Playstation 3 Is An Entertainment Powerhouse by Kadence Buchanan
Playstation 3 represents Sony's 7th attempt at creating a home video game console system, and arguably their most innovative yet. Set for release on November 17th of 2006, this unit will shape our expectations for video games in the years to come. The system will represent a marked increase in... Will the PS3 live up to the hype? ... Several different types of media will be usable on the PS3, including blu-ray discs, DVDs, CDs, and SACDs. ... The controller itself is almost identical to the PS2 controller, save a reflective metal coloring and LEDs which help with the wireless functionality...

Will the Xbox 360 Have an Achilles Heel? by Jay Turner
The Xbox 360 is promising to be a phenomenal console. But despite all the bells and whistles and an improved game selection, it may still have an achilles heel that keeps it from grabbing new buyers from Playstation. Not only will the slick Xbox 360 design build on the grean and black of the... This button will " connect you to your games, digital media, and the world of Xbox Live™ ", but I still see the controller as having a potential deal-killer. ... Altho the xbox controller's trigger works extremely well for 1st person shooter games, it lacks 2 additional buttons in the trigger...

Windows Vista: Wow Or Not Now? by Alan Dwight Sharpe
Microsoft has an article called Wow: 100 reasons you’ll be speechless which of course refers to their new operating system, Windows Vista. Scanning the top ten reasons on the list, it seems there is a lot more hype than really significant improvements. ... This can be done numerous ways now, even without Windows Media Center Edition. ... 10. ... What’s new about that? ... Surf more safely. ... Thanks, but I use it already with Windows XP. ... It gives me problems quite a lot. ... Internet Explorer 7.

How To Find The Ultimate Gaming Laptop! by Paul Heath
If you are looking to buy the best gaming laptop, it’s best to do your homework. Because the rate at which technology can change, could leave you extremely frustrated if you just purchased what you thought was the ultimate of gaming notebooks, only to see a superior one appear a month later. ... Brands get hyped up by the media and computer magazines, only to have their reputations slated in the next issue. ... Of course, to maximize Web gaming, you should shoot for a laptop with the finest in wireless technology, such as Bluetooth and Wi Fi connectivity.

iTunes Fails In Motorola Rokr Cell Phone Bid by Damian Julien
Marrying iTunes capability with Motorola Rokr cell phones was theoretically quite sound. MacNewsWorld has reported, however, that the new Rokr phones by Motorola are proving to be virtual hot potatos. The mobile phone return rate is roughly six times the usual for these new iTunes phones,... I'm opting to stick with Windows Media Player on my iPAQ for the time being. ... When Pocket PC owners are bedazzling you with their devices' versatility and fifth generation video iPods are becoming increasingly commercially ubiquitous at the same time, a swap is definitely in order.

Vista Is Turning Into A Problem For Microsoft by Bill Nadraszky
I never saw this coming. Microsoft announced a couple of days ago that they were not going to release Windows Vista in the third or even fourth quarters of this year. As you may remember there was a freeze on features just a couple of weeks ago and I as well as many others were waiting to see... Microsoft has fallen behind on a few fronts that they are hoping to catch up on: • Legal issues with Windows Media player in Europe • Firefox taking away market share • No native RSS reader • Lingering security problems • No market penetration with IIS over Apache • An eventual Linux Desktop...

Sega Dreamcast's Cause of Death? by Edwin Lee
What ever happened to that game console we used to call the Sega Dreamcast? Why did it suddenly disappear after 2 years of production? Was the government involved in brainwashing our minds like in George Orwell’s 1984? All these questions will be answered as I investigate the Dreamcast's... The media attacked Sega and denounced the Dreamcast with suspicions and doubts. ... The trust that Sega had once set up was now broken and people lost faith in Sega’s ability to produce game systems. ... Sega soon released the Dreamcast and rather than gain customers, it gained a bad reputation.

The Ultimate Guide to Video iPod by Ian Richardson
Alright. So after all that hype about having a practical way of watching TV and movies while on the go, you have finally gone and bought yourself the new iPod. Now what? Well, let’s see. There are so many options squeezed into one slim, 2.5” LCD screen media center that it’s going to take a lot... You don’t want any of those nasty scratches from appearing on your precious media box, do you? ... When you encode widescreen movies and output them to a TV, the pixel limit is usually 230,400 pixels. ... If you’re more interested in watching videos on your TV, you may want to go with the MPEG-4...

Gaming as a Cultural Thermometer: Beyond the Frat Pack by James Boza
When I walked into the store, all I wanted was some lunch-type that could get me through the rest of the work week. However, when I passed the crowd of onlookers just past the store entrance, and then nearly tripped over the rickety card table (complete with cheesy plastic tablecloth) that they... The topic of the rise of gaming as a socially acceptable (at worst, socially tolerated) form of mass media might be starting to get worn out. ... The prospect of gaming becoming a thermometer of “what’s hot” in the American psyche is an exciting one, especially for many of us who have been around...

Video Game Violence - What Do You Think About It? by Daniel Punch
Ever since video game designers were able to put red pixels on their imaginary characters that had recently deceased, there have been people crusading against their subversive ways. The outrage at video games seems to be cyclic, fading very briefly before exploding into the public eye once more... The first game to receive widespread criticism and media attention was the martial art fighting game "Mortal Kombat". ... Gamers revelled in this new experience and the controversy surrounding the violence caused mass hype that informed the less informed gamers that the game was out there.