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Blizzard's splash screen changes for June 26th
The saga of the icy splash screen continues, as the newest splash screen has just gone live on Blizzard's sites under the file name ice4.jpg. This time, the ice has cracked away even further, revealing more of the night sky, and what looks to be a face coalescing from the ice flecks and vapor in the middle of the picture. The identity of the face isn't clear, although Alex thinks it may be a Protoss Archon. We've also received this very intriguing picture from tipster Pact, which shows the face overlaid with a picture of Diablo from the Diablo 2 box. Of course, it's worth noting that it could simply be Arthas' eyes as well, peering out from his helmet. As expected, a new rune has appeared as well, bringing the tally to four. This rune, located to the lower right of the cracking ice, looks like nothing so much as a miniature solar system model -- perhaps related to this model seen during April Fool's? Diablofans.com has suggested it may be a top-down view of an Arcane Sanctum from Warcraft 3 and WoW (You can see one at the Scryer's base in Shadowmoon) as well. As also expected, a new piece of the strange purple monster has appeared as well. It appears to be the hindquarters of the beast. So far, I'm still sticking to my belief that it's some sort of purple penguin. This file was named 16.jpg, which, if we follow the alphabet conversion method we've been using for previous pieces, gives us the letter "P." "Powd" is the best I can get out of that. Does that mean this picture is that of a new mascot named "Powder the penguin"? As usual, you can see all of these graphics in our splash screen speculation gallery, which is constantly being updated with new speculation and analysis as the WWI draws nearer. %Gallery-25975% There's more analysis to come after the break.
Breakfast Topic: Non-combat uses for combat spells
Obviously, all of our classes have a bunch of combat spells, and we use them in combat all the time. But when it comes to standing around the city, all of us might as well be clowns mocked up in different outfits, because we don't use our magic unless we're killing something. Of course there are also a lot of non-combat spells, such as mages summoning food and water, or warlocks summoning you and me. But is there any use to some of our combat spells for those times when we're not in combat?The greatest non-combat use I can think of for combat spells is in roleplaying, such as the frost-mage gnome I featured in an article, who had such a horrible cold all the time -- she would sneeze and Frost Nova at the same time for a really fun character effect. I'd love to hear some more of these roleplaying ideas, but I'd also like to hear from non-roleplayers as well. How do you use your spells to entertain yourself or your friends, without killing something at the same time?
WRUP: Rabbit rabbit edition
Tomorrow's the first of December, and with that comes the final lock on Winter's door-- we're stuck with this cold and snow now until next spring (at least here in the northern US), and yet there's still about a week to go until the holidays really get underway and the family has you making cookies and putting up trees with lights on them. Sounds like the perfect time for staying warm inside and getting some good gaming done!So we're asking our weekly query again: What aRe yoU Playing this weekend? Me, I've finally gotten some momentum back with my lowbie hunter in World of Warcraft, so I'm going to be rolling as fast as I can towards that new Dustwallow Marsh content. Usually, I'd have a little non-MMO Xbox 360 game playing in there, but unfortunately I got hit by the RRoD last week-- I've got both Mass Effect and Rock Band (with drum kit assembled-- yeah, I'm dying here) sitting still wrapped in plastic in my apartment.But hopefully your gaming days are better. What are you playing this weekend?
iPhone survives freezing temperatures, won't work with gloves
It's been a tick since anyone was brave enough to put their mobile through frozen conditions after that whole i-mate JAQ ordeal, but a fellow at f-secure did manage to put his own iPhone to the test to see just how well it would operate after a half hour in the freezer. Though Apple lists the "nonoperating temperature" as -4° to 113° Fahrenheit, this particular iPhone chilled out in -4° temperatures for 30 solid minutes before finally escaping, and while the touchscreen wouldn't respond at all to glove-covered fingertips, bare hands managed to show that all functionality was still in tact. Granted, it wasn't frozen in a block of ice or anything, but folks residing in bitterly cold locales can rest assured that their iPhone will indeed survive the frigid winters to come. Check out the video after the jump.[Via TUAW]
Will it freeze? i-mate JAQ takes a chilly beating
We won't say it's for certain just yet, but we've got a sneaking suspicion that the now-infamous Will It Blend series of destruction videos has created a monster. In a zany spinoff of the violent series, an i-mate JAQ is dealt a chilly beating as a presumably deranged individual ponders if it will "pass the freeze test." The snazzy smartphone was placed in frigid waters and then frozen block solid, only to be bashed repeatedly once it returned from the freezer. As with most of these cases, the JAQ didn't exactly perform admirably, and in fact, it failed to ever turn on again. So if you don't mind seeing perfectly good electronics go to waste, or you'd just like another bright idea to try yourself, be sure to hit the read link for the ominous video.
Today's hottest game video: Wii forecast channel
What's the Wii weather forecast? Chili today, hot tamale! HO HO HO! Sorry, that's stuck in our head from some really flimsy joke book we read during our childhood. Apparently the joke doesn't really hold up, but it's about the only weather-related joke we've got at the moment. Today's hottest video covers the newly released Wii Forecast channel now gracing screens everywhere. If Nintendo would just release a Murder, She Wrote and a Matlock channel, they could really market this thing to seniors everywhere.Check out the video after the jump, and then look up the Wii-nter weather on a console near you.
iGlove Multi iPod gloves
We've mentioned the Tavo iPod gloves before, but if you want something a little bulkier - and warmer, from the looks of them, check out the iGlove Multi from Marmot. The iGlove Multi (we're really not sure what the "multi" is supposed to mean) is a pair of fleece gloves that are "Click Wheel compatible." They claim to be warm enough to wear by themselves, but thin enough to wear as a liner under your even warmer gloves.So what the heck makes them "Click Wheel compatible?" Glad you asked. The iGlove Multi uses the patent pending Playpoint™ technology on the thumb and forefinger tips, which apparently makes for better Click Wheel contact than your wool mittens. The rest of the glove features silicon printing for enhanced grip and durability.I like the concept of an iPod-friendly glove, in general, but I'd rather see a glove with a warm, snuggly, waterproof iPod pocket built-in and those fancy fabric iPod controls on top. Now that would be a sweet way to hit the slopes.[via Uncrate]
Joystiq Cares: Please rethink waiting in PS3 lines
We start you off with this video submitted to Kotaku of the NYC Circuit City line, just to give you a small taste of what's to come tomorrow. Reports continue to pour in that, other than certain Circuit City stores, most retail locations will not be receiving their intended, expected, hoped, dreamed, whatever you want to call it, shipments of Playstation 3 for launch. Although none of the retailer HQ's we contacted will give us their launch numbers -- because those greedy guys hope you'll walk out with another system in hand -- many retail store employees continue to send in tips that their stores are receiving fewer (if any) expected units. Although Sony still hasn't said anything official, please just look at a fraction of evidence regarding the launch numbers. There are other ways of procuring a PS3 if you're desperate and rich enough to afford one. In general, if you aren't one of the first few people in line -- don't forget the people who pre-ordered in some cases -- double check and ask exactly how many units the store will receive. That's it. Cold hard truth. But, we ain't your motha', go wait in line if you want.
