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iRobot adds an automatic mop to its flagship Roomba
The Combo j7+ lowers its mop arm down from above the chassis to avoid wet messes.
This cleaning robot can clean its own mop and dodge dog poo
A quick search on Google will show that robot cleaners and dog poo don't go well together, yet none of the big players out there have offered a solution (Sony's Aibo doesn't count). Another pain point that has put me off from acquiring a mopping robot is the fact that the mop -- often a piece of detachable fabric -- requires manual cleaning, which is rather awkward even if there's no faecal smearing. To my surprise, it was a Chinese startup at TechCrunch Shenzhen that seems to have it all figured out. Veniibot, a Chengdu-based team of over 20 employees, unveiled its Venii N1 mopping and sweeping hybrid robot at the TechCrunch event earlier this week. While you may not have heard of this startup before, its talents were hired from the likes of ZTE, Baidu, Motorola, Foxconn, Ecovacs and more. For those who are wondering, the N1 has over 100 patents in total.
World of Warcraft offers up the complete Tales of Pandaria
Do you feel that you got a sense of all the storytelling to be found in Mists of Pandaria? Probably so; you've had more than a year to get through everything, after all. But there's more to the lore than just what's found in World of Warcraft. The complete Tales of Pandaria series of short stories has been collected on the official site, complete with the option to download the stories for offline reading. None of them is essential for understanding what took place on Pandaria, of course, but each of them provides a larger context that questing can sometimes miss. Not really your thing? More interested in watching players beat one another up in-game? Then you can watch the World of Warcraft North American Arena Tournament this Sunday. Starting at 9:45 a.m. EDT, the live stream will cover the best-of-five matches between the current teams in the running, with the three best teams getting a shot at the championships at BlizzCon. If that's more interesting to you than fiction, get the full details on how to watch and who's in the running.
Blizzard sale slashes prices on WoW and Mists of Pandaria
We're sure this has nothing to do with recent themepark releases and impending updates, but here it is anyway: World of Warcraft's summer sale has dropped the prices of the game everyone loves to pretend to hate. The WoW bundle and separate Mists of Pandaria expansion can be had for 10 bucks apiece until July 1st. Our sister site WoW Insider notes that European gamers are looking at €7.50 for WoW and €10.00 for Mists. Sorry, sale fiends; there's no way to rig this one.
World of Warcraft continues its raid retrospective
The launch of Warlords of Draenor is going to shake up the raiding experience in World of Warcraft, and if raiding is what you like to do in the game, that's pretty important. But rather than just explain how raiding will be in the new expansion, Blizzard has opted to look past through the previous expansions and examine how revisions have affected the game over the years. Yesterday's blog covered launch through Wrath of the Lich King, while this entry focuses on Cataclysm and Mists of Pandaria. Cataclysm removed the difficulty gap between 10-person and 25-person raids, but the side effect was a pressure to produce smaller raid groups rather than grow to bigger groups. It also introduced the raid finder as a mechanic, encouraging more people to experience the content. Mists of Pandaria, on the other hand, suffered from bottlenecks that prevented non-raiding groups from making any progress, although flex raiding was deemed a better way to get groups in and playing. Take a look at the full article for more details on the ups and downs, with part 3 set to address the future of raiding in Warlords of Draenor.
Ask Massively: Vanguard's CE, Pandaria, and region-locked servers
It can be easy to forget how awesome MMO players are when we're knee-deep in troll-infested comment threads, but a note from a reader named Joshua this week served as the perfect perspective-reorientation: I was helping my brother demo and clean his father-in-law's home today and stumbled upon what appears to be a mint-condition Vanguard limited edition (collectors edition?). It looks to have all the goods, so I was wondering whether anyone at Massively would like to have it. Knowing how easy it is to get attached to these games, I figured someone would want it for sentimental reasons (I still have my DAOC boxes and books!). I don't know whether our staff will take you up on it, but just the fact that you thought of offering it to our bereaved fans instead of making a beeline for eBay warmed my heart.
Moneual's combo vacuum/mop 'bot does a number on marker and wine messes
It's always nice to find out that a device is more than just a press render. We caught wind of this cool combo vacuum/mop several hours ago and lo and behold, here it is in the robotic flesh. Moneual was showing off its RYDIS H68 at CES Unveiled by mopping away magic marker statements off a linoleum floor with help from spilled wine (what real-world scenario might have led to that combination of factors, it's hard to say). Granted, it was a bit loud on the floor, but what struck us immediately about the H68 was just how quiet it was. It also did a pretty admirable job cleaning up the strange mess. As noted earlier, this is the company's second vacuum/mop in a few months. The primary hardware difference between the two is the inclusion of a water tank, which sort of juts off the side of the device a bit (it's 25 percent larger than the competition's, according to the company), as opposed to the H67 which just has a pad on the bottom that you need to dampen. There's also a camera on the top, which apparently takes a reading of the room by projecting up to the ceiling, determining its best route. Oh, and pricing, which we didn't catch earlier, is $499, which puts it in the same ballpark as a Roomba or Scooba. That includes one wireless gate to keep it from going into the wrong room. Nicole Lee contributed to this report.
Moneual RYDIS H68 Pro 'bot mops and sweeps at the same time
Why drop the cash for both a Roomba and Scooba when you can get a device that does it all? Of course, it's far too early to say if the RYDIS H68 Pro comes anywhere near the efficiency of either of iRobot's flagship lines, but Moneual certainly talks a big game. The sequel to the RYDIS H67 features a large water tank and is capable of capturing nearly all particles that are 0.3 micron or larger. There are 42 omnidirectional sensors on board and it uses something called Smart Vision Mapping to determine the best routes to cover a room as it mops and vacuums at the same time. The RYDIS H68 Pro is set to drop just in time for your spring cleaning.
Field Journal: Pandaria's pastoral paradise
This week in Massively's Field Journal, I'm turning my attention to the big one, the game that must not be named, World of Warcraft. Some of you might say that's what WoW Insider is for, but our sister site's staff is made up of hardcore players who have kept up with the times and are used to the game's ways, some perhaps to the exclusion of other MMOs. What I'm offering is a look at the introduction of the current expansion with fresh eyes, from someone who used to be that person but hasn't been for a long time.
Blizzard adds Cataclysm to WoW Battle Chest deal
You may have noticed that it's been a little while since that little game called World of Warcraft released -- almost nine years to be exact. And in that time, there have been four major expansions, each adding quite a bit to the game (not to mention their own price tags). So what's a new or long-absent returning player to do? Thanks to Blizzard adding the Cataclysm expansion to the basic Battle Chest edition, it won't be shelling out tons of cash to get caught up. As the previous expansions were already bundled into the basic edition, the $19.99 price tag now nets a player The Burning Crusade, Wrath of the Lich King, and Cataclysm on top of the base game. Also included is one full month of subscription play time. Only the most recent expansion, Mists of Pandaria, must still be purchased separately. So if you've been thinking about jumping (back) into WoW, now is a good time to take the plunge.
iRobot gives Mint mopping 'bot a new lease on life as the Braava
Wondering what would become of the plucky Mint 'bot after iRobot swept up its creator, Evolution Robotics? The company clearly thought it was time for a name change -- it's the iRobot Braava from here on out. The cleaner has inherited its older sibling's good looks, from the square build to the little diamond up top. Like the Mint, the Braava line pushes a cloth around your floor to pick up dirt instead of relying upon suction. It's got two modes: dry or damp, and in both cases is designed for a light cleaning in one go, rather than the Roomba or Scooba's multi-pass technique. There are two models, the 320 and the higher end 380t, which features some nice amenities like a faster charging battery and liquid dispensing. The Braavas are available now, starting at $199 at the source link below.
Second Wind: World of Warcraft
When I originally started playing World of Warcraft, things were different. Priests were still waiting on their first big class patch. Regular mounts required level 40; most players couldn't afford the 100ish gold fee without a loan from their guild. Epic mounts were so prohibitively expensive as to be considered rare. Raids required the dedication and skill of 40 players, and only a couple of guilds per realm actually even bothered to run high-end content. WoW was, as they say, srs bsns. But that was eight years ago. Since then, World of Warcraft has seen four enormous expansions (Burning Crusade, Wrath of the Lich King, Cataclysm and Mists of Pandaria) and countless minor content updates. Edges have been softened, skills refined, classes reinvented. Subs have ballooned to a peak of over 12 million, waffled up and down for a few years, then fallen most recently to 9.6 million. Some would argue that the World of Warcraft of 2013 bears only a passing resemblance to the one we played in 2005. Others would claim it's still the same excellent/terrible game, just gussied up with fresh paint. As a longtime WoW lover but recently lapsed subscriber, I ventured into Mists of Pandaria to sort it out for myself.
Watch World of Warcraft's Thunder King trailer
Thunder... thunder... Thunder King, HO! That's the sound of millions of slavering World of Warcraft players who are itching to check out the imminent patch 5.2. To calm them down not one whit, Blizzard released the official trailer to The Thunder King. It's all poetical, too. So whether you're already sold on this next stage of WoW's development or are teasing yourself with the possibility of returning, it can't hurt to check out the following video. Or can it?
Patch 5.2 PTR: Triple turkey stack gobbled by pet battle crowd control nerf
Now that MoP has been out for a few months, I find myself enjoying pet battles far more than I thought I would. That being said, it was only a matter of time before griefing made its way into this part of the game as well -- even if it is by turkeys. Yes, turkeys. It all started with the rather harmless sounding "Triple Turkey." Unfortunately, it's not a sandwich I can nom on, but is instead something much more sinister in the world of pet battles. The Triple Turkey comp quickly became the flavor of the month for trolls in PvP pet battles, using abusing the irritating Food Coma ability to the max. If you've never encountered it before, Food Coma puts the opponent to sleep for two rounds, on a five round cooldown. But that cooldown only applies to the turkey who casts it. So, we were left with creative individuals who would use Food Coma, swap to a second turkey, use Food Coma, swap, and so on.
Check out the D.I.C.E. awards finalists
The nominees for the 16th annual D.I.C.E. (hint: It's spelled out right in the image) awards have been listed! While Journey is (deservedly) leading the list with 11 nominations, MMOs and not-quite-MMOs have done their genre proud. Diablo III, Torchlight II, and Guild Wars 2 are all in the running for Role-Playing / Massively Multiplayer Game of the Year. Diablo III also got tapped for a shot at Outstanding Achievement in Online Gameplay, Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design, and Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition. World of Warcraft's Mists of Pandaria expansion is also in the running for the original music composition award. Winners will be announced at the awards ceremony on Thursday, February 7th. There are oodles of other games in the running for oodles of other titles, so be sure to check out the complete listing of nominees.
Get a load of World of Warcraft's Isle of the Thunder King
Those of you holding fast to your martial arts ursines in World of Warcraft are probably quite geeked about the upcoming patch 5.2. The second major post-Mists of Pandaria update for the game includes a new quest hub, raid, world bosses, and a farm that you can buy and make your very own. Our sister site WoW Insider took a closer look at 5.2, which is currently on the public test realm. The focus of the article was the Isle of the Thunder King questing zone, which involves a struggle between the Sunreaver Onslaught and Kirin Tor Offensive factions. The area has plenty of cool quest elements; it allows players to transform into the lizardy Sauroks, to be a counselor to golems, and use a ritual stone that summons group bosses. The article notes that players will see the return of a couple of familiar faces, such as the Image of Archmage Vargoth.
Patch 5.2: Blizzard's preview trailer
Blizzard Community Manager Bashiok has heralded his recent return to the WoW Community Team by sending over a teaser video for Patch 5.2: The Thunder King. You can see the video above, and our first impression is that it looks great. There's previews of the raid, the new mounts, and the new zones packed in there. The new mounts appear to be very dinosaur themed, to the extent that they are pretty much all dinosaurs, with some very Zandalari-looking armor added. Which is your favorite? For me, it's absolutely the triceratops mount, I adore the look of it, but the one that strongly resembles Oondasta is a very close second. Moving on to the raid, the darkness and feeling of a forgotten world is captured beautifully, there's a real sensation of having worked your way into a long-abandoned temple or palace. One part of the video that filled me with horror, though, is the shot of what appears to be a boss room, where the floor is made up of several square-topped pillars. I'm not the best at jumping around in a co-ordinated fashion, having killed my raid countless times by not making it onto Nefarian's pillars, so a room like this sends shivers down my spine! What do you think of the trailer? Mists of Pandaria is here! The level cap has been raised to 90, many players have returned to Azeroth, and pet battles are taking the world by storm. Keep an eye out for all of the latest news, and check out our comprehensive guide to Mists of Pandaria for everything you'll ever need to know.
Early DotA Battleground footage revealed
Adriacraft.net has revealed initial footage of Blizzard's DotA styled battleground, Defense of the Alehouse, reportedly arriving in patch 5.2. This is very basic footage, without the internal decoration in most cases, but gives a brief idea of the layout and feel of the battleground. Initial observations would be that it's definitely a large battleground, which is to be expected, possibly indicating that it could be for more than 10 players. Given that all the recent battleground additions have been 10-player, this would be welcomed. This overview map defined by Leviathon indicates the same, it's definitely a decent-sized map. There appear to be two defined areas, and lots of bridges in certain points. Of course, it should be noted that these are very, very early PTR datamined images, and should not be considered final. Lastly, I really enjoy the name of this battleground, and its not-so-subtle reference to Defense of the Ancients! Mists of Pandaria is here! The level cap has been raised to 90, many players have returned to Azeroth, and pet battles are taking the world by storm. Keep an eye out for all of the latest news, and check out our comprehensive guide to Mists of Pandaria for everything you'll ever need to know.
Patch 5.1: Pet battle UI changes
Blizzard has integrated the features of many current add-ons into the pet battle UI for patch 5.1. The journal, wild pet tooltips, and battle UI now display information making it easier to choose which pets to capture and which to kill. During battle, the quality of the pet is shown in the color of the opponent creature's name as well as the border of the icon. This renders Pet Battle Glow unnecessary. Mousing over a pet in the wild now shows how many of that creature you have collected, if any. It does not show what the highest quality of that particular pet you own, however. So the Pet Caught add-on will still give more information than the new UI. Mousing over the opponent creature during the battle will also display how many of the pets you own, but again, not their qualities. More changes are after the break.
Mists of Pandaria gets in on the Cyber Monday action
Sure, you could be blowing all your cash on any number of delectable offerings on Steam's ridiculously tempting Autumn Sale, but why would you want to do that when there's a whole world of pandas waiting to be explored? That's right: Pandas. Ain't a game yet made that can compete with pandas, and you know it. Blizzard is offering Mists of Pandaria at a 50% discount in honor of Cyber Monday. Not wanting the rest of the weekdays to feel left out, however, Blizzard is making this deal available until 2:59 a.m. EST on Friday the 30th.
