Testing

I'm think about moving over to wordpress. For the rest of this week, I'll be making posts over there at the this url->mseliga.wordpress.com

Let me know how it is!
mSeliga@live.com

I Find Your Lack of Wii's Disturbing

Want on of the best Wii's on the block? Well a lone soul on eBay has made a Darth Vader Wii. It come complete with a red LED light, black Wii Motes, a shiny base, and a mug shot of the Dark Lord himself on the side. So, any body wanna pay the $15000 buy it now and get me a cool Wii for Christmas?
LINK

mSeliga@live.com

No More CompUSA

It's a sad day in the computer world as one of the best and largest computer stores is closing down. As you know, CompUSA closed down half of their stores nationwide over the summer and we just got the word that CompUSA has sold to liquidators and that the store will close officially at the end of January. CompUSA has been around since e1984, the beginning of the computer revolution and is now no more. Even as a Best Buy employee, I loved CompUSA because they actually carried high end hardware, motherboards, processors, and other hard to find things at retail.
From what I've heard, the now king of the hill is MicroCenter. There is one in the old Gaithersburg CompUSA building.

R.I.P. CompUSA 1984-2007

mSeliga@live.com

DELL+Best Buy=Pain(For Me)

Dell, which has now started to sell it's desktops in Wal-Mart and other stores. Dell also announced that they will begin to sell their computers in Best Buy. Now I can tell people, "Dude/Dudet, your gettin' a Dell!"

mSeliga@live.com

Let The Light In(v.2)

In the first quarter of '08, Microsoft is set to release v2.0(1.1) of Silverlight, a competitor to the popular Flash player from Adobe. One of the new features is that you will be able to develop Silverlight applications using Visual Studio and the .NET Framework. This means you'll be able to code Silverlight with C# and VB.  Sounds like Adobe will have a run for its money when version 5(2.0) comes out.

mSeliga@live.com

GeForce9 in '08?

The Nvidia rumor mill is cranking with the latest being that we will see GeForce series 9 cards coming in '08. The rumor is that the new cards will launch in February and will feature Shader 4.1 and DirectX 10.1 support.

mSeliga@live.com

HD-DVD for 129

Do you have a craving for the 360 HD-DVD drive but the price has been to steep? Well Microsoft has now dropped the price even further from $179 to $129. It's almost cheap enough for me, but I'm poor so thats how it is. So far, Amazon and Toys R' Us have the updated price.
mSeliga@live.com

WinMo v 6.1

 

The upcoming update we posted about earlier today has now been named Windows Mobile 6.1, and is still due early '08. These are the major new features in this update...

• Copy / Paste (finally!)
• Domain Enroll in Settings (Enrolling in a domain will connect your device with company resources.)
• New home screen (pan left and right to check out missed calls, notifications like email, sms, etc.)
• Change Master Security Code
• Added text input settings
• Recent Programs when pressing Start menu
• Threaded SMS!
• When you compose an email, or SMS, and start typing the name of the contact in the "To:" field, the contact names finally pop up like Windows Mobile Professional!
• Internet Explorer now lets you define a homepage, and also zoom in and out using a nice and clean interface

 

As far as I can tell, this is a excellent update with features that do seem very important.

mSeliga@live.com

WD Passport 320GB

 

Western Digital announced today that their popular Passport line will be getting a 320GB model. It offers 128bit encryption, transfer rates of 480Mbps, and five colors. Black, Red, Green, White, and Pink. Perhaps the best part of all is that it'll only cost you around $230 or less.

mSeliga@live.com

360 Fall Update Final List

 

Here it is. After all of the speculation and leaks, the official list of feature coming to your 360 this week.

Full Features List for 2007 Fall Update

• Improved Video Library.
• Improved visuals and descriptions.
• Users can now sort movies and TV Shows in the video library by Title or (Download) Date.
• TV shows can now be grouped by Series .
• Group video and game trailers .
• Art associated with personal video files on a portable device will now be displayed.
• Easier to use media areas and improved metadata .
• Improved source selection for video, picture, and music libraries, making it easier to switch between console/digital camera, computer, portable device or disc.
• New "Suggested Items" link for downloaded movies.

Media - All

• Added more user friendly text for various error related messages
• Added Shortcut keys from Remote Control: Pressing Play on a Video/Song/Picture will immediately start playback of that item from the list (pressing Start from gamepad does the same thing)
• Added support for Album/Video artwork larger than 500kb
• Added support to enumerate metadata in the background and not just when selected by the user
• Added support to make sort options sticky across console reboots
• Added support to show all available Media Sharing Servers on the local network and allow automatic re-affiliation
• Automatically delete older versions of Optional Media Update package when new ones are downloaded
• Improved consistency in storage naming across all areas
• Improved performance for displaying Album Art when connected to remote sources
• Improved text messaging when connection to PC is lost when streaming Music/Photo or videos
• Improve boot speed with media when console startup is to boot-to-dash

Media - Music

• Added support for CD Playback from music area in Xbox 360 Guide area
• Added support for listing multiple computer sources in Xbox Guide music sources
• Added support for Y button to toggle full screen on and off for music visualizer
• Disable 'play all' button when folders only contains playlists (with no audio files)
• Disable Y button when no list items selected in Music player
• Improved device support for new iPods (classic and 3rd gen Nano) - iPhone and iPod touch are not supported
• Improved error handling for mixed encoded playlists (aac,mp3,wma)
• Improved handling for MTP Music devices with >200k entries
• Improved handling of game background music after playing videos in Dashboard
• Improved handling of music playback over games (if music source terminates or has errors, background music returns to game background)
• Improved performance for "Play All" with attached MTP devices
• Improved performance of music enumeration via Guide
• Improved robustness when playing back HFS+ formatted iPods
• Improved support for returning to game background audio when user's music player session terminates
• Improved support for scrolling song lists while listening to music during game playback
• Improved support when ejecting game disc while selecting music source through Guide

Media - Pics

• Added support to display PNG files when streamed from Windows Media Player 11 on Vista
• Improved enumeration for PTP cameras including Cannon Powershot SD 630 and Apple iPhone
• Improved playback performance of "Play All" when PC source has 1000s of photos and subdirectories
• Support Folder view of Photos from MTP Portable Devices
• Media - Video
• Added 2 line support for entries in the Video Area of the Media Blade
• Added ability to recognize Colorspace attribute for Video Marketplace Content
• Added fade in transition for start of video playback
• Added full screen buffering animation for streaming videos from Xbox LIVE
• Added Suggestions scene for Video Library area in Media blade of the Dashboard
• Added support for 16x Fast-forward/Rewind
• Added support for AC3 embedded audio (see video faq for full information)
• Added support for enumeration of video files from Zune 2.0 devices
• Added support for Left Shoulder button on controller to chapter skip backward
• Added support for Left Trigger button on controller to rewind
• Added support for moving past the point user has viewed when doing progressive downloads of Video Marketplace videos
• Added support for MP3 embedded audio (see video faq for full information)
• Added support for Mpeg-4 part 2 video files in AVI containers
• Added support for Right Shoulder button on controller to chapter skip forward
• Added support for Right Trigger button on controller to fast forward
• Added support for Zune Podcast video playback from Zune device
• Added support to display metadata and thumbnails embedded in video files
• Added support to enumerate .divx video files
• Added support to group TV shows by Series in Video Library of Media Blade
• Added support to group Video and Game Trailers into same area of Video Library of Media Blade
• Added support to sort Movies or TV Shows by Title or Download date in Video Library of Media Blade
• Added top level support to show expired or soon to expire information for purchased movies from Video Marketplace in Media Blade
• Improve support for "Play Now" calculations with ISP that boost download for the first 20MB of a file
• Improved accuracy of bookmark positions when video player abnormally ends
• Improved accuracy of download progress bar after chapter skipping operations
• Improved auto resizing experience for small (under 100x100) video files
• Improved Bookmark / Resume experience with 60fps Interlaced WMV videos
• Improved bookmark support while progressively downloading videos from Marketplace
• Improved calculations for "Play Now" for Video Marketplace downloads
• Improved de-interlacer support for video playback
• Improved enumeration speed for user-generated video content in Media Blade
• Improved error message support when playing back video files without valid licenses
• Improved error message support when pulling USB drive while playing back video files
• Improved handling for USB memory stick removal while on Video device selection list in Media blade
• Improved handling of video playback when transitioning from 4x FF to Play with MP4 video files
• Improved handling of WMV bookmarks when rewinding and shutting down video player
• Improved info pane timer when playing back DRM's WMV content from Windows Media Player 11 from Windows PC
• Improved message support for progressive video playback
• Improved overall UI, content descriptions and navigation of Video Library of Media Blade
• Improved performance during Fast Forward to Playback transition when playing back MP4 content
• Improved performance for buffering and playback of streaming videos from Xbox LIVE
• Improved performance for low bandwidth streaming of MP4 videos from Zune PC software v1.0
• Improved performance of skip forward/backward with WMV video files
• Improved performance of trick modes when streaming videos from Zune PC client
• Improved performance of WMV playback for WMV7 & WMV8 encoded video files
• Improved playback experience after extended pauses of video files from Marketplace
• Improved playback experience when resuming from a stopped/paused state
• Improved playback performance for h264 720p .MOV files
• Improved playback performance with 1920x1080 MP4 files
• Improved playback performance with 5Mb h264 encoded video files
• Improved playback performance with 60fps 720x480 MP4 content
• Improved playback performance with h264 files in .m4v containers
• Improved quality for upscaled user videos when played back full screen
• Improved quality of MP4 decoder: Global Motion Compensation and VMX optimizations
• Improved quality of MP4 decoder: improved Interlaced Support
• Improved quality of MP4 decoder: Out of order frame output, bidirectional motion vector handling, etc.
• Improved quality with  non-square pixel video files
• Improved responsiveness of trick mode controls for video playback
• Improved robustness during chapter skipping of h264 video files
• Improved robustness for streaming problematic video files from Zune PC Software 1.0 or Windows Media Player 11
• Improved robustness of video player when playback catches up to downloads in progressive playback scenarios
• Improved robustness of video streaming when network congestion / stalls occur
• Improved robustness when closing video player after attempting to play a video file that would not open
• Improved robustness when entering and exiting video playback on a portable device repeatedly
• Improved robustness when exiting video files encoded in h264 and playing back from attached USB HDD
• Improved robustness when playing back Mp4 video with consecutive bad aac samples encoded into it
• Improved robustness when shutting down console during h264 video playback
• Improved robustness when trying to play a video recently moved from MU to HDD or vice versa
• Improved robustness with video player when exiting player via Xbox Guide button -> Y
• Improved support for AAC-LC 2 channel encoded audio in MP4 video files
• Improved support for chapter skipping during progressive downloads of Marketplace Video content
• Improved support for MP4 video files with discontinuous time stamps encoded in
• Improved support for MP4 video playback from burned optical dvd-r's
• Improved support for resuming downloaded videos after reaching end of an uncompleted download
• Improved support for resuming partially downloaded videos from Marketplace
• Improved support for using Big Button controller during video playback
• Improved support for Video bookmarks when playing MP4 videos from USB portable hard drives
• Improved sync of video display and info pane display when rewinding
• Improved text for Windows Media Center setup instructions
• Improved Trick mode support when streaming videos with AAC embedded audio
• Improved video performance for 60fps interlaced WMV videos
• Improved Video performance with 15Mbs 1080i 24fps WMV video files
• Improved video playback for Fast-forward and immediate exit usage with h264 video files
• Improved video playback of MP4 content from Zune PC Software v1.0
• Improved video playback when source content has incorrect sync samples encoded
• Improved video quality for SD Composite AV pack displays of the on-screen display for video controls
• Improved video support for chapter skipping of MP4 videos
• Improved Videotrick mode support with 24fps 1080i WMV video files
• Improved visual display of WMV video files while rewinding
• Improved WMV Playback performance for 60fps and 1080i 30fps videos
• Improved WMV7 performance with VLC encoded content
• Removed occasional purple flickers in video playback when transitioning between FF and RW
• Removed potential 9 second delay when rewinding WMV video files

System

• Added fade out transition when powering down console
• Added fade out transition when launching games
• Added support for browsing XNA games within the Games blade
• Added support for video playback from UDFS formatted USB devices
• Added support for XNA Game Studio Express V.2
• Added support to connect to Apple Extreme routers in 802.11a/n mode
• Added support to pause background downloads when streaming full screen videos or ads
• Added support to retrieve game thumbnail directly from XNA game package
• Added system wide support for Simplified Chinese language
• Added text to explain flashing LED in the Ring of Light during background download low power mode
• Addressed rare case where game disc would spin in the DVD drive while playing HD-DVD Movie in external HD-DVD drive
• Disable Optical audio output when in low power background download mode
• DVD player no longer converts to YCbCr709 when output is over HDMI
• Improved auto sign-in to Xbox LIVE with Xbox 360 Wireless Adapter
• Improved clock accuracy for S/PDIF optical streams
• Improved compatibility with NEC WR8400N WiFi routers
• Improved download speeds when in low power background download mode
• Improved DVD Tray State notifications immediately after application of System Update
• Improved Forced Aspect Ratio Changes via HDMI output (including DVI)
• Improved handling when ejecting game disc during game start
• Improved handling when removing MU after sending Arcade game recommendation to friend
• Improved localization text for Wifi setup in German
• Improved performance for Game Titles to reboot in backcompat scenarios
• Improved performance of Xbox Guide during Messenger sign in
• Improved robustness when ejecting game disc when prompted for game title update
• Improved robustness when inserting two MU's at the same time on the device selector scene
• Improved support for 3rd Party Controllers
• Improved support for Buffalo WiFi routers
• Improved support for Creston AV receivers with HDMI
• Improved support for JPN Corega CG-BARFX network router
• Improved support for signing into Xbox LIVE with Big Button Controller
• Improved support for starting console with Big Button Controller when console is charging attached Wireless Controllers
• Improved Xbox guide performance ~2x
• Removed "Windows-based PC" from Computers area in Systems blade
• Removed option to "Turn off Controller" when using Big Button Controller
• Resync the Ring of Light pattern to the boot audio/animation
• Updated copyright dates for 2007

As you can see, there are a ton of media related updates this time around. No doubt to counter the slew of media updates the PS3 has seen in the form of .avi and .divx support.

mSeliga@live.com

EA Replacing Your Guitar

Remember all of those broken Rock Band guitars that got trhough Quality Control? Well EA has said that they will replace ALL of the broken guitars for no fee. Also, to those who put in a request a while ago and had a delay, EA is offering you a free game! So you have a broken axe, send it in.

mSeliga@live.com

Windows Mobile Not-So-7

Engadget recently posted that behind closed doors they saw a new "version" of Windows Mobile. Not V7 per se, but a Service Pack type upgrade for WinMo 6. It has a set of features that "any user will agree is way overdue". Expect the update Q1 '08.

mSeliga@live.com

No Wii Cover-Up

Reggie Fils-Aime, the Nintendo of America President said that the Wii shortages were not a conspiracy and that it really is very difficult to produce a machine with the graphic capabilities of a PS2 after being out for a hair over a year. I believe you Reggie, I believe you.

mSeliga@live.com

XP Boost

The rumor around town is that XP will get some kind of performance boost with Service Pack 3. Microsoft is touting a 10% speed increase in XP after SP3 is installed. On the flip side, SP1 for Vista doesn't offer many new fixes as it's just a roll up of previous updates.

mSeliga@live.com

360 Back-Compat Update

Microsoft has released a new update to it's Backwards Compatibility list today. The current list feature notable older sports games and racing games. One title that jumped at me was Jedi Starfighter, a great Star Wars flight-sim-esqe title. Anyway, here's the list.

2006 Fifa World Cup Germany
25 to Life
AMF Bowling 2004
Apex
Arena Football
Armed and Dangerous
Baldurs Gate: Dark Alliance
Batman Rise of Sin Tzu
Bionicle
Blade II
Blinx: The Timesweeper
Blitz The League
Blood Omen 2
Blowout
Breakdown
Burnout 2: Point of Impact
Cabelas Dangerous Hunts 2
Championship Manager 2006
Colin Mcrae Rally 2005
Crime Life: Gang Wars
Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 2
Dungeons& Dragons Heroes
ESPN College Hoops 2k5
ESPN NFL 2k5
Fantastic 4
FIFA 06 Soccer
Fight Night: Round 3
Final Fight: Streetwise
Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone
Freedom Fighters
Freestyle Street Soccer
Future Tactics: The Uprising
Godzilla Destroy All Monsters Melee
Godzilla Save the Earth
Goldeneye Rogue Agent
Greg Hastings Tournament Paintball Max'd
High Heat MLB 2004
Hunter: The Reckoning
Indiana Jones And The Emperors Tomb
MLB Slugfest Loaded
MVP Baseball 2003
MVP Baseball 2004
MVP Baseball 2005
Nascar Thunder 2002
Nascar Thunder 2003
NBA 2k3
NBA Ballers
NBA Inside Drive 2002
NBA Street V3
NCAA College Basketball 2k3
NCAA March Madness 2005
NCAA March Madness 2006
NFL 2k2
NFL 2k3
NHL 2005
NHL 2K3
NHL Hitz Pro
Nightcaster: Defeat The Darkness
NTRA Breeders Cup: World Thoroughbred Championships
Playboy The Mansion
RLH Hunt or be Hunted
Robin Hood: Defender of the Crown
Rocky
Rugby 2006
Shattered Union
Shrek Super Party
Star Wars: Jedi Starfighter
Starsky & Hutch
Syberia II
Techmo Classic Arcade
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
Test Drive
The Bard's Tale
The Chronicles of Narnia The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe
The Guy Game
The Lord Of The Rings: The Third Age
Thousand Land
Thrillville
Tom and Jerry in War of the Whiskers
Turok: Evolution
Van Helsing
WarPath
Worms 3D
Zathura

mSeliga@live.com

Live Messenger v9.0(2009)

I late 2008, early 2009, Microsoft is planning to release the next version of Windows Live Messenger. Currently, it is being seeded to select beta testers right now through Microsoft Connect. Ars Technica is speculating that because of the long testing period, there will be a boat load of new features.

So far Microsoft has shown a interest in the following features.

• Multiple Points of Presence Support: Ever been annoyed by the fact that logging onto Messenger from another computer logs you out of the first one? If so, you'll be glad to be able to log on from multiple locations at once. And so will you.
• Signature sounds: Find new and creative ways to annoy your coworkers with personalized sound signatures.
• Per-contact sounds: That one friend who keeps annoying you with constant IMs? Give them a rude sound.
• Animated .GIF display pictures: Now your friends can be forced to look at your baby while he's making silly faces.
• Links in status messages: As if there wasn't enough to click on, now URLs in the status bar are clickable.
• Anti-spam filter: You can now report users who spam you via IM, which should do absolutely nothing to stop them in future.
• Third Party Add-On's: Microsoft hopes to be allowing developers to use a API to build add-on's that can integrate withe the app.

I'll be trying to get my hands on a bets release so that I can tell you a bit more.

mSeliga@live.com

Free Your (German) iPhone

If you live in Germany and have craved for a unlocked iPhone, well now you can get it. For the paltry sum of $1473 USD, you can buy the iPhone. Your IMEI number is registered and sent to Apple. You will then receive a email telling you you are ready. You can then unlock your iPhone via iTunes. I'm sure that hackers are already jumping on this right now attempting to bring a U.S. hack that works the same way.

mSeliga@live.com

IBM Is In Yur DVD...

Selling you ads. IBM has come up with a revolutionary(see: get-rich-quick) technology to implement into DVDs that would pause your movie to pull down a ad from a server and display it to you, with no way to skip it. I could see this turning into a big issue. I have a better idea. Don't do it. WE get enough ads on TV. A wise woman(Morgan Webb) said that if there are ads we should get it for free. If I pay for a DVD, I had better get no ads.

mSeliga@live.com

U.N. Says Tasers=Torture

I don't usually get political, but come on! Sure there have been a lot of incidents with tasers recently. One of them happened in a school in my city. The U.N. is missing the point that tasers were chosen because they cried bloody murder of the overuse of guns, so we got tasers. Now they are saying tasers are bad! Maybe our cops should do what the U.N. does, wag a finger at criminals and not do anything constructive to stop them.

mSeliga@live.com

Zelda Movie?

A new site has popped up at the URL Zelda2008.com. It seems like a teaser page with a rendering/artwork of what appears to be Link and the inside of Hyrule castle. If it is indeed a Zelda movie, pray to GOD it's not based off of Majora's Mask. I could do a LTTP or OOT movie. On the other hand, it may just be a new Zelda game...

mSeliga@live.com

Rockers Beware!

If you are gearing up to get Guitar Hero III for the 360, be weary. There have been reports that Wal-Mart has been selling a bundle of the game with the old X-Plorer guitar instead of the new wireless Les Paul. I almost got jipped as well. So far, only Wal-Mart appears to be selling this bundle. Be weary Shoppers.

mSeliga@live.com

Fools for Rock Band

Remember when I reported that EA said to expect shortages of Rock Band? It seems like they were wrong. I work at Best Buy and we always have a HUGE stack of Rock Band siting out. Even after Black Friday, the busiest shopping day of the year. As the end-pf-the-line balloon holder that day(not very fun), I got to stand right next to the Rock Band Mountain all day. We did sell about 3/4 of the the stack, but all of it. And when we closed, the stack was back up again. Seems like EA was just trying to build up hype.

mSeliga@live.com

Zune to Be Available

Having a hard time finding a 80 Gb Zune 2? Your not the only one. Microsoft recently said that they thought the 4 and 8 Gb versions would sell a lot more, but they were wrong. Microsoft is saying they expect to have Zunes available in 7-10 days.

mSeliga@live.com

Wii Light Sword

Did you wonder what the attachment for the Wii would look like when the Force Unleashed comes out next year? Well here ya go. IT has 22 LED lights to give the power-up, power-down effect. $30, but only in pounds.

mSeliga@live.com

Wii Lost MP3

A new update for the photo channel on the Wii will swap out MP3 support in favor of AAC. Why? Who knows. Annoying? Yes. The update is out now, so if you want to keep all your MP3's, don't update!

mSeliga@live.com

PS3 & DivX

If it's one thing Sony is doing right, it's offering constant features for the PS3. From Themes, wacky "Home" thing, and so on, they know how to keep the fanboys(and me) happy. Around the New year, the PS3 will offer DivX support. This is a great video format on the rise. I'm not sure what all of the supported video/music types are supported,  but I'm sure it more than MP3, WMA, WMV, MP4(360).

mSelga@live.com

Zune 2 Software/Firmware Available

If you own a Zune or just want to get away from iTunes, the Zune 2.0 software hit yesterday. Let me tell you right now that after only 15mins of use, this latest version blows iTunes out of the water. It's simple to use, a very clean interface, a very cool Now Playing screen....it's great. I plan to have test the new Zune its self soon, but if the software is any indication, the firmware will be great.

mSeliga@live.com

360 Fall Update Feature

We found out today that one of the new features for the fall update on the 360, landing December 4th, is the ability to download original XBOX games for $15. The launch titles for this service are Halo, Burnout 3, Fable, Crimson Skies, Crash Bandicoot: Wrath of Cortex, and Fahrenheit. It seems like a solid list of launch titles, however you can fin most of these games for about $10. No word on how much space these will take, but most likely something around 4GB.

mSeliga@live.com

iPhone Hacked Again

Apple released version 1.1.2 firmware for the iPhone and iPod Touch to lock down exploits that allowed people to hack them. However, in less than three days, hackers already found yet another way in. This will no doubt be a constant battle between Apple and hackers.

mSeliga

Lose Your Data With Leopard

It would be a rather lengthy post, but its to early or that right now. Instead, check out this memory lose issue with Finder in the latest Mac build.

LINK

Apple really needs to fix this hole.

mSeliga@live.com

Live!

Microsoft's Windows Live has now gone out of beta. I'm currently trying out all of the apps and online services and things seem to be going very good so far. Many of the hiccups have been fixed. To get the Live apps and online services, you can head HERE. Be sure to get a new @live.com email while they last.

The Windows Live apps are

• Windows Live Mail
• Windows Live Writer
• Windows Live Messenger
• Windows Live Photo Gallery
• Windows Live Toolbar
• Windows Live Family and Safety from OneCare

One of the best things is that they all work together,including Live.com, Microsoft's Internet search engine.

mSeliga@live.com

I Plead the Fifth

Just going to let you know, that I will not be covering the Google Phone OS. Until I actually get my hands on it, I don't want to pass any judgment. I know thats its hot talk, so I'll direct you to Engadget, Gizmodo, and Slashdot. Good hunting.


mSeliga

Phase out Your Mind

Harmonix has released a new game for the iPod called Phase. Phase functions like Amptitude. You use the scroll wheel to hit three notes that will be generated by the game from music from your own library. It looks cool, but not worth the going rate of $4.99 for iPod games. It should be available with the new iTunes 7.5 update.

mSeliga

New PS2 Details

As you know, Sony is selling a rehash of the PS2 next year. We got some more details recently, but nothing to exciting. From what we've heard, the PS2 will ship without a power brick and will be offered in white, black, and gray. It will also be a tad lighter. However, it will sell for the same as the current model. Thats all we know right now. Hopefully the price will come down, or this is a pointless re-iteration.

mSeliga

TTFATF Expert

Wow.

mSeliga

Windows Home Server Boxes Galor

Despite the fact that Windows Server 2008 isn't coming out until....2008, Hp and other companies have shown off their Home Server boxes. Hp's box is even for sale right now.

mSeliga

XBOX+ESPN=$$$

Microsoft has now teamed up with ESPN to offer up a variety of sports games, sports shows, and highlights over XBOX Live Marketplace. All we know know now is that Standard Def NCAA games with go for $3, and Hi-Def will go for $4.50. Microsoft has also said that all other content will cost under $2. Also, these videos will be on "within 48 hours of the event".

mSeliga

Bittorrent Weekly

Just when you though another feature would be impossible, here it is. in this feature, I'll be wrapping up the news over the week that had to do with bittorrent. So here we go!

MPAA Denies Involvement With MediaDefender

The big debacle over MediaDefender just keeps getting bigger. After the Pirate Bay filed charges against movie companies in Sweden, the MPAA quickly denied involvement. However, with the large batch of emails that were released a while back, there is such proof that the MPAA and the movie companies purposely added malware to computers and farmed IP Addresses.

Mininova = 3,000,000,000+

This past week, the popular torrent tracker called Mininova reached a new high of 3 Billion total downloads.

That's all this week as this was quickly thrown together over 15 mins. Seems like "piracy" always on the rise.

argh

mSeliga

MS411

Microsoft, on the heals of Google, has come up with there own free 411 service called Live Search 411. The service has business information, movie times, weather forecasts, and for those with compatible phones, map directions to the location. All of this is free and can be reached by dialing 1-800-225-5411.

mSeliga

New Feature: Weekly MetaCritic Scores

This holiday season, it will be incredibly hard for me to keep track of all of the revie3ws out there for the new games. So, every week, usually on a Monday/Tuesday, I'll get the scores from around the net on the new games and movies that week. so here we go!

Games

• Timeshift (360)
• Critics - 69/100
• Users - 92/100
• GH III (360)
• Critics - 86/100
• Users - 72/100
• Hellgate: London (360)
• Critics - 73/100
• Users - 69/100
• Simpson's Game (360)
• Critics - 72/100
• Users - 72/100
• Virtua Fighter 5 (360)
• Critics - 91/100
• Users - 81/100
• Manhunt 2 (PS2)
• Critics - 72/100
• Users - 100/100

Movies

• American Gangster
• Critics - 76/100
• Users - 76/100
• Bee Movie
• Critics - 55/100
• Users - 63/100
• Martian Child
• Critics - 48/100
• Users - 95/100

mSeliga

gPhone Monday

Google has said that if they have a gPhone, they will be announcing it on Monday. Google is getting to the point where they are getting their hands into everything. For a company that has a virtual monopoly on Internet search, seems like they want to take on Apple.

mSeliga

Windows 7 Fib

Microsoft recently showed off the kernel that will be in Windows 7 called MinWin. They say that it will be able to sit on 45mb of memory. Microsoft has said that this is a revolutionary new kernel. However, Paul Thurrott of WinSuperSite.com, has pointed out that MinWin was actually the name of the kernel in Vista. Apparently, Microsoft had renamed the Vista version a few times and had made a few changes, and decided to resurrect the name for Windows 7. Although its negative, it is news about Windows 7.

mSeliga

Is the Mac Really Safe?

It seems as if Apple's OS has been getting more and more Trojans recently. This all goes with a theory I have about the Linux-Mac-Windows war. Windows is the number one target for viruses and spyware because they are the leader in the market right now. As Mac, maybe Linux, get more popular, the coders of spyware and viruses will begin to look at these platforms as good targets. Currently, Mac and Linux people parade about saying that the security on these systems is so good. Its not that they are the most secure, its that there is no spyware/viruses aimed at the systems at the moment. If the Mac continues to gain market share, you will begin to see more viruses/spyware come out of the woodwork.

mSeliga

Mac for the Rich

So Mac OSX 10.5, Leopard, is here.

 

Ok, on to the real news!

 

No really. Leopard is really a non event. I plan on having a feature story on this in about two weeks to show you why Leopard, and Mac OSX in general, is a joke compared to Windows. Here's a little snippet to get you pumped up. Leopard, as with all versions of Mac OSX over the last 5 years, costs $129. Not to bad for a OS right? Well, Vista Ultimate costs $450. Expensive right? Well when you add up Apple's OS costs in the same time frame, you get $645! Seems like a scam to me.

mSeliga

Frets on Fire

Have you ever played Guitar Hero, the critically acclaimed game by Harmonix/Neversoft? Well there is a PC clone for Guitar Hero called Frets on Fire. Frets on Fire is a freeware game available for Windows, Mac, and Linux. It has a great community that has made somewhere over 10000 songs. Not only that, but you can download all the songs from Guitar Hero, Guitar Hero II, Guitar Hero 80's, and Guitar Hero III. The mods for the game are also incredible. They have ones that make it look almost exactly like Guitar Hero. It is a great game.

How do you play? If you don't have a 360 guitar, or the PS2 guitar w/adapter, you can use the keyboard. The F1-F5 keys are for the frets and you strum with the Enter key. I recommend this game to anybody who love Guitar Hero, but doesn't want to fork out $50+ for the REAL game. Now for some comparison shots/

Frets on Fire w/Guitar Hero Mod

 

Guitar Hero

mSeliga

PS2 in '08

Sony doesn't want to let the PS2 die, despite the fact that they also seem to be trying to get the PS3 out the door. The rumor around the water cooler is that Sony will be releasing yet another slimed down version of the PS2 with a built in power supply. St this point, doesn't everybody have a PS2? If they release another version, it would seem that it would fall upon a quiet market.

mSeliga

EA Blocks the Rock

EA said that gamers should expect the Rock Band bundles to be in short supply this holiday season. The reason is that there were so many pre-orders and that the peripherals take a bit to produce. Pulling a Nintendo? Maybe. We'll have to find out.

mSeliga

Elder Scrolls MMO?

There has been a rumor for a while that there will be a Elder Scrolls MMO. ZeniMax Media, the parent company of Bethesda Games, recently registered the domain elderscrollsonline.com(WHOIS Info). This could be a good sign for people wanting a MMO of the Elder Scrolls game, but will it be PC only? In the past, brining a MMO to the console has never really panned out(see Galaxies). If its true, I hope we see a console release as well.

mSeliga

XP Goes Vista

With the release of SP3, it should bring some Vista features down to XP. You won't get any of the cool graphical stuff, but some features that are smaller and not as major. Here is a short list of the "major" features being down ported.

• Network Access Protection (NAP): This is a policy enforcement platform meant for enterprise use that inspects systems attempting to access a corporate network to ensure they meet whatever security criteria the corporation has in place. If systems fail to meet the necessary criteria, they can be updated or blocked from using the network, depending on the nature of the flaw.
• New Product Activation module: Just as in Vista, users will be able to install XP without entering a product key at installation.
• "Black Hole" Router Detection: A black hole router is a router that drops packets without returning the specified Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) response. This feature aids in detecting and protecting the end user from such a problem. Previously, according to Microsoft documents, reliable detection of a black hole router involved use of an appropriately configured "ping" command, followed by further manual commands for working around the problem.
• Microsoft Kernel Cryptographic Module: This feature incorporates cryptographic algorithms in a single module other kernel mode drivers are capable of hooking into and accessing.

mSeliga

Want Vista SP1 Early?

Do you want to test SP1 for Vista? Well now you can! Ghacks has a posted a registry hack that will make you part of the beta program and allow you to download the beta of SP1. I've used SP1 before, and its nothing to write home about. It's mostly just a wrap up of previous fixes, however it adds some more protection to the kernel. When in testing it broke one program of mine, Frets on Fire, but other then that it was ok.

mSeliga

Zune v.1

Even though the new version of the zune software is set t come out soon, I figured I'd let you know how the current zune software holds up. After using it, i can make this a very very short review.

Have you used Windows Media Player 11? Looks sharp right? Got a good mental image in your head of how all the artists, albums, and songs look? Now take away the sharp black/blue color and put a poop brown color there instead. Boom, you got the zune software.

i had hoped that Microsoft would put forth some effort, but they just modded WMP11 a bit and called it a day. Its not that bad, but if WMP can handle the zune, I'll use that as its easier on the eyes. Hopefully v.2 of the zune software will actually take a step or two away from WMP and establish its self as a independent music managing platform.

mSeliga

30 Days of Sweetness

I went out and saw the new movie "30 Days of Night" this Friday. I have to say its one of the best vampire movie I've seen in a long time. It doesn't make the vampires out to be super killing machines, but they are vicious. It takes place in Alaska, which has 30 days of light, then 30 days of darkness. The vampires come during the first night and kick some major ass. There is some serious blood, but not much gore. As far as scary, a bit. There are only a few parts where they jump out at ya. None the less, this movie is in the Must-See area. If you like action/vampire movies, this is great. The only grip is the end, but you'll find for yourself why.

mSeliga

zune Software v1.0 Review Coming

I kow that the zune2 is right around the corner, but I went ahead and migrated my iTunes library over to the zune software. I'll have a review by the end of the week with how it stacks up.

mSeliga

Wii+DS+3rd Party

Nintendo, in a move to reassure everyone that the Wii and DS are getting plenty of third part support, they released a huge list of games for both platforms. Check it out below.

Wii

Oct. 1: MLB(R) Power Pros from 2K Sports
Oct. 1: Dragon Blade: Wrath of Fire(TM) from D3Publisher of America(R)
Oct. 2: Crash(R) of the Titans from Sierra Entertainment, Inc.
Oct. 5: Balls of Fury(TM) from DSI Games
Oct. 8: Donkey Kong(R): Barrel Blast from Nintendo
Oct. 9: FIFA 08 from Electronic Arts
Oct. 9: Bleach: Shattered Blade(TM) from SEGA
Oct. 9: LOONEY TUNES: ACME ARSENAL(TM) from WB Games
Oct. 10: Arctic Tale from DSI Games
Oct. 15: Sea Monsters from DSI Games
Oct. 16: Thrillville(R): Off the Rails(TM) from LucasArts
Oct. 22: EA PLAYGROUND from Electronic Arts
Oct. 23: Backyard Football from Atari, Inc.
Oct. 23: The Sims 2(TM) Castaway from Electronic Arts
Oct. 23: Rockstar Games Presents(TM) Table Tennis from Rockstar Games
Oct. 23: The Legend of Spyro(TM): The Eternal Night from Sierra Entertainment, Inc.
Oct. 23: NARUTO(TM): Clash of Ninja(TM) Revolution from TOMY Corporation
Oct. 25: M&M'S(R) Kart Racing from DSI Games
Oct. 28: Guitar Hero III(TM): Legends of Rock from Activision
Oct. 29: Battalion Wars(TM) 2 from Nintendo
Oct. 30: Ben 10(TM): Protector of Earth from D3Publisher of America(R)
Oct. 30: Showtime(R) Championship Boxing(TM) from DSI Games
Oct. 30: NEED FOR SPEED PROSTREET from Electronic Arts
Oct. 30: THE SIMPSONS from Electronic Arts
Oct. 31: Manhunt 2(TM) from Rockstar Games
October: Spider-Man(TM): Friend or Foe from Activision
October: Bee Movie(TM) Game from Activision
October: Tony Hawk's Proving Ground from Activision
October: Ultimate Duck Hunting(TM) from Detn8 Games Ltd.
October: Mercury Meltdown Revolution from Ignition Entertainment
October: Namco Museum(TM) Remix from NAMCO BANDAI Games America
October: Code Lyoko: Quest for Infinity from The Game Factory
October: Avatar: The Last Airbender(TM) - The Burning Earth from THQ
October: Bratz: The Movie(TM) from THQ
October: Cars: Mater-National from THQ
October: Nicktoons(TM): Attack of the Toybots from THQ
October: SpongeBob's Atlantis SquarePantis(TM) from THQ
Nov. 5: Fire Emblem(R): Radiant Dawn from Nintendo
Nov. 6: DanceDanceRevolution Hottest Party from Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc.
Nov. 6: LEGO(R) Star Wars(TM): The Complete Saga from LucasArts
Nov. 6: Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games(TM) from SEGA
Nov. 12: Super Mario Galaxy(TM) from Nintendo
Nov. 13: Dragon Ball Z Budokai Tenkaichi 3 from Atari, Inc.
Nov. 13: Godzilla Unleashed from Atari, Inc.
Nov. 13: Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Anniversary from Eidos, Inc.
Nov. 13: BLOCKS from Electronic Arts
Nov. 13: MEDAL OF HONOR HEROES(TM) 2 from Electronic Arts
Nov. 13: LUXOR: Pharaoh's Challenge from MumboJumbo
Nov. 13: Geometry Wars(TM): Galaxies from Sierra Entertainment, Inc.
Nov. 19: Link's Crossbow Training(TM) (packaged with Wii Zapper(TM)) from Nintendo
Nov. 19: SMARTY PANTS(TM) from Electronic Arts
Nov. 20: Jenga World Tour from Atari, Inc.
Nov. 20: Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords(TM) from D3Publisher of America(R)
November: Trauma Center(TM): New Blood from Atlus USA
November: Star Trek: Conquest from Bethesda Softworks
November: Disney Princess: Enchanted Journey from Disney Interactive Studios
November: Hannah Montana: Spotlight World Tour from Disney Interactive Studios
November: High School Musical: Sing It from Disney Interactive Studios
November: Garfield Gets Real from DSI Games
November: Furu Furu Park from Majesco Entertainment
November: AMF Bowling: Pinbusters! from Mud Duck Games
November: Ghost Squad(TM) from SEGA
November: WWE(R) SmackDown(R) vs. Raw(R) 2008 from THQ
November: Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30 from Ubisoft
November: CSI: Hard Evidence from Ubisoft
November: My Word Coach from Ubisoft
November: Petz: Catz 2 (name not final) from Ubisoft
November: Petz: Dogz 2 (name not final) from Ubisoft
November: Petz: Horsez 2 (name not final) from Ubisoft
November: Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 from Ubisoft
Dec. 4: Alvin and the Chipmunks from Brash Entertainment
Dec. 4: The Golden Compass(TM) from SEGA
December: MX vs. ATV(TM) Untamed(TM) from THQ
December: Super Swing Golf(TM) Season 2 from Tecmo, Inc.
December: Rygar(R): The Battle of Argus from Tecmo, Inc.
December: Cranium: Kabookii from Ubisoft
December: Nitrobike from Ubisoft
Holiday 2007: NiGHTS(TM): Journey of Dreams from SEGA
Winter '07: SoulCalibur Legends(TM) from NAMCO BANDAI Games America
Jan. 21: Endless Ocean(TM) from Nintendo
Feb. 10: Super Smash Bros.(R) Brawl from Nintendo
Feb. 15: Yamaha Supercross from DSI Games
Feb. 19: Sonic(TM) Riders: Zero Gravity from SEGA
February: No More Heroes from Ubisoft
February: Wild Petz Tigerz from Ubisoft
March: Obscure: The Aftermath from Ignition Entertainment
Q1: LUXOR 3 from MumboJumbo
Q1: One Piece(TM): Unlimited Adventure(TM) from NAMCO BANDAI Games America
Spring '08: Mario Kart(R) Wii (name not final) from Nintendo

Nintendo DS

Oct. l: The Legend of Zelda(R): Phantom Hourglass from Nintendo
Oct. 2: Chibi-Robo(TM): Park Patrol from Nintendo
Oct. 2: Backyard Hockey 2008 from Atari, Inc.
Oct. 2: Holly Hobbie(TM) & Friends from Majesco Entertainment
Oct. 2: Crash(R) of the Titans from Sierra Entertainment, Inc.
Oct. 2: The Legend of Spyro(TM): The Eternal Night from Sierra Entertainment, Inc.
Oct. 9: FIFA 08 from Electronic Arts
Oct. 9: Flipper Critters from Ignition Entertainment
Oct. 9: Bleach: the Blade of Fate(TM) from SEGA
Oct. 9: LOONEY TUNES: DUCK AMUCK(TM) from WB Games
Oct. 15: Flash Focus(TM): Vision Training in Minutes a Day from Nintendo
Oct. 15: The Aly & AJ Adventure from DSI Games
Oct. 16: Cheetah Girls: Pop Star Sensations from Disney Interactive Studios
Oct. 16: Thrillville(R): Off the Rails(TM) from LucasArts
Oct. 16: Fish Tycoon(R) from Majesco Entertainment
Oct. 16: Super Collapse! 3 from MumboJumbo
Oct. 17: Prism(TM) from Secret Stash Games(TM)
Oct. 19: Betty Boop's(TM) "Double Shift" from DSI Games
Oct. 22: EA PLAYGROUND from Electronic Arts
Oct. 23: THE SIMS 2 CASTAWAY from Electronic Arts
Oct. 23: Rhythm 'n Notes: Improve Your Music Skill from AGETEC
Oct. 23: Backyard Football 2008 from Atari, Inc.
Oct. 23: Napoleon Dynamite from Crave Entertainment
Oct. 23: Ed, Edd n Eddy(TM): Scam of the Century from D3Publisher of America(R)
Oct. 23: Hannah Montana: Music Jam from Disney Interactive Studios
Oct. 23: Disney Princess: Magical Jewels from Disney Interactive Studios
Oct. 23: Power Rangers: Super Legends from Disney Interactive Studios
Oct. 23: Zoo Hospital(TM) from Majesco Entertainment
Oct. 23: FRONT MISSION(R) from Square Enix, Inc.
Oct. 23: NARUTO(TM): Path of the Ninja(TM) from TOMY Corporation
Oct. 25: Sea Monsters from DSI Games
Oct. 25: Arctic Tale from DSI Games
Oct. 30: Ben 10(TM): Protector of Earth from D3Publisher of America(R)
Oct. 30: Suite Life: Circle of Spies from Disney Interactive Studios
Oct. 30: Dr. Seuss: How the Grinch(TM) Stole Christmas from DSI Games
Oct. 30: NEED FOR SPEED PROSTREET from Electronic Arts
Oct. 30: THE SIMPSONS from Electronic Arts
Oct. 30: Puzzle de Harvest Moon from Natsume Inc.
Oct. 31: Dementium: The Ward from Gamecock Media Group
Oct. 31: Solitaire Overload(TM) from Telegames, Inc.
October: Spider-Man(TM): Friend or Foe from Activision
October: Bee Movie(TM) Game from Activision
October: Shrek(R): Ogres and Dronkeys(TM) from Activision
October: Tony Hawk's Proving Ground from Activision
October: Touch Detective 21/2(TM) from Atlus USA
October: Animal Genius(TM) from Scholastic
October: Build-A-Bear Workshop from The Game Factory
October: Avatar: The Last Airbender(TM) - The Burning Earth from THQ
October: Cars: Mater-National from THQ
October: El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera(TM) from THQ
October: Nicktoons(TM): Attack of the Toybots from THQ
October: Ratatouille(R) Food Frenzy from THQ
October: SpongeBob's Atlantis SquarePantis(TM) from THQ
October: Chessmaster: The Art of Learning from Ubisoft
October: Imagine: Babyz from Ubisoft
October: Imagine: Fashion Designer from Ubisost
October: Imagine: Master Chef from Ubisoft
October: Imagine: Animal Doctor from Ubisoft
October: Wild Petz Dolphinz from Ubisoft
Nov. 6: Dora the Explorer(TM): Dora Saves the Mermaids from 2K Play
Nov. 6: Go Diego Go(TM): Safari Adventure from 2K Play
Nov. 6: Baby Pals from Crave Entertainment
Nov. 6: Horse Life(TM) from D3Publisher of America(R)
Nov. 6: LEGO(R) Star Wars(TM): The Complete Saga from LucasArts
Nov. 6: Chicken Hunter from MumboJumbo
Nov. 6: DRAGON QUEST MONSTERS(TM): Joker from Square Enix, Inc.
Nov. 10: Showtime(R) Championship Boxing(TM) from DSI Games
Nov. 13: Enchanted from Disney Interactive Studios
Nov. 13: BOOGIE from Electronic Arts
Nov. 13: ORCS & ELVES from Electronic Arts
Nov. 13: Cooking Mama 2: Dinner with Friends from Majesco Entertainment
Nov. 13: Geometry Wars(TM): Galaxies from Sierra Entertainment, Inc.
Nov. 19: Mario Party(R) DS from Nintendo
Nov. 20: Godzilla Unleashed Double Smash from Atari, Inc.
Nov. 20: Jenga World Tour from Atari, Inc.
Nov. 20: LUXOR: Pharaoh's Challenge from MumboJumbo
Nov. 20: FINAL FANTASY(R) XII: REVENANT WINGS(TM) from Square Enix, Inc.
Nov. 26: Master of Illusion(TM) from Nintendo
November: Call of Duty(R): Modern Warfare(TM) from Activision
November: Ontamarama(TM) from Atlus USA
November: Draglade(TM) from Atlus USA
November: Elf Bowling(TM) Collector's Edition from Detn8 Games Ltd.
November: Garfield Gets Real from DSI Games
November: Clue(TM)/Mouse Trap(TM)/Perfection(TM)/Aggravation(TM) from DSI Games
November: Contra 4 from Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc.
November: Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship 2008 from Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc.
November: Strawberry Shortcake: The Four Seasons Cake from The Game Factory
November: Bratz Super Babyz(TM) from THQ
November: Bratz: 4 Real(TM) from THQ
November: Warhammer(R) 40,000(TM): Squad Command(TM) from THQ
November: WWE(R) SmackDown(R) vs. Raw(R) 2008 from THQ
November: Ninja Gaiden(R) Dragon Sword from Tecmo, Inc.
November: My French Coach from Ubisoft
November: My Spanish Coach from Ubisoft
November: My Word Coach from Ubisoft
November: Petz: Catz 2 (working title) from Ubisoft
November: Petz: Dogz 2 (working title) from Ubisoft
November: Petz: Hamsterz Life 2 from Ubisoft
November: Petz: Horsez 2 from Ubisoft
November: Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 from Ubisoft
Dec. 4: Alvin and the Chipmunks from Brash Entertainment
Dec. 4: The Golden Compass(TM) from SEGA
Dec. 10: RIP: Death Volunteers(TM) from Telegames, Inc.
December: Diary Girl from Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc.
Jan. 15: Barnyard Blast from DSI Games
Jan. 21: Advance Wars(R): Days of Ruin from Nintendo
Jan. 25: M&M'S(R) Kart Racing from DSI Games
Jan. 31: Command & Destroy from DSI Games
January: Miami Nights from Ubisoft
Feb. 4: Professor Layton and the Curious Village(TM) from Nintendo
Feb. 12: New Zealand Story Revolution from Ignition Entertainment
Feb. 15: Yamaha Supercross from DSI Games
Feb. 19: Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer from SEGA
Feb. 26: Bubble Bobble Double Shot from Ignition Entertainment
February: Imagine: Figure Skater from Ubisoft
February: Wild Petz Tigerz from Ubisoft
February: Assassin's Creed from Ubisoft
March 4: Disney Friends from Disney Interactive Studios
March 29: Ultimate Card Games from Telegames, Inc.
March: Insecticide from Gamecock Media Group
March: My Life Coach from Ubisoft
Q1: Eco Creatures: Save the Forest from Majesco Entertainment
Q1: Polar Bowling from MumboJumbo
Q1: Slingo Quest from MumboJumbo
Q1: Tropix from MumboJumbo
Q1: Polar Golf from MumboJumbo
Q1: River King: Mystic Valley from Natsume Inc.
Q1: Harvest Moon DS Cute from Natsume Inc.
Q1: Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games(TM) from SEGA

EA Buys Bioware

Bioware, the creator of games such as KOTOR and the upcoming title Mass Effect. At the moment, the future for Mass Effect is muddled, as no one is sure if it will remain a 360 exclusive. This all so may throw a wrench into the wheels of a possible return to KOTOR for pt. 3.

I'll put my bets that EA will publish Mass Effect as planned for the 360 only, then maybe port it to the PS3. This will defiantly change the way things run, as Bioware make some good games.

mSeliga

360 Goes 65(nm)

Microsoft has announced that they will begin development of a new 65nm ATI chip for the 360. Currently, the graphics chip is where a majority of the heat comes from. Microsoft is hoping this will lower the number of Red Rings and lower manufacturing cost. These new 360s will be out in August '08.

mSeliga

1.1.1 Blues? Not Any More

So your hacked iPhone was bricked after update to version 1.1.1 right? Well, seems as if its no longer a issue. iPhoneSimFree has released what they claim to be the first v1.1.1 unlocking team. They also have a app you can use to unbrick your iPhone. I'm sure that within a week or two, Apple will push out another update that will brick the iPhone. Then another two weeks then another successful hack. Welcome to the "iPhone Arms Race".

mSeliga

Vader Gaming FTW

Today, the Darth Vader PSP-2000 goes on sale. It features the iconic face of the villian from Star Wars and will go for about $169.99. Sources also point out, that it also comes with Renegade Squadron, a new Battlefront game exclusively for the PSP. You can pick it up at amazon.com, and a local retailer. From what I've heard, this will be a limited edition, so pick it up quick.

mSeliga

Bungie Says Goodbye

        

As I'm sure you already know, Microsoft has let Bungie Studios do there own thing. Microsoft officially no longer owns Bungie. Now before you worry about the Halo franchise or begin to cheer that Bungie will make games for the Mac, consider this.

Microsoft still retains the publishing rights for everything Halo. What this means, is that Microsoft could conceivably go with another developer if they so choose. Also, Microsoft still own considerable shares in Bungie, so they may be able to keep Bungie off the Mac for a while. Also, Bungie has announced that they are already working a new Halo game, which was the Peter Jackson game announced at E3.

While the Halo franchise will undoubtedly continue unabated, it is a interesting development considering Halo 3 made more than Spiderman 3 on opening day.

mSeliga

New 360 Bundles for the Holidays

After many months of speculation and many SKUs flying around, we finally got confirmation from Microsoft about bundles for the Elite and Premium. The bundles will go for the regular price. What are they bundled with? Two full games, Forza 2 and Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, both good games. This is a great value for any new timer to the 360 scene.

A side note. Although Microsoft announced what these two SKUs were, they didn't deny or confirm replacing the Core with a Arcade setup, which will come with multiple XBLA games already on your system.

mSeliga

ReadyBoost Works?

<OffTopic>So, I'm trying to get back into the blog, but between my Internet being off, Halo 3, and other stuff, I haven't had a chance to post. So, kicking off a new "ark", I'll discuss my experience with ReadyBoost.</OffTopic>

So I'm sure you've heard about ReadyBoost, Microsoft's answer to the nay sayers that Vista uses to many system resources. Microsoft said that with ReadyBoost, it will be able to act as additional RAM for your system. The recommend a 1:2 ratio for the system:cache.

So how did it fare? Well initially it was a bit difficult to get the feature to work. I had a older USB flash drive with 4GB of space. It took me about 10 reformats to get it to work, on account of Vista wanting a certain allocation space. After all of that, it only worked for a few days, so that was a bust.

I then recently got a new flash drive which claimed to be ReadyBoost capable. I ripped it out of the box and slapped it into my system. I immediately got a message asking if I wanted to use the device for ReadyBoost. Although I only have 1GB of RAM on my test system, Vista recommended I use all 4GB of space on the  USB drive.

I was skeptical about it working since Microsoft initially said a 1:2 ratio was optimal. I agreed and began to use a few programs. Launching apps was a bit faster, but not enough to make a difference. However, when using a open app, things did go considerably faster. I've been testing with different cache sizes, but it seems like 4GB is better than 2.

All in all, this a great but overlooked feature in Vista. Microsoft needs to raise awareness about this feature because it speeds up your system a good bit.

mSeliga

Sorry About That

So we haven't posted since last week, but for good reasons. Right now, the MediaDefender thing continues to grow as well as Halo 3 being released. Right now, I'm working on a Halo 3 review. It should be done next week.  My blog life will be cut short because I'm playing this game, which is pretty good so far. I didn't write a wrap up article, but sue me.

My next post will be about ReasyBoost, so get ready for it.

mSeliga

Halo 3 is Near

So Halo 3 is right around the corner, and I'm sure we are all waiting anxiously for Tuesday. I haven't made any updates on my pre-Halo 3 features, but here is a very cool update, thanks to engadget. engadget got a hold of the Legendary Edition and some other goodies. They have a great gallery of the unboxing.

There is some bad news about the Legendary Edition that has come trickling in. Many gamers who got a hold of it early are sating that the disc is scratched up due to the way the game sites in the case. This is rumor right now, but I'm sure before next Friday, we'll know for sure one way or another.

Engadget Unboxing
mSeliga

USB 2.0 x 10 = USB 3.0

Intel, not be outdone by a eight core cpu, has been working with many partners on USB 3.0. At the moment, they are promising a increase in speed by ten. They expect USB 3.0 to be able to have a speed of up to 4Gbs. To put that in perspective, USB 2.0 caps out at 480Mbs, FireWire 1394 caps out at 800Mbs. This is a huge increase in speed. This will have pave the way for more external technology such as external HD-DVD/BluRay drives, externel graphics cards, and many other technolgy that was tethered to your motherboard. The new technology uses fiber optics to carry data to and from the computer.

Side Note:
This beats the speed of ALL current external ports, including eSATA(3000Mbs) and Fibre Channel(4000Mbs).

mSeliga

Remember When He.......

This is also a new feature piece I'd like to start. Anyway.

Remember when Han Solo said that he made the Kessel Run in less then twelve parsecs? I knew that a parsec was a measurement of distance, but never how far. First off, here is the question to figure the length of a parsec.

By definition a parsec is 360×60×60/2π Astronomical Units (AU). It is a measurement of distance based on apparent star motion as observed from a particular planet. Since the Galactic Standard "AU", would be based on Coruscant's orbit (368 days) it would equal 150,349,907,726 meters.

Got that? Ok, so after I did the math, I go this as the Galactic Standard Parsec.

31,011,894,586,294,500 meters

Cool eh? But  is twelve parsecs?

  372,142,735,035,534,000         meters

1,220,940,731,743,878,000         feet

              231,238,774,951,492.03  miles

Two Hundred Thirty One Trillion, Two Hundred Thirty Right Billion, Seven Hundred Seventy Four Million, Nine Hundred Fifty One Thousand, Four Hundred Ninety Two, and Three Hundredths.

So......That's a pretty far distance. Just thought you might like to know.

mSeliga

NYTOnline Free

The New York Times, one of the biggest newspapers in America, has now taken much of the pay areas of their site and have made them available for free. This is major news considering the cost of a paper version of the NYT. Hopefully more newspapers will go this route. Ads can pay for things friends. It's like Morgan Webb said, if there are ads, you should get it free.

mSeliga

The Force Unleashed, on the Wii?

That appears to be the case. LucasArts said a while back that they were working on a game for the Wii that would use it like a lightsaber (ala Zelda style). Well, they have announced that the game is The Force Unleashed. Now, I've heard this game is for the PS3, 360, PS2, DS, and PSP....but the Wii? I'll stick by it for now, but it seems like it may be to much. We'll see in Spring of '08.

mSeliga

Apple. tsk tsk tsk.

We all knew that Apple can be lazy, and yes they were, but this was amazing. AS you know, the iPod Touch is just a rip of the iPhone OS, taking only the iPod functions and some other features. Basically, iPhone-Phone=iPod Touch. However, they got really lazy.  I wish I had the picture on file, but many sites(including engadget) have it. Apparently, when your iPod Touch can't be used because it locks, it says iPhone. Uh......what? Apparently, they forgot to fix a couple of their strings. Its not that hard, but what ever.

And, if you care, Apple has chosen to go with O2 as the cell carrier in the UK for the iPhone.

mSeliga

New Podcast?

Maybe. After all of this MediaDefender news started to break, I thought that a tech podcast might not be a bad idea. A weekly thing. I'm still thinking about, and I'm not sure yet. I have nothing to this Friday so I'll be doing a "test" one. I'll post up a link to it when its ready(Monday). I figure, record on Friday, release on Monday. Just a personal news flash.

mSeliga

MediaDefender pwnd

In what may be the biggest leak on bitorrent of all time, MediaDefender is the center of the limelight. This news, which is about a week old, has started to hit its peak. In case you don't know what happened, here's the scoop. A site called MediaDefender is hell bent on protecting the insane copyright laws of the U.S. They unofficially protect and are backed by the RIAA and the MPAA. Hackers and pirates alike have had their sites set on MediaDefender for a long time. They started a site called MiiVi (offline) which hosted .torrent files that had spyware and rootkits that would attempt to find all pirated software. Of course, MediaDefender denied this.

Now, hackers have taken a large amount of emails, a phone call, and personal IP address from the company. In the emails, it has been found that they posted false torrents to "IP farm". So far, MediaDefender has made no official statement, but I'm sure it will be good when it breaks.

This is a developing story and it will explode over the next few weeks. I currently have a copy of the emails and the phone conversation. I'll be searching through for any saucy info that would concern you.

mSeliga

Halo 3: The Story so Far...

 

First off, let me say that this wrap up series is taking precedence over the regular blog, but I'll try and throw some real news in.

 

Halo 1

The first levels of the game deal with an attempt to reach Halo's control center to uncover its purpose. It is soon discovered that the Covenant have accidentally released something from an ancient containment facility on the ring, The Flood, a parasitic race which gets its name from the way it devastates potential hosts with sheer numbers. The Flood then sweep across Halo and devastate human and Covenant forces positioned on it. The release of the Flood prompts 343 Guilty Spark, an eccentric Artificial Intelligence who commands Halos containment forces, the Sentinels , to try to activate Halo's defense system, a pulse weapon that, when fired, would wipe out all life in the galaxy large enough to be hosts for the Flood. Technically, that installation only has a maximum effective radius of 25,000 light years, but the pulse would trigger other installations as well, effectively killing all life in the galaxy. This system is designed to stop the Flood from spreading through the universe if they escape confinement from Halo by the only way possible: starving the Flood of any life source large enough to sustain them.

Naturally, this would wipe out Humanity as well as the Covenant, and so the final levels of the game revolve around the Master Chief's attempts to destroy Halo before it fires.

The game leaves the story open to further developments, with the revelation that there are several Halo ring worlds in the galaxy, due to Halo being numbered "Installation 04" by 343 Guilty Spark, the Monitor of the installation. It is revealed in Halo 2 that there were seven (Bungie's favorite number) Halos before Installation 04's destruction.

Halo 2

The game begins shortly after the events of Halo: Combat Evolved. Before the game begins, we catch a small glimpse of the Covenant via a cutscene. For the first time, we learn a little bit about the society of the Covenant. A constrained and armorless Supreme Commander is being branded with the Mark of Shame. It is revealed that he is the former Supreme Commander of a Covenant fleet that destroyed Reach, as well as the one who failed to save Alpha Halo.

John-117 begins on Cairo Station, one of the three hundred space defense platforms orbiting Earth. Shortly after the Covenant arrive, a bomb is set on the station. After a while, Master Chief finds the bomb and uses it to destroy a Covenant assault-carrier. He and the Marines then set out to the city of New Mombasaas a sole surviving Covenant ship landed on Earth . While in the city, Master Chief destroys a Scarab. After the Scarab is destroyed, the Covenant ship makes a Slipspace jump which destroys the city, and the UNSC ship, In Amber Clad, with the Master Chief aboard, gets swept up in the warp field in a desperate attempt to follow it.

The Elite branded in the opening cutscene was supposed to be executed; however, rather than have him slain outright, the Prophets of Truth and Mercy made the decision to give him a chance to regain his lost honor and serve the Covenant again.

The Prophet's offered him the role of Arbiter, the highest honor for an Elite during a time of need. As Arbiter, he must conduct missions for the prophets that are hopeless and suicidal and die as a martyr for his race. This is part of the Great Journey, which is a religious series of events that the Covenant heavily believe in. In order to complete their "Great Journey", the Covenant must activate a Halo installation. It is assumed that the "Great Journey" is referring to a space age rapture that will kill all life in the galaxy, and there will be a "Judgement Day" where all will be judged and the ones without sin will go to a heaven of some sort.

As his first mission as Arbiter, the Elite must eradicate a group of Heretics who have separated themselves from Covenant society. They reside in a gas facility near the destroyed Alpha Halo. The Arbiter was to die during this mission, but he narrowly escaped death and defeated the heretic leader. This is the first time we witness conflict within the Covenant society as the heretics constantly tell the Arbiter he is a fool for believing in their Great Journey and the lie of the Prophets.

During this time, Master Chief, aboard the ship UNSC In Amber Clad, is transported to the vicinity of another Halo ring - the Delta Halo - perhaps many tens of thousands of light years from Earth, on which they land. This time, Cortana and Master Chief are well aware of the dangers of Halo. They quickly begin to search for a way to disable it before the Covenant are able to reach it. Master Chief discovers the existence of the Prophet of Regret, and must infiltrate his temple and kill him. Rather than aiding, the Prophet of Truth calls back the Phantoms and destroys the temple with an Energy Projector. Narrowly escaping, Master Chief is then captured by Gravemind.

The Arbiter remains alive and is sent by the Prophets to Delta Halo. The Arbiter is sent to lower the contamination shields surrounding the Library so the Covenant ships may approach. It is revealed to the Covenant that the Flood have been released, however, the Covenant still press forward. After completing his mission and retrieving the Index, Brute Chieftain Tartarus takes the Index from The Arbiter. The Arbiter objects, saying the Prophets will not stand for his actions, to which Tartarus laughs, informing him that the Prophets sent him to kill Arbiter. Tartarus then throws the Arbiter into the seemingly bottomless core of the Library.

In the next cutscene, the Arbiter is caught in a green vine-looking object. He is next to Master Chief who has just regained consciousness. A giant being known as Gravemind, a form of the Flood, holds the two. He comments on the differences between Humans and Elites and informs the Arbiter of the Prophets replacing Elites with Brutes as they don't feel Elites can protect them any longer. He tells of their killings and then reveals that he has reanimated the corpse of the Prophet of Regret as part of himself. He also has with him 2401 Penitent Tangent, the monitor for Delta Halo. 2401 and Regret argue about the truth behind The Great Journey, Regret saying it will bring salvation while 2401 disagrees with the Covenant's responsibility in handling Halo and the Flood. Gravemind comments that the Covenant will not find the salvation they are looking for. He then transports both Master Chief and The Arbiter to places where they will likely find the Prophet of Truth who has the Index, which Gravemind wants back. It is now that the Arbiter realizes the Elites have been betrayed, and finds it hard to believe.

Master Chief is transported to High Charity where he inputs Cortana into the Covenant network, separating himself from her. She discovers that the Covenant are in the middle of a civil war with the Prophets executing a genocide against Elites, feeling the Elites can not protect the Prophets. Brutes are put in their place and sent to wipe out the remaining Elites. As Master Chief travels through the holy planetoid, he encounters much conflict between Covenant, allowing for less resistance against himself, making it easier for him and Cortana to infiltrate the area. Their success leads to Prophets to promote this as a failing of the Elites rather than acknowledging their forces are scattered and unorganized.

When Master Chief reaches the other prophets (Truth and Mercy), he sees Sergeant Johnson and Miranda Keyes get captured and the Flood starts to attack. In the attack the Prophet of Mercy dies. After Master Chief gets close to the Forerunner ship, he tries to grab Cortana but can't because she does not want to risk a remote detonation of In Amber Clad so she stays on and becomes separated from the Master Chief and is left within a computer on High Charity.

The Arbiter is transported to a forest and finally realizes the truth in Gravemind's words after being attacked by a group of Brutes, who were once his allies. He rallies Elites and makes his way to the entrance of the structure. Once making his way through the cavern, he reunites with Rtas 'Vadumee, an Elite Commander. They combine forces with Sergeant Johnson and help get the Scarab to the middle structure to make an entrance for the Arbiter to get to Tartarus. He then makes his way to the center of the structure to stop Tartarus from activating the ring.

The Halos, we learn from 343 Guilty Spark, were built to prevent the Flood from spreading throughout the Galaxy, and that the Forerunners who built it were wiped out when they fired it as a "weapon of last resort" at some point in the remote past. In spite of this, the Brute leader Tartarus forces Miranda to activate the ring in preparation to fire, to bring about - in his eyes - the Great Journey. The player must fight Tartarus(and on higher levels other brutes) to retrieve the Index and stop the activation of Installation 05.

The Index is retrieved and the Installation cannot fire. 343 Guilty Spark reveals that although the Index was removed before Delta Halo had time to complete it's firing sequence, it sent signals to other Installations in the Galaxy, putting them on standby mode. Now, they can be activated remotely from the Ark (assumed to be either on Earth or the Forerunner Ship itself).

After that scene the camera moves to a picture of Master Chief apparently aboard the Forerunner ship. When asked why he is on the ship all he says is, "Sir, finishing this fight."

After the credits roll, a teaser for Halo 3 shows where the Flood has completely taken over High Charity with the Gravemind saying "Silence fills the empty grave now that I am gone, but my mind is not at rest, for questions linger on." The scene then changes to a stand in the council chambers of the Hierarch's the Gravemind then says "Now I shall ask, and you shall answer." It then changes to Cortana saying "Alright, shoot".

There is no novelization of this game yet. It is possible that a novelization that follows the canon laid down by the previous three novels might differ somewhat plot wise from the game, due to various differences between the game and the other novels.

 

So, as you can see, Halo 2 really was the game that started the story itself. With all of that and the Iris info, we can speculate that Halo 3 will be a huge conclusion(?) to this franchise.

mSeliga

Halo 3: "Iris" Campaign

So here is the roundup of the "Iris" viral marketing campaign. I'll admit that I did try and compound all the info myself, but it was very hard. Instead, HERE is a link to a good wiki by "thebruce".  I'll be making a archive of all the videos and pictures and stuff soon.

UPDATE

Here is a .zip file of all related media I could find of the Iris campaign.

Download(15.3MB)

mSeliga

Games: Halo 3 is Coming

In case you haven't heard, a small game by the name of Halo 3 is coming out in a week and a half. yadda yadda yadda, so yes. Let me first say that when I first heard about the game my feeling was "meh". Since then, I've gone from "meh", to "OMFG", and "WTF". Today is a meh+10 day. Well, I'm going to brining together all of the viral marketing, news, features and what not here in the last week or so before the launch.  So, the next post(will be up later) is gonna be on the viral campaign. Right now, here are some fun facts.

• Halo 3 offers 4 player online co-op
• The Halo 3 marketing campaign cost over $10 Million.
• Halo 3 comes with a built in map editor called Forge
• Halo 3 allows you to record multiplayer match's and send them to friends(unsure what the res is)
• New weapons include a Spartan Laser; Heavy Machine Gun; Flame Thrower; Missile Pod; Gravity Hammer; Mauler(Covenant Shotgun); and Brute Spiker.

So, later today, I'll give you a break down of the viral marketing campaign and what it all means.

mSeliga

Sorry About That....

Sorry about the lack of posts this week. I'll be working on bringing some new posts up soon, now that school and all that jazz is back in order.

mSeliga

Apple: "The Beat Goes On" Indeed....(Picture Heavy)

Well, it was a very interesting press conference. We learned about three new iPod's, as well as some new features for the iPhone.So, lets get started with the run down.

iPhone/iTunes

So, to start off the insanity, a new feature was announce for the iPhone through iTunes. People will now, as of tomorrow, have the ability to create ringtones for their iPhone without hacking. However, this is a catch. A) you have to use songs purchased through iTunes, B) you must pay a extra 99 cents, and C) it can only be 30 sec. long. The last part doesn't irk me to much, but a extra 99 cents! Plus they MUST be from the iTunes store? If you ask me that's complete B.S.

iPod Nano

The iPod Nano got the biggest change today. First off, Apple has decided that for the next generation of the iPod Nano, you can have videos, pictures, and the new cover flow feature, at the same resolution as the iPod Videos(320x240). And remember that "mock-up" we showed? That is actually what it looks like. The new Nano's will be available in 4GB and 8GB at $149 and $199 respectably. This sounds like a great refresh. Good for people who only need lit loads of music. So, here is some pictures.

^From the Apple Store^

iPod Classic

Steve made another interesting announcement. The former iPod Video's will now receive the brand "iPod Classic". Not much is being done here. One of the major things is that they will now have a 80GB and 160GB version at $249 and $349 respectably. They are thinner than the old ones. They feature the metal case like the Nano's and also feature the new cover flow feature. And here are pics of the refresh.

 

^From the Apple Store^

The Big Finale

Well, this is what we were all waiting for. A completely new iPod, unlike one seen before. The "iPod Touch"! The iPod Touch.....think of it as the iPhone, but with the just the iPod OS(Like I previously said). It does run a version of MAC OSX. You choose between videos, pictures, and music through the dock at the bottom. It has icons much like the iPhone. The apps it has are YouTube, Calendar, Safari, Contacts, Calculator, and Settings. You use this iPod the exact same way you use the iPod function of the iPhone.  This iPod also comes with built in wifi, a browser, and a new feature which will also come to the iPhone....wireless iTunes Store. Which means, I can go to any wifi hotspot and download a song on my iPod/iPhone. Also, Apple has teamed with Starbucks to give iPod Touch/iPhone users free access to the iTunes store in Starbucks. It will come in a 8GB and 16GB versions at $299 and $399. And with out further ado, the new iPod Touch!

^From the Apple Store^

So, I'll express my final reactions tomorrow. For now, you can see the press conference your self with Steve demoing these new products HERE.

mSeliga