| Patch 8.6 brings more balance to World of Tanks, ups SPGs to tier X Posted: 21 May 2013 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Historical, Patches, PvP, News Items, Free-to-Play, World of Tanks It's time for another update for the WWII-era World of Tanks. Today, Wargaming announced details for 8.6, an update that Producer Mike Zhivets said is "a major step in game balance enhancement and is really going to make SPGs players happy." He continued, "Artillery gameplay is going to feel a lot more balanced with a normal ten tier structure, making advancing through that class of armor more comfortable for players." Update 8.6 will push the SPG armor line to tier X by promoting current tier 8's up to the top and then adding new SPGs to the middle tiers. The American, Soviet, French, and German tech lines will all receive new artillery units and the British line gets a new premium tank, the A33 Excelsior. A new Korean-based map will also be introduced. [Source: Wargaming.net press release]  Patch 8.6 brings more balance to World of Tanks, ups SPGs to tier X originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 21 May 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| WolfKnights Online debuts from Kim Hakkyu Posted: 21 May 2013 09:30 AM PDT |
| Star Trek Online Legacy of Romulus launch-day roundup Posted: 21 May 2013 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Expansions, Launches, News Items, Star Trek Online, Free-to-Play, Races With today's launch of Star Trek Online's first expansion, Legacy of Romulus, players can boldly go where no one has gone before. (Not to mention it gives us a reason to use that iconic phrase!) From new species and ships to more Klingon content, this next chapter in the STO saga expands the universe for players to explore. Want to captain a new ship as a Romulan or a Reman? Can do. How about adventure in a new zone? Yup. Or maybe just revel in the bounty of new rewards? Go for it. If, however, you're stuck in spacedock and unable to head out yet, you can check out the changes awaiting you in the guides, videos, news briefs, and galleries below. Continue reading Star Trek Online Legacy of Romulus launch-day roundup Star Trek Online Legacy of Romulus launch-day roundup originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 21 May 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Neverwinter team offers token of peace for beta mess Posted: 21 May 2013 08:30 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, MMO Industry, Neverwinter, Buy-to-Play So Perfect World Entertainment and Cryptic Studios figure that Neverwinter players may not exactly be happy about the list of game-breaking bugs and exploits found in the game's open beta over the last few weeks. To help alleviate that player frustration, the developers are offering up an olive branch of sorts in the form of the Caturday Survivor's Pack full of in-game goodies. For all characters created before 8 a.m. EDT (5 a.m. PDT) on Sunday, May 19th, this pack is waiting in their in-game mailbox. In it, each character will find a Stone of Health, a Dwarven Facemask, five teleport scrolls to the Protector's Enclave, two Adventurer's XP boosters, and a Cape of Catastrophe. Hey, at least they have a sense of humor about it. Neverwinter team offers token of peace for beta mess originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 21 May 2013 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Soapbox: Diablo III's auction house ruined the game Posted: 21 May 2013 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Culture, Economy, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, Endgame, PvE, Opinion, Hands-On, The Soapbox, Diablo III, Buy-to-Play After his departure from the Diablo III development team, Game Director Jay Wilson released a statement that the introduction of an auction house "really hurt the game." While players predicted doom the moment the Real Money Auction House was announced, Jay argued that the gold auction house was equally to blame for the game's fall from grace following an absolutely stellar launch sales. I don't normally agree with what Jay has to say on Diablo III, but in this case he does have a very valid point. Diablo II was consistently popular for over a decade thanks to its immense replayability. At its core, D2 was a game about building new characters and gearing them up by any means necessary. Every enemy in the game was a loot pinata just waiting to be popped, and players farmed endlessly for a few sought-after unique items. You almost never found an item that was ideal for your particular class and build, but you could usually trade for what you needed via trade channels and forums. Blizzard claimed that the auction house was intended just to streamline this process, but when Diablo III launched, it was clear that the entire game had been designed to make the auction house almost necessary for progress. The fault here lies not just with the concept of an auction house but with the game designers. That's right: I'm here to argue not only that Jay Wilson was right about the auction house ruining Diablo III but also that it was his own damn fault. Continue reading The Soapbox: Diablo III's auction house ruined the game The Soapbox: Diablo III's auction house ruined the game originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 21 May 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| ArenaNet permanently lowers Guild Wars 2's price point Posted: 21 May 2013 07:30 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Business Models, Economy, News Items, Guild Wars 2, Buy-to-Play ArenaNet has made the call to permanently lower the price point for Guild Wars 2. The game previously sold for $59.99 for the Digital Edition and $79.99 for the Deluxe Edition. Both of those prices are being lowered by $10. This is not a sale, but the new regular price of the game. ArenaNet expects that this change will bring in new players and make the game more accessible. Content releases in Guild Wars 2 continue apace. Since launch, we've seen a handful of special events alongside one-time content, persistent content, and added features. On the other hand, NCsoft recently reported lower sales for this quarter than the previous one, citing " the reduction in Guild Wars 2 package sales" as part of the cause. We're scheduled for a chat with ArenaNet's Colin Johanson later today; we'll be sure to update you with more information as soon as we can. [Source: ArenaNet press release] ArenaNet permanently lowers Guild Wars 2's price point originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 21 May 2013 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Dragon's Prophet blasts beta doors open on May 30th Posted: 21 May 2013 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Video, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Free-to-Play, Dragon's Prophet If you've been waiting for your chance to capture and tame your very own dragons to ride, then grab your saddle and get ready to mount up because Dragon's Prophet flies into open beta next week. On May 30th, beta doors open to all dragon aficionados who want to enter the world of Auratia and tame, train, and fight alongside -- as well as against -- a variety of dragon-kind. As part of their bonus, founders will have access one day earlier on the 29th. Formal launch is expected later this year. Players can also expect to hear more about the game; as of today, SOE has lifted the closed beta NDA. Current testers can now begin sharing tales of their adventures with family, friends, and random strangers in line at the supermarket. You can also watch some of those adventures this week on Massively TV, with a two-hour show today at 10 a.m. EDT and one featuring a special dev guest on Wednesday at 8:00 p.m. EDT. And check out the video after the cut! [Source: SOE press release] Continue reading Dragon's Prophet blasts beta doors open on May 30th Dragon's Prophet blasts beta doors open on May 30th originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 21 May 2013 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Dawngate beta starts this Friday Posted: 21 May 2013 06:30 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Video, MMO Industry, MOBA Last week's kind-of announced MOBA from EA entitled Dawngate is now ready to be a thing that people can clamor over. A new video exclusive at Machinima (also embedded below) shows off a bit of a behind-the-scenes explanation of what Dawngate offers to MOBA fans. Members of the Waystone Games team explain the game's rich lore, unique mechanics such as regenerating towers, resource gathering, RTS-style strategies, and more. Beta testing starts this Friday, and you can head on over to the game's official site to sign up. Continue reading Dawngate beta starts this Friday Dawngate beta starts this Friday originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 21 May 2013 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Daily Grind: Do you think MMO gamemaking is fundamentally broken? Posted: 21 May 2013 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Business Models, MMO Industry, Opinion, Free-to-Play, The Daily Grind Buried in the brouhaha that is the latest round of Trion layoffs was the opinion of former RIFT producer Scott Hartsman. The MMO industry veteran offered his sympathies on Twitter and also offered to help affected former employees with job intros and the like. Hartsman also hinted at his views on current industry trends, saying that "this model of gamemaking is so fundamentally broken." Given the limitations of Twitter and fact that Hartsman didn't elaborate, it's hard to know exactly what he meant, though we can extrapolate based on his prior positions on F2P and the context surrounding the Trion situation. What about you, Massively readers? Do you agree with Hartsman? Is this model of MMO gamemaking fundamentally broken?  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: Do you think MMO gamemaking is fundamentally broken? originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 21 May 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| PlanetSide 1 appears to be going free-to-play... eventually Posted: 20 May 2013 10:40 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, PlanetSide, Business Models, News Items, Free-to-Play, MMOFPS, PlanetSide 2, Anniversaries In a series of tweets earlier this evening, SOE's John Smedley hinted that classic PlanetSide 1 will at some future date be converted into a free-to-play MMO. He wrote, We did a mass grant of anyone who has ever played ps1 or ps2 with free time in ps1. We weren't ready to announce it yet because the database grant is still ongoing and won't be done till tmw morning. So please if you didn't get flagged chill. We are trying to do something cool for everyone and we were going to tell people when it's done. But people saw it and others broadcast the info. Please don't complain :) we aren't raising your taxes we are making a game free. This also gives us more time to make it f2p. So enjoy starting tmw late morning. This news comes just as PlanetSide 1 is celebrating its 10th birthday. Smedley's tweet refers to a new SOE promotion that will grant PlanetSide 2 players six free months of PS1 play. PlanetSide 1 appears to be going free-to-play... eventually originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 21 May 2013 00:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Not So Massively: Cash MOBA tournaments, Diablo III's birthday, and Star Citizen's new website Posted: 20 May 2013 07:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Video, Business Models, Culture, Events (In-Game), Game Mechanics, Patches, PvP, News Items, PvE, Free-to-Play, Casual, Dev Diaries, Not So Massively, Sandbox, MOBA, League of Legends, Diablo III, Anniversaries, Crowdfunding, Star Citizen, Path of Exile Dota 2 celebrated the incredible sales of its world championship interactive compendium with free gifts for all players; the compendium has now sold over 266,000 units, raising the prize fund in The International to over $2,000,000 US. Third-person MOBA SMITE has recently entered the competitive tournament scene with two new weekly $1,000 tournaments. Rise of Immortals also announced its first competitive tournament since the Battle For Graxia update and revealed details of its hilariously-named ranged centaur character Murderhoof. League of Legends revealed the new custom item set feature coming in Patch 3.7 and published a new champion spotlight video on classic ranged carry Ashe. Guardians of Middle-Earth also released its latest paid DLC character, The Mouth of Sauron, based on a character who was originally cut from the cinematic release of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Diablo III celebrated the first anniversary of its release on May 15th with anniversary livestreams and a magic-find bonus for all players. The latest patch also raised the increments in which money can be sold on the Real Money Auction House to ten million in response to massive oversupply. Path of Exile revealed details of its upcoming Patch 0.1.1.0 that will add new party loot options and other features, and Star Citizen showed off its new website with a special e-commerce section in which players can buy ships for cash. Continue reading Not So Massively: Cash MOBA tournaments, Diablo III's birthday, and Star Citizen's new website Not So Massively: Cash MOBA tournaments, Diablo III's birthday, and Star Citizen's new website originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 20 May 2013 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| EVE Mobile is coming according to Jon Lander Posted: 20 May 2013 06:30 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, EVE Online, New Titles, Previews, News Items, Mobile, Sandbox, Subscription If you've ever been involved in a discussion about EVE Online, you've heard it referred to as a sequence of spreadsheets which occasionally let you fly a spaceship. Which certainly has some basis in truth. Certainly it's a game with many possible systems that could be ported to a mobile client, something that CCP's Jon Lander is claiming will be a reality in the near future. Lander has moved from being EVE's executive producer to mobile development, but his new position is clearly still tied to the same game. Rather than simply being a series of spreadsheets for your smartphone, Lander has made it clear that the mobile team wants for the various EVE mobile apps to be functional games in their own right. It's a field that CCP has explored before, stopping either due to technical hurdles or business concerns. But Lander's confident that players will be using the mobile applications by the time next year's Fanfest rolls around. EVE Mobile is coming according to Jon Lander originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 20 May 2013 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Cloud Imperium unveils Star Citizen hangar module Posted: 20 May 2013 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, PvE, Sandbox, Star Citizen, Buy-to-Play Cloud Imperium has taken the wraps off Star Citizen's hangar module, a standalone app that's scheduled to be released to early adopters later this summer. Pledgers will get a chance to walk through their hangars and ogle their pledge ships, as well as climb inside them and invite their friends over for a spaceship-themed soiree. The hangar module is "about 50 percent fleshed out right now," according to the spiffy Cloud Imperium video tour that you can watch after the cut. [Thanks Eric!] Continue reading Cloud Imperium unveils Star Citizen hangar module Cloud Imperium unveils Star Citizen hangar module originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 20 May 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Gloria Victis pre-alpha screens show forest updates Posted: 20 May 2013 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Sandbox Black Eye Games updated its Gloria Victis Facebook page over the weekend. The occasion was a pre-alpha feature push that saw plenty of new stuff make its way into the fledgling sandbox. "The forest is now filled with life," the post says, including boars, foxes, wolves, and plenty of raw gatherables like bark, timber, hops, flax, and sunflowers. Black Eye has also enlarged the game world proper and added humanoid mobs. There are screens of all this stuff and more behind the links below. You'll also find some Massively-exclusive screens behind the break. [Thanks to everyone who tipped us!] Continue reading Gloria Victis pre-alpha screens show forest updates Gloria Victis pre-alpha screens show forest updates originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 20 May 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Guild Wars 2 prepares for Southsun showdown Posted: 20 May 2013 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Events (In-Game), Lore, Guild Wars 2, Buy-to-Play The big baddie of Guild Wars 2's recent living story has been called out. He's Canach, a renegade who thinks that that the answer to every urban planning problem is "more monsters." The Sylvari is behind a plot to use the creatures of Southsun to free settlers from the grasp of the Consortium. A showdown with Canach is set to happen when the next chapter of the game's living story rolls out on May 28. The update, titled Last Stand at Southsun, will contain a solo dungeon where players will go mano-a-planto with Canach. ArenaNet says that those who defeat Canach will then open up new group content to tackle. Other changes on deck include a zone-stomping monster and plenty of changes to world-vs.-world content. Southsun living story events, achievements, and rewards will be available until June 11th. Guild Wars 2 prepares for Southsun showdown originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 20 May 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| It's a ship in a box in Star Trek Online Posted: 20 May 2013 03:30 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Expansions, Previews, News Items, Star Trek Online, Free-to-Play Just because you're playing a Romulan in Star Trek Online's first expansion doesn't mean every other Romulan is your friend. Empress Sela's Tal Shiar are a huge threat not just to the nascent Romulan Republic but to all sentient life throughout the galaxy, epitomized with their insectoid ships that fuse Romulan, Borg, and Elachi technology together. Needless to say, these ships are never good to see on the horizon. Unless you happen to open one in a lockbox, anyhow. Yes, the newest lockbox in the game will give players a chance to earn the strange ships of the Tal Shiar, giving all captains a chance to fly some of the strangest ships yet seen in the game. The ships perform similarly to Romulan crafts with their built-in cloaks, but they exchange some of the active Romulan cloaking power for tactical weapons like Shrapnel Torpedoes. For more details on what awaits in the upcoming lockboxes, take a look at the full rundown of potential prizes. It's a ship in a box in Star Trek Online originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 20 May 2013 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Elder Scrolls Online elaborates on crafting and exploration Posted: 20 May 2013 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Game Mechanics, Community Q&A, Crafting, The Elder Scrolls Online ZeniMax scooped up all of the questions that fans had after seeing The Elder Scrolls Online's crafting and exploration video, and answered several of the most pressing of them in a new post. TESO will feature five crafting professions: weaponsmith, armorsmith, enchanter, alchemist, and provisioner. Of these, players are able to train in two fields so that a robust economy will develop between crafters. While there aren't any recipes in the game, players have multiple avenues to combine ingredients and make the same item. The studio indicated that those who have played previous Elder Scrolls games might have an advantage in knowing familiar plants and crafting ingredients and how they interact. Other topics in the AMA include fishing lures, how big your library can get (there's no limit, basically), the use of Mundus Stones, and the difficulty of lockpicking. "Your lockpicking will automatically improve as you level, gradually making chests that were once very difficult to open a much easier prospect. Though your lockpicking skill will increase as you level, the chests you encounter in higher level areas will also be more difficult," ZeniMax explained. Elder Scrolls Online elaborates on crafting and exploration originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 20 May 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Leaderboard: Which upcoming fantasy MMO are you looking forward to the most? Posted: 20 May 2013 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, MMO Industry, Opinion, Leaderboard Since last week's Leaderboard went over so well, I figured, why not put up another semi-controversial poll in the hopes that fans of the choices I inadvertently leave off will pepper my inbox with hate mail? Snarkiness aside, I am curious to see the results of today's vote, which pits the big three fantasy MMOs releasing over the next year against one another in a grueling duel to the death. The prize? The coveted title of Most Anticipated 2013/14 Fantasy MMO in the Massively Comments Section, which is going to be really hard to cram onto the trophy. In any case, vote for your favorite after the break.  Ever wish that you could put to rest a long-standing MMO debate once and for all? Then welcome to the battle royal of Massively's Leaderboard, where two sides enter the pit o' judgment -- and only one leaves. Vote to make your opinion known, and see whether your choice tops the Leaderboard!Continue reading Leaderboard: Which upcoming fantasy MMO are you looking forward to the most? Leaderboard: Which upcoming fantasy MMO are you looking forward to the most? originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 20 May 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Chaos Theory: Opinions, facts, and open flames Posted: 20 May 2013 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, Endgame, Opinion, The Secret World, Chaos Theory, MMORPG, Buy-to-Play It's not often that my writings take a ranty slant, In fact, I don't believe I have ever expressed anything along those lines here in Chaos Theory -- although I have a time or two elsewhere. Blue moons come and go much more frequently than I don my Massively-standard-issue flame-retardant garb and venture forth. But right here, right now looks to be one of those times, and I'm already suiting up. So what about The Secret World has me riled up enough to flex my woefully underused ranting muscle? Nothing. Seriously, I can't call to mind a single thing in the game deserving of a rant. Sure, TSW isn't perfect; there are flaws and there are things that could use improving, things that are certainly worth discussing. But rant-inducing? Nope. Too bad the same can't be said for people. It doesn't matter how many times I've witnessed it: It never ceases to amaze me when folks trumpet their own opinions as fact while insisting dissenting opinions can't possibly exist. It's like they board the crazy train where the lines between opinion and fact are swirled together like coffee and creamer, where reality and logic are tossed right out the window. So as a public service, I'm going to derail that train. Continue reading Chaos Theory: Opinions, facts, and open flames Chaos Theory: Opinions, facts, and open flames originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 20 May 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Rhode Island selling 38 Studios' game assets Posted: 20 May 2013 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: MMO Industry, Legal, Miscellaneous Do you have a few million on you and a desire to preserve some gaming history? Then pick up the phone and call Rhode Island, as the state is getting ready to sell 38 Studios' assets, including its games. The state is looking to recoup some of it $130 million debt that it fell into once 38 Studios went belly-up. One of Rhode Island's lawyers says there "is interest" in the studio's assets, including concept art, design documents, and computer software. The sale of 38 Studios' IP includes the Amalur franchise, which encompassed the Project Copernicus MMO. The state is also set to begin a lawsuit this week against former 38 Studios execs, including founder Curt Schilling. The suit claims that the executives did not inform the state when they knew that the studio would have a hard time keeping afloat financially. Schilling has asked the judge to dismiss the suit. Rhode Island selling 38 Studios' game assets originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 20 May 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Captain's Log: What to expect in Star Trek Online's Legacy of Romulus expansion Posted: 20 May 2013 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Expansions, Launches, Patches, Previews, Opinion, Star Trek Online, Free-to-Play, Captain's Log It's a little strange to think that it's already been three months since the developers at Star Trek Online first teased us with the Legacy of Romulus expansion with the March Beneath the Raptor's Wings kicker at the end of the anniversary video. Even then there were many of us who sincerely doubted the teaser meant we would finally be able to play a Romulan character, let alone that the Klingon faction would be filled-out. Yet here we are, on the eve of the release of Star Trek Online's first expansion and a flood of new material. Beware, I will be writing spoilers about the new content, but if you're not worried about that, feel free to join me as I touch on most of what we're going to see! Continue reading Captain's Log: What to expect in Star Trek Online's Legacy of Romulus expansion Captain's Log: What to expect in Star Trek Online's Legacy of Romulus expansion originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 20 May 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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minds.
An all-in-one home entertainment device.
Let the free storage wars begin.
Big storage, little drive.
