gifting
Latest
How to prep tech gifts for kids
Every parent probably dreams of that Nintendo 64 moment -- you know, that video of the boy opening up a present on Christmas morning and screaming the name of the system while his sister hops around him? Unfortunately these days it's easy for that excitement to come crashing down once they unbox a new system only to discover it needs a ton of updates or you don't have the right cables. So be prepared and make sure you do what needs to be done in advance so your kids can enjoy their gifts while you sit back with a well-deserved hot toddy.
Apple's new rules can make gifts out of in-app purchases
It looks like Apple will soon allow users to gift in-app purchases to friends and family thanks to a recent change to the company's App Store Guidelines. First spotted by MacRumors, the updated text shows developers can allow people to buy in-app purchases for one another. That includes everything from ongoing subscriptions to one-off boosts. Apple's policy previously barred such gifts.
You can finally gift items to your friends in 'Fortnite'
Just in time for the holidays, Epic Games is introducing the ability to gift items to other players in the unfathomably popular Fortnite: Battle Royale. The feature is part of update version 6.31 -- unless you play on iOS, in which case you won't be able to gift items because Apple policy prohibits it. For now, it will just be a test run that will be available in-game for one week, though it's expected that the feature will be fully available sometime in the near future.
Microsoft now lets you gift PC games from its digital store
Microsoft's Xbox gifting feature was a big hit with players last fall. Now, the company has expanded digital gifting to include PC games and PC downloadable content (so things like map packs and skins). It's also made all Xbox One games eligible for gifting. It's a pretty straightforward process. Head to the Microsoft Store, find your game and select 'buy as gift'. Just enter the recipient's email address -- or choose their Gamertag if you're gifting via Xbox One -- and they'll get a redemption code. Then you can sit back and wait for the gratitude to roll in.
Twitch users can gift subscriptions to fellow viewers
Twitch is continuing to roll out the many upgrades it promised at TwitchCon. As of today, you can gift 1-month subscriptions to anyone on Twitch, regardless of the tier. They don't auto-renew (you "currently" have to buy every month), but this could be helpful if you have a friend who can't afford to subscribe but wants to enjoy some of a channel's perks -- say, a subscriber-only Discord chat. It's useful for streamers, too: they can hand out subs as prizes for contests.
Xbox One will save your console's settings in the cloud
Microsoft is about to make life easier if you're upgrading to an Xbox One X or just want to play on a friend's Xbox One. It just released alpha firmware for Xbox Insiders that focuses in large part on easier setup. The preview version now saves your home console's settings to the cloud, not just your saved games. If you need everything just so, you don't have to spend ages configuring a new-to-you console. Your system will also backup TV and OneGuide settings to external storage, and the Xbox mobile app will help you set up an Xbox One X while it's still downloading its initial update.
Game gifting comes to the Xbox One's online store
If you've ever wanted to gift an Xbox One game but didn't want to saddle the recipient with a physical copy (or an impersonal gift card), you're in luck. So long as you're part of the Xbox Insider Program, Microsoft's promised game gifting feature is now available for Xbox One titles through the console's online store, including some Windows 10 games that support Play Anywhere. You can either send a title directly to one of your Xbox Live friends or to an email address. The recipient only has to redeem a code to claim their game.
Soon you’ll be able to gift 'Forza' to Xbox friends
What could be better than firing up your Xbox One and discovering a new game? Unless you went on a bender and forgot, that scenario was never likely because you can't be gifted games on that console (or the PS4, for that matter). Microsoft appears ready to change that, however, judging by a tweet from VP Mike Ybarra. In response to the query, "How far off are we from getting the ability to gift a new purchase for a friend?" He tweeted "Not far!"
Steam Gifting changes crack down on code resellers
Steam has announced a few big changes to its Gifting process, and they could sound good or bad, depending on your stance. It's putting the Gift to E-mail and Gift to Inventory options out to pasture, replacing it with a system that directly exchanges games from buyer to receiver. It's most likely an action taken to curtail grey market trades, since resellers tend to buy several copies during sales to sell over time. However, that might also make it impossible for collectors to get old and rare titles. You can at least send gifts months in advance, though, in case you want your friend to receive the game on a special day.
Just in time for the holidays, iBooks Store adds the ability to send iBooks as gifts
Apple has just introduced a new way for you to buy gifts for friends and relatives. The iBooks Store has added the ability to give iBooks to those on your shopping list. It's been possible to send apps to others as gifts since 2010, and music or videos from the iTunes Store for many years. Buying those gifts is actually quite simple: When you find a book that you just have to give to someone as a present, click on the drop-down arrow next to the price (on OS X Mavericks machines with the iBooks app). On iOS devices, tap the Share button from the store page for the iBook and you'll be presented with a Gift Book option. In both versions of the iBooks Store, you're then provided with a place to enter the email address of the recipient(s), a personal message and a day that you want to send the gift -- up to 90 days away. Gifting iBooks is an easy way to introduce someone to the concept of electronic books if they're still clinging bitterly to their dead-tree editions, and it's all charged to whatever payment method you've set up for your Apple ID.
Splinter Cell Blacklist gear now available in Ghost Recon Online
The weapons and gear used by Sam Fisher in Splinter Cell: Blacklist are now available in Ubisoft's Ghost Recon Online. Ubisoft says the cross-over is inspired by the successful Assassin's Creed pack, which launched for the free-to-play shooter in February. The Splinter Cell: Blacklist pack is part of a new update Ghost Recon Online, which also brings the ability to gift items to others through the in-game store. Lastly, the patch is introducing a new map for the game inspired by the Middle Eastern city Peshawar, Pakistan called Khyber Stronghold.
Buy your friends a present in Guild Wars 2 with gem store gifting
All right, let's be honest -- you screwed up bad last night in Guild Wars 2. And you'd prefer to not have all of your friends hate you. You're going to need to give gifts, and we're talking real gifts here. Why not take advantage of the fact that the Gem Store now offers the option to gift items to your friends? You can choose the item to gift, select as many recipients as you'd like, and then send them all with a personalized message of your choice. But what will you gift them? Maybe one of the new items to go along with today's content patch? We're sure some of your friends would like some of the Aetherblade Armor Skins, or perhaps a new Tybalt Backpack Plushie, or a Custom Arena Starter Kit. And after you're done buying gifts, you could always buy more for yourself. Charity starts at home, right? You deserve a treat.
Gain a clearer understanding of RIFT's new REX
Is your forehead scrunched up in that cute little way you sometimes have when you're trying to understand a topic that's running circles around you? You might be trying to get a grip on RIFT's upcoming free-to-play REX (RIFT exchange) mechanic. A new official dev article seeks to enlighten us all by laying out what REX does, how it's attained, and how it can be spent. In short, REX is a middle-man currency that is purchased with real money and can then be converted into item store credits (although, as the post states, it's a better deal to directly buy the credits). The twist here is that before it's converted to credits, REX can be sold to other players on the auction house. This effectively gives players with in-game money ways to obtain store credits and players with excess real money ways to inflate their in-game piggy banks. The post also explains the much simpler topic of gifting store items to other players. You probably have it figured out just by reading the previous sentence. Finally, last night we told you about RIFT's promo this weekend. According to a tweet this afternoon, that promo is live early -- in fact, RIFT is freely playable for former subbers right now.
You can finally gift apps from the App Store on iOS again
The magic of the holiday season is clearly not lost on Apple, as the company has brought back app gifting just in time to stuff some virtual stockings, 9to5Mac reports. The feature was strangely removed with the launch of iOS 6, but it's been added once again and should be live in the App Store for you as we speak. To gift an app, simply click the action button on the top bar of any paid app in the App Store. Apps can be purchased up to 90 days in advance of the gifting date, with a handy scheduling feature to ensure your present arrives just when you want it to.
Amazon announces 'Friends and Family Gifting,' just in time for the holidays
Amazon is often coming up with ways to have folks like yourself (and us, too) spend some dough on one of its many, many offerings -- and, well, today's no exception. A short while ago, the online retailer announced a new service dubbed Friends and Family Gifting, which will give internet shoppers a one-stop hub where they can easily create gift / wish lists to use while readying for events such as an upcoming friend's birthday, other special occasions and, of course, the holiday season. The new Amazon feature also integrates with social networks like Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest, making it easier to share links of stuff you're thinking of adding to your cart. Friends and Family Gifting is live now, so hit the source link below if you'd like to give it a try.
The Daily Grind: Would you want an MMO for a gift?
We're into the part of the year when everyone's thinking about giving gifts. But for all that I like receiving games as gifts, I'm not all that happy at the thought of getting an MMO for a gift. It's kind of like someone buying you a pet -- sure, it's a nice gesture, but it's also going to ask for a lot of your time and effort in the future. This isn't something you pick up and leave alone for an extended period of time. On the other hand, sometimes MMOs can make wonderful gifts. I bought a friend a copy of City of Heroes in years past to help introduce him to one of my favorite games. Several of my friends wound up in World of Warcraft because I originally volunteered to purchase the game. So what do you think? Would you like to get an MMO for a gift this holiday season? Or do you think MMOs are really something you should buy for yourself? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
So, what'd you get?
Yeah, it's pretty unfortunate that you've got to work tomorrow (well, unless you're down with Boxing Day), but let's take it one 24-hour window at a time, shall we? It's not as if you've had any shortage of gizmos to choose from this year, and while you aren't likely to get a Transformer Prime, there's plenty of other stocking stuffers to look forward to. Speaking of which, what'd you find under your tree this morning? A Kindle Fire? That new laptop you've been longing for? A few new cables to do... cable-y things with? Let us know in comments below, and be sure to press play on your way there. Hopefully that's not your kid. When you're done, check out what people got jazzed about in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010.
Boost Mobile lets you refill your account on Facebook, allows gifting to and from friends
So busy playing networking on Facebook that you can't find time to refill your Boost Mobile account? Your little conundrum has been solved, as the prepaid carrier has set up an app on the social network called Re-Boost for this very purpose. It satisfies the obvious need of filling up your own account at your own free will, but it also hasn't neglected the social aspect: you can refill a friend's account as a gift or even scrounge a few bucks off your connections by sending a request to your network. It's definitely a unique take on an otherwise inconsequential task; perhaps those high school buddies you never talk to would be willing to part with a buck or two in exchange for some Farmville animals. Check out the presser below.
Wings Over Atreia: Too much of a good thing
Seriously NCsoft, enough is enough! Now, I know that in the not-even-too-distant past, I openly admitted how much I liked the shiny surveys that popped up occasionally in Aion. Whether they were during events or just out of the blue, the surveys were like a random present just because. And who doesn't like presents? Sometimes you would know what you were getting; other times it would be a complete surprise. I love clicking that little icon and being rewarded with dyes, pets, emotion cards, and other assorted relatively harmless fluff. Yes, I also hoarded the platinum medals and ancient crowns that sprang up infrequently with a near maniacal glee. But there reaches a point when you really can have too much of a good thing (sadly, much like decadent cheesecake) and actually encounter negative repercussions. Last week I mentioned that the leveling rewards, at least under level 25, got to be a little much. But that doesn't compare to the glut of goods available to every player who logged in during the month of October. I was initially appreciative of getting a few of the "October Special" (stacks of multiple scrolls and power shards). However, the surveys got out of hand before long. Click past the cut for (no, not a free gift!) Wings over Atreia's look at how over-gifting can actually be damaging to Aion.
Lost Pages of Taborea: A history of Diamonds
It's been a long time since we've heard anything about Diamonds being reinstituted into Runes of Magic's auction house. Since that fateful day they were removed, a lot of new players have joined, veterans have left and some things that should not have been forgotten... were lost. Having Diamonds in the auction house is an important feature that was planned from the get-go. It allows for seamless trading and player-controlled price fluctuations that keep all items obtainable for everyone. It's about having the freedom to play multiple ways. Options are more numerous than simply paying and having everything opened up or not paying and being stuck. With RoM's cash-shop items being integrated into the title's gameplay, there's a grayscale that lets players have many more options in how they want to play. It's not an overly complex issue, but one worth looking back on. Getting Diamonds back in the auction house isn't a lost cause, but the issue has dragged on to the point that long time players may have given up all hope. This edition of Lost Pages of Taborea is all about looking back at the beginning and bringing players up to speed on diamonds in (or not-in) the auction house.
