General Gaming Article

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• Alienware Alpha Console Invasion Scheduled for Holiday 2014
• Tropico 5 Review
• Computer A.I. Simulating a 13-Year-Old Boy Fools Humans, First to Pass Turing Test
• Xi3 Teams with Intel to Sell Line of Micro-Mini PCs and NUC Systems
• CyberPowerPC's Fang Battlebox is Armed and Ready to Attack Your Next LAN Party
• SteelSeries Splashes E3 with Sentry Eye Tracker, Stratus XL Controller, and Sims 4 Peripherals
• Newegg Daily Deals: Asus GeForce GTX 770 Graphics Card, WD Black Series 3TB HDD, and More!
• HP’s Leap Motion Keyboard to be Offered as Standalone Product
• Gigabyte Unveils Aorus X3 and X3 Plus Gaming Laptops
• Google Play Movies & TV App Now Supports Offline Playback on Chrome OS

Alienware Alpha Console Invasion Scheduled for Holiday 2014 Posted: 09 Jun 2014 05:00 PM PDT Dell isn't letting Valve's Steam Machine delay ruin its plans to invade the living room By now you've likely heard that official Steam Machines won't launch until sometime next year when Valve is finished tweaking its Steam Controller prototype (and if you haven't heard, you should bookmark Maximum PC!). That's a bit of a pisser, though it isn't stopping OEM system builders from forging ahead with plans to release console-like PC systems. Case in point, Alienware just announced its Alpha Console starting at $549. What the flip is an Alpha Console? Well, it's a cleverly named system that's essentially a Steam Machine running on Windows instead of the Linux-based Steam OS. Alienware tells Maximum PC that it designed its own 10-foot UI upon boot that will allow you to access your music and movies like a console. It will also be integrated with Steam's Big Picture mode and come with an Xbox 360 controller. In addition to the controller, the $549 configuration includes an unspecified Intel Core i3 Haswell-based processor, 4GB of DDR3-1600 RAM, custom-built Nvidia GPU based on Maxwell and with 2GB of GDDR5 memory, 500GB hard drive, dual-band Wireless-AC 1x1 with Bluetooth 4.0, GbE, two USB 3.0 ports, two USB 2.0 ports, HDMI input (direct HDMI pass-through), HDMI output (uncompressed 8-channel audio and support for 4K content), and Windows 8.1 64-bit. Users with a bigger budget can configure an Alpha Console with Intel Core i5 and i7 processor options, 8GB of DDR3-1600 RAM, 2x2 Wi-Fi, and 1TB or 2TB HDD options. Valve undoubtedly caught its OEM hardware partners off-guard when it decided to continue tweaking its Steam Controller into next year, which therefore meant delaying official Steam Machine systems. Rather than let all that R&D into physical design and hardware go to waste, or be put on hold, it look likes Dell has chosen to launch what would have been its Steam Machine, but with a new name (Alpha Console) and with Windows running the show. It will be interesting to see what Alienware's custom UI looks like. Another question that comes to mind is how Alienware plans to differeniate next year's Steam Machine launch with these Alpha Consoles. Some interesting storylines are developing for sure. Dell's Alienware Alpha Console will begin shipping in time for the 2014 holiday season. In the meantime, check out more pics of the system in our gallery below! Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Tropico 5 Review Posted: 09 Jun 2014 02:07 PM PDT A familiar experience, but still fun When it comes to creating the greatest island nation in the world, we will stop at nothing to achieve this. What we can't understand is why our denizens never seem to appreciate the measures we take to achieve this goal. Sure, child labor doesn't sound like the greatest thing in the world, but when jobs need filling, what are you going to do? After all, it is for the betterment and advancement of Tropico! Despite our citizens' ire, we still found it satisfying to step into the shoes of El Presidente once again and experience the game's humorous approach to the simulation genre. Whether it was our advisors, well, advising us or foreign diplomats' various demands, all of it is wrapped up in a very humorous package.   The Crown doesn't give us much to work with. Aside from the humor, the game looks great. It still features the bright, vibrant colors of previous installments and the graphics are a step up. The water affects are good and you can zoom in and view little details on the buildings. However, character creation is lacking and is a step back from the previous game. There are nowhere near as many aesthetic choices for creating our avatar as we remembered from Tropico 4 (pre-DLC). And the music? It is just as lively and energetic as the other games, and makes us went to get up and dance. But while we are disappointed with character customization, the new Dynasty feature partially makes up for it. As we progressed, opportunities were provided to add new family members. However, because of the limited options, we were often dissatisfied with how our offspring looked (we blame it all on the other side of the family). Despite that, having family members means there are new quests to undertake. While the Quest system itself is unchanged, there are some new tasks that can be undertaken. For example, we had one family member successfully kidnap the Pope because he wasn't talking to us. And if there is one thing we don't like, it's being ignored.  Those who are familiar with the franchise shouldn't have too much trouble jumping right into the game. Construction is mostly the same as before, but thankfully it has been streamlined. We no longer found ourselves yelling at the construction workers to get back to work like we did in Tropico 4. For newcomers to the franchise, Tropico 5 is a simple game with a lot going in addition to construction, there is trading, politics both foreign and domestic, and the temptations of power you have as El Presidente.  Don't like someone's opinion of you? For a price you can banish them, have them killed, discredit them, or have them jailed.  Guess which option we kept using? Having gained our independence, Tropico is thriving! A new feature of the game is the division of time into four different eras. Rather than start off during the Cold War era, we found ourselves in the colonial era as the governor of Tropico under the rule of the British crown. Unlike the following three eras, we were given a period of four years to gain our island's independence by either fending off a British invasion or simply buying our independence once we got popular support above 50 percent. When we finally freed ourselves from the British crown, we were able to do whatever we wanted so long as we didn't upset the superpowers throughout the rest of the eras. Suffice to say, we found ourselves doing a balancing act between the Axis and Allies during the World War II era, the United States and Russia during the Cold War era, and the Modern era saw us currying favors from the U.S., Russia, China, European Union, and the Middle East so that we could receive better financial aid, have access to more trading routes, and keep them happy enough so that we wouldn't be invaded. As for the invasions themselves, while Tropico has combat, players are reduced to the role of an observer. Like previous installments, combat is directed by the AI. We faced attacks from pirates, foreign powers, and even rebels and all the time we wished we could control them and direct them towards the enemy. Still, it was fun to watch as our soldiers and tanks moved towards the threat as, simultaneously, our fighter jets bombarded the enemy. However, our jets bombardment did cause some minor collateral damage by destroying some buildings and killing off a few of our citizens. But that is ok, because it was for the overall betterment of Tropico! Ouch! Our fighters' bombs took out a building and a few of our citizens and soldiers... Aside from fighting our enemies, there was another use for our troops. For the price of $1,000 in-game currency, we could set a waypoint down almost anywhere on the map and the unit would march towards it and explore the island. Why do this? Because the game features a Fog of War system that forced us to use our troops to explore if we wanted to expand our city and have access to all of the island's resources. However, at times, the fog became an annoyance for us because there would be a sliver of fog that would prevent us from building a road or structure until we paid our troops to go "explore" that little section. Given that we were sometimes strapped for cash, dropping $1,000 to get rid of the tiny bit of fog wasn't worth it. But exploration became obsolete when we researched the compass ability which reveals the entire island. Speaking of research, the researching of new technologies and buildings is the latest feature to be included in Tropico 5. By building a library, and certain buildings such as an observatory, research points are generated that goes towards discovering new tech for each era. For example, researching the constitution tech would allow us to draft our own constitution once we had gained independence.  Personally, we think that there is too much importance being applied to such things. Why write a constitution when the will of El Presidente should be good enough for everyone? Ah, the modern era! The city's architecture is a mixture of modern and colonial with a dash of World War II and a pinch of the Cold War. Multiplayer is also a new feature to the franchise and one that we like. In Tropico 5 we found ourselves playing with our fellow despots to see who could create the better city. Sometimes we would cooperate with our fellow dictators but, at other times, find ourselves at each other's throats for resources. However, on multiple occasions so far, the game inexplicably freezes and forces all the players to shut down the game. This results in having to start a new multiplayer game which is quite a hassle. One of the drawbacks of the Tropico franchise is that, with each installment, it tends to be a refinement and fine-tuning of each game and Tropico 5 is no exception. It is a lot of fun to play and there is plenty of humor. But while the inclusion of eras and the multiplayer campaign are welcome additions, the gameplay is familiar territory. Gameplay, we might add, that is simplistic despite having many things to juggle in the game.  The game's approach to resources, for example, is very simple. You build a structure like a farm, mine, or logging camp to collect resources and the excess is immediately sent off to the docks to be traded to other nations. However, we wish that there could be a stockpile option for some of these resources. So often we wished there was a warehouse that we could collect our excess resources. Even the process of turning our raw resources into manufactured goods is automated. There is no indication of how much of each resource is needed to keep our factories producing these goods. All we can do is make sure that our farms, mines, and logging camps have workers to keep farming or mining them.  Tropico 5 is a game that newcomers should definitely pick up and play. For veterans, it is a familiar experience that is still enjoyable with just enough new things to make it interesting. However, the franchise needs its own revolution if it hopes to keep its citizens coming back for future installments rather than be a fine-tuning of the old regime.  Now excuse us while we go back to our island and siphon off some more money into our Swiss bank account.  What? A good dictator should always plan ahead! $40, http://www.kalypsomedia.com/en-us/games/tropico5/, ESRB: T

Computer A.I. Simulating a 13-Year-Old Boy Fools Humans, First to Pass Turing Test Posted: 09 Jun 2014 09:46 AM PDT A computer program passes for a real boy It only took about 65 years, but a computer posing as a 13-year-old boy became the first to pass the Turing Test, which was designed to test a machine's ability to exhibit intelligent behavior that's equal to or indistinguishable from that of a real human. A supercomputer called Eugene Goostman accomplished the feat during Turing Test 2014 held at the Royal Society in London over the weekend. A development team led by a Russian computer engineer Vladimir Veselov, who was born in Russia and now lives in the U.S., and Ukrainian born Eugene Demchenko, who now lives in Russia, developed Eugene Goostman in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Eugene was one of five supercomputers competing for the Turing Test 2014 prize. The test is a question and answer game, "Can Machines Think?" This particular event took place on the 60th anniversary of Turing's death. To pass the test, a computer must be mistaken for a human by more than 30 percent of the time during a series of five minute keyboard conversations -- Eugene was able to convince 33 percent of the human judges that it too was human. Eugene's accomplishment isn't without a bit of controversy. "Some will claim that the Test has already been passed. The words Turing Test have been applied to similar competitions around the world. However this event involved the most simultaneous comparison tests than ever before, was independently verified and, crucially, the conversations were unrestricted," explains Professor Kevin Warwick, a Visiting Professor at the University of Reading and Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research at Coventry University. "A true Turing Test does not set the questions or topics prior to the conversations. We are therefore proud to declare that Alan Turing's Test was passed for the first time on Saturday." Posing as a 13-year-old may have helped Eugene pass the test. Due to his character's believed age, Eugene wouldn't necessarily need to get a question correct, but answer in a way that's believable for a boy his age. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Xi3 Teams with Intel to Sell Line of Micro-Mini PCs and NUC Systems Posted: 09 Jun 2014 08:34 AM PDT Xi3 may have found a willing partner in the SFF space There was quite a bit of mystery and intrigue surrounding Xi3 Corporation's Piston PC at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) two years ago, not to mention confusion over whether or not it would become Valve's rumored (at the time) Steam Box. It wasn't mean to be -- Valve has since launched a Steam Machine initiative, but Xi3 hasn't given up on SFF systems. Instead, Xi3 has partnered with Intel to build and sell next-generation "Micro-Mini PCs," which will include Intel's NUC line, the company announced today. As Xi3 explains the game plan, it will initially work with Intel to further commercialize its NUC line to global enterprise and government customers. The two will also collaborate on ultra SFF products using Xi3's IP and Intel's low power processor technology. "We are pleased to be working with a worldwide leader in low power x86 microprocessors," said Jason A. Sullivan, Founder, President and CEO of Xi3 Corporation. "This agreement will result in Xi3's first commercially available Micro-Mini computers powered by Intel processors. We see this relationship as the perfect marriage between processor and platform technologies. We are very excited about what the future may hold!" Xi3 specializes in softball-sized systems that are modular, powerful, and energy efficient. The Xi3 NUC will deviate from the square look of the Piston and take on Intel's flattened NUC design. There are three systems being advertised at present -- NUC Leon ($539), NUC Lear ($679), and NUC Elli ($649). All three are available to customize and order now. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

CyberPowerPC's Fang Battlebox is Armed and Ready to Attack Your Next LAN Party Posted: 09 Jun 2014 07:49 AM PDT A suitcase-style system for LAN party goers We've seen our share of suitcases over the years, but they're usually packed full of clothes and other essentials for travel. What if your destination is a LAN party in the next town over? If that's where you're traveling, it's not a traditional suitcase you need, but perhaps one that's filled with gaming hardware. Such a thing exists -- CyberPowerPC's Fang Battlebox is now available in a variety of configuration options. CyberPowerPC gave us a glimpse of the Battlebox back at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) earlier this year, saying it hoped to have it ready to order in the first quarter. The boutique builder obviously missed its projected time frame, though not by much -- we're now at the tail end of the second quarter. Pricing starts at $619 for the Fang Battlebox I-100. For that you get an Intel Core i3 4150 processor, 8GB of DDR3-1600 RAM, Gigabyte Z97N-WiFi motherboard, integrated graphics, 1TB HDD, Office 365, and Windows 8.1. More powerful configurations are available, including the Fang Battlebox I-780 starting at $1,625. This model includes an Intel Core i7 4770K processor, 16GB of DDR3-1600 RAM, Nvidia GeForce GTX 780 graphics card, Gigabyte Z97N-Gaming 5 mITX motherboard, SanDisk 128GB SSD, 2TB hard drive, Office 365, and Windows 8.1. There are several other configurations in between, plus you customize each build to your specifications. You can check them out here. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

SteelSeries Splashes E3 with Sentry Eye Tracker, Stratus XL Controller, and Sims 4 Peripherals Posted: 09 Jun 2014 05:50 AM PDT Sentry Eye Tracker is supposed to analyze your eyeball movements to make you a better gamer The key to being a better gamer lies within the eyes, or so that's the basic premise behind a new eye tracking tool by SteelSeries. Developed with the help of Tobii Technology, a major player in eye tracking technology, SteelSeries introduced the Sentry Eye Tracker at E3, which the company describes as a virtual, visual coach that tracks and analyzes eye movement during game play. "When you think about the concept of eye tracking, you immediately think of innovation and next generation technology; apply that to gaming and you have something truly unique for gamers," said Tino Soelberg, SteelSeries CTO. "At its core, the Sentry employs eye-tracking functionality from our partner, Tobii, who has been a pioneer in eye tracking across many industries. When you take that core functionality and apply the deep gaming expertise of SteelSeries, we think we are able to offer a product that is innovative and incredibly beneficial to gamers." The Sentry Eye Tracker offers games a range of statistics (and new terms to learn) based on where and how longer he or she is focused or fixated on the screen, such as Fixations per Minute (FPM). In addition, the Sentry Eye Tracker can also be used to control in-game movements using eye movement. Look for the Sentry Eye Tracker to be available sometime "later this year." No word yet on price. In addition to eye tracking technology for PC gamers, SteelSeries used E3 as a springboard to launch a large format iOS controller and provide a glimpse of its Sims 4 peripherals. Starting with the former, the Stratus XL is a full-size console-style gaming controller that looks a lot like an Xbox 360 controller. It has a pressure-sensitive D-pad, four pressure-sensitive action buttons with a total of four shoulder buttons -- two pressure-sensitive top should and two analog trigger bottom shoulder buttons -- dual analog sticks, and a pairing button to connect with iOS devices. Like the Sentry Eye Tracker, the Stratus XL will ship sometime this year for an as-yet unannounced price. The Sims 4 peripherals consist of a gaming headset ($40 MSRP), and a gaming mouse and QCK mousepad combination ($30). These will be available at game launch this fall. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Newegg Daily Deals: Asus GeForce GTX 770 Graphics Card, WD Black Series 3TB HDD, and More! Posted: 09 Jun 2014 05:42 AM PDT Top Deal: Several generations from now, computer gamers will look back and giggle at how we once thought gaming on a graphics card with 1,536 CUDA cores and 2GB of GDDR5 memory a 256-bit bus was acceptable. While, snooty gamers from the future, we bite our thumbs at your general direction! Here in the present, those specs represent a capable card, one that's the topic of today's top deal -- an Asus GeForce GTX 770 for $310 with free shipping (normally $340 - use coupon code: [EMCPDPD27]; additional $10 mail-in-rebate). Making a great card even better, Asus swapped the reference cooler for its DireCU II cooling solution for 20 percent lower temps and 2X quieter operation. Snazzy! Other Deals: WD Black Series 3TB 7200 RPM 3.5-inch Internal Hard Drive for $175 with free shipping (normally $195 - use coupon code: [72HRCMP101]) Acer H6 H276HLbmid Black 27-inch 5ms HDMI IPS LED Backlight Monitor for $200 with free shipping (normally $210 - use coupon code: [EMCPDPD66]) NZXT Sentry-2 5.25-inch Touch Screen Fan Controller for $22 with $1 shipping (normally $28 - use coupon code: [EMCPDPD57]) Samsung 840 Pro Series 2.5-inch 512GB MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) for $370 with free shipping (normally $380 - use coupon code: [EMCPDPD28])

HP’s Leap Motion Keyboard to be Offered as Standalone Product Posted: 08 Jun 2014 11:56 PM PDT Coming Later This Month The Leap Motion Controller debuted to mixed reviews from the tech commentariat last year. In our own review, the small motion-sensing peripheral, despite all its promise, drew flak for its lack of precision and scored a middling 6/10. Nevertheless, that did not prevent the likes of Asus and HP from embedding the gesture control tech right into their PCs. The latter, in fact, is now said to be getting ready to sell a keyboard with Leap Motion's technology as a standalone product. Actually the said keyboard has been available as part of some of the PC maker's all-in-one PCs for some time, but the company now wants to spin it off as a separate product. According to our friends over at Engadget, Leap Motion has told them that an HP-branded Leap Motion keyboard will be available later this month for $99. Follow Pulkit on Google+

Gigabyte Unveils Aorus X3 and X3 Plus Gaming Laptops Posted: 08 Jun 2014 10:50 PM PDT X3 Plus sports a 3K display Taiwanese PC vendor Gigabyte recently unveiled a brace of sub-14-inch gaming laptops under its gamer-focused Aorus brand. What's the most noteworthy thing about them, you ask? Well, the 13.3-inch X3 and 13.9-inch X3 Plus are, according to the company, the "most powerful and lightest" in their category. Not only does the Gigabyte Aorus X3 Plus pack a bigger display, but it also offers a choice between a QHD 2560x1440 LCD and a QHD+ 3200x1800 LCD. However, there is no so choice when it comes to its smaller cousin, the Gigabyte Aorus X3, which is limited to a 13.3-inch panel with a 2560x1440 display resolution. Display size and resolution aside, both the X3 and X3 Plus are virtually identically. They both have an Intel Core i7-4710HQ processor (2.5GHz-3.5GHz), 8GB of DDR3L-1600 RAM (expandable up to 16GB), NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M GPU with 6GB GDDR5 VRAM and 256GB-1TB solid-state storage, HD Camera and 73.26Wh lithium-polymer battery. Other specs include 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.0, three USB 3.0 ports, two USB 2.0 ports, HDMI, mini Display port, RJ45, Mic-in, Earphone-out (SPDIF), SD Card Reader and DC-in Jack. Both the laptops, which weigh a shade over 4 pounds, are expected to make their retail debut sometime during the third quarter of 2014, with prices starting at $2,099. Follow Pulkit on Google+

Google Play Movies & TV App Now Supports Offline Playback on Chrome OS Posted: 08 Jun 2014 10:42 PM PDT Chromebooks continue to acquire new offline functionality Adding to the still small, albeit growing, list of things that can be done on a Chromebook while it's offline, Google earlier this week updated the Google Play Movies & TV Chrome app with support for offline media playback. "The new Google Play Movies & TV Chrome app makes your favorite movies and TV shows on your Chromebook available any time, anywhere - even without a WiFi connection," the company said in a Google Plus post announcing the new feature. Coming at a time when Chromebook availability is being expanded to nine new countries, the ability to watch your favorite movies and TV shows when stuck with a Chromebook without internet access is definitely a positive development from both the standpoint of usability and marketability. But don't expect to store an awful lot of content locally, for Chromebooks generally tend to ship with fairly limited built-in storage. Anyway, offline playback isn't the only new feature introduced as part of this app update: "In addition to offline mode on Chrome OS, it also brings Info Cards and an improved Chromecast and local playback experience to anyone watching movies through the Chrome browser." Follow Pulkit on Google+

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