PS3 vs Xbox 360 – a developer speaks
Guardian :: Friday, December 08, 2006
The debate over which is the more powerful next-gen games console has been raging for over a year, but in the last few weeks we’ve finally been able to pore over some first-hand evidence. The Call of Duty 3 conversions to Xbox 360 and PS3 are more closely comparable, perhaps, than many fanboys on either side would have predicted. More interesting is the unspoken rivalry between Gears of War and Resistance: Fall of Man – two showboating FPS titles with similar themes and environments.
Xbox Live Marketplace Videos vs. HD-DVD
XYHD :: Friday, December 08, 2006
Lets start with the Basics. HD-DVD has the potential to be 36.55 Megabits per second, but tends to average about half of that. Marketplace videos or at least the one I checked out ‘V for Vendetta’ is 6.5 Megabits VBR. Account for 720p vs 1080p and you are looking at about 2.25 more pixels so pixels per bit the two are pretty close.
Conclusion HD-DVD is spectacular I was unable to find a single artifact in the copy of ‘V for Vendetta’ the same was true for Tokyo Drift which is rather hard content to encode. Marketplace videos on most TV’s in most home theatres, also spectacular. You being the Video enthusiast and cocky SOB that you probably think you have a home theatre that the quality difference will matter, well you are probably wrong.
Unless you have: * A 1080p Display, that really runs at 1920×1080 as its native resolution. * Have paid someone to calibrate the TV to reference, not the Dynamic, or Vibrant mode that many TV’s are set to. * Have disabled noise reduction on your TV. * Are Viewing in a theatre lit room.
Australian Law lets modders back into consoles
Australian News :: Friday, December 08, 2006
Games console makers such as Sony Computer Entertainment and Microsoft may need to re-engineer anti-piracy technology in consoles made for the Australian market to stop consumers using illegal game titles, according to law firm Minter Ellison.
Amendments to Australia’s copyright laws expected to be passed this week will make it legal for consumers to use modified chips (mod-chips) that circumvent anti-piracy technology built into game consoles if they also overcome measures that restrict the use of DVDs and games titles purchased legally in other regions.
Minter Ellison special counsel Carolyn Dalton said technology measures designed to restrict use of copyright material in geographic regions, including coding built into DVD players and games consoles, won’t be given special protection under the law. Games manufacturers will need to have technology in their consoles to deal with region coding and copyright protection that operate independently.
Microsoft Advises you to buy a Wii for your ‘GamerchiX’
Xbox.com :: Friday, December 08, 2006
recently asked the GamerchiX to do a public service for the gamer guys and clue them in on what to get their favorite girl for the Holidays. Because yes, we do acknowledge that you can’t read our minds. There are some things that are popular with almost all the GamerchiX, so you’re probably safe with any of the following: * Xbox 360 Wireless Headset * Microsoft Points * Subscription to Xbox Live * Gift Certificates to EBGames or GameStop * Xbox 360 Wireless Racing Wheel * DS Lite * Nintendo Wii * Candles * Spa gift certificates
Xbox 360 Arcade controller – Project Gyokusho
Instrucables :: Friday, December 08, 2006
Well, this is pretty much exactly what it sounds like. I’ve torn apart a wired 360 controller, put the guts in a pretty box and soldered some arcade buttons and a joystick to it. Thought I’d publish this to give you all an idea of how it can be done and just for general inspiration.
The name, Gyokusho is actually stolen from a japanese chess variant called Shogi. The equivalent of the king is called the Gyokusho or “Jade general”. The short hand for that is the sign you can see in the middle of the controller (see image below). Oh, and by the way, it’s huge.
Tony Hawk’s Downhill Jam (Wii) review
Driver Heaven :: Friday, December 08, 2006
“Since the series debuted on the original PlayStation with the aptly named title Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, it was pretty clear that Activision knew how to make one fine skateboarding game. After being placed in one of many skater paradises, you had the ability to rip and shred all day long without a care in the world. Now, the Tony Hawk series is moving away from traditional skate parks and into downhill race environments in Downhill Jam. Not to be confused with the also recently released Project 8, Downhill Jam significantly changes the style of this famed game, and it does an alright job with the newly implemented formula.”
Wii Strikes Up 50,000 Sales In 12 Hours
Nintendo :: Friday, December 08, 2006
Within just 12 hours of going on sale, the much anticipated launch of the Nintendo Wii console has reached new heights of success with 50,000 units sold. The staggering figure translates to one unit sold throughout the UK every second, since the very first sale at the star-studded midnight store opening at HMV on London’s Oxford Street.
Component cable and Silicon Skins for Wii controllers.
Blaze :: Friday, December 08, 2006
It looks like the Wii frenzy has only just begun for us Europeans, no sooner are the pavements cleared of dedicated Wii campers, and the opportunity to take a virtual pasting from Ricky Hatton on Oxford Street have passed, and we’re already looking for ways of improving our gaming experience on our fascinating little motion driven babies…
Point Blank DS from Atari
Atari :: Friday, December 08, 2006
Atari today announced the launch of Point Blank DS for Nintendo DS™ from NAMCO BANDAI Games, available now at retailers across Europe. The classic arcade shoot-em-up has come to rest in the perfect place on Nintendo’s innovative DS console, the stylus and touch screen lending themselves impeccably to the game’s rapid-fire gameplay. In keeping with the game’s heritage, the fast, addictive gameplay and fun visual style are all intact in Point Blank DS.
Xbox 360 vs PS3 – Graphics Comparison
Gamespot :: Friday, December 08, 2006
We expected the PlayStation 3 to ship with several games that first appeared on the Xbox 360, similar to how the Xbox 360 had a lot of Xbox ports at launch. And the PS3 did indeed arrive with a good number of games that originally shipped for the Xbox 360. This gave us the perfect opportunity to compare the graphics on both systems with several cross-platform games. You’d think that the PS3 versions would be exactly the same or slightly superior to the Xbox 360 versions, since many of these games appeared on the 360 months ago, but it seems like developers didn’t use the extra time to polish up the graphics for the PS3. We found that the Xbox 360 actually had better graphics in the majority of the games we compared.
Conclusion The Xbox 360 had better graphics in almost all the games we examined. The 360’s biggest victories were in Madden 07 and Fight Night Round 3, where the differences in texture detail and lighting stood out in our comparison shots. We couldn’t capture this in the screenshots, but the Xbox 360 games generally offered better framerates too. We’re going to give the PS3 the benefit of the doubt in this initial round since developers might need more time to figure out how to maximize performance from the Cell and the RSX. If you look at the Xbox 360’s first Madden game, Madden 06, you’ll notice that it doesn’t offer very realistic stadium shadows, either. The trouble with buying a console at launch is that you often have to wait for the second or third generation of games for the system to fulfill its potential. The PS3 didn’t beat the 360 in this first comparison, but the games do look fine for first-generation titles. The real graphics battle will likely come next year.
Logitech Action Controller for PlayStation 2 
Think Computers :: Thursday, December 07, 2006
“If you are on a budget, and looking for a solid second controller for your PlayStation 2, the Logitech Action controller would make a great addition. The Logitech controller contains all the same great features as the Dualshock 2 at a price considerably lower. It has a quality look and feel to it, but what about performance. Read on to find out more about the Logitech Action controller supplied by Geeks.com.”
Tony Hawk’s Downhill Jam (Wii)
Driver Heaven :: Thursday, December 07, 2006
Since the series debuted on the original PlayStation with the aptly named title Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, it was pretty clear that Activision knew how to make one fine skateboarding game. After being placed in one of many skater paradises, you had the ability to rip and shred all day long without a care in the world. Now, the Tony Hawk series is moving away from traditional skate parks and into downhill race environments in Downhill Jam. Not to be confused with the also recently released Project 8, Downhill Jam significantly changes the style of this famed game, and it does an alright job with the newly implemented formula.
Viva Piñata (X360)
Driver Heaven :: Wednesday, December 06, 2006
At a first glance it’s hard not to be skeptical when you’re faced with a vibrant game about piñatas that’s based on a show airing on 4Kids TV. While the flashy colors and an overall appearance geared towards the younger demographic may seem queer at first, Viva Piñata offers a surprisingly deep garden simulation experience that can be extremely rewarding in the long run. Starting off with a meager plot of barren land, the undeniable charm in this game can grasp you from the start and never let go.
Christmas 2006 Gaming PC Buying Guide Posted! 
tech ARP :: Wednesday, December 06, 2006
“Christmas is very close now. Don’t settle for yet another t-shirt or more free kisses under the mistletoe. Get yourself a brand-new gaming PC!
If you think it’s too expensive, think again. We will show you how to get it all for only $1010! Heck, we will show you how to get an SLI gaming PC for less than $1200.”
