General Gaming Article

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• GeForce Experience 1.8 Brings Adjustable Optimal Settings, ShadowPlay Updates
• EVGA Acknowledges Faulty Batch of SuperNova Power Supplies, Will Replace Affected Units
• Newegg Daily Deals: Antec TruePower Classic 750W PSU, G.Skill 8GB DDR3-2133 RAM, and More!
• Dell Announces UltraSharp 32-inch Ultra HD 4K Monitor for $3,500
• Cyber Monday Ads 2013 Round Up
• Amazon Slashes Kindle Fire HDX 7-inch Tablet Pricing for Cyber Monday
• Windows 8.1 Still Not Enough to Convert Windows 7 Users
• Amazon Prime Air Aims to Deliver Your Package by Flying Drones in 2015

GeForce Experience 1.8 Brings Adjustable Optimal Settings, ShadowPlay Updates Posted: 02 Dec 2013 03:55 PM PST Customize your GeForce Experience Nvidia has bumped up its GeForce Experience to version 1.8 which finally lets users adjust the Optimal Playable Settings that were initially a one-click configuration. The update also includes quite a few ShadowPlay tweaks including multi-source audio recording and native resolution capture for aspect ratios up to 1920x1080. By default, the Optimal Playable Settings aim to give you an average of 40 frames per second. Now users are able to tweak the settings with an FPS slider. Drag it to the left and you can set 60 FPS as the target. Drag it to the right and GeForce Experience will adjust your settings for 30 FPS gameplay. The slider also allows users to account for overclocks which Nvidia says would otherwise "require an invasive system scan that we do not perform."  Version 1.8 also includes manual resolution selection. If you're running a 1920x1080 monitor, but you want to play at 1280x720, you can manually select the resolution and display mode along with the performance and quality optimizations.  GeForce Experience's built-in gameplay recorder: ShadowPlay has also been updated. Both Windows 7 and Windows 8 users can now save up to 20 minutes of Shadow Mode footage. Use ShadowPlay in Windows 7 Manual Mode and the app will record footage across multiple files until you're out of disk space. Also new to ShadowPlay is multi-source audio recording—simultaneous game audio and VOIP recording—and the "ability to capture footage at native resolution and aspect ratios up to 1920x1080." There's still no Twitch.tv integration, but it's in the works.

EVGA Acknowledges Faulty Batch of SuperNova Power Supplies, Will Replace Affected Units Posted: 02 Dec 2013 12:34 PM PST Affected models were sold prior to October 1, 2013 EVGA today issued a notice to customers warning that some of its SuperNova power supplies may suffer from a manufacturing defect. Affected units are prone to shut down at any given time and/or may refuse to power on. According to EVGA, the issue only affects a "small batch" of 1300W and 1000W PSUs, including the SuperNova 1000 G2 (120-G2-1000-XR), SuperNova 1000 P2 (220-P2-1000-XR), and SuperNova 1300 G2 (120-G2-1300-XR). The issue is a result of "insufficient insulation on the thermal pad by a heatsink," EVGA says. Beyond that, EVGA didn't go into detail about the defect, though the company did say you shouldn't notice any faulty symptoms on any PSU that was purchased on or after October 1, 2013. EVGA set up a webpage where you can input your power supply's serial number to see if you own an affected model. If so, you'll have the option to register your PSU to proceed with an RMA if you haven't already done so. EVGA says it will offer free expedited shipping where available. In addition. an EVGA t-shirt will be included with each exchange. More info can be found in EVGA's Update Notice. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Newegg Daily Deals: Antec TruePower Classic 750W PSU, G.Skill 8GB DDR3-2133 RAM, and More! Posted: 02 Dec 2013 12:00 PM PST Top Deal: Have you heard the story about Forgetful Fred? The poor sap married Ingrid the Impatient, a terrible match for his forgetfulness. They were both computer enthusiasts, so when Black Friday and Cyber Monday came around, they went into a clicking frenzy and stocked up on parts left and right. When the parts arrived, Fred realized he had forgotten to order a power supply, and being the impatient type, Ingrid encouraged him to use a generic PSU they had lying around in the basement. "Hey, this thing's light as a feather!," Fred bragged. Had he done his research (or remembered what happened the last time he chose a cheap PSU), he would have known that weight is sometimes an indication of quality, and lighter PSUs tend to be junk. "Just install it already," Ingrid demanded. Fred did as she said and together they pieced the rest of the system. As Fred went to flip a coin to see who would have the honor of turning it on, Ingrid the Impatient flipped the switch and to both their horror, there was a loud pop followed by a billow of smoke. Not only the did the PSU go belly up, so did the motherboard and CPU. Don't follow in Fred or Ingrid footsteps. The PSU is every bit as important as any other component, and if you're looking for a good one, check out today's top deal for an Antec TruePower Classic Series 750W Power Supply for $90 with free shipping (normally $140; additional $30 mail-in-rebate). Antec's PSU is 80 Plus Gold certified, and lest something does go wrong, it's backed by a 5-year warranty. Other Deals: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2133 (PC3 17000) Desktop Memory Model F3-17000CL11D-8GBXL for $53 with free shipping Battlefield 4 Razer BlackWidow Ultimate Mechanical PC Gaming Keyboard for $100 with free shipping (normally $150) Cooler Master HAF 932 Advanced - High Air Flow Full Tower Computer Case with USB 3.0 and All-Black Interior for $130 with free shipping (normally $180; additional $30 Mail-in rebate) Western Digital WD VelociRaptor WD3000HLHX 300GB 10000 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5-inch Internal Hard Drive Bare Drive for $90 with free shipping (normally $140)

Dell Announces UltraSharp 32-inch Ultra HD 4K Monitor for $3,500 Posted: 02 Dec 2013 10:08 AM PST Thirty-two inches of UltraHD real estate It's fast becoming clear that monitor makers will be the ones pushing UltraHD 4K resolutions while there's still a dearth of content, and we're just fine with that (gaming on high-end graphics cards is our go-to application for these sexy panels). Enter Dell, the newest participant to throw its weight around in the 4K category. Dell's offering is its new UltraSharp 32 (UP3214Q), a 31.5-inch Ultra HD panel with a 3840x2160 resolution, which is four times that of Full HD 1080p. It's Dell's largest monitor to date, along with having the highest pixel resolution of any previous panel. Dell's pitching it as a multi-tasking monster with plenty of real estate for viewing applications side-by-side. Target users include graphic designers, video and game developers, CAD/CAM designers, engineers, photographers, and power users in general, Dell says. Tech specs are always a bit dubious when it comes to monitors, but for what's worth, the UP3214Q features an IGZO IPS panel (standard fare in the 4K category), 2,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio (1,000:1 typical), 350 cd/m2 brightness, 8ms gray-to-gray response time, and a 176-degree viewing angle (both horizontal and vertical). As for connectivity options, Dell's flagship monitor offers HDMI, mini DisplayPort, DisplayPort (version 1.2a), 4 x downstream USB 3.0 ports + 1 x upstream USB 3.0, and a media card reader. Dell's UP3214Q is available now for $3,500. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Cyber Monday Ads 2013 Round Up Posted: 02 Dec 2013 09:39 AM PST UPDATE: Cyber Monday 2013 PC/Accessories Deals Black Friday is now in the rear view mirror, which means we can look forward to a line up Cyber Monday deals. One word of note before we switch gears -- even though Black Friday is over with, many of the deals listed will last through the weekend. We'll do our best to cross out the ones we know have already expired, but if you see something that catches your eye, it doesn't hurt to click. These are the deals you are looking for!   Just as we did last year, we're putting together a dynamic collection of PC-related parts, accessories, and games deals all organized into handy categories. All you have to do is browse the categorized deals and click on any that interest you. That sure beats the alternative, doesn't it? Here's how this works. If you see "(BF") next to an item, it's a Black Friday deal, though as previously mentioned, some of these run throughout the weekend, so be click-shy. We'll cross out the ones that we know have expired. Likewise, all Cyber Monday deals will have a "(CM)" next to it so you can easily distinguish between the two. The other thing to note is that we're not big on mail-in-rebates, so if a Cyber Monday discount is mostly represented by having to jump through an MIR hoop, we'll probably omit it unless it's an exceptionally good deal. For the few that we do include, we'll put an asterisk next to them. We'll be updating this list throughout the weekend and up through Cyber Monday, so be sure to bookmark this page and check back frequently. In addition, some of the Cyber Monday deals will be live BEFORE Monday, so don't wait to click. Also, if you know of a PC-related deal we missed, feel free to share it in the comments section below! *Note: As you may know, supplies for Cyber Monday deals are often highly limited, so keep that in mind if these deals are quickly snatched up! Amazon We're giving Amazon it's own category because from Sunday, November 24 through Black Friday weekend, the online retailer will be running new deals as often as every 10 minutes. Prices will be valid at select times and while supplies last. Some examples of items that will be on sale at different points include: Seiki 32-inch 720p 60Hz LED HDTV: $98 Seiki 50-inch 1080p 60Hz LED HDTV: $229 Xbox 360 250GB Holiday Value Bundle including Halo 4 and Tomb Raider: $190 Google Chromecast streaming media player: $30 You'll find these deals at www.amazon.com/blackfriday. CPU/Processors AMD FX-4130 Zambezi 3.8GHz: $80, Newegg (BF) Intel Core i7 4770K: $290, Newegg (BF) AMD A6-5400K + ASRock FM2A55M-DG6 Motherboard: $90, Newegg (BF) AMD A6-5400K + MSI FM2-A55M-E33 Motherboard: $75, Newegg (BF) Intel Pentium G2140 + Gigabyte GA-H61M-USB3H Motherboard: $110, Newegg (BF) Intel Pentium P6000 Arrandale (Refurbished): $10, Newegg (BF) AMD Athlon 64 QI-45 Sable (Refurbished): $25, Newegg (BF) AMD A8-6600K Richland (Refurbished): $90, Newegg (BF) Inte Core i5 3570K: $200, Newegg (BF) AMD FX-8320: $130, Newegg (BF) Intel Core 83 3250: $110, Newegg (BF) Intel Core i7 3930K: $450, Newegg (BF) Intel Core i3 4330: $120, Newegg (BF) Intel Core i5 3570K: $200, Newegg (BF) Intel Core i5 3330: $150, Newegg (BF) Intel Core i3 3240: $100, Newegg (BF) Intel Core i5 3570K: $200, Amazon (CM) Intel Core i7 3770K: $290, Amazon (CM) Intel Core i7 4930K: $580, Amazon (CM) AMD A6-5400K: $50, Newegg (CM) AMD FX-4300: $90, Newegg (CM) AMD FX-6350: $120, Newegg (CM) RAM and Digital Media Corsair Memory Accessories: Save at least 50 percent, Corsair (BF + CM) G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3-1866: $110, Newegg (BF) Corsair XMS 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3-1333: $130, Newegg (BF) G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3-1866: $53, Newegg (BF) Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3-1600: $75, Newegg (BF) Crucial Ballistix 8GB DDR3-1866: $60, Newegg (BF) Team Vulcan 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3-1600: $48, Newegg (BF) G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3-1600: $50, Newegg (BF) Corsair Vengeance 8GB DDR3-1600: $80, Amazon (CM) Crucial 2GB DDR3-1333: $25, Amazon (CM) Kingston HyperX 16GB (4x4GB) DDR3-1600: $150, Amazon (CM) Storage Velocity Micro Vmultra Drive: $100 + free shipping, Velocity Micro (BF and CM) SanDisk 32GB Flash Drive: $8, RadioShack (BF) Adata 16GB Flash Drive: $9, Newegg (BF) Kingston SSDNow V300 120GB SSD: $70, Newegg (BF) Seagate Backup Plus 1TB 2.5-inch USB 3.0: $60 (w/ promo code EMCWWVR32), Newegg (BF) Toshiba Canvio Basics 3.0 2TB USB 3.0 External Drive: $100 (w/ promo code EMCWWVR35), Newegg (BF) SanDisk 32GB Flash Drive: $8, Radio Shack (BF) Intel 530 Series 120GB SSD: $120, Newegg (BF) Toshiba 1TB 5400RPM HDD: $50, Newegg (BF) Western Digital Black 2TB 7200RPM HDD: $110, Newegg (BF) Seagate Barracuda 3TB HDD: $100, Newegg (BF) Seagate Hybrid 1TB/8GB 64MB Cache Drive: $90, Newegg (BF) Team C123 32GB USB 3.0 Flash Drive: $15, Newegg (BF) Patriot Supersonic Boost XT 256GB USB 3.0 Flash Drive: $165, Newegg (BF) Western Digital Black 4TB 7200RPM: $200, Newegg (BF) Samsung 840 Evo 250GB SSD: $160, Amazon (CM) Intel 530 Series 240GB SSD: $160, Amazon (CM) Kingston 120GB SSDNow V300: $70, Amazon (CM) Kingston HyperX 120GB SSD: $95, Amazon (CM) Crucial M500 240GB SSD: $144, Amazon (CM) Samsung 840 Pro Series 256GB SSD: $210, Amazon (CM) Crucial M500 960GB SSD: $435, Newegg (CM) SanDisk Cruzer 64GB Flash Drive: $30, Radio Shack (CM) Click the next page for graphics cards, motherboard, and PSU deals.   Video Cards EVGA GeForce GT 610: $40, TigerDirect (BF) PNY GeForce GTX 770: $370, TigerDirect (BF) Asus GeForce GTX 670: $250 ($200 after mail-in-rebate), Newegg (BF)* MSI Radeon HD 7850 Twin Frozr: $130 ($100 after mail-in-rebate), Newegg (BF)* Sapphire Radeon HD 7870 GHz Editoin Graphics Card: $145 ($130 after mail-in-rebate), Newegg (BF)* EVGA GeForce GTX 780 Superclocked w/ ACX Cooler: $510, Amazon (CM) EVGA GeForce GTX 780 Superclocked: $520, Amazon (CM) EVGA GTX 780 Dual FTW w/ ACX Cooler: $530, Amazon (CM) Asus GeForce 210 1GB: $35, Amazon (CM) MSI GeForce GTX 660 2GB: $185, Amazon (CM) EVGA GeForce GTX 780: $500, Amazon (CM) EVGA GeForce GTX 780 w/ ACX Cooler: $500, Amazon (CM) EVGA GeForce GTX 770 SC: $340, Amazon (CM) PNY GeForce GT 630 2GB: $58, Amazon (CM) EVGA GeForce GT 610 2GB: $50, Amazon (CM) MSI GeForce N770 Lightning: $360, Amazon (CM) Asus GeForce GTX 680 DirectCU II OC Editon: $320, Amazon (CM) EVGA GeForce 6200 LE AGP: $41, Amazon (CM) Motherboards Asus Rampage IV Extreme: $395 (w/ promo code EMCWWVR26), Newegg (BF) ASRock Z77 Extreme 4: $100, Newegg (BF) Gigabyte GA-Z887M-D3H: $90 ($75 after mail-in-rebate, Newegg (BF)* Asus Z87-A: $125 ($95 after mail-in-rebate), Newegg (BF)* Cases, Power Supplies, and Accessoreis Cooler Master HAF 932 Advanced Full Tower Chassis: $130 ($100 after mail-in-rebate), Newegg (BF)* Corsair PSU Accessories: Save at least 50 percent, Corsair (BF) Rosewill Capstone 550W 80 Plus Gold PSU: $65 (w/ promo code EMCWWVR39), Newegg (BF) League of Legends Razer Naga Hex Mouse: $70 (w/ promo code CYBERPREVIEWUS), Razer (BF) Battlefield 4 Razer Taipan Mouse: $70 (w/ promo code CYBERPREVIEWUS), Razer (BF) Battlefield 4 Razer BlackWidow Ultimate Keyboard: $120 (w/ promo code CYBERPREVIEWUS), Razer (BF) Razer BlackWidow Keyboard, Taipan Mouse, Goliathus Mouse Mat: $199, Origin PC (BF and CM) SteelSeries Starter Kit (3Hv2, Kinzu v2, Apex [RAW], QcK): $100, SteelSeries (BF) SteelSeries Intermediate Kit (5Hv3, Sensei [RAW], 6Gv2, QcK Mass: $165, SteelSeries (BF) SteelSeries Pro Kit (9H, MLG Sensei, 7G, QcK+: $292, SteelSeries (BF) SteelSeries Premium Kit (Siberia Elite, Sensei, Apex, QcK Heavy: $345, SteelSeries (BF) Corsair Obsidian 750D Full Tower Case: $130 ($110 after mail-in-rebate), Newegg (BF) Logitech Wireless Solar Keyboard K750: $40, Logitech (BF) Logitech Wireless Solar Keyboard K750 for Mac: $40, Logitech (BF) Antec 850W Modular PSU: $120 ($90 after mail-in-rebate), Newegg (BF)* EVGA 500 B 500W PSU: $45 ($25 after mail-in-rebate), Newegg (BF)* Thermaltake TR2 TR-500 500W PSU: $40 ($20 after mail-in-rebate), Newegg (BF)* Corsair Builder Series CX 600W: $50, Amazon (CM) Seasonic Platinum 860W: $175, Amazon (CM) Desktop Systems Velocity Micro Raptor Signature: $3,849 + free shipping, Velocity Micro (BF and CM) Velocity Micro Raptor Z95: $2,299 + free shipping, Velocity Micro (BF and CM) Velocity Micro Edge Z40: $1,069 + free shipping, Velocity Micro (BF and CM) Velocity Micro Edge Z55: $1,624 + free shipping, Velocity Micro (BF and CM) Velocity Micro Holiday Edition: $649 + free shipping, Velocity Micro (BF and CM) Velocity Micro Edge Mini: $669 + free shipping, Velocity Micro (BF and CM) Velocity Micro Vector Z35: $1,149 + free shipping, Velocity Micro (BF and CM) Velocity Micro Vector Z25: $849 + free shipping, Velocity Micro (BF and CM) Velocity Micro Vision M35: $2,099 + free shipping, Velocity Micro (BF and CM) Velocity Micro Promagix HD60: $1,119 + free shipping, Velocity Micro (BF and CM) Velocity Micro Promagix HD80: $1,899 + free shipping, Velocity Micro (BF and CM) iBuyPower A10-Series (A10-8600K, 8GB RAM, 1TB HDD, Windows 8.1): $500, Newegg (Pre-BF) Purchase Origin PC and Receive Free Extras (Samsung 840 Evo SSD 250GB, Games, etc): Origin PC (BF and CM) Free Shipping on Certified PCs and Laptops: Free Shipping, Puget Systems (BF + CM) Serenity, Obsidian, and Genesis Systems: Save $150, Puget Systems (CM) - Dec 1-12 Click the next page for laptop, tablet, game deals and more!   Notebooks/Ultrabooks Laptop Bundle with Choice of Laptop, Case, Flash Drive, and Printer: $299, Walmart (BF) Velocity Micro Notemagix M17: $1,849 + free shipping, Velocity Micro (BF and CM) Velocity Micro Notemagix M15: $1,549 + free shipping, Velocity Micro (BF and CM) Velocity Micro Notemagix M15 LE: $1,099 + free shipping, Velocity Micro (BF and CM) Microsoft Surface 32GB: $199, Microsoft (BF) Microsoft Surface 64GB: $349, Microsoft (BF) Dell Inspiron 15z Touchscreen (Core i5, 6GB RAM, 500GB HDD + 32GB SSD): $399, Microsoft (BF) Asus VivoBook S400 Ultrabook: $500, Newegg (BF) Asus ZenbookPrime (Core i7, 4GB, 128GBx2 SSD, Nvidia GT 620M): $950, Newegg (BF) HP Winter Blue 15.6-inch (AMD E-300, 4GB RAM, 320GB HDD, Windows 8: $278, Walmart (BF) MacBook Pro 13.3-inch (4GB R AM, 500GB HDD): $1,000, Best Buy (BF) Targus CVR200 16-inch Laptop Slip Case: $15, Radio Shack (BF) Targus TSB712US-50 16-inch Sport Backpack: $20, Radio Shack (BF) Acer Aspire 13.3-inch Ultrabook: $300, Newegg (CM) Acer Aspire 15.6-inch Notebook: $400, Newegg (CM) Samsung 14-inch Touchscreen Ultrabook: $650, Newegg (CM) Lenovo IdeaPad 15.6-inch Notebook: $800, Newegg (CM) Mobile Devices Nextbook 8-inch Dual Core Tablet with 8GB Memory: $99, Walmart (BF) Nextbook 7-inch Tablet with 8GB Memory: $59, Walmart (BF) RCA 7-inch Tablet with 4GB Memory: $49, Walmart (BF) Apple iPad 2 16GB Wi-Fi + Bonus Accessory Kit: $389, Walmart (BF) Visual Land Prestige Pro 7-inch Tablet Dual Core with 16GB Memory: $90, Walmart (BF) Monster M7 7-inch Dual Core Tablet with 16GB Memory: $119, Walmart (BF) Google Nexus 7-inch Tablet with 32GB Memory (2012): $189, Walmart (BF) Trio Stealth Pro 7-inch 4GB Tablet: $50, Radio Shack (BF) LG G Pad 8.3-inch Tablet: $279, Newegg (BF) Apple iPad w/ Retina Display 16GB Wi-Fi: $399, Walmart (BF) Trio Stealth Pro 7-inch 4GB Tablet: $50, Radio Shack (BF) Trio Steatlh G2 10.1-inch 16GB Tablet: $109, Walmart (CM) Mach Speed Trio Stealth G2 8-inch 8GB Tablet: $100, Radio Shack (BF) Samsung Galaaxy Tab 3 7.0 Wi-Fi Tablet: $160, Target (BF) Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8GB 7-inch: $180, Oversotck (CM) Dell Venue 8-inch Tablet: $130, Newegg (CM) LG G Pad 8.3-inch Tablet: $250, Newegg (CM) Azpen 3090 7-inch Android Tablet: $60, Radio Shack (CM) Bodyguardz Screen Protectors: 50 Percent Off Entire Store, Bodyguardz (CM) Amazon Kindle Fire HD 16GB: $119, Amazon (CM) Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 7-inch Tablet: $179, Amazon (CM) Asus MeMO Pad Smart 10.1-inch 16GB Tablet: $230, Radio Shack (CM) Monitors AOC E2752SHE 27-inch LED Monitor: $179, nationwide November 28 through December 2 (BF) Asus 27-inch LED Monitor: $190, Newegg (BF) Hanns-G 27-inch LED Monitor: $180, Newegg (Pre-BF) Samsung C150 SEries 21.5-inch LED Monitor: $115 (w/ promo code EMCWWVP29), Newegg (Pre-BF) LG IPS224V-PN 21.5-inch LED IPS Monitor: $110 (w/ promo code EMCWWVP32), Newegg (Pre-BF) Games and Software Adobe Photoshop Photography Program: $9.99/month, Adobe (BF) Call of Duty: Ghosts: $40 (Xbox 360), $50 (Xbox One), Microsoft (BF) Grand Theft Auto V: $40, Microsoft (BF) Battlefield 4: $39 (Xbox 360), Microsoft (BF) FIFA 14: $25 (Xbox 360), Microsoft (BF) Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag: $34 (Xbox 360), Microsoft (BF) Madden 25: $25 (Xbox 360), Microsoft (BF) Skylanders Swap Force: $39, Microsoft (BF) Minecraft: $15, Microsoft (BF) VMWare PLayer Plus: $65, VMWare (BF) BitDefender Antivirus Plus, Internet Security, or Total Security: $15, BitDefender (BF) Geekbench 3 Single Platform: $6, Geekbench (CM) Geekbench 3 Cross Platform: $9, Geekbench (CM) Geekbench 3 Pro: $120, Geekbench (CM) Printers and Routers Buffalo AirStation Extreme AC 1200 Dual Band Wireless Router: $80, Newegg (Pre-BF) TP-Link TL-SG108 8-Port Gigabit Switch: $18, Newegg (Pre-BF) Edimax EW-7238RPD N300+ Concurrent Dual-Band Wi-Fi Range Extender: $30, Newegg (Pre-BF) Brother MFC-7860DW All-in-One Wireless Laser Printer: $170, Newegg (Pre-BF) TP-LINK Archer C7 AC1750 Dual Band Gigabit Router: $100 ($80 after mail-in-rebate), Newegg (BF + CM)* TP-LINK 8-Port Gigabit Desktop Switch: $18, Newegg (BF + CM) - Nov 29 - Dec 5 TP-LINK Universal Wi-Fi Range Extender: $20, Frys Electronics (CM) TP-LINK 5-Port Gigabit Desktop Switch: $15, Frys Electronics (CM) TP-LINK Wireless N Nano USB Adaptor: $6 (after Amazon coupon), Amazon (BF + CM) - Nov 25 - Dec 2 MISC LG 24LN5200 42-inch 1080p 60Hz LED Ultra Slim HDTV: $379, Walmart (BF) Sceptre 50-inch Class LCD 1080p 60Hz HDTV: $399, Walmart (BF) Sceptre 32-inch 720p 60Hz LED HDTV: $179, Walmart (BF) Sceptre 40-inch Class LCD 1080p 60Hz HDTV: $249, Walmart (BF) Emerson 26-inch Class LCD 720p 60Hz HDTV and DVD Player: $169, Walmart (BF) Nintendo Wii U Holiday Bundle: $329, Walmart (BF) Nintendo 3DS XL Holiday Bundle w/ Choice of 2 Games and Accessory: $219, Walmart (BF) Nintendo 3DS Starter Bundle: $179, Walmart (BF) Nintendo 2DS Holiday Bundle w/ Choice of 2 Games and Accessorty: $149, Walmart (BF) Ematic Portable Wireless Speaker and Speakerphone with Bluetooth: $24, Walmart (BF) Garmin Refurbished nuvi 50LM 5-inch GPS w/ U.S. Map Coverage and Lifetime Map Updates: $69, Walmart (BF) Garmin nuvi 50LM Bundle 5-inch GPS w/ Lifetime Map Updates and Friction Mount: $100, Walmart (BF) Xbox 360 Ultimate Bundle: From $234, Walmart (BF) Velocity Micro Cinemagix Multiplex: $1,899 + free shipping, Velocity Micro (BF and CM) Xbox 360 4GB: $179, Microsoft (BF) Xbox 360 250GB: $199, Microsoft (BF) Xbox 360 4GB Kinect Bundle: $200, Radio Shack (BF) MartinLogan MLT-2 5.1 Home Theater Speaker System: $150, Newegg (BF) LG 42-inch 1080p LED HDTV: $340, Newegg (BF) Aluratek 7-inch Digital Photo Frame: $25, Newegg (BF) Corsair Outlet Store (Refurbished Items): Save at least 50 percent, Corsair (BF) Battlefield 4 Razer BlackShark Headphones: $110 (w/ promo code CYBERPREVIEWUS), Razer (BF) Roku 2 XD HD Streaming Player: $60, Radio Shack (BF) Gigaware Retratable USB to Micro-USB Cable: $4.50, Radio Shack (BF) Gigaware Retractable USB to Mini USB Cable: $4.50, Radio Shack (BF) Optimus Bluetooth Portable Speaker: $50, Radio Shack (BF) Logitech UE 9000: $150, Logitech (BF) Logitech UE Mobile Boombox (various colors): $50, Logitech (BF) Logitech UE 4000 (various colors): $70, Logitech (BF) Logitech Speaker System Z532: $50, Logitech (BF) Logitech UE Smart Radio: $100, Logitech (BF) Logitech UE Air Speaker: $200, Logitech (BF) N2ACards.com: 25 percent off w/ coupon code THANKS25, N2ACards (BF + CM) N2Aos.com: 25 percent off w/ coupon code THANKS25, N2Aos (BF + COM) Philips 24PFL4508 24-inch 720p TV: $180, Overstock (CM) Samsung 55-inch 1080p 120Hz LED TV: $698, Walmart (CM) Vizio 60-inch 1080 120Hz Class Razor LED (Refurbished): $788, Walmart (CM) Polk Audio Soundbar IHT 3000 Instant Home Theater: $150, Newegg (CM) MartinLogan MLT-1 5.1 Channel Home Theater Speaker System: $130, Newegg (CM) LG 39-inch 1080p LED LCD HDTV: $300, Newegg (CM) Harman/Kardon AVR2650 7.1 Channel A/V Receiver: $300, Newegg (CM) JLab Audio Bouncer Portable Bluetooth Speaker: $80, Newegg (CM) iFixIt 26 Bit Driver Kit: $5, iFixIt (CM) iFixIt Pro Tech Toolkit + Magnetic Project Mat: $60, iFixIt (CM) iFixIt Pro Tech Screwdriver Set: $60, iFixIt (CM) iFixIt Macro Bit Set: $30, iFixIt (CM) iFixIt Lock Pick Set: $20, iFixIt (CM)

Amazon Slashes Kindle Fire HDX 7-inch Tablet Pricing for Cyber Monday Posted: 02 Dec 2013 08:54 AM PST Save $50 for a limited time Amazon often discounts its popular Kindle Fire line of tablets, but rarely are the discounts as substantial as the ones the online retailer rolled out for Cyber Monday. Unfortunately, Amazon sold out of however many Kindle Fire HD tablets it set aside to sell at $119 (normally sells for $169), though there's still inventory available of discounted Kindle Fire HDX 7-inch tablets, which are also marked down $50. These things are apparently going fast, but at the time of this writing, the Kindle Fire HDX 7-inch tablet starts at $179 instead of $229. The $50 discount applies to all Wi-Fi only SKUs: Kindle Fire HDX 7-inch 16GB w/ Special Offers: $179 (down from $229) Kindle Fire HDX 7-inch 32GB w/ Special Offers: $219 (down from $269) Kindle Fire HDX 7-inch 64GB w/ Special Offers: $259 (down from $309) Kindle Fire HDX 7-inch 16GB w/o Special Offers: $194 (down from $244) Kindle Fire HDX 7-inch 16GB w/o Special Offers: $234 (down from $284) Kindle Fire HDX 7-inch 16GB w/o Special Offers: $274 (down from $324) The Kindle Fire HDX 7-inch features a 7-inch Full HD 1080p display (1920x1200, 323 ppi), 2.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, 2GB of RAM, front-facing HD camera, dual-stereo speakers with Dolby audio, built-in microphone, dual-band Wireless-N connectivity, and a "Mayday" button for on-device tech support every day and time of the year. Be sure to bookmark and frequently check our continually updated Cyber Monday Ads 2013 for other deals. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Windows 8.1 Still Not Enough to Convert Windows 7 Users Posted: 02 Dec 2013 08:25 AM PST Windows 7 gains share in November There wasn't a ton of movement in Windows market share last month, but what little there was, Microsoft has reason to be both encouraged and perplexed. Starting with the former, Microsoft can feel somewhat encouraged that Windows 8 continues to gain ground, at least if you factor in Windows 8.1. By itself, Windows 8 dropped from 7.53 percent in October to 6.66 percent in November, but once you throw Windows 8.1's 2.64 percent share into the mix, the tally comes to 9.3 percent. That's a net gain compared to October, but it's not as though users of olders versions of Windows are all that anxious to upgrade. Windows Vista saw only a small decline, dropping from 3.63 percent in October to 3.57 percent in November, while Windows XP users saw an even smaller dip, going from 31.24 percent to 31.22 percent during the same time period. Between the two, those figures add up to a .08 percent combined drop in share. Likewise, Windows 7 barely moved the needle, though what little movement there was went in the opposite direction. Rather than losing market share, Windows 7 increased its presence from 46.42 percent in October to 46.64 percent in November, a gain of 0.22 percent. All of these figures are based on data from Net Applications, though StatCounter's global statistics paint a similar overall picture of the Windows landscape. Image Credit: Flickr (Jon Fingas) Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Amazon Prime Air Aims to Deliver Your Package by Flying Drones in 2015 Posted: 02 Dec 2013 07:13 AM PST Drones will deliver packages to Prime Air customers in 30 minutes or less It's a little early for an April Fool's prank, so we can only assume that Amazon chief Jeff Bezos is dead serious about the use of delivery drones to buzz stuff to your doorstep within a half hour of placing your order. Bezos unveiled the plan last night on CBS network's "60 Minutes" saying that drone delivery would be available to Prime Air customers. However, Amazon has to clear a major hurdle first. "From a technology point of view, we'll be ready to enter commercial operation as soon as the necessary regulations are in place. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is actively working on rules for unmanned aerial vehicles," Amazon states on its Prime Air FAQ page. The FAQ page also ensures that even though this looks like science fiction, it's very much a real thing. Not only that, Amazon says its drones will be ready to the skies as early as 2015, which is when it hopes the FAA's rules will be in place. Those rules will ensure public safety, something Amazon says is a "top priority" in this initiative. On "60 Minutes," Bezos said drones would be capable of carrying packages that weigh up to 5 pounds, which represents 86 percent of the company's deliveries. Check it out, and then tell us what you think in the comments section below! Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

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MMO Updates

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• China gets late Christmas present of new ArcheAge beta
• The Repopulation improves housing and inquiries in November
• League of Angels announces beta events, releases trailer
• Massively's first impressions of Trion's Trove
• Sony Online Entertainment offers bonus Cyber Monday cash
• The Stream Team: Stuffed to the gills edition, December 2 - 8, 2013
• The Daily Grind: Are you participating in Cyber Monday?
• MMO Week in Review: Giving thanks
• EVE Evolved: Donate your old spaceships to charity
• Prius Online closes down in South Korea
• Heroes and Villains shares character creator details
• Massively unboxes EVE Online's Collector's Edition
• Rise of Dragonian Era sunsets

China gets late Christmas present of new ArcheAge beta Posted: 02 Dec 2013 09:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, ArcheAge, Sandbox, Anniversaries If you wrote to Santa asking for an ArcheAge beta, you might have wanted to specify that you meant in the west. As it is, China is the one getting the beta present the day after Christmas. The announcement of this next beta phase, called the "Divine" test, came at the Tencent Games Carnival 2013, China's largest gaming convention. Along with the beta news, the publisher unveiled the official Chinese ArcheAge trailer, showcased a live-action introduction to the game, and debuted the official theme for this version. The Chinese fans may have to wait until December 26th to get back into the game, but everyone can experience all three videos for themselves now. And that's better than a lump of coal! Continue reading China gets late Christmas present of new ArcheAge beta China gets late Christmas present of new ArcheAge beta originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 02 Dec 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments MMOCulture

The Repopulation improves housing and inquiries in November Posted: 02 Dec 2013 08:00 AM PST Filed under: Betas, Sci-Fi, Game Mechanics, Patches, News Items, Sandbox, The Repopulation November is a time to go home, see your family, and quite possibly remember why it was you left home and avoid seeing your family for the rest of the year. The result is that it makes a lot of sense for The Repopulation to focus on things like hearth and home over the month of November. A status update for the last month has just come out, and it includes the usual array of incremental improvements along with some big new features. For example, the game has a new UI for placing structures within houses and nations, allowing objects to be rotated and scaled as the placer desires -- and there's the option to save the rotation and scale settings for easy cut-and-paste placement. A new calendar system was also introduced, and the inquiry system has been expanded to allow players a chance at tracing the source of an NPC's problems via the Diplomacy skill. Players looking forward to the sandbox title should take a look at the full rundown of November updates. The Repopulation improves housing and inquiries in November originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 02 Dec 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments November status update

League of Angels announces beta events, releases trailer Posted: 02 Dec 2013 07:30 AM PST Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Events (In-Game), MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Free-to-Play, Browser You've heard of League of Angels, a new browser-based game that starts closed beta this Wednesday, but what's the story behind it? GTArcade answers that with a new trailer that takes viewers on a brief tour of the history of the angels, from their betrayal to their triumphant return. See it play out in the video below. Additionally, the studio has announced a number of special events during the seven-day closed beta that players can participate in, each with prizes that will carry over even when all other player data is wiped. The various prizes include free VIP access for leveling, free diamonds for slaying select NPCs (as well as diamonds raining down from the sky twice a day!), and more items to level your angels with the more angels you collect. Specific events will also be held rewarding players for things such as bug hunting, guide writing, and helping other players. [Source: GTArcade press release] Continue reading League of Angels announces beta events, releases trailer League of Angels announces beta events, releases trailer originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 02 Dec 2013 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Massively's first impressions of Trion's Trove Posted: 02 Dec 2013 07:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Video, New Titles, Previews, Opinion, Hands-On, First Impressions, Sandbox, Trove We're really driving home the "first" in "first impressions" with a look at the early-early alpha build of Trion Worlds' Trove. Trove is a voxel-based sandbox game that was first revealed two weeks ago. It's a game that focuses on exploration, building, and adventure, and hopes to do it with feeling. Since the game is still in early alpha, most of my impressions may change when it gets closer to launch, but we still wanted to show off the game in its current state to give you a taste of what's to come. Continue reading Massively's first impressions of Trion's Trove Massively's first impressions of Trion's Trove originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 02 Dec 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Sony Online Entertainment offers bonus Cyber Monday cash Posted: 02 Dec 2013 06:30 AM PST Filed under: MMO Industry, News Items, Promotions, Miscellaneous Cyber Monday is like Black Friday without the waiting in line or the limited-stock items left on shipping pallets throughout the store or any of that insanity. But it's very similar insofar as you can find deals that are theoretically meant to be for others but wind up mostly being presents to yourself. Case in point, Sony Online Entertainment's sale today on Station Cash. No, it's not cheaper to buy, but you get a lot more for what you buy. Until 11:59 p.m. PST today, all Station Cash purchases receive a bonus 25% Station Cash above and beyond the normal amount. That's not counting various games holding their own sales within the in-game marketplace, meaning that you could wind up with more Station Cash and individual items costing less money. So it's sort of like everybody winning, except it's really just you winning multiple times. But get on the deal soon before it evaporates. Sony Online Entertainment offers bonus Cyber Monday cash originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 02 Dec 2013 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Sale announcement

The Stream Team: Stuffed to the gills edition, December 2 - 8, 2013 Posted: 02 Dec 2013 06:00 AM PST Filed under: Polls, MMO Industry, Massively Meta, Livestream, Miscellaneous, The Stream Team If you partook in Thanksgiving activities over the weekend, chances are you enjoyed a tasty morsel or twenty (thousand)... and that's not even counting leftovers! As much as I love the holiday, I am often glad it's only a single day because there is always just way too much food. It's certainly not uncommon for people to end the day feeling like Violet Beauregard after her brush with an Everlasting Gobstopper. And instead of a juice press, we have to settle for a bench press. Luckily, overindulging in Massively TV does not have any of those pesky side effects the holiday dinner has; you can watch The Stream Team as much as you like and never feel as if you have to roll out of the room. Why, you can even watch while using the bench press if you want. If, however, you'd rather not mix the two activities, use the schedule below to sort out when to do each. Continue reading The Stream Team: Stuffed to the gills edition, December 2 - 8, 2013 The Stream Team: Stuffed to the gills edition, December 2 - 8, 2013 originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 02 Dec 2013 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Daily Grind: Are you participating in Cyber Monday? Posted: 02 Dec 2013 05:00 AM PST Filed under: The Daily Grind, Promotions, Miscellaneous Oh retail holidays, will you ever stop? Today is Cyber Monday, which is a ridiculously halfway-provocative term for a day when you're supposed to do all of your online shopping for the winter holidays. Some MMO companies are taking advantage of this day to promote their own deep discounts, while others are carrying on with business as usual. Are you seeking out the big online sales today, or is it just another manic Monday for you? 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: Are you participating in Cyber Monday? originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 02 Dec 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

MMO Week in Review: Giving thanks Posted: 01 Dec 2013 05:00 PM PST Filed under: Massively Meta, Week in Review, Miscellaneous 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. Did you think Thanksgiving is about turkey and football and gluttony and buying stuff and "giving thanks"? It's not. It's about Star Citizen. It's about livestreams and speculation and piles of money and spaceships. Lots of spaceships. The spaceships are probably rolling around in said piles of money right now. So I guess it is still about gluttony. Huh. Lumber onward for a run-down of the rest of this holiday week's top MMO stories. Continue reading MMO Week in Review: Giving thanks MMO Week in Review: Giving thanks originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 01 Dec 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

EVE Evolved: Donate your old spaceships to charity Posted: 01 Dec 2013 03:00 PM PST Filed under: Sci-Fi, Business Models, Culture, Economy, Events (Real-World), Events (In-Game), MMO Industry, News Items, Opinion, EVE Evolved, Promotions, Sandbox, Crowdfunding, Player-Generated Content, Subscription The Philippines recently suffered its worst natural disaster in living memory when typhoon Haiyan made landfall on November 8th, leaving over half a million people displaced and millions without food and basic supplies. Countries and organisations around the world have been sending relief aid into the region, and gamers have once again proven to be a generous bunch. Several livestreamers have been running donation drives; the developers behind Luvinia Online even promised to donate 100% of the income from three new in-game items to the Philippine Red Cross. EVE Online has now also joined in the fundraising by reactivating its popular PLEX for Good scheme. CCP started the PLEX for Good scheme back in January of 2010 as a way for players to donate in-game assets and ISK to help people in the real world. EVE Online players have collectively donated over $150,000 US in aid following 2010's Haitian earthquake, tsunami devastation in Japan, flooding in Pakistan, and tornadoes in the US two years ago. Players hope to smash all fundraising records this time around with dedicated fundraising auctions, events, and liquidation firesales happening across the game. There are even ways for ex-players without active subscriptions to donate their idle in-game assets to charity. In this week's EVE Evolved, I look at the PLEX for Good scheme, the fundraising efforts players are using to help out a country in need, and how you can donate your ISK to charity even if you've long since quit EVE. Continue reading EVE Evolved: Donate your old spaceships to charity EVE Evolved: Donate your old spaceships to charity originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 01 Dec 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Prius Online closes down in South Korea Posted: 01 Dec 2013 02:00 PM PST Filed under: Fantasy, MMO Industry, News Items, Free-to-Play, Sunsets Whether you think of it as Prius Online or Arcane Saga, the game known to its Korean playerbase as Prius Online has had a hard time keeping the lights on in the West. It's been running for five years over in its native South Korea, though... but no longer. As of December 17th the game will shut down for good, with character creation and the cash shop already disabled for its remaining time. Developer Netmarble has apparently been focusing more upon the mobile market rather than the PC game market, and the game presumably hit the spot of no longer being profitable to keep running. There had been rumors of a sequel, but this could kill any hopes for that as well as any lingering aspirations toward another American revival. It may have died many times before its final death, but it seems like this is finally the end of the road for the game. Prius Online closes down in South Korea originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 01 Dec 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments MMOCulture

Heroes and Villains shares character creator details Posted: 01 Dec 2013 01:00 PM PST Filed under: Betas, Super-hero, Galleries, Screenshots, Miscellaneous One of the applicants for the position of City of Heroes' spiritual successor, Heroes and Villains, has new details regarding its character creator to share as well as several pieces of concept art from the game. Players will start their journey in the character creator by picking an alignment (hero, villain, or freelancer) which will determine the type of stories that they'll experience. Apparently, alignment isn't permanent, but can be changed over time via actions. The next steps for a budding superhero will be to pick an origin, an archetype, power themes, non-combat skills, positive and negative traits, an optional secret identity, and visuals for the hero's body and costume. You can check out what some of the costumes and game locales may look like as well as the first shot of the character creator in the gallery below. [Source: Plan Z Studios] Heroes and Villains shares character creator details originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 01 Dec 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Massively unboxes EVE Online's Collector's Edition Posted: 01 Dec 2013 11:00 AM PST Filed under: Sci-Fi, Video, EVE Online, Economy, MMO Industry, Previews, Opinion, Hands-On, First Impressions, DUST 514, Promotions, Sandbox, Subscription Sci-fi MMO EVE Online initially launched as a physical disc sold in stores back in 2003 and saw limited success in the fledgling MMO space. A decade of regular updates and digital distribution has seen EVE grow organically into the largest sci-fi sandbox on the planet with over half a million subscribers, but until now something has been missing: EVE has never had an actual collector's edition box. To celebrate 10 successful years of operation, last month CCP officially released the EVE Second Decade Collector's Edition box. I recently received a review copy of the Collector's Edition from CCP and have put together an unboxing video with my general impressions of the items within. The collection comes in a sturdy presentation box and contains a 192-page commemorative hardback book looking back on the first decade of EVE's history, along with an anniversary re-release edition of CCP's board game Danger Game and a physical Rifter model that doubles as a USB hub. The pack also comes with a new account key with 60 days of game time, a soundtrack CD of the EVE music played by the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra, and keys to unlock billions of ISK worth of virtual collectables in-game. It's pretty expensive at around €150 or $150 US, but the virtual items can be sold in game to claw back some of the cost in the form of PLEX. Enjoy our look at the new CE! Continue reading Massively unboxes EVE Online's Collector's Edition Massively unboxes EVE Online's Collector's Edition originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 01 Dec 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Rise of Dragonian Era sunsets Posted: 01 Dec 2013 10:00 AM PST Filed under: Fantasy, Free-to-Play, Sunsets If an MMO that few people played shut down, how long would it take the community to notice? Apparently "a couple of weeks" is the answer, as we're only now getting word that Rise of Dragonian Era (RODE) sunset this past November 13th. In a shutdown notice on the game's now-defunct Facebook page, the studio posted, "RODE services will close permanently. We apologize for this unfortunate event. But we look forward to seeing our RODE players a part of our Netgame community again in the future." RODE launched in early 2012 and featured a permanent dragon companion and aerial combat as its main selling points. [Thanks to Holden for the tip!] Rise of Dragonian Era sunsets originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 01 Dec 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Shutdown notice

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