General Gaming Article

General Gaming Article

Valve Steam Controller Preview

Posted: 13 Dec 2013 03:22 PM PST

Gordon Mah Ung goes hands on with Valve's new Steam Controller

PC Gamers, gods bless 'em, are truly the most cynical sons of bitches on the planet. I say this because when I saw Valve's attempt to build a controller for its upcoming Steam Machines, I, like all other PC gamers, just snickered and ran as quickly as I could to a web-based memegenerator so I could create and post something derisive and snarky under one of the five pseudonyms I use to troll the Internet with. Alas, I was already beaten as those cynical PC gamers had already beaten me to it.

history repeating

The Steam Controller, as it's called, is a key element of Valve's plan to bring PC gaming to the living room with its Steam Machines and I am highly skeptical of it. You see, there's some things that can't be done. For example, you can't make an Aliens vs. Predator movie and have it not be so horrible that it's not even worth watching for free on Netflix. You also can't make Almond Joy actually enjoyable either.

It's with this attitude that I got to wrap my dry-chapped hands around a prototype of the Steam Controller. If you're looking at the still image of it, it's about the size of a standard console game controller but rather than a joystick, joy pad or other thumb controllers, the Steam Controller features two circulator trackpads which can also act as buttons. There's also a set of buttons on the bottom as well as the front of the unit.

steam weird

To most people the puzzling part are the two gigantic Pikachu-eyed trackpads. People just can't wrap their heads around the concept of these two trackpads and how they could possibly work. Neither could I. For my preview of the Steam Controller I first tried Borderlands 2—a popular first person shooter. To move, I used left my left thumb to simulate the usual WASD movement of forward, backwards and left and right. The right trackpad acted as free look on a mouse. There's a subtle feedback through the "dual linear resonant actuators" in the controllers–basically super-precise haptic feedback. 

steam controller

The final build of the controller will feature a touchable LCD display between the two trackpads.

Valve plans for the shipping controllers to also feature a touch-sensitive high-resolution screen in the center of the controller as well, but the prototype unit featured just four physical plastic buttons. 

In game, the dual trackpads work surprisingly well. Again, I went into it expecting to be underwhelmed by Valve's attempt to tilt windmills, but was surprised. After a minute adjustment, I was running around the set of Borderlands 2 jumping off objects by using the buttons on the underside. It was as natural and as close as I've ever gotten to a keyboard and mouse experience—without a keyboard and mouse.  One of the most important moves that I've never been able to easily do on a game pad is circle strafe, so on the Steam Controller I found an object and easily executed a text-book circle strafe. In fact, it was fun picking a rock and circling and shooting it without having to try to rewire my mind the way I have to with a typical game console controller.

steam controller

The back of the controller features two buttons. 

Not everything worked for me though. Besides FPS games, PC gamers also love their RTS games. And trying to replicate that experience is also something Valve said it burned a lot of brain juice on. Rather than the left trackpad being WASD and the right trackpad being a mouse free look, Valve decided to make both trackpads act as the mouse. The Idea, Valve said, was to make it easy and effortless to replicate the insane miles of mousing that RTS gamers execute. On Civ 5 though, it just didn't click the way it did for me with Borderlands 2. I'm admittedly more of an FPS gamer than an RTS gamer which may contribute to it, but the transition wasn't as effortless and easy as it was in Borderlands 2. I think with more time, I might have picked it up, but my interest in RTS games didn't justify it.

The Steam Controller itself is still pretty early. We know it likely won't come out until next year when Valve is expected to make the big push with its living-room gaming Steam OS. For Steam Machines to actually get any traction, the Steam Controller will have to work. From what I've seen, it at least has a fighting chance.

steam controller

The unit we played with will be the same as what the 300 beta testers get. 

Again, I'm admittedly an anti-console gamer. I can't nor have I ever wanted to play games with a console controller because it's mouse and keyboard or nothing at all for me. The Steam Controller, however, is the closest I've ever come to being mildly satisfied with a console controller. It's not a full-fidelity replacement for a keyboard and mouse combo, and I doubt it ever will be. Afterall, how could any controller ever match a 6,400 dpi mouse, ribbed for your pleasure mouse pad, and a $150 mechanical keyboard?

I'll reserve full judgment until I grab onto a production Steam Controller but I will say that if anything is ever going to convince me to try to play shooter in my living room instead of my office, the Steam Controller has the best shot.

Gigabyte’s Latest Motherboard Packs Dual Thunderbolt 2

Posted: 13 Dec 2013 02:37 PM PST

Gigabyte Z87X-UD7 THTwo ports with 20 GB/s data transfer 

Video editors, hold onto your seats. The Gigabyte Z87X-UD7 TH motherboard supports Thunderbolt 2's 20GB/s aggregated data transfer through two channels in a single port. Thunderbolt hasn't gained much traction in the industry, but it's nice to know that there are options for the people who need them.

Z87X-UD7 TH Specs

The E-ATX board supports Haswell processors with socket 1150 along with 4-way SLI or Crossfire. That's three PCIe 3.0 x16 slots, two PCIe 3.0 x8 slots, two PCIe 2.0 x1 slots, four DDR3 memory slots, two Thunderbolt 2 ports (for 4K video), 10 USB 3.0 ports, and four USB 2.0/1.1 ports.

It's also got the usual goodies: Wi-Fi 802.11ac and Bluetooth 4.0 support, Gigabyte's updated UEFI DualBIOS, and a gold plated CPU socket. There's also a built-in high capacity headphone amplifier that Gigabyte claims can power 600Ω loads. 

If you need Thunderbolt 2, or you've got $430 burning a hole in your pocket, you can get the GA-Z87X-UD7 TH on Newegg.

Microsoft Adds Qualcomm COO Steve Mollenkopf to List of CEO Candidates

Posted: 13 Dec 2013 10:29 AM PST

Steve MollenkopfMicrosoft list of candidates to replace Steve Ballmer just grew by one

Following the announcement that Steve Ballmer was stepping down as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Microsoft, the Redmond giant immediately began compiling a list of candidates to take over the reins, and then trimmed it down. Two names that made the cut and are viewed as frontrunners include Stephan Elop (ex-Nokia chief) and Alan Mulally (current Ford chief), though they're not the only two. In fact, the list might even be growing, as Microsoft is said to now be considering Qualcomm's Chief Operating Officer (COO) Steve Mollenkopf as well.

According to Bloomberg and its sources, Mollenkopf joins a list of candidates "under serious consideration" by Microsoft's board of directors. Part of Mollenkopf's appeal compared to Mulally is that he has experience in the tech market. Mollenkeop currently heads up a division at Qualcomm that builds processors for some of the top mobile phones, and mobile is an area Microsoft is very much trying to infiltrate.

Ballmer gave himself and the board of directors up to 12 months to find a replacement when he announced his impending retirement four months ago. That leaves them with up to 8 months to go, though the sooner they hand over the reins, the sooner Microsoft can focus all its attention on its future operations. The longer this drags on, the more of a distraction it becomes. At the same time, this will likely be one of the biggest decisions the Redmond company makes in a long, long time.

As for Ford's Mulally, Bloomberg says his lack of technical experience worries some members of the board. There's also the question of whether or not he'd even accept a job offer, though up to this point he hasn't told the media himself that he plans to stay with Ford until the end of 2014, which is when his contract expires.

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Netflix Survey Reveals We're All a Bunch of Binge Watching TV Addicts

Posted: 13 Dec 2013 09:59 AM PST

Netflix RemoteYou're not the only one who wasted a weekend watching Netflix

The all-you-can consume nature of subscription-based streaming services like Netflix makes it all too easy and convenient to sit back, relax, and spend an entire evening (or weekend) watching movies and TV shows. If you've never participated in "binge watching" behavior, you're in the minority, at least according to a recent survey conducted online by Harris Interactive on behalf of Netflix.

The survey focused on nearly 1,500 U.S. adult streamers who stream TV shows at least once a week. What the survey discovered is that binge-watching is not only common, but a regular behavior of 61 percent of streamers.

"Our viewing data shows that the majority of streamers would actually prefer to have a whole season of a show available to watch at their own pace," said Ted Sarandos, Chief Content Officer of Netflix. "Netflix has pioneered audience choice in programming and has helped free consumers from the limitations of linear television. Our own original series are created for multi-episodic viewing, lining up the content with new norms of viewer control for the first time."

There are different perceptions of what qualifies as binge watching. Some 73 percent of survey respondants viewed binge watching as viewing between 2-6 episodes of the same TV show in one sitting, rather than sitting around all weekend glued to the TV.

Do you consider yourself a binge watcher?

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PowerColor Shows Off Liquid Cooled Radeon R9 290X Graphics Card

Posted: 13 Dec 2013 08:51 AM PST

PowerColor Radeon R9 290X Liquid CooledGetting wet and wild with AMD's rare Radeon R9 290X

Riddle us this: What's even harder to find than an AMD Radeon R9 290X graphics card? The answer is a liquid cooled version, which doesn't yet exist in retail (to the best of our knowledge). Even if it did, it would probably be as hard to find as every other Radeon R9 290X part, as Litecoin miners have been hording these (and other Radeon) GPUs in hopes of cashing in on the virtual currency craze.

That said, it's only a matter of time before R9 290X cards come back in stock, and we expect to see liquid cooled versions at some point, too. PowerColor may be the one to deliver a liquid cooled R9 290X before any other company, as it's already showing off a custom version on its Facebook page in Europe.

Details are scarce, and by that we mean virtually nonexistent. PowerColor didn't say how fast the card was running, whether or not this represents an upcoming product, and if so, how much it would cost or when it would de available.

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Lawfirm May Sue EA Over Buggy Battlefield 4 Rollout

Posted: 13 Dec 2013 08:26 AM PST

Battlefield 4Lawsuit or no lawsuit, just fix the game, please

Various problems continue to plague Battlefield 4, one of the most hyped game releases of the year. If fixes don't come soon, Electronic Arts could find itself facing multiple lawsuits, both from users frustrated with persistent issues marring the overall experience, and from stockholders who have begun to investigate whether or not EA was completely upfront during the development process.

Holzer Holzer & Fistel, LLC, a lawfirm based out of Atlanta, Georgia, issued a press release saying it's investigating whether or not EA "complied with the federal securities laws between July 24, 2013 and December 4, 2013." The apparent investigation is looking at statements issued by EA during that time with regards to the development and sale of BF4, along with the game's impact on EA's revenues and projects moving forward.

According to a Forbes, a quick online search reveals that Holzer Holzer, & Fistel often investigate public companies, though out of the results it dug up, none turned into actual lawsuits. Investment site YourMoney123 says that the law firm seems to specialize in suing publicly traded companies with publicly embarrassing problems.

Regardless, this amounts to more bad press for EA, along with added pressure to fix the many issues facing BF4. Server connectivity issues and general stability woes have been a problem since BF4 was first released.

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Newegg Daily Deals: Thermaltake Level 10 GTS Snow Edition Case, MSI N760 Hawk GPU, and More!

Posted: 13 Dec 2013 06:39 AM PST

Thermaltake Level 10 GTS Snow Editionnewegg logo

Top Deal:

Depending on where you live in the world, a peek outside the living room window might reveal a yard full of snow. It's a pretty sight, albeit freaking cold if you venture out into it. Nevertheless, you can bring some of that outside beauty inside your home without freezing you backside off or tracking in a bunch of melted snow and slush. In keeping with the winter theme, today's top deal is for a Thermaltake Level 10 GTS Snow Edition Mid-Tower Case for $60 with free shipping (normally $110; additional $20 mail-in-rebate). 

Other Deals:

MSI N760 Hawk GeForce GTX 760 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card for $270 with free shipping (normally $290 ; additional $20 mail-in rebate)

Team Vulcan 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2400 (PC3 19200) Desktop Memory for $60 with free shipping (normally $70 )

MSI Z87 MPowerMax LGA 1150 Intel Z87 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Extreme OC Flagship High Performance Triple CFX/ SLI Platform Intel Motherboard for $235 with free shipping (normally $250 ; Free 4GB memory w/ purchase)

WD Black Series WD2003FZEX 2TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5-inch Internal Hard Drive for $140 with free shipping (normally $160 ; use coupon code: [EMCWVWX58])
Posted by Shri Krishna

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