MMOGaming News

MMOGaming News

Hedone - new FPS free to play!

Posted:

Hedone - new FPS free to play!


Hedone,a persistent multiplayer FPS set in the near future that is developed using the Unreal Engine 3 and intended for release on the PC, PlayStation Network and Xbox Live. Hedone is presented as a free-to-play game with micro transactions with the option for a direct digital download offering.

Core Blaze Developer Talks how the Game is Different from others

Posted:

Core Blaze Developer Talks how the Game is Different from others


Jacky Chu from the developer team just talked about the differences between Core Blaze and other MMOs in an interview with pcgamer.

LoL Announces $5M Season Two Circuit, Spectator Mode Live Beta

Posted:

LoL Announces $5M Season Two Circuit, Spectator Mode Live Beta


Riot Games, developer and publisher of the acclaimed online game League of Legends, today announced the structure of the title's second competitive season, which – as previously revealed – features an unprecedented five million dollar prize pool. A video featuring Riot President Marc Merrill and eSports Manager Matt Marcou discussing the Season Two Circuit can be found below.

RIFT 1.5 Rogue Tanking Guide

Posted:

RIFT 1.5 Rogue Tanking Guide


There are currently two core tanking specs, one of which has a couple of variants which really come down to flavour. As a new rogue in less than full T3 gear I would recommend any of these specs except for the last one.

Digimon Masters and Silkroad Online Halloween Themed Events Announced

Posted:

Digimon Masters and Silkroad Online Halloween Themed Events Announced


Joymax announced today their sinister plot to scare the pants off their players now through November 8th! With a bevy of eerie events for both Digimon Masters and Silkroad Online, 2011 is shaping up to be the spookiest year yet. 

WoW Chinese Style Artworks: Mists of Pandaria

Posted:

WoW Chinese Style Artworks: Mists of Pandaria


Since the "Mists of Pandaria" unveiled by Blizzard a couple of days ago, many artworks about Pandaren jumps into our sight by degree. The difference is that they are in Chinese style, which means you're able to find out many mountains-and-waters paintings as well as pencil sketch(in the last page) among them, that's new for us.

Rappelz(EU) Announced a New Expansion - Epic VII Part 3: THE TRIAL

Posted:

Rappelz(EU) Announced a New Expansion - Epic VII Part 3: THE TRIAL


Gala Networks Europe announced the next expansion for its Fantasy MMORPG Rappelz. Epic VII Part 3: THE TRIAL will be launched on all European servers in November with new and long awaited content.

Dragon Nest - Changing Classes Follow Your Heart?

Posted:

Dragon Nest - Changing Classes Follow Your Heart?


It is said that in this new update of Dragon Nest CN, there is a new item are popular, it is Class Transformation Ticket. As long as using the ticket, players can change their class, but only can choose the class at the same classification.

C21 - Steel Battle Chronicles to Begin Closed Beta on Oct 27

Posted:

C21 - Steel Battle Chronicles to Begin Closed Beta on Oct 27


Online game developer CyberStep opens the website for its latest Robot MMORPG game, C21 –STEEL BATTLE CHRONICLES – for early beta registration from October 25th. The beta testing period will begin from 3:00 PM on Thursday, October 27th.

Gamersfirst's 4 Popular Titles to Celebrate Halloween

Posted:

Gamersfirst's 4 Popular Titles to Celebrate Halloween


All Hallows Eve brings new missions, items and in-game events to APB Reloaded, Fallen Earth, Sword 2 and War Rock

World Of Warcraft Mists Of Pandaria New Continent Full in Depth Analysis!

Posted:

World Of Warcraft Mists Of Pandaria New Continent Full in Depth Analysis!


Whats up MMOsite.com, Zach Sharpes here again from LUGOEntertainment and Fragged Nation here to bring you a full in depth analysis of the New Continent Pandaria in the new WoW expansion Mists Of Pandaria.

Bounty Hounds Online Presents Its First Major Update: Cambrian Exploration

Posted:

Bounty Hounds Online Presents Its First Major Update: Cambrian Exploration


InnoGames has released the first major Update for the Sci-Fi MMOG Bounty Hounds Online named the "Cambrian Exploration". The update contains five High-Level Instances on a new planet to roam and explore. The various primeval and organic areas of Cambria can be admired in the new announcement trailer.

Prius Online: New Expansion - Stronghold of the North Now Live!

Posted:

Prius Online: New Expansion - Stronghold of the North Now Live!


The way to the North lies open and with it comes an avalanche of new content for Prius Online. Stronghold of the North adds 500 quests, 3 additional dungeons, 2 exotic mounts, and a new item upgrade system that allows players to design their own gear with powerful stats and a unique appearance that suits their character. The level cap has also been raised from 60 to 70, making room for characters to grow as they explore the frozen North.

Five Dota 2 Headlines as ESWC Wraps Up

Posted:

Five Dota 2 Headlines as ESWC Wraps Up


ESWC finished with a bang Tuesday as Na'Vi claimed the crown from defending champs EHOME. It was a thrilling and surprising tournament from start to finish. If you missed Tuesday's action, or even if you didn't, here are the top five headlines as the tournament dust settles in Paris.

Wemade Unveils 2 New Titles - Chunryong Story and NED

Posted:

Wemade Unveils 2 New Titles - Chunryong Story and NED


To jump to a higher level and rewrite the history in 2012's online game market, Korea-based Wemade has recently held a press conference to make public two of its self-developed MMORPGs - Chunryong Story and NED.

Red Blood: Feel the Fun of Instant Kill and Cultivating Sub Characters

Posted:

Red Blood: Feel the Fun of Instant Kill and Cultivating Sub Characters


Fight monsters, restore HP & MP by using potions and then continue fighting…You must have been very familiar with such standard procedure set in MMORPGs. Other designs like group combat and shapeshift are also not novel nowadays. So what kind of creativity do you expect now? Maybe Gorilla Banana's new title Red Blood Online will give you a surprise, though it cannot totally abandon MMORPG tradition either.

Vindictus(KR) Unveils Karok's Secondary Weapon

Posted:

Vindictus(KR) Unveils Karok's Secondary Weapon


Korea-based Nexon's hot ARPG Vindictus (Mabinogi Heroes) has recently made public Karok's secondary weapon - Blaster.

Five Storylines from Day 2 of Dota 2 at ESWC

Posted:

Five Storylines from Day 2 of Dota 2 at ESWC


Day two of the ESWC Dota 2 tournament has come and gone in the blink of an eye, only this time it was Void and not Anti-Mage doing the blinking. The second day of competition offered noticeable improvements in both spectator experience and quality of games. Here's a summary of what happened on day two.

DotA 2, LoL and Blizzard DotA, Which One Will You Choose?

Posted:

DotA 2, LoL and Blizzard DotA, Which One Will You Choose?


Yesterday on BlizzCon, Blizzard revealed a new map of StarCraft 2 called Blizzard DotA, which has the combination characters from WarCraft and StarCraft. I saw the hero models of this game and some graphics and It seems that Blizzard DotA has a decent graphic, though we dont know how is the gameplay yet.

Fusion Fantasy MMORPG Seven Core(KR) to Enter 2nd CBT Soon

Posted:

Fusion Fantasy MMORPG Seven Core(KR) to Enter 2nd CBT Soon


High1 Entertainment announced fusion fantasy MMORPG Seven Core(Official Site: http://seven.hionegame.com/main/main.asp), developed by Noria and published by High1 Games, would start the second closed beta test from November 3rd to November 8th.
Posted by Shri Krishna

MMORPG Reviews

MMORPG Reviews

Star Supremacy novice gift pack giveaway

Posted: 26 Oct 2011 01:25 PM PDT

Star Supremacy with FREEMMORPG and MMO Reviews is giving away 500 Novice Gift packs(starting on november 15th). To get your novice pack, just go to Star Supremacy and Login or Register an account, and enter into the game, then click on the Get Rewards button at the top right of your game screen. Finally click [...]

Supremacy 1914 has released a new unit, the armored car

Posted: 26 Oct 2011 12:51 PM PDT

A new unit the „Armored Car" is now ready to be built in Supremacy 1914. Due to the valuable feedback of the beta testers and the Supremacy 1914 community the developers at Bytro Labs have decided to make the Armored Car cheaper to build and also a little more powerful: With a combat strength of [...]

Prius Online has released its new expansion Stronghold of the North

Posted: 26 Oct 2011 08:56 AM PDT

Prius Online, has released its new expansion Stronghold of the North that adds 500 quests, 3 additional dungeons, 2 exotic mounts, and a new item upgrade system that allows players to design their own gear with powerful stats and a unique appearance that suits their character. The level cap has also been raised from 60 [...]

Joymax has presented the halloween events for Digimon Masters and Silkroad Online

Posted: 26 Oct 2011 07:43 AM PDT

Joymax, has announced today their sinister plot to scare the pants off their players of Digimon Masters and Silkroad Online now through November 8th. Digimon Master‘s events include helping out the frightened Frigimon. DATS can collect as many Jack-O’-Lanterns as they can to light up the night and keep the ghostly Digimon away. Players have [...]

Bounty Hounds Online has released its first major update, Cambrian Exploration

Posted: 26 Oct 2011 06:29 AM PDT

InnoGames has released the first major Update for the Sci-Fi MMOG Bounty Hounds Online named the "Cambrian Exploration". The update contains five High-Level Instances on a new planet to roam and explore. The various primeval and organic areas of Cambria can be admired in the new announcement trailer. Other than the populated and technologically sophisticated [...]

Halloween has arrived to Grepolis

Posted: 26 Oct 2011 05:52 AM PDT

The Browsergame Grepolis has launched its Halloween special events, which will run until the 2 of November. During that time, avid players have the chance to collect pumpkins from the Aegean, securing a production bonus and awards for themselves. Even the ancient Greek gods dress up for the occasion. Grepolis is a browser based online [...]

Sony Online Entertainment presents the halloween events of its games

Posted: 26 Oct 2011 04:58 AM PDT

Sony Online Entertainment LLC will feature Halloween events and promotions when players log into online titles including DC Universe Online, EverQuest, EverQuest II, Free Realms, Magic: The Gathering -Tactics, PoxNora and Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures. During the SOE Trick-Or-Treat event, from October 28 – 31, 2011, players will have a chance to collect festive [...]

CyberStep has launched the new website of C21 – Steel Battle Chronicles -

Posted: 26 Oct 2011 03:43 AM PDT

The Online game developer CyberStep is going to open the new website for its Robot MMORPG game, C21 – Steel Battle Chronicles -, for early beta registration the next October 25th. The beta testing period will begin the October 27th. C21 – Steel Battle Chronicles - is a MMORPG that is played from a 3rd [...]

Lime Odyssey has released some new screenshots of the continent of Orta

Posted: 26 Oct 2011 02:57 AM PDT

Aeria Games, has released today some new screenshots for Lime Odyssey: The Chronicles of Orta, its highly-anticipated 3D MMORPG. Lime Odyssey is developed by Sirius Entertainment Co., Ltd and will be published in North America by Aeria Games. The new screenshots unveils the continent of Orta, giving an early glimpse of details from the lush [...]
Posted by Shri Krishna


General Gaming Article

General Gaming Article

The F2P Revolution: 25 Killer Online Games You Can Play For Free

Posted: 26 Oct 2011 04:40 PM PDT

One of the biggest trends in gaming over the last half-decade has been the rise of the free to play (F2P) online business model. You might have heard it called "freemium," or the pejorative "pay to win," but whatever you call it, it's here to stay. 

You may not have heard of all the free to play games coming out recently (they don't tend to have the same marketing budget as your Battlefields and Call of Dutys) but you should probably be paying a little more attention. Sure, some of them are a little shallow, or unfair to non-paying customers, but there are F2P games in every genre, and a lot of them are top notch.

So why pay to play? Read on for our list of 25 top-notch free online games. For each game, we'll tell you what you get for free and what costs money, so you never get surprised.

 

Google Maps Now Adding Building Interiors

Posted: 26 Oct 2011 02:56 PM PDT

mapsGoogle announced last May that it intended to begin adding business interiors to Google Maps Street View. Now the first test images are rolling out. Users browsing maps will be invited into shops and offices that make use of the same 360-degree panning view that we're used to with street view. Considering the very different nature of the content, Google has changed the way they acquire these images.

If a business owner is interested in having their interior added to Google Maps, they have to fill out an application online. Google will then contact the applicant to set up a time for a Google photographer to come and capture the business for posterity. If at a later date, the owner or any subsequent owner decides that they do not want the images up, a request can be submitted.

Google says it has worked with thousands of businesses to get photos of building interiors. Some worry about potential burglers using the images to plan break-ins, but we'll just have to wait and see if that's the case. Would you make use of this feature in Google Maps?

The Nexus One Will Not Be Getting a Tasty Ice Cream Sandwich

Posted: 26 Oct 2011 02:30 PM PDT

nexusThe venerable Nexus One was launched in early 2010 and set the stage for a new breed of faster Android devices. Sales were lackluster, but a certain contingent of Android lovers embraced the Nexus One, and many still use it today. Google, however, is less smitten with this phone of yesteryear. The Big G announced today that the Nexus One will not be getting an official update to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

The Nexus One launched with Android 2.1, and was later updated to Android 2.2. Early this year it was bumped up again to Android 2.3 Gingerbread. Google is saying that the device is just too old to properly run ICS, but did not give any specifics. The processor is rated at 1GHz, and hold up fairly well, though the GPU is sluggish by today's standards. Probably the sticking point is the small amount of internal ROM, which likely isn't enough to fit ICS.

Users of this device that have not already, will probably want to consider rooting and unlocking the bootloader. This will allow the flashing of the plethora of optimized Android 4.0 ROMs that are bound to appear after the code is open sourced. Any Nexus One owners out there that want to vent?

Future Tense: Apple Sauce

Posted: 26 Oct 2011 11:44 AM PDT

(This was written before Steve Jobs died, and it was never intended to be disrespectful, only slyly satirical.  Because of publishing schedules, it is only appearing now.  I admired Jobs and I will sincerely miss his presence in the consumer electronics industry.  His influence went far beyond his own company.  He was a human catalyst accelerating the pace of computer evolution to warp speed.)

applerain

1984 was and still is a year forever tainted by George Orwell's novel of the same name.  Orwell, "Big Brother", and even the year itself have become shorthand terms for totalitarianism or anything that even hints of it, whether it's a security camera or a political philosophy you disagree with or Microsoft's Windows validation software.  "Orwellian" is a way of saying "like the Nazis, but without Godwin's Law". 

During the 1984 Super Bowl broadcast, Apple showed one of the most memorable commercials ever filmed.  If you've never seen it, you can probably find it on YouTube.  Directed by Blade Runner's Ridley Scott, the commercial shows a woman in a track suit running through a totalitarian environment.  She dashes past all the drone-like people sitting on benches and hurls a hammer at a huge screen that represents the Big Brother of George Orwell's novel, 1984. 

That was how Apple introduced the Macintosh computer.  They advertised that it was "the computer for the rest of us."  It was a marketing triumph.  They sold a lot of machines and established Apple Computers as an innovative, forward-thinking company.  But over here in what was once the IBM-compatible world, but was now becoming the PC world, the rest of us did not want a computer that was overpriced, underpowered, and had no place for the user to add in any board or peripheral that wasn't sold by Apple. 

Apple has continued that philosophy of the "walled garden" for more than a quarter of a century and that 1984 commercial was weirdly prophetic—only the mindless drones on the benches are Apple's customers and it should be Steve Jobs' picture up on the big screen. 

Have you ever been to one of those Apple product announcement gatherings?  All that orgasmic cheering and shouting—it's like the Beatles at the Hollywood Bowl, only without "Can't Buy Me Love" and "Ticket To Ride." 

Apple has become a cult. 

As cults go, it's a pretty good one.  You don't have to abandon your family, you don't have to wear funny robes and bang a tambourine, and you don't have to eat any poisoned pudding to catch a ride on a UFO.  On the downside, you still have to spend a lot of money to join this cult and it's very hard to get out, but at least you get some really upscale, high-status hardware to advertise your membership.  The hardware is still overpriced and underpowered, but you get to pretend that you bought "a computer for the best of us."   (That whole "rest of us" thing seems to have been forgotten.  Corporate exclusivity is now the game.)  

To its credit, Apple succeeds because it isn't afraid to innovate.  The company takes big chances.  Throughout the 90's, the company invested hundreds of thousands of man-hours and millions of dollars into the development and marketing of products like the Apple III, Lisa, Newton, Pippin, Macintosh TV, Macintosh Portable, the G4 Cube, the QuickTake camera, and the ROKR phone.  Any company with that history would probably be history itself, but Apple is too mean to die.  It's the Moriarty of computer companies.  It just keeps coming back, each time smarter.  

What's true about most of Apple's failures is that they weren't also-rans or me-too or copycat products.  They were attempts to expand digital technology forward.  They represented a genuine effort to design and build a different future.  The failures weren't a failure of vision as much as they were a failure of technology.  The ideas were good, but the chips weren't powerful enough, the batteries didn't last long enough, the software didn't deliver the functionality the users wanted.  They failed because they were a reach too far—for the moment.

But one big success can pay for a dozen failures.  And it is the innovative aspect of Apple's products that has sustained its cult-like appeal in the customer-base since the first Apple ][ was built.  "New" and "different" are always exciting.  Every advertising expert knows this.  Paste "Now With Blue Crystals!" on the front of the detergent box and sales go up.   (I'm not making this up.  I'm thinking of adding blue crystals to my website.)   Twenty years ago, the detergent makers sold laundry pre-soak products "With Phosphates!"  When it turned out that phosphates put a beer-like head of suds on your drinking water, the revamped products were advertised as "Now Without Phosphates!" 

Fortunately for Apple, the company's products do not need blue crystals.  (I don't know about the phosphates though.)  In the last ten years, Apple has done a marvelous job of creating whole new product lines, and in doing so, has reinvented a large part of the consumer electronics market. 

There were music players long before the iPod—the Sony Walkman was a standard for an entire generation—but the iPod was the seed crystal that transformed portable music.  You didn't have to carry a box of cassettes or discs, everything was already in the player.  And the player was small enough to fit into a pocket.  Oh, and it was hip.  Apple's marketing is as innovative as its products. Apple doesn't just sell products, it sells style.    

But if the iPod was a game-changer, it was only a warmup for the iPhone.  Before the iPhone, the must-have cellphone was a Motorola flip phone.  You could pop it open and say, "Kirk here.  Beam me up, Scotty."  After the iPhone, those things were quaint little antiques.  The iPhone transformed an entire industry.  Cellphones disappeared, smart phones became the new standard.  And they were hip.  Another victory for Apple's marketing.    

Where the iPod and the iPhone were reinventions of existing product niches, the iPad represents the creation of a whole new kind of computer.  It changes our relationship with information by making the internet a portable experience.  People who don't want to bother schlepping a laptop seem to have no problem pulling a tablet out of a backpack or a purse.  The add-on that takes the iPad from fascinating to lustworthy is a cover that doubles as a wireless keyboard, so you can use it as a notebook as well as a tablet. 

Of course, every other computer and electronics company has been playing catch-up with Apple for ten years.  (The first iPod was released in October of 2001.)  Creative marketed a superior media player called the Zen, but they couldn't get enough traction in the marketplace to be a viable alternative.  Microsoft came out with an even better media player, the Zune, with the same result. 

The same conditions occurred in the smartphone market.  HTC, Motorola, Samsung, LG and others are all playing the game of "beat the iPhone."  The Samsung Galaxy S is superior to the iPhone (it's much lighter, it has a better screen and the Gorilla glass is damn near scratch-proof) but the iPhone continues to hold the attention of the media.  Apple is so good at marketing itself as a brand and its customer base responds like Star Wars fans, lining up at the Apple stores hours and days before a new product goes on sale.  Did I say cult?  Cults should be so popular. 

Apple is still the leader in the product niches it has created, but creating a niche doesn't guarantee permanent ownership.  PC users tend to be skeptical of fruit-flavored products because they come from a walled garden.  "Plays well with others" is not going to be on Apple's report card this year either.  The competition in the tablet market is growing ferocious and it's only going to get more so.  The primary issues are screen, chip(s), weight, interface, apps, cameras, and price.  Samsung has an attractive rival in the Galaxy tablet, but Apple is throwing multiple lawsuits in the path of Samsung and Samsung is predictably counter-suing Apple.  Both are using the courts to prevent the other from selling their tablets in key markets.   

Apple has also done something else to slow down the competition—something smart from a business perspective, but also ugly.  They have signed exclusivity deals with their suppliers so that the high-end technology that goes into an iPad cannot be sold to Apple's competitors.  (Those of you who used to complain that Microsoft was a big bully…how do you feel about this?) 

While lawsuits and exclusivity deals may slow down some of the competition in the tablet market, it won't be enough to stop the inevitable tsunami of new products.  In the long run, other suppliers will step up to sell state-of-the-art hardware to Apple's competitors.  All those other companies know they have to surpass the iPad to compete.  So manufacturers will add better cameras, higher-resolution screens, Gorilla glass and other features that the iPad doesn't have.  And a lot of suppliers would rather sell high-end hardware to many companies, not just one.  And after Windows 8 hits the streets, users could have a much more dynamic interface as an option, one that is expected to integrate easily with all their other hardware. 

Unlike the iPod and the iPhone, both of which are still market-leaders in their respective niches, the iPad may not have the same legs in the marketplace.  As cheaper and more powerful units start hitting the store shelves (like Amazon's Kindle Fire and T-Mobile's Springboard) consumers may find those tablets tastier than the iPad.  The tablet wars have only just begun. 

What do you think?

   

Apple Granted New "Slide To Unlock" Patent, Expect Lawsuits To Start Flying Soon

Posted: 26 Oct 2011 11:27 AM PDT

As if Apple's ridiculous tablet design patent didn't hold enough ominous tidings for the mobile tech industry, the US Patent and Trademark Office just awarded the company another ludicrous claim: that's right, "slide to unlock" is officially an Apple patent. That means all the non-Apple phones and tablets that use the omnipresent unlocking maneuver are possibly infringing on Apple's intellectual property – which could lead to complex legal battles that tie up competitors' products, as Apple has done with the Samsung Galaxy Tab in Australia.

Even 9to5Mac, which broke the news, admits that's it ridiculous – but it's legal until a court finds prior art against it or declares it invalid. Interestingly enough, Apple tried using an older "Slide to Unlock" patent in an injunction attempt against Samsung in the Netherlands, but the Dutch judge tossed out the claim and declared the patent invalid. According to FOSS Patents, Apple filed the original version of the European patent on December 23, 2005; a company called Neonode had released a Windows CE phone earlier that year that already had a slide to unlock feature. How's that for prior art? In the Dutch case, Samsung also cited a publication from 1992 that discussed touchscreen slide to unlock technology. Plus, CNET amusingly points out that the head-hunting Predator used a slide to unlock feature on his alien gadgets way back in 1987.

Since the European version of Apple's original slide to unlock patent, patent 7,657,849, was declared invalid, the new US version includes the following additional verbiage: In addition, there is a need for sensory feedback to the user regarding progress towards satisfaction of a user input condition that is required for the transition to occur. Presumably, Apple is banking on the fact that the Neonode phone did not have any type of sensory feedback and is trying to stop US court arguments before they begin. But does sensory feedback really make the iPhone version of slide to unlock a new, patentable invention compared to the Neonode version?

Hopefully, US patent 8,046,721 won't stay valid for long; no doubt Google, Samsung and others are already picking it over with a fine-toothed comb and preparing legal strategies to combat it.

AZiO Levetron Mech4 Mechanical Gaming Keyboard is Spill Proof, Modular

Posted: 26 Oct 2011 11:06 AM PDT

Mechanical keyboards offer an orgy of satisfying keystrokes for your fingers (how's that for a visual?), which is one of the reasons we're excited to learn about AZiO's soon-to-be-released Levetron Mech4 mechanical plank for gamers. In addition to those sweet, sweet Cherry MX (Black) mechanical keys, the Levetron sets itself apart with a modular design and by being resistant to spills.

We're told this gnarly looking plank has a switch life cycle of 50 million keystrokes. How much space it takes up on your desktop is partially up to you -- the numpad is modular, and so are a set of six dedicated macro triggers that clip onto the top of the keyboard (which are in addition to 5 macro keys on the left side with an A/B switch).

"The most accented and probably greatest notable feature of the Levetron Mech4 Gaming Keyboard is the modular configuration, specifically the detachable numeric keypad," said Wilson Tang, Marketing Vice President at Azio Corporation. "By allowing the numeric keypad to be attached to either side of the keyboard, gamers can use these keys as additional macro keys, customize them for extra functions, or simply use them as a standard numeric keypad to improve your game and win!"

Other highlights include anti-ghosting keys, three levels of adjustable height with a non-slip base, a 6-foot braided cable with gold connector, a pair of low-power USB ports, volume knob, the ability to disable the Windows Menu key, and unlimited profiles.

The Levetron Mech4 keyboard will be available starting October 30, 2011 for $110. In the meantime, check out our photo gallery below.

Image Credit: AZiO

Windows Phone 7 App of the Week: Crafting Guide

Posted: 26 Oct 2011 11:03 AM PDT

If you've ever spent any time playing an RPG or RTS of any kind, you know the biggest learning curve is figuring out what items or materials you need to build that sweet piece of gear your buddy carries around. The different combinations, tools, and techniques required by different games can also add to the confusion. The reality is learning the build tree in a particular game is the key to your survival and is the biggest obstacle between you and world domination.

cg   

Age of Empires Online is the latest in Microsoft's long line of Real-Time Strategy games. While not the most well-received RTS in history, the game is free to play and is worth a look for gamers on a budget. To aid in the learning curve of building items in Age of Empires Online, Microsoft has released Crafting Guide for Windows Phone 7. Crafting Guide provides you a searchable and sortable database of the items you can build within the Age of Empires game, and gives you the recipe or steps needed to build or acquire the item. You also have the option of entering the materials you have access to, and Crafting Guide will provide you with a selection of items you can build from the chosen materials.

   

Crafting Guide is available as a free download from the Windows Phone Marketplace.

Thermaltake Slashes Level 10 GT's MSRP Through End Of November

Posted: 26 Oct 2011 10:27 AM PDT

If you're going to build a big, badass PC, you need a big, badass case to house that awesome 3-way SLI you're planning on installing. The Level 10 GT chassis by Thermaltake is one such monstrosity. Yeah, its compartmentalized design is, well, not for everyone, but we still liked it enough that we gave it a 9 score a few months back -- despite its hefty $280 price tag. If that sticker cost was a bit too high, we've got some good news; Thermaltake has dropped the MSRP of the case to $200 through the end of November.

Take note, though, that the $200 price is the MSRP, not the direct cost; oddly enough, you'll still pony up the original $280 if you buy the Level 10 GT directly from Thermaltake. That nifty looking Level 10 GT Snow Edition case isn't part of the deal, either. It's still sitting pretty at $280. But if you head over to Amazon, Newegg, or your online retailer of choice, you'll find the Level 10 GT already available at less than $200. Snatch it up while you can: the offer expires on November 30th.

MSI Unveils Z68MA-G43 Motherboard

Posted: 26 Oct 2011 10:23 AM PDT

In the midst of the all the spy shots of upcoming X79 motherboards that surfaced this past week, MSI today announced a board you can use right now. It's the Z68MA-G43 for socket LGA1155 processor owners, which rules out support for Sandy Bridge-E, though it does adopt the latest PCI Express Gen 3 high-speed data transfer standard, MSI says.

The board has four DIMM slots with support for up to 32GB of DDR3-2133 (OC) memory. It has two PCI-E x16 ports with CrossFireX support, a pair of PCI-E x2 ports, two SATA 6Gbps ports, four SATA 3Gbps ports, RAID 0/1/5/10 support, GbE LAN, two USB 2.0 ports on the rear, six USB 2.0 ports, VGA, HDMI, and DVI connectivity.

On the software side, the Z68MA-G43 sports a proprietary dual interface integrated UEFI BIOS, OC Genie II overclocking utility, Winki 3 pre-boot Linux environment, and a few other bells and whistles.

No word on price or availability.

Product Page

Image Credit: MSI

Graphics Card Partners Losing Sleep over 28nm Manufacturing Woes

Posted: 26 Oct 2011 10:02 AM PDT

Poor yields and other challenges associated with the 28nm manufacturing process have Nvidia's and AMD's add-in board (AIB) partners starting to voice concerns about next generation GPUs, specifically Kepler (Nvidia) and Southern Islands (AMD). Both chip designers are turning to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) to produce 28nm chips, and the lingering concern is that past issues may again present themselves.

According to DigiTimes, this has AIBs feeling conservative about upcoming 28nm chips. TSMC's issues with 40nm parts led to weak yields, and it's possible the same thing could happen with 28nm. And if that weren't enough, AIBs are also concerned about weakening demand for videocards and lower than expected gross margins, DigiTimes says.

Board partners are in a tough place. Sales of high-end discrete GPUs are down, and today's CPUs with integrated graphics are slowly cutting into sales of entry-level and mid-range cards. Throw in potential manufacturing problems and it's easy to see why AIBs less than optimistic.
Posted by Shri Krishna
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)

Total Pageviews

statcounter

View My Stats