The Gaming Feed

Possible Psychonauts Sequel "Could Happen" with Funding from Notch

2012-02-07T20:27:00.006-05:00

When it was released on the original Xbox, Psychonauts took the gaming industry by storm. Fun, engaging characters came together in a fun and interesting game that was solid all-around and insanely fun to play. But that was the original Xbox, and that was a long, long time ago. Since then, people have been clamoring for a sequel and, sadly, all hopes of that sequel had seemed squashed, until now. In a recent statement from the original game's creator, a sequel to Psychonauts funded by Notch, the creator of Minecraft, could very well happen.

Tim Schafer, head of Double Fine studios, related to Kotaku that a sequel to the highly popular Xbox game, which focused on a group of students with telekinetic powers, could be put into production with funding for the game coming from Markus "Notch" Persson, creator of the incredibly popular (for some stupid reason) game Minecraft. Schafer responded in an email to Kotaku saying that the game "Could happen!". Schafer also added, "I have found funding on Twitter before!"

That last statement more than likely references CEO of Dracogen Steven Dengler, who provided funds for versions of Costume Quest of the PC and Psychonauts for the Mac after a conversation between himself and Double Fine on Twitter. In addition to that, Dengler expressed a lot of interest in funding the entirely hypothetical sequel to Psychonauts and publicly spoke with both Persson and Schafer today.

Should this deal actually happen, there will be a lot of fanboys out there wetting their pants with excitement. Psychonauts was one of the most popular games on the original Xbox and, I'm sure, still has a following large enough to warrant a sequel. Considering that I missed out on the original game but heard so much about it, I am excited for a possible sequel, if only for the fact that I will be able to experience what all the commotion is about.

Source: Kotaku - Psychonauts Creator Says Notch-Funded Sequel 'Could Happen'

Power Point Projectors
Most business class projectors will do a good job displaying your PowerPoint presentation. If you have a small presentation group, a 2000 lumen LCD projector will be able to produce a nice and clear picture. For larger audiences you should consider a 5000 lumen LCD projector.

Revolutionary MMO Everquest Goes F2P

2012-02-01T12:11:00.000-05:00

On the 13th birthday of the game that started it all (or at least the game that took RPGs to the next level), Everquest, is going Free-to-Play (F2P). When Everquest II went F2P back in December of 2011, there was hopes that the original would be soon to follow. That indeed is the case and Everquest producer, Thom Terrazas has made the official announcement that in early March of 2012, Everquest will be going F2P.

What Going F2P Means

Now going F2P may sound like the game is now open to all players for free, but thats not entirely true. Like most free games these days, there is going to be a limit to how much free content is available to the player that pays nothing. As Terrazas states,

"...Recurring subscriptions, non-recurring subscriptions, Silver or Free memberships, item unlockers, and more. The game will now be setup to be flexible so that *you* can decide how much to pay, based on how much fun you're having."

So that means, if you are willing to spend some money, then you will be able to get more features (like having access to all classes and races, character slots, spell tiers, AAs, etc...) There will be limits on several aspects of the game (limit on money, bag slots, bank slots, customer service, and more) and therefore will require players to buy subscriptions if they wish to experience everything Everquest has to offer. For the scoop on what is free and whats not, check out their player matrix.

Bonus Welcome Packages at F2P Launch

For new starting players, continuing players or for any returning nostalgic players, Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) and the Everquest team are offering welcome packages at the F2P launch that includes a unique Mercenary, some Bayle Marks, Experience Potions, a unique in-game item to display in your home, and a Weapon Ornamentation!

Pro-Family Group Outraged by Addition of Homosexuality to Star Wars Game

2012-01-30T18:07:00.005-05:00

The pro-family group Family Research Council (FRC) is in an uproar over the addition of gay relationships to the massive multi-player game Star Wars: The Old Republic.

FRC is a nonprofit organization based in Washington D.C. that claims that it is "the leading voice for the family in our nation's halls of power." Recently, the group released a statement concerning their concern about Bioware’s addition of homosexuality into its Star Wars game.

Although the addition has not yet been made to the game, Bioware has announced that the ability to have a homosexual relationship with NPC characters in the game, not relationships with other game users, will be coming soon.

"In a galaxy not so far far away, Star Wars gamers have already gone to the dark side. The new video game, Star Wars: The Old Republic, has added a special feature: gay relationships," says Tony Perkins, FRC president, in a statement.

"Since the announcement, homosexuals have been celebrating the news, but parents sure aren't. On the game's website, there are more than 300 pages of comments - a lot of them expressing anger that their kids will be exposed to this Star Warped way of thinking. You can join them by logging on and speaking up. It's time to show companies who the Force is really with," adds Perkins.

There were some issues surrounding homosexuality in The Old Republic that came up in 2009. Users that posted on Bioware’s online forum noticed that words such as “gay,” “lesbian” and “homosexual” were censored any time that they were posted on the forum. When questioned about the censorship, Sean Dahlberg, the Bioware community manager, stated in an April 2009 post, "[Gay and lesbian] are terms that do not exist in Star Wars. Thread closed."

I guess that Bioware has changed its mind slightly about this issue because as of right now, the Old Republic gamers will soon be able to pursue relationships with NPC characters of either gender. According to Bioware, the reason that this ability was not simply included when the game was launched is due to a logistics issue.

"Due to the design constraints of a fully voiced MMO of this scale and size, many choices had to be made as to the launch and post-launch feature set. Same gender romances with companion characters in Star Wars: The Old Republic will be a post-launch feature," reads a statement on Bioware's forums.

"Because The Old Republic is an MMO, the game will live on through content expansions which allow us to include content and features that could not be included at launch, including the addition of more companion characters who will have additional romance options."

Sources: Family Research Council - Washington Watch Daily Radio Commentary and PCMag - Pro-Family Group Speaks Out Against Star Wars Game's Gay Relationships

Renting projectors for meetings, events, trade shows, and projectors is easy at Rentourprojectors.com! You can rent projectors by the day, week, or month!

Rumor: Xbox 720 to be 6x as Powerful as Xbox 360

2012-01-24T21:48:00.006-05:00

The next Xbox console, which is being dubbed the Xbox 720 until an official name is announced, has been confirmed for a Fall (October/November) 2013 release date. It is being rumored by sources at IGN that the next model will have approximately six times the processing power of the current Xbox 360.

There have already been reports from SemiAccurate and Fudzilla, two tech blogs, that have confirmed that mass production of the next-gen console's GPU will begin by the end of this year. What was also confirmed was that this new GPU will not be the rumored AMD 7000 Series Southern Islands GPU but will instead be the current-gen AMD 6000 Series. To be more precise, the next-gen Xbox will contain a GPU similar to the Radeon HD 6670. That GPU offers support for DirectX11, multidisplay output, 3D and full 1080p HD.

To put all of this into a number, the new Xbox 720 will be at least six times as powerful as the current Xbox 360 console. In addition to that, the console will have 20% better performance than Nintendo's upcoming Wii U console. It has already been leaked that developers will be receiving development kits based on the console's final configuration in August of this year.

If all of this proves true, you can be sure that Microsoft will unveil the console at this year's E3, or Electronic Entertainment Expo, the biggest gaming convention in the United States. It has already been reported that Sony is definitely not announcing a new console at E3 and Nintendo has already unveiled its new Wii U, so if Microsoft wants to start building hype before the PlayStation 4, then this year's E3 will be the only place to do it.

Source: IGN - Xbox 720 Will Be Six Times as Powerful as Current Gen
SemiAccurate - Exclusive: XBox Next/Xbox 720 chips in production
Fudzilla - Oban initial product run is real: It is SoC strategy for Next Xbox

Short-throw projectors only require half the projection distance of traditional projectors. The projector can be placed just a foot or so from the screen. This is nice because it keeps the projector and screen near each other instead of having a long throw projector that people can accidentally block.

Katy Perry-Themed Sims 3 Showtime

2012-01-19T20:41:00.003-05:00

Electronic Arts (EA) announced on Wednesday, January 18 that it has sealed a deal with Katy Perry. The incredibly popular singer will be appearing in EA’s popular game franchise The Sims.

EA said in a statement that there will be several games within The Sims series that will feature "special Katy Perry themed in-game content and virtual goods." She will also be making appearances in The Sims marketing and advertising campaigns.

"Katy Perry has been a fan of The Sims for several years, and her Simlish recording of her hit ‘Hot and Cold' featured in The Sims™ 2 series quickly became the most popular Simlish music video to date,” said Steve Schnur, worldwide executive of music for EA. "We couldn't be more excited to work with Katy and bring her distinctive talents, style and personality to the franchise's global fan base. No performer could better represent the humor and fun of The Sims brand."

"I love how you're able to play out different stories through your Sims characters - giving them different careers and watching them succeed," said Perry. "It's cool to see the Sims' stage performances in The Sims 3 Showtime decked out just like my California Dreams Tour — even my cotton candy video screens are in there!”

With EA’s new deal with Perry, there will be a collector’s edition of The Sims 3 Showtime that feature’s Perry-themed content. It is now available for pre-order and will be released in March. In Sims 3 Showtime, users' Sims will be able to "experience the rise to stardom" as either a singer, acrobat, musician or deejay.

The collector’s edition will feature many different Perry-themed items including outfits, a guitar, hairstyles and stage props. There will also be a Katy Perry Sim featured in the game.

"I always like to think of myself as a cartoon, and now I'm a Sim!" Perry said.

Sources: Electronic Arts - Katy Perry Joins Creative Forces With EA's The Sims and PCMag - Katy Perry Moving In With The Sims

A Tech Travel Agent can get a laptop rental to you within 24 business hours in over 1000 cities worldwide. Call Me Toll Free 800-736-8772

Kaz Hirai Squashes Rumors of a PlayStation 4 Reveal at E3 2012

2012-01-11T11:24:00.006-05:00

E3, otherwise known as the Electronic Entertainment Expo, is the world's largest convention for video games, consoles and gaming technology and the 2012 event is right around the corner. Last year's E3 saw a few very nice announcements, like Halo 4 and the PS Vita, but the big thing everybody is going to be looking for this year is the next generation of consoles. It's been seven years since we've had a new console debut for any of the top names in the business and many people believe that E3 2012 will show us the "PlayStation 4", "Xbox 720" and whatever boring piece of motion-controlled crap Nintendo decides to pollute the industry with, or will it?

Gaming website MCV launched a story not too long ago rumoring that the PlayStation 4 would see its world premiere on the stage at E3 2012. However, ever since that story dropped, there have been an exorbitant amount of contradictory stories, including one from gaming analyst Michael Pachter, who stated, "there's zero chance of a tease from Sony for PlayStation 4 at E3." But if Pachter's thoughts weren't enough to convince you, maybe news from Sony itself will.

Sony has officially declared that the PlayStation 4 will not premiere at this year's E3 convention. Sony's Kaz Hirai spoke with a roundtable of reporters at CES this week, as the Wall Street Journal reports, and answered a question about the PlayStation 4 debuting at the show set to take place this summer. Hirai stated, "Andy [House] is absolutely right in that we are not making any announcement at E3. I've always said a 10-year life cycle for PS3, and there is no reason to go away with that."

If Hirai and Sony seriously commit to the 10-year life cycle, that means we won't see the PlayStation 4 for another four years in 2016. With this report it seems pretty official that the PS4 won't be popping up its head at E3 anytime soon. However, that still leaves a serious opening for Microsoft and Nintendo to debut new consoles. The only real threat to Sony would be if Microsoft unveiled the Xbox 720 (or whatever they decide to call it) at this year's E3. Getting that big of a jump on the competition could completely obliterate Sony while nobody is really threatened by anything Nintendo could release.

I, for one, am not too hip to the idea of a new console anytime soon. I am deeply in love with my Xbox 360 and I see no real reason to upgrade at the moment. I feel like both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 both have a lot left to offer the gaming community so waiting another four years for a new console is fine by me. What do you think? Are you disappointed in Kaz Hirai's announcement? Do you think it's time for another console war? Sound off in the comment section and tell me what you think.

Source: IGN - Sony Executive Says No PlayStation 4 at E3 2012

Computers, Desktops, Laptops, Servers and the latest in Portable Tablet PCs are available from your computer rental company, Rentacomputer.com.

Talk to a Rentacomputer.com Tech Travel Agent Today!
Call Toll free 800-736-8772.

PS Vita Games Announced

2011-12-27T22:59:00.005-05:00

Rumors about a successor to the PlayStation Portable began swirling around back in July of 2009, and one year later the Wall Street Journal announced that Sony did indeed have a new portable device in the works that shared “characteristics of game machines, e-book readers and netbook computers.” However, it was not until January 27, 2011 at a “PlayStation Meeting ” held in Japan that the president of Sony Computer Entertainment Kazuo Hirai officially announced what they called at that time the Next Generation Portable (NPG). Since then, details about the PlayStation Vita have slowly been rolling out, and on Saturday, December 17 the device was released in Japan.

Although the PS Vita will not be available in the United States until Wednesday, February 22 (or Wednesday, February 15 if gamers purchase the pre-order bundle), Sony recently released the list of game titles that will be available for purchase the day of the device’s release.

There will be 26 game titles that will be available including: Army Corps of Hell, Escape Plan, Hot Shots Golf: World Invitational, Little Deviants, ModNation Racers: Road Trip, Uncharted: Golden Abyss, and wipEout 2048. Launch titles from Sony's third-party partners will include FIFA Soccer, Lumines Electronic Symphony, Touch My Katamari, Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3, Michael Jackson: The Experience, Plants vs. Zombies, and Virtua Tennis 4: World Tour Edition.

Sony has said that the pricing of the software for the device will cost you anywhere from $9.99 to $49.99. All of the games for the PS Vita will either be available by purchasing a PS Vita game card from gaming retail stores or digitally on the PlayStation Network. It is important for gamers to note that there will be some games that will be offered exclusively on the PlayStation Network and will not be found in stores.

The Wi-Fi-powered version of the device will be available for gamers for $249.99 and the 3G/Wi-Fi version will cost $299.99. There is also a bundle that is available that includes a 3G/Wi-Fi PS Vita, a limited edition case for the device, a 4GB PS Vita memory card and the Little Deviants game. It is currently available for preorder for $349.99.

As mentioned above, the device was already released in Japan. It had a very solid start, but it wasn’t anything record-setting. In the first weekend, Sony sold around 325,000 devices. Just to give you something to compare that to, the Nintendo 3DS sold 371,000 units in the very first 48 hours, and we all know how that ended up doing…not very well. We’ll just have to see how things go for the PS Vita. It seems like a solid handheld that is more practical and useful than the 3DS, so hopefully it will not share the same fate.

Sources: PCMag - Sony Details U.S. PlayStation Vita Launch Titles and PCWorld - Sony Releases PlayStation Vita Bug Fix Before U.S. Launch

A Tech Travel Agent can get a laptop rental to you within 24 business hours in over 1000 cities worldwide. Call Me Toll Free 800-736-8772

Xbox Live Doing Away with Xbox Live Avatar Guns

2011-12-27T17:51:00.007-05:00

Ever since Barack Obama took office in 2008, there has been a lot of talk about our nation's 2nd Amendment right to bear arms. There was talk of the Obama administration attempting to abolish this amendment, making it illegal for Americans to own firearms. While that law will more than likely never pass, ever (come on, do you wanna be the one to try to take guns away from the South?), it does appear that it will be "illegal" for your Xbox Live avatar to carry a piece, or at least buy a new one.

Sure, you may love playing your "M" rated, death dealing games like Gears of War and Call of Duty on your 360 but that doesn't mean that your avatar has to be so violent! The Xbox dashboard is usable by every single Xbox 360 owner, so naturally it is more family-friendly. However, that family-friendliness seems to be going a bit too far as you will no longer be able to buy guns for your avatar.

Epic Games saw a post on its forums that reveals, starting January 1, 2012, that the Lancer and Hammerburst Avatar accessories will no longer be available for purchase. January 1, 2012 marks the launch of a brand new Xbox Live policy that will see the complete removal of "all gun-like avatar items on the Marketplace." Fortunately, you will still be able to keep whatever gun-like items you have already purchased, but don't expect to find them, or any new ones, after the New Year rolls around.

I'm not going to lie, this makes me a little mad. While I don't particularly see the need for such an item, some gamers love decking out their avatars to look exactly like in-game characters. If they want to have their character hold a gun, that is their choice. I honestly do not see how a little cartoon character holding a virtual gun is going to harm anybody. I find this whole change to be incredibly ridiculous.

Source: G4TV - Xbox Avatars Lose Right To Bear (New) Arms on January 1

DVD Video Projectors are exactly what they sound like. A combination unit that combines a DVD media player with a video projector, cutting out the need for multiple pieces of electronics and wiring.

Star Wars: The Old Republic Early Access Has Commenced!

2011-12-13T20:13:00.004-05:00

This is the moment fans have been waiting for for nearly three years now, the chance to play the actual, completed version of Star Wars: The Old Republic, EA and BioWare's Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game that puts players in the shoes of their very own Star Wars hero as he or she embarks on a quest to join the Republic and bring peace to the galaxy or side with the Sith and make every inhabitant of the galaxy bow and tremble before them.

BioWare initially asserted that anybody who pre-ordered the game would get early game access as early as December 15, a full five days before the game's December 20 release date. However, the company kicked it up a notch allowing players to get in as early as today, December 13, one full week before the game's launch. I was one of the lucky ones to get in today and you should be thankful I am taking time out of my day to write this piece.

Early access was given out in waves. The process involved inviting players based on when they redeemed their pre-order code for the game, so the earlier you redeemed, the earlier you go in. BioWare decided to insert players into the game in waves for many reasons. The main reason was so the game's servers didn't completely explode on opening day from the millions of players trying to log on simultaneously. The other reason was to reward players' devotion and enthusiasm in wanting to play the game.

Having played the game enough already today to rank my Jedi Consular up to level 6 and also having participated in three beta tests, I can assure you that this game is one of the most fun I have played in a while. I'm not big into MMOs and, to be honest, SWTOR is my first foray into the genre. But I can definitely tell you that I am having loads of fun with this game and I can hardly put it down. I will be writing a more expansive review on the game in the coming days, probably around the time of the actual release of the game so check back here around December 20th to get all the details on what is sure to be one of the biggest games in history!

The Security Camera Blog

Get a regular infusion of new security camera technology information, video and news. Easy to subscribe in a reader or by email.

We help you stay in touch with the latest security camera features.

EA Source Hints at New Dead Space Games

2011-11-30T20:08:00.005-05:00

If there is one thing I love, it is a good ol' fashioned video game rumor. While not all rumors turn out to be true, unfortunately, the sheer possibility of their reality is enough to tickle your imagination for months. The most recent video game rumor comes from Kotaku and the sites unnamed Electronic Arts insider. We all know that secret insider contacts are sketchy at best but Kotaku is a pretty reliable gaming outlet and whenever a rumor drops on the site, people's ears perk up.

This new rumor has to do with a new first-person shooter, space-based flight combat sim or, possibly, an adventure game a la Uncharted set in the universe of Dead Space. Kotaku's source has explained that the brass at EA commanded the Dead Space team to go bigger and badder with the creative property in order to bring it to a wider audience. This of course means FPS, something that the insider says is being actively worked on. In addition to that, a space simulator and adventure game are supposedly being worked on.

These are some pretty outlandish rumors, though Kotaku does have a pretty decent track record this year with its insider source. What's more is that the past six months has seen the leaking of a lot of information about the next Dead Space game so who knows, we all may be in for a surprise.

The first bit of leaked information came in the form of a logo and some artwork for Dead Space 3. This was a result of a sneaky camera guy who managed to capture the footage while taking a studio tour. Less than a week later some plot details followed which revealed that the game's setting is supposedly the ice planet of Tau Volentis. And as if that weren't enough, even more content leaked as to what happened to Isaac Clarke leading into Dead Space 3 and who he will be meeting in his next nightmare.

Do you think possible expansions of Dead Space into other genres is a good idea? Or do you think the property should stick to third-person survival horror games like the previous two? Who knows, maybe we will get both a Dead Space 3 as well as a new FPS or adventure game (fingers crossed).

Source: G4TV.com - Dead Space Getting An FPS? A Flight Combat Sim?! An ADVENTURE Game?!

Pink Nintendo 3DS Bundle

2011-11-28T18:34:00.003-05:00

There have been several different Nintendo 3DS bundles that have been announced recently. The latest was announced on Monday, November 28 and will include a pink Nintendo 3DS with one of two nintendogs + cats games: French Bulldog and New Friends or Toy Poodle and New Friends. The bundle will cost $169.99 and will be available starting December 4.

As I mentioned before, there are several other 3DS packages that Nintendo is offering this holiday season. These bundles include:

• The Legend of Zelda bundle: A special edition 3DS device with the Hyrule emblem and gold embellishments and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D game for $199.99.

• The Mario bundle: A red 3DS with the Super Mario Land 3D game for $199.99.
Nintendo kicked off holiday sales for the 3DS on Black Friday by taking $10 off the price of the device.

Nintendo also announced last week that they would be setting up special kiosks in malls across the nation between now and December 18. There consumers will be able to try out Super Mario 3D Land and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Nintendo also said that the displays will also have "all the best video games for the holidays."

Nintendo is also offering two other special packages this holiday season. The company is offering a Legend of Zelda package for the Wii featuring The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword game, a gold Wii Remote Plus controller and a CD with music from the Zelda games for $69.99. They are also offering a metallic rose or midnight blue Nintendo DSi XL system and the Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem! game for $169.99.

These packages are all great deals. They would be fantastic, reasonably priced presents to give this holiday season.

Sources: PCMag - Pink Nintendo 3DS Bundle Coming Dec. 4 and Slash Gear - Pink Nintendo 3DS announced with nintendogs in tow

A Tech Travel Agent can get a laptop rental to you within 24 business hours in over 1000 cities worldwide. Call 800-736-8772

London Massage
We have 3987 Installers, Technicians and Engineers stationed in nearly 1000 locations worldwide to serve you.

Black Friday Nintendo 3DS Bundles

2011-11-21T15:22:00.005-05:00

If you’ve been interested in buying the Nintendo 3DS, but you just haven’t been able to justify spending the money on the hand held console, as well as games, then Nintendo’s Black Friday deal might just help you justify the purchase. Nintendo just announced that they will be offering two different 3DS bundles this holiday season.

One of the bundles includes a bright red 3DS, as well as Super Mario 3D Land, which was Mario’s first full appearance in a 3DS game. The other bundle is themed around The Legend of Zelda. It features a limited edition black 3DS with a “Hyrule emblem and gold-colored embellishments.” The bundle also includes The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D.

The Zelda bundle has already been introduced in Europe. Kotaku said that in the United States, the bundle will be sold at GameStop and Best Buy. They did not mention where the 3D Land bundle will be sold, but I would guess that it would be available at vendors like GameStop and Best Buy as well.

Both of the bundles will begin selling on Thanksgiving Day (November 24) and will cost $199.

Nintendo made sure to mention that it will have special setups in malls across the nation between Thanksgiving and December 18. These stations will allow potential customers to try out the two games featured in the bundles. They will also display "all the best video games for the holidays."

The Nintendo 3DS was a huge disappointment for Nintendo when it was released. It was hyped up like crazy, but the sales have not been anything to talk about. In October Nintendo reported that the company has lost close to a billion dollars in the past six months. Between the months of March and September Nintendo only sold 3 million units, much less than the company had originally projected.

Back in August Nintendo dropped the price of the 3DS from $249 to $169. Since this price drop, Nintendo’s sales numbers have been a little better but certainly still not on track. However, this new bundle could help the company boost its numbers for the device at least somewhat. Will Greenwald, a PCMag analyst, believes that the 3DS bundles really could help Nintendo get back on track with the device.

"In the gaming field, Nintendo offers the best buys for holiday gifts," he wrote. "That simply can't be disputed."

If you are interested in getting an even better deal on the bundle, Best Buy is offering both of the 3DS bundles for $179 on Black Friday. If you feel like dealing with the crowds, this could be a deal definitely worth taking advantage of.

Sources: PCMag - Nintendo Offering Two $199 Black Friday 3DS Bundles, GamesBeat - Nintendo 3DS bundles featuring Zelda and Mario Land Nov. 24 and joystiq - Best Buy selling Mario, Zelda 3DS bundles for Black Friday.

Rack-Mount Server rentals are ideal if your company needs an extra storage unit for company information while you are testing various types of storage solutions.

Whether you need a short-term rental or a long-term lease, we have the right kind of server for your needs.

Modern Warfare 3 Breaks Even More Records

2011-11-17T20:33:00.005-05:00

Last week Activision reported that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 was the “biggest entertainment launch ever with an estimated sell-through of more than $400 million and more than 6.5 million units in North America and the United Kingdom alone in the first 24 hours of its release.” Now, on Thursday, November 17 Activision announced that it has broken yet another record with its latest release.

In the first five days, Modern Warfare 3 generated more than $775 million in sales. According to data provided by Charttrack, the game beat both of the records that were set by its predecessors. A year ago Call of Duty: Black Ops made $650 million in the first five days, and two years ago Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 set records by making $500 million in the first five days. Clearly, Modern Warfare 3 blew both of these records out of the water.

"With $775 million of sales of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 in its first five days, Call of Duty has become the first entertainment property in history to set five-day launch records for three consecutive years across all forms of entertainment," said Robert Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard, in a statement.

He also mentioned that, as a whole, the series has brought in more than $6 billion worldwide. This has made it one of the most valuable video game franchises in gaming history.

"We expect continued sales momentum, as reviews and audience enthusiasm suggest that this is the best Call of Duty game that we have ever made," he continued.

Modern Warfare 3 has been a huge success for Activision. The company reported that by the end of the first day the game was on sale, gamers had already logged in more than 7 million hours of gameplay. This is a 19 percent increase from the 5.9 million hours that gamers logged on the first day that Black Ops was released. The company also reported that on day one there were 3.3 million unique gamers that played Modern Warfare 3, up from 2.6 million unique users that played Black Ops on the first day.

Black Ops was able to haul in $1 billion in under two months, and I am certain that Modern Warfare 3 will have no issue with breaking that record as well.

Source: PCMag - Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Breaks More Records, Hits $775M in Sales

The Security Camera Blog

Get a regular infusion of new security camera technology information, video and news. Easy to subscribe in a reader or by email.

We help you stay in touch with the latest security camera features.

Skyrim: Bigger than MW3?

2011-11-17T16:44:00.004-05:00

Statistics are what makes the world go round; recently the news has been all about Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and how it broke the record for day one sales, which is all well and good, but how does it really stack up to another power house franchise like say Elder Scrolls: Skyrim? To put it straight forward, it doesn’t.

Yes, technically MW3 holds the record for most games sold in a day with 6.5 million copies. The most recent installment of the Elder Scrolls games, Skyrim, sold around 6 million copies its first day as well but is also continuing to sell games at an alarming rate. Within the first week Skyrim sold 7 million copies of their game and are looking to generate another $500 million dollars in retail sales.

It has been mentioned that to a lot of major game producing companies, selling a lot of games is their main point. Well let’s consider this: the more people playing their game, the more likely they will buy follow-up games and expansions. So, with that said, on 11/11/11 MW3 had around 78,000 people playing its multiplayer at its peak, and let’s call it another 42,000 playing its single player. For those of you playing at home, that is 120,000 people playing at once. It is an impressive number until you consider the whopping 230,000 + gamers playing Skyrim. The beauty of what Skyrim is doing is its peak was 230,000 at one time on its first day, but it continues to put up staggering numbers like that.

What we can tell is that people put down their modern assault rifles and picked up an iron sword or charged up a fireball and went to killing dragons. If you have not tried Skyrim yet, I suggest checking out what all the fuss is about. It’s an extremely well made, well polished, and artfully thought out RPG that will enthrall you for hours.

Sources: http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/elder-scrolls-v/1212337p1.html

http://gamingbolt.com/skyrim-ships-7-million-copies-and-expected-to-generate-500-million

Leaked Information May Cause BioWare to Alter Mass Effect 3's Story

2011-11-15T21:01:00.008-05:00

Talk about a company that takes their games really seriously. In a recent press release from BioWare regarding the upcoming, and highly anticipated, third (and, unfortunately, final) installment to the Mass Effect series, Mass Effect 3, the company has confirmed that the story line for Mass Effect 3 may change in response to fan feedback. That's right, following a mistakenly-released beta that led to some leaked story files, co0founder of BioWare Dr. Ray Muzyka has stated that the development team is actively paying attention to input from fans.

According to BioWare co-founder Dr. Ray Muzyka, "We listen to our fans all the time. We listen to them on the forums, their feedback from stories. We're regarding it all. If we can get ideas out of it, that will make the game better, sure. We're not adverse to taking feedback. That's part of our core values, is humility. Any time we get a good idea from fans... they're our audience. They keep us in business."

In addition to that, Dr. Muzyka said that the leak actually had a positive effect overall due to the fact that it led to more interest in the game as fans discussed the new content. Regardless, the development team did feel the effects of an unfinished game making its way into the hands of the fans.

"It's hard for the team when they see their work revealed in an early form like that. It was a pre-release demo. The script was certainly not intended to be released in that form and that early," Dr. Muzyka added. "But they're going to get through it because they're a strong group. They really care about delivering a great game to the fans. They're committed to making this the best Mass Effect."

To top it all off, Dr. Muzyka added that he hopes fans will not read the leaked information and also warns that it will affect their experience when playing the game. "Don't spoil the story. The fun of the story is uncovering things and exploring and finding new points to adventure in. I hope they don't lose that joy of discovery." Unfortunately, fans will have to wait until March 6, 2012 before they can get their hands on the final version of the game, though a demo is planned for this coming January.

Between Mass Effect 3 and Star Wars: The Old Republic, it appears as if BioWare is going to have their hands full for the next four months. But even though the coming times will be hectic, BioWare's wallet will just get fatter.

Source: IGN - Mass Effect 3 Story May Change Due to Leaks

A Tech Travel Agent can get a laptop rental to you within 24 business hours in over 1000 cities worldwide. Call 800-736-8772

We have 3987 Installers, Technicians and Engineers stationed in nearly 1000 locations worldwide to serve you.

Activision Breaks Records with the Latest Installment of the Call of Duty Series

2011-11-12T17:48:00.005-05:00

On Friday, November 11 Activision released a statement that said, “Shattering its own day-one sales records, Activision Publishing, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, announced that its highly-anticipated Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 has become the biggest entertainment launch ever with an estimated sell-through of more than $400 million and more than 6.5 million units in North America and the United Kingdom alone in the first 24 hours of its release, according to Charttrack and retail customer sell-through information.”

Activision said that it was able to break the record that it set with Call of Duty: Black Ops last year, which, at the time, sold a record setting 5.6 million units and generated $360 million in sales. Activision truly believes that the release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 could be the biggest video game launch to-date.

"We believe the launch of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is the biggest entertainment launch of all time in any medium, and we achieved this record with sales from only two territories," said the CEO of Activision Blizzard, Inc. Bobby Kotick in a statement. "Other than Call of Duty, there has never been another entertainment franchise that has set opening day records three years in a row. Life-to-date sales for the Call of Duty franchise exceed worldwide theatrical box office takes for ‘Star Wars' and 'Lord of the Rings,' two of the most successful entertainment franchises of all time."

Amazon has also said that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 has been its best-selling video game preorder ever.

Eric Hirshberg, the CEO Activision Publishing, said, "Call of Duty is more than a game. It's become a major part of the pop cultural landscape. It is a game that core enthusiasts love, but that also consistently draws new people into the medium. It is the most intense, adrenaline pumping entertainment experience anywhere. I would like to thank our millions of passionate fans worldwide. We made this game for you."
Call of Duty: Black Ops ended up making $1 billion in sales in less than two months, and it definitely seems like Modern Warfare 3 is set up to make that much, if not more, in less than two months.

The game is now available for PC, PS3 and the Xbox 360 for $59.99; for the Wii for $49.99 and for the Nintendo DS for $29.99. There is also a limited edition Xbox 360 console package available for $399.99. The package includes Modern Warfare 3, an Xbox with MW3 artwork, a 320GB hard drive and two wireless controllers.

Sources: PCMag - Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Breaks Records, Makes $400 Million in One Day and Activision - Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 3 Sets All-Time Record for the Biggest Entertainment Launch with More than $400 Million in North America and United Kingdom Sales Alone.

SMBnow.com is news of, for and by SMBs!
SMBnow.com... The Small & Medium Business Magazine!

Video Games Lead to Increased Creativity?

2011-11-04T21:13:00.006-04:00

It seems as though the typical stereotype surrounding video games is that if a gamer plays them too much, their brain will turn into mush. I’m sure that there are many individuals whose parents have told them something very similar to that; however, a new study that was recently released disagrees with this belief.

According to a report from researchers at Michigan State University, first reported by CNET, children that play video games seem to be more creative.

The study was published in the journal called Computers in Human Behavior, and it observed 491 12-year-old boys and girls. According to the study, the children that played video games were more creative. They were able to perform in a more creative manner when it came to drawing pictures and writing stories. The study also made sure to mention that it did not matter whether or not the video games that the children were playing were violent.

Linda Jackson is the psychology professor at MSU that headed up the study about children, video games and creativity. She said that after considering the findings of the study, she believes that game developers should use the information from the study and work to find which parts of video games help to stimulate creativity in children.

“Once they do that, video games can be designed to optimize the development of creativity while retaining their entertainment values such that a new generation of video games will blur the distinction between education and entertainment,” Jackson said in a statement.

One thing to consider is that creativity is a trait that is subjective and can be very difficult to measure. The study used a test called the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking. This is a test that is “widely used,” and it asked the children that participated in the study to participate in different activities such as drawing an “interesting and exciting” picture. Researchers looked at the picture in terms of shapes, the title of the picture and the story written about it.

The study also investigated whether or not there was a link between a child’s creativity and their use of other types of technology like a cell phone, the Internet and computers. However, none of those seemed to have an effect on a child’s creativity, unless the computer use was to play video games on the computer. Video games of all different genres were found to have a distinct correlation between the creativity of children, both boys and girls, regardless of the race of the child.

I think that it is incredibly interesting that the study found a correlation between playing video games and creativity. I know that my thirteen-year-old brother will now be using this study as an excuse to play video games every time my mom questions him about playing so much. I definitely never would have thought that playing video games could increase creativity, but according to the study, it does. I agree with Jackson when she says that video game developers need to pay attention to the results of the study. There are definitely some interesting things that they could do with video games if they were able to find what aspect of games helps to promote creativity, and if they could target whatever aspect that is, maybe parents wouldn’t be as hesitant about letting their kids play video games as much.

Source: PCMag - Study Links Creativity to Playing Video Games

Computer Service Now

2011 Holiday Buyer's Guide for Gamers

2011-11-02T21:47:00.012-04:00

The holidays are fast approaching and if someone in your family calls themselves a gamer then you are probably, once again, freaking out over what to get them for Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or any of the other gift-giving holidays that are knocking at your door. The average consumer honestly doesn't know what to get their gamer for the holidays. While you could randomly go into GameStop or Best Buy and "attempt" to pick up something you "think" your gamer would like, I would highly advise against it. The last thing any gamer needs is their grandma getting them Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster.

I'm not gonna lie; this holiday season is going to be one of the best for both gamers and shoppers, as gamers have a lot of incredible games to look forward to and shoppers have a lot of options to pick from. So let's start off with the top games for my personal favorite, the Xbox 360.

Gears of War 3

If your gamer plays on the Xbox 360 and is into those graphic games with guns and chainsaws, then he/she will definitely be interested in Gears of War 3. Gears 3 (as we gamers call it on the streets) is the final chapter to Epic Games' trifecta of awesomness. It finishes the story of Marcus Fenix and his fight to save humanity from the Locust horde. A gripping campaign story mode, which now offers four-player co-op, a new and highly improved Horde mode, completely revamped multiplayer and some other new game features make Gears of War 3 a must have for any gamer this holiday season.

Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary

Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary is an update to the game that put multiplayer gaming on the map, Halo: Combat Evolved. 343 Studios has given this original Xbox classic a complete graphics overhaul for the next generation, recreating all the textures and graphics from scratch while simultaneously keeping all the elements that made the original game such a hit intact. A must have for any Xbox enthusiast. The original Halo on Xbox Live, people, need I say more?

Battlefield 3

Battlefield 3 is EA's next installment in the highly acclaimed Battlefield series. The game takes first-person battlefield multiplayer to a whole new level, bringing in unique classes, each with its own advantages and skills. In addition to that there are also fully operational vehicles. I'm talking tanks, jeeps, armored trucks, boats, helicopters and, last but definitely not least, jets! That's right, take to the skies in all new jet combat in this beautiful modern war shooter. But remember, unlike some other modern shooters, teamwork is vital to success, so stick together!

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

The next installment in the series that took the tired Call of Duty series to new heights is finally here. Aside from having an intense and gripping story, Modern Warfare 3 has revamped its award-winning multiplayer system. New guns, new perks, new abilities, same 'ol bag of fun! It may be tough deciding between this and Battlefield 3 so if your gamer can't decide then do the responsible thing, get him both!

Assassin's Creed: Revelations

Ezio is back for his third and, sadly, last adventure in the Assassin's Creed series. Picking up quite a few years after the events of Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, Ezio is now much older, wiser (and grayer) and on a mission to retake Masyaf, the Assassin headquarters that was once the home of Altair, the main character from the original game. The game promises to let you take on missions as both Ezio and Altair, further developing the complex plot from the first three games. In addition to that, the groundbreaking multiplayer from Brotherhood is back and better than ever. I just hope they have dedicated servers this time. If your gamer has stuck by Desmond, Altair and Ezio for the previous journeys, this is definitely one he won't want to miss.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (or simply Skyrim) is the latest chapter in the highly acclaimed Elder Scrolls series and even though it is the fifth game in the series (as the title suggests) you don't have to play one of the other four to know what's going on. The single-player game space is completely open world, meaning you can go anywhere you want whenever you want. You will use a variety of weapons, from swords, axes and maces to bows, magical staffs and even your bare hands to fight of any type of crazy creature and enemy you can think of. Oh and did I mention you get to fight dragons in this game? That's right, the story has your character centered as a dragon slayer, 'nuff said. A revamped combat system and absolutely gorgeous graphics make this the perfect gift for anyone who likes to play a single game for months.

Batman: Arkham City

Batman: Arkham Asylum ushered in a new wave of superhero games, an by that I mean actually made a superhero game that didn't suck worse than being that kid from Captain Planet with the power of "heart". Arkham Asylum brought us free-flow combat, allowing us to beat up 30 of the Joker's henchmen in one fluid motion. It also brought a gritty realism to the character, much like Christopher Nolan's Batman movies. Rocksteady, the studio behind the game, has been blowing the minds of gamers and Batman fans alike with the second installment to the best superhero game of all time. This time around the world is more open, the stakes are higher and the villains are more abundant than ever. Only a true Dark Knight will be able to make it out of this nightmare in one piece.

Next up is the PlayStation 3. While I do not own the system myself, I can't deny that there are some pretty insane games coming out for it this holiday season. So let's get to it.

Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

The Uncharted series has been one of the best PS3 exclusives since God of War. The game basically allows you to live out your fantasy of being Indiana Jones, though without the whip and awesome Chinese kid as a sidekick. If ever there was a title worthy of the claim of the PS3 exclusive of the year, it's this one. Fantastic visuals mixed with lovable characters and a story that will leave you slack-jawed, drooling and saying "wow" are just a few reasons that every PS3 owners needs to own this game.

God of War Origins

God of War Origins is every PS3 lover's dream come true, the two God of War games that left PSP owners tickled with delight, God of War: Chains of Olympus and God of War: Ghost of Sparta are finally making their way to the console that started it all. Now your entire collection can be complete without the need of that crappy PSP thingy.

Ico & Shadow of the Colossus Collection

I don't know much about Ico but what I do know is that there aren't many people who speak ill of the game. What's more is that I haven't found anybody on the face of the planet who doesn't like Shadow of the Colossus. These are two PS2 games that came from Sony's internal development teams in Japan and both games deliver incredible stories that are both haunting and epic. With an HD rendering, these games are fit for the here and now. A must have for any PS3 owner that remembers these games and any gamer who doesn't.

Infamous 2

Infamous 2 hurls gamers back into the shoes of Cole McGrath, your everyday bike messenger who received incredible superpowers thanks to a gigantic explosion. Third-person action in a giant sandbox environment that reminds you of New Orleans, complete with some parkour gameplay and intense decision making makes this sequel worthy of recognition. A must have for fans of the original.

Resistance 3

The year of "3s" continues with the PS3 exclusive Resistance 3 The game continues the story set forth by the first two games of an alien infestation on Earth. People are turning into creatures thanks to a virus dispatched by the evil Chimera, leaving the rare survivors immune to the virus left to clean everything up. A fantastic cast of characters, compelling and dark narrative and some pretty ingenious weapons make this first-person shooter one to keep in mind.

If you are what some consider to be "true gamers", you probably find yourself turning to your PC for all of your gaming needs. Not to be left out, PC developers are bringing out some pretty incredible games this holiday season.

The Witcher 2: Assassin's of Kings

One of the best RPGs to come out in a long time, The Witcher 2 is an incredibly deep game with lots of things to collect, craft and learn about. In addition to having some truly unique gameplay mechanics, the game itself is incredibly beautiful, provided that you have the hardware to max out the graphics. Great sound quality, incredible music and high-standard voice acting really bring battles to life. While the combat takes some getting used to, it is all worth it to have an incredibly unique experience.

Total War: Shogun 2

The Total War franchise has always been keen on keeping balance between depth and accessibility. The game itself allows you to take command of thousands of troops, all of which are onscreen, and engage in truly epic battles that take both skill and strategy to win. If you fancy yourself a true battlefield strategist, then this is one game you need to check out. Beautiful graphics make the battles that much more enjoyable and the ability to literally see every single one of your troops is something to be desired by other games.

Rage

Rage is a first-person shooter set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. Visually the game is stunning. The open world is truly something to look at but the game mechanics are what really sets Rage apart from other, similar games. Enemies react intelligently by taking cover and instead of running directly at you, some enemies will scale walls, jump on poles, swing around, duck, dive, dodge and do anything they can to get out of the way of your bullets. If you want pulse-pounding action and a truly beautiful game, Rage is what you're looking for.

Star Wars: The Old Republic

Probably the most anticipated game to be coming out this holiday season, Star Wars: The Old Republic, is a Star Wars-themed MMO from LucasArts and BioWare. The game is a fully-voiced, story-driven MMO and boasts more dialogue than any other game ever created. You take your place in the galaxy far, far away thousands of years before Obi-Wan, Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker, deciding on whether to fight for the Republic or the Empire. You get to choose from eight different classes, all based off of characters from films like Bounty Hunter (i.e. Bobba Fett) or Smuggler (i.e. Han Solo). Join up with thousands of players from all over the world to live out your Star Wars fantasy, whether it be dual-wielding blasters or cooking an enemy with force lightning.

So there you have it, the top games that are sure to be on any gamer's list this holiday season, regardless of which system they use. Many of the games listed are cross-platform games, meaning they come on two or more systems. These games include Battlefield 3, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Batman: Arkham City, Assassin's Creed: Revelations and Rage. Games like Battlefield 3, Rage, and Skyrim will definitely look 100x better on the PC so if you have the option, I suggest opting for these select titles on PC.

It's going to be a good holiday for gamers. I know I am excited and with all these games coming out, you might not see me again until next holiday season.

The Security Camera Blog

Get a regular infusion of new security camera technology information, video and news. Easy to subscribe in a reader or by email.

We help you stay in touch with the latest security camera features.

GameStop Dives Into the World of Tablets

2011-10-29T16:20:00.005-04:00

For quite some time now, GameStop has been discussing its plans to sell an Android tablet that features video game optimization. Well, on Friday, October 28 the video game retailer announced that certain stores will be offering three different Google Android-based tablets from Acer, Asus and Samsung. They will be packaged with external Bluetooth controllers that they hope will bring a very console-like gaming experience.

The tablets that will be offered by GameStop include: the Acer A100, costing $329.99 without a controller; the Asus Transformer, costing $399; and the Samsung Galaxy Tab, priced at $499.

According to a report from The Wall Street Journal, GameStop will be directing a tablet pilot program. Two hundred retail locations across the country are carrying the tablets. Writers at PCMag contacted several different GameStop locations on the West Coast, and they confirmed that they do indeed have tablets in stock.

A representative at a GameStop located in San Francisco said in addition to the tablets and external game controllers that the company will be selling, it will also be loading tablets with software and promoting game titles that have been optimized for tablets.

Earlier this year when GameStop first began discussing their plans to offer a tablet at their retail stores, the company said that it was planning to begin building its own tablet if it could not find a tablet that it liked enough to sell. "If we can work with our partners and the OEMs and they come up with a great tablet that is enabled with a great gaming experience and coupled with a bluetooth controller, then there's no need to go out and develop our own," said GameStop president Tony Bartel in April. "But if we can't find one that's great for gaming, then we will create our own."

Just last month, Bartel announced that he saw no need for GameStop to build its own tablet because there were so many already available. He had continued saying that any tablet that the company sold would be branded as a GameStop tablet; however, it does not seem as though that is the case with the three tablets that they are currently offering.

Although they did not build their own tablet, GameStop did go ahead and build its own controller for the tablet. This summer, they tested the controller on consumers in Dallas.

"[W]e've created a controller that we're testing to really allow for immersive gameplay," Bartel said in September. "It's hard to imagine how to stream a game—let's say Modern Warfare 3—onto a tablet and then play it with your finger." Bartel did admit that they might run across the problem of not having enough content to offer in the beginning.

"There are not a lot of tablet/android based games for the consumer that are designed to use an external controller," Bartel said. He did, however, mention that GameStop will begin streaming console games to the devices as soon as they become available.

I think that it is very interesting that gaming retailers are starting to get in on the tablet market. Personally, I think that it’s a little early, since there aren’t tons of console games available right now, but it’s better to be early than late. It will be interesting to see how things go for GameStop.

Source: PCMag - GameStop Selling Not One But Three Android Tablets

Security Camera Solutions

World of Warcraft Expansion Pack Adds a New Character…A Panda?

2011-10-24T15:31:00.003-04:00

On Friday, October 21st Blizzard Entertainment announced at BlizzCon 2011 that it would be releasing its fourth add-on to its incredibly popular role-playing game World of Warcraft. The expansion, “World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria,” adds another whole continent for gamers to explore in the world Azaroth.

However, the new lost continent is not the only new thing that players can enjoy. Now there is the option to play as a new character, a bear-like creature that is called a pandaren. If players decide to play as this neutral character, they can choose to join one of the two factions that are constantly at war with each other throughout the game, the Alliance or the Horde.

The expansion also adds a new class to the game. Players can now choose to be a martial arts-focused Monk and decide whether they want to play in the game as a tank, a damage dealer or a healer.

With the new add-on the level cap has also been increased. Players can now work all the way up to level 90. This expansion continues in the years past the “Cataclysm.” This was an event that reset the world in the game and modified some of the continents and added new opponents and dungeons.

"In the aftermath of the Cataclysm played out in World of Warcraft's third expansion, Pandaria's heroes are emerging from their land's lush forests and cloud-ringed mountains to choose sides in the escalating war between the Alliance and the Horde and to share the extraordinary secrets of their ancient martial arts," Blizzard said in a statement. "As tensions between the factions near a breaking point following the discovery of this new world, players will be called upon to explore Pandaria's exotic expanses, make contact with its strange indigenous creatures, and unlock the world-changing secrets that have been hiding in the mists for millennia."

Although Blizzard announced the new Pandaria expansion, they have not given a release date for it yet. If you’re a World of Warcraft player, I guess that you will be forced to sit on pins and needles until Blizzard decides to be kind enough to discuss the release date. Until then, feel free to enjoy the preview trailer.

Source: PCMag - World of Warcraft Adds Kung-Fu Pandaren in Fourth Expansion

A Copier Rental is a quick way to mass produce important documents for potential customers at an event or conference. Renting office equipment is simple and easy and it can also save you loads of time and money. Rentacomputer.com has been offering copier rentals to more than 1000 cities worldwide for over 20 years.

Mass Effect 3 Getting the Multiplayer Treatment

2011-10-19T21:25:00.005-04:00

If you're a Mass Effect fan and you haven't heard the biggest piece of news to hit the series in the history of the title, then you should seriously reconsider your devotion to the game. I'm talking, of course, about Mass Effect 3 coming with multiplayer. That's right, everybody's favorite single-player space saga isn't so single-player anymore, but things are not always as they appear.

With Mass Effect 3 being the final title in the series, it isn't surprising that BioWare would attempt to go all out for the game. Advancements in gaming, like motion control, are becoming more mainstream as many of the top name companies are starting to incorporate the latest tech into their games. And while multiplayer is certainly not a new feature to gaming, it is to the Mass Effect series.

One of the main things that made the first two Mass Effect games such hits was the gripping, dramatic, interactive and incredibly well-written story, something that was accomplished solo. Games like Mass Effect, that have a lack of multiplayer, make up for it by delivering an incredible story and multiple different ways to play through the game. Mass Effect, for example, gives you the option of playing through as a Paragon (good guy) or Renegade (bad guy) and also delivers a plethora of different character classes, each with their own play style.

I am a firm believer in the saying "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" which is why when I first heard about Mass Effect 3 having multiplayer, I wasn't so thrilled. There are many reasons I think Mass Effect multiplayer is a useless commodity. For starters, I enjoyed being the lone hero in my galaxy. Everything was personal. Second, I honestly did not want what I like to call the Dead Rising 2 Effect, basically the exact same character running around like a clone. I don't want multiple Shepards running around and I certainly don't need one helping me through my adventure.

That being said, I was completely surprised when BioWare announced just exactly how Mass Effect 3's multiplayer would work and from what they've said, it seems like it is going to work out perfectly.

If you aren't familiar with the way the game works, Mass Effect has you traveling to different planets and fighting off this extremely old race of sentient machines hell bent on purging the galaxy of any and all life. Every person you talk to, every place you visit and every choice you make has a direct impact on the endgame. Spare this guy, kill that one, blow up this building or ignore this mission, no matter what you do, there will be repercussions.

It is this cause-and-effect mechanic that is the main feature of Mass Effect 3's multiplayer. Instead of playing as Commander Shepard and teaming up with your friend's Commander Shepard, you take control of a completely unique character that you personally create. Then you and up to three friends travel to other planets to complete missions and gain control of these systems in order to affect the endgame of Mass Effect 3. The characters you create in multiplayer don't have any interaction with the main story characters and are simply a way to tweak your endgame to your specifications.

The best thing about the multiplayer component is that you are not restricted to play as a human. Multiplayer in Mass Effect 3 allows you to create a completely customizable character using any of the main alien races you encounter in the game, including races like Salarian, Asari, Drell, Turian, Quarian and my personal favorite, Krogan. In addition to picking a race, you can also pick a class like Soldier, Engineer, Technician or Adept. This allows you to play your character like you would in the single-player without having to run around with three other Commander Shepards.

Honestly, this is the only way multiplayer can work for Mass Effect 3. Giving players the option to choose a race other than human will play to the fantasies of many fans of the series and not running around with clones of your character or engaging in the same old team deathmatch multiplayer modes should help in putting all the haters at ease. What's more-- the multiplayer is completely optional. With the game mechanic having a direct effect on the endgame, one would assume that it is necessary to finish the game. However, BioWare has already announced that if you want to play Mass Effect 3 like you did Mass Effect 1 and 2, by playing completely by yourself, then you still can. At no point in the game are you forced to play multiplayer, nor are you penalized for opting not to.

Personally, after hearing how multiplayer is going to work, I can honestly say that I am excited to jump in and give it a try. All my fears about playing with another Shepard or running around trying to kill as many enemies as possible in Team Deathmatch have all been laid to rest. BioWare even made the announcement sweeter by stating that no team members were taken away from the single-player development as the multiplayer aspect has been developed by a completely separate team.

So what say you? Are you excited for Mass Effect 3's multiplayer? Do you think it is a good idea or one that will completely ruin the game for you? Sound off in the comments with how you really feel.

The Security Camera Blog

Get a regular infusion of new security camera technology information, video and news. Easy to subscribe in a reader or by email.

We help you stay in touch with the latest security camera features.

Critics Claim COD is Simply "Cutting and Pasting"

2011-10-17T16:46:00.003-04:00

Call of Duty is considered one of the most successful gaming franchises of the past decade or so, but recently it has been facing some criticism surrounding Modern Warfare 3. Some critics are saying that the franchise simply uses the formula from the previous game and essentially cuts and pastes the previous version, makes a few minor changes and sells it as a “new” game. Well, according to the general manager of Sledgehammer Games Glen Schofield, this is most certainly not the case.

Schofield sat down for an interview with CVG and replied to the current accusations of the critics.

"If you put Modern Warfare 2 next to Modern Warfare 3, you would see a huge difference," he said. "Look at all the character models, look at all the gun models, look at the reflections, look at the water. There is so much that we've added, so when someone says 'cut and paste', I don't even want to talk to them because they don't know. They just don't know. They have no idea."

“I need to make sure that the millions of people that played Modern Warfare 2 will pick up this game, notice that it's better, notice that it's bigger, that there's more in it, that there's more polish, all that stuff.”

"I've worked on a lot of engines over my lifetime and spent a lot of time putting graphics into them and this thing is Porsche," he continued, "and what I mean by that is that it is stream-lined, everything in it is perfectly freaking clean. You can tell it's been worked on for years. It's easy to upgrade."

"On top of that you have what we added to the audio engine. Then there's a lot of stuff under the hood. People don't think about this but when you make your tools better and you can iterate twice as many times, you make the game better."

However, graphics are not the only thing that has been upgraded. Schofield said that gameplay was definitely the primary focus for Modern Warfare 3.

"I've said this before - I'm not shipping an engine, I'm shipping a game. So that's why I'm going to talk about the game. You can talk about your engine all you want. It's not fun."

Many people have also criticized the games lack of an open beta, but Schofield said that he believed that Call of Duty XP was sufficient enough. "This game is so big between the campaign, the Spec-Ops and the multiplayer, there was so much work to do that I don't know whether [a beta] hit anyone's mind or not," he said. "We had XP and XP was in itself a way for thousands of people to play the game and for us to look over their shoulder and see how they were doing and how they liked it and that was really good."

So some people are criticizing Modern Warfare 3, but do you really think that will diminish the sales numbers for the game? I highly doubt it! The Call of Duty franchise knows what it is doing, and as Schofield said, Modern Warfare 3 should be very different from Modern Warfare 2. I personally cannot wait to get my hands on the latest Call of Duty game. It will be available on November 8, and all I can say is that I am counting down the days!

Source: IGN - Sledgehammer: Modern Warfare 3 Not a 'Cut and Paste'

Security Camera Solutions

Could FIFA Be the Link to the Recent Xbox Live Hacks?

2011-10-17T12:53:00.003-04:00

During the past couple of weeks, reports of Xbox Live hackings have been appearing on the Internet. Allegedly, there are purchases that are showing up on some users' credit cards that are linked to their Xbox Live accounts. Obviously, a few hacks here and there are to be expected, but some are speculating that there is a common link between these recent hackings.

Many of the hacks that have been reported state that that FIFA Soccer 11 and 12 have been played on their account, although they have never owned or played the game. This is causing people to believe that these recent hacks might be FIFA-specific.

Despite all of these speculations, Microsoft is saying that they do not have any kind of evidence of a widespread Xbox Live hack. They issued a statement saying: “We do not have any evidence the Xbox LIVE service has been compromised. We take the security of our service seriously and work on an ongoing basis to improve it against evolving threats. However, a limited number of members have contacted us regarding unauthorized access to their accounts by outside individuals. We are working with our impacted members directly to resolve any unauthorized changes to their accounts. As always, we highly recommend our members follow the Xbox LIVE Account Security guidance provided at www.xbox.com/security to protect your account.”

So is it all just coincidence? Are these truly random occurrences that just happen to appear as if there is a pattern? Electronic Arts believes that this is most definitely the case.

“With the popularity of FIFA globally and the sheer number of players playing the game online, FIFA is an obvious target for phishers and frauds,” an Electronic Arts told Giant Bomb.

“It’s not a title-specific issue and is coincidental that FIFA has been tied to a number of compromised accounts,” a Microsoft representative said.

Microsoft and EA seem very confident that all of this is a coincidence. I’m not exactly convinced yet. We’ll just have to see how things go the next couple of weeks. All I can say is make sure to pay close attention to your account because you don’t want to have to deal with the stress of being hacked.

Computer Service Now

Battlefield 3 Open Beta: PC vs. 360

2011-10-04T14:17:00.004-04:00

Like many of you, I signed up and downloaded the new open beta for Dice's upcoming war shooter Battlefield 3. Unlike many of you, I did so on both my Xbox 360 and PC, just to get a feel for how different they may be and to see which layout I like better. I didn't expect the betas to be all that different from each other but, unfortunately, I was wrong.

Before I played the beta for Battlefield 3, I was fortunate enough to get in on the alpha. An alpha is like a beta to the beta, in case you were wondering. I was initially very impressed with the alpha. Graphically the game looked very good and the different play style from Call of Duty was a fresh change. The game felt more tactical and I seemed to rely on my team more than I would in Call of Duty.

Since it is a Battlefield game, there had to be vehicles, the series' trademark. There was only one in the alpha map, a large armored truck with a cannon on top. The good thing was that the vehicle didn't feel overpowered, especially when three or four RPGs were hitting it from all directions.

Skip over to the beta and things are a little different. The map, Operation Metro, is the same from alpha to beta but not everything is alike. Gone is the armored truck, as well as any other vehicle, and one of the MCOM stations has been moved parallel to the other, avoiding the annoying aspect of trying to plant a bomb directly in the middle of the defenders' spawn point.

PC:

The PC version of the beta runs a lot smoother than the 360 build. This isn't surprising considering that fact that PC games usually run smoother than console games but also because the Battlefield series has, until now, been a strictly PC-only game. Aside from Battlefield: Bad Company 1 and 2, all the other games have been on PC.

Graphically the game is much smoother and more crisp and the graphics themselves look very good. Trees fall down from explosions and foliage blocks you from the enemy and the enemy from you. The textures look very realistic and character movements are more realistic and fluid as well. Knifing an enemy, for example, has you turning the person around and stabbing them in the chest while simultaneously ripping off their dog tags, a very satisfying kill indeed.

As far as gameplay goes, Battlefield 3 plays like a mix between Bad Company 2 and Call of Duty. The characters feel bigger than they do in Bad Company and the map you play on feels smaller, much like a Call of Duty map. However, every map is tiered. In Operation Metro there are four tiers: the first is outside in a park, the second is in a blown up subway terminal, the third is in the lobby/ticket area of the subway terminal and the fourth is outside in a city street.

One complaint I do have with the PC version is that it seems like I die with one shot, no matter the gun or the distance. However, that could either be glitch in the game or my extreme lack of experience with PC first-person shooters.

Xbox 360:

Compared to the PC beta, the 360 beta looks like complete crap. Graphically the game looks bad. The character model of your hands and weapons look about the same as any first-person shooter but everything else looks very rough. While I would normally dismiss this as just being part of the beta, I am hesitant to do so, especially considering that the game is coming out in about three weeks. Any type of polish should be done asap if Dice wants to make a stand against Modern Warfare.

The gameplay of the 360 beta also felt very buggy. The game didn't feel as smooth as the PC build and seemed very choppy. There were also some serious glitch issues when you die and you see who killed you. I can't remember how many times it looked like a floating person or a helmet on the ground killed me after I died.

Combat felt more balanced though there was still the occasional one-hit kill from a pistol or heavy machine gun from across the map. The gameplay is still basically the same as the PC version just not as good. It's like wanting a whole pizza and getting a pizza hotpocket, the hotpocket is good if you can't get a pizza but it just isn't the same.

As it stands right now I am leaning more towards getting the game for PC. While more of my friends will probably be getting it for consoles, I honestly feel like I will have a better experience on a PC, as far as the beta is concerned that is.

Additional Comments:

There are some things that worried me about the beta and some things that didn't quite make sense. One is the lack of vehicles. The one major thing that Battlefield has over Call of Duty is that addition of fully operational vehicles. The ability to fly a jet or a helicopter or to drive a tank right into the battle is something that I loved most about Bad Company 2. Not putting the main feature (in my opinion) into the open beta seems like a big mistake on Dice's part.

Another thing that Battlefield has going for it over Call of Duty is destructible environments. However, that was lacking in the beta as well. Battlefield prides itself on having fully destructible environments that add a tactical aspect to the game. However, in the betas as well as the alpha, the only thing I found really destructible was on the last segment of the map. Players can take position in multi-story buildings and shooting the window areas with an RPG crumbles the exterior of the area, raining debris onto the streets below. While doing this is cool, I want more in the final product. Having a map with only one destructible feature just isn't going to cut it.

Battlefield 3 is going to have to pick it up if it wants to beat out Call of Duty during this holiday season. What I thought was going to be a landslide in favor of Battlefield 3 has suddenly turned into a footrace to the finish.

The Security Camera Blog

Get a regular infusion of new security camera technology information, video and news. Easy to subscribe in a reader or by email.

We help you stay in touch with the latest security camera features.

Update on Xbox-integrated TV

2011-09-29T20:19:00.003-04:00

According to a Bloomberg report, Microsoft will be partnering with such providers as Comcast and Verizon Communications for its Xbox-integrated TV experience which will be released sometime in the near future.

Bloomberg reports that users will sign in via the Comcast Xfinity and Verizon FiOS apps on the Xbox 360. Users will be able to use their existing account information. The report states that it is likely that content deals will be contracted with HBO, Sony’s Crackle, the Bravo and SyFy channels, and Amazon’s Lovefilm.

Microsoft first talked about its Live TV plans at this year’s E3 conference. Microsoft kicked off the plans with the release of Sky TV in U.K., Canal Plus in France, and FoxTel in Australia. Earlier this month at Microsoft’s BUILD conference, Microsoft chief Steve Ballmer discussed some more details concerning what users in the U.S. can expect.

"It's quite obvious that we need to increase the amount of video and TV content that are available on the Xbox," Ballmer said. "Our goal this year is to dramatically increase the total amount of content, the total entertainment catalog available on the Xbox, particularly by working in partnership with a number of video suppliers."

"The content choices on Xbox will grow dramatically from hundreds of thousands to millions," Ballmer said.

Ballmer went on saying that Microsoft will be incorporating Bing into the Xbox TV experience. They will be offering Bing’s search engine capabilities with voice-activated access.

"You say it, Xbox finds it," Ballmer said. “We all know the frustrations of using guides and menus and controllers, and we think a better way to do all of this is simply to bring Bing and voice to Xbox.”

It might be a little while longer until Xbox-integrated TV is available for the public, but I think that it will be worth the wait. I can’t wait to see everything that Microsoft has to offer with this new feature.

Find out what is going on in the Tech Army World.

What are the Top 10 Money Making Missions?

What other companies have joined and what do they do?

How do I join the
Tech Army Organization ?

1.5 Million Pre-Orders for Battlefield 3

2011-09-21T18:19:00.005-04:00

According to findings reported by Sterne Agee financial services firm, Battlefield 3, the hotly anticipated modern war shooter from developer Dice, has officially reached the milestone of 1.5 million pre-orders.

Arvind Bhatia, an analyst for Sterne Agee, stated that EA revealed the number earlier on in the week and that the publisher is confident that the game will receive huge sales. Well, if the game already has 1.5 million copies sold before it has even been released, then I think it will do ok.

According to a statement released by Bhatia, "Management remains optimistic that the title has potential to exceed sales of its predecessor (which was Battlefield: Bad Company 2, not Battlefield 2) which has sold 9.5 million units life-to-date." In addition to that, Bhatia also says that EA is also optimistic that the game will be able to keep up with its only real contender, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.

"The combined marketing dollars for BF3 and Call of Duty: MW 3 could reach $100 million this year," Bhatia added. "The two weeks head start for BF3 versus CoD will facilitate a big launch for BF3. Once CoD launches, there would be a natural slowdown in sales of BF3. Then, at holiday, momentum for BF3 should rebuild. BF3 is expected to have a long tail as more digital content is introduced over time."

One factor that could be fueling the large pre-order sales is the fact that anybody who pre-orders the game is automatically upgraded to the Limited Edition game, which includes a free map pack for online multiplayer. Map Packs generally cost anywhere from $15 to $20, so the inclusion of a free one is definitely a strong incentive to gamers.

This holiday season will be one of the first times a Call of Duty game has an actual opponent in sales. Call of Duty generally dominates the genre of war-simulating first-person shooters, though Battlefield 3 has some very impressive features that could very well dethrone Call of Duty entirely.

I am personally more excited for Battlefield 3 myself. While I am a huge fan of the Modern Warfare series, I was totally blown away by the multiplayer in Battlefield: Bad Company 2. The gigantic maps, tactical role-based gameplay and ability to drive vehicles, such as helicopters and tanks, around the battlefield was pure bliss.

Battlefield 3 is taking all of that and introducing things like jets and other types of vehicles to further enhance gameplay. Add completely destructible environments in both single player and multiplayer and you bring something to the table that has rarely ever been done, and even more rarely, ever been done properly. Call of Duty is going to have its hands full in the next couple of months and Activision needs to bring all its guns to the table locked and loaded.

Battlefield 3 hits the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC on October 25, 2011.

Source: IGN - Battlefield 3 Reaches 1.5 Million Preorders

Computer Service Now

Should You Consider the New PSN User Agreement Before Just Clicking Yes?

2011-09-19T21:20:00.004-04:00

When you come across a user agreement, do you read the entire agreement or scroll down the agreement, click “I agree” and move right on to your music, video game or website without a second thought? I think that’s what most people tend to do. Who has the time to read through every single user agreement that you encounter? Well, if you are a Sony user and you come across the updated agreement that they are releasing, you may want to take a second to read over it.

The Sony PlayStation Network updated its terms of service on September 15. The update was intended to ban class-action lawsuits against Sony.

"Any dispute resolution proceedings, whether in arbitration or court, will be conducted only on an individual basis and not in a class or representative action or as a named or unnamed member in a class, consolidated, representative, or private attorney general action unless you and [Sony] agree to do so in writing," states the updated terms.

Users have the ability to opt out of these new terms of service if they wish to, but they must do so in writing within 30 days of the day that they accepted the agreement. Users that wish to opt out of the agreement must send in their name, address, PSN account number, and a statement that clearly lets Sony know that they do not wish to resolve any issues with Sony via arbitration. All of this information must be sent to 6080 Center Dr., 10th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90045.

Some Sony users will not even realize that they are clicking away their right to a class-action suit. Maybe some users don’t care, but it is definitely something that PSN users should be aware of.

According to TechDirt, these agreements where users agree to not sue a company are pretty darn common, but the blog says that “it is debatable how enforceable some of these clauses are.” The blog goes on to say that “the terms also bar participating in class action lawsuits, which seems much more questionable.”

"Where Sony gets ridiculous is in claiming that this change 'is designed to benefit both the consumer and the company by ensuring that there is adequate time and procedures to resolve disputes.' That makes me think of a two syllable word whose first four letters are bull," TechDirt wrote. "Come on. At this point, everyone knows that binding arbitration between a company and a consumer wildly favors companies."

Gamasutra, however, argued that the update "really seems to be more a case of the collective gaming public getting riled up over something that has little, if any, consequence for them."

These new terms are a result of several class-action suits that Sony is currently dealing with concerning the breach of the PlayStation Network earlier this year. In April there was a suit filed that claimed Sony failed to protect, encrypt and secure its customer information. The suit is looking for compensation for the data loss and the time that the PlayStation Network was down.

Lesson to be learned: before you just click okay on the next user agreement that you come across, it might be a good idea to at least scan the document and see what it is that you are agreeing to.

Steam's Trading Service Goes Live

2011-09-07T22:14:00.004-04:00

Are you a member of Steam? You should be because Steam is one of the most incredible things to hit the PC gaming market ever. Steam is game company Valve's online digital download gaming service that allows you to purchase full-fledged PC games online and download them directly onto your PC instantly! No more going to the store and letting that evil monster called the sun touch your skin again!

If you haven't joined Steam yet, go do it right now and come back and finish reading this article. For those of you that are members of Steam, I have good news: the service just got better.

Valve launched the beta test for a new service known as Steam Trading last month which allowed Steam users to trade a plethora of owned content. This content included everything from in-game content to actual games themselves. The good news is that the beta testing is officially over and the Steam Trading service has officially gone live.

Since it is still in its infancy, the only supported content includes items from Team Fortress 2 and Spiral Knights and any gifts a user has purchased on Steam. The FAQ on the service has already noted that Valve is currently working with developers in order to get more content and games involved in the service. Portal 2 is said to be coming "reasonably soon" with additional third-party games coming "in the next few months" according to the FAQ.

If you are wondering what I meant earlier when I said gifts, then Valve has an answer. The company defines Steam Gifts as "any game you've purchased from the store as a gift, or received as an Extra Copy." A new checkout option is now available that allows you to save gift purchases for trading later on. However, there is a catch. Gifts not purchased from a trusted account (i.e. accounts that are more than 90 days past their first purchase) require a "90-day cool down" before they can be traded.

I, for one, think that this service will do exceptionally well once more content is added. I can see lots of gamers trading games they don't play anymore for content on new games that they play more often. As long as Valve rolls out a substantial array of content, Steam Trading should have no problems getting off the ground.

Source: G4TV - Steam Trading Moves From Beta To Beautiful Utopian Reality

The Security Camera Blog

Get a regular infusion of new security camera technology information, video and news. Easy to subscribe in a reader or by email.

We help you stay in touch with the latest security camera features.

Special Edition Gold Wii Remote to Be Released

2011-09-05T12:29:00.003-04:00

On Monday August 29, Nintendo announced that it will be releasing a special edition gold Wii remote. The remote will be included in the limited edition Zelda bundle that also includes the first run of Zelda: Skyward Sword and a CD featuring different arrangements of the Zelda theme songs that can be found in the Zelda games that have been released over the past 25 years. The package will be released on Sunday, November 20 and will cost $69.99.

If you don’t want to spend $70, Nintendo is offering just the game and the CD for $49.99, but if you’re already going to spend that, you might as well spend an extra $20 to get the special edition shiny, gold controller.

The controller was first introduced to the public at the E3 conference in June, but they didn’t give out any information about a release date or pricing. The remote was designed by Shigeru Miyamoto, a prominent developer at Nintendo, and it features the Zelda 25th Anniversary logo.

Across the Internet there have been mixed emotions about the news concerning the limited edition package.

"Never mind that the Wii is on its last legs and people probably won't play any other games on it after this, they'll still hook people in with a new controller for the Wii even though the Wii-U is announced," wrote a commenter at GameSpot.

"This is a MUST BUY. All is forgiven NINTENDO," wrote a user at My Nintendo News.

SMBnow.com is news of, for and by SMBs!
SMBnow.com... The Small & Medium Business Magazine!

N-Control Avenger PS3 Controller Accessory Now Available for Pre-Order

2011-08-24T15:41:00.006-04:00

iControl Enterprises, one of the top gaming accessory manufacturers in the world, has just released its highly anticipated accessory for Sony's PlayStation 3 controller which, according to the company, is "guaranteed to provide users with the ultimate gaming advantage."

Known as The N-Control Avenger, this controller add-on claims to be "the most sophisticated secret weapon in the gaming industry." The N-Control Avenger is an external adapter for the PlayStation 3 controller designed to enhance your skills as you play. The Avenger grips the controller's exterior tightly, giving you an immersive gaming experience through an intuitive user interface.

According to David Kotkin, Lead Designer of The N-Control Avenger, "It enhances the gamer's manual dexterity and situational awareness by improving accuracy and reaction time. This sophisticated accessory is specially engineered for those who want to push their gaming abilities to new heights."

The Avenger allows for rapid, fluid movements between the thumb sticks, face buttons, shoulder buttons and triggers of the PS3 controller, allowing you to access nine functions simultaneously. The Avenger also comes equipped with a stabilizer tripod, high-precision straps, hair triggers and sensitivity adjusters, which are able to be fine-tuned "like a precision weapon" according to iControl.

The N-Control Avenger is shipping with a perfect release date this fall when a cornucopia of games are coming out that will benefit from the enhancements this accessory has to offer. This accessory is perfect for shooters like the upcoming Battlefield 3, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Gears of War 3 and Resistance 3 but is also perfect for other types of games like the NFL simulator Madden NFL 2012 or the action/adventure game Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception.

The N-Control Avenger will be shipped worldwide in limited supply and only 5,000 gamers out there will be able to get one. You can pre-order your PS3 model N-Control Avenger now on the N-Control website for $48.99, but you will have to wait to use it until it officially ships on November 8th. Oh, and if you prefer to game on an Xbox 360, you will be pleased to know that iControl has an Xbox 360 version of the Avenger as well.

Source: Engadget - N-Control's Avenger for PS3 begins pre-sale, officially debuts November 8th

Find out what is going on in the Tech Army World.

What are the Top 10 Money Making Missions?

What other companies have joined and what do they do?

How do I join the
Tech Army Organization ?

PlayStation 3 Firmware 3.70 Update

2011-08-11T17:03:00.006-04:00

Some new news about Sony has just hit the internet and, thankfully, it has absolutely NOTHING to do with the PSN outage that devastated the console just a few short months ago. No, this announcement has to do with the newest firmware update for Sony's gaming console, the PlayStation 3, and all the nifty little things it has added to make your PlayStation experience that much more enjoyable.

Firmware 3.70 was released Tuesday night by Sony, and it added and fixed a lot of things that should please and entertain most users of the console. The update, which is required and will be automatically updated the next time you log onto your system, adds multiple new things, including a section to the XrossMediaBar and a host of new features for subscribers of PlayStation Plus.

Now, I'm not a PS3 owner, I like to rock the Xbox 360 myself, but that doesn't mean I am a stranger to system updates. If you are like me (and most other gamers I would imagine), then you probably completely and utterly despise system updates for the sole fact that sometimes they can take an egregiously long time to download. It comes as no surprise to any gamer that watching a download bar is about as exciting as watching Bob Ross paint yet another mountain landscape.

If you want the firmware update as soon as possible, and you don't want to rely on shady PS3/Internet service to download it, then there is another option. You can download Firmware 3.70 directly to your computer and then save it on a USB drive and put the update on your PlayStation 3, drastically reducing your download times. Here's what ya gotta do:

Step 1: Download Firmware 3.70 from Sony and save it directly to your desktop.

Step 2: Put the .pup file into a folder and name it "Update".

Step 3: Put the "Update" folder into another folder and name it "PS3".

Step 4: Put the "PS3" folder onto the flash drive.

Step 5: Plug the flash drive into your PS3.

Step 6: Go to "Settings" on your PS3 and select "System Update".

Step 7: When asked, select "Update via Storage Media".

Step 8: Begin the update.

Step 9: Complete the update.

Step 10: Enjoy.

That's all there is to it. Follow these steps and you will be enjoying the PlayStation 3's Firmware 3.70 update in no time. If you want to know a little more about what exactly the update does, head on over to IGN and catch the PS3 Firmware 3.70 video detailing everything new that comes with the update.

Source: IGN - PS# Firmware 3.70 Is Cool, Here's Why

Nintendo Drastically Drops the Price of Its 3DS

2011-08-05T09:41:00.005-04:00

On Thursday, July 28 Nintendo announced that it would drop the price of its 3DS hand-held console in the United States. Starting Friday, August 12th the console’s price will drop from $249.99 to $169.99.

"For anyone who was on the fence about buying a Nintendo 3DS, this is a huge motivation to buy now," Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime said in a statement. "We are giving shoppers every incentive to pick up a Nintendo 3DS, from an amazing new price to a rapid-fire succession of great games."

The price drop will also occur in other countries sometime between July and September. Nintendo said in its earnings statement that the price drop is intended to "create momentum for the Nintendo 3DS and accelerate its market penetration toward the year-end sales season, when the lineup for the applicable software shall be enriched."

So ,what if you have already bought the 3DS? Wouldn’t you feel slightly cheated having had to pay plenty more than the new retail price for the device? Well, Nintendo hasn’t forgotten about you! In a statement, the company said that customers who already own a 3DS are “some of Nintendo’s most loyal customers, and we’re rewarding you for getting in on the action early with not one, not 10, but 20 free downloadable games from the Nintendo eShop!”

If you ask me, that is a pretty good way to make up for the extra cash that you had to shell out for the device. Nintendo said that it will be easy for 3DS owners to download their new games. Here is what you will have to do.

“The 20 free games are available to anyone who owns a Nintendo 3DS system and uses a wireless broadband Internet signal to connect to the Nintendo eShop at least once before 11:59 p.m. Eastern time on Aug. 11. These users will automatically be registered in the Nintendo 3DS Ambassador program.” The statement goes on to say that the program has two different elements:

The first element starts “September 1. Nintendo 3DS Ambassadors will be able to download 10 NES Virtual Console games at no charge and before they are available in the Nintendo eShop to the general public. These games, including Super Mario Bros., Donkey Kong Jr., Balloon Fight, Ice Climber and The Legend of Zelda, are slated to become paid downloadable games, but Ambassadors get them early for free. Once the paid versions of the games are posted to the Nintendo eShop later in the year, the updated versions will be available to Ambassadors for download at no cost.”

The second element of this program that Nintendo will offer to their “loyal customers” will be available “by the end of 2011. Nintendo will provide Ambassadors with 10 Game Boy Advance Virtual Console games. These include games like Yoshi’s Island: Super Mario Advance 3, Mario Kart: Super Circuit, Metroid Fusion, WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$ and Mario vs. Donkey Kong. These games will be available exclusively to Ambassadors, and Nintendo currently has no plans to make these 10 games available to the general public on the Nintendo 3DS in the future.”

Nintendo said that more details about the program will be made available soon.

Bioware's Mass Effect 3 Due in March

2011-07-27T20:59:00.004-04:00

Mass Effect 3 won’t be out for another eight months, but people are already talking about it. Fans can’t wait for the next edition of Bioware’s famous space RPG series.

The tentative release date for Commander Shepard’s next adventure is March 6, 2012. The game will be available for the PlayStation 3, the Xbox 360 and the PC.

This week, Bioware marketing chief David Silverman gave out a few details about Mass Effect 3 during an interview with ComputerAndVideoGames.com.

"We're making Mass Effect 3 to be the best game we've ever made. That would make it one of the best games ever, and we're hoping to see sales that reflect that," he said.

Silverman described Mass Effect 3 as “HBO meets Star Wars.” He said that he would feel "a bit weird if five-year-olds were playing Mass Effect" because of the mature, HBO-like themes found within the game; however, there are many Star Wars-like elements tied into the game as well.

Silverman went on to say that even if gamers have never played the previous two Mass Effect titles, they will still be able to enjoy the new edition.

"What we're trying to do with Mass Effect 3 is that it's a new beginning for the series," he said, "given the fact this is the beginning of an all-out war with this ancient alien race. We've been foreshadowing this war with this race that's been dormant for 50,000 years. Well now they've finally woken up, launching their full-scale invasion and trying to wipe out all life as we know it. It's a natural point for people to jump in."

When questioned about whether or not this would be the only “prequel” title in the Mass Effect series, Silverman responded saying, "This series definitely doesn't end with Mass Effect 3."

Silverman also discussed Bioware’s strategy to cater to fans who like choose-your-own-adventure games, while also appealing to fans who crave the all-out action side of gaming.

"We want to make sure we're pleasing both audiences," he told ComputerAndVideoGames.com. "One of the things we have on the team is to make this an amazing entry point, but also to acknowledge our roots.”

"We don't want to totally dumb it down for the people who have played through the first two games three, four, five times. We've really struck a great balance. Obviously, if you've played the game before, you'll see things that apply to you."

Silverman was straightforward about how Mass Effect 3 should play for gamers. "[A] giant alien race launches all-out war, you have to rally the forces of the universe to counter and see if you can take them down," he said. "That's pretty clear. You don't need to be like: 'Well, what about when I had this love affair?' It's like, who cares? It's all-out war!"

Bioware should be careful not to downplay the RPG side of Mass Effect 3 too much though. With the sequel of Bioware’s Dragon Age, fans were incredibly angry about the downplay of RPG within the game. During the interview with ComputerAndVideoGames.com, Silverman seemed to avoid any questions concerning the RPG side of the latest edition of Mass Effect.

"On the one hand, we don't want to go too far down the rabbit hole where Shepard starts rolling dice, but on the other hand we don't want to ignore that coolness—where people can customize parts of their character and making them feel that it's them in the adventure," he said.

"It's not, 'Let's make a game without story and a bunch of shooting.' It's not about that. People tell us we're amazing storytellers and we hope we are. We can't give you all-out galactic war by cheaping out on the action. It needs to feel like an epic war against insurmountable odds. That's what makes the story even more emotionally engaging.”

"I think the game's definitely set up for that. It's really going to strike a great balance."

EA Not Dropping Support for Steam

2011-07-27T17:00:00.006-04:00

Many of you in the gaming community have probably already heard of, or become a part of, EA's new game download service known as Origin. Origin works the same way as the extremely popular download service Steam does, allowing users to purchase game titles online and download them instantly to their PCs without ever having to leave the house. You don't have any discs to worry about scratching or losing and no game box to go out and pick up, making acquiring the newest PC games that much easier.

However, with the introduction of Origin, many gamers began to worry about EA dropping support for Steam. Not too long after Origin was announced, Crysis 2 was pulled from Steam shelves, becoming unavailable to download. Many people were wondering if this would become a mainstay for EA and asked if the company would be pulling all EA games off of the service in an attempt to get gamers to use Origin.

However, in a recent investor call, CEO of Electronic Arts John Riccitiello bragged about the amazingness of Origin and pointed out the fact that the margins, which is the amount of money EA makes, on each game sale are 100% if the game is bought through Origin. But that's obvious. However, despite being head over heels for Origin, Riccitiello did make it clear that EA games would continue to become available on Steam and other download services.

According to Riccitiello, "We are pushing EA content on any and every platform we can. We love what we're getting with Origin, but we are very keen to get our content distributed anywhere where gamers are."

However, that does not mean that every single EA game will be available on these other services. One such game, in addition to Crysis 2, is Dragon Age 2. This game has apparently been pulled from Steam. As of right now, it is impossible to acquire the game from Steam, though it is unclear if that will change in the future. However, it does seem that the reason for the game's absence is not a conflict with Origin.

According to sources gathered from Destructoid, the game may have been pulled as a result of the recently launched "Legacy" DLC. According to Destructoid, "Our sources indicate that EA was offering the content by way of an in-game store, which may be a violation of the latest version of Steam's terms of service. If this is the case, EA and BioWare would have to re-write parts of the game software just for Steam, simply to conform with Valve's standards. It's possible that EA's refusal to do so may have led to Valve yanking the title entirely."

I am a user of both Steam and Origin and I can tell you that both sites are very well done. The one thing Steam has going for it is that it offers more than just EA games, whereas Origin only releases games made by EA and partner studios. If you are a fan of anything EA makes and you much prefer digital downloads, I suggest you get in on Origin, otherwise you may be left out of some really great games.

Source: G4 - Electronic Arts Games Will Continue to Appear On Steam

Sony Exec Describes PlayStation Network Outage as "A Great Experience"

2011-07-15T13:04:00.004-04:00

On Wednesday, July 13 Tim Schaaff, the president of Sony Network Entertainment, was discussing the PlayStation Network outage that lasted four weeks. During the chat, he proceeded to describe the outage as a “great experience.” Sound crazy to you? Well, here is his justification for the comment.

On Wednesday Schaaff sat down with the executive editor of VentureBeat Dylan Tweney for a chat at the MobileBeat conference in San Francisco. They discussed a variety of things, but Tweney received surprising answers to his questions concerning how Sony has been able to recover from the outage of its Network.

"We're back online, everything's live again around the world, and the amazing thing through all of this is that the customers have all come back, and network performance is better than ever, sales are better than ever, and we've been very, very pleasantly surprised by the experience," Schaaff said. "And we're in a place where we're really looking forward again to what's next, what's new, and how we can keep growing the network. It's a pretty crazy event that we went through but we survived, and we're back strong, and ready to go."

During the discussion, Schaaff confirmed that more than 77 million PlayStation Network accounts were without service for a total of six weeks. He also said that the outage cost Sony close to $171 million plus the complete frustration of millions of Playstation Network customers.

"It's dramatic but the lesson we learned from this process is that there are some crazy things going on in the world right now, and in the beginning we were very concerned that we were the focal point for this attack, and it was all about Sony, and what was Sony doing," Schaaff said. “But over time, the company learned that a wide variety of sites had been hit, including government institutions and other companies.”

He went on to say that he believes that Sony has learned some valuable lessons from the outage.

"I think for people running network businesses, it's not just about improving your security, because I've never talked to a security expert who said, 'As long you do the following three things you'll be fine, because hackers won't get you…', the question is how do you build your life so you're able to cope with those things," Schaaff said.

He concluded saying, "It's been a great experience.”

Tweney seemed to be as confused as you and I most likely are about this statement. "A great experience?" he asked. "A great experience," Schaaff answered. "I would not like to do it again. One time was enough. Great learning experience."

Security Camera Solutions

Bungie Says A Heartfelt Farewell to Halo

2011-07-12T15:51:00.007-04:00

Bungie is singing the sad song of goodbye as the company parts ways with its flagship franchise, Halo, which is being taken over by internal Microsoft studio 343 Industries. In an open letter to fans that was posted on Bungie.net, the developer expressed its thanks to fans for their devotion to the franchise. This letter also marks the end of Bungie's 20th anniversary celebrations which have been a truly heartfelt celebration of the Halo franchise.

Eric "urk" Osborne, Community Manager for Bungie, wrote, "Halo is yours now. In many ways, it always has been. Its new caretakers will strive, just as we did, to be worthy stewards but you have the package. Hold these characters and stories and worlds to the same unflinching standards you did while we were at the helm, but allow them all to blossom and change and grow in the ways that they must."

The letter pays tribute to the dedication and passion of the fans and restates that all the proceeds from the 20th Anniversary activities will be donated to charity. The end of the letter gets a tad bit emotional as well. "One day, we will awaken to a wondrous new place and we will remember just what it was that drew us together at the beginning of it all. We will look up to the heavens and find hope."

Osborne also teased in the letter about Bungie's next project as Bungie.net prepares to relaunch. According to Osborne, "We'll be undergoing a metamorphosis of our own. Very soon Bungie.net will change, culminating with the launch of our next universe at some unknown time in the future."

"Afterwards, we'll be going dark on our studio's next major endeavor - the creation of a brand new universe. You'll have a home here should you choose to stay, but our next project demands an unwavering focus. We owe it to ourselves to make something better then we have before. We owe it to you, as well."

While it is a sad day for Halo fans in terms of Bungie's departure from the franchise, it is a good day due to the fact that the company isn't going anywhere in terms of making video games. Whatever this new project is, I'm sure it will be just as good as Halo if not better. Farewell Bungie, you did us proud.

Source: IGN - Bungie's Halo Send-Off

Live TV Coming to Xbox

2011-07-11T15:34:00.004-04:00

One of the biggest announcements for Microsoft at this year’s E3 gaming conference involved the launch of Live TV on the Xbox 360. This will allow users to enjoy a variety of different things including live TV streaming, built-in DVR capabilities, voice-powered Bing searches and YouTube content.

"Quite simply we believe TV is more amazing with you as the controller," said Marc Whitten, vice president of Xbox Live.

The amazing thing about these new additions to the Xbox is that users will be able to control them with motion. The Kinect will help to power Live TV with both gestures and voice controlled commands. Users will be able to control Live TV content without the need for a physical remote.

It was also announced by Whitten that Bing would be featured on the Xbox as well. Users will be able to conduct voice powered searches on Microsoft’s Bing search engine and different Xbox content like Hulu Plus, Netflix and Xbox Live marketplace.

Here’s an example of how this will work: Say you want to watch Lord of the Rings. All you have to say is “Xbox Bing Lord of the Rings.” Immediately, Bing will pull up any Lord of the Rings related games as well as any movies stored on your console. Then all you have to do to watch The Fellowship of the Ring is say “Xbox Play The Fellowship of the Ring” and the movie will start playing.

Whitten also announced the new partnership with YouTube that will give users access to the top YouTube content from the console. Microsoft also said that they plan to greatly increase the number of its Xbox partnerships this year.

Lastly, Whitten confirmed that Live TV will bring local channels live-streamed to your Xbox to your TV.

Live TV will launch in the fall, Whitten said.

"This is our vision for the future of TV—effortless, approachable, because TV is more amazing when you are the controller," he said.

Supreme Court Rules Video Games Protected Under Freedom of Speech

2011-06-29T13:28:00.009-04:00

It's been a great couple of days for the gaming community as the Supreme Court has just ruled that video games are protected under our First Amendment Right to Freedom of Speech! That's right, the United States Supreme Court overturned a California law legislating the sale of violent video games as unconstitutional. However, that isn't dampening the spirits of the law's creator who is vowing to continue his fight.

California State Senator Leland Yee (D - San Francisco) was recently reported as saying that he hopes to "create a pathway for a successful bill that could withstand a challenge" from the Supreme Court. Yee's bill was initially signed into law back in 2005 by former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. The bill would have fined retailers of video games up to $1,000 per infraction for selling a violent video game to a minor.

However, we gamers take our gaming seriously and the bill was immediately challenged by a video game industry consortium and United States District Court Judge Ronald Whyte put an injunction in place to prevent the law from being enforced.

The consortium argued on the grounds of our First Amendment Rights. In addition to that, lawyers representing the video game industry noted that all major retailers already abide by the voluntary rating system that the video game industry itself created. The ESRB, otherwise known as the Entertainment Software Ratings Board, rates video games by the content the games contain and also provides an age rating as well as a description of the content in the game. The system is modeled after the same one used by the Motion Picture Association of America's (MPAA) movie rating system.

The law was ultimately turned over in a 7 to 2 vote which ruled that video games are entitled to the same artistic protection under the First Amendment granted to books, movies, plays and other works of creative expression. While the overturning of the law is a huge step for video games, it goes even further as this is the first time the Supreme Court has heard a case such as this.

President and CEO of the Entertainment Software Association Michael Gallagher called the Supreme Court ruling "a historic and complete win for the First Amendment" and artists and storytellers. Gallagher went on to say, "The Court declared forcefully that content-based restrictions on games are unconstitutional; and that parents, not government bureaucrats, have the right to decide what is appropriate for their children."

Yee, a child psychologist turned politician, stated that, "the evidence is absolutely crystal clear that there are harmful effects on our children" from violent video games. This claim, however, was refuted by the Supreme Court which said the evidence is far from convincing.

Older generations always attack what they do not know and I think that is exactly what Yee is doing. To put a restriction like this on video games would mean that the same restriction would have to be placed on everything, including movies, books, music, television and any other form of media. Video games, compared to all other forms of media, is a relatively new industry that has exploded in the past 10 years which is why it is coming under so much flack.

The Supreme Court made the right decision to overturn Yee's law. Even though Yee is continuing his tirade against video games, I don't think he will ever find enough "evidence" to support his cause and if Yee doesn't like it then he can always move to a place where violent video games are restricted, like Australia.

Source: ZDNet - California's failed video game law sponsor vows to continue fight

The Security Camera Blog

Get a regular infusion of new security camera technology information, video and news. Easy to subscribe in a reader or by email.

We help you stay in touch with the latest security camera features.

Xbox 360 Selling Like Hotcakes! Nintendo 3DS...Not So Much

2011-06-17T10:13:00.004-04:00

According to data released Monday, June 13 by NPD, it seems as though for the month of May, the Xbox 360 has remained the top-selling console, and while the Xbox has flourished, the highly anticipated Nintendo 3DS’s sales are being described as “light.”

In relation to the year-to-date revenues of video game hardware, content and accessory sales, Xbox has grabbed 34 percent so far. The Xbox 360 and the PS3 combined sales are also doing well. They are currently up 28 percent for the month and 21 percent up from last year.

"The PS3, PSP, and the Xbox 360 all experienced unit sales increases over May 2010," NPD analyst Anita Frazier said in a statement. "The top-selling platform for the month was the Xbox 360, which has realized nearly a year and a half of month-over-month unit sales increases."

A little bit earlier this month, Microsoft announced that they have sold more than 55 million Xbox 360 consoles since November 2005, and they claim that “sales are accelerating.”

On the other side of things, as mentioned above, Nintendo’s 3DS is simply generating “light” sales; however, it is expected that those sales will shoot upward. On Sunday, June 19 “Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D” will be released, and Frazier seems positive that the release of the game “should help to significantly boost sales of hardware during the remainder of 2011."

Nintendo also showed off some more games at E3 that could boost the 3DS’s numbers in the next few months. Some of these games include: "Mario Kart," "Starfox 3D," "Super Mario," "Kid Icarus Uprising" and "Luigi's Mansion 2."

The Nintendo 3DS first made its debut in the U.S. in March of this year. It was originally sold for $249.99. By April 15, less than a month after the release of the device, Nintendo said that they had sold just under 400,000 units, but the president of Nintendo Satoru Iwata said, “Nintendo 3DS has not been selling as expected since the second week [of availability], and this is not just in the Japanese market but also in the United States and Europe…therefore, we recognize that we are in a situation where we need to step up our efforts to further promote the spread of Nintendo 3Ds."

Frazier said that the declines in the sales of console hardware are due to the Wii but that the platform "remains the best-selling of this generation at nearly 36 million installed in the U.S." Nintendo is expecting some more success in the form of its new Wii U, which was announced at E3. The next-generation console is scheduled to be released sometime next year.

"At the current rate of growth and decline (on a year-to-date basis) for each of the respective console systems, a year from now the Wii will still enjoy the lead in install base in the U.S., although both the Xbox 360 and PS3 will close the gap," Frazier said. "Of course, new details on hardware introduction could certainly change the picture."

It will be interesting to see how the numbers fluctuate once the Wii U is released. Microsoft is currently in the lead with the Xbox 360, but will Nintendo make up some lost ground with their next-generation console? We’ll just have to wait and see.

New Xbox to Debut at E3 2012?

2011-06-14T13:56:00.007-04:00

So, this current generation of gaming consoles has been around for quite some time, six years to be exact, and a lot of people are wondering just how much life the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii have left in them. Many gamers are calling for a new wave of consoles and the newest Xbox could be revealed sooner than anyone might have thought.

E3 2011 has come and gone and any announcement of a new console would have been given at the event. Aside from Nintendo's Wii U, which I still can't figure out if it's a new console or a new controller, nothing about the next generation of consoles was talked about. Everything was based in the present and focused mainly around motion controlled gaming with the PlayStation Move and Kinect.

However, it has just been revealed that the highly anticipated successor to the Xbox 360 will be revealed at E3 2012. It has also been revealed that Crytek is making a next-gen Timesplitters 4 game. That is, of course, if the sources speaking on Videogamer.com are correct.

According to Videogamer.com, a "high-ranking industry source at Crytek" told the site that even though specifications for the next Xbox have not been finalized, Crytek is using Microsoft's DirectX11 for next-gen game development. The "source" also stated that Microsoft will announce the new console next year, most likely at E3.

According to the source, "Crytek believes that Microsoft will announce and launch its new machine ahead of rival Sony, though the developer is also investing resources into next-generation PlayStation development."

In addition to that, the source also claims that Timesplitters 4 is currently in development and using the CryEngine 3. It was also said that the game is already being demoed internally. Timesplitters 4 was also supposedly shown off in private last week at E3 2011. If that is true, then it is the best kept secret from E3.

The source went on to say, "As for the game itself, the new Timesplitters is reported to focus on the series' branching paths and exploratory nature, with sandbox-style gameplay elements a big priority. The current goal is for levels to feature multiple routes that lead to the same overall conclusion."

Naturally, both Microsoft and Crytek declined to comment on this news. While the announcement of a new Timesplitters game isn't too crazy, the thought of a new console at E3 2012 is insane. If this is true, and not some well developed hoax, and Microsoft does manage to pump out a console before both Sony and Nintendo, then Microsoft can easily sweep the competition in the next-generation console wars.

Source: IGN - Report - Next Xbox Debuting in 2012?

Find out what is going on in the Tech Army World.

What are the Top 10 Money Making Missions?

What other companies have joined and what do they do?

How do I join the
Tech Army Organization ?

Xbox Live Plans to Go "To the Cloud"

2011-06-10T09:24:00.005-04:00

Everyone seems to be wrapped up in “the cloud” right now, and Apple is not the only one who has recently made an announcement regarding the cloud. Microsoft announced on Monday, June 6 that it would be adding cloud storage later this year for its Xbox Live.

"Yes, cloud storage is coming to Xbox LIVE. Your profile and game saves available wherever you are," Larry Hyrb, the director of programming for Xbox Live, tweeted on Monday afternoon.

When this update occurs, it will allow all Xbox Live users to sign into their accounts with the service from any console at any time. This will give them access to all of their game saves and full profile. This includes items like Microsoft Points for purchases, Achievements and friends.

"Cloud storage will allow you to enjoy the same great Xbox Live gaming experience even when you're not in your own living room by giving you the option to store your 'game saves' securely in the Xbox Live cloud instead of on a portable memory unit or your console's hard drive," Microsoft said in a statement. "Gone are the days of 'gamertag recovery.' Now all you need to do is sign in, no matter where you are!"

Unfortunately, Microsoft has not given a definite timeline as to when they will be adding cloud storage to their Xbox Live. They simply leave hopeful users hanging with “later this year.”

Think the cloud update sounds like a great addition? Well, that is not even close to the only update that Microsoft will be rolling out in the near future. Microsoft also promises that they will soon be offering a simpler, cleaner, easier-to-use dashboard. "All of your favorite content is categorized in a way that is easy to browse and find what you're looking for, plus you can use voice anywhere in the dashboard to effortlessly navigate and get to what you want," the company said.

On the morning of Monday, June 6 at the E3 Expo, Microsoft unveiled its Live TV, which included the voice component as well. This new experience from Microsoft will allow users to add live television streaming, built-in DVR capabilities and voice-powered Bing searches. "Quite simply we believe TV is more amazing with you as the controller," said Marc Whitten, vice president for Xbox Live.

Microsoft also unveiled a variety of new games that incorporate the voice-control functionality when working in conjunction with Kinect.

"We want Xbox Live members around the globe to experience the magic of Kinect's voice recognition technology so we are committed to bringing voice to eight additional markets by the end of this year with a total of 13 markets that will have Kinect voice," Microsoft said. "We are also exploring some innovative new ways to enable the Live community to help us accelerate the refinement of voice models in new markets and look forward to sharing developments on that front soon."

Xbox will also be adding what they are calling Beacons. These will allow users to notify Xbox and Facebook friends whenever they want to play a game on Xbox Live. All you have to do is set a Beacon and choose which game you want to play. Xbox Live does all the rest. It will let you know when your friends are playing and whether or not they want to play the same game as you.

"With Beacons no matter what you're currently doing on Xbox Live, your friends know that it's ok to ask you to play your Beaconed games," Microsoft said. "Imagine sending out a Beacon to let your friends know you're interested in playing 'Halo' while watching a movie on Netflix."

Sounds pretty cool to me. I just hope that Microsoft gets the updates out soon. I don’t want to sit around thinking about how cool these updates would be. I want to see them in action!

New Updated Nintendo Console Announcement

2011-06-06T21:31:00.006-04:00

Gamers around the world are hyped for the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) Conference in Los Angeles this week. There companies will reveal countless new games and Nintendo is expected to unveil an updated console.

So, do gamers even want a new, updated Nintendo console? According to data that was collected from Nielsen, there is almost a completely equal number of gamers that would like to see a console from Nintendo, Sony or Microsoft.

"Beyond expectations, nearly a quarter of gamers say they would buy a new console from Nintendo (27 percent) within six months of release, but a near-equal share say the same for new Sony and Microsoft consoles," Nielsen said in a blog post.

Nintendo has already confirmed that they will be showing off some new hardware at their Tuesday press conference but that won’t be happening during Sony and Microsoft’s press conferences.

Microsoft released some stats on its Xbox 360 on Friday, June 3. It showed that there is plenty of interest still in the Xbox 360, so there really isn’t a need for Microsoft to produce a new console right now; however, some are speculating that Microsoft will be announcing a new Xbox subscription TV service instead.

Sony, on the other hand, will most likely be focusing on its Next Generation Portable (NGP). The company has been posting previews about the device and the games that will be available for it on its Sony PlayStation blog.

So, because Microsoft and Sony are both focusing on things besides a new, updated console, if gamers are looking for a new console, they will either have to turn to Nintendo or simply wait on Microsoft and Sony. Nintendo said that it "will show a playable model of the new system and announce more specifications at the E3 Expo," so it will be very interesting to see what they roll out tomorrow.

Nielsen said that "Nintendo's comparatively larger Wii audience is behind much of the interest in the new Nintendo platform." They did, however, go on to say that the Wii gamers surveyed that also had experience with an Xbox 360 or PS3 "voice greater interest in a new Microsoft or Sony console than in one from Nintendo."

Nielsen reported that, despite this, it "will ultimately depend on the actual features, price point, and timing of release for the Nintendo console, versus satisfaction with currently owned platforms and other new system options."

Nielsen went on to report that the online chatter about Nintendo’s new console at the E3 conference is much higher this year than the buzz and hype was last year for the unveiling of Microsoft’s Kinect add-on for the Xbox 360. The talk about Nintendo’s new console has accounted for 22 percent of all of the current E3 talk right now. Last year, the Kinect was only able to grab 4 percent during the same period of time.

"Trended buzz shows a substantial increase in interest generated by rumors and confirmation of the new Nintendo console seven to five weeks pre-E3," Nielsen said. "This is especially so compared to 2010 buzz for Kinect and Nintendo's own 3DS handheld, which was unveiled last year at E3 as well. In the past several weeks the differences in chatter have narrowed, though it remains to be seen if any more key buzz-driving information will be released before the much-anticipated unveiling."

There is definitely a lot of hype surrounding the new Nintendo console unveiling. I personally can’t wait to see it, despite the fact that I am indeed a fan of Sony gaming products. One more day to sit and wait. I think I can make it until then.

PlayStation Store Back Online

2011-06-02T21:18:00.003-04:00

Sony announced on the evening of Wednesday, June 1st that the Sony PlayStation Store is back online! After being down for more than a month, this is big news for PlayStation owners.

According to a blog post, Sony promised that when the store got back online there would be a “huge lineup” of new downloadable games, demos, add-on content, themes, avatars and videos, and they have definitely followed through with their promises. Sony added full game trials, free games and DLC, free avatars and even more discounts.

"The PlayStation Store is back online,” said Sony, “and thank you, everyone, for your patience."

Now unfortunately, Sony’s promised “Welcome Back” package is not live yet. Last month, the company promised all of their users access to free games, movie rentals and virtual items. This was an attempt to make up for the fact that they were without service after the huge Sony PlayStation Network hack. On Wednesday Sony said that the offer "is currently in the final stages of testing and will be available to download soon; we'll be sure to let you know when."

On Thursday, June 2 Sony is releasing the next PlayStation Store and PlayStation Plus updates. Sony also said that they will be releasing some “special” releases right before the start of the E3 gaming conference in L.A.

For users who were PlayStation Plus subscribers, Sony says that they will receive access to full game trials of both “Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas 2” and “Dante’s Inferno.” There will also be almost another dozen featured games and DLC that will be free for PlayStation Plus subscribers and range from $2.99 to $9.99 for all other PlayStation users. For a full list check out Sony’s blog.

Meanwhile, while Sony can celebrate that the PlayStation Store is back online, they still have to deal with discussing the hack with the U.S. Congress. The House Energy and Commerce Committee said on Wednesday that they will be conducting a “thorough review” of the data security and electronic privacy issues that Sony has encountered during this hack.

“In this digital age we must all remain vigilant against the dangers lurking online," said Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Fred Upton (R-MI). "Illegal hacking has become one of the fastest growing crimes worldwide. As cyber-attacks become more frequent, our first step must be to strengthen data security to ensure protection of information that consumers choose to have collected and stored. Only when basic data security is addressed can we move forward to address the more complex questions about individual privacy in the digital era."

Most of the criticism that Congress has about the Sony hack is the reaction that the company had. Many members of Congress questioned why Sony took so long to notify its customers about the hack, and of course, Sony defended itself and its actions.

"On Friday, April 22nd we notified PlayStation Network customers via a post on the PlayStation Blog that an intrusion had occurred," Tim Schaaff, president of Sony Network Entertainment International, said. "That blog, by the way, has been rated one of the top-twenty most influential on the Internet, right behind the White House's blog. It has a highly visible and deeply engaging relationship with our customers and is one of the best, fastest and most direct means of communicating with them."

He continued saying that if you issue "vague or speculative statements before you have specific and reliable information—you either confuse and panic people, without giving them useful facts, or you bombard them with so many announcements that they become background noise."

Put your eye on the problem with Camera Security Now, installing security cameras since 1999. We install in the US and we can help you do it yourself.

Call us toll free 877-422-1907 between 8am EST and 5pm PST M-F. Talk to an expert about your serious security camera needs.

Preview of Call of Duty Elite

2011-06-01T11:39:00.010-04:00

While you would think that any news about Call of Duty would be focused on the upcoming Modern Warfare 3, Activision has just released details about something that you probably weren't expecting, Call of Duty Elite. Back in February Activision announced that the company was forming Beachhead Studios, a completely wholly-owned development studio charged with the task of working on Call of Duty products. Many people speculated as to what these products were going to be. Is the team working on DLC, new games or something we haven't thought of yet? Well, it seems that it was the latter with the latter being Call of Duty Elite.

Call of Duty Elite is something that Activision's Bobby Kotick has long hinted at as being the biggest moneymaker, subscription fees. Call of Duty Elite is a subscription program set to take advantage of the success of Call of Duty: Black Ops as well as the upcoming Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. Now before you go getting your panties in a bunch, Chacko Sonny from Beachhead went into great detail in order to point out that Elite is not a way to charge players to play Call of Duty online.

Elite is being touted as a "new connected service that brings together the worldwide Call of Duty community in ways we never could before." The goal of Elite is simple: "to enrich the multiplayer experience." To put it very, very simply, Call of Duty Elite is not a game, it is a service. There are three pillars to the service: Connect, Compete and Improve. Activision fervently believes that Call of Duty Elite will become a huge part of online gaming as well as connected entertainment for the company. The Call of Duty games represent a large majority of online players for both the Xbox 360 and the PS3. These games also represent a ton of gamers that Activision is hoping will sign up and subscribe to the service.

Activision recently held a pre-E3 event where Treyarch's Dan Bunting and David Vonderhaar took the stage to discuss Call of Duty Elite. The two showed off the differences between the Combat record in Call of Duty: Black Ops. The service tracks pretty much every single stat you can possibly think of in the game and pumps it into the Elite service as charts, graphs, heat maps and other stuff. Call of Duty Elite is meant to work as a learning tool in order to help you improve as a player. It is also supposed to be used as a tool to help you meet new players and give you a new way to compete with challenges and actual prizes. It is a completely decked out look at your career with Call of Duty that comes with multiple sets of multiple stats, a new showcase for your game videos, a way to track and compete with others and a lot more.

If you are somebody who loves reviewing your game stats, seeing where you excelled, seeing where you made mistakes and tweaking your game based on that, then Elite is going to blow your mind for the rest of your life. There is also a tutorial service with Elite that breaks down every weapon and piece of equipment in the game. This even comes with video insights on the proper use of certain weapons. There really is a ton of information in Call of Duty Elite. Another good feature about Elite is that you will be able to access it from anywhere. You can get it on your computer, laptop, tablet or even on your smartphone, basically anything with a web browser.

One thing that Elite is doing is allowing you to join groups which can literally be based on anything you can muster up in your mind. Have an obsession with Cthulhu? Type it in and join a group of avid Cthulhu fans. Can't get enough pistachios? I'm sure there is a group for that as well. And if you can't find a group, then make one yourself! Groups in Elite are also tiered just like real army units. Groups of 1 to 10 players are known as a Platoon, 100 is a Regiment, 1,000 is a Battalion, 100,000 is a Brigade and 1,000,000 is an Army.

Groups not enough for you? Then how about you form or join a clan? Elite offers incredible clan support similar to the kind you would see in an MMO. You can organize tournaments between your clan members as well as a lot of other stuff in the clan system. Clans also allow you to take part in all the challenges Elite has to offer. A lot of these challenges offer real-world prizes as well like unique game badges, belt buckles, t-shirts, iPads and even a custom Black Ops Edition Jeep. Challenges range from things like Best Kill screenshot or hitting the top of the leaderboards. New challenges are constantly incoming, more so then the wimpy ones already featured in Black Ops.

You are probably still wondering about the subscription fee I mentioned earlier, aren't you? Well, the good news is that a lot of the stuff in this service will be free for users at home, at least for a little bit. However, Activision is offering a Premium Membership version as well. What exactly the paid subscription grants you has yet to be released and neither has an official price tag. However, Activision has stated that the subscription fee for Call of Duty Elite will be "Less than any other comparable online service for gaming or entertainment." Call of Duty Elite is set to be released this November on the same day as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. Check out the video below for a little more information on Call of Duty Elite.

Source: G4TV - Call of Duty Elite Hands-On First Look

Computer Service Now

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Release Date Announced

2011-05-31T21:48:00.001-04:00

The ridiculously popular video game franchise Call of Duty has announced the release date of its third edition to the Modern Warfare series. Modern Warfare 3 will be released November 8, 2011, and on Tuesday, May 24 Activision also released the eagerly awaited, action-packed trailer.

News about Modern Warfare 3 began leaking out earlier this month. The gaming site Kotaku claimed that there was a leaked audio clip from the game that made a reference to SEAL Team Six. This team is the group of Navy commandoes who took out Osama bin Laden on May 2.

However, if this reference really is contained in the game, it was not a part of the official trailer that was released. The trailer instead focused on showing Call of Duty fans the incredible, first-person shooter scenes packed with non-stop action as soldiers engage in “the next global conflict.”

"It doesn't take the most powerful nations on Earth to create the next global conflict, just the will of a single man," states a brief narration in the trailer. Viewers are then shown the streets of New York, which are presumably ravaged by the Russian invasion that was imminent at the end of the second Modern Warfare.

The trailer then shows that the action continues in England, France and Germany. There are fantastically crafted clips of tank battles, air strikes, trains crashing, water battles and tons of action-packed street fights.

Although Robert Bowling, Infinity Ward’s Creative Strategist, didn’t give away many details about the game, he did say, “We definitely have some insane moments that we’re taking players to. I mean, what’s truly cool about Modern Warfare 3 is, we’re taking it out of the more ‘outskirts’ areas and bringing it in to these non-traditional conflict areas that you’re not used to seeing. Also, you’re seeing these awesome set-piece moments that you’ve never seen before in locations you’d never expect.”

This is the eighth installment in the Call of Duty series, and it reportedly takes players to more than a dozen different iconic locations all over the globe.

Infinity Ward was originally supposed to develop Modern Warfare 3, but there were some issues that led to a legal dispute between the company and Activision. These problems led to the addition of Sledgehammer Games and Raven Software to the development team.

The Call of Duty series is one of the best-selling video game franchises in gaming history, and I’m sure that Modern Warfare 3 will only be adding to that legacy. The game will be available on the Xbox 360, Sony PS3 and Nintendo Wii consoles, as well as a PC game on Microsoft Windows.

Microsoft Replacing Older Xbox 360s with Disc Problem

2011-05-23T08:20:00.003-04:00

On Thursday, May 19 Microsoft announced that it would be replacing a number of older Xbox 360 systems. The number of systems that will be replaced has not been disclosed, but according to a company spokeswoman, Microsoft will be replacing these select consoles due to a disc problem that is tied to the system’s ability to block counterfeit games.

Microsoft said that it will be replacing this small number of older Xbox 360 consoles with the newest edition of the console and a one-year subscription to Xbox Live.

Microsoft is definitely on top of things because users hadn’t even complained of a problem. Xbox 360 owner Avery Penn told the blog Kotaku that when he read the e-mail from Microsoft about replacing his gaming system, his “jaw hit the floor.” Microsoft was able to detect the issues with these select consoles before they had even occurred. They said that they were able figure out that there was an issue via its online service Xbox Live. The issues surrounding the whole event were later confirmed by Microsoft via Twitter.

At first, Kotaku was guessing that the issue was tied to an upcoming Xbox 360 update that reflashes the DVD drive to a new stock firmware and adds support to the DVD player for new XGD3 disk format; however, in an e-mail exchange between Microsoft and Kotaku, Microsoft denied the blog’s speculation.

"Following a recent update to our system software, we have become aware of an issue that is preventing a very small number of Xbox 360 owners from playing retail game discs," Microsoft said in an emailed statement Thursday. "This issue manifests itself as a unique 'disc unreadable' or 'disc unsupported' error on the screen and is unrelated to our recent public beta. We are also able to detect this issue over Xbox LIVE and are proactively reaching out to customers that may be impacted to replace their console. Any Xbox 360 owners receiving this error are encouraged to contact us at www.xbox.com/support/contact so we can verify if the console has been impacted.”

"This disc read error message is tied to a change in the disc reading algorithms in a recent software update and is not specific to older or newer versions of Xbox 360," Microsoft added.

The Microsoft representative was then asked for more details, but she said that she could not reveal anything else. "We are not disclosing the details of the issue as it impacts a sub-system intended to thwart the use of counterfeit games," she said in an emailed follow-up. "After we have verified if a customer's console is impacted, we are taking care of customers by replacing their consoles with a new Xbox 360 S 250GB, as well as giving them a one year subscription to Xbox Live for the inconvenience."

The older Xbox 360’s of those affected will be replaced with the Xbox 360 S. This is the newest version of the Xbox 360, the one that began shipping in March of last year. It will feature a 250 GB hard drive, integrated 802.11n, digital audio, and 5 USB ports.

L.A. Noire

2011-05-18T01:08:00.010-04:00

L.A. Noire is Rockstar's next leap in the realm of open world gaming with help from Team Bondi. Rockstar is known in the gaming world for primarily one thing, incredible open world story-telling. The company's last two projects, Grand Theft Auto IV and Red Dead Redemption, were massive breakthroughs in the genre that brought immense, open world environments together with gripping storylines and truly engaging and wonderful characters. However, despite all the similarities to these two games, L.A. Noire takes a slightly different approach. No longer are you a vigilante who is free to do pretty much whatever he wants. No, this time you are an L.A. police officer, hell bent on making the streets of the city safe.

L.A. Noire places you in the shoes of Cole Phelps, a WWII veteran and Rookie beat cop for the LAPD. The story takes place, if you didn't gather it from the title and everything said up until this point, in Los Angeles in the 1940s. Your job as Phelps is to investigate crimes and work your way from lowly beat cop to top notch detective. In order to do that, however, you will need to have all of your wits about you as you investigate crime scenes, look for clues, follow leads, interrogate suspects and ultimately make an arrest, you had just better hope that it's the right one.

The style of this game is unlike anything I have ever played before and that is all thanks to a little piece of technology called MotionScan. Every actor in the game was recorded using 32 surrounding cameras in order to capture every single facial expression from every angle. This is where L.A. Noire really shines. These are seriously the most realistic faces seen in a video game to date, but they are more than just something pretty to look at, they are also crucial to you in solving cases.

Cases in L.A. Noire are multi-level, in a manner of speaking. You start off by investigating the crime scene and looking for clues. Then you follow up on any leads you may have, look for more clues, interrogate suspects and ultimately make your decision of "Who dunnit?". These core gameplay mechanics are very smooth and intuitive and are also very easy to pick up.

Music, reminiscent of those old 40s and 50s beat street crime dramas, plays in the background when you enter the crime scene. You are then notified when you are near a clue in two ways: an audible chime happens in the game and the controller vibrates slightly. You pick up the interesting object and inspect it by rotating the left stick all around. If you find something interesting, then you can hit A to examine the object further. Use the left stick to move your hand from object to object and press A to pick it up and examine it. After you are done, anything of note is automatically updated to your notebook.

Your notebook has everything you need to make your way in L.A. Noire. It gives you all the clues you have found, all the people and places of interest, and all the questions you should ask each person. It is also a vital tool in interrogations as well. You select questions to ask suspects or witnesses from your notebook and then make an assumption based on the character's response. You can choose to believe what the character says, doubt it, or flat out call the person a liar, though you better have some hard evidence for the latter.

To determine which response to pick, you have to pay attention to inflections in the character's voice and changes in facial expressions. The changes are made extremely noticeable thanks to the MotionScan technology.

Each successful interrogation and closed case grants you experience. Experience allows you to unlock things like new suits and intuition points. Intuition points are like little "Help Me" tokens. You can use one to do a plethora of things to help you during a case. Having trouble finding all the clues? Just use an intuition point and all the clues will be highlighted on your radar. Can't determine if a suspect is lying or not? Use an intuition point to either remove an accusation (i.e. Truth, Doubt, Lie) or to poll the community on which answer they think is best. Think of it as a lifeline from Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. Removing an accusation is like using the 50-50 and Asking the Community is like Asking the Audience.

What would a cop drama be without combat? Nothing, I say! But, thankfully, L.A. Noire has that too. Combat in L.A. Noire is very satisfying. You will engage in everything from high speed pursuits on foot or in a car, dramatic shootouts with criminals and gangsters and hand-to-hand brawls with feisty suspects. Shooting is made easy thanks to an auto-lock feature and you don't have to stand there and get shot. Quickly duck into cover by running up to it and hitting LB. You can then move from cover to cover or pop up to take down the bad guys.

On foot pursuits are heart pounding and extremely satisfying. The music and quips from your character, mixed with the realistic interactions from the environment and your foe make for some truly pulse-pounding chases. The same goes for high speed pursuits. Take the wheel and try to tail-whip the criminal or get close enough for your partner to shoot out the tires. The one gripe I have about the combat is that the cover system can be a bit difficult at times, especially when your suspect takes off. Hopping in and out of cover could be smoother but it is an extremely minor flaw.

Graphically this game is stunning. The open world 1940s Los Angeles is a truly breathtaking environment and one heck of a game location. Lighting is very well done and the physics engine gives the game a very real feel. Rockstar isn't known for having the best graphics around so expect some pixelation here and there but nothing to get your knickers in a twist about.

What I like most is the presentation. When you transition from case to case, you are greeted with a cut scene that plays off of the old 40s and 50s cop drama, gum shoe films which gives L.A. Noire a very cinematic feel. Couple that with the incredible soundtrack, stellar voice acting and disturbingly realistic character models and you ave a recipe for awesome.

If you are not a patient person, then L.A. Noire probably isn't for you. However, if you love open world games, gripping storylines, intense characters and an all around incredible gaming experience, then this is one game you will not want to miss. L.A. Noire brings so many new things to the table that they will undoubtedly affect gaming in the future. L.A. Noire is definitely kicking off the summer gaming season with one helluva bang.

L.A. Noire is out now for the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3.

Updates on the PlayStation Network

2011-05-10T17:11:00.008-04:00

It’s been twenty days now since PlayStation has been down, and according to a report from Bloomberg, Sony’s PlayStation Network, as well as their Qriocity online service, could be down for a little while longer. Users will be without these services until at least May 31, but it could be even longer.

In an interview that was conducted by Bloomberg, Sony spokesperson Shigenori Yoshida said that the company is currently working to install an improved security system and will have its services fully operational by May 31.

The Sony PlayStation Network has been down since April 20, and Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) went down on May 2. Sony hosted a press conference in Tokyo on April 30. There the company said that it planned to have everything running again within a week, but with the outages of its SOE services as well, they simply need more time.

"We won't restore the services until we can test the system's strength" when it comes to security of the network and the safety of users' data, Sony said in a blog post on Friday. "We were unaware of the extent of the attack on Sony Online Entertainment servers, and we are taking this opportunity to conduct further testing of the incredibly complex system."

The company also stated on Friday that they had found and removed a website that had posted more than 2,500 names and partial addresses of participants in one of their 2001 product sweepstakes. According to Sony, "the website was out-of-date and inactive when discovered as part of the continued attacks on Sony.” However, the only information listed on the website was names and bits and pieces of addresses. Sony says, “No one’s credit card, social security number, password or other personal information beyond name, partial mailing address and three unconfirmed e-mail addresses were on the list.

Last week, the chairman and chief executive at Sony Howard Stringer offered an apology to all users that were affected by the massive hack. "As a company we — and I — apologize for the inconvenience and concern caused by this attack," Stringer wrote in a blog post on Thursday night. "Under the leadership of Kazuo Hirai, we have teams working around the clock and around the world to restore your access to those services as quickly, and as safely, as possible."

He also offered all individuals involved a year of free credit monitoring and an ID theft policy. This is a precautionary measure, because it is possible that whoever hacked the network could have obtained credit card information from PlayStation Network users.

Analysts are saying that the hack that Sony has suffered could cost the company up to a $1 billion in damages.

Sony said in a letter that the company sent to Congress last week that they did not know who the hackers were yet; however, the letter went on to say that Sony had found some sort of evidence from the SOE server that the Web group Anonymous was involved in the hack. The group denies the accusations.

Who knows how long it will be before the PlayStation Network is back up. It definitely sounds like it won't be within the next week or so. I'm sure that Sony is doing everything that they can to get things up and running again, so hopefully gamers won't have to wait too much longer.

File Server rentals are ideal if your company needs an extra storage unit for company information while you are testing various types of storage solutions.

Whether you need a short-term rental, or a long-term lease we have the right kind of server for your needs.

No Timeline for PlayStation Network Restoration

2011-05-05T17:34:00.005-04:00

So, if you have had any part of your ear in the gaming industry news recently or if you are a PS3 owner and avid online gamer on it, then you have undoubtedly noticed that the PlayStation Network, or PSN, is down and you will have also heard that the reason for that is because the entire service got hacked by one very crafty hacker.

The attack has left the PlayStation Network offline since May 2nd and also leaked millions of users' personal data. Sony Online Entertainment, or SOE, has yet to provide a clear timeline for exactly when the PlayStation Network will be restored to full working order. The PlayStation Network is supposed to be up, partially, sometime this week, however, SOE has only stated that services would be back up "soon".

Sony is notifying customers who may have been affected by the hack via email sent by a third-party distributor. Sony has stated that emails from SOE will contain either "soe.innovyx.net" or "soe.sony.com" in the sender field.

To go into more detail about the attack Sony has stated that the SOE incident was not a new attack but rather another similar attack that was discovered in the course of investigation into the PSN breach. SOE originally reported that no customer data whatsoever had been extracted in the attack but then, however, changed their story in a statement released on May 2nd.

SOE has stated that the hackers used sophisticated techniques in order to cover their tracks. SOE also stated that this was the reason that Sony did not initially know that SOE data was also stolen.

Both the PlayStation Network and Sony Online Entertainment have announced "make good" gestures for their customers in the form of a month of some services to all members as well as additional free days for subscribers to make up the days lost while the company investigates the incident.

Sony Online Entertainment has also outlined a plan to compensate players utilizing its DC Universe Online game. In addition to 30 days of subscription credit and compensation for days the network is down, players will also be able to receive a Batman-inspired mask when the game is up and running again.

The seriousness of this attack speaks for itself and I do not think that Sony is doing enough in terms of compensation. The free 30-day subscription for DC Universe Online players is nice.....for DC Universe Online players, however, they seem to be the only ones getting anything worthwhile out of the deal. The PS3's online services may be free but I, for one, am more than willing to pay the $60 a year for Xbox Live, so stuff like this DOESN'T happen to me.

Source: The Washington Post - Sony details PlayStation Network attack, but no timeline for service restoration

Mortal Kombat

2011-04-19T18:38:00.007-04:00

FINISH HIM! My ears have been dying to hear those sweet words for quite some time now and my waiting has finally paid off. That's right, the brand new Mortal Kombat game was released today and I am happy to say it does not suck.

If you remember, the last few MK games have quite literally been total crap. Developers began to take everything that was great about the original arcade title and add cheap mechanics to entice other audiences. What is perfect about this game is that the fantastic folks over at the newly dubbed NetherRealm Studios have taken Mortal Kombat back to its roots, back to what made the original game attract thousands of fans and disgust hundreds of politicians.

One good thing about this new title is that it is a legitimate, competitive fighting game. It also has all the gore necessary to make the most hardcore Mortal Kombat fans screech with delight. The single-player modes in this game can be kind of imbalanced, however, most people play for the competitive aspects of the game. And it is in this mode that Mortal Kombat is engaging, enthralling, exciting and just downright fun.

The story line takes you back as you relive the events of the first three Mortal Kombat games, so newbies to the series will actually know what the hell is happening. To wrap it up in a nutshell, super d-bag Shao Kahn is trying to destroy the world and kills everybody at the end of the storyline. SPOILER?! No, because Raiden then sends a message back through time to prevent it giving you the chance to alter the future!

Like I said earlier, Mortal Kombat is going back the the basics, so the side scrolling 2D fighting style is back. No more 3D 360-degree cameras to contend with and no freaking multi-level arenas (screw you, Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe). You can play one-on-one or tag-team allowing you to play with or against a friend. Each character in the game has a set of simple, basic moves and a bunch of special attacks (back, back, punch...'nuff said). Combos and special attacks are easy to figure out and execute but it may take you some time to master the art of stringing all those attacks together whilst simultaneously keeping your opponent stunned/juggled.

A new feature is the super gauge. This fills as you give and take damage and can be used in a variety of ways. There are three segments, so obviously using all three at once will give you better benefits. Using a single gauge will increase your special attacks. Two segments will allow you to break out of an opponent's combo, which is particularly useful when you fight some of the hardcore players. Unleashing all three segments will initiate an x-ray attack. This is a series of attacks that go into slow motion while an x-ray version of your opponent's insides is visible, showing you all the gruesome, internal damage you are dealing. This also deals hella damage to your opponent, just don't miss.

Mortal Kombat is a bit slower than most fighting games but that keeps pace with how the traditional game plays. It also makes executing combos oh so satisfying. There is also a ton of other stuff to love about this game. Fatalities are back and bloodier than ever. Babalities (the ability to finish off your opponent by transforming them into the baby version of themselves) is also back, which should please some of the more traditional fans.

Playing with friends is where most of the enjoyment will be received from this game. You can play either locally or online but locally is definitely the best. You don't suffer from any lag and you can personally deliver the smack talk directly to your buddy's face. Single player is a little more imbalanced and some of the boss fights are downright brutal and may make you want to hurl your console across the room (I suggest padding the walls with cushiony foam).

To put it bluntly, Mortal Kombat delivers. The game combines great visuals and extreme brutality with a terrific fighting engine. New features like the super gauge and new game modes, like a revamped King of the Hill mode, which allows you to choose your X-box or PlayStation home avatar and take him into the theater with a bunch of other players' avatars and watch actual fights until it is your turn and even interact by scoring the winner or throwing things at the screen, offer a lot of fun options to your experience.

If you were a fan of the original three games and have been dying for a good Mortal Kombat game, this is just what you have been looking for. It goes back to the basics and still makes one helluva game. Definitely one to try out.

Mortal Kombat is available now for the X-box 360 and PlayStation 3 and if you truly want an authentic Mortal Kombat experience, be sure to pick up the Mortal Kombat Fight Stick for that traditional arcade feeling.

Source: IGN - Mortal Kombat Review

Put your eye on the problem with Camera Security Now installing security cameras since 1999. We install in the US and we can help you do it yourself.

Call us toll free 877-422-1907 between 8am EST and 5pm PST M-F. Talk to an expert about your serious security camera needs.

GameStop ShopStore Soon on Facebook

2011-04-09T19:31:00.004-04:00

GameStop is looking for a new, fresh way to pull in some revenue, so how do they do it? Via Facebook, of course! On Thursday, April 7 GameStop announced that it has decided to enter into a partnership with Adgregate Markets, a social-commerce company. The video game retailer plans to open a Facebook-based store that they will call ShopStore. Currently, the plan is for the ShopStore to function exactly like GameStop’s home page. Any customer will be able to view gaming hardware and software offered by GameStop, add items to their cart and purchase them all from the ShopStore Facebook app. "Social commerce on Facebook is a natural complement to our trusted store and online networks," Kelly Mulroney, vice president of ecommerce at GameStop, said in a statement. "We have millions of customers already engaging with us on Facebook, and ShopFans gives those loyal fans more reasons than ever to shop GameStop across multiple channels." This new store that is being constructed for GameStop is based off of Adgregate Markets’ ShopFans solutions. This allows retailers to create a marketplace on Facebook for their customers. GameStop isn’t the first company to begin offering their products via the social networking giant. Old Navy, Banana Republic and Nike all have moved forward with this new form of marketing. The marketplace that GameStop and Adgregate Markets are setting up is extremely similar to GameStop’s homepage. Customers will be able to see reviews, watch product videos, etc. The ShopStore will also allow customers to preorder games that they can then pick up at a GameStop store when they are released. The members of GameStop’s PowerUp Rewards program will also be able to earn and redeem points by making purchases at the Facebook store. I think this is an incredible, as well as practical, marketing move for GameStop. Everything these days is on Facebook, so why not have a marketplace? I believe that GameStop will definitely see an increase in revenues, but we’ll just have to wait to see how it all works out.

Find out what is going on in the Tech Army World. What are the Top 10 Money Making Missions? What other companies have joined and what do they do? How do I join the Tech Army Organization ?

Rage's Campaign Completed in Only 15 Hours?

2011-04-06T13:40:00.005-04:00

Usually when you buy a video game, you get the box, an instruction manual and a single game disc that contains all the enjoyment you just paid for. However, there are the rare, yet incredible, occasions when a game is so massive that it needs to be put on more than one disc. With the advancements in modern gaming, a lot of stuff can be put on one disc, so if a game does come with more than one, you know it has a whole lot of content. There are a few games that come to mind when I think of multiple discs, Mass Effect 2, which required two discs, and Final Fantasy XIII which required three discs to play. Well, the upcoming Fallout/Borderland hybrid game from id Software, Rage, is said to be released with two discs. So, considering the games that Rage is compared to coupled with the fact that it has two discs, you would expect Rage to deliver a very long single player adventure. However, that may not be the reality we are faced with on release day. According to Tim Willits, creative director for Rage, the game's single player campaign will only take you around 15 hours to complete. In a recent interview with Official Xbox Magazine (OXM), Willits stated that the campaign only takes a lousy 15 hours to complete. Now, granted, this is long compared to your typical first-person shooter game but considering the nature of Rage's post-apocalyptic open world environment, we should have a lot more than 15 hours of gameplay. However, the report is vague. This could mean 15 hours of straight storyline main quest adventuring with no time calculated in for side quests. Fallout 3's campaign can be completed in around 20 hours if you do absolutely no side quests whatsoever. We are hoping this is the same thing here and that 15 hours will be stretched to somewhere between 50 to 100 hours. If Rage ends up being 15 hours total (including side quests), there are going to be a lot of disappointed gamers out there. Rage is one of the most highly anticipated games to come out soon and many are saying that it will be the best console game of our generation. You can read the interview in the May 2011 issue of Official Xbox Magazine (OXM) but to get the hard facts we will just have to wait until Rage is released on September 30th, 2011. Source: Examiner - Rage's 2 discs can be beaten in a day

The Security Camera Blog Get a regular infusion of new security camera technology information, video and news. Easy to subscribe in a reader or by email.

We help you stay in touch with the latest security camera features.

Game Developers want DirectX Out of the Picture According to AMD

2011-03-22T09:41:00.005-04:00

It comes as no surprise to anybody that console graphics pale in comparison to the graphical possibilities of the PC. Compare a card like the GeForce GTX 580 and its 512 stream processor to the 48 units found in the Xenos GPU of the Xbox 360 and you might as well be comparing VHS to Blu-Ray. That doesn't even take into consideration the aging GeForce 7-series that you get with the PS3.

That is why it is so amazing that, even though PC games often look much better than their console counterparts, they do not crush console graphics into oblivion. Why is this, you may ask? Well, it is primarily due to the fact that a majority of games are designed for consoles first and PCs second. AMD, however, says that this could change if PC game developers were able to program PC hardware directly at a low-level as opposed to going through an API like DirectX.

According to Richard Huddy, Worldwide Developer Relations Manager of the GPU Division at AMD, "It's funny. We often have at least ten times as much horsepower as an Xbox 360 or PS3 in a high-end graphics card, yet it's very clear that games don't look ten times as good. To a significant extent, that's because, one way or another, for good reasons and bad - mostly good, DirectX is getting in the way." According to Huddy, one of the most common requests he gets from a game developer is "Make the API go away."

"I certainly hear this in my conversations with games developers," Huddy added. "And I guess it was actually the primary appeal of Larrabee to developers - not the hardware, which was hot and slow and unimpressive, but the software - being able to have total control over the machine, which is what the very best games developers want. By giving you access to the hardware at the very low level, you give games developers a chance to innovate, and that's going to put pressure on Microsoft - no doubt at all. Wrapping it up in a software layer gives you safety and security but unfortunately tends to rob you of quite a lot of the performance, and most importantly it robs you of the opportunity to innovate."

Now you may be thinking to yourself, weren't shaders designed to allow developers to be more innovative with their graphics? Yes, as a matter of fact, they were. The ability to run programs directly on the graphics hardware definitely allows for some flexibility, especially when you get past the fixed-function shaders accompanied by DirectX 8. Yet aside from a few stranger indie games, there isn't a lot holding you back from saying that a whole lot of PC games look a whole lot like one another.

Huddy added, "The funny thing about introducing shaders into games in 2002 was that we expected that to create more visual variety in games, but actually people typically used shaders in the most obvious way. That means that they've used shaders to converge visually, and lots of games have the same kind of look and feel to them these days on the PC. If we drop API, then people really can render everything they can imagine, not what they can see - and we'll probably see more visual innovation in that kind of situation."

For the full story including an Overhead of DirectX performance and Problems with Multiple GPU Architectures head on over to bit-tech.

Source: bit-tech - Farewll to DirectX?

The Security Camera Blog

Get a regular infusion of new security camera technology information, video and news. Easy to subscribe in a reader or by email.

We help you stay in touch with the latest security camera features.

"Fastest-selling Consumer Electronic Device"

2011-03-09T21:34:00.004-05:00

On Wednesday, March 9 Microsoft announced that it has sold more than 10 million Kinect units for its Xbox 360. The device was launched by Microsoft on November 4 and has now become the fastest-selling device in the world.

On the very same day, the Guinness World Records reported that the Kinect now holds the title of the “Fastest-selling Consumer Electronic Device” in the entire world. It sold more than 8 million units in the first 60 days after its release. This statistic was released by Microsoft’s chief executive Steve Ballmer at CES in January. Between November 4 and January 3, the Kinect has sold an average of 133,333 units per day.

"The sales figures outstrip both the iPhone and the iPad for the equivalent periods after launch," Guinness World Records wrote in a blog post.
Then, between January 3 and March 9, Microsoft sold close to two million Kinect units. This is roughly the same number of devices that Microsoft sold within the first 24 days.

The Kinect has been one of Microsoft’s most successful recent products. The company’s 2010 fourth quarter revenues shot off the charts. There were rumors of a shortage of Kinects in January, and supposedly, Microsoft had to tap into February’s units.

There are more than 50 million Xbox 360 owners worldwide. Microsoft is hoping to snatch up users who don’t have a Kinect yet, as they add more than just gaming features. It now has features like controller-free Hulu and Netflix and there are hints of PC support.

"The community that has blossomed since the launch of Kinect for Xbox 360 in November shows the breadth of invention and depth of imagination possible when people have access to ground-breaking technology," Steve Clayton, director of cloud strategy at Microsoft, wrote in a blog post. "Already, researchers, academics and enthusiasts are thinking through what's next in natural and intuitive technology."

There are also promises from Microsoft to release a non-commercial SDK free download for the Kinect in the spring.

"[It] will give academic researchers and enthusiasts access to key pieces of the Kinect system—such as the audio technology, system application programming interfaces and direct control of the Kinect sensor itself," Clayton wrote.

"Supporting this community and enabling creativity around natural user interfaces (NUI) is important to us, and our hope is that this SDK will ignite further creativity in an already vibrant ecosystem of enthusiasts," Clayton wrote.

File Server rentals are ideal if your company needs an extra storage unit for company information while you are testing various types of storage solutions.

Whether you need a short-term rental or a long-term lease, we have the right kind of server for your needs.

GDC Unveils the Villain of Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

2011-03-08T13:46:00.006-05:00

While I am no fan of the PS3, the system does have one very very good game going for it and that is the Uncharted series. Both Uncharted: Drake's Fortune and Uncharted 2: Among Thieves were some of the most sold games for this generation of consoles and the third one is one of the most anticipated games of the 2011 holiday season.

One of the biggest things that people are wondering about is where the story will go from the first two games and, most importantly, who the main villain is going to be to antagonize Drake in his third trip to the PS3. GDC was lucky enough to have some playable demos available for the game and it was clear in the first few minutes that Naughty Dog was not going to hold anything back.

The GDC reveal of Uncharted 3 most likely set in stone anything you were wondering about concerning what the new game would contain. This game, like its two predecessors, is set to give you a truly enticing and riveting experience with intense action similar to the previous games and storytelling to rival Bioware. But GDC did something else for gamers by introducing them, for the first time, to the game's main villain.

The new cutscene shown at GDC introduces gamers to Katherine Marlowe, an aging British woman and head of the 400-year-old cabal associated with the Queen Elizabeth and Drake's relative Sir Francis Drake. The outset of the cutscene has Drake and Sully thrown into an alley in England where Marlowe's henchmen rough them up to the point that they are adequately subdued enough for Marlowe herself to show up.

Sure Drake has gotten himself into some pretty sticky situations before, but Naughty Dog promises that Marlowe is a real threat and the biggest one to Drake yet. While she may seem like a fiery old woman who just wants to get her hands on some treasure, she is still not someone to be taken lightly. She has some pretty rough lackies and is even capable, and willing, to do some of the dirty work herself as seen in the cutscene. Marlowe seems to favor psychological taunts as opposed to physical ones and even steals the ring Drake wears around his neck, the same ring that was important in the first game and is sure to be important in this one.

That is about all that was revealed about Marlowe at GDC, but the event did show off some other things that gamers will find interesting. The game will be running in 3D if you have a TV capable of doing so. The effects looked really smooth in 3D but it probably isn't worth buying a 3D if you don't already have one. A lot of people, however, were very interested in Katherine Marlowe and her role in the plot. Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception looks to be one helluva game and the PS3's best title for the 2011 holiday season.

Source: IGN - The Villain of Uncharted 3

Projector Rentals
Are Great for Business Meetings

Most business class projectors will do a good job displaying your PowerPoint presentation. If you have a small presentation group, a 2000 lumen LCD projector will be able to produce a nice and clear picture. For larger audiences you should consider a 5000 lumen LCD projector.

25th Anniversary of The Legend of Zelda

2011-02-22T23:15:00.003-05:00

There was a milestone that was reached in the gaming community today…“The Legend of Zelda” celebrated its twenty-fifth year of existence. Exactly 25 years ago to the day, the game was released in Japan. Eighteen months after the Japanese release, the game came to the United States, and since then, the concept has been utilized for a TV show, books, merchandise, and a fan following that has been described by some as “cult-like.”

Link and his world were first introduced in 1986 via Nintendo’s Japanese Famicom console. When it was first presented to the U.S., it went on sale for the NES. Since the game’s first appearance, there have been 15 official versions of The Legend of Zelda that have been released on Nintendo’s different consoles. It’s safe to say that the series has done quite well.

Link’s magical world was designed by legendary game designer Shigeru Miyamoto, the man who also created the Mario Brothers series. The Legend of Zelda has currently sold more than 59 million copies worldwide. It is actually the fourth best-selling Nintendo game of all time, coming in behind the first three Super Mario Brother games.

The most recent Zelda game that was released was Spirit Tracks for the Nintendo DS. This was released in December of 2009, and I can attest that I heard about it every day for months from my twelve-year-old brother before its release. Later this year, Nintendo is lined up to release the next Zelda title, Skyward Sword.

In celebration of The Legend of Zelda, the Web has been jam-packed with memorabilia from the games that have spanned across a quarter of a century. There have been a collection of the best Zelda commercials, Zelda merchandise, and even 25 facts about the games that you didn’t know.

If you are a fan of the Zelda series, than I’m sure that today was a great day of memories. Link, Zelda, and the whole cast of characters have made it through 25 years of gaming, and they’re still going strong. Hopefully, we’ll see them continue to thrill fans for at least another 25 years!

Find out what is going on in the Tech Army World.

What are the Top 10 Money Making Missions?

What other companies have joined and what do they do?

How do I join the
Tech Army Organization ?

Nightly Online Gaming Ban Taking Place in Vietnam

2011-02-22T15:51:00.006-05:00

So, I think a lot of us are taking gaming for granted. I mean, it is literally nothing for most of us to turn on our television, power up our console and hop on a game with our friends and start playing. The access we have is so perfect because nobody, unless you are 12 and have strict parents, can limit how much time we spend online playing games. That is a very special freedom in my mind and not a freedom that everybody around the world can enjoy. Just take Vietnam, for example.

If you think that you do not get enough time online with your gaming, then you should think about the things The Ministry of Information and Communication is doing over in the country of Vietnam. The Ministry of Information and Communication has called for a nightly ban of online gaming across the entire country.

According to a recent report from Vietnam news, the request was made to internet providers a week ago and demands a block on internet access to the entire country every single night from 10pm until 8am, set to begin on March 3rd.

This ban comes as yet another step in the ongoing initiative of the Vietnamese Government to limit the "negative side-effects" of online gaming. OpenNet Initiative is a global internet filtering and surveillance watchdog and has classified Vietnam's level of internet toll filtering as "substantial" due to the extremely stiff measure of internet control the government has exerted.

According to The Ministry of Information and Communication's Deputy Minister Le Nam Thang, "Provincial departments of information and communication will inspect online games activities nationwide and deal with organizations that violate regulations by cancelling their services."

So the next time you think you do not get enough time online with your Xbox, think of these poor gamers in Vietnam and be thankful you do not have a nightly ban on your gaming.

Source: IGN - Vietnam Calls For Online Gaming Ban

Details About the PlayStation Phone

2011-02-15T19:20:00.004-05:00

On Sunday, February 13, Sony Ericsson finally unveiled their newest phone, the Xperia Play, which has also become fondly known as the “PlayStation Phone,” and not only did the company reveal the Play but also two other Xperia phones, the Xperia Neo and the Xperia Pro.

According to what Sony Ericsson said at its press event at the Mobile World Conference, the Xperia Play will be launching here in the United States on Verizon Wireless’ network in March. So far, there has been no talk of a specific price, but a spokesman from Sony Ericsson said that the devices should be priced similarly to the other Xperia devices, although it will obviously vary from country to country.

"Working with Sony Ericsson to build the world's first PlayStation Certified smartphone to the nation's most reliable network builds on our commitment to deliver the best mobile gaming and entertainment experience to our customers," Jeff Dietel, vice president of marketing for Verizon, said in a statement.

Sony Ericsson said that the phone will feature a 4-inch screen, a 5 megapixel camera and will run Google Gingerbread. On top of that, the president of Sony Ericsson Bert Nordberg said it is the "first mobile device to deliver an immersive gaming experience."

When the Xperia Play launches, there will be 50 different game titles that will be available for the device. Sony says that this number will increase each week. To start off, titles including “Guitar Hero,” “Assassin’s Creed,” “Battlefield” and “Dead Space” will be available. The Play will come pre-loaded with seven games, some of which include “Asphalt Adrenaline 6,” “Tetris,” “Star Battalion” and “The Sims 3.”

So that you can truly have a fantastic gaming experience on the Play, the devices features slide out gaming controls. In place of a sliding keyboard, the Play has 4-way directional buttons and AB keys. These keys not only allow you to utilize them for gaming commands but also let you use them for navigation of the phone itself.

The device is powered by a Snapdragon, 1-GHz CPU and the Adreno 205 graphical processor. It allows for advanced gaming and 60 frames per second play-back. It comes standard with 8GB of space but can be upgraded to 32GB.

It was last month when Sony went ahead and unveiled the PlayStation Suite. It is what allows Android phones to run PlayStation content. The Play will be the very first phone to feature the PlayStation Suite. Content will be provided to the phone via a PlayStation Network Store that is scheduled to be launched by Sony by the year’s end.

Sony is also promising that there will be social media features that will allow users to somehow play against each other.

There have been rumors and speculations floating around about a PlayStation phone for months. Despite that, Sony stayed quiet until a Super Bowl ad confirmed the existence of such a device. The tagline of the ad was, "The smartphone with everything you need and the one thing you want."

Just this year at CES, Sony Ericsson went ahead and unveiled the Xperia Arc. The slim, 4.2-inch screen smartphone will run Android 2.3 and will feature a 1GHz Qualcomm second generation Snapdragon processor. Sony said that they will begin shipping the device worldwide in March. After the company’s announcement at the CES, they decided to add the Xperia Neo and Xperia Pro to the Xperia lineup as well.

According to Sony executives, the Neo will feature an 8 megapixel camera, mobile Bravia engine, TV-related features, HDMI access, HD video support, and the ability to use the Neo as a TV remote.

The Xperia Pro will include a slide out QWERTY keyboard and “smart keyboard” abilities. This feature will supposedly try to intuitively guess what application you want to use. For example, if you are reading an email and you slide out the keyboard, the Pro will automatically switch to a “reply” function.

Sony Ericsson said that both the Neo and the Pro will be running Gingerbread like the Play. Pricing has not yet been released.

The Security Camera Blog

Get a regular infusion of new security camera technology information, video and news. Easy to subscribe in a reader or by email.

We help you stay in touch with the latest security camera features.

Building a Custom Gaming PC

2011-02-08T16:46:00.004-05:00

When it comes to video games, I have always considered myself a console gamer. I loved the PlayStation 2 and was blown away by the Xbox 360 but I never really got into PC gaming. Now a friend of mine had always told me of the superiority of PC gaming and to be honest it never really interested me. But then I started getting into a lot more. I have always loved real-time strategy games (RTS) like Age of Empires and the Total War series but maxed out graphics was never within my reach and performance issues were constant.

That, coupled with the release of StarCraft 2 and the upcoming release of Star Wars: The Old Republic, was what really got the ball rolling for me on building my own custom gaming PC. Now sure, you can go online to Alienware or head on over to your local tech shop and buy a powerful gaming PC but I would only recommend that if you insist on emptying your bank account in one fell swoop. My method not only got me a gaming PC that can max out nearly any game on the market but also saved me a lot of time and money.

So let's start off with the basic components and pieces you will need to make your PC gaming dreams come true. Your basic pieces consist of a motherboard, hard drive, graphics card, RAM, power supply, disk drive, processor, tower, monitor(s), keyboard, mouse and speakers. Now knowing what to get and what makes a good deal is tough if you do not know the lingo of the computer world, so if you do not know what is good, it isn't hard to find with a quick Google search.

So let's break down my computer. We will start off with my power supply, the life force of the computer. My computer is powered by a Cooler Master Silent Pro M600 RS-600-AMBA-D3 600W power supply which I purchased off of Newegg.com for $99.99. This power supply currently has an average 5 star review (out of 5) from 184 reviews.

Next up is the hard drive. I have a 1TB Western Digital Caviar Blue hard drive that has 7200 RPM, 32MB cache and Satat 3.0Gb/s. This 1TB drive only cost me $64.99 from Newegg as well where it has an average 4 star review based on 364 reviews. A drive like this is perfect to store as many games on as you want.

I'm running 8GB (4 x 2GB) of 240-pin DDR3 SDRAM with four sticks of Corsair XMS3 RAM. Once again yet another great purchase from Newegg. This ran me $89.99 and is a perfect match for Core i5 or Core i7 processors.

Speaking of processors, I am running a used Core i7 first generation processor. Now this is where you may get hit with an added cost. Since the release of Intel's second generation processors, it is extremely hard to find the processor I am using. Newegg has a slew of new ones running anywhere from $280 to $350, but if you can find an old version somewhere that is in good condition, then I would highly recommend getting it.

For my motherboard I went with the Asus Sabertooth X58 LGA. This board is really slick and supports Core i7, Quad-GPU SLI and Quad-GPU CrossFireX and USB 3.0. It has seven USB ports total and was only $199.99 on Newegg.

For my disk drive I went with a Lite-On 24X DVD+R drive. It can burn and write CDs and DVDs and even came with Nero in case I decide to make my own movies and edit the menus or tweak other settings. This is your standard disk drive and can be found on Newegg for $17.99.

Now if you are going to game on a PC, you need maxed out graphics. There is really no sense in building a gaming rig if you are going to skimp on the graphics. I chose to go with the XFX HD-487A-ZWFC card from Radeon. This card has it all, like PCI Express 2.0 x16, 750MHz clock speed, 800 Stream processing units, 900MHz effective memory clock, 1GB memory size, DirectX 10.1, two DVI slots and a max resolution of 2550x1600. This card can max out any game you want with the exception of something like Crysis. I got this card on Newegg as well for $154.99.

That takes care of the insides and now we are on to the outside. All of that power is housed inside the Antec Nine Hundred Two tower. This is a medium-sized case with a bottom mounted power supply, side panel window, three external 5.25" drive bays, six internal 3.5" drive bays, an internal bottom-mounted 2.5" SSD drive, two USB 2.0 front ports, one USB 3.0 front port and audio in and out. The case itself glows blue and has a very quiet fan. You can pick this up on Newegg for $119.99, but I have seen it cheaper at places like BestBuy and other computer stores.

I am writing this review on two 23-inch emachine wide LCD flat panel monitors. They both have a 16:9 aspect ratio, full 1080p HD (1920x1080), on-screen display controls and a 5ms response time. All the function buttons are on the bottom of the display right under the emachine logo and are very easy to get to. They look great and have a very crisp picture. I was running StarCraft 2 earlier on max settings and the picture was very very good. I got these as a part of a Black Friday deal at Microcenter for $118.00 each. The catch was a limit one per household so I hope you have a good friend that is willing to go out with you. Average price is about $140 and higher.

I have Logitech speakers, the Logitech X-530 to be precise. They offer 5.1 surround sound with a bass speaker. So far, they are working perfectly and offer excellent sound quality and let's just say that Dead Space is pretty scary with surround sound.

I went for consistency with my peripherals. My mouse,keyboard and headset are all made by Razer. My mouse is the Razer DeathAdder gaming mouse which has 3500dpi. My keyboard is the Razer Lycossa gaming keyboard which features blue illuminated keys, WASD cluster lighting and a touch panel in the top right. Finally, my headphones are the Razer Carcharias gaming headset which has a noise filtering microphone as well as an inline remote. The mouse, keyboard and headset can all be found on Newegg for $49.99, $79.99 and $79.99 respectively.

I like how my mouse, keyboard, headset and tower all glow blue together. For me it makes everything flow together nicely and match perfectly so everything looks nice together. So let's do a quick run down on every piece and how much this will cost you in total:

COOLER MASTER Silent Pro M600 RS-600-AMBA-D3 600W ATX12V V2.3 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Bronze Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply - $69.99

Western Digital Caviar Blue WD10EALS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - $64.99

CORSAIR XMS3 8GB (4 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model CMX8GX3M4A1333C9 - $95.99

ASUS Sabertooth X58 LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard - $199.99

XFX HD-487A-ZWFC Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card - $154.99

LITE-ON Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA CD/DVD Burner - $17.99

Intel Core i7-2600 Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I72600 - $299.99

Antec Nine Hundred Two V3 Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - $69.99

eMachines E233Hbd Black 23" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 DC 80000:1(1000:1) - 2 at $118.00 ($236.00)

Logitech X-530 70 Watts 5.1 Speaker - $69.99

RAZER DeathAdder Precision Optical Gaming Mouse - 3.5G Infrared Sensor - $49.99

RAZER Lycosa Black USB Wired Game Keyboard - $79.99

RAZER Carcharias 3.5mm Connector Circumaural Professional Gaming Headset - $79.99

That brings our grand total to $1,587.89 which is not bad considering some of the base Alienware computers are around that price and that is without a monitor, peripherals or sound. Now mine was slightly less than that. I didn't have to buy a brand new $300 Core i7 and my speakers, keyboard, mouse and headset were gifts which knocks off nearly $280 right there. If you pick your pieces right and buy in increments, you will definitely have no problem affording a high powered gaming rig like mine. I am thoroughly impressed by all my components and could not be happier with my computer's performance and style.

New Virtual Keyboard UI from Circboard

2011-02-07T22:15:00.004-05:00

Do you ever get tired of having to deal with attempting to type things out with your game controller? If you don’t have a keyboard for your game system, typing anything out can be a very frustrating thing.

Well, Circboard is trying to eliminate some of that frustration. They have been working extremely hard to reinvent the virtual keyboard UI (user interface).

Instead of having a traditional keyboard format like a QWERTY keyboard or even a ABCDEF-style keyboard, Circboard has formulated an entirely different kind of keyboard format. They decided to consolidate the characters into groups of four that then allow you to press the corresponding buttons on your controller for the letter. For example, on the Xbox 360’s controller, in the first group of four you will press the Y button for A, the X button for B, the A button for D, and the B button for C. The shoulder buttons then take the place of the space and backspace buttons, the left trigger takes the place of the caps and shift buttons, the D-pad navigates through the text, and the right trigger brings up a second layer of symbols and numbers that can’t fit on the primary wheel.

This new innovation is currently just being utilized for games and applications, but it could definitely be integrated into more than that in the future. The technology has not yet been released, but the development team said on its site that “a fully functional PC demo for everyone to try will be coming out very soon!"

The Security Camera Blog

Get a regular infusion of new security camera technology information, video and news. Easy to subscribe in a reader or by email.

We help you stay in touch with the latest security camera features.

Dead Space 2

2011-01-25T09:53:00.011-05:00

(Brace for onslaught of angry fanboy hate) I did not like Dead Space. I found the controls clunky and the gameplay to be slow, and I didn't really finish the game. That being said, I found it on Steam for $6.80 so I have decided to give it another chance. However, that is beside the point because I am here to discuss Dead Space 2, the sequel to the game which, from what I was told, was pretty amazing.

The original Dead Space was all about tactical precision, sick monsters and badass kills, but Dead Space 2 is about much more than that. A mere three years after the events of the original game our hero Isaac Clarke is facing just one necromorphic nightmare after another. Dead Space 2 finds Clarke aboard the Sprawl, a giant space station that is, you guessed it, overrun by the necromorphs, the reanimated bodies turned monsters from the first game. From the very first second of the game Clarke is fighting for his life......again.

In this game you will pick up your plasma cutter, throw on your engineering suit and get ready to dismember as many freaky monsters as you can without getting your head ripped off (trust me it happens, a lot). The main goal of Dead Space 2 is to find a religious idol known as the Marker which is causing all of this chaos. But that isn't all, players must also contend with the internal war Clarke is struggling with. After the events of the original game, I think it is safe to say that Clarke is a little shaken up. I don't know, maybe it's the fact that Clarke's girlfriend was brutally killed in the last game on the ship he encouraged her to work on. That would get me pretty messed up too.

Clarke is slowly slipping into insanity in Dead Space 2 and it makes for a truly gripping story. Our hero doesn't let anybody in on how he is going loopy so only you as the player get to see into the darker recesses of his mind. The game adds some internal monologues i.e. Alan Wake as well as some hallucinations that really add to the theme. But what many fans will be looking for in Dead Space 2 is the combat and in this game it is oh so satisfying.

In this game your character is faster and lighter on his feet which is a big upgrade from the first game. Stomping crates and bashing bodies for loot are just the beginning. Why cut off the limbs of a necromorph when you can bash them with a telekineticly thrown crate? Heck, why don't you try mixing and matching all of these things together to see what kind of crazy combos you can come up with? One thing that is particularly enticing is slowing down an approaching foe, blasting off an appendage and impaling the poor sucker to the wall with it.

Visceral, creators of the game, took out the crap that slowed down the first game. Stuff like backtracking and becoming disoriented are a thing of the past which makes Dead Space 2 faster and more heart pounding then ever. Paths that you need to travel are clearcut making it easy to navigate, just be prepared to cut your way through anything and everything to get where you need to go.

Multiple playthroughs are possible due to the fact that you can play each one differently. There are some classic weapons as well as some new ones, and if you add that with Clarke's telekinesis, suit and stasis module (all of which can be upgraded), then you have a plethora of ways to destroy your foes. This progress can also be saved and carried over into a new game if you want.

Visceral had said that Dead Space 2 was going to contain a lot more action and that didn't sit well with some of the hardcore fans. However, they can all shove it because the action works and it is awesome. Clarke is badass and with good reason. Maybe fans of the first game were too busy peeing in their pants to notice that he took out an entire ship of these things by himself last time. Clarke was scared in the first game. Now, having lost everything, he is out for some revenge.

For hardcore fans of the game, and I mean hardcore, like eating shards of glass for breakfast hardcore, there is a mode known as, well, "hardcore" mode. Enemies are the toughest you have ever seen, supplies are scarce, checkpoints are gone and when you die you restart from your last save point. Oh, and did I mention you can only save your game three times in hardcore mode? Yeah, it's that insane.

The whole "go to point A, push said button, kill advancing enemies" routine may get old for some, and the overall narrative is not as exciting compared to Clarke's inner demons. The other characters in the game are little more than slave drivers dictating your every move. So those are some faults. Another less than stellar aspect is the multiplayer. Players are split into two teams: humans and necromorphs. The human team has an objective to complete and the necromorphs are there to make sure they don't achieve it. The multiplayer sort of feels added on at the end.

Thankfully, the single player is good which is why people are going to want to play this game. A step up and in the right direction from the previous game, Dead Space 2 is something every fan of the original should get. People expecting to get this on the PlayStation 3 will be pleased to know that they will also get Dead Space Extraction as well and that the game is compatible with the traditional PS3 controller as well as PlayStation Move. The game is available now for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC.

Source: IGN

A Tech Travel Agent can get a laptop to you within 24 business hours in over 1000 cities worldwide. Call 800-736-8772

We have 3987 Installers, Technicians and Engineers stationed in nearly 1000 locations worldwide to serve you.

Killzone 3 Should Have a Much More "Fluid" Gameplay

2011-01-19T21:42:00.003-05:00

Fans of Killzone will be happy to hear that according to Guerrilla Games, Killzone 3 should feature much more “fluid” gameplay. The game developer says that it has been working out all of the issues associated with the game’s frame rate and cover system. They are confident that fans will be very pleased with gameplay of the highly anticipated sci-fi sequel. Killzone 3 will offer a much smoother gameplay experience than its predecessors.

Game director Mathijis de Jonge is the source that revealed all of this information about Killzone 3. He said that numerous gamers complained about a variety of issues with Killzone 2, but Jonge says that they have all been ironed out for the sequel, which will be launching next month.

"[While] we were still tweaking and checking framerate, I checked this game back-to-back with Killzone 2 and have to say that it plays so much more fluidly. Also, the adjustments we made to lean-and-peek - you can actually slide into cover now, vault over, brutally melee your enemies - it feels more fluid, stutters less. There are fewer points of irritation,” he told Edge.

He continued saying, “[The] thing with Killzone 2 was there were some quite technical problems in the controls, actually, and I think we've solved those now.”
"There was a lot of lag... by fixing those issues we've lost a bit of that weighty feeling. We've tried to maintain that original experience, but if we'd kept it as slow, we'd run into the danger of losing some people, moving too far away from our competitors."

Studio chief Herman Hulst commented on the upcoming game as well. He said that he thinks that fans will be pleased with the game’s environment. He went on saying that there will be a much greater diversity in terms of the locations that gamers will be able to visit.

"A big improvement over Killzone 2 is that we're looking to have pretty much a unique setting for each level...,” he said.

"We're going from the Helghast interpretation of jungle to very Killzone-esque scrapyards, and at the end we go into space. It's a big departure from Killzone 2, where the first five levels were all urban settings."

Killzone 2 was an incredible game, but everything about Killzone 3 seems even better. Hopefully this highly anticipated game will meet the expectations that people are setting for it. I can’t wait to actually get the opportunity to play Killzone 3 after all of the hype. For those that are as excited as I am, we don’t have much longer to wait. Guerrilla Games will be releasing Killzone 3 in the United States on Tuesday, February 22.

Decrease in Overall Gaming Sales, But Records Still Broken

2011-01-16T16:23:00.005-05:00

Despite all of the new games, accessories, and improved gaming systems that were released this past year, gaming sales in 2010 definitely went down. Yes, there were huge accomplishments like Microsoft selling 8 million Kinect accessory packages in the first 60 days after its release, and the fact that the company sold more Xbox 360s this year than ever before, but sales numbers were still lower than last year.

On Thursday, January 13 the NPD Group published their December and annual reports concerning video games in 2010. The reports said that the total sales for video games in 2010 reached $18.58 billion. They went on to explain that this sales figure was less than the past two years. Sales in 2009 were $19.66 billion while video games brought in $21.4 billion in 2008.

NPD did offer an explanation for the drop in sales. They said that they could be attributed to the 13 percent dip in spending on console hardware and a 6 percent drop in new video game software sales. The firm went on to say that consumer spending for new and used games, as well as downloadable games, have dropped by one percent. Now on the other hand, the sales of video game accessories have gone up. In 2010 the sale of all video game accessories jumped a whole 13 percent above the sales numbers from 2009. For the month of December alone, sales reached $853.2 million.

One of the biggest contributors that even allowed the gaming sales numbers to be what they are for 2010 was Microsoft’s Xbox 360. Sales of consoles went up 42 percent in 2010 over what they were the year before. December was a record setting month for the five-year-old console. Sales numbers showed that Microsoft sold 1.9 million units, making it the best-selling month ever for the gaming platform.

Microsoft said that to accommodate the unexpected demands in December they had to make units available that had been set aside for January and February production runs. "Despite this, Microsoft still experienced out of supply situations in late December,” a Microsoft spokesperson said in a statement that confirmed the news of the shortage. “It [Microsoft] expects supply constraint to continue in January and February as it works with retail and manufacturing partners to expedite production and shipments to replenish the channel."

Although Microsoft definitely had incredible sales numbers in December, the company with the top overall hardware sales for 2010 was Nintendo. The company sold more than 8.5 million DS systems for the year, as well as 7 million Wii consoles. For the month of December, the company sold 2.5 million DS units and 2.3 million Wii units.

Now everyone needs to remember that overall gaming sales also include PC gaming. In 2010 PC gaming has had a small increase since 2009. Its sales numbers grew an overall 3 percent over last year’s numbers in terms of selling software. NPD reported that consumers in 2010 seemed to spend more of their money on used games, game downloads, and digital copies of games. There were some new games in 2010 though that did definitely make a fine contribution to the PC gaming sales numbers. Blizzard’s World of Warcraft : Cataclysm expansion pack and the highly-anticipated Starcraft sequel, Starcraft 2: Wings of Liberty, combined to account for 14 percent of the total PC gaming sales for the year.

On the console side there were some new games that definitely upped the gaming sales this year. The best of these include: Activision’s Call of Duty: Black Ops, EA’s Madden NFL 11, Microsoft’s Halo: Reach, and Nintendo’s New Super Mario Bros. Wii. Of these games Black Ops definitely nabbed the top spot. In the first two months, more than 12 million copies of the game were sold.

Although gaming sales have declined the past two years, plenty of records are still being broken, and we can all definitely agree that gaming itself isn’t declining. There were some great accomplishments, broken records, and new games that we saw in 2010. Who knows what will happen in 2011, but I’m sure that there will be even bigger and better things to come.

Find out what is going on in the Tech Army World.

What are the Top 10 Money Making Missions?

What other companies have joined and what do they do?

How do I join the
Tech Army Organization ?

Details on The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

2011-01-11T16:57:00.006-05:00

If you don't know about The Elder Scrolls by now, then you must not know a lot about video games. Well, Bethesda is back with their next big hit, and it comes in the form of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, sequel to The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. The latest issue of Game Informer had some pretty fresh gameplay details on this newest installment in the Elder Scrolls series.

The setting of Skyrim is 200 years after the events of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, and the world of Tamriel has seen better days. Elves have taken over the empire, the Blades are gone, hate is brewing between the Nords and civil war is on the verge of breaking out. Oh, and if you remember that big dragon the Elder Scrolls kept talking about, well, he has arrived too. Players will take control of the last remaining Dragonborn, a dragon hunter anointed by the gods to help defeat the threat.

The world of Skyrim is made up of five massive cities that range from frozen tundras to rocky mountain tops. Players will also engage with new wildlife like saber-toothed cats and wooly mammoths. The combat in the game is getting an overhaul as well. Players will have the ability to equip weapons and spells to either hand at any time and even dual wield two of the same weapon. A new customizable menu is also being added in order to easily swap loadouts on the fly.

The character class system is also gone and the leveling system has been reworked as well. Skills will be leveled up the more they are used which contributes to your overall level growth. According to Todd Howard, a designer at Bethesda, "Raising one skill from 34 to 35 is going to level you faster than increasing one from 11 to 12." Players can also increase past level 50 though doing so is much slower at that point.

Bethesda has also added the perk system seen in Fallout 3 where each new level gained allows you to add special abilities to your character like damage increases to dagger stealth attacks or having your mace ignore the armor of enemies. The conversations you have with NPCs is also more realistic. Aside from adding a bunch more voice actors, the AI will move around and continue on with activities while you speak with them. You will also find more activities in towns like farming, mining, woodcutting and cooking.

The menu has also seen a change. Howard stated that the team used, of all things, Apple's iTunes as inspiration and direction. Players will be greeted with a compass-style overlay that has four options. These options include Skill, Inventory, Map and Magic. Weapons and spells can be tagged as a favorite for quick selection and every item has a 3D object that can be viewed and examined. If Bethesda keeps up with these positive changes, then Skyrim may very well be the best game in the series.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is set to be released on November 11, 2011 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC.

Source: IGN

SMBnow.com is news of, for and by SMBs!
SMBnow.com... The Small & Medium Business Magazine!

Clarification About the 3DS Warning

2011-01-11T13:04:00.004-05:00

Just a few weeks ago, I wrote a blog about the warning that Nintendo released concerning their 3DS that will soon be available. I talked about the effect that Nintendo said the 3DS’s screen could have on young children’s eyes. Well, at the Consumer Electronics Show, Reggie Fils-Aime, the president of Nintendo for America, spoke about the recent reports concerning the company’s 3DS. He wanted to clarify the extent of the hazardous effects that the gaming device could have on young children.

Fils-Aime was interviewed recently by Gearlog’s Brian Heater. He claimed that the warning that Nintendo put out about their 3DS is very common when it comes to any kind of 3D display.

"Essentially, there's manipulation of your vision being done to get the 3D effect, and we're recommending that not happen for children six and under," he said. "All 3D devices carry a similar warning. Some of them, the age begins at six, some of them they say seven and under. What we’re saying is six and below should not experience the 3D images."

He went on saying that Nintendo has very similar warnings for many of their existing devices. "We do that with every device. With the Wii we recommend that you take a break and go outside. We're recommending the same thing. The insight here is, anything you do for an extended period of time, it'll put stress on your eyes."

The 3DS is a portable device that delivers 3D images without gamers having to wear any special 3D glasses. Fortunately, for concerned parents the 3DS also has a 2D mode that is completely safe for children of all ages. This allows gamers who are younger or have a disability and cannot safely experience the 3D mode to still have the opportunity to enjoy the device.

"The screen, even in 2D mode, is substantially better than any DS we've done to date," Fils-Aime said. "So even if you were going to use it only in 2D mode, there's a substantial experience that you can have."

Although the warning about the 3DS was released by Nintendo when the device was revealed in the summer, no one really seemed to pay any attention to it until late December when the 3DS quickly became the center of scrutiny by the media. The warning is posted on the Japanese Nintendo Web site. Translated it says, "Vision of children under the age of six has been said [to be in the] developmental stage. [3D content] delivers 3D images with different left and right eye images, [which] has a potential impact on the growth of children's eyes."

Fils-Aime warned that even older children who are using the 3DS should take a break from viewing the 3D content. Every 30 minutes or if users are feeling sick at all, gamers should take a break from their 3D device. In the past, Nintendo has advised gamers to take a break from their hand-held devices every hour, but since 3D causes eye fatigue much more quickly than 2D game play, this is why Nintendo decided that the 30 minute intervals were more appropriate for the 3DS.

One issue that needed to be addressed though was the 3D movies that the 3DS can play. Movies are obviously a lot longer than a mere 30 minutes, so what are kids supposed to do? Do they have to take a break from the movie every 30 minutes? That’s not exactly practical when we’re talking about kids here. Fils-Aime commented on the situation saying that parents will just need to use their best judgment when it comes to letting their kids watch 3D movies on the 3DS. If it seems as though their children’s eyes are getting fatigued, they should suggest that they take a break.

Fils-Aime also pointed out the convenient parental control feature that is built into the 3DS. It allows any concerned parents to turn off the 3D mode on the device.
I think that this clarification about the 3DS was a good move for Nintendo. People were a little freaked out when they first heard about the warning, but now that they know that Nintendo has similar warnings for most of their devices just as a precautionary measure, they should hopefully feel a little better.

The 3DS will soon be released, and like a lot of people, I absolutely can’t wait.

Windows OS Created Within LittleBigPlanet

2011-01-04T11:03:00.007-05:00

There are plenty of interesting things that intense gamers like to do with their games like create new characters, levels, etc., but it’s not every day that you see gamers creating entire operating systems within a game. Well, PlayStation users “Boss_Mob,” “SaggySackBoy,” tomatenbrei,” and “daFRED94” decided to all come together to develop the very first operating system created within a video game.

How did they do it, you might ask? Well, the four amateur developers used the PS3’s LittleBigPlanet’s built-in level creation tools to redesign what has been referred to as a “faithful homage” to the Microsoft Windows operating system. This design includes the Windows XP startup sounds, a working start menu, a recycle bin, and much more.

Now, of course this isn’t an exact replica of the Windows XP OS. It’s more of a mash-up of different Windows software. The creation from the four designers allows access to various aspects of the OS. You can do things like pull up “My Pictures” from the start menu with your working mouse cursor and bring up portraits of the various Sackboy characters that you have created. You can also do things like listen to music in your very own LittleBigPlanet-themed version of Windows Media Player that even includes working visualizations.

On top of everything, you can also play games within the game. Windows: LBP has two different exclusives games included with the OS like Windows XP has the ever so popular Minesweeper and Solitaire. These games from Windows: LBP, an asteroid-style shooter and a dodging falling blocks game, are available for users to play on the mock OS system within LittleBigPlanet.

Despite all of these incredible features included within LittleBigPlanet, the best feature is the working Windows: LBP Internet Explorer browser that can be utilized from within the game. All you need is a keyboard that hooks into your PS3. You can utilize the built-in “software” featured in LittleBigPlanet to run Google searches from within the game. Other than that, you can’t do much surfing on the Web, but who cares? I think that it’s just cool that you can even do a Google search.

One thing that you can do on the created Windows OS that you would not want to do on the real Windows OS: the designers made a way for players to “beat” the Windows: LBP level.

I think that this is absolutely incredible! I never would have even thought of creating an OS within LittleBigPlanet let alone actually figured it out. I don’t know who the guys are that designed the OS, but they are really creative and did an awesome job. The fact that you can actually do a Google search on a fake Windows OS system from within LittleBigPlanet is just really cool.

Click here to see the video that shows off the operating system that the LittleBigPlanet enthusiasts created. Now, the video does spoil the ending, so definitely watch with caution, but if you’re curious about the “Windows OS”, then you should check it out.

Looking for a way to really spruce up your event booth? Why not try a Plasma Display Rental? Renting Audio Visual equipment for your next event can be a real money saver if you aren't looking to spend a lot of money. Rentacomputer.com has been providing technological rentals to over 1000 cities worldwide for more than 20 years. Call 800-736-8772.

Nintendo's 3DS Possibly Damaging to Young Children's Eyes

2010-12-28T20:41:00.006-05:00

If you were thinking about buying your preschooler a Nintendo 3DS, the latest information about the gaming device may cause you to want to wait a few years. Nintendo has posted a warning before its Nintendo World 2011 demo that suggests that children under the age of six should not use the device with its 3D functions.

"Vision of children under the age of six has been said [to be in the] developmental stage," stated a note that was posted to Nintendo's Japanese site. It continued saying that 3D content, including the 3DS, "delivers 3D images with different left and right eye images, [which] has a potential impact on the growth of children's eyes."

Nintendo is now recommending that parents use the parental controls on the device that only allow their younger users to play on the 3DS in its 2D mode. Nintendo says that the device offers “enough for everyone to enjoy.”

Nintendo is also recommending that 3DS users of all ages should take a break from the 3D content that the device provides every 30 minutes or if users are feeling sick at all. Usually, Nintendo advised gamers to take a break from their hand-held devices every hour, but since 3D causes eye fatigue much more quickly than 2D game play, they decided that the 30 minute intervals were more appropriate for the 3DS.

Nintendo came right out and said, "If your physical condition worsens or you become ill, please stop playing at once."

Kotaku does point out the fact that Nintendo had previously warned parents against letting their younger children use the 3D function on the 3DS, but I guess they felt the need to reiterate their warning before revealing and demonstrating the 3DS at Nintendo World 2011. The event is taking place in Japan from January 8-10. Nintendo will be showing off the 3DS to the public for the very first time. According to Escapist, children under the age of six will not be allowed to use the 3DS at the event due to the warnings about its 3D features.

Right now, the game lineup for the Nintendo 3DS includes: Metal Gear Solid Snake Eater 3D: The Naked Sample, Winning Eleven 3DSoccer, Street Fighter IV 3D Edition, Resident Evil Ribereshonzu, and more.

If you’re looking at getting the Nintendo 3DS, you may want to head to your local GameStop store to reserve your device. According to a GameStop manager, the gaming retailer is now accepting pre-orders across the nation. Unfortunately, the GameStop manager was not exactly sure how much the device will cost or when specifically it will be released.

Nintendo initially stated that they would be releasing the portable 3DS gaming device in March. The company claimed that the device would “succeed [the] Nintendo DS series.”

Since that initial statement, Nintendo has announced that they will only be releasing the 3DS in the United States and Europe in March. They also revealed earlier in the year that the device would be selling for $300 in Japan, but they have not yet announced the specific price that the device will cost in the U.S. and Europe.

The Nintendo 3DS is a highly-anticipated portable gaming device. My twelve year old brother can’t seem to shut up about the 3D capabilities of the device. I think that the concept is intriguing, but I can’t really picture how the device will really work. It will be great to see what the 3DS is really all about in March. Until then, we will all have to wait patiently for Nintendo to release the ground-breaking technology that will be featured in the gaming device.

SMBnow.com is news of, for and by SMBs!
SMBnow.com... The Small & Medium Business Magazine!

Pre-orders Now Available for the Nintendo 3DS

2010-12-28T11:12:00.006-05:00

Nintendo completely revolutionized the handheld gaming industry when they released their DS back in 2004. Well, here we are six years later and the company is about to rock the handheld gaming market again with their release of their newest device the 3DS. The 3DS is a handheld gaming device that is said to deliver 3D images without the need of 3D glasses. Another unique feature about the device is that instead of projecting 3D images towards the viewer it concaves images away from the viewer giving a 3D effect.

The device is one of the most talked about gaming platforms this year and is one of the boldest projects to come out of Nintendo since the Wii. According to reports that hit the internet earlier today, people who cannot wait to get their hands on the device can throw down a pre-order for the 3DS at any GameStop location, who are now accepting pre-orders according to an inside source.

According to the source, "Yes, we have started taking reservations, though we do not know what the price will be, what colors will be available or when it will release." That seems to be the gist of all the information on the 3DS. Nobody seems to know when it will release or how much it will cost when it does release. In fact, the only release date and pricing that are available is in Japan where the 3DS will retail for around $300 and will release on February 26th, 2011.

There are a few other things available for pre-order at GameStop including Sims 3, Lovely Lisa, Cartoon Network Super-Toon Rumble and Madden NFL Football. No information has been released about when other retailers, like Amazon or Best Buy, will get pre-order availability, but it is speculated that the 3DS will launch in March 2011. I guess we will just have to wait until Nintendo's press event scheduled to take place on January 19, 2011.

Source: G4TV, IGN

SMBnow.com is news of, for and by SMBs!
SMBnow.com... The Small & Medium Business Magazine!

Great Success with "Black Ops" Despite the Legal Issues Activision is Facing

2010-12-25T21:22:00.005-05:00

Activision Blizzard, the video game producer of game franchises like “Call of Duty” and “World of Warcraft,” is looking to add Electronic Arts to the already ongoing lawsuit that was originally filed against two former Activision employees. According to Activision, EA tried to “destabilize, disrupt and destroy” their company.

The legal issues began back in March 2010 when Jason West and Vince Zampella, the founders of “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare” developer Infinity Ward (which was acquired by Activision in 2003), sued Activision. They filed the lawsuit against Activision for allegedly firing them so that the company could avoid paying royalties for the $1 billion game.

Activision claimed that the two men were fired on March 1, 2010 for reasons including “breach of contract” and “insubordination,” and the company even went as far as to have the two men escorted out of their offices during a work day by a security team.

In April the men formed yet another video game studio that they named Respawn. They then proceeded to sign a very exclusive publishing and distribution contract with Activision’s biggest rival, Electronic Arts. After word of the contract got out, Activision then decided to countersue for breach of contract and employee poaching.

According to the document that was filed with the California Superior Court in Los Angeles on Tuesday, December 21, Activision is adding EA to its complaints and is suing for a total of $400 million.

An amended complaint that was posted by Kotaku claimed that Activision said that EA was allegedly funding some sort of way for West and Zampella to poach key talent from Activision.

"Unable to compete with Activision and Infinity Ward, and upon information and belief, enraged by the recent defection of two Electronic Arts executives to Activision (unlike West and Zampella, the executives who left Electronic Arts were not under employment contracts) Electronic Arts was determined to retaliate. Electronic Arts set out to destabilize, disrupt and to attempt to destroy Infinity Ward,” Activision wrote.

EA did not immediately respond to many different requests for comments, but finally spokesman Jeff Brown said, “This is a PR play filled with pettiness and deliberate misdirection. Activision wants to hide the fact that they have no credible response to the claim of two artists who were fired and now just want to get paid for their work."
On December 21, the same day that Activision filed their complaints with the California Superior Court about EA, the company also announced that its “Call of Duty: Black Ops” had shown no signs of slowing down and had brought in more than $1 billion in worldwide sales since the game's release in November.

"In all of entertainment, only 'Call of Duty' and 'Avatar' have ever achieved the billion dollar revenue milestone this quickly," Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard, said in a statement. "This is a tribute to the global appeal of the Call of Duty franchise, the exceptional talent at Treyarch and the hundreds of extraordinary people across our many Call of Duty studios, including Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer, that work tirelessly on the franchise."

As of Tuesday players of Black Ops have collectively logged in close to 600 million hours of gameplay. Most of the people who own the game log on more than once a day and usually play for more than an hour. Activision also said that more than half of that time is being spent playing against friends.

When the game was first released on November 9, Activision sold more than $650 million worth of games in the first five days. This exceeded the previous top earner “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2” which sold about $100 million less than “Black Ops.” By the end of the month, Activision had sold 8.4 million units.

Activision is obviously having some problems with all of the lawsuits and counter lawsuits, but they are definitely continuing to do well concerning “Black Ops” and many of their other games. It will take some time for them to sort through all the legal mess, but in the meantime, they will continue to produce incredible games and further their company. They might even possibly address the rumored and highly debated release of Modern Warfare 3 soon. Until then, we will all have to sit back and wait to see what happens.

SMBnow.com is news of, for and by SMBs!
SMBnow.com... The Small & Medium Business Magazine!

Dead Nation: Just Another Zombie Game?

2010-12-20T23:13:00.008-05:00

The zombie craze continues. Housemarque released Dead Nation, yet another zombie killing game, on Tuesday, November 30. It was given the editor’s choice award at Just Push Start. “Dead Nation is a must buy hands down,” they said. “In a market where the zombie genre is slowly taking over, this game stands above most of them to provide a superior experience.”

Zombie games are definitely prominent in the gaming market. If the undead were ever to attempt to take over, gamers will know to grab their baseball bats, flamethrowers, and chainsaws to take them out. This year there has already been the release of Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare and Dead Rising 2, so Dead Nation was a perfect addition to the zombie-focused lineup. The game offers a co-op, multi-directional, twin-stick shooter adventure that is packed full of a variety of ghouls with different strengths and skill levels and plenty of entertaining ways to pick them off.

The premise of the game involves you moving around 10 different levels of streets, parks, and buildings in a fictional town which is overrun with zombies. On the most difficult level the campaign lasts around 8-10 hours. Your character, who can be either male or female, is controlled with the left analog stick. That leaves the right stick for aiming. Your character holds a torch beam that is very useful. It allows you to light some of the dark areas where zombies are often lurking in the shadows ready to pounce. While you’re out slaughtering zombies, you can also search cars for weapons, armor, and a variety of other types of loot.

The great thing about Dead Nation is that you are given the ability to develop your character to suit your playing style. You can decide to focus on pouring the money you collect into upgrading your favorite weapons or maybe collecting the most protective armor.

One of the keys to succeeding with Dead Nation is developing a strategy. It is essential to know when to utilize your dash, melee, or attention grabbing items like a grenade if you have a chance of surviving in some of the later levels.

At the beginning of the game, it is easy for you to focus on collecting loot from car trunks and alleys, but as the game continues, the zombies and the gameplay gets much more difficult. There are tons of different zombies ready to peel the flesh from your bones. There are the more traditional zombies hiding in the shadows like policeman zombies with pistols, clown zombies, prisoner zombies, and a whole team of American football player zombies, but that’s not even close to covering all of the different zombies featured in the game. There are also screamers that call in zombie reinforcements, biological experiments that have knives for hands, zombies that leap off couches and pound the floor to knock you off your feet, and acid spitters that can really cause some problems. The variety of adversaries really keeps the game fresh.

At the end of each chapter, Dead Nation uploads your stats and lets you compare them to your friends. They are also grouped by country so that you can compare your results across the globe and see which nation is the best at taking out the undead monsters.

Playstation Lifestyle, who gave it their editor’s choice award and rated it a 10 out of 10, said, “With endless replay value, a Platinum trophy, and offline and online co-op, it puts together everything that gamers, not just shooter, zombie, or horror fans, will love.”

This is definitely a game that PlayStation 3 owners should check out. If you’re into zombie shooter games, then Dead Nation is right up your alley. Dead Nation is an engaging game that really is different than your average zombie game and is worth looking into.