General Gaming Article

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• Google Testing Haswell-powered Chromebook
• Column: Take the Socket Pledge With Me
• The Future of Broadband Internet
• Acer May Launch a $399 Touchscreen Notebook Next Month
• Getac's Gnarly X500 Mobile Rugged Server Looks Badass
• BlackBerry Chief Believes Need for Tablets Will Disappear in Five Years
• World Wide Web Turns 20 Years Old, Where Were You Back Then?
• Newegg Daily Deals: Crucial Ballistix DDR3 RAM, Dell UltraSharp 24-inch Monitor, and More
• Samsung Reportedly Readying Octa-Core Nexus 11 Tablet

Google Testing Haswell-powered Chromebook Posted: 30 Apr 2013 07:49 PM PDT References to Haswell-powered Chromebook board found in Chromium OS code Ultrabook vendors are not the only ones eagerly looking forward to Intel's 22nm Haswell chip, scheduled to launch at Computex 2013 in June, as Chromebooks powered by Intel's next-generation chip are also in the cards. Chromestroy.com's Dinsan Francis claims to have unearthed many references to a Chromebook board codenamed "Slippy" while sifting through Chromium OS code. When he delved deeper in search of more clues, Francis says, he discovered that Slippy is based on Intel's next-generation Haswell chip. Until very recently, Chromebooks mostly used low-power Atoms and Celerons — even a 1.7 GHz dual-core Samsung Exynos 5 SoC in one case — but the Google Chromebook Pixel bucked that trend when it debuted with a dual-core Core i5 3427U processor earlier this year. Combine this shift to more powerful processors with the fact that Haswell promises to help extend the battery life of notebooks significantly, the existence of Slippy is not surprising in the least. Follow Pulkit on Google+

Column: Take the Socket Pledge With Me Posted: 30 Apr 2013 04:25 PM PDT Looking at the future of CPU sockets The Mainstream tech media declared the PC dead—yet again—and enthusiasts had a full-on freak-out when rumors surfaced that Intel intended to dump socketed processors within two years. You can read the details of the story here, but let it be known far and wide, Intel will support socketed processors for the "foreseeable future." AMD, likewise, had already taken the pledge, saying it would be offering socketed CPUs, too. To the casual observer, this may seem like a tempest in a land grid array. It's not, of course—it's really about our freedom to build the systems we want with as much price and performance granularity as we can get. Quite simply: We like our ability to choose what we want rather than having it dictated to us. Want to run a $60 motherboard with a $330 CPU? Go ahead. Planning to start your $350 board with a $100 CPU and eventually move up to a $330 part? That's your decision to make on the PC today. Intel's NUC features a CPU soldered on to its motherboard That won't be the case if the PC transitions to motherboards with fixed processors, as was rumored. Instead, motherboard companies would greatly pare down their inventories and offer just a handful of boards with integrated CPUs rather than dozens of CPU and motherboard choices. Let's not even mention that if you ever had a problem with the motherboard, you'd have to toss the CPU with it. And who eats that cost? The mobo maker or the CPU maker? Such a world would indeed signify that PC end times were nigh, so you can see why the nerd rage was flying. So, what may really be happening? My guess: Intel is signaling an armistice in the performance arms race between the two x86 powers, as both companies concentrate on the real threat right now: tablets and mobile devices. Rather than the end of interchangeable CPUs, it's more likely an end to the brutal "tick-tock" strategy for desktops and laptops. Instead, the upgrade cycles could be stretched out from two years to three. Hardly the end of socketed CPUs. Hell, for all I know, Intel may need to move to a new type of cartridge design à la the Pentium II's SEC, so it can embed DRAM into the core or use some technique to increase memory bandwidth for the onboard GPU. I'll also point out that soldered chips have been in use by AMD and Intel on desktops already—in extremely small form factor boxes. We really don't know what will happen in three to four years and, frankly, Intel probably doesn't either. I do know that any path Intel and AMD take for the PC must include end-user upgradability of the CPU or both will suffer the wrath of their strongest supporters.

The Future of Broadband Internet Posted: 30 Apr 2013 02:05 PM PDT Honoring 20 years of the World Wide Web by looking forward at the future of broadband Internet The World Wide Web has been around for 20 years as of today and broadband internet has evolved considerably over the latter half of that timespan in the US. Whereas just a few years ago, large parts of the country were relegated to pokey 56K dial-up connections over standard phone lines, now multi-megabit broadband connections are commonplace and speed increases are being introduced regularly. In fact, in some test markets, broadband at gigabit speeds is on the way. And yes, that's gigabits with a "G," as in roughly 17,800x more bandwidth than 56K dial-up. Looking at the future of broadband Internet We also have many more choices today. Connecting to the Internet used to mean firing up AOL for millions of users. Now, though, most consumers can choose between multiple service providers, which offer cable, DSL, or even wireless broadband connections with plenty of bandwidth for all but the most demanding users. Broadband may not be universally available here in the states just yet, but availability is far better than it was, and it's consistently improving. Despite myriad advances made to the county's broadband infrastructure, the story is not all good. According to a few recent studies, the United States still trails some other nations in multiple broadband-related categories, including average connection speed and penetration. For example, South Korea's average connection speed is more than double that of the United States—16.7Mbps vs. 6.1Mbps—and the United States ranks 36th in overall connectivity. There's more to broadband than just bandwidth and penetration, however, and we hope to fill you in on the details here. Our goal is to help you to better understand the various technologies available now and outline some of the advances coming in the future. We've also got some practical tips for changing ISPs and optimizing your current broadband connection on tap, as well. Pick Your Platform Get connected over copper, fiber, wireless, or satellite There are a number of different ways consumers in the United States have access to high-speed broadband Internet connections. Some, like DSL, leverage existing telephone network infrastructures, while others, like satellite or LTE wireless, use relatively new technologies. Although broadband isn't accessible to everyone in the country, there are multiple options available for most consumers and the choices that are available continue to mature and evolve.  The most common broadband connection types in the United States include digital subscriber line (or DSL), cable, fiber optic– to-home solutions, wireless, and to a lesser extent satellite. Wireline solutions like cable and fiber-to-home will typically offer the highest-bandwidth, lowest-latency connections, and DSL is usually the most affordable, but all of the connection types mentioned here have multi-megabit plans available from numerous Internet service providers (ISPs) in many parts of the country. Before we dig in, also note that all of the broadband connection technologies we discuss here are sometimes referred to as "last mile" or "network edge" connections. What that means is that they're the connection types used by Internet service providers to make the link between end users and the core backbones of the Internet. xDSL DSL modems like the D-Link DSL-520B connect through standard copper phone lines to provide broadband Internet access. According to the most recent data available on the National Broadband Map, DSL is the second most accessible broadband technology in the United States, behind only the various wireless technologies. In the locations where high-speed broadband is available, one form of DSL or another is offered to 88.9 percent of those customers. Although "DSL" is a term thrown around freely, it actually encompasses an entire family of technologies, which includes asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL), symmetric digital subscriber line (SDSL), integrated services digital network (ISDN), rate-adaptive digital subscriber line (RADSL), and high bit-rate digital subscriber line (HDSL), among a few others. DSL leverages the copper cabling used throughout the telephone network to transmit digital data, and as such, the bandwidth offered by the various technologies will vary based on a few factors, like the quality of the physical connection and distance from the exchange, sometimes called the "central office." DSL is typically more affordable than other solutions because it's cheaper to implement over the existing telephone network, versus deploying new, high-bandwidth fiber cables over the same expanse. Though sometimes cheaper, many DSL solutions can still offer significant bandwidth to end users. Sonic.net, for example, is one of the best-regarded DSL providers in the nation, with plans that offer download speeds of up to 20Mbps. It's able to offer DSL speeds so far above the national average of about 4Mbps by using VDSL2 bonding technology that essentially links dual copper pairs into single connections. Other DSL providers also leverage bonding technology to increase the effective amount of available bandwidth to end users, but the fastest ISPs are typically concentrated in the more densely populated areas of the country, like California and the Northeast. A typical DSL setup in a home consists of little more than a filter (or filters) that are used to separate voice and data signals between telephones and a DSL modem. The technology hasn't changed much in recent years, so massive speed increases haven't been offered by many DSL providers, but the technology is mature and reliable, and should suit the needs of mainstream consumers. In the future, however, large bandwidth gains are still possible with DSL. Alcatel-Lucent, for example, announced that through a technology advanced by Bell Labs, it has achieved 300Mbps over two DSL lines (through bonding) at a distance of 400 meters. The technology works by leverage bonding, something called Phantom mode, and vectoring. Phantom mode creates a third, virtual pair on top of the existing two pairs used in the DSL lines. And then vectoring technology filters out interference and crosstalk among them all. The bandwidth of the two physical and the virtual pairs are then combined into a single, ultra-high-bandwidth pipe. Cable Internet The Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification, or DOCSIS, is used by many cable television operators to provide broadband Internet access over their existing network using a cable modem, like the Motorola SB6120 pictured here. On some level, cable Internet access is similar to DSL. However, instead of using the telephone network, cable Internet leverages the cable television infrastructure to provide a broadband Internet connection. Also like DSL, cable Internet is relatively pervasive and is the next most common wireline broadband connection technology in the United States. In areas where broadband is available, cable Internet access is an option for 85.2 percent of consumers.  Many of the technologies employed by cable Internet access providers are determined by the Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification, or DOCSIS. DOCSIS was initially developed by CableLabs, a not-for-profit research and development consortium founded by a number of cable television providers, along with a host of additional contributors, including the likes of Broadcom, Cisco, Conexant, Intel, Motorola, Netgear, Texas Instruments, and a handful of other companies. Cable Internet is also one of the more mature broadband technologies offered in the United States and bandwidth available to end users is relatively high. If we disregard some fledgling fiber-to-home solutions, cable Internet is among the fastest in the nation. It is not uncommon for cable service providers to offer premium plans in the 50Mbps to 100Mbps (download) range, at prices below $100 month. It is also common to see cable Internet included in "triple play"–type packages that bundle Internet, television, and phone services on a single bill.  Although fast and relatively affordable, one of the disadvantages of cable Internet is that bandwidth is shared not only on the provider's core network, but among smaller nodes, or groups of residents, as well, which can lead to slowdowns during peak usage times. If there aren't numerous users concurrently consuming large amounts of bandwidth, the slowdowns may be imperceptible, but on more congested networks the slowdowns can be significant. Though already fairly mature, bandwidth gains are still likely as providers improve their networks and implement more features of the DOCSIS 3.0 specification. For example, DOCSIS 3.0 allows for bonding of multiple upstream and downsteam channels to increase total available bandwidth. The specification calls for hardware to support a minimum of four upstream/downstream channels, which can each offer a maximum of 42.88Mbps, but there is no maximum number of channels defined. An eight-channel bonded configuration could theoretically offer a connection speed of up to 343Mbps. Click the next page to read more about Fiber internet speeds.     Fiber Fiber-optic cables can carry more data, over much longer distances, than copper wire. Some of the more recent, ultra-high-speed broadband services being offered to US consumers consist of newer fiber-to-the-home deployments. Although fiber-to-the-home, or FTTH, is the most common term end users are likely to hear, there are numerous types of fiber deployments currently in flight across the country. Fiber-to-the-neighborhood (FTTN), fiber-to-the-building (FTTB), fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP), and fiber-to-the-desk (FTTD) are all terms you may hear bandied about. They're all fairly self-explanatory; the significance of each deployment type is the peak performance that can be achieved by each architecture. To put it simply, the closer the optical fiber cable is brought to end users, the faster the broadband connection can be. Whereas DSL providers typically offer 10Mbps–20Mbps and cable providers up to 100Mbps or so, fiber-to-home providers can offer hundreds of megabits or even full gigabit connections. Verizon's FiOS service, for example, offers a 300Mbps plan in some parts of the country. Google Fiber, which is currently being built out in Kansas City, will offer speeds up to 1Gbps, and Sonic.net offers fiber services in parts of California where users can choose up to 1Gbps services, as well. Prices for these exotic broadband services vary significantly from more than $200 a month for FiOS's 300Mbps plan, to only $69 a month for Sonic.net's offering. These services, however, are available to only a small fraction of Americans at this time, so competition among the various providers is essentially nonexistent. When asked about current fiber-to-home offerings, Sonic.net CEO Dane Jasper said, "None of these competitive efforts have any substantial national market share at this time, and I don't believe they have much influence on the incumbents except in very small regional pockets." He also said, "Telcos will push fiber closer to the home (or, in the case of Verizon, all of the way)," however, which means some very good things are on the horizon. Because fiber-optic cables offer much more bandwidth than copper wire, over longer distances, it is the most future-proof of the broadband technologies we mention here. Rest assured, it will continually be brought closer and closer to end users, and more bandwidth will be available as a result. Unfortunately, as of the most recent data available on the National Broadband Map, direct fiber Internet services are only available to 17.8 percent of potential broadband subscribers in the United States. For fiber Internet service to have a more meaningful impact on the broadband market, it's going to have to reach a much larger audience. That should happen in time, though. Wireless Broadband A few years ago, LTE wireless networks didn't exist. Now they cover more than 75 percent of the nation. Wireless broadband encompasses a handful of technologies, including Wi-Fi, WiMax, and the various cellular networks, among a few others. By far, the most pervasive of these technologies as a service is the cellular network, which thanks to recent LTE build-outs, can offer relatively high peak bandwidth under certain conditions, at affordable rates. We're all familiar with Wi-Fi, which is designed to cover relatively small areas and not really sold as a service, except for temporary hot-spot applications. WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) is a longer-range technology designed to deliver last-mile wireless broadband access to end users at multi-megabit speeds, as an alternative to wireline technologies like DSL or cable. WiMAX is available from providers in about 80 US markets, and a large number of additional markets around the world, but it isn't very popular as a residential solution. The 3G and 4G cellular networks, however, account for a huge portion of Internet traffic, mostly due to the popularity of smartphones and other mobile devices. 4G LTE networks in particular have been rapidly expanding in recent years and offer relatively high bandwidth. In real-world situations, in markets like New York, San Francisco, and Austin, Texas, 4G LTE broadband can offer upwards of 35Mbps down and 15Mbps up, with much higher theoretical numbers possible. Taken as a whole, broadband wireless Internet access is the most widely available connection type in the country. According to the National Broadband Map, wireless internet is an option for 98.7 percent of consumers living in areas where broadband connections are available. As useful as wireless Internet can be, it has some major drawbacks. For one, it is relatively expensive. Wireless data plans typically fall in the $20–$100-a-month range and offer limited amounts of data usage. For example, Verizon Wireless offers a 4GB-per-month shared data plan for $30 and a 12GB plan for $70. Exceed those limits, and you'll have to pay additional fees and/or contend with data throttling. Wireless Internet is also more susceptible to interference than other connection types, and network performance varies wildly depending on a number of factors, including distance from the tower and network congestion. As such, wireless services are best suited to mobile devices, as a backup to wireline solutions, or for casual users that aren't likely to hit the imposed data limits. What comes after 4G LTE is still up in the air. A 5G standard has yet to be finalized and the 4G build-out is still far from complete. We can reasonably expect lower latency and more bandwidth at longer ranges, but we won't know for sure until a spec is finalized. Satellite Internet In areas where wired broadband is unavailable, satellite Internet may do the trick. It doesn't offer anywhere near the bandwidth of traditional wireline solutions, however. Satellite Internet is more of a last resort than a viable solution for most consumers in need of broadband. The technology is a godsend for people who live in rural or remote areas where wireline broadband solutions are not available, but residential satellite broadband speeds simply can't match those of xDSL or cable and costs are usually higher, too. Typical satellite Internet speeds hover in the 1Mbps to 2Mbps (download) range, through some of the latest technology from providers like HughesNet offer up to 15Mbps down and 2Mbps up. There are monthly bandwidth caps in the 20GB–40GB-per-month range, however, and costs for even the more entry-level plans are somewhat higher than more common wired solutions. Advancements in satellite Internet will come as compression and bandwidth-sharing technologies are improved, but the most significant gains can only come as newer, more advanced satellite, with higher total capacities, are put into orbit. Click the next page to read about the broadband of the future.     Broadband of the Future To get a read on broadband's future in the United States, we talked to a couple folks well versed on the subject: Patrick Moorhead, founder and principal analyst at Moor Insight and Strategy, and Dane Jasper, CEO of Sonic.net. When asked about which of the broadband technologies available in the United States will be the most pervasive moving forward, Moorhead said, "Wireless broadband will be the most pervasive in the future, given that it touches so many people in so many places. Wi-Fi wireless in particular will be expanded significantly as service providers attempt to string networks together to take some of the traffic off of congested 3G, 4G, and LTE networks." He continued, "Cable is the winner in terms of the price-to-speed equation, in that most of the investment is a sunk cost. Fiber, as in Google Fiber, is the fastest, but also the costliest to install. Satellite will continue to play a niche role, serving hard-to-reach and rural areas. Its asymmetry and line-of-site requirements outweigh any kind of downlink speed advantage." Dane Jasper mostly agreed, stating, "Domestically, you will see a continued slow march of the incumbent duopoly; cable will gradually upgrade to higher DOCSIS versions as they become available and feasible, and will split nodes in the meanwhile to avoid congestion—at least to the point of avoiding customer churn. Meanwhile, telcos will push fiber closer to the home—or, in the case of Verizon, all of the way—while rolling out faster xDSL technologies: ADSL2+ and VDSL2 today, with bonding and then vectoring." Jasper added, "Wireless is also a factor to consider. With LTE's very-high-speed capabilities, and consumers' interest in tablets and other portable devices, these services are a potential alternative to wireline products." We also asked what they thought pervasive, ultra-high-speed broadband could mean for consumers, and Moorhead proclaimed, "New usage models will emerge with the advent of fast, reliable broadband. With faster broadband, most of our computing can be done in the cloud, meaning more consistent, reliable, and less expensive experiences. Low-priced displays able to run any app will be all over the house, so literally, every room will enable access to every app and piece of content, anytime." Sounds good to us, though we don't want to downplay the need for fast local storage, as well. As for why the United States tends to lag behind many other developed nations and what we could do to improve the situation, Dane Jasper put most of the blame on misguided government policies and regulation. He said, "Reversing the course selection of a multi-modal competitive model, which the Republican FCC charted for us in the early 2000s, is the quickest way to resolve the domestic broadband issue. Europe and Asia followed our regulatory course from the 1996 Telecom Act, and stuck with it—while in the United States we faltered, fostering instead a duopoly. While incumbent cable and telcos have made substantial upgrades—DOCSIS 3.0, FiOS, U-verse—we continue to over-pay for under-delivery of speed, generally with consumption caps." Patrick Moorhead's view was somewhat different. Moorhead said, "Countries leapfrog each other as it relates to broadband. The United States was viewed as the mobile laggard during the EDGE days, but now has one of the top spots in LTE. Countries like Korea and Japan will continue to dominate with speeds, unless the US government would subsidize fiber rollout. Given the US budget challenges, I don't see that happening, meaning the United States does not gain leadership footing in broadband." The Need for Speed What is super-high-speed Internet good for, anyway? Game consoles like the Xbox 360, smart TVs and appliances, Internet radios, and all of the other connected devices in your home, consume bandwidth. Rumor has it that the next Xbox will require an always-on Internet connection. Netflix recommends 5Mb/s broadband connections for the highest quality movie streams, which can use approximate 2.3GB and hour In many circumstances, the benefits of an ultra-fast broadband connection may not be immediately apparent. There are other factors besides peak bandwidth that ultimately affect a user's experience online and if you're not using the bandwidth you already have available, upgrading to a faster plan isn't going to make much difference. However, as our needs for more bandwidth increase, the benefits of some of the more advanced broadband technologies become clear. As we start saving more data in the cloud, streaming more HD content, and increasing the number of connected devices in our homes, our bandwidth needs grow. Just a few years ago, having one or two PCs connected in a home was typical. Today, though, it's not uncommon to find a dozen or more connected devices, when you account for smart appliances and televisions, mobile devices, game consoles, desktop systems, and laptops. How much bandwidth you'll require will obviously vary based on the usage habits of those in your household, but we can give you some rough guidelines and expectations. For example, let's say you've got three users in your home. One is playing a game online, while the other two are streaming HD movies or television from a service like Netflix. For their highest-quality streams, Netflix recommends a 5Mbps connection; a typical stream can consume about 2.3GB an hour. The gamer will use a minimal amount of bandwidth, but the two users streaming video will likely saturate a 10Mbps connection. The speed differences between mainstream and high-end broadband plans are not trivial and neither is the cost. Actual differences will vary from provider to provider, but we'll use Verizon FiOS as an example. A basic plan that offers 15Mbps down and 5Mbps up will run about $70 a month. Its flagship plan offers 300Mbps down and 65Mbps up, 20x and 13x increases in bandwidth, respectively, for $209 a month. If you can use that kind of bandwidth, the cost per megabit is much better with the high-end plan. To give an example of how those bandwidth ratings affect download speed, the 15Mbps plan can download a 5GB file in about 44 minutes. The 300Mbps plan can do it in 2.2 minutes. Bandwidth Caps In an attempt to curb massive bandwidth consumption, some providers—especially wireless providers—have implemented bandwidth caps that kick in when consumption ticks past a certain level. For wireless providers, that number is usually in the 2GB–4GB-per-month range, while wireline providers like Comcast are in the 300GB-per-month range. Some would argue that these caps are simply a tool to gouge consumers, while others claim it's a means to ease network congestion. Sonic.net CEO Dane Jasper said this when asked about bandwidth caps, "I don't see caps as being related to network capacity concerns. To put it simply, the heaviest users, when capped, will still use their service during peak/prime time, and network capacity must be built to accommodate the peak load. The sustained use that the heavy users would make is spread around the clock, and doesn't have any substantial impact on capacity planning." Whatever the case, if bandwidth caps become the norm, consumers could be in for significant cost increases in the future as our bandwidth needs increase. Click the next page for tips on switching ISPs. High-Speed for the Masses Where is it? As we've mentioned, broadband isn't universally available across the entire United States just yet. According to a recent study by Akamai Technologies, 81 percent of the country has access to broadband with speeds greater than 2Mbps. That may not sound too bad, but with availability in only 81 percent of the nation, the United States ranks 36th among the countries included in the study. The global average is only 66 percent, which means the United States is decidedly ahead of the curve, but in countries like Germany, the Netherlands, and even Bulgaria, broadband connectivity is in the 94–96 percent range. As compared to the previous year, the United States increased its average by 8.6 percent, which puts the country among the fastest growers, but there is obviously still much work to be done if we're going to catch the leaders. If you ask those in the know why the United States trails many other nations in broadband availability and speed, you'll likely hear three possible reasons: burdensome government regulations, high corporate tax rates, and the relative high cost of bandwidth in the country. Solving these problems is going to take significant action on the part of the government and some initiative and cooperation from the private sector, but it appears we are on the path to success, especially as younger, more tech-savvy legislators are elected. The FCC's Broadband.gov website has details on the Broadband Action Agenda and lists more than 60 initiatives the FCC intends to undertake over the next few years to implement the recommendations in the National Broadband Plan, which was introduced in March 2010. One of the goals of the National Broadband Plan is to provide 100 million American households with access to 100Mbps broadband connections by 2020. Tips for Switching ISPs It's easier than you think Switching ISPs is a major concern for some users, but it need not be. Unless you're locked into a contract with a wretched provider or are married to an email address provided by your ISP, switching to a new provider should be painless. We suppose some users may also be forced to use a particular ISP due to specific work-at-home requirements implemented by their employer, but even then a call to the company's IT-support department should yield results. If you're locked into a contract, perhaps due to a triple-play-type bundle that links phone, TV, and Internet service, there are still things you can do to switch. Although most ISPs don't make specific uptime guarantees, there is still an implied level of reliability that needs to be met. If service is subpar, start by logging every outage or problem and contacting your ISP's support team. Run regular speed tests too, and log every result that falls below your expected performance level. At some point after reporting continued issues, it won't be cost effective to provide support any longer. Call your ISP, ask for a service manager to hear your case, and you'll eventually be let out of your contract. Should your ISP-linked email address be associated with numerous logins online, start by setting up a new account with a free service like Gmail and systematically change all of your login credentials. Also, give yourself some lead time and set up an auto-forward to send emails coming into your ISP-linked account to the new account. And check in with your ISP; many will allow access to the email account via webmail, even after you've moved on to another provider. When or if you do make the switch, assuming you've got a router in your home network, connecting the new modem to your router is usually all that is necessary. Worst-case scenario, you've got to reconfigure your wireless settings in a new router, and maybe a few IP addresses and forwarding rules, but that's about it. Three Steps to a Better Broadband Connection Even your existing broadband service can be made faster with a few simple tweaks Signing up for a fast broadband connection is an obvious first step to ensuring high speeds while surfing the web. Even with a speedy connection in place though, there are a number of things that can be done to ensure optimal performance and reliability. The routers thrown in when you sign up for service aren't always of the best quality, and many service providers also have wimpy DNS (Domain Name Service) servers, which are easily bogged down under load and introduce tons of latency. These things can be easily averted, however, and performance and reliability can be increased with just a few tweaks and a bit of reconfiguration. 1) Use a quality router: The routers bundled with many broadband service plans tend be low-end, dumbed-down products that provide sub-par wireless coverage and are ill-equipped for numerous connections. If you've invested in a fast broadband connection, spend a few extra bucks on a high-quality router, as well. A good router will be outfitted with a faster processor, more RAM, and a better network switch. It will likely offer better wireless coverage, too, and provide faster, more reliable service, even if there are multiple devices attached, all sucking down gobs of data.   The Asus RT-N66U is a powerful wireless broadband router, with an integrated gigabit switch, that will outperform most of the routers bundled with residential broadband service.  2) Position your modem and router properly: For the best possible connection, your broadband modem should be located as close to the incoming feed as possible. For example, if you've got a cable modem, and the cable line coming into your home has been split numerous times before the modem is attached, the signal quality to the modem will be degraded. For the best performance, the cleanest signal should be fed to your modem, which means connecting it to the main line, as close to the initial split as possible. Router positioning is also important if you have devices that connect wirelessly. If your router has omnidirectional antennas (and odds are that if you haven't replaced the stock antennas, it does), it is best to position the router as close to the center of the area you'd like covered as possible.   The omni-directional antennas included with most routers transmit (and receive) signals in all directions. For the best performance, that signal should be centrally located between devices. 3) Switch DNS servers: Every time you type a URL into your web browser, a request is sent to a DNS server to obtain the corresponding website's IP address. If that server is bogged down or just plain sluggish, it can be slow to resolve addresses and introduce unwanted latency. Try running the DNS Bench utility available at www.grc.com to ascertain the fastest DNS servers in your area, and use those in lieu of your ISP's. You can designate which DNS servers to use in your TCP/IPv4 properties in Windows on each machine, or enter them into the requisite fields in the WAN section of your broadband router's setup utility. Using the fastest DNS servers available in your area can significantly speed up web browsing. Are you happy with your current Internet setup? Or are you still waiting for 4G LTE coverage and fiber optics to hit your neck of the woods? Let us know in the comments below!

Acer May Launch a $399 Touchscreen Notebook Next Month Posted: 30 Apr 2013 12:58 PM PDT Talk is cheap, and soon so will be touch. If Windows 8 is here to stay -- and Microsoft hasn't given us any reason to believe it plans on backpeddaling at this point -- then you might be best served by investing in a touchscreen laptop the next time you're in the market for a notebook. Touchscreens aren't always cheap, but it looks like Acer is planning to aggressively pursue the entry-level market with an 11.6-inch touchscreen laptop that costs just $399. According to Digitimes and its sources in the upstream supply chain, Acer will launch such a system in the middle of May. Both the notebook and the touch panel are being produced by Wistron, which will use soda lime in the construction. It's a cheaper alternative to Corning Gorilla Glass -- about a 10 percent savings -- though it's also lower quality, not the least bit surprising at that price point. Acer figures touchscreen laptops currently account for 15 percent of its notebook shipments. That's a bit lower than the OEM anticipated, having previously figured that $599 would be the sweet spot for a touchscreen laptop, it just hasn't played out that way in the market place. Not to be outdone, Digitimes says Asus will launch touchscreen laptops in the same price range. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Getac's Gnarly X500 Mobile Rugged Server Looks Badass Posted: 30 Apr 2013 12:34 PM PDT If there's such thing as an anti-Ultrabook, this is it. Pardon the crude visual, but we have a hunch Getac's X500 Rugged Server carries around a spare Ultrabook in its bag just in case the restroom runs out of toilet paper. Technically it's a mobile system in that it resembles a laptop form factor, but it's a also a beastly looking rig. Of course it's not intended for mere mortals who spend the day looking over expense reports, but we'd still love to whip one of these out at a board meeting and let it crash down on the table with a thud. The X500 is a briefcase-sized system that Getac says can be deloyed virtually anywhere and anytime, whether you're chasing tornados and need to crunch wind data on the spot or doing other in-the-field work. A quick look at the specs reveals a 15.6-inch display that's viewable in sunlight, Intel Core i7 820QM processor, 16GB of RAM, GeForce GT 330M graphics, 500GB SATA storage, dual GbE LAN ports, three USB 2.0 ports, a single USB/eSATA combo port, 802.11n Wi-Fi, and various other odds and ends. There's also a RAID controller board that supports up to five five shock-protected drives that can be accessed or swapped through one of two quick-access doors. Beyond the hardware, this thing is certified to military specifications for operation in extreme conditions, Getac says. No word on price, though you can request a quote from Getac and order a system immediate. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

BlackBerry Chief Believes Need for Tablets Will Disappear in Five Years Posted: 30 Apr 2013 09:02 AM PDT Are tablets a passing fad? It seems like the whole world has gone crazy over tablets, and you can't go more than a week without some market research firm posting gloom and doom numbers on the desktop PC side due to consumer interest in mobile. Be that as it may, and despite falling prices for increasingly powerful tablets, not everyone believes the form factor will stand the test of time. Just the opposite, BlackBerry's Thorstein Heins -- the guy who runs the show -- believes tablets are a bad business model that will be lucky to last past 2018. "In five years I don't think there will be a reason to have a tablet anymore," Heins told Bloomberg in an interview yesterday at the Milken Institute conference in Los Angeles. "Maybe a big screen in your workspace, but not a tablet as such. Tablets themselves are not a good business model." Heins may still feel jaded after his company's BlackBerry PlayBook essentially crashed and burned (incidentally, Daily Steals is selling a re-certified 7-inch PlayBook today for a mere $119, a far cry from the tablet's original $499 price tag when it first debuted). These days the Canadian company is focused on making a comeback in mobile via smartphones and its BlackBerry 10 (BB10) platform. It's through these products that Heins and company hope to be "the absolute leader in mobile computing" in five years. In a separate interview with Bloomberg Television, Heins acknowledged reports that BlackBerry's Q10 device is selling very well in the U.K., adding he expects to sell "tens of millions of units." Do you agree that tablets will essentially become obsolete in five years? Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

World Wide Web Turns 20 Years Old, Where Were You Back Then? Posted: 30 Apr 2013 08:32 AM PDT Tim Berners-Lee helped change the world more than two decades ago. If you plan on going out to eat today, save room for dessert and order a slice a cake in honor of the web's 20th birthday. That's right, it's been two whole decades already, though the wheels were set in motion several years before in 1989 when Tim Berners-Lee, a British computer scientist working at CERN, first proposed an information management system that would later become the World Wide Web. These days he serves as the director of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). "There is no sector of society that has not been transformed by the invention, in a physics laboratory, of the web," Rolf Heuer, CERN Director-General, said in a statement. "From research to business and education, the web has been reshaping the way we communicate, work, innovate and live. The web is a powerful example of the way that basic research benefits humankind." The first website ever was dedicated to the World Wide Web project itself and hosted on Berners Lee's NeXT computer. It described the basic features of the web, including how to access documents and set up a server. Unfortunately, that website is no longer at its original address, though CERN is starting a project to restore the webpage and preserve the digital assets associated with the birth of the web, the orginization said. What's your earliest memory of the web? Image Credit: CERN

Newegg Daily Deals: Crucial Ballistix DDR3 RAM, Dell UltraSharp 24-inch Monitor, and More Posted: 30 Apr 2013 08:11 AM PDT Top Deal: It's not easy keeping a low profile, unless you're talking about RAM. In that case, today's top deal is for a Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3-1600 Low Profile desktop memory kit for $56 with free shipping (normally $70 - use coupon code SAVE2041925). Save a little coin and make room for that big ol' honkin' CPU cooler you've been eying up! Other Deals: AMD A6-5400K Trinity 3.6GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) Socket FM2 65W Dual-Core Desktop APU (CPU + GPU) with DirectX 11 Graphic AMD Radeon HD 7540D for $65 with free shipping (normally $75 - use coupon code: EMCXSVR24) Thermaltake Tough Power 750W Active PFC Power Supply for $120 with shipping for $6 (normally $150) Dell UltraSharp IPS Panel 24" 8ms LCD Monitor for $290 with free shipping (normally $380 - use coupon code: [EMCXSVP46) REFURBISHED: Asus Nexus 7 Tablet PC Nvidia Tegra 3 1.20GHz 7" 1GB Memory 16GB for $190 with free shipping (normally $280; additional $40 mail-in rebate)

Samsung Reportedly Readying Octa-Core Nexus 11 Tablet Posted: 29 Apr 2013 11:42 PM PDT Nexus 10 successor said to pack an 11-inch display Given Google's unwillingness to disclose sales figures pertaining to its Nexus tablets, we are left with no other choice but to rely on educated guesses by market analysts like Enders Analysis strategy consultant Benedict Evans, who recently estimated the total sales of Nexus 7 to be around 6.8 million units and that of the Nexus 10 around one-tenth as much. Evans' Nexus 10 sales estimate in particular, if it bears any truth, is nothing to write home about. But, if a new rumor is to be believed, Nexus 10 manufacturer Samsung may be working on redeeming itself by launching the world's first octa-core tablet. According to SamMobile.com, a successor to the Nexus 10 is in the works at Samsung, but needs one final approval from Google. The site describes the Nexus 11, as the rumored device is allegedly called, as being a "high-end 11" tablet." Besides an octa-core Exynox 5410 chip, it is said to pack an 11-inch Super PLS TFT display, an 8MP rear camera and a 2MP front camera. Apparently, MicroSD support is also likely, but hasn't been confirmed. In the same report, the site talks about three other tablets upcoming tablets: the dual-core, dual-sim Galaxy Tab DUOS 7.0 that has a 7-inch display (1024x600); the quad-core (Exynox 4412) Galaxy Tab 8.0 that sports an 8-inch full HD display; and finally a dual-core (Exynos 5250) variant of the Nexus 11 caled Galaxy Tab 11. Follow Pulkit on Google+

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Latest Gaming and MMORPG Updates

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• New Grand Theft Auto V Character Trailers
• Die Hard, Robin, And The Music Of Batman: Arkham Origins
• David Cage On Player Behavior, His Role As Director, And Violence In Beyond
• Eador: Masters Of The Broken World Review – Beautiful Strategy, Flawed Execution
• City of Steam to go into Early Access Beta in May
• Twitter Is Testing Out Its Official Google Glass App In The Wild
• MallWeGo Is A Social Shopping And Gaming Platform To Make Buying Stuff More Fun
• Yahoo's Deal To Buy A $200M Stake In Dailymotion From Orange Scuppered By French Government
• New York City Turns Out For The First Day Of Disrupt NY 2013
• Windows Phone Ad Pokes Fun at Samsung and Apple Feud

New Grand Theft Auto V Character Trailers Posted: 30 Apr 2013 09:01 AM PDT Grand Theft Auto V is upping the ante with not one, but three protagonists in its upcoming open-world adventure. The latest trailers for the game delve a little deeper into each of them. In a heist, everybody’s got a role to play, and you’ll experience them all as you jump … Continue reading →

Die Hard, Robin, And The Music Of Batman: Arkham Origins Posted: 30 Apr 2013 09:01 AM PDT “Batman isn’t Batman until there’s music and lighting. Otherwise it’s a guy standing there in a costume and it looks like a convention,” says Eric Holmes, the creative director for Batman: Arkham Origins. While visiting Warner Bros. Games Montreal for our cover story on the next Arkham game, the team … Continue reading →

David Cage On Player Behavior, His Role As Director, And Violence In Beyond Posted: 30 Apr 2013 09:01 AM PDT This weekend, Quantic Dream’s Beyond: Two Souls became the second video game featured at the Tribeca Film Festival (L.A. Noire was the pioneering piece), and the first platform-exclusive to earn the honor. After the 35 minute gameplay demonstration and subsequent panel meeting, we had the opportunity to sit down with … Continue reading →

Eador: Masters Of The Broken World Review – Beautiful Strategy, Flawed Execution Posted: 30 Apr 2013 09:01 AM PDT This indie strategy title exemplifies both why I love strategy games so much and why many of my favorite titles will never gain mainstream acceptance. Eador: Masters of the Broken World has an adamantium skeleton of a gorgeous design buried under the pasty, unappealing flesh of poor technical execution. As … Continue reading →

City of Steam to go into Early Access Beta in May Posted: 30 Apr 2013 06:00 AM PDT   The MMORPG City of Steam, a free-to-play, browser-based industrial age fantasy 3D MMORPG developed with the Unity 3D engine, has been announced for early access Beta on May 10th. After wrapping up the game’s Closed Beta in December of last year, Mechanist Games has been hard at work developing … Continue reading →

Twitter Is Testing Out Its Official Google Glass App In The Wild Posted: 29 Apr 2013 04:35 PM PDT It’s only a matter of time before Twitter releases its own Google Glass app, as Kleiner Perkins’ John Doerr dropped the hint that the company was looking into building one during this month’s Glass Collective announcement. A tweet from an official Twitter Glass app has been spotted, interestingly enough by … Continue reading →

MallWeGo Is A Social Shopping And Gaming Platform To Make Buying Stuff More Fun Posted: 29 Apr 2013 04:30 PM PDT MallWeGo is a New York-based startup launching at the Disrupt NY 2013 Startup Alley today with a social, gaming shopping experience for web and mobile. The company has built a virtual world for socialising with friends in avatar form, which looks like a simplified Second Life or The Sims, but the … Continue reading →

Yahoo's Deal To Buy A $200M Stake In Dailymotion From Orange Scuppered By French Government Posted: 29 Apr 2013 04:00 PM PDT It looks like lightening has struck on the towers of Dailymotion. Yahoo’s bid to take a $200 million majority stake in the video site — known as the ‘YouTube of France’ — has been killed by the French government, which decided that it didn’t want a U.S. company to take … Continue reading →

New York City Turns Out For The First Day Of Disrupt NY 2013 Posted: 29 Apr 2013 04:00 PM PDT The first day of TechCrunch Disrupt NY is a wrap. The morning started with a fireside chat with Chris Dixon and Eric Eldon where the Andreessen Horowitz partner explained his take on Bitcoin startups and how 3D printing could transform manufacturing. TechCrunch founder Michael Arrington took the stage next with … Continue reading →

Windows Phone Ad Pokes Fun at Samsung and Apple Feud Posted: 29 Apr 2013 11:36 AM PDT Nokia’s Lumia 920 is a lover, not a fighter. It does seem at times as though Apple and Samsung almost enjoy fighting with each other, doesn’t it? A new ad promoting Nokia’s Lumia 920 smartphone and the Windows Phone platform it runs on comes right out and says it, and … Continue reading →

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MMO Updates

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• Neverwinter's open beta soft launches today
• EQII's Scars of the Awakened highlights the story through art
• Defiance contest lets you(r character) be on the show
• The Soapbox: My lore problem
• Flameseeker Chronicles: It's time for some retribution in Guild Wars 2
• The Daily Grind: What was the worst guild meltdown you've ever seen?
• Not So Massively: Cash MOBA tournaments, Diablo III's latest exploit, and city-building with Prime World
• Chaos Theory: Testing my Secret World DPS makeover
• Star Trek Online dev blog dishes on Romulan rewards
• Diablo III PS3 preorders available now
• Camelot Unchained unveils new video, Mark Jacobs visits Reddit for AMA
• The Elder Scrolls Online's Matt Firor answers closed beta questions
• Virtual world economist says Guild Wars 2's pre-endgame economy 'broken'
• Greed Monger screenshots and video show off tropical climate area
• Leaderboard: What was your favorite EVE Fanfest reveal?

Neverwinter's open beta soft launches today Posted: 30 Apr 2013 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Game Mechanics, Launches, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Free-to-Play, Hands-On, First Impressions, Neverwinter Ever wonder what the heck an MMO soft launch actually is? Me too, which is funny because you'd think I'd know, working for an MMO site and whatnot. Soft launch implies that somewhere out in game land there's also a hard launch, which is a term that I've never heard once despite following the industry for decades now. Is soft launch merely a marketing construct, or perhaps devspeak for a free-to-play MMO that operates in some sort of perpetual beta in spite of a working cash shop? Or is it simply a term that denotes the beginning of an open beta period that is free of character wipes, as is the case with today's Neverwinter pseudo-release? The definition is up to you, I suppose, and while you're mulling that one over, you can also click past the cut for a roundup of our best pre-soft-launch Neverwinter coverage. Continue reading Neverwinter's open beta soft launches today Neverwinter's open beta soft launches today originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 30 Apr 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

EQII's Scars of the Awakened highlights the story through art Posted: 30 Apr 2013 09:30 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest II, Patches, Previews, Free-to-Play, Dungeons With Scars of the Awakened going live today, EverQuest II fans are counting down the hours until their first trip into Cobalt Scar and its many adventures. And who can blame them? New content for crafters and adventurers alike is inbound. Along with the new Cobalt Scar overland zone, GU 66 also brings players a new dungeon filled with some brand-new creatures, a new tradeskill quest line along with hot-off-the-presses recipes, some class changes based directly on player feedback, and more. I got a sneak peek at what lies in store thanks to a tour guided by Holly Longdale, Producer, and Akil Hooper, Creative Director. From walks on the beach among the Ulthork to hordes of undead Othmir to a look at the second half of Sirens Grotto, this tour showed off how the art and the stories blend to create an immersive experience for players. Continue reading EQII's Scars of the Awakened highlights the story through art EQII's Scars of the Awakened highlights the story through art originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 30 Apr 2013 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Defiance contest lets you(r character) be on the show Posted: 30 Apr 2013 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Contests, Events (In-Game), MMO Industry, Free-to-Play, Post-Apocalyptic, Defiance The crossover potential of the Defiance MMO and television series has only really been felt with a few main characters so far, but Trion Worlds wants to take that one step further by giving you a chance to be on the show. How does that work? Simply register yourself at the official contest page and head into the game to earn the most ark salvage per hour during the contest period from 12:00 a.m. PDT April 30 to 11:59 p.m May 12 in the Most Wanted: Competitor and Most Wanted: Rogue's Gallery in-game pursuits. Of course, this is your character's likeness that we're talking about here, but it won't just be a simple screenshot pushed in the background. Artists from the series will render the winning character into an upcoming episode of the show. [Source: Trion Worlds press release] Defiance contest lets you(r character) be on the show originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 30 Apr 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Soapbox: My lore problem Posted: 30 Apr 2013 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Lore, MMO Industry, Opinion, Roleplaying, Humor, The Soapbox, Miscellaneous, MMORPG "In the distant forests of El'quen, a dark evil stirs. Marrowgore the Unhunter, imprisoned for a thousand years in Cauldron Lake by the Eye of Son'drak, has broken free. Now, he and his evil BoneSlurpers stage an all-out war on the United Provinces. You, a freshly christened hero known for valorous acts both on and off the battlefield, must take charge of the Sacred Axeblade of Loqtai, harness the power it contains, and send the Unhunter back to his watery prison. "But first, can you get me nine wolf pelts?" Continue reading The Soapbox: My lore problem The Soapbox: My lore problem originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 30 Apr 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Flameseeker Chronicles: It's time for some retribution in Guild Wars 2 Posted: 30 Apr 2013 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Events (In-Game), Game Mechanics, Previews, PvP, PvE, Guild Wars 2, Hands-On, Flameseeker Chronicles, Dungeons Another patch day is upon us. Among other things, Guild Wars 2's Flame and Frost: Retribution is bringing in a new living story dungeon and some much-needed structured PvP improvements. Over the weekend, members of the press were invited to preview some of the incoming content. I'd like to talk about it with you, so be warned that there are spoilers for the living story dungeon ahead. Something that I found particularly interesting about all of this is that the Molten Weapons Facilities dungeon is going to be available for less than two weeks. The dungeon is due to exit on May 12th. I had expected it to be time-limited, of course, but I think I was expecting a little more time than that. Anyway, let's dive right into it. Continue reading Flameseeker Chronicles: It's time for some retribution in Guild Wars 2 Flameseeker Chronicles: It's time for some retribution in Guild Wars 2 originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 30 Apr 2013 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Daily Grind: What was the worst guild meltdown you've ever seen? Posted: 30 Apr 2013 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Culture, Guilds, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous Guilds break up. Just like bands, it's a sad reality. Sometimes they just slowly drift apart because some people are leaving The Secret World and other members are developing differing interests, so the guild shuts down with no animosity. Other times the shutdown is accompanied by an explosion of drama so profound that you'd swear you were undergoing multiple simultaneous divorces instead of just dissolving a gathering of EverQuest II players. There is GM intervention, there are angry phone calls, in extreme cases there may even be bricks thrown through windows. At the time, they're not fun to watch. But those horrible drama-filled guild demolitions do at least make for entertaining stories after the fact. So today we ask you: What was the worst guild meltdown you've ever seen? Were you involved in it or were you just an observer? In retrospect, was everyone blowing things out of proportion or blowing things far out of proportion? 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 was the worst guild meltdown you've ever seen? originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 30 Apr 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Not So Massively: Cash MOBA tournaments, Diablo III's latest exploit, and city-building with Prime World Posted: 29 Apr 2013 07:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-Fi, Video, Business Models, Game Mechanics, Launches, New Titles, Patches, PvP, News Items, Free-to-Play, Dev Diaries, Not So Massively, Sandbox, MOBA, League of Legends, Diablo III, Crowdfunding, Star Citizen, Infinite Crisis Details of this year's $1,600,000 US Dota 2 world championship have been released ahead of next month's qualifiers for the remaining three competitor spots. Heroes of Newerth began gearing up for its own tournament at DreamHack Summer 2013 with details of a qualifier tournament to determine which teams will face off at the event. Team Stay Green may be in with a chance if it enters, as the group just took home $32,000 US following a decisive win in the HoNTour grand finals. A new Diablo III exploit that allowed Witch Doctors to farm XP by repeatedly killing their pets was discovered this week and promptly hotfixed. Riot Games released spotlight videos for newly revamped League of Legends champions Trundle and Sejuani, and CLG pro gamer Peter "Doublelift" Peng discussed his challenging road to success and heartbreaking family issues in a fantastic short documentary for Machinima. Turbine released details of two new Infinite Crisis champions this week with video spotlights on hulking brute Doomsday and the gadget-wielding Gaslight Batman. Russian success Prime World let press into the English language beta for a first look at its castle-building and MOBA style gameplay. Rise of Immortals geared up for the official launch of its Battle For Graxia game overhaul with the addition of a new reputation system. And Star Citizen developer Chris Roberts revealed that he's been holding off on accepting investor deals because of the success of the game's crowdfunding campaigns. Continue reading Not So Massively: Cash MOBA tournaments, Diablo III's latest exploit, and city-building with Prime World Not So Massively: Cash MOBA tournaments, Diablo III's latest exploit, and city-building with Prime World originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 29 Apr 2013 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Chaos Theory: Testing my Secret World DPS makeover Posted: 29 Apr 2013 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Horror, Real-Life, Video, Classes, Game Mechanics, Opinion, The Secret World, Livestream, Chaos Theory, Buy-to-Play It's no secret that The Secret World is just a wee bit different than the majority of MMORPGs out there. Hallelujah for that, right? And one notable area it differs from the rest is how it treats gear and classes. As such, players can't necessarily bring habits and know-how from other titles and translate that into immediate success in TSW. It's no wonder that even good players can sometimes feel stumped or at a loss when navigating through builds. For that very reason, Chaos Theory brought you the first episode of What Not to Wear, a live makeover that focused on sharing hints and tips that non-theorycrafters (like yours truly) could use as a base for forging their own path. It was a simple makeover really -- just minor changes in my focus and equipment using gear I already had in my bag and abilities I already had access to. Did it help? Did my effectiveness as a damage-dealer increase? The outcome was rather surprising. Continue reading Chaos Theory: Testing my Secret World DPS makeover Chaos Theory: Testing my Secret World DPS makeover originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 29 Apr 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Star Trek Online dev blog dishes on Romulan rewards Posted: 29 Apr 2013 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Patches, Star Trek Online, Free-to-Play, Dev Diaries, Subscription With the new Legacy of Romulus expansion due to go live on May 21st, players might be wondering what goodies are in store once it arrives in their sector. In a new dev blog -- number 11 -- Senior Producer Steve "Salamilnferno"Ricossa, Jr. shows off a fat list of goodies that covers new and free players and all the way to those grand life-timers. Every player gains access to that sweet (and maybe sickly looking) Alien-Gen Hybrid Romulan Species, but the list goes on to show just how smart it might have been to subscribe to the game for life. How about a free Exclusive Romulan Veteran Starship for those 1,000-day veterans? It's on there. The list gives out shinies to almost everybody, so be sure to go look and see what's in store for yourself. Be sure to keep an eye on more detailed coverage of the upcoming expansion and everything else Star Trek Online by reading the Captain's Log! Star Trek Online dev blog dishes on Romulan rewards originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 29 Apr 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Star Trek Online dev blog

Diablo III PS3 preorders available now Posted: 29 Apr 2013 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, News Items, Consoles, Diablo III Rumors of Diablo III coming to consoles have been around since before the game ever launched, and not long ago it was confirmed that the ever-polarizing action RPG would be making its way to the PlayStation 3. Well, the time has almost come for console players to set foot in the treacherous lands of Sanctuary. Blizzard announced on its official site today that preorders for the PS3 edition of Diablo III are officially open. Players who preorder the game will be given a gift in the form of the PS3-exclusive Infernal Helm. Each character created on the PS3 version will start with this stylish chapeau that grants its wearer a bonus to experience gained. There's still no official release date for the PS3 edition of the game, however, and the studio states that it will announce the game's release date as launch draws nearer (in case that wasn't blindingly obvious). In the meantime, Diablo devotees can go ahead and lay down their preorders. Diablo III PS3 preorders available now originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 29 Apr 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Battle.net

Camelot Unchained unveils new video, Mark Jacobs visits Reddit for AMA Posted: 29 Apr 2013 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Video, News Items, Family, Sandbox, Crowdfunding, Camelot Unchained The Camelot Unchained information deluge continues with the release of a new video and a Reddit AMA by Mark Jacobs himself. The video is a half-hour-long affair in which Jacobs provides fans (and prospective Kickstarter pledgers) with an in-depth look at the lore of Camelot Unchained and the myriad features that the game is bringing to the table. Also, as it happens, you can check it out after the cut. Meanwhile, on Reddit, Jacobs stopped by /r/IAmA to answer questions from the communit. Suffice it to say, questions range from the standard, "tell us about the progression system" to details on server structure, maximum player population, and much much more. Surprisingly, however, horse-sized ducks don't appear to be mentioned even once. To check the full Q&A session out for yourself, head on through the source link below. Continue reading Camelot Unchained unveils new video, Mark Jacobs visits Reddit for AMA Camelot Unchained unveils new video, Mark Jacobs visits Reddit for AMA originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 29 Apr 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Mark Jacobs AMA

The Elder Scrolls Online's Matt Firor answers closed beta questions Posted: 29 Apr 2013 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Interviews, News Items, The Elder Scrolls Online The interwebs have been all aflutter because of the recently leaked video of The Elder Scrolls Online beta footage, and it's left many people clamoring for more beta details. Thankfully, ESO Game Director Matt Firor has stepped forth to provide just that. In a new interview, Firor didn't care to comment on the leak itself, but he was more than willing to answer a number of questions regarding the game's ongoing closed beta. Firor states that the game's beta is progressing "very smoothly so far" and that the team is now "focusing more on the gameplay exerience" and "getting valuable feedback from beta testers." He goes on to explain that the current beta focus is on "moment-to-moment gameplay," including questing, combat, and the game's progression system. Also on the table are questions about the game's AI, the introduction of guilds, the importance of crafted gear, and of course, when the next round of beta invites will go out (spoiler alert: the answer is incredibly nonspecific). Regardless, there's probably some useful information to be found for ESO fans, so click on through the link below to check it out for yourself. The Elder Scrolls Online's Matt Firor answers closed beta questions originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 29 Apr 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: ZAM: The Elder Scrolls Online closed beta interview

Virtual world economist says Guild Wars 2's pre-endgame economy 'broken' Posted: 29 Apr 2013 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Economy, News Items, Guild Wars 2, Buy-to-Play Ever since Guild Wars 2 went live back in August of last year, the state of the game's economy has... fluctuated wildly, let's say. But now, about eight months down the line, how is the economy holding up? Virtual world economist Ramin Shokrizade (the same fellow who wrote about using EVE Online to predict the real-world recession) has published a new piece on Gamasutra that takes an in-depth look at the economy of Guild Wars 2 as it stands today. The article is too detailed to summarize here, but one thing worth taking away is Shokrizade's observation that, "with the exception of craft materials, [Guild Wars 2's] pre-endgame item economy is broken." He elaborates that, for example, a level 39 green-quality chestpiece regularly sells on the auction house for around 112 copper -- a scant 1 copper more than vendors pay for the same item. He concludes that GW2's pre-endgame economy is "one of the worst [he has] studied in the last 14 years." Eesh. He also takes an in-depth look at the role crafting plays in the economy and the effects of the in-game economy on cash-shop purchases. The full piece is a bit long but certainly worth the time for anyone interested in the intricacies of virtual economies or Guild Wars 2 players in general. Virtual world economist says Guild Wars 2's pre-endgame economy 'broken' originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 29 Apr 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Gamasutra

Greed Monger screenshots and video show off tropical climate area Posted: 29 Apr 2013 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Video, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Free-to-Play, Sandbox, Crafting Moving right along after tripling its Kickstarter funding goal back in November, the developers behind Greed Monger have been busy slowly bringing the crafting-centric game to life. A working day/night cycle is already implemented, and over the weekend a chunk of the tropical climate area was imported to the test server, allowing devs to finally meet up in the same space together. The character creation UI and finished models (with armor sets) will be heading in this week. The team is also currently working on avatar animation and making sure controls work. Want to get a peek at how Greed Monger is coming along? Then check out the brief fly-through video of the tropics climate region after the break. Then head on over to the official site to see the snazzy new in-game screenshots. Continue reading Greed Monger screenshots and video show off tropical climate area Greed Monger screenshots and video show off tropical climate area originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 29 Apr 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Greed Monger Twitter

Leaderboard: What was your favorite EVE Fanfest reveal? Posted: 29 Apr 2013 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, EVE Online, Events (Real-World), Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, News Items, Opinion, Events (Massively's Coverage), World of Darkness, DUST 514, Sandbox, Leaderboard This year's CCP fan festival featured a bunch of interesting news items including DUST 514's official release date, more info on EVE's upcoming Odyssey expansion, and even a glimpse of the progress being made on World of Darkness. There was also talk of EVE tales being immortalized in more traditional media formats, a ginormous 10-year collector's edition, and an early look at EVR, a new virtual reality EVE game designed for the Oculus Rift. Now that you've had a chance to digest all of the details, what was your favorite Fanfest 2013 reveal? Vote after the cut! Continue reading Leaderboard: What was your favorite EVE Fanfest reveal? Leaderboard: What was your favorite EVE Fanfest reveal? originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 29 Apr 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

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