Hasta La Gadget!

It wasn’t too long ago that Valve unveiled Steam Machines along with SteamOS, both of which were methods for Valve to break into the living room which is currently dominated by the likes of Sony’s PlayStation, Microsoft’s Xbox, and Nintendo’s Wii platforms. While Valve has yet to release Steam Machines to the masses, they did share what a prototype Steam Machine might be like and given those specifications, building such a machine for yourself could cost anywhere between $700-$1,800, money which technically could be put towards building an awesome gaming PC for yourself.

Well the good news is that iBuyPower has unveiled their own Steam Machine which is expected to see a release in 2014 and will be priced at $499, which coincidentally enough is the price of an Xbox One. The machine, pictured above, will feature an AMD chipset and will sport an AMD Radeon RS 270 GPU which in its own will cost around $180 already, so safe to say this appears to be a relatively good deal. The only “downside” is that iBuyPower’s Steam Machine will not run Windows, but rather a Linux-based SteamOS instead which could be a little iffy given that there aren’t too many Linux compatible games on Steam at the moment. Either way it looks like a promising and affordable start and hopefully we will be seeing more alternatives in the near future.

iBuyPower Unveils Steam Machine For $499 original content from Ubergizmo.

The smartbulb throne isn’t exactly the most exciting one to occupy, but Philips Hue has its fair share of challengers, such as the freshly released Bluetooth-controlled Lumen. Similar to Hue, you can tweak not only the bulb’s color, but also its intensity. In addition, several modes come baked into the light source, including one that programs the Lumen to flash whenever a call comes in, and another that syncs its effects with music. Unlike Philips’ fancy bulbs, though, the device doesn’t need a WiFi hub to work — it connects directly to an iOS or Android device loaded with its companion app. What’s more, its creators claim the product consumes only one-sixth of the energy a 40W bulb does despite emitting comparable light. If a Bluetooth-connected bulb intrigues you — even though the idea itself isn’t new — you can now snatch the Lumen online or from various retailers for $70.

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Source: Lumen

Just last week, it was announced that Winamp would finally be shutting it doors and that the software would no longer be available for download come December 2013. Naturally many were shocked by this especially since Winamp has been around for more than 15 years, although there have been rumors of Microsoft potentially interested in acquiring the software from AOL but we’re not sure if this means Microsoft plans on keeping it alive, or if they simply want the patents.

In any case while the decision appears to be final, a petition has been created on Change.org where users are asking AOL to keep Winamp alive, or at the very least let the software go open source so that the community will be responsible for keeping it alive and continue distributing it even if it is no longer officially supported by AOL. According to the petition, “After more than 15 years and millions of users worldwide, Winamp Media Player will cease forever as of 20th Dec 2013. Winamp is the best media player ever built. If there were other alternatives that would be fine. But there is nothing that can do what Winamp can do. It is the most versatile media player on earth.”

The petition has since managed to go on and nab over 15,000 signatures at this time of writing. What do you guys think? Will you be signing this petition?

Petition Calls For AOL To Keep Winamp Alive, Or Release It As An Open Source original content from Ubergizmo.

The other day we reported that Xbox One gamers had reported that there were issues with their console, namely the Blu-Ray disc drives that appeared to be giving them problems and emitted a weird sound when a disc was inserted. Microsoft has since issued a statement about the problem and the good news is that gamers who have been affected by the problem, Microsoft will not only be exchanging your console for one where all the parts are working, but are also giving you a free digital game so that even though your console’s disc drive is not working, you’d still be able to play games at least.

Gamers who have been affected are first required to tell Microsoft’s customer support about the problem and take part in the Xbox One exchange plan, after which a digital code for a game will be given to you. As it stands gamers can only choose between these four games: Dead Rising 3, Forza Motorsport 5, Ryse, or Zoo Tycoon. Like we said since this is a digital download, it means that assuming the rest of your console works fine and you have an internet connection, you will be able to download the game and enjoy some gaming while you wait for your Xbox One replacement. Good job, Microsoft!

Xbox One Gamers With Blu-Ray Problems Will Be Given A Free Game original content from Ubergizmo.

Swathes of PSN users are having the passwords changed—which is, according to Sony, a "purely a precautionary measure" for "routine protection." Which sounds slightly suspicious.

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