General Gaming Article

General Gaming Article


Microsoft: We Have No Current Plans to Port IE Over to Android or iOS

Posted: 15 Aug 2014 12:25 PM PDT

IE on Windows Phone"Oh no!," cried a single Android user

You can run Microsoft Office on multiple platforms, and the same goes for some of the other products and services the Redmond outfit offers, such as OneDrive and Skype. With that kind of attention being paid to cross-compatibility, might we expect Microsoft to release its Internet Explorer browser on other OSes as well? Not in the near future. As it stands, Microsoft isn't planning to port IE over to Android or iOS in the mobile space.

That revelation came by way of a Reddit Ask Me Anything (AMA) session featuring engineers from Microsoft's IE platform team. At one point in the conversation, Microsoft's Charles Morris fielded a question about whether IE would be ported to Android or iOS where there's much more market share to exploit.

"Right now, we're focused on building a great mobile browser for Windows Phone and have made some great progress lately. So, no current plans for Android/iOS," Morris said. "We are committed to improving our own engine. We love the fact that the web was built on multiple competing (yet interoperable) platforms and believe that this is how it is going to move forward into the future!"

It's somewhat of a curious decision for Microsoft. The company's Windows Phone platform is losing ground, having dropped to a 2.5 percent share of the smartphone market last quarter, versus Android and iOS, which collectively account for more than 9 out of 10 smartphones.

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Play 'Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare' Free for 72 Hours

Posted: 15 Aug 2014 12:06 PM PDT

Plants vs. Zombies Garden WarfarePlants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare sprouts on EA's GameTime

The original Plants vs. Zombies hooked gamers on its unique and quirky style of tower defense, and to this day it's a fun time waster, especially if you've never played it before. It was even great (and arguably better) on tablets, though that's a discussion for a different day. Today's topic is Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare, a $30 third-person online shooter that's free through EA's Game Time program for a limited time.

In case you're not familiar with it, Game Time is EA's way of offering gamers an extended trial of games, and to promote its Origin digital distribution service. At present, you can download the full version of PvZ Garden Warfare at no cost and play it for 72 hours. Should you decide to buy the game when the timer runs out, you'll retain all your progress, saved games, unlocked characters and weapons, and other goodies.

Not all gamers are fans of EA's Origin service, and for some, that might be a deal killer. However, we have to give props to EA for offering promotions like this, which is probably a necessity if it's going to try and compete with Valve's Steam platform, which also frequently runs promotions and tantalizing sales.

If you want to give PvZ Garden Warfare a spin this weekend, head over to Origin and claim your extended trial.

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Get a Sneak Peek of Window 9 in September or October

Posted: 15 Aug 2014 11:38 AM PDT

Windows 9Microsoft is planning a technology preview of Threshold next month

Now that Microsoft is no longer bothering itself with major updates for Windows 8.1, the company can switch focus to its next operating system codenamed "Threshold," or Windows 9 if you think Microsoft will keep the numbering scheme going. What will Windows 9 bring to the table? If that's a question you'd like answered, stay tuned -- Microsoft is reportedly planning a "technology preview" of Windows 9 either late next month or early October.

According to CNET and the multiple sources it spoke with who wish not to be named, anyone who installs the technology preview of Windows 9 will be required to accept subsequent monthly updates that are automatically pushed out. One of the sources "who has provided accurate information on Windows in the past" added that the tech preview will be available to anyone interested.

Microsoft hasn't said much about Threshold or confirmed any features, though there have been a number of supposed leaks showing off different aspects of Windows 9, including a new mini Start Menu. If the leaked content is true, there will also be windowed Metro-style applications on the Desktop, virtual desktops, and no more Charms bar (except on tablets).

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Samsung Buys Startup SmartThings, Reportedly Pays $200 Million

Posted: 15 Aug 2014 11:20 AM PDT

SmartThingsSamsung joins the home automation club

SmartThings confirmed today that it has been acquired by Samsung and will operate as an independent company with the South Korean company's Open Innovation Center group. The deal puts Samsung in the home automation space, a popular niche as of late with Google recently acquiring Nest and Apple owning HomeKit. It's a sensible pairing, with SmartThing building technologies that allows users to control home devices through their mobile phones.

The two companies didn't disclose how much the deal is worth, though TechCrunch is reporting that it was for around $200 million. As for terms of the deal, SmartThings said its growing team will remain fully intact and relocate to a new headquarters in Palo Alto, California. The company doesn't foresee a change in the way it does things, other than now it's backed by a major company.

"We believe that there is an enormous opportunity to leverage Samsung's global scale to help us realize our long-term vision. While we will remain operationally independent, joining forces with Samsung will enable us to support all of the leading smartphone vendors, devices, and applications; expand our base of developers and enhance the tools and programs that they rely on; and help many more people around the world easily control and monitor their homes using SmartThings," SmartThings said in a blog post.

In addition to home automation, this is a play in the Internet of Things (IoT) space and the millions of connected devices around the world.

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Newegg Daily Deals: Intel 530 Series 240GB SSD, Corsair Vengeance 8GB DDR3-1866, and More!

Posted: 15 Aug 2014 10:45 AM PDT

Intel 530 Series 240GB SSDnewegg logo

Top Deal:

Are you a fan of slow loads, pokey performance, and laggy behavior on your PC? Do you hate it when you click on an application and it just fires right up? Have you ever been annoyed at the ultra-fast responsiveness of a PC as a whole? Is your preference to overpay to substandard technology? Then absolutely you should skip over today's top deal for an Intel 530 Series 240GB Solid State Drive for $131 with free shipping (normally $145 - use coupon code: [EMCHRDC39]). All you'll get from this drive is a big performance bump (over your HDD) at a great price, including up to 540MB/s and 490MB/s sustained sequential read and write throughput, respectively.

Other Deals:

Intel Core i3-4130 Haswell Dual-Core 3.4GHz LGA 1150 54W Desktop Processor for $110 with free shipping (normally $125 - use coupon code: [EMCHRDC37])

Intel Pentium G3220 Haswell Dual-Core 3.0GHz LGA 1150 54W Desktop Processor for $60 with free shipping (normally $70 - use coupon code: [EMCHRDC38])

BenQ GL2760H Black 27-inch 2ms HDMI Widescreen LED Backlight LCD Monitor for $180 with free shipping (normally $200 - use coupon code: [EMCPBWF22])

Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 1866 (PC3 15000) Desktop Memory for $83 with free shipping (normally $95 - use coupon code: [EMCPBWF43])

Corsair Announces Vengeance LPX and Dominator Platinum DDR4 Memory

Posted: 15 Aug 2014 08:44 AM PDT

Corsair DDR4Bring on the next generation platforms!

While we sit around waiting for Intel to release its next generation processors, supplementary component makers are arming themselves with parts for upcoming platforms, and so can you. For example, Corsair today announced the availability of its Vengeance LPX and Dominator Platinum lines of high-speed DDR4 memory. Did you catch that? Note that this is DDR4 RAM, not DDR3.

Both series are validated with motherboard partners (Asus, ASRock, EVGA, Gigabyte, and MSI) and use the new XMP 2.0 profile for easy overclocking on X99 chipset motherboards when paired with Intel's upcoming Haswell-E processors.

Those of you rocking a large heatsink or are otherwise cramped for space will want to check out the Vengeance LPX. Corsair designed this line for high-performance overclocking with a low profile heatspreader made of pure aluminum. Underneath it sits an 8-layer PCB. These kits are available in black, red, white, or blue to match your system.

Corsair's Dominator Platinum DDR4 continues where the DDR3 version left off. It looks similar with an industrial design and DHX technology for cooler operation, and it's compatible with Corsair Link for real-time temperature monitoring. The Dominator Platinum consists of hand-screened ICs and undergoes rigorous performance testing, Corsair says.

A variety of kits are available in both series in capacities raning from 8GB (2x4GB) to 64GB (8x8GB) at 2666MHz, 2800MHz, and 3000MHz.

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MMORPG News

MMORPG News


PlanetSide 2: What’s Next for PlanetSide2?

Posted: 15 Aug 2014 04:32 AM PDT

What

We had a chance to listen to Matt Higby and Tramell Isaac expound on some of what they've been working on over the last couple months with PlanetSide 2, and what we should expect to see in the next several months with the game. When they led with new loading screen art, I started to get worried. Needlessly, as it turns out.

EverQuest II: The Future of EverQuest II

Posted: 15 Aug 2014 04:41 AM PDT

The Future of EverQuest II

One might think, given that Sony Online Entertainment is actively building EverQuest Next in the form of Landmark, that the two elder EQ games would be going on cruise control as SOE shifts assets to focus on the new shinies. This statement could not be any further than the truth.

EverQuest Next: Wishing on an SOE Live Star

Posted: 13 Aug 2014 05:39 PM PDT

Wishing on an SOE Live Star

What I'm hoping will come out in SOE Live is partly a rehash of my earlier E3 wishlist. That said, with slightly more information available now, this SOE LIve wishlist is going to get some validation very shortly after publication. Will I get anything right this time?

General: SOE Live Keynote Address Incoming

Posted: 13 Aug 2014 07:55 PM PDT

SOE Live Keynote Address Incoming

The SOE Live Keynote adventure is about to begin. Check out the link below to head to the SOE Twitch.tv channel to find out about EverQuest, EverQuest II, EverQuest Next, PlanetSide 2, Landmark, H1Z1 and DC Universe Online with two hours of streaming goodness. It stars in about five minutes (7:00 pm PDT).

World of Warcraft: Lords of War: Teaser Trailer & Episode 1, CE Detailed

Posted: 14 Aug 2014 01:44 PM PDT

Lords of War: Teaser Trailer & Episode 1, CE Detailed

As part of today's World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor release date announcement, Blizzard also released the first two pieces of the bridging series to introduce some of the major clans and personalities from the expansion. The first video introduces the series, the second profiles The Shattered Hand. Check them out below!

Dawn of the Immortals: Beautiful Little Casual Mobile MMO

Posted: 12 Aug 2014 05:09 PM PDT

Beautiful Little Casual Mobile MMO

Dawn of the Immortals, launched worldwide August 1 by publishers Perfect World Entertainment is a new 3-D MMO for iOS platforms (Android in the near future, they tell us). It is a casual MMO. That's opposite of Hardcore, so all you hardcore MMO fans can stop reading so you don't have to make fun of it. It requires iOS 7 and recommends at least an iPad3 or iPhone 4s to play. I played it on my new iPad Air and it ran beautifully.

General: Enter To Win 1 of 7 Naga MMO Gaming Mice!

Posted: 14 Aug 2014 12:48 PM PDT

Enter To Win 1 of 7 Naga MMO Gaming Mice!

MMORPG.com is very pleased to present this exclusive sweepstakes event! We have partnered with Razer to give away 7 Naga MMO Gaming Mice!

Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn: Diving Back Into A Realm Reborn

Posted: 12 Aug 2014 05:43 PM PDT

Diving Back Into A Realm Reborn

Of all the MMO's from AAA studios that have come out in the past 12 months I was probably least excited about Final Fantasy XIV: ARR. I've been a lifelong fan of the FF franchise but after the original XIV I was a member of the "fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice - can't get fooled again" crowd. Because I did not have high expectations for the game upon its release I was pleasantly surprised when I set out to review it.

MMOGaming News

MMOGaming News


Only Five Days Left Till the Closed Beta of Closers Online

Posted:

Only Five Days Left Till the Closed Beta of Closers Online


Korea NADDIC GAMES is going to kick off the Closed Beta of anime side-scrolling action MORPG Closers Online on August 20 to 24. A brand new trailer was released, too. There are four characters revealed last time, while I do not find handsome Fighter-J in this new trailer. Check out it below.

MMOsite Official Stream Announcement!

Posted:

MMOsite Official Stream Announcement!


Myself Zach Sharpes, and MMOsite is proud to announce our official Twitch.tv livestream! This will be home to live MMO analysis of the newest games starting today at 5:30PM to 9:30PM PST.

DC Universe Online Content Packs and Membership Now Available

Posted:

DC Universe Online Content Packs and Membership Now Available


Asiasoft announced yesterday that DC Universe Online downloadable content packs and membership are now available for Southeast Asia players. With these, players will get to enjoy more game features and embark on exciting adventures with their favourite DC Universe heroes. These perquisites can be unlocked through paid membership, or individual add-ons and downloadable content packs (DLC) for the game.

Surgeon Simulator Out on Android Now

Posted:

Surgeon Simulator Out on Android Now


Surgeon Simulator is out for Android tablets now, just as we told you. Yep, Bossa Studios has opened the duffel bag and unleashed a horrendous slew of human bodies. It's all rather grim, isn't it? Actually, no, Surgeon Simulator is hilarious, most of the time.(When it's not outright disturbing.)

Start Your Adventure in ArcheAge Closed Beta Event 3

Posted:

Start Your Adventure in ArcheAge Closed Beta Event 3


What a pity if you haven't got into ArcheAge, the open-world sandbox game. Trion has just kicked off ArcheAge's Closed Beta Event 3: Blood & Bounty on August 14 at 10:00 AM PDT (GMT-7) and the beta will run until August 18. It's said hundreds of thousands of invite emails have been sent already, if you are the lucky one, congratulations!

WoW: Warlords of Draenor Launches 11/13 - Watch the Cinematic

Posted:

WoW: Warlords of Draenor Launches 11/13 - Watch the Cinematic


To keep things short and simple, today, at Gamescon 2014, Blizzard has announced the release date for Warlords of Draenor. The Iron Horde hits Azeroth, starting November, 13. Warlords of Draenor Opening Cinematic Trailer: At a pivotal moment in Draenor history, Warsong cheiftain Grommash Hellscream challenges destiny and reforges the fate of his people.

Lep’s World Could Be A Classic as Same as Super Mario

Posted:

Lep's World Could Be A Classic as Same as Super Mario


I used to search for top mobile games at App rankings, and soon I found Lep's world ranking pretty high up there. After playing several minutes, it reminded me of console game Super Mario no matter from game graphics or operations. I'm a big fan of Mario, but I haven't played Super Mario on mobile yet, because I feel worry that Super Mario on Android or iOS may ruin this classic.

Nexon: Investments in New Western Studios Continues as Income Drops

Posted:

Nexon: Investments in New Western Studios Continues as Income Drops


NCsoft's parent company and stock-listed in Japan, Nexon today announced its own set of financial records for Q2 2014. The online gaming giant is not having a great time out of its home base of South Korea, as revenue for all other regions suffered hefty drops of up to 33% compared to Q2 2013.

Neon Caves is out on OUYA

Posted:

Neon Caves is out on OUYA


A brand new trailer for Neon Caves, an endless arcade-shooter game developed by Force Of Habit have been released onto the OUYA Android micro-console.

Continue reading Neon Caves is out on OUYA.

Legend of Condor Heroes Zero Closed Beta 2 Character Customization+How to Play

Posted:

Legend of Condor Heroes Zero Closed Beta 2 Character Customization+How to Play


This is really one of the prettier games out right now. It's very cinematic and storytelling. And I like the action, controls are a bit weird. Or maybe I'm just not doing it right in the settings. But other than that, I would recommend finding a way into this one. I just got into the game last night. And it took a bit to figure out how to make it work correctly. To get a key for this game is easy.

Blade and Soul NA/EU Will Enter Beta Test in 2015

Posted:

Blade and Soul NA/EU Will Enter Beta Test in 2015


Finally some news about Blade and Soul NA/EU have shown up, yesterday at Gamescome one of the BnS fansite member had the chance to meet the product manager of BnS EU/NA and talked to her for a while about their plans for BnS. Though the information is not confirmed for sure, hope is in front of us, western BnS fans can get to play the game in 2015!

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