General Gaming Article |
- The Game Boy: Why “Game” Needs to Stop Being an Ugly, Elitist Word
- OCZ Releases "Arowana" Firmware Update For SSDs With Indilinx Barefoot Controllers
- Maingear Adds GTX 675M GPU, 3D Display Options To Titan 17 Gaming Notebook
- Apple Under Fire From Foreign Governments For Advertising iPad As 4G
- PNY Announces New 1866MHz and 2133MHz XLR8 Memory Kits
- AVG Adds Do Not Track Feature to Free and Paid Antivirus Software
- Can 5 Million Phablet Fans All Be Wrong? Samsung Galaxy Note Shipments Off to an Impressive Start
- Rumor: Google Drive Arriving Next Week
- Alleged Identity Thief Scams Billionaire Microsoft Co-Founder, Shops at Dollar Store
- Intel Prepping Nearly Half a Dozen Core i3 Ivy Bridge Processors for Q2 Release
| The Game Boy: Why “Game” Needs to Stop Being an Ugly, Elitist Word Posted: 28 Mar 2012 03:58 PM PDT
I am frightened. I am alone. I feel like there are eyes following my every footstep, stripping away chunks of my calm, collected guise as though clawing open a Christmas present. I don't think I can keep it together for much longer, but I can't run. My legs maintain a disarmingly leisurely pace, like they're trudging through a quicksand-flavored Jello mold. Will I spot a ghost first, or will it spot me? Where? When? How? I'm like a child who's afraid of the dark. The suspense makes me want to toss a blanket over my head until a Real Adult chases the Bad Things away. Unpredictability, as it turns out, is terror at its purest. This is my third playthrough of Dear Esther, and it's the hardest hitting yet. I still haven't figured out this amorphous, ever-shifting puzzle of an island, and I don't think I ever will. Moreover, I'm not some improbable mix between a Ghost Buster, Rambo, and Wolverine. I'm not even sure if I have hands. I feel utterly powerless – all at once breathless with both awe and fear. This world doesn't revolve around me. I am not its master. I can only speculate as to what it all means and why I'm here. There are infinite possibilities, and Dear Esther constantly shuffles its deck of devious plot devices – narrations, environmental clues, guh-guh-guh-guh-ghooosts – to keep me guessing. There's a certain magic to it, though – a sense of wonderment I haven't felt since I finished Ocarina of Time only to realize that games aren't un-ending playgrounds of pure imagination. Games have limits. Borders. Invisible walls. Ones and zeroes. But Dear Esther makes me feel like that naive kid again and – in the process – makes other games feel like mere child's play. In a word: incredible. Then the peanut gallery chimes in: "Wait, I can't shoot stuff? This clearly isn't a real game. Yuck." And now we have a very, very serious problem. That derogatory use of "not a game" didn't really strike fear into me until I found myself perusing Fallout: New Vegas lead designer Joshua Sawyer's Formspring. On it, someone asked him if he'd had a chance to play Dear Esther yet. His response? "I got the impression it is not a thing that is actually played." Now, maybe he was simply categorizing it more as an "experience," but his remark still echoed in a chamber full of cracks like "Why are you reviewing this if it's not even a game?" and "There's not even a sprint key! What's the point?" In essence, this mentality relegates more abstract and minimal games like Dear Esther, Proteus, and – to a lesser extent – even thatgamecompany's Journey to the position of an inherently inferior "other." They don't look, feel, smell, or taste like traditional games, so clearly, they must be some lower form of entertainment that filthy serfs play in between loud lamentations over their illiteracy and inability to rebel against the landed gentry. And yet, it's an utterly arbitrary designation. When games like Half-Life 2, Portal, and Fallout 3 litter their environments with bite-sized story cues, they're handed trophies and medals and put on pedestals made out of more trophies and medals for being pioneers of the form. "This is a story that could only be told by a game," chime in all the folks who clutch their Shadow of the Colossus bed sheets at night while softly sobbing about how Ebert is wrong and games totally matter now.
But then we strip away the gallery of gun porn on display like it's in an art museum and – god forbid – the giant list of humdrum chores masquerading as "sidequests," and suddenly, the experience ceases to be worthy of the title "game." I'm sorry, how does that work again? Really, though, I'm not calling for a big, streamers-and-confetti-plastered ceremony in which we officially declare Dear Esther a "game" – just as I honestly don't give a shit whether or not everyone thinks games are "art." Those terms only serve to fuel the flames of eternally raging Internet arguments and pigeon hole developers into a claustrophobically tiny box. We complain day-in and day-out about how the industry fails to innovate, yet we pull out spears and emit guttural howls as soon as a game that does something truly different tries to move things forward. Statements like "not a game" only serve to facilitate that mentality. Ultimately, though, who cares if something's a "game" or "art" or "uses too many cut-scenes" or "is just a giant quick-time event"? Did you – in some way or another – enjoy the experience? If so, it's perfectly valid and worthy of merit. End of story. For now, though, expectations of what a game should be run rampant, and the mentality's proven positively infectious. There are only so many settings that'll support an explosion-riddled, fast-paced single-player campaign, unlockable-packed deathmatch multiplayer, and every other checkbox on the increasingly lengthy marketing survey. Gamer culture now finds itself almost entirely founded upon gritty "realistic" wars, overwrought space operas, and swords 'n' sorcery carbon copies that – near as I can tell – switch around where the pointless apostrophes are in absurdly obtuse names (for reference) and call it a day. Our medium's devolved into a brainless zombie, content to merely feast on the decaying corpses of Tolkien, Heinlein, and whoever first thought "Hey, you know what'd be a great idea? War." I want to go someplace new. I want to have an adventure – tons of adventures, even. But if a game like Dear Esther tries to spirit us away to some crazy new land in a novel way and all we can manage is a disinterested "So, like, where are all the guns?" then we're in big, big trouble. Yeah, the ghosts are scary and unpredictable. No, I can't hope to understand what exactly they are and what they're up to. But I still want to chase them. Just to see where they'll go.
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| OCZ Releases "Arowana" Firmware Update For SSDs With Indilinx Barefoot Controllers Posted: 28 Mar 2012 11:00 AM PDT
The SSD Review took a Arowana-equipped 64GB OCZ Agility with 34nm Intel NAND for a whirl through several benchmarks and found that while 4K random read speeds took a very slight dip, 4K random write speeds increased threefold after Arowana was applied. Access times also got a big boost, while sequential read/write speeds each improved by roughly 10 MB/s. Basically, it seems like a no-brainer update for Indilinx Barefoot SSD owners (34nm Vertex/Agility/Solid2 drives). Head over to the OCZ Forums for a download link and how-to on determining whether or not your Barefoot drive is Arowana-compatible (Protip: if it was made before 2009, it isn't), or take a stroll over to the SSD Review for a barrage of before and after benchmarks. Don't forget to back up your data -- the update will wipe your drive clean. Image credit: hardwarecanucks.com |
| Maingear Adds GTX 675M GPU, 3D Display Options To Titan 17 Gaming Notebook Posted: 28 Mar 2012 10:48 AM PDT
"The newly updated MAINGEAR Titan 17 is the ultimate desktop replacement for anyone looking to get the most out of their entertainment or heavy graphics design work on the go." Maingear CEO Wallace Santos said in a press release. "With the update to the graphics and offering a 3D display option, the Titan 17 is destined to be a non-stop entertainment notebook for high performance users on the go." "Non-stop" might be a bit of a stretch, seeing as how the original Titan 17 only lasted 36 minutes in our DVD test, but there's no denying that this Maingear monstrosity packs a heck of a lot of desktop-like punch into a mobile system. While the 3D capabilities are new to the Titan, keep in mind that the GTX 675M is basically a rebranded 580M (which was already available in the Titan), right down to its Fermi-based architecture. In fact, while the GTX 675M is selected by default when configuring a new Titan 17, it's still called the 580M in the graphics specs. Head on over to the Titan 17 page on the Maingear website if you want to try your hand at configuring a behemoth of your own. Prices start at $2,600, and the 3D tech will cost another $230 -- though Maingear tosses in Battlefield 3, Just Cause 2, Batman: Arkham City and ground shipping free of cost. |
| Apple Under Fire From Foreign Governments For Advertising iPad As 4G Posted: 28 Mar 2012 10:25 AM PDT
You see, while the new iPad plays just fine with select 700MHz and 2100MHz LTE bands here in the U.S., it flat-out isn't compatible with many of the fledgling 4G networks popping up around the rest of the world. Despite that crippling fact, Apple has still been selling the new iPad as a 4G device in countries where it essentially isn't. Overseas customers have been snapping up the iPad and expecting 4G capabilities -- then finding themselves sorely disappointed. Now, governments are stepping in. This morning, PC World reported that Apple has agreed to offer refunds to Australian customers after the country's Australian Competition and Consumer Commission took the company to federal court. Additionally, all of Apple's Australian promotional materials and stores will begin displaying a "not compatible with current Australian 4G LTE networks and WiMAX Networks" disclaimer by the end of next week. ZDNet reports that the Swedish and British governments have also received complaints about the 4G branding and are considering the need for an official investigation. The U.K doesn't even have a 4G network, author Zack Whittaker notes. And if the Swedish government decides to pursue the issue, the official complaint would need to be filed with Apple's Irish office, as Apple doesn't maintain an official presence in Sweden. Whittaker says that the complaint could snowball into further trouble for Apple throughout the rest of Europe since it wouldn't be limited to a (non-existent) Swedish subsidiary. |
| PNY Announces New 1866MHz and 2133MHz XLR8 Memory Kits Posted: 28 Mar 2012 10:12 AM PDT Interested in overclocked memory, but don't feel like doing all the down n' dirty CAS timing tweaks on your own? PNY's got your back. The company just announced that it's adding new 2133 MHz and 1866 MHz memory kits to its XLR8 lineup of high-performance RAM sticks for folks who want even more oomph out of their memory.
The 2133 MHz DDR3 CAS 10 kit is available in an 8GB dual-channel kit and a 16GB quad-channel kit, with timings of 9-12-11-27. Meanwhile, the 1866 MHz DDR3 CAS 9 kits come in similar dual- and quad-channel configurations, but with timings of 9-12-9-27. Both types come with PNY's lifetime warranty, and if it makes a difference, the 2133 MHz kits rock red aluminum spreaders, while the 1866 MHz kits are decked out in black. That's not quite the 2666 MHz clock speeds G.Skill showed off at CeBit, but 2133 MHz is nothing to sneeze at, and it's the new king of PNY's XLR8 series. Plus, unlike that super-fast G.Skill RipjawZ demo kit, PNY's high performance memory sets are available now. Here's the pricing info: 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3
8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3
Any takers? |
| AVG Adds Do Not Track Feature to Free and Paid Antivirus Software Posted: 28 Mar 2012 07:20 AM PDT
Introduced through a security update, AVG 2012 now includes a Do Not Trace feature that informs users about the data being collected by various websites and gives them the option of not being tracked. "We continue to listen to our approximately 108 million-strong community and we are constantly focused and driving our research and development to the creation of innovative technologies," said AVG Technologies CEO JR Smith. "Today we deliver another important milestone with an active Do Not Track feature available in the latest version of AVG 2012 and through our latest product update for existing customers. This feature is available for free because we believe all consumers have the right to take back control of their online privacy." Unfortunately it's not available as a free, standalone download, though it is included in AVG's freemium security suite. If you have it installed, you'll notice an eye-shaped icon in your Chrome, Firefox, or Internet Explorer browser window that shows how many websites and advertisers are collecting data about your activity. This information is categorized into Ad Networks, Social Buttons, and Web Analytics with additional information that includes:
Armed with the above information, you can then choose whether to let it be or have AVG step in and cover your tracks. You can find out more details in AVG's blog post here. Image Credit: AVG |
| Can 5 Million Phablet Fans All Be Wrong? Samsung Galaxy Note Shipments Off to an Impressive Start Posted: 28 Mar 2012 07:00 AM PDT
That's not an earth-shattering number, especially when you figure the device has been around for five months and that it took the Galaxy S II six months to ship twice as many units, but it's not too shabby, either. This is, after a all, a device with somewhat limited market appeal, and Samsung is moving Galaxy Note phablets at a clip of a million a month. The Galaxy Note, in case you're somehow not familiar with it, sports a ginormous 5.3-inch Super AMOLED display, 1.4GHz dual-core Exynos processor, 1GB RAM, 16GB internal memory, microSD card slot, 8MP rear-facing camera with LED flash, 2MP front-facing camera, and 2500mAh battery wrapped in a body that measures 146.85mm (L) x 82.95mm (W) x 9.65mm (D) and weighs 178g. Image Credit: Samsung |
| Rumor: Google Drive Arriving Next Week Posted: 28 Mar 2012 06:43 AM PDT
The latest Google Drive rumor, which comes to us from GigaOm patriarch Om Malik, has the long rumored service debuting as early as next week. Well, at least that's what Malik's "well placed" sources have told him. According to Malik, his sources are very impressed with what they have seen so far. If these sources are to be believed, we are looking at a cloud service offering with 1GB of free storage, a native client, a Google Docs-like web interface, and an API for third-party apps. The report further claims that Google Apps users will be able to use it on a domain-specific basis. |
| Alleged Identity Thief Scams Billionaire Microsoft Co-Founder, Shops at Dollar Store Posted: 28 Mar 2012 06:40 AM PDT
Federal investigators allege that Mr. Price managed to change the address on a bank account owned by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, BusinessWeek.com reports. The simple scam consisted of Mr. Price calling up Citibank and changing the address from Seattle to Pittsburgh, and then calling back three days later to say he lost his debit card. They promptly sent him a new one, which he used to make an overdue loan payment on his Armed Forces Bank loan. He also tried to make a $15,000 Western Union transaction, attempted to buy videogames, and tried his luck at a dollar store with the stolen debit card. Out of the four attempted transactions totaling $15,936.99, the only one that processed was his loan payment. "Clearly it's a reminder than anyone can be a victim of [identity theft]," said David Postman, a spokesman for Paul Allen. "It certainly is a surprise and reason for everyone to make sure that all that stuff is properly cared for and monitored." |
| Intel Prepping Nearly Half a Dozen Core i3 Ivy Bridge Processors for Q2 Release Posted: 28 Mar 2012 06:12 AM PDT
According to Fudzilla's information, Intel will launch no less than five Core i3 Ivy Bridge processors for the desktop in the second quarter of 2012, three of which will settle in the transactional market and two in the low power market. The fastest of the bunch will be the Core i3 3420, a dual-core chip clocked at 3.4GHz. It will have four threads, 3MB of cache, Intel HD 2500 Graphics (650MHz/1050MHz), and support DDR3-1333/1600 memory with a TDP that's under 55W. Second in command is the Core i3 3225, another dual-core part that's clocked at 3.3GHz with four threads, 3MB of cache, DDR3-1333/1600 memory support, and Intel HD 4000 Graphics (650MHz/1050MHz), also with a TDP under 55W. It's an interesting chip considering the higher end graphics usually reserved for Core i5 and i7 parts. Sitting one rung lower is the Core i3 3220, essentially the same chip as the i3 3225 but with slower Intel HD 2500 Graphics (650MHz/1050MHz). For the low power segment, Intel plans to release the Core i3 3420T (3GHz, 35W TDP) and 3220T (2.8GHz, 35W TDP). No prices were mentioned for any of the chips. Image Credit: Intel |
Way back in May of last year, OCZ announced it was rolling out a new firmware update for its Indilinx SSD controllers, the more-than-a-mouthful "Arowana Flash Translation Layer" update. Vertex Plus owners received the swanky new software in relatively short order, but it took until now -- nearly 10 months later -- for Indilinx Barefoot-controlled SSDs to garner the same attention. They say it's better late than never, though, and initial reports say that Arowana delivers some solid results.
When we 
One of the biggest improvements Apple made to the new iPad -- aside from the awe-inspiring display -- was the inclusion of a LTE radio. But while those blistering fast 4G have been a boon to Stateside tablet users, overseas iPad buyers are distinctly less excited -- prompting several foreign governments to consider false advertising investigations against Apple. 
The Federal Trade Commission recently 
Say what you want about Samsung's gigantic Galaxy Note hybrid smartphone/tablet device -- it's too big for a phone, too small for a tablet, a jack of two trades but master of none, or whatever -- the phablet is finding buyers. To wit, Samsung Korea today 
After a brief hiatus, Google Drive rumors made a comeback last month when the venerable Wall Street Journal reported that the long-fabled service was finally on the verge of release. Many weeks have passed and there's still no sign of the Dropbox-like cloud storage service. What we have instead is yet another tantalizing rumor.
There are some good deals to be had at dollar stores and other thrift markets, and they're especially useful if you're tight on cash. That's all well and good. But if you're ever successful at scamming a billionaire out of his debit card, why not think bigger? You're probably going to get caught anyway, so you might as well go down in a blaze of glory trying to purchase a 
Just a few days ago Fudzilla brought up the interesting point that there are no Core i3 flavored 3rd generation Ivy Bridge processors on tap from Intel, or at least none that we know of. They haven't shown up in leaked roadmaps and, for the time being, it appears Intel is sticking with Core i5 and i7 models for its mobile Ivy Bridge lineup. Fortunately for you budget buyers out there, Core i3 will make an appearance on the desktop.| You are subscribed to email updates from To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
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