Love of Games

Sales

If you are looking into sales alone then the Wii outsells everything. From the opiniopn of someone that has owned all of Nintendo’s past consoles this has easily been their worst submission. The question to ask is why?

Well the simple reason is that they have stopped caring about all of the Die hard fans and started to generalise their games for the general market which means we are constantly seeing rubbish games in which a Nintendo fan wouldn’t touch with a 10ft barge pole. Mario Kart Wii was at best disappointing as they seemed to take out everything that made Double Dash good. Mario Galaxy 2, nice one Nintendo, lets copy your previous ideas.

The Wii (in my opinion) is certainly out of it already.

Online and other

The PS3 is a good console there is no doubt about that and games such as uncharted 2 show just how far the console can go. Although the online play is all free, it is very poor and it features many games with people unable to speak your language. I do not understan why they did not add language filters? The PS3 has Blu-Ray but it seems that is the only decent thing it has going for it.

The Xbox 360 has the better games, the better online service and just a generally better experience overall. Do not get a Wii as although it is said to be for the entire family, the kids and you will get bored quickly. 360 or a PS3 is the way forward.

To make sure these will not have to be replaced for some serious money, get game console insurance or gadget insurance. Of course you could also get some mobile phone insurance while you are at it.

Xbox 360 remains the game console to beat. Xbox games are in high definition and straightforward to use with excellent online gaming and communications via Xbox Live. Xbox graphics raise the bar for what consoles can do visually. Killer sound effects and a great soundtrack makes xbox very addictive online play. 

On the front of the machine 2 memory card slots are present. Xbox360 has a pair of USB ports hidden behind a hinged flap through which you can connect to and communicate with MP3 players and PDAs and digital cameras and laptops.

When laid horizontally, the 4kg Xbox 360 is 309mm wide, 83mm high and 258mm deep and is actually slightly smaller than the original Xbox, which also weighed in at 4kg. Xbox 360 can also be propped up in a vertical position and can be customised with interchangeable faceplates.

360 Xbox has a wireless controller included. The Xbox 360 has built-in wireless capabilities, but only for controllers, not Wi-Fi. Unlike with third party wireless controllers for earlier consoles each xbox360 console can support up to 4 wireless controllers. You’ll also like that a green LED on both the 360 itself and the controller indicates exactly which controllers 1 to 4 are connected.

Inside the 360, you’ll find three IBM custom designed symmetrical PowerPC based processor cores running at 3.2GHz. Xbox360 is designed by ATI he graphics processor unit is a custom designed unit running at 500MHz. Microsoft claims that the Xbox 360 can process more than four times the number of polygons as the original Xbox console. Inside the ATI GPU you will find 48 parallel shader pipelines. The console itself uses a shared memory architecture built around 512MB of GDDR3 RAM.

Xbox 360 gives you access to all the games you want to play and the people you want to play with and the experiences you will love — when, where and any time you want them. Why buy an Xbox 360? It’s obvious man To change the tides of the war. To make history. To rip the throne out from the fat cats over at Sony and bring choice, flexibility, customization and great online gaming to the masses … so be cool:)

Where do gamers go?

The choices you have as a gamer are:

1. Buy (Online, Ebay, used, Gamestop..)
2. Rent (Gamefly, blockbuster…)
3. Trade (Goozex, Switchplanet..)

Renting in the past at your brick and mortar rental place can easily set you back more then $5-$7 every week like Blockbuster. Many places like Gamefly charge a monthly service fee. Renting is a solution but you spend more time with games than movies. Much more time is needed for videogames than movies. Most movies range from 1.5 hours to epics of 6 hours. Where most videogames you could get a good feel for a game in 3 hours but most sports games and long role playing games could be played for more then 70 hours.

This is where Goozex Game Trading steps in. Goozex allows the gamer to keep the game as long as you want but have the option to sell it too. There is only a $1 transaction fee if you request a game on their network. So basically you can trade in your older games and build up Goozex credit until you get enough for a newer title and just pay the $1 transaction fee. A shipping and handling is handled by sender and the buyer only pays . There is no monthly membership so you can stop at anytime or go at a slower pace. This is ideal in the sense that you could play the game until you are actually sick of it then send it in for credit. No hurry as you play and ship at your own pace. Plus you OWN the game. From then on the game is yours, not a rental.

The network is peer to peer in that you can only request games and send games to other members. There is no single central warehouse and the pricing of the credits of the system are in points (100pts = $5). The pricing of the game is determined by market demand, release date, initial cost of the game, and a couple other factors. Most xbox 360 titles will go for 800-1000 pts which translates to $40-$50. This isn’t bad for a used game. You could probably save a little bit of money if you bought it at a used gaming store but then you would have to pay tax and actually go to the store. Goozex gives you free shipping to you with no tax charge. You also have an option to buy credits if you want but I wouldn’t recommend that unless you have no games to send in or nothing of yours is being requested. Price fluctuations occur and you can see the points swings. I’ve had a couple games I requested and I can see that price increase/decrease. It doesn’t happen that much but some games change +/- 200pts depending on market demand.

So why use Goozex instead of a used videogame store or an auction site with games like Ebay? You just need $1 to pay for the transaction fee. Most people don’t like to continually shell out more money for a game and then feel like the games they bought are depreciating at a very fast rate. Selling your game for cash anywhere will not give you that much. Selling it to a store they will mark your game up to make money. Selling online is tiresome. Goozex at least you get to trade in games you are done with and still get some value out of it as it will lead to other games you really want. There might be more difficulty in sending older sports titles as those don’t have much demand once their season is up like trying to sending in EA sports Madden 2005 will be a hard game to sell to someone on the network. Older games on ebay are a hassle to sell. On Goozex you will be able to list it and it will just stay there without having to pay insertion fees.

Each videogame is packed with information like reviews from Gamepro, some tips/trick, game description, and some even have instructions. I love being able to see the supply and demand of each game. This will let you know if you have a game people want or if you can possibly get a game on the network. Goozex determines who gets the game by matching up users. There is a waiting list that is generated and when you add a game you will see in what place you are waiting for that game. You get a good feel to when you will get a game. You need to make a list for want and haves for your games. They will show you your place in line per game. Great place to build your wishlist. Building a large list ensures some games will continue to come to you. I requested Crackdown and I was like 60 people back. I got this game in 14 days. Just because you’re really deep in line doesn’t mean you won’t get the game soon. Newer games do get pushed out in the system fairly quickly. You have many options to what you want to trade in terms of instructions, case or just game. Some people tend to not keep cases or instructions. The value of the game doesn’t go down as the credits don’t reflect what is included. This is because the user requesting the game can have the option to request only full packaged games, games with instructions, or just the game itself. I have not had a problem with getting full packages as I’ve gotten over 49 games and I’ve sent out 54 in under 2 years of being there.

Why NOT to use

For this site to be a perfect 5 star site I would like to see:

1. More users (will there ever be enough?)
2. More retro gaming console support (nes, snes, saturn….)
3. Sure isn’t free but man it’s 4 quarters. I’m a member of another site that has no transaction fees yet still protects the members.
4. Video game trailers for each game
5. More user interaction like user reviews and tournaments…)

All the above are small tweaks to the system that is already very functional. The main reason someone would NOT want to use this system is time and money. If you have money why wouldn’t you just buy the game new down the street? Why wait? Saving money and the community are the main draws to the system. Save money and also connect with other gamers. If you wanted to save money but are impatient then this sits is NOT for you. Most new release games takes on average of 1-2 months. Why? You are placed in a waiting line. The order of the Que determines when you get the new game, but more importantly is how many are available? Most will eventually get bored of their new game and will send them out as “have” games. That could be more time than one might want to wait. Say you want to play a game that takes a long time to beat. Some people like myself take a long time with games. More popular games of course like Madden will hit the system quicker but that is also a bad thing. You don’t want to hold a game too long or it will lose it’s value. Trading for early on might be for 1000 points but in a couple months with the market being saturated it could be 500 points in no time losing half of it’s value. Not entirely the fault of the system but some games just won’t move depending on your timing.

Current Goozex Simultaneous Transaction on the Network as of Mar 11, 2009 = 4793

You probably already know it, Xbox 360 Games offer some of the most extraordinarily immersive experiences anywhere, online or off.  With blockbuster titles like Halo, Fallout, Call of Duty, and Panzer General : Allied Assault, it’s tough to see what else could presumably improve gameplay any more than the long way it is come.  Of course , it wasn’t but 1 or 2 years back that clunky old-style controllers were still being used.  Today the user interface has improved noticeably, with on-board accelerometers to process spatial data for human kinetics in gaming.  But something on the horizon may be the most revolutionary thing to hit videogaming at home in our time. 

Xbox 360 games can be closely matched to Xbox 360 Accessories for the most continued experience of really immersive gameplay.  But what if there were no need for any Xbox 360 accessories save one?One uber accessory to replace them all?  Long the definition of science fiction and comic books, this latest of Xbox 360 Accessories would also be the last.  It would be the only thing needed to play all of the Xbox 360 games made of then on. 

Not heard of it?  That’s because it was only recently announced by Microsoft.  It’s a electronic eye of sorts that will obliterate the need for physical controllers, hardware that is held in one’s hand.  This new soon-to-come electronic eye will sense player movements in space, so hand-held controllers with inbuilt accelerometers will not be required.  This latest advance in gaming technology is due out within the next year or two, and will be mounted separately from the console.  But all user movement data will be provided to the console just the same.  Try and imagine playing videogames with nothing more than your own body and body movements! 

This veritable magic eye that Microsoft has been developing will even track eye movements to switch point of view in a first-person shooter.  Imagine Halo or Call of Duty or medal of respect without annoying controllers but with instead a light gun and your own body and your own eyes!  As you turn right the screen capture reveals views to your right side, and as you turn left the panorama shifts with you! 
So while today’s Xbox 360 games are quite sophisticated, the Xbox accessories to come will need software that rethinks the entire idea of onscreen and off.  Hardware and software exist in a symbiotic relationship, and it will be fascinating to see what transpires next now that the hardware has taken a quantum jump forward!

Definitely, the Xbox 360 is amongst the finest gaming consoles  offered in the gaming market presently. A wide base of games,  unique graphics and capability to operate with a wireless mode makes  it match with rivals. That being said, nothing on Earth is  perfect and the Xbox 360 isn’t an exception. So, if your Xbox 360 does go out of sync, that’s when knowing Xbox 360 troubleshooting actually turns out to be handy. 

Xbox 360 troubleshooting is an solution to all the  potential issues that you’ll find while  playing your Xbox 360.  The 3 primary mistakes that the  users routinely face are the red ring of death, disc reading  mistakes and overheating machines. 

Amongst the usual  issues is the afflcition of three red lights, popularly known as  the red ring of death.  It’s actually a signal the Xbox 360 is in difficulty.  However if you come across this issue it isn’t always easy to  get a ready solution. 

In spite of being a dynamic and  technically sophisticated system, the Xbox 360 can get overheated over  prolonged lengths of gaming. When this happens players are alerted to  the difficulty via the Xbox 360 overheating sign. Xbox 360 troubleshooting for such an issue can be done by placing the system in a cooler  location helping it to ventilate in free air. 

Amongst the  things that are needed for successful Xbox 360 troubleshooting are a basic know- how of the Xbox 360 console, and a collection of basic electrical tools such  as screwdrivers and solders. 

By this time, you must have  amassed a fair concept about Xbox 360 troubleshooting guides. Essentially,  these are tutorials and tenets usually in form of visual or text to help you  uncover and solve problems associated with an Xbox console, available  mostly through online sources. The cash back guarantees associated with  these troubleshooting guides make it a decent investment and a reliable solution to basic  Xbox 360 problems. 

Here’s hoping with the aid of the above  Xbox 360 troubleshooting guidelines you’ll be able to solve basic Xbox problems.  This being said, in the event of major system failure, it is always recommended  you seek assistance from your closest Microsoft helpline.

When it comes down to spending money, people like to spend as little as possible. If you’re the type of gamer that doesn’t need to obsessively purchase the latest games on the day that they arrive in stores or online retailers, then you can save a lot of money while still getting the same great games, albeit a little bit later. If you can wait a few months or even a year or longer, then discount Xbox 360 games will net you some big savings. There are several ways to go about this: renting, buying used, and simply waiting for games to come down in price as the months wear on.

Before you go through any retailer to purchase an Xbox 360 Premium system it will be helpful for you to learn more about the video game console and what you are going to get included in your Xbox 360 Premium system package. You will get the Xbox 360 console which features three powerful core processors that are poised to pack a punch, 20 GB hard drive which is detachable and which allows gamers to store their games, music, downloaded trailers, levels, demos and community-created content from the Xbox Live Marketplace.

A Cheaper Alternative

If paying or more for a video game does not sound too appealing to you, then you can choose to rent Xbox 360 games. The new business model has consumers paying a small monthly fee in exchange for renting the largest selection of games available, from just released blockbusters to obscure games from ten years ago. For or a month, gamers can rent games for as long as they like without any late fees. This is a smart alternative to buying expensive games, because gamers often only finish games once (if at all), and much of their or purchase goes to waste. Of course, renting games isn’t exclusive to the Xbox 360 video game system, and PS3, Wii, and PC gamers can all rent video games for much cheaper than it would cost to purchase them.

Lastly, most 360 games become discount Xbox 360 games over time anyway. It’s not uncommon to find games that are at least 18 months old to cost just half of what they did originally. Purchasing older games is another great way to save money. There are some fantastic titles like The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion which have fallen in price because of their relative age to other Xbox 360 titles. If you absolutely must purchase some of the upcoming Xbox 360 games like Fallout 3 when they launch, then by all means, go right ahead. However, you will end up paying more, and for any games that can wait, waiting for several months really opens up the options for discount Xbox 360 games.

The bottom line is that this is a fantastic video game console, one that is definitely worth trying for yourself. Keep in mind that the prices are constantly lowering on the older Xbox 360 pro system as newer versions take their place, and so you can wait even just a few months and the cost will drop dramatically. You do always have the option of buying the game used, but you have to be very cautious if you decide to go this route because you can never really be too sure of the condition of the game if you are buying it used.

Though all videogame consoles would like to be the entertainment focus of your home, Nintendo’s Wii is marketed towards a more general audience (with which it has been wildly successful) while the Xbox 360 from Microsoft and Sony’s Playstation 3 chase the hard-core action-gaming crowd dominated by male teens and tweens, as reflected by Xbox 360 Accessories like an Xbox 360 Wireless Network Adapter.  Where hardware is concerned, the Wii is outclassed by both the Xbox and the PS3, but it’s really software that makes a game console successful or not. Thus do Microsoft and Sony’s catalogs appear rather similar, as both are targeting the same market with a similar number of titles offering a similar range of action gameplay.

But serious numbers mean serious bragging rights in action-gaming, and it should also be remembered that, no matter what else is said, it is the hardware that drives the software.  (Though no one boasts of their Xbox 360 Power Supply.)  And so it is that many find the Xbox 360 and the PS3 fairly similar under the hood, regardless of Sony’s much-promoted “emotion engine” said to render facial expressions so realistically as to make for a much more engrossing gaming experience. Nevertheless, both consoles do have their respective shares of near-rabid fanatics who swear that major differences abound between the two. Yet it’s a safe bet that few, if any, would turn down a rival console given as a gift!

The real differences, in fact, concern those truly special features unique to each platform, as well as the different online experiences they provide. With Microsoft there is a noticeably richer online experience than that of Sony, whose online service is not bad at all. But the Xbox 360 provides a much broader experience where that’s concerned, even as the PS3 tries very hard to make up for it with a built-in Blu-ray DVD player, WiFi web surfing, and support for Bluetooth wireless devices. To which it should be added that NetFlix on-demand is available through the Xbox 360, probably doing away with all the PS3’s multimedia advantages. But the PS3 is extensively moddable by users with the technical interest, while Microsoft rather discourages such hobbyist tinkering under the hood.

Then there’s the issue of costs, with the PS3 selling more than the Xbox 360 due to its slightly greater number of features. Naturally, if you’re a hard-core gamer, prices are probably not going to be all that big a consideration, because purchasing decisions will often be made based on titles exclusive to each platform. Of course, the truly hard-core don’t care about prices at all and would simply buy both systems!

Xbox 360 now offers gamers the chance to interact with one another, using the add-on feature Xbox Live. If you’re an Xbox Live member, you are automatically included in the chat list. So, you are able to chat and discuss anything with your gaming friends through the Xbox 360 headset. In addition, you can also interact and plan a gaming throwdown with countless other Xbox gamers.  Xbox  Live also lets you buy content in Xbox Live Marketplace, download extra videogame content and even access preview trailers. 

If users are interested by these functions and want to become an Xbox Live member, then there are a couple of memberships to make a choice from, classified into two separate services – silver and gold. 

Firstly, the silver service is simply the free option of Xbox Live. Using this variation, users can easily get online and download gaming titles. Adding to this, gamers are given the ability to use their own voice to chat and interact with fellow Xbox Live users. However, this is all Xbox Live silver provides subscribers with. If you are looking for the optimum Xbox Live experience, Xbox Live gold is what you must look into. 

Secondly, the Xbox Live Gold option has many functions that make it a grand way to game online. Apart from the awesome Xbox Live functions, it provides users with a host of further add-ons. There is improved chat allowance, as well as integration with many Microsoft features, including messenger and other chat and video programs. The most prominent function of Xbox Live gold is the manner in which your internet avatar is displayed to the community.  Every account is allowed to create a distinct ‘motto’ showing to other gamers online and even linking to Facebook.  Furthermore, you’re also able to hold a record of your feats. As you play more you gradually forge a name, and if users warm to you they are able to rank you favourably, making it simpler to avoid being grouped with players holding bad repute. 

Players can also create a contact list which will list all of your selected friends. It will also tell you when any of your buddies come online. There’s also a player list that will list the last fifty users that you have played with. 

Xbox Live is as good as Xbox gaming gets.  It not only offers great gaming but also provides you with the opportunity to share your experiences with other players!

This is an argument that has been in debate not just for this generation of games consoles but since the beginning. But what is the best one of this generation, Wii, Xbox 360 or the PS3?

Although if you are going on the basis of sales the Wii is top of the market it just doesn’t seem to be doing it for me personally. The major let down is not the console but the games. There hasn't actually been a decent release on the Wii for a very long time. What happened to the fans Nintendo. Although there is the promised Mario Galaxy 2 and Legend of Zelda DS both seem to be complete copies of the previous game and this certainly is a first for Nintendo.

The PS3 is a good console for many reasons. The only reason I really bothered with this console was for the Blu-Ray. the word free should not always be used in a positive way. Free means laggy games, rubbish servers and an overall poor experience online. Compared to Gears of War and Halo the PS3 exclusives are not brilliant. The PS3 wand does seem to rip off the Wii.   

The Xbox has got to be top simply because of the overall experience I have recieved. The games never hardly ever recieve lag simply because you pay for the service. Xbox Live seems to recieve many more updates that actually do things of importance. It is pretty much gurenteed that Natal will secure the sales the 360 needs to come out on top of Sony at least. Microsoft are still trying to stick to their fans which is always good.

For more technology debates why not find a technology blog?

After renting out the new Need for Speed Shift I came back rather impressed. Past additions of the game have been very poor indeed. Most previous Need For Speed games have been pretty poor with only a couple of them being a any good.

The creators have actually scrapped all previous ideas for the titles and made the game into a proper, realistic racing experience which has actually got a chance to complete with the upcoming 360 exclusive, Forza 3.

The game itself is long lasting indeed, with hours needed to be spent on it to gain access to cars and to finish all of the races. Some of the online modes are certainly going to take a while to get into.

This game isn’t about used cars for sale but more about the custom made models from the likes of BMW, Renault and every other car maker you can think of.

Need for Speed in terms of fun does actually seem a lot better than Forza but having only played the demo of Forza it might be a bit too early to tell. Forza still seems to have the best graphics a car game can offer along with a larger selection of cars to choose from.

This year EA have actually put all of their focus into the driver, although the cars still look brilliant. Every bump, turn and crash is shown and if it is really serious the screen will turn black and white and may even go blurry to attempt to show how the driver might see things.

All you need to do is play the two demo's for the games and decide for yourself, you could always think about getting them both!