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Argos now lets customers order 3D-printed jewellery online
Argos is under relentless pressure from Amazon in the UK, so it's looking to personalised services as a way to stand apart from its online-only competition. Today, the company is launching a new site for 3D-printed jewellery, which includes rings, bracelets and cufflinks. Customers can tweak the designs with their own names, words and phrases, and Argos promises to deliver the final product in 21 days. 3D printing is often associated with low-quality trinkets, but here Argos is clearly targeting a more luxurious market. All of the products are available in silver and 18 carat gold plating, with prices ranging between £50 and £220. It's a small trial for now, and Argos is enlisting 3D printing specialists Digital Forming and Innovate UK to help out with some of the technical aspects. If customers embrace the service though, the company says it'll consider expanding it to other areas of its business, such as lighting and homeware. 3D printing isn't a silver bullet for dethroning Amazon, but it represents the level of risk Argos needs to take to stay competitive.
The Daily Grind: Which MMO studio is the most innovative?
Everyone loves to scream for "more innovation!" at any given opportunity, but this is often done with blinders on to the studios that actually are trying to push MMOs forward -- even if in small and important measures. While studios are risk-adverse by nature and common sense, they've also learned the hard way that clinging too much to the familiar can drive away more players than not. So innovation, like it or not, is the path to survival in an increasingly competitive field. Today I'd love it if we took the blinders off and gave credit where it's due. Which MMO studio is the most innovative? Is it SOE, with its initiatives like the Player Studio and SOEmotes? Would you give ArenaNet the hat tip for creating a new breed of MMO? Or perhaps Blizzard for... OK, I can't finish that sentence. What say you? 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!
Innovating outwards: The joining of EVE Online with DUST 514
Even though the PC-using EVE Online and the PlayStation 3-playing DUST 514 gamers may be separated by platform boundaries, CCP fans in both worlds will be joined at the hip in an odd, first-of-its-kind symbiotic relationship when DUST 514 launches. It's an intriguing prospect, but fans are wondering just how CCP is going to pull it off and how the two games will interact in practice. DUST 514 producer Thomas Farrer sat down with Gamasutra to shed some light on the nitty-gritty details behind the auspicious plan. Farrer says that the buzz over DUST isn't as big as the team hoped, but he thinks this is due to the project taking a completely new angle on the industry: "Often, particularly in first-person games, games often look very inwards when it comes to how they are trying to innovate or move things forward. What we've tried to do is look more outwards." Farrer outlined how the two titles will share the same economy, corporate structure, and social features. He says that the already-constructed EVE Online universe was a boon to the team's plans, since the established setting provided a perfect backdrop to a persistent shooter MMO, and that the two teams are in constant contact with each other as the project goes forward. Of course, some computer players are put out that DUST 514 will be exclusive to the PS3, but Farrer acknowledges the slight possibility that it might not always be so: "Right now, we're pretty much just entirely focused on PlayStation. That's what we're going to remain focused on at least for the foreseeable future. But you know, who knows what happens in the future."
WebOS will be on 'every HP PC' shipping next year, says CEO
You'd think Leo Apotheker, HP's newest CEO, would want to save a bit of thunder for his March 14th event. Instead, the man continues to unleash stentorian quotes with unabashed candor like today's claim that "HP has lost its soul." He's also making bold proclamations about every HP PC being able to run WebOS and MIcrosoft Windows as an integrated experience in 2012 -- a move the company hopes will create a "massive platform" to attract those all important developers. Apotheker's strategy will reverse Mark Hurd's cost-cutting emphasis with a renewed focus on product quality and innovation -- the latter achieved by breaking down inter-company barriers that currently separate product groups and by boosting the R&D budget already pegged at $2.96 billion last year (a pittance by some measurements). Click the source link below to read the Businessweek article in full if you're interested in Leo's issue with being the smartest person in the room and his attempts at Californication. Cool? Awesome.
Behind the Curtain: Innovation
I'd like to talk about Innovation for a little bit. There's an argument which runs along the lines of, "gamers don't get innovation because gamers don't want innovation." There's a certain logic there – if we, as consumers, are not willing to spend money buying games with innovative features or content, then why should developers and publishers spend money to make them? Eating the same food again and again, refusing to change your diet would be monumentally unhealthy for you. Why then, do so many of us do almost exactly that when it comes to our gaming habits? In my opinion, there's been plenty of innovation in gaming in past years. Half life 2 introduced a character I'm sure many of you grew attached to almost as much as I did; Lamarr Miss Alyx Vance. For the first time ever, we had an NPC did more than just get in your way, die easily and spout the same catchphrase over and over. While Alyx really shines in Episode One, the introduction of her character in the original game stands out for me.
