Engadget evaluates Razer Blade performance

February 22, 2012 By
Our fellow bloggers at Engadget have gotten their hands on the Blade laptop from Razer (the very first commercial fruits of that "Switchblade" concept seeded so long ago), and the unit gets some high marks, despite some significant flaws. The worst issue with the laptop seems to be the audio (the built-in speakers are so bad that Engadget suspected their unit was broken somehow), but in general the problem with the Blade seems that it's tuned for a mix of portability and performance, which means neither gets to be perfect.

Yes, the Blade is sleek and super thin for a PC laptop, but it trades on that build by being a "gaming" unit that doesn't play StarCraft 2 or Skyrim on their highest settings perfectly. And that's something that Engadget would definitely like "the world's first true gaming laptop" to do. For the sticker price of $2,799, Razer traded a little too much performance for the admittedly impressive form factor.

But while Engadget doesn't recommend the laptop wholeheartedly, the site does praise the Blade's "bright and delectably tactile" LED buttons. The article surmises we'll see those types of controls again soon, either in Razer hardware, or units from other device manufacturers.

JoystiqEngadget evaluates Razer Blade performance originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 22 Feb 2012 22:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mass Effect 3 ‘From Ashes’ DLC also sold separately from Collector’s Edition

February 22, 2012 By
BioWare has confirmed that the Mass Effect 3 "From Ashes" DLC that leaked on Xbox Live Marketplace yesterday is one of the items included with the Collector's Edition. The extra character, mission and outfits will also be sold separately (at 800 MSP / $10) for owners of the game's standard version.

Mass Effect 3 producer Michael Gamble hit the BioWare forums to clarify some stuff surrounding the exact components of the DLC. You'll want to avoid it if you don't want to learn the identity of what we shall tactfully refer to as "the extra, downloadable person."

[Thanks, Patrick.]

JoystiqMass Effect 3 'From Ashes' DLC also sold separately from Collector's Edition originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 22 Feb 2012 21:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Nintendo negotiating Wii U video content streaming

February 22, 2012 By
It makes sense. More individuals are streaming Netflix on their consoles and, as of last summer, the Wii was used to stream Netflix most often. According to a report on AdWeek, Nintendo is working out deals with major content providers right now for the Wii's successor, the Wii U.

AdWeek's sources say that Nintendo is aiming for parity between video streaming and gaming, much like what Microsoft did with the latest version of the Xbox 360 Dashboard. Sources say Nintendo held meetings back at CES in Las Vegas focusing on sports and music -- one source in particular says that Nintendo is working with Comcast right now for cable distribution rights.

It's all pretty forward-thinking stuff for Nintendo, if true. Nintendo president Satoru Iwata recently spoke about NFC payments and microtransactions on Wii U, showing an interest in broadening the system's financial model. The Wii U will launch by "the year-end season."

JoystiqReport: Nintendo negotiating Wii U video content streaming originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 22 Feb 2012 21:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mass Effect 3′s trip into space gets a trailer, useful purpose

February 22, 2012 By

So, remember how EA and Bioware are launching six copies of Mass Effect 3 into (near) space? Well, they're still doing that, and now there's a trailer about it that you can watch.

The trailer itself is not particularly informative, but the press release delivered with said trailer actually contained some cool information about the event. Specifically, students from the High Altitude Balloon Club at Texas A&M University will be assisting with each of the six launch sites around the world.

Once the event is complete, EA will be donating all of the equipment used during the publicity stunt to A&M's Aerospace Engineering department, which will then take the gear to Alaska and use it study the aurora borealis. We're glad to hear this advertising campaign will benefit a group of bright youngsters, and that EA isn't shelling out a presumably massive load of cash just to launch some games into space.

Continue reading Mass Effect 3's trip into space gets a trailer, useful purpose

JoystiqMass Effect 3's trip into space gets a trailer, useful purpose originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 22 Feb 2012 20:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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California out nearly $2 million on failed video game legislation

February 22, 2012 By
When California agreed to foot the Entertainment Software Association's $950,000 legal bill accrued during its deconstruction of Brown v. EMA, we estimated the state's cumulative payout to the ESA at around $1,327,000. Once you factor in the state's own legal costs, however, California's total payout for attempting to regulate the sale of violent games to minors rings up at a cool $1.8 million, according to The Sacramento Bee.

Billable hours accrued by lawyers working for the state add an estimated $500,000 to the failed legislation's price tag, which has been slowly growing since the state decided to appeal the bill's initial injunction way back in 2007. Considering that California's budget deficit is projected to reach somewhere around $22 billion this year, two million bucks doesn't seem like all that much in comparison. It's like tossing a box of matches into a burning building: What are you gonna do, set it more on fire?

JoystiqCalifornia out nearly $2 million on failed video game legislation originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 22 Feb 2012 20:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tribes: Ascend beta open to all on Feb. 24

February 22, 2012 By
So far, 300,000 have played Tribes: Ascend in its closed beta state, Hi-Rez Studios COO Todd Harris revealed. But Hi-Rez wants more players and this Friday, the Tribes: Ascend beta will be open to all.

Before the launch of the open beta, Hi-Rez will add some additional maps and customization options to Tribes: Ascend, plus a new game mode: Arena Deathmatch. These will all be added in a patch coming, well, before Friday, we guess. Hi-Rez hasn't really said when the patch will be live.

If you're worried about player progress, don't sweat it. Your progress and unlocks will carry over to the open beta.

Gallery: Tribes Ascend (2/22/12)

Continue reading Tribes: Ascend beta open to all on Feb. 24

JoystiqTribes: Ascend beta open to all on Feb. 24 originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 22 Feb 2012 19:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Building A Machine for Pigs and expanding the universe of Amnesia

February 22, 2012 By
It takes place sixty years after Amnesia: The Dark Descent at the turn of the twentieth century, yet the next game to carry the franchise's moniker will feel like familiar territory in one major respect: it is built to scare you senseless.

It's six-o-clock in the morning. My tea jolts me awake. The street outside is silent. It's serene and peaceful all around me, until I call Frictional Games designer Thomas Grip. His voice booms in my headset; he's obviously excited. This is the first time his team can talk about his upcoming project. This is how I was introduced to Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs.

Continue reading Building A Machine for Pigs and expanding the universe of Amnesia

JoystiqBuilding A Machine for Pigs and expanding the universe of Amnesia originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 22 Feb 2012 19:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MotorStorm RC zooms adorably to PS3 and Vita on March 6

February 22, 2012 By

Tiny trucks will take their places on PS3 and Vita on March 6, when MotorStorm RC arrives on the North American PSN, letting you experience the best of the series in little toy trucks. You'll be able to download the same game on both platforms, and buying one gives you access to the other.

If you're playing on PS3, you'll get "SimulView" same-screen support (for TVs fancy enough to support it), 3D, and split-screen four-player. If you're playing on Vita, you're playing on a Vita! Wow!

JoystiqMotorStorm RC zooms adorably to PS3 and Vita on March 6 originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 22 Feb 2012 18:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Game explains the missing Ubisoft Vita launch titles, physics

February 22, 2012 By
Game, the UK-based games retailer, was unable to stock any of Ubisoft's Vita day-one titles, breaking the news just hours before the device's midnight launch early this morning. Game still doesn't have definite plans to carry the games, and marketing director Anna-Marie Mason explained why to Eurogamer: "You can see, there's a finite amount of space in a store." No way. Do go on.

"We can't stock absolutely everything. That's just not possible," she said. Mason didn't cite Game's financial troubles as a direct cause of the missing titles, talking past Game's store closures, layoffs, broken credit lines and the potential sale of its international branch.

One possible reason for Game's struggling sales is an influx of cheaper online retailers, but Mason said Game offers something more, citing the store's 2.5 million customers a week. "What our customers get from us, whether they shop with Game or Gamestation, is more than a sterile transaction," Mason said. "They get the opportunity to transact with us in the way they want and they get added value. Our customers will vote with their feet."

Game may stock Ubisoft's Vita launch titles in the future, Mason said, but for now it does offer the games through a "downloadable option," which we're sure will attract dozens of feet.

JoystiqGame explains the missing Ubisoft Vita launch titles, physics originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 22 Feb 2012 18:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Persona 3, Tactics Ogre, and other PSP RPGs that will live on my Vita

February 22, 2012 By
This is a column by Kat Bailey dedicated to the analysis of the once beloved Japanese RPG sub-genre. Tune in every Wednesday for thoughts on white-haired villains, giant robots, Infinity+1 swords, and everything else the wonderful world of JRPGs have to offer.
A PlayStation Vita will be arriving on my doorstep some time on Thursday. It will be arriving courtesy of Amazon rather than Sony, in case you're wondering, so I did in fact spend money on the thing. I do not, however, plan to purchase any games for it. At least not yet.

As I perused the list of PSP games available for download, I realized that I already had quite a few titles to choose from. So rather than try to justify spending money on Lumines or Uncharted -- both fine games but not my cup of tea -- I decided I would revisit some of my favorite PSP RPGs on the Vita's big, beautiful screen.

It's really a pity the PSP never experienced the renaissance over here that it did in Japan, since it means quality RPGs like Valkyria Chronicles 3 may never be localized. It's only thanks to XSEED that Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky ever saw the light of day in the US, as well as Vanillaware's coming North American launch for Grand Knights History. A select few have made it stateside, and I'm happy to see them available on PSN. Here are the ones that will be making their way to my Vita, and to yours as well, I hope.

Continue reading Persona 3, Tactics Ogre, and other PSP RPGs that will live on my Vita

JoystiqPersona 3, Tactics Ogre, and other PSP RPGs that will live on my Vita originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 22 Feb 2012 17:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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