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Fed up with ingame gold whispers
Like Sniffledoo, I'm done with it. This ingame gold whispering is getting worse and worse, and it's time something drastic was done about it.If you have no idea what I'm talking about, you can consider yourself lucky, but I'm guessing it's become pretty widespread by now (at first, I'd just chalked it up to being on a high population server). Spammers are almost constantly sending whispers ingame to buy and sell gold and powerlevel characters. Blizzard has of course said that they are banning players who get reported as spammers, but, also like Sniffledoo, I think it's time they went another step-- it's time to go after the sites that are doing it.As always, IANAL, but clearly we know where these spam messages are coming from-- they are being sponsored by the sites advertised (I can, unfortunately, list a few of them off the top of my head, but I won't link to any of them, because they just don't deserve it). Does Blizzard have a legal claim against these sites for ruining the player experience and consistently breaking the TOS? If they have documented this activity, couldn't they take it to court and at least sue these sites for ruining the game experience?It's gotten to the point where I would almost be willing to agree to a TOS that says "I agree to be sued for spamming" if it means Blizzard has a better legal footing against these idiots. Reporting these players is the best thing to do right now (even though these are alts that are just created and deleted, maybe even in a matter of minutes), and there are even addons now that will block and report this stuff for us, but why can't Blizzard do more? Why haven't they gone after the sites sponsoring this junk?Update: A couple of people have already mentioned the gold links on this site-- in case you missed it, we are constantly working to get rid of them. WoW Insider does not condone or endorse any activities that are against the TOS, including powerleveling and gold buying and selling.
Bartering in Warcraft, trading mounts for mounts
While gold farming is running rampant through all of World of Warcraft, another type of trading altogether has appeared: sex for gold. A woman has posted a Craig's List ad, picked up by Primal Devolution, looking for 5,000 gold in order to buy her epic mount (zing).In exchange you get ... her. "I play a level 70 night elf druid and would prefer someone who was into roleplaying (I have a costume!) boy honestly anyone will do, as long long as you have the gold. I would also be ok with a woman too, as long as you have the gold!"She wants to see a picture of your character with the gold ... oh yeah, and you have to be drug / disease free. Yikes folks, just ... yikes.[Thanks, Cips]
A new Halo 3'ified version of Xbox Live Gold cards
Bored with your average Xbox Live Gold subscription cards? Sick of the standard orange, yellow, and green swirls artwork and want some Halo flavor? Well, we've got you covered with a new darker and prettier 12 month subscription card featuring some Halo 3 goodness. As you can see, it's Master Chief standing in an intimidating pose ready to take on the entire Covenant fleet (or so that's what our imagination tells us). You'll also notice the subscription card adds an additional month for free, bumping it up to 13 months. We can only speculate that the additional month was added due to the whole "3" reference ... get it? Mark your calendar for April 20th and prepare to stand in line for days on end. We're certain (not really) that these subscription cards will sell out fast.[Via Live Gamer]
Philips 598 combines style and tunes
Here's a novel idea: take a standard clamshell mobile and add in a media player so you can rock out to tunes right on your phone. But wait, we're not done! Give it some gold accents, too, to make it a sort of fashion accessory. Think it'll fly? Alright, we're just having a little fun here; the new 598 from Philips really isn't anything special, although the black / gold color combo is a little unique. Features include a microSD slot to facilitate the aforementioned rocking out, 220 x 176 internal and 64 x 64 external displays (with the latter being of the monochrome OLED variety), 128MB of internal storage, and a 1.3 megapixel cam. As we'd expect with a Philips piece, this one makes do without GSM 850, so we wouldn't count on a US launch.[Via Slashphone]
WoW Moviewatch: Chronicles of a Goldfarmer
This video is hardly new -- its time stamp places it squarely in the middle of summer 2006 -- but it remains entertaining nevertheless. Just what the World of Warcraft needed: real investigative journalism on Azeroth's true scourge, the goldfarmer! Previously, on Moviewatch...
5000g is just too much for an epic flying mount
I've hit 70. I bought my flying mount (and spend way too much time exploring the air around Outland). I'm even attuned for Karazhan, and my guild is working through it. And yet I feel no pressure at all to raise that 5000g for an epic mount.Like Moonfalin, I'm pretty "meh" about the whole thing. Yes, flying around at high speed would be cool, but is it really necessary? I'm the highest level, and I'm keyed-- where do I need to go so fast? I know that some of my guildies farmed for cash and have already picked theirs up, but I'm not bothering with it-- I've already earned about 1000g just from my normal questing and instance running, so I assume I'll hit 5000g at some point, and I'll just get there when I get there.The exception to this, of course, is the nether drake mounts that are coming. Those I really want, either from PvP (although the PvP one is hard-- as a resto shaman, I'm really terrible in the arenas) or PvE, and I'll be willing to farm whatever I need to to get one of those. So what about you-- did you farm your way up to 5000g quick (it wasn't that hard when BC first came out), or are you taking your time for a reward that just doesn't seem that great?
Arena rankings for sale
Want to get some of those awesome PvP arena rewards, but don't have the friends or talent to win the points yourself? Buy your way in!A poster on the Elitist Jerks guild forums says a rogue and shaman in his guild (he's part of Paradox on Eredar) are supposedly selling arena spots on highly ranked teams. These guys go in, get the rating up to 2000-2100, and then charge 500-800g (depending on the rating) to join the team and play 10 matches. At the end of the week, "customers" pick up 500-600 arena points, and within a few weeks and a few thousand gold, they're buying a Gladiator's weapon.Is this cheating? I don't think so, any more than the selling of Onyxia slots way back when was. This team is probably known on the server (or they will be now, if they're not already), so anyone but the two guys running it won't get the respect those with such a high ranking normally would. And if the two guys can actually hold down a 2100 ranking while adding in random people from week to week, I say they deserve the cash.Who knows what Blizzard will say, though. Sometimes they're hands off on this stuff (I don't think they ever had a problem with guilds selling raid spots), and sometimes they take an interest. To tell the truth, I'm not really sure how big a market there is for this anyway. Would you pay 3000g to run the arenas 10 times a week and pick up the epic weapon when you're done?Update: Robert says in the comments that he talked to a Blizzard GM about this, and the GM says it's cool. So there.[ Thanks, Robert! ]
Free Xbox Live Gold weekend for Australia
Australian and New Zealand fanboys who have Xbox Live silver accounts will be happy to know that a free gold weekend is upon them. Thanks to Ubisoft's charitable nature, GRAW 2 will be sponsoring an Australian and New Zealand free gold play weekend starting Friday, March 9th and running through Sunday, March 11th. Fellow silver members take advantage of your free play weekend as they are quite the rarity. Second thought, just purchase a Xbox Live gold subscription and all your life problems will disappear. That's almost a guarantee.[Via IGN]
Russia's ISSE makes Nokia 8800s even pricier
Sure, the details vary a little bit from jeweler to jeweler, but the result is always the same: a standard-issue phone that's been taken to excessively opulent extremes thanks to an excess of gems and rare earth elements. This time around, the phone is Nokia's already expensive 8800, and the culprit is ISSE of Russia. The handset is naturally covered in gold or silver, while optional heated enamel can add a shade of color to the phone that takes away any resemblance of precious metal. Tack on a few carats of diamonds, rubies, garnets, or whatever, slap it in a box made of "rare timber," and call it good. In our opinion, any self-respecting individual with too much cash for their own good would seek out the newer Sirocco Edition of the 8800, but that's just us.[Via Unwired View]
Gresso's Symphonia MP3 players for the nouveau riche
How do you make a splash in the already saturated MP3 player market? Well, there's always limited-edition pink, or how 'bout a $4,000+ luxury player which touts "craftsmanship" (not sound quality or user experience) as its primary forte? Naturally, we're talking about Gresso, the Russian outfit already infamous for their luxury cellphones. Their new Symphonia audio players all measure in at 39 x 39 x 10.5-mm making them just a touch bigger than the iRiver S7 and iPod shuffle. Each features a RAZR-esque laser-etched keypad, built-in FM tuner, and 1GB of flash memory for your MP3, WMA, ASF and OGG files. In fact, the four models only differ in materials which range from ancient hardwoods to 18 carat gold. Expected in Q2 with too-beaucoup pricing in the area of $4,000 to $6,000.
Trioncube goes gold
NamcoBandai sent word to us today informing that its DS puzzler Trioncube has gone gold and is set to release on the 20th of this month. While some may have already gotten their hands on the title, the rest of us eagerly await the final product. According to Yoshi Niki, Director of Localization at NamcoBandai Games America Inc. the game is going to be tough to put down as it will "offer players a thrilling and action packed puzzle game that will have them coming back to their DS time and time again."Available, via the official site for the game, is a Flash demo allowing you to taste the succulent fruit the final product promises. You can go right to the demo here. Anyone out there in Reader Land plan on giving this a go?[Via press release]
She is so shiny, Bullet Witch gone gold
It's official, Bullet Witch is finally making its western debut. Today, Atari announced that the magical Bullet Witch has gone gold and is being pressed to disc as you read this. We know that we have been somewhat hostile towards the possibility of this game actually being good, but we'll hold our tongue until the reviews trickle in. If you've been waiting for this long time coming Japanese game then get your pre-order on and pick it up February 27th. And did we mention it'll retail for a slightly cheaper $49.99 price point? Every penny counts kids.
Samsung NV3, now in gold ("OPL") and silver
Same NV3, same 7.2 megapixels, same 3x optical, same optical image stabilization, same media playback features, but now Samsung is giving you the privilege of paying even more to buy it in some special edition colors. The $350 US camera will run you £199 and £229 (about $400 and $450) for silver and gold "OPL" (Oriental Plant Lacquer) when they're loosed in February and March, respectively.
Get rich quick in Outland
And I do mean quick, because these prices likely won't stay this way for long. MBAzeroth points to a forum guide written up by Fanfan on the Mal'Ganis realm forums (that link, strangely enough, doesn't work-- did Blizzard take it down or move the thread somewhere else?) which he says netted him a shiny 1,000g in just two hours.All of it relies on the Primal motes of Air, Fire, Water, Mana, and Earth-- those mots can be combines to make the Primal elements used in all kinds of professions, from Leatherworking to Tailoring and Enchanting. Since everyone is currently working on making their way to 375, sales of this stuff are huge on the AH, and with droprates the way they are, you can net a pretty penny with just a few hours of grinding in these places. Of course that means the more people that find out about this (and the more people that finish their profession leveling), the less it will be worth. But if you get moving on this in time for the weekend AH rush, you could likely make a good headstart on your epic flying mount.The entire guide after the jump.
Samsung's Hauzen washing machine gets gilded
For awhile there, all the latest washing machines were on an impressive roll of adding more and more functionality to that water-filled (or not) clothes tosser, but it looks like Samsung will be the one to bring that streak to a screeching halt. Rather that producing a unit that ran off fuel cells or instantly converted into a dryer when the wash cycle was complete, the firm instead contacted renowned designer Andre Kim to add a touch of luxury to an oftentimes covered household device. For folks who prefer their washing machines to be the center of attention, this Hauzen-branded machine sports a gilded finish, stainless steel door ring, royal emblem on the glass, and a paint job that will admittedly clash horrendously with in-home decor more often than not. Unfortunately, Samsung doesn't go into much detail concerning the cutting edge features on this here washer, nor do we know just how lofty the price will be, but if you're seriously considering something this extravagant, neither of those tidbits are likely to matter anyway.[Via Core77]
Korean gold farmers organize
Maybe it's to more effectively protest anti-gold-farming legislation. Maybe it's to form a stronger front against Chinese competition. Maybe it's to combat their association with "cyber whores" in the popular press. Whatever the reason, it seems that some of Korea's most powerful gold-farming and in-game item reselling businesses are banding together to form a "Digital Asset Distribution Promotion Association" according to Korea's ETNews. Gold farming is reviled by many gamers and gaming companies for unfairly skewing the playing field and ruining in-game economies. Still, despite calls for boycotts and advertising bans, the market for illicit in-game currency continues to thrive. Can we really blame the gold farmers for filling a need that the market obviously demands? [Via Boing Boing] Read -- Commentary from Raph KosterRead -- Korean ET News story (paid. reg. required)
Pat Says Now talks of "world's most expensive mouse"
We fly high at Engadget -- our chains hang low and our gadgets shine bright. When Sony told us they were dropping a gold PSP, we thought we finally had a gaming device gaudy enough to roll with our PharrellBerrys and Vertus, only to be disappointed by an unimpressive paint job. Well at least someone is coming through for us and releasing peripherals baller enough to be added to our growing collection of luxury devices. Swiss manufacturer Pat Says Now's "world's most expensive mouse" comes in three choices of 18-karat white, yellow or red gold, with 59 diamonds in either a flower or scattered design. For what it is, you would think it would offer a resolution higher than 800 dpi, but for the privilege of having another "world's ___" we suppose that's a small price to pay in paying such a large price.[Via Shiny Shiny]
Crackdown gold, you know what that means...
Crackdown is gold and on schedule for release February 20. Microsoft has made a point to highlight Crackdown's apparent pre-release popularity, citing a "significant number of pre-orders" purchased in advance. Excited as we may be about David Jones' twisting of his own Grand Theft Auto creation, Microsoft's tying of Crackdown to the Halo 3 Beta should not be understated. It's likely that many pre-orders were placed to secure an invitation to the beta, which will only be bundled with Crackdown for a limited time. Those who haven't pre-ordered are likely holding out to play the demo, which, according to ads posted on Xbox Live yesterday (now removed), was supposed to be released yesterday. As announced Tuesday, the demo has been delayed (guess marketing didn't get the memo). But Microsoft is sticking to its promise that the demo will be delivered before the month is up -- hopefully in time to consider Buy.com's slight discount.
Ask WoW Insider: Best ways to make money in Burning Crusade?
It's time for this week's installment of Ask WoW Insider, wherein we pick a question you've sent and publish it for your fellow readers to answer. This week's question comes to us from Jacob H, who asks Where's the first aid trainer? Just kidding! Jacob, being a sensible and pragmatic fellow, wants to know your tips and tricks for earning the dough for that flying mount: "What are some good ways of making money for levels 60-70 in Burning Crusade? Are there people making money from jewelcrafting yet, should I pick that up? What about good mobs to grind or drops that sell well to vendors or on the AH? Thanks in advance for any advice." Do you have any money-making tips to share with Jacob? Don't forget to send us your questions at ask AT wowinsider DOT com -- what do you want to know? Your peers can help!
Japan gets "champagne gold" PSP, U.S. gets jealous
Just when we thought they couldn't top pink, Sony Japan announced today that a "champagne gold" PSP will be available in the country on Feb. 22 for ¥20,790 (about $175). The system will also be sold in a limited edition (22,222 unit) bundle with Monster Hunter: 2nd Edition for ¥27,300 (about $230). A hilarious Google translation of the announcement highlights how the system "has the noble shining" and lets users "adjusting to your own baggage and fashion... in accessory feeling." It also stresses that this new PSP color will be "promoting the further enlargement [of the PSP] platform powerfully in the future in the Japanese country." So take from that what you will. [Via IGN, thanks Febry]
