Inexpensive HDMI cables are a right, not a privilege

Inexpensive HDMI cables are a right, not a privilege

For the best picture quality on your HDTV you will need a HDMI cable. You may see these cables in stores this holiday season for as much as $99. Don't be taken in! I made the mistake of spending $20 for a cable because I was impatient. A friend told me about a site called monoprice.com that has six foot cables for $3. I took advantage of a sale and bought three cables for $7.99 and free shipping.

Raph’s Website » How UO rares were born

Raph’s Website » How UO rares were born

Excellent post about rare items in Ultima Online written by game designer Raph Koster. These items were not designed they were discovered.

Hip Hop Hadouken | Video Clip | Game Trailers & Videos | GameTrailers.com

Hip Hop Hadouken | Video Clip | Game Trailers & Videos | GameTrailers.com

PaRappa the Rapper mash up with Street Fighter II, special guest Gordon Liu.

Gamasutra - News - Survey: What Makes Players Choose New Games Instead Of Used?

Gamasutra - News - Survey: What Makes Players Choose New Games Instead Of Used?

Interesting post on Gamasutra that looks at why gamers choose used games.

Money Saving Tech Tips & Philosophic Musings: Diamond Case Blu-Ray Buyers Guide

Money Saving Tech Tips & Philosophic Musings: Diamond Case Blu-Ray Buyers Guide

Some Blu Ray players will allow you to stream content to your TV. Visit the Diamond Case Knowledge Center to learn how to choose the player that is right for you.

Required Reading - Gamer and Geek Blogs

Girl Gone Geek -  Ms Chic Geek blogs about all things geek, but what I think is really cool are the art related posts. Granted the subject matter is still geek-flavored, like custom painted game consoles, but the posts go beyond the normal geek stuff. Follow her on Twitter here

Radioactive Nerd  - I discovered these guys at the Gamers Gone Wild event at PAX East in the spring and I have been pimping their podcasts since. They have recently added a video podcast called video rewind where they post a video version of the week's audio podcast. You can follow the show on Twitter here

The Major's Conquests - Major Linux is more active on Twitter, but his blog has some great stuff on it as well. Check out The Major's Conquests: Killzone 3 3D Impressions

Hip Hop Gamer - Don't let the championship belt fool you. He is one of the most down to earth and passionate gamers out there today. Check out this interview with Michael Pachter for Game Trailers. Follow his Twitter here.

Gaming with SFX Kona - Kona streams first person gaming goodness and gives out prizes to viewers of his stream. If you're lucky you can send him an invite and get in on the game he's playing. Catch him on Twitter here.

Game Like a Girl - Stephanie and Renee provide an interesting take on all things gaming providing reviews on many of the latest and greatest games.I had been following them on Twitter for a while now but what really got me was this post from their blog: Game Like a Girl: How to Become a Gamer in Ten Easy Steps:

If you know of any cool blogs, send me the links or twitter and I'll check them out!

Peek into my crystal ball and see the future of video games

I believe that we have reached a point where making games more pretty will no longer classify them as next-gen games. Both the 360 and PS3 are capable of building outstanding visuals in the hands of talented developers. You don't have to look much further than Uncharted 2 on the PS3 to see that as the case.

What will make the next next-gen console truly next-gen (say that ten times fast) will be fundamental hardware changes and subtle yet impressive software changes.

• An internet connection will be required to use the consoles - I know that high speed internet isn't everywhere just yet, but companies are pushing day one downloadable content and regularly patching their titles online. Another reason why the will be required is that
• Game saves will reside in the cloud. - By leveraging cloud storage, gamers can be confident that they won't lose saves if their hard drives or flash drives fail. Also, by eliminating user access to system memory there is a lower likelihood of modded games ruining the online experience for all. Which leads to
• Online Communities will be supported by the consoles - What I mean by this is the hardware makes it easy for you to find and connect with people who have the same interests as you and allows those who organize communities a way to become known. Think of not just bigger friends lists but the ability to group your friends so that if you want to get a Halo Reach session going, you send a message to everyone in the group instead of everyone on your list. By encouraging people to play together, I would think the likelihood of running into griefers would diminish.
• There will be dedicated hardware for AI and physics - Not just a chip, but boards with RAM that support that functionality. Imagine games that truly ramp up and get better at playing as you do. Games that recognize and react to your play style. Games with NPCs that understand the same rules as players do and can act on them spontaneously in the proper context.
• Increased motion control functionality and decreased emphasis on 3D graphics. - 3D will be a novelty because it costs so much to take advantage of the technology. Systems like Kinect and the Move will allow for more novel ways of interacting with the console with a much lower cost to consumers.

My crystal ball is fuzzy on whether or not we will be downloading full titles directly to our machines, but I will say that there will be more downloadable games that rival the quality of the triple A titles and will command $30 or 2400 microsoft points to download.

The future of video games is a pretty picture, but it's no longer about making pretty pictures.

Little. Orange. Different. - On Live Microconsole

I own a PS3 and an Xbox 360. I also own a Gamecube, PS2, PS One, an Original Xbox, 2 Dreamcasts and a 3D0 (I miss Demolition Man). I need another console like I need a hole in the head. But I am going to scrape up some pennies for this one.

I haven't played any games OnLive yet, but I have been taking advantage of the spectator mode. I am the ultimate couch potato because I find myself sitting and watching someone else play Arkham Asylum or Borderlands and enjoying it. If they would get Civilization V to run on it I'd buy in a heartbeat.

It's free to sign up and download the client to spectate and try out demos. There aren't a wide variety of games available, but you can try them out and rent if you're not sold on buying the game. There is also the fact that there is no box. if your internet connection goes down you can't get at your games. Personally, if there is a game OnLive that you like you can't go wrong renting it there instead of waiting for GameFly.

Why I am still playing NBA 2k10 and why you should pick up NBA 2k11

I got the special edition of NBA 2k10 for Christmas last year, but I didn't jump into it until the beginning of the NBA finals. What I really enjoy about the game is the My Player mode. You can customize a player and take him through a NBA career. I had already invested in the NBA 2k10 Draft Combine so my player was all set. As a rookie the game is maddening. You have to work really hard to earn points to build up your player. But once your player starts improving, it gets addicting. You want to hit all the milestones. This game made me want to play real basketball again!

You should pick up the latest edition of the game not because it is the only NBA title on game consoles this year thanks to the incredible crash and burn of EA's NBA Elite 11 but because of the great gameplay in My Player Mode and the new Jordan moments mode where you can be like Mike(tm). As for me, I am going to stick with NBA 2k10 until my player completes all the milestones. Then in the spring, I'll move on to 2k11.

But you shouldn't wait! Pick it up at Amazon: NBA 2k11 by 2k Sports

iJustine is at it again, fun and games with COD RC-XD surveillance vehicle.

I didn't know she was a gamer!
She is definitely having fun with the RC-XD though.
Get your own on Amazon, Call of Duty: Black Ops Prestige Edition

The most wonderful time of the year. NOT

As the economy struggles to recover, companies everywhere are laying off people and/or shutting down divisions. Gamasutra is reporting that Activision is shuttering Guitar Hero and Band Hero developer Budcat in addition to putting Bizarre Creations, whose current titles Blur and 007:Bloodstone were published by Activision, up for sale. Lucasarts is also trimming its staff as well. It seems like companies are trying to salvage their year-end books by making these cuts but at the same time putting employees out of work at the beginning of the holiday season.

Hopefully the people who work for these developers will be taken care of in the short term and land on their feet in a new company or a new venture soon.

It's a new blog, same as the old blog

I have changed the name of the blog to reflect my interests. Instead of trying to be clever, I am going to be me. At times you will be reading the nonsensical ravings of a lunatic mind. Other times you will be reading something thoughtful and thought provoking.

This is my soapbox. There many other soapboxes but none like mine. Thanks for stopping by!