Ant's Blog

What Did You Think About The Sega Pass Intrusion, And PSO 2 Being Hacked?

2012-08-09T17:49:00.000-07:00

This email was copied straight to my Blog. I put off posting this, this seemed like another bad Headache coming. It took a long time for Sega Pass to come back up. This is a personal email.
When I viewed this, I was wondering what next. As time passed I ended up not posting this. Life, and the fact, I had problems that needed to be patched with Windows 7, kept me busy. I was suffering from the BSOD (Blue Screen Of Death) bad, luckily the problem has been brought to a minimal but that is another subject.
Recently I decided that it is still a good idea to post this, the reason being, I have received news that PSO 2 (Phantasy Star Online 2) has been hacked, as a supposed prank. I want to show that this is not the first time Sega has been hacked.
By the way if you don't know, Sega Pass has been back up since for a while now.

Dear Anthony,

As you may be aware, the SEGA Pass system has been offline since yesterday, Thursday 16 June.

Over the last 24 hours we have identified that unauthorised entry was gained to our SEGA Pass database.

We immediately took the appropriate action to protect our consumers’ data and isolate the location of the breach. We have launched an investigation into the extent of the breach of our public systems.

We have identified that a subset of SEGA Pass members emails addresses, dates of birth and encrypted passwords were obtained. To stress, none of the passwords obtained were stored in plain text.

Please note that no personal payment information was stored by SEGA as we use external payment providers, meaning your payment details were not at risk from this intrusion.

If you use the same login information for other websites and/or services as you do for SEGA Pass, you should change that information immediately.

We have also reset your password and all access to SEGA Pass has been temporarily suspended.

Additionally we recommend you please take extra caution if you should receive suspicious emails that ask for personal or sensitive information.

Therefore please do not attempt to login to SEGA Pass at present, we will communicate when the service becomes available.

We sincerely apologise for this incident and regret any inconvenience caused.

We are contacting all our members with these recommendations.

If you have any further questions please contact SEGA customer support on csescalations@sega.com

News on PSO 2 being hacked @:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2J-mYHgl2o&feature=player_embedded

http://www.gamespot.com/phantasy-star-online-2/forum/phantasy-star-online-2-hacked-as-an-alleged-prank-63392681/

News From E3! (Rebooted & Revised)

2011-06-23T15:51:00.000-07:00

I had posted previously about E3 and I came to the conclusion, that two of my posts were garbage. So I decided to start all over again. I want to express that accurate reporting is what I am focused on. So I want to apologize for "It Is Called Vita! (And News From Nintendo)" and "PS3 & PC Gaming News: Sony Outshines Nintendo At E3, And PC Gaming Is Still Hot!"

About the Nintendo Wii U, it is true that Nintendo didn't put on as good of a show as Sony did at E3, but as far as the Wii U is concerned, it doesn't mean that the system will not live up to being a Hardcore Console. In fact according to Nintendo Network (http://e3.nintendo.com/hw/#/about). The Nintendo Wii U will support 1080p, and will use an AMD Radeon based HD GPU, and an IBM multi-core CPU. The system comes with a new controller, that is like a tablet, will allow you to play the the Wii U, even when someone else is watching the same TV that the system is connected to. The new controller will add another dimension to the game play of The Wii U. Now as far as how good the system Hardware will be, nothing is confirmed yet.

As for Sony, an official name for the NGP from Sony has been announced, "Vita." As mentioned in a previous Blog Post, "PS Vita" is a portable made for Hardcore Gamers. Also an interesting PS Move demonstration involving Medieval Moves: Deadmund's Quest was made at E3.

As for PC, if you have viewed the game trailers that I posted on my Blog, then you already know that games are still coming out for PC in 2011, and 2012. There is a ton of E3 (and E3 worthy) game trailers, and news, on the Internet for PC Gamers.

The last bit of news I want to share concerns both PC and PS3 Gamers. It is not new news that Sony is already involved with publishing games for PC with Station.com, but CCP (Crowd Control Productions) will is doing more than that, by publishing a game for the PS3 called "Dust," that will connect with a popular PC MMO called "Eve Online." As was mentioned by Hilmar Petursson from CCP, "Dust" and "Eve Online" will be "one universe, one war," meaning the game will have PS3 and PC connected as one gaming platform!

For more information you can check out the links below. I have left the option to watch The Sony E3 Press Conference 2011 from G4 in one part or from Game Trailers in six parts.

Nintendo Network @ E3 2011 - Introducing Wii U:

Nintendo Network @ E3 2011 - Introducing Wii U

Nintendo Network @ E3 2011 - Video Gallery:

Nintendo Network @ E3 2011 - Video Gallery

PlayStation.Blog - PS Vita:

http://blog.us.playstation.com/category/ps-vita/

G4 - Sony E3 Press Conference 2011:

http://www.g4tv.com/videos/53264/sony-e3-2011-press-conference-video/?quality=hd

Game Trailers - Sony E3 Press Conference 2011 (in six parts):

http://www.gametrailers.com/video/e3-2011-sony/715655?type=flv

http://www.gametrailers.com/video/e3-2011-sony/715657?type=flv

http://www.gametrailers.com/video/e3-2011-sony/715659?type=flv

http://www.gametrailers.com/video/e3-2011-sony/715661?type=flv

http://www.gametrailers.com/video/e3-2011-sony/715663?type=flv

http://www.gametrailers.com/video/e3-2011-sony/715699?type=flv

Medieval Moves Deadmund's Quest @ Sony E3 Press Conference 2011:

http://www.g4tv.com/videos/53379/medieval-moves-video-from-sony-press-conference-e3-2011/?

quality=hd

Dust @ Sony E3 Press Conference 2011:

http://www.g4tv.com/videos/53384/dust-514-video-sony-press-conference-e3-2011/?quality=hd

Eve Online:

http://trial.eveonline.com/en/eveishard.aspx?aid=103316&gclid=CKTPloGGt6kCFcgZQgodkh9A9Q

http://www.eveonline.com/

Logo:

http://cooltext.com/Render-Image?RenderID=533953452

Note: most of my changes to my Blog are conerning Nintendo (considering that the Wii U is not out yet). As far as other information , I am an active PC and PS3 Gamer, with a lot of experience on a lot of other game platforms, and Sony doesn't hold back on what the PS Vita is capable of doing.

An HD Version Of Wii Is A Good Idea!

2011-05-20T21:03:00.000-07:00

When I tour the stores in my area, I get told there are no known plans for a new Nintendo Wii capable of displaying and processing High Quality HD graphics for now, but there are plenty of articles and predictions listed when I Google search about the possibility of a Nintendo Wii made for High Definition graphics.

The second week in February I was looking for extra information on Sony's NGP. When I came across a post from "Crave - The Gadget Blog From CNET" about an HD Nintendo Wii. Even though I knew the article is more likely speculation, I started to think about what if there is a new HD capable Wii. What would that be like? Think of it! The Legend of Zelda, Metroid, and Mario for the first time with stunning HD graphics!

I think it would be cool if there is a Wii with HD technology. I always thought that the Wii should have been least 720p, to make the graphics sharper, clearer, and more pixel correct. I don't know what Nintendo is planning, but if it does decide on an HD capable Wii, I would hope that it would be fully compatible with its current last gen and classic games. All current Wii games should be fully upscaled to High Quality HD (preferably 1080p),with the graphics sharper, clearer and smoother, resulting from being upscaled like many classic games on PC, but not upscaled like classic PS One games on PS3, where the graphics are barely looking any better, and the blocky graphics are blurred (using smoothing). Something similar to Scale3x, or Scale4x should be used, unless Nintendo would have something better in mind.

Right now, the idea an HD Nintendo Wii coming out seems like a tease, but maybe there will be an announcement any day now with some good news.

This Post is from my person.

Reference to "Crave: The Gadget Post From CNET" that inspired me to give my thoughts on the subject from:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10357422-1.html

You can find Google search at:

https://encrypted.google.com/

You can get more info about NGP at:

http://ultimateantman.blogspot.com/2011/02/could-portables-replace-desktops-for.html

You can find more info about upscaling classic games at:

http://ultimateantman.blogspot.com/2011/04/play-station-one-games-need-to-be.html

The wallpaper used in this post is from:

http://desktop.freewallpaper4.me/download/7170/legend-of-zeldas-link

Add note: you can download the wallpaper visiting the site above, also I believe the current Nintendo Wii can display some games in 720p, like the first Xbox can, because Nintendo Wii has better hardware than the first Xbox.

Free Games On PC

2011-05-07T22:04:00.000-07:00

For a long time, my budget was tight, and still is just not as much. But how did I game when the money was tight, in addtion to getting $3 to $10 steal from time to time from a book store where I lived. I downloaded and played a ton of free games, I had to weed out some just mediocre games to find what was cool. I am not going to mention every game that I have played and downloaded, just to many, and I may update this post from time to time, because I have not played all the free games on the internet, and there are so many free games now. But if you want to find games that will let you play even when money is tight here some that I have found to be entertainning:

Vindictus

Vindictus: If you are in the mood for some good hack and slash/ brawling action, then this game is a good game to start with! The game play is comparable to God Of War 1, 2, or 3. This game is a mix of MMO Action and RPG. Like an RPG you will go on Quests, and have a wide variety of weapons to use. I like this game, because it is a mix. Also if you have a Hard Core Gaming/Media PC Rig, and use a good HD Monitor or HDTV, set the game in HD resolution, (I prefer my HDTV monitor), then you will see some of the best free to play HD graphics around. I run this game in1080p (1920x1080) it is very now-gen quality. You can try this game out for yourself on http://vindictus.nexon.net/ , and don't go by the video on the page try it out for yourself. To let everyone know also I use a dual thumbstick control to play this game called the Saitek Rumble Force Pad P2600.

Dungeons & Dragons Online (DDO)

Dungeons & Dragons Online (DDO): If you are in the mood for a good MMORPG simular to WOW (World Of Warcraft), but has some perks that WOW don't, then try DDO, this game has a variety of quests, some cool weapons, gameplay options, puzzles, and has plenty of interesting areas in the game world; caverns, dungeons, and others. to explore. I set up the game to control like the Fable, so that makes it a plus, I can do that. The graphic in HD resolution, look like they are last gen with now-gen color, lighting, and post processing effects to enhance the graphics, plus you can enable Very Sharp texture filtering. This game was rated by MMO Hut as the #2 free to play game. I do agree that this is a pretty good MMORPG, plus its free. You can give this game a try at https://signup.ddo.com/ddo.php

Lord Of The Rings Online (LOTRO)

Lord Of The Rings Online (LOTRO): This game is very similar to WOW, but the theme is based off of the Lord of The Rings (LOTR) novels. Do you want to play as a Hobbit, Human, Elf, Dwarf, Ranger, Burglar, Wizard, and others, in a genuine LOTR game world, then you should give this game a try. The game does have its moments, When I participated in the Winter Festival, that just past, I had the chance to see a Hobbit passed out drunk, with a mess by his face that could pass for vomit. The graphics on a good gaming PC are better than, WOW, plus like DDO you can enable Very Sharp texture filtering. Here is the link if you want to play for yourself at http://www.lotro.com/

Spiral Knights

Spiral Knights: Rich now-gen CG 3D Anime style graphics, this game is like if you took earlier games belonging to The Legend of Zelda 2D series, Alundra, or Land Stalker, and gave them a theme similar to Clockwork Knight on Sega Saturn. From Sega and Three Rings, this game is worth checking out. It ran smooth at 1080p, with graphic settings maxed out. You have to chop down trees and blocks for hearts, crowns (currency), and other things. I enjoy this game and might even play it when I am finished with this blog post. I could give out more details, but I don't want to spoil it. Play it yourself at http://www.spiralknights.com/

Team Fortress 2 (TF2)

Team Fortress 2 (TF2): This FPS (First Person Shooter) is now F2P (Free To Play). I received TF2 with The Orange Box that came with Half Life 2, Half Life 2: Episode One, Half Life2: Episode Two, Half Life 2: Lost Coast (as an update) and Portal. This game on a Hardcore Gaming PC, with a High Quality HD TV looks good in either 720p (1280x720) or 1080p (1920x1080). It has CG 3D Animation style graphics resembling a Pixar or Dream Works Movie. TF2 is a comical, and fun FPS, with many different modes to play. If you use your headset you can hear players online cracking jokes, and making all kind of humorous statements. TF2 is available at http://store.steampowered.com/app/440/?snr=1_4_4__13

Like I said before I will update this post in the future. There are some free to play games, that I am playing now, that I might recommend later, and some that almost made this list but didn't. In this post are the ones that made it. Have fun!

Screen Shots were by me and were taken while playing each game.

This post is from my personal experience playing these games, only one reference to MMO Hut from:

http://www.youtube.com/user/MMOHut

Add note: Some thing that you might want to know is in LOTRO like many MMORPGs you can click and hold the left, and the right mouse buttons, at the same time, to move your character forward, then use the mouse to move your character left or right.

Update: SOE Is Back Up!

2011-05-03T21:12:00.000-07:00

Update May 14, 2011:

I checked The Station.com, and SOE.com, after checking out the lastest PSN news, and it looks like that the same is going to offered SOE users as PSN users, Identity Theft Protection with a welcome back package, and a password reset. If you want more information check out my PSN blog post, and the top two links below.

May 3, 2011:

Today when I was checking my emails, I received one from Sony Online Entertainment (SOE), stating that they believe, any given SOE account holder, who has provided their personal information to SOE, may have had their information stolen.Not only PSN is down, but all gaming services from SOE are down, that includes The Station.com, the site that provides gaming for PC Gamers who love to play games like Free Realms, DC Universe Online, or Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures.

I checked the Station.com and I was taken to the second website listed below instead. The first link is an online version of the email I have received, the second is the site I was redirected to. The idea that any SOE customer now has to worry about the possibility of Identity Theft.

I will repeat this again. What is being done about this?

If you want to get a better idea of what I am talking about, check out the links below.

http://station-access.station.sony.com/

http://www.soe.com/

http://soe.innovyx.net/v?xnJcJWqEPPqPTTWWv

https://www.soe.com/securityupdate/

Photo from:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sony-Online-Entertainment/108441475846300

Spider Man Is Dead!

2011-04-25T20:11:00.000-07:00

If you have not found out by now! Peter Parker the original Spider Man after the "Death Of Spider Man" storyline that takes place in Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man, and Ultimate Comics: Avenger vs New Ultimates, is dead, and a New Spider Man with a new costume will take his place in Ultimate Spider-Man # 160.

I don't know how how long it will last? But if anyone has read Spider-Man 2099, you had to figure it would happen sooner or later, but then again stories get rewritten.

To all Spider-Man fans! You might want to check out the Marvel News Post, if you have not already, included are a list of the comics that are about Peter Parker death, just click on the link below:

http://marvel.com/news/story/15657/marvel_reveals_new_spider-man?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Pulse290&utm_term=Link2&utm_content=NewSpiderManReveal&utm_campaign=Pulse290Newsletter04192011

You can also download or copy the wallpaper used in this Post by clicking on the link below:
http://www.heroicwallpapers.com/download/199/1080hd

To copy the wallpaper to this link: place mouse pointer over the wallpaper, right click on the wallpaper, select save copy image or save picture as, the left click using your mouse.

Sony Play Station Network Is Back Up! Update

2011-04-22T12:28:00.000-07:00

Update May 14, 2011:

I have just read that PSN is now back up! I logged in and I was told that I will receive an email to update my information (probably for a new password). Also on the Play Station.Blog a video from Kazuo Hirai in that Video SCEA offers an Identity Theft Protection Program, and a welcome back package. This obviously is good news, that SCEA isn't going to leave it's customers hanging. I have Provided a link for the Video below, and the post from The Blog. Check out the top two links.

April 21, 2011:

Yesterday April 21, 2011: I was not able to log into Play Station Network. I go to The PSN (Play Station Network) site to Login, I receive this message:

Site Maintenance Notice

The server is currently down for maintenance.

We apologize for the inconvenience. Please try again later.

I go to look on the Play Station Blog and I read that the PSN outage was being investigated, implying that it is not known why the site is down. Also the site might be down for 2 days. Now the site was reported to be down on April 20, 2011, but I was on PSN that day. It probably happened when I got off.

I hope this isn't the beginning of a trend!

Update, April 23, 2011:

PSN is still down. Is Sony being straight forward with us? According to the Play Station Blog, PSN was turned off because of an outside intrusion that affected PSN and Qriocity. Now an investigation is still going on.

I appreciate My PS3, because of the lack of problems it has, compared to a Windows PC. Don't get me wrong, on a Windows PC I enjoy some of the best Graphics, gameplay and sound that I cannot enjoy on a Console, including PS3, but a Windows based PC can sometimes involve troubleshooting. On my PS3, I can play a game, without having to worry, about whether I have installed the right software, is my hardware compatible, or any other of the many reasons that can be involved.

I hope Sony owns up, to providing a quality Entertainment experience.

Update, April 23, 2011:

Sony PSN and Qriocity services are now suspended. This is for security reasons according to the Play Station Blog. I still feel what I posted before still applies, even more now than before.

I repeat: I hope Sony owns up, to providing a quality Entertainment experience.

Update April 26, 2011:

There has been a recent update on The Play Station Blog, with a Q&A about the what has been going on. I noticed that Sony has given the typical, "we are not able to comment at this time," as an answer to many of the questions. One thing that stood out is that the breach, into PSN and Qriocity may have compromised, our name, address, email account, login, password, birth date, credit card number if you have one. Basically enough to get PSN users robbed clean!

What is being done about this, it is not okay!

Update May 2, 2011:

Sony PSN is still down, I tried to log in today, and it pointed to that it still under going maintenance. Also Sony stresses that it was a "maybe" that credit card numbers have been compromised. Maybe is still unsettling, and it is what was posted on the Play Station Blog. Past Play Station Blog posts have edited. You can check out new updates yourself.

Play Station One Games Need To Be Upscaled Better!

2011-04-22T12:11:00.000-07:00

I was looking at some screen shots of PS One (Play Station One) games, on IGN, showing what they look like upscaled on PS3 (Play Station 3). This reminded me of my article, that had recommendations for Classic PS One games on PS3. I was told that what I put together was good, so I have decided to post, an updated version of my article.

I believe it is obvious that to everyone reading this that I enjoy both new and old games , I have so far purchased four PS One games through PSN (Play Station Network). I remember hearing that all PS One games can upscale to 1080p or 1080i. I thought before buying these games how they could easily be enhanced on PS3, as classic games have been on PC.

I have bought Castlevania: Symphony of The Night, Tekken 2, Alundra, and the original Silent Hill! When I played these games, I was disappointed! I saw that the games graphics were only allowed to be smoothed out, and were not that much more clearer, sharper, or smoother, than they could have been, and these games might look a little sharper and clearer then they normally would, because of the HDTV that I have used and the one I am now using (now in HDMI video).

Instead of blurring the graphics with an option called smoothing, to smooth out the blocky or pixelated look of their classic game, some of the best options are, that I am aware of to make the graphics look better, are: Scale2x (originally EPX), Scale3x, Scale4x, HQ2x, HQ3x, and HQ4x. Other methods of upscaling, and improving graphics that work just fine are: 2xSaI, Super SaI, and Super Eagle.

Look at these photos as an example. Below are two games Willow (the top three photos), and Metal Slug X (bottom two). Notice when the graphics are zoomed they do get clearer, but they look blocky still. When Scale2x or Scale4x is used, the graphics are smooth, sharp and clear, that is because the graphics are not blurred to make them look smooth, the graphics are just upscaled better:

Original Zoomed Only

Scale4x

Scale2x

Original Zoomed Only

Scale2x

Now is the time to do it! The new Mortal Kombat has Ol' Skool or Retro game play some, and Sonic The Hedge Hog 4, was a top download on PSN. The Sega Genesis Classic Collection Gold Edition on PC, has an option for an Enhanced graphics filter, that can pass for Scale2x or HQ2x. I don't know why Sony doesn't use any advanced graphic filtering to upscale, so it will improve the look of their games. PS3 hardware is qualified.

To see the screenshots of PS One (and PS 2 games) upscaled on PS3 check out this site:

http://ps3.ign.com/articles/793/793775p1.html,

Information is from personal experience and these sources:

http://www.answers.com/topic/pixel-art-scaling-algorithms,

http://scale2x.sourceforge.net/,

http://us.playstation.com/psn/,

"Pulse 1109 Edition-1080p", Downloadable Video, Play Station Network 2010, Sony Computer Entertainment America.

Photos from:

http://scale2x.sourceforge.net/,

http://us.playstation.com/ps3/systems/320gb.html

The Hardware Matters (PC In High Quality HD! Part 3)

2011-02-17T21:00:00.000-08:00

DVI-D to HDMI

I thought that including information about Hardware Specs would not be necessary for displaying a PC in High Quality HD, but when I am at work I see the Business PCs at my job, and thought that I should also include more specific information about what it takes to for a PC to display in High Quality HD! Just in case it is needed.

Many people that I have talked to would say that they have a good PC. However the issue is what is the PC good for exactly? Is it a basic Business or Home Office PC, or is it a good Media/Gaming PC.

To give an example, the PC I hooked up the 1080p LG M2262D HDTV Monitor to was a custom made Tower, that has:

A Quad-Core called The "Intel Core 2 Extreme Q6850" at 3GHz each core.

An "NVIDIA GeForce 8600 GTS" Graphics Card with 256 MBs GDDR3 Video Memory at 1008 MHz.

2 GBs "Corsair XMS2" (Main System Memory) divided up into two RAM sticks at 800 MHz.

All this this is connected to an Asus Striker Extreme Gaming Motherboard!

The PC I used, shows better visuals than, and out performs, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3. Now If you only want to playback HD video, then as far as CPU's go I would recommend at least a Dual-Core. (With a Dual-Core PC you can still do High Quality Gaming). For Real Hardcore HD Gaming, and Video Playback, I suggest a high quality Quad-Core CPU. However, a good CPU alone, will not make the cut, you will need a to have a good GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) also! I recommend at least an 8th Generation NVIDIA GeForce GPU, I would say an 8600 GTS or better. If you prefer ATI (Now bought out by AMD), then I recommend at least a Radeon series GPU, that has the same performance or better. As for The Main System Memory needed, there should be at least 2 GBs of DDR2 memory, at 800 MHz or better.

Add Note: Most stores in the surrounding area, including where I live, have a lot better Graphics Cards than what I just recommended, but I have looked for yesterdays model graphics cards to save money. Many of these stores that I have been to, in the past, had sales and service employees that have not been correct, with the price and performance it takes to run HD Media and Gaming. They will either suggest the most expensive option, or they will recommend a PC that will barely perform to the users standard. Hopefully you will not have to run into this problem, but just in case, be careful, and feel free, to benefit, from the information, that I have included in this post.

Update December 6, 2011: Right now I would recommend Looking on Tiger Direct, eBay, or Amazon to find the best performance for the amount of money you spend. Remember Tiger Direct accepts pay by phone.

Also the Motherboard I own works the best on Windows XP, and Vista. I ran into some problems with Windows 7, but I found out with Windows 7 running games at the same performance, requires a newer higher performance graphics card. I upgraded to an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 Ti to run Guild Wars at the same performance on Windows 7, as the NVIDIA GeForce 8600 GTS did on Windows XP Service Pack 3. Also 2 GBs was good in the past, but because software updates are required from time to time you may want to now bump up the amount of memory of 4 or 8 GBs.

Information is from personal experience and these sources:

Warren Ernst, "Ultimate Kentsfield: Quad-Core CPUs & Dual GPUs in SLI With All the Trimmings" Computer Power User Vol. 7, Issue 2, Feb. 2007: pgs.70-71 Sandhills Publishing Company.

Mike Meyers, All In One,A+ Certification, Exam Guide Fourth Edition. Mc Graw Hill, 2002.

http://www.intel.com/products/processor/core2xe/specifications.htm

http://www.nvidia.com/page/home.html

http://www.webopedia.com/

http://www.computerhope.com/jargon.htm

http://www.answers.com/

http://www.hdmi.org/learningcenter/kb.aspx?c=6

http://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-HDMI-Adapter-Cable-Meters/dp/B001TH7T2U

Photos are from me.

Could Portables Replace Desktops For Hardcore Gaming?

2011-02-10T01:20:00.000-08:00

It is possible that Desktops being necessary for Hardcore gaming will become a thing of the past!

Desktops meaning, Macintosh, PC, Xbox 360, and Play Station 3, (PC Towers are even included in this same catagory). As said before if you want to Hardcore game, you will need to use or own a Play Station 3, Xbox 360, a Desktop Macintosh or PC! The only alternative is a Notebook, but Notebook Technology normally catches up with Desktop performance later, and is more expensive, leaving a you with less performance for your money compared to a Desktop.

But more than two weeks ago, on January 27, 2011, like many other game fans, I was sent to my Facebook a video from Game Spot of "The PlayStation Meeting 2011" featuring NGP Sony's Next Generation Portable. If what I saw in the conference video was true. Then by the next Holiday Season, Sony will release the first portable for Hardcore Gamers, currently codenamed NGP!

As pointed out by Hideo Kojima, Konami's Executive Corporate Officer and Director of Kojima Productions, this little beast ran the model detail and environment of The Play Station 3 version of Metal Gear Solid 4 at 20 frames per second. Even though the game only ran at 20 fps, it is the Play Station 3 version of the game. That is very good for a portable device!

Portables overall are already the best selling gaming devices, and a portable as powerful as NGP (which has a quad-core CPU, and a quad-core GPU) might lead to desktops being replaced by portables as a preference for the Hardcore Gamer.

I can go on, but you can watch the The Conference for yourself, also I have included a link for Sony's NGP Specs also.

http://www.gamespot.com/ngp/sports/hotshotsgolf/video/6287040#toggle_video

http://us.playstation.com/ngp/?CMP=NGPGOOGSEM (Click on View Tech Specs)

Information about Portable Sales is from:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-10797_3-10299504-235.html, (2008, and 2009 only! Play Station 3 sales are up now!)

http://ds.ign.com/articles/820/820693p1.html

Photo from:

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150124598486803&set=a.10150124597891803.320199.14104316802&pid=7808440&id=14104316802

PC In High Quality HD! Part 2

2011-02-03T15:40:00.000-08:00

DVI-D to HDMI Cable

Part One, communicates my experience, and reason for posting material about this subject. Part Two I will give some possibly needed extra 411, that I started with before I was looking for a High Quality HDTV, and some that I gained from personal experience that relates to the subject.

First if you want to connect your PC to a High Quality HDTV, you will need an HDCP compliant graphics card with DVI-D, DVI-I, HDMI, or Mini HDMI outputs. For performance sake I recommend a PC that has both a multi-core CPU and GPU (most likely if your graphics card meets the previously mentioned requirements, it will already be multi-core)! The two best brands to work with are ATI (now bought out by AMD) or NVIDIA.

For your moneys worth concerning price per performance, I recommend a desktop PC, but if you insist on a notebook/laptop, the same applies, you will most likely need to hook it up to a High Quality HDTV, and you will need the same outputs.

Now most HDTVs show the best when set to display in either resolution, 1280x720 (720p), or 1920x1080 (1080p). If you want to set your PC to display in any other resolutions correctly, you need to use the NVIDA Control Panel (NCP), click on "Adjust Desktop Size and Position," make sure you have the tab called "Scaling" chosen, if not click on the "Scaling" tab, then click on the small drop down menu labeled "Perform Scaling On:," then chose "GPU."

Almost every new application or game (Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Devil May Cry 4) is made to display in 720p or 1080p resolution, many older games do also, but not all. Other games for example Medal of Honor: Allied Assault displays in 1280x1024 or 1600x1200 High Quality HD correctly, by having "Perform scaling on:" "GPU," selected in the NVIDIA Control Panel.

I am not sure if AMD Catalyst Control Center has an option for this but information can be found on http://www.amd.com

I hope this helps. Like I said before my PC does look Amazing!

Information not from personal experience that I obtained was from:

Mike Meyers, All In One,A+ Certification, Exam Guide Fourth Edition, Mc Graw Hill, 2002.

http://www.nvidia.com/page/home.html

http://www.webopedia.com/

http://www.computerhope.com/jargon.htm

http://www.answers.com/

http://www.hdmi.org/learningcenter/kb.aspx?c=6

http://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-HDMI-Adapter-Cable-Meters/dp/B001TH7T2U

Photos are from me.

PC In High Quality HD! Part 1

2011-02-03T14:27:00.002-08:00

HDMI Cable

Where I live in, even though practically (very close to) in Silicon Valley, finding a good display for my PC, is unavailable, with lousy "so called" HD PC Monitors sitting in the stores close to where I live. Also to make things worst, is that the sales people, and so called Technicians in many of these stores, tend to give false, and/or misleading information.

I have found a solution where I live though! I know this probably applies in many other Towns or Cities, and if where you live, there is a lack of available good High Quality Monitors for your PC. You might be better off using what I use, an HDTV. Even though normal HDTVs are available, the best for your PCs graphics, would be a High Quality HDTV, that uses HDMI cables, for uncompressed Digital High Definition Video, that connects to one or more HDMI ports in the back of your HDTV.

Since where I live, a "real" good quality XHD PC Monitor is scarce, the only thing left to do is purchase a High Quality HDTV. I wasn't going to special order an XHD PC Monitor. So I started to look for an HDTV that would be good for my PC. I would look for one with two HDMI ports. Because I also own a PlayStation 3.

I talked to my Dad about this. I let him know about this (what I just previously stated)! I planed on budgeting for a nice High Quality HDTV, but my Dad surprised me and went to a local video store called "Video Only", and got me a 22 inch, 1080p, LG M2262D, HDTV Monitor, with two HDMI ports, one DVI-D (D for Digital) with one PC audio in, one VGA DB-15, and one component, both with composite (RCA) audio ports in the back. The HDTV did have more features, but that is not important for purpose of this post.

DVI-D to HDMI Cable.

I connected my PlayStation 3 using an HDMI cable, but my PC was connected using a normal DVI-D cable only, to see how it will come out. I noticed that my PC did look HD, but not close enough to XHD quality. It was better than Component and VGA DB-15 video. I tried two and a half weeks later a DVI to HDMI cable for my PC. Once I connected my PC to an HDMI port in back of my HDTV Monitor, it looked really good! The two resolution settings that the HDTV Monitor was programmed to show the best were 1280x720 (720p), and 1920x1080 (1080p), at 60Hz or more. To display other resolutions correctly such as 1680x1050 or 1600x1200 you need to use the NVIDA Control Panel (NCP), click on "Adjust Desktop Size and Position," make sure you have the tab called "Scaling" chosen, if not click on the "Scaling" tab, then click on the small drop down menu labeled "Perform Scaling On:," then chose "GPU." Using the NVIDIA Control Panel, I also check the box next to "Override the scaling mode set by games and programs." With my PC connected to my HDTV monitor, my PC's graphics showed clearer and sharper than my PlayStation 3, with more vibrant color to also! I now have my PC as well as my PlayStation 3 in High Quality HD, connected to the same HDTV monitor, and my PC it looks amazing!

Information not from personal experience that I obtained was from:

Mike Meyers, All In One,A+ Certification, Exam Guide Fourth Edition, Mc Graw Hill, 2002.

http://www.nvidia.com/page/home.html

http://www.webopedia.com/

http://www.computerhope.com/jargon.htm

http://www.answers.com/

http://www.hdmi.org/learningcenter/kb.aspx?c=6

http://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-HDMI-Adapter-Cable-Meters/dp/B001TH7T2U

Photos are from me.

Add note: I have to be grateful because I was ghetto broke , now my life is better. I still have to play it smart with my money, but I am doing better now, than before.

Gamers According to The Media

2011-01-10T20:38:00.000-08:00

There is a lie that has been told by much of the Media, it is about Gamers. The lie is that Gamers are One social group, lifestyle, and stereotype. In Reality, that is in real life, they are not a fictional stereotype. Gamers come from diverse backgrounds, cultures, social groups, and life styles, they are: Jocks, “Nerds”, Preps, Goths, Myths, Emos, Gangstas, "Squares". Many Professions: Office Workers, Actors, Construction Workers, Non Employed. They listen to all kinds of music, Hip Hop, Grunge, Heavy Metal, Alternative, Punk, Ska, Classic, Ol' Skool, Trip Hop. They are from different Religious Backgrounds: Christian, Buddhism, Muslim, New Age, Atheists. Diverse ethnic groups: African, Asian, Latino, European, Indian, Islander, Indigenous American.Gamers are clean, dirty, sober, drunk, gamers have gone to jail for drug abuse, and drug possession. I have known gamers from many if not all of these different backgrounds. The list in real life goes on.

So why is there a stereotype for Gamers only being “Nerds” wearing pocket protectors, when that really isn't true? It bothers me that so much time and energy, has gone into publicizing this myth! For that reason I focus on, what the truth is, rather than the myth! Even though I have viewed funny videos, showing that Gamers belong to a certain stereotype and laughed, I still separate fact from fiction. The truth is very simple a Gamer is a person that likes playing Video Games.

I have noticed attempts to change this by the Media, but this has been more recent. The problem is the lie should never have been displayed by the Media to the Public in the first place!

Photos are from:

http://www.thekartel.com/go/thread/view/78897/23115277/Gamer_Nerdology:_Assorted_Vidiots?pg=last

http://listphobia.com/2010/09/28/10-most-funny-nonracial-stereotypes/

http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2008/10/study-squashes-myth-of-gamer-as-antisocial-comic-book-guy.ars