Without having a good screen, you will not have a great gaming experience. This is quite obvious. It is really important that you choose a laptop or a monitor that would offer you the best viewing possible. In order to achieve this, consider the following facts:

The Native Resolution

Native resolution means the setting at which the computer screen offers the best images. Keep in mind that the computer is going to be used for different things, not just gaming. With this in mind, you need to be sure that this resolution is best for whatever you will use the computer.

Aspect Ratio

It is recommended to consider a widescreen format monitor. Widescreen formats are usually great when looking at delivering high resolution content but there is usually not much computer real estate that can be used for surfing the web.

Responsibility

LCDs do not have a good ability to properly render images in the time it takes the game to deliver. This is basically a huge problem, especially in the event that we are talking about gaming laptops. When there is a difference between render speed and visualization speed, lags appear. Every single gamer out there knows that lag will destroy the entire gaming experience.

Contrast

According to gamesniped.com, poor contrast will lead to black areas appearing lighter and white areas appearing darker. You will basically not be able to see the game exactly as it was designed to be seen. In many situations the gamer will end up with a sub-par experience because of improper contrast.

Viewing Angle

Another often overlooked feature of a gaming monitor, viewing angle helps because you can place the monitor in different locations while gaining the best gaming experience. The one example that everyone knows is when it is sunny outside and you cannot see the monitor. However, this is not a problem with viewing angle. Some of the monitors out there offer a viewing angle of up to an impressive 120 degrees while others do not have much availability and you can only see the best image when you sit in a specific position.

As with most things, the stock hardware in gaming can only take you so far. This is particularly true of the PC’s humble keyboard and mouse. If you consider yourself a core gamer or are simply shopping for someone who fancies himself or herself “hardcore”, here are four accessories that should be staples of any serious PC gamer’s toolbox.

1) A Gaming Mouse

Your standard mouse comes equipped with two buttons, maybe a scroll wheel with a third button if you want to get really fancy. While basically functional for most gaming, it shows its limitations quickly with certain fast-paced and input-heavy genres; namely MMOs, RTS and FPS. Aside from the standard buttons, a gaming mouse generally gives you multiple buttons for programmable commands, keybindings and macros. Gaming mice like the R.A.T. for example, also allow you to lock buttons down to prevent carpal tunnel syndrome when raiding for hours in an MMO or building a fleet of units in an RTS game. Not to mention customizable grips, rests, weight and LED colors, and just the fact that many of them look like miniature Transformers.

2) A Racing Wheel

A racing wheel is a must to get the most out of driving sims and racing games. Modern racing wheels give you not just the wheel, but a shifter and the full complement of pedals. The better ones incorporate motor-driven force feedback, simulation of traction loss, and LED gear shift signals. If you’ve got a big budget you can even spring for a racing seat, or roll one of your own out of an old office chair!

3) A Gamepad

Many games simply aren’t designed to be played with a keyboard and mouse. This is particularly true of the classic retro games for consoles which are now appearing for download on various digital download services. When it comes to game genres like platformers and sports sims, something definitely gets lost in translation without a good pad. The Xbox 360 pad (which also works with Windows when plugged into a computer’s USB port) is the current de facto standard in PC gaming, with games that support gamepads nearly always supporting and auto-configuring it. There are a wide range of other manufacturers and styles, however, as well as USB converters to allow you to use the gamepads of various console systems on the PC. If you’ve got your heart set on simply playing some classic Super Mario Brothers, an analog pad and two buttons might be all you really need.

4) A Headset

A good headset is mandatory equipment for organizing raids, planning approaches with squad mates, or just calling someone a noob after delivering a particularly satisfying coup de grace. A quality headset can also improve the aural experience with high-quality audio and Surround Sound. If you’re interested in making gaming videos with commentary, a headset is also basically required studio equipment.

There are other accessories that are good to have that are genre-specific; for example, if you’re into fighting games, you’ll probably want to look into an arcade joystick, or if you’re into flight sims you’ll want a flight stick. The four accessories listed here will allow you to get the most out of a wide range of gaming genres, however. Have fun and happy gaming!

The gadget is a major part of just about everybody’s life these days. While it would seem that there are two minds present in the average gadgeteer that would work against one another, this isn’t true in the slightest. As a matter of fact, these two minds produce a wonderful harmony. The ultimate application of modern gadgetry is that both the minimalist and the hardcore gadget consumer can coexist in a surprising type of harmony.

The Gadgets Themselves

Gadgets have gotten to the point where they can do just about anything that doesn’t involve manual labor or creativity. Unless you’ve got the funds to buy a robot of your own, those kinds of things just can’t be technologically outsourced yet. However, for anything else, you’ve got a host of different technological options to choose from. In a sense, you actually have a sort of overload to deal with that people in the past never had.

At a point not that long ago, the average person barely had a choice of technology that would do anything more complex than heat or cool their food. Nowadays, you can either choose to pick up tons of highly specialized gadgets to play with, or the one or two ubergadgets that seem to do the limited “everything” mentioned above. As the gadgets evolve in tandem, you have an increasingly challenging decision to make: the one, or the many?

The One Vs the Many

In this day and age, you can pretty much buy a single gadget that will do everything. While Droid phones aren’t perfect, they and some of their ilk allow you to perform all kinds of functions that range from basic things like calculating and planning all the way up to arranging sophisticated interactions with a lot of people and services involved. You can get a huge amount of things done without all of the fuss and muss you would’ve had to invest in years past. So only having one device in your pocket allows you a ton of options.

However, one device can only do so much. No matter how awesome this device may be, it still tends to be overshadowed in some areas. As the old saying goes, “being a jack of all trades is being a master of none.” Specialized machinery almost always trumps the more generalized gadgets, which is why there will always be a market for great cameras that don’t do anything else. Of course, the gadgets themselves are only one part of the system, and everything else also has to work together to complete the proper gadgeteer’s lifestyle.

The Support Network

Having a great support network is one of the strongest links the Droid has going for it. The Android operating system has a veritable army of supporters, and among this group a lot of great ideas grow readily. Whenever you have a large number of people who have passion, incredible things happen. Without a great network in place, even the best gadgets lose a lot of their luster.

“I think that the Sony motion controller will have some problems gaining traction, since it is not an ‘in the box’ solution,” he told PS3 Center. “That will probably limit adoption to 1 or 2 million at the outset.” He thinks the extra sales of Natal will help it gain a third-party advantage over the Arc.

The real shocker for me is that $50 price tag for Natal. For a company that charges more than a benjy for a low capacity hard drive, $50 for the latest gaming technology seems crazy. Of course, that’s exactly what Nintendo did with the Wii and I think we all know how that turned out.

Here’s what he said: “the vast majority of content for streaming on Netflix is not HD content, so there really is no loss for the Wii consumer with the fact they can’t get any HD content through our system.” True. There is a dearth of HD content that can be streamed from Netflix, so pushing through a Wii HD just for that capability is ridiculous.

The real problem is that there will be more HD content on Netflix, and it will be ever-increasing, so the further along we get, the more demand there will be. That could quickly translate to less demand for the Wii, especially when the other consoles release motion-control systems. Then what’s to keep people with the Wii? The Vitality Sensor? I think not.

Source: CNBC

Darren Richardson, the president and CEO of peripheral manufacturer Mad Catz, told Kotaku today that his company paid $300,000 so it could back out of the original contract due to an ongoing lawsuit with Konami.

“Guitar Hero was a game that we were actually involved with early on and pulled out because of a lawsuit with Konami,” Richardson said. “We were doing the Xbox SKU and that’s why there was only a Playstation 2 launch. That’s why. We were in there and we pulled out as a result of (the lawsuit) and (Red Octane and Harmonix) went forward and it turned out to be a success, a huge success.”

Somehow Richardson has a sense of humor about the whole thing. “Everyone else made hundreds of millions and we paid money to not be a part of it,” he said. “It was brilliant. I come up with these strokes of genius from time to time. That was my best.”

If only sarcasm could turn back time.

Source: Kotaku

The controller, called the Onza, will run $50 for the wired version, supposedly for a lag-free game experience (what wireless tech are you guys using again?), no word on a wireless version. It looks almost exactly like the Microsoft controller, except that the start and back buttons have been moved. Oh, there are also some pretty lights. Razer also boasts a new Hyperesponse technology, which means I dunno, it starts firing before you see your enemies?

The headset will be wireless, featuring a 5.1 virtual surround system and the ability to chain-gang base stations for private team conversations. It’s like party chat! The headset also has some noise-canceling features, so you can really tune out that nagging girlfriend. The headset will run $130. Read more at Razer’s official press site.

This year Nyko added to the line with the Wand+, a model of the Wand that adds, you guessed it, a Wii MotionPlus. Now, it’s not really a Wii MotionPlus since that would involve some patent infringement and whatnot, but it does support full 1:1 motion control, so you can use it with any WMP-enabled game. The unit looks to be about the same size as the original Wiimote, sans the MotionPlus dongle, so you save a little cupboard space along with the cash. Yes, the Wand+ is cheaper than a Wiimote/WMP bundle at just $40.

If you don’t know, the Blizzard Authenticator is an added layer of security for your WoW account. You can get it at the Blizzard Store, but the company also gives them away during Blizzcon. Personally, I never needed one. Maybe I was lucky, maybe I just paid enough attention to my computer that it wasn’t an issue, but over two years of playing, I never had an issue with hackers. Just the same, $6.50 for a cute little core hound isn’t so bad, particularly if it adds extra security to the account into which you’ve invested far too much time.

As Chris Lewis, Xbox’s head of Europe puts things, “Now you know better than to listen to that stuff! We will announce in good time.” Message received, Mr. Lewis. I can’t imagine how Microsoft could possibly get Natal down to the $50 range, or why they would. The install base for the 360 is big enough that people would pay much more for this kind of experience. Think about the Rock Band sets that regularly go for $200. With a bundled game or two, you can bet Natal will at least break a hundred.

As long as he had the world’s ear, Lewis was glad to keep the hype train rollin’. “I’m not going to be specific about what they might be,” he said. “I will say however we’re committed to ensure those experiences are unique, compelling and very exciting right from the outset. That has to happen and that will happen.” Don’t worry you little heads over a release date – just know that when we get one, you’ll be rushing to mark your calendars.

Source: Eurogamer