General Gaming Article

General Gaming Article


Best Music Streaming Services Roundup

Posted: 06 Nov 2013 02:29 PM PST

We audition several streaming music services and give you the low down on each one

A candidate for the world's oldest known instrument is the Divje Babe Flute carved from the femur of a cave bear over 40,000 years ago. Replicas proved it was capable of two and a half octaves, or three if overblowing. Over time, musical instruments would become more sophisticated, as would the songs, but one thing that hasn't changed is the inherent love of music that nearly all human beings seem to possess.

music stream

Things are a little different today. Rather than rocking out in caves to the sounds put out by animal bones, most of us pull our songs from the Internet. Even listening to CDs is fast becoming a prehistoric practice. Music streaming services abound, and thanks to constant connections from smartphones, tablets, and dedicated media players, symphonies and songs are now nearly always within reach.

Not all music streaming services are created equal, however, and while a paid subscription to each one would offer the best of all worlds, most people would find such a solution both cost prohibitive and unwieldy. Your best bet is to figure out which streaming service is best for your particular needs, and then pony up a subscription to enjoy all the benefits it has to offer. The question is, which one should you choose?

We're here to help answer that. While we'd like to feign it was hard work test driving the various streaming services, the truth is, we loved every moment of it. We also learned a lot about each one and are eager to share that knowledge so you can make an informed decision. Are you ready? Let's get started!

Pandora

Pandora's a bit of an old fogey in the streaming music game. The service planted its roots way back in 2000 -- a year before Windows XP launched, in case a bit of perspective is needed. That's when it began work on the Music Genome Project, a technology that analyzes hundreds of aspects of each song in an attempt to learn a listener's preferences and be able to predict what other songs the listener might like.

In 2005, Pandora Radio launched, and by April 2013, the service announced it had leapfrogged 200 million users and 70 million active monthly listeners. In terms of users, it's the most popular streaming music service around, which is partially a benefit of being the oldest among the group.

Pandora on iPad

Unlike the other options in this roundup, Pandora is strictly a discovery service, meaning you can't look up specific songs like an on-demand service. You can, however, create radio stations based on specific songs, artists, or genre, and Pandora will do its best to serve up songs that fit your station. Over time, stations become better tailored to your preferences as you give songs thumbs up and thumbs down, the latter of which ensures you'll never hear a particular tune again.

Pandora is free to use (ad-supported) with up to 6 skips per hour and no more than 12 skips per day across all stations. A Pandora One account runs $3.99/month, or you can shell out $36 for an annual subscription. Doing so removes all external advertising, allows access to the Pandora One desktop app (functions independently of a browser window), increases the music quality to 192kbps, offers custom skins, and removes the daily skip limit, though you're still restricted to 6 skips per hour, per station.

Another benefit to Pandora's tenure is that its developers have had plenty of time to expand the service to different mobile platforms. Pandora is available on Android, iOS, Windows Phone, and BlackBerry, and also comes pre-installed in several vehicles as well as stereo and navigation units.

Unfortunately, Pandora's catalog is surprisingly thin for being the oldest streaming service around. It has less than 1 million songs and is especially limited if you're into indie music or otherwise obscure songs. In addition, Pandora recently set a restriction of 40 hours of music per month for free users, citing rising royalty rates as the reason why.

Final Word: Pandora's great for discovering new types of music and songs you may not have considered, but ultimately limited in depth and functionality.

Spotify

Whereas Pandora is all about discovering new music by using an advanced algorithm to analyze your listening preferences, Spotify is an on-demand service that allows you to look up specific songs from a robust catalog of around 20 million tracks, likely the most of any on-demand music service (not all streaming services are forthcoming with how many songs are available).

Spotify has only been available in the U.S. since 2011 (it launched in Sweden in 2008), but it took the market by storm when it debuted with an expansive catalog and various membership tiers. Today you have three options. The first is Spotify Free, an ad-supported version of Spotify in which you can listen to unlimited music in the U.S. on your desktop or laptop through a desktop app or Spotify's new web player (Spotify places a 10 hour monthly limit in some other countries).

Spotify

The second option is Spotify Unlimited. It runs $4.99/month and offers the same service, but without ads of any kind. What you can't do is listen to music on your mobile devices via the Spotify app, nor can you can download music for offline listening. Those two features are only available on the third tier, Spotify Premium, which runs $9.99/month.

Spotify's music quality is higher than Pandora if you have the bandwidth to support higher bitrates. You can set playback to Low (96kb/s), High (160kb/s), and Extreme (320kb/s), just be careful to balance music quality with data fees if you're concerned about hitting your wireless carrier's data cap.

One of the few weak points is Spotify's interface. Navigating the web and desktop app can be a bit cumbersome, though the mobile app is much more intuitive. We also don't like that Spotify is so strict about multiple logins. If one of your kids or spouse tries to log into Spotify while you're already using it, one of you is likely to get the boot.

Final Word: Spotify offers the most music and features, and sounds great to boot. However, there's room for improvement by allowing multiple users and cleaning up the desktop interface.

Slacker Radio

If it's been a long time since you last looked at Slacker Radio, you owe it to yourself to give it another glance. Facing stiff competition from what has become a crowded market, Slacker Radio reinvented itself earlier this year with a new look and simplified interface that's similar in style to Microsoft's Metro UI. That's an apples to oranges comparison, but large fonts and tiles abound in Slacker Radio on the web, all of which appear underneath a persistent search bar at the top.

Like Spotify, the free version of Slacker Radio is ad-supported, and you can expect lots of them. However, freeloaders don't enjoy on-demand access. It's essentially an Internet radio service with certain restrictions, such as only being able to view partial song lyrics. You're also limited to six song skips per hour, per station.

Slacker Radio

Subscribing to Slacker Radio Plus runs $3.99/month and does away with all commercials. You're also allotted unlimited song skips, as well as the ability to customize and download your favorite stations for offline listening. Even better is the Slacker Premium plan for $9.99/month. It offers the same features, plus on-demand access to tunes. Simply search for a desired song and listen to it right away rather than wait for a custom radio station to get around to playing it.

Slacker Radio's curated radio stations are awesome with personalized picks from experts who live and breathe music. You'll find the usual suspects, like today's pop hits, but also a range of off-the-wall stations, such as "50 Most Embarrassing Facebook Songs," "55 Songs You Think Suck But Don't," "Twitter Top 50," and plenty of others. Slacker Radio also serves up sports via ESPN and various ABC News stations.

As an Internet radio service, Slacker Radio has the edge against all other competitors, and it has all the major mobile platforms covered. However, its music catalog sits at 13 million songs, which limits its appeal as an on-demand service when there are competitors wielding bigger libraries.

Final Word: Slacker Radio is a superior version of Pandora, but falls a little short of Spotify.

Google Play Music All Access

Google wins the award for the streaming music service with the longest, most ridiculous title. Calling it Gmusic (gMusic?) would have been easier on the tongue, but luckily for Google, this has no bearing on our evaluation.  We're more interested in what this online giant can bring to the party that others can't or don't, and one of those things is a sizable music locker. Whether you opt for a free or paid account, Google offers to store up to 20,000 of your own songs from your computer in your locker.

Songs are uploaded via Google's Music Manager desktop application. To save time (and bandwidth), the Music Manager software will scan your iTunes library and/or any music folder on your PC and match your local collection with what's already available on Google Play. Any matches are instantly added to your locker. Songs that don't have a match are uploaded.

Google Play Music All Access

There's no need to sync devices since music is stored in a virtual locker. If you buy a new track or album on your Android smartphone, you can listen to it instantly on your tablet or PC, so long as you're connected to the Internet. Again, this is all available on the free (Standard) tier, which doesn't have any ads.

That's where the free ride ends, however, as you can't listen to radio stations or look up songs for on-demand access. Those features are available as part of the sole All Access subscription, which is free to try for 30 days and $9.99/month thereafter (early adopters are grandfathered in at $7.99/month).

Google has licensing deals in place with all three major music labels (Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, and Warner Music Group) and advertises a catalog of over 18 million songs, a little shy of Spotify's 20 million catalog. Each song is available for on-demand listening, though you can also create personalized radio stations and listen to music with unlimited skips.

One of the nice things about Google's service is you can rearrange your music queue. Peeking at upcoming songs takes away the element of surprise, but adds a layer of customization unique to Google. You can also download songs for offline listening on mobile devices.

Overall, this is a good first effort from Google, but it's not fully baked. For instance, there's very little social integration - you can share an album on Google Plus but you can't see what your friends are jamming to. We're also disappointed that it's taking so long for Google to expand its mobile app outside of Android and into Windows Phone and iOS territories. Finally, it just feels a bit barebones compared to the other popular services. The interface is most minimalistic, which is perhaps a carryover from Google's design philosophy for Chrome, and the fun factor from having so many curated stations (including goofy ones) to choose from like Slacker Radio is missing here.

Final Word: Google Play Music All Access, despite tripping off the tongue like a razor blade, has the potential to be awesome, but not until Google fleshes it out.

Click the next page to see how iTunes Radio, Rdio, and other music streaming services stack up.

 


 

iTunes Radio

The success of other streaming services didn't go unnoticed by Apple, and with its iTunes being wildly popular, why not leverage that brand recognition and vast catalog into an offering of its own? That's exactly what Apple recently did with the unveiling of iTunes Radio.

Within a matter of days, iTunes Radio racked up 11 million listeners, and now a month later, that number has nearly doubled to 20 million users and 1 billion song plays. That's right on par with Spotify's user base, though still far less than Pandora's nearly 73 million active users.

iTunes Radio

Where iTunes Radio has an advantage over Pandora as an Internet radio service is a library of songs that's 27 million tracks deep, with thousands more added each week, including exclusives. It's not a match for on-demand services like Spotify or Google Play All Music Access, but if it's DJ-curated stations you're after, you'll find 250 of them on iTunes Radio, plus you can create your own stations.

Another advantage of iTunes Radio over Pandora is you might hear a song before it's officially released. Like Pandora, iTunes Radio is free with ads, or you can purchase an iTunes Match subscription for $25 per year for an ad-free experience. With iTunes Match, you can also store up to 25,000 of your songs in the iCloud -- Apple's version of a virtual storage locker -- or more if you purchase music from iTunes, as those tracks don't count against your limit.

So, what's not to like about iTunes Radio? Well, it's served up through iTunes. On mobile, it's only available on iOS devices, and there's been no indication that will ever change. Finally, Pandora's advanced algorithm seems to do a better job than iTunes Radio in predicting songs we're apt to like.

Final Word: iTunes Radio is easy to navigate and has a ton of songs, but doesn't offer on-demand access or support for anything other than iTunes (on PC) and iOS.

Rdio

Having trouble deciding which music service is best suited for you and whether or not you want to pay for a subscription? Rdio doesn't rush you into making a decision, and instead gives you unfettered on-demand access to over 20 million songs for six months at no cost. All you have to do is register an account, sign in, and select five accounts to "Follow," options of which include Billboard, Blues Rock Review, Rolling Stone, CeeLo Green, and many more. After you've selected a quintuplet, you're ready to start browsing songs, playing albums, or listening to radio stations.

After your six months are up, you no longer have on-demand access to songs, though you can still listen to stations for free. To keep the on-demand party going, however, you can subscribe to Web for $4.99/month and fire up specific tracks on any browser or desktop, or opt for the Unlimited plan at $9.99/month and extend listening capabilities to mobile, Roku, and Sonos. If you subscribed to the Unlimited plan, you can add family members at a 50-percent discount for additional account, which is a great option.

Rdio

Rdio's interface is rather sparse and at the same time dead simple to navigate. Linked options appear in a column on the left and include things like Heavy Rotation (trending albums), Recent Activity, Top Charts, New Releases, and more. That's also where your custom playlists will appear.

Media controls appear at the bottom when a song is playing, and if you click the little album icon in the lower right corner, it expands in your browser to show a list of the album's songs. A "plus" icon appears next to each one (and on albums). Clicking it brings up several options, allowing you to add a song to your collection, sync to mobile, play later, add to playlist, download, or share on Facebook or Twitter.

Rdio has chosen not to share exact bitrates, a decision it justifies by saying "we experiment with different rates and encoding formats in an effort to provide the best possible listening and user-experience." Rather than experiment on our behalf, we'd prefer if Rdio let us choose a bitrate like some of the other services do.

Rumor has it, radio giant Cumulus Media is getting ready to back Rdio, and it's expected there will be a free, ad-supported tier available by the end of the year. If and when that happens, Rdio could become more popular than Spotify. As it stands, these two services are very close to one another in terms of overall appeal, with Spotify earning a narrow victory by offering on-demand access for free with ads.

Final Word: Rdio is an awesome alternative to Spotify, and if the Cumulus partnership comes to fruition, it could become our new favorite.

iHeartRadio

True to its name, iHeartRadio is for people who love listening to the radio. It offers access to 1,500 live radio stations across the country, so if you recently relocated and miss the radio stations you used to listen to, iHeartRadio will reunite you, making the transition that much easier.

You're not limited to live radio, however. You can create your own custom stations based on a catalog of over 15 million songs and 400,000 artists. That's not even the best part -- you get this functionality for free, and without commercials! That's right, iHeartRadio turns the streaming music game on its head by offering an uninterrupted music listening experience for free.

iHeartRadio

Like most other similar services, you can upvote or downvote a song so that a station adapts to your music listening preferences. You'll find the thumbs up and thumbs down icon in the upper right-hand corner, along with an icon to bring up a song's lyrics, and a shopping cart button to purchase a track from either iTunes or Amazon.

There are a handful of preset playlists for a range of different moods and activities. These include Studying, Family Time, Happy Hour, Recharging, Kids, and A Fall Day. Clicking any of these brings up a selection of stations, such as Country Drinking Songs being a branch of Happy Hour.

That's iHeartRadio in a nutshell. Everything is free -- there are no paid tiers to subscribe to -- and it's all accessible online, on mobile devices, in your car (via certain makes/models and dash units), and on connected devices such as Xbox and Google TV.

Some limitations exist in iHeartRadio. Skips max out at 15 total per day, and six per hour per station. You can't rewind or fast forward a song, and once you give a track a thumbs up or thumbs down, it's a permanent vote. That final bit is a lot of pressure to put on a person, and it really sucks if you accidentally click one or the other.

Final Word: The definitive service for radio listening diehards, though it's not without some annoying limitations.

Rhapsody

It's important to make a good first impression, and unfortunately for Rhapsody, the lack of a free tier left us feeling sour from the outset. To add insult to injury, you're forced to fork over credit card (or PayPal) details before you can test drive Rhapsody. In Rhapsody's favor, it does give you 30 days to examine the service before you're charged, but we still don't like having to give up financial information just to take a peek.

Regardless, we were willing to give Rhapsody a fair shake by signing up for its $9.99/plan (Rhapsody Premier), the less expensive of the two plans available. What you get in return is on-demand access to 18 million songs, ad-free music, and online and offline access. You're only allowed to download music to a single device on this plan. For $14.99/month (Rhapsody Premier Plus), Rhapsody ups the offline ante to three mobile devices. Otherwise, both plans are the same.

Rhapsody

One feature parents may appreciate are basic parental controls, which allow you to restrict access to content marked as Explicit or Parental Advisory. To access them, you have to verify your personal details, including your credit card information.

High-quality streaming is limited to 192kbps. However, Rhapsody gives you an equalizer to play with on your mobile device. It's fairly sparse, but the limited controls do have a noticeable affect on playback, and we like that there's a bass boost option. Rhapsody also includes presets for Classical, Dance, Jazz, Pop, Rock, and Custom.

Rhapsody's mobile interface isn't great looking, though it's fairly easy to navigate. Downloading songs for offline access is especially easy.

We don't want to beat a dead horse, but the lack of a free tier is a disadvantage for Rhapsody. We're also bummed that the $9.99/tier limits syncing to only one device. If Rhapsody wants to compete with the likes of Spotify and Rdio, it has to up its game.

Final Word: Rhapsody has a deep catalog and makes downloading songs for offline access very easy, but there a few deal killers that prevent it from being a favorite.

And the Music Streaming Winner is...

It was a close race between Spotify and Rdio, but we give the slight edge to Spotify for offering a free, ad-supported option with on-demand access. Spotify's web interface could use a bit of tweaking, but overall, it's an awesome service with an extensive catalog of titles. To truly take advantage of the service, we recommend subscribing to Spotify Premium ($9.99/month) so that you can download songs to your mobile device for offline listening. This is great for those times when you're stuck without Internet access, such as camping trips or driving through dead-zones.

Switching gears, if you don't care about on-demand access and just want good radio for free, it's a toss up between iHeartRadio and iTunes Radio. Your best bet is to give them both a test drive and see which one you prefer.

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Microsoft Rolls Out Emergency Fix for Zero Day Vulnerability in Office

Posted: 06 Nov 2013 01:06 PM PST

Office Fix ItA newly discovered security hole in Office could allow remote code execution

Microsoft has discovered a vulnerability in the graphics component of its Windows, Office, and Lync software that could allow hackers to execute malicious code from a remote location. The software giant said it is aware of targeted attacks that attempt to exploit the vulnerability in Office and has suggested a series of workarounds until it can issue a permanent patch. In the meantime, Microsoft has made available a piece of "Fix it" software to automatically apply the workaround procedures in affected products.

"The vulnerability is a remote code execution vulnerability that exists in the way affected components handle specially crafted TIFF images. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by convincing a user to preview or open a specially crafted email message, open a specially crafted file, or browse specially crafted web content," Microsoft explains in Security Advisory 2896666. "An attacker who successfully exploited the vulnerability could gain the same user rights as the current user. Users whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less impacted than users who operate with administrative user rights."

The Fix it solution applies to various flavors of Windows Server 2008, Windows Vista, Office, and Lync. Since there have been documented attacks on Office users, anyone using Office should install the Fix it to err on the side of caution.

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AMD Fan Day Features World's First Battlefield 4 Tournament, $50,000 in Prizes

Posted: 06 Nov 2013 12:10 PM PST

Battlefield 4An excuse to blow off work on hump day

If you happen to be free next Wednesday, November 13th and are in the San Jose area, you may want to consider participating in AMD's Fan Day at the San Jose Convention Center. The Fan Day celebration is a full day of tournaments, contests, and raffles starting at 9 AM in the morning and going all the way until 8 PM at night. The mid-week event will also feature the world's first Battlefield 4 tournament consisting of 16 teams of 5 players each.

It's a single elimination tournament, though if you just want to experience BF4 without all the pressure, AMD says it will have multiple free play machines -- around 100 -- that you can hop on and play. In between gaming sessions, you can wander around and check out AMD partner booths, contests, and raffles.

AMD says to come early for a chance to win one of 250 Never Settle Forever - Silver vouchers good for up to two games. Attendees will need to roll dice, and if you roll a 5 or 6, you win. The contest will stay open until all vouchers are gone.

As for the tournaments, they'll be played on machines built by Maingear featuring an AMD FX 8350 processor, Maingear Epic 120 liquid cooling, 16GB Radeon DDR3-1866 memory, XVX Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition graphics cards, 250GB Samsung EVO SSD, Gigabyte 990FXA-UD3 motherboard, 24X DVD burner, 750W EVGA PSU, and Windows 8 Pro.

First prize is a Maingear system awarded to all five players on the spot. Those who come in second will receive an AMD FX-8350 processor, and in third place AMD is giving away A10-6800K processors.

For more information, check out AMD's Fan Day page.

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Maingear Shift Super Stock Z87 Review

Posted: 06 Nov 2013 11:05 AM PST

A Jolly Green Giant of GPU performance

Maingear calls its Shift Super Stock Z87 the Mean Green Machine and it's hard not to agree with that moniker.

Is there any other way to describe a gaming rig with not one GeForce GTX Titan, or even two—but freakin' three of them? Yes, three of the world's fastest single-GPU cards all singing harmoniously together against the tyranny of slow frame rates.

For a tri-SLI rig, the Shift is actually fairly compact.

For a tri-SLI rig, the Shift is actually fairly compact.

The Shift isn't just about new GPUs, though—Maingear splashes out on other gourmet goodies. There's none of that freeze-dried, last month's Ivy Bridge in this box. It's all Haswell. If you read our coverage on Haswell, you know we're a little melancholy about the chip because, well, we want more! Perhaps we're being too negative. Months of dour news about the PC world can do that to a nerd. But you know what makes it all better? Speed. And the Haswell-sporting Shift has that.

But, back to the tri-SLI. There have been concerns that, like Ivy Bridge and Z77, the Haswell/Z87 doesn't have the available PCIe 3.0 bandwidth to serve tri-SLI. If that's true, we can't find evidence of it here in the Gigabyte G1.Sniper 5 board. The three Titans easily belted out the highest score we've ever seen in, well, all of our graphics tests. In 3DMark 11, for example, it spit out just under 14,000. How fast is that? Last year's Dream Machine with quad-SLI (two GTX 690s) mustered a mere 10,906. The Geekbox Ego Maniacal mustered but 12,090, with a liquid-cooled quad-SLI setup. The Shift's score in Batman: Arkham City is similarly impressive. The Geekbox Ego Maniacal has held the record with 134fps but the Shift pushes the bar to 184fps. Again, we're not talking about a pair of busted up GeForce GTX 460 cards here—that's a liquid-cooled quad-SLI setup that the Shift easily outpaces.

Like we said, the Shift can deliver on the CPU front, as well. The Core i7-4770K at 4.7GHz snaps the needle in Stitch.Efx 2.0 and ProShow Producer with new benchmark records. We have to point out one obvious thing, though: The Falcon Northwest FragBox 3 ain't that far behind the Shift in the CPU tests. Neither quad-core box, however, can touch the Geekbox's scores in the multithreaded tests such as Premiere Pro CS6 and x264.

One thing we wish Maingear had lifted from Geekbox is its GPU liquid cooling. The Shift's CPU is kept chilly using what the company calls its Epic 300 Open-loop Super Cooler, which doesn't cool just the CPU but also the voltage regulation circuits on the board. That's fine, but the three Titans, when pushed hard for long periods of time, tend to get a little audible, even with a massive fan pushing air straight through them. That's because Maingear overclocks the hell out of the three Titans and picked a very loud fan profile. Apparently, Maingear anticipates people using the Shift in the sweltering summers on Venus. The good news is that you can easily trim the fans back to reasonable levels in the nifty EVGA utility that comes pre-installed.

An even better solution is liquid cooling, but it's very, very hard to argue with graphics performance that crushes even quad-SLI systems. That's no small accomplishment and demands respect.

$7,800, www.maingear.com

Dell XPS 18 Review

Posted: 06 Nov 2013 10:44 AM PST

When form offers function

On paper, the Dell XPS 18 all-in-one/tablet hybrid shouldn't work, with its massive 18.4-inch screen potentially destroying any possibility of portability. And yet, it works well.

The XPS 18's large body is surprisingly light, thin, and portable.

The XPS 18's large body is surprisingly light, thin, and portable.

While its five-pound chassis isn't necessarily light, it weighs less than many gaming laptops and is quite svelte for its class, measuring 11x18.25x.69 inches, and is half the weight of Sony's similar Tap 20 AiO/tablet hybrid. Although it's more than double the weight of the Razer Edge, a 10-inch tablet we criticized for being too heavy, we never felt like we had to lift the XPS 18, as it could rest on our laps comfortably. And because its screen is so large, our necks never had to strain to look down.  Flip-out stands on either end of the XPS 18 allow it to be used propped up on a desk in landscape mode—with a higher angle suitable for sitting, and a lower angle for using the device from a standing position. The XPS 18 is really made to be moved from desk to desk, but it's so elegantly designed that you could use it as a giant tablet, provided you're OK with the strange looks you'll surely get in public (and yes, we know this firsthand).

Of course, the thinness that makes it viable as a tablet also leads to some compromises as an AiO, especially when it comes to ports. The XPS 18 has just two USB 3.0 ports and an SD card slot. This means no HDMI out or in, no Ethernet port, no DVD drive. Furthermore, although an 18.4-inch screen is huge for a tablet, it's quite modest for an AiO.

Luckily, the screen itself is gorgeous. The XPS 18 features a 1920x1080, 10-point capacitive-touch IPS display with great viewing angles and vibrant colors. Although it features a glossy surface, it's not overly reflective like other AiOs we've reviewed.

Most tablets feature speakers on the back directing audio away from you, but Dell's offering has them side-mounted, which contributes to the XPS 18's clear sound—the volume capabilities, however, might disappoint headbangers hoping to blast the audio to 11.

Our unit came with a stand that raises the AiO about three inches and allows you to tilt the screen roughly 40 degrees. Supplementing it were Dell's Tangerine wireless keyboard and mouse. While the peripherals' black-and-gray aesthetic doesn't quite match the XPS 18's completely black design, both accessories are solid in use. The 15-inch keyboard has a nice weight to it and doesn't feel like a cheap add-on, and the mouse features a scroll wheel that can be shifted left to right, which allows users to navigate horizontally through the Windows Modern UI.

Unfortunately, the XPS 18's specs aren't anything to write home about. Besides its 8GB of RAM, its parts are relatively humble: a 1.8GHz Core i5-3337U CPU that can Turbo up to 2.7GHz and a 500GB hard drive with a 32GB caching SSD that helps access times in frequently used programs. But its lack of a video card is its biggest flaw.

Because of this omission, the XPS 18 got blasted by our GeForce GT 630M–equipped Asus ET2300 zero-point by roughly 50 percent in both our STALKER: CoP and Metro 2033 tests. This once again proves that integrated graphics can't match even the weakest graphics cards—yet. While you certainly won't be playing Crysis 3 on max here, we were able to get frame rates in the mid-50s on Valve's popular Dota 2 Source Engine game on the lowest settings at 1080p resolution. The XPS 18's dual-core CPU also could not rival our ZP's quad-core Core i5-3330 processor, losing by similarly dramatic margins in our multithread-loving x264 benchmark. It fared a little better in our other CPU tests, but nothing worth mentioning. Booting the system took 21 seconds, which is about right for a computer with a hard drive and caching SSD combo. Battery-side, the XPS 18 lasted three hours and 22 minutes watching a high-def movie ripped from disc. While this isn't great for a traditional tablet, it's good for a laptop, and unprecedented for any AiO we've tested since, well, most don't have batteries.

At $1,350, what you're paying for here is the unique form factor and dual use cases. What it lacks in ports and power, the XPS 18 makes up for with its excellent large screen, relative portability, and thoughtful design.

$1,350, www.dell.com

Attention Adobe Hack Victims, "123456" is a Terrible Password

Posted: 06 Nov 2013 09:47 AM PST

PasswordMillions of Adobe users rely on weak passwords

Adobe suffered a major security breach last month that compromised at least 38 million user accounts. In the wake of that attack, however, the top 100 passwords used by milliions of Adobe account holders have come to light, and it doesn't look pretty. If you're in a scolding mood, you could say that many Adobe users compromised themselves by using lazy passwords that are easy to guess.

The breach first to came light in an Adobe blog post on October 3. Adobe said that attackers accessed customer IDs, encrypted passwords, customer names, encrypted credit or debit card numbers, expiration dates, and other information relating to customer orders. At the time, it was being reported that 2.9 million users had fallen victim.

It was later revealed by Krebs on Security that hackers made off with a treasure trove of login information from no less than 38 million active users, and maybe as many as 150 million if you factor in inactive accounts. That's not the scary part. What's frightening is a list of the most commonly used passwords. Here's a look at the top 10:

  1. 123456
  2. 123456789
  3. password
  4. adobe123
  5. 12345678
  6. qwerty
  7. 1234567
  8. 111111
  9. photoshop
  10. 123123

The list was posted by Internet security research Jeremi Gosney of Stricture Group. Of the remaining 90 passwords on the top 100 list, pretty much all of them were bad in some way.

Picking secure passwords for different sites isn't particularly glamorous, and it can be confusing to boot. However, rather than rely on weak passwords, consider using a password safe like KeePass instead (see our LastPass vs. KeePass feature).

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Microsoft's Search for a CEO to Replace Ballmer Down to a Handful of Candidates

Posted: 06 Nov 2013 09:04 AM PST

Mulally and ElopOdds on favorites are Alan Mulally from Ford and Stephen Elop previously from Nokia

Though the decision didn't come easy, Microsoft chief Steve Ballmer recognized it was time to step down and let someone else navigate the company through whatever roads are ahead of it. As such, Ballmer last August announced he would retire within 12 months, agreeing to hand over the reins as soon as Microsoft found a replacement. That search has been ongoing and it now appears Microsoft has dwindled down its list of candidates.

According to Reuters and its "sources familiar with the matter," Microsoft's list of external candidates is now around five people. The two biggest names from that list are ones we've heard before -- Ford Motor Co. CEO Alan Mulally and former Nokia CEO Stephen Elop.

It's also being reported that there are at least three internal candidates, among them former Skype CEO Tony Bates who now serves as head of Microsoft's business development, and Satya Nadella who heads up the company's cloud and enterprise business. That's a total of about 8 people compared to an initial list of about 40 names.

Mulally and Elop are perhaps the two most interesting candidates at this point. Mulally has a background in turning around companies' fortunes, as he did with Boeing and Ford, and Elop left Microsoft to head Nokia before Microsoft ultimately purchased Nokia's mobile business, bringing Elop back on board in the process.

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iPad Air Fails Soft Dirt Drop Test, Suffers Slow Motion Abuse

Posted: 06 Nov 2013 08:20 AM PST

iPad Air DirtBetter buy a case if you plan to purchase an iPad Air

Apple's 5th generation iPad is the recently announced iPad Air, a remarkably slim and light slate that's around twice as fast as its predecessor, yet noticeably slimmed down. Perhaps as a result, it's also a little...soft? We're trying to be nice here, and while most tablets aren't built to withstand drops on concrete, we're a little surprised by a YouTube video showing the iPad Air's display shatter when dropped on some soft dirt (to be fair, there were some rocks mixed in).

That's just the beginning. Richard Ryan, host of YouTube's RatedRR channel, likes to post destruction videos recorded with a slow motion camera. In this episode, the iPad Air undergoes a range of torture tests, everything from being dropped on the ground and submerged in water, to being repeatedly pelted with an Airsoft MP7 and, well, you'll have to watch to see what else.

 

Now the only question is, will it blend? We're sure it will, but we'll keep our fingers crossed for an upcoming video, anyway.

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Newegg Daily Deals: Razer Spectre StarCraft II Gaming Mouse, WD Black 2TB Hard Drive, and More!

Posted: 06 Nov 2013 06:21 AM PST

Razer StarCraft II Mousenewegg logo

Top Deal:

Fun fact: StarCraft II set a record for fastest-selling strategy game of all time by moving 1.5 million copies in two days. The number of copies sold would double to 3 million by the end of its first month of availability. The spawned an expansion pack and third-party periperhals, such as today's top deal for a Razer Spectre StarCraft II Heart of the Swarm Gaming Mouse for $25 with free shipping (normally $50 - use coupon code 1105GAMES31). What the Spectre briings to the tablet are button force adjustments, APM lighting system, 1000Hz ultrapolling, and a customized look.

Other Deals:

Intel Core i5-4670 Haswell 3.4GHz LGA 1150 84W Quad-Core Desktop Processor for $210 with free shipping (normally $220 - use coupon code: [1105GAMES24])

Western Digital WD Black 2TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5-inch Internal Hard Drive for $140 with free shipping (normally $150 - use coupon code: [1105GAMES26])

Gigabyte GA-Z87X-UD5H LGA 1150 Intel Z87 Intel Motherboard for $190 with free shipping (normally $200 - use coupon code: [1105GAMES32]; additional $20 Mail-in rebate)

BenQ XL Series XL2420TE 24-inch 1ms LED Backlight LCD Monitor for $297 with free shipping (normally $330 - use coupon code: [BENQGAMING])

MMO Updates

MMO Updates


More on Albion Online's unique equipment customization system

Posted: 06 Nov 2013 09:00 AM PST

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More on Albion Online's unique equipment customization system
Previously we learned that character customization in Albion Online would include a unique system for customizing gear where players can add any crafted spell to any piece of equipment. Players can eschew cookie-cutter character molds and choose any combination they want, but they can also play up the inherent characteristics of a particular weapon or armor piece.

Armor-wise, cloth pieces will have natural enhancements for mana regeneration, stealth, energy shields, or cleanse; plate piece enhancements, on the other hand, are about protection, instant self-heals, and survival mechanics. Weapons also have their own inherent characteristics: Broadswords have defensive characteristics, axes have offensive damage, and one-handed hammers have healing. To learn more about Albion Online, check out Massively's exclusive interview. Interested players can sign up for beta on the official site.

[Source: Sandbox Interactive press release]

MassivelyMore on Albion Online's unique equipment customization system originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 06 Nov 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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    DotA 2 pink war dog courier sells for $38,000

    Posted: 06 Nov 2013 08:30 AM PST

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    Dota 2 pink war dog courier sells for $38,000
    Pricey items aren't just for MMOs -- MOBAs are getting in on the action as well. DotA 2 secured its place in the ranks of titles where in-game items have sold for exorbitant real-life sums when an ethereal flame pink war dog sold for a whopping $38,000. The war dog is a courier, an item used to transport items from your team to your base as well as from the base to your team. Why did this particular virtual item fetch such a hefty amount? According to the seller, this item is a very rare combination of the most sought-after courier type, effect, and color; only four others are known to exist.

    MassivelyDotA 2 pink war dog courier sells for $38,000 originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 06 Nov 2013 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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    Free for All: Why MMOs are still the greatest value in gaming

    Posted: 06 Nov 2013 08:00 AM PST

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    Vanguard Saga of Heroes screenshot
    If you are the type of gamer who has access to a number of ways to game, then you probably do not need me to remind you that the hobby can be an expensive one. Consoles are becoming slicker, and the games they run are sure to go up in price, maybe someday soon close to $100 for a single game. A good gaming PC can still be an expensive thing to build and maintain especially as newer and better graphics cards and processors are introduced at a higher rate than we've ever seen before.

    Luckily, we have outlets like Steam that offer staggering sales and indie titles that can be bought for close to nothing. There's also the mobile market with its tens of thousands of games that can be played essentially for free. So while the prices at the highest end of technology go up, there are still plenty of places to get a cheap yet fulfilling gaming fix.

    Even with all of the deals out there, however, there is no better value than a modern MMO.

    Continue reading Free for All: Why MMOs are still the greatest value in gaming

    MassivelyFree for All: Why MMOs are still the greatest value in gaming originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 06 Nov 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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      The Art of Wushu: Thoughts on the winter expansion

      Posted: 06 Nov 2013 07:00 AM PST

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      We looked at a lot of the details of Age of Wushu's Ultimate Scrolls expansion last time, but we should also reflect a bit on the implications of the new changes. The Mt. Hua expansion was mostly positive, and I was very excited to see the new mentoring program and token systems. I'm not as hyped for Ultimate Scrolls.

      Whereas Mt. Hua added accessibility, a new battleground, and more fun things to do for everyone, Ultimate Scrolls is primarily an expansion for top players. There is very little to do in this expansion if you don't have leveled meridians and a maxed second or third internal skill. Even though I'm in the one percent, I don't think it's very fair to the majority of players who are not.

      Continue reading The Art of Wushu: Thoughts on the winter expansion

      MassivelyThe Art of Wushu: Thoughts on the winter expansion originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 06 Nov 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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        Hi-ho, hi-ho, it's off to Drakensang Online the dwarves go

        Posted: 06 Nov 2013 06:00 AM PST

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        Of course he sounds Scottish.  You know that just from the header.
        Do you like guns, machinery, and beards? Then Drakensang Online's newest addition is exactly what you want to play. The dwarven Steam Mechanicus has just been added to the game, offering a new play option for those who prefer to reach out and touch someone with projectile death rather than the more traditional fantasy options.

        In lore, the dwarves are purely fascinated with mechanical gadgets for their own sake, not usually concerned with the larger world's politics. But a swarm of evil dragons descending over the land kind of forces even the gadget-happy to take notice, since they'll probably trash the local Fantasie Beste Buyye.

        The Steam Mechanicus carves his gameplay niche in the mid-range area, using a variety of projectile attacks, self-built turrets, and rocket-powered jumps to pull together a victory. This new class is exclusive to subscribers for two weeks, at which point it will lose its exclusivity but retain its overall fiddly qualities.

        [Source: Bigpoint press release]

        MassivelyHi-ho, hi-ho, it's off to Drakensang Online the dwarves go originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 06 Nov 2013 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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          The Daily Grind: Should achievements be broadcast to your guild?

          Posted: 06 Nov 2013 05:00 AM PST

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          The Daily Grind Should achievements be broadcast to your guild
          Some games do it and some games don't. I'm talking here about broadcasting your achievements automatically to your entire guild. You slay that 500th dragon, ding level 30, or fall to your death for the 10th time, and your guild knows courtesy of the game client being a big gossip. "Hey, did you hear about Syp? Guys, he totally looted the Sacred Gem of Zazzanzorforr!"

          But is this a good thing or not? Personally, I like playing MMOs that auto-broadcast achievements because I like knowing what my guildies are up to. I see a lot of mutual encouragement going around due to these messages. However, I also know some folks see these notices as spammy, pointless, or annoying.

          Where do you lie on this issue? Should achievements be broadcast to your guild?

          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: Should achievements be broadcast to your guild? originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 06 Nov 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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            Square's financial outlook improves thanks to FFXIV

            Posted: 05 Nov 2013 06:00 PM PST

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            Square's financial outlook improves thanks to FFXIV
            Square-Enix has revised its financial outlook and now expects to finish the current quarter with a $47.6 million profit, The Escapist reports. Most of the credit goes to Final Fantasy XIV and its 1.5 million users, of course, but the piece also mentions Square's "company-wide cost cutting efforts" as part of the winning formula.

            Final Fantasy XIV originally launched in 2010 before closing down and undergoing a radical redesign presided over by producer Naoki Yoshida.

            MassivelySquare's financial outlook improves thanks to FFXIV originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 05 Nov 2013 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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            Jane Austen MMO looks for funds and decorum

            Posted: 05 Nov 2013 05:00 PM PST

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            Jane Austin MMO looks for funds and decorum
            Say goodbye to swords and sorcery, and say hello to gossip and high society relationships! Ever, Jane, a social MMO that takes inspiration from the works of Jane Austen, is looking to raise funds through a Kickstarter project.

            Ever, Jane puts players into prim and proper avatars who build stories, gossip against each other, explore family connections, and go to dinner parties. Mini-games are there to flesh out the challenge of navigating this type of life and include sewing, ballroom dancing, and puzzles.

            3 Turn Productions is attempting to raise $100,000 to get the modest MMO off the ground by May 2014. Currently there's a downloadable prototype available to tinker with, so give it a whirl and see if it's worth your investment dollars.

            [Thanks to Sharvis for the tip!]

            MassivelyJane Austen MMO looks for funds and decorum originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 05 Nov 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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            The Stream Team: Villagers and Heroes from an eight-year-old's perspective

            Posted: 05 Nov 2013 04:00 PM PST

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            The Stream Team: Villagers and Heroes
            Massively's Larry Everett introduced his eight-year-old son to the trailer to Villagers and Heroes, and the boy freaked out. The munchkin literally danced in place, asking when we'll be livestreaming the game. Join us live at 7:00 p.m. EST to see that it takes more than a village to raise the child of an MMO gamer -- it takes a few heroes, too.

            Game: Villagers and Heroes
            Host: Larry Everett
            Date: Tuesday, November 5th, 2013
            Time: 7:00 p.m. EST

            Enjoy our Steam Team video below.

            Continue reading The Stream Team: Villagers and Heroes from an eight-year-old's perspective

            MassivelyThe Stream Team: Villagers and Heroes from an eight-year-old's perspective originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 05 Nov 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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              Diablo III introduces you to the Reaper of Souls monster mob

              Posted: 05 Nov 2013 03:00 PM PST

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              Diablo III introduces you to the Reaper of Souls monster mob
              Ladies and gentlemen, it's time to meet your Reaper of Souls loot piñatas -- otherwise known as monsters. Blizzard gave its fans a first look at the creatures that will be giving players what for in Diablo III's upcoming expansion.

              The 10 creatures in the first look bestiary range from scary to faces only a mother could love. There's the eerie Death Maiden, the Predator-esque Executioner, the chunky Ghastly Seraph, and plenty more creations that crawled out of a few twisted devs' nightmares. These monsters will be inhabiting the expansion's main town of Westmarch, whether or not you decide to turn down any dark alleyways.

              MassivelyDiablo III introduces you to the Reaper of Souls monster mob originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 05 Nov 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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              State of Decay comes to the PC courtesy of Steam

              Posted: 05 Nov 2013 02:00 PM PST

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              State of Decay comes to the PC courtesy of Steam
              PC gamers feeling left out while watching their Xbox comrades playing State of Decay can wipe those tears away; the zombie survival title has arrived on Steam.

              State of Decay is available through the digital distribution platform for a straight-up $19.99. If you're curious about Undead Labs' maiden game, then check out our hands-on coverage. The game was a huge hit on the Xbox and hopefully will be followed by an MMO set in the same world. Undead is also preparing the first DLC for State of Decay called Breakdown that will come to both the PC and Xbox.

              [Thanks to Soren for the tip!]

              MassivelyState of Decay comes to the PC courtesy of Steam originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 05 Nov 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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              Flameseeker Chronicles: Cultivating positive growth in Guild Wars 2

              Posted: 05 Nov 2013 01:00 PM PST

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              Standing in front of the Nightmare tower
              Guild Wars 2's Tower of Nightmares release has been with us for the past week, transforming formerly beautiful (if centaur-populated) Kessex Hills into a toxic wasteland. The source of the devastation is a massive, thistle-topped structure in Viathan Lake, which was built and defended by the Krait and Nightmare Court. A whole lot of mystery is tied up in that thing, from Krait religion to Nightmare ambitions to the involvement of Scarlet Briar, but Marjory Delaqua and her partner Kasmeer Meade are on the case. The Pact has also gotten involved by aiding with research and demolishing the tower plant's offshoots, which are spreading on the wind like dandelions, only I wouldn't recommend adding them to salads, and they're not fluffy.

              The ArenaNet team responsible for this release has made some praiseworthy improvements over previous releases, which supports the idea that GW2's living world is still a work in progress with lots of room to grow. Combined with some interesting developer responses from the collaborative development initiative, I think it paints a promising picture of where the story is going in the upcoming months.

              Continue reading Flameseeker Chronicles: Cultivating positive growth in Guild Wars 2

              MassivelyFlameseeker Chronicles: Cultivating positive growth in Guild Wars 2 originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 05 Nov 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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                The Stream Team: Fighting Piracy in Sastasha, FFXIV's first dungeon

                Posted: 05 Nov 2013 12:00 PM PST

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                There comes a time (OK many times) on the road to 50 in Final Fantasy XIV when you're launched into a dungeon and told very firmly that you may not progress in your main storyline until you've successfully punched each boss in the face. Sastasha is the very first required dungeon, and today Massively's Jasmine sets forth to punch boss faces in this pirate-themed instance! Join us live at 3:00 p.m. EST for all the pirate action.

                Game: Final Fantasy XIV
                Host: Jasmine Hruschak
                Date: Tuesday, November 5th, 2013
                Time: 3:00 p.m. EST

                Enjoy our Stream Team video below complete with highlights for each boss!

                Continue reading The Stream Team: Fighting Piracy in Sastasha, FFXIV's first dungeon

                MassivelyThe Stream Team: Fighting Piracy in Sastasha, FFXIV's first dungeon originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 05 Nov 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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                  Warlords of Draenor now trademarked in the US and Europe

                  Posted: 05 Nov 2013 11:00 AM PST

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                  World of Warcraft
                  Here's some more fuel for speculation engines everywhere: Blizzard Entertainment has now registered the trademark for Warlords of Draenor in both the United States and Europe. This news follows the rumors from last week indicating that Blizzard had locked up the very same title in Australia.

                  We still don't know what Blizzard has up its sleeve, though the obvious leap is to a World of Warcraft expansion. With Blizzcon kicking off on November 7th, it's likely we'll have an answer SoonTM.

                  MassivelyWarlords of Draenor now trademarked in the US and Europe originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 05 Nov 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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                  Hyperspace Beacon: SWTOR Marauders will suck but Operatives will not

                  Posted: 05 Nov 2013 10:00 AM PST

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                  SWTOR, Marauders are going to suck and Operatives are going to win
                  Update 2.5 for Star Wars: The Old Republic will release at the same time the Galactic Starfighter expansion will hit for subscribers. Perhaps this timing is meant to hide the awful mistakes BioWare is making with two of its best Advanced Classes. One will receive a thorough thrashing with a nerf bat, while the other will only get a stern talking-to -- not even a wag of the finger. Of course, I'm talking about the Marauder/Sentinel class and the Operative/Scoundrel class.

                  Last week, the Inquisitor/Consular class took center stage because there is a chance that the Madness spec might actually become viable in PvP. But at the same time the Assassin/Shadow tank becomes viable in PvE, it'll become a wrecking ball in PvP. (Time to roll another character!) Unfortunately, two of my favorite classes aren't seeing the changes they need in the next SWTOR update. Because I'm so helpful to the SWTOR developers, I will sit in my armchair and tell them exactly what to do. But first, let's talk about the tweaks coming for these two enormously popular classes.

                  Continue reading Hyperspace Beacon: SWTOR Marauders will suck but Operatives will not

                  MassivelyHyperspace Beacon: SWTOR Marauders will suck but Operatives will not originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 05 Nov 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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