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Affordable but high quality earphones from Creative

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creative.jpgI have become an earphone addict ever since I got my iPod and had my cmoy amp built. I am constantly on the lookout for the best sounding earphones in the market. Of course, I have one big condition — it has to be affordable. Although I love to get my hands on those Etymotics in-ear monitors but I have a standing policy that if it costs more than my second hand Denon integrated amp then it’s too pricey.

A number of companies have been coming out with really good earphones because of the increased demand for high quality monitors. This is one sector that the popularity of the iPod has immensely helped. In fact, new brands continue to appear on the market hoping to wrest some of the customers away from such tried and tested brands like Sennheiser, Shure, Bose, and even Philips and Sony.

One good pair of earphones I recently used is the Creative EP-630. Yes, the popular PC peripheral maker and consistent thorn on Apple’s side (because of its affordable line of high quality digital music players) has entered the earphone market with a very affordable yet great sounding earphones. These cans are quite comfortable to use and, surprisingly, can go head to head with the midlevel Sennheisers I got in terms of clarity, loudness and range. And you can get it for less than 30 dollars! That’s a great deal any way you look at it.

[tags]Shure, Creative, Sennheiser[/tags]

Xbox Live – A Reason To Be Cheerful

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For those of you familiar with my blog, you’ll know there are plenty of things I despair about in gaming today. This has included everything from continuous, yearly updates through to the stupidity of enemy AI. One thing I haven’t complained about in a while though is multiplayer gaming. This is because I haven’t ventured beyond split screen in a long time.

Without sounding like a dinosaur, I remember early networked versions of Quake played at school. I also remember how frustrating and technical they could be just to get set up. Don’t even get me started on latency, ping and hacking the game. Of course, things got better. Just look at how (Steam aside) Counter-Strike: Source is practically a three clicks and you’re there affair. Even still, issues can arise.

All of this is what makes Xbox Live such a superb workable solution to online gaming. No longer just the domain of the leet-speaking techno-geek, gaming is now a pursuit enjoyed by the masses (thanks to the Sony magic believe it or not). Online gaming is now only just a button press away – is also on the TV to boot.

The migration of gaming out of the bedroom and into the living room has resulted in the sight of many (more than 50% of Xbox 360 owners according to Microsoft) people sticking on a headset mic and lambasting each other. More to the point, it has conncected them in way which make their experiences more valid. This has been brought on through camaraderie, a sense of adventure, humour and competition.

I am in complete support of Live and really enjoy the features it provides. The demos are good, the micro transactions on the whole reasonably good value and the free game content is excellent. Even factoring in £35 per year, I’d certainly consider it worth the money.

So, here’s a quick recap on the features of Xbox Live Gold:
* Friends service
* Text and video messaging service
* One stop download centre for updates, demos, extra content etc
* Premium multiplayer experience including matchmaking and feedback tools

So, what’s not to like? Well there are idiots on there – there is a system to report them though. How bothered you get by a twelve-year-old kid calling you names is up to you. A lack of open net access was also a very glib choice by Microsoft. After all, it does mean you are a locked into an extremely value engineered system.

With this few problems in mind, I’m pretty sure that Xbox Live Gold is pretty much a must buy – if you’re a bit luckier than me. I’m unlucky in that my router is too far away from my 360 at the moment, and there’s no way I’m paying for the overpriced wireless dongle for it. Never mind. Other than that though, if you’re curious to experience multiplayer and you are looking at a console then there’s no better a choice than Live.

The Failings of the PS3

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I have made it no secret that, out of the 3 ‘this gen’ consoles, I believe the PS3 to have the most potential.  This is for reasons of power, capability and having a wireless control pad.  However, it seems that each of the three consoles – PS3, Xbox360 and Wii – have reasons to doubt them.  I have covered the latter two here already, so lets move on to the PS3.

One of the most obvious that things that hits you about the PS3 is the lack of rumble.  Now that Sony has settled a suit with Immersion there shouldn’t be a problem.  But there is.  All the consoles shipped already don’t have force feedback.  To find out how enjoyable force feedback is, try the new Microsoft Wireless Steering Wheel.  For a previous gen experience, try Forza Motorsport on the Xbox.  Rumble and feedback feels just as it should on that.

Price is the major point that everyone has pulled up the PS3 on, and with good reason.  Over in the UK it is still retailing at over £420 – which is more than $700.  That’s not far off half a month’s wages for some people.  You can now get an 32 inch LCD TV for that price.  Or a new washer, or cooker.  Any essential for the home really.  This should really put into perspective how much it costs.

So if the PS3 is so expensive, is it still being bought?  Well, yes.  However, as I’m a cynical marketer I’m 100% sure that even if it were a couple of hundred dollars more, people would still flock to the Sony brand.  This is evidenced in the fact that as much as it’s been slated in the gaming press, the console is still being sold.

Games, and the selection thereof, is perhaps the number one criticism of the PS3.  What do you want to play at the moment beyond Motorstorm?  For me, it’s nothing really.  That’s a shame given the power of the console and the matched motion-sensing controller.  The number of exclusive games has been reduced (Devil May Cry 4 anyone) – though this is a symptom of the industry and something I’ll cover in another article.  However, if there aren’t any AAA exclusives, why wouldn’t someone just buy the cheaper 360?

Online functionality is an issue, though in my opinion I see the PS3 as between the Wii and the Xbox360 in terms of current ability.  Rubbish friend codes ruin the Wii, whilst Live is hampered by being a paid-for service.  Home looks impressive, if similar to Second Life.

Overall, I guess that the PS3 doesn’t have any spectacular detractions to what it is currently providing, more like niggly faults.  This speaks in turn to potential in the near future, and I’m hoping for great things.  Of course, two of these great things would be a price cut and some games I am genuinely excited to play.  This will come with time though, I know I certainly wasn’t an early adopter of the 360…

Xbox 360 recap: how much more life left?

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I was never a huge Simpsons fan, but that thing up there warms my heart like nothing I’ve ever seen before. No, not even the shiny PS3 when it was officially unveiled May of last year. Roughly a month ago, the Xbox 360 Elite saw light of day with HDMI (which practically nobody in third world Philippines uses today) and a beefier 120 GB hard drive to let you get all the Live Arcade games there are, and there will ever be.

If you haven’t been following the rumor mill lately, new 65-nm processors are on the line and should pave the way for less noisy and cooler 360’s (with hopefully less chances for red rings of death), but none of the graphics bravado and a processor as powerful as the PS3’s Cell. Which makes sense, as any major hardware change can result to compatibility issues with the games that are already out. The question “Is this all Microsoft has up its sleeves in the wake of the Sony PS3 giant?” should then not make very good argument.

Much like the personal computer, console generations are typically three years in between. Already halfway through its lifetime, we have seen the 360’s games go from cartoon-esque (think Dead or Alive 4) to life-like (Rainbow Six: Vegas), and we can expect things to get better as newer games exploit 1080p. Meanwhile, we see PS3 games already undergoing the transition from ports of games from older consoles (Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion) to finally coming into its own (Resistance: Fall of Man).

The yellow and shiny Xbox 360 – I like. Happy gamers need no stinkin’, yet another next-generation console: at least for the time being. And so ends my talking up Microsoft brownies in an attempt to put balance in a world where Mac users get thunder for all fanboy-ism.

The Failings of the Xbox 360

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So, the Xbox360 has been out for a while now. What is it, over a year now? No doubt. So did you get one? I did. I have enjoyed it too, from the Media Centre capabilities all the way through to the latest games such as Gears of War and Lost Planet. Not everything has been plain sailing though. There have been reports of broken consoles, even one guy reporting going through more than 7 360’s. The console launch itself was dogged by average games though the hardware was particularly good.

So overall, what do you make of the 360 so far? Well let’s take a look at a few different elements of it before assigning a judgement so far. The first thing to note is that I have two wireless controllers, but even without those the control pad is obviously extremely well designed. It is comfortable, functional and each button seems to be functional. Beyond that, it is fairly robust and useable over extended periods of time.

The reverse of course of this is that there is nothing new behind the control pad. Evidently, Microsoft could have pushed in the same direction of Sony and had a motion-sensing controller (I’m not here to argue whether Nintendo or Sony came up with it first) but they didn’t do so. Unfortunately, this means we’re seeing not much more beyond a slightly better build of the thumb pad. Oh well.

Xbox Live is good. Extremely good. It is also a first for console online capable systems, and also makes Nintendo and Sony’s efforts in that direction just a bit of a joke (Nintendo, you really should be doing multiplayer games by now). However, it generates a revenue stream from Microsoft. More importantly, is it worth the £40? Probably yes, being honest. On the other hand, there doesn’t seem to have much new content on board just yet, and some of the talked about features (feeds of games etc) just aren’t there yet.

The Xbox360 games so far have been impressive, at least where there have been new IP’s. But that is just it. Unfortunately I have a bit of deja vu at the moment with some games. PGR3, Forza 2 (when it is released) and DOA4 are basically souped up graphically in the next level, and that’s about it. I’m hoping for more from Forza 2 but I’d wager that it is going to be much of the same. This isn’t a bad thing, but it’s still a little disappointing.

Overall, I’m reasonably happy with my Xbox360 as I’m sure you are with yours – on the other hand I’m not seeing anything that I haven’t seen before. This is the killer app that is missing from the 360 so far – variety. On the other hand, there are a few games heading our way that could change a few things. Let’s take a quick look at some of them and what they can add to the offering of the 360:

Alan Wake – A third person survival adventure/horror game with interesting overtones, this one could well be big.
Forza Motorsport 2 – Slightly contradictory I know but I’m expecting something big from the physics engine in this game.
Assassin’s Creed – Third person kill-a-guy with a twist. Your character moves like a mix between the Prince in Prince of Persia and Dante from Devil May Cry.
Mass Effect – Sci fi thriller/mystery and third person action/first person shootery means that this is shaping up to be a great game.

I’d say that these games are going to shape the future of the 360, at least in terms of some of them being exclusives. I really hope to see some of these soon, as I’m running out of games to play…

Ecto 1 For Sale!

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ecto1.jpgWhen I was in elementary school, I had much anticipation for Friday evenings because it was Friday prime time when the local stations would air episodes of The Real Ghostbusters cartoon series. I was also a great fan of the original Ghostbusters movie, and even the sequels. So you can imagine how familiar I am with the Ghostbusters universe, from the characters, to the storylines, to the equipment.

If you share the same fondness of the Ghostbusters, you might be interested in this potential catch. The Ecto-1, the Ghostbusters’ car is for sale! Remember the hearse turned into ghost-fighting machine? This is your chance to own it! Or at least a replica, that is.

From the George Barris star car collection we are very proud to offer Ecto 1, which everyone recognizes from the movie icons of the 80’s. Because of the high status and recognition of this car we choose it to represent us at the 2006 Chicago Auto Show, it was a huge hit. Not only did the car draw a constant crowd around our display but it continued to do se even after the show. This car was tailored back on an open trailer and caused a nuisance to traffic, people would ride along side to check it out, taking pictures. A rare piece, professional society ’59 Cadillac is one of the most sought after bodies of its kind. Being an exhibit vehicle it had to be premium quality and built right. All the mechanics were rebuilt with updates including a vintage air conditioning system and heavy duty alternator. Show quality paint on a rust free body, all new interior, brilliant chrome. All emergency lights work and so desirable the siren with its signature sound. A turn key, dependable auto that’s great for parades, exhibitions or your own personal collection. One of the most famous cars of all times.

Before it became Ecto 1 it had previous Hollywood history, it was used in In the heat of the night starring Sidney Poitier and Rod Steiger. Certificate of authenticity from Barris Star Car Collection. Part of the Barris Star Car Collection, signed by George Barris. No money down or up to 144 months finance terms available.

Sounds good, huh? There’s one hitch, though. The asking price is $149,998! I would say that’s no big amount for a collector with deep pockets, though.

The posting might make one believe that this is the actual Ecto-1 shown in the 1984 and 1989 films, but it doesn’t seem so. According to Wikipedia, the originals are languishing in deterioration in Sony pictures’ studios, while George Barris, the famed auto “kustomizer” (who designed the Batmobile and other celebrity cars) created this replica for collectors. You can check out this gallery for other TV or movie car replicas done by Barris (like KITT from Night Rider, the Munster Koach, or Green Hornet‘s car).

Still, even if this is not the real thing, it would be one cool car to keep in your showroom!

The Wii – An Alternative Take

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Okay, so the Wii has cool controls, average graphics and average online capabilities (because of no online multiplayer, which is madness but anyway).  So far the games have been either shovelware or good (not great), but nothing really ground breakings.  Does that sum everything up about the Wii in a nutshell?

Frankly I’ve played a fair few hours now and as yet I haven’t bought one.  It is fun – don’t get me wrong – but it is just not amazingly compelling.  It almost feels as though it is lacking something, though I’m not sure what.  Racking my brain, I’m pretty sure it is lacking a game (or even a few) with depth.  In saying that, so is the 360 – the PS3 is possibly lacking a good game of any description but that’s another matter.

Of course, before anyone says too much, I’ll have to mention that a) the Wii hasn’t been out too long, and b) it has Zelda.  Both of these points are of course true – I also think that Wii Sports hints at the possible fun that can be had with the diminutive little white box.  I just can’t wait to see a deeper version of the Wii Golf game.

It still feels like the Wii has been underpowered as a point of difference, and that really annoys me.  Making a console to a spec so it reaches a particular price-point is fine, but making it deliberately unable to perform much better than its predecessor is just a bit rubbish.  I can see the strategy, I just don’t know if it has been done for the right reasons.

Lets sidestep the Wii for a second to look at the PS3, as I alluded to earlier.  It has a motion sensing controller, great graphics (reported by some at least) and a big price tag.  So the control – the main differentiator of the Wii barring the underpowered nature and price – is not too different.  Theoretically then that means the Wii should offer a worse experience.  However, if you can’t afford the scary price tag of the PS3, that’s really a moot point.

The graphics issue of games as a whole does annoy me.  I’ve not seen anything on most games that beat Oblivion on the 360 (or a high end PC more like) or even Ninja Gaiden on the original Xbox.  More to the point, way back in the mist of time (or modern day for basic games) we played for a high score.  Now though, games are about the experience.  Sure, the Wii looks okay, yet no more than that.  A wasted opportunity surely, that will become more noticeable over time.

I guess overall I’m being a little hard on the Wii, but I can say I’m not much of a Nintendo fan anymore.  Their day-glo characters don’t really cut it and I’m still wondering where the promised new franchise is.  I feel a little like I’ve grown up, but Nintendo have not.  They’re actually catering toward a specific type of gamer, and I just don’t feel that I’m in that segment anymore.

One of the big things about Nintendo’s approach is that it really does scream potential.  It does this to a louder and greater extent than any other console and this is due to ease of development, the online distribution service and that now famous Wii-mote.  All of these things could offer a Wii owner hours and hours of fun, as well as extremely diverse content.  This is one of the things that I think could really make the Wii as a home entertainment product.

Overall, I’m not convinced that any of the three big players in the computer and videogames industry (Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony) have it right at the moment.  None of them have the strategy that says to me ‘I’m the best thing here, and this is why’.  I got a 360 because I played more of my Xbox than I did my Cube, and I also played Gears of War before I got one.  Now I’m left scratching my head and wondering where we go from here.  Well that’s it about the Wii; I’ll be exploring other systems in future articles.

My Adventures With a PS3

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The other day I was waiting in line for my Wii, and I missed out. But I did buy a PS3 in a “me against the world” moment. There were plenty Playstation 3s in stock, but of course no Nintendo Wiis.

I’ve been obsessing about the Wii now for over a month. But I haven’t been willing to buy one on eBay. I don’t like the idea of paying more than twice the system’s value, especially when it reveals a major defect in my character (no patience!). In any case, at this point, I’m now resorting to the “just wait until February method”.

But let’s get back to the story. I went for a Wii and came home with a PS3. My wife was more than a little pissed off that I had paid almost $750 for a new video game system (after taxes, a game and a new controller). She told me that I had no option but to return the Playstation 3 the next day.

Well, I didn’t return the PS3. What I did was hook up with a friend of a friend who tried to sell it on eBay for profit. But that totally bombed. I ended up having to get another friend to bid up the auction so that I’d at least not lose any money (Don’t tell eBay!)

The moral of this story, as you can probably tell, is that the PS3 is just not in high demand. Not for the price at which it is selling. Not only can you now walk into any random store and pick up a Playstation 3, but you can no longer make a worthwhile profit on eBay. In my view, this is indicative of the fact that the the PS3 is turning out to be a bust for Sony.

I predicted this here at Gadzooki even before the system came out, and I think my prediction is playing out more and more as each day goes by. The PS3 is trying to be too much to too many people, and for that reason it is priced outside of the range of the casual gamer. Sure, the hard core gamers are buying it up, but really, you don’t have a mass market product if only the hard core gamers are buying your system.

Gaming In The Future

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Now that the rush is over and I’ve had a play with all of the consoles released over here (sadly that doesn’t include the PS3 however) I’m thinking ahead. One of the things that I usually don’t consider is what lies beyond the next batch of big releases. I, weirdly, have difficulty in thinking of games that I would like to play (in terms of concept ideas at least), which is also weird as I’m naturally creative. However, for this article I decided to have a really good think – over a nice cappuccino – on where I’d like the future of videogames to go.

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Firstly, lets pick up on some of the obvious stuff. The Xbox360 is designed to be permanently connected to the Internet. This is obvious from the fact that it lacks an internal clock and some games give you a date on your unlocks, but only if you’re online at the time. It also means you can have your downloads in a queue, with stuff being sent to your console whilst your sleep.

This goes for the Wii and no doubt the PS3. So my estimate for the future in this department is that this will be an increasingly used feature, with all three nex-gen systems happily downloading and updating your content and games, and maybe even downloading stuff to compliment your current games roster. This is actually a feature I would quite like to see given how much I’ve enjoyed getting access to demos on Live.

Games on demand will become a more prominent service – whether this be games from an online rental store, games queued in a DDS (digital distribution service) such as Steam, games downloadable for trial and then buyable etc etc. I guess this means games will generally be more accessible for all, including the busy professional and the young mother who needs to get the latest game for her son or daughter.

Wireless is to be a huge feature in the future of videogames, as it already is in the present. Everything from wireless remotes, to motion sensing and even possibly power will be coming via wireless protocols. This will mean less clutter, and probably more synergy between devices. I remember when Sony was originally talking about the PS3, and the idea of other Sony devices (such as a TV or even a microwave) having a CELL processor.

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The theory was then that they would use distributed computation to power games and applications. I would go so far as to speculate that this would become more and more commonplace in the future. Whilst at the moment with my 360 I can only send stuff from the computer or discs, sometime in the next 20 years there’ll be a console which will be able to ‘borrow’ the CPU of a desktop or laptop and use it to further enhance particular games.

One of the things that has disappointed me with the recent consoles is the lack of controller options. However, this might be changing with the future. I recall the original Xbox massive controller, which was quickly swapped out for the ‘S’ model for the European and Asian markets. It’s a novelty now to have an original. With the Wii of course you can have a classic controller, a GameCube controller or of course the Wiimote and nunchuk. All very good. To top that, you can now get a Wireless steering wheel for the 360 and probably a motion-sensing device in the future (come on, if Sony and Nintendo have one, Microsoft are bound to follow suit at some point).

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Sandbox games have become more and more important as time has passed, and this is going to continue into the future. Stuff like GTA, Dead Rising and Saints Row will be eclipsed in the future by games which have a huge amount of freedom still, but with a much more realised world – giving even more interactivity and characterisation to the game. It goes without saying that Alan Wake could possibly be the first example of this so I’m quite looking forward to seeing that in action.

Graphics is of course the big one that is going to change over time. A couple of people I know are still talking about Virtual Reality and how that will be the next big leap in games, however I disagree. I was old enough to try VR when it first came out and saw a number of people who work sick – the motion they saw and the world they were in simply baffled their brain. So nope, I don’t think VR is the way to go. On the other hand, I believe that HD will become the norm (until super HD or whatever), there’ll be a couple of disc formats to offer more content (I won’t offer a winner here) but one will win out.

This will allow even more visual detail in games, though we’ll possibly find it difficult to produce something that’ll run it at first. In my opinion there’s less of a leap between the past generation and the nex-gen at the moment and this is a trend that is set to continue unless there’s a serious amount of time between them. To be honest, games look pretty good at the moment but naturally this is a boundary that’s going to be continually pushed until things look indistinguishable from real life.

So overall, what does the future of gaming look like? Well it’s online, beautiful looking and offering excellent controls. It has a variety of game types (as now) but with some brilliant freeform stuff that gives the player what he or she really wants – choice. We’ll wait longer for big releases, but in the meantime play smaller indie stuff. Wirelessly, we’ll order our dinner delivered in the middle of a game, and as it arrives pay with our ‘credits’. Game over man!

Dead Or Alive Xtreme 2: Good Or Bad?

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Tomonobu Itagaki has been accused of inappropriate behaviour recently. This is the man who brought us Dead or Alive Extreme Beach Volleyball – along with developing numerous lady models etc. He’s one of the most flamboyant games studio staffers (especially of such a high profile, even if he’s no longer with Tecmo) out there, but if this accusation is true, obviously his behaviour leaves a lot to be desired. Do, however, his games?

Dead Or Alive (since 3 at least) has had a strong focus on the ladies. No other beat-em-up (Rumble Roses excepted, pictured below) has as many female playable characters. The models have invariably looked good too. What about the notorious age system and physics though? Whilst there are some spurious hentai games out there in the Far East, only DOA really offers scintillating ladies with their own gravity generating bosoms… that can be changed via the age rating. Crank it up to 99 and you’ll see something rather strange happen to their décolletage. What does this say about games?

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Well, games are a new media. They are as a form of entertainment less than a third of the age of celluloid. So movies are now over 100, TV about 60ish and radio is older than that. Nonetheless, I’d suggest games matured remarkably quickly. The first sign of that coming of age was Sony making sure gaming became mass-market. Say what you like fanboys, this was a very powerful move – the business effects can still be felt today. This includes the way in which games have interfaced into popular culture and of course the strength of the Sony brand.

Another sign of maturity of the industry is branching out, franchising and technological development. Whilst the two former statements may sound contradictory, they aren’t. Think of it as organic process finding, answering questions like ‘what works?‘ and ‘what do people want?‘. Creative industries have growing pains. Is DOA a sign of this? I don’t think so. Much like any other product, it is serving a need – playing on our desires (sex being one of our most basic). Sex sells – though this doesn’t change the understated gameplay. Whilst I can’t see this product changing greatly in the future, perhaps we could see more of a focus on gameplay than on a skin-flick.

Essentially though, Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 falls down simply because it is just okay; ultimately falling down as it falls short of what it is aspiring to. It still worries me that the games industry is still modelling itself on Hollywood for some reason, but that’s an analysis for another time. Learn from the mistakes guys and gals and make the industry into something even greater than it already is.