General Gaming Article

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• Best AC Router
• Is a Motherboard Price War Beginning to Break Out?
• Graphics Guru Richard Huddy Leaves Intel to Rejoin AMD
• Got Power? EVGA's SuperNOVA 1600 G2 PSU Delivers 133.3A Over +12V Rail
• Intel Senior Exec Predicts 4K Monitors Will Drop Below $400 Before 2015
• Newegg Daily Deals: Cooler Master HAF 912 Case, EVGA GeForce GTX 780 Ti Superclocked, and More!
• AMD Launches High Performance Kaveri APUs for Mobile
• Rosewill Reveals Product Lineup for Computex 2014

Best AC Router Posted: 04 Jun 2014 04:12 PM PDT Best AC router: everything you need to know about the 802.11ac standard Even though you might just now be getting around to upgrading your home network to take advantage of the 802.11n spec, there's a new standard on the horizon that promises even faster speeds. How fast? Well, if 802.11n is a pitcher's fastball, the draft 802.11ac spec is a bullet fired from a gun, at least in theoretical terms. Unless you live in an underground bunker completely isolated from interfering signals and find yourself favored by the gods of Wi-Fi, you'll never come close to 802.11ac's theoretical maximum of 1.3 gigabits per second (assuming a three-antenna design). Overhead, interference, and a number of other factors poop on the Wi-Fi party, but the same is true of earlier standards, so you'll still see a net gain in performance. How much depends on your setup, but in general, real-world 802.11ac performance ends up being around twice as fast as 802.11n, which bodes well for streaming HD videos, gaming, and file transfers. One of the reasons why 802.11ac is so much faster is because it taps into wider channels. As part of the spec, 802.11ac must support 80MHz channel bonding (160MHz is optional), up from the maximum of 40MHz in 802.11n. It also boasts twice as many multiple input, multiple output (MIMO) streams at eight. Before you rip out your router and replace it with an AC model, there are some things you should know. We'll tell you what they are, and then dive into a roundup of seven 802.11ac routers available now in search of the best AC router. AC Buyer's Guide What to look for when upgrading your home network Don't Forget the Adapter The 802.11ac spec should be finalized in early 2014, perhaps even by the time you're reading this. Until then, don't expect to see a lot of systems natively support the new standard. So, you'll need an 802.11ac adapter, of which there are a growing number to choose from. Built-in USB Ports A router with at least one USB port should allow you to plug in an external storage device and share files across your network. For this, a USB 3.0 port works best. You can also share a printer over your network through your router's USB port, though only if the router supports this feature. Not all do, so you'll want to verify that the model you're considering does if this is a must-have feature. Decoding AC1300, AC1750, and AC1900 Router makers use clever marketing tactics to help their products stand out from the crowd. One of the most common tricks is to add the 2.4GHz (up to 450Mb/s) and 5GHz (up to 1,300Mb/s) channels together to arrive at a higher, more attractive number. AC1750 looks and sounds faster than AC1300, so why not use the bigger number? It's a bit deceptive because you can't actually combine the two channels for a faster connection. Some, like Linksys and Netgear, advertise AC1900 for their highest-end routers, and that's because the 2.4GHz channel supports a 600Mb/s data rate due to the use of 256-QAM (quadrature amplitude modulation) instead of the more common 64-QAM. This provides a real-world benefit, but only if your Wi-Fi adapter also supports 256-QAM. Beamforming Instead of sending a signal out in all directions, routers that support beamforming are able to focus the signal toward a client for better performance, reliability, and range. A good analogy is to think of a how a light bulb (traditional router) casts its light in every direction, whereas a flashlight (router with beamforming) focuses its energy on a specific target. Even better, beamforming can focus on multiple targets, not just one. How We Test Maximum PC Lab Midwest For the past several years, we've been testing routers at Maximum PC Lab North, a 2,800-square-foot home located on 10 acres of what was once a dairy farm. The new location is Maximum PC Lab Midwest, a 1,400-square-foot home flanked by houses on either side, a yard extending into a wooded area out back, and a semi-busy road in front. The new location offers a harsher, more real-world testing environment. We measure the performance of each router in five separate locations starting with the Bedroom in a spot 10 feet away from the router with no obstructions. The next test takes place in the Dining Room 15 feet from the router and separated by two walls, followed by the Entryway with 20 feet and three walls of separation. The final two tests take place outside in the Driveway (35 feet) and Backyard (90 feet) toward the edge of a wooded area. When possible, each dual-band router is configured to run in 802.11n-only mode on the 2.4GHz channel and 802.11ac-only mode on the 5GHz channel, both with WPA2 encryption and channel bonding. We use the open-source Jperf utility, a GUI front end for Iperf, to measure throughput in each of the five locations. Our Jperf server is an HP Envy Ultrabook with a Core i5 processor wired directly to the router being tested, and the client PC is a Dell Inspiron laptop with a Core i3 processor. Since the client PC doesn't support 802.11ac natively, we run the tests with a Linksys USB6300 dual-band USB adapter. We compare the 802.11n scores to our zero-point router, an Asus RT-N66U. Finally, we also test each router's attached storage performance by plugging in a 32GB Lexar JumpDrive P10 USB 3.0 flash drive. We chose this drive because it's one of the fastest on the market with up to 265MB/s read and 245MB/s write performance. Once configured, we use a stopwatch to time how long it takes to write a single 3GB file to the flash drive and then again with a 1GB folder containing several smaller files. We repeat both tests to read the large and small files to the hardwired server PC. All the benchmark results can be seen on page 43. Jperf's wealth of settings aren't just good for benchmarking; you can use the open-source app to troubleshoot your network, too. D-Link DIR-868 Simple design with a confusing interface Routers come in all shapes and sizes, and after spending time with an assortment of boxy models with antennas extending every which way, D-Link's cylindrical DIR-868 is a welcome change. It's not overly big and looks rather neatly groomed compared to the other routers in this roundup, but looks will only get you so far. With regard to brawn, the DIR-868 offers exceptional range on the 5GHz channel in 802.11ac mode, delivering 15.1Mb/s in the Backyard test at a distance of 90 feet. Technically, that makes the DIR-868 the second-fastest at that range, though it virtually tied Netgear's model at 15.3Mb/s for pole position. Since this test is outside, a fly belch could explain the tiny difference. The DIR-868 didn't fare as well on the 2.4GHz channel in 802.11n mode. Its performance wasn't bad, just merely average, and it certainly never threatened our zero-point router. However, its file-transfer performance using the built-in USB 3.0 port was among the fastest. Initial setup of the DIR-868 was pretty painless, though the fugly web-based interface could use a major overhaul. It's way too wordy and not very intuitive to navigate, especially for less savvy users and/or anyone who's unfamiliar with networking nomenclature. Nestled inside the cylindrical DIR-868L are half a dozen antennas with beamforming support. D-Link DIR-868 $155 (Street), www.dlink.com     Trendnet TEW-812DRU Plain looks meet plain performance Despite this router's high MSRP, we've seen this model retail for a Benjamin online, giving users a comparatively inexpensive upgrade path to 802.11ac territory. The old adage "You get what you pay for" applies here because even though the TEW-812DRU supports the AC spec, its performance on the 5GHz channel in 802.11ac mode consistently trailed the competition. In our two outside tests—Driveway and Backyard—the performance gap was especially noticeable. Throughput on the 2.4GHz in 802.11n mode fared better at close distances, but again became strained as we moved farther away from the router. Low street pricing is this router's saving grace. Trendnet deserves major props for a well-designed web interface that's straightforward and easy to navigate. The main screen provides you with an uncluttered glimpse of your network situation, and Trendnet even figured out a way to include a bit of fine-grain control in the Basic view. Naturally, there are a lot more levers to pull in the Advanced tab, but you'll still never feel lost or overwhelmed. You can share files by connecting a drive to the router's single USB 2.0 port, though transfer speeds are hindered by Trendnet's decision to forego USB 3.0. And while it offers FTP and Samba support, no DLNA is a buzzkill. Trendnet TEW-812DRU $140 (Street), www.trendnet.com Linksys EA6900 Belkin's first product under the Linksys name The Linksys brand has managed to survive two acquisitions in the past 10 years, first by Cisco in 2003, and more recently by Belkin in 2013. Apparently, the Linksys name isn't enough because Belkin also calls the EA6900 the Linksys Smart Wi-Fi AC1900. The "Smart" portion of that title denotes the availability of Smart apps you can install on the router, and the AC1900 is a sum of the 2.4GHz (up to 600Mb/s) and 5GHz (up to 1,300Mb/s) bands added together. Give the marketing team a cookie. Belkin proves with the EA6900 that Linksys is in good hands going forward. Beyond the talk, the EA6900 walks the walk with acceptable 802.11ac performance on the 5GHz band and blazing-fast 802.11n throughput on the 2.4GHz band. It obliterated the zero-point router in the three indoor tests, and split the two outdoor tests, losing by less than 3Mb/s in the Backyard—impressive. There are two USB ports on the back, one Hi-Speed (2.0) and one SuperSpeed (3.0), though the latter acted like the former by registering a pokey 6:09 (min:sec) to write a 3GB file to the attached storage device. However, both ports support DLNA and allow you to share a printer across your network. Overall, a solid first effort by Belkin. Linksys EA6900 $195 (Street), www.linksys.com Netgear R7000 So fast it should be illegal If you have the space to park Netgear's mammoth R7000, otherwise known as the Nighthawk, the router will pay its rent by serving up blistering-fast throughput on both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands in 802.11n and 802.11ac modes, respectively. It posted the fastest AC performance by far in the Entryway (336Mb/s), which is 20 feet away from the router and separated by three walls, and had the best range of the bunch. Overall, it was one of the more consistent-performing routers, and also demonstrated an intelligent ability to pick out less-crowded channels on its own—that's a great commodity for novice users. The aggressive design and "Nighthawk" name are both inspired by the Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk stealth attack aircraft. Netgear has put in a lot of work over the past few years making its web interface more user friendly, but that hasn't come at the expense of advanced knobs and dials. If you like to tinker with your network settings, you'll find a host of options to play with, including robust QoS controls, which look at both upstream and downstream traffic. There are two USB ports on the Nighthawk, including a USB 3.0 port conveniently located on the front. In our file-transfer tests, the Nighthawk ran the table, leaving the other routers in the dust. Netgear R7000 $200 (Street), www.netgear.com Asus RT-AC66U This router rises about its predecessor, the Dark Knight (RT-N66U) Asus nicknamed its last-generation router—and our zero-point in this roundup—Dark Knight, and if it's looking for another DC Comics hero to represent the RT-AC66U, we recommend going with The Flash. Point blank, this is the all-around fastest router we've ever tested. It came out on top in five of our 10 throughput tests and nipped at the heels of the leader in three others. A pair of slower USB 2.0 (compared to USB 3.0) ports on the back temper our enthusiasm over performance, though at least Asus offers a host of ways to share and stream files—DLNA, iTunes, FTP, and Samba server support all showed up to the party. You can also use Asus's AiCloud app available on Android and iOS to tap into your files from a mobile device. If speed kills, this router would be a serial killer. The user interface is brilliantly mapped out and chock-full of settings. All the main functions are categorized on the left-hand side, while tabs on the main window allow you to dig several layers deep. Power users and novices alike will feel right at home jumping around the menu. It's also nice that Asus gives you the ability to tweak the signal strength and external antennas. Asus RT-AC66U $180 (Street), www.asus.com Amped Wireless RTA15 High maintenance, low reward We're not sure if the RTA15 is so potentially fast that it keeps tripping over its own two feet, or if this is a case of being seduced by promises of a wild ride by a hot number that has no intentions of following through. Either way, we were left frustrated and unsatisfied. Amped Wireless advertises the RTA15 as a "High Power 700mW" router, yielding expectations of both speed and distance. During our tests, we saw glimpses of the former—the RTA15 would spike on the 5GHz band before taking a dip in performance. Averaged out over time, the best we could muster was just shy of 300Mb/s, and even that took a lot of tinkering. We spent way more time experimenting with settings on the RTA15 than any other router. One thing we discovered is that dialing back the signal strength helps in close quarters, but we never did uncover the magic formula that would make this router scream. Move along. This is not the AC router you're looking for. File transfer speeds over the single USB 2.0 port failed to impress, as well. It was among the slowest of the bunch, taking a minute and a half longer than any other router to write a single 3GB file. Amped Wireless RTA15 $185 (Street), www.ampedwireless.com Buffalo WZR-1750DHP Don't judge a router by its cover Whereas high-performance routers are adopting sleek designs with aggressive angles and external antennas, Buffalo's WZR-1750DHP stands up like a hardcover book with subdued LEDs and a rubberized coating. This isn't a fashion contest, however, and Buffalo's model quickly demonstrated why looks mean nothing. Throughput on the 5GHz band in 802.11ac mode consistently bumped elbows with Asus and Netgear, with Buffalo edging out both in the Entryway. 802.11n and file-transfer performance via USB 3.0 were both solid, too. A wealth of advanced features can be found in the back end, including some not-so-common tweaks like an eco mode and an optional time limit for guest access. Buffalo earns bonus points for a persistent Help button in the upper-right corner. Clicking it brings up an explanation of whichever settings are on the page—we wish more router makers would follow in Buffalo's footsteps here. Exceptional speed and features belie this router's unassuming looks. Zooming through the menu system is a little quirky. The main menu is the most touch-friendly of the bunch with four large, tiled menus, but the deeper you go, the more traditional (and a little confusing) the menus get. Given the focus on touch computing lately, we hope Buffalo eventually extends the main menu look throughout the UI. Buffalo WZR-1750DHP $140 (Street), www.buffalotech.com AC Routers Compared   D-Link Trendnet Linksys Netgear Asus Asus Buffalo Asus Zero-Point 5GHz 802.11ac                 Bedroom – 10ft (Mb/s) 416 324 361 400 419 298 398 N/A Dining Room – 15ft, 2 walls (Mb/s) 243 221 239 291 335 138 309 N/A Entryway – 20ft, 3 walls (Mb/s) 257 178 241 336 284 112 268 N/A Driveway – 35ft (Mb/s) 67.8 20.2 63.7 136 132 42.4 138 N/A Backyard – 90ft (Mb/s) 15.1 2.76 11.1 15.3 9.54 2.81 14.3 N/A 2.4GHz 802.11n         Bedroom – 10ft (Mb/s) 79.5 97.1 170 96.4 180 159 180 111 Dining Room – 15ft, 2 walls (Mb/s) 65.6 95.2 140 93.4 163 66 141 99.3 Entryway – 20ft, 3 walls (Mb/s) 62.3 42.2 149 88.3 145 50.4 91.7 122 Driveway – 35ft (Mb/s) 42.8 31.4 80 78.7 95.5 4.13 64.4 73.4 Backyard – 90ft (Mb/s) 4.31 23.8 56.4 54.4 58.4 2.35 51.4 59.1 File Transfers                 3GB Router to PC (min:sec) 1:38 2:16 1:41 0:50 4:29 6:20 1:12 4:28 1GB Router to PC (min:sec) 0:39 2:16 0:40 0:22 1:35 2:14 0:29 1:52 3GB PC to Router (min:sec) 2:51 4:33 6:09 1:31 6:00 7:45 2:15 6:15 1GB PC to Router (min:sec) 1:10 2:58 2:58 0:40 2:25 2:35 0:59 2:34 Best scores are bolded.

Is a Motherboard Price War Beginning to Break Out? Posted: 04 Jun 2014 10:36 AM PDT Your next motherboard purchase may be cheaper than you anticipated The motherboard market has already whittled itself down to just a handful of key players (remember when DFI was an enthusaist brand?). That's made the landscape hyper-competitive, and with new chipsets and processors prompting upgrades and new builds, motheboard makers are reportedly reducing prices. There's speculation that this might be just the beginning of what ends up being a price war. Citing "sources from the motherboard industry," news and rumor site Digitimes says players such as Asus, Gigabyte, ASRock, and MSI have all started reducing prices of their 9 Series motherboards and even their 8 Series mobos as each one looks to retain or gain an competitive advantage over the others. This is in contrast to what motherboard makers had hoped and expected with the 9 Series release, which is that it would bump up the average selling price of their product lineup. However, "aggressive price cutting," especially in China, has thrown a wrench into those plans. As it stands, Digitimes says Asus is on top of the pricing ladder with prices that are about 3-10 percent higher than Gigabyte's boards for the same specifications. ASRock and MSI are both about 10-15 percent lower than Asus, and the gap gets wider as you move down to ECS and Biostar. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Graphics Guru Richard Huddy Leaves Intel to Rejoin AMD Posted: 04 Jun 2014 10:14 AM PDT AMD regains a graphics guru that it once lost to Intel Technology is a sometimes fickle industry, especially when you're dealing with top level talent, of which there's a limited number to go around. One of those talents is Richard Huddy, a graphics expert who's been in and around the block a time or a dozen. Having left AMD in 2011 to work for Intel, AMD is putting the word out that Richard Huddy is returning, this time as a senior adviser to key technology executives. Huddy is plenty experienced in the graphics industry. By AMD's own admission, Huddy had a "major impact" on Intel's graphics roadmap. He also helped develop DirectX and an assortment of visual effects during his professional career, which has seen him work at places like Nvidia, ATI, and 3DLabs. During his more than six years with AMD previously, he led the worldwide ISV engineering team. AMD didn't say what specific projects Huddy will be working or advising on. Regardless, this is a major hire for AMD, especially with the company's focus on graphics across several divisions, including its APUs, dedicated graphics cards for PC gaming, console graphics, and mobile. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Got Power? EVGA's SuperNOVA 1600 G2 PSU Delivers 133.3A Over +12V Rail Posted: 04 Jun 2014 09:52 AM PDT A power supply for juice hungry builds If only hitman Chev Chelios had access to EVGA's latest power supply in the Crank: High Voltage series, he wouldn't need to go looking for sources of electricity to keep himself ticking. EVGA today announced its SuperNOVA 1600 G2 PSU, a monster 1600W unit with a mind boggling 133.3A available over a single all-important +12V rail. If you're looking for a beefy PSU to power a high-end rig with multiple graphics card, this looks like a candidate, at least based on the spec sheet (and EVGA's reputation). Not only does the SuperNOVA 1600 G2 deliver plenty of electricity to your components, but it's also 80 Plus Gold certified with up to 90 percent efficiency under typical loads. In other words, this thing isn't wasting power or being sloppy with what it's pulling from your wall. It's a fully modular PSU to help reduce clutter. Other features include 100 percent Japanese Nippon Chemi-Con solid state capacitors (no cheap knockoffs, is what this essentially means), a quiet and intelligent fan that EVGA claims offers near-silent operation, and support for 4th Generation Intel Core processors (C6/C7 Idle Mode). Would you belive all this comes in at under a C-note? Neither would we -- it's actually $350 MSRP, though it does come backed by a 10-year warranty. The EVGA SuperNOVA 1600 G2 will be available soon. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Intel Senior Exec Predicts 4K Monitors Will Drop Below $400 Before 2015 Posted: 04 Jun 2014 09:09 AM PDT Affordable 4K Ultra HD monitors might be around the corner We have to give credit to monitor, TV display, and panel makers for pushing out next-generation technology despite the relative lack of content compared to Full HD 1080p. In years past, hardware and software and/or content makers would sometime get caught in a standstill waiting for one side to justify the other. Not so with 4K displays, of which there are already several to choose from. And while we wait on more content to appear, an Intel executive is predicting that 4K monitors will drop below $400 by the end of the year. Kirk Skaugen, senior vice president and general manager of the PC Client Group at Intel, announced during a news conference in Computex that the Santa Clara chip maker is working with ViewSonic and TPV to bring budget 4K monitors to market later this year," ITWorld reports. You may not have heard of TPV, but might be familiar with AOC and Envision, two brands it sells monitors under. Skaugen also said that Intel is working with MSI to introduce a line of 4K Ultra HD all-in-one (AIO) systems that will cost less than a grand. These are also slated to release before the end of the year. At these price points, we're probably looking at TN panels, and there are still quirks to work out in order to run 4K displays at 60Hz, However, it's nice to see a company like Intel getting involved. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Newegg Daily Deals: Cooler Master HAF 912 Case, EVGA GeForce GTX 780 Ti Superclocked, and More! Posted: 04 Jun 2014 07:37 AM PDT Top Deal: There are so many wonderful things you can do with a collection of computer parts. You could make a tech-themed mosaic, practice your juggling act, or play fetch with your dog. All viable options, though certainly there are uses, like plopping them in a computer case and building a brand new system. To get started, check out today's top deal for a Cooler Master HAF 912 Mid Tower Case for $45 with free shipping (normally $60 - use coupon code: [EMCPDPG52]; additional $10 mail-in-rebate). It has an aggressive design, removable/rotatable HDD cage, and plenty of cooling potential. Other Deals: Asus VE247H Black 23.6-inch 2ms Full HD HDMI LED BackLight LCD Monitor for $120 with free shipping (normally $160 - use coupon code: [EMCPDPG22]; Additional $20 Mail-in rebate) Seagate NAS HDD 3TB 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s Internal Hard Drive for $115 with free shipping (normally $130 - use coupon code: [EMCPDPG97]) Intel Core i5-4430 Haswell 3.0GHz LGA 1150 84W Desktop Processor for $175 with free shipping (normally $190 - use coupon code: [EMCPDPG24]) EVGA 03G-P4-2883-KR GeForce GTX 780 Ti Superclocked 3GB 384-Bit Video Card for $650 with free shipping (Additional $20 Mail-in Rebate)

AMD Launches High Performance Kaveri APUs for Mobile Posted: 04 Jun 2014 07:17 AM PDT Bringing HSA and GCN to mobile Today's a big day for AMD, and perhaps the start of a new era. That's because AMD just introduced the world to its new 2014 lineup of performance mobile APUs, codenamed Kaveri, which will slip into power efficient laptops and high-end notebooks. The new mobile APUs also represent the debut of AMD's Heterogeneous System Architecture (HSA) features and Graphics Core Next (GCN) architecture for mobile devices. "AMD takes a major step forward today on our journey to transform and enhance the computing experience with the launch of the 2014 Performance Mobile APU family," said Bernd Lienhard, corporate vice president and general manager, Client Business Unit, AMD. "With a combination of superior total compute performance, stunning graphics and efficient power use alongside industry-first technologies, these new APUs set a new bar for cutting-edge consumer and commercial PCs." This launch follows the recent introduction of AMD's 2014 line of low power and mainstream APUs. AMD's Kaveri family will be the company's first FX-branded enthusiast-class APU for notebooks, which will range in type from personal and gaming systems to professional laptop models. Several OEMs are already on board to support Kaveri, including Acer, Asus, Dell, HP, Lenovo, Samsung, Toshiba, and others. Kaveri offers up to a dozen Compute Cores (4 CPU + 8 GPU). These chips boast up to AMD Radeon R7 series graphics and offer support to 4K Ultra HD. They also support several AMD technologies of note, such as the company's Mantle API, Quick Stream, Steady Video, and TrueAudio technologies. This is an interesting release, though it's not likely Intel is sweating bullets over Kaveri, especially with its refreshed Haswell release around the bend. If history is any indication, AMD's release will offer very good performance at attractive price points, but won't be the fastest on the block. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook

Rosewill Reveals Product Lineup for Computex 2014 Posted: 03 Jun 2014 09:57 PM PDT Manufacturer is showing a plethora of products Computer hardware and peripherals manufacturer Rosewill will be showcasing a number of products at Computex 2014. Computex is the largest computer expo in Asia and Rosewill will be showing off an assortment of cases, keyboards, and audio hardware among other products. The B-2 Spirit gaming case will be on display and can support multiple graphic cards up to 400mm in length and sports a sleek exterior design with an interior made for high potential cooling systems. Other gaming cases that will be debuted is the Star Predator, Wolf Stone, and Iridium. Rosewill will also introduce the new Quark series with 750W, 850W, and 1000W fully modular 80 plus platinum power supplies. The Aim and Photon series of PSUs will also be shown along with new additions to the Hive series. An upgraded version of the company's RK-9200 keyboard series will be there as well as the RK-8300, RK-8500, BK-500, and BK-700 keyboards. If that weren't enough, Rosewill will also show its fully programmable keyboard, the RGB80, which features a customizable RGB LED up to 16.8 million colors displayed.  Rosewill will also be introducing an assortment of wireless adapters, audio hardware, antennas, monitor mounts, and security cameras among other products.  Additional details, and photos, for Rosewill's latest products will be forthcoming during Computex 2014.

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MMO Updates

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• Issue 9 of The Secret World is live
• Firefall outlines progression on the path to launch
• Star Citizen's Arena Commander is live
• Defiance goes free-to-play
• The Daily Grind: What social tools do all MMOs need?
• Massively Speaking Episode 300: WildStar's launch with Jeremy Gaffney
• Argo Online slides into open beta
• Archlord 2 going into closed beta this month
• Chaos Theory: Touring Tokyo with TSW's Joel Bylos
• Take a tour of Star Wars: The Old Republic's Coruscant Skyrise
• EVE Online: Kronos goes live
• Massively's WildStar launch day roundup

Issue 9 of The Secret World is live Posted: 04 Jun 2014 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Horror, Real-Life, Sci-Fi, Lore, Patches, News Items, The Secret World, Buy-to-Play Tokyo has been squatting like a gargoyle on the horizon of The Secret World since its launch nearly two years ago. Now, it's time for players to get into it. Issue 9 has just gone live, bringing with it the addition of the Tokyo playfield along with new missions, new monsters, and new revelations for the overarching story. But really, would you expect any less from the source of the Filth infestation? Players will explore Tokyo starting at the same subway junction that set off the game's story, moving from there into the city proper. Once in the city, they'll be dealing with Orochi, Filth zombies, an oni infestation, and plenty of ghosts clustering about. If you want to know a little more about the content before you jump in, you can check out our tour of Tokyo from yesterday. Issue 9 of The Secret World is live originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 04 Jun 2014 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Issue 9: The Black Signal is Live!

Firefall outlines progression on the path to launch Posted: 04 Jun 2014 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-Fi, Game Mechanics, Patches, News Items, Free-to-Play, MMOFPS, Firefall As Firefall approaches an official launch at long last, the game's design team is taking a look at the game as a whole and trimming up parts of the game that can be made better than they are. The newest development diary on the official site discusses doing just that with the game's progression system, a task accomplished by removing some systems, consolidating others, and generally making progress that much easier to understand all around. As players go out and fight things in a given battleframe, the frame will level up, with new abilities coming regularly as you level. Frames will visibly improve as you increase in level, unlocking perks as you level up that can be used across all frames, with new abilities and weapons containing module slots for customization purposes. The new frame core equipment replaces the more fiddly systems of before, making it easier to slot in effects for improved jump jets or the like. Check out the full diary for all the details on how progression will be more straightforward for launch. Firefall outlines progression on the path to launch originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 04 Jun 2014 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Path to Launch #1

Star Citizen's Arena Commander is live Posted: 04 Jun 2014 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-Fi, Game Mechanics, MMO Industry, New Titles, News Items, Sandbox, Crowdfunding, Star Citizen, Buy-to-Play Cloud Imperium has released Star Citizen's dogfighting module, more commonly known as Arena Commander. Qualified backers can now access the Vanduul Swarm and Freeflight modes using three different spacecraft: the Aurora, the 300i, and the Hornet. The current version includes limited multiplayer for a handful of backers in the form of the Battle Royale and Team modes. CIG says that these modes will open up to more players as it hunts down lag and synch issues. The announcement post also features a lengthy blurb from Chris Roberts on the future of open development as well as a poll to gauge interest in internal date targets. Finally, there's a launch trailer with gameplay footage after the cut! [Thanks everyone who tipped us!] Continue reading Star Citizen's Arena Commander is live Star Citizen's Arena Commander is live originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 04 Jun 2014 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Announcement

Defiance goes free-to-play Posted: 04 Jun 2014 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Business Models, Patches, News Items, Free-to-Play, MMOFPS, Post-Apocalyptic, Defiance We've known it was happening for a while, but now it's coming to fruition -- as of today's patch, Defiance is free-to-play. On the PC, anyhow. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of the game will be going free-to-play on July 15th, although they're still getting all of the updates associated with the free-to-play patch. And while the patch contains a lot of the requisite store upgrades and so forth, there's more stuff in there for everyone. For example, players will now receive special lockboxes for each DLC that they own as part of the game's daily and weekly login rewards. Score mechanics have also been trimmed up, allowing players to more easily get credit for participating in events. And there's the usual array of bugfixes and the like to produce a more polished game for everyone, whether you're a long-term veteran of the game or just want to hop in now that you can play for free. Defiance goes free-to-play originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 04 Jun 2014 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Patch 2.0 notes

The Daily Grind: What social tools do all MMOs need? Posted: 04 Jun 2014 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Culture, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Miscellaneous Heading into WildStar this past weekend, I was pleasantly surprised at how useful and easy the in-game social circles were. Instead of fretting about guild membership, I joined a few circles to talk with friends and made one up to keep in touch with a couple more. Somewhere Google+ is laughing haughtily, but I think that more MMOs should have a feature like this. So what social tools do you think MMOs need? I'd also nominate in-game guild finders, far more robust friends lists (that are per-account, not per-character), and handy emote buttons that eschew the need for memorizing a list of slash commands. What say 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: What social tools do all MMOs need? originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 04 Jun 2014 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Massively Speaking Episode 300: WildStar's launch with Jeremy Gaffney Posted: 03 Jun 2014 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Podcasts, Interviews, MMO Industry, News Items, Massively Meta, Massively Speaking, Miscellaneous WildStar's launch day is finally here, and we've got Executive Producer Jeremy Gaffney on the show to talk about the struggles and joys of getting a fledgling MMO off the ground. This is also our 300th episode, so we indulge in a bit of retrospection and celebration. Get all of our opinions and analysis on the most important stories of the past week right here on Massively Speaking, the industry's leading MMO podcast. And if you have a comment, question, or topic for the podcasters, send an email to podcast@massively.com. We may just read your email on the air! Get the podcast: [RSS] Add Massively Speaking to your RSS aggregator. [MP3] Download the MP3 directly. [iTunes] Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. [Stitcher] Follow the podcast on Stitcher Radio. Listen here on the page: Read below the cut for the full show notes. Continue reading Massively Speaking Episode 300: WildStar's launch with Jeremy Gaffney Massively Speaking Episode 300: WildStar's launch with Jeremy Gaffney originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 03 Jun 2014 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Argo Online slides into open beta Posted: 03 Jun 2014 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Sci-Fi, Free-to-Play, Post-Apocalyptic Bhagpuss over at Inventory Full pointed out that Argo Online has transitioned from closed to open beta in the past week or two. The steampunk post-apocalyptic MMO is now accepting any and all players who want to give this title a try. The open beta patch includes the opening of the in-game arena. Argo Online was formerly run by Alaplaya in 2011, killed, and then subsequently resurrected by the current operators, UserGames. Argo Online slides into open beta originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 03 Jun 2014 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Inventory Full

Archlord 2 going into closed beta this month Posted: 03 Jun 2014 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Trailers, Video, New Titles, Free-to-Play The sequel to Archlord will be revving up its beta test program this month. Webzen announced today that the PvP-centric Archlord 2 is planning on starting its closed beta in June for those who played the first game, have snagged a key, or who perhaps beg for one on the official Facebook page. There will not be an NDA for the beta program. Players have added incentive to get into the closed beta, as testers will get a "special gift" when the title transitions into open beta. If you're curious about Archlord 2, check out the intro video to the MMO after the break! [Source: Webzen press release] Continue reading Archlord 2 going into closed beta this month Archlord 2 going into closed beta this month originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 03 Jun 2014 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Chaos Theory: Touring Tokyo with TSW's Joel Bylos Posted: 03 Jun 2014 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Horror, Real-Life, Patches, Hands-On, The Secret World, First Impressions, Chaos Theory, Buy-to-Play It's Tokyo time! That's right, an end to the wait is finally upon us. Come Wednesday, everyone who buys Issue #9 The Black Signal for The Secret World and has acquired The Council's Seal will be able to cross the threshold into Tokyo. Like you, I've been dying to get in and check out this new zone, the first new area introduced to the horror game since launch. Thanks to a special tour with Game Director Joel Bylos and Communications Manager Tor Egil Andersen, I was able to preview the first of the three Tokyo zones so I could share that experience with you. We not only explored the city itself, but we completed one of the new -- and might I add, really spooky -- missions and utilized the new AEGIS system. So, how is it? Let me just say, it's worth the wait! And not just for the creepy homages to the Illuminati handler, Kirsten Geary. Continue reading Chaos Theory: Touring Tokyo with TSW's Joel Bylos Chaos Theory: Touring Tokyo with TSW's Joel Bylos originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 03 Jun 2014 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

Take a tour of Star Wars: The Old Republic's Coruscant Skyrise Posted: 03 Jun 2014 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Video, Expansions, Previews, Free-to-Play, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Housing Looking for a new apartment in a galaxy far, far away? Star Wars: The Old Republic: Galactic Strongholds: Return of the Colon wants to move you into a spacious Coruscant Skyrise this summer. In a new video released today, SWTOR shows off some of the looks and amenities of the Skyrise player apartment. As long as you don't have a strong fear of heights, it could be perfect for your character. Check out the trailer after the break and see if this is the pad for you! Continue reading Take a tour of Star Wars: The Old Republic's Coruscant Skyrise Take a tour of Star Wars: The Old Republic's Coruscant Skyrise originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 03 Jun 2014 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

EVE Online: Kronos goes live Posted: 03 Jun 2014 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, EVE Online, Expansions, Patches, Sandbox, Subscription EVE Online deployed the Kronos content update-slash-expansion today, and CCP is calling on all pilots to get out there and kick some major pirate booty. Er, butts. Heinies. Kronos includes new pirate ships, a mess of ship rebalancing, more exploration sites, and plenty of improved visuals. The hefty 1.2 GB patch comes with equally impressive notes to peruse while you update the game. Kronos represents the first update on CCP's accelerated six-week cycle. EVE Online: Kronos goes live originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 03 Jun 2014 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments Source: Kronos deployed

Massively's WildStar launch day roundup Posted: 03 Jun 2014 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Sci-Fi, Launches, MMO Industry, News Items, WildStar, Subscription, Buy-to-Play Well howdy there! Guess what, ladies and gentlemen, it finally happened after what seems like an eternity. WildStar has launched today, giving everyone a chance to explore the mysterious planet of Nexus, whether your interests lie in building homes and fortifications, learning about the local wildlife, or just laying waste to everything around you with practiced zeal. So it's only appropriate that the game has a new launch trailer just past the break to celebrate the fact. But that's not all, boys and girls -- we've compiled more than a few bits of news that you might want to feast your eyes upon before you jump in-game. Or, you know, if you're at work and can't jump in-game at the moment anyway, that is also a distinct possibility. So watch the trailer, do your reading, and get ready to explore Nexus from top to bottom. It's a big old world, you know. Continue reading Massively's WildStar launch day roundup Massively's WildStar launch day roundup originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 03 Jun 2014 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Email this | Comments

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