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Intel NUC case competition showcases creative modding in miniature
Intel's latest NUC is a wee marvel of PC tech, but the design of its case calls to mind, well, every other fanless PC we've ever seen. To its credit, though, the chip giant is sponsoring a case modding competition through enthusiast site Bit-Tech to liven things up. The finalists have definitely taken a 180 degree tack design-wise, with one version resembling a bizarre retro projector (complete with a screen), and another that looks like the love child of a wiffle ball and a pumpkin. All four entries are at the source, where you can help pick the winner with your own vote.
Western Digital developing 20,000RPM Raptor to take on SSDs?
You read that right. Bit-tech has it from "several sources close to the hard drive industry" that Western Digital is working on a 20,000RPM followup to its new 10,000RPM VelociRaptor performance champ. Same 2.5-inch format, same 3.5-inch housing only now designed to better cancel out the drive's noise. The idea is to take on SSDs in terms of performance while offering substantially greater capacity as flash memory prices continue to fall. We'll just have to pretend that power consumption, vibration, and ruggedness aren't a concern.
Wii hands-on worries about controller, likes games
The folks over at Bit-tech were able to score some extensive hands-on time with the Wii outside of the short demos shown at E3 or other mass-media events. The impressions are generally positive, but stripped of the effusive praise for the system that seems to have gripped most of the game journalism communityBit-tech worries that the controller may end up being a gimmick, fun to bring out at parties but not as intriguing on a day-to-day basis. The site also felt the controller's motion-sensing technology wasn't as revolutionary as it could be -- instead of a "magic wand" that accurately senses every move, the author felt like the controller has "been designed to mimic a joypad, with a few neat tricks thrown in."All that being said, the preview did have positive things to say about most all of the games demoed, and mentioned that the system is "fun to play." But despite the claims of a completely revolutionary experience by Nintendo and others, Bit-tech found their experience with the Wii "a bit different from the 360 and PS3, but not drastically as you may have thought/hoped."
Innovative controllers rounded up
This article over at bit-tech.net looks at ten of the more offbeat game control schemes -- from bongos and maracas to cameras and dance mats. It's a nice reminder that gaming isn't all "up up down down" and that sometimes you can have a little fun with the controller as well as with the game.Of course, collecting multiple peripherals, one for each game, quickly becomes a hassle -- will next-gen's out of the box accessories render a cupboardful of controllers unnecessary? Or will we see some manufacturers continue to make third-party peripherals because their games simply aren't possible otherwise? Perhaps it'll be a bit of both -- the thought of playing Guitar Hero with a PS3 joypad, or dance games with the Wii, has us reaching for our plug-in accessories already.
Congratulations, you don't have an HDTV. Here's your cookie
I read an interesting piece on Bit-tech today, in it the author goes to great length to tell the world how well off he is without an HDTV and how he doesn't really need one even for the Xbox 360 that he doesn't have yet. Why buy an HDTV?, there's hardly any programming and the games look just fine on the TV he proudly bought 6 years ago.First, there are several things I agree with him on. There has been much misinformation spread about how HDTV works, whether or not you'll see a benefit to your next generation games without an HDTV, etc. Anyone who tells you they can't tell the difference between Xbox and Xbox 360 games no matter what the TV, is blind or simply trying to attract attention. Comparing screenshots of ports is only relevant if you are planning on buying your next gen console to play last gen games. Also, there is somewhat limited HDTV programming available, especially in England where the writer appears to be from, which besides being overrun by wolves is also only just recently starting to have HD broadcasts become available.With all that, you might start to think, why should I buy an HDTV? Here's why.
