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Unsent text message accepted as valid will by Australian court
An unsent text has been accepted as an official will by a court in Queensland, Australia. The message, found in the drafts folder of a deceased man's phone, indicated he wanted all his possessions to go to his brother and nephew, instead of his wife and son. The 55-year-old composed the text before taking his own life in October 2016, reports ABC News.
Facebook lets you choose what happens to your profile after you die
You can't take your Facebook friends with you to the afterlife, but at least you can now prevent your snarky comments about Drag Race serving as a poor memorial. The social network has announced that users will be able to designate a legacy contact that can maintain their accounts after they have died. According to the Wall Street Journal, a new group of options will let you pick a digital executor to run your page as a memorial, or elect to have your profile deleted once it's proven that you've passed away.
Wacom lets people share handwritten notes across devices and platforms
Wacom has been pushing into the world of mobile for a while, and its efforts have just culminated in a pretty bold move: A single, cross-platform standard for sharing handwritten notes and sketches between users, regardless of whether they're using a stylus or a finger, an iPhone or a PC, an app or a browser. The tool is called "WILL" -- "Wacom Ink Layer Language" -- and it captures a pen stroke's coordinates, pressure and the identity of its creator (through a unique "Pen ID"), as well as allowing the scribble to be edited by others. Users can also see other people's handwriting being created in real-time, i.e. we're not just talking about static images. Beginning next month, Wacom will promote WILL by distributing SDKs for iOS, Android, Mac OS and Windows, as well as for browsers and cloud platforms. These SDKs are meant to make it easier for developers to create apps that accept signatures scrawled on a touchscreen, or DIY smileys, or hand-drawn highlights on a cloud document, or any other sort of handwritten input. Of course, the concern with any such format is that it'll need to be embraced by a large number of companies in order to reach a tipping point and become widely accepted. Wacom doesn't seem to be ready to announce even a single partner just yet, but where there's a will... (Ahem, sorry.)
The Daily Grind: Do you have a MMO will and testament?
Okay, so perhaps this topic is a little morbid, but it will generate some interesting discussion nonetheless. Maybe you don't want to think about this kind of thing, but you probably should. We're curious, what will happen to your MMO characters, accounts, and online friends if you unexpectedly and unfortunately pass away?Most people don't consider writing a personal will and testament until they have children. Most people don't consider writing a digital will and testament until, well... ever. If you were to die, would you want your guild to sit around in the dark for days or weeks until they happen to start doing their own research? What about your characters and accounts? Would you want to pass anything along to longtime friends? MMO subscriptions and related gaming expenses (e.g., vent accounts, guild hosting, etc.) don't terminate when you do, so someone will need to cancel them unless you want a few extra charges to pass along to your next of kin. Do you wish to go gently into the night or have a server-wide gathering to pay their respects?There's really a lot to consider when you think about it, even if it is a little uncomfortable.
Officers' Quarters: Last will and testament
Every Monday Scott Andrews contributes Officers' Quarters, a column about the ins and outs of guild leadership.As people approach the end of their lives, they often think about how they will bestow their wealth and possessions, what is called their "estate." Guilds likewise have an estate in the form of their bank: BOEs, consumables, mats, all sorts of miscellaneous items, and potentially thousands in gold. Most guilds have an awful lot of stuff in there. So who gets what if the guild goes six-feet under? This week, a reader asks how to go about dividing it all up.I'm in a "progression" guild and we are in the tough situation that we were doing good in Ulduar until Final Exams came up for many of our raiders. [. . .] Over the course of a 2 week break, the amount of raiding actually completed was dismal due to low attendance [. . .] The GM and RL logged on basically to say that they were taking an indefinite break from the game, and as soon as this happened, one of our tanks left for greener pastures, leaving us with only one tank (Me being the "MT" and the RL being another tank). On our guild website, this was posted by 3 of the officers:Well you have all been wondering what state the guild is in, so I'm here to address the guild and let you know. [. . .]We're going to give [our guild] another week to pull together a 25 man raid. if we're unable to get together a 25 man and make some successful runs in Ulduar next week, it's safe to say that we're going to fold, and you will all be free to explore your other options. [. . .]
Meet the Team: William Dobson
Starting this week, once a week, our writers will tell you more about themselves, and let you get to know them and the characters they play a little better. Click here to read more Meet the Team.What do you do for Massively.com?Currently I contribute features and guides, and have just switched my main focus to Warhammer Online.What's your favorite MMO?I'll give two answers here. I think it's always hard to beat someone's first experience in an MMO world, which is why EverQuest has to be right up there with my all-time favorites. Looking at more recent times though (in the last few years), although it's early days I think that WAR has a lot going for it and will remain my current favorite for some time to come.%Gallery-33889%
NPD: Wii usurps Xbox 360 as best selling US game console, pulling away
It's neck-and-neck but Nintendo looks to have just slipped past Microsoft in terms of total US sales for current generation game consoles. What's more, it's pulling away with a 3:1 sales lead for the month of June. NPD Group reports more than 666,000 Wii consoles were sold in June compared to 405,500 PlayStation 3s and 219,800 Xbox 360s. That makes for a total of 10.9 million Wiis sold in the US since it launched in November of 2006. Impressive. Even more so considering that Microsoft had a one year head-start to reach a second place position of about 10.4 million US console sales.
Avalon Code heading west, Steal Princess, Luminous Arc staying put
Marvelous has some intriguing DS wares on the horizon, yet it looks like that's where most of it will stay -- on a horizon far, far away from the majority of us. Sob.Part of a recent financial report from the publisher contained forecasts for forthcoming releases, as spotted by a keen-eyed Siliconera commenter and posted on NeoGAF. The estimations for Avalon Code's were notable, as they included figures for the U.S. and Europe, which in turn tells us we'll be getting the diary-keepin' ARPG here in the west at some point before March 2009.Alas, we'd only just finished chest-bumping one another and shouting stuff like "HELL YEAH" when our excitement was tempered by the realization that Luminous Arc 2 and Steal Princess didn't have figures for the U.S. or Europe. This (probably) means that those games won't be localized this financial year (despite our hopes for the former). That's not to say they'll never make the trip across, of course, but for now it's one in, and two out.%Gallery-22487%%Gallery-15251%[Via NeoGAF]
Another Week in Japan: Hardware and software numbers 5/12-5/18
The spotlight this week is on Luminous Arc 2: Will, a game that has yet to be confirmed for English language localization. While we're forced to sit and wait jealously, though, forty thousand Japanese gamers ran out and bought the title. Only falling behind the juggernauts Monster Hunter and Mario Kart Wii (and almost squeezing past Nintendo's racer), Image Epoch's SRPG debuted pretty impressively.In other sales news, the announcement for another Professor Layton game in Japan managed to push the first title in the series back into the top thirty. Aside from that, there weren't any differences in DS software worth mentioning.In terms of hardware, the numbers for the DS weren't so hot. In fact, we don't remember the sales numbers for Nintendo's handheld ever being this low in Japan. With everyone and their mother already owning a DS in the country, does the system still have room for growth? We won't know for sure until the next big software push, but for now it looks like the dual-screened handheld should get comfy in that third place spot. PSP: 70,536 (19,348) Wii: 41,572 (25,736) Nintendo DS: 34,905 (16,323) PlayStation 3: 7,701 (353) PlayStation 2: 7,022 (442) Xbox 360: 1,474 (176) The software numbers are located after the break, so go on and take a look. They won't bite!**DS Fanboy claims no responsibility for those who get bitten by our sales figures.
More screens illuminate Luminous Arc 2
The Luminous Arc 2 love just keeps on coming. These newest screens show some Flash Drives, some basic attacks, and some character art. The Flash Drives are still a little underwhelming in the details department, but for the most part, the game looks stunning. We also like that the character pictured to the right uses a giant rolling pin as her weapon.Localization for the game is still not planned, but after news of Etrian Odyssey II coming to North America, we're confident that Atlus will come through on Luminous Arc's sequel soon -- even if it's not an in-house game.%Gallery-15251%
We're willing for localization on Luminous Arc 2: Will
There might not be any big butts in these latest Luminous Arc 2: Will screens (posted in the gallery below), but they're still worth looking at. In case you didn't notice from previous screens, the art style is similar to the first game, but with a much more attractive interface and menu system this time. Hopefully that means the developers have fixed some of the more frustrating aspects of the first game, but then again, if this doesn't end up localized, we suppose we have nothing to worry about. After spending some time with the original Luminous Arc, though, we're hoping that we do see this game on our shores eventually.But, are there already too many SRPGs bound for the DS for you to hope for localization on this one? Or, would you like to see Luminous Arc 2 reach English-speaking and other markets at some point?The official website was also updated with some wallpapers and videos, so fans of the series should head on over there and check it out. As for those of you who can read Japanese, you might be interested to know that this game is set to release on May 15th.%Gallery-15251%
New Sim City DS screens, no US announcement yet
Courtesy of NeoGAF, some new screens for the highly-desired Sim City DS, which is releasing in Japan next month, have hit the internet and caused many a DS Fanboy staff member to salivate uncontrollably. A game that is, in essence, just a port of Sim City 3000, we still find ourselves wishing for some city-building action on-the-go.What we cannot wrap our head around, however, is just why this game hasn't been officially announced for the states yet? Is it something we said, Japan? Perhaps we were too rough on you last night? We promise we'll be more gentle next time! It's just, we love you so much ...See also: Sim City DS screens and info New Sim City DS screens Will Wright in Sim City DS? [Via Joystiq]
Wiimote, sensor bar, and Spore info oh my!
Supposedly, this N Gamer magazine had much more info than we previously reported on. A large supply of information from the magazine apart from what we've reported has apparently been confirmed to be true over at Go Nintendo. This information deals with the Wiimote, sensor bar, and Will Wright's Spore respectively.The Wiimote is to take 2 AA batteries and turn them into 60 hours of gameplay. Should the player be using the sensor bar, however, then the time is cut in half to 30 hours. Either way, that's incredible. Also, the 6kb of internal memory confirmed to be included in the Wiimote is going to be used to "personalize your remote," which we assume is code for "store profile settings." As for the sensor bar, the magazine states that the previous version that was seen at E3 has been made smaller. The magazine compares the size to that of a "couple of pencils glued together." The magazine also confirms that Will Wright's foray into playing God through his game Spore is going to be possible on the Wii. Apparently, the Wii version will interact with the DS version by allowing the player to transmit data from one to the other seamlessly. This will allow players to "deform species on the fly." They also speak some on the use of SD cards, reiterating that they will be used to house Virtual Console titles. The problem is that you may not play them on another Wii. They refer to this as "Digital Rights Management."
Will Wright confirms Spore will hit the DS
Ray Almeda, of AMN, sat down with the Spore creator yesterday evening and asked if gamers would be able to play the upcoming title on the DS (and Sony's handheld...thing), with which he responded "Yes...definitely." Will's past attempts in gaming have been nothing but gold, with his Simcity and The Sims franchises being easily accessible to people in all walks of life (heck, some of my assignments back in middle school were to build fully-functioning cities in Simcity) and pushed the envelope of conventional game design. It's no wonder that so many eyes are on him and his upcoming project. We just hope Spore on the DS will be WiFi compatible in some way. Spore is currently slated for a 2007 release. [Update: Definitely fixed a typo.]
