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Tournament.com dies
R.I.P. May 2007 - Nov. 2007 A little over a half-year after it started, Tournament.com shuts down. The site allowed players to bet on matches in a "skill-based environment" and had the exclusive rights from Valve for competitive use of Counter-Strike Source. The business model failed because the company couldn't get people through the virtual door to pony up their real cash. Hardcore gamers being fickle about what they spend their money on? Yeah, this idea was a winner from the start.Those who currently have money on the site are asked to contact the site administrator to get it back. Although the site itself says they're "temporarily offline," it's pretty hard to imagine at this point in time how a system like Tournament.com could work. Basically, any adult who doesn't have to stand on a chair to raise their IQ knows that they'll always be beaten by the 12-year-old who stole his parents credit card and does nothing but practice all day.
WSPA Fashion contest in Second Life
Depo Consulting is hosting a fashion design contest in Second Life to support the World Society of Protection of Animals. The clothing should contain some sort of reference to the charity, whether it be the charities logo or simply an animal- feel free to use your imagination! The more creative the better! There is a 50,000L$ prize to the best design entrant.Please contact Marissa Meltzer for any further information, or to send your entries. The closing date for this competition is 12/31/2007.
FCC treats apartment dwellers to cable competition
We realize what day it is, but we're pretty certain the FCC isn't messing around on this one. Right on cue, regulators have "approved a rule that would ban exclusive agreements that cable television operators have with apartment buildings, opening up competition for other video providers that could eventually lead to lower prices." The move was apparently "unanimously approved," and Chairman Kevin Martin went on to say that there was simply "no reason that consumers living in apartment buildings should be locked into one service provider." Not surprisingly, a spokeswoman for Comcast proclaimed that "many consumers were likely to wind up paying more for services if the FCC's interference in the competitive marketplace stands," but it's fairly safe to assume Verizon and AT&T see things very differently.
FCC looking to facilitate programming competition for apartments
Apartment dwellers frustrated with the outright lack of choices when it comes to selecting a content provider may soon be feeling relief, as the FCC is expected to approve a new rule that would "throw out exclusive cable television service contracts with apartment buildings and open up competition to phone companies." Supposedly, the new regulation "could significantly lower cable prices for millions of subscribers who live in apartment buildings and have had no choice in selecting a company for paid television," and of course, the execs at Verizon and AT&T are likely licking their chops at the notion of being able to steal away precious market share while potentially providing a cost savings to boot. Granted, some states already have provisions in place to prevent landlords and tenant associations from inking exclusive deals with cable providers, but for those currently stuck in a "take it or leave it" situation, all that could be changing in the very near future.[Via AP / Yahoo]
Sony hosts swag contest
Fancy some Sony swag? Of course you do! Well the PlayStation.Blog has a load of stuff piled up which they weren't able to give out at the various game shows over the last few months. If you want to win some then you'll need to jump through Sony's multiple hoops. The contest is only open to US residents over 13 years old. You have to send in your answers to 10 questions before the end of the month (that's October, for those of you who are temporally challenged).If you answer all of the questions correctly you will be placed into a prize draw to win a pile of swag. There are only ten piles available. Some of the questions are pretty tough, but we'll give you a hint: Wikipedia. Here's a sample of the ten questions: What was the date of the launch of the first PlayStation in the U.S.? How many power cells and precursor orbs were there to collect in Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy? What is the weight difference between the original PSP and the recently announced PSP-2000?
World Cyber Games finals in Seattle this weekend
The World Cyber Games finals are being held in Seattle starting today and ending Sunday. The event is being held at the Qwest center and tickets are $10 per day. Opening ceremony starts at 6PM today. There's a whole slew of events going on and if there's anything you're really interested in seeing it's probably best to check out the schedule.Apparently Spike TV will be there putting something together for early November and GameTrailers is doing some video coverage as well. We've been informed that Rock Band will be playable at the event. If you live in the Seattle area, there's something to do this weekend, let us know how it goes.
iPhone trumps HTC Touch, N95 in usability study
We've given you your chance to choose a champion amongst the iPhone, HTC Touch and LG Prada, and while the latter wasn't included at LG's request, the other two were recently pit against Nokia's N95 in a study of usability. The test was reportedly conducted by Perceptive Sciences, a Texas-based usability consulting firm, and relied on data from just ten individuals who had "never used any of the three devices." The group was asked to "perform a series of tasks on each handset with quantifiable results, such as the time needed to find and use the on / off switch," and when all was said and done, the iPhone managed to snag the gold. Of course, we wouldn't take these results to be the bonafide truth, but if you're interested in seeing what all the mobiles (and guinea pigs) went through before a winner was chosen, head on over to the read link.[Via iLounge]
US-based Segway polo team grabs gold in 2007 Woz Challenge Cup
Well, would you look at this -- the Silicon Valley Aftershocks (look familiar?) managed to avenge last year's tie by shutting out the New Zealand Pole Blacks in this year's Woz Challenge Cup. 'Course, we could explain exactly how all five goals were scored and how well balanced these finely-tuned athletes were, but let's be honest, we're not here for that. What we are here for, however, is the video coverage of the event, which is at least good for a few chuckles. Go on, check it out after the jump.Read - Woz Challenge Cup resultsRead - Video coverage of the event
Nintendo's Wii continues to be a smash with seniors
We know that Nintendo's Wii has been a massive hit with families, but we've also noticed a growing trend with the physically-interactive game system that is honestly a bit of a surprise -- apparently, senior citizens can't put their Wiimotes down. Similar to stories we've seen before, the UK's gossip rag The Sun is reporting that seniors at the Sunrise Home in Birmingham, UK, have taken to the console like super-old fish to water. The pensioners at the institution have been engaging in knock-down, drag-out contests in Wii Sports -- playing tennis, boxing, and bowling with a cut-throat competitiveness not seen since the Dark Ages. Barrie Edgar, 88, one of the home's residents said, "It's great fun. We've only had it a few days but we can't put it down." Mr. Edgar then glanced at Tilda Montgomery, another Sunrise Home occupant and exclaimed, "Prepare to be pwned, you old bird."[Thanks, Arnar]
dB Dragger gets 180.5dB from a single subwoofer
We've seen (and heard, er, felt) some pretty sensational subwoofers in our day, but we can't even imagine what 180.5dB of mind-rattling bass (at the dash, no less) would do to one's senses. Nevertheless, Alan Dante has reportedly set a new record in the world of in-car bass output by using four Stetsom 7KD amplifiers, 15 Power Master batteries, and a single Digital Designs 9918Z subwoofer. Kudos Mr. Dante, you exemplify overkill, and that's exactly how we like it.[Via AudioJunkies]
Ask WoW Insider: Should healing be competitive?
Gather 'round the screen, orcs and gnomes, it's time for another edition of Ask WoW Insider. Last week we debated the post powerful character in Warcraft, and this week we return to contemplating game mechanics with a question from Valyre, healing lead of the Ascent guild on Scarlet Crusade (H): Is healing competitive? And should it be? The fundamental mechanics of playing a dps class seem to encourage competition. Your target has an unlimited pool of health to act upon, so if you have the mana/rage/energy, you always have an outlet. Each ability you use to create damage stacks with the other fifteen people in the raid doing the same thing. You never hear "Your melee attack made my spell worthless." Some buffs will aid your party members, but for the most part it's individuals striving to do the most damage. And there are meters to chart your progress. Healing mechanics tend to work against themselves. Your target may or may not have enough of a hp deficit at any given time for you to act on. Your abilities don't universally stack. If your heal tops off someone's health but beats out another healer's heal, you've just wasted their heal on a healthy person and threw their mana in the trash. To make things worse, "divide and conquer" assignments are more based on being able to heal through an encounter than to actually provide a level playing field for all healers. How many times do you see 3 healers on a tank that might take 30k damage, but 4 healers on the raid that takes well over 100k damage? At the end of the night, meters show love to the people with the highest damage assignments. With this system, can you be competitive? Should you be competitive? If so, how? What do you think, people -- are healers just as competitive as face-melters? How do you determine the "best" healer? WTB your questions! Send us what you want to know and we just may publish it next week. Send them to us at ask AT wowinsider DOT com.
MIT takes on DARPA's Urban Challenge
MIT -- long known for winning all sorts of competitions involving modern technology -- has entered into another heated contest which will test its mettle against a wide-variety of opponents... and that contest is the DARPA Urban Challenge. DARPA, who we know and love for its fantastic flights of scientific fancy (see the shoot-through shield and laser-guided bullets) has posed a challenge to contestants to create an autonomous auto (AKA a self-controlled vehicle) which can traverse an urban landscape (such as city streets) all by its lonesome. To create such a vehicle, a team at MIT has taken a typical Land Rover, outfitted it with 40 CPU "cores", high-end GPS receivers, inertial sensors, laser scanners called LIDAR (light detection and ranging), highly sensitive odometers, and a slew of video cameras. The team hopes to pool all of these disparate sensing technologies into a cohesive whole which will imbue their vehicle the preternatural ability to operate on its own in an urban setting. These are truly exciting times to be a car.
Mythic founder: WoW "will be in its decline" in a few years
You could probably fill a library with the number of stupid things game developers say about their competitors, but here's one more. In an interview with Shacknews, former Mythic co-founder Matt Firor, charged with putting together a brand-new MMO, says this about World of Warcraft: ... Any MMO starting development today isn't going to have to worry too much about competing with WoW--it'll be in its decline by the time any new game launches.Think so? From what we've heard from Blizzard, they don't. Even if Blizz only goes two more expansions (and Everquest, the most popular MMO until WoW, went for fourteen), WoW is sticking around for five or six years. And yes, there are those folks who are done now, but Azeroth's population hasn't stopped going up yet-- does Firor really think they won't be a competitor in just a few years?That doesn't mean Blizzard is unbeatable, but it does mean that they're competition. As Firor's former employer says (EA Mythic is now working on Warhammer Online, which some say is WoW's biggest threat in the MMO market), you have to play a different game.WoW is The Beatles, who changed music forever. You can't be the Beatles; they already exist. You can't copy them. If you try, you become The Monkees. You've got no chance. We're not The Beatles. We're Led Zeppelin.Staking your new game on WoW's decline is a bad idea, and predicting that decline to be just a few years off is a worse one. WoW won't last forever, but Blizzard's monster MMO isn't done yet.[ via WorldofWar ]
Baka RoboCup competition pits robotic comedians against each other
Although RoboCup 2007 provided a number of thrills, there's certainly more trash talking going on than chuckling during the heated competitions. Thankfully, a new contest reportedly rigged up by entertainment giant Yoshimoto Kogyo will look to give the comedians in the mechanical crowd a chance to compete, too. After judges whittle down the entries, the Baka RoboCup will apparently give eight robotic comedians the chance to make an audience laugh this November, with the winner (er, winner's creator) taking home a modest ¥500,000 ($4,433) grand prize. Of course, there's a number of stipulations involved in exactly what kind of creature can be entered, but if you think your homegrown bot has got what it takes, be sure and hit the read link for all the fine print.[Via PinkTentacle]
EchoStar CEO trivializes DirecTV's 100 HD channels
Merely days after DirecTV reassured its customer base that hordes of new HD channels were (still) on the way, EchoStar Communications CEO Charlie Ergen has reportedly downplayed the whole shebang. During a second-quarter conference call, Ergen was quoted as saying that "there's not 100 channels of HD that [he] would watch," and supposedly insinuated that he didn't think having "70 or even 100 HD channels" was all that important. 'Course, he made sure to mention that Dish Network has 50 of its own, and did state that having 100 HD offerings was "a good round number to get people excited." Sure sounds like a case of bitterness to us.
College teams compete for eco-dominance in the Solar Decathlon
This summer, teams of college students have amassed on their school campuses to create solar-only, off-the-grid, self-powered homes, which will eventually compete in Washington D.C. for the Department of Energy's 2007 Solar Decathlon. To build the houses, students are limited to currently available, off-the-shelf technologies, and must also focus on design, comfort, and market viability. The groups will move their eco-friendly homes to the National Mall in D.C., where the "solar village" of houses will be open for touring by the general public, and will be scored by judges for architecture, engineering, and energy balance, amongst others. The whole shebang is sponsored by heavy-hitters like Sprint and BP, but it's unclear whether the winning team receives prizes beyond the knowledge that their solar home crushed the others in head-to-head combat.[Via CNET]
Samsung 'restructuring' handset division, hints at Armani partnership
In the wake of increased competition from Motorola and Nokia in particular, Samsung is reportedly "restructuring its handset division," which will aim to find "new sources of revenue, realigning businesses, and cut costs." As expected, the move will also involve a number of "personnel reshuffles," but a Samsung spokesman was quoted as saying that there won't be any "forceful" job cuts. Interestingly, we're hearing further details that the firm is indeed courting the idea of partnering with "luxury name brands such as Italian fashion house Armani to develop premium brand phones," and considering just how hot avant-garde mobiles have been of late, we certainly don't think that's a bad idea.[Via JustAMP]
SSD shootout: pricey HDD replacements do battle
Considering that solid state discs -- although still noticeably more expensive that traditional HDDs -- are quickly plummeting in price, it's about time a brief roundup was executed in order to pinpoint which SSD was best for you. Granted, CustomPC's evaluation only included a handful of options, but the in-depth testing process found a few glaring losers and even fewer runaway winners. As expected, reviewers used a number of read / write testing applications to judge the speed differences and real-world performance increases on seven SSDs ranging from 8GB to 32GB in size. Coming out on top was Samsung's 32GB drive, which proved both "quick and silent" in their testing; however, the 18GB STEC Zeus-IOPS proved the hands-down winner in terms of sheer speed. 'Course, we highly doubt many of you will be snagging the latter after witnessing its £7,050 ($14,461) pricetag, but a number of slightly slower performers including PQI's Turbo Plus 2.5 could very well provide the boost you desire without (totally) breaking the bank.
Texas Hold 'em champs face off with pokerfaced computer
While highly intelligent computers have been pwning humans in backgammon, checkers, and chess for years, machines haven't had nearly as much luck against poker sharks. According to a number of researchers, however, that will surely change over the next decade or so as the programming is honed to better anticipate the human's moves. Nevertheless, poker champion Phil Laak and fellow professional Ali Eslami will soon sit down for a two-day contest at the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence conference in Vancouver, British Columbia. Up for grabs is a $50,000 prize, but moreover, University of Alberta's games research group will be interested in figuring out how to better prepare computers to understand and deal with the complex scenarios that only apply to poker. 'Course, with one-petaflop supercomputers now available for civilian use, we're sure it won't be too long before silicon and PCB rule supreme over our feeble brains in yet another facet.
VC Tuesday: Dead moon over the demon castle
Even though we usually support the more obscure VC releases, we can't help but focus our attention on this week's most mainstream title: Castlevania. Finally making its appearance on the Japanese Virtual Console, Konami's side-scroller is a must-buy. I personally consider "liking Castlevania a lot" as an important component of my personality. What an awesome night to have a curse.Like Castlevania, Power Sports and Dead Moon have both already arrived in the US (Power Sports as World Sports Competition), and Ichidant-R, a Bonanza Bros. spinoff, is the sequel to Tant-R, seen on the Sega Classics Collection. A multiplayer puzzle minigame collection, Ichidant-R is sort of a precursor to Mario Party and Wario Ware.Hajimari no Mori is a graphical text adventure from Nintendo! Let's all hope for a miracle localization for that one. Akumajou Dracula (Famicom Disk System, 1 player, 500 Wii Points) Hajimari no Mori (Super Famicom, 1 player, 800 Wii Points) Ichidant-R (Mega Drive, 1-2 players, 600 Wii Points) Power Sports (PC Engine, 1-5 players, 600 Wii Points) Dead Moon (PC Engine, 1 player, 600 Wii Points)
