5 Reasons Why I Hate HD Console Gaming

The next-gen of gaming, also known as HD Gaming, started with the introduction of the Xbox 360 way back in November 2005. It is another thing that PCs were capable of HD gaming much before the consoles, it's just that they picked up much later. Coming back; I spend good 25-30 hours a week playing on my Xbox 360 and PS3, and occasionally on the Wii -- that just means that I do enjoy my consoles. But the fact is that like most things in life, console gaming isn't perfect. So much so that I've come up with a list of reasons for the same.Whether you agree or disagree with my list, let me know in the comments section.
5) Highly Visual Centric (Xbox 360 and PS3): A good looking game can really turn heads -- MGS4, Gears of War, Bioshock and Uncharted; they're stunning games, and have been praised universally for the same. But it takes a lot of talent to makes such games, which not only look great but play just as well.

However, these days every developer wants to make games that look really good, but in their quest for visual supremacy, they lose out on the basics -- the games just aren't fun to play! NFS Undercover, Assassin's Creed, Afro Samurai, Face Breaker, need I say more? Nintendo's Wii is an exception in the visuals department, but most of its games get boring very soon.

4) Expensive (Consumer): I know PC gaming ain't cheap, but the same applies to consoles as well; in some cases consoles tend to be more expensive. Let's take the Xbox 360 for example, the HDD, the Wi-Fi adapter, headset -- all freaking expensive!

"Xbox Live" is a godsend and there are no two ways about it, but I am forced to pay to play a multiplayer game, which is insane. I can buy an original PC game from my local store for about Rs. 1000 ($20), but the same game on the PS3 costs me Rs. 2500 ($50). 

3) Expensive (Developer): I don't really care how much the developers pay for making a good game, but if that leads to developers churning out weak games, I get livid! Developers can't risk millions of dollars and expect a small return, for every $1 they spend they need to make $10, which means low risk and minimum innovation. I was really impressed by Electronic Arts (EA) when they tried new games like Dead Space and Mirror's Edge, and I hope EA stays on this course. Making a new AAA title is really expensive but with the right amount of time and effort, we do get games like Fable II.

2) PC gaming is messed up: The biggest reason why PC gaming is dying is due to piracy, everyone likes free stuff and the internet is filled with torrents. But take a look at MMORPGs, there is a huge population that pays top dollar for these games, which means gamers will pay for a quality product. A game like World of Warcraft takes years to develop and is best experienced on a PC. But console gaming has lead to a new breed of "easy-gaming", you can't quick save on a console, so developers make sure you don't die that often (Prey, Bioshock) and in some cases you don't die at all (I am looking at you, Prince of Persia). I'm sure that most of you will disagree but let's face it, console gaming is a breeze compared to the old-school offerings on the PC.

1) The Fanboy-ism: I enjoy playing games on the Xbox 360 and the PS3 and on the Wii (occasionally) but I hate the fanboy-ism. There are no issues when you support your favorite brand but it's getting a little out of hand. Every decent forum is now filled with PS3 supporters, Xbots and the elite Wii squad. What surprises me the most is the fact that people take the console war so seriously, from ridiculing games on metacritic to starting anti-PS3/Xbox/Wii websites. It's truly insane and brings to notice the repercussions of a quarter life crisis.
These are mine reasons, What's your reason?

Red Faction Guerilla [Xbox 360 Review]

Many of us are destructive by nature, some more than the others. There is a reason why we love playing video games that include a lot of explosions and a lot of killing, because we simply enjoy it. If you are one of those demented, sadistic maniacs, this is the game for you. Red Faction Guerilla has more explosions and mayhem than all the Michael Bay movies put together, and in keeping with tradition, the story sucks just as much.
Alec enters a fully colonized Mars to start working as a mining engineer and to reconnect with his brother. Within no time Alec realizes that Mars is a place filled with grief and slavery and is under the tyrannical rule of the EDF or Earth Defense Force. Alec's brother, Daniel, explains to his brother the situation and asks him to join in an oppressive movement led by some of Mars' residents. Alec has no such intention but it all changes when Daniel is shot down by the EDF.
Not too long after his brother's death, Alec too faces an aggressive EDF squad, but is saved in the nick of time by the Red Faction Guerillas. This is the same group that Daniel was working for. They give Alec a chance to complete what his brother started and he readily accepts it.
If any of you remember the original Red Faction, you will surely remember that the EDF was never the enemy, but with time and two sequels the tides have changed. The game's plot is very simple and follows Alec and the other guerilla as they fight and win back Mars, part by part. The plot is very basic, so don't expect anything more than your usual twists and turns.
RFG stands out for its technical achievement, the GeoMod engine ver 2. This amazing technology gives the player complete freedom to destroy virtually every man-made structure in the game. It's a third person action game, a far cry from the original Red Faction, which was an FPS, but both games feature GeoMod Tech.
What's really fascinating about the GeoMod tech is that it allows players to tackle the same situation in multiple ways. In a standard FPS/TPS, you follow a very linear format; see enemy, run and shoot, whereas in Red Faction Guerilla your options are limitless. When there is no solid obstruction to contain you or keep you cornered, you tend to think differently.
The game supports a cover system similar to Gears of War, but unfortunately isn't as smooth. Sticking to solid objects is easy but switching and moving to other points of cover is not as simple as Gears of War. Overall it's a standard open world action game; there are six separate areas that are controlled by the EDF, all of which need to be cleared of enemies. You have a map and GPS that lets you mark vital EDF structures, which when destroyed yields more power to the RFG and lesser control to the EDF. Your objective is to win all the six areas over time by destroying key structures and defending Red Faction Guerrilla bases.
The system does get old over time, but luckily there are simple side missions that include blowing up big structures in limited amount of time, which adds a bit of fun to the routine. The game also features some really ugly vehicles, but they are good enough to traverse the terrain and ram into EDF soldiers. The most interesting vehicle is a worker mech known as the Walker. This towering metal monster can rip apart an entire building block, as if it were made of paper. The Walker can be hijacked and then used to create havoc on Mars, trust my words; the Walker is a ton of fun.
The multiplayer component makes full use of the destructible environments, with most game modes revolving around causing destruction. The game features standard modes like CTF, deathmatch and a really cool mode called Siege. In Siege, the players have to destroy a set of buildings that are vital to the enemy and the first team to destroy all the structures first wins.
This mode also features a special weapon called the Reconstructer, which allows you to reconstruct destroyed structures. The MP also uses experience points that can be used to change the player's avatar and unlock more game modes. You also get access to special backpacks that give the player a special ability for a limited period of time. You will be able to run much faster or destroy a wall by merely running into it.
The game doesn't boast of jaw dropping visuals but looks good enough. One has to judge the game based on the superior tech and not merely on the visual appeal. The game plays at a smooth frame rate throughout without any major lag, which is quiet commendable. The explosions look great and you won't be bored even on your second play through. I recommend this game to anyone who wants a good action game, wants to blow up a lot of stuff and wants to relax with some really good multiplayer.
Good : GeoMod engine is amazing, blowing up stuff never gets old, a good action game, great multiplayer modes
Bad : Boring plot and voice acting

Microsoft Zune HD

Microsoft officially announced plans to release a touch-screen version of the Zune portable media player, intended to compete with Apple's iPod Touch. The new device is called the Zune HD, and offers several features not found on the iPod Touch, including an OLED display, HD radio, and high-definition video playback (using an optional dock accessory). Long-standing Zune features, such as a photo viewer, games, podcast management, and Zune Pass music subscription integration, will continue to be supported, as well.
The Zune HD will be the first Zune to include an Internet Explorer Web browser, complementing its other Wi-Fi features (song sharing, Channel streaming, and Zune Marketplace browsing). The Zune HD's browser is optimized for the touch screen with an onscreen keyboard, but there's no word on whether it will be capable of streaming Flash media (used by sites such as YouTube and Pandora), a capability that is currently lacking in the Safari browser for the iPhone and iPod Touch.
Microsoft also unveiled plans to dramatically beef up the video download selection of its Zune Marketplace online store, and use the improved storefront to power the movie and TV downloads available to the Xbox gaming console. No word yet on whether the new storefront will support movie rentals that can be transferred to Zune hardware (similar to iTunes movie rentals), but Microsoft has already proven very capable of managing media DRM with its Zune Pass subscription music service.
The Zune HD isn't the first MP3 player to offer a 3.3-inch touch-screen OLED display or high-definition video output, but it is one of the first portable audio devices with announced plans for an HD radio tuner. Beyond the added fidelity of HD radio, the format also lends itself well to transmitting artist and song data, which is useful for the Zune's existing FM radio song-tagging and download feature.
Zune HD specification 
Zune HD will have 3.3 inch OLED display capacitive touch screen with 480x272 16:9 resolution).The HD video can be taken out via AV Dock to external HDTV or compatible device .
Flash memory 16GB and 32 GB models.
Built-in accelerometer for landscape mode and screen rotation
HD radio tuner (receives FM only).
Wi-Fi connectivity for accessing Zune market place and webpages using internet explorer 6 mobile.
Unicode Support.
Zune HD will be available in Black and Silver-Bronze colors.
Zune HD price and launch date  
Microsoft has confirmed the official launch date of Zune HD as September 8 2009 . The expected price for 16 GB and 32 GB Zune HD model will be 199$ and 299$ receptively . So India ,when converting the price will be around 10000-15000 INR.

Acer eMachines EL1600 Desktop [Review]

eMachines is a very popular brand in the U.S. that is sold through retailers and e-tailers alike. They are well-known for providing cost effective solutions to the end user and that's exactly the kind of solution we'll be reviewing today. Acer has launched the brand in India with a small palette of products to begin with. Today we'll be taking a look at an entry-level desktop or Nettop as Asus calls it. Inspired by the Eee Box, the EL1600 too is based on the same idea but irons out some of the shortcomings of the EeeBox making this a lot more practical. The PC is powered by Intel's Atom processor, so you can expect a typical Netbook configuration with 1GB RAM and a 160GB HDD. This time around Acer has thrown in an optical drive as well.
Bundle Includes : Power cord, Keyboard and mouse, Driver DVD, Mouse pad.
The keyboard has a pretty average build and the keys are smaller than a regular keyboard, so it feels a little weird at first. The mouse has a better build but again it's more of a laptop mouse so the size may not suite everyone.
Design and Construction
While unpacking it from the box, the first thing you'll notice is its stylish looks. It's not as small as the EeeBox but it's definitely a lot smaller than a regular desktop. The front has a full gloss finish with the eMachines logo placed at the top. There are four ports in the front and an audio jack. The big 'E' badge is actually the power button that lights up green when powered on. That's Acer's color, which could also be interpreted as an effort at making 'green' product, as the desktop consumes less power. Very clever indeed!
Let's finish up with the connectivity first before we go inside. The rear features the power supply at the top, where a standard power cord plugs in. There are nice big ventilation holes on the side, so there's very little chance of overheating. For the bundled keyboard and mouse we have two PS2 ports, a Serial and Parallel port, four more USB ports, a 10/100 LAN port (no Gigabit LAN) and the audio connector. Just below are two expansion slots, which mean adding a Wi-Fi or Sound card is possible.
At the heart of the El1600 lies Intel's Atom N230 processor on the 945 chipset. We still have 1GB of DDR2 800MHz, which is a little less. The SATA-II hard disk is 160GB, which is still enough for an average user. But the best part is that Acer has used a regular 3.5-inch HDD, which means better performance (7200 RPM) and cheaply replaceable as compared to a laptop hard drive. There is one free IDE port, but no more place to add anything else in the chassis, so it's wasted. There are just two SATA ports both of which are occupied. The DVD writer has a LabelFlash feature similar to LightScribe to burn DVD labels.
Analysis
The EL1600 comes with Windows Vista Home Premium, which came as surprise, as I expected XP. Being the resource hog that it is, Vista is not the best choice for this sort of PC, which essentially is a Netbook. Still it wasn't as bad as I hoped. Navigating through Windows was quite spiffy and even Flip 3D worked smoothly. Launch any application and it begins to choke a bit, and takes longer than usual to launch. Office 2007 wasn't much of a strain, so using Word and Powerpoint shouldn't be a problem.
Photoshop CS4 I know this is a bad idea but what the hell. We tried Photoshop CS4, and though it worked, it was very slow because of just 1GB RAM. Loading a 500MB image is a little overwhelming for the system, especially with a lot of layers. Needless to say if you need to perform any serious Photoshop tasks then this is not for you.
Gaming Everyone plays an odd game or two once in a while, so it's important to see what this one can handle. A small game like 2D side scrollers is not a problem; in fact CounterStrike 1.6 works well too with toned down settings. Even Quake or Unreal Tournament should work but don't expect high frame rates.
Power Consumption Being an Atom based computer you know the power consumption is going to be lot more relaxed. On idle the EL1600 consumes 36W, which is good considering the desktop components used instead of notebook parts. When put under stress, the PC shoots up to 42W, which again is quite low. This can be the perfect second PC for the kids' bedroom or can be used as a download rig.
Pricing
Since this is targeted at the entry-level segment the pricing has to be reasonable enough to attract the target audience. This desktop is priced at Rs.10,000 (INR) which is exactly what the Eee Box should have been priced. This is quite an aggressive price coming from Acer and the lack of Wi-Fi should not be a big problem since you can add one later in the spare PCI slot. All you really need is a monitor to start surfing.
My Verdict
Acer has teamed up with eMachines to bring their entry-level desktops to the masses and they've hit the right price point going head-on against Asus and their EeeBox. Where it loses out is the size and compactness compared to the EeeBox, but it more than makes up in the choice of components.
All those who were crying about the lack of optical drive may rejoice as we have a standard desktop DVD burner along with a 3.5-inch desktop hard drive that can easily/cheaply be swapped for a higher capacity drive. There's also a free expansion slot for a Wi-Fi card or a sound card making it upgradable.
The design is quite stylish, so you can proudly display it next to your monitor. There's very little to complain about here. The build of the desktop is solid and so are the bundled keyboard and mouse. Wi-Fi could have been included just to complete the package but that's not a major put off.
Specifications
Microprocessor : Intel ATOM N230-i.6 Ghz, 512 KB L2 Cache, 533 MHz FSB
Memory : 1 BG DDR2, 667 MHZ Optical Drive : Labelflash DVD Writer
Hard Disk : 160 GB SATA HDD @ 7200 RPM Graphics : Intel GMA 950 graphics
Audio : Embedded high defination audia
LAN : 10/100 LAN Keyboard : PS2 keyboard Mouse : Optical Mouse
Housing : New Emachines By Acer Extra Small Form Factor (8.5L)
I/O Expansion Slot : PCI Slot

Top 10 Tips N Tricks For Long Battery Life

1. Recalibrate a laptop battery to regain life
It's a shame, but laptop batteries can lie to you about how much juice they have, or can really hold. The New York Times explains in a Q & A  the most straight-forward means of getting the real truth. Turn off all your interrupting apps, like screensavers and the like, put your computer to sleep, and plug it in until you know it's good and charged. Then turn it back on, make sure your power settings are such that the system won't try to sleep or hibernate, then run your computer all the way down on battery power. Charge it back up one more time, and you'll know whether you really need to start shopping at Laptop Battery Express, Laptops for Less, or check with your manufacturer to get a new lithium stick.
2. Make your system smarter about power
Windows and Mac OS X both know when you're using a laptop, and presumably want to help you save power. Except, in the case of the Mac, sleeping and hibernating isn't done with remaining battery power in mind, and on Vista, well, all those Aero effects and background processes suck up power too quickly. Enter Vista Battery Saver, which kills the Aero effects, sidebar widgets, and other power sinks, and SmartSleep (OS X), which gradually transitions from sleep, to sleep-and-hibernate, to full-on, session-saving hibernate as you start winding down from 20 percent charge. Both are nearly necessary downloads for road warriors lugging either OS around.
3. Get long-term battery life
An inquiring reader asked how to keep his batteries delivering on-the-go power for the long haul, rather than watch his investment be eaten away by age. As is so often the case, our readers came right back with answers. A MetaFilter thread linked by one helpful reader suggests using the battery fully if you're going to use it, then re-charge when it runs down. A Battery University link offers more tips, and Apple's guide to batteries suggests a few tips on what to do with unused or spare batteries—store them in a cool place at about 50 percent charge, for instance.
4. Stash your gadgets out of your pockets
It's the most natural place in the world for your cellphone or iPod, but the heat your pocket picks up from, well, your hips can decrease the overall life of lithium-ion batteries. Not so much that you absolutely have to get one of those I'm An Important Person belt clips, but if you've got a coat, purse, or other place to put a battery-powered gizmo, consider offering it a little more ventilation than your body-warmed cotton wraps. While you're thinking cool, try stashing your batteries (just your batteries, mind you) in the freezer if you're trying to conserve every last drop while you're away from your charger.
5. Extend your not-so-hot iPhone life
A lot of lists out there offer to help extend your iPhone's battery life. This one's a lot like them, except it's written by our sibling site Gizmodo and based on extensive testing done during the run-up to the iPhone's launch. And it goes so far as to suggest what the others don't—playing games with 3D and vibrate, for example, is a power killer, both in actual juice and in how long you'll end up playing without realizing you've been sucked in. And if you're just checking weather, emailing, and making calls, keep your 3G switched off until it's needed.
6. Watch movies from hard drives, not DVDs
Simple, sure, but not always obvious. On many planes and trains, laptops serve as little more than portable DVD players with bigger screens, but forcing your laptop to spin the discs and read from them eats up more power than reading a file off a hard disk—or, perhaps even better, a USB drive. How to get there? We recommend HandBrake for most any system, though Adam's got a pretty good thing going with his (Windows-based) one-click DVD ripping solution.
7. Turn off your digital camera's screen
Having a view of the whole scene you're shooting is one of the digital camera's big advantages over film-based models, but powering that tiny little LCD takes quite the toll on your little batteries. If you're running low, or know you're going to be without a recharge for some time, turn the screen off and shoot through the optical viewfinder. You'll save battery time, and might find a new perspective on focus and framing.
8. Get serious rechargeable batteries (and a charger)
It's a help to the environment, and your checking account, to use rechargeable batteries instead of letting your Wii remotes and other gadgets eat through AAs. But the grocery store brands and accessories often don't seem worth the hassle. Blogger Jeff Atwood does know what works, though, and he details the circuit science and recommends the good stuff in the post linked above. If you're stuck with Energizer and Duracell choices, though, here's Gizmodo's faceoff of the big brands.
9. Keep your iPod "held" and updated
If you haven't hit the "Update" button since you got your iPod, old or new, fire up iTunes and do so—the newest firmware, in many cases, can boost your battery life. Once you've done that, run through Playlist Magazine's battery saving tips, which include keeping backlighting, the equalizer, and Sound Check features off when they're not needed. Also, keeping the "Hold" switch in place when you're not actively using it saves you from accidentally playing your whole collection, and wasting another charge cycle.
10. Turn C batteries into Ds with quarters
Only a few things ever need D batteries, but who has them handy when you need those things? If you've got some slightly more handy C batteries around, you only need a few quarters to turn them into makeshift Ds. You won't get the same longevity, and you'll have to part with up to $1.50 for a bit, but it works, and it might just turn you into the family hero when you rescue that seemingly useless big-lens flashlight.

Trine : Demo Impressions

Some of my most memorable gaming experiences have come in the pre-pre HD era. 2D side-scrollers like Contra, Mario, Sonic, Strider and Double Dragon made gaming on 8 bit consoles so much fun. Luckily some developers' still believe in old school gaming, and Capcom's Bionic Commando Rearmed is a fine example. It sold quite a few copies and was well accepted by critics. A game called Trine caught my attention a few months back, this Action/Puzzle title showed a lot of promise with its unique take on co-op gaming. 
Trine is an action title that combines platforming and puzzle elements to create a rather unique game. In single player mode you control three different characters; Knight, Wizard and Thief. Each character is special and equipped with distinctive abilities. The knight is a powerful fighter, and the thief is agile and can latch on to solid objects, whereas the wizard can create solid objects out of thin air. The idea is to use all the three characters together to overcome various obstacles that the game offers.
As mentioned before in single player mode, you need to switch characters, whereas in co-op, up to three players can play together. I spent a little more than 20 min with the game but I'm already mighty impressed; it's fun to play and challenging at the same time.
You will be constantly fighting undead enemies, who give you health and experience. The knight is best at fighting the undead followed by the thief. The wizard on the other hand is better off solving puzzles. Listed below are some important features of the game:

1) Physics play a very important role in the game, especially when it comes to solving puzzles.

2) The wizard can create solid objects and then levitate/move them. This is a useful ability when one needs to open trap doors, or jump to a high structure.

3) The thief's ability to latch on to solid objects is really useful to scale high structures as well as jump over long distances.

4) The knight has a very practical block ability that works wonders against the undead enemy. He works best against the undead; his fast attack moves combined with the block ability enable you to clear a roomful of enemies very easily.

Overall the demo was a lot of fun. I faced some interesting scenarios that were easily overcome using all the three characters. Visually the game is stunning, with clean vibrant textures and really good character animation. The plot sounds very simple but is good enough to hold the game together. I couldn't experience co-op play in the demo, which was unfortunate, as I can already sense a great co-op game in Trine. The game is exclusive to the PS3 and will be available in the first week of July, but you can try the game by clicking on this link. You can also visit the homepage and check out gameplay videos by clicking here.

Uncharted 2 : Multiplayer Preview

The original Uncharted took many by surprise; the game was an unexpected hit selling over two million units on the PS3. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves looks really promising and offers better visuals as well as new multiplayer mode. The multiplayer beta has been active for the past three weeks and it's quite popular as you will always find people queued up for a match. 

To be honest I was a little surprised when Sony announced multiplayer for Uncharted 2, as they didn't really need a multiplayer component since Uncharted was a stellar single player experience. But these days developers' don't believe in a core single player experience anymore, hence UC2 will ship with some traditional and some not-so-traditional multiplayer. The multiplayer beta offers two game modes; competitive and co-operative. Competitive mode consists of traditional Team deathmatch and a CTF inspired mode called Plunder. The deathmatch is pretty standard stuff, with two sides, permanent spawn spots and an abundance of weapons. The shooting mechanism is very similar to the original UC, with a similar control scheme.

You have standard weapons like rifles, snipers, shotguns and pistols, with applicable real life physics like recoil, so it's not just run-and-gun. You can take cover behind most solid objects, which adds a little depth to the game. The cover system slows down the game as you won't find people running around aimlessly. However, players tend to use the cover mechanics a lot. The deathmatch is fun but be prepared to die a lot, since the maps aren't too big and players tend to chuck grenades.  On the other hand Plunder is a very team centric mode, and requires some really good co-ordination. Players need to infiltrate and pick up a heavy gold statue, which needs to be carried back to base. The carrier slows down and is limited to using his pistol, so it's up to his teammates to protect him. What's really cool is the option to pass on the statue to a teammate or leave it on the ground, finish off the enemies nearby and then proceed.

The 'Plunder' mode is really addictive and although it follows an age-old formula, it works like a charm. The players can choose special abilities in competitive multiplayer. You have two slots that can be filled with abilities that range from more accuracy while shooting to carrying more ammo. The other winner is the co-op mode, which is a welcome addition to UC2. The co-op mode features Nathan, the new female lead Chloe as well as Sully (your old companion). The game randomly assigns you a character though all players have equal attributes, so no one has an unfair advantage. The co-op level is about 10 min long and features many co-op events. These are very simple acts that need to be performed by at least two teammates. These include helping teammates scale high structures or helping them over a wall. The game makes it challenging to carry out these acts as there are enemies constantly firing at you, but it's the challenge that makes the co-op mode fun.

One thing that I noticed in co-op was that, enemies tend to jump out from all sides, so you always need to watch out for yourself and your partner. If one of the players is killed, the mission goes on but once the remaining players clear the area and reach a checkpoint, everyone joins back. The co-op mode takes a lot of inspiration from games like Gears of War and Resident Evil 5, so you will face situations when you need to revive your teammates when they are down and bleeding. The co-op works smoothly and provides a very good experience.

Overall the new multiplayer component in Uncharted 2 looks very good and will add to the overall appeal, thus making UC2 even more exciting.