Wow Status Windows
Sun, 24 Jan 2010 18:32:00 +0000
Microsoft may be biting the hand that feeds them by not paying developers who are selling applications on Microsoft’s Windows Marketplace for Mobile. An increasing number of developers are expressing their angst at Microsoft and its Marketplace payment system which is supposedly not sending out payments for eligible accounts. Some accounts are reported to be incorrectly labeled as “Not eligible for revenue payout” when they have met the $200 payout threshold and other accounts, though labeled as “Eligible for revenue payout”, are not receiving any payouts due to mistakes within the payment system. In the latter case, much confusion exists with the “Eligible for revenue payout” status which applies to accounts that have already received a payment and are setup to receive future payments once the $200 threshold has been reached.
Sounds simple except many accounts are mistakenly labeled as “Eligible for revenue payout” when they have never received a payment and are not setup to receive future payments. These developers are stuck in a never, never land where money is accruing in their accounts, their status says “Eligible for revenue payout” but the money is not being dispensed. In some cases, these glitches have been affecting developers since the Marketplace launched in October 2009 and has resulted in accounts whose balances are well over $1,000. Microsoft has been slow to respond to developer’s complaints and, in some cases when Redmond has responded, developers are still not being paid after Microsoft reportedly fixed their accounts. What a nightmare for developers and a huge mistake for Microsoft who should be bending over backwards to keep its developers happy. But hey, they love to sign MacBook Pros.
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We finally got our hands on SteelSeries' World of Warcraft MMO Gaming Mouse, and took the thing for a little spin across Azeroth. After hiring a rogue to open the complicated packaging and marveling at the mouse's incomprehensible runes, we hooked up the mouse over USB and were treated to the ambient light show. The "cracks" across the back of the mouse glow with subtle colors, though we wish they could light up a bit more dramatically and actually convey game status info -- but we're boring like that. Compared to most mice, the WoW mouse is rather large and "hand supporting," leaving behind the typical friction and frame of reference that a trailing hand and wrist usually supply. It's nice and comfortable, but there's a bit of a trade off, though overall we found the mouse to be incredibly "right" in responsiveness and accuracy. More impressions after the break.
The real draw here, of course, is the 15 individually programmable buttons, which can be assigned to up to 160 interchangeable macros with the downloadable Windows-only software. SteelSeries claims to be "working with Blizzard on the development strategy for a Mac solution" which sounds like they've got a whole lot of nothing ready for the Mac-inclined. Right now they recommend setting up the mouse with the third party ControllerMate software.
That's a shame, because the software is the real strength here. You can set up 10 different profiles for your various alts, play styles and situations, with buttons set to dismount, auto target, target self, toggle bags... you get the picture. Unfortunately, with all that complexity comes a bit of a learning curve. It took our WoW-addled intern two hours of running Heroic Nexus to get used to using all the buttons, and he found that even then he was mainly just using two of the macros, with the rest being forgotten more often than not. A heavy macro user could probably use the mouse all by its lonesome and rid their reliance on a keyboard, but that would take a certain amount of skill and determination. The real strength here is Battlegrounds and raids, but it's clear the mouse isn't really about making WoW more accessible or "easy," rather about enabling power users to kick even more ass. The mouse is available now for $99.
( Engadget )