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Aion launch party contest details revealed
Do you plan on participating in the Aion beta this weekend? If not, you may want to reconsider, because NCsoft is offering a pretty amazing contest for those of you who decide to play. Here's the rub: North American players who log into the Aion closed beta this weekend (July 2nd to July 6th) and obtain level 3 are entered to win a trip to Seattle for themselves and a friend. This trip culminates at the Aion launch party at the Seattle Space Needle, where they'll also get to attend the PAX 2009 expo.Pretty cool, right? We're sure that many of you would kill to get a chance to play Aion at all, let alone be entered into this contest. So make sure you get to at least level 3 if you're playing this weekend. You may as well if you're already going to play at all, right? And if you really want that beta key now -- but haven't had the luck to nab one -- preorder customers are given access to every beta event. You can find the page for preordering yourself a copy right here.
Microsoft unveils Hohm beta for overanalyzing your home energy usage
Since Google can't be the only multibillion-dollar technology company having all the home energy monitoring fun, Microsoft's jumping in with "Hohm" -- like a portmanteau of "Home" and "Ohm," get it? We're not entirely sure just how it works yet, but according to the company, using both user input / feedback and analytics licensed from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the US Department of Energy, the program provides suggestions for energy conservation. However, it's the future uses we're more excited about -- eventually, you'll be able to upload energy usage data into the system automatically, provided you're getting voltage from one of the partner companies. First West Coast utilities to join up include Puget Sound Energy, Sacramento Municipal Utility District, Seattle City Light, and Xcel Energy, and nope, none of those overlap with PowerMeter's first enlistees. The sign-up page for the beta is now live, so hit up the read link if you want a chance to participate.[Via Yahoo! Tech]
Jaeho Lee moving to Seattle, not running NC West from Korea
When the news came out last week that Jaeho Lee, former chief financial officer for NCsoft, would be taking over as CEO of NCsoft West, a lot of people (including press) assumed that he would be calling the shots from Korea -- after all, NCsoft had said that the change was about "global management" and working together across business units. However, we are now being told that Lee will make the journey to Seattle to join the NCsoft West team. In response to the earlier reports of NCsoft shifting leadership of its Western division to Korea, a rep had this to say to Gamasutra:"Jaeho Lee is moving to Seattle, so nothing has shifted except him. A similar change of personnel happened in our Japan office, so this was a strategic move on the part of our headquarters in Seoul to streamline global management."The rep also mentioned that Lee ran other departments such as marketing and production while in his position as chief financial officer.
HD channel expansion roundup
Once upon a time, a smattering of new HD channels in one major metropolitan area was a huge deal. Nowadays, it's almost expected that one area or another will experience some HD expansion each week. In order to keep things nice and tidy around here, we deliver high-def expansions, market expansions and anything else dealing with HD channel growth right here. If we missed an area that you're familiar with, drop us a line in comments so everyone can catch up. The more the merrier, we say!Read - DISH Network(R) Adds 30 HD Channels in HawaiiRead - DISH Network(R) Adds 30 HD Channels in AlaskaRead - DIRECTV to Deliver Local HD Programming to Customers in Lafayette, Ind.Read - Comcast digital switch update: Bellevue's next, Seattle in fallRead - FashionTV(R) Introduces New 24/7 FTV(R) HD Channel in the U.S. on DISH Network(R)Read - National Geographic Channels International Co-Produces Alaskan Killer Shark With Off The Fence ProductionsRead - Cox Launches WRIC in HD to Customers in King and Queen County, New Kent, and West PointFox News Chicago switched to HD (Thanks, Garst)Read - Time Warner Cable North East Ohio new HD Channels (Thanks, Justin)Read - Special Preview: ABC Family HD, Disney HD, HBO2 HD and BET HD (Thanks, Gary)Read - KMSP Fox 9 news in Minneapolis now in HD (Thanks, Nathan)
Microsoft hosts sneak peek event for new Gears of War 2 map this Friday
If you live in the Seattle area and find yourself dreaming of dead Locust scum on a daily basis, then you may be interested in a Gears of War 2 play session being set up by Microsoft at the Experience Music Project|Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame. This Friday, Microsoft will open the doors and allow the first 800 people (who are 17 and older, of course) to enjoy one of the new maps on offer in the newly announced All Fronts compilation. There will also be a Gears creator panel featuring Epic Games president Dr. Michael Capps and lead writer Joshua Ortega.The event will be limited to just the 800 people, so Microsoft suggests you show up much earlier than the 8pm PT starting time (the event will run until 11pm PT). We suggest you bust out the WD-40, because you don't want to go into battle without a well-oiled Lancer.
Bionic hooves for the perfect BlizzCon costume
The craziest costume I've seen at BlizzCon so far was probably that rideable turtle we saw last year (you can check it out, along with all of the other wild costumes from Blizzard's big show, in the gallery below). But these little dohickies embedded in a Tauren or Draenei costume might actually take the cake. They're called "digitigrade leg extensions" (so named after digitigrades, or animals like horses that step on their toes), and were made by a sculptor in Seattle who's done work for Wizards of the Coast before. They are, as the video says, for "costumers, performers, and actors everywhere."No idea what the cost is (she offers the extensions on her website, but we're not sure if it's a rent/buy/commission type of thing), but come on: can you really wear that Tauren costume around BlizzCon now without having these to leave hoofprints in? We didn't think so. See you there.%Gallery-34252%Thanks, Dave S!
Seattle is latest lucky winner of an electric car partnership with Nissan
Nissan's EVs are coming, but if people are really going to buy them in droves they're going to need somewhere other than the rusty outlets in their garages to charge them. So, the company has been working like mad forming partnerships with municipalities around the world, from California to China, to get city-wide charging stations installed. The latest is Seattle, a place that gets much of its power through renewable means (hydro dams), thus making the boxy little car even greener. Only two questions remain: will they use a standardized plug that all manufacturers can share, and what will they call all those recharging hotspots? We vote for spark hydrant.
The Old Republic's Threat of Peace issue #3 roils with opposite of peace
And so the plot moistens. We say moisten because much like a moist and delectable cake, the third issue of Star Wars: The Old Republic's Threat of Peace webcomic is filled with sweet, sweet filling -- otherwise known as lightsaber battles and political intrigue.Between these weekly free comic updates and the newly revealed (and immaculately voiced) historical timeline, we're likely to overdose on this MMO even before we get our hands on it. Speaking of which... when do you suppose that'll be BioWare? We heard PAX was a pretty great place to let people try out cool games. And you know, the people of Seattle are almost cousins to Canadians!Check out the third issue right here, and while you're enjoying that we'll continue to keep our eyes trained for any other updates for Star Wars: The Old Republic.
Sprint unveils WiMAX expansion cities, devices for 2009 and 2010
The XOHM label may be gone, but the potency of Sprint's WiMAX network is still kickin' in and around Baltimore. For those itching for wicked fast mobile broadband outside of The Charm City, Sprint has just unveiled a slew of expansion areas that'll get gifted in 2009 and 2010. As for the rest of this year, folks in Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Ft. Worth, Honolulu, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, Portland and Seattle can expect Sprint 4G rollouts, while residents of Boston, Houston, New York, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. can be on the lookout in 2010. In related news, the carrier is also taking this opportunity to reveal that it has "several new 4G devices planned for 2009 and 2010, including a single-mode 4G data card, embedded laptops, a small-office-home-office broadband modem and a tri-mode phone." Lovely.
RE5 producer signing copies of game in Seattle today
A Major Nelson communiqué brings word that Resident Evil 5 executive producer Jun Takeuchi will be signing copies of the game later today in Seattle. If you want to touch the master of Las Plagas, head on over to the Gamestop in Redmond Town Center this afternoon from 2:30-4PM.Oh, and Major Nelson will also arrive sometime after 3PM. If you ask nicely, we're sure he'll autograph stuff for you too.
Aion's European community team makes the leap across the pond
Going along with the continuous restructuring of NCsoft West, the European Aion community team has recently been invited to take the long swim across the Atlantic Ocean and join US community manager Liv in Seattle, forming a unified Aion community team.Sebastian "Ayase" Streiffert, the United Kingdom community manager, and Martin "Amboss" Rabl, the German community manager will be flying to the United States, while Loic "Atreid" Claveau, the French community manager, has declined the position in favor of moving to the marketing department in Brighton.Ayase, Amboss, and Atreid have all written blog posts reflecting on their individual decisions, and they can be read over at the Aion Europe community site. Amboss's and Atreid's posts have been written in their native languages, but it's nothing that a web translator can't handle. (And by handle I mean rip to shreds, but at least give you the general idea.)Welcome to the United States, Ayase and Amboss!
NCsoft Seattle hiring for console programmers
What layoffs? In the wake of the recent "structural changes" from NCsoft, it appears they're now entering a strong wave of hiring, according to Gamasutra and the job section of their PlayNC.com website. Yet, it's not so much the fact that they're hiring, it's the fact that one of their many positions include a Programmer/Engineer for the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360. Speculation has arisen that this may be related to something ArenaNet is doing, although it's important to note that NCsoft makes the distinction between Bellevue, Washington, where ArenaNet is located and Seattle, Washington, where NCsoft West's headquarters are located.But if you want to actually talk about ArenaNet jobs, we can certainly do that. Currently, they're hiring for 14 positions, including Web Development, Programmers and Artists. If you think you have what it takes, head on over to their jobs board and see what they have for you. We look forward to hearing more about what NCsoft and ArenaNet have in store.[Thanks Nirolak!]
PSA: PAX 2009 now accepting your registration
Where can you discover the wonders of puppetry, rap with game developers, ogle cosplayers, and hang with the Luddites in a three-story annex of board games -- all while getting quality time with upcoming games? If you answered, "PAX," we salute you. If you said: Poughkeepsie, New York, we'll give you a second guess.The Penny Arcade Expo is one of our favorite gaming events, hands down. The East Coast version of PAX won't launch until 2010, so you've got one more opportunity to make the pilgrimage to the original Seattle location. Lucky for you, registration opened today! You can pick up a three-day badge for just $50, and pre-registrants are also eligible to participate in the Omegathon gaming competition. The grand prize: all-expenses-paid trip to the Tokyo Game Show and, uh, other prizes. Plus, we'll be there!
Seattle crowned most wired city in America: where's your town?
Check it, Pacific Northwest -- Seattle, Washington was just named Forbes' most wired city for 2009, followed closely by Atlanta, Washington, D.C., Orlando and Boston. Of course, having Amazon and Microsoft within spitting distance probably didn't hurt matters, and the eleventy billion Starbucks WiFi hotspots likely pushed it over the edge. There are 25 other locales in the top 30 that we've yet to mention here, so head on down to the read link to see if your hometown made the cut. Oh, and way to represent, Raleigh -- numero fifteen ain't too shabby.[Via cnmoody]
GameFly expanding to Seattle, Washington [update]
Word of a new GameFly distribution center in Seattle, Washington, comes by way of a Monster.com ad seeking an "operations manager." In what has sort of become tradition around here regarding how this news breaks, the job ad looks legit and is similar to those posted on the website before, leading to the openings of the Austin and Tampa distribution centers.We've contacted GameFly for confirmation of the ad's legitimacy and to find out a timetable on the new site's opening. If tradition holds, the company will tell us: "GameFly is definitely looking at a variety of locations for an additional distribution center, but we don't have anything firm to announce just yet." But, who knows? Maybe we'll get lucky.Update: We got lucky! Gamefly's official statement: "Yes, we are planning to open our fifth distribution center in Seattle,Washington. The new center is scheduled to open during the first half of 2009 and we will provide additional details as soon as they are finalized."[Thanks, Anonymous (not his/her/its real name)]
TV One HD coming to several TWC / Comcast markets
There doesn't appear to be a set time line in place, but TV One is expected to launch an HD simulcast of its SD network soon on several Comcast / Time Warner Cable systems. The channel, which is a self-proclaimed "entertainment television network for African Americans," will first hit TWC's NYC region and Comcast systems in Boston, Chicago, Portland, OR and Seattle. We're told that more regions should find the HD iteration of the channel beginning in early January 2009, and at least initially, some 20% of the content will be shot and aired in high-def; if all goes well, that figure should rise to 40% by 2010.
Comcast delivers 29 HD channels in Seattle / Tacoma, Washington
It's officially the holiday season, and Comcast is officially in the giving mood. Hard though it may be to fathom, the carrier has just unloaded no fewer than 29 new high-definition channels in the Seattle / Tacoma, Washington area. We won't even bother boggling your mind by listing all 29 here, but those ready for an HD overload can hit the read link and prepare to be wowed. 29 new high-def stations in a single day -- that's almost too many to digest at once. Almost.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Comcast going all digital in Seattle, bringing DTAs to the Pacific Northwest
You already know what Comcast's Digital Transport Adapter looks like, and for folks in Salem, Eugene and Corvallis, Oregon (not to mention Seattle, Washington), you'll be seeing 'em in the flesh soon enough. Comcast has announced that its all digital transition will be heading up from Portland and into Seattle in the near future, and it's upsetting quite a few locals with Media Center PC / TiVo setups. Of course, these are just the growing (or should we say "changing") pains associated with a mass switch from analog to digital, but at least in theory, the conversion should free up oodles of bandwidth for the carrier to expand its HD lineup. And remember, a cable company choosing to pipe its channels out in digital is very different than the broadcast change coming in February 2009 -- it's confusing, we know, but the read link does a fairly decent job of spelling everything out.[Thanks, Doug]
Reminder: Meet WoW Insider at the Chicago Child's Play event tonight
Don't forget: if you're in Chicago, and like helping sick kids and playing videogames, you should definitely come out to the Child's Play benefit tonight at Plan B, just north of North and Milwaukee, off the Damen Blue Line stop.I'll be there, there'll be an open bar and raffle prizes, including a few good giveaways from our friends at SwagDog, local developer (they've got an office out near Western and Belmont) Midway will have their latest games available to play (including a MK vs. DC tournament, I believe), and it should be an amazing time. There are plenty of tickets left, and even if you can't grab a ticket, I can probably get you in at the door. Just tell them you're with WoW Insider, and I'm sure we can work something out.Plus, it all goes to support Child's Play, the charity started up by Penny Arcade that donates videogames to hospitals for kids to play while there. There are a number of events going on around the country (including the big dinner in Seatlle where Blizzard is giving away that employee-exclusive statue). But of course the one here in Chicago will be the best: you'll be able to have a great time, help a worthy charity, and talk Warcraft with me (when I'm not trying to figure out the Joker fatality in MK vs. DC, that is).The event starts at 7 over at Plan B, at 1635 N. Milwaukee Avenue, Chicago, IL 60647. Bring a friend and I'll see you there.
FOX News HD joins the HD lineup in Seattle, WA
Not much to say outside of the headline here, but FOX News HD is now available on Comcast in Seattle, Washington. Curiously, this seems to be the only addition for now, but hopefully it's just testing the water before it unloads a whole gaggle of 'em before the holidays. Hopefully.
