Valve Archives - Argyll Free Press

As Valve promised, Dota 2 Reborn is now open for beta, and you can jump in on the fun straight away. Be warned, this weekend everyone will try it out, and most likely you’ll encounter connection issues. Don’t yell at Valve just yet. Dota 2 Reborn isn’t just your ordinary reshaping of the UI, it’s actually a completely whole new game – they can even name it Dota 3, and get away with it, because that’s what it actually is!

Seven months ago Valve announced that Dota fans will get a big surprise – we weren’t expecting something the likes of this!

” Today we are announcing the Dota 2 Reborn beta, which brings with it a new interface, new engine, and Custom Games. Everything in the dashboard has been redesigned utilizing a new UI framework and the engine that powers the game has been fully replaced. “writes a Valve spokesperson.

To get your dose of Dota 2 Reborn you need to install Dota 2 – which is free on Steam; and go to the Reborn tab to download it.

You won’t lose anything by installing and playing the new Dota 2 Reborn – both versions will share your MMR, match history, cosmetic items, and friends. You can’t play ranked games though, because developers want to test and improve the fundamentals first. You don’t want a botched ranked game that will stick with you for ever, right?

Dota 2 Reborn runs on Valve’s brand new Source 2 game engine – which is known for giving the modding community all the possibilities to create user-generated content.

Dota 2 Reborn has a stunning new UI – it feels invigorating to see that Valve keeps true to its Dota roots. The majority of Dota 2 players have played, and loved the Warcraft 3 Dota map, and when they play the game, they want to feel its essence.

The Dota 2 community is known for being elitist – the same goes for the LOL community; so don’t get infuriated that easily if you encounter flamers. Just keep on playing, and mute them. This weekend will be hard on everyone, but just remember that you’re playing it to have fun, not yell at random internet strangers for messing up a play. I swear to God, sometime it feels like I’m bleeding in shark infested waters – one little drop and pow, all of them jump on me.

But our main problem won’t be annoying wannabe pro gamers that scrutinize your every move. It will be the damned Connectivity Issue! Remember, Dota 2 Reborn is in its beta stage at the moment, and more often than not, you’ll encounter lag, disconnections, or simply not connecting at all.

I’m going to test the field this weekend, hopefully I’ll make it out alive. How about you? We’ll we see each other in a match? If so, please don’t hurt me.

What’s your take on this? Dota 2 Reborn – Good, or Bad?

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Some time ago, we wrote about how Valve has paired with HTC, and they are building a new Virtual Reality headset called Vive, and that they will be shipping their device to a select few developers.

Now, we are happily announcing that Valve has started to ship the VR dev gear, and those of you who were selected – you lucky bastards – should expect a delivery man knocking on your door any day now.

For those of us who haven’t been chosen by the almighty Gaben – me included – the time to meddle with Valve’s VR headset will be later this year. Regular gamers will have the chance of playing with The Vive this Christmas – and it’s going to be one hell of a gift for your geeky loved one.

Valve has confirmed that it has started shipping Vive Developer Edition.

This week, we have started shipping the Vive Developer Editions. This first wave includes a wide range of developers from major movie studios, triple A developers, to small indie teams working on their first title. We will continue to ship to additional developers through the spring and summer.
In the box is a headset, 2 Lighthouse base stations, 2 wireless Steam VR controllers, various cables, instructions, and everything else needed to get started. This will allow developers to target the same system consumers will have in their homes later this year.

If you don’t have the Valve VR gear you can still be an observer. Head down to their community SteamVR Developer Hardware discussion, and take a look at what awesome stuff brilliant minds are coming up with.

At the moment, we don’t know any information regarding its price, nor its availability – but it’s most likely going to ship worldwide. What we do know is that the SteamVR will have its very own Steam Store page filled with virtual reality games, movies, and apps.

It’s a bold move, and Valve’s alliance with HTC may be fruitful to say the least. There isn’t a king yet, and more and more companies are jumping on the virtual reality bandwagon. Take for example Google, who has recently announced that they will be building a VR gear in collaboration with GoPro. Facebook-owned Oculus Rift will be shipping starting early 2016, and Sony’s Project Morpheus is kept under a tight sealed lid.

I’ll happily buy a virtual reality headset, a couple of months after the internet will be filled with peer reviewed devices. FullDive seems like a nifty, and cheap product – and I’m more inclined on buying it, rather than a $400 device on release day.

What about you? Do you fancy this virtual reality trend? Or do you think it will flop miserably?

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Dota 2 Reborn Is Now Open For Beta Testing

Valve Starts Shipping HTC’s Vive VR Gear to Developers

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