News Bits: Outsourcing Gaming, ATI X1600, Asus A7G, Alienware Budget Laptop

Outsourcing PC Game Playing to China is Serious Business

Outsourcing tech support and call center workto countries in Asia or Eastern Europe is common. But how about outsourcing your PC game playing? That's right, while you sit at work you can have somebody working in a factory in China play an online PC game for you.

I can hear your question now, "what's the point ofpaying somebody to play a game for you if the point is to enjoy unwinding and playing a game?" Ahh, but gaming has become more than just leisure, it's serious business these days. All over the world, affluent gamers who are impatient and don't have time to work their way through an entire game are willing to pay young Chinese gamers to battle through early rounds of a game for them.

So, in China there are factories where7-days a week,12-hoursa dayyoung Chinese males "play" computer games. A 23-year old worker at one of these factories says he makes "about $250 a month, which is pretty good compared with other jobs I've had. And I can play games all day."

These 20-something Chinese "workers" play games 12-hours a day 7-days a week for affluent gamers around the world, they earn about $250 a month doing this work

Although it sounds like all fun and games for these workers, realize that they have strict quotas and must accumulate virtual currency that is valuable to game players around the world that are actually paying them to play the online game for them.

More: NYTimes Article on Chinese Outsouring of Games

ATI Announces Mobility Radeon X1600 Graphics Card

ATI recently announced a newgraphics card for notebook PCs, the X1600, which basically replaces the current X700 offering from ATI. The X1600 uses a 90nm manufacturing process and its claim to fame is not that it's the most powerful graphics processor, but rather is much better on performance per watt and overall cooler running -- both important factors for a notebook PC.

Some early reviews of the ATI X1600:

• HotHardware
• Legit Reviews
• PC Perspective
• MobilityGuru

ATI Website for X1600: http://www.ati.com/products/mobilityradeonx1600/index.html

Asus A7G All-in-One 17"Notebook Announced

The Asus A7G was recently announced by Asustek, it will include the new ATI X1600 graphics card (see above). Asus is calling the A7G an "all in one" notebook, meaning it's good for gaming, media (it includes a 1.3MP web-cam, built-in mic, offers instant-on music without boot) and of course regular boring work! From Asus:

"The A7G notebook is the ideal personal digital entertainment solution. It offers powerful computing capabilities, complete digital multimedia applications and wireless audio and video communication all at one affordable price. Now it's possible to have your very own home theater, computer and game counsel all in one sleek and portable smart machine."

A7GSpecs:

• CPU: Intel Pentium M processor 700 Sequence
• OS: Microsoft Windows XP Professional,
• Microsoft Windows XP Home
• Display: 17" WXGA+ Color Shine LCD, ASUS Splendid- Video Intelligence Technology
• Graphic: ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 128MB GDDR3
• Memory: DDR2 533MHz, up to 2G
• Chipset: Mobile Intel 915PM Express Chipset
• Interface: 1x 1.3M web-cam, 1 x S/PDIF, 5 x USB ports, 1x TV-Out, Bluetooth V2.0+EDR (optional)
• Dimension and Weight: 40.5x31.4x3.8 cm, 4.0Kg

Availability is expected for the end of December or beginning of January, we're unsure on the pricing.

More: Asus A7G Product Page on Asus.com

Taiwan's Quanta Computer Gets Major Order to Produce Sony Notebooks for 2006

According to reports from Taiwanese news sources, Quanta computer of Taiwan has won a larger order from Sony for 2006 to produce VAIO notebooks. Asustek was previouslythe number one producer of VAIO notebooks for Sony, but with this order of 850,000 machines Quanta bumps Asustek as being Sony's number one supplier. From Alienware m5500i Order Page/ TGDaily Report from LA Convention

 

People playing games for you eh? Now I've seen everything!

If only I could get that job, with much higher pay of course!

 

The Alienware appears to be a Uniwill 259EN3 w/o the GPU.. there's probably a different model number, but I'm too lazy to look it up

 

Yeah - you can bump up the graphics to an MXM Go6600 (128MB or 256MB). $999 is too expensive in my opinion for integrated graphics and a Celeron, especially when you can get a Compaq V4000t with a Pentium M and a 128MB X700.

I'm pretty interested in the X1600. Looks like it will have about the same impact as the X700 did - nice performance in a thin-and-light factor.

 

I'm a bit surprised by the resolution on the A7G. A 17" at only WXGA+? I'd be happy with that resolution, but most folks are asking for more from a 17" screen. I'd expect an "all-in-one" computer designed to show off a new GPU with an integrated camera would have a higher res - don't folks who work with pictures like higher resolutions for it?

 

Good news on the X1600, I can certainly wait another few weeks or so till they hit the market. Of get a better deal on a older X700 model.

On that chinese gaming thing, it makes sense to me. Peeps are always asking me to get them pass hard parts in games like the motorcycle ambush in the aquaducts of la in GTA, I think I must'of may like 20 housecalls. lol

Didn't make a dime though

 

that's pretty funny , well i guess it's a way to simply be nice to your friends.

 

WXGA+ has its advantages as well. Playing games at a higher resolution means a much higher strain on the GPU and that means the life span of the notebook is not as long (or you are forced to play games at a none native resolution which decreases graphic quality anyway).

 

These Chinese guys mostly play World of Warcraft. I have seen addvertisements on ebay. They say they will raise your character to level 60 for a given amount of money. Also many of them are WOW gold farmers. They also sell Gold on ebay.

It is quite an interesting, and low paying job.

 

Back when I played diablo II there were people like this. They would level your characters and do your quests for you without spending any character/skill points and you would pay them a fee. Most of the time they accepted game currency but there were some people asking for real money. People do make a lot of money from playing video games though, in Diablo II people made thousands of dollars buying and selling stuff off of ebay.