well, i’ll admit it.  i really never got into GTA III prior to GTA IV’s release. it may have been due to the fact that i passed that generation of console gaming for pc gaming (ah..  imo, kind of the glory days of pc gaming thus far; tons of good games and the fact that your hardware outpaced game requirements was nice on the pocket book too!). 

i really wasn’t sure what to expect with GTA IV on my Playstation3 ; i had played GTA III a few times at my pals and on my psp but i never for more than 20 minutes.  GTA IV’s hype was pretty huge especially with the release of the first batch of reviews giving it mainly 10/10, perfects.  so my impressions are not of a GTA vetern but of a newb after 3 hours of gameplay (not watching others play, hehe).

First things first, the intro is very well done.  gives you a movie feel and warms you up to getting down and dirty.

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launch, review, ps3, culture, console, gaming | 4 Comments »

i love my job, that is my non-digital job at the firm in tech support. recently i’ve been getting my chance to play with TONS of cool ultraportable laptops and also a few cool new smartphones. however, today we got in two versions of a tablet i’ve been eyeing since its leaked spec sheet last year; the Dell Latitude XT Tablet PC. the fact that i’m the known uber gadget geek in the office really makes it easy for me to tryout the new hardware we get the first day it comes in and thus this post.

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life, launch, review, tablet pc, laptop, culture, geek, windows, vista, opinion, mobile, hardware | 4 Comments »

Happy New Year to everyone!  This last year was a pretty crazy year in regards to technology, gaming and being a geek.  Today’s post will be a personal recap 2007, and what i thought was the biggest trend from it.

2007: The year that gaming really went mainstream?

2006 yielded an estimated 12 billion dollars in revenue for the video game industry however 2007 could end up being an even better year.  This year we saw the X360 sales thrive (not counting japan of course) w/the release of much the anticipated Halo3 (which itself set a record for most copies sold on release for any media; movie, music, game).  We also saw gaming go mainstream with the help of the casual gaming system, Nintendo’s Wii (ie money printing machine, hehe).   Sony’s PS3 also started to pick up steam in sales with the price drops and release of two new models; however the PS3 was/is still trailing the pack in sales but has seemingly helped the next-gen format war for blu-ray vs. hd-dvd (x360 did not include the hd dvd, optional drive vs sony making blu-ray a requirement in the ps3).

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fanboy, blogging, Zune, launch, ds lite, life, x360, iphone, osx86, ps3, wii, opinion, gaming, linux, hardware, applications, console, culture, geek, handheld, apple | 2 Comments »

yes, the title of this post is correct.  being as big of a geek as i am, most of my pals are pretty shocked to hear that i hadn’t owned an mp3 player since the first generation of mp3 playesr.  back in 1998, i bought my first ever and up to this point 2nd ever mp3 player.  it was a Rio PMP300 that had a whopping 32mbs of memory and 10 hour battery life.  video? photo? click wheel/touchpad? none.  this was before Apple made mp3 players.

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launch, Zune, fanboy, review, culture, geek, hardware, windows, music, handheld, pc | 13 Comments »

well, i was hoping to finally get my windvd8 working on vista, however i was having a heck of a time w/windvd8 installing.   i kept getting an annoying you need the DirectX Runtime Feb2006.  at first i was afraid of installing the update since i feared it may ruin my vista and its directx10, however after some reading/searching i decided to go ahead.  it turns out the package only updates missing/needed components and leaves newer ones intact. so thus far good to go.

finally got the latest windvd8 trial installed, my build was the vista patched one so now i can finally watch dvds on my vista install again.   i was going to try to use just media player for dvds but the performance was horrible.  windvd8’s latest patch/build seems to fix the lag i was seeing in media player and w/my older windvd8 installer.

another note, photoshop cs2 has been running pretty smoothly for me thus far.  i only had one lockup but that was during install.  i’ve noticed if you get errors when installing xp apps, do the right click on the .exe and choose properties and then go to the Compatibility tab and put a check in the Run for Windows XP SP2.  seems to resolve install problems. 

now if only i had drivers for my ATI HDTV Wonder.  i wonder if i had vista ultimate if i would? i did see a great deal on the Vista Ultimate Ed for only $199 over at http://newegg.com  , i’m pretty tempted to get it for when the cable card tuners start coming out. hmmm…

 UPDATE: got my ATI HDTV wonder going finally, had to use my older WinXP drivers and had to install them manually by browsing and then selecting them from the list of Sound Video and Game Controllers.  Then used the ATI DTV Wonder Analog AV Capture Device driver and voila! i see it now, the last device i have to get going is my Creative Live! Cam Video IM Pro. 

launch, htpc, hd, applications, vista, opinion, windows | No Comments »

well, so i’ve prob ran the last 4 versions of the vista betas and finally this weekend got Vista Business Ed RTM up and going on my main pc.  my initial impressions of vista were luke warm due to the super long install times of the betas. i was anxious to see how the final release of vista and its aero style would run or crash. this is my first real attempt at using vista as my main os, but i have my xp prof sp2 still dual booted and setup just in case.

i’m only on day 3 of running vista and so far things have been so, so.  basically reminds me of when XP first came out.  silly cd/dvd burning software crashing the os, features from the prev OS that seemed to be left out, horrible vista compatible driver support, and the newb-ness of the OS itself.

so here are a few things i’ve noted about Vista thus far and think may help other virgin Vista users out.

1. older Nero 7 versions will crash Vista.  there is a video encoder in the installation that makes vista crash over and over again.  however, there is an alternative solution.  a few geeks have made a custom installation, micro and lite nero 7, that will work with vista.  i’m using the Nero 7 Lite and it lets me do everything i did w/the full version (never/hated the stupid showtime player, always took over all of my video/audio extensions).  check that out over here: http://www.updatepack.nl/ 

2. ATI video drivers DO NOT allow fullscreen overlays like in prev versions.  this was a biggie for me since i use my dual monitor setup mainly for movie/video watching and i always have my ati settings setup to have fullscreen overlay video on my secondary when i have video going in the primary.  very nice for movies while surfing, etc. we can only wait til Ati updates/adds this feature back to their drivers or someone hacks the current one.  i’ve heard you can use older RC1 betas but i’m a bit skeptical on using even older ati drivers.

3.  Where’s the My Pictures slideshow screensaver??? seriously, i loved that screensaver!!  it worked w/multi-monitor setup (pics would alternate between my two monitors) and let me use my monitors/pc as a digital photo frames in my room (have a hotkey setup to turn on my screensaver, i love you ultramon!). i found a MUCH better alternative.  Google’s Picasa has a screensaver function.  once you activate in Picasa, it will add a screensaver into windows display properties > screensaver area.  Choose it and click on the settings button and then choose which folders you want (you can do multiple folders, folders in picasa (starred/tagged) or even from picasa webalbums).  Jackpot and another point for Picasa! get it over here:  http://picasa.google.com/

so for the time being, i’m still using my XP  setup for movie watching at night and my vista setup during the day.  so it seems i’ll prob be dual booting for some time to come. anywho thats about all for now, more to come (hopefully cablecard tv tuners and vista ultimate!).  oh yea, here’s my latest desktop, vista styled.. :P  (doh, wp won’t let me upload… so.. coming soon? hehe)

launch, htpc, applications, vista, hardware, windows, pc | No Comments »

update 3:

well, the last update before i call it a day.. been playing zelda most of the day and must say its a blast. the whole wii-mote and nunchuk controller scheme is pretty fresh and new.  also tested out the email sending/receiving functionality and it seems to be pretty simple and basic. your wi’’s email address is just w+(your wii friend code)@wii.com (ie w5644651651321@wii.com; not a real code!).   Anywho, if any other Wii owners wanna add me as a friend and vice versa, drop me a message or reply and i’ll gladly add ya!  peace! thus the wii launch day has concluded..

update 2:

seems nintendo’s site was getting hit w/some major traffic this morning, esp around 8:20am, hehe.   just got back from getting Madden 07 from Gamestop and man, those poor guys must be exhausted after the PS3 and Wii midnight launches. so far madden is pretty cool; a definite change for the good.  i’m still in love w/Wii Sports, pretty fun.  also had to download Mario 64, just cuz its mario 64 and i did get a classic controller for a reason. anywho back to zelda!

update 1:

so after playing w/my wii for about 2 hours now, here are a few quick initial impressions i got!

-man, the Wii is TINY! and you trully get everything you need to set it up, wii sports included!
-ease of setup is pure cake, no parent should have any probs w/it.
-wifi again was easy to setup too, if you’ve setup wifi before on a laptop, you should not have any probs at all
-using the wii-mote: the first game of tennis was AWESOME! i just had a cheesy grin on my face while i returned a lob w/some nice topspin! bowling was very fun too, got the same type of score i’d get when i bowl in real-life (118 haha!). i’m pretty pumped to get a few pals over to play some drinking wii-sports (good thing i got the protection plans on the system and my wii-motes).
-zelda: only 20 minutes into but so far i can tell that its going to be an epic type game not a boring normal adventure. graphics are what i expected, nothing like a PS3 or X360 but gets the job done.
-wii interface: i really like the wii’s interface so far. i have not noticed any slowness in the wifi connection or downloading so far (in comparison to the vids on kotaku.com yesterday). made me a mii, that was way too fun for what it was. hehe.

so i’d say, yes i am glad i waited at 6am today and the initial impressions have met my expectations. and add onto that a SMOOTH launch at Target and i’m super happy! Target did a great job, again i must give props where due. Lined us up inside, let you choose your games/accessories (tons of each title), and pay for it and get a warranty plan if you want and out the door! took me a whole 10mins from the doors opening at 8am to me walking out w/that cheesy grin you see on xmas day when you got something you really wanted! back to zelda!!

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culture, wii, launch, geek, console, gaming, opinion, hardware | No Comments »

update:  finally stumbled upon this site to help everyone figure out where to get a wii and the quantities!

http://www.ps3seeker.com/wii/

____________________ 

well.. thought i’d go out and do some scouting for where would be the best place to get my wii and since i had a best buy, walmart, 2 targets and a circuit city close by; i figure i should be guaranteed to get one at one of the places!

so…. the question most of us want to know is; how many Wii’s will they be getting?? who is launching at midnight?

well, in my area (southern minneapolis, mn sububs) here is what i found out!

Walmart is launching at midnight tonight since they are 24/7.  only about 20-30 wiis or so the employees say.  also there was a line of 20 some people already waiting (8pm ish)

Both Targets are launching the Wii on Sun  morning at 8am.  One of the Target video game sales reps (who i must say was super nice and seemed like he knew his stuff) said they estimate about 60 wiis and 60 copies of zelda! there were only 4 kids in line outside (the rep told them the number of wiis but they insisted on staying in line; can’t blame them with the whole PS3 fiasco).  the other target had no idea and guessed around 20-30 wiis and unknown numbers of zelda and no lines at all (and its the closest!)

Best Buy (the one that got about 120 PS3s on launch and did the PS3 midnight launch) were keeping numbers quiet. guesstimates were in the range of 7-100 (HAHA! nice range eh?). 

But here’s the good part!! I was able to pickup a Wii-mote!! so i can see first hand what they look like.  Also, walmart had games already for sale and on display (but zelda was mysteriously missing; must be keeping for the first wii’s they sell). it seems unlike most items, batteries are included! also got the 2 year plan on it, just in case something tragic, say airborne mote, happens..

here’s some wii-mote porn till the morning!

So there’s a quickie wrap up of Pre-Wii launch news in the minneapolis area (or where i live.. hehe.)

 i plan on doing another recon mission run at 5am or 6am and might just end up bundling up (layers are key in mn winters!) and bring my DS w/Elite Beat Agents to tie me over till they open!

wish me luck!

wii, launch, culture, geek, gaming, console, hardware | 1 Comment »

well.. time to reflect back on some current ‘next-gen’ devices/formats… seems ‘next-gen’ is the thing to be.. hehe..

me, well i’m forgoing the supposed ‘next-gen’ consoles by Microsoft and Sony. to me, graphical prettiness does not equate to next-gen.. its just a video upgrade, the gameplay remains the same and the interface too…. so that is why i will be trying to pre-order a Nintendo Wii….

Nintendo appears to be the only console maker that actually wants their system to be next-gen, in a true sense not a graphical upgrade sense…. and no, i am not a nintendo fanboy; hello, check out my PSP pages.. i am more of a Sony fanboy than any other… (got a Sony DSC-T9, K800i, PSP, W800i)…

hd…. i must say i already am in love with it.. sure, i only get 3 channels of HDTV Over-The-Air on my pc but nonetheless they are the football channels! hehe.. the only downfall now is that there does not seem to be any hope or sign that a HDTV CableCard ready Tuner will be released for PC’s.. seems the cable companies are pushing their own PVR/DVR systems rather than allow us geeks to use our existing setups.. (by using a pc, i eliminate the need to purchase an HDTV but yet still get the resolution)

culture, hd, launch, fanboy, geek, console, gaming, opinion, applications, hardware | No Comments »