Category Archive: Gaming

Bungie Tour

One of the other Xbox MVPs (kilam0mjaro) is friends with the community manager at Bungie and set up a tour for us tonight. It was pretty awesome.

Here are some photos:

Have you all seen the Destiny video? It looks like a pretty bad ass epic sci-fi space romp. What do you all think?

Category: Entertainment, Gaming, Microsoft TAG: , ,

New Xbox or New Playstation?

Peench | February 7, 2013 | COMMENTS:7 Comments »

Rumors abound about the new Playstation and a possible new Xbox to be released this year. Talk is that Sony will announce something more specific on the 20th of February though they are downplaying that and haven’t commented on any rumors.  Microsoft, on the other hand, hasn’t released any news.  Here are some of the rumors and thoughts.

Playstation 4

  • Dualshock 3 shaped controller with Vita like touch sensitive surface
  • Sharing with friends while playing
  • Ditching Cell processors and using processors from AMD
  • Possibly same chip as new Xbox
  • Possibly using Gaikai cloud service
  • Year end launch
  • Cost over $400
  • Power efficient, less energy draw and quieter
  • Possibly 4K (ultra HD) output
  • No backwards compatibility
  • Games tied to your PS account (cutting out resale market)
  • New PS Eye camera for improved motion control gaming

Sources: Kotaku and TechRadar

Xbox 720

  • Greatly improved speech recognition
  • Integration with Skype
  • Interface similar to Win 8
  • Smaller, less expensive and more Kinect-focused
  • Similar controller to Xbox 360
  • Possible augmented reality 3D integration later
  • Dual GPUs from AMD
  • 16 core CPU
  • Included Blu-Ray Drive
  • 1080p and DVR support
  • Games tied to internet (cutting out resale market)
  • Pre-Christmas 2013 release date
  • Priced around $300

Sources: CVG, and TechRadar

With all those rumors out there, what do you think?  Will we see new consoles from Microsoft and Sony this year?  Or do they have more to milk out of their existing consoles?  Let us know your thoughts!

Category: Entertainment, Gaming, Microsoft, Sony TAG: , ,

Gamers for giving

I received the following email from fellow MVP Zach Wigal. If you are in Eastern Michigan please show your support. This is a great cause!

Zach here. For those who don’t know, I help manage a charity organization called Gamers Outreach Foundation. We fund the construction of portable gaming carts for children’s hospitals, and we also send video game care packages to troops overseas. Each year, we host a fundraising event called Gamers for Giving within the state of Michigan. It’s a competitive gaming event / LAN party that helps support our organization’s activities during the course of the year.

We’ll be hosting Gamers for Giving 2013 at the Eastern Michigan University Student Center during the weekend of February 16th & 17th. At the moment, we’re trying to get the word out to the gaming community. If any of you would be willing to help promote across your social media channels / websites, that would be a huge help! We’re trying to raise $15,000 to support our programs in 2013. We’re managed on a volunteer basis, and entry fees from the event as well as public donations will be directly supporting our initiatives.

I’ve attached our event’s press release to this email. You’ll also find some photos you can use to accompany any content you’d like to produce below. If you have any questions or thoughts, feel free to reach out! cc @GamersOutreach on Twitter and we’ll RT your coverage. We’re also using the hashtag #GFG2013 for our event.

Here is the press release:

Gamers for Giving 2013

Eastern Michigan University attracts video game industry influencers & companies for a weekend of eSports competition benefitting charity.

Saline, Mich. – Over the course of February 16th & 17th, the eyes of the interactive entertainment industry will focus on Eastern Michigan University as video game enthusiasts from across the country convene to participate in one of the Midwest’s premier gaming events, Gamers for Giving.

Founded in 2008 by current Eastern Michigan University student Zach Wigal, Gamers for Giving is a non-profit competitive gaming tournament & LAN party that helps raise money for the charity initiatives of Gamers Outreach Foundation. The organization, a 501(c)(3) non-profit within the video game industry, facilitates activities such as building portable gaming carts for children’s hospitals (dubbed “GO Karts”) and sending video game care packages to troops overseas.

“Gamers for Giving is an opportunity for people who love to play video games to come together, share their passion for gaming, and raise money for charity,” says Wigal. “This year, we’re trying to raise $15,000.00 to support the programs of Gamers Outreach. We’ve been able to deliver GO Karts to medical facilities in Michigan, but we’d like to expand the program to additional hospitals both within and outside the state. We’ll also be supporting Eastern’s ROTC program in connection with our military initiatives.”

Supported by the likes of Astro Gaming and the Intel LANFest series, Gamers for Giving features tournaments with cash prizes for the hardcore enthusiast, as well as casual activities for those who enjoy the light-spirited side of gaming. Headline activities include a Halo 4 tournament, a Call of Duty Black Ops 2 tournament, a League of Legends tournament, a StarCraft 2 tournament, and a BYOC (bring your own computer) LAN Party. Entry fees from the event directly support Gamers Outreach programs.

Gamers for Giving 2013 begins on Saturday, February 16th and will end on Sunday, February 17th. The event is taking place within the Eastern Michigan University Student Center Grand Ballroom. Information and registration for this year’s event can be found at http://www.GamersforGiving.org. A live stream will broadcast at twitch.tv/LANFest.

For more information, contact Zach Wigal by email at zwigal@gamersoutreach.org or by phone at 734.476.7506.

And some photos:

Gamers for Giving Halo players
Helen DeVos GO Kart
Gamers Outreach military package
Gamers for Giving StarCraft 2 player

Category: Gaming, PC TAG: , , , ,