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How the Xbox Kinect Stacks Up to the Competition

Video games first hit the scene in the late 70’s and they are still going strong. The advent of the home version provided people with the ability to play their favorite game whenever the urge hit them. Each year programmers and developers have provided better graphics, new games and a host of improvements to keep people coming back for more. The latest craze sweeping through gamers are the interactive games that require physical movement from players during the game. So how does the new Xbox Kinect stack up to the existing types of “movement” games?

Whole Body Movement

The most obvious advantage of the Kinect is the ability to use the entire body in the game. There is no need for a controller, a wand or steering wheel. The included camera follows your body’s movements and uses that movement to control the game. The “Pause” command and “Menu” can be called up by making certain hand gestures.

But it goes beyond that. If you are dancing your heart away in the dance game and you want to spin around, then spin. The player in the game will respond to your spin move. You can also jump, kick and do almost any kind of physical move while the game copies your actions. This is a big improvement over other similar games that basically only follow arm movements tied to the various controllers.

Setting Up

Getting the machine out of the box and ready to play is a straight forward process. The video camera can get its power straight from the Xbox 360 through a handy USB cord. Place the camera either below or above your television. Then follow the commands the tune the camera to your body, your television and your Xbox. It also will ask you to speak a few lines in order to get in sync with your voice.

After you are set up you can use your hand to make a waving motion near the sensor. Or you can speak “Xbox” that will bring up a command bar. From here your hand acts like a pointer on a mouse screen clicking and choosing options.

Cool Applications

Using the voice or hand commands will also let you view the different Kinect apps. Some of these applications include the ESPN channel and Zune music store. Users can use their hands to move through various music or movie choices in a sci-fi mode that will surely appeal to the techies in the family.

For people that would rather talk than wave, voice commands can also be used to scroll the applications and find what you are looking for.…

Don’t Get Burned on a Gaming Laptop

The markup on gaming laptops is often high because, let’s face it, gamers are usually hardware geeks who will shell out the cash for even a moderate improvement in gaming experience and overall system speed. Many manufacturers will add pointless bells and whistles to a gaming laptop in order to justify an inflated price. So how does a consumer in the market for a gaming laptop avoid getting burned?

Don’t buy a gaming laptop because it’s a “Gaming Laptop.”

There is nothing in particular that sets a gaming laptop apart from any other laptop; it’s all about what’s inside. The minute a manufacturer puts the “gaming laptop” label on a product and spray paints it neon green they’ve probably added another 30% to the price.

Most of the additional cost of designated gaming laptops comes in the form of exterior cosmetics and branding. The newest isn’t always best. A buyer should be wary of first generation technology-early adopters are unfortunately seldom rewarded for spending extra on brand new technology.

More often than not, new technology is not matured enough to be fully functional or fully supported by software applications or drivers, and by the time the new technology comes into its own, the rest of the laptop is now too outdated for the new software.

Case and point is when 64-bit processors came out: Only special versions of operating systems even knew what to do with a 64-bit processor and very few games supported it. It was new, it was great, and it was rather useless and expensive.

Of course, the above example is from before gaming laptops were around, but using the recommended system configuration for the most intense game the buyer wants to play is still a good benchmark to base a system around.

Get a warranty, and don’t void it.

When cramming a bunch of highly expensive and sensitive gadgetry into an itty-bitty living space it can result in a system that is less than robust when it comes to resisting wear and tear. The most likely time a system will be damaged is while it is being transported, and a laptop being a system designed for mobility, is highly susceptible to turning into a paperweight without proper care.

A buyer should never skimp on the warranty; get coverage that includes repair and replacement in the event of damage from operator error or mishandling. This is especially true for hardware geeks who tend to experiment a the laptop does fail, many warranties are void if the owner has played amateur surgeon on it. A laptop is a very personal thing. A one-size-fits-all “Uber-Laptop 9,000” might not be what is needed for a specific customer’s needs.

Knowing what is needed to accomplish what is wanted is the best advice that can be given to a prospective buyer of a gaming laptop.…

Five Factors In Choosing Your Gaming Laptop

Gaming laptops today are very powerful in what they can do as they are able to cope with huge performance specifications that the newer HD and 3D games. A regular laptop will do the basics of allowing you to create Word and PowerPoint documents, browsing the internet, play movies and listen to music. But a gaming laptop is designed specifically for playing high-spec games.

Before going out and buying the first laptop that you see, it is worth considering these factors:

The first and most important factor in a gaming laptop is the graphics card. Most standard laptops now come with built-in graphics card which will drain the power of the memory and displays the actual image. You should look to get a laptop that has a dedicated graphics card ideally an nVidia or ATI. These are two of the leading manufacturers in producing graphics for desktop and laptop devices. Newer laptops now have SLI interface which allows the laptop to have two graphics card running at the same time.

In addition, newer laptops offer the capability of 3D gaming which comes with the 3D glasses. These laptops will cost a little bit more than your standard laptop. Newer Nvidia graphics cards have dual-GPU technology built-in, which is like having SLI interface but only with one graphics card. Dedicated graphics card will also have on-board memory with some carry as much as 2GB.

The second factor to consider is the RAM. The larger the amount inside the laptop, the better as this will enable you to play the latest games. If there is a built-in graphics card, then the RAM memory will be jointly shared between the graphics card.

The next important factor is the CPU as this will determine the laptop’s overall speed. The majority of laptops come with a dual core processor, which is great if the other specifications are at the top end of the scale. Some newer gaming laptops have now got quad core processor running in them. Be sure to check when buying your high end laptop that you look at the cooling options as these devices can get quite hot, which can have an impact on the performance. It is best to invest in some type of cooling device that will keep the laptop running at an optimum temperature.

The hard drive is another important thing to consider as most laptops now come with 320GB worth of storage enabling you keep all your gaming files and other associated documents in one place.

The screen size is the final important aspect to consider and that is why you should invest in a laptop that with a display over 15 inches.…

Joe Danger Review – Excitebike on Steroids!

British developers Hello Games’ first release is Joe Danger, a lighthearted old-school stunt motorcycle game and something completely new. Each level offer multiple challenges, making them impossible to complete during the first run and relies on a difficult and deep gameplay to keep you busy for hours.

Joe Danger is an aging motorcycle stuntman who returns to claim the Master of Disaster title for his own. It’s up to you to help him remember how to perform his amazing stunts, but it’s made easy with simple controls. This game just feels good to play. It’s your job to take Joe through several tours, all the while amazing the crowd with insane stunts and racing through strange courses.

Joe Danger is not just a stunt racing game, it’s also similar to a platformer in the way each level is laid out. Hidden areas and items are scattered throughout each course and racing to the finish line on every level will leave a large amount of gameplay left untouched. Every stage has multiple objectives that grant stars upon completion and these stars unlock additional levels. This gives each level a large amount of freedom in which to complete it. Even if you get stuck on a challenge, moving on to a different level may give you enough time to recuperate and try again. The game is made where you don’t have to complete every challenge to progress the story, so you’re not forced to repeat every challenge over and over again.

The control scheme is simple, With controls for balance, speed, tricks, crouching, jumping, and boost. Using your boost allows you to launch yourself off of ramps, over ledges, or through bowling pins. The controls are very sharp and precise. No matter how difficult the game will get, the controls make the game feel like its nothing but fair at all times.

Another feature in Joe Danger is the amazing course editor introduced in the tutorial of the single-player mode. This offers many levels a unique puzzle element because you have to create your own course to complete challenges. This feature in the single-player campaign is not often used, but it works quite well when it is. Some of these levels require you moving objects around, while others require you to find the right object to use for the task. Multi-player mode allows two player to race against each other in split-screen races.

It’s not just the big things that make Joe Danger an enjoyable game to play. Comic-book style visuals, cheering crowds, and the obscure 1980’s cartoon references in the level’s titles add significantly to the game’s charm. Joe’s personality also plays a large part in this, with cheers, grins and waves as he performs stunts. Although the lack of sharing any user-created courses and limited multi-player keep Joe Danger from reaching its full potential, the single-player campaign is remarkable. This game feels like it was created by a full-fledged company when it was …

Manners and Social Media Marketing

Right and wrong is evident in social media marketing. The critical path to creating a following starts initially by being a follower. Participating in the process is integral in growing those relationships necessary to share your ideas and products. Opportunities present themselves to those who learn what works in the environment of social media marketing.

What will work for social media marketing is presenting yourself, along with your idea or product, to the community as a willing participant within the confines of the industry. Along with being a follower in the process of collecting followers, you should interact often with those whom you wish to share your opportunities and experiences. This shared learning from all parties leads to positive interaction within the community.

On the other hand, if you insist on spamming, you are not going to further your efforts. Another negative would be to do a hard sell of your idea or product prior to building the relationship side of the equation. People in social media marketing are well aware of posers and others who are out more for themselves than for creating a lasting relationship to share ideas or products. Your relationship building must be done prior to presenting your idea or product. Insisting on the inverse will adversely affect your reputation within the community. And without the opportunity to interact within the community, there will be no reward for your efforts.

As social media is about interacting and creating relationships, it is important to develop opportunities to share your ideas and products. Of course this does take time, and does not happen overnight. You should expect to devote the time and expertise necessary to nurture these relationships. If you do not have the time yourself, find someone to assist you. This aspect of social media marketing is possibly the most important asset you have to promote your ideas or products.…