General Gaming Article

General Gaming Article


15 Back-to-School Tech Gifts

Posted: 26 Aug 2013 03:04 PM PDT

Google ChromebookMake the upcoming school year a little easier

There's a chill in the air that wasn't there a few weeks ago, the leaves are starting to change color, and old man Jenkins has already called the cops three times because those pesky kids keep crossing over his lawn in the wee hours of the morning. Yep, it's the end of summer and the beginning of the back-to-school shopping season. Are you prepared? Do you have all the electronics and gadgets you need to survive another semester of classes? What about your offspring?

Don't worry if you answered "no" to any or all of the above questions, you've come to the right place. We live and breathe technology, and no matter what the season, it's our job to keep up with the latest trends and hottest electronics gear. With that in mind, we've put together a gallery of over a dozen tech gift ideas and recommendations. It's not essential to own every item on the list, though each and every pick is designed to make the school season a little easier to bear in some way.

Have a recommendation of your own? Be sure to share it with us and your fellow readers in the comments section below!

Feedly RSS Reader Goes Pro with $45 Yearly Subscription

Posted: 26 Aug 2013 11:57 AM PDT

Feedly ProFeedly Pro introduces a search function to RSS feeds

Feedly quickly emerged as the front runner to replace Google's now defunct Reader service, giving RSS users a serviceable alternative to keep on trucking with. For those of you who made the jump to Feedly but perhaps wanted a few more features to play with, Feedly Pro is now available for everyone. It costs $5 per month or $45 for an annual subscription, the latter of which saves you $15, equivalent to three free months.

The first batch of Pro level features include search, one-click Evernote integration, one-click Pocket integration, and premium customer support. Feedly's developers promise to add new Pro features on a regular basis.

"The goal is to offer our most passionate users more productivity and make Feedly sustainable in the long run," Feedly said.

Feedly Pro first became available earlier this month to the first 5,000 early adopters who were willing to pay $99 for a lifetime subscription. Those 5,000 subscriptions sold out rather quickly and gave Feedly the funds it needed to flesh out its infrastructure for a public launch.

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Steve Ballmer's Biggest Regret is Windows Vista, not Surface RT

Posted: 26 Aug 2013 10:09 AM PDT

Windows VistaWe initially regretted Vista, too

Windows ME and Windows Vista are arguably the two most forgettable versions of Windows ever to be released. That's not just public opinion, at least as it pertains to the latter, which happens to be Steve Ballmer's biggest regret during his time served as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Microsoft. Now that he's announced his impending retirement, he can talk a bit more candidly about his track record.

Mary Jo Foley over at ZDNet got the rare opportunity to interview Ballmer after announcing his retirement, noting that it's been 20 years since she's been allowed by Microsoft to talk to him. She doesn't know why that is, but if there's an upside, it's that two decades gives you plenty of time to think up questions you'd like to ask. Among them was inquiring about Ballmer's biggest regret.

"I would say probably the thing I regret most is the, what shall I call it, the loopedy-lo that we did that was sort of Longhorn to Vista," Ballmer said. "I would say that's probably the thing I regret the most. And, you know, there are side effects of that when you tie up a big team to do something that doesn't prove out to be as valuable."

Steve Ballmer Waves

Vista was a mess from the beginning, both in terms of compatibility with certain products, and also performance issues that reared their ugly heads. Things improved substantially following Vista's first Service Pack, but by then, the OS's reputation was pretty badly tarnished.

Ballmer touched on a number of other topics as well. He revealed that Bill Gates didn't ask him to stay or go, calling it a personal decision and one that Gates respected,

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Researchers Discover Brains Benefit From Playing 40 Hours of StarCraft

Posted: 26 Aug 2013 09:22 AM PDT

BrainAnother excuse to play video games

Authors of a new study claim that playing complex scenarios in StarCraft, a popular real-time strategy (RTS) game, can enhance cognitive flexibility. The reason the study focused on StarCraft specifically is because to be successful, the player must cope with simultaneous and rapidly evolving game situations and sub-situations occurring in real-time while managing funds, resources, and information about the opponent. It's a lot to juggle and requires fast thinking.

To test their theory, researchers Brian D. Glass of the University of London, W. Todd Maddox of the University of Texas at Austin, and Bradley C. Love of University College London rounded up non-gaming undergraduate students from the University of Austin. All of the participants ended up being female due to the small number of non-gaming males.

Each participant logged 40 hours of game time, playing roughly one hour per day. They were put into groups consisting of people who played The Sims, StarCraft, and StarCraft with certain settings disabled to make it more difficult to play.

StarCraft

"The present study finds that cognitive flexibility is a trainable skill. Forty hours of training within an RTS game that stresses rapid and simultaneous maintenance, assessment, and coordination between multiple information and action sources was sufficient to affect change," the authors concluded. "As a result of RTS game experience, an underlying dimension of cognitive flexibility emerged and characterized individual differences in performance on a variety of laboratory tasks."

The study didn't focus on other factors, such as the effect that 40 hours or more of gaming per week might have on a person's overall health, nor did it touch the topic of violence in video games. While those debates rage on, teens at least have another excuse to toss at their parents when asked why they spend so much time playing games. "I'm exercising my brain, pops!"

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AV-Comparatives Compares Mobile Security Software, Finds Only Minor Impact on Battery Life

Posted: 26 Aug 2013 08:34 AM PDT

AV-Comparatives AndroidSixteen mobile AV software suites duke it out

It always feels a little sketchy when an antivirus vendor presents malware statistics and outlines all the growing threats you need to be aware of. While their data might be spot on, the fact that they each have a vested interest in the numbers they're presenting can give skeptics pause. Well, AV-Comparatives doesn't make AV software; it's an independent testing lab and one of the resources we use in our own AV reviews. In its latest report, AV-Comparatives analyzes 16 different mobile security applications to see which ones root out the most malware on smartphones and tablets running Android, as well as their impact on battery life.

The 16 products tested (PDF) include AhnLab V3 Mobile, Avast Mobile Security, Baidu Mobile Manager, Bitdefender Mobile Security Premium, ESET Mobile Security, F-Secure Mobile Security, IKARUS Mobile Security, Kaspersky Mobile Security, Kingsoft Mobile Security, Lookout Premium, Sophos Security and Antivirus, Tencent Mobile Manager, Trend Micro Mobile Security, Qihoo 360 MobileSafe, Quick Heal Total Security, and Webroot SecureAnywhere Mobile.

Surprisingly, there wasn't a whole lot that separated one product from another. Starting with a look at battery usage, AV-Comparatives found that most of the products only had a minor impact on battery life. The worst offenders in this category were Qihoo and Webroot, the former because it uses "fancy animations" and the latter due to its real-time protection component. Though they came in last, the battery drain still only amounted to around 3 percent.

AV-Comparatives Results

When it came to testing malware protection, AhnLab and Kingsoft both detected 99.9 percent of the nearly 3,000 malware applications that were collected in the four weeks prior to the start of the test. Kaspersky came in a close second at 99.7 percent, followed by Baidu and ESET (both detected 99.6 percent), Bitdefender (99.4 percent), and Avast (99 percent). Several others scored in the 98 percentile, while Ikarus took last place with a 91 percent detection rate.

"Mobile security software protects the user against the great majority of threats, and should not, in our opinion, be regarded as merely optional," AV-Comparatives concluded. Nonetheless, many users do not employ such protection, and are at risk. We find this hard to understand, as there is a wide range of software, including free products, that provide a high level of security. The argument that security products affect the performance or battery life of smartphones has very largely been disproved in our test."

Do you run AV software on your mobile products?

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Newegg Daily Deals: CM Storm Stryker Case, ASRock Fatal1ty Z87 Professional Mobo, and More!

Posted: 26 Aug 2013 07:50 AM PDT

CM Storm Strykernewegg logo

Top Deal:

If you really wanted to, you could assemble a PC inside a cardboard box (we hear a former Maximum PC editor did such a thing). We shudder to think of the fire hazard that presents, so before you go that route in order to save a few nickels and dimes, have a look at today's top deal for a Cooler Master Storm Stryker case for $136 with free shipping (normally $170 - use coupon code CMCW20A2013; $10 additional mal-in-rebate). It's a full tower ATX case with 9 external 5.25-inch bays, dual-removable HDD cages, 2.5-inch hotswap X-dock, and a host of other features.

Other Deals:

G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2x8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 1866 (PC3 14900) Desktop Memory Model for $122 with free shipping (normally $143 - use coupon code: [0813BTS25])

PC Power and Cooling Silencer Mk II 950W 80PLUS Silver SLI/CrossFire Intel Haswell Ready Power Supply for $108 with free shipping (normally $120 - use coupon code: [PCUS10]; $20 additional Mail-in rebate)

Asus Radeon HD 7770 GHz Edition 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card for $96 with free shipping (normally $115 - use coupon code: [DYMREVGA17]; $20 additional Mail-in rebate)

ASRock Fatal1ty Z87 Professional LGA 1150 Intel Z87 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard for $212 with shipping for $4 (normally $235 - use coupon code: [DYMREMB10])

MMO Updates

MMO Updates


Divergence: Online aims to Kickstart 'true player freedom' with a new sandbox

Posted: 26 Aug 2013 10:00 AM PDT

Filed under: , , , , , ,

Divergence Online aims to Kickstart 'true player freedom' with a new sandbox
If the name Divergence: Online looks familiar, then the summer sun hasn't melted all your memories. Last February, the hard-core sandbox hopeful resurfaced with an IndieGoGo campaign to get started and create a working demo. Having met that goal, creator Ethan Casner is back with another crowdfunding campaign to spur development even farther.

What does Divergence bring to the table? It claims "Maximum. Player. Freedom." with features like a skill-based system, a virtually limitless gaming word for exploration, and terrain that can be modified by either redistributing the ground itself or planting and harvesting resources. And if those features don't spell freedom for you, how about this one: Dancer, architect, tailor, and bio engineer are among the non-combat professions offered.

The project is pretty close to its modest goal, but the end is swiftly approaching; those wanting to lend their support will need to do so before the campaign closes this weekend. Check out some pre-alpha footage of player-generated content in the video clip after the cut.

[Thanks to Lewis for the tip!]

Continue reading Divergence: Online aims to Kickstart 'true player freedom' with a new sandbox

MassivelyDivergence: Online aims to Kickstart 'true player freedom' with a new sandbox originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 26 Aug 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Massively Exclusive: Episode 9 of Mabinogi the Saga: Iria

Posted: 26 Aug 2013 09:00 AM PDT

Filed under: , , , , ,

Massively Exclusive Episode 9 of Mabinogi the Saga Iria
What time is it? It's Monday Mabinogi time! (Not to confused with Howdy Doody.) That means it's time for another installment of the epic tale of the Iria Saga. If you've fallen behind, don't worry -- we've got a recap of the latest episodes to bring you up to speed.

This week's chapter of the story, dubbed Fate's Design: The Stand, finds the Human/Giant/Elf alliance going strong and making attack plans to help out Shamala, Akule, and the player with diversionary tactics. There's also shape-shifting, revelations, and the destruction of the Lia Fail artifact.

Watch the continuation of the saga after the break, and then join in the Massively play-through on Tuesday, August 27th @ 5:00 p.m. EDT on Massively TV.

Continue reading Massively Exclusive: Episode 9 of Mabinogi the Saga: Iria

MassivelyMassively Exclusive: Episode 9 of Mabinogi the Saga: Iria originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 26 Aug 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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    The Mog Log Extra: Tips for a Final Fantasy XIV beginner

    Posted: 26 Aug 2013 08:00 AM PDT

    Filed under: , , , , , ,

    Do not smear peanut butter on the disc.  That's just good advice, period.
    We're all kind of beginners with the new version of Final Fantasy XIV. Some of us have high-level characters already, but none of us has years of experience with the game. At best, you have memories of how things worked in the last beta test or two. But there's still a difference between having a character from version 1.0 dripping with high-level items and having a fresh guy or gal stepping off the boat into Limsa.

    Fortunately, the game's tutorials now do a solid job of introducing you to how the game works. But there are still some tips and tricks to consider, and it's with that in mind that I present this column. If you're new to the game completely or even just an occasional dabbler in the previous beta tests, here's some advice to help you out during your first steps.

    Continue reading The Mog Log Extra: Tips for a Final Fantasy XIV beginner

    MassivelyThe Mog Log Extra: Tips for a Final Fantasy XIV beginner originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 26 Aug 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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      The Stream Team: Summer lovin' edition, August 26 - September 1, 2013

      Posted: 26 Aug 2013 07:00 AM PDT

      Filed under: , , , ,

      The Stream Team Summer lovin' edition, Aug 26  September 1, 2013
      Ahh, summer love. With the vacations, the longer days, and the elevated moods brought on by all that additional sunshine, it's no wonder that romantic interludes are known to crop up before and after the vernal equinox. Between the extra time and the good feelings, the summer season is an optimal time for a dalliance or two.

      We know you've had your eye on that special one for a while now, so why not just dive on in? Take a chance -- you don't have to worry about long-term commitment. Just lose yourself in a summer fling; go grab that game you've been waiting to play and throw yourself into its loving content! Still a bit hesitant? Then take a peek at what you're missing by tuning in to Massively TV this week and watch The Stream Team members as they romp about their favorite games.

      Continue reading The Stream Team: Summer lovin' edition, August 26 - September 1, 2013

      MassivelyThe Stream Team: Summer lovin' edition, August 26 - September 1, 2013 originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 26 Aug 2013 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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        The Daily Grind: What kind of death penalty do you want in EQ Next?

        Posted: 26 Aug 2013 06:00 AM PDT

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        The Daily Grind - What kind of death penalty do you want in EQ Next?
        SOE hasn't mentioned much about about what it has in mind for the death penalty mechanic in EverQuest Next. You might recall that the original EverQuest was famous for its unforgiving death penalty, which included corpse runs and XP loss. EverQuest II, on the other hand, did what most newer MMOs do and reduced the death penalty to an inconvenience, and in some cases, a preferred form of fast travel!

        So what'll it be for EQN? Inquiring minds want to know. A lot of inquiring minds, if an article and the resulting discussion on fan site EQ Nexus are any indication. What say you, Massively readers? What kind of death penalty do you want in EQN?

        [Thanks Maclypse!]

        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!

        MassivelyThe Daily Grind: What kind of death penalty do you want in EQ Next? originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 26 Aug 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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          MMO Week in Review: The Elder Subs Online

          Posted: 25 Aug 2013 06:00 PM PDT

          Filed under: , ,

          TESO
          At the end of every week, we round up the best and most popular news stories, exclusive features, and insightful columns published on Massively and then present them all in one convenient place. If you missed a big MMO or WoW Insider story last week, you've come to the right post.

          It doesn't seem to matter whether you're a fan of subs, a fan of free-to-play, or just a fan of good games: Every time an MMO reveals its business model, chaos ensues. So it was this week when both The Elder Scrolls Online and WildStar announced subscription models. But don't get excited just yet, purists; ESO has admitted to a cosmetics-and-services cash shop, and WildStar is adopting a currency-to-sub conversion scheme akin to EVE Online's PLEX. So maybe let's wait until both games release in and survive 2014 before we call F2P "dead," eh?

          In the meantime, check out the rest of this week's top MMO stories!

          Continue reading MMO Week in Review: The Elder Subs Online

          MassivelyMMO Week in Review: The Elder Subs Online originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 25 Aug 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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            Gorgeous new Black Desert screens feature mounts, housing

            Posted: 25 Aug 2013 05:00 PM PDT

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            Gorgeous new Black Desert screens feature mounts, housing
            MMO Culture has posted some gorgeous screenshots from Black Desert, the new sandbox MMO currently being developed by Korea's Pearl Abyss. Most of the images focus on mounts and player housing.

            Earlier this year Pearl Abyss showed off portions of the title's housing system, and MMO Culture has included a cam-quality video that we've embedded for you after the break. The site notes that it is unclear how much the housing system has changed from the functionality shown in the video to the current build which is reflected in the new screenshots.

            [Thanks Dengar!]

            Continue reading Gorgeous new Black Desert screens feature mounts, housing

            MassivelyGorgeous new Black Desert screens feature mounts, housing originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 25 Aug 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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            EVE Evolved: Grid-Fu and bending space

            Posted: 25 Aug 2013 04:00 PM PDT

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            Game title image
            In last week's article, I described how EVE Online maintains the illusion of full-scale solar systems by dynamically creating small pockets of high-detail space called grids. It's within these discrete bubbles that everything we do in space takes place, from mining asteroids to running missions or shooting at other players. The system is designed to split up space into manageable chunks to reduce server load while still maintaining persistent 3-D space that appears to span the entire scale of a solar system.

            Grids have been in EVE since it was first created, but over the years people have noticed a few odd things about how the system works. Flying about 250km-400km away from a stargate causes your ship to disappear from that grid and pop into a newly created adjacent one, for example, but this doesn't always happen. Bizarre occurrences such as abnormally shaped grids and ships mysteriously disappearing and re-appearing on the same grid were always thought to be freak accidents or unintended bugs until an interesting document emerged in 2009. Titled Grid-Fu: A Practical Manual, the 18-page PDF described the process of bending and manipulating space for a tactical advantage.

            In this week's EVE Evolved, I look at the various ways that players have manipulated space to their advantage.

            Continue reading EVE Evolved: Grid-Fu and bending space

            MassivelyEVE Evolved: Grid-Fu and bending space originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 25 Aug 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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              Stick and Rudder: Star Citizen's risky hangar module reveal

              Posted: 25 Aug 2013 02:00 PM PDT

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              Stick and Rudder
              Man, I'm excited for next Thursday! Not because it's the day before Friday -- although that's pretty great, too -- but because we're going to get our hands on the first official release of Star Citizen. Chris Roberts called it the "baby Star Citizen" during last night's Gamescom love-in, which you should watch if you'd like to see the Cloud Imperium crew overwhelmed by the rock star treatment it received from the backers who journeyed to Cologne.

              Anyway, the hangar module! The devs have been showing it off to fans and press, and if initial reactions are anything to go by, it's going to be a successful mini-launch.

              It's still a risky move, though.

              Continue reading Stick and Rudder: Star Citizen's risky hangar module reveal

              MassivelyStick and Rudder: Star Citizen's risky hangar module reveal originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 25 Aug 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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                Rise and Shiny: Herokon Online

                Posted: 25 Aug 2013 12:00 PM PDT

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                Herokon Online screenshot
                I knew I would likely enjoy my time in Herokon Online, but not because I enjoy every game I come across. The truth has always been that I will gladly complain, tear up, and criticize any game that deserves it. No, I knew I would like Herokon Online for established reasons.

                First, I covered the game in its initial stages at GDC Online in 2012. I loved the fact that it runs in a browser (the "mobile app" that came before mobile apps) and that it came from the same incredible IP that Drakensang Online and its standalone cousins boast. The Dark Eye is one of those IPs that I have always wished I could dig into more deeply. It's been going strong for a long time, and I know that there must be layers and layers in its lore that I can hopefully dive into one day soon.

                So Herokon Online had a grip on me before I began to play it. It's by no means perfect, but I'll explain that.

                Continue reading Rise and Shiny: Herokon Online

                MassivelyRise and Shiny: Herokon Online originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 25 Aug 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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                  MMORPG News

                  MMORPG News


                  General: MMORPG.com PAX Panel: The Future of Online Games

                  Posted: 26 Aug 2013 08:01 AM PDT

                  MMORPG.com PAX Panel: The Future of Online Games

                  MMORPG.com brings together some of the top games and developers in the industry to discuss the next decade of online games and their growing mass market appeal. Game Developers will be on hand to answer your questions and talk directly to fans about their games and the future of the industry.

                  Guild Wars 2: Clockwork Chaos

                  Posted: 24 Aug 2013 05:37 PM PDT

                  Clockwork Chaos

                  The Guild Wars 2 team has released the latest game update, Clockwork Chaos, easily, according to many, the best update yet. In our latest GW2 column, we offer a few thoughts about the new content and much more. Read on and then leave us your impressions in the comments.

                  Star Citizen: Ship's Hangar Delivered to Backers

                  Posted: 24 Aug 2013 06:03 PM PDT

                  Ship

                  Folks who backed the crowd-source funded Star Citizen will be happy to hear that they are now proud owners of their own hangars and can walk around inside to check out their ships. According to the team, backers were informed as of last Thursday.

                  General: Razer Naga 2014 Edition Review

                  Posted: 22 Aug 2013 06:18 PM PDT

                  Razer Naga 2014 Edition Review

                  Gaming peripherals are a staple of MMO players everywhere, none so crucial to be top-notch as a mouse. One of the more popular brands is the Razer Naga. In our latest hardware review, we take a look at the 2014 version of the venerable mouse. Read on!

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