General Gaming Article

General Gaming Article

XBMC Steps Out of Beta – Ready For HTPCs Everywhere

Posted: 25 Mar 2012 05:58 PM PDT

xbmcXBMC has been the 10 foot interface of choice with HTPC enthusiasts for years now, and with Boxee stepping aside in favor of dedicated hardware, they now virtually own the market. Version 11, codenamed "Eden" has finally stepped out of beta, and the final product looks incredibly slick. Eden adds better support for unencrypted Blu-Ray content, support for Apple Airplay, and even boasts impressive performance gains. 

The features of XBMC are among the best out there, but what impresses us even more is their platform support. Eden is available for download on OSX, Linux, Windows, and even Apple TV's and iOS devices assuming you've jail broken. If you're in the process of building a new HTPC you may also which to consider XMBCbuntu, a customized version of Ubuntu that launches directly into the XBMC interface, but still gives you the option to jump out into a fully functional version of Linux with a flash enabled Chromium browser.

Adobe Photoshop CS6 Public Beta Ready For Download

Posted: 25 Mar 2012 02:32 PM PDT

PhotoshopLots of great free alternatives to Photoshop exist, but for a hardcore photo editor it is still the gold standard. The last major revision came with the release of creative suite 5 in April 2010, so an update is long overdue. Photoshop CS6 features a ton of new features such content aware filling, vastly improved performance, and the ability to streamline several of the design tools. If any of the above catches your interest you should probably head on over to the download page and grab yourself a copy of the beta. 

The beta activation is expected to last until the release of the finished product sometime in May, but they might offer a grace period as well. It is also worth noting that for existing Photoshop users, CS6 will install alongside CS5, allowing you to switch back and forth as needed. The PC version of the download is around 1.7GB, and for Mac users it's a measly 984MB.

Want a complete breakdown of the new features in video form? Here is a link for your clicking pleasure. 

Eve Online Allows Players to Buy PC Gaming Hardware with In-Game Currency

Posted: 25 Mar 2012 09:22 AM PDT

EveEve Online has suffered through a sea of controversy in recent months over the introduction of micro transactions to the still fully subscription MMO, but through it all they have still maintained an otherwise loyal fan base. Never afraid to break new ground the folks over at CCP have announced that starting today, players can trade in PLEX to buy actual hardware upgrades, and the first item being offered is the NVidia GTX 560. 

The economy of Eve Online operates on a currency known as ISK, however the relation of ISK to PLEX is an interesting one. Players can buy PLEX for real world dollars, and sell it on the open Eve marketplace to acquire ISK to buy ships, weapons, and upgrades. Plex up until now could only be redeemed for one month of free game time, however this new purpose will no doubt drive up its value. The idea behind PLEX was to allow gamers with more money than time to fund the adventures of those with more time than money. It's an ingenious system, and one that has kept revenues steady while just about every other MMO has had to abandon subscriptions in favor of free-to-play.   

The GTX 560 has a value of around $200 USD these days depending on where you look, and if you were to buy that much Plex using real world dollars it would come to around $300. Not a great value, however when you consider that some hardcore Eve players could probably buy up that much Plex using in-game ISK in less than 1-2 months of gameplay, it suddenly becomes very interesting . 

Another fun fact? If you put Plex in your cargo hold and go cruising around the galaxy, another player has the ability to take you out and liberate your holdings. Nothing says pain quite like losing your expensive ship, and a GTX 560's worth of Plex because you didn't take the proper precautions. 
Posted by Shri Krishna

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