When surround sound first came out, we were all wowed by how real the gaming or viewing experience was. As the technology became better and better (with prices becoming more affordable, thank goodness), we simply fell in love with it even more.
But technology doesn’t stop there. If you can’t live without surround sound, how about having “surround touch” to make things all the more real? [Read more…] about Hang on to Your Seats, Surround Touch Technology Is Here!
You might know it by another name – Project Natal – but Microsoft’s new hands-free motion control system has now been announced to the public. Its new name is Kinect, and is supposed to change the way we play games forever.
I seriously don’t know what to think of the names – Project Natal wasn’t great to begin with, and I just don’t think Kinect is better (although I see the kinection connection…)
Anyway, the details of Kinect have been – finally – shared with us, courtesy of BBC:
Kinect was shown off at a glitzy event alongside compatible games, which support the new hands-free interface and, in some cases, the facial and voice recognition capabilities.
These ranged from jumping and flying games to a yoga simulator and Star Wars shooter, in which players control a virtual light sabre and use hand gestures to control action on the screen.
There was also a virtual pet, which can be controlled and played with using Kinect. Microsoft says it will release the full details of its games at another media event on 14 June.
The official unveiling was supposed to be during the E3 expo, but I guess Microsoft wanted to pre-empt its competitors. After all, Sony and Nintendo are pretty much ahead of Microsoft in this arena.
So when are we going to see this new thing in the market? They say by the end of the year, but who really knows?
People stabbing each other (in real life) for magic swords (inside an online game); men kidnapping a top player to steal his game password; a girl that dies after playing her favorite multiplayer game for several days in a row….
It is a crazy (virtual) world, what can I say! Below you will find the 6 most bizarre online gaming incidents in history:
1. Lengend of Mir 3 player stabs fellow gamer to death
Back in 2005 Qiu Chengwei, a 41 years-old Shanghai resident, stabbed fellow gamer Zhu Caoyuan repeatedly in the chest, causing his death. The reason? Zhu sold the “dragon sabre,” a weapon that they won jointly in the MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game).
According to the China Daily, Qiu Chengwei went to the police first, but after being told that virtual items were not protected by law, he decided to make “justice” with his own hands.
Qiu Chengwei received a life sentence.
2. Brazilian gang kidnap top GunBound player
Earlier this year four Brazilian men, with ages between 19 and 28, developed a plan to steal the game password of a GunBound (an online multiplayer game) top player. The objective was to sell the game account on the Internet for $8,000.
The first step was to get the girlfriend of Igor, head of the gang, in contact with the GunBound player. They accomplished that via Google’s social networking site Orkut, which is extremely popular in Brazil. After exchanging messages for a couple of days, the girl asked the boy to meet her at a shopping center.
He went, but instead of the girl he found Igor waiting for him, armed with a gun. They took the GunBound player away, and here comes the bizarre part. After five hours of interrogation at gun point, the boy was still determined to not reveal his password, so the four men released him.
The boy went to the police, who arrested all the gang members.
3. Girl dies playing World of Warcraft
Back in 2005 a Chinese girl nicknamed “Snowly” died of exhaustion after playing the MMORPG World of Warcraft for three days in a row. She was preparing to kill the Black Dragon Prince, other players explained, hence why she had no time to rest between the game sessions.
Interestingly enough, her fellow game players held a virtual funeral inside the game, as reported by Yahoo News China.
4. Teenager arrested for stealing virtual furniture
A couple of weeks ago a seventeen year-old boy stole almost $6000 worth of virtual furniture in the online game Habbo Hotel. Habbo is a virtual world where people can create houses and other scenarios, but the items need to be purchased with real money.
The company alleged that the boy, with the help of some friends, created a website to lure other players into revealing their passwords. After that it was just a matter of logging into the game and transferring the furniture into his own room.
It would be a perfect crime, except that the police (the real one) was called and the boy was arrested.
5. Belgian Police decides to patrol Second Life after virtual rape case
The details about the case were not revealed, but two Belgian newspapers reported early this year that the Belgian Police would setup an in-game patrol unit to investigate virtual rape incidents.
Absurd as it sounds, the event spurred a myriad of discussions around the web, from sexologists arguing that even virtual rape can be a traumatic experience to online gamers that wondered the technical details that enabled a virtual rape to occur in the first place (in fact it is hard to conceive how someone would not be able to simply turn the computer off…).
6. A plague ravages World of Warcraft
In the middle of 2005 Blizzard introduced a new area to its popular MMORPG, World of Warcraft. The boss of the area was able to cast a spell called Corrupted Blood, which was supposed to infect and cause damage to all the players nearby.
Contrary to what Blizzard planned, however, the players remained infected even when they returned to their towns, contaminating pretty much everyone around them. The plague spread through the game servers and thousands of players died.
Blizzard manage to create quarantine zones within the game, and shortly afterwards it introduced a “cure” for the infection. Despite the remedies the event created a lot of buzz in online forums and community websites.
In one word: bizarre!
Big tech brands always have a line of their best budget gaming laptops, and people are hungry for them. Gaming laptops are expensive and may not be the top choice of buyers. However, machines in a slightly lower price range are more marketable not only for gamers but for anyone looking for a good-performing laptop.
Why is the competition for the best budget gaming laptop such a big deal for brands?
The market for the best budget gaming laptops is not limited to people who love games. Gaming laptops are great for everyday use. If you are not a gamer but need a high-performance machine, considering a gaming laptop for your work is a good deal. Find the best specifications (good CPU + GPU combo) that match your need.
Here are some of the great ones for you to check out.
[Read more…] about The Best Budget Gaming Laptops 2022 Edition
The first question is, can you upgrade a regular laptop to a gaming laptop?
Finding a machine that has all the best qualities can be difficult, especially if you’re on a budget. Although a good amount of research is essential, customizing your regular laptop to a gaming laptop is highly possible. One good thing to remember, though, DIY upgrading your laptop may void your warranty. Depending on a brand’s policies, replacing parts in your laptop may not void its warranty. But damages that occur due to the upgrades surely do. Best to check out your warranty policies first before tinkering with anything in your device.
The trend for noisy and clicky keyboards has risen in the last few years and the search for the best mechanical keyboard becomes harder than ever. Why are mechanical keyboards so popular? The answer is simple – they are faster and more durable. On top of that, the keys are also quite easy to repair and replace. The customizability is also a big plus – changing colors, backlights, and keys has made keyboards a big deal in the tech market. But the biggest reason why they are so popular – is because they are clicky!
In this post, we are to check out the best mechanical keyboards in 2022. For easier reference, let us refer to them as MKBs from now on.