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Pizza Hut delivers the world's first playable DJ pizza box
The major brands won't admit it, but it's pretty hard to innovate in the pizza-making industry. Stuffed crust and sausage-ringed pizza are now well established, so companies like Domino's and Pizza Hut are turning to clever marketing gimmicks to ensure sales keep ticking over. One such stunt is today's launch of the "world's first playable DJ pizza box" from Pizza Hut, which is a standard cardboard container rigged up with touch-sensitive decks, a mixer and other controllable buttons.
Even Pioneer CDJs don't play CDs anymore
The Pioneer CDJ-1000 sparked a revolution in the early '00s, persuading many DJs to put their vinyls to one side and make the move from analog to digital recordings. While, thanks to services like iTunes and Spotify, CDs have almost been relegated to the history books, CDJs are still very much a thing. If Pioneer has its way, however, they won't be for much longer. The aptly named XDJ-1000 is the company's first USB-only deck -- the first CDJ to not play CDs.
Blizzard drops details on Hearthstone beta wipe
Blizzard Entertainment's Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft collectible card game is currently in closed beta, and those folks fortunate enough to have a beta key are about to see big changes to their accounts. Today Blizzard outlined plans to completely wipe the progress of all beta participants -- gold, experience, class levels, unlocked cards, and arcane dust quantities will all be reset. This wipe isn't unexpected. Blizzard noted at the beginning of beta that data would be reset at some point during the testing phase. The wipe coincides with what Blizz is calling a "pretty major" beta patch, the details of which will be revealed in the near future. Once the wipe goes through, testers in Hearthstone will be effectively starting the game as new players. For those that spent real money on card packs, Blizzard is reimbursing the value via in-game gold. Those players will be able to purchase the same number of packs and arena tickets without paying a second time, though replacing the exact cards is not a guarantee due to the random nature of the packs. This is the last planned reset for Hearthstone; Blizzard is aiming for a full release before the end of the year so no further progress wipes are expected through beta and launch.
Hearthstone begins closed beta testing
Shuffle the deck of your hopes and dreams because Hearthstone has just started its closed beta testing and sent out the first wave of invites from the applicant pool. To make matters more interesting, Blizzard is not holding an NDA for the duration of the beta process, so expect to hear a lot of feedback from people trying out this online card game as the beta progresses. To get into the beta, you'll need to have a Battle.net account and choose to opt in to the test from there or through the website. Blizzard will be notifying beta participants via email, but cautions players to watch out for scams. The studio said that it will invite more waves of players as needed and confirmed that it will be wiping all collections and progress partway through the beta period. Blizzard does not expect to do another wipe after this one, however.
Hearthstone preps for beta
While it's not quite beta time for Hearthstone, Blizzard's wild and crazy crew (above) announced that it has finished all of the major features that will be present for testing. However, there's still some more work to be done before the team opens the beta valve; bug fixes and infrastructure building are taking priority prior to any large-scale testing. "What that means is that we're not days away from launching the beta, but we're not months away either," the devs wrote. "At the Hearthstone announcement we committed to going into beta testing before the summer was over, and the team has been pulling out all the stops to make that happen." The upcoming beta will begin in North America, but the team assures residents of Europe, Korea, and Taiwan that their time will come shortly thereafter. While the initial influx of testers will be small, Blizzard will continually expand the testing pool until everyone can join in. The team revealed a special gold card that will be given to any testers who spend money in the beta and said that a recent test of cross-platform gaming between a PC and an iPad went smoothly.
Face the trials of the Arena in Hearthstone
If you've played a lot of the Hearthstone beta, odds are you think you're pretty good at the game. If you've read up on it, you might still think you have a solid grasp of the strategy. So maybe you'll want to test your skills in a format that requires a different sort of strategy, something that will put your ability to build a deck on the line. If that's like your sort of game, perhaps you'll look forward to paying the entry fee and stepping into the Arena, a draft-style format that forces players to construct decks on the fly and pit them against similar constructions. After paying the entry fee, either through in-game gold or real cash, players will be presented with three random heroes. Picking one will set you to work building a deck of 30 random cards out of several selections, with each choice being final. Once you start in the arena, you'll try to accumulate as many wins as possible before hitting three losses, earning a more powerful key for better rewards each time you win. The game isn't released yet, but this mode is all the more reason for beta players to keep practicing and aspirants to keep their eyes peeled once it's available for everyone.
If God is a DJ, these are his decks (video)
Not getting the kind of attention you feel a DJ deserves? Then maybe it's because your decks are Plain Janes of spinning black nothingness when they could be so much more. You need projectors up there on the ceiling, creating light shows mapped to the rotation and beat of your records and simultaneously overlaying your software -- so you won't have to keep staring subserviently at a laptop. The next step? Using Wii controllers and motion capture for even stranger effects, plus whatever else your imagination conjures after seeing the video below. Soon this technology will be everywhere, from hospital radio DJs right down to that little pretender who does discos on the pier, so get in there quick to beat the curve.
The Secret World's Bruusgard talks skill decks, customization
The Secret World launch is fast approaching (though it may not be exactly when we some are reporting), and plenty of things of things about the game remain, well, secret. GamesRadar recently cornered lead designer Martin Bruusgaard and sussed out a few details regarding the game's skill deck mechanics. Bruusgaard says the system was designed to offer players a way to get their heads around the game's 500-plus abilities. While there are some recommended decks and combos for newer players, Bruusgaard says the intent behind the The Secret World's classless progression system lies is adaptability and plenty of customization options. "Some of the beauty of the system is allowing the players to come up with cool stuff themselves. We want to reward the players who dive into this and take their time to tinker with this, and there are lots of cool combinations we will save for these players," he explains.
Gemini drops two new FirstMix USB DJ controllers, helps you get your foot in the club
Gemini unveiled the original FirstMix last year and now it's just introduced two more models for the beginner DJ. The FirstMix I/O looks little more than a revision of the original, with some minor aesthetic tweaks, although we've not yet been given full specs for a proper comparison. The FirstMix Pro, however, definitely brings a little more to the DJ booth. We spy what appears to be three hot-cue buttons on each deck, expandable to six via a shift function, as well what looks like a three channel EQ. Loop-in and out buttons also make an appearance, along with -- most significantly -- a 3.5mm headphone jack, which suggests a built-in sound interface for pre-cueing. Gemini wants $129.95 for the FirstMix I/O and $199.95 for the FirstMix Pro and both come bundled with MixVibes LE. Fans of the original can now pick it up for a reduced $79.99. Check the PR after the break for the run-down.
The Darkmoon Faire is in town!
The Darkmoon Faire is in town, and it's on time this month! This time around you'll find it in Mulgore, just outside of Thunder Bluff. For future visits to the Darkmoon Faire, you can always check the official Events Calendar to find out when and where!If today will be your first time at the Faire, Daniel Whitcomb has a few neat little guides of you to take a look at, right here on WoW Insider. First, we have a guide for those interested the Faire's ticket system(why you would be, I do not know), and another about the very cool trinkets you can get via the Darkmoon Decks.The real awesome part about the Faire, though? The Iced Berry Slush. I'm serious! Go try one! Go go go!
