A Steam Community announcement notes there was "some initial confusion" about the Ryse: Son of Rome system specifications they posted the other day, Crytek conveniently glossing over being the cause of the confusion (thanks DSOGaming). The specs they posted for the Windows edition of the action game turn out to be for 4K gameplay, so now they have offer a set that also covers the silent majority:

Minimum:

CPU: Dual core with HyperThreading technology or quad core CPU
Examples: Intel Core i3 2.8 GHz (3220T) or AMD Phenom II X4 3.2 GHz (945)
Memory: 4 GB RAM
GPU: DirectX 11 graphics card with 1 GB video RAM
Examples: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 or AMD Radeon HD 7770
OS: 64 bit Windows (Vista, 7, 8)
HDD: 26GB

Recommended:

CPU: Quad Core or Six Core CPU
Examples: Intel Core i5 3.3 GHz (2500k) or AMD FX-6350 3.9 GHz
Memory: 8 GB RAM
GPU: DirectX 11 graphics card with 2 GB video RAM
Examples: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660Ti or AMD Radeon 260x or 7850
OS: 64 bit Windows (Vista, 7, 8)
HD: 26GB

Recommended for 4k gameplay:

CPU: Quad Core or Eight Core CPU
Examples: Intel Core i7 3.5 GHz (2700k) or AMD FX-8350 4.0 GHz
Memory: 8 GB RAM
GPU: DirectX 11 graphics card with 4 GB video RAM
Examples: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780/ Titan or AMD Radeon 290x
OS: 64 bit Windows (Vista, 7, 8)
HD: 26GB

EA News bids goodbye to John Vechey, saying the founder of PopCap is leaving the company. They include a statement from him on his next steps:

Many of you know me as the energetic, happy-go-lucky founder of PopCap, and I want to use that energy to give something back for awhile until I figure out what's next. I will be spending some time working with environmental news non-profit Grist.org, of which I am a board member. I’ll be taking some non-violence workshops, furthering some of the things I’ve learned from being part of the Quaker community, while I explore peace and social justice issues, such as war abolition, prison reform, poverty and the effects of race and gender privilege.

And after that? Who knows what the future will hold. Maybe I’ll stick with non-profit work, maybe start a new company, or maybe join a bigger one. For now, I’m going to focus on getting some space, so I can appreciate the last fifteen years. :-)

So, this is goodbye for now, PopCap. I will always love you.

Kickstarter - The Land of Glorious Vaporware and Disappointment - Ten Ton Hammer.

• CT: Demon's Revenge by Yinyamina and Trexrell — Kickstarter. "A clash of two races, heroes struggling to bring unity and a mystery that can annihilate the world!‏All in this comic book-inspired RPG."
• Dungeon Kingdom - Sign of the Moon - Indiegogo. "Help to create the best 3D Dungeon Crawler video game for computers and mobiles !"
• Hullabaloo Steampunk animated film - Indiegogo. "The greatest animated film you get to help make." Thanks JDreyer.
• InfiniExplorers - Indiegogo. "Build Planet Bases, Extract Resources, Build SpaceShips and Explore The Infinite."

• Q&A: Carmack reveals the challenges of mobile VR game development - Gamasutra.

• Wireless charging to reach PCs, tablets next year. Thanks HARDOCP.
• Verizon Details VoLTE Rollout Plans.
• A 35% Discount on a Kindle Fire HD.
• Moto 360 sells out despite tough reviews. Thanks HARDOCP.

• Online Shopping could get cheaper in Australia. Thanks Darth Guybrush.

Thanks Ant.

• Oculus hopes the consumer Rift will sell for $200 to $400. Thanks HARDOCP.
• IBM wants to kill the hard drive it invented.
• 4K Blu-ray Poised For Holiday 2015 Debut.

Thanks Ant.

• Meet the shadowy tech brokers that deliver your data to the NSA.
• Three Essential Steps to Make Yourself More Hack-Proof.
• Microsoft, eBay apps open to man-in-the-middle diddle. Wait, what?
• Barclays brings finger-vein biometrics to Internet banking.

• The Counting Kingdom (Mac) on Christ Centered Gamer.

• AMD FirePro W9100 Professional Graphics Card on X-bit labs.
• ASUS X99 Deluxe (Intel X99) Motherboard on TweakTown.
• COUGAR 700M on Vortez.
• Crucial MX100 on X-bit labs.
• DeepCool Quanta DQ1250 1250W Power Supply on Nikk Tech.
• G.Skill Ripjaws4 DDR4-3000 16GB Quad-Channel Memory Kit on TweakTown.
• Gigabyte X99 Gaming 5 (LGA 2011-3) Motherboard on eTeknix.
• Intel Core i5-4670S and Core i5-4670T Processors on X-bit labs.
• Kingston HyperX Predator DDR4 16GB 3000MHz Memory Kit Review on Legit Reviews.
• MSI R9 280X Gaming 3G GPU on Modders-Inc.
• Raidon Runner GR2660 RAID Storage Enclosure on TweakTown.
• Samsung EVO 32GB and 64GB MicroSD Memory Cards on TweakTown.
• Sapphire R7 260X OC 1GB Graphics Card on eTeknix.
• SilverStone EB01-E and EB03 on APH Networks.
• VisionTek mSATA Enclosure on pcGameware.

• LORE – Sleeping Dogs Dev Lore in a Minute. Thanks Ant…
• A Game Developer's Comeback From Brain Surgery…
• Plante swaps Polygon for The Verge…

Happy birthday Sergio Aragonés! The man who killed Marty Feldman. Thanks Zdim.

Marginal Links:	Thanks Ant and Acleacius.
Play:	Rise of the Titans 2. Monsterland 4. Street Race 3.
Link:	How Memorizing “$19.05” Can Help You Outsmart the NYC MTA.
Science:	A hot cup of genome- Scientists percolate coffee's genetic secrets. Thanks Slashdot. Diaper-grown mushrooms to cut down waste. Thanks Slashdot.
Media:	Spider-Woman's Big Ass Is A Big Deal. Thanks NamecaF. Call of Duty Player Sings Coldplay Over the Mic - and It's Strangely Beautiful. Dalek Relaxation Tape. Thanks Cutter.