Reviews and News » New Technological Advances/News

3D PS3 Shown Off At IFA, Apparently Works

Noel Kuhlman — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 22:41:01 +0000

You have, no doubt, heard about Sony’s 3D plans for the Playstation 3. Today, they have the whole thing showing off at a booth at the IFA in Berlin. Being nowhere near Germany, all we can do is live vicariously through other’s accounts – it’s reportedly awesome.

The whole thing works, as has been Sony’s never-ending modus operandi, in a proprietary manner. That’s no surprise. What seems amazing is that the whole thing appears to work so seamlessly and with little set-up.

According tp the reports, the setup involves a regular unmodified Playstation 3 console (both the fat and skinny ones will do), any PS3 title you pick up at GameStop, a new 3D Bravia TV (which is set for release at the end of 2010) and a pair of 3D glasses. The PS3 is hooked up to the TV by HDMI, the game is popped in the slot, you put on the glasses and that’s it – you’re killing enemy soldiers in 1080p-quality Call Of Duty like they were right in front of you. Damn.

Sony claims the system will work on all existing PS3 games (only games, not movies, by the way). It’s a lofty intention and it’s one we hope will come into fruition. Can you imagine how madly that will change the gaming landscape?

As we noted earlier, the system (using the 3D Bravia) is being prepped for a fourth quarter 2010 release. Sony’s long-term plans, however, involve outfitting the 3D capability on the PS3 itself, allowing it to provide the life-like quality to ordinary HDTVs.

I can’t believe it either, but Sony seems poised to reassert the Playstation’s role as the alpha console on the block. With the price drop, the PS3 Slim and this upcoming 3D system, the console wars really is about to heat up.

Augmented Reality Apps Come To Mobile Phones

Noel Kuhlman — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 19:35:06 +0000

Well, to Android at least. The past week has seen two augmented reality apps debut for Android smartphones (the G1 and the Magic aka Ion aka MyTouch 3G), taking advantage of the devices’ built-in GPS, camera and compass. Yep, augmented reality browsers are here now and will probably be the next big thing in smartphone apps.

First to show off early last week was Layar, which let a video out of its system using a Netherlands-only real estate layering app. The system allowed phone owners to use their camera to shoot at specific buildings, with the app showing relevant information about them, including direct links to realtors and agents so users can inquire with qualified brokers directly.

Towards the end of the week, IBM announced its latest app for the Wimbledon tournament, which integrates a highly-detailed augmented reality browser along with usual features like Twitter aggregation and event information. Called Seer Android, you can use the browser function to shoot at any facility during events (e.g. courts, restaurants, etc), with the app immediately showing a layer of information you may want to know about it.

The real value of these types of apps, of course, is when they do finalize layer standards and open that portion of development up to other parties. Can you imagine the incredible convenience of pointing your camera lens at a mall and immediately knowing whether they have an Apple Store in there? Even better, the same layer can easily point you to nearby stores in case the mall doesn’t have one. Even more importantly, can you imagine all the new games we can come up with such a feature?

Layar, for one, has stated that they are now working with several companies to develop layers in their platform. I’m pretty sure IBM can do the same, potentially setting them up to have some amount of stake in the burgeoning mobile apps market. With the iPhone 3G S (not to mention Palm Pre) now toting compasses as well, expect plenty of action in this space soon.

Microsoft Unveils Project Natal, Drops Jaws

Noel Kuhlman — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 22:43:46 +0000

Rumors of a new Microsoft accessory designed for motion-gaming has been talked about for weeks now and, at E3, they’ve not only confirmed it, but left folks excited in its aftermath. Called “Project Natal”, it uses motion-tracking camera sensors to create an interactive experience that I barely thought we’d see when talks of Microsoft’s new Wii-rival came about.

The peripheral, a black box containing a set of sensors, is meant to be situated right around the TV. Not only can it track movements in 3D, but it can also recognize voice and faces, allowing games to incorporate voice and character elements previously unavailable in games. Even better, it can handle multiple players within the same frame (at least two, based on the videos).

Using extremely detailed body tracking and monitoring of individual limb movements, the device allows an unprecedented range of controls. Demos showcased a varied lot, including a skateboarding game that tracked player motion (such as air ollies), a team racing game that included both a driver and crew (the daughter drove the car while the father fixed the tires) and a painting application that allowed players to splash paint based on body motions and call out colors by saying their name. Apart from those, it supports facial recognition for automatic login into your Xbox Live account as well as Microsoft Surface-style navigation controls. Excited yet?

Microsoft said the box is definitely not coming out this year, which means we can look forward to another six months of analysts and journalists churning leaks and making claims about what Natal can do. Steve Spielberg was on hand at E3 to announce “his team” are currently developing projects for the motion gaming device. Aaack, I seriously can’t wait!

OnLive Looks To Make Gaming Rigs Obsolete, Suprisingly Is Not Alone

Noel Kuhlman — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 12:36:19 +0000

Hassle-free gaming, that’s what OnLive promised during their press conference last week. Gamers will no longer need to download drivers, install graphics cards, troubleshoot problems or worry about compatibility issues. Hell, they won’t even need a PC or a console in order to play!

All you’ll need is a set-top box that you can connect to your TV or a regular PC (even a nettop) with their software client installed, an internet connection (5 Mbps bandwidth for HD streams) and off you go, playing FPS titles to your heart’s content. A subscription service similar to Netflix, the concept of OnLive can best be described as video streaming on steroids. Instead of running a game on your home PC, you’ll launch it on OnLive’s servers who will then stream your gameplay to your home display via broadband. Let their server farms handle all the processing power, all you do is enjoy the resulting carnage.

Yep, it’s a technology that looks to undercut pretty much every console and high-performance gaming rig in the market – a ridiculously lofty goal that, surprisingly, may be closer than we think. During the demonstration at Game Developers 2009, fans were treated to streamed games of Crysis and Burnout that truly were beyond what anyone expected.

OnLive is gearing up for a beta launch in the summer, at which time we can hopefully judge whether this thing holds any real promise. Providing an even bigger surprise, however, is the fact that another company is also looking to offer the same service soon. A startup called OTOY is looking to bring the same high-speed streaming game experience via a web browser plugin, powered by AMD’s Fusion Render Cloud supercomputer on the backend.

While it’s highly questionable whether either of these two companies will succeed, it’s now undeniable that cloud processing with streamed outputs will be the likely future of the gaming industry. In the meantime, we anxiously await.

Antivirus programs; do they really work and which are the best ?

Will — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 03:44:19 +0000

It has been long wondered what the best Antivirus software is to possess on your ever so loved Computer- and even more importantly, why. To truly understand and experience fast computer and or internet performance, as well as keep it you must obtain and keep the most high performance anti-malicious software’s. (Firewall, Antivirus, CCleaner, etc.)

Through all of the talk about different anti-virus software’s available, and then the of course day to day “false hype” (Hyping a product up just because it’s new, because you own it and like it, or because someone paid you to.) it sometimes can be quite the challenge to find a reliable source, or product that specifically fits your needs. However, over the years the wonderful creation of Review Sites have become more and more popular, and of course, contributed to. (Although these sites can be helpful, it should also be noted that a person should always make sure they check more than one source to confirm authenticity and of course, find the best fit for them.)

As you may or may not know Antivirus software is essential to a satisfactory experience with your computer or laptop, and of course a safe one. Although now a days there are much more additions to possessing Antivirus software like Antispyware, a Firewell, etc. , these all show practically useless without having an Antivirus in the long run, or at least for the most part.

Now, down to the good stuff. According to the majority of review sites at this time, for the more basic-advanced user KasperSpy overall seems to be coming out with almost over 99 percent approval and highly consistent usage rating. Kasperspy Vs. it’s competitors overall seems to offer although frequent updates, reasonably acquiring time to do so, fair to quality Customer Service, and a comfortable feeling. In addition to these fine qualities, if you’re lucky you might even manage to find a free coupon or two available online- or just a free trial for this software. So ultimately if you’re seeking a standard, but satisfying Antivirus Kasperspy is definitely ideal, but of course not to claim that it provides the best security without a different brand or brands of Firewall, and so forth. In addition to this through statistics Kasperspy proves to be reasonably, if not completely user-friendly as well.

Now a days it truly is essential that you understand how important online, and computer safety in general is, and of course how to have the best kind possible. If you are serious about keeping your computer a long time, then this for sure is the way to go !

Reviews and News » New Technological Advances/News

3D PS3 Shown Off At IFA, Apparently Works

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