Player's Choice Video Game News and Previews

Battlefield 3’s Launch Trailer

noreply@blogger.com (David Pugh) — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 14:26:00 +0000

This is the official launch trailer forBattlefield 3, due out next week.

Order Online

PS3 Version

http://www.playerschoicevideogames.com/pd-battlefield-3---limited-edition-ps3.cfm

Xbox 360 Version

http://www.playerschoicevideogames.com/pd-battlefield-3---limited-edition-xbox-360.cfm

Atari Flashback 3

noreply@blogger.com (David Pugh) — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 20:01:00 +0000

Atari Flashback 3 (60 original Atari game included)

The Classic is Back. Atari Flashback 3 is the return of the ever popular Atari games inside a newly designed retro console with two stylish and updated controllers. New features include Game saving and Re-starting functions

Product Features

60 Built-In ATARI Games
Two ATARI Flashback® 2600 Controllers
Plug & Play on TV, Pause Function During Game
Powered by AC Adapter
Officially licensed by Atari

Purchase Online at

http://www.playerschoicevideogames.com/pd-atari-flashback-3.cfm

Assassin's Creed Revelations | Gamescom 2011 Demo

noreply@blogger.com (David Pugh) — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 18:36:00 +0000

Altair and Ezio are back in this demo of Assassins Creed Revelations.

Buy Assassin's Creed Revelations

PS3 Version
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Xbox 360 Version
http://www.playerschoicevideogames.com/pd-assassins-creed-revelations-xbox-360.cfm

Uncharted 3: Gamescom Trailer

noreply@blogger.com (David Pugh) — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 20:00:00 +0000

In Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception a search for the fabled "Atlantis of the Sands" propels fortune hunter Nathan Drake on a trek into the heart of the Arabian Desert. When the terrible secrets of this lost city are unearthed, Drake's quest descends into a desperate bid for survival that strains the limits of his endurance and forces him to confront his deepest fears.

Buy Uncharted 3 Drake's Deception

http://www.playerschoicevideogames.com/pd-uncharted-3-drakes-deception-ps3.cfm

Battlefield 3 | Caspian Border Gameplay

noreply@blogger.com (David Pugh) — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 20:17:00 +0000

Watch intense 64-player vehicle warfare - including jets - from our beautiful Battlefield 3 multiplayer map Caspian Border! This marks the premier of jet gameplay as played at GamesCom 2011. Caspian Border is a multi-faceted, vehicle heavy map that exemplifies classic Battlefield gameplay.

Order the game online

PS3 Version

http://www.playerschoicevideogames.com/pd-battlefield-3---limited-edition-ps3.cfm

Xbox 360 Version

http://www.playerschoicevideogames.com/pd-battlefield-3---limited-edition-xbox-360.cfm

Visit our main page

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The Darkness II Debut Teaser HD

noreply@blogger.com (David Pugh) — Sat, 07 May 2011 14:11:00 +0000

Tags: GameTrailers.com, Debut Teaser HD, PC Games, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360

Ghastly visages appear in this teaser for The Darkness II.

Player's Choice Movie Release Dates

noreply@blogger.com (David Pugh) — Thu, 05 May 2011 13:07:00 +0000

May 10	No Strings Attached Portman and Kutcher with no strings	Paramount	R	70.6
May 10	Blue Valentine Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams as married couple	Weinstein	R	9.7
May 10	Black Death - iDEA Hidden Gem Sean Bean in Middle Ages black death tale	Magnolia	R	0.1
May 10	I Saw the Devil - iDEA Hidden Gem Violent tale of murder	Magnolia	Not Rated	0.0
May 13	Justin Bieber: Never say Never Justin Bieber Music plus	Paramount	G	72.8
May 17	The Roommate College girl gets scary roommate	Columbia	PG-13	37.3
May 17	The Rite Anthony Hopkins as priest and exorcist	New Line	PG-13	33.0
May 17	The Mechanic Jason Statham as hit man	Columbia	R	29.1
May 17	Vanishing on 7th Street - iDEA Hidden Gem Apocalyptic thriller with Hayden Christensen	Magnolia	R	0.1
May 17	Broken Hill - iDEA Hidden Gem Coming of age music tale with Timothy Hutton	E1	PG	0.1
May 17	Daydream Nation - iDEA Hidden Gem 21st Century coming of age	Anchor Bay	R	0.0
May 17	Takedown - iDEA Hidden Gem Lou Diamond Phillips takes on a prostitute ring	E1	R	0.0
May 24	Updated Gnomeo & Juliet Animated takeoff on the Shakespeare tale	Disney	G	98.8
May 24	Updated I Am Number Four Sci-fi action thriller	Touchstone	PG-13	54.6
May 24	The Big Bang - iDEA Hidden Gem Antonio Banderas as a ruthless detective	Anchor Bay	R	0.0
May 31	Drive Angry Nicolas Cage as revenging father	Summit	R	10.7
May 31	Biutiful Javier Bardem is connected to the afterlife	Lions Gate	R	5.0
June - 2011
June 7	True Grit Coen brothers re-make with Jeff Bridges	Paramount	PG-13	171.0
June 7	Updated Just Go With It Adam Sandler Jennifer Anniston romantic comedy	Columbia	PG-13	102.8
June 7	Updated Hall Pass Spouses allow affairs - comedy	New Line	R	45.0
June 7	Sanctum Adventure in deepest underwater cave in the world	Universal	R	23.1
June 7	The Company Men Ben Affleck et al. downsized	Touchstone	R	4.4
June 7	A Matador's Mistress - iDEA Hidden Gem Adrien Brody & Penelope Cruz romance	Xenon	Not Rated	0.0
June 7	Love's Kitchen - iDEA Hidden Gem Cooking romance with Gordon Ramsey	Screen Media	Not Rated	0.0
June 14	Updated Battle: Los Angeles Aliens invade L.A.	Columbia	PG-13	82.8
June 14	Updated Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son Martin Lawrence sequel	Fox	PG-13	37.8
June 14	Updated Red Riding Hood Classic tale on film	Warner	PG-13	37.4
June 14	Kill The Irishman - iDEA Hidden Gem Irish Mob vs mafia in Cleveland	Anchor Bay	R	0.9
June 14	The Con Artist - iDEA Hidden Gem Donald Sutherland as head of car theft ring	E1	Not Rated	0.0
June 21	Updated Unknown Liam Neeson coma thriller	Warner	PG-13	63.6
June 21	Updated The Adjustment Bureau Matt Damon fights mysterious forces	Universal	PG-13	61.7
June 21	Updated Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2 Sequel	Fox	PG	51.0
June 21	The Eagle Roman soldier adventure	Universal	PG-13	19.5
June 21	Cedar Rapids Comedic convention in Iowa	Fox	R	6.7
June 21	HappyThankYouMorePlease - iDEA Hidden Gem 20-something comedy	Anchor Bay	R	0.2
June 21	Ceremony - iDEA Hidden Gem Uma Thurman comedy	Magnolia	R	0.0
June 28	Updated Beastly Modern day Beauty and the Beast story	Columbia	PG-13	27.7
June 28	Season of the Witch 14th Century knights with Nicolas Cage	Fox	PG-13	24.8
June 28	The Warrior's Way - iDEA Hidden Gem Warrior assassin in the Badlands	Fox	R	5.7
June 28	3 Backyards - iDEA Hidden Gem 3 stories in 1 afternoon Edie Falco	Screen Media	R	0.0
June 28	Beneath Hill 60 - iDEA Hidden Gem WWI Aussie actioner	E1	R	0.0
June 30	Other or Save Money			0.0
July - 2011
July 12	Updated Limitless Bradley Cooper can do no wrong	Fox	PG-13	76.1
July 12	Updated The Lincoln Lawyer Matthew McConaughey as odd lawyer	Lions Gate	R	54.8
July 12	Updated Insidious Evil spirits horror thriller	Columbia	PG-13	48.3
July 12	Updated Take Me Home Tonight College grad at weekend party	Fox	R	6.9
July 19	Updated Soul Surfer Inspirational tale of one arm female surfer	Columbia	PG	33.8
July 26	Updated Source Code Jake Gyllenhaal in sci-fi thriller	Summit	PG-13	48.9
July 26	Mao's Last Dancer-HeartlandTMP-iDEA HidGem Classical dancer defects	Other	PG	4.8

Super Mario Land

noreply@blogger.com (David Pugh) — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 18:10:00 +0000

Keith sets off to New York City to find out what all the fuss is about the Super Mario franchise.

Video Games | Talking Classics | Super Mario Land HD

Xbox 360 | PlayStation 3 | Nintendo Wii | PC Games

http://www.playerschoicevideogames.com/pd-super-mario-land-gameboy.cfm

Spider-Man: Edge of Time Debut Teaser

noreply@blogger.com (David Pugh) — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 01:22:00 +0000

The future of the heroic web-slinger hangs in the balance as a new darkness spreads throughout the world in Spider-Man: Edge of Time.

Video Games | Spider-Man: Edge of Time | Debut Teaser HD

Xbox 360 | PlayStation 3 | Nintendo Wii | PC Games

Top 10 System Sellers

noreply@blogger.com (David Pugh) — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 17:07:00 +0000

Gametrailers counts down the ten games that best sold their respective systems!

Video Games | GT Countdown | Top 10 System Sellers

Xbox 360 | PlayStation 3 | Nintendo Wii | PC Games

Excitebike Nintendo Entertainment System

noreply@blogger.com (David Pugh) — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 21:54:00 +0000

http://www.playerschoicevideogames.com/pd_excitebike.cfm

Race by yourself againt the clock or compete with other motocross riders on 5 tracks full of long straights, large jumps and obstacles to win the Excitebike championship. Create your own tracks by placing jumps and obstacles of all different sizes and shapes on the track and choosing how many laps each race wil have, then race against the clock or other riders to see how your track fairs in competition.

Excitebike for the NES System. Buy it today at Player's Choice.

Excitebike is a motocross racing video game franchise made by Nintendo. It first debuted as a game for the Famicom in Japan in 1984 for a price of 5000 yen. It is the first game of the Excite series, succeeded by its sequel Excitebike 64 and the spiritual successorExcite Truck.

Whether the player chooses to race solo or against computer-assisted riders, he/she races against a certain time limit. The goal is to qualify for Excitebike (the championship) race by coming in at third place or above in the challenge race (preliminary race). The time to beat is located on the stadium walls (for first place) and in the lower left corner (for third place). In any race, the best time is 8 seconds ahead of third place. When the player places first, then they get a message: "It's a new record"

The player controls the position of the red motorcycle with the Y-axis of the directional pad, and controls acceleration with the A and B buttons. Using B causes improved acceleration, but causes the motorcycle's temperature to increase as shown on a bar at the bottom of the screen. If the temperature exceeds safe limits (the bar becomes full), the player will be immobilized for several seconds while the bike cools down. If the bike goes over an arrow, it is automatically cooled down.

While the bike is in the air, the pitch of the motorcycle can be modified with the X-axis of the directional pad, left raises the front, while right lowers the front. The up and down arrows on turn the hand bar left and right, respectively when the bike is on the ground.

The player, at the start of the game, can choose whichever track he/she wants to race in, from 1-5.

By placing third or better in any challenge race, the player advances to the Excitebike race of the same track number. For example, if the player placed third or better in track 4 of the challenge race, he/she goes to the track 4 of the Excitebike race.

By placing third or better in any Excitebike race, the player advances to the next Excitebike race. For example, if the player placed third or better in track 4 of the Excitebike race, he/she goes to track 5 of the Excitebike race. The Excitebike races are little tougher than the challenge races, and that's why the best times in an Excitebike race are longer than in the challenge race (except in tracks 3 & 5).

ExciteBike has three modes of gameplay. In Selection A, the player races solo. In Selection B, CPU players join the player. They act as another obstacle; hitting one from the back will cause the player to fall off the bike, while any CPU riders hitting the player's rear wheel will cause them to fall off.

In Design Mode, the player has the ability to build his or her own racing tracks. The player can choose hills and obstacles of various sizes and place them. The player can also choose where to finish the lap, and how many laps there are (up to nine). After it is finished, the player can race the track in either Selection A or Selection B.

The game allowed saving the custom-designed track to cassette tape, requiring the Famicom Data Recorder peripheral (basically the Famicom equivalent of the C-64's Datassette). Since this peripheral was only available in Japan (intended for use with Nintendo's Family Basic), track saving was effectively unavailable to American and European players (the game's English manual states that "Save and Load menu selections are not operable in this game; they have been programmed in for potential product developments."). UnlikeWrecking Crew, Excitebike was never re-released for the Famicom Disk System in its original form. Courses created using the Virtual Console release can actually be saved to the Wii's internal memory.

Sega Genesis Gen Core Game System

noreply@blogger.com (David Pugh) — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 20:25:00 +0000

Sega Genesis Gen Core Game System

Re-live the sega Genesis gaming experience with the Gen Core Video Game Console! With 20 pre-loaded sega licensed Genesis games, as well as 16-bit graphics and sound quality, the Gen Core is ready for you to play right out of the box. Its cartridge slot accepts Sega Mega Drive or sega genesis game cartridges that you have tucked away in storage. Bring home the fun now with the Gen Core Video Game Console.

Compatible with Sega Mega Drive or Sega Genesis game cartridges
20 pre-loaded Sega licensed games
16-bit graphics and sound quality

Package contents:

Sega Genesis Gen Core Video Game Console main unit
2 x game controllers
AV cable
Power adapter
Instruction manual

Pre-loaded games list:

Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle
Alien Storm
Altered Beast
Arrow Flash
Bonanza Bros
Columns
Columns III
Cracked Down
Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine
ESWAT: City Under Siege
Flicky
Fatal Labyrinth
Golden Axe
Gain Ground
Jewel Master
Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi
Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master
Sonic 3D Blast- Flickies' Island
Sonic and Knuckles
Sonic Spinball

Click below to Order
http://www.playerschoicevideogames.com/pd-sega-genesis-gen-core-game-system.cfm

RetroN 3 Video Gaming System for NES, SNES & Genesis

noreply@blogger.com (David Pugh) — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 22:39:00 +0000

Tap into the joy of your childhood with the RetroN 3 gaming system. Capable of playing Nintendo, SEGA Genesis and Super Nintendo cartridges, the RetroN 3 is the only system you need to play thousands of classic games.

* Two original controller ports for each gaming platform
* S-video and composite AV inputs
* Compatible with original Nintendo, SEGA Genesis or Super Nintendo controllers
* Includes two wireless controllers (batteries not included)
* Vector Red or Charcoal Gray color

Order Now
http://www.playerschoicevideogames.com/pd-retron-3-video-gaming-system-for-nes-snes-genesis.cfm

ATGames Arcade Fighting Stick with 26 built-in SEGA games and SD Slot

noreply@blogger.com (David Pugh) — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 19:26:00 +0000

http://www.playerschoicevideogames.com/pd-atgames-arcade-fighting-stick-with-26-built-in-sega-games-and-sd-slot.cfm

The AtGames Arcade Fighting Stick lets you enjoy 26 sega licensed games instantly on your TV screen! Its arcade directional stick and arcade buttons enhances your gameplay experience in fighting games and other arcade games. Simply connect the AV cable of the Arcade Fighting Stick to the AV jack on your TV, connect the AC adapter to the wall outlet, and you will be able to play your favorite sega games right on your TV screen. Want more? The Arcade Fighting Stick lets you expand your gaming library through its SD memory card slot.

16-bit graphics and sound quality
Arcade direction stick and buttons enhances gameplay
Plug-N-Play, no gaming system required
26 pre-loaded Sega licensed games
Expandable game library through SD memory card slot
For one player only

26 Pre-Loaded Sega Gamelist:

Alex Kidd
Alien Storm
Altered Beast
Arrow Flash
Chakan
Comix Zone
Columns
Columns 3
Crack Down
Eternal Champions
Flicky
Gain Ground
Golden Axe
Golden Axe 3
Jewel Master
Kid Chameleon
Streets oF Rage
Streets oF Rage 2
Shinobi 3
Shadow Dancer
Sonic Spin
Sonic 3D Blast
The Ooze
Victorman
Victorman 2
Virtua Fighter 2

Nintendo 64 The Fun Machine

noreply@blogger.com (David Pugh) — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 23:31:00 +0000

Nintendo 64 The Fun Machine

http://www.playerschoicevideogames.com/cat_nintendo_64.cfm

Experience a quatum leap in graphics realism with the Nintendo 64 System. Realtime rendering and awesome anti-aliased graphics create a heart-pumping virtual gaming world! Experience unsurpassed 64-bit Graphics and CD quality sound running at an awesome 94mhz. Released in 1996, the Nintendo 64 was the first system with 64-bit graphics and built-in four player gaming potential. Masterpieces such as Super Mario 64 and Super Smash Bros helped sell over 32 million N64 systems worldwide.

The Nintendo 64, often abbreviated as N64, is Nintendo's third home video game console for the international market. Named for its 64-bit CPU, it was released in June 1996 in Japan, September 1996 in North America, March 1997 in Europe and Australia, September 1997 in France and December 1997 in Brazil. It is Nintendo's last home console to use Game Paks to store games (Nintendo switched to a MiniDVD-based format for the Nintendo GameCube, then to standard DVD-sized discs for the Wii); handhelds in the Game Boy line, however, continued to use Game Paks. It was discontinued in 2001 in Japan, North America and PAL regions by the launch of the GameCube.

The N64 was released with two launch games, Super Mario 64 and Pilotwings 64, and a third in Japan, Saikyō Habu Shōgi. The N64's suggested retail price was US$199 at its launch and it was later marketed with the slogan "Get N, or get Out!". The N64 sold 32.93 million units worldwide. The console was released in at least eight variants with different colors and sizes. An assortment of limited edition controllers were sold or used as contest prizes during the N64's lifespan.

Of the consoles in the fifth generation, the Nintendo 64 was the last contender and the most technologically advanced. However, the console's storage medium had limitations which harmed the market competitiveness. A significant limitation was the small capacity and high production expense of cartridge-based media instead of the Compact Disc format used by competitors. The limited capacity forced game designers to struggle with fitting game content into a constrained space, though the faster access time of the cartridge medium offered other advantages over Compact Disc media. Another technical drawback was a limited texture cache, which could only hold textures of small dimensions and reduced color depth, which had to be stretched to cover larger in-game surfaces.

In 2009, the N64 was named the 9th greatest video game console by IGN, out of a field of 25.

History

The Nintendo 64 owes its existence to Silicon Graphics (SGI) and MIPS Technologies, who were responsible for the R4300i microprocessor and the 3D graphics hardware used in the N64. SGI had recently acquired MIPS Computer Systems, and the two worked together to create a low-cost real-time 3D graphics system. The SGI project was originally offered to Thomas Kalinske, then CEO of Sega of America, by James H. Clark, founder of Silicon Graphics. Sega of Japan's evaluation of the early prototype uncovered several unresolved hardware-issues and deficiencies. They were subsequently resolved; but not before Sega had already decided against SGI's design. In August of 1993, Nintendo expressed interest in SGI's work, and "Project Reality" was born. An official announcement regarding their collaboration was made in October 1993.

Nintendo's code name for the N64, "Project Reality", stemmed from the bold belief that the hardware's advanced CGI capabilities would rival supercomputers of the era. The console's design was revealed to the public for the first time in late Spring 1994. Pictures of the console showed the Nintendo Ultra 64 logo, a ROM cartridge, but no controller. The final N64 console would retain the shape pictured by the Ultra 64.

During this timeframe, Rareware (UK) and Midway (USA) released two arcade titles, Killer Instinct and Cruis'n USA, which claimed to use the Ultra 64 hardware. Although Killer Instinct did use the same CPU as the N64, a MIPS R4300i, neither title were powered by Ultra 64 hardware. Killer Instinct featured pre-rendered character artwork, and CG movie backgrounds that were streamed off the hard drive and animated as the characters moved horizontally.

The completed N64 was fully unveiled in a playable form to the public on November 24, 1995, at the 7th Annual Shoshinkai Software Exhibition in Japan. Nintendo's next-generation console was introduced as the "Nintendo 64", contrary to speculation that it would be called "Ultra Famicom". Photos of the event were disseminated on the web by Game Zero magazine two days later. Official coverage by Nintendo followed later via the Nintendo Power website and print magazine.

The console was finally released in Japan on June 23, 1996. By this time Nintendo had adopted a new global branding strategy, assigning the console the same name for all markets: Nintendo 64

The North American version of the Nintendo 64 officially launched on September 29, 1996 with 500,000 units sold in the first four months. The PAL introduction was released in Europe on March 1, 1997. Benimaru Itō, a developer for EarthBound 64 and friend of Shigeru Miyamoto, speculated in 1997 that the N64's lower popularity in Japan was due to the lack of role-playing video games. As of December 31, 2009, the N64 had sold 5.54 million units in Japan, 20.63 million in the Americas, and 6.75 million in other regions, for a total of 32.93 million units.

The system was frequently marketed as the world's first 64-bit gaming system. Atari had claimed to have made the first 64-bit game console with their Atari Jaguar; but the Jaguar only used a 64-bit architecture in conjunction with two 32-bit RISC processors and a 16/32-bit Motorola 68000.

Because of the cost of Nintendo 64 cartridges, and limited third-party support, the Nintendo 64 caused Nintendo to lose its leading position in its market share.

Hardware

The standard Nintendo 64 controller has one analog stick, two shoulder buttons, one digital cross pad, six face buttons, a "Start" button and a digital trigger (Z).

Central processing unit

The Nintendo 64's central processing unit (CPU) is the NEC VR4300, a cost-reduced derivative of the 64-bit MIPS Technologies R4300i. Built by NEC on a 0.35 µm process, the VR4300 is a RISC 5-stage scalar in-order execution processor, with integrated floating point unit, internal 24 KB direct-mapped L1 cache (16KB for instructions, 8KB for data.) The 4.6 million transistors CPU is cooled passively by an aluminum heatspreader that makes contact with a steel heat sink above.

Clocked at 93.75 MHz, the N64's VR4300 was the most powerful of the competing consoles of its generation. Except for its narrower 32-bit system bus, the VR4300 retained the computational abilities of the more powerful 64-bit MIPS R4300i, though software rarely took advantage of 64-bit data precision operations. N64 game-titles generally used faster (and more compact) 32-bit data-operations, as these were sufficient to generate 3D-scene data for the console's RSP (Reality Signal Processor; see below) unit. Though powerful, the CPU was hindered by a 250MB/s bus to the system memory; not only that, but in order to access the RAM, the CPU had to go through the RCP (Reality Co-Processor), and could not use DMA to do so (The RCP could). This problem is further compounded by the RDRAM's very high access latency.

Emulators such as UltraHLE and Project64 benefit from the scarcity of 64-bit operations in the game's executable-code, as the emulator is generally hosted on a 32-bit machine architecture. These emulators performed most calculations at 32-bit precision, and trapped the few OS subroutines that actually made use of 64-bit instructions.

Reality Co-Processor

Nintendo 64's graphics and audio duties are performed by the 64-bit SGI co-processor, named the "Reality Co-Processor". The RCP is a 62.5 MHz chip split internally into two major components, the "Reality Drawing Processor" (RDP) and the "Reality Signal Processor" (RSP). Each area communicates with the other by way of a 128-bit internal data bus that provides 1.0 GB/s bandwidth. The RSP is a MIPS R4000-based 8-bit integer vector processor. It is programmable through microcode, allowing the chip's functions to be significantly altered if necessary, to allow for different types of work, precision, and workloads.[9] The RSP performs transform, clipping and lighting calculations, triangle setup. The "Reality Display Processor" is primarily the Nintendo 64's Pixel Rasterizer, and also handles the console's Z-Buffer Compute.

The RSP was programmable through microcode (µcode). By altering the microcode run on the device, it could perform different operations, create new effects, and be better tuned for speed or quality; however, Nintendo was unwilling to share the microcode tools with developers until the end of the Nintendo 64's life-cycle. Programming RSP microcode was said to be quite difficult because the Nintendo 64 µcode tools were very basic, with no debugger and poor documentation. As a result, it was very easy to make mistakes that would be hard to track down, mistakes that could cause seemingly random bugs or glitches. Some developers noted that the default SGI microcode ("Fast3D") was poorly profiled for use in games (it was too accurate), and performance suffered as a result. Several companies, such as Factor 5, Boss Game Studios and Rare, were able to write custom microcode that ran their software better than SGI's standard microcode.

Two of the SGI microcodes

Fast3D microcode: < ~100,000 high accuracy polygons per second.
Turbo3D microcode: 500,000–600,000 normal accuracy polygons per second. However, due to the graphical degradation, Nintendo discouraged its use.

The RSP also frequently performs audio functions (although the CPU can be tasked with this as well). It can play back most types of audio (dependent on software codecs) including uncompressed PCM, MP3, MIDI, and tracker music. The RSP is capable of a maximum of 100 channels of PCM at a time, but this is with 100% system utilization for audio. It has a maximum sampling rate of 48 kHz with 16-bit audio; however, storage limitations caused by the cartridge format limited audio size (and thus quality).

The RDP is the machine's rasterizer and performs the bulk of actual image creation before output to the display. The Nintendo 64 has a maximum color depth of 16.8 million colors (32,768 on-screen) and can display resolutions of 256 × 224, 320 × 240 and 640 × 480 pixels. The RCP also provides the CPU's access to main system memory via a 250 MB/s bus. Unfortunately, this link does not allow direct memory access for the CPU. The RCP, like the CPU, is passively cooled by an aluminum heatspreader that makes contact with a steel heat sink above.

Memory

The final major component in the system is the memory, also known as RAM. The Nintendo 64 was one of the first modern consoles to implement a unified memory subsystem, instead of having separate banks of memory for CPU, audio, and video, for example. The memory itself consists of 4 megabyte of RAMBUS RDRAM (expandable to 8 MB with the Expansion Pak) with a 9-bit data bus at 500 MHz providing the system with 562.5 MB/s peak bandwidth. RAMBUS was quite new at the time and offered Nintendo a way to provide a large amount of bandwidth for a relatively low cost. The narrow bus makes board design easier and cheaper than the higher width data buses required for high bandwidth out of slower-clocked RAM types (such as VRAM or EDO DRAM); however, RDRAM, at the time, came with a very high access latency, and this caused grief for the game developers because of limited hardware performance.

Video

The system provides both composite video and S-Video through the "MULTI OUT" connector on the rear of the system; however, the Nintendo 64 removed certain pin connections for providing RGB video, despite the DAC chip used in early models having the capability built-in. In most countries the system came bundled with a composite cable (AKA Stereo AV cable) The composite and S-Video cables are the same as those used with the earlier SNES and later GameCube systems.

Available to buy separately was a RF modulator and switch set (for connection to older TVs) and an official S-Video cable, although the latter was not sold in stores and could only be ordered direct from Nintendo of America. In the United Kingdom, the N64 was shipped with a RF modulator and switch set, but was still fully compatible with the other cables. The system supported games with a video display ratio of up to 16:9 widescreen. However only seven of its games used this feature. These were; Banjo-Tooie, Donkey Kong 64, Goldeneye 007, Jet Force Gemini, Perfect Dark, Starshot: Space Circus Fever, and Turok 2: Seeds of Evil.

Games

A total of 387 games were released for the console though few were exclusively sold in Japan, in competition with around 1,100 games released for the rival PlayStation. However, the Nintendo 64 game library included a high number of critically acclaimed and widely sold games. Super Mario 64 was the console's best selling game (selling over eleven million copies) and also received praise from critics. GoldenEye 007 was important in the evolution of the first person shooter, and has since been named the greatest in the genre. Marc Russo quoted The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time as one of the greatest games of all time, and, in his words, remains "to this day ... the finest game I've ever played across any platform or genre."

Graphics

Graphically, results of the Nintendo cartridge system were mixed. The N64's graphics chip was capable of trilinear filtering,which allowed textures to look very smooth compared to the Saturn or the PlayStation. This was due to the latter two using nearest-neighbor interpolation, resulting in textures that were pixelated.

However, the smaller storage size of ROM cartridges limited the number of available textures, resulting in games that had blurry graphics. This was caused by the liberal use of stretched, low-resolution textures, and was compounded by the N64's 4096-byte limit on a single texture. Some games, such as Super Mario 64, use a large amount of Gouraud shading or very simple textures to produce a cartoon-like image. This fit the themes of many games, and allowed this style of imagery a sharp look. Cartridges for some later games, such as Resident Evil 2 and Sin & Punishment: Successor of the Earth, featured more ROM space, allowing for more detailed graphics.

Production

The era's competing systems from Sony and Sega (the PlayStation and Saturn, respectively) used CD-ROM discs to store their games. These discs are much cheaper to manufacture and distribute, resulting in lower costs to third-party game publishers. As a result, game developers who had traditionally supported Nintendo game consoles were now developing games for the competition because of the higher profit margins found on CD-based platforms.

Cartridges took longer to manufacture than CDs, with each production run (from order to delivery) taking two weeks or more. By contrast, extra copies of a CD based game could be ordered with a lead time of a few days. This meant that publishers of N64 titles had to attempt to predict demand for a game ahead of its release. They risked being left with a surplus of expensive cartridges for a failed game or a weeks-long shortage of product if they underestimated a game's popularity.

The cost of producing an N64 cartridge was far higher than producing a CD. Publishers had to pass these higher expenses to the consumer and as a result, N64 games tended to sell for higher prices than PlayStation games. While most PlayStation games rarely exceeded US$50, N64 games could reach US$79.99, such as the first pressing of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Games in Sony's line of PlayStation Greatest Hits budget line retailed for US$19.95, while Nintendo's equivalent Player's Choice line retailed for US$29.95. In the United Kingdom, N64 games were priced £54.95 at their time of release, while PlayStation games were priced at £44.95. In the United States games were priced at around roughly $49.99 at the time of their release.

Cartridge-copy counter-measures

Each Nintendo 64 cartridge contains a lockout chip (similar to the 10NES) to prevent manufacturers from creating unauthorized copies of games and discourage production of unlicensed games. Unlike previous versions, the N64 lockout chip contains a seed value which is used to calculate a checksum of the game's boot code. To discourage playing of copied games by piggybacking on a real cartridge, Nintendo produced five different versions of the chip. During the boot process, and occasionally while the game is running, the N64 computes the checksum of the boot code and verifies it with the lockout chip in the game cartridge, failing to boot if the check fails.

Medal of Honor Linkin Park Music Video

noreply@blogger.com (David Pugh) — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 15:45:00 +0000

The music of Linkin Park accompanies this video with mixed footage of gameplay and live-action.

http://www.playerschoicevideogames.com

Street Fighter X Tekken Debut Trailer HD

noreply@blogger.com (David Pugh) — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 00:17:00 +0000

The golden age of cross-overs continues with two of fightings greatest franchises.

http://www.playerschoicevideogames.com

Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light Debut Trailer

noreply@blogger.com (David Pugh) — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 14:39:00 +0000

The 4 Heroes of Light Debut Trailer hits the Western World with the English version!

http://www.playerschoicevideogames.com

E3 2010: Spider-Man 2099 Trailer HD

noreply@blogger.com (David Pugh) — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 14:17:00 +0000

Video Games | Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions | E3 2010: Spider-Man 2099 Trailer HD

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

Official Marvel Vs Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds Announcement Trailer

noreply@blogger.com (David Pugh) — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 13:03:00 +0000

Old Nintendo system sells for $13,105

noreply@blogger.com (David Pugh) — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 14:23:00 +0000

Everyday folk discovering colossally valuable collectors' items amid everyday junk has been the lifeblood of antiques shows for years, but it's not every day you see a real-life gold-in-the-attic tale play out on eBay.

Last week, North Carolina eBay user lace_thongs35 thought she was putting up an everyday, 80s-era Nintendo Entertainment System (together with five games) up on the popular auction site. But less than an hour after the first bid, the price was over $6,000 -- and on Wednesday, when the auction closed, the final selling price topped $13,000.

Why? Not the console itself, but one of the games bundled with it -- a deeply obscure 1987 release called Stadium Events, a highly sought-after collectors' item. But it wasn't even the game itself that was worth the bulk of the money -- it was the original cardboard box, which collectors value at a breathtaking $10,000. Fewer than 10 complete copies of the game are thought to exist, and retro gaming aficionados consider it one of the hardest-to-find NES games ever made.

Bet you're wishing you hadn't let Mom throw out your Nintendo collection now, eh

Gaming Decades: The '90s

noreply@blogger.com (David Pugh) — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 13:12:00 +0000

Gaming Decades: The '90s
Uploaded by ign. - Click for more console and PC gaming videos.

Mass Effect 2 Savage Trailer

noreply@blogger.com (David Pugh) — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 20:46:00 +0000

Grunt joins Shepard, because Grunt likes to fight.

Mass Effect 2 Assassin Trailer

noreply@blogger.com (David Pugh) — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 20:45:00 +0000

If killing is an art, then Thane is a master.

Mass Effect 2 Cinematic Trailer

noreply@blogger.com (David Pugh) — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 20:43:00 +0000

Commander Shephard must gain the trust of a rag-tag band of unlikely heroes in order to secure the fate of the galaxy in the sequel to the sci-fi shooter Mass Effect.