General Gaming Article

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• Newegg Daily Deals: Western Digital Green 1TB HDD, Zalman 2 Ball CPU Cooler, and More!
• Unique Phantom One Desktop on Kickstarter Gets an Intriguing Price Cut
• Dell Chromebook 11 Boasts Schoolyard Durability
• Box EKM Gives Customers Their Own Set of Encryption Keys

Newegg Daily Deals: Western Digital Green 1TB HDD, Zalman 2 Ball CPU Cooler, and More! Posted: 12 Feb 2015 02:21 PM PST Top Deal: Some of our favorite things are green, like the Incredible Hulk, green tea, and money. And some others, not so much, like snot, vomit, and envy. Today's top deal falls into the former category -- it's for a Western Digital Green 1TB IntelliPower HDD for $50 with free shipping (normally $55 - use coupon code: [ESCANKN42]). This 3.5-inch drive has a SATA 6Gbps interface, power saving features (you know, in case you decide to build your data center), and runs cool and quiet. Other Deals: Zalman 2 Ball CPU Cooler for $20 with $5  shipping (normally $30 - use coupon code: [EMCANKN66]; additional $20 Mail-in rebate) Samsung 500GB USB 3.0 Portable SSD for $280 with $2 shipping (normally $300 - use coupon code: [EMCANKN28]) Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5-inch Internal Hard Drive for $70 with free shipping (normally $80 - use coupon code: [ESCANKN29]) Seagate NAS 3TB SATA 6.0Gb/s Internal Hard Drive for $109 with free shipping (normally $120 - use coupon code: [ESCANKN32])

Unique Phantom One Desktop on Kickstarter Gets an Intriguing Price Cut Posted: 12 Feb 2015 11:06 AM PST How do you like me now? Earlier this week we wrote about the Phantom One, a small form factor PC on Kickstarter that's comparable in size to a six pack of Corona beer (or pretty much any brand of suds using 12-ounce bottles). There's also a bamboo option, which adds another unique selling point -- to our knowledge, there isn't another desktop made of bamboo. There hasn't been much action on the Kickstarter page, presumably because the systems are cost prohibitive, so One Technology has gone and dropped the price. Originally the asking price was $1,900 for the black acrylic and $1,950 for the bamboo model. As we noted, those prices seemed a bit stiff. After receiving similar feedback from others, One Technology has lowered the prices to $1,650 for the black acrylic and $1,700 for the bamboo version, chopping $250 off each model. My colleagues are in the process of obtaining one of these machines for review and so we'll collectively reserve judgement until then, but in the meantime, I have to admit that these little desktops are suddenly compelling. The price is for the entire system, not just the desktop, and as a refresher, they come configured with an Intel Core i7 4790K CPU, Asus Z97i-Plus mini ITX motherboard with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, 16GB of RAM, 128GB SSD, 1TB HDD, GeForce GTX 970 graphics card, 450W PSU, and Windows 7 64-bit. I went back to Newegg and priced the components a second time and noticed that I forgot to include a power supply last time around. Leaving off both the PSU and case, I again came to about $1,200 worth of hardware -- slightly north or south depending on specific component selection. Taking that into consideration, the price disparity before factoring in a case and PSU is $450 to $500. To keep the math neat, let's subtract $50 for the PSU, leaving a price difference of $400 (black acrylic) or $450 (bamboo). So yes, you can build a comparable system cheaper, but considering you get what's supposed to be a high end case (especially the bamboo option) and labor, what was once cost prohibitive is suddenly a lot more compelling. Also, keep in mind these are discounted Kickstarter prices -- retail pricing will be higher. If that changes things, you can find the Phantom One's Kickstarter page here. Update Some of you have been wondering if One Technology would considering selling their unique cases by themselves, so I brought the question to them. Here's what one of the team members told me: "Depending on the outcome we may be able to just sell the case itself. But we believe it will not be successful as a case due it's design and limitations placed on builders. Each case takes over 3 hours on a precision laser cutter and CNC mill to make and this limits us to a very low number we can produce per month. There is a unique $100 PCI-E riser ribbon that greatly inflates the cost. Our case doesn't offer the flexibility and user friendly design that we would like to offer as just a case. However, since we only use standard off the shelf components (minus pci-e riser), the possibility is there although it would be very difficult for the user. We accepted this as a sacrifice in order make our case twice as small as competitors (comparison chart below) and give it a unique footprint. We do have a design for possible mass production for the case only, but it would still need a large overhaul and a lot more funding and manufacturer partnerships (ie. NCase M1 $150k fd + manufacturing partnership with Lian-Li prior to launch). Upgrading individual components are possible though, since the cables are already there and fitted, it is a little more accessible." Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Dell Chromebook 11 Boasts Schoolyard Durability Posted: 12 Feb 2015 10:17 AM PST Can withstand the rigors of school life Where Chromebooks currently thrive is in the education field, so it makes sense to focus on durability when designing new models. That's what Dell did with its Chromebook 11, the company's second generation Chromebook that will be available to order later this week. According to Dell, the Chromebook 11 is "schoolyard tough" and can handle bumps, drops, spills, and other hazards that students encounter on a daily basis. Dell subjected the Chromebook 11 to MIL-STD 810G testing for pressure, temperature, shock, and vibration. The OEM isn't billing it as a rugged laptop, though there are a few characteristics that sway in that direction, such as a rubberized trim to absorb shock when accidentally dropped, the company said. It also has a liquid-resistant keyboard and Corning Gorilla Glass to protect to the 11.6-inch TN display. With the latter, Dell wasn't necessarily thinking about scratches -- instead, the OEM told PCWorld that one of the ways students end up breaking Chromebooks is by closing the lid without clearing the keyboard of pencils and other objects. The Chromebook 11 features an Intel Celeron N2840 CPU based on Bay Trail M, 2GB or 4GB of DDR3L RAM, 16GB of internal storage, 2x2 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, front-facing HD webcam, and up to 10 hours of battery life. In related news, Dell also announced the Venue 10 and Venue 10 Pro, a pair of new tablets also aimed at education customers. The former runs Android 5.0 Lollipop and the latter is a Windows 8.1 slate, both with a 10.1-inch HD or Full HD display. Dell's Chromebook 11 will be available on February 12 starting at $250. The Venue 10 Pro will make a debut on March 3 starting at $330 for the tablet or $380 with a keyboard option, while the Venue 10 will launch sometime this spring. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Box EKM Gives Customers Their Own Set of Encryption Keys Posted: 12 Feb 2015 06:15 AM PST Chasing bigger customers and thwarting government requests for data Cloud storage provider Box is experimenting with a new security solution called Enterprise Key Management (EKM). Currently available in beta, EKM adds another layer of security that it hopes will attract big businesses in regulated industries like banking and finance, healthcare, and so forth. There's also a benefit for customers who to make it more difficult for the government to get their hands on data. "Industries like finance, government, legal and healthcare are facing a new set of challenges when it comes to establishing control over their content – and who can access it – without hindering collaboration and productivity," said Aaron Levie, co-founder and CEO, Box. "With Box EKM, we've removed the final barrier to cloud adoption for industries that require the highest levels of protection over their information." The effort is a joint collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Germalto. For customers who sign up for the service, Box will work with them to provision hardware security modules (HSMs) made by SafeNet and provided by Germalto in both AWS and their own data center. The customers manage these HSMs, while Box is connected to them via a secure and dedicated connection. From there, files that are uploaded get encrypted with a unique encryption key for each version of the file, just as Box currently does for all customers. What's different for EKM customers is that Box sends the key to their HSM, which is then encrypted with the customer's own key. EKM customers effectively gain complete control over who can and can't access their data. Even Box can't get to it, so if the government comes knocking with a data request, Box's hands are tied. To be clear, this is a play for big business, not home consumers. But if it works as advertised, this could eventually trickle into the consumer space. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

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MMORPG News

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• General: Affected Daybreak Employees & A Call to End Hate
• World of Warcraft: $1.9M Headed to Africa to Assist the Red Cross
• EverQuest Next: On Removing Pillars of the Everquest Community
• Dying Light: Hard Mode Incoming
• Shadow Realms: The Bizarre Life and Death of Shadow Realms
• EverQuest Next: Dave Georgeson and Linda Carlson Let Go from Daybreak
• Skyforge: Using Stats to Create the Character You Wish
• General: Blast from the Past (Kinda) - Atari's Asteroids: Outpost
• Star Trek Online: Tier 6 Command Battlecruisers Introduced
• ArcheAge: Diamond Shores - Additional Content Coming Soon
• General: Everything is Not Alright

General: Affected Daybreak Employees & A Call to End Hate Posted: 12 Feb 2015 02:04 AM PST Two interesting pieces of news have arrived over night. In the first, the EverQuest Next Reddit has been updated with a full list of SOE/Daybreak employees affected by yesterday's firings. Eric Smith, Jeff Butler and Steve Danuser join Dave Georgeson from the EQN team as those now seeking employment. The list goes on to show other employees from other IPs as well.

World of Warcraft: $1.9M Headed to Africa to Assist the Red Cross Posted: 11 Feb 2015 03:50 PM PST Blizzard announced today that the sale of its charity pet, "Argi" the Space Goat, has earned $1.9M for ebola relief in Africa through the Red Cross. The charity pets were sold in the World of Warcraft item shop, with 100% of the price going to support the Red Cross efforts in Africa.

EverQuest Next: On Removing Pillars of the Everquest Community Posted: 11 Feb 2015 01:45 PM PST I'm trying my best right now to be eloquent about the recent news of layoffs in Daybreak Game Company. Sadly, it's 4:00 am as I write this, a reactionary submission to MMORPG.com in light of my tenure as the Everquest Next and Landmark columnist.

Dying Light: Hard Mode Incoming Posted: 11 Feb 2015 01:42 PM PST The Dying Light team has some big plans for the coming months, not the least of which is the announcement that hard mode is incoming as a direct result of player feedback. Hard mode will be implemented in the first update and will feature night time play, bigger, harder, stronger monsters, an increased need for silence and stealth, and more that the team is keeping up their sleeve for the time being.

Shadow Realms: The Bizarre Life and Death of Shadow Realms Posted: 09 Feb 2015 06:42 PM PST The short period of time between Shadow Realms' announcement and its subsequent cancelation has left me back where I started: scratching my head. I can't help but wonder what went on internally to make for such a sudden shift within a couple of months.

EverQuest Next: Dave Georgeson and Linda Carlson Let Go from Daybreak Posted: 11 Feb 2015 10:51 AM PST When SOE turned into Daybreak Game Studio after being acquired by investment company Columbus Nova, readers began to speculate when staff shake ups would begin. A week later and rumors are beginning to float our way that at least two major players at Daybreak have received pink slips.

Skyforge: Using Stats to Create the Character You Wish Posted: 11 Feb 2015 10:37 AM PST The latest Obsidian Entertainment and the Allods Team have posted lengthy and comprehensive look at how Skyforge players will be able to create the precise characters they wish to play by utilizing stats and abilities. According to the article, players are able to experiment with different synergies of abilities and stats on items to gain specific advantages for their chosen character class and play style.

General: Blast from the Past (Kinda) - Atari's Asteroids: Outpost Posted: 11 Feb 2015 10:13 AM PST Fans of the old arcade classic "Asteroids" will be happy to hear that Atari is resurrecting the IP in a sense with the newly announced Asteroids: Outpost, an open world sandbox survival MMO. The game will feature players gathering resources, staking claims, crafting equipment and protecting all their worldly (or otherworldly) goods.

Star Trek Online: Tier 6 Command Battlecruisers Introduced Posted: 11 Feb 2015 09:45 AM PST The Star Trek Online site has been updated with a new post that introduces the forthcoming Tier 6 Command Battlecruisers. The Command Captain Specialization tree and Command Bridge Officers were recently introduced into STO during its anniversary update and, according to the blog post, players will be able to take full advantage of these new features with a Command Battlecruiser.

ArcheAge: Diamond Shores - Additional Content Coming Soon Posted: 11 Feb 2015 09:30 AM PST In an effort to give high-level players more areas in which to level, Trion Worlds will be introducing the Diamond Shores to ArcheAge as well as altering the level of monsters in other areas. The site has been updated with a preview of the Diamond Shores with a small bit of background and a fairly precise location with instructions how to get there.

General: Everything is Not Alright Posted: 10 Feb 2015 11:57 AM PST We're at a turning point, people. Or rather, we have been. The MMORPG boom is over, and we're settling into a new era for these games. For many of you, that's scary. Some even seem ready to state that the MMO is "dead". I'm biased, but I'm not so bleak. In my eyes, everything that's gone wrong in the industry for the past 5 years or more has done nothing but make us free to explore the potential of what I consider the greatest genre there has ever been or will be.

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