We broke the news early this morning (really early if you happen to be in Australia right now) that Dell was introducing a new line-up of World of Warcraft themed XPS M1730 laptops.

Dell just shot us their official press release for the laptop. Hit the jump for the full press release.

WORLD OF WARCRAFT FANS LEVEL UP WITH DELL XPS M1730 EDITION NOTEBOOK PC
- World of Warcraft-Themed Notebook Combines Award-Winning XPS M1730 Gaming Notebook with Loads Of Custom-Designed Content
- Customers Can Personalize with Faction Allegiance, Choosing Horde or Alliance
- Quest Envelope Includes Access to Rare, Exclusive Items and Opportunities

ROUND ROCK, Texas, Dec. 4, 2007 - In a quest to nail the greatest gaming experience ever, Dell and Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. ™ have joined forces to bring gamers the XPS™ M1730 World of Warcraft® Edition notebook PC. The unique gaming notebook is available for purchase today by customers who pre-registered for early access during the "It Begins" quest. It will be available to all U.S. customers on Dec. 11 on www.dell.com/gaming.

The XPS M1730 World of Warcraft Edition is fully equipped for battle. The system is emblazoned with custom World of Warcraft artwork, inside and out, that leaves no question as to purpose - pure, unadulterated gaming action. Exclusive rare bonus items and a World of Warcraft backpack filled to the brim with game-themed extras are also part of the unique experience.

"This truly legendary collaboration with Blizzard reinforces Dell's commitment to design excellence and dedication to delivering the best possible gaming experience," said Glen Robson head of XPS systems at Dell. "World of Warcraft players can now have the ultimate system to reflect their passion for the game."

Surprise, Delight, and Amaze

The level of detail that the XPS M1730 World of Warcraft Edition delivers will delight and amaze any gaming enthusiast. In addition to a truly distinctive system, customers will receive a special Quest Envelope that contains access to truly epic items, like a Golden Ticket from FigurePrints, a company that creates custom figurines of players' individual World of Warcraft characters.

To help delve into the mysteries and surprises around the XPS M1730 World of Warcraft Edition, Dell invited Randydeluxe Jordan of the popular World of Warcraft podcast The Instance, to be the first to un-box a new system. Check out Randy's response to the complete out-of-box-experience on direct2dell.com and www.delllounge.com.

Special XPS M1730 World of Warcraft content includes:
Custom design featuring original art by Blizzard artists on LCD back, and Honor Badges on the wings
World of Warcraft and World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade™ pre-loaded on system, including the latest content updates
Original desktop background artwork and screensavers
A World of Warcraft-themed backpack that includes:
Retail box copies of World of Warcraft, World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade, and the Warcraft® Battle Chest , which includes with Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos™ and Warcraft III: Frozen Throne™
Latest Brady Games strategy guides for World of Warcraft, The Burning Crusade, Warcraft III and The Frozen Throne
World of Warcraft DVD with a behind-the-scenes look at "The Making of WoW"
A special Quest Envelope that ships separately with exclusive rare items:
A Golden Ticket allowing customers to receive a special custom FigurePrint based on the actual World of Warcraft character that they play.[i]
An Account Upgrade Certificate enabling the upgrade of a World of Warcraft account1 to receive the Collector's Edition pets from both the original World of Warcraft Collector's Edition and the World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade Collector's Edition
A World of Warcraft Beta Club Card to enable customers to take part in upcoming public beta tests.1

Starting at $4,499 (USD), the XPS M1730 World of Warcraft Edition system includes:
Aggressive styling with backlit Honor Badges, touchpad and keyboard
LightFX perimeter lighting for added immersion during game play
Full-size keyboard with 10-key number pad to help navigate games
AGEIA PhysX mobile processor and built-in Logitech® GamePanel LCD
NVIDIA SLI graphics power and 512MB of dedicated video RAM with DirectX® 10 realism
Optional over-clockable[ii] Intel®Extreme Edition Core™ 2 Duo processor, up to 3.4GHz
Optional dual RAID 7,200 RPM hard drives for fast access or even faster access with an optional 64GB solid state drive
Full HD 17-inch widescreen and available Blu-ray Disc™ to provide the ultimate mobile viewing experience
7ms average display response time[iii] to ensure quick overall system performance
Complete wireless connectivity with built-in Optional Mobile Broadband,[iv] Wireless-N, Bluetooth, and Dell's exclusive Wi-Fi Catcher™
Built-in camera and digital array microphones to clearly see and flame the competition
Dual headphone jacks, noise-isolating ear buds and a portable ExpressCard media remote

For more information about the XPS M1730 World of Warcraft Edition notebook PC, visit www.youtube.com/dellvlog.

Blizzard seems to be getting into bed with everyone these days. First comes news that they have mind-melded with Activision to be come Blizzivision or Actizard, and now comes news of this pretty spanky new World of Warcraft-themed Dell laptop.

And this isn't just any laptop with WoW images slapped on it, this is a hulking XPS M1730 Dell Laptop with WoW images on it. Hit the jump for all the details on the $4,500 laptop released just seconds ago. The laptop officially launches on Dec. 11.

The XPS M1730 World of Warcraft edition laptop will come in either Horde or Alliance packs featuring original artwork on the desktop backgrounds, screen savers and the case itself.

Each system will come with a World of Warcraft backpack packed with all kinds of WoW goodies including:
WoW & Burning Crusade in retail boxes
Strategy Guides
Behind the Scenes, "The Making of WoW" DVD
WoW & Burning Crusade Paperback Novels
WoW Audio Soundtrack
Customers will also receive a Quest Envelope which includes surprise items from Dell & Blizzard (ships separate from system). Items include:
Blizzard beta key card w/ five keys used to access future WoW games
An upgrade certificate which allows customers to upgrade their accounts to a "Collectors Edition Account" enabling them to get a special in-game pet
Golden Ticket which allows customers to get a pre-paid special custom action figure based on their own in-game WoW character.

Besides the fancy backpack of goodies and the neato WoW art, the laptop is still an M1730 on the inside, which is a very good thing. Here's just a taste of the slick laptop's specs:

o DX10 SLI graphics
o World's first & only notebook available w/ an Ageia mobile PhysX processor
o Over-clockable Extreme Edition Core 2 Duo processors
o Dual RAID 0 7200 RPM HDDs - or 64GB Solid State Drive options
o 7ms display response time
o Full-size illuminated keyboard w/ separate numeric keypad
o 16-color user-customizable lighting areas including the backlit touchpad
o Wireless connectivity w/ built-in Mobile Broadband, Wireless-N, Bluetooth and Dell's Wi-Fi catcher
o Blu-ray optional
o Built-in camera & digital array microphones
o Built-in Logitech GamePanel above keyboard (first in the industry on a notebook)

I've actually been playing around with a loaner M1730 for a month now and while it's heavy as hell, it's also the most robust gaming laptop I've ever seen.

Let's forgo, for now, the argument about whether PC gaming is limping along on its last leg. While a worthy topic, It's not what's tickling my grey matter right now. Right now I'm trying to decide if it makes sense for me to buy a gaming laptop.

I've actually never owned one of these beasts, but have often looked on with not a small amount of envy at people who do. The thing is, right now I have a pretty powerful, dare I say Crysis powerful, desktop. But my laptop is a petite ultralight. A decide that I hold near and dear to my heart both because of the abuse it has withstood and because of it's obnoxiously long battery life and ability to help me file stories from anywhere, anytime.

But the more I travel the more I wish I had a laptop that allowed me to play and review games on the road. But even if I were to buy a laptop for gaming, I frankly have no idea which makes the most sense. I do know I'd like to have something that is robust and not really damn big. If such a thing exists, I'd also like a laptop that would allow me to upgrade the graphics cards. Oh, and I'd rather it not cost more than my house.

Any suggestions?

What with all of the Sims games present, I really didn't get a chance to check out The Sims Pet Stories for the PC. This is designed to be played on the laptop and allows you to use IM and email while playing the game in its own window. Kinda like that. Pet Stories introduces two stories.

In one story you play as Alice who need to win the local dog show with her dog Sam to win a big cash prize and save her house. In the other you play as Stephen, an executive chef, who is forced to take care of his cousin's spoiled cat Diva. Brian Crecente

The two-of-a-kind custom airbrused Burning Crusade Edition notebooks are painted by Mike Lavalle and are currently well into the $4000 range. Not that crazy, as a similarly equipped XPS would set you back at least $3700 without the fancy artwork or Michael Dell signature. Plus the proceeds go to a good cause.

Still, watching the outrageous winning bid price should be entertaining to note next Thursday. Michael McWhertor

Michael Dell Signed Gaming Laptop Notebook XPS M1710 [eBay]
Dell, Blizzard Auction Off Unique WoW Laptops [Kotaku]

Ben will be posting a comprehensive, episodic how to starting next Tuesday over at Engadget, so with any luck I'll be well on my way to completely destroying my console and setting my apartment on fire in no time. Michael Fahey

The Wii Laptop! [Thanks Steven!]

Electronic Arts today unveiled a new branch in the ever growing Sims franchise tree. Sims Stories will be a line of story-driven Sim-based games designed for play on laptops.

The first in the new franchise will be The Sims Life Stories.

The Sims Life Stories, introduces an all-new Story Mode with two stories that follow the lives of Riley Harlow and Vincent Moore, two very different characters who have reached similar crossroads in their love lives. A comic romantic plot centered around engaging characters guides players through twelve chapters of this one-of-a-kind entertainment experience. Players can take their Sims through unique and entertaining storylines filled with romance, intrigue and dramatic twists. Will female lead character Riley ditch beau number one to marry and have kids with beau number two? Will successful entrepreneur Vince ever find love, or the culprit who's been foiling his heart-earned efforts to find it? Players can discover these answers and more, or enjoy classic open-ended Sims gameplay.

"Everyone loves a good story. The Sims Life Stories gives players two wonderful romantic comedies to enjoy," declared Rod Humble, VP Head of Studio for The Sims Division. "For those who are interested in The Sims, The Sims Stories are accessible and fun for everyone." According to Humble, the world of The Sims provides the perfect place for these romantic comedies to unfold. Built around virtual people called Sims, daily activities — from sleeping and eating, choosing outfits and decorating the house, even cooking and getting a job — are controlled by the player. The Sims celebrates the choices that we make in life. What's more familiar than being confused by life and love?

This sounds painfully like playing through a soap opera which, of course, means it will likely be a tremendous success. Brian Crecente

ALL NEW — The Sims Life Stories is First Installment in a New Line of Unique Story-Driven Games

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS) announced today that The Sims is launching a new line of games — The Sims Stories. These laptop-friendly games will feature engaging characters and easy-to-play storylines that are sure to entertain both the novice and experienced player.

The Sims Stories games are the latest offering from the popular Sims franchise, which has been translated into 22 languages and sold more than 70M games around the world — that's more than enough to give a game to every single person in the UK! It's popularity is due in part to The Sims appeal beyond a traditional gaming audience; more than half of The Sims players are female.

The first of these games, The Sims Life Stories, introduces an all-new Story Mode with two stories that follow the lives of Riley Harlow and Vincent Moore, two very different characters who have reached similar crossroads in their love lives. A comic romantic plot centered around engaging characters guides players through twelve chapters of this one-of-a-kind entertainment experience. Players can take their Sims through unique and entertaining storylines filled with romance, intrigue and dramatic twists. Will female lead character Riley ditch beau number one to marry and have kids with beau number two? Will successful entrepreneur Vince ever find love, or the culprit who's been foiling his heart-earned efforts to find it? Players can discover these answers and more, or enjoy classic open-ended Sims gameplay.

"Everyone loves a good story. The Sims Life Stories gives players two wonderful romantic comedies to enjoy," declared Rod Humble, VP Head of Studio for The Sims Division. "For those who are interested in The Sims, The Sims Stories are accessible and fun for everyone." According to Humble, the world of The Sims provides the perfect place for these romantic comedies to unfold. Built around virtual people called Sims, daily activities — from sleeping and eating, choosing outfits and decorating the house, even cooking and getting a job — are controlled by the player. The Sims celebrates the choices that we make in life. What's more familiar than being confused by life and love?

Designed to be laptop-friendly, The Sims Stories are accessible and fun for everyone. The Sims Stories are standalone entertainment experiences that do not require companion products from The Sims library — just pick up your laptop and play!

VoodooPC is showing off a new gaming laptop that includes two NVIDIA GeForce Go 7950 GTX GPUs running in NVIDIA SLI mode and powered by AMD Turion 64 X2 dual-core mobile technology as well as a a 20.1" screen.

"It's like we crammed a desktop into a notebook form factor," said Rahul Sood, chief technologist, VoodooPC, part of the Global Gaming business unit of HP (NYSE:HPQ)(Nasdaq:HPQ). "It may be large, and the battery life is non-existent, but this is one insanely fast notebook."

I couldn't seem to find a price for this laptop anywhere, but seeing as other Envy models sell for $4,500, I'm guessing upward of $5,000. Besides the insane price, the main thing preventing me from making this purchase is that I'm not sure how much sense it makes to buy a gaming PC you essentially can't upgrade. Brian Crecente

VoodooPC, the world's leading architect of highly personalized, high-performance PCs, today introduced the Voodoo ENVY HW:201 Notebook PC. Featuring two NVIDIA GeForce Go 7950 GTX GPUs running in NVIDIA SLI mode and powered by AMD Turion 64 X2 dual-core mobile technology, the HW:201 also features the biggest notebook display on the market today - a 20.1" high-resolution screen - making it the perfect laptop for PC gamers who demand a more immersive portable PC gaming experience. The HW:201 is set to begin shipping to customers on January 8, 2007.

At the core of the ENVY HW:201, users can choose between two NVIDIA graphics cards: the NVIDIA GeForce Go 7950 GTX with 512MB of RAM for high-performance PC gaming or the NVIDIA Quadro FX 2500M with 512MB of RAM for those looking for a high-performance portable workstation. Users can additionally select a choice of a single graphics card or two in NVIDIA SLI mode for the ultimate in gaming performance and image quality. For the hardcore PC gamer, this means the BIG screen provides dual graphic cinema quality gaming with blistering fast response times that are sure to turn heads.

Driving the system is AMD Turion 64 X2 dual-core mobile technology, which delivers exceptional multi-tasking and multi-threaded performance. This high-performance CPU allows users to simultaneously run multiple applications at the same time - all with increased performance. Performing tasks such as burning CDs, reading email messages, editing digital photos and listening to music all at the same time with no slow downs means a richer overall experience for the user.

The ENVY HW:201, which measures 18.75" x 13.5" x 1.9", also supplies tremendous storage (up to 320GB using two hard drives), allowing users to save more of their favorite photos, music, games, and more, as well as headroom to install additional office and entertainment applications. Customers may also choose RAID 0 for the ultimate transfer rates and application load times.

"It's like we crammed a desktop into a notebook form factor," said Rahul Sood, chief technologist, VoodooPC, part of the Global Gaming business unit of HP (NYSE:HPQ)(Nasdaq:HPQ). "It may be large, and the battery life is non-existent, but this is one insanely fast notebook."

"Voodoo is always at the peak of performance," said Rene Haas, general manager of Notebook GPUs at NVIDIA. "With two of the fastest NVIDIA GeForce notebook GPUs in NVIDIA SLI mode or a NVIDIA Quadro GPU, this new graphics powerhouse is the ultimate mobile gaming and workstation machine."

Additional features include: Voodoo ENVY webcam; Voodoo ENVY Bluetooth and Wireless A/B/G networking; and a Voodoo ENVY HW:201 theater audio system for a truly immersive experience.

There's something about the Wii-mote that induces flailing. First some toothy dude snaps the controller's strap, sending the Wii remote into his TV, and now, a busted laptop screen. Writes Ugamer_X in the CAG forums:

When the [Nintendo Wii] warning screen appeared today saying 'Attach wrist strap and keep your distance from other objects in the room,' I laughed at such a silly proposition. I don't need a shaq-fuing wrist strap, I'm a man dammit. One shattered laptop screen and thrown Wiimote later, I've changed my position on the issue.

People! Glue the damn thing to your hand if you have to. Brian Ashcraft

Laptop Destroyed By Wii-mote [CAG]

I type this from my bathtub, where I am currently transmitting raw text directly from my sinuses into a copper receptor dish situated atop my viewing screen in the other room. The water is tepid and I am clammy with soap scum and the patina from my plate-and-rivets bath ducky.

Squeak.

This is apparently a Japanese sculpture that apparently is actually functional. Says BoingBoing commentor Adam:

It's not a 'sculpture' — it's a working computer. In his notes, the creator resists comparisons to Gilliam and Cronenberg, saying "if you look carefully, you'll see it's totally different."

Now I know what to do with that hideous brick of pain and disappointment that was my first-gen TiBook after a year. Eliza Gauger

Steampunk Laptop [BoingBoing, via GayGamer]

Gizmondo has unearthed a Dungeons & Dragons Laptop. The Pegasus 650 gaming notebook features a big ass image from Dungeons and Dragons Online: Stormreach spray painted onto its cover. That's really it. You'd think they would have at least included a sack of dice or some Doritoes with it.

The thing can be cranked up to include a single-core 2.26GHz Pentium M, 2 GB of DDR 2 SDRAM and a 120 GB hard drive, and your choice of either an ATI Mobility Radeon X700 or a Nvidia GeForce Go 6600 graphics card.

Dungeons and Dragons Laptop [Gizmodo]

Dell sends word that they've launched a new gaming laptap. The XPS M1710 comes in Formula Red or Metallic Black and features Intel Core Duo processors, a NVIDIA GeForce Go 7900 GTZ graphics processor (with 512 MB to 4 GB of memory), a serial ATA hard drive, a TrueLife 17-inch widescreen UXGA display, backlit touchpad and a 5-in-1 media card reader.

Hit the jump for the full press release.

DELL'S FASTEST CONSUMER NOTEBOOK UNITES POWER, BOLD LOOKS FOR GAMERS ON THE MOVE
XPS M1710 Delivers Speed, Special-Edition Formula Red Design, Multimedia Features

ROUND ROCK, Texas, April 18, 2006—Mobile gamers now can bring the firepower of dual-core processors and 512 MB graphics to their next tournament thanks to Dell's fastest consumer notebook, the XPS M1710, introduced today.

For serious gamers looking for an edge on their next opponent, the XPS M1710 notebook offers blazing performance to match its bold looks. With Intel Core Duo processors, a NVIDIA GeForce Go 7900 GTX graphics processor with 512 MB and up to 4 GB of memory, the XPS M1710 can deliver up to 35 percent better performance than its predecessor1. Customers can play 3-D games at high settings for stunning realism while simultaneously performing intensive tasks such as encoding music or running a virus scan without zapping performance.

Dell offers unique design choices of Special Edition Formula Red or Metallic Black displays so gamers can play in high style. To further customize the look, each XPS M1710 notebook features an illuminated XPS touchpad and adjustable 16-color perimeter lighting.

"Dell is again delivering the most advanced features to the gaming community, especially customers who want the performance and freedom to play anywhere," said Brett Faulk, Dell director of consumer mobile product marketing. "We continue to partner with the industry's performance leaders to offer the best technologies and gaming experience for our customers."

Starting at 8.75 pounds2, the XPS M1710, with its magnesium-alloy reinforced RoadReady chassis, is rugged enough to withstand punishment yet light enough to take the game on the road without draining the player's energy.

The top-of-the-line XPS M1710 also incorporates multimedia features to entertain. Dell increased the brightness of its TrueLife 17-inch widescreen UXGA display by 30 percent3 to enhance detail and clarity for games, photos and movies. The Dell notebook also comes with MediaDirect buttons and a 5-in-1 media card reader to save time and enable fast access to digital content. Standard Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 and an optional TV tuner4 enable viewing or recording TV programs.

Additional XPS M1710 features include:

Intel Core Duo processors up to T2600 (667 MHz, 2 MB cache)
Up to 4 GB5 667 MHz DDR2 memory
Serial ATA hard drive up to 120 GB6
Dell Rapid Driver program for access to the latest gaming peripheral drivers
Minimum-software option with no pre-installed entertainment or productivity suites
Personalized XPS service with dedicated sales, specially trained technicians and designated phone queue

The XPS M1710 Metallic Black model is available immediately worldwide starting at $2,600 with an Intel Duo Core T2400 processor, Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005, 256 MB NVIDIA GeForce Go 7900 GS graphics, 1 GB DDR2 memory, nine-cell battery, 60 GB6 hard drive, and one-year limited warranty.7 The Special Edition Formula Red model is available in the United States and Canada only priced at $3,400 with an Intel Core Duo T2500 processor, 512 MB NVIDIA GeForce Go 7900 GTX graphics and 80 GB4 hard drive.

XPS M1710 [Dell, thanks Liem]