Gamer Bait: March 2007

Friday, March 30, 2007

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

ATI Lasso: Because They Figured You'd Like to Be a Cowboy (or Cowgirl)
Regardless as to whether or not you enjoy westerns, this may be of interest to you. Every gamer knows that the one place that laptops really struggle is in the graphics department. ATI hopes to give you the ability to change all that with the Lasso, which will allow you to run standalone video cards outside of your laptop. Assuming you're in a locale in which you have room to set up another computer component, this will allow you to game to your heart's content and perform other tasks that may use your GPU's power as a supplement to your CPU. Not to mention the option to upgrade your laptop's video capabilities later on.

Nintendo Attempting to Block Wii Modders
In their newest console revision, Nintendo is trying to block consumers from using modchips to alter their Wiis by altering the circuit layout of the console. It makes me wonder why, because they have to know that modders will figure out a workaround within a couple of weeks. Ah, well. More practice for the hardware hackers.

Nvidia nForce 680i LT SLI Reference Motherboard
There's a new 680i reference mobo on the streets, and surprise---this one's under the $200 mark. Nvidia's stripped out a few features from the original 680i reference board, but nothing that will make you sit up and feel the urge to write them a nasty email about. It looks to be a great board for the money, especially when you consider that most 680i boards are still running at least $250 for retail, if not $300. From all reports it's a solid gaming platform with all the overclocking and benchmark-destruction oomph that enthusiasts have come to associate with the upper-end 680i boards.

IBM Double CPU Cooling Capabilities with Simple Manufacturing Change
IBM has figured out a way to manufacture CPU cores in such a way that the efficiency of heat transference from the core to the thermal paste and end cooling solution is greatly improved, all with just a relatively easy-to-implement change in how the cores are produced. The best part? It won't affect production costs much, so consumers will likely only see a difference in efficiency and performance, and not a difference in their wallets.

Intel Plans $2.5B Chip Factory in China
Intel's planning on cashing in on the booming Chinese tech market by building a new 1.6-million square foot chipset manufacturing plant in the city of Dalian (yes, just like the Dalian Plant map from BF2), and plans to have production in full swing by 2010. Keep an eye out for YouTube videos of Intel execs threading the needle of the nuclear cooling towers with F-22 fighter jets.

Doing a Wii Little Dance with Your Mac
Yann Seznec, a "Franco-American software developer hacker musician", put together a demo video of what could be (for musicians at least), be the most interesting Wii hack of them all. He's written software that allows him to manipulate loops and effects on his Mac using nothing but the Wiimote, making impressive use of the Wiimote's motion-sensing technology.

- Glock

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

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Extra Bait

We're playing catchup at the moment, so bear with us. We're working on a number of new things for Gamer Bait which we hope you'll enjoy...the downside being that it leaves less time for us to write. Here's some of the latest news from the past week; stay tuned!

A Plea for Folding@Home on Xbox 360
Now that PS3 owners can use their consoles for folding, a call has gone out for similar support from Microsoft on their console. For those of you who have no clue as to what I'm referring to, Folding@Home is a distributed computing project managed by Stanford University's chemistry department. It was launched six and a half years ago, it's aim being that of simulating protein folding (and misfolding) in order to better to understand many serious ailments such as cancer, Alzheimer's, and other diseases. Distributing the processing power amongst thousands of computers (and now, consoles) worldwide means that the project has been able to simulate the processes thousands of times further than without the project's help. With the latest PS3 firmware update, support for Folding@Home was included, greatly boosting the potential of the project's impact and progress. Now, good-willed 360 owners are clamoring for the same opportunity to advance medical science as their PS3-owning rivals. It's something that would ultimately benefit everyone while doing no worse evil than creating a little more friendly rivalry between the two console camps. I for one hope that Microsoft can get its nose out of the air where Sony is concerned for once and include support for folding sometime soon.

The Right to Baer Games - An Interview with Ralph Baer; the Father of Video Games
An interesting read from the man who actually has the documentation to prove that he started the home video game industry. Not to mention the National Medal of Technology awarded for the same reason. Baer is credited with inventing the first home video game console (the Brown Box), and the light gun. If nothing else, you can thank him for paving the way for Duck Hunter.

GRAW Blacklisted in Chihuahua, Mexico
The governor of the Mexican state named after a tiny dog which alternately is either found yapping incessantly or appearing in fast-food chain advertisements has seen fit to outlaw Ubisoft's Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter, and will be seizing any copies it can from here on out. Apparently, a game with Mexican rebels as the bad guys will turn the entire nation upside down. Or something. I'm sure the good citizens of Chihuahua are relieved that the government has stepped in to protect them from subversive media in the guise of a video game. I think I hear them rejoicing now...

Novell Launches Pro-Linux "Get a Mac" Spoofs
While I've begun to tire of the Mac vs. PC commercials, these two ads by Novell made me smirk nonetheless. The Mac fanboys are all a-twitter over the ads, which is of course, at least a partly intended goal.

Xbox 360 Elite to Ship with Data Cable
As an incentive for consumers to buy the latest SKU of the Xbox 360, Microsoft is apparently eliminating at least one of the arguments against purchasing it. The 360 Elite (formerly known as the Zephyr) will purportedly ship with a data transfer cable of some sort, so that you may copy all of your current data over to the new console. That should quiet any of the naysayers basing their opposition on any loss of data argument. The only question now for a lot of gamers is, "How much will my current 360 go for on eBay?".

- Glock

Saturday, March 24, 2007

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Gates burns the PS3

Friday, March 23, 2007

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Review: KINYO KY-90 Pulsating Headphones

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

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Review: Targus Gerney Notebook Backpack

Several days ago I got my hands on this backpack made by Targus. You can typically get this for about $39.99 in store, or perhaps a bit cheaper online. Targus products have always been high-quality merchandise, and this is no exception. All the materials used feel very durable to the touch and appear to be able to stand the test of time. First, let's take a look at its appearance. The black and orange colors of the material go very well together. Nothing is done in excess; even the shiny look in the front doesnt appear to be out of place. Its also not as mundane as its competitors which usually tend to go with black.

As for comfort, it's really hard to say that Targus put anything "extra" in here. The padding on the straps is pretty firm, and might cause some discomfort if carried for extended periods of time. The back of the pack is flat and is plain aside from some decorative stitching---there doesn't appear to be anything aiming for comfort. Also a good thing to note is that the backpack is rather tall and might be a bit uncomfortable for someone under ~5.5 feet.

Of course when it comes to space and pockets Targus fails to disappoint. There are plenty of compartments on the backpack, even some dedicated specifically for your writing utensils. In the picture below I put 2 books plus a notepad along with my Lenovo z60t and it was only half full. The compartment for your notebook is designed to accommodate any laptop with up to a 15.4-in. screen, thus I had no problems with the 14-in. widescreen. Its important to note that smaller laptops might have more wobble room in the pack, yet with all the padding around it I wouldn't worry. One thing I enjoyed is the extra head-room which Targus has above the notebook compartment, that space comes in very handy when you have something like an external PCMCIA card. There is also plenty of room up front for all the power cables and accessories that you travel with.

Overall I would recommend this to anyone who is not lugging their pack for periods longer than 1 hour as it might get a bit uncomfortable. The backpack is probably a bit taller than its competitors so I would encourage anyone to try it on first before buying it. The quality is superb and the pack will stand all the abuse you may throw at it, and as there is also a lifetime limited warranty you have little to worry about.

Pros:
Great quality
Extra space on top
Lifetime warranty
Fun colors

Cons:
Not very comfortable

Editors Pick 4.5/5

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Xbox Zephyr Renamed the 360 Elite

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Extra Bait

Monday, March 19, 2007

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Extra Bait

Sunday, March 18, 2007

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S.T.A.L.K.E.R. to come on March 20th!

Friday, March 16, 2007

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Say NO to education!

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

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Extra Bait

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Cross-platform Gaming on May 8th

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

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IBM: 65nm Cell Processor Production is Underway at New York Plant

Back in late January, Sony announced that it would be producing a better Cell processor. Instead of the established 90nm process, a 65nm process would be used. 65nm technology is inherently cheaper to mass-produce than its 90nm counterparts, a fact that was not lost on consumers or analysts in light of the steep price for Sony's Cell-based PS3 console. Yesterday, IBM announced that it's $2.5billion (USD) plant in East Fishkill, NY is the first plant to produce the new chip. How long until we see the chips in PS3s available for sale? Not soon enough, is all that can be said. The first-generation PS3 has been doing its best to drain Sony's wallet like a fratboy doing a kegstand, with Sony losing money on every unit it sells. A second-gen PS3 could do wonders to turn that all around, if Sony plays its cards right. The aforementioned Cell processor architecture change will be a big help (the current 90nm chips cost Sony $90 apiece at last report), of course. Then there's Sony's plans to replace most, if not all, of the chips responsible for backwards-compatibility with software in European and Australian models (read more here ) in an effort to cut costs (although this should be the case already with those units set for the European release on March 23). Both should help Sony to try and actually make money on what they sell, although they've stated that price cuts won't be happening any time soon (most likely early '08; summer at the latest). So could there be a second-gen PS3 on the horizon? A new Cell processor based on the 65nm process would be a good place to start, obviously. Sony and Immersion have finished their legal squabbling and there have been strong hints towards a new Sixaxis controller---now with rumble technology. Fewer chips and smaller chips in the PS3 means less to fit in the case, and less heat, so rumors of a smaller form factor PS3 have understandably been popping up like fertilized weeds in online forums and blogs worldwide. So if you were to speculate on a PS3.5, I probably wouldn't laugh. But as with all hopes in the technology industry: don't hold your breath.

- Glock

Monday, March 12, 2007

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Intel to Slash Prices On Core 2 Processors

[EDIT: In writing this article, I initially stated incorrectly that Barcelona was being launched for desktops and servers in Q3 and Q2, respectively. Currently, AMD is aiming for a Q4 and Q3 launch (also respectively).]

I hate it when people say that they're going to wait until "such and such" happens, comes out, or becomes established before they build a new computer. There will always be a better technology around the corner or a slight price drop a little way down the road, and to postpone a PC build on the next iteration of the cycle of progress is foolish at best. So I feel a little guilty writing this article, because I know what kind of effect the news is likely to have on a lot of people shopping for a new computer. But that's where it ends. When the Barcelona (AMD's upcoming quad-core Opteron CPU) is launched for desktops in Q3 of this year (it launches for servers in Q2), Intel is going to be waiting with new processors and new prices. Prices that happen to be around one third of what the same speed would cost today. For those of you who haven't been following the CPU wars closely, I'm referring to Intel upgrading a number of the Core 2 Duo chips in the form of three new Conroe CPUs. The E6850, E6750, and E6550 are Intel's new kids on the block. The E6850 clocks in at 3GHz versus the E6800's 2.93GHz, while the E6750 retains the E6700's 2.66GHz clock speed. The new E6550 (there was no E6500) trumps the E6400 with a 2.33GHz clock speed over the E6400's 2.13GHz, and has double the L2 cache---4MB (the same as its big brothers). It will likely be comparable to the current "best-value" Core 2 Duo on the market; the E6600. All three new processors sport a 1333MHz FSB instead of the old Core 2 Duo's flagging 1066MHz FSB standard. This information may or may not be news to you; all this has been announced before. The main attraction here is the massive price drop that Intel has in store for consumers. Some of you may remember when the Conroe CPUs debuted; AMD reluctantly dropped prices on all of its processors in order to compete with Intel's new tech, making the cost-effectiveness playing field arguably level. This is fairly standard practice in any market, be it the tech sector or elsewhere. Intel, it seems, refuses to be content with a level playing field, and is attempting to turn up the heat with a more aggressive change to their pricing whenever AMD launches Barcelona. The current top-of-the-line E6800 runs around $950-1000US in a retail box from online vendors. Intel's new E6850, however, will be priced at $266US per thousand, which by my guesstimate will probably equate to somewhere around $300US for consumers. That's a faster processor for literally less than a third of the price its equivalent costs today. The E6750 and E6550 will enter the market at $183US and $163US per thousand, respectively. I'm not saying you should wait on that shiny new computer you're building, but if you're not in urgent need of an upgrade, you could save several hundred dollars if you were to hold off for about 6 months. Your call.

- Glock