MMOGaming News

MMOGaming News

WoW Transmogrification: Paladin T1, T2 High Imitation Sets

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WoW Transmogrification: Paladin T1, T2 High Imitation Sets


Since rumor has it that Patch 4.3 will launch equipment transmogrification system, players are begining to collect those good-looking sets in the past. Of course, if you wanna obtain authentic T1, T2 sets, you can go to Molten Core and Black Wing Lair. However, if you are Priest, and you wanna cosplay Mage, then the profession sets won't cater to your will.

Lost Saga Updated a New Mercenary - Phantom Thief Iljimae

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Lost Saga Updated a New Mercenary - Phantom Thief Iljimae


The popular action-fighting MMO Lost Saga developed by Korea-based Joy Max, and co-published by Joy Max and Samsung has recently updated a new mercenary: Phantom Thief Iljimae.

First Black Gold Gameplay Video Inbound

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First Black Gold Gameplay Video Inbound


The gameplay video is based on Black Gold Russian version which is in Alpha test.

Bright Shadow Releases Newest Curse of Hera Expansion

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Bright Shadow Releases Newest Curse of Hera Expansion


Although the holidays are over, the celebrating continues with Bright Shadow's brand new 2012 Curse of Hera expansion! Gamania Digital Entertainment Europe is happy to announce that the new content update includes 8 new classes, introduces 30 new maps and raises the level-cap from level 69 to 99! Do you have what it takes to defeat Hera and her minions?

Heroes of Newerth Reveals Plans for the Commonwealth of Independent States

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Heroes of Newerth Reveals Plans for the Commonwealth of Independent States


Independent game developer S2 Games is very excited to announce their plans to expand their regional exposure in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). In an exclusive partnership with regional online gaming platform Garena, the Heroes of Newerth (HoN) brand is seeking to improve the overall gaming experience of its fans in the CIS region.

RE: When Gaming Becomes an Addiction

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RE: When Gaming Becomes an Addiction


I am always interested when people refer to video games as a problem because it is nice to hear their arguments.

AERIA GAMES Acquires IJJI Games

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AERIA GAMES Acquires IJJI Games


Aeria Games today announced it has acquired ijji Games LLC. Aeria Games hosts a diverse and rapidly growing portfolio of over 30 critically-acclaimed MMO titles spanning action, roleplaying, shooter, real time strategy, and racing games. The company is recognized for standout games including the MMO Eden Eternal, the popular MMORPG Shaiya, the supernatural MMOFPS Wolf Team, the expansive strategy game Golden Age and the upcoming action shooter Repulse.

Age of Wulin NA Announced, Official Site Opens

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Age of Wulin NA Announced, Official Site Opens


Snail Game USA officially announces Age of Wushu, the NA version of Age of Wulin.

Age of Wushu - USA Launch Trailer

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Age of Wushu - USA Launch Trailer


Launch Trailer for the up and coming Free-To-Play MMORPG Age of Wushu! Experience a True "Wuxia" world.Check it out!

Diablo III - 15th Anniversary Retrospective

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Diablo III - 15th Anniversary Retrospective


2011 is the 15th anniversary of one of the most influential games ever made, which makes the release of Diablo 3 all the more appropriate. To celebrate this milestone (and, perhaps, to make those of us not able to play the beta even sadder about the passage of time), Blizzard has launched a 15th anniversary Diablo website. It features a timeline, a video retrospective, interviews with Jay Wilson and Chris Metzen, and stirring, thrilling paragraphs of tribute.Enjoy!

Legend of Blood(KR) Unveiled '10-second Killer' - Assassin

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Legend of Blood(KR) Unveiled '10-second Killer' - Assassin


3D mature MMORPG Legend of Blood, developed by EXC GAME, the subsidiary of Korea-based Nexon, has introduced its four classes, including Warrior, Governor, Archer and Mage, to us in previous report. Today, a brand new class - Assassin was unveiled in Legend of Blood. Let's take a first look at this new class.

Queens Blade - Detail Info of Six Characters

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Queens Blade - Detail Info of Six Characters


Six classes of Queens Blade, including Defender, Shadow Walker, Whipper, Punisher, Centinel and Medic. They are all female and look lovely and attractive, check out!

CABAL Online to Merge European Versions

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CABAL Online to Merge European Versions


Games-Masters.com and Gameforge today announced the merging of the European versions of CABAL Online, creating a single multi-language version of the fast-paced free-to-play MMORPG, operated by Games-masters.com, from January 13th.

WoW 4.3.2: Raid Finder Loot Rules Change

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WoW 4.3.2: Raid Finder Loot Rules Change


The Community Manager, Zarhym responded to posts discussing the problems and concerns with the current loot system in the Raid Finder. The Raid Finder loot system currently grants a bonus on need roles to classes that could use the item the best, allowing the right loot to go to the right classes.

Big Updates Coming to Digimon Masters Later This Month

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Big Updates Coming to Digimon Masters Later This Month


Joymax gives a sneak peek on the new stuff that will come to the in January.

WoW 4.3 Guide: How to transmogrify into a Stormwind Guard?

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WoW 4.3 Guide: How to transmogrify into a Stormwind Guard?


If you've spent any time in Stormwind at all as an Alliance player, you're likely well familiar with the Stormwind guards that respond to emote commands. And if you're a Horde player who's stormed the walls of Stormwind, then you're definitely familiar with the Stormwind guards, although not in a friendly capacity.

MechWarrior Online Dev Blog Showcases Information Warfare Details

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MechWarrior Online Dev Blog Showcases Information Warfare Details


In this latest dev blog, they discuss about the BattleGrid, Modules, Targeting Tweaks, Detection, Detection Modes and Disruption/Spoofing. MechWarrior Online is set to launch in the second half of 2012.

SWTOR Is Awarded the Largest Entertainment Voice Over Project Ever

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SWTOR Is Awarded the Largest Entertainment Voice Over Project Ever


In the latest Guinness World Records 2012 Gamer's Edition the franchise's second major MMORPG is awarded for an unprecedented feat.

How a $21,000 Half-Life Gun Was Made

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How a $21,000 Half-Life Gun Was Made


Video showcasing the Gravity Gun sold at the 2011 Child's Play auction in Seattle. This piece sold for $21,000 and all proceeds went to help Children's Hospitals around the world!

The Most Controversial Events of Korea Game Industry in 2011

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The Most Controversial Events of Korea Game Industry in 2011


It seems that Koreans are serious to games. During 2011, many controversial events happen in Korea game industry. Some reflect a sence of progress while some are incomprehensible

Posted by Shri Krishna

MMORPG Videos

MMORPG Videos

End of Nations: Warftont #105

Posted: 05 Jan 2012 11:50 AM PST

The End of Nations team has sent out episode #105 that features interviews of prominent players as well as an introduction to the French EoN community manager. Check it out! http://www.mmorpg.com http://www.endofnations.com

Star Wars: The Old Republic: Pokket's Guide to SWTOR: +10 Datacron on the Republic Fleet

Posted: 04 Jan 2012 01:29 PM PST

This week Pokket guides us through SWTOR and shows us how to get the +10 stat datacron that is located on the Republic Fleet. Despite encountering some difficulties, her group successfully reaches their goal. MMORPGcom http://www.youtube.com/user/MMORPGcom FACEBOOK http://www.facebook.com/Pokketsays TWITTER http://twitter.com/Pokketsays
Posted by Shri Krishna

MMORPG Reviews

MMORPG Reviews

Gamania has released the newest expansion for Bright Shadow, Curse of Hera with a especial giveaway

Posted: 05 Jan 2012 05:44 AM PST

Gamania Digital Entertainment Europe has released the new expansion of Bright Shadow, Curse of Hera. The expansion includes 8 new classes, introduces 30 new maps and raises the level-cap from level 69 to 99. New features: · Raised level cap (from 69 to 99) · 8 new classes (Paladin, Dark Knight, Pistolero, Sorcerer, Beast Lord, [...]

World of Tanks has presented its French line of tanks

Posted: 05 Jan 2012 03:27 AM PST

Wargaming.net, has presented the long-anticipated line of the French tanks available in the all-new Update 7.1 for its free-to-play action MMO World of Tanks. French vehicles will invade World of Tanks in two steps, and their first line available as of today features light, medium, and heavy tanks. Just as their historical prototypes, the in-game [...]

New wallpapers and images of Eudemons Online newest expansion, Trumpet of the Legionnaire

Posted: 05 Jan 2012 02:07 AM PST

Take a look to this new wallpapers and images of Eudemons Online newest expansion, Trumpet of the Legionnaire.

ArcheAge character creation videos

Posted: 05 Jan 2012 01:12 AM PST

Take a look to this character creation videos of ArcheAge. The game is expected to be another masterpiece by the iconic Korean developer Jake Song, the developer of ‘Lineage’ and ‘Kingdom of the Winds’. The game is being developed by XLGames and is based on the latest CryENGINE2 and will gradually be changed to CryENGINE3.

Golden Age has released a new server

Posted: 05 Jan 2012 12:17 AM PST

Aeria Games has released a new server for its hit browser title, Golden Age. With this new server, the players have the ability to start off fresh and participate in new events that surround the server launch. These events include Sire power rankings and best alliance competitions and allow players to strive to be among [...]
Posted by Shri Krishna


General Gaming Article

General Gaming Article

BitTorrent Announces P2P-Based File-Sharing App

Posted: 05 Jan 2012 02:50 PM PST

btA new service from BitTorrent Inc. is looking to challenge established cloud storage and sharing services like Dropbox. Share is a p2p-based system that uses the BitTorrent protocol to share files of any size with an unlimited number of contacts. Share will leverage Amazon's EC2 and S3 infrastructure to cache files so users don't even have to online at the same time to share files.

The problem with file sharing services is that bandwidth and hosting costs tend to eat up the budget. With Share, files will be taken off the cloud as soon as they are cached by a sufficient number of peers. Essentially, the network becomes its own cloud that costs BitTorrent nothing in the way of storage. 

The Share app will initially only be available on Windows, but a beta of uTorrent for Mac will have the functionality built in soon. The plan is to have the Share service integrated with the Windows version of uTorrent at some point as well. The service is expected to be free when it launches. Users will just have to share a little hard drive space to keep the cloud alive.

New Chrome Beta Pre-Loads Web Pages

Posted: 05 Jan 2012 02:31 PM PST

chromeGoogle's Chrome browser has had a feature for the last few months that pre-loads web pages when you are searching on Google. Now that feature has been expanded in the new Chrome beta to include pages typed into the omnibox. Sites that Chrome auto-completes will load in the background before you press enter. The result is what appears to be blisteringly-fast page loads.

Pages are not actually loading faster, of course. It's just a subtle psychological trick that hides most of the loading from the user until they are expecting to see the browser spring into action. Google and users have the same interests in the ever increasing speed of Chrome. Google wants us to see more pages, and thus more ads. Users just don't want to wait around for pages to load. It's a go, go world these days.

The new Chrome beta also added a new security measure that will scan downloaded EXE and MSI files to determine if they are known threats. Users will be alerted if things seem fishy. Faster and more secure; can't argue with that. The new beta should be installed automatically for those on the beta channel. 

Majority of Photos Flagged on Facebook are Not Offensive, Just Unflattering

Posted: 05 Jan 2012 02:18 PM PST

dislikeFacebook has revealed much about the human condition, and now it's reminding us how vain we humans can be sometimes. According to a recent interview with Facebook's engineering director Arturo Bejar, the majority of photos flagged by users as inappropriate are actually just unflattering images of the user that reported it.

Facebook has a whole raft of content that it does not allow. Nudity, drug use, harassment, and spam are all reasons to report a photo on Facebook. After noticing the trend of unflattering photos in the filter, Facebook engineers added an option in Spetember to the reporting dialog that simply states, "I don't like this photo of me." The social network does not remove images in this case, but will message the user who posted it to give them the opportunity to remove it voluntarily. 

This isn't just a blip in the data; Facebook gets over 250 million photo uploads per-day. There's no mistaking people's narcissism in this case. Perhaps a more logical course of action than flagging images that don't catch you at the right angle could be to just disable tagging. 

Future Tense: Life With Kindle

Posted: 05 Jan 2012 02:02 PM PST

Before it shipped, a friend of mine expressed a great deal of skepticism—even hostility—about the Kindle Fire. This was right after HP had dropped their remaining stock of Touchpads onto the market for $200 each.

My buddy failed to understand two things—first, HP was abandoning the Touchpad and cleaning out their warehouses. And second, the Kindle Fire is not a tablet—it's a low-cost content-delivery system. This is critical to understanding what the Kindle can and can't do.

I'd had the previous model Kindle for just about a year when the Kindle Fire was announced. As much as I loved the convenience of the device, I have to admit that I had also been experiencing Nook-envy. The Barnes & Noble Nook had a color touch screen. Color makes a big difference—especially for magazines. And a touch screen is essential for any tablet device.

But as tempting as the Nook might have been, I have enough content purchased for the Kindle that I just didn't want to switch to a new platform. So the announcement of the Kindle Fire was a welcome surprise. I studied the specs for a few days, decided I liked what I read, then placed my order.

My Kindle Fire arrived a day early and the out-of-box-experience was exceptional. The device is handsome and rugged. It's simple and it's scratch resistant. On the downside, the on-off button is on the bottom and that's inconvenient for holding it or propping it up on your lap, because you can accidentally turn the device off while you're reading. Fortunately, you can flip it over and use it upside down, but not every application reorients to how you're holding it.

The Kindle Fire is about as heavy as a hardcover book, so you're either going to lay it flat or prop it up against something or purchase a stand for it. It simply is not convenient for holding unsupported for long periods of time. The same is true of every other tablet I've looked at. I expect that at some point in the future, these devices will be a lot lighter and slimmer, but we're not there yet.

Now, my buddy was right that the Kindle is not a complete tablet, but it was never meant to be. But as a content-delivery system, it's exceptionally convenient. I can't tell you if Amazon's Silk browser is faster than browsers on other tablets because I don't have another tablet handy to compare.

Unlike my previous Kindle, the Kindle Fire does not have 3G, so access to the internet or even to Amazon's "whispernet" delivery system requires a wi-fi connection. This means sitting in Starbucks or McDonalds or tethering your Kindle Fire to your phone.

If you buy a tablet from one of the cellphone companies and you want web access, then you have to buy a contract so your device can connect via cellphone towers. This averages around $40 a month. On the other hand, if you have a newer model smartphone—I have a Galaxy SII—then you can tether multiple devices to your phone. My carrier provides tethering ability for only $15 extra per month. Tethering does use up battery life in the phone, but for the most part, I keep my phone in a powered stand, and I always carry a spare battery with me.

When the Kindle Fire is tethered, web access is fast enough to be useful. Downloading books or magazines is near-instantaneous. Web-surfing is almost as fast, but it depends on the connection. If I'm too far away from my phone or if I'm logged onto a public source, web pages will slow down a bit. Not enough to be impractical, but enough to be noticeable.

The Kindle Fire's speakers aren't loud enough for listening except in a very quiet environment. Headphones or earbuds are a necessity. Watching a video on the Kindle Fire is a lot better than trying to watch it on a Zune or a smartphone. You can actually see what's happening on the screen. But due to the Kindle Fire's limited—8gb—memory, you're not going to store a lot of your own videos on the device.

And this is why the Kindle Fire isn't a tablet, it's a content-delivery system. Most of your books and magazines, music and videos, are going to remain in the cloud and Amazon will stream them as you desire. This is practical if you're sitting in Starbucks. It's impractical if your 30,000 feet over Kansas and want to catch up on back episodes of Dexter. Unless you've previously downloaded them, you're out of luck. Unless you're flying on a plane with internet access.

The Kindle Fire does not have a slot for a memory card. I consider this to be the device's biggest flaw. An SD-slot would allow users to add as much as 128gb of memory—yes, there really are cards that big, Lexar sells them. That's multiple libraries of music and videos.

The Kindle Fire does not have a camera, it cannot be used for Skype or video chat. It does not have GPS, so you cannot use it for real-time guidance. You can access Mapquest, but as of this writing, there's no app for Google Maps. I wish it had all these capabilities.

I wish it had all the capabilities of my Android smartphone so I could use it for taking stills and videos and making video calls via Skype. I wish it had GPS for real-time traffic alerts and 4G for fast internet access. I wish it had the Swype keyboard that makes texting a lot faster on my phone. And I wish it had a built-in kickstand on the back so it could stand up by itself. (You know those cheap picture frames that can be propped up portrait or landscape? The Kindle should do that too.)

But the Kindle Fire is not a phone and it's not a full tablet—not yet. I expect that eventually the Kindle will evolve to include all those other features. And I expect that Amazon will keep the price as low as possible so that they can own the market for content-delivery. I expect Amazon to eat Apple's lunch—and probably everyone else's too.

Despite its current limitations, I remain enthusiastic about the Kindle Fire. I bought it for reading books and magazines and watching the occasional video. It has a very readable screen for books. Magazines look great. Videos are clear and crisp. Music sounds great on good headphones. Web pages are clearly readable—much more accessible than on the 4.3 inch screen of even the best smartphone. You can magnify pages if you need to.

There are a number of exceptional applications available for the Kindle Fire, including IMDB, Netflix, WiFi Analyzer, HuffingtonPost, Evernote, Angry Birds (of course), Pandora, and QuickOffice Pro, an office suite that can access Microsoft Office files. You can download documents, spreadsheets, and powerpoint presentations to the device and have important files easily available and even do some quick editing.

I take the Kindle Fire with me almost everywhere, because I never know when I'm going to be stuck in line or waiting for someone. I've also downloaded the .pdf manuals of all my various electronics onto the Kindle so I have those references always available. This is especially handy when I'm away from home and need to check some feature on my camera or other piece of gear.

My buddy was right that the Kindle Fire is not a full tablet. We're still a few generations away from that. But when I showed him what it was capable of today, he admitted he was impressed enough to consider getting one for himself.

Now it's your turn. What features would you like to see in a 7-inch form factor device?

 

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David Gerrold is a Hugo and Nebula award-winning author. He has written more than 50 books, including "The Man Who Folded Himself" and "When HARLIE Was One," as well as hundreds of short stories and articles. His autobiographical story "The Martian Child" was the basis of the 2007 movie starring John Cusack and Amanda Peet. He has also written for television, including episodes of Star Trek, Babylon 5, Twilight Zone, and Land Of The Lost. He is best known for creating tribbles, sleestaks, and Chtorrans. In his spare time, he redesigns his website, www.gerrold.com

Western Digital's My Book Live Duo NAS Supports RAID 1 And Lives In The Cloud

Posted: 05 Jan 2012 11:37 AM PST

If someone asked us what the most important aspect of computing was, we'd answer: back up your data! But unless you have an automated system, backing up your data is likely one of the first things to get dropped by the wayside when your schedule fills up. Western Digital's got your back: its newly announced My Book Live Duo NAS features dual hard drives that can be placed in RAID 1 for redundancy, so your precious data lives on if one of the drives goes kaput.

Not enough for you? WD's pushing the rig as a "personal cloud storage system" that can be accessed anywhere there's an Internet connection. Remote access is achieved either via www.WD2go.com or with the various WD mobile apps for iOS/Android.  In the here-and-now, the My Book Live Duo includes an Ethernet port, an undisclosed 800 MHz CPU, DLNA capabilities and full support for both Windows PCs and Macs. There's a 4TB option for $400 that sports a pair of 2TB drives, or a $500 model that includes a pair of 3TB HDDs.  By default, RAID 1 is turned off and you have access to the full storage capabilities of the My Book Live Duo; the box supports both WD SmartWare and Apple's Timeline automatic backup in case you want to leave RAID 1 off.

Check out the product page for the full details and marketing schpiel.

Crucial's Newly Announced Drive Aims To Mix SSD Speeds With HDD Storage Capabilities

Posted: 05 Jan 2012 11:08 AM PST

There's no denying that SSDs are blazing fast and an all-around pleasure to have in your system, but for many folks, being limited to 128GB or 256GB just isn't going to cut it. Enter Crucial: today, the memory maker announced the "Adrenaline Solid State Cache Solution," which hopes to solve that problem (as the name implies). It could've been called the "SSD Band-Aid;" it's basically an itty-bitty SSD that teams up with your HDD to deliver quick access speeds while keeping the high storage capabilities of traditional drives intact.

The Adrenaline Solid State Cache Solution is a 50GB Crucial m4 SSD that ships with a 3.5-inch adapter bracket and some cache software. Setup sounds pretty easy: connect the SSD to your mobo with a SATA cable, then install the software and get to work. The clever-sounding software tricks your computer into thinking both drives are a single storage system and automatically drops your most-used files onto the SSD. The things you use most often get the full SSD speed boosting treatment, while everything else stays sitting on your HDD, still fully accessible.

Robert Wheadon, Crucial's worldwide product manager, calls the product "a compelling and affordable upgrade solution." We'd be inclined to agree, except, um, Crucial left pricing details out of its press release. The Adrenaline Solid State Cache Solution is expected to start shipping sometime in the first quarter.

At first glance, it certainly seems like an intriguing little product for those who can't abide the abysmally small storage space found in current SSDs and don't want to swap out their current HDD for a pricey hybrid drive. Is this something you would pick up assuming the price is right?

Browser Extension of the Week: Lazarus

Posted: 05 Jan 2012 10:45 AM PST

lazarusWhether you're making a purchase from an online store, signing up for a new service or renewing an old one, when online forms work, they work very well... until your web browser crashes and the burning rage of one thousand suns eats all that was once good in your life as a result. Fortunately, for Chrome and Firefox users, the days of form-related hissy fits may soon be nothing more than an ugly memory, thanks to Lazarus, our Browser Extension of the Week.

Designed to save your form-related bacon in the event of a browser crash, error message or network time out, Lazarus preserves the data you've entered into a given form, encrypts and saves it to your rig just in case you wind up needing it. What's more, Lazarus can even be tweaked to suit your particular needs with options such as the ability to decide how many days form data is preserved by the extension, password protection and the ability to disable form preservation on selected sites. 

For all that Lazarus can do, it's worth mentioning that there are some things still doesn't handle very well: Chiefly, preserving the information entered into WYSIWYG editors of the sort employed by many popular Content Management Systems. That said, the extension's developer is hard at work trying to solve this issue.

 

 

Tobii's Gaze Interface Lets You Navigate Windows 8 With Your Peepers

Posted: 05 Jan 2012 10:35 AM PST

Microsoft may be pushing touchscreen control as the wave of the future with Windows 8's tiled Metro interface, but Tobii Technology thinks just swiping and pointing your way around an operating system is so, like, 2011. Tobii says its novel new "Tobii Gaze" control scheme, which mixes eye-tracking technology with a touchpad and is being shown off at CES next week, delivers superior control compared to both mice and touchscreens. Big words indeed!

Check out the video above to see Gaze in action. Basically, Tobii's eye-tracking technology takes control of the on-screen cursor; it points to whatever you look at. Clicking the Gaze's touchpad operates like your standard left-click. Tobii claims that its scheme feels much more natural than traditional touchscreen methods – especially when the touchscreen in question is vertical – and the interface leaves no question as to what's being clicked, unlike touchscreens, which can have troubles navigating tightly-packed links when controlled by fat fingered individuals (like myself).

Quote time: "Pointing at something by looking at it is intuitive, natural and immediate. Using a mouse to do the same thing is less so, as it involves an intermediate step of moving a mouse-pointer around," Henrik Eskilsson, CEO, said in Tobii's press release. "Gaze is as natural and intuitive as touch, as precise as the mouse and more ergonomic and effortless than both. Once you have experienced Gaze, a laptop without it feels just as ancient as a laptop without a touch pad."

It's nifty, and Tobii has plenty of experience with eye-tracking tech. But can they pull this off cheaply enough for Joe and Jill Consumer to care? What are your first impressions of the Gaze?

Broadcom Unveils Next-Gen "5G Wi-Fi" Chips Capable Of Up To 1.3Gbps

Posted: 05 Jan 2012 10:03 AM PST

Most of the hot new products you hear about this early in a new year come out of the desert at the CES electronics convention – which takes place next week – but Broadcom decided to kick things off early and unveil its new line of "5G Wi-Fi" chips based on the still-in-development 802.11ac standard. Yes, they push Wi-Fi faster and farther than before, and no, "5G" has nothing to do with cellular networks. It's just Broadcom's catchphrase for the fifth generation of Wi-Fi. But hey, marketing tricks aside, how do up to 1.3Gbps wireless speeds sound?

Only one of the four new chips – the PCI-e supported, three-stream BCM4360 – actually reaches that ridiculously fast speed. Two dual-stream chips, the BCM4352 (PCI-e) and BCM43526 (USB) deliver up to 867Mbps, while the single-stream BCM43516 tops out at 433Mbps, which still ain't too shabby. All four work on the 80 MHz channel. The USB products are targeted more for consumer electronics, while the PCI-e powered models were obviously designed with PC-related uses in mind.

Broadcom's 5G chips use "beamforming" technology to target specific receivers with and increase the operational range of the signal. Plus, they're based on a new 40nm manufacturing process, which makes them more energy efficient to boot.

So what could you use those faster speeds for? Why not let Broadcom itself tell you? From the company's press release: "Broadcom's 5G WiFi dramatically improves the wireless range in the home, allowing consumers to watch HD-quality video from more devices, in more places, simultaneously. The increased speed enables consumers to download web content from a mobile device faster and quickly synch large files, such as videos, in a fraction of the time it would take on a similar 802.11n device."

Broadcom will be showing off its 5G chips to potential partners and OEMs at CES next week.

Samsung Prepares Super Stylish 27-inch Plane Line Switching Monitor

Posted: 05 Jan 2012 09:35 AM PST

Samsung, like almost everyone else, is tipping its hand ahead of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas next week, or at least is willing to show some of the cards it's holding. Revealed today is the company's high-end SA27A950 monitor, the newest entry to its Series 9 LED-backlit LCD display line and featuring Plane Line Switching (PLS) technology.

The SA27A950 features a 2560x1440 resolution, edge-to-edge glass coated with anti-glare gunk, and an adjustable aluminum stand that will slip right into a modern art deco setup without skipping a beat. Connectivity options consist of USB, DisplayPort, dual-link DVI, and HDMI ports. Other features include a 1,000:1 typical contrast ratio, 300 cd/m2 brightness, a pair of 7W built-in speakers, and Mobile High Definition Link (MHL) support.

Plane Line Switching, or Plane to Line Switching as it's sometimes called, is Samsung's take on IPS displays. It's supposed to offer stellar viewing angles, better brightness, and cost less to produce.

The Series 9 S27A970 will be available in March for $1,200.

Image Credit: Samsung
Posted by Shri Krishna

MMO News

MMO News

World of Tanks releases French tanks

Posted: 05 Jan 2012 10:57 AM PST

Update 7.1 has arrived for World of Tanks, and with it comes the French tank line, the fourth nation of tanks to join the MMO.

The first line becomes available today, and includes light, medium, and heavy tanks, featuring unique modules. French tank fans can look forward to automatic loading systems and oscillating turrets, which will offer new tactics and strategies for all players to enjoy. Tank destroyers and SPGs for the French line will arrive later in the year.

World of Tanks is published by Wargaming.net.

world-of-tanks-ussr-tank

World of Tanks Gameplay Screenshot

Source:

The French Have Arrived!

The new line of vehicles rolls onto World of Tanks stage

London, UK, Paris, FR and San Francisco, CA (5th January, 2011) — Wargaming.net, the award-winning videogame publisher and developer, is proud to present the long-anticipated line of the French tanks available in the all-new Update 7.1 for its free-to-play action MMO World of Tanks.
French vehicles will invade World of Tanks in two steps, and their first line available as of today features light, medium, and heavy tanks. Just as their historical prototypes, the in-game machines will have unique features and modules, including automatic loading system and oscillating turrets that will enrich gameplay diversity and require different tactical approach from players.
“Our players already know how to play with the “big three” tank nations, but the French are all-different,” says Mike Zhivets, Lead Game Designer for World of Tanks. “You’ll have to reconsider the way you think tanks behave before they let you tame them. And that’s what we love them for!”
The second part of the French vehicles will appear later in 2012 and will include tank destroyers and SPGs.

Aeria Games acquires ijji

Posted: 05 Jan 2012 10:34 AM PST

Aeria Games announced today that it has acquired the gaming portal ijji from NHN Corporation.

The agreement expands Aeria Games’ portfolio to include active ijji titles, including Alliance of Valiant Arms and Soldier Front, along with preferential treatment and the first rights to publish NHN games outside of Asia. NHN also granted Aeria Games financial backing.

No details have been revealed yet as to whether the acquisition will require any special transitions for players of ijji games, or whether the transition between publishers will be seamless.

Aeria Games also publishes Eden Eternal and Repulse.

alliance-of-valiant-arms-ice-map

Alliance of Valiant Arms Gameplay Screenshot

Source:

AERIA GAMES Acquires ijji Games in Conjunction with INvestment Funding from NHN Corporation

Leading Free-to-play Online Multiplayer Publisher Expands Its Robust Portfolio, Adds New Users, and Receives Investment from Korean Internet Leader NHN to Fuel Further Expansion and Global Growth

SANTA CLARA – January 5, 2012 – Aeria Games, a leading destination for free-to-play online multiplayer games, today announced it has acquired ijji Games LLC, a popular free-to-play online gaming portal, from NHN Corporation as part of a strategic agreement that gives Aeria Games the first right with preferential treatment to publish NHN online games worldwide outside of Asia. Under the terms, Aeria Games also received a financial investment from NHN to further fuel growth as a global MMO market leader. The agreement boosts the company's fast growing player base to over 35 million unique users worldwide while adding complementary titles including the popular shooters Alliance of Valiant Arms (A.V.A.) and Soldier Front to Aeria Games' robust portfolio of free-to-play games for mid- to hard-core players.

Aeria Games is a global leader in producing high quality online free-to-play games in North America, Latin America, and Europe. The company publishes titles that cater to players looking for a deeper and more immersive multiplayer experience with active community support. Aeria Games' rapid growth comes from its expertise in delivering highly profitable freemium experiences to what it terms "power players"—hard-core and medium-core players whose average per day play sessions reflect four hours or more. Aeria Games hosts a diverse and rapidly growing portfolio of over 30 critically-acclaimed MMO titles spanning action, roleplaying, shooter, real time strategy, and racing games. The company is recognized for standout games including the MMO Eden Eternal, the popular MMORPG Shaiya, the supernatural MMOFPS Wolf Team, the expansive strategy game Golden Age and the upcoming action shooter Repulse.

"The acquisition of ijji Games further enhances our market leader position in the rapidly consolidating free-to-play sector of mid- and hard-core gaming," said Lan Hoang, Chief Executive Officer, Aeria Games. "In addition to outstanding new content such as the popular A.V.A. and Soldier Front games and other quality titles from NHN going forward, NHN's investment—which is our first external funding—will provide resources to facilitate our continuing growth and business expansion in multiple areas."

With 300 employees worldwide, the California-based company continues to invest in emerging markets such as Latin America, Eastern Europe and Russia while growing its active community in the US and Western Europe. With its focus on first-person shooters, ijji Games adds over 10 million hard-core gamers to Aeria Games' publishing platform for a combined user base consisting of over 35 million unique power players. Using advanced analytics and committed worldwide customer support, Aeria Games is able to bring quality games to market quickly with full local language support. In turn, Aeria Games' community fuels development with extended play sessions and in-game purchase levels that are much higher than those yielded by typical online and social network games.

With content partnerships from top game companies such as Electronic Arts and NHN, as well as a host of independent developers from around the world, Aeria Games continues to add high-quality content to its portfolio. The publishing organization offers developers all the necessary tools—from a large established player base, a single virtual currency, data warehouse and analytics, optimized payment options, to local marketing and customer service—to quickly and efficiently distribute games to key fast growing Western markets. As consolidation continues in the dynamic free-to-play sector, Aeria Games will utilize the additional resources from NHN to strengthen its position as a truly device-agnostic platform for mid- to hard-core gamers by expanding its content and platform offerings and growing its international footprint.

Terms of the agreement were not disclosed
Posted by Shri Krishna
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