Well, I seem to have completely forgotten that I have a blog here, much has happened since I last posted. I finished moving in here in Athens, and have been dreadfully busy with work.
Despite lacking time to update I have indeed kept up with the latest technology news and played a fair share of new Tabletop RPG's and Video Games, of which I will review later. What I will talk about now is the release of Flash 10.1 Prerelease. (The release of a prerelease... eh?)
The exiting prospect of new and improved video handling with hardware acceleration for Windows users certainly perked my attention and prompted me to grab a copy from Adobe Labs. I however was sorely disappointed with the results after installation.
Any flash video from Youtube that I attempted to play failed tremendously in the "video" department, as every video displayed a green screen.. fantastic audio, but no video. This led me to research problems reported with my video card, a Sapphire branded ATI 4890 which touts full UVD 2.0 and DXVGA video acceleration for H.264/AVC (HD) content.
Turns out that while some spec videos will work, newer L5.1 encoded streams will NOT work under ANY circumstances.(Link is to a forum) A massive disappointment since I paid 229$ for this card 7 months ago.
So what at first seemed to be an issue with Flash 10.1 Prerelease, turns out to be a problem with ATI and their own drivers, even using the Catalyst 9.11 drivers released yesterday, which specifically supports Flash 10.1.
So in short while I still recommend ATI for sheer power, performance, and full DirectX support... I sadly can't recommend them for GPU accelerated HD content, a feature that appears on nearly every packaged box with a series 3000 or newer ATI Graphics card.
Nevertheless I found Flash 10.1 Prerelease to work well on a MacBook and on a Macbook Pro using OS 10.6.2 with Safari 4.0.4, albeit without hardware acceleration.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
PS3 Slim Confirmed
We all saw the signs, what with shrinking die sizes for the Cell processor, and the elusive Chinese packaging found a few months back, the PS3 Slim was all but assured. We now have the final confirmation, with an unboxing video over at IGN.
Apparently the new "slim" (It technically is not a "slim") will come with all the previous features of the PS3 but with an added stoage capacity of 120GB and a manageable 299$ price tag. Among the many improvements include lower power consumption, faster BluRay playback, and quieter operating noises. The PS3 slim will also have backwards comparability with PSOne games, but sadly no PS2 support. Looks like Sony is sticking to selling new PS2's for 99$.
Apparently the new "slim" (It technically is not a "slim") will come with all the previous features of the PS3 but with an added stoage capacity of 120GB and a manageable 299$ price tag. Among the many improvements include lower power consumption, faster BluRay playback, and quieter operating noises. The PS3 slim will also have backwards comparability with PSOne games, but sadly no PS2 support. Looks like Sony is sticking to selling new PS2's for 99$.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Stop the presses! Time to rant about Booth Babes
I think I'll make this "Stop the presses!" thing into an ongoing theme for these kinds of personal rants, so expect to see more of this in the future.
First off get some groundwork done and read this article. To sum it up, several people are rightfully upset with EA's "Sin to Win" promo at Comic-Con this year. Apparently a few have spoken out against it and commenter have many different views regarding this debacle. Here is my own opinion:
You mean EA actually expected this to go over well? You also mean to tell me that the "booth babes" didn't expect that dressing provocatively would objectify them? I mean really? Some say that the girls are just doing their job and expect to be treated as sales associates.. although I agree with treating them in a civil manner.. they ARE called "booth babes" are they not? Isn't their sole purpose to look "hot and sexy" to promote their product? Do they beleive that men have unavailable control over their man-parts? "But they treat us as if we are eye candy for them!" Guess what, you are! That is your whole purpose there and YOU signed up for it! Otherwise EA would just hire a bunch of nondescript men in plain black business attire.
On the other hand however, do the convention-goers actually beleive that groping is appropriate behavior? That it is ok to harass and follow the ladies who are simply doing their jobs? Seriously people, get some self control. I understand wanting a few goot shots of yourself with a hot girl, but following them when they are off duty? Have some dignity and try not to make us all look like socially inept retards m'kay?
It also is EA's responsibility though, they went to far with the wording for the contest, especially by giving it a "sinful/lustful" theme. They should have had more security for the ladies and should have given sticter rules regarding what is "ok" behavior. But all in all, if people would just wisen up and act like decent human beings, this whole thing could have gone off without a hitch.
Whut.
You mean EA actually expected this to go over well? You also mean to tell me that the "booth babes" didn't expect that dressing provocatively would objectify them? I mean really? Some say that the girls are just doing their job and expect to be treated as sales associates.. although I agree with treating them in a civil manner.. they ARE called "booth babes" are they not? Isn't their sole purpose to look "hot and sexy" to promote their product? Do they beleive that men have unavailable control over their man-parts? "But they treat us as if we are eye candy for them!" Guess what, you are! That is your whole purpose there and YOU signed up for it! Otherwise EA would just hire a bunch of nondescript men in plain black business attire.
On the other hand however, do the convention-goers actually beleive that groping is appropriate behavior? That it is ok to harass and follow the ladies who are simply doing their jobs? Seriously people, get some self control. I understand wanting a few goot shots of yourself with a hot girl, but following them when they are off duty? Have some dignity and try not to make us all look like socially inept retards m'kay?
It also is EA's responsibility though, they went to far with the wording for the contest, especially by giving it a "sinful/lustful" theme. They should have had more security for the ladies and should have given sticter rules regarding what is "ok" behavior. But all in all, if people would just wisen up and act like decent human beings, this whole thing could have gone off without a hitch.
No new consoles for another few years
If you haven't already guessed it, neither Sony nor Microsoft have plans to release a new console anytime soon. Although this news saddens the geek inside me, I also beleive it to be the best possible strategy for either company in this economy. Sales are slowing all across the board; Microsoft saw profits drop for the first time in decades and Sony is doing much worse.
So how will they combat these low times? By building upon their current user-base. Microsoft has Natal, the motion sensing camera system which promises to make you look like a fool while using it, and Sony has... somethingorotherunimpressive.
Along with the extention of physical capabilities, both companies want to build on their software, creating home cinema platforms and extending their media capabilities. Windows 7 from Microsoft will bring with it a new and improved Media Center, which boasts stronger cooperation with the Xbox console as a DVR. And Sony is.. well.. BluRay?
Ok so Sony isn't doing much other than lowering prices and hoping to get some more good games for their underrated console. At least Microsoft is trying to make the Xbox 360 continually seem new and interesting for its broad user-base. Here to hoping they continue to impress.
Some things to check out:
-Windows 7 RTM Officially dropped into the hands of the major manufacturers.
-Palm and Apple continue to engage in mortal combat.
-Apple tablet grows ever closer with more, more, more, and more "potential" evidence.
-What the heck is "German ultra clocking", and why is Fujitsu building a gaming rig?
So how will they combat these low times? By building upon their current user-base. Microsoft has Natal, the motion sensing camera system which promises to make you look like a fool while using it, and Sony has... somethingorotherunimpressive.
Along with the extention of physical capabilities, both companies want to build on their software, creating home cinema platforms and extending their media capabilities. Windows 7 from Microsoft will bring with it a new and improved Media Center, which boasts stronger cooperation with the Xbox console as a DVR. And Sony is.. well.. BluRay?
Ok so Sony isn't doing much other than lowering prices and hoping to get some more good games for their underrated console. At least Microsoft is trying to make the Xbox 360 continually seem new and interesting for its broad user-base. Here to hoping they continue to impress.
Some things to check out:
-Windows 7 RTM Officially dropped into the hands of the major manufacturers.
-Palm and Apple continue to engage in mortal combat.
-Apple tablet grows ever closer with more, more, more, and more "potential" evidence.
-What the heck is "German ultra clocking", and why is Fujitsu building a gaming rig?
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