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OCZ's RevoDrive 3 X2 review roundup: SSD melts faces with 1.5GBps read and 1.2GBps write speeds
Did our footage of OCZ's new RevoDrive 3 X2 whet your appetite for more info on the super speedy SSD? Well, your wish is the web's command, and we've got a full roundup of reviews that'll tell you all you need to know. After putting OCZ's latest through its paces, the consensus is that the SSD is seriously quick in remembering and retrieving data. According to Tom's Hardware, the RevoDrive 3 X2 -- with its max 1.5GBps read and 1.2GBps write speeds -- "smokes everything" they've had pass through their lab. However, AnandTech noted that such capacious bandwidth is "simply overkill" for most users, as the drive only really flexes its muscles once the queue depth increases from enterprise-level workloads. Several sites noted that the lack of TRIM support on Windows machines was also a concern, and that more cost effective (albeit slower) storage solutions can be had with a DIY RAID array of SATA SSDs. Of course, you don't have to take our word for it, get down to the nitty gritty in the links below. Read - Hot Hardware Read - AnandTech Read - Tom's Hardware Read - PC Perspective Read - The SSD Review
HotHardware surveys the Cougar Point motherboard horizon, spots a winner
There's an ocean of possibilities when it comes to choosing the right Socket LGA 1155 board to mother your Sandy Bridge processor. But a roundup review at HotHardware funnels it down to just five rivals within a $179-$267 price bracket and based on Intel's P67 chipset: two offerings from Asus, plus one each from ASRock, Gigabyte and MSI. The reviewers found clear favorites depending on what you're looking for: The ASRock Fatal1ty P67 Professional and MSI P67A-GD80 can both bring serious aesthetics to your super rig, and the former has a particularly good bang-for-buck ratio. The Asus P8P67 WS Revolution stands out with four full-length PCI Express lanes for crazy graphics, while the more conservative Asus P8P67 Professional has the lowest idle power consumption of the lot. Click the source link now if you'd prefer to discover the overall winner for yourself. Otherwise, all we can say is, viva la Revolution.
Faxion Online launch-day roundup
Heaven or Hell! Let's rock! UTV Ignition Games' Faxion Online is going live today, pitting the celestial forces of Heaven against the diabolical ranks of Hell in a struggle for supremacy over the realm of Limbo. If you're thinking about joining this divine war, then we're here to help. We've compiled a list of the best Faxion articles Massively has to offer for your perusal in hopes of giving you a bit of a leg up on the competition before you swear allegiance to your faction of choice. So secure your halos and horns and jump on past the cut for Massively's Faxion roundup, and should you exhaust the list, remember that there's more to be had in Massively's Faxion archives.
NVIDIA's GTX 560 desktop GPU fills an exceedingly narrow pricing niche
With Tegra 2 hogging the spotlight, sometimes it's easy to forget that NVIDIA is still primarily in the business of making GPUs for computers. Yet, here it is with the GeForce GTX 560, another graphics chip ready to be inserted into mid-range gaming rigs. This smaller sibling of the GTX 560 Ti is designed to plug right into a small price gap in the company's lineup -- right around the $200 mark. The 336 CUDA cores inside this second-gen Fermi card, predictably, perform slightly better than the GTX 460 and fall just short of the 560 Ti, but it does eke out a victory over similarly priced competition from AMD. The only thing that kept reviewers from wholeheartedly endorsing the various (and often overclocked) flavors of the 560 was the tiny difference in price between it and its relatives -- tacking on the letters Ti and its 48 additional stream processors costs as little as $15 after a mail-in rebate. Check out the reviews below for all the benchmarks your little nerd heart can handle. And don't miss the video of a GTX 560 plowing through Duke Nukem Forever, Alice: Madness Returns, and Dungeon Siege III at the more coverage link. Read - Tech Report Read - AnandTech Read - Tom's Hardware Read - Guru 3D
EVE Online Fanfest 2011: Final video roundup
Just over a month ago, the EVE Online Fanfest was in full swing and some exciting new information on EVE's future was being released. Massively was there to bring you all the big news as it came out, but most EVE players were unable to attend the event. Thankfully, most of the Fanfest panels and events were filmed and the main ones were even streamed live to viewers at home. For those who missed all the Fanfest excitement, CCP Games has spent the last few weeks preparing those videos for launch and uploading them to YouTube. The team has also sent us 150 professional photos from the event to include in our Fanfest gallery. In this final Fanfest roundup article, we've put together a handy list of every video from the Fanfest along with a handy summary of each. Not included in the list are the very technical Dev Tracker workshops designed to inform third-party app developers. Many of these videos contain swearing and some are definitely not safe for work. Talks definitely worth watching include the CCP panel, the EVE keynote, the content panel, incursions, words words words and live events. Things you absolutely don't want to miss are the hilarious but not work-safe alliance panel, the PvP tournament finals, the war on lag talk, guest lecture "Who Needs a CEO?" by Battleclinic founder Chris Condon, CCP Sreegs' talk on security, and of course, the EVE: A Future Vision trailer. Skip past the cut for a full roundup of all the videos from this year's EVE Fanfest.
AMD elevates the low-end with trio of sub-$100 cards: Radeon HD 6670, 6570, and 6450
Graphics card companies don't live and die by the enthusiast market alone. That may be where the glory is, but it's the budget cards that really bring in the bacon. For the entry level, AMD just unleashed a trio of sub-$100 cards, the Radeon HD 6670, 6570, and 6450. How do they perform? Well, let's just say you get what you pay for. Reaction from reviewers has been one of mild indifference. Depending on manufacturer, fan noise does appear to be an issue, possibly precluding the cards from being a viable HTPC choice. Otherwise, even the lowly, $55 6450 is a worthy upgrade over an integrated graphics chip or a two-year-old discrete card, but it can't match the performance of NVIDIA's GT 430, which can be had for only a few dollars more. Consensus was that, with prices of the older 5000 series being slashed, purchasers can get more bang for their GPU buck by sticking with last generation cards (like the Radeon HD 5750) if they're looking for pure gaming prowess. That said, the GDDR5 flavors of the 6670 provide perfectly playable performance on most modern games (it averaged 45 FPS in Call of Duty: Black Ops) for just $99 (the 6570 runs about $79). Just beware those models shipping with GDDR3. Benchmarks galore below. Read - Hexus Read - techPowerUp 6450 Read - techPowerUp 6670 Read - Guru3D Read - Tech Report Read - Tom's Hardware 6670 and 6570 Read - Tom's Hardware 6450 Read - TweakTown Read - AnandTech Read - HotHardware
Massively's April Fools' Day [adjective] roundup
The favorite day of the year for anyone named April has [verb ending in ed] the internet, making some web surfers [emotion] and others [emotion]. In [adjective] Massively fashion, we felt it best to gather all this news [adverb]. After all, what would an event be without a [adjective] Massively roundup? World of Warcraft [past tense verb] not just one internet prank but four for the [plural noun] of BattleNet. Turbine invited its [plural noun] to be the broccoli for [adjective] race in Dungeons and Dragons Online. The [plural title] of Star Wars: The Old Republic did not want to leave the Wookiee [plural noun] from playing their [adjective] game, so they created a Shyriiwook interface for all those [adjective] people. However, the prank that takes the [food] has to be ArenaNet's new Guild Wars 2 class, the Commando; Anet created [adjective] videos complete with jiggle physics and placed helicopters into the current Guild Wars game. After the cut, we have [past tense verb] all the [adjective] pranks in this year's batch of favorite MMOs. Now you won't have to [verb] around the internet to find them yourself! But if you do [verb] something not on our list, let us know in the comments.
Earthrise launch day arrives, sandbox title available for purchase
Zomg it's a sci-fi sandbox! You'll have to forgive our somewhat subjective enthusiasm on this one, as it's an increasingly rare occasion when we're able to announce the launch of something other than a themepark with classical fantasy elements. Yes, Earthrise is here to (hopefully) save the day for the sandbox die-hards in the audience, and Masthead Studio's skill-based title is available for purchase in both a retail edition (which features a poster and map) and a digital download from Direct2Drive (which comes with exclusive Overdrive armor). "Our team has channeled years of dedication and hard work into Earthrise, and we are thrilled for those fans who have been following us this entire time, as well as those who are just now checking us out, to experience the world of Enterra. We are already working on updates and expansion packs to be integrated within the next few months, and are excited to continue to develop and enhance the world," says Masthead producer Atanas Atanasov. As of press time, the server has not come up, and a couple of us have been unable to enter our activation keys into the account page on the Earthrise website. Fear not though, as we've got plenty for you to do while you're waiting impatiently to check out the world of Enterra. Join us after the break for a launch-day roundup of all the recent Earthrise news, interviews, and videos to get yourself up to speed and ready for action.
Massively's World of Warcraft Cataclysm launch day round-up
In any discussion on MMOs, industry titan World of Warcraft always makes an appearance. Despite being in operation for over six years now, WoW still manages to maintain an unfathomably large lead in the MMO market. After all this time, however, the original content the game shipped with was beginning to look a little dated. In developing the game's two major expansions, The Burning Crusade and Wrath of the Lich King, Blizzard has refined its winning game design formula and improved the quality of new content being released. Until now, the old game world that came with the original game in 2004 has been largely unchanged. With the release of WoW's third major expansion, Cataclysm, all that has finally changed. In addition to new endgame content and the usual new areas expected with every expansion, Cataclysm contains a complete revamp of the entire old game world. Old quests and zones have been changed to bring them up to Blizzard's new design standards and hopefully breathe new life into the early game experience. The opportunity to replay the low levels in a changed world has attracted a great number of previous players who had previously become bored with the game. The expansion officially released today, with servers being unlocked this morning. If you've ever played World of Warcraft or are thinking of giving Cataclysm a try, take a peek at our launch day round-up to see what's new in Cataclysm. World of Warcraft: Cataclysm Collector's Edition, unboxed We're still some hours away from the midnight launch of the latest World of Warcraft expansion, Cataclysm. It won't be long before Deathwing wrecks shop, so we thought we'd take some of this downtime to share pics of the Collector's Edition which recently made its way to our doorstep. Peruse the gallery below,http://geeked.org/roundups/rounduppr-thumbnail-WI.html and stick around for a giveaway later today. WoW Rookie: What is Cataclysm? Sites like WoW Insider have been absolutely buzzing with information about the new expansion to the World of Warcraft. While we bloggers, journalists and fans are so accustomed to hearing about the upcoming Cataclysm that we don't think twice about it, a brand new player probably has no clue what the heck is going on. So with that being said, let's take a week and catch up our rookie brother and sisters by answering, "What exactly is Cataclysm?"
Halloween apps bring chills and thrills to iPhone and iPad
Happy Halloween! Apple has its own Halloween round-up on the App Store here, and I've been rocking most of the same apps I covered a couple of years ago. We've also got a few apps, costumes and interactive books on our Halloween tag page. A search in iTunes for "Halloween" will yield hundreds of apps... of varying quality. I highly recommend Angry Birds Halloween, in both the HD and regular versions, as they deliver all the fun of Angry Birds with new levels, a spooky background and jack-o-lanterns. Doodle Jump, another addictive game, has been decked out for Halloween. A quick look at the store will show you that a good number of other games and apps have received similar treatment for the holiday. Halloween apps fall into a few categories: games with Halloween themes, soundboards, photo apps which add masks and other costumes to photos, eBooks, and a variety of novelty apps that could be labeled toys. We won't go into many games, and I recommend using a soundboard app which allows you to record your own spooky sounds (as opposed to a once-a-year app), but if you're looking for a fun app to manipulate photos for the little spooks I think Halloween ~ Postage from RogueSheep is quite excellent. Read on for some more iPhone and iPad app suggestions. Have your own suggestions? Leave them in the comments!
LEGO Universe launch day roundup
Many of us at Massively have been looking forward to the launch of LEGO Universe, and we're pretty sure a lot of you have too. Most of us never really outgrow LEGO bricks, so translating them into an MMO format seems like a recipe for fun. The months leading up to today's launch have been full of opportunities to check out the game -- we took multiple trips into the world of LEGO Universe to check out different areas and report on what we found. In between were interviews, some awards, and an avalanche of images and trailers. Follow along after the jump for the highlights of the past months, from the launch date announcement to the heaps of just-before-launch-day goodies!
Final Fantasy XIV launch day roundup
For those of you not fanatical enough to pre-order Final Fantasy XIV and start playing last Wednesday, today marks the official worldwide retail release of the highly anticipated Square-Enix MMO on the PC. You can bet we've been knee-deep in coverage for the game, especially considering the fact that we have some fans on staff and a weekly column dedicated to it. For that reason, and to help you navigate your way through the news and info leading up to launch, we've compiled a handy roundup of our FFXIV coverage. Follow along below and after the jump for our best FFXIV articles to help you on your way through Eorzea. First Impressions: Final Fantasy XIV There are times when my job is kind of a mixed blessing. Case in point: It falls to me to talk about my first impressions of Final Fantasy XIV, which is about as not for everyone as a game can possibly be. It features some things that seem custom-built to annoy certain players into apoplectic fits, starting with the controls and the hardware mouse that has been absent for the whole of beta. (I don't know whether it'll be in the launch today. But probably!) I would be remiss not to mention any of these elements. What scares me about Final Fantasy XIV I am not the biggest Final Fantasy fan. But that's more because I lack for time, not because I lack interest. I played FFXI, but only until level 18 or so, and even then I would only return once in a while. The game was punishing to a solo player even with the recent changes that gave more opportunity to level. There was something ever-alluring about the world, however -- something complex and deep, and I knew that, if I could just become more powerful, it would show itself to me. Skip to the present and to the FFXIV beta. A World of Warcraft player's guide to Final Fantasy XIV So you're a veteran player of World of Warcraft, and you're ready to take a step away from the game that you've been playing for however many years and start in on something new. And you even know where you want to forge your new home: Eorzea, the continent on which Final Fantasy XIV's adventures take place. It should be a fairly easy transition, yes?
APB launch day roundup
It's been nearly three years since we first heard about All Points Bulletin. In MMO-developement-years, that's not long at all, but there's no arguing that this day has been a long time coming. Launch day is here, and the Massively staff has been following the game through its various development stages -- as anxious to get our hands on the finished product as you are. Want a quick trip down memory lane? Follow along after the jump for some of the highlights of our coverage of APB.
Get ready for the second round of EVE's alliance tournament
The second round of EVE Online's annual alliance tournament event begins today. If last week's matches were any indication, this second round of qualifiers is going to be awesome to watch. In the first round, the 64 alliances entered in the tournament fought in 32 1-on-1 matches with opponents drawn at random. Teams gained points for each ship they killed, plus additional points for winning their match. In this weekend's second round, the 64 teams will head back into the arena for their final qualifying match. Each team will be matched against another of similar ability based on their performance in the first round. Tune into the tournament's live video stream, starting as of the moment this post goes live and ending late in the evening. The stream picks up again tomorrow at the same time for day 2 of the second qualifying round. If you've missed the first qualifying round, you can watch the matches in high definition on the official alliance tournament website. CCP has uploaded videos from the first round of qualifiers and even written up a great battle report on each match. Skip past the cut for a list of all 32 matches, links to their videos and a quick note of the ships on each side. Don't worry, there are no spoilers in this article, only links to some awesome PvP matches.
EVE Online Tyrannis launch day roundup
EVE Online's long-awaited Tyrannis expansion is finally upon us and here at Massively we're celebrating with a roundup of our recent Tyrannis coverage. The expansion's main feature is a form of planetary interaction that gives players the ability to colonise and industrialise the planets of New Eden. Tyrannis also sees some important changes coming to EVE, with a new insurance scheme coming into effect and the release of the EVE Gate social network. Tyrannis was initially scheduled for May 18th but some last-minute changes forced CCP to push it back to May 26th to give more time for testing. The structures necessary for planetary interaction will be released on June 8th, giving players around two weeks to learn the new skills and plan the conquest of their favourite planets. As you wait for your client to update, catch up with our previous coverage below and be sure to visit the official Tyrannis features page for more details, backgrounds and interview videos. EVE Online's next expansion revealed: Explore planets in Tyrannis It's been known since the last EVE Online Fanfest that the next expansion would be based around planetary interaction, but details on exactly what that interaction would constitute have been thin on the ground. In a bumper devblog today, EVE's Senior Producer Torfi Frans Olafsson gave a first glimpse of what we can expect this summer. EVE Evolved: What could planetary interaction be like? The information we have so far on the expansion is limited to a single devblog, which provides only a general mission statement for the expansion. In the absence of further information, I find myself wondering what the planetary interaction in Tyrannis might be like. In this speculative opinion piece, I look over the information we know for sure about Tyrannis and go on to speculate on what it might be like. Click past the cut to see more of our Tyrannis coverage!
Twitter for Android: the best apps reviewed
You know what's awesome? Cookie dough ice cream. But when it comes to the smartphone market, the 18-month-old, steadily-growing Android platform is equally wondrous. Sure, Google may have a tiny bit of catching up to do when compared with Apple's market share, but at least Android users are already spoiled with a handful of good Twitter apps. Better yet, Twitter has now thrown in its official app to spice up the competition, so we thought it'd be interesting to put it head-to-head against the third-party clients. Read on to find out if we have a winner.
GDC10: Massively's day 2 roundup
Welcome to another edition of Massively's GDC 2010 daily roundup. Yesterday brought a fresh onslaught of news about many a forthcoming MMORPG, and our tireless reporters were once again on the front lines. The day was definitely quality over quantity, as we settled into the rhythm of the conference and sat down for several interviews that we'll bring you later this week, including chats with Virtual Fairground and Turbine's Fernando Paiz. For now, check out our GDC stories from yesterday that you might have missed. GDC10: An in-depth look at Battlestar Galactica Online Welcome to Poisonville R.A. Salvatore talks Copernicus Also, you can browse our Poisonville gallery below, and be sure to check back throughout the remainder of the week as we bring you more GDC 2010 coverage. %Gallery-87929%
Apple iPad launch day roundup: everything you need to know
The long rumored (and we mean long rumored) Apple tablet has finally arrived. Is the iPad as "magical" as the company hopes? Perhaps not, but there is a lot to this story beyond the obvious: A4 chip? Micro SIM? What's the deal with Flash? Since we know you're looking for the straight dope on the big reveal, and since this is what Engadget does best, we've thoughtfully compiled the last twenty-four hours worth of coverage in something we like to call a "list." Now sit back, put your feet up, and take it all in. The liveblog Live from the Apple 'latest creation' event Impressions / hands-on coverage Apple iPad first hands-on! (update: video!) Apple's iPad keyboard dock, case and other accessories get the hands-on treatment Editorial: Engadget on the Apple iPad Product announcements The Apple iPad: starting at $499 Apple reveals iBookstore and app for the iPad Apple announces iWork for iPad Apple iPad 3G service plans on AT&T, $30 for unlimited data iPad has optional keyboard dock, camera connection kit and Apple-designed case Apple iPad event video now online In-depth / details iPad powered by custom 1GHz Apple A4 chip Apple's iPad keeping Adobe Flash away from your couch iPad can run all iPhone apps unmodified, new iPhone SDK out today lets developers tweak apps for iPad use iPad vs. iPhone... fight! iPad vs. iPhone: what does 3G cost you? Apple iPad tech specs: rumor vs. reality scorecard iPad or Kindle: will our wallets decide? iPhone SDK calls out nonexistent iPad cam, confirms split views and popovers are iPad-specific Apple iPad's 'Micro SIM' explained Apple iPad's user interface in pictures iPad won't handle GSM voice calls -- or will it? Apple's A4 is an ARM-based system-on-a-chip a la Tegra 2? iPad iBooks will be US only at launch?
Science: Uncharted 2 is the best game of 2009
Who says so? Science says so. Just look at the numbers in this Metacritic round-up of the year's top games and it's pretty obvious that Uncharted 2 is the best. Also, according to math, the PS3 is better than the 360. This isn't us or even Metacritic saying it, people, these are innocent, irrefutable numbers. In all seriousness, while Metacritic has collected some interesting, worthwhile data in its report, we're not sure what the point is in trying to pick the best system or game of 2009 just going by statistics. We've relied on numbers just to help us organize our annual Game of the Year selection, and even so, just look how much damage they were still capable of.
Black Friday deal roundup: Zhu Zhu mania edition
Ah, Black Friday. The words send shivers down your spine... do they not? We're sure that you're probably napping right now after a 4AM jaunt to your nearest brick and mortar retailer, where you inevitably trampled some children to get your hands on a Zhu Zhu or that super cheap TV with a 10:1 contrast ratio (hey, it was really cheap!). Still, there are some hard workin', hard spendin' folks who probably haven't had nearly enough of Capitalism Day, and as such, we're going to round up some of the best or most interesting deals we've seen thus far for their shopping pleasure. We've already done a few posts on the matter prior to the big day, and we'll include those here as well. Oh, and we're going to let you know about deals that seem too good to be true or just plain bunk to us, because no one wants you wasting your money... beyond what is considered reasonable by polite society. If you guys have any deals you think are notable, use the tip form (or comments) and let us know! New deals today: Dell Zino HD for $199 (buyer beware, it ships with Vista) PS3 Slim (120GB) with inFAMOUS and Killzone 2 + a $10 Amazon gift certificate (different deals also available at other retailers) Westinghouse 32-inch TV for $246 at Target (it is dirt cheap, but probably looks like crap) TomTom iPhone app 30 percent off until Monday (link goes to App Store) Previous deals: Apple's Black Friday deals Black Friday deals roundup: Best Buy, Lenovo, Verizon and more Black Friday deals roundup: Walmart, Target and NewEgg Black Friday deals bonanza round up Black Friday ads leaking all over town, we've rounded them up Sears Black Friday ad revealed, we'll be sleeping off our tryptophan hangovers
