Dell XPS M1730 Mobile Gaming Notebook
WoW Edition and Figureprints
 |
|
Earlier this year, in January, Dell auctioned off two unique, custom hand painted, World of Warcraft themed XPS M1710 laptops on eBay to support a charity. This event went so well that Dell and Blizzard entertainment got together to discuss the creation of a special edition World of Warcraft laptop. The discussion must have gone well because on December 4th, Dell officially announced the XPS M1730 World of Warcraft Edition.
With over 9 million subscribers, World of Warcraft is currently the world's largest massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) in terms of monthly subscribers. It's therefore not hard to see why Dell decided to create a WoW themed laptop. However, you may wonder why Dell chose such a powerful model to act as the vehicle for this project. World of Warcraft is a very hardware friendly game that will happily run on a wide variety of hardware. Simply put, Dell wanted to create the ultimate, premium World of Warcraft experience and what better way to do that then with their flagship gaming laptop.
The XPS M1730 World of Warcraft Edition laptop is exactly the same as a standard M1730 in terms of hardware. It is possible to configure a standard M1730 to be nearly identical in specification to a WoW Edition M1730, for a significantly lower price too. However, that would be missing the point. The WoW Edition M1730 is less about the hardware and more about the experience. That starts with the the WoW edition's chassis which features a WoW themed design created by Blizzard artists. There are two versions of the chassis, one for each faction in the World of Warcraft universe; the Alliance and Horde.
;)
With over 9 million subscribers, World of Warcraft is currently the world's largest massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) in terms of monthly subscribers. It's therefore not hard to see why Dell decided to create a WoW themed laptop. However, you may wonder why Dell chose such a powerful model to act as the vehicle for this project. World of Warcraft is a very hardware friendly game that will happily run on a wide variety of hardware. Simply put, Dell wanted to create the ultimate, premium World of Warcraft experience and what better way to do that then with their flagship gaming laptop.
The XPS M1730 World of Warcraft Edition laptop is exactly the same as a standard M1730 in terms of hardware. It is possible to configure a standard M1730 to be nearly identical in specification to a WoW Edition M1730, for a significantly lower price too. However, that would be missing the point. The WoW Edition M1730 is less about the hardware and more about the experience. That starts with the the WoW edition's chassis which features a WoW themed design created by Blizzard artists. There are two versions of the chassis, one for each faction in the World of Warcraft universe; the Alliance and Horde.
;)
Dell XPS M1730 World of Warcraft Edition Lid Designs (Horde & Alliance)
The WoW Edition of the M1730 also has a different starting price. While the base M1730 weighs in at $2,699, the WoW Edition starts at $4,499. Thankfully, the extra $1800 isn't just for the new looks, you also get a bit more hardware than the regular M1730 base model. As you may suspect, all XPS M1730 WoW Edition laptops also come with both World of Warcraft and WoW: Burning Crusade pre-installed (including all the latest patches) as well as exclusive WoW desktop backgrounds and wallpapers. In addition to the redesigned chassis, the World of Warcraft Edition XPS M1730 also comes with a World of Warcraft branded laptop backpack specifically designed for the XPS M1730. The backpack comes full of WoW related loot including:
- Full retail copy of World of Warcraft
- Full retail copy of the first WoW expansion pack, Burning Crusade
- Brady Games strategy guides for WoW and Burning Crusade
- Full retail copy of the Warcraft III Battlechest which includes Warcraft III: The Reign of Chaos, Warcraft III Expansion: The Frozen Throne and Brady Games strategy guides for both games
- WoW Trading Card starter decks: "Heroes of Azeroth", "Through the Dark Portal"
- Official World of Warcraft soundtrack CD
- "The Making of World of Warcraft" behind-the-scenes DVD
- "The Tides of Darkness" paperback novel
- "The Rise of the Horde" paperback novel
The XPS M1730 WoW Edition comes with essentially everything you would need to start your WoW addiction or feed your existing one. That is a lot of World of Warcraft swag and we're not done yet. When you place your order for a WoW Edition M1730, you will receive a letter separate from your laptop package that contains a real life World of Warcraft Quest Envelope.
;)
Dell XPS M1730 World of Warcraft Edition Desktop Backgrounds (Horde & Alliance)
Inside the Quest Envelope, you'll find a three items and a personalized letter which explains what the other items in the envelope are. The first item is an Collector's Edition Upgrade Certificate that allows you to instantly upgrade any WoW account of your choice to the coveted "Collectors Edition Account" status. In World of Warcraft, collectors edition status isn't just a fancy label. It grants you access to special in-game privileges, most notably an in-game pet only obtainable by collectors edition owners.
The second item in the envelope is an official Blizzard Beta Club Card that grants you membership to Blizzard's Beta Club. Beta club membership grants you access to five upcoming beta tests for future Blizzard titles starting with the upcoming second WoW expansion, 'Wrath of the Lich King'.
The last item in the envelope is perhaps the most exciting of all. It is a Golden Ticket (not real gold). Willy Wonka, anyone?
The second item in the envelope is an official Blizzard Beta Club Card that grants you membership to Blizzard's Beta Club. Beta club membership grants you access to five upcoming beta tests for future Blizzard titles starting with the upcoming second WoW expansion, 'Wrath of the Lich King'.
The last item in the envelope is perhaps the most exciting of all. It is a Golden Ticket (not real gold). Willy Wonka, anyone?
|
|
FigurePrints is a new company that, in collaboration with Blizzard Entertainment, offers a unique service for World of Warcraft players. A key element in any role playing gaming is the personalization of your character. World of Warcraft is no exception and many players spend exorbitant amounts of time customizing their characters to be exactly that way they like it. FigurePrint proposes to bring your custom crafted World of Warcraft character from the digital realm to the real, physical world.
FigurePrints uses 3D modeling technology previously reserved for the manufacturing industry, called rapid prototyping machines, to convert three dimensional computer models such as your World of Warcraft character into physical objects, such as a figurine of your World of Warcraft character. For the price of $99.95 plus $14.95 shipping and handling, per WoW character, FigurePrints will create a highly detailed 1:18 scale three dimensional figurine of your specific World of Warcraft character. The Golden Ticket included in your Quest Envelope is a one-time voucher for a free FigurePrints figurine.
When you order your figurine, FigurePrints servers grabs your latest character data from the Blizzard Armory, creates a custom 3D model of it and then lets you pose it any way you like. Then, when your happy with the way it looks, you simply hit "print" and your WoW character gets turned into a three dimensional statue, mounted in a glass display case and shipped to your doorstep. However, the $100 price tag is the least of your troubles. FigurePrints are limited availability products and if you want one, you'll have to get in line and wait, unless you have a Golden Ticket, that is. Not only are Golden Tickets free vouchers, they also catapult you to the front of the line so you can get your FigurePrints figurine as soon as possible.
Ultimately, the M1730 WoW Edition laptop won't hold much appeal to non-WoW players and paying an extra $1800 for a new lid design and some game related extras may seem absurd. However, for the 9 million people who have ventured into Azeroth, the WoW Edition laptop presents a tantalizing alternative to the standard XPS M1730.
FigurePrints uses 3D modeling technology previously reserved for the manufacturing industry, called rapid prototyping machines, to convert three dimensional computer models such as your World of Warcraft character into physical objects, such as a figurine of your World of Warcraft character. For the price of $99.95 plus $14.95 shipping and handling, per WoW character, FigurePrints will create a highly detailed 1:18 scale three dimensional figurine of your specific World of Warcraft character. The Golden Ticket included in your Quest Envelope is a one-time voucher for a free FigurePrints figurine.
;)
;)
;)
When you order your figurine, FigurePrints servers grabs your latest character data from the Blizzard Armory, creates a custom 3D model of it and then lets you pose it any way you like. Then, when your happy with the way it looks, you simply hit "print" and your WoW character gets turned into a three dimensional statue, mounted in a glass display case and shipped to your doorstep. However, the $100 price tag is the least of your troubles. FigurePrints are limited availability products and if you want one, you'll have to get in line and wait, unless you have a Golden Ticket, that is. Not only are Golden Tickets free vouchers, they also catapult you to the front of the line so you can get your FigurePrints figurine as soon as possible.
Ultimately, the M1730 WoW Edition laptop won't hold much appeal to non-WoW players and paying an extra $1800 for a new lid design and some game related extras may seem absurd. However, for the 9 million people who have ventured into Azeroth, the WoW Edition laptop presents a tantalizing alternative to the standard XPS M1730.
