Our guide to Youtube Gaming

If you don’t want to play a game yourself, you can watch someone else show you how it’s done. David Crookes finds out how YouTube has tapped into the growing trend for live gaming streams

What is it?

YouTube Gaming (gaming.youtube.com) is a new spin-off from Google’s popular video service that’s aimed specifically at gamers. Available through your browser and via Android and iOS apps, it lets gamers produce live streams of their gameplay for other people to watch. YouTube says the site will “bring the gaming community closer together”, but it will also allow the company to better target the lucrative video-game audience with adverts.

Which Programs Are Slowing Down Your Computer?

David Crookes looks at how you can identify system resource hogs and what can you do about them

Is your gaming system struggling to run as well as you want it to? Is it faltering on the latest games and generally failing to capture the magic it had when you first built it? Well, you’re not alone. When you first start to use your computer or device, everything can feel shiny, new and fast; that wonderful feeling seldom lasts too long, though. The fact is that, the more you use Windows, Android, iOS and other operating systems, the greater the risk of tying up valuable system resources. This usually leads to slowdown, poor performance and frustration. The situation isn’t helped by the assortment of junkware often installed on your machine by manufacturers, which you most likely have been stuck with from the moment you made your purchase.

Rise Of The Robots

David Hayward looks at the next generation of robotics

Robotics is a subject that has always interested us. From watching Robbie the Robot from Forbidden Planet to legendary Class M-3 model B9 General Utility Non-Theorising Environmental Control Robot in Lost in Space.

Of course, the vision of robotics back in the 60s and 70s was somewhat different to today. More modern filming techniques have given us grander visions like the Terminator films and I Robot.

Top 5 Weird Tech Fixes

When things go awry, here are a few of the stranger solutions that actually work (sometimes)

1 The Whack

Although this practice probably isn’t as effective as it was in the days of CRT monitors and TVs, it’s still the case that if your tech isn’t working and you’ve tried everything else, you might as well try giving it a slap. Why this sometimes works is a mystery, but even if it doesn’t, it offers the added bonus of giving you a way to vent your frustration. Just remember, if you’re using the whack technique, try not to hit anything that might break off, and don’t blame us if it does.

Gameband + Minecraft

The young gamer’s ultimate wearable?

The success of Minecraft isn’t just centred on the gaming world any more. Indeed, this huge phenomenon has spread to film, TV, music and even hardware.

Most of the success of the new generation of virtual reality is said to come from those wanting a new perspective on their Minecraft world, with Notch himself donating a hefty sum to the Oculus Rift when it was first announced.