14 DAY TRIAL // Yes, you have read it right. You can win a space trip courtesy of Microsoft Corporation and AMD. Designed to celebrate the forthcoming general availability of Windows Vista on January 29, 2007, the Microsoft and AMD initiative is based on Vanishing Point, described in a Redmond Company press release as " a large-scale online and offline collaborative puzzle game."
So, if you are yet to meet a puzzle that you cannot resolve head over at Vanishing Point, sign in and play. "Grand prize - Fewer than a thousand people have ever been there - Space, the ultimate vista. The grand prize winner will be one of the next who can claim to have been to the ultimate vanishing point. The Rocketplane XP Vehicle is a four-seat fighter-sized vehicle fitted with a delta wing and a V-tail which provide good flight characteristics both subsonically and supersonically. The vehicle is powered by both turbojet engines and a rocket engine, enabling it to accelerate to speeds just over 3,500 feet per second (2,386 miles per hour) and reach altitudes in excess of 330,000 feet (100 kilometers) providing the sensation of weightlessness for three to four minutes! This prize package also includes a Windows Vista based AMD powered Dell desktop pc, 24" widescreen monitor, Zune digital media player, an Xbox 360 gaming console, three Games for Windows game titiles, a Microsoft LifeCam VX-6000, Microsoft Office Ultimate 2007, and $50,000 cash to help defray the cost of taxes", reads a message posted on the Vanishing Point website.
But if the Vanishing Point winner will enjoy a sub-orbital space trip courtesy of Rocketplane Limited Inc., Microsoft and AMD are giving away an additional array of prizes worth an estimated half a million dollars.
"Vanishing Point" challenges players to solve an international game, drawing clues from spectacular events at various locations to decipher online puzzles. The action hinges on Loki, the mysterious Microsoft� Puzzle Master. While the Puzzle Master is keeping many details highly confidential, the first real-world event is scheduled to take place tonight at the fountains outside the Bellagio Hotel and Casino. And a new Website has been revealed, http://vanishingpointgame.com, with countdowns and locations that span the globe. Representatives will be available to discuss the game, the grand prize, and the role Windows Vista and AMD play in the game.