General Gaming Article

---

• Samsung Shows Series 9 Prototype With a 2560 x 1440 Matte Display
• Wolfram Alpha Can Now Reduce Your Social Life to a Series of Graphs
• Lenovo Blurs the Gap Between Netbook and Laptop With Updated S-Series
• Guild Wars 2 Developer Voluntarily Stops Selling Digital Copies to Catch Up With Server Demand

Samsung Shows Series 9 Prototype With a 2560 x 1440 Matte Display Posted: 02 Sep 2012 12:38 PM PDT Apple gets all the credit for pushing out machines with ultra-high "retina" class display's, but let's face it, they didn't exactly invent it. Samsung is the company pumping out the panel's en-mass to fill the Apple supply chain, and thanks to the popularity of the technology, we are starting to see the trickle down effect into the PC space. Samsung snuck a new Series 9 prototype into their innovation gallery at this year's IFA exhibition in Germany, and the 2560 x 1440 matte display is being described by MobileGeeks as nothing short of glorious. The display falls slightly short of the Macbook Retina's 2880 x 1800 pixel display, however measuring in at just 13", the PPI is certainly comparable. The current lineup of Samsung Series 9 Ultrabooks sport a beautiful 1600 x 900 pixel display, but we certainly wouldn't complain if they want to offer a premium option going forward.  The company was unwilling to confirm if this is something they plan to bring to market, or just a proof of concept. We for one hope it's the first of many high resolution Mac alternatives going forward, as long as the price is reasonable.  How much of a premium would you be willing to pay? (Image Credit=MobileGeeks.com) Follow Justin on Twitter

Wolfram Alpha Can Now Reduce Your Social Life to a Series of Graphs Posted: 02 Sep 2012 12:08 PM PDT Facebook is a great place to follow the lives of friends, and family, but it's also an amazing repository of your personal information. Even casual users would be surprised how much data they have poured into the service over the years, and now you finally have a way to put it into perspective. Wolfram Alpha, the world's greatest computational knowledge engine, has launched a service that will reduce your Facebook social life to a series of mathematical charts. To get started just type "Facebook" into the search field, click the analyze button, and create a Wolfram Alpha account. The data gives you a good idea of how much you participate on the service, and will even give you an interesting breakdown of your friends by country, age, and a visualization of how you all know each other. If you ever wanted to see your entire life broken down into a series of mathematical charts, you owe it to yourself to check this out.   Follow Justin on Twitter

Lenovo Blurs the Gap Between Netbook and Laptop With Updated S-Series Posted: 02 Sep 2012 09:43 AM PDT The Lenovo S-Series used to induce cringes around the MaxPC offices, and with good reason. These units used to represent the lowest cost, most underpowered Netbooks Lenovo could produce. They were decent machines for surfing the net or jotting down a few notes in Word, but not much else. Fast forward to yesterday however, and the S300, S400, and S405 are actually looking like somewhat capable machines. Starting at just $499, Lenovo is offering up Netbook alternatives that literally blur the line between the two categories. On the outside all three units feature the same 1366 x 768 display, on the inside however the range of options can quickly push the S-Series towards $1,000 mark depending on your needs. Currently the options allow you to pick from ultra low voltage Intel Core i3 or i5 processores, however if you step up to the S405, you get a quad-core AMD Trinity chip. All but the very base model includes a 32GB SSD drive for improved boot performance, and weighs in at under 4 pounds with just 1 inch in thickness. All models also include an Ethernet jack, three USB ports, and even a USB 3.0 socket. HDMI, and SD card readers, thankfully, are also a standard.  AMD Radeon 7450M graphics are rumored to be optional as well, but we won't know for sure until the units officially launch. Keep an eye on the Lenovo page S-Series page for more details.       Follow Justin on Twitter

Guild Wars 2 Developer Voluntarily Stops Selling Digital Copies to Catch Up With Server Demand Posted: 02 Sep 2012 08:50 AM PDT Guild Wars 2 appears to be selling well. So well in fact the developer has voluntarily sold itself out of digital copies. This is the first time in recent memory that a developer has refused to take money from hordes of eager PC Gamers, and while the game does have some growing pains, we commend them preemptively for taking this bold step to protect the player experience. The developer broke the news to would be fans via their official Facebook page, and the comments below seem to suggest some users are having more problems than others. "Ensuring the best possible play experience for our fans is our highest priority. We've said before that we would be willing to temporarily disable first-party digital sales if we felt our high player concurrency may compromise player experiences. We have now reached that point. Effective immediately we have disabled sales via buy.guildwars2.com. To be clear, box and digital sales are still available via our retail partners. We are tracking our concurrency closely while expanding our infrastructure. We'll re-enable first-party digital sales as soon as we feel that we can do so safely. ~RB2" We suspect ArenaNet will be furiously adding servers and support staff in the coming weeks to keep up with demand, however if you just can't wait you still have options. Boxed versions will still be honored, and even some third party sites still have CD keys available. It won't completely cut off the flood of new players, but it should at least slow it down until they can catch up with demand. How has your experience in Tyria been so far?  Also on a related topic, it looks like ArenaNet is hiring!   Follow Justin on Twitter

You are subscribed to email updates from Maximum PC - All Articles To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610

MMO Updates

---

• PAX Prime 2012: RIFT's Storm Legion approaches
• Previously on MV TV: The week of August 25th
• The Daily Grind: What's your favorite City of Heroes memory?
• PAX Prime 2012: Up close and personal with Torchlight II
• The Road to Mordor: Reactions to Rohan
• PAX Prime 2012: Hands-on with Phantasy Star Online 2
• PAX Prime 2012: WildStar presentation and Q&A
• The Tattered Notebook: Piling up prizes with EQII's Gigglegibber minigames
• The Mog Log: Lessons from Guild Wars 2 for Final Fantasy XIV
• PAX Prime 2012: New Final Fantasy XIV trailer released, presentation viewable

PAX Prime 2012: RIFT's Storm Legion approaches Posted: 02 Sep 2012 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Expansions, News items, Massively Event Coverage, RIFT, Housing The Storm Legion is coming. Even now, those touched by Crucia are preparing to unleash her will. But RIFT's Storm Legion expansion is bringing more than just dragon minion foes. A new soul for each calling, player housing instances, new continents, new dungeons, and new raids are all part of the bundle. We caught up with the Trion team at PAX to catch a glimpse of what the oncoming storm will bring. Continue reading PAX Prime 2012: RIFT's Storm Legion approaches PAX Prime 2012: RIFT's Storm Legion approaches originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 02 Sep 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Previously on MV TV: The week of August 25th Posted: 02 Sep 2012 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Culture, Game mechanics, Interviews, New titles, Opinion, Humor, Previously on MV TV I know that many of you are at PAX or want news about PAX or would love to see a recap livestream from PAX, but that's not happening. I'm sorry to say but this week's recap session really has nothing to do with the Seattle meet-up. Don't worry, though; there is plenty for all of us to enjoy! What sort of stuff do I have for you this week? Ah, I thought you'd never ask. Mike's back this week with his usual lineup of EVE Online and World of Tanks. Piggy follows that up with a tour through All Points Bulletin. Go, Piggy, go! MJ once again streams all of her favorite things, including The Secret World, her first jaunt into Guild Wars 2 (I mean literally her first steps!) followed by some EverQuest II, Aion, and DC Universe Online. I round things off with some PvP developer action in Darkblood Online and a tour of Astral space and super-huge space demons with the dev team from Allods Online! Grab some space popcorn and click past the cut! Continue reading Previously on MV TV: The week of August 25th Previously on MV TV: The week of August 25th originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 02 Sep 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Daily Grind: What's your favorite City of Heroes memory? Posted: 02 Sep 2012 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Super-hero, City of Heroes, Culture, MMO industry, News items, Opinion, Free-to-play, The Daily Grind I picked up City of Heroes shortly after the game launched, and I've been playing the game on and off ever since. Finding out that it's going to be gone before the end of the year stirs a lot of memories, like the first time I ever encountered one of the Rikti, the first fights against the Fifth Column, or marching around with a cape for the first time. Memories that I'll have no matter what, made more than a little bittersweet by the news of the game's impending closure. Not everyone has played the game, but after its long lifespan and the free-to-play conversion, odds are good that most MMO veterans have some recollection of playing. So as we look forward to the end, what's your favorite memory of City of Heroes? What anecdotes do you have about the first superhero MMORPG from its long and storied run? 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! The Daily Grind: What's your favorite City of Heroes memory? originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 02 Sep 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

PAX Prime 2012: Up close and personal with Torchlight II Posted: 01 Sep 2012 07:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Previews, Opinion, Hands-on, Massively Hands-on, Massively Event Coverage Torchlight II is marching toward its September 20th launch date. Actually, it's probably skipping joyously with a little ferret or adorable puppy trailing along behind it. Is your clicking-finger ready? We took some time at PAX to dabble our toes in the game and splash around a bit. Now we have damp toes and a hands-on experience with Torchlight II. Continue reading PAX Prime 2012: Up close and personal with Torchlight II PAX Prime 2012: Up close and personal with Torchlight II originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 01 Sep 2012 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Road to Mordor: Reactions to Rohan Posted: 01 Sep 2012 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Expansions, Previews, Opinion, Free-to-play, The Road to Mordor Judging from the comments in last week's column, I gather that many players are not too rankled with Lord of the Rings Online: Riders of Rohan's delay. Many even support the move. It's not like Turbine moved Rohan a half-year down the road; October's in, like, a month. I think we have a good chance of surviving until then. But what I wanted to go into today were the impressions from beta testers now that the NDA has dropped. I think it's a really good sign that Turbine felt confident enough to kill the NDA on the day of the delay announcement because it nullifies suspicion that the studio is trying to hide a major clusterfudge from us. Mmm... major fudge. So let's go to the street, where emboldened testers are going door to door and letting everyone know everything about the expansion, warts and all. Is there more good than bad? Is mounted combat really all that and a bag of horse apples? Does this expansion represent Turbine's finest hour or just a speedbump on the way to Mordor? Continue reading The Road to Mordor: Reactions to Rohan The Road to Mordor: Reactions to Rohan originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 01 Sep 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

PAX Prime 2012: Hands-on with Phantasy Star Online 2 Posted: 01 Sep 2012 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Previews, Opinion, Free-to-play, Hands-on, Massively Hands-on, Massively Event Coverage I'm sure I'm not the only one around here who has fond memories of sitting in front of a Sega Dreamcast (a moment of silence, please), hacking-and-slashing my way through the original Phantasy Star Online, and I'm also sure that I'm not the only one who's positively giddy for Sega's upcoming Phantasy Star Online 2. So of course, when I found out I'd be able to get my hands on the game at PAX, I was pretty ecstatic. But nostalgia can only go so far, and I'll admit I was somewhat nervous as I stepped up to the demo station. Would this new iteration in the PSO series live up to my rose-tinted memories of the title? I stepped into the boots of a Human Hunter to find out for myself. Continue reading PAX Prime 2012: Hands-on with Phantasy Star Online 2 PAX Prime 2012: Hands-on with Phantasy Star Online 2 originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 01 Sep 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

PAX Prime 2012: WildStar presentation and Q&A Posted: 01 Sep 2012 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-fi, Game mechanics, Previews, Massively Event Coverage, WildStar Carbine Studios' premiere foray into the MMO field, the deliciously sci-fi WildStar, has been high on my to-watch list since PAX Prime 2011 when I got my first look at the game (over Rubi's shoulder, admittedly). So I was delighted to have the opportunity to sit down with a few members of WildStar's development team for a short presentation and Q&A session at this year's PAX Prime. The developers, led by Lead Narrative Designer Chad Moore, set the tone of the presentation by leading off with the recently released housing preview video (which you should go watch if you haven't already), followed by a short explanation of the game's backstory. For the uninitiated: The game takes place on the planet Nexus. Nexus was once inhabited by a race of hyper-technological beings known as the Eldan before they mysteriously disappeared, causing the location of the planet to be lost to the annals of time. Until now, that is. Now everyone wants a piece of that sweet, technologically advanced pie, and players arrive from all over the universe to explore this mysterious planet and the secrets within. Admit it: You wanna know what those secrets are, right? Continue reading PAX Prime 2012: WildStar presentation and Q&A PAX Prime 2012: WildStar presentation and Q&A originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 01 Sep 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Tattered Notebook: Piling up prizes with EQII's Gigglegibber minigames Posted: 01 Sep 2012 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest II, Opinion, Free-to-play, The Tattered Notebook, Guides The EverQuest II team has been regularly checking off game changes from the summer update announcement, and the most recent additions to the world of Norrath are new Gigglegibber minigames. If you've had your eye on a certain armor crate, a particular mount, or a handy consumable, but you haven't wanted to spend a lot of Station Cash to buy it, you can try your luck at winning it through one of three minigames. For 100 SC, you can buy a ticket, play a game, and get a random reward at the end. If you're curious about what the games are like and what the possible prizes are, then you're in luck! In this week's Tattered Notebook, we'll hang out with the Gigglegibbers and explore the new minigames. Continue reading The Tattered Notebook: Piling up prizes with EQII's Gigglegibber minigames The Tattered Notebook: Piling up prizes with EQII's Gigglegibber minigames originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 01 Sep 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Mog Log: Lessons from Guild Wars 2 for Final Fantasy XIV Posted: 01 Sep 2012 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, New titles, Opinion, Guild Wars 2, Consoles, Final Fantasy XIV, The Mog Log If you read all of the columns I write in a given week, then I believe that you're a wholly fictional creature. But beyond that, you'll remember that my Wednesday column was all about the systems that City of Heroes could comfortably borrow from Guild Wars 2. You may also be expecting the same sort of column here. That is definitely not the case. For starters, neither Final Fantasy XI nor Final Fantasy XIV is in a state where it can borrow anything. The former is set in its ways, and the latter has a major update around the corner that makes suggestions about mechanics pretty suspect. Furthermore, neither game is really into the whole "borrowing" routine, preferring instead to reverse-engineer a concept into some bizarre reinvention of the wheel that makes both games at once wonderful and incomprehensible. No, today I'm looking not at mechanics but at lessons for Final Fantasy XIV. The game is going to be relaunching soon, and that's when Naoki Yoshida's core principles will really be put to the test. And as the development team puts the final touches on the game, I think there are a few things to be garnered from the design of Guild Wars 2 that might nudge development around a touch. Continue reading The Mog Log: Lessons from Guild Wars 2 for Final Fantasy XIV The Mog Log: Lessons from Guild Wars 2 for Final Fantasy XIV originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 01 Sep 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

PAX Prime 2012: New Final Fantasy XIV trailer released, presentation viewable Posted: 01 Sep 2012 11:30 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Events, real-world, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, Patches, Final Fantasy XIV If you're a Final Fantaxy XIV fan who couldn't make it to PAX Prime this weekend, YouTube is your friend. Square-Enix released a new video for its Realm Reborn reboot that is comprised of in-game footage, and we've got it for you in its entirely after the break. An enterprising fan also managed to record over 15 minutes of Square's PAX presentation, which we've also included after the cut. [Thanks to everyone who tipped us!] Massively's on the ground in Seattle during the weekend of August 31st - September 2nd, bringing you all the best news from PAX Prime 2012. Whether you're dying to know more about WildStar, PlanetSide 2, RIFT: Storm Legion, or any MMO in between, you can bet we'll have it covered! Continue reading PAX Prime 2012: New Final Fantasy XIV trailer released, presentation viewable PAX Prime 2012: New Final Fantasy XIV trailer released, presentation viewable originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 01 Sep 2012 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: YouTube

You are subscribed to email updates from Massively To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610

MMORPG News

---

Champions Online: The Nighthawk comes to Champions Online Posted: 31 Aug 2012 07:08 PM PDT Super-heroism has wings and jet engines in the Nighthawk update for Champions Online, including the first taste of the superhero, action MMORPG's brand new vehicle system. Framed by a corporate super-villain, the vigilante hero Nighthawk must clear his name. The call has been made for players to band together, taking the fight to the skies with Hawkwing jetfighters.

Torchlight 2: Max Schaefer Interview & Hands On Posted: 01 Sep 2012 07:23 AM PDT During PAX Prime on Friday, we had the opportunity to check out Torchlight II, the upcoming ARPG from Runic Studios and Perfect World Entertainment. We had the pleasure to talk with Max Shaefer and to get a bit of hands on time with TL2. Read on!

You are subscribed to email updates from MMORPG.COM News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610

General gaming

---

PAX '12: Dishonored: Great Game, Punishing Demo Posted: 01 Sep 2012 07:44 PM PDT Everyone I know who's played any bit of Dishonored has failed, and miserably. I did, too, but my lack of success wasn't discouraging; instead, it had me motivated to sit down and fully test my limits within the game's world. Unfortunately, I had only an hour to explore just one of Dishonored's single missions, and I'd be lying if I said the amount of freedom wasn't a little overwhelming at times. It's not that the game doesn't give you any guidance; in fact, your objectives are always crystal clear. How you achieve them, however, is entirely on you. Compared to most modern games that involve running between obviously marked checkpoints, Dishonored can't be called anything but demanding. My brief encounter with Dishonored at this year's PAX Prime brought forth memories of one of my favorite examples of impeccable game design -- and one I've probably wrote and talked about on 1UP enough times to have me legally barred from mentioning it again. But for the sake of establishing a comparison, the mix of trust and responsibility Dishonored dumped into my lap reminded me of the boss fight against The End in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. Like that particular section of Naked Snake's debut, Dishonored gave me a generous helping of tools, dropped me into its world, dusted its hands, and grunted, "Well, get to work." And yes, my deaths were numerous and spectacular -- one of which included a nasty tumble off of a boat mere seconds after starting the demo, where numerous piranhas proceeded to nibble me to death.

You are subscribed to email updates from 1UP RSS feed To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610