General Gaming Article

General Gaming Article


Sony Claims it Might Actually Make a Quick Profit off the PS4 Thanks to its PC Inspired Design

Posted: 12 May 2013 07:54 PM PDT

Playstation 4 Controller

AMD picks up the R&D tab for this generation of consoles.

When the Xbox 360 and PS3 first faced off in the market, both companies took a bath on the hardware. The custom designs pitted two companies with two very different architectures against each other in the market, and consumers really had no way of knowing which was superior. Seven years later the general conscious seems to give Sony the slight nod when it comes to pure console performance potential, but ultimately Microsoft was much better at exposing functionality to developers. PS3 exclusives tended to feature tons of eye candy, but cross platform titles always seemed to work slightly better on the 360. Fast forward to 2013 and both companies appear to be targeting a super charged PC architecture powered by AMD, and as a result, they might actually make money this time.

Sony CFO Masaru Kato reassured investors on their most recent earnings call that, "Unlike PS3, we are not planning a major loss to be incurred with the launch of PS4. At the time we developed PS3, we made a lot of in-house investments to develop the chip, the Cell chip," he explained. "Development of the chip saw the silicon processing and all the facilities invested by us ourselves. But this time, yes we have a team working on chip development, but we already have existing technology to incorporate and also product investment and all the facilities will now be invested by our partners, other foundries, so we don't have to make all the investment in-house."

Making a profit off each console will make a huge difference for Sony who continues to struggle to maintain dominance, but not if it means the price tag comes in north of $400. Consumers have become conditioned to pay less for consoles, and those with a serious budget have turned to the PC.  Comparing Sony and Microsoft hardware will probably be much easier this generation, so hopefully the competition will the keep pricing in line, and console games just need to pick an ecosystem.

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Google Play Games Leaks Out Ahead of Google I/O

Posted: 12 May 2013 12:45 PM PDT

Google Play

Google knocks off another iOS feature.

With Google I/O just a few days away, details are starting to leak out on new Android features. One of the most notable leaks is a new app called Google Play Games. The news comes courtesy of Android Police, who obtained a leaked build of Google Play Services which contains references to achievements, in-game chat, matchmaking, cloud save syncing, and even leaderboards.

Of course you could argue that Google is simply playing catch up with iOS here, but it's also one of the few places where you could make the case Apple has a superior offering. We have also learned that the app will have deep hooks into Google+, presumably to better facilitate user ID authentication, and help you find friends to game with. 

Will this be an add-on for Jelly Bean? Or the next version of Android? We won't know for a few more days, but keep it locked to Maximumpc.com for the latest.

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Microsoft Releases a New Round of Cringe Worthy Ads

Posted: 12 May 2013 11:26 AM PDT

Microsoft Attack Ad

Google Docs doesn't work well without the net, so he's taking it with him.

Microsoft spends countless millions each year on advertising, but the bizarre tone and style of the final product sometimes leaves us scratching our heads. We've compiled a list of 5 recent Microsoft marketing videos, and we want to know what you the reader make of them. The clips are hosted on YouTube (who graciously picks up the bandwidth bill on the Google attack ads), and believe me when we say the irony wasn't lost on us. 

Microsoft vs. Google Docs

The first ad focuses on a pair of hopeful gambles, and a start struck business guy fixated on the Google Docs table. He gambles his upcoming promotion (we aren't even sure how that's possible) on the off chance he could win a pair of keychain dice, and passes out when he loses.

The second ad portrays a 3 vs. 3 half court basketball game, where Google Docs embarrass himself over and over.

Windows 8 vs. The World 

The only defense I can offer on these clips is that they were intended for international audiences, so perhaps some of the cultural nuances are lost on us.

 

 

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MMO Updates

MMO Updates


One Shots: A light in the dark

Posted: 12 May 2013 08:00 AM PDT

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One Shots A light in the dark
Reader Andrew is quite impressed with the look of Neverwinter, saying that it is visually "amazing!" Without descending into hyperbole, I have to agree. It's a good-looking title with plenty of interesting details if you take the time to stop and smell the corpses.

Corpses? Well, Andrew is standing in the middle of a whole bunch of dead folks here with his spectral flashlight (AA batteries not included). I wouldn't touch that treasure chest if I were you, Andrew. I'm guessing it might be a mimic. Oh no!

As we stumble through the dark, what other visions might we encounter in this week's One Shots?

Continue reading One Shots: A light in the dark

MassivelyOne Shots: A light in the dark originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 12 May 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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    The Daily Grind: Which MMO races do you detest?

    Posted: 12 May 2013 06:00 AM PDT

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    The Daily Grind Which races do you detest
    My loathing of Elves is not only well-documented here on Massively, but stretches back to my childhood. I've just never liked them, period. Maybe it's because they're the preppie cool kids in my mind's John Hughes movie, or maybe it's their incredible haughty arrogance and froofy love of flowerwear. In any case, I don't like them, I don't play them, and I feel perfectly fine wishing all manner of humiliating harm upon them. After all, they're pretend and that makes it OK, right?

    So in the tongue-in-cheek spirit of imaginary racism, which pretend species makes your skin crawl in MMOs? Can you not abide by Dwarves no matter what? Do Gnomes irk you? Will your eyes roll out of your head if you see another humanoid cat race invade your gaming space? Let's get our hate on this morning! Whee!

    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: Which MMO races do you detest? originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 12 May 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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      Black Gold Online features 300 square kilometers to explore, dynamic events, and more

      Posted: 11 May 2013 04:00 PM PDT

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      Black Gold Online action combat
      Snail Games may be best known for Age of Wushu, but that may change later this year as the company's Black Gold Online makes it way west. The steampunk fantasy title recently received a website update and a feature listing in its native China, and MMO Culture has translated the details.

      Those details include 300 square kilometers of explorable landmass, two factions, six races, and 18 classes. The game will also feature dynamic events of some sort, as well as faction wars and cross-server PvP.

      Action combat is on the menu, too, as are a variety of mounts including "mecha suits," anti-air tanks, flying dragons, and more. We've embedded a six-minute gameplay trailer from late last year just past the break.

      Continue reading Black Gold Online features 300 square kilometers to explore, dynamic events, and more

      MassivelyBlack Gold Online features 300 square kilometers to explore, dynamic events, and more originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 11 May 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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      The Mog Log: Final Fantasy XIV beta phase 1 and 2 - gathering

      Posted: 11 May 2013 02:00 PM PDT

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      Fit the pieces together.
      We all like to stop and smell the roses. And then we like to pluck those roses, bring them home, and melt them into component enzymes that will allow us access to a temporary attack power buff. Final Fantasy XIV is beautiful, sure, but you need that attack power bonus.

      If it isn't obvious, this week's stop on my whirlwind beta tour is the fine art of grabbing items from the landscape and turning them into crafting fodder. Final Fantasy XIV had quite an interesting gathering system at launch, but it also had some pretty serious problems, and so the relaunch had to completely revamp the system while retaining the soul of the original version. No pressure.

      Not a whole lot changed in terms of gathering between my time in San Francisco and my time in the beta, but I did have a great deal more time to try out the gathering system. So let's take a walk on the self-sufficient side.

      Continue reading The Mog Log: Final Fantasy XIV beta phase 1 and 2 - gathering

      MassivelyThe Mog Log: Final Fantasy XIV beta phase 1 and 2 - gathering originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 11 May 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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        Tattered Notebook: It's the little things that count in EQII updates

        Posted: 11 May 2013 12:00 PM PDT

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        Tattered Notebook  It's the little things that count  a look at EQII updates
        It's like they know me! You'd think with all the bag functionalities that SOE has introduced to EverQuest II this year that the devs have watched my livestreams and taken pity on me and my storage predicament. And it didn't stop with just one new addition; even after one set of sorting capabilities was released, another set came along. With all these new organizational tools, there is a chance even I might actually find something in my oft-overstuffed bags. (Clean bags, however, is another matter entirely and not likely to be resolved!)

        Now bag sorting in and of itself really doesn't sound like a big deal, the kind complete with flashing lights and a ticker-tape parade. It's not. In fact, it's pretty much a little thing... well, except for micro-managers and packrats, of course. So why in heavens would I be spending time talking about piddly updates in EQII when such an expansive one recently released? Because getting the little things (and getting them with regularity) is big. The subject of minor updates warrants just as much attention as a named one like Scars of the Awakened, both for what the updates are and for what they portend. And those updates bode well for everyone.

        Continue reading Tattered Notebook: It's the little things that count in EQII updates

        MassivelyTattered Notebook: It's the little things that count in EQII updates originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 11 May 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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