Hasta La Gadget!

Xi3 has just started taking pre-orders for its PISTON Console. The console is deeply integrated with Valve’s Steam and its Big Picture mode that allows gamers to play their favorite Steam games on the big screen using a gaming controller. Xi3′s PISTON Console is the first unoffical “Steam Box” to be announced, with Valve planning on working with more manufacturers to release their own version of the Steam Box in time for the holidays. While the PISTON Console isn’t the official Steam Box that Valve is planning on releasing in the future, Valve is still helping Xi3 finance the device.

The Xi3 PISTON console comes with a 3.2GHz AMD Quad Core A10 processor, 8GB of RAM, and a 128GB SSD. You can upgrade the SSD to 256GB for $340, or 512GB for $750. The price of the console at the standard configuration is $999.99, however if you pre-order the device anytime between now and the end of March 17th (when SXSW ends), you can get the PISTON for $100 off at 899.99. The console is expected to ship by the 2013 holiday season.

Xi3 is currently showing off its PISTON Console at the SXSW Gaming Expo where attendees can see a demonstration of the device in action. The PISTON console was designed to provide a medium between PC gaming and console gaming. It’s a small, compact system that looks like a console, but can be upgraded just like a gaming PC. The device received multiple rewards, including the Popular Mechanics Editors Choice award, Popular Science Product of the Future award, Men’s Health Coolest Tech at CES 2013 award, and many others.

While it is appealing to have a Steam Box that lets you play the entirety of your Steam library on an HDTV, Xi3′s price point can deter gamers from purchasing the console (even with the $100 discount). You can wait a little while to see the pricing of future “unofficial” Steam Boxes, or you can wait for Valve to shell out its official Steam Box. Whatever you decide on, you have plenty of time before the 2013 Holiday season rolls around before you make your decision.

[via Xi3]

Pre-order the Xi3 PISTON “Steam Box” now and get $100 off is written by Brian Sin & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

The creator of the hugely popular Ultima Franchise, Richard Garriott, is gearing up to launch a new online sequel to the game that is going to take the RPG world by storm. The game is called Shroud of the Avatar:Forsaken Virtues. In order to create his new sequel, Garriott has launched a Kickstarter campaign in hopes of accumulating $1 million in order to finance the project. Garriott hopes to launch the game by October 2014.

Shroud of the Avatar is supposed to focus more on the player and their choices rather than just boring, old level grinding. Portalarium Inc, the company that the game will be launching through, has stated that while games have become much more graphically beautiful since Ultima, they lack the immersive, fantasy-like feel that made the Ultima series so great. Shroud of the Avatar hopes to “reinvent the classic fantasy role-playing experience”.

The game has an emphasis on solo play and players developing their own, unique stories, but players are also given the option to adventure through their stories with friends and other gamers. The game won’t be an MMORPG, nor will it really be single-player. It’s described to be a mix between both, like a persistent online world similar to Bungee’s Destiny. Everything is in the player’s hands. They are able to choose how to play the game, whether they want to explore and discover new places, battle dangerous monsters, or stay within the safety of their homelands.

The game will be fully interactive. Portalarium says, “If it looks usable, it should do something”. It will also feature it’s own original story that is deep and complex, with interwoven stories, and there will even be an alternate, fully-developed language featured in the game. Players will have their own houses (which they will have to pay taxes on) that they can decorate and furnish. There isn’t just one cookie-cutter house layout, but several and all will be marked with varying price tags. Players will also be able to build their own businesses.

There are so many aspects to Shroud of the Avatar that make it sound like a promising RPG. Currently, the Kickstarter campaign has reached $557,600 in funding from 9,136 backers. There are still 28 days left, and it’s very likely that they will meet and beat their goal. There are varying levels of pledge backers, with each increasing level being more expensive (of course), but more beneficial. Go ahead and check out the Kickstarter page.

[via Portalarium]

Ultima creator launches Kickstarter for RPG sequel is written by Brian Sin & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Xfire, one of the most popular PC gaming messaging mediums with over 23 million subscribers and over 250,000 active users per day, has decided to bring something new and game-changing to the industry. Xfire has just launched Battleground, a fully-automated competitive PC gaming platform. Battleground brings competitions and tournaments directly and automatically to its users, allowing them to experience the most entertaining aspects of PC gaming. Not only that, certain competitions and tournaments will offer great prizes to the winners.

Battleground will have three gaming modes, however only one is available at this time. Instant Action mode allows players to jump quickly into a game. During the game, the players will earn “Battle Tokens” from in-game achievements and for finishing tasks listed by Battleground or Xfire. These Battle Tokens are then used for Direct Challenges, to enter Tournaments, or to purchase sweepstakes entries.

Direct Challenges and Tournaments will be available in the future. These will be sponsored events that occur frequently. Players will be able to compete with each other in order to win gaming gear, new games, in-game items, and other goodies from Xfire’s partners. Players can also win “X-Coins”, which is a virtual currency used to challenge other gamers, or compete in direct challenges, for even more prizes. X-Coins can also be purchased using PayPal, VISA, MasterCard, or American Express.

Paul Kim, CEO of Xfire, states, “The most successful games today are ones that have a competitive element, but currently the experience is fragmented and lacks structure.” Battleground was created in order to make competitive gaming more easily-accessible to most gamers. Kim says, “We think Battleground has the potential to redraw the competitive PC gaming landscape.”

Battleground only has a couple of games available at the moment. Right now, players can compete with each other in Call of Duty 4 and Counter-Strike: Source. New titles will be added in the future of course. Currently on the waitlist is BattleField 3, Counter-Strike: GO, Call of Duty 2, World of Tanks, Team Fortress 2, Planetside 2, and District 187. Alongside Battleground, Xfire has also revamped its website and client in celebration of its 10-year anniversary.

[via Business Wire]

Xfire reveals Battleground, draws in competitive gamers from all around is written by Brian Sin & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

While PC and PlayStation 3 gamers will be receiving their Citadel DLC in a single file download, for some strange reason, Xbox 360 gamers will have their Citadel DLC split into two separate download packs. Bioware says that the download size of the DLC is too big compared to the previous DLC packs, resulting in the decision to split the file into two downloads. You will only have to pay for the DLC once though.

Bioware posted on its Mass Effect 3: Citadel FAQ, “For Xbox 360 users, the Citadel DLC pack will come as 2 downloads on Xbox Live. ME3 Citadel is larger than our previous DLC packs, so it had to be split into 2 downloads. The first pack is priced at $14.99 and the second pack is tagged as free. Players need to purchase and download pack 1, then download pack 2 at no additional cost.” The FAQ continued to say that you can download pack 2 without downloading the first one, but users will only receive an error message that will redirect them to download pack #1.

Players will be able to access the Citadel DLC download after they stop the Cerberus coup attempt on the citadel. You do not have to complete the entire game before being able to access the DLC. You will, however, have to meet the characters in the original storyline before you can interact with them in the Citadel DLC. The game will have no effect on the ending, or the extended-endings of Mass Effect 3.

The DLC expands the longevity of Mass Effect 3 and should keep many avid fans happy. The game will also have a few tie-ins with Mass Effect 3′s upcoming comic series, Mass Effect: Foundation, which is a comic book series that will go back through the existing stories in the Mass Effect universe and elaborate on them more. The Citadel DLC will be available on March 5th on all platforms.

[via Bioware]

Mass Effect Citadel DLC to be split into two downloads for Xbox 360 is written by Brian Sin & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

The new Tomb Raider is set to come out within the next few days and it has a lot of gamers eager to test it out. Many game critics have given the series reboot positive reviews saying that a refresh to the Tomb Raider franchise has been a long time coming. The game, however, has been receiving some concerned feedback on one aspect, and that’s the 18+ maturity rating it’s labeled with. This reboot is the first game in the entire Tomb Raider series to have an 18+ rating.

Despite the feedback about the maturity rating, the game developers for Tomb Raider do not believe they were wrong when they added more violence to the game. They also said that they were not influenced into adding more violence to the game because of games like Call of Duty. President of Eidos Interactive, Ian Livingstone, stated that gamers have a desire for “gritty realism”, which is exactly why the developers included all the gore, traps, hunting, and more in this game. His point is proven in this Tomb Raider trailer when we see everything that Lara Croft has to go through in order to survive.

Livingstone stated, “A decision was made to make it 18+ because of the combat involved, the graphics involved, and that gritty realism. It’s definitely the correct decision.” He stated that Eidos wanted to improve the fighting elements of Tomb Raider, because it always seemed to be placed on the back burner while the puzzle elements were front and center. While the game still follows the elements of exploration, adventure, and puzzle solving, there will be a lot more combat in this reboot.

This Tomb Raider reboot will take you back to the origins of Lara Croft and how she became who she was in the previous games. The game is set to be released world wide on March 5th via its publisher, Square Enix. In this game, you can take part in Lara Croft’s first human kill, as well as her transformation from a scared, young girl to the tough, fearless tomb raider she is in the 1996 series.

[via The Guardian]

Eidos Interactive defends Tomb Raider’s Age 18+ rating is written by Brian Sin & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.