Are old games worth going back to now and then? Naturally it all depends on the game! We think about the misplaced, rose-tinted nostalgia of retro games, as well as the kinds of old games that still really matter. And the new platforms that mean retro games still deserve a place in every home, or pocket.

Guests: Dan Chiappini, Gamespot AU; Kevin Cheung, Popular Science; Daniel Wilks, Hyper

Most people seem to see audiophile as a dirty word, but if it’s cool for some to care about their HDTV why can’t others lust after perfect audio reproduction? We talk everything from compression choices to the simple fact that the real heart of audio isn’t in the tech, it’s in the ears. In the age of ‘good enough’, we tease out a few key choices you can make to treat your audio like it matters.

Guests: Matthew JC Powell, MacTheMag; Jez Ford, Sound+Image; Ty Pendlebury, CNET Australia

Byteside Tech is sponsored by Dick Smith, Trend Micro, and Sennheiser.

Game show theme: The Indie Revival
Independent game developers are increasingly the source of fresh new ideas and creative thinking. The gaming industry and gamers themselves now depend on indy developers to add variety and deliver surprise hits. We look at these key roles, and how the major developers and distribution networks live in a symbiotic relationship with gamers the big winners.

Tech show Theme: 3D
From 3D gaming, movies and TV – the entertainment experience is entering a new age. Technology now enables realistic and compelling 3D. How does the technology behind the magic work? What are the best applications and what does the future hold for both hardware and creative development?

RSVP now.

Right here for the Tech Show, where you’ll hear all about the present and future of Notebooks and mobile computing.

And here for the Games Show in all its First Person Shooter action-packed excitement.

Your feedback is always most welcome in the comments section, or jump into the Byteside Forums and have a say there.

Enjoy!

For serious gamers, there’s no genre that has more impact than the FPS. We look at the not-so-brief history of the ‘Doom-clone’ and some of the milestone developments that have kept the genre fresh. Debates get heated over whether we count 3rd-person shooters like Gears of War in the category, and on the question of staying true to the PC or enjoying the comfort of the couch and console. And any idea when we’ll see a 2nd-person shooter?

Guests: David Hollingworth, Atomic; Richie Young, GameArena.com.au; Jeremy ‘Junglist’ Ray

Richie also wants to thank Martin Slater from 2K Australia, an old school shooter fan and man on the Aussie Bioshock team, for throwing extra ideas into Richie’s brain before this episode.

They’ve passed desktops as our computing weapon of choice. So what’s so damn special about laptops? We look at the features that have sent these machines soaring to the head of the pack, and talk about the ‘must have’ features right now and for the next wave of systems to come. Oh, and we can’t ignore tablets. Or can we?

Guests: Dan Warne, APC Magazine; Zara Baxter, PC Authority; Craig Simms, CNET.com.au

Byteside Tech is sponsored by Trend Micro, Dick Smith, and Samsung

The Samsung guys brought along their new range of new notebooks and the whole night had everyone realise there’s a lot more to notebooks that meets the eye.

A special surprise treat for everyone in the second half of the show was VERY well received!

We’ll have the vids up on Thursday, stay tuned for that…

We’ve now opened RSVPs for the next show – Retro Gaming and Audio Love, on March 2nd.

RSVP NOW and save your spot!

Don’t have time to watch the full show right now? But want to see the best bits? Here’s some of the highlights of the first Games show for 2010.

We start the new decade by exploring what might happen in the coming ten years. When might we see another generation of consoles? Where are the best new ideas in gaming going to come from? And is smellovision getting ready for primetime? All this plus some quick clips of the awesome work to come out of Game Jam 2010 in Sydney.

Guests: Jeremy ‘Junglist’ Ray, former host of Good Game; Guy ‘Yug’ Blomberg, AustralianGamer.com + The ManaBar; Stephen Farrelly, AusGamers.com.

Full show can be found at:
http://byteside.com/blog/2010/02/04/byteside-games-2-1-the-future/

Don’t have time to watch the full show right now? But want to see the best bits? Here’s some of the highlights of the first Tech show for 2010.

We’re back for 2010! Starting with a little subject called ‘The Future’, tonight’s Tech show explores some of the big ideas we’ll be thinking about a lot in the coming decade. We explore the current hot ideas, from ebooks to iPads and 3DTV, to what happens next when the Internet is truly everywhere.

Byteside Tech is sponsored by Dick Smith and Trend Micro.

Guests: Mark Pesce, markpesce.com; Tim Dean, lifescientist.com.au + tremblinghand.net; Stilgherrian, stilgherrian.com.

Full episode can be found at:
http://byteside.com/blog/2010/02/04/byteside-tech-2-1-the-future/

For this show we’re covering key topics that are top of the mind for every gamer and tech user.

The Tech Show – the Laptop Revolution
No other computing sector has seen such rapid and varied development recently. From the emergence of the Netbook, to powerhouse desktop replacements, both PC and Apple. With the spread of fast and reliable wireless broadband, it’s now essential to make an informed decision before your next upgrade.

The Game Show – First Person Shooters
It’s the cutting edge for gaming hardware evolution, and a big fat door of open creativity for game design. Nothing pushes gaming forward like the FPS, or delivers such intense excitement and immersive action. Where is this key genre heading, what technology is around the corner to enable incredible graphics and what new themes can the genre explore?

Our panel guests will include: Dan Warne, ACP; David Hollingworth, Atomic; Richie Young, GameArena; Jeremy ‘Junglist’ Ray, former host of Good Game; Zara Baxter, PC Authority.

Hit the RSVP page and we’ll see you on the night!