General Gaming Article

General Gaming Article


Cisco Kills The Cius Tablet

Posted: 27 May 2012 09:43 AM PDT

CiusThe little big tablet that almost nobody has ever heard of… has died. The Cisco Cius tablet was an Android based device that was customized from the ground up to be a corporate solution, which as it turns out nobody wanted to buy. In a blog post entitled "Empowering Choice in Collaboration", Cisco used every marketing term they could think of before admitting, "they will no longer invest in the Cius tablet".

To make matters worse anyone who bought devices up to this point will be forever stuck in time since development of the platform is also coming to a halt. We are paraphrasing a bit of course, but you get the idea. If you are one of the unfortunate few who picked up a Cisco Cius, you got yourself a fancy piece tablet history, but sadly not much else.

Announcements like these are not just a blow to owners of the platform, but the entire non-iPad tablet movement. Abandoning users means no future updates or support, and that's never a good thing. At least with the iPad you know Apple has you covered, and Windows 8 should theoretically offer the same piece of mind.

Toshiba Gives Up On Netbooks in North America

Posted: 27 May 2012 08:08 AM PDT

ToshibaTwo years ago netbooks were all the rage, but how quickly fortunes can fade. Over the last year the market has been losing share to low cost notebooks and tablets at an astonishing pace, leading some manufacturers to back out completely. Toshiba is the latest OEM to call it quits, and the new Toshiba Portege Z830 shown here will never see the light of day here in North America.

The Portege looked like a pretty impressive machine by netbook standards, featuring the new N2600 Cedar Trail Intel chip, however unless you happen to find yourself vacationing in "emerging markets" it will probably be a bit hard to track down. Acer, Asus, and HP are still selling netbooks in North America if you are looking for alternatives, but we can't help but wonder if this isn't the start of a larger trend.

With volumes dropping off, and margins so thin, will netbooks die a slow painful death over the next few years? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. 

Steve Ballmer has 80 Inches....of Computing

Posted: 27 May 2012 07:27 AM PDT

Windows 8 MetroIn a recent interview with Wired UK, Microsoft VP Frank Shaw admitted that CEO Steve Baller has an 80-inch Windows 8 tablet hanging on the wall in his office. What did you think I was going to say?  "It's his whiteboard, his e-mail machine," Shaw said, "and it's a device we're going to sell." Windows 8 was shown off at last years CES on an 80-inch Sharp Aquos touch display, however the model Shaw is referencing here is something new.

According to Ballmer "Every screen should be touch, every screen should be a computer and should be able to see out as well as see in. That is the way the world is heading [and] those screens are going to be big, small, wall-sized and desk-sized."

Microsoft's decision to focus so many of their resources on products without a proven market demand is arguably one of the boldest moves the company has ever made, and it will be interesting to see where this goes. Windows 8 will ship on exponentially more laptops and desktops when it hits the scene later this year, we just hope they strike the right balance. The last thing Microsoft needs at this point is a Vista style reputation blow that leaves people scrambling post launch to find Windows 7 downgrade options.

Would you hang an 80-inch Windows 8 Touch PC on your wall? If you cut a hole in the wall and mount a camera on the back you could actually make it into a real window!

MMO Updates

MMO Updates


RIFT hints at expansion details with strange box

Posted: 27 May 2012 10:00 AM PDT

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RIFT - strange gift box
Trion's coy marketing campaign for RIFT's next update continues. Yesterday we received a mysterious box containing the following: two posters featuring historical raids, a level with a "10" sticker on it, four soles, six keys (one of which was labeled Port Tempest), five glass prisms, and a red hooded cloak.

What does all this mean?

PCGamer received a similar bundle and has posted its thoughts, and we tend to agree. Chances are good that we're looking at a major RIFT expansion featuring new raids, new souls, a level-cap increase, and six new areas. And the glass prisms? We have no idea, so stay tuned.

MassivelyRIFT hints at expansion details with strange box originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 27 May 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Previously on MV TV: The week of May 19th

Posted: 27 May 2012 08:00 AM PDT

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Previously On banner
Missing livestreams is so 2011! There's no excuse now, what with the livestream schedule page going up every week, the constant reminders across Twitter, and the super-cool regulars we have who hang out in the chat room with us. But, alas, some of you do occasionally miss a stream or two and need someone to point out what you might have missed. That someone would be me, and this column is the place to go.

Last week we had all sorts of cool stuff. Some of the highlights? First we had Richie with some Diablo III Hell-smashing action, MJ deciding to run some dungeons in EverQuest II and Aion, finishing up her Choose My Adventure run in City of Heroes and checking up housing decorations in Vanguard. I'm known to run a stream or two as well, and this week I showed off the new fully voice-acted quest Song from the Depths in RuneScape.

Click past the cut and enjoy!

Continue reading Previously on MV TV: The week of May 19th

MassivelyPreviously on MV TV: The week of May 19th originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 27 May 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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    The Daily Grind: What's your ideal group size?

    Posted: 27 May 2012 06:00 AM PDT

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    Three's a crowd.  Unless you're doing a quest requiring a group of three.
    Every MMO lets you team up with other players. This is unsurprising, seeing as how it's one of the main selling points of the genre. But there's always an upward limit, and always target team sizes that the game bases content around. Content is largely designed in World of Warcraft to target groups of five, Guild Wars tailors most of its content for groups of eight, and Final Fantasy XI expects a team of six. But each of these games also provide content for more variable sizes.

    Today's question isn't whether or not you like teaming up, it's about what your ideal majority size would be. Do you generally prefer to have a group of three? Groups of two? Groups of five? How many people do you like to party up with on a regular basis? Or would you prefer that most content simply scaled to the number of participants involved?

    Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!

    MassivelyThe Daily Grind: What's your ideal group size? originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 27 May 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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      The Mog Log: The Legacy rewards and what they mean

      Posted: 26 May 2012 04:00 PM PDT

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      The Mog Log header by A. Fienemann
      So, who here remembers the Final Fantasy XIV launch? I certainly do; I was there and I've been here since, after all. And who here remembers how the game launched to critical acclaim and overwhelming popularity?

      Yeah, okay. I liked the game at launch, but that was more because of the underlying philosophies and approaches, not because the whole thing was polished to a fine shine. It was almost two years ago now, and the game has had to go through a lot of growing pains in that time, fixing a lot of elements that didn't work and adjusting stuff that was almost there but not quite. It's been a long process of hammering out fixes and improvements, one that included a long stretch of no subscription fee as the game cleaned itself up.

      We're nearly at the end of that process now, but Square-Enix is trying to show everyone that the company appreciates players who have been around during the game's teething troubles. That's the Legacy program in a nutshell -- a chance for players to signify having been around for an extended period of time. A badge of honor, a show of loyalty, and arguably another little bit of bait to get people to subscribe now instead of later.

      Continue reading The Mog Log: The Legacy rewards and what they mean

      MassivelyThe Mog Log: The Legacy rewards and what they mean originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 26 May 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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        The Tattered Notebook: The passing of Ribbitribbitt

        Posted: 26 May 2012 12:00 PM PDT

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        Ribbitribbitt
        This week's Tattered Notebook started off business as usual. I was putting together part two of a look at the layers of change in EverQuest II through the years. But I was also mulling over a column about the new Hero's Edge items that arrived on the Marketplace; something I had just speculated about in a recent column. There was also the news about upcoming crafting changes to talk about.

        And then, suddenly everything gets put into perspective. Ribbitribbitt, the young EQII fan who had been battling cancer, passed away at the age of six. A couple of months ago, the EQII community got a request for assistance in building an in-game playground from his mother, and what followed was an unprecedented show of support. His mother, Myrose, passed along the sad news to the community this past week with a brief forum post, and the community mourned his loss.

        In this week's Tattered Notebook, we'll explore how Ribbitribbitt brought a community together, and look at the grieving process from losing an in-game friend.

        Continue reading The Tattered Notebook: The passing of Ribbitribbitt

        MassivelyThe Tattered Notebook: The passing of Ribbitribbitt originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 26 May 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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          The Elder Scrolls Online using HeroEngine 'as a whiteboard'

          Posted: 26 May 2012 11:00 AM PDT

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          The Elder Scrolls Online - using HeroEngine as a whiteboard
          Fan outcry over the announcement of The Elder Scrolls Online was long and loud, not just for the presumed MMOification of a beloved single-player franchise, but for the toolset chosen by ZeniMax Online Studios to bring the world of Tamriel to its new audience.

          Game Informer confirms that ZeniMax is using the HeroEngine -- which also powers Star Wars: The Old Republic, and which has come under fire from some in the MMO fan community. Game director Matt Firor says that the firm isn't using the engine like you may expect, though.

          "Think of HeroEngine as a whiteboard for us -- a great tool to get some ideas in the game and start looking at them while the production engine was in development," he explains.

          [Thanks to Austin for the tip!]

          MassivelyThe Elder Scrolls Online using HeroEngine 'as a whiteboard' originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 26 May 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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          MMOGaming News

          MMOGaming News


          Combat and Skill in The Elder Scrolls Online

          Posted:

          Combat and Skill in The Elder Scrolls Online


          There is a skill bar with 6 slots, according to gameplay designer Nick Konkle, and the first 2 slots are for weapon skills since you can equip various types of weapons.

          Details to Retina System of Code X7

          Posted:

          Details to Retina System of Code X7


          The retina is one of the most important human organs, even Apple Inc named its iPhone HD screen after it. While the next-gen MMORPG Code X7 announced by Changyou applies a retina simulation system that is made by Darkfire engine.

          PlanetSide 2 Massive Air Combat Trailer

          Posted:

          PlanetSide 2 Massive Air Combat Trailer


          Take a look at the latest trailer for Sony's upcoming MMOFPS PlanetSide 2.

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