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Photographer captures game faces
New York based photographer Phillip Toledano has a gallery of photos online capturing the faces and expressions people make while playing video games. The resulting pictures are funny, creepy and slightly disturbing. It'll make us think twice about what our face is doing the next time we game. Maybe the Xbox Live Vision Camera isn't such a great idea after all. If we look like this, we don't want people laughing at us.Or is it too late?
Hands-on with the PlayStation Network
It's not really fair to judge the PS3's online component before, like, the console is actually released and gamers start putting it through its paces, but it's still interesting hear Eurogamer's take on a pre-launch version of the PlayStation Network, courtesy of some exclusive face time with Sony exec Phil Harrison. From the site's extensive coverage of many aspects of the service, the most noticeable theme is that Sony seems to have been closely watching the successes and failures of Xbox Live, and is serious about its promise to meet or exceed all of Live's capabilities. Therefore, many of features that 360 fans have become accustomed to -- consistent UI, multiple methods of communicating with friends, and downloadable content -- are prominently featured in the Network experience, with other aspects -- namely a full web browser, multitude of game-specific mini-stores, and pricing in real currency as opposed to "points" -- clearly designed to one-up Microsoft's offering. Other nice touches here include the ability to create a master account and regulated "associated" accounts (helpful for parents looking to police their kids' usage), a global "Wallet" with which you make all micro-payments (including those required by third-party publishers), and of course, an upgradable OS that leverages the hard drive on both versions of the PS3. Downsides? Unlike Xbox Live, the first iteration of PlayStation Network doesn't let friends communicate while playing a game; even though you'll get a notification of new messages during gameplay, you have to exit the game in order to read them and respond. Also, it's still not clear if / how Sony will implement player rankings a la Live's leaderboards, which is a feature that naturally-competitive gamers have come to expect. All-in-all, though, it sounds like Sony has put a lot of thought into the usability of this increasingly important aspect of the console experience, and assuming that the company is able to overcome potential shortages, lack of rumble, and other well-known nitpicks, the PlayStation Network looks poised to attract the same fervent following as XBL.[Via PS3 Fanboy and Joystiq]
Europe to suffer another PS3 delay?
This whole PS3 delay game has really become something of an amusing sideshow at this point: after so much bad press concerning nearly every single aspect of the console, you'd think that Sony would do everything possible to ensure that things run smoothly from here until launch, and yet word on the street is that Europe may be victim to still another postponement. It should be noted we have no independent confirmation of the following information, but Spanish gaming site MeriStation is reporting that Ken Kutaragi recently admitted that supply problems for Japan and North America could force the European PS3 launch to be delayed until May -- which would mean that Japanese and American consumers might have their systems nearly six months before the eager gamers in the rest of the world. Now keep in mind that Kutaragi also supposedly said that Sony has not modified its European launch plans at this time, so right now we're only looking at a "what if" scenario. Still, this rollout has been plagued with nothing but problems since day one, and as much as we'd like to see Sony pull this one off considering the shaky condition it's currently in, we're starting to think that these little issues and public gaffes may add up to big problems.[Thanks, Mercenary]
Dell's XPS M1710 notebook gets overclockable Core 2 Duo
One of the fastest portable gaming rigs on the planet is about to get even faster. Along with the two LCD TVs and 20-inch LCD monitor we already brought you, Dell will also be introducing a new version of the 17.1-inch XPS M1710 laptop at DigitalLife later today, its first tweak to this lineup since swallowing up VoodooPC. Whereas the first generation M1710 featured a Core Duo processor and GeForce Go 7900 graphics, the new model will sport your choice of Core 2 Duo T7600G or T7200 CPUs and 512MB GeForce Go 7950 GTX or 256MB GeForce Go 7900 GS cards from nVIDIA. If you go with the higher-end, $3,498 configuration, Dell is also throwing in the ability to overclock the dual-core processor on your own -- just as it did with the XPS 700 desktop. Both the pricier and $2,299 "budget" configs will also rock a brand new feature that will be sure to delight modding and disco enthusiasts alike: XPS LightFX technology that lets you sync up the systems' 16-color lights to whatever game you're playing or music you're listening to. With a blazing processor, powerful graphics chipset, WUXGA resolution, and a bunch of blinking LEDs, the new M1710 sounds like it could very well consume every last minute of your free time -- say goodbye to sunlight and fresh air for good.
Fanatec Head$h0t gaming mouse reviewed
With case modding so prevalent these days that gamers are often judged by the the number of LEDs they manage to cram into their rigs as opposed to the actual performance of their machines, pairing a tricked out system with accessories that lack equally gaudy illumination (like a Razer, Logitech, or -- shudder -- Fatal!ty mouse) simply won't cut it. Well a company called Fanatec is fully aware that blinding light shows are now as much a part of fragging as gimmicky keyboards and chainsaw-shaped controllers, which is why it's poised to release the $100, fully-customizable Heäd$sh0t gaming mouse. (We apologize for the lack of an umlaut in the headline; it's due to our quirky blogging platform and has nothing to do with our feelings about umlaut-heavy languages.) At first glance the Heäd$sh0t might seem a little intimidating: instead of plugging it directly into your PC, you have to swing the tangle-minimizing USB cord over a glowing arch and attach it to the back of the included mousepad / USB hub (which, according to Fanatec, has been specially designed to to interact as smoothly as possible with the mouse's glide pads). Other special features include adjustable width (though no adjustable weighting -- c'mon, guys), a huge "wing" on the right side meant to keep your fingers from dragging, and a software suite that lets you record macros, tweak the million on-board lights, and even turn the bulky rodent into a fairly-functional joystick. During their test drive, the team at Trusted Reviews found the device to work quite well -- mostly due to its 2,000dpi laser sensor -- although they thought that the top-mounted buttons were somewhat difficult to access, and joystick mode can't be used to manipulate the Z-axis. Oh, and they weren't really fond of all the lights -- go figure.
Immersion survey suggests Sony better get ready to rumble
Press releases are boring. We go through literally hundreds of them a day, and for the most part, they're self-serving documents full of half-truths and inflated claims about products and services. So imagine our delight when we stumbled upon this little doozy of a release from marketing firm Ipsos Insight, which details a study done on behalf of the Immersion Corporation concerning gamers' preferences and purchasing plans with regards to the trio of next-generation consoles. You probably remember Immersion as the company that successfully sued Sony over the use of computer-controlled vibration technology in its PlayStation and PS2 Dual Shock controllers, and since Sony has apparently neither paid Immersion the $90 million it owes nor licensed the rumble tech for its SIXAXIS PS3 gamepads, the release comes across as a thinly-veiled reminder that gamers really, really like playing with input devices that shake and buzz in their sweaty hands. Not only does the (completely unbiased) poll report that 72% of the 1,075 respondents agree vibration feedback enhances their game experience, it goes on to note that 59% of those surveyed would prefer rumble on the PS3 controller, while only 8% care about motion / tilt sensing (sorry, Nintendo). As if these numbers didn't paint a clear enough picture of the message Immersion is trying to convey, two further questions spell it out even more explicitly: when asked if the lack of rumble capabilities would affect their buying decisions (apparently 74% of those polled weren't even aware of the "no rumble" policy -- clearly no Engadget readers amongst that bunch), 5% said that it would definitely cause them not to buy a PS3 and 32% claimed that they were less likely to pick one up for this reason and this reason alone. Now obviously Immersion knew exactly the results that it wanted before it conducted this "study," and probably phrased the questions in order to get the most desirable data set, but even non-statistics majors like ourselves could have figured out that gamers accustomed to the fun of Dual Shock would be in for a letdown the first time they picked up a rumble-free SIXAXIS controller. Okay, Sony, the cards are on the table, and even if these numbers are skewed, you know full well that you can't be the only player in the game without a little vibration action going on. So what's it gonna be: are you going to keep hoping that some appeals court finally overturns the numerous prior decisions against you, or are you going to shell out some dough just like Microsoft and Nintendo did, and finally give the majority of your target audience what it wants? To us, it doesn't really seem like much of a choice at all.
Gaming by introverts, for introverts
An interesting tidbit dredged up from Raph Koster's presentation at the Austin Game Conference comes via Wonderland: most gamers are introverts. Pardon us while we gasp in disbelief for a few minutes. Koster claims that most gamers fall into the Myers-Briggs types INTJ, INTP, ISTJ and ISTP. With INTJ being a classic scientist, and INTP a classic programmer, it seems as if games really are designed by nerds, for nerds.As Alice points out, what would a game designed by an extrovert look like? How are those of us who have Myers-Briggs types beginning with E catered for by modern games? Perhaps we're more likely to head off to the pub and pay someone else to level our MMO characters -- perhaps we're more drawn to social or casual games -- or perhaps we just don't play at all.
China opens first Internet gaming halfway house
You know, it strikes us that China, of all countries, doesn't have a long tradition of therapy and open discussions of feelings. But it does have a growing pattern of kids losing themselves in online video games (as we've seen time and time again). And as was predicted in the Engadget comments' section back in July, China is indeed the next location for a halfway house for Chinese video game addicts in Shanghai. Reuters reports that this house offers therapy, books to read (and even computers!) to help these kids stem their addiction and regain channels of communication with their families. We sense a growth industry of electronics-related therapy coming on -- remember the reports just a few months ago of Blackberry detox at the Sheraton Chicago -- any VCs paying attention? Just please, nobody start Engadget Anonymous, ok? We think you're fine just the way you are.
Core 2 Duo-powered Dell XPS 410 and HP Pavilion d4600y desktops announced, reviewed
If there's anything better than killing two birds with one stone it's killing four of them, and thanks to a pair of early looks from Cnet, we're able to cram two product announcements and their corresponding reviews into one tidy little post. Even though they were just unveiled today, the tech mega-site was already able to take Dell's XPS 410 (pictured, left) and HP's Pavilion d4600y (pictured, right) Core 2 Duo-powered desktops out for a spin, and both machines come across as very capable performers. The two rigs share the same 2.4GHz E6600 CPU and 2GB of 667MHz DDR2 RAM -- meaning that they throw down almost identical benchmark numbers, with the HP enjoying a slight but ultimately inconsequential edge -- but the Dell's nVIDIA GeForce 7900 GS graphics card with 512MB VRAM makes short work of the ATI Radeon X1600XT-sporting Pavilion in the all-important gaming department. Dual 320GB hard drives also put the XPS 410 on top when it comes to storage capacity (although the d4600y still offers a very reasonable dual 250GB HDD array), and both towers seem equally well-suited for multimedia applications with their on-board dual-tuner TV cards and plethora of connectivity options. In the end, each $2,000 system earned a Very Good score of exactly 7.2 from Cnet, with the Dell obviously getting the nod for gamers, while the cheap-looking but feature-filled HP sounds like a better choice for the all-around user who wants greater expandability. Luckily, the hot new dual-core processors in both PCs means that you'll be getting one of the fastest machines on the market, no matter which model you choose.Read- Dell XPS 410Read- HP Pavilion d4600y
Asus rocks out with PG191 19-inch gaming monitor
When it comes to gaming monitors, performance is everything, so Asus was off to a good start by endowing its new 19-inch PG191 LCD with a zippy 2-millisecond response time. However, we're not sure that it was also a good idea to build two speakers and a subwoofer into this unit; although they do lend the monitor a rather, um, distinctive look, it would seem that most consumers who are really into their gaming already own a set of dedicated speakers -- and probably a 5.1 or 6.1 setup -- which perform better than the ones Asus is offering here. Also, part of the package is a built-in 1.3 megapixel camera, which may indicate that the company is actually targeting wannabe-gamers with this model -- folks who envy the rockstar lifestyle portrayed by Fatal1ty and friends, but who have yet to begin accessorizing their own PCs. Rounding out the specs are your standard 1,280 x 1,024 resolution, 800:1 contrast ratio, and 320cd/m2 brightness, along with a DVI port, in-game video capture software, and special audio/video settings designed to enhance gameplay. No word yet on pricing or availability, but if the speakers and camera add too much loot to the bottom line, we can't imagine that many real gamers will be interested.
Evesham releases SLI-enabled Quest Nemesis notebook
If Evesham's 19-inch Quest A630 gaming rig was just a little too much laptop for you, now the company has introduced another dual-core model that maintains the A630's SLI goodness but drops two inches off the screen -- and a full $1,300 off the pricetag. The new 17-inch Quest Nemesis features a Turion 64 processor from AMD, dual nVidia GeForce Go 7900 video cards, 1,680 x 1,050 WSXGA resolution, 160GB worth of 5400RPM SATA drives, and 1GB of rather pokey 333MHz DDR RAM, along with a DVD burner, 3-in-1 card reader, and Bluetooth and 802.11g radios. There's also a full suite of connectivity options, including FireWire, DVI, VGA, S-Video, S/PDIF, and 4 USB 2.0 ports, as well as an ExpressCard slot for eventually adding a wireless 3G modem. You can order the 8.8-pound Nemesis right away starting at $2,775, or wait around for the inevitable flood of identical rebadges that will probably drive the price down a bit.[Via Pocket-Lint]
L64 redefines portable N64 style
So, no disrespect intended towards the great Ben Heckendorn, but this reworked Nintendo 64 painstakingly assembled by a modder named "Marshall" is one of the best looking DIY portable consoles we've ever seen. Known as the L64 (which stands, rather geekily, for L337-N64), this device takes Heckendorn's N64p and styles it in a completely faithful Nintendo-inspired package, with support for external controllers and all of the N64's titles including those that require an expansion pack. Seriously, this thing looks so good, we're thinking that instead of paying professionals thousands of bucks to develop crappy hardware like the N-Gage, Nokia and friends might be better off crowdsourcing their product design to guys like Marshall, Ben, and their legions of fellow fanboys who seem to have a real flair for this kind of work.[Via digg]
PS3 wanted in CA, NJ, but not Colorado?
That's the vibe we're getting from this interesting write-up from GameDaily. They polled some gamers in each of those places only to find that California and New Jersey seem to be looking forward to the Sony system, but no love for it in Colorado?In fact, here's one quote that has a pretty good point: "With a price like $600, people might just come back to the arcade for affordable gaming. Well, either that or get a PS2." To those of you too poor not attracted to the PS3, think you may pick up your grassroots in the arcade for some gaming action? Seems like a viable alternative if you already own an Xbox 360 and don't plan on picking up Sony's console. Of course other gamers just spoke their mind like "They're out of their f***ing heads."Yeah, we've heard that one before too. Possibly the most valuable quote to take away from the whole affair pretty much sums it all up perfectly: "It's just the hardcore people that have a problem with it. Core gamers are little bitches. They complain about everything because they're used to a certain standard of living, and whenever anyone dares to change it they complain. You don't see people stressing out about the prices of new cars, computers, or appliances nearly as much. The cost of living is going up. If you don't want a PS3, then don't buy one."[Thanks boots]
AMD's "4 x 4" platform pairs 2 dual-core CPUs, 4 GPUs
Gamers gather 'round, for we have a tale of a new platform from AMD that will surely get your pulses racing, at least if the idea of having two dual-core processors and four graphics cards in one machine sounds as appealing to you as it does to us. Known as the "4 x 4" Enthusiasts Platform (four cores plus four GPUs -- we know, it's a bit of a stretch), the setup will allow manufacturers to offer configurations which users can upgrade over time, so consumers could start out with one dual-core chip and and one or more video cards, for example, instead of laying down what will likely be loads of cash on a maxed-out system. Another interesting bit of info revealed at the AMD analyst day in Austin, Texas was the fact that dual ATI Crossfire configurations can be used with 4 x 4, which indicates that AMD's possible acquisition target is probably working on a quad-SLI-esque solution to match rival nVidia. So start saving your pennies, dear gamers, because things are looking to get mighty interesting this year.
IGN survey reveals gamers' habits
Do you listen to Gorillaz? Are you looking forward to X-Men: The Last Stand? Do you watch Family Guy and The Simpsons? And do you have a positive opinion of Google and Apple?According to a recent survey conducted through IGN.com by IGN's GamerMetrics, the answer to the above is "yes" for a large number of gamers. Describing IGN as having "one of the largest concentrated audiences of young males on the Internet", the survey's results show a fascinating slice of modern interests.Given that one of the arguments for in-game ads includes the fact that younger demographics don't watch much television, the number of gamers following Family Guy (68%) and The Simpsons (64%) may seem surprising. On the other hand, it would be interesting to see these results for different countries; the brand voting and TV choices show the American skew of the survey respondents.
Overheard at E3: Which game is this?
A lot of the casual conversation at E3 revolves around girls, girls and more girls. Overheard at Webzen's display of whirling skirts and crop-tops:Gamer 1: Which game is this?Gamer 2: Dude, I don't even care.
Confirmed list of Wii games?
We have our own list in the network for confirmed Wii titles, but this list posted over at Gamers Daily is too hard to pass up analyzing. Some of the titles are confirmed, some not so much, but all of them just ooze with possibility. For those of you with the clickophobia (how did you get here?!), the list has been recreated below. Who's looking forward to what? Who thinks the Kid Icarus rumors are BS? Super Mario Wii Super Smash Bros. Wii Metroid Prime 3 Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles Wii Animal Crossing Wii Killing Day Splinter Cell 4 Madagaskar 2 Legend of Zelda Wii Mario Kart Wii Donkey Kong Wii The Darkness Possession Madden NFL 07 Suda51/Grasshopers Studio Title Minoru Nakai Title Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Two Titles from "Artistic Quality" James Bond 007: Casino Royale Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz Sadness Avatar: The Last Airbender Marvel: Ultimate Alliance Pangya Golf Elebits SpongeBob SquarePants: Creature from the Krusty Krab Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2 Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam Red Steel Bob Ross: The Joy of Painting Spider Man 3 Raid Over The River Midway Wii Project Disney/Pixar's Cars TNA iMPACT! n-Space Wii Project Kid Icarus Wii Blitz Games Wii Project Camelot RPG Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2007 Sonic the Hedgehog Wii Trauma Center Wii Cooking Title
Game developers react to Boot Camp
Inside Mac Games has a nice roundup of reactions from various Mac OS X game developers on the news of Boot Camp. Reactions on the whole are positive concerning the opportunities that Boot Camp offers, and speculation from the likes of Aspyr, MacSoft, Freeverse and Ambrosia are hopeful that this will help boost the Mac gaming platform even faster.Check out the roundup, as there are some great comments from individuals at these companies that touch on where they think the market is headed, and what we can expect in the not-too-distant future of Mac gaming.
Quad SLI gaming for cheapskates
The guys over at destructoid.com weren't too impressed with Dell's $10,000 pricetag for the company's flagship Renegade system so they decided to take the matter into their own hands by collating the key components of a custom built Quad SLI gaming rig. Breaking their imaginary system down, they found that the main areas essential for building a machine comparable in performance to the Renegade were: Duh, the Quad SLI graphics cards. A budget of around $2800 should set you up with a 4 card bundle. A Gigabyte Quad SLI motherboard to stick those four cards in, $240. Pentium 3.73GHz Extreme, $1300. 10,000 RPM Hard Drive and 2GB of branded RAM, $450. Battlefield 2 at 1600x1200 with graphics on full, priceless. Chuck in a case, cooling, sound card, DVD drive and peripherals (keyboard, mouse and 2.1 speaker system) and you're looking at a budget of $6,000 for a well equipped Quad SLI system. That's around $2,000 less than the Renegade PC (sans the $2,199 30" widescreen monitor that Dell includes with their system) so you're not quite saving the $4,000 that the destructoid guys claim you will.The obvious downsides to building your own Quad SLI rig include: the hassle of constructing the system and installing Windows yourself (although we're sure most people could do a better job than Dell) and the lack of a warranty, but before you think about these problems ask yourself the question: is that red flame color scheme worth two grand?[Thanks, Franco]
