(Image not by me -- it was found in photobucket here.)
The space-ship themed MMORPG EVE Online has been at the forefront of virtual economies, with a thriving gaming world containing billions of virtual credits, overseen by a real-life actual economist. Like any good MMORPG, all those virtual credits add up to a couple of real-world dollars -- a fact that proved tempting for one player of the game.
RicDic -- a name that will live on in infamy -- decided that while he was rich in EVE, he wasn't all that well off IRL So, he decided to pull a good ole fashioned robbery. Being a CEO of an in-game corporation (the equivalent of a guild in a fantasy game), he had access to all the funds collected by his gaming-group. With one massive withdraw, he purged the company accounts, ending up taking somewhere around 200 billion space-credits. Sold to other players in the real world, this worked out to about $5,000 USD.
"I'm not proud of it at all, that's why I didn't brag about it," the terrible person was quoted as saying. "But you know, if I had to do it again, I probably would've chosen the same path based on the same situation," said the thief, as quoted by the Reuters news agency.
This big huge robbery caused a run on the in-game banks, and caused all sorts of anger explosions to break out in the game's forums.
"Anyone who 'understands' RicDic's actions and sees them as justifiable should be treated as a future scammer and should not be trusted with anything worth more than a Mexican peso. RicDic mismanaged his finances and found himself in a situation not uncommon to many people in these current times," said Lecherito, one of many upset EVE players.
"He should have stepped down and sold his computer, sold his car, moved to a house/apartment actually affordable on what must be an absolutely dismal salary, get a second job, etc etc etc etc. When **** hit the fan he made the decision of a weaker man. Stabbing friends in the back for his own benefit."
EA's FIFA Manager series has been around for good many years now, and it is starting to look like all the work put into the game is starting to really come together for all the soccer managing fans out there.
A new video has been released to show people some of the stuff EA has been up to. This first video is focused on the new online mode, where you can play with up to 8 friends and enemies, in the same virtual soccer/football league.
With the long-running and huge-selling Football Manager series to compete against, it appears that FIFA Manager may have too much ground to make up for, at times. But hey, this is EA after all. They have been known to make a long-running, successful sport series or two, themselves. The last FIFA Manager game received both positive and negative reviews -- maybe 2010's edition will do a bit better.
This online mode sort of looks like it is the EA equivalent of playing "Fantasy League" sports games which are very popular these days. If you ask this gamer -- and hey, I guess you didn't, but anyways -- EA should have put a email-play option mode in this series -- it would be one thing that Sports Interactive's Football Manager hasn't done yet, and I'd guess it would be popular.
FIFA Manager 10 is coming out for PC, and no release date has been set.
Going from 1gig to 2gig for increasing popularity of HD content
YouTube announced on Wednesday it is doubling the size limit for uploads to its website from 1 gigabyte to 2 gigabytes in order to allow users to post more HD video content.
"The increase means you can upload longer videos at a higher resolution as well as large HD files directly from your camera, the changes allow you to share links directly to the HD version of your video, as well as embed the HD version on your blog or website," the media host said.
HD video is increasingly popular but the higher resolution results in larger files; YouTube, although increasing the allowable file sizes, is still keeping a cap of 10 minutes for the length of each video.
We're generally not the flash gaming type, you may have guessed, but a new title on Newgrounds (NG) really floored us: Mega Man X RPG.
Developed by NG member ChamberACR, Chapter 1 was released recently, a follow-up to the "0" chapter released earlier in the year -- ACR recommends you just skip that one, though, and just head straight to Chapter 1 which is much improved. The game essentially plays like the Paper Mario series (complete with timed hits) crossed with the Mega Man X series, and it does it so well you wonder why the actual creators haven't thought of this before, instead of, you know, plodding out god knows how many new iterations without too much spirit or innovation (Mega Man 9 is excepted, of course).
There are cutscenes, an RPG-style story that actually seems quite good, random battles, dropped items, great music, and save support -- all the standards we love so much. The game runs at a max 720x540 resolution, and unfortunately you can't fullscreen it, which does kind of bring you out of the experience, but hey, it's great enough you're not terribly bothered.
A "semi-sequel" to Chapter 1 is in development, subtitled "Mission Pack" -- the developer, sadly, will be heading off with the Army in August, so no release date is firmed up, though he hopes it will be before then. Below are the planned features and their status -- quite ambitious for a little flash game.
- Save Transfer feature enables all equipment/stats/etc to carry over. (90% complete) - New enemies/bosses. (10% complete) - New animations for main characters. (0% complete) - Items are now broken into four parts: Consumables, Treasures, Scrap and Key Items. This should help alleviate any confusion as to what items do. (100% complete) - Mix and match scrap to create new items and equipment! (0% complete) - More efficient code. (100% complete).
The bottom line with the title is this: if Capcom have any sense (and we like to think they'd appreciate something like this), they'll make something commercial out of this in collaboration with the developer, quite unlike what Square Enix did with the Chrono Trigger title Crimison Echoes. BioWare's Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood did pretty well after all -- where's our traditional Mega Man RPG after all these years?
Two European retailers posted the product pages of the Samsung N510 Ion netbook -- a small yet performative device -- on their websites this past weekend, noting the version featuring NVIDIA's GeForce 9400M chipset would launch in the next few days.
(Image source: Legit Reviews)
It features an 11.6" screen with a resolution of 1366x768, wifi b/g/n, bluetooth and usual 160GB hard drive. It will sport the newer Atom N280, which has a FSB of 667Mhz compared to the 533MHz of the N270, and is clocked 66MHz faster. The netbook will come equipped of a 6-cell battery and is believed to provide approximately the same battery life as the older model the NC10, based on the aging Intel 945GSE chipset, except video performance will simply not be comparable -- the 9400M just owns its Intel rival.
Update: I just found this new picture, and the netbook does not seem quite the same. The borders around the screen are much thinner, and the NVIDIA logo has been replaced by the model name. Let's hope the second picture the design they will be going with! However this source states a release date as far as October.
Steam has just released one hell of a deal: 20 Games for 54 bucks
Earlier this week we had an article on a great deal from Steam: Fallout 3 for 25 bucks. That won't be the only deal blowing out of Steam over the next little while.
2K Games just launched its huge game pack, bundling 20 of its games which would normally cost $229.80 in total, for only $54.00. This is a real deal considering some of the tiles included in the game pack:
Two Worlds: The Temptation was originally pegged as an expansion pack for the first title in the series -- perhaps figuring two packs already was enough, The Temptation at some point became a full-out sequel, which developer Reality Pump has just now aptly renamed Two Worlds II.
With that comes a few new details: the game will be releasing this winter on the PC, Mac, and "next-gen consoles." The first title received a poor port to the Xbox 360 -- hopefully the sequel doesn't receive the same fate.
Publisher SouthPeak claims II has made "quantum leaps in all spheres": completely overhauled AI and balancing, experienced authors, an active combat system and new game engine are among the changes -- by the sounds of it, it could overcome the "average" standard its predecessor seemed to impress upon reviewers, but we'll have to wait and see.
Alexandra Constandache, the Executive Producer of TWII commented, “We intentionally opted for a completely independent game with radical new technology. This was the only way to ensure that we harness the enormous potential and experience gained from the making of the first “Two Worlds” project - and make full use of the further technical development of internal Reality Pump tools that has been on-going since the first “Two Worlds” was developed. This new release window gives us enough time to systematically implement both our own requirements and the feedback of the “Two World” fans, enabling us to create a breathtaking RPG experience.”
Keeping it cool with Arctic Cooling Twin Turbo Pro VGA cooler
Its no secret that some of today's more powerful video cards produce a lot of heat and the stock coolers on reference-design cards are loud and barely manage to keep temperatures in check.
Inno3D produces a line of videocards aimed squarely at enthusiasts and gamers who want top-notch performance and quieter cooling options. One of the ways the company does this is by incorporating aftermarket coolers from the likes of Arctic Cooling, Zalman and Zerotherm. Such is the case with the iChill GeForce GTS 250 that uses an Arctic Cooling Twin Turbo Pro cooler to provide excellent cooling at greatly reduced sound levels.
The unit mounts twin 92mm low-noise fans on the four-heatpipe cooler which offers over 80 percent greater cooling surface area when compared to the stock cooler. The advanced cooling solution on the iChill Accelero brings down temperatures 23C and reduces noise levels from 3.4 Sone to 0.4 Sone. The reduced temperatures also results in more stable performance and give you more headroom when overclocking the card.
Inno3D doesn't have the i-Chill GeForce GTS 250 posted on its web site yet and didn't provide pricing or availability information.
Obsidian Entertainment's Alpha Protocol will be out on October 6th. It is official.
Tired of RPG's with the typical collection of dragons, elves and dwarves? Or the slightly less common collection of aliens, space ships and pulse rifles? Then you might be interested in Alpha Protocol, which gives a RPG gaming spin to the spy thriller.
Another dev diary for the game went up today. Surprisingly, it looks like the graphics have been raised a small notch since the last time we see saw some Alpha Protocol footage. Guess the crew at Obsidian is putting the pedal to the medal in this final stage of polishing the game in anticipation of release.
Is it just me, or does Lead Artist Aaron Meyers bear a passing resemblance to Robert Downey Jr. ?
As an added bonus for you possible Neo-fans of the game, some previously unseen cam gameplay footage from E3 was submitted by a user to GameTrailers today. Here it is.
And last but not least, the box art was also shown today for the first time (as pictured below and left). Have to say, don't find it particularly eye-catching myself. What about this fan-made box art instead (below, right)?
The new Batman game, Arkham Asylum, is set to touch down not to long from now. It is coming August 25th, for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC simultaneously.
Eidos has put together a new video. This one features the game director, and some of the writing team. Though the video doesn't really show anything much you haven't seen before, if you are a fan of the game, any new Batman: Arkham Asylum video is good video.
Some of the best deals in PC gaming often come via Valve's Steam weekend deals.
50% off is the par for the course, for the Steam deals. And this weekend it is Bethesda's blockbuster Fallout 3, for $24.99 USD. Not that bad!
If you are interested at all in the game and been waiting for a good time to get it, now is your chance. I suppose if you had the will-power to hold out for the eventual Game of the Year edition, with all the lovely DLC included in the box, than that might be a package waiting even longer for. But $24.99 for Fallout 3 ! You have to love it.
How many more PC games would sell every year if the normal price for a game was $30, instead of almost twice that?
If you haven't caught it, Microsoft recently put out an advertisement for the latest edition of Internet Explorer, featuring none other than Superman actor Dean Cain, and directed by comedian and writer Bobcat Goldthwait. The ad, one in a series of similar productions, is now notorious for its 'graphic content'.
Following complaints, Microsoft has pulled it, stating, "while much of the feedback to this particular piece of creative was positive, some of our customers found it offensive, so we have removed it. We make a point of listening to our customers."
Below is the advertisement in question.
Our feeling: it's hilarious. And as a note to Microsoft: while it's good you listen to your customers, what about the ones that find this being pulled absurd? Just a thought, of course -- let us know yours.
Apple issued a temperature warning for their 3G and 3GS iPhones this week. Perhaps the summer heat was killing a few of the fancy phones in North America.
"Operate iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS in a place where the temperature is between 0º and 35º C (32º to 95º F). Low- or high-temperature conditions might temporarily shorten battery life or cause the device to temporarily stop working properly.
Store iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS in a place where the temperature is between -20º and 45º C (-4º to 113º F). Don’t leave the device in your car, because temperatures in parked cars can exceed this range," said Apple's website.
If you are bringing your iPhone to the beach, or over to similiar summery places, like Disneyland, it should not be that hard for your iPhone to exceed 32ºC -- especially in the hotter climates. So watch out! If you exceed this operating themperature, the horrible following problems may befall your so called 'smartphone':
The device stops charging
Display dims
Weak cellular signal
Temperature warning screen appears with the message "iPhone needs to cool down before you can use it" (see image below)
This somewhat limited operating temperature range might really be a problem this summer for owners in hot places, like South Africa or Bali.
It was announced to the public yesterday advertisements would be coming to the Xbox LIVE, something which sparked a lot of debate and controversy amongst gamers and journalists alike -- comments like "on Live it makes no sense if we have to pay a yearly fee and ON TOP of that have to deal with ads", and "They better have those ads for Silver accounts only" made up the general consensus of opinion on GameGrep.
Certainly valid points, especially when Wii and PS3 owners get most of the same services for free, and without ads -- sure, some argue it's an inferior experience, nevertheless, Microsoft's decision does raise an eyebrow or two.
The bright side, in any case, is the ads won't be obstructive, at least not much so -- Xbox LIVE's Major Nelson reports:
I’ve seen quite a bit of discussion today about how we’re bringing Silverlight ads to LIVE in the future.
I need to let you know that you don’t need to worry about a huge influx of ads across the dashboard. One of our core principles is to enhance, not interfere with the gaming experience, and we work directly with our partners to only deliver experiences that are relevant to the LIVE community. Silverlight will help make those ads a more organic part of the dashboard, like we’ve done with some of the NXE slots in the past. No one on the team wants to turn the dashboard into something that looks like like Shibuya Crossing. That’s just not good for anyone.
So at the least they're somewhat reasonable.
PC World's Matt Peckham responds:
"[Nelson] seems like the nicest guy in the world, but "enhance" is one of those words that drives me crazy. As far as I'm concerned, anything that's designed to entice me to buy more stuff while I'm reading a book, listening to a music CD, watching a DVD, or yes, even playing a video game, is interfering with my [...] experience. The question is, how much interference is too much interference?"
The advertisements will be using Microsoft's Silverlight technology, which is designed for animation, vector graphics, and audio playback -- though it's not precisely clear at this point what the content will consist of, Microsoft held a demonstration at Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival 2009 recently which used the latest Harry Potter film as an example of how advertisers could use their tools to increase profit, with the Xbox 360 as one component.
Since the "Xbox Experience" is already heavy on movies, seeing minorly intrusive and relevant content like this, particularly with the options of buying tickets, say, seems like a sensible enough idea to us, provided the animation and audio are left out of the picture. But as Peckham says, there are lines which can be crossed; respect should be in the highest order:
"Gamers buy game systems to play games, not be advertisement receptacles. In a smarter, more imaginative world, companies like Microsoft wouldn't need to gild the lily to lure advertisers and bolster revenue."
Battlefield fans don't have long to wait for the multiplayer-based 1943: DICE writes today the game will be released July 8 on Xbox LIVE Marketplace (1200 MS Points, or $15), and July 9 on the PlayStation Network -- no word is given on the PC version, strangely, though the date was originally pegged for summer along with its console counterparts.
The game will be based around aerial dogfights, trench combat and sea warfare, and is set to reinvent the classic maps from 1942 -- Wake Island, Guadalcanal, Iwo Jima and Coral Sea are inspired by their predecessor and will feature a striking lack of cover.
The Coral Sea map will only be unlocked once the 43 million community kill incentive is released -- probably a little easier than it sounds given the 24-player support.
“Battlefield 1943 is going to change consumer expectations of what a downloadable game can be. By offering Frostbite’s next generation destruction technology with a full Vehicle Warfare FPS multiplayer experience at a mere 560MB, Battlefield 1943 sets a new standard,” said Gordon Van Dyke, Producer on Battlefield 1943. “Our goal is to blow people away with a fully accessible, retail-calibre game for veteran Battlefield fans and shooter fans alike to enjoy for only £9.99.”
Wake Island has already been video featured -- today we bring you Guadalcanal.
Cooler Master has announced the start of it 2009 Global Modding Contestwhich begins today, July 1 and runs through September 30th. Once all entries are in voting begins with winners to be announced October 15th.
Competition will include three categories:
Full Tower
Mid Tower
Unique
There will will be a total of of four winners from each category based on the number of votes received. The top three modders with the most number of votes will receive grand prizes with three runner up prizes to be awarded in each category. The prize packages are being sponsored by AMD, Crucial, CyberPowerPC, Intel Extreme Board Division, Final Fantasy XI, CM Storm, Choiix, MSI, Zotac and Kingston so there should be some awesome goodies handed out to the best modders.
To find out more information about the competition including rules and how to register, head on over to the official contest site.
NZXT has released a new system fan controller that features a color touch screen controller and is compatible with any fan that uses voltage control. Fitting in a single 5.25 inch drive bay, the Sentry 2 boasts fast response time on the touch screen interface which displays pertinent information such as fan speeds and system temperatures in both Celsius and Fahrenheit.
The Sentry 2 can control up to 5 fans and supports 10W per channel and allows the user to manually control each fan individually or can be set up to automatically control the fans based on specific temperatures. The display can be switched off and the setting are stored internally during times when your PC is powered off. NZXT expects the Sentry to be available this month at a MSRP of $29.99 US.
In January of last year, Mushkin announced its first graphics card, the Geforce 8800 GT XP. Now it looks like Mushkin is about to release a few more.
The manufacturer has announced several Nvidia based cards that they plan to produce, ranging from GTX 260 to GTX 285 and GTX 295, all of which should be announced soon.
All of their cards so far have been based on Nvidia's primary design. Branded "UltimateX," the recently announced lineup includes a few overclocked models, and Mushkin is apparently preparing to do a few ATI based cards as well.
These cards are also shipped in nice wooden boxes, a high contrast to the cheaper cardboard containers typically seen. Precise details about the cards are still unknown, but we are quite sure that more information will come up soon.
Looking forward to Wolfenstein? This HD remake of a brutal classic will be arriving August 4 on PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
For PC gamers, the minimum specs were recently posted on the official Wolfenstein forums, along with software requirements, by community manager "Sokal." Nothing for recommended system specs yet.
Software Requirements
Microsoft(R) Windows(R) XP or Windows Vista(R) (Windows 95/98/ME/2000 are unsupported)
Microsoft DirectX(R) 9.0c (included & required for Windows XP & Vista)
Inspired by the classic film, bringin' back the memories
505 Games, in collaboration with Paramount Digital Entertainment, will be overseeing and publishing a Grease video game on Nintendo DS and Wii.
This is a massive trip down memory lane for a lot of people, no doubt, and especially well-timed given the rise in casual gaming. More than ever, we see gamers from more unusual demographics. Looks like a possible buy for more casual gamers, or anyone looking for a family-friendly experience.
“We are really excited about working with Paramount Digital Entertainment to turn this world famous film into a video game for the very first time. Working with such a well known and much loved brand is a great opportunity and we believe the collaboration further strengthens 505 Games’ entertainment portfolio,” commented Ian Howe, Managing Director at 505 Games.
In the game, players will be allowed to sing and dance alongside Danny, Sandy, The Pink Ladies, and T-Birds, using the DS's touch screen or the Wii's motion controls and mic.
“Paramount Digital Entertainment is pleased to be working with 505 Games to develop Grease,” said John Kavanagh, Senior VP of Video Games for Paramount Digital Entertainment. “Grease is the ideal opportunity to reach a broad gaming audience who love to sing, dance and have fun with a party-style game.”
China will never run out of MMOs to play, and now Warrior Epic is hopping the Great Firewall for some action.
International publisher True Games Interactive announced today that they've signed a deal with top Asian publisher, Gamania Digital Entertainment, giving Gamania exclusive publishing, distribution and operating rights over Possibility Space's Warrior Epic in China.
"Gamania is one of the premier publishers of online content in Asia and it is an honor to have them as a partner for Warrior Epic," Jeff Lujan, Founder and Chairman of True Games. "While it is common for Eastern-developed online games to come West, it is rare that a Western-developed game would be published in the East, but that is how confident we are that Warrior Epic has an appeal that spans gamers worldwide."
Based in Taipei, Taiwan, Gamania also publishes other notable MMOs in Asian territories, including Lineage Online, MapleStory, Mabinogi and more.
"We are thrilled to be working with True Games to bring Warrior Epic to the Asian community of gamers," said William Chen, Chief Operating Officer of Gamania. "We have brought some of the most successful MMO titles to market here in Asia and Warrior Epic will make a great addition to our portfolio of games."
If you'd like to try the game out for yourself, feel free to click around the official website.
Claim EA did not seek permission to use their names and likenesses
Identity theft! Well, not exactly, but some football players are pretty annoyed at Electronic Arts for using their likenesses, names or image in the NCAA Football games.
Now Ryn Hart and Troy Taylor are suing EA for invading their privacy. Or something. The lawsuit was filed by attorney Keith McKenna of Montclair, who states that the two men "never" gave EA permission to include them in the games.
"EA (Electronic Arts), the NCAA and CLC (Collegiate Licensing Company) have reviewed the complaint, and do not believe that the claims have merit," said Rob Semsey for EA SPORTS. "EA, the NCAA and CLC regularly conduct reviews of EA's NCAA-branded games, and we do not believe that any violations of student-athlete rights or NCAA bylaws have occurred."
Ryan Hart quarterbacked the Scarlet Knights from 2002 to 2005, and Troy Taylor played football during his college years before moving up to the New York Jets between 1990 to 1991.
PC gamers from all over the place where distraught to hear yesterday that Blizzard has no intention of making LAN play available in their upcoming Korea-shattering RTS StarCraft II.
Speaking with Joystiq, Blizzard PR employee Bob Colayco gave this rationale:
"We don't currently plan to support LAN play with StarCraft II, as we are building Battle.net to be the ideal destination for multiplayer gaming with StarCraft II and future Blizzard Entertainment games. While this was a difficult decision for us, we felt that moving away from LAN play and directing players to our upgraded Battle.net service was the best option to ensure a quality multiplayer experience with StarCraft II and safeguard against piracy.
Several Battle.net features like advanced communication options, achievements, stat-tracking, and more, require players to be connected to the service, so we're encouraging everyone to use Battle.net as much as possible to get the most out of StarCraft II. We're looking forward to sharing more details about Battle.net and online functionality for StarCraft II in the near future."
Currently, it seems most of PC gaming public seems unimpressed by this response. Judging from comments on a few gaming sites, many StarCraft fans would prefer not having achievements and stat-tracking if they could play a LAN mode, and just as many seem to think that pirates will find some way to enjoy multiplayer games regardless of Blizzard's plans.
No doubt this controversy will be around for some time. Eventually, when the game does hit the shelves, will the disappointments be quickly forgotten?
HTML5 support, Private Browsing mode, improved performance, and tons more
Mozilla has this morning released the major 3.5 update to its popular browser Firefox. With it comes HTML5 elements, including support for the open Ogg Theora and Vorbis video and audio formats, Private Browsing mode, better web app performance courtesy of the new TraceMonkey JavaScript engine (twice as fast as Firefox 3, and ten times Firefox 2), Location Aware Browsing (an optional feature that lets websites know where you're coming from so content can be tailored accordingly), and of course, lots of under the hood improvements, fixes, and the like.
Simply click the 'Help' tab in Firefox and 'Check for Updates' to grab the new version, of if you're particularly careful, use the Tweakguides method. If you're new to Firefox and keen to try, download it here.
There are known issues, naturally -- check the release notes linked below if you're curious.
Enjoy.
What’s New in Firefox 3.5
Firefox 3.5 is based on the Gecko 1.9.1 rendering platform, which has been under development for the past year. Firefox 3.5 offers many changes over the previous version, supporting new web technologies, improving performance and ease of use. Some of the notable features are:
Available in more than 70 languages.
Support for the HTML5 <video> and <audio> elements including native support for Ogg Theora encoded video and Vorbis encoded audio.
Improved tools for controlling your private data, including a Private Browsing Mode.
Better web application performance using the new TraceMonkey JavaScript engine.
The ability to share your location with websites using Location Aware Browsing.
Support for native JSON, and web worker threads.
Improvements to the Gecko layout engine, including speculative parsing for faster content rendering.
Support for new web technologies such as: downloadable fonts, CSS media queries, new transformations and properties, JavaScript query selectors, HTML5 local storage and offline application storage, <canvas> text, ICC profiles, and SVG transforms.
Funtasticus has a great new post up showing some of the worst cases of unhealty computer use; amused and inspired, we rounded up our own collection of images -- a humourous break from all the serious 'merger this and court case that' news, if you will.
So, if you can't remember the last time you've seen daylight, or what the word "daylight" means anymore, this one's for you (and us).
Lastly, your computer obsession has probably gone too far if "It's All About the Pentiums" is still your favourite Weird Al song:
Controversial torrent site sold for 7.8 million USD
Swedish software company Global Gaming Factory X AB has announced today that they have acquired the infamous Bittorrent website The Pirate Bay and peer-to-peer software technology company Peerialism AB, according to the company's press release. The company intends to launch new business models that will provide compensation for content providers and copyright owners with the acquisition of the two companies. Said Global Gaming Factory CEO Hans Pandeya:
"We would like to introduce models which entail that content providers and copyright owners get paid for content that is downloaded via the site. The Pirate Bay is a site that is among the top 100 most visited Internet sites in the world. However, in order to live on, The Pirate Bay requires a new business model, which satisfies the requirements and needs of all parties, content providers, broadband operators, end users, and the judiciary. Content creators and providers need to control their content and get paid for it. File sharers need faster downloads and better quality."
Global Gaming Factory (GGF) has acquired the domain name for The Pirate Bay, and its related websites The purchase amount totals 60 million Swedish Krona (MSEK), which is approximately 7.8 million USD. Half of the total was paid in the form of cash, while the other half was issued in the form of new shares in the publicly-traded GGF, which amounts to a maximum of three percent of the total outstanding shares in the company. In the event that this three percent is less than the intended 30 MSEK value, the difference will be paid in cash.
The Pirate Bay is no stranger to the news, with its former-owners having announced video service The Video Bay and its involvement with the issue of free speech in Iran. This surprising news comes as the site's founders are currently appealing their case after the presiding judge's conflict of interest was uncovered. A blog post by the founders on The Pirate Bay's website assures users that the site will remain the same, lest GGF lose the website's top-100 activity. They also confirm that the sale profits will go into a foundation that will promote freedom of speech, freedom of information, and "openess of the nets" projects.
Additionally, GGF had acquired software technology company Peerialism AB, which specializes in data distribution and distributed storage via peer-to-peer technology. With the company's acquisition, GGF now gains access to Peerialism's technology, and can implement it in The Pirate bay. The acquisition price is a total of 100 MSEK, with it broken up similar to The Pirate Bay's deal, with half paid in cash, half paid in the form of shares in GGF. Additionally, GGF committed 25 MSEK in investments in Peerialism. Said Peerialism CEO Johan Ljungberg:
“Peerialism has developed a new data distribution technology which now can be introduced on the best known file - sharing site, The Pirate Bay. Since the technology is compatible with the existing it will quickly allow for new values to be created for all key stakeholders and facilitate new business opportunities."
GGF expects that the two acquisition will be complete this August, following the company's General Meeting and decisions by its board of directors. GGF will also need to secure the financing for this acquisition. Provided that the funding is obtained and that the company's board of directors can use these new assets in a "legal and appropriate way", ownership and responsibility for the assets will be transferred to GGF. Concering both acquisitions, Pandeya had this to say:
“As a result of the acquisitions of The Pirate Bay and Peerialism, GGF will have a strategic position in the international digital distribution market. File sharing traffic is estimated to account for more than half of today's global Internet traffic. The Pirate Bay has a global brand and holds a key position with over 20 million visitors and over one billion page views per month."
Selection for the MSI Master Overclocking Arena North American qualifiers begin today and MSI is inviting overclockers from USA, Mexico and Canada to sign up and participate in this online tournament to determine the best overclocking team from their respective countries.
Phase I competition is open to everyone and the qualifiers will run from June 29th to July 19th. All you need to do to take part is submit your highest overclocking score online. The top 10 winners will be selected for the Phase II which runs July 25th to August 2nd. The top two overclockers from that round get to choose a guest to accompany them to the MOA 2009 Grand Final in Beijing. So head on over to the MOA 2009 site and check out the rules and submit your best overclocking score.
IDE hard drive interface for embedded applications
Super Talent announced today it has begun shipping a new line of flash disk modules intended primarily for embedded applications. The new disk on module (DOM) units use a standard IDE hard drive interface with either a 40- or 44-pin configuration and are offered with either horizontal or vertical connectors. The NAND flash used in the DOMs make them ideal for applications such as areas exposed to high levels of dust, shock, vibration or extreme temperatures that would render traditional hard drives useless.
The line includes single-level cell models that offer sequential read speeds up to 80 MB/sec and sequential write speeds up to 60 MB/sec and multi-level cell models that achieve up to 40 MB/sec write speeds. The units include wear leveling, ECC and bad bit management as standard features for improved reliability. Both the MLC and SLC models are offered in 8, 16 and 32GB capacities.
It seems like these would also make an ideal way to embed a Linux OS on a small form factor board for that carputer or NAS appliance you've been thinking about building. Super Talent is currently shipping units but didn't disclose pricing.
802.11n draft with enhanced bandwidth management capabilities
Today ASUS announced the release of the RT-N16 wireless-N Gigabit router that emphasizes what ASUS calls the three "S's" - speed, simplicity and security. In addition to the wireless-N capabilities, the RT-N16 offers four Gigabit Ethernet ports and two USB ports for connecting printers and external storage devices.
The RT-N16 conforms to the latest 802.11n draft specs with a theoretical maximum throughput of 300Mbps and also is backward compatible with 802.11 b/g devices. The unit's powerful CPU and 128MB of memory help ensure it can handle multiple simultaneous networking tasks with no lag.
Management of the router is accomplished through the EZ UI graphical user interface that incorporates a host of different connectivity features under a single interface. Bandwidth management is handled using the EZQoS function where you can easily allocate bandwidth according to individual user needs. To support network usage of a shared printer, the EZ All-In-One Printer function allows multiple users to simultaneously access a printer and use its print and scan functions. The AiDisk feature allows users to easily set up file-sharing via the web in minutes.
The unit also offers security features through the WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup) interface that allows users to set up secure Wi-Fi Networks within minutes and lock down the network to prevent potential intrusion by unauthorized outsiders. In addition to NAT and stateful packet inspection features, users can choose from different encryption protocols including WEP, WPA-PSK, WPA2-PSK, WPA-Enterprise, WPA2-Enterprise and RADIUS.
ASUS did not disclose availablity or pricing information.
PowerColor will bundle BumpTop 3D desktop beginning in July
BumpTop 3D is an intuitive and visual approach to organizing your computer desktop that combines the look and feel of a real desktop with the power of your computer to add advanced search and sort capabilities. It also provides the ability to use the three-dimensional aspect of the application to spatially organize files and photos and share them with different contacts. Check out a video of it in action as well as our mini-review here.
Under a new agreement, PowerColor will begin bundling the software with its PCS HD4850 graphics card starting this July. The PCS version of the HD4850 includes an advanced cooling solution from Arctic Cooling for a balance low-noise and low operating temperatures.
PowerColor expects to expand the program to include its entire lineup of videocards in the near future.
Mass Effect is considered one of the greatest sci-fi games to have graced the industry in recent years, but fans still have their fair share of complaints.
Many considered the difficulty settings a major "problem" with Mass Effect, and the official forums are filled with players asking BioWare if they would consider unlocking "Insanity" mode right from the start in Mass Effect 2.
While BioWare has made no clear confirmations, lead system designer Christina Norman has promised us the difficulty in Mass Effect 2 is getting a major boost. While there is the possibility for Insanity mode to be available from the start, the con is having it toned down in favor of another locked difficulty setting; the purpose of having a locked difficulty mode is, of course, to reward the hardcore players who made it through the game once before.
Most exciting of all may be the new A.I., which Norman states will be more advanced on harder settings, not just "tougher."
First we're trying to add additional dimensions to our difficulty system. I can't go into the details right now, but there is more integration with our AI system for example. We want enemies on harder difficulties to feel smarter, deadlier, not just "tougher". We want insanity to feel like a smart experience, where you don't die because a rocket hits you and you're one-shot killed. You die because you face an overwhelming, deadly, force. You play extremely well, but not well enough, and on a subsequent try you're able to be victorious because you play better.
Once we have the difficulty levels nailed down, we'll evaluate and see whether or not it's reasonable to let insanity difficulty be unlocked at the start. I'm totally open to doing that unless it means we have to make it "easier". Ultimately if I have to choose between those options, I will choose a harder insanity difficulty, because I believe that's what's important to our players.
Overall insanity in ME2 will be harder than ME1. That's a heads up for everyone! Beating insanity on ME2 is going to be a real "achievement", a badge of honor, get ready.
Norman clarifies later that BioWare is looking at all the options for difficulty locking, but nothing definite has been decided upon yet. She does assure gamers that even seasoned Mass Effect players will find Mass Effect 2 combat challenging, given how much has changed.
Certain things are much easier in ME2 (not dumbed down easy, better designed easy), but there are new challenges as well.
In general there just won't be any dumbing down in ME2, that's not the way we go. We're going for easy to play because it's better designed, not dumbed down.
Mass Effect 2 has been confirmed for an early 2010 release on Xbox 360 and PC. You can still check out our in-depth preview from this year's E3 show.
New screenshots also released, with lots of Moogles
In spring, Square Enix announced they would be releasing a set of three separate expansions for Final Fantasy XI, beginning with "The Crystalline Prophecy" add-on in April.
Now it's the end of June, and they've revealed more details for the second expansion, "A Moogle Kupo d'Etat - Evil in Small Doses." Pre-sale for this chapter will begin on July 5, confirmed in Europe and other PAL regions, despite the Australian government's campaign against online games.
Final Fantasy XI subscribers can expect the expansion toward the end of July, when it will be launched simultaneously worldwide for Xbox 360, PlayStation 2 (North America and Japan only), and PC. As we've mentioned in March, the download will cost €9.99 or £7.99 (almost $13.0), via the PlayOnline Viewer.
The next expansion by Masato Kato will be "A Shantotto Ascension - The Legend Torn, Her Empire Born."
There many conflicting rumours over the state of Obsidian Entertainment's role-playing game take on Aliens. Was it dead? Was it merely wounded with a gunshot and soon going to jump out and shock everyone from behind a pile of crates? The game was declared postponed, then declared in stasis, and now declared, for sure, that it is dead (or is it)?
"Unfortunately, it is true that we are no longer working on the game, and we wanted to finally announce that officially to everyone who has been following its development," said "The Guildmaster," an Obsidian employee, in the Obsidian forums.
Probably most people who have been into gaming for awhile realize that if a project is postponed for any length of time, it has just about as much chance to get back into production as G.W. Bush has at getting re-elected for a third term. However due to some ambiguous reports that surfaced a few weeks ago, hardcore fans of the game were still holding out hopes that the game would be resurrected.
But this is not the case and no, there will be no Aliens RPG from Obsidian.
Besides, Obsidian is hard at work putting the final touches on their single-player spy RPG Alpha Protocol. Then they are going to be diving into the stand-alone Fallout: New Vegas. So there's no time for aliens.
Blizzard game-designer Rob Pardo put an end to some speculation this week when talking to website IncGamers. According to Parod, there will be no LAN mode for Starcraft II.
LAN gaming was a cornerstone to the popularity (and continued popularity) of the world-famous RTS game. However, it isn't the '90s anymore, and Blizzard feels that BattleNet 2.0 should be sufficient for all of their fans' multiplayer needs.
The original Starcraft had a "spawning" feature, which allowed many players to play a LAN game, with "spawned" installations of only one copy of the game, with one serial code. This helped launch the popularity of the game's competitive RTS matches. It'll be interesting to see if this will limit the game's exposure to North American audiences at all -- of course, in South Korea, Starcraft II is going to be a guaranteed blockbuster, but PC classic-style RTS games, like Starcraft and Command & Conquer and their ilk, have arguably been waning in popularity on these shores in recent years.
Blizzard's VP of game design reveals some interesting details
Vice president of game design Rob Pardo revealed recently that StarCraft II's development process was hindered early on by Blizzard's great money-making machine, World of Warcraft.
StarCraft II development actually began in 2003, though we didn't hear a peep about the game until 2007. Not that he's bitter about it or anything.
"One of the reasons that StarCraft II had some delays very early on in development is because a fair amount of the design team went onto World of Warcraft for a year to really help finish that game off," said Pardo.
"They had a lot of really great experience to bring, with their knowledge of how they approached the map editor problems, how they dealt with balancing - which we could then leverage into class balancing."
Lead producer Chris Sigaty stated that a lot of artists and other team members got called off to work on WoW.
"That's a question we get asked," Sigatay said. "Wow, you made this decision in 2003 and now it's 2009, what's going on? It's just been that what we've been trying to do as a company is bigger than any one project."
Pardo explained that since StarCraft II took focus again, the team has been busy testing the new engine and doing a lot of balance work.
"We build the multiplayer side first," he stated. "It was a brand new engine and brand new technology, so it did take us a couple of years before we had something that was reasonably playable. I would say late 2005 or early 2006 is when we had something that was probably legitimately playable."
Interestingly enough, StarCraft II is the first game in Blizzard's recent history that hasn't required any backtracking for the development team. In fact, they haven't had to go back to the drawing board once throughout the entire process.
"This may be the first game in our recent few games that we haven't done that major reboot with," Pardo gushed. "It's been a long project for sure, but if you look at say World of Warcraft, or Warcraft III - or even the original StarCraft - there was a halfway point where we took a dramatic left turn and took a different direction. We haven't done that with Starcraft II. That said, it's certainly taken a long time to get to where it's at, for a variety of reasons."
While multiplayer was addressed first, the single-player aspect wasn't picked up on until development was halfway through. Incidentally, single-player was a greater struggle for the team.
"If anything, the single-player has taken a lot more iteration because we are going into such a new direction with how to approach that," he said, suggesting that there's still a lot more work to do in that field before StarCraft II is anywhere near completion.
"There are a lot of things in our approach to singleplayer that we've meandered around, trying different things until we got to something that we really felt happy with."
'The Video Bay': like YouTube, without out all those silly copyright restrictions
Though facing jail and $3.8 million in fines, The Pirate Bay founders have decided to go ahead with their upcoming video service The Video Bay (TVB), which seems to hold the ambition of matching YouTube in content, and with no restrictions on copyrighted material.
The site is currently in "extreme beta" stage -- not much is up at the moment, but if you care to take a peek, it's there for you. Firefox users can check out some samples as of tomorrow morning when version 3.5 launches; beta users can do so now, as can users of the latest Opera preview, Chrome, or Safari.
It's stated TVB will use the new HTML5 features, specifically <video> and <audio> tags, and the open ogg/theora audio and video formats.
The head of Sweden's Pirate Party, Rickard Falkvinge, said this is another step in a "prolonged legal battle with the record industry."
"It's obvious that, given enough time, The Pirate Bay will win this war which will go on as long as the record industry has yet another penny to file a lawsuit. I think they are taking an important part in that battle, fighting for freedom of expression and culture against monopolistic companies."
PlayStation 3 owners who regularly catch shows and movies on TV delivery service Hulu have probably noticed recently they can no longer do so on their console: joint owners NBC, Fox, Disney and "a venture capital company you've never heard of" have blocked access to it. The change comes not long after Hulu was restricted to viewing at its own website or via the desktop player only, and with its ongoing battle against Boxee, a service which allows Internet TV to be displayed on a regular TV with minimal hassle.
The service's Terms of Use were updated on June 26, however no mention is made of the PlayStation 3.
The Escapist writes: "It seems like a very strange move, and I can't think of any good reason for it. Besides trying to beat piracy - which I would assume is part of Hulu's mission - by restricting how and where people can use a product simply doesn't work, just ask EA."
47 total Achievements, mostly for solving puzzles and kicking ass
Looking forward to Batman: Arkham Asylum? Well, the complete Achievement list has been revealed, and we're thinking it's pretty much the same for Trophies.
We've got 47 Achievements for the usual total of 1000 Gamer Points (G), with 15 being Secret Achievements. Based on this list, we know there will be three available difficulties and plenty of The Riddler's puzzles. Not surprisingly, most of the Achievements / Trophies are earned by performing martial feats or solving puzzles.
Based on trailers and our hands-on demo with senior producer Ames Kirshen at E3 this year, one of the game's greatest selling points may be that FreeFlow technique. We'll be seeing numerous celebrities from the Batman comics, so keep a sharp eye out.
• Big Bang (50 G) Complete story mode on Easy difficulty
• Bigger Bang (50 G) Complete story mode on Normal difficulty
• Biggest Bang (50 G) Complete story mode on Hard difficulty
• Party Pooper (10 G) Time to break up this party
• Freeflow Combo 20 (10 G) Complete a combo of 20 moves (any play mode)
• Freeflow Combo 40 (10 G) Complete a combo of 40 moves (any play mode)
• Night Glider (5 G) Glide continuously for over 100m
• Rope-A-Dope-A-Dope (10 G) String up one henchman and drop him to surprise a second (any play mode)
• Mano-A-Mano (10 G) Take on a beast in hand to hand combat
• Catch! (5 G) Catch a Batarang (any play mode)
• Freeflow Combo 5 (5 G) Complete a combo of 5 moves (any play mode)
• Freeflow Combo 10 (5 G) Complete a combo of 10 moves (any play mode)
• Freeflow Perfection (10 G) Perform a perfect combo including all of Batman's combat moves (any play mode)
• Freakshow Rodeo (10 G) Ride a beast and unleash its power
A growing disconnect with the community, and why this year's E3 show left a bad taste in our mouths
In the good ol' days, we loved Nintendo, and try very hard to keep on loving them. Still, Nintendo fans watch as gaming media withdraw their support for the industry giant, one news article at a time. Is this movement within the gaming community completely unfounded?
Sales numbers will, of course, show that Nintendo is still very much alive. And no one can deny the fact that they revolutionized casual gaming in just a few short years, also laying down a lot of groundwork for the other two "Big Three" in terms of motion control. However, the company and their lineup have been topics for debate in the gaming community for some time, and since the Wii became a huge success, we've been back-and-forth arguments over whether Nintendo still cares about core gamers.
Personally, I won't formulate an opinion in the matter, but this year's E3 press conference did not make Nintendo any more likeable to those not indoctrinated. Most of the event stands as irrefutable evidence for Nintendo's gradual and continuous departure from core gaming, despite duplicitous claims that they still support "hardcore" games, citing titles like the formerly exclusive Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, MadWorld, The Conduit, and the budding No More Heroes franchise.
And yet the bulk of their presentation this year spoke louder than any PR claims. There's no doubt that Wii Sports Resort and (facepalm) James Patterson's Women's Murder Club: Games of Passion will make Nintendo loads more money (sadly), but the audience was terribly underwhelmed by the overall show. More worthwhile titles like the new Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Galaxy 2, and the mysterious Metroid Other M did get the right side of the auditorium going briefly, and that same crowd cheered for the Golden Sun DS announcement. I'll admit these games show great promise, regardless of my usual disinterest in Nintendo's first-party games.
Wait, what about The Conduit, Dead Space Extraction, and Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles? Fils-Aime barely touched those games, breezing straight through while offering trailers that showed us nothing new. He admits knowing how core gamers feel, empathizing with their disappointment, and then builds expectation by reminding the audience that Nintendo has not abandoned them. The way those games were then presented doesn't exactly support his sincerity though.
That was a far cry from the excitement we saw during Microsoft's and Sony's respective conferences. Xbox 360 VP John Shappert let their lineup do the talking, and Sony CEO's Jack Tretton and Kaz Hirai were infinitely more charismatic during their presentations than Reggie Fils-Aime, Cammie Dunaway and Bill Trinen could have hoped to be with their horrendously scripted industry-speak. Oh, the other execs no doubt rehearsed their lines for hours on end (or even had a teleprompter somewhere), but they pulled it off in spades. These speakers knew exactly how to connect with their audience and draw out a favorable response! The dynamic at Nintendo's show, on the other hand, was embarassingly flat.
The entire Nintendo media briefing also felt like one massive personal insult to many of us. The games are one thing, but their unexplained decision to have the execs projected onstage rather than appear in person felt like a backhand to our faces. We kept fidgeting in our seats, wondering if perhaps Miyamoto would suddenly bust on stage and make everything better. Never happened. Some suggested a separate, more private briefing for the elite was going on in another wing of the Nokia theatre.
And to think, we got up at sunrise to see that. Thanks, Nintendo, for having the earliest flippin' media briefing and deciding we aren't worth your time.
Like his colleagues, Iwata also failed to show up in person. Though this decision may have been a precaution, in case anyone in the first ten rows felt like chucking their laptop at the guy's head after he announced the Wii Vitality Sensor. You really didn't need a sensor to see the audience flatlining in our seats that morning.
Incidentally, I finally took my first gen Wii out of its box again and hooked it up beside my Xbox 360, where it eagerly awaits being put to good use. Hopefully sometime soon. There are definitely some new Wii games to look forward to, like Tatsunoko vs. Capcom and Muramasa: The Demon Blade, which were not even mentioned during the briefing, like so many other missed opportunities.
To be clear, we aren't completely dismissing Nintendo hardware. At least I'm not; wouldn't know about my two co-workers who were present with me. Media and community disillusionment this year comes from further realization that Nintendo has found greener pastures in a different market.
Admittedly, I felt sympathetic toward these people, except Cammie because I was too busy imagining myself performing a flying kick to her face from my chair. As far I know, they could be genuinely excited for their products, and if that's the case, the response they got from their audience this year must've felt absolutely deflating. Then I remembered these guys bleed money, and I didn't feel quite so guilty for not giving a crap about Mario since the early '90s.
forums
