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Australian retailer EB Games will remove The Elder Scrolls Online from its bricks and mortar shelves on January 13, a Kotaku AU source claims. If the report is true then it serves as fresh evidence that Bethesda intends to scrap the MMO’s monthly subscription fees in favour of a free-to-play model.
Both boxed copies of the game, as well as pre-paid subscription cards, will reportedly be discontinued.
The development follows news late last year that players can no longer purchase six-month subscriptions to the MMO, which was met with mixed reviews when it launched last year. While a moderator on an official French TESO forum claimed the six-month blocks were discontinued due to lack of demand (ie, customers prefer to buy shorter blocks), evidence is certainly mounting that a change is imminent.
We will keep you upto date on this story, as we’ve not reviewed the game since release, however if Free to Play does happen, we’ll have another look at the game which we were underwhelmed by during the betas
Colour me impressed. Hot on the heels of Samsung’s XP941 Solid State Drive – a drive similar in size to a large USB memory stick which was already capable of 1.4 gigabytes per second read speeds – the Korean company has now unveiled its successor which is even more mind-blowing. The new SM951 SSD not only manages to blow its predecessor out of the water with blazing fast speeds of 2.15GB/s read and 1.55GB/s write (tested on PCIe Gen 3 tech), but also consumes 50% less power during operation, thanks to utilising new 10-nanometer MLC flash tech. This same smaller, more power-efficient technology also means that the drive uses barely any power when idle – a mere 2 milliwatts, in fact. The SSDs will come in 128, 256 and 512GB sizes; and at first will be exclusive to major laptop manufacturers – but if it turns out to be a TRUE successor, expect to see it in laptop models from even lesser names soon enough.
Back in the 1980, when computers were expensive, far more basic and far less capable, a number of computers that tried to keep everything simple gained cult followings. The landmark of these was the ZX Spectrum, a simple plug-in-to-your-TV affair which was inexpensive (for its time), but had a wide variety of uses and many additional options such as modems and printers. It also was easy to develop for thanks to its simple BASIC programming language, which caused it to turn a number of children, teenagers and adults working in their bedrooms overnight into game and software developers; and the ZX quickly gained a following in Britain as an early game console with classic home-grown hits such as Elite, R-Type and Manic Miner.
A 3D model of the ZX Vega Controller, which may not be the final design. Image courtesy IndieGoGo.
Flash forward to today, and now – thanks to efforts by Retro Computers – the Spectrum is being reintroduced to a modern audience. The Sinclair Spectrum Vega is an all-in-one controller and console that's styled after the original, but uses modern advancements to reduce the cost and streamline the design. While designed to look similar to the most well-known and iconic of the original Spectrum designs, with that classic rainbow motif in the corner, the Vega's design is focused solely on playing those classic Spectrum games of old, to the extent that the full QWERTY keypad of old has been simplified to just the five most commonly-used buttons – R, F, S, 1 and 2 – plus a brand new D-Pad for directional control and a dedicated "Reset" function.
Retro Computers – a startup backed by Sinclair Research, the company founded by ZX Spectrum inventor Sir Clive Sinclair – are pitching the new computer on IndieGoGo after successfully completing a prototype model of the device. The company are aiming for an initial production run of just 1,000 of the new devices, and are asking for £100,000 ($157,115 USD) to begin work; with pledges of £100 ($157 USD) or more bagging one of the first models. Retro Computers says it'll come with 1,000 games pre-installed and support additional Spectrum titles loaded from an SD card, plus further free games are planned to be added down the line.
If you are one of the millions of European WOW players, you may have heard of the new Warlords of Draenor expansion that dropped this week. Unfortunately, if you are one of the millions of European WOW players, you will also have experienced massive wait times that would test even the most experienced British queuer.
Alas, due to everyone wanting a piece of the action and DDOS attacks, my household has also fallen victim to the over-subscribed servers, with Lonesamurai twiddling his thumbs and clicking the ‘refresh’ button like it’s going out of style. In order to retain whatever sanity you may have left, I have put together a list of survival tactics, to be used in your time of need.
Step 1: Consider other Devices
Despite your undying need to explore Draenor, please be aware that other forms of entertainment exist and can be utilised to stave off the bloodlust. Halo for Xbox One has been a successful substitute for the Samurai of the house. Until he fell asleep with controller in-hand on the sofa, and that one time, mid-game when Xbox One decided to install an unwanted update. If one form of media is no longer enough, please consider turning on all electrical appliances in the house. TV, radio and even an alarm clock can trick your mind into believing you are amidst the most crowded raid your garrison has embarked upon.
Step 2: Other People
The thought of interacting with those outside the online world may be daunting, but persevere. You may discover a long-lost friend or spouse living in your home, and suddenly the source of that annoying background noise is explained. Mystery solved? Oh no, that list of chores is swiftly thrust in your face, and you can embark on a new adventure.
You may have also been fortunate enough to copulate with a member of the opposite sex. If so, chances dictate you are a parent, congratulations! Depending on the age of your offspring, they can be an infinite source of entertainment. From the small drunk person known as a toddler, to the stroppy teenager, a few choice words or a laser pointer will become your door to a new world of time-wasting. (These methods could also be employed in Step 3.) Who knew there was a world away from your desk?
Step 3: Escape to the Zoo
For whatever reason, you may discover aforementioned friend or spouse has left for greener pastures. Do not despair! Many humans share their private spaces with furry, scaled and hairy animal friends. Play can be a great bonding exercise for them and you, expanding your horizons and making you feel like the pack leader. (Unless you own a cat-then you are definitely the bitch in that relationship, believe me, I know). If your animal companion no longer functions or harbours a hatred towards you (again, I’m looking at cat owners), stuffed animals can also be a friendly alternative. Just be aware of open windows when you “do their voices”. Doctors can be really concerned about that sort of thing.
Step 4: Sustenance
Your main diet over the last few years is likely to consist of Doritos, chocolate, beer and Mountain Dew. Whilst these foods provide much needed vitamins and minerals, it may interest you to know that other flavours are available. For instance, right now, a wonderful creation known as ‘ice-cream’ may be lurking in the back of the freezer (above the big box that beer lives in). You could also try dusting off the old telephone and getting back in touch with your local take-away establishments. They will be pleased to hear from you, even though they thought you had died and sent pizza to your mother, in memory of their favourite customer.
Step 5: Porn
If you need instructions for this, you are too young to be on the interwebs.
Step 6: Acceptance
If none of the above have been successful, or you realise you are too morbidly obese to leave the desk, there is one fool proof method to pass the time. It is recommended this is used as only a last resort as you will look like a baby, and once it starts, you may be unable to stop;
We’ve heard so much about the BlizzCon movie over the past few years and now’s the time to hear even more. Get ready for the BlizzCon movie panel where we’ll hear about the upcoming movie right from the source.
We found out more about the characters and the movie itself from the panel and heres a run down of points they made about it:
– Everyone on staff is a huge Warcraft fan–they’ve played old school Warcraft, lost days of their lives to World of Warcraft.
– Warcraft has so many great characters and story arcs which made it hard to actually find a story of a suitable length for a movie.
– Original movie was very Alliance-biased, put Orcs in a more negative light. It was important this time for them to show both heroes and the conflict.
– Feels like a live action movie, the camera follows around from their perspective. The VFX for Orcs were hard to nail down, they needed them to be as genuine as humans. They used a lot of motion capture.
– They built sets, locations.
– They created a training session for people to become Orcs–actors had to learn how to become a 500lb creature, nuanced Orcs. Were they noble Orcs or aggressive ones?
– They didn’t want to do motion capture for Garona.
– One of the actors–Robert Kazinsky–actually had over 500 days /played, Death’s Demise, and more. He was in a top 100 World guild!
– Took months of training to learn motion capture. The actors also had to learn how to walk differently, get more in touch with their Orc side.
