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Any one seen the On Slaught mode yet comming to consoles? Looks cool, but is it worth the price?

Have they made an official price? Last I heard it was 400ms which is like, what 5 bucks? 4 "new" maps to play, a new mode and a slew of new badges/insignias and achievements. Sounds far to me.

Only noob snipers camp in buildings anyway.

Best snipers wield shotties, C4 and motion sensor grenades!

That's not true..

And if you want to use a shotgun it's better to play as Assault so you don't have to waste a perk to get more ammo.

Any more news on the patch? I want the original M95 back. :(

Also, I always spot when I'm a sniper since it helps my team mates and help me keep track of people if I don't kill them.

You won't ever see the original M95 again. The best you'll be able to hope for is to have the modifiers adjusted so it's the same as all the other bolt action rifles.

you using saiga with slugs or not?
Assault + C4 + Shotgun upgrade (NOT the long range upgrade) + Lightweight upgrade = unstoppable (literally).

I have never had so many kill streaks, the power combined with the stopping power of the Saiga is hilarious. Without sounding like a noob with an ego, I have taken out entire groups with this combo (groups being 5+). Using the lightweight upgrade, I can flank and zoom around buildings much quicker than they expect.

Assault + C4 + Shotgun upgrade (NOT the long range upgrade) + Lightweight upgrade = unstoppable (literally).

I have never had so many kill streaks, the power combined with the stopping power of the Saiga is hilarious. Without sounding like a noob with an ego, I have taken out entire groups with this combo (groups being 5+). Using the lightweight upgrade, I can flank and zoom around buildings much quicker than they expect.

I'd prefer to be recon with this combination because of motion mines, makes flanking easier. It's funny how some people can't recognize a friendly and enemy recon sometimes

I'd prefer to be recon with this combination because of motion mines, makes flanking easier. It's funny how some people can't recognize a friendly and enemy recon sometimes
Normally I run with Assault with that kit, mainly because of the ammo box. With that I can keep myself going and not have to rely on other people. Besides ammo, it also does C4 aswell, which is awesome :D

I have run with Medic a few times, and it is good until I run out of ammo, and I always find myself beside an enemy tank (this is where I start to miss my C4). Never tried with the Recon class with this kit, but I'll give it a try tonight.

The saiga is a good shot gun, I choose to be a recon using motion mines and I just rush or flank people with the saiga. Run and gun combo :D

this is exaclty what i did. now i have platinum on saiga(the only gun i have plat on ) recon+extra ammo+bigger shotgun mag.

basically sensors, chuck nade, then clear out building with shotgun.

i couldnt do it on assault because i would have to stop for ammo....rather once i had no ammo left i went kamakaze.... now am going for 500 kills on snipers and man it is boring....

This is exactly what I did. Now I have platinum on saiga (the only gun I have plat on) recon + extra ammo + bigger shotgun mag.

Basically sensors, chuck nade, then clear out building with shotgun.

I could not do it on assault because I would have to stop for ammo. Rather once I had no ammo left I went kamikaze. Now am going for 500 kills on snipers and man it is boring.

Nah man rolling with Assault with this kit setup is the way forward. I only started using the SAIGA, 3 days ago and I am already on my 8th Gold Star. Plus in CQC you dont really need Recon mines IMO. You will be able to hear them long before you see them. I really should make a video of this awesome SAIGA. I am getting some ridiculous K/D ratios (IIRC my KDR was 1.14 before using the SAIGA and it now is 1.16) with this gun, and I am most definitely not camping. After I get Plat on this gun, I am going for the USAS - which is very similar IMO.

PS3 update/patch info:

On Thursday 3rd June the PlayStation 3 Bad Company 2 servers will go down for maintenance. On your side of things at around 08:00 UTC (09:00 UK, 10:00 Europe, 02:00 Pacific) you will start to see prompts to update your PS3 when you next put Battlefield: Bad Company 2 in your disc drive.

The update includes the following changes:

  • Kit images added in spawn menu
  • Fixed the "required rank" field on the unlock items specified on the W&G page
  • Added M14, NS 2000 and G3 in-game unlock pop-up when the requirements for unlocking them are reached
  • Added a server side check of the veteran status of the players
  • Award bugfix for "Win all 4 game modes" (it had marksman headshot as a dependency)
  • Garand did not track anything, Thompson tracked Garand.
  • Increased the penalty points for TeamKill and TeamDamage
  • Increased the reward points for Objective Actions (Flag Cap/Assist, Arm/Disarm/Destroy/Damage/TeamDestroy/TeamDamage)
  • Fixed veteran rank number not showing up in ingame scoreboard
  • The southpaw setting now works for the anti-air gun and the Stationary AT
  • Collectible weapon messages fixed

Now you can go out and get your Garand stats you have all been waiting for.

This update will go out on PS3 in all regions except Japan which will follow shortly.

Finally Vet status rank fix for scoreboard! :p

Just played this online for the first time tonight and... meh, I didn't have a good time at all. Maybe I'm spoiled by TF2.

Several frustrations:

- Random "Cannot connect to EA Online", pretty often at that. At first I really thought this was a firewall or other client-side issue, but when after quite a lot of retries it somehow managed to connect, I realized it was not.

- When I finally connected, and managed to attempt to join a game, the game told me I needed to install a third-party utility (punkbuster). Ugh.

- Could never get a list of servers, always says "Cannot connect to EA Online".

- The only way that worked was to join a random game. Took a few retries, but eventually I landed in an assault (capture the point) game.

- Only four players in the game, huge maps = wandering alone and then getting bombed/sniped out of nowhere. No fun.

- Pings were quite high for everyone in the game. I had about 175ms and actually had the lowest ping of all the players. This made precision shooting very difficult.

- Movement feels sluggish and restricted, whether on foot or in a vehicle.

- The game has trouble registering and unregistering basic movement commands. At some point I was stuck strafing left even though I was not holding the "A" key down. I had to slowly press it and release it again for the game to realize the key had been released. In other circumstances I had both shift and "W" pressed which is supposed to mean "run", but the character was only walking. This kind of details make me feel like I'm fighting the UI instead of using it.

- Even though my framerate is high, the game doesn't feel smooth. It's hard to explain, maybe a combination of high latency and irregular movement speeds.

- The two maps I played were very cluttered. I understand the game strives for some realism, but all this vegetation and debris get in the way of seeing things that actually matter to the gameplay. With everyone wearing the same camouflage suits it's hard to spot anyone, much less tell what class or what team they are on.

None of these were ever issues in TF2, from newbie day one, 2007, to now.

The connectivity issues are really the big problem here, the rest just adds up but I guess I could get used to it. Is this normal, anything I can do to improve my experience?

@Dr_Asik

Don't use Play Now, instead try the server browser. That should remedy the problem of too few players.

Problems of confusing enemies with friendlies will go away after you get used to their look. tbh I only had this problem regarding recons in the beginning. And I don't know, but imo all the vegetation in maps makes the gameplay much more interesting as you can sneak, hide etc.

Most of your problems seem to be due to lag; as I said before, try the server browser and choose your region. Also, if you get spawn lag, put the BFBC2 folder (it's in your documents) in the exception list of you antivirus, if you use one.

edit

and BC2 is quite different from TF2, I tried the latter one a bit recently and didn't like it at all. Too much mess and too fast paced for me. :D Will check again sometimes though...

You are not alone.

Just played this online for the first time tonight and... meh, I didn't have a good time at all. Maybe I'm spoiled by TF2.

Several frustrations:

- Random "Cannot connect to EA Online", pretty often at that. At first I really thought this was a firewall or other client-side issue, but when after quite a lot of retries it somehow managed to connect, I realized it was not.

- When I finally connected, and managed to attempt to join a game, the game told me I needed to install a third-party utility (punkbuster). Ugh.

- Could never get a list of servers, always says "Cannot connect to EA Online".

- The only way that worked was to join a random game. Took a few retries, but eventually I landed in an assault (capture the point) game.

- Only four players in the game, huge maps = wandering alone and then getting bombed/sniped out of nowhere. No fun.

- Pings were quite high for everyone in the game. I had about 175ms and actually had the lowest ping of all the players. This made precision shooting very difficult.

- Movement feels sluggish and restricted, whether on foot or in a vehicle.

- The game has trouble registering and unregistering basic movement commands. At some point I was stuck strafing left even though I was not holding the "A" key down. I had to slowly press it and release it again for the game to realize the key had been released. In other circumstances I had both shift and "W" pressed which is supposed to mean "run", but the character was only walking. This kind of details make me feel like I'm fighting the UI instead of using it.

- Even though my framerate is high, the game doesn't feel smooth. It's hard to explain, maybe a combination of high latency and irregular movement speeds.

- The two maps I played were very cluttered. I understand the game strives for some realism, but all this vegetation and debris get in the way of seeing things that actually matter to the gameplay. With everyone wearing the same camouflage suits it's hard to spot anyone, much less tell what class or what team they are on.

None of these were ever issues in TF2, from newbie day one, 2007, to now.

The connectivity issues are really the big problem here, the rest just adds up but I guess I could get used to it. Is this normal, anything I can do to improve my experience?

Found my new ###### gun. The Saiga. I?m loving it, the original plan was to just get bronze, and go back to my trusty AN-94. But I was racking up the kills, and so easily too. Before I knew it I had my 1 gold star on it, in one session! And to give you some idea how much I love this gun. I just got my 500 kills with shotgun award, bear in mind that I only started to use shotguns yesterday, and also that I don?t have 500 kills with sniper rifles award yet (which also tells you I hate that class with a passion)!

I sense good times ahead! Now where's that patch?!

Good luck with the F2000. It's hard, very hard, nothing more than a sharp stick.

haha funny I just got a gold star with the F2K yesterday. Yes it took a while but not as long as the MG3.

Only two more assault weapons to go!

AN-94 is still my favorite rifle.

Gotta agree on the Saiga. +recon+ammo upgrade+speed = ownage!

Am I the only one perplexed by the PS3 update size? 288MB for...

Kit images added in spawn menu

Fixed the "required rank" field on the unlock items specified on the W&G page

Added M14, NS 2000 and G3 in-game unlock pop-up when the requirements for unlocking them are reached

Added a server side check of the veteran status of the players

Award bugfix for "Win all 4 game modes" (it had marksman headshot as a dependency)

Garand did not track anything, Thompson tracked Garand.

Increased the penalty points for TeamKill and TeamDamage

Increased the reward points for Objective Actions (Flag Cap/Assist, Arm/Disarm/Destroy/Damage/TeamDestroy/TeamDamage)

Fixed veteran rank number not showing up in ingame scoreboard

The southpaw setting now works for the anti-air gun and the Stationary AT

Collectible weapon messages fixed

The reason for such large updates is probably that if they make adjustments to one single file in a package, even if the file is 1kb, they have to replace the entire package. At least that's how it works on the PC I think. It seems to make sense anyways, but I'm probably wrong. It would explain why patches that only deal with coding changes are very large.

Looks like people are getting fed up of my shotgun antics :D Love it when I get called "hacker" :rofl:

Indeed, BFBC2 has one of the best shotguns (except F.E.A.R.) out there. You kinda vaguely aim and someone magically dies. Couple it with magnum bullets it is even crazier. And with the .12 gauge slug, well, you can basically snipe. I was floored when someone told me to try it out because it was kickass. I never actually believed it.

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Posts

    • SKG Hand Massager with Heat OS500 hands on by Steven Parker I was offered the chance to test out the SKG Hand Massager with Heat OS500, and full disclosure, they let me keep it regardless of my findings. Anyway, I jumped at the chance due to my long hours sitting at my desk, mousing around. Apologies for the knife cut across the top of the box; that was my doing, being a bit too heavy-handed with opening up the outer packaging. First up, what's in the box: SKG Hand Massager with Heat OS500 1x Type-C charging cable User Manual 1-Year Warranty (card) In short, everything you need to get started. According to the official Amazon listing, here are the key features: Full-Hand Air Compression: OS500 wraps your fingers, palm, and wrist with multi-chamber air compression for a complete hand relaxation experience. The extended massage chamber helps cover more of the hand and wrist area than standard palm-only hand massagers Palm Kneading with 6 Modes & 6 Intensities: Built-in palm kneading rollers add a hands-on massage feel, while 6 preset modes and 6 pressure levels let you choose the comfort level that fits your day—from gentle relaxation to a firmer full-hand massage 3 Heat Levels with Cooling Fan: Choose from 104°F, 113°F or 122°F warmth to suit different seasons and comfort preferences. The built-in cooling fan helps reduce stuffiness during heated sessions, keeping your hand feeling fresh and comfortable Easy Visual Display & Smart Timer: The digital image display clearly shows massage area, mode, intensity, heat level, and remaining time at a glance. Select 10, 15, or 20-minute sessions for quick office breaks, evening relaxation, or everyday hand care Rechargeable, Cordless & Comfortable: A 3000mAh battery supports over 90 minutes of full-function use on a full charge, with convenient USB-C charging. The soft inner lining, smooth ABS/PU finish, and premium black-gold design make OS500 ideal for home, office, or gifting With all that out of the way, here are my own findings. I gave it a try on both left and right hands, and as you can maybe see from the above YouTube Short, (sorry for the shaky video), my whole hand fits in, but my wrist barely enters the Hand Massager. I was able to push through a bit more with my fingertips extending out the other end to get a bit of massaging on the start of my wrist. Usage For some reason, there is a strap that is very difficult to fasten to my wrist with one hand. I am not sure what function it has, and it isn't mentioned in the user manual. The only thing I could find was in the product images that claimed "wrist precision". Unlike the Bob and Brad Hand Massager, this device does not massage the wrist anyway, even though a "wrist mode" is mentioned, which must be for smaller hands than I have, as it is mainly intended for the hand and fingers. In addition, for its steeper price, there are no disposable gloves provided in the box, which is a bit of an issue considering the internal cover (which appears to be elasticated nylon) cannot be removed for washing; so you are left with only one choice: always thoroughly wash your hands before using it. I can imagine this thing getting a bit grimy after a period of use, and that is a bit of a shame. With that said, the buttons on the device, from left to right, do the following: Heat button: 3-level heat control at 104°F, 113°F, or 122°F Mode button: Auto mode Circular mode Soothing mode Relax mode Palm and fingers mode Palm and wrist mode Intensity button: from (First-time users) 15Ka, 25Ka, 35Ka, 45Ka, 55Ka, 60Ka (Intensive relief) Knead button: on or off (6 pressure levels) Power button: Long-press to turn on or off Cooling button: turn on or off the cooling fan Also, in the product imagery, it states there are 36 "custom modes," but nowhere is it listed what these modes are. I can only imagine that they mean a combination of all of the above settings in different intensity levels. The device itself seems to rely on a single "kneading" mechanism located at the palm area of the hand, which spins when in use, and the other massage features are mainly utilized through the air sacs, increasing and decreasing at various levels on the hand and fingers. I am not sure it offered too much relief for someone who is typing and operating a mouse for hours at a time; further testing may be required. It does feel nice, though. Finally, you may be wondering how this fits into the scope of a tech website? Well, let me tell you something: sometimes I sit for up to 15 hours working on Neowin, and although I take breaks in between, it takes a toll on my body. I think in the immediate absence of a partner to apply relief, a good massager like this Hand Massager can shed the strains of the day in just a couple of 15-minute bursts. On the official website, this has an MSRP of $99.99, but luckily for our readers, it is selling at $10 off for just $89.99 right now on Amazon. SKG Hand Massager with Heat OS500 for $89.99 (with $10 off coupon), $99.99 MSRP For me, this gets a thumbs hands(?) down. However, it could be improved by making it so that the protective covering could be removed and thrown into the washing machine, or get yourself some disposable gloves to use with it. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
    • Thanks for the info, but I'm still not sure if I need this....
    • We check out the SKG PS700 Neck Massager by Steven Parker I was offered the chance to test out the SKG PS700 Neck Massager, and full disclosure, they let me keep it regardless of my findings. Anyway, I jumped at the chance due to my long hours sitting at my desk; I figured it could offer some neck pain relief. What's in the box: SKG PS700-2 Neck Massager Rechargeable Battery (inside massager) Type-C USB cable User Manual Quick Start guide 1-Year Warranty In short, everything you need to get started. According to the official listing, here are the key features: Biomimetic Kneading & High Torque Motor: Designed with innovative biomimetic kneading heads that perfectly simulate the touch of human hands. Powered by a high-torque motor, this massager delivers powerful and precise deep tissue relief to effectively target stiff neck muscles and release built-up tension Soothing Heat & Integrated Sound Relaxation: Experience the ultimate Relaxationation with our dual-action approach. The soothing heat function gently warms your neck, while the built-in sound Relaxation provides calming audio tracks, helping you achieve a state of mindfulness and mental tranquility during your physical massage Cordless Convenience & Travel-Ready & Father's Day Gifts: Crafted for maximum portability and ease of use. Its lightweight, cordless design allows you to enjoy a premium massage anywhere without the hassle of tangled wires-whether you're taking a quick break at your desk or winding down at home Versatile Relief for Home & Office: An essential wellness companion for office workers, gamers, frequent travelers, or anyone looking to integrate mindfulness into their daily routine. It seamlessly fits into your lifestyle, providing instant neck relief whenever and wherever you need it Safe & Premium Materials: Manufactured with high-quality, skin-friendly materials to ensure a safe and comfortable experience without irritation. SKG backs this device with dedicated customer service, making it a thoughtful tech-health gift for family and friends App & Bluetooth Music Control: Connect via Bluetooth to control your massage settings through the dedicated app and enjoy your favorite music during your massage session for a fully customizable and immersive relaxation experience Red Light Warmth Technology: Features advanced red light warmth technology that penetrates deep into neck muscles to enhance blood circulation and provide soothing comfort while relieving muscle tension and stiffness Design With all that out of the way, here are my own findings. SKG does not say what materials are used to make the neck massager. However, on the product website, it mentions "soft-touch silicone" with what looks like PU leather cushioning, with the rest being mostly made up of plastics. On the inside of the massager, there are two "biomimetic kneading heads" that are motorized for the different styles of massage, which are not actually listed at all in the paper user manual, but the standard included modes are: De-stress mode, Mediation mode, Relax mode, Shiatsu mode. The massager looks quite premium and is actually very comfortable to wear. This massager is small and light enough to go anywhere, as it doesn't get in the way of anything, so I was able to use it in the chair while writing this review. Unlike the back massager, SKG does not warn in the user guide not to use it for more than 30 minutes a day (or two 15-minute sessions). However, there is a long laundry list of important safeguards to consider before and during the use of the device, and it is warned that the neck massager is not waterproof. It also includes a 1,400mAh battery with a rated power of 14W and input of 5V, which is the standard for up to USB 3.0 power (although the Amperage is not mentioned at all). SKG does not say how long it takes to charge, but a quick calculation at 2A (if that is what it is) would mean it would take roughly 1.5 hrs to charge from empty. In any case, the light around the button changes from orange to green on a full charge. In addition, it is not possible to use the device while it is charging. On the right of the neck massager is the On/Off and modes button, which also acts as a joystick. You can operate all the modes directly from the power button, as well as the app, which I'll get into a bit later: Push up: Short press to adjust Heat levels On/Off button: long press Mode Switching: Short press (while in operation) ➕ Push left: increase Music volume ➖ push right: decrease Music volume Push down: Short-press to turn Music on or off The massager defaults to De-stress mode, and it is not stated anywhere if the neck massager has overheat protection. This time around, regarding heat, the only detail I could find is that it has "triple action soothing heat." The temperature stages are not listed anywhere in the paper manual, Amazon listing, or official website. The heat levels can be adjusted through the app or directly on the device using the joystick button. Usage There's also the SKG Health app, which makes using the massager far easier than feeling around for the button on the side of your neck. If the app is stopped, you are required to log in with a verification code over email, which I am not too pleased with, as this means it will only work that way for however long SKG decides to support it through said app. However, I was not able to get the app to connect to the OS500, which I have reported back to my contact. Bluetooth appeared to be working on the neck massager as it became available to pair with my phone, but the SKG app failed to discover it. Before I forget, there's also a switch next to the USB charging port to deactivate and activate the Voice Prompt, which, when enabled, audibly tells the user when switching intensities, modes, or connecting to the app and informs when the massages start and are completed. That said, on to my likes and dislikes, which are listed below. What I didn't like Unable to connect the Neck Massager to the app Use through the mobile app relies on continued support from SKG What I liked Can be used without the app Cordless use Light and comfortable to wear Heat is also quite comfortable Where to buy: According to the official website, this has an MSRP of $249.99, but is currently $50 (on Amazon). To sweeten the deal a bit more, there's also an in-page coupon that knocks a further $20 off the price. SKG PS700-2 Neck Massager for $179.99 on Amazon (was $199.99) Apply the in-page $20 off coupon for the final price of $179.99 Just like the back massager, this gets a confused thumbs up (due to the cost). However, I cannot rate it through app usage as it failed to connect. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
    • This Samsung T7 external SSD deal lasts less than a day by Sayan Sen Recently we had covered some nice deals of internal NVMe SSDs which include the 4TB TeamGroup G50 for only $400, the WD_BLACK SN7100 2TB for just $243, as well as the Samsung 990 PRO 1TB for $370. If however you require an external SSD for portability and quick data transfers and have a budget of less than $200 the Samsung T7 1TB model is currently on a limited time deal at just $190, it's lowest price in nearly three months. The deal ends today so you better hurry if you need one (purchase link below). The T7 weighs in at just 72 grams meaning it should be fairly easy to carry around helping in the portability department. Via its USB 3.2 Gen 2 interface the T7 promises sequential read speeds of up to 1050 MB/s and writes of 1000 MB/s. It is also fairly robust with a drop protection of up to 2 meters, though bear in mind that this is not waterproof. For that you will have to choose the rugged T7 Shield. The technical specifications of the Samsung T7 1TB are given in the table below: Specification Value Model Code (1TB) MU-PC1T0T / MU-PC1T0H Interface USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps) Dimensions (W × H × D) 85 × 57 × 8 mm Weight 72 g Sequential Read Speed Up to 1,050 MB/s Sequential Write Speed Up to 1,000 MB/s Drop Resistance Up to 2 m (6.6 ft) Encryption AES 256-bit hardware encryption Operating Temperature 0°C to 60°C Non-Operating Temperature -40°C to 85°C Humidity 5% to 95% (non-condensing) Shock Resistance 1,500 G, duration 0.5 ms, 3-axis (non-operating) Vibration Resistance 20–2,000 Hz, 20 G (non-operating) Get it at the link below: Samsung T7 Portable SSD, 1TB External Solid State Drive, MU-PC1T0T/AM, Gray: $189.98 (Sold and Shipped by Amazon US) Good to know This Amazon deal is U.S. specific, and not available in other regions unless specified. We only use first-party seller links (at the time of article publishing); ensure that you purchase from a first-party seller link only. Check out Today's Deals on Amazon | or our recent tech deals. Become a Prime member (for Students or SNAP) via Neowin Get Prime Access - Prime for half price (for qualifying Medicaid, EBT, SNAP) Subscribe to Prime Video, Audible Plus, Music Unlimited or Kindle Unlimited via Neowin As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
    • I just wish they would put more love into Virtual Desktops. There is just so much more they could do.
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