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In-game items and real-world prizes abound in Runes of Magic's summer giveaway!
What's the one thing better than free in-game prizes? Free out-of-game prizes, of course! How could you turn down winning some neat stuff like an iPad, subscription to PC Gamer, and SteelSeries accessories? You can't, and it's as simple as that. Thanks to Frogster, we here at Massively are now hosting keys for the Runes of Magic Great Summer Giveaway! Grabbing and redeeming a key will get you access to the in-game Runesurfer's pack, which gets you a cool flying disc mount as well as a couple of in-game potions to temporarily enhance your character. And, when you redeem your key, you're also entered in a contest for a chance to win some great prizes! Hungry for more information, including what's in the pack and what you can win? Want to grab yourself a key? Then look no further than after the break!
SteelSeries shows off ultra-durable Spectrum headset, we fail to rip it a new one (video)
We're sure that SteelSeries is mighty pleased with the audio quality of its brand-new Spectrum 5xb gaming headset, but company reps didn't introduce the product as such. They wanted us to walk away knowing three things, and the first was that we could beat the living crap out of them. Right in front of our eyes a product designer twisted the headband a full 180 degrees, let it snap back into place, then started yanking hard on the braided nylon cord (video after the break) while a dumbfounded expression crossed our face. We tried the very same, but couldn't get the cord to budge. On the off-chance you don't care to test durability for yourself, the phones also break into three pieces for transport. While the second tenet of SteelSeries' presentation was comfort (and these circumaural cans are comfortable, to be sure), the third was a prototype Xbox 360 device called the AudioMixer that will ship both bundled with the peripheral and separately as well. Plugging into your console and the base of a controller, the AudioMixer lets you connect a PC headset, then automatically balances voice chat and game audio using an on-board processor chip. There are individual volume dials, too, if you just need to shut that swearing ten-year old up. No price as yet, but both this Spectrum 5xb and a less feature-packed younger sibling will ship in Q3. Full press release and semi-destructive video after the break. %Gallery-95586%
J!NX and Steelseries giving away loot on Facebook
Steelseries and J!NX have teamed up to give away some loot over the next three weeks -- hardware from Steelseries and some outer wear from J!NX, as well as other pretty cool stuff. The contest is open to Facebook users, who will be eligible to win one of six loot packs to be given away. Two loot packs will be given away each week, and each pack consists of the following: 1 SteelSeries World of Warcraft MMO Gaming Mouse 1 SteelSeries March of the Scourge QcK Mouse Pad 1 SteelSeries Zboard Wrath of the Lich King Gaming Keyboard 1 J!NX Talking Murloc Plush Toy 1 J!NX Horde or Alliance Hoodie 1 J!NX Frost Resistance Hoodie 1 J!NX Green Linen Shirt 1 J!NX Horde or Alliance Shirt 1 J!NX Horde or Alliance Wallet 1 J!NX Horde or Alliance Cut out Sticker 1 J!NX Horde or Alliance Keychain The first week simply asks Facebook users to 'like' or become fans on both the Steelseries and J!NX Facebook pages, with two winners to be determined randomly on May 5, 2010. The second week will require Facebook users to flex their social networking muscles a little bit as contestants are asked to post a screenshot of their favorite person, place, or activity in Azeroth on the J!NX Facebook page and garner as many "likes" for their entry until May 12. The screenshot with the most "likes" will win one loot pack, while a panel of judges from J!NX and Steelseries will determine who wins the second pack. The third week is a similar exercise in social network popularity, but contestants are asked to submit a video of an in-game dance party on the Steelseries fan page. As with the week before it, the video that ends up with the most "likes" at the end of the period, May 19, will win one loot pack. J!NX and Steelseries will select the winner of the second loot bag. If you're not averse to the whole social network experience, this promotion seems like a relatively painless way to try and score some cool swag.
Mousepad roundup: Razer, SteelSeries, Saitek and Kensington battle for two-dimensional supremacy
Mousepads, who needs them? That's the question that's been keeping Tom's Guide up at night lately, so they've done the only responsible thing a tech site can do and rolled up a mega roundup review of some of the more popular ones. Unsurprisingly, you'll find plenty from Razer's gaming collection, including the dual-sided Vespula and the Engadget-approved Megasoma, which are faced off against entries from Saitek, SteelSeries and lock specialist Kensington. The one that will have inevitably caught your eye, though, is that steel saw impersonator known as the Greensforged Remember Ravensholm pad. Built especially for a Half-Life 2 fan, it's made entirely from steel, but we're told its usefulness is apparently not quite on par with its good looks. Anyhow, dive into the source link for the complete roundup. [Thanks, Ben]
SteelSeries debuts 6Gv2 mechanical gaming keyboard
The clickety-clack of a mechanical keyboard may not be for everyone, but there's a sizable group that will accept no substitute, and SteelSeries now has yet another model for them to consider in the form of its new 6Gv2 gaming keyboard. Nothing but business here, with the keyboard passing over things like media keys and a USB hub in favor of more performance-oriented features like 18-karat gold-plated mechanical switches, and "anti-ghosting" technology to give gamers every possible advantage. Still no firm word on a ship date, but you can get your pre-order in now for $99.99.
SteelSeries NP+ mousepad not made of steel, water resistant nonetheless
Here's one for those gamers who insist on angry looking peripherals with names like "Frag" and "Sentinel" and "Head$hot" (oh, dear). The SteelSeries NP+ medium to rough glide mousepad offers higher level of mouse-to-surface friction -- the perfect thing for enabling your wish fulfillment / blood lust in the form of first person shooters. Works well with either your optical or laser mouse, apparently, and sports a generous 17.7 x 15.7-inch surface. Best of all, it's Mountain Dew-resistant! Available in March for $25.
The Twelve Days of Winter Veil: Day one - Steelseries gear
For the final give away of WoW.com's 12 Days of Winter Veil contests we thought we'd end big. How big? With a pack of four Steelseries gaming accessories worth $275. It includes one of each: World of Warcraft MMO Gaming Mouse World of Warcraft Wrath of the Lich King Mousepad World of Warcraft Wrath of the Lick King Z-board Steelseries Siberia v2 Full Size Headset The contest is open to legal residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia, and Canada (excluding Quebec), and everyone who enters must be 18 or older. To enter, leave a comment on this post before 11:59pm ET Sunday, January 3, 2010. Please be sure to use a real email that you check often to enter, so we can contact you should you be the winner. You may enter only once and one winner will be selected randomly. That winner will receive 1 World of Warcraft MMO Gaming Mouse, 1 World of Warcraft Wrath of the Lich King Mousepad, 1 World of Warcraft Wrath of the Lick King Z-board and 1 Steelseries Siberia v2 Full Size Headset with a retail value of US$275. Click here to read the official contest rules. EDIT: Contest closed. Thanks everyone!
WoW Fifth Anniversary Sweepstakes
If you're a resident of the United States, Canada, or New Zealand, kindly whack yourself on the head as a show of solidarity for other players who don't qualify for the World of Warcraft Five Year Anniversary Sweepstakes. If you are a resident of the aforementioned countries or are some Asian or European or Other-Unqualified-Country-an willing to subject themselves to a little geek envy, then read on. Our favorite game turns five this November 23, 2009, and to celebrate, Blizzard is giving away a whole bunch of swag every week for the next four weeks. Essentially, as long as you're a player whose account is active when they pull your name out of a kodo-skin hat and hasn't gotten into trouble for breaking the EULA, you're automatically entered in the sweepstakes. Players qualify for certain prizes depending on how long they've been playing the game. Check out the list of prizes and player eligibility after the jump.
SteelSeries WoW mouse gets new functionality
Long after its initial release, which saw the mouse come under fire for its dubious EULA-breaking built-in functionality, WoWVault at IGN reports that the Steelseries World of Warcraft mouse has received a functional upgrade in that players can now "bind all 15 buttons without leaving the game." Patch 3.2.2 introduced a new interface for the mouse, which allows for the creation and customization of macros and key bindings from within the game, and assigned to different character profiles. The game now recognizes the mouse buttons as completely new and unique buttons, adding more buttons to augment players' normal keyboard buttons. This should make the mouse completely usable out of the box for all players without fear of breaking the game's end-user policies, as opposed to how it was when it first shipped as it took advantage of disallowed automated and timed scripts. The Steelseries website notes that players can "achieve faster response time(s) by customizing (their) mouse setup in-game and thereby removing a layer of software." It was this "layer of software" outside the game that delivered commands to the mouse and conflicted with the game's policies. So fear not, players! The Steelseries WoW mouse is now completely EULA-compliant! I mean, it still kind of looks like a robotic turtle, but at least it won't get you banned from the game anymore.
SteelSeries takes another stab at gaming headsets with Siberia v2
We played with the original Siberia headset from SteelSeries, which was specifically designed to emphasize "gaming noises" like grenade pin pulls and footsteps -- but didn't do much good for listening to anything else. The Siberia Headset v2 looks to solve some of that with slightly larger speakers, an enclosed design to reduce ambient noise, improved frequency response and increased volume. There's also a built-in mic now. We took a listen and found the music listening capabilities much improved, especially in the bass end, but still no challenge for "regular" over the ear headphones. Still, serious gamers should get what they need out of the cans, which will be offered in models with and without a USB 7.1 virtual surround soundcard in November. No word on price until then. We also got a quick look at the new Xai and Kinzu gaming mice. The ambidextrous-friendly nature of the pair is nice, materials are great, and mousing around briefly on a fancy SteelSeries mousepad certainly felt effortless and accurate, but mouse technology is so wild these days it's hard to differentiate one multi-megapixel optical or laser sensor from another -- to these untrained eyes, anyway. %Gallery-73471%
SteelSeries Aion limited edition Zboard keeps MMO addicts stuck in the basement
You've got to hand it to 'em, SteelSeries knows its market. Following up on its array of WoW-themed gear, the company has just issued a new limited edition Zboard aimed at to-be Aion gamers, which just might be "the most anticipated MMO of 2009." As with most of the outfit's MMORPG-centric keyboards, this one also packs a colorful motif, a swath of dedicated action keys, menus and chat commands, full customization of each key and quick-access "emote keys for greeting, intimidating, or taunting your opponent." In related news, the firm is also dishing out an Aion Asmodian mousepad, which may or may not be superior to the stained napkin you're currently using to raid on. Both units are available for pre-order right now at $19.99 and $14.99, respectively, and we hear that UPS totally delivers to dingy basements for a nominal fee. [Via Coolest-Gadgets]
SteelSeries giving away autographed Starcraft II mouse pads
A few weeks ago we posted about SteelSeries giving away Wrath mouse pads signed by pro-gamers, and while that was all fine and dandy, there were quite a few people looking for more, such as autographs from Blizzard employees, perhaps. Good news, everyone! SteelSeries has made good on that, and all this week they're giving away more mouse pads on their Facebook page, though this time they're Starcraft II gaming surfaces, not World of Warcraft.Who's donating their autograph this time around? Wei Wang, the artist behind the now-iconic image of Arthas and Frostmourne, which is plastered all over Wrath of the Lich King products. Wei Wang is also rumored to be the new Son of the Storm, the artists that basically fuel and control Blizzard's aesthetics. So while this might just be a mouse pad that he's signing, it might as well be a part of Blizzard history if you're into that sort of thing.Head over to their Facebook page and follow the supplied instructions. Good luck!
SteelSeries adds Xai and Kinzu to gaming mouse family
After the extravagant aesthetics of the World of Warcraft-branded mouse, SteelSeries has returned to its roots with a pair of ambidextrous high-definition mice. The laser-powered Xai grabs the major price tag of just under $80, and in exchange offers a 10.8-megapixels per second sensor, up to 5,001 CPI, and a design engineered in accordance with the whims of professional gamers. Most intriguing is the built-in LCD menu system, where you can fully configure the mouse and then store those settings within the peripheral itself, making for a consistent experience across multiple computers. The Kinzu is the slightly smaller, LCD-deprived optical brother of the Xai, and will set you back a more conservative $34.99 when the two mice, alongside a freshly polished new gaming surface, become available in August.
Gearing up for PvP - Your mouse
Let's face it, not everyone can afford an HP Blackbird 002, which was used for several MLG pro gaming tournaments and was awarded 4.5 stars (out of 5) by CNET. The Editors' bottom line at the time was "If you can afford it, and you want a high-end gaming PC, buy this one. End of story." The end of that story was a $5,600 hole in your wallet, which is not a very happy ending for most of us mortals (Wired gave its $2,100 successor, the HP Firebird, a 9 out of 10). The actual happy compromise is in your peripherals, which you can splurge on (within reason) without having to win the Lotto.I'll start with the mouse. More than your keyboard, your mouse is your most important gaming peripheral. For laptop users, who will more often than not use the default keyboard built-in to their machine, dedicated gaming keyboards are a luxury rather than a necessity. Furthermore, PvP enthusiasts necessarily learn to move with a mouse, which makes it a worthy investment.
SteelSeries giving away Wrath mouse pads signed by WarCraft pro-gamers
SteelSeries have announced plans to give away four signed versions of their limited edition Wrath mouse pads via their Facebook page. They will be giving away one of each mouse pad until Friday to anyone who becomes a fan via Facebook. The mouse pads are signed by twelve pro gamers, ninethat play WoW and three that play Warcraft III, including members of SK Gaming and Team EG.This giveaway is the latest in their Month of Madness giveaway and if you'd like to see more shots of the super-rare mouse pads in their full glory, check out their blog and then head on over to their Facebook page to sign up and stand a chance of winning.
The Art of War(craft): Gearing up for PvP
One of the most important things in World of Warcraft PvP, obviously -- as with all endeavors in a loot-driven game -- is gear. Epic items with Stamina and Resilience, PvP set bonuses and all that. Well, that's not what we're going to talk about today. Today we'll take a look at the metagame. What you do outside the World of Warcraft and how you can improve your PvP skills with so-called gaming gear and other factors out of the game.Over the past few months, my brother built a custom trail bike that he weighed down to the gram (it's about 10.12kg compared to the 15kg bike I currently use). It cost him something in the atmosphere of $3,000, and when I chided him about spending so much for it, he explained that since he doesn't have as much skill as other competitive bikers, he tries to make up for it with a better tool. It makes sense. Obviously, a superior athlete with a mediocre bicycle could and does outperform him in competitions, but he beats bikers of identical skill and athleticism with his new, lightweight, high-end bike.What does this have to do with the World of Warcraft, you ask? Well, my brother's reasoning applies to gaming, as well. While natural talent and skill for video games isn't something you can achieve or obtain overnight (if at all), it's easy enough to take steps to improve your metagame. Just as characters get an advantage through in-game gear, players can get an advantage using real life gear.
BlizzCon Sweepstakes ticking down to deadline
Just in case you aren't satisfied with one chance at winning tickets to BlizzCon, those guys from SteelSeries have teamed up with J!NX, BradyGames, Upper Deck, and Swag Dog to bring you the BlizzCon Sweepstakes. That's like an all-star crew of geek and gamer gear companies forming some sort of super team just for you. That's right, these guys want you to go to BlizzCon, too, and all you have to do is hop on over to their sweepstakes site, fill up a form, and you're in. It's that easy. First prize is a flight for two to Anaheim, 2 nights at a hotel, 2 passes to BlizzCon, and yes, even $300 in pocket money (so you can buy more of swag, I'd imagine).Here's where the all-star crew comes in -- if you don't get to win the Grand Prize, five lucky chaps will go away with a SteelSeries World of Warcraft mouse, a $50 J!NX Gift Certificate, and the World of Warcraft Atlas from BradyGames. The rest of the lucky guys will get $25 Swag Dog Gift Certificates, Fields of Honor booster packs, World of Warcraft-themed mousepads, and a bunch of other cool stuff. Not a bad deal at all for just filling out a form. Of course, as usual, it's only open to residents of the United States and Canada (excluding Alaska, Hawaii, and Quebec). The contest runs until July 31, so feel free to dilly-dally around WoW.com before you submit your entry.Don't like that you can't enter the contest because of where you live? We don't like it either! Unfortunately there is nothing we can do about it right now. But you can! In the US contact your Congressperson, in Quebec contact the Quebec government, and in the UK contact your member of Parliament. Tell them you want things changed so contests can be open for everyone.
Make a costume, win a trip to BlizzCon from the EU
Blizzard EU has a pretty sweet offer to you European players out there: If you like cosplay (and you're good at it) you could win a chance to go to BlizzCon for free. The official contest page states, "All you have to do is create a costume inspired by one of our game universes, pose in it, snap a photo, and send it to us!"Of course, certain rules apply, contests are never that simple, as I'm sure you've noticed with some of the contests right here on WoW Insider. The contest will begin on May 20th, 2009. It will end on June 22nd, 2009. Submissions sent early (or late) will be discarded. Entries are also limited to individuals 18 or older residing in the following countries: France Belgium United Kingdom Luxembourg Germany Austria Sweden Finland Denmark Norway Ireland Spain Check out the official contest page for the rules in their entirety and the full range of prizes, including the free trip to BlizzCon as well as products from SteelSeries, UpperDeck and Panini.%Gallery-34205%
The winners of WoW Insider's Fan Art contest
You probably remember that a few weeks ago, WoW Insider ran a fan art contest with some pretty sweet SteelSeries items as prizes. We said we were going to show off the winners, and we will! We wanted to contact the winners before we told you who they were, and these things take awhile sometimes. We've now spoken to every single one of them, and it's time to show things off!Our winners are... Grand Prize: Raymond Liang First Prize: Shawn Gaston Second Prize: Russ Harp Third Prize: Connor Murphy Remember, winners were chosen by the editorial staff, taking the theme of the contest into consideration along with the scoring system detailed in the official rules. You can check out all of the winners and submissions in the gallery below.%Gallery-51014%
Reminder: Enter WoW Insider's Fan Art contest
It's Saturday afternoon! What are you doing? I have no idea! I know what you should be doing, though. You should be finishing up your submissions to our Fan Art Contest! You only have a couple of days left, the contest ends the evening of April 20th.Again, submissions are judged based on artistic skill, presentation, and creativity. Creativity is weighed much more heavily than the two. If you can make us smile with a crayon doodle, you probably still have a chance to win. Plus, it'll get you featured on our front page even if you don't win, so that's pretty cool. Right?For the full rules and all of that, head on over to the official contest page. Good luck!
