game that has just become available is the heavily praised <a href="http://www.desura.com/games/ecity">eCity</a>. The game has a soundtrack similar to that of the iconic Sim City and without looking closely at the inner workings of eCity, you'd be mistaken for thinking it's an imitation.It's anything but a Sim City knock-off, however, and offers gamers the choice of a number of scenarios that involve solving various issues that befall the community you choose to take control of. You're tasked with everything from building power stations, through handling pollution and constructing utility networks to transporting citizens around the city and saving the population from natural disasters. And best of all it's completely free.<img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202015% 20Update/huebrix-420-100.jpg" alt="Huebrix" width="420"></img>90. HuebrixFlash games are still one of the best ways to while away the hours when you're supposed to be completing that assignment or piece of work. <a href="http://www.huebrix.com/play.html">Huebrix</a> is one that has been around for years yet is alongside the likes of 2048 in providing an offering that is extremely addictive while at the same time having plenty in terms of playability.The aim is simple: Fill up the box with one or more colours using only the number of blocks of each colour that you're given. You'll soon find out that even though it starts off easy this game gets progressively harder until you're at the full hair-pulling-out stage.<img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202015% 20Update/cubilus-420-100.jpg" alt="Cubilus" width="420"></img>91. Cublius If Huebrix floated your boat then another in the same class is the similarly laid out flash game <a href="https://www.mathsisfun.com/games/cubilusgame.html">Cubilus</a>. Simplicity is at the heart of Cubilus and even though it doesn't come with an instruction manual it soon becomes clear what the aim of the game is.Presented with a number of different cubes that feature different logos or colours, you have to match them up with the corresponding colours or symbols on the other side of the box. After starting off incredibly easy and making you wonder why you've wasted any time playing, this game soon progresses to a number of incredibly hard levels that are borderline unplayable. You have been warned!<img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202015% 20Update/ritmo-ep-420-100.jpg" alt="Ritmo EP" width="420"></img>92. Ritmo EP It must be said that students make some of the very best games around and <a href="http://www.desura.com/games/ritmo">Ritmo EP</a> more than holds its own in this respect. Billed as "Super Mario meets Rock Band" the game involves collecting the notes to songs and working together with friends or simply by yourself to collect as many coins as possible.The current incarnation is just the EP and the debut of the full-length game is still to come, with promises that it might well be on the Xbox by the end of this summer. Otherwise you can get stuck right into this one completely free of charge to decide whether it's more like Super Mario or a better match for Rock Band.<h3>93 - 96</h3><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202015% 20Update/vinland-arctic-assault-420-100.jpg" alt="Vinland" width="420"></img>93. Vinland: Arctic Assault Who doesn't want to take control of their very own Nordic ship and blast their way through the waters of Norway to victory? That's the aim of <a href="http://www.desura.com/games/vinland-arctic-assault">Vinland: Arctic Assault</a>, and you assume the role of Leif Erikson on a mission to take him and his crew to the fabled lands of Vinland and eventual victory.This free game is a top-down affair and is incredibly smooth to look at, and even though the only real obstacles early on are the icebergs, it still makes for a game that is challenging enough to keep the attention of even the most avid gamers.<img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202015% 20Update/sage-fusion-420-100.jpg" alt="Sage Fusion" width="420"></img>94. Sage Fusion Role playing games never get old and futuristic settings don't come much better than the one offered by <a href="http://kidalang.com/sage-fusion/">Sage Fusion</a>. The futuristic universe provides the backdrop to the first episode of this series that involves two political forces fighting it out against each other for greatness.Considering this is a completely free game it has enough content to keep the player engaged for a decent amount of time, and looks nice enough that you'd think it costs more than the price of fresh air.<img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202015% 20Update/cm0102-420-100.jpg" alt="CM0102" width="420"></img>95. Championship Manager 01/02Football management sims are so close to the real thing these days that Sky Sports News have started to use the data collected by the scouts that provide the lifeblood of Football Manager. There was once a time, however, when it was nothing more than a game played by like minded football geeks the world over. The good news is you can relive those days once more. These days <a href="http://www.champman0102.co.uk/downloads.php" rel="nofollow">CM 01/02</a> is available as freeware and there is a budding community building updates covering everything from rosters and stats to face packs and backgrounds. You can even play with the same rosters from back in the day. Football management sims haven't felt this fun in a long time!<img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202015% 20Update/Cyclomaniacs2-420-100.jpg" alt="Cyclomaniacs2" width="420"></img>96. Cyclomaniacs 2<a href="http://www.kongregate.com/games/turbonuke/cyclomaniacs-2" rel="nofollow">Cyclomaniacs2</a>, if you haven't already played the first incarnation, involves biking around various different circuits inside a theme park with the eventual goal to find Super Villains and of course save the girl.Finishing higher up in races gives you various rewards to use in subsequent races and the narrator behind the whole show is one of the more witty that we've come across. All in all it's an amusing little game that's worth a coffee break's worth of time.<h3>97 - 100</h3><img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Best%20Free%20Games%202015% 20Update/Red-Alert-2-420-100.jpg" alt="Red Alert 2" width="420"></img>97. Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2Now this is a big one. EA's Origin service rarely disappoints when it comes to a free giveaway and it may well have surpassed itself by making not only <a href="https://www.origin.com/en-gb/store/free-games/on-the-house" rel="nofollow">Red Alert 2</a> available for free but also adding the Yuri's Revenge expansion into the bargain.This was the strategy game at the start of the current millennium and is a follow up to the wildly popular C&C: Red Alert. We probably didn't need to tell you that though. In the update to the series you land in the early 70s and have to fight for either the Soviets or Allies. Even if you don't fancy playing it now there's nothing to stop you downloading it for a nostalgic rainy day. There's no way you'll regret it!<img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/games/cool-spot-420-100.JPG" alt="Cool Spot" width="420"></img>98. Cool SpotCool Spot was such a convincing videogame character back in the 90s that it's easy to forget he was an anthropomorphized 7 Up logo. Created by Virgin Interactive's American studio, platformers featuring the running, jumping, yo-yoing fizzy drink mascot were colourful, sometimes challenging and always filled with cheesy lowfi dance music.Virgin has made the original <a href="https://archive.org/details/gg_Cool_Spot_Rev_1_1993VirginUS">Cool Spot from 1993</a> playable on the Internet Archive, so if you're looking to kill some time, you know where to go.<img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/games/robocraft-420-90.JPG" alt="Robocraft" width="420"></img>99. RobocraftOur UK-based readers will no doubt remember Robot Wars, which pitted home-made robots against each other in industrial-styled arenas. (If you're based outside the UK, look it up on YouTube immediately.) Currently in Early Access stage, <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/301520/">Robocraft</a> is similarly based on the concept of building your dream flying or land-based robot and taking it to massive arenas in a bid to destroy your enemies creations. Featuring massive levels of customization and the ability to create some seriously odd-looking war machines, the amount of fun you can have in Robocraft is only limited by your imagination.<img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/games/total-war-battleskingdom-420-90.JPG" alt="Total War Battles Kingdom" width="420"></img>100. Total War Battles KingdomReal-time Strategy (RTS) games don't come much grander than those in the Total War series, and the latest entrant, Battles Kingdom, is free-to-play. Currently in open beta on the PC, it's also available to play on iOS and Android, so you can pick up where you left off when you're away from your battlestation. Set at the turn of the 10th Century, Battles Kingdom combines army management with kingdom building to deliver a bite-sized RTS game you can pick up and play anywhere, anytime. http://www.techradar.com/news/gaming/top-40-best-free-games-you-should-play-today695473?src=rss&attr=all http://www.techradar.com/695473 Andrew Williams & Jamie Hinks 2016-03-06T13:40:00Z Updated: The very best Nvidia GTX 950M, 960M, 965M, 970M and 980M laptops for gamers http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/laptops/HP/HP%20Omen/HP%20Omen-1-470-75.jpg <img src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/laptops/HP/HP%20Omen/HP%20Omen-1-470-75.jpg" alt="Updated: The very best Nvidia GTX 950M, 960M, 965M, 970M and 980M laptops for gamers"/><h3>Introduction</h3>Update: We've added the mighty Asus ROG G752 to our list of best 970M-equipped laptops.It's much easier to identify a gaming laptop that matches your requirements these days. Nvidia's GeForce 900 series of mobile GPUs now includes the GTX 950M at the lower end, followed by the GTX960M, GTX 965M, GTX 970M and GTX 980M. Which one you'll need depends on your budget, how modern the games are that you want to install and what resolution you want to play them in.As a rule of thumb, anything up to a GTX 965M will be more than suitable for 1080p gaming, albeit with varying levels of graphical detail and inconsistent frame rates in texture-heavy titles such as Fallout 4 and The Witcher 3. If you won't accept anything less than 60 fps with every graphics options ticked, expect to splash out on a 970M or 980Mequipped laptop - especially if you've set your sights beyond full HD.<img src="http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/graphics_cards/Nvidia%20GeForceGTX/970M-42090.JPG" alt="Nvidia GTX970M " width="420"></img>To help you find out which mobile GPU is for you, we've rounded up the best laptops to feature each chip. We're basically the aspirin to your gaming laptop headache.<ul><li><a href="http://www.techradar.com/news/mobilecomputing/laptops/best-laptops-1304361">These are the best laptops you can buy in 2016</a></li></ul><h3>GTX 980M</h3>The GTX 980M is the current cream of the crop as far as Nvidia's mobile graphics chips go. (We'll take a look at Nvidia's laptop-bound GTX 980 another time.) The 980M is around 75% as powerful as a desktop GTX 980, which gives you some idea of how meaty it is. The 980M uses a 256-bit memory interface, packs 2,048 CUDA cores and can boost its clock speed up to 1,216MHz. Most laptops with a 980M inside are paired with a large amount of video memory, allowing you to play titles built on massive textures sans slowdown.<img src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/laptops/Origin/EON15-X/Review/Origin%20EON15X%20review-3-420-100.jpg" alt="origin EON15-X 960M" width="420"></img>Origin EON 15-XThe <a href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portable-pcs/origin-eon15-x1288075/review">Origin EON 15-X</a> chews through anything you throw at it thanks to its GTX 980M, which is backed up by a huge 8GB of video memory. Having that much vRAM onboard means you won't have to worry about the laptop coping with high-res texture-heavy titles like The Witcher 3, GTA V or Fallout 4. And yes: they all look stunning on the EON 15-X's 15.6-inch 1080p matte display.<img src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/laptops/Gigabyte/P35X%20v5/Gigabyte%20P35X%20v5-1420-100.jpg" alt="MSI GT80 Titan 960M" width="420"></img>Gigabyte P35X v5If you're looking for a powerful gaming laptop that's also compact, the <a href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portable-pcs/laptops-and-netbooks/gigabytep35x-v5-1315087/review">P35X v5</a> should be on your radar. Its GTX 980 GPU packs a punch thanks to its 8GB of video memory, which you can put to good use on its impressive 4K display. (A 1080p panel is also offered as a choice.) The P35X v5's solid benchmark scores beat those produced by more expensive 980M-equipped rival machines, so if you care more about what's under the hood than the hood itself, it's well worth a look-in.<img src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/laptops/MSI/GT80%20Titan/review/MSI%20GT80%20Titan-8420-100.jpg" alt="MSI GT80 Titan 960M" width="420"></img>MSI GT80 TitanThe <a href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portablepcs/laptops-and-netbooks/msi-gt80-titan-1277921/review">MSI GT80</a> Titan lives up to its name. It houses not one, but two GTX 980M GPUs configured in SLI and more than delivers the horsepower required for intense gaming sessions. It's quite easily the heaviest GTX 980M-powered computer on the block, but you get a full-sized mechanical keyboard with Cherry MX switches under the keycaps to make up for that sprained back you'll get after lugging it around.<img src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/laptops/Origin/EON17-X/Review/Origin%20EON17-X-9-420100.jpg" alt="MSI GT80 Titan 960M" width="420"></img>Origin EON17XLike the MSI GT80 Titan, the Origin <a href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portable-pcs/origin-eon17-x1311615/review">EON17-X</a> is a true desktop replacement with a desktop processor inside. On the outside it's basically a larger EON15-X, featuring a 17.3-inch display (with G-Sync support) and a topend sixth-generation Intel Skylake processor. Its 980M lends it some of the best performance stats we've seen from a laptop thanks to its massive 8GB video memory buffer, and if you're not keen on wearing a gaming headset, the EON17-X's speakers impress too.<img src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/laptops/Alienware/Alienware%2017%20(2015)/Alienware%201 7%20(2015)-1-420-100.jpg" alt="Alienware 17 960M" width="420"></img>Dell Alienware 17 (2015)Angular, powerful and delivering attitude in spades, the <a href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portable-pcs/laptops-andnetbooks/alienware-17-2015-1291790/review">Alienware 17</a> has everything fans of Dell's gaming systems want. Packing a large 17-inch display, its GTX 980M chip inside is backed up by an acceptable 4GB of video memory and 16GB of DDR3L RAM. If you're seeking even more power, Alienware's Amplifier lets you connect the laptop to an external GPU enclosure to draw power from a desktop-grade graphics card.<img src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/laptops/Acer/Predator%2015/AcerPredator15-15-420-100.jpg" alt="Alienware 17 960M" width="420"></img>Acer Predator 15A laptop that looks like it was built by gamers for gamers, the 980M-powered <a href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portable-pcs/laptops-and-netbooks/acerpredator-15-1303247/review">Acer Predator 15</a> has a chassis that would light up any LAN party. You probably won't want to bung its massive angular frame into a backpack, but if you do, it's one heck of a portable powerhouse. An Intel Core i7-6700HQ and 4GB of GDDR5 RAM paired with a whopping 32GB of DDR4 of main memory means you'll have no trouble running the latest games.<h3>GTX 970M</h3>Like its desktop equivalent, the GTX 970, the 970M does a better job of balancing performance and cost than the flagship 980M above it. Most models still offer plenty of video memory, but the 970M is less capable of hitting the high notes once you venture beyond full HD. Still, it's the ultimate semi-affordable solution for 1080p/ultra gaming on the go. The 970M packs 1,280 CUDA cores, uses a 192-bit memory interface and features a base clock of 924MHz (plus boost).<img src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/laptops/Asus/ROG%20G752/review/Asus%20ROG%20G7526-420-100.jpg" alt="Asus ROG G752" width="420"></img>Asus ROG G752 A silver-styled laptop with the strength of a silverback gorilla, the ROG <a href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portable-pcs/laptops-and-netbooks/asus-rogg752-1314991/review">G752</a> packs power and style. While not the lightest of laptops, the GTX 970M inside ensures eye-popping visuals and smooth frame rates courtesy of its G-Sync screen. The G752's display tops out at 1080p, which helps it score points in the value department at the expense of crisper visuals on the desktop and in games.<img src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/laptops/MSI/GS60%20Ghost%20(2015)/review/MSI-GS60Ghost-Pro-hero-420-100.jpg" alt="MSI GS60 Ghost Pro 960M" width="420"></img>MSI GS60 Ghost ProThe <a href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portable-pcs/msi-gs60-ghost-pro1307717/review">MSI GS60 Ghost Pro</a> is a stylish machine with a 1080p display. It pairs a 970M with an Intel Core i7 6700HQ Skylake processor making it one of the most capable full HD laptops we've ever tested. It's something of a multimedia all-rounder too thanks to its excellent screen and formidable speakers - plus it has one of the most comfortable keyboards doing the rounds on a gaming laptop.<img src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/laptops/Aorus/Aorus%20X7%20Pro/Aorus%20X7%20Pro-13420-100.jpg" alt="MSI GS60 Ghost Pro 970M" width="420"></img>Aorus X7 ProSyncThis monster from Aorus features Nvidia's frame-smoothing G-Sync tech, which eliminates screen tearing to make gameplay super-smooth. On the inside there's a 2.5GHz Intel Core i7-4870HQ processor and - wait for it - dual GTX 970M GPUs with 6GB of GDDR5 video memory configured in SLI. Fashioned out of a futuristic lightweight alloy, <a href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portable-pcs/laptops-and-netbooks/aorus-x7pro-sync-1283922/review">the X7 Pro-Sync</a> is a tempting blend of power and semiportability.<img src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/TRBC/Laptops/Aorus/Aorus%20X3%20Plus%20v3/AolusX3Pl usv3%20Hero-420-100.jpg" alt="Aorus X3 Plus V3 970M" width="420"></img>Aorus X3 Plus V3The slimmest of the lot, the <a href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portable-pcs/laptops-andnetbooks/aorus-x3-plus-v3-1293264/review">Aorus X3 Plus V3</a> is a slimline computer that features a GTX 970M chip under the hood, one that's backed up by a whopping 6GB of GDDR5 memory. With that amount, 4K gaming is possible on some titles. Tune down the resolution down a notch or two and you can play any title out there. Just make sure you pack a gaming mouse because the Aorus X3 Plus V3's glass trackpad is a confusing and at times unusable pain point.<img src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/laptops/Razer/Razer%20Blade%202015/Review/Razer%20Blad e%202015-11-420-100.jpg" alt="Razer Blade 2015 970M" width="420"></img>Razer Blade 2015Styled like a MacBook Pro but packing the power of a portable battlestation, the <a href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pcmac/laptops-portable-pcs/laptops-and-netbooks/razer-blade-2015-1288487/review">2015 Razer Blade</a> is primed for 3K gaming – though you'll want to lower the resolution down from its native 3,200 x 1,800 when playing recent titles if you want to hit 60 fps. Its GTX 970M is paired with 3GB of GDDR5 video memory, and Intel's older Core i7-4720HQ features as the processor. It's highly likely that Razer will update the Blade with Intel's sixth-generation Skylake processors in 2016, but if you can't wait that long then the company's inventive <a href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pcmac/laptops-portable-pcs/laptops-and-netbooks/razer-blade-stealth-1312431/review">Blade Stealth</a> laptop and docking station combination might prove a tempting alternative.<h3>GTX 965M</h3>The GTX 965M is the newest mobile graphics chip on the block from Nvidia. Lying one place below the 970M, laptops housing a 965M are often equally as affordable as the 960M while bagging you a handful more frames (or more, depending on the title), compared to the that chip. The 965M is configured with 1,024 CUDA cores and has a base clock of 944MHz (plus boost), with a 128bit memory interface.<img src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/laptops/Aorus/X5/AorusX510-420-100.jpg" alt="Aorus X5" width="420"></img>Aorus X5A thin-and-light 15-inch gaming laptop that's compact enough to slip into a backpack, the <a href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portable-pcs/aorus-x51296172/review">Aorus X5</a> brings the power. The machine somehow manages to squeeze in a pair of GTX 965M GPUs under its aluminium chassis, which measures under an inch thick. Packing a total of 8GB GDDR5 vRAM, the X5 is equipped to tear through games with large textures - and you can even go beyond Full HD thanks to its gorgeous 2,880 x 1,620 pixel-resolution WQHD+ display.<img src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/laptops/Gigabyte/P55K%20V4/Gigabyte%20P55K%20V4%20a ngle-420-100.JPG" alt="Gigabyte P55K V4" width="420"></img>Gigabyte P55K V4The <a href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portablepcs/laptops-and-netbooks/gigabyte-p55k-v4-1302329/review/2">Gigabyte P55K V4</a> isn't the prettiest gaming laptop out there, but it packs a punch. Intel's fifth-generation Core i7-5700HQ (quadcore, 2.7GHz up to 3.5GHz with Turbo Boost) Broadwell processor is paired with a GTX 965M (2GB GDDR5) and 8GB of main memory, which all helps games look terrific on the P55K V4's accurate IPS display.<img src="http://cdn2.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/laptops/Gigabyte/Gigabyte%20P35K%20v3/Gigabyt e%20P35K%20v3-8-420-100.jpg" alt="Gigabyte P35K V3" width="420"></img>Gigabyte P35K v3The second Gigabyte entry our list of GTX 965M-powered laptops dials down performance in one or two areas to make it more attractive for budget buyers. The <a href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/laptopsportable-pcs/laptops-and-netbooks/gigabyte-p35k-v3-1286196/review">P35K v3</a> packs a slightly older (but still very capable) Intel Core i7-4270HQ, and its GeForce GTX 965M's 4GB of video memory is actually double that in the 2GB in the P55K V4.<h3>GTX 960M</h3>Lying bang in the middle of the mainstream and performance sector, the Nvidia GTX 960M suffers a significant dip in performance in some games compared to the 970M due to its considerably fewer CUDA cores (640 versus the 970M's 1,280). With a 128-bit memory interface and a base clock of 1,096MHz (plus boost), the 960M is a still a great option for 1080p gaming and models sporting the chip are often (but not always - see the HP Omen) a good deal more affordable than their 970M-equipped competitors.<img src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/laptops/Dell/Dell%20XPS%2015%20%282015%20QHD%29/h ero-420-100.JPG" alt="Dell XPS 15" width="420"></img>Dell XPS 15It isn't a gaming laptop, but <a href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pcmac/laptops-portable-pcs/laptops-and-netbooks/dell-xps-15-late-2015-1306282/review">Dell's XPS 15</a> makes for a mean 1080p gaming machine thanks to its beefy Skylake processor, 960M and incredible 4K InfinityEdge display. The XPS 15 doesn't weigh a ton and is the most compact 15-inch laptop on the block due its display's thin bezels, making it a great choice if you're frequently carting your gaming machine around in a backpack. <img src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/laptops/HP/HP%20Omen/HP%20Omen-1-420-100.jpg" alt="HP Omen" width="420"></img>HP OmenMany gaming laptops with a 960M inside don't feel the need to be stylish, but not the <a href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portable-pcs/laptops-and-netbooks/hp-omen1297304/review">HP Omen</a>. Steeply tapered edges and lights embedded around the chassis make for one of the most eye-catching models out there, and with 4GB of GDDR4 RAM and 16GB of main memory, there's enough grunt under the hood to take on today's most demanding games. It's pricier than other 960M-equipped laptops out there, but style-conscious gamers might think it's worth it.<img src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/laptops/MSI/GE72%20Apache%20Pro/GE726-420-100.jpg" alt="MSI GE72 Apache Pro" width="420"></img>MSI GE72 Apache ProThe <a href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/laptopsportable-pcs/laptops-and-netbooks/msi-ge72-apache-pro-1310802/review">MSI GE72</a> Apache Pro is an aggressively-styled machine with performance to match. It features plenty of storage for games and is a strong performer thanks to a sixth-generation Intel I7-6700HQ Skylake CPU under the hood paired with a GTX 960M (2GB vRAM) and up to 16GB of DRR4 RAM.<img src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/laptops/Dell/Inspiron%2015%207000%20gaming%20(2015)/De ll%20Inspiron%2015%207000-2-420-100.jpg" alt="Dell Inspiron 15 7000" width="420"></img>Dell Inspiron 15 7000Affordable yet powerful, the <a href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portable-pcs/laptops-andnetbooks/dell-inspiron-15-7000-1313374/review">Inspiron 15 7000</a> deploys Nvidia's GTX 960M to great effect. The mobile GPU's healthy 4GB of GDDR5 video memory means the Inspiron can chew through games packing large textures. If you can cope with its bulky chassis and slow hard drive, the Inspiron 15 7000's great display, speakers and battery life all add to its gaming credentials.<h3>GTX 950M</h3>Nvidia's GTX 950M is the lowest we would recommend you go if you're on the hunt for a gaming notebook. You're looking 1080p gaming squarely in the eye with this mobile chip, but be prepared to tune down some graphics settings (and the resolution) on more recent titles to hit 60 fps. The GTX 950M packs 640 CUDA cores and a base clock speed of 914 (plus boost), with a 128-bit memory interface.<img src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/laptops/HP/Pavilion%20Gaming%20(2015)/HP%20Pavilion%2 0Gaming-3-420-100.jpg" alt="HP Pavilion Gaming Notebook" width="420"></img>HP Pavilion Gaming NotebookOne of the best value gaming laptops out there, the <a href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/laptopsportable-pcs/laptops-and-netbooks/hp-pavilion-gaming-notebook-1306202/review">HP Pavilion Gaming Notebook</a> is a mean green gaming machine. It features Intel's new Skylake i7-6700HQ processor which also resides in Acer's Predator 15, though the 950M makes for a comparatively modest gaming machine. 60Hz gaming isn't out of the question, but you're more likely to achieve it playing titles from one or two years back and with the graphics turned down a notch or two.<ul><li>How's <a href="http://www.techradar.com/us/reviews/pc-mac/software/operatingsystems/windows-10-1267364/review">Windows 10</a> looking these days?</li></ul> http://www.techradar.com/news/mobile-computing/laptops/the-very-best-nvidia-gtx-950m-960m965m-970m-and-980m-laptops-for-games-1313574?src=rss&attr=all http://www.techradar.com/1313574 Kane Fulton 2016-03-06T13:20:00Z The automated home is a mess http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/Connected%20home/Apple%20HomeKit/Eve_Lifestyle_Eve_Weath er_Veranda-470-75.jpg <img src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/Connected%20home/Apple%20HomeKit/Eve_Lifestyle_Eve_ Weather_Veranda-470-75.jpg" alt="The automated home is a mess"/><h3>The future is nearly in our homes</h3>We've been promised the smart home for decades and always been disappointed, but we're told that this time is different.The smart home - a home where even the humblest appliance, plug socket or light bulb is connected to everything else and controllable through apps - is absolutely, positively, definitely ready for prime time. But is it? This year's <a href="http://www.techradar.com/news/world-of-tech/here-are-techradar-s-best-of-ces-2016-awards1312633">CES</a> may have been packed with smart home devices, but behind the home hub hype there's a mess of incompatible standards, security worries and the odd manufacturer behaving badly. <h3>Why standards matter</h3>Let's start with the language these machines speak. Standards are those languages: gadgets can only communicate with each other if they understand what you're saying. In smart homes those languages are standards such as Apple's HomeKit, Google's Weave and Samsung's SmartThings, and unfortunately those standards aren't compatible with one another.Let's say you've got an iPhone and you want to control your smart home with Siri. None of the major smart thermostats currently on sale in the UK - Heat Genius, Hive, Honeywell Ecohome, Nest, Tado and Heat Miser – are compatible with Apple's HomeKit, so Siri can't control them. Belkin WeMo smart switches aren't HomeKit-compatible either, and neither is the first generation of Philips' Hue smart lighting system (the second generation, launched in late 2015, does have HomeKit). The end result? You need a separate app for each system, and sometimes separate hardware too: for example, Hue bulbs communicate via a wireless technology called ZigBee, which requires adding a hub to your Wi-Fi router.It's a similar story with other standards. Google's Nest thermostat runs a version of its Weave software, although Nest Weave isn't the same as the Google Weave that's been published for others – so future Weave products may not work with Nest, even though they apparently share the same language. <img src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/portable_speakers/Amazon/Echo/review/amazon-echo-hero420-100.jpg" alt="IMage" width="420" title="We're some way from the point where one device, such as an Echo, controls everything."></img>Amazon's Echo requires Amazon-specific apps. And there are tons of smart home products from other manufacturers who use their own proprietary technologies and software too.Kevin Meagher is vice president of business development for <a href="http://www.roc-connect.com">ROC-Connect</a>, which works with some of the world's largest telecommunication firms, device manufacturers, utility firms and retailers to create smart home products and services. "I think the problem is not technology, but business models," he told techradar. "Many businesses don't want compatibility; they want to sell as many of their own proprietary branded products and services as possible… it is simpler to deploy point to point - single device, single app - in this early market." That's where the incompatibilities come from. Remember the early days of the internet, when the likes of AOL, CompuServe and The Microsoft Network offered competing walled gardens that didn't want you to go anywhere else? The smart home has its own walled gardens, and like the internet ones they'll have to go. As Meagher says, "the market has already started to recognise that consumers will not want to stand on the doorstep opening the door with one app, controlling the heating with another and so on." <h3>Getting smarter</h3>In addition to multiple standards, there are multiple ways for devices to connect to one another. Wi-Fi is currently ubiquitous, but it's too complex and powerhungry for smaller devices. To date smaller smart home devices have used low power mesh networking based on a different wireless standard, 802.15.4. <img src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/Connected%20home/Philips%20Hue/Philips-Hue-HomekitHub/Philips-Hue-Siri-1-420-100.jpg" alt="Image" width="420" title="hilips brought HomeKit to Hue with a new hub, but it also blocked third-party bulbs."></img>The big names here are ZigBee (which powers the likes of Hue) and ZWave (which is used by firms such as ADT). ZWave is proprietary – to use it, devices need to include Sigma's radio chips – but ZigBee is more open and more flexible.ZigBee became even more attractive this year, when at CES 2016 the ZigBee Alliance announced a partnership with Thread. Thread aims to create a standard protocol – like the internet's TCP/IP – for smart home devices, and its members include Google, ARM, Samsung and Qualcomm. Thread, like ZigBee, is based on 802.15.4. Thread is all about the connection; the software sits on top of it and could be Google's Weave, ZigBee's software or anybody else's. It's like web browsers: whether you use Chrome or Firefox, you're talking TCP/IP.Google's backing gives Thread a lot of weight – with Android on phones, the Brillo operating system on simpler devices, Thread communications and Weave tying everything together, it's a compelling system for device manufacturers – but there's another standard emerging, called HaLow. That's the Wi-Fi Alliance's name for the 802.11ah standard, which uses lower frequencies than traditional Wi-Fi for longer range and lower power consumption. Remember when Bluetooth LE sparked a boom in connected devices for smartphones? The Wi-Fi Alliance is hoping that HaLow is the milkshake that brings all the boys to the yard, where the boys are smart devices and the yard is your router.Meagher explains that manufacturers are working on what he calls "curated technologies", where the smart home systems use whatever technology they like best but plug into the key ecosystems such as Weave or HomeKit. <img src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/Connected%20home/Google%20Nest/new%20Nest%20thermos tat-420-100.jpg" alt="Images" width="420" title="Google's Nest was originally a closed system, but it now embraces third party devices."></img>"The good news for consumers is that if they buy into any of the ecosystems using curated technology, the devices are usually compatible across all platforms so the only expense to move between service providers might be a new hub," he says. That hub might be a brand new router – routers that offer Thread or HaLow support alongside the normal Wi-Fi channels are on the horizon – or it might be a dongle that plugs into an older router to enable specific smart home technologies.<h3>Hub-aaagh hubaaagh</h3>Updating your smart home with a new hub sounds like a great idea, and it's how Philips brought HomeKit compatibility to its ZigBee-based Hue lights: the new hub made your existing bulbs HomeKit compatible.Unfortunately, the upgrade also showed the dark side of smart home systems when a firmware update removed compatibility for cheaper third party bulbs. Philips said it was due to security and performance concerns, but the internet thought something more sinister was going on. For Meagher, shutting out other products is a move that can only hurt. "The more difficult they make it for customers to scale Philips products and force them to interoperate with other platforms, the less they will ultimately sell. Like a lot of manufacturers, they need to decide whether they are a service provider or a device supplier.<img src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/AAevents/Samsung%20Forum%202016/Samsung%20powerbot -420-100.jpg" alt="Image" width="420" title="></img><a href="http://www.techradar.com/news/digital-home/philips-hue-shuts-off-third-party-bulb-supportwith-drm-1311247">Philips has since promised to reverse the update</a>, and its "Friends of Hue" programme will certify non-Philips bulbs as safe to use with Hue systems. Google has a similar programme, Works With Nest, which turned the closed Nest system into a home automation hub for third party devices.One of our own concerns is of backing the wrong horse by choosing the wrong platform - which could be an expensive mistake. Meagher recommends "those with the most labels" detailing the smart home standards they support; ultimately, "devices with open APIs using the mainstream technologies will win the day." Samsung agrees: <a href="http://www.techradar.com/news/internet/samsung-it-s-time-weshut-up-about-the-internet-of-things-1314979?utm_content=bufferfe1b3&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&ut m_campaign=buffer">speaking at the Samsung European Forum</a>, Rory O'Neill said that he wanted to see the industry "breaking down any barriers to entry and keeping things simple… we have to use common standards so things will work together."We're some way from smart home systems where we can control absolutely everything with a single word to Siri, Cortana, Alexa or Google Now, and the likelihood of a single home automation standard rising to encompass everything seems rather unlikely. However, manufacturers are increasingly aware that compatibility matters, and there's every chance that devices will emerge that support Apple's HomeKit, Google's Weave and the wider Thread simultaneously."I believe there is a problem with various companies seeking to lock consumers into proprietary ecosystems but that will, in my view, ultimately fail," Meagher says. "When Nest first came to market it was a very rigid business model that did not allow any open access to APIs so customers could only use the Nest App. In just the last 2 years, as the smart home has evolved and there are many more platforms, they have relented and opened their APIs. For me this is proof that even the biggest players in any given sector will need to play fair or ultimately lose business." http://www.techradar.com/news/world-of-tech/the-automated-home-is-a-mess1316149?src=rss&attr=all http://www.techradar.com/1316149 Gary Marshall 2016-03-06T11:00:00Z '3D Touch' reportedly on its way to plenty more Android phones http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/MacLifeWebContent/3D%20Touch%20Home%20screen%20shortcu ts/3d_touch-hero-FLAT-470-75.jpg <img src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/MacLifeWebContent/3D%20Touch%20Home%20screen%20sh ortcuts/3d_touch-hero-FLAT-470-75.jpg" alt="'3D Touch' reportedly on its way to plenty more Android phones"/>From <a href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/gaming/gamingaccessories/samsung-gear-vr-1263308/review">VR headsets</a> to <a href="http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/10-must-have-3dtouch-apps-for-iphone-6s-and-6s-plus-1305290">3D Touch</a>, when one phone maker happens upon an innovative new idea, it's usually the case that everyone else then rushes to keep up with a version of their own.The pressure-sensitive displays are one of the key new features on <a href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/phones/mobile-phones/iphone-6s-1303758/review">this year's iPhones</a>, allowing you to press harder on the screen to access extra functions, and we've already seen the tech mimicked on the likes of <a href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/phones/mobile-phones/huawei-mate-s-1303274/review">the Huawei Mate S</a>.<a href="http://www.gizmochina.com/2016/03/02/xiaomi-meizu-oppovivo-reportedly-working-pressure-sensitive-displays/">According to GizmoChina</a>, the main Android phone makers from China are all rushing to join the party too: Xiaomi, Meizu, Oppo and Vivo all have some version of the technology in the pipeline, inside sources say.<h3>Just a touch</h3>The report also hints that the Nexus phone HTC is <a href="http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/google-may-havechosen-the-creator-of-its-new-nexus-phones-1313341">supposedly building for Google this year</a> will also get a pressure-sensitive display: it's just a rumour for now but it's one that makes sense.We know that "variable force sensing" technology is <a href="http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/new-synapticscontroller-set-to-bring-3d-touch-to-android-1306214">already available to phone manufacturers</a> if they want it - it's now just a question of how quickly they can get it added to their handsets for a reasonable cost.And while we didn't see any 3D Touch-style features on the new <a href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/phones/mobile-phones/samsung-galaxy-s71315188/review">Samsung Galaxy S7</a> or <a href="http://www.techradar.com/reviews/phones/mobile-phones/lg-g5-1315187/review">LG G5</a>, if the major Chinese firms were to add the technology, then the big players in South Korea would be likely to follow suit.<ul><li><a href="http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-andcommunications/mobile-phones/huawei-mate-s-wants-you-to-touch-it-in-a-different-way1303180">Huawei Mate S wants you to touch it in a different way</a></li></ul> http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/-3d-touch-reportedly-onits-way-to-plenty-more-android-phones-1316333?src=rss&attr=all http://www.techradar.com/1316333 David Nield 2016-03-06T10:41:00Z

Final Fantasy 9 for iOS and Android hits mobile devices

Related documents

Products

Support

Final Fantasy 9 for iOS and Android hits mobile devices

Related documents

Add this document to collection(s)

Add this document to saved

Suggest us how to improve StudyLib