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Kontron intros ultra-rugged 13-pound NotePAC
If you think your Toughbook or Itronix laptop is hardcore, then you haven't been formally introduced to Kontron's forthcoming NotePAC. While we've seen our fair share of rugged (and not-so-rugged) devices, this bad boy definitely ups the ante. Presumably designed to literally go through hell (and back), the nearly 13-pound beast can survive a 3-foot drop onto solid concrete, is MIL-STD 810F and IEC 529 certified for shock and vibration tolerance, and there's even an available upgrade that adds MIL-STD-461 certification for low electromagnetic radiation output, and ATEX (atmospheric explosives) certification "for use in areas where the slightest spark could prove deadly." Besides the tank-like armor surrounding it, it holds a 1.66GHz Intel Core Duo T2300 processor within, accompanied by up to 2GB of DDR RAM, a 12.1- or 14.1- touchscreen LCD, removable 80 GB / 120GB SATA hard drives (mounted in shock absorbing, sealed cartridges, no less), and a hard disc heater that keeps your platters spinning down to minus 36 degrees Fahrenheit. Additionally, you'll find twin PCMCIA slots, gigabit Ethernet, FireWire, VGA output, and a myriad of connectivity options that include UMTS, GSM, GPRS, GPS, WiFi, and Bluetooth. Notably, the system has been "fully validated" under Windows XP, but can also be ordered sans an OS if users wish to install Linux, and the company's own product manager stated that Kontron had already tested SUSE Linux and found that it "ran well" under the circumstances. Though we've no idea how much coinage this uber-tough NotePAC will demand, it'll be available to customize starting next month.
Xbox 360 survives multi-roll car crash, keeps churning
Some stories are simply too sensational to be true, thus giving us every reason we'd ever need to just blow it off, but there's one saving grace to a whacked-out story: pictures. Reportedly, an Xbox 360 owner was rammed in a hit and run style accident, where his Chevrolet S-10 "rolled over three or four times," launching the helpless console and a bevy of accessories onto the freeway. While the fellow (thankfully) survived the ordeal with little more than a "bruised elbow," his beloved console suffered quite a beating; the Xbox 360, its power brick, and several controllers were ran over by oncoming vehicles, leaving "tire marks" everywhere and "squishing" the metal supports within. After the turmoil subsided, this hardcore gamer was (understandably) more concerned with the life of his toy than whether or not his insurance policy had expired, so he rushed home to try things out. Although his trigger arm was a bit sore, the console managed to boot up, play games, and even play back a DVD, providing an assumed sigh of relief for traumatized lad. You can catch a video of the rugged console in action after the break, while hitting the read link will show you the survivor's tale and a bevy of pics.[Thanks, Arjun]
Gamer apparel: the king of games
Ready for some overpriced clothing that'll let the world know you're a gamer? Of course you are! The self-proclaimed "King of Games" in Japan has some threads for you. These suckers are roughly $50 a pop, and feature some really bizarre artwork. Check out the series dedicated to Nintendo's Game & Watch handhelds.It looks like their "Sweat Parka" hoodie has a pocket made just for your DS, but since we can't read Japanese, and their English site is "beta only" right now, we don't know. The Zelda designs on it are pretty nifty though. Our favorite shirt is the "80s Videogamer" model. Simple with a message.Although right now if forced to choose between a new Wii game and the shirt, we gotta go with the game.[Thanks, Jeff]
Salamanders, TwinBees and more
Former blogger Rafael once said excited about Konami's classic compilation Gradius Collection: "We likey!" Well, it looks like Konami's planning to make Rafael likey for a long, long time, with new compilations of their other classic shooter series. The Salamander Collection and Parodius Collection will contain four titles each (with one bonus *secret* title for each compilation... ooh!). I'm personally psyched for Twinbee Collection, because it's by far the most recognizable of these hardcore shooters (it also has one more game than the other collections, for the budget-conscious).All three collections are planned to hit Japan in January for 4179 yen (less than $40), so importers should keep an eye out. Until then, educate yourself on these classic series by visiting Wikipedia.[Via 1UP; thanks, steve!]
GuildWatch: Shameless self promotion
Sorry GuildWatch is running a little late this evening-- my guild, Gothic Bunnies on Thunderhorn-H (see above) came *this* close to finishing off Rajaxx this evening (we're casual, you hardcore raiders-- no comments from the peanut gallery, please). The good news is that while sites like NotAddicted give you theoretical guild drama, we've got the real thing-- and we're even making some ourselves.If you want your guild (or tips about a guild you know) to show up here on Tuesdays, drop us a line at wowguildwatch@gmail.com. You're the ones out there fighting, downing, and recruiting-- we just want to report it. This week's GW is... well, you know the rest.
'Hardcore' raiding, one month in
"Because you're not hardcore unless you live hardcore" I've always considered myself a casual player; although at times I may live and breathe WoW, it's not all there is to life, and if something better comes up in RL I'm happy to pause PvP or say no to raiding. While epics are nice, I tend not to measure my worth in purples, nor do I min/max my spec to flatter damage meters. However, all this talk of Naxx recently led me to feel I was missing out. I'd been in the endgame a while, and although I knew some instances all too well, there were other parts of the level 60 experience that I had never seen. I'd never set foot into Blackwing Lair, never seen Onyxia up close, and certainly never had a point of DKP to my name. So, when I was invited by a friend to apply for a spot in her raiding group, I did.
Categorizing gamers, from hardcore to casual
It's always been extremely convenient to categorize the wide spectrum of gamers into the two distinct, warring camps of "hardcore" and "casual" (especially for journalists, who love condensing difficult ideas into single words) . But that dichotomy isn't too useful for accurately describing most gamers, who fall somewhere in between the guys from Penny Arcade and your grandpa who played Tetris that one time. Enter Parks Associates, a market research firm that recently issued a report on online gamers that divides them into six distinct groups based on their time and motivational commitments. Parks' categories include: "Power gamers" who spend the most money on games. "Social gamers" who use games mainly to socialize (duh!) "Leisure gamers" who spend lots of time playing mainly challenging, casual titles. "Dormant gamers" who like playing games but just don't have the time. "Incidental gamers" who play games because there's nothing better to do. "Occasional gamers," who will occasionally play a puzzle, word, or board game. This division isn't perfect (where's the space for people who buy one game and play it exclusively for months?) but it's definitely an interesting new way to think about and discuss the incredibly wide array of people who play. What kind of gamer are you?
Splitsville for Microsoft and Sigil after "varying visions"
Sigil Games Online, developers of upcoming MMORPG Vanguard: Saga of Heroes, announced today that they'd be co-publishing the game with Sony Online Entertainment after "it became clear that [Microsoft Games Studios] and Sigil had varying visions and direction for the title's development," according to Brad McQuaid, CEO of Sigil Games Online, as quoted in a company press release on the break-up. It's rare that a game in beta switches publishers. We have no inside information, but a little digging makes it clear that something's not quite right fresh in Denmark. At least one high-profile game designer recently quit, and Sigil's CEO has been defending the game from legions of WoW Fanboys doubters that have been questioning whether it'll ever be commercially viable. The surest sign that the game may be in choppy waters is the fact that McQuaid's now doing business with SOE after his high-profile departure from the same company in the fall of 2001. According to MMOG-community gossip circulating at the time, this departure was also the result of diverging creative visions between McQuaid and Sony on the evolution of Everquest, the successful MMORPG that McQuaid co-founded and designed. Smart observers suggest that the culprit behind all of the churn und drama is the tremendous success of World of Warcraft. To wit: how will Vanguard fare against WoW and the other bajillion MMOGs slated for release? For reaction to this announcement from MMORPG insiders, check the FoH forums, where the unruly mob is being characteristically brutal. Even the President of Sony Online Entertainment is trolled into doing some damage control.
Carnival of Gamers celebrates first anniversary
It's that time of month again -- the Carnival of Gamers has made its fourteenth stop, coincidentally marking its first anniversary (there were two last June). This regular collection of game writing from around the blogosphere is a delightful way to get some alternate opinions aired and always seems to be worth the reading time.This month's edition covers casual vs hardcore gaming; the Wii; violence and politics; modern MMO issues; and a few other juicy topics from co-op gaming to the ESRB. There's plenty of thought-provoking material in true Carnival style.See also:Carnival of Gamers gets n3rfedCarnival of Gamers rolls on to Virgin WorldsCarnival of Gamers gathers under Slashdot's tent
Killing Death
One of the hardest things to get right in an MMO is the death system. Developers need to balance it so it includes the recreational players and the hardcore players without making one group feel slighted. I feel as though WoW has done a good job with that balance, while leaning slightly to the recreational side. Death is an annoyance at most until you start grinding high-end instances, where the repair bills really start to add up. Before WoW, I played Dark Age of Camelot, which I feel really nailed the death system. Death was more of an event in DAoC, because there was experience loss involved, too. You could always run back to your gravestone to /pray, at which point you regained some of that lost experience, but sometimes that wasn't feasible. The loss was considerable, and it made you far more cautious while playing, as a general rule. Still, I never felt as though a death was a huge, game-ending setback, I just felt that I had made a stupid mistake that I needed to learn from. The loss of item durability and sometimes resurrection sickness is a little soft, in my opinion. I understand that if the penalties were made more severe that WoW might lose some of it's fans, but I hope it wouldn't. I would hope that, with the sting of death being a little enhanced, it would encourage players to be a little more cautious.All that being said, I really am fine with the current death system. It is only slightly annoying, and it opens up the game to a wide range of people, which is the main draw of the game in the first place. I have seen forum posts calling for "hardcore" realms, with perma-death and full looting of player corpses, and that doesn't seem fun either. I play this game as much for the variety of people that I meet as for the next BWL run with my guild, and I'm glad that the current system is generally attractive to everyone.If you could tweak the death system, how would you change it, or is it perfect the way it is?
Age old debate?
Casual vs. Hardcore, Raider vs. Solo, etc etc. If you have been combing through the forums daily with me, I am sure you see the same threads about how blizzard is ignoring the soloing population of Warcraft. Well, Blizzard is silent no longer; they have released a small statement in the forums to address everyone making the comments. To summarize for you, they are working on it! Development and testing takes time, based on the number of developers they have. Blizzard is also still experimenting with ways to fix problems such as rewarding questing at level 60 or stat progression for non-raiders. I am sure we each have in-depth opinions on how they can fix it, so feel free to drop them here once the comment system is back up. You can also post your comments to blizzard in this new thread.
