Category: For the Geeks

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For the Geeks

The New Linksys by Cisco Media Hub – One Is Enough?

Linksys by Cisco Media Hub

As I was shaking the hands of Jaimohan, Head of Product Management (Cisco), thanking him and his team’s time in answering my (rather dumb) questions raised during the blogger event of the new product’s launch, he smiled at me and asked, “So how many are you getting?”.  OK, that’s a private joke.  Throughout the event I kept saying that I need a farm of Media Hub to organize my media files and he kept reassuring me that if one is not enough, I can add more!  Very well.  Right now, as you read this blog entry, I am writing a proposal to Jaimohan to make my dream of Media Hub farm comes true, sponsored by Cisco.  I am not asking a lot.  Perhaps 8 to start with (with hard disk please, thank you!).  That will be a 16 TB of space on top of the 4 TB I am currently having at home split between two computers.  It’s not a lot to ask for, is it?

Who reads paragraphs of words these days?  So here is what you need to know about Linksys by Cisco Media Hub in point form.

What is it?

  • It knows where all the media contents are stored in your home network.
  • It acts as a single point of media access within your home.
  • It enables you to access your home media contents securely via the Internet.
  • It can be used as a storage device and can hold up to 2 hard disks.
  • It is small and beautiful.

Uh-huh.  Tell me more.

  • You connect one of these sexy and tiny Media Hub into your home network and it will locate all the media files in your entire network.  That includes the wireless phones that are connected to your network and more.  Gasp, right?  I swear when the guys in the suite heard this, they all sat with their backs straight wondering if that picture or that video they took earlier on were being scanned by the Media Hub.  Didn’t mama teach you not to connect to stranger’s wi-fi network just because it is free?
  • Home users these day are all lost in our own digital jungles.  I have two computers, 5 internal hard disks, 3 external hard disks, a total of 4TB worth of capacity.  There are a lot, a lot of media files inside – pictures, music tracks, and video clips.  Imagine, no more prowling through the disk drives, expanding the file directories, just to locate that video clip of … Lust, Caution.
  • Think of it as a media directory of your home network.  And you can even access them when you are miles away from home, through secured Internet connectivity provided by Cisco.

What can you do with Media Hub?

  • If your TV is hooked up with your home network, you can watch the HD content stored within your home network (Community message – Say no to privacy).  Stream up to 3 separate HD signal within your home.  You can watch your family photo collection at your TV with the lovely company of your friends and families too.  Just make sure that the photos are rated PG.
  • If your audio system is hooked up with your home network, you can listen to your music collection without the need to change your CD (Note: I have 700+ CD as of 2007 and this will come in handy).
  • If  you are bored at work, your own personal collection of music and movies is just a click away provided that (1) you have Internet access and (2) your Media Hub at home is switched on.
  • If you go for an overseas holiday and wish to back up your personal photos into your home network, you can upload them to your Media Hub at home.  In fact, you can upload and download any type of files using the Media Hub as the storage device.  Think of it as your very own file server (or remote data storage).  And you can expand this storage capacity by simply adding more hard disks onto your home network.  Neat?

Is one enough?  Does it come in different color?  What’s the damage like?

  • Each Media Hub comes with a 500GB Western Digital (WD) hard disk (take my word, WD is one of the more reliable hard disks out there in the market) as well as an extra slot for an additional hard disk.  1 TB hard disk these days is pretty affordable.  And if you need to access more than 1.5 TB of media data, you can attach another storage device onto your home network and keep it switched on.  For lazy dude like me, I may go for multiple Media Hub.
  • According to the (very attractive) ladies from the Cisco sales and marketing team, Media Hub unlike other storage solution (such as NAS) is very quiet.  As an environment lover, I am happy to hear that Media Hub is designed with lower power consumption in mind too.
  • I asked if there are other colors such as orange, white, and pink.  And the friendly Jaimohan told me that after a global design initiative, all their latest products are designed with the same piano black and silver.  OK, I am starting a new business to design new stickers for these cuties.
  • S$499 for each Media Hub.  If you are willing to pay S$599, you will get a LCD as well as slots to plug in your various memory cards.

Where can I find out more?

  • You could drop me a comment here and I can follow up on your behalf.
  • Or if you are in Singapore, please drop by the new showroom at Funan DigitaLife Mall (5th floor) to experience Linksys by Cisco home networking products.  Do mention to the lovely salesperson that you heard this wonderful product from this infamous blogger who has been making all the headlines for the wrong reasons me.  I don’t have a kick-back from Cisco yet.  Maybe if more of you turn up at the showroom, my dream of a Media Hub farm sponsored by Linksys by Cisco may come true.

You know me, one picture is not enough.  I took this inside the Grand Hyatt Suite where the demo was held.

A Suite in Grand Hyatt

More News Release!

  • In Singapore, the products will be made available from 18 February 2009 onwards from the following authorized Linksys by Cisco retailers: Best Denki – Ngee Ann City and Great World City outlets, Challenger Superstore – Funan DigitaLife Mall and VivoCity outlets, Copernicus Interactive – Sim Lim Square.
  • The products will be officially launched at the IT SHOW 2009 and will thereafter be available at all authorized Linksys by Cisco retailers and value added resellers.
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For the Geeks Photography

Facing Off Sheylara At Symantec Gaming Tournament – Hands-on with Norton AV 2009 Gaming Edition

Norton AntiVirus 2009 Gaming Edition

Previously, I teamed up with Sheylara on that blogger challenge of … erm … national significance.  This time, I had to team against her at the Symantec Gaming Tournament.  My first time playing a Counter-Strike lookalike network game.  Sheylara had planted so many bullets on my back that it was no longer funny.  And she was physically sitting one row behind me with her virtual gun point right at my real back.  So how did the tournament go?  Hang on for a moment.  Let’s talk about this new Norton AntiVirus 2009 Gaming Edition first.  And I have more (surreal) photos to share later in this entry.  The one with the classic Sheylara post is probably my favorite.

Of Norton, AVG, McAfee, and … Norton

Coincidentally, just days before I received the invitation to this blogger event, I was curiously staring at this yellow box of “Gaming Edition” at one computer store one fine afternoon.  As an avid gamer, I am excited to see Norton from Symantec listens to the gamers’ needs.

The concept of computer virus always bugs me, though I am a computer scientist and engineer by training.  I wish I could visit the Norton lab one day and see how it works.  Norton has a business because of the virus makers.  Do they recruit virus makers to kill off the virus?  How do they get into these people’s heads?

My love affair with Norton as such.  Companies use Norton products so as a home user, I too bought Norton products to protect my computers.  That was quite a while ago.  Back then, Norton products were resource intensive, countless updates that required countless machine restarts.  So I ditched Norton and went for free products like AVG.  Didn’t work out so I went for McAfee.  McAfee seemed to work for me but it didn’t.  When a virus did strike (how often right?), it failed to quarantine.  And I have to keep signing on every few days or so to have my account verified.  Enough is enough, so I went back to Norton.

Last year, I was shocked by Norton 2008’s superb performance – both in terms of product installation and the on-going protection.  I was told that 2009 edition is even faster.  Wow!  And since I need to get my hands dirty for this blog entry, I uninstalled my Norton Internet Security 2008 that still has 2 months worth of subscription and give this Gaming Edition a try.

Norton AntiVirus 2009 Gaming Edition

Norton AV Gaming Edition Skin

The box says that this Gaming Edition will install in less than a minute.  Are you for real?!  Surprisingly it does.  If you come from the dinosaur age like I do some people do, that is just hard to believe.  Even the update did not take long (note: if you notice the CPU usage meter, I was running a full system scan and Norton is transparent enough to let me know how much resource it was using).

Gamer Mode

So, what so special about the gaming edition?

When Norton AV Gaming Edition detects a game launched in full screen mode (or in my case because I run World of Warcraft in Windows mode, I can click onto the system tray and switch on gaming mode), certain protections are turned off, including the suspension of alerts and notifications (see picture on the left).  Underneath the hood, there are options for you to decide if you wish to turn off (1) AntiVirus, (2) Advance Protection, (3) Intrusion Prevention, and (4) Automatic LiveUpdate when the gaming mode is switched on.  Neat!  And if you own an online gaming account like I do, I was told that this product will safeguard you against intrusion too.

Symantec Gaming Tournament

That night was the first time I played what appeared like a 3-on-3 Counter-Strike network game.  All those years of World of Warcraft training seems to have help.  It is quite a fun game to play.  There is a terrorist team to pick and a counter-terrorist team too.  I find it is much easier to play the terrorist.  Go in, plant the bomb, and get out.

The professional gamers were in the house.  Gaming as a profession?!  I thought only gold farmers in MMORPG makes money.  Amazing.

In Closing

You know you need to protect your computers against virus.  The question is which product to use.  There are alternatives out there and it doesn’t take much research to realize that Norton is the way to go in terms of reliability, ease of installation and use, and performance.  The only consideration is pricing.  For the Gaming Edition, Norton from Symantec has taken one step further.  It requires less than 6MB of memory (8 times less compares to competitors), opens only 2 processes, and add less than 3 seconds to boot time.  If you are an avid gamer who is looking for a virus protection tool, you shouldn’t settle for less.

There are much to cover for the Norton 2009 products.  Perhaps another post when I get a hold onto the Internet Security 2009.  Stay tuned.

A big thank you to the Norton folks and Text100 folks in making this event fun. I am happy to have learned so much more and in depth about the Norton products.  Yes, our team has won the tournament and thanks for the prize!

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For the Geeks

In the World of MMORPG, One Game Rules Them All – World of Warcraft: The Wrath of the Lich King

God knows how many hours some of the avid gamers have queued for the 1pm launch party.  It wasn’t so much of a party per se and when I was a few blocks away from my destination, minutes before the gate at SAFRA Town Club opened, a random group of lovely ladies right beside me crossing the same street, one of them started, “Look at the queue!  Something free is it?”  Another one replied, “No idea leh.  Maybe free food?”  And they continued speculating the obvious.  I really wanted to turn around and say, “That is for the launch party of the new World of Warcraft expansion”.  But I held my tongue.  Because they would have stared at me as though I was from another planet.

Like the way you stare at me now.

Just how big is this online gaming business?  It is huge.  At minimal, each gamer pays S$20 a month subscription fees to Blizzard, the company that created World of Warcraft.  And at this very moment, there are 11 million active subscribers worldwide.  That is a S$2.64 billion annual revenue.  But that is not all.  Whenever they release an expansion pack, assuming that all who are actively playing the game will get one, that is a S$770 million additional revenue within a very short time.  World of Warcraft enjoys a commercial success unseen of in its gaming domain, not to forget to mention the growth of player base.  On the flip side, it is also featured from time to time in the world news due to its negative social impact.  As for me, I joined the game in 2004 and am now a casual player.  Cynthia has recently joined me in the worldwide phenomenon too.

So tell me, in the world of massively multi-player online role playing game (MMORPG), which game is king?

Random Observations:

  1. The event organizer needs to get some hot young girls as helpers next year.  Though all geeks love Lara Croft, we do prefer real life beings at times.
  2. Walking up 8 flights of stairs just to get the game is very un-gamer friendly.  The (rather plumb) foreigner in front of us was panting hard and complained to me, “We are gamers.  We don’t exercise.  How can they do this to us?”  Uh-huh.
  3. Maybe it is a little bit of truth that when people see you carrying a huge camera, people immediately think that you are a pro and/or you are from the media.  When I talked to the staff, they were very friendly to me.  Did you know that estimated market size for the new expansion in Singapore is 30,000?
  4. When I told my buddy Mark that the queue was too long, he joked that I should tell them that I am an avid blogger and jump the queue.  Now, that would draw lots of aggro that is more than I could handle (note: aggro means that if you piss off someone in the game, you will get an attack!).  Mark, please come back to the game.  We need you!

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For the Geeks

Nokia N-Gage Games Night – I Was There (How Video Games Have Evolved)

How video games have evolved, how they have not.  After attended several of their press / blogger events, this time I was as close to where their home in Singapore is as I can be – the Nokia HQ.  When I arrived at the lobby, I gasped at the grandeur of modernity, perhaps a bit too quiet after office hour, nevertheless a strong statement of what the 5th most valuable global brand is to be ($36 billion).

There is a little corner of a posh retail store setup, there is another little area of some secret prototyping workshop going on, a booth for the N-Gage mobile gaming station next to the retail booth, and I peeped into the heart of the office through the floor-to-ceiling glass door and saw another beautiful lobby area behind the public reception area.  I joked if I could take a look inside and the friendly Nokia staff told me that it is strictly for staff only.  Judging at some of the funky unmarked Nokia devices that some of them are carrying, I reckon there must be quite a few top secret next-next generation wireless phones inside the restricted zone.

In My Days of the Arcade

Previously, I was with the Nokia N-Gage development team and have checked out some of their upcoming N-Gage hits.  Last evening, I had the opportunity to go hands-on with some of their upcoming titles.  And how video games have evolved, how they have not.  As I was staring at the video screens, looking at how two players battle each other in the fighting game “One”, I had flashbacks of my University days in UK, when I often hang out at the social center, admired at how my best mate flair when he played the “Street Fighter” and the “Mortal Kombat” at the arcade video stations.  He is a physicist, and I often joked that the knowledge of quantum physics must have got him far to the games.  I am a computer scientist, and I couldn’t even beat the computer character in those arcade video stations.

Neither could I beat my opponents in the Nokia N-Gage Games Night.  The game play of a fighting game has not evolved that much since the days of the arcade – basic navigation on movements, a set of buttons to execute a combo move, a set of timed counter moves, and a health bar hanging on top of each character’s head.  Yet, gone are the bulky arcade video stations and they are magically shrunk into a tiny device that fits onto our hands – a device that is always switched on in our waking hours and follows us wherever we go.  Finding an opponent is as simple as making an Internet or Bluetooth connection using our mobile devices that in today’s world, it is largely affordable and in many instances, free.  How video games have evolved.

Game with Your Built-in Camera

How video games have evolved that the way we play our game is no longer constrained by what happens inside this tiny mobile device, but we take the environment around us into the game.  “Metal Gear Solid Mobile” for instance enables players to take advantage of the external environment to advance our game progress.  Using the camera that comes with the wireless phone, the game allows you to navigate precisely by how you physically move your phone.  Not only that, you can take a picture of your surrounding area and use that as a pattern to camouflage the suit of your character that helps your stealth mission.  If you need a dark suit, take a picture of a dark object around you.  If you need something light, take a picture of the sky perhaps.

In Love with Racing

One friendly Nokia staff was passionately showcasing the new “DChoc Café Solitaire 12pack” to me and for those who are into solitaire type of games, you would love this one.  As for me, I was literally glued to the upcoming racing title “Asphalt 4 – Elite Racing”.  It is fast pace, taxing on concentration (initially at least), when after a few rounds of virtual racing on the street of Paris, my head was spinning.  I must be experiencing a virtual G force of some sort (too much F1!).  To skip to the end of the story, yes, I did get a rank 1 (I swear I would have kept the entire Nokia and Text100 team locked inside this booth till I get there), with one hand (playing with two hands is not a mandatory), and I could watch the “One” tournament of how the rest of the gamers face off each other live while I raced in my Mini.

How video games have evolved, how they have not.  Kudos to those who are so passionately developing and promoting the next generation of mobile gaming.  The device may be small, the outcome is anything but.

Related Links: Nokia events I have attended

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For the Geeks Game Reviews

EA Sports FIFA Online 2 Closed Beta Test Hosted by IAHGames – First Look

Note: If you still have problem with Hotmail, click here to install a client-based Mail beta – Windows Live.

I have a love hate relationship with IAHGames.  As an avid online gamer, I love the idea of having a game server hosted in Asia.  And that the server maintenance observes the Asia’s off peak hours, unlike the World of Warcraft (WoW) server that goes down almost all the Tuesday evenings here in Asia.  It may be foreign to some of you but believe me when I say this, millions of WoW fans in Asia are lost every Tuesday.  If I had a business, I would have targeted these lost souls and created some ease-your-WoW-withdrawal-syndrome themes to my business.  And I would have earned big bucks, since 2004.

I sort of hated (strong word, sorry, but thanks for the closed beta test invite!) IAHGames because of the way they handled the hosting of Hellgate London (HG:L).  OK, the parent company Infocomm Asia Holdings did the right marketing and financing (how can you miss the signage and the decorated jeep outside Funan IT Mall?) but fell short on technology and management.  Our Asian server went live before IAHGames could apply the crucial patch and from then on, our patch updates were horribly late compared to the American counterparts leading to Asian online gamers having to suffer from the bugs for weeks and months.  In the end, IAHGames found a solution to apply the subsequent patches without wiping the game progress; in the end, I quited HG:L because playing a buggy game is really no fun.

Enough of history.  Is FIFA Online 2 fun to play?  It has some elements of Championship Manager as you play the manager role in managing your team.  Each of your player has a set of stats and as your players level up, you get to customize your players by enhancing their stats the way you want them to be.  And you gain level as you play the matches too – be it as win or lose (wining has more points than losing).  There are football players and items you can trade with other online gamers (I have yet to find out how) so all these elements play like a typical MMORPG.  And unlike Championship Manager, you get to play the match too!

I have to admit that using the keyboard to play the match is less than ideal.  I failed to use my XBox 360 Controller that works with other PC games.  Anyway, playing with the keyboard does make in-game text chatting a lot easier with other gamers.  I always like the social aspect of the online games.  Because the game pace is usually fast, you can’t really chat that much.  But still, the game is much alive.  And I have to say, the online gamers are a lot tougher to beat than playing against the computer team.  I guess that is where the fun is.

Each online game lasts for a couple of minutes and joining a “World Tour” 1×1 match with another online gamer picked by the server seems fast (“League” is you against the computer), thanks to the Asia timezone.  There is 2×2 match too that you can form a team with your buddy.  But the waiting time was too long so we gave up.

Graphically, it does support wide screen format with the football players look 3D enough from a distance.  The replay is fun to watch too.  The close-up on the players tend to look cartoon-ish but that doesn’t bother me.  The voice commentary does seem to follow the game well, sarcastic at times (maybe I suck badly).  But of course, if you are to play for hours, some of the lines may appear repetitive to you.  The game does feel random in nature, which is good.  One time, one of my players was fouled due to hand ball.  I was like … what?!  Then there was a close-up replay to see how the ball did bounce off my player’s hand as he tackled the ball.  Amazing.  And some of the goals look so random that got me marvelled at my own virtual ingenuity.

FIFA Online 2 seems like a stripped- down version of the established football related games out there.  But if fast pace online game with character progression is your cup of tea, you may wish to give it a try.  I reckon they may give out free trial period like most of the online games out there.  Who knows, FIFA Online 2 may be one of those subscription free games.

PS. Some of the soundtracks are pretty cute.

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For the Geeks Game Reviews

Spore – My 1st 8 Hours

8 years in the making, 3 years of anticipation for the fans, I grabbed a copy of “Spore” in a heartbeat.  Check out these colorful pictures taken from within the game.  All these creatures and objects are created by me – from head to toe, skin color to the extra pair of eyes on the butt.

I am a meat lover so I create a carnivore [1].  In phase 1 of the game (Cell), my goal is to keep eating other creatures while avoid to be eaten by the much bigger ones.  The more it eats, the bigger it gets, and the more DNA it acquires, the more complex it evolves [2] & [3].  At this phase, it is cute, it is fun, it is 2D, and it plays like a good old arcade game.  I absolutely love it.

At the beginning of phase 2 (Creature), my creature leaves the ocean [4].  Given the option of socializing with other groups of creatures through songs and dances (no kidding) versus hunting down each species to extinction, guess which path I take [6]?

OK.  You don’t have to take the path of destruction but I want my creatures to be the blood thirst warriors.  Enter phase 3 (Tribal), my desire to dominate continues [5].  This phase plays like a real time strategy game while the previous one is more like a role playing game.

In phase 4 (Civilization), my creatures build houses, entertainment centers, factories (that I designed) and … weapons of mass destruction [7]!  We tear down rival civilizations one by one converting their economic cities into military ones, their religious ones too into military cities.  Need not to say, the game play is very much like a simplified, accelerated version of Civ.

What comes at the end of world domination?  It is time for my creatures with eyes on their butts to rule the galaxy!  First, I need a spaceship [8].

Then, I need to practice high speed flying in a 3D world [9]!

And, it is time to do some serious space travel [10].  At this phase (Space), the game is initially mission driven and there are enough things to do for the ‘end game’ such as advancing through the ranks, collecting rare items, and learning new abilities.  What is the end of this game like?  It is for you to find out!

For those who are curious, “Spore” is the first multi-genre massively single-player online game.  Before I log off, check out this quote from Will Wright, the game designer for Spore and the Sim franchise.  Some of you may be able to relate and have a good laugh on this (like I did).

We were very focused, if anything, on making a game for more casual players. “Spore” has more depth than, let’s say, “The Sims” did. But we looked at the Metacritic scores for “Sims 2″, which was around 90, and something like “Half-Life”, which was 97, and we decided – quite a while back – that we would rather have the Metacritic and sales of “Sims 2″ than the Metacritic and sales of “Half-Life.”

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For the Geeks

It is Diablo III – So the Wait is Over?

I seldom blog about video gaming but this one is big.  The Diablo franchise has a new installment, and from one video I have watched, it’s a quantum leap.  The graphic is jaw dropping and we can now realistically interact with the environment such as the collapse of the structures as we battle.  The control for the battle seems engaging.  Check out one boss fight and I bet you have not quit seen something of that scale before.

I always try to seek a balance when I blog, a little something for everybody.  From the business point of view, Blizzard Entertainment – a division of French Vivendi Games – is one gaming company that I admire deeply.  Why?  They don’t have many games and they only have three major franchises – Starcraft, Warcraft, and Diablo.  They are not inventive but they enhance and implement the genre so well that all that they create are legendary, a huge gap for the rest of the companies to close.  Starcraft is a 10 years old game and it is still played today.  Recently, it is announced that Starcraft II is on its way.  Warcraft has gone through a cycle of 3 installments and the MMORPG spin off (massively multi-player online role playing game) is a worldwide success taking the genre to a height that never has seen before.  10 million worldwide subscribers (Cynthia and I included) and it is a four years old game still going strong.

Another great thing I admire about Blizzard Entertainment is that unlike other gaming companies that are pressurized to release games even when the games are not ready for the shelves, Blizzard has the reputation of non-committing release dates.  They will only release the games when they are ready.  On top of that, they are not hesitate to can a project (like the venturing into the console gaming platform) if it doesn’t turn out right.

There is a pending merge of Vivendi Games (1 billion in revenue) with yet another giant Activision (3 billion in revenue) and the new entity is going to be called Activision Blizzard Inc.  Now, I do want to own some of their shares.

Below is the cinematic teaser and if you like what you see, don’t miss the video that demonstrates the actual game play (click here and then click onto “Play Gameplay Vidoe” on the right).

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For the Geeks

My New Toy and a Whirlwind of Technology

I have promised to post the details of my new toy and here we are.  But before we get to that, I wish to share a little story with you all.  I used to think that talking about the climate of the technology world bore people.  Recently, I have the privilege to meet people who have little passion or knowledge on what goes on behind the press of a button, set aside the companies and driving forces behind.  Perhaps it was the way I tell the stories, they did genuinely want to read more after hearing what I said.  It was a humbling revelation.  If a good singer can sing anything from a phonebook, maybe a good storyteller should be able to tell a story on even the most unglamorous topic?

So here it goes.  I mean, here I try. 

Click here to read more.

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For the Geeks

Omg! It’s 8800GT!

This blog entry will probably lose 99.99% of my regular readers so I am going to be a little bit creative here. It will be as layman as possible and I even have a little game for you. For each paragraph you read, you will collect a certain number of cherries. The heavier the content is, the more cherries it is worth. Simple? Here is what the number of cherries implies (note: I created those cherries myself!).

Number of Cherries You could be …
< 5 Cherry! Okay, computer to you is like a hairdryer. You turn it on to use it and turn it off when you are done with it.
6 to 10 Cherry! You have a lover, or a friend, or a sibling who keeps talking in geek language day in day out. Soon, some of those geek elements get rubbed onto you.
11 to 14 Cherry! You are the CFO of the household. After seeing all the budget applications for the computer parts and gadgets month in month out, you realize that you can’t really say no without knowing what exactly they are.
15 to 17 Cherry! You constantly have this desire to upgrade your computer parts. You could be my best friend.
20 Cherry! You constantly have this desire to tempt others to update their computers. Does it sound like someone you know?

As an analogy, if your regular usage of a computer is to surf the Internet, write some emails, and edit some documents, a simple home cooked food will probably satisfy your taste buds throughout the years. Unfortunately, for the computer gamers – summing up the initial investment, the frequent upgrade cost, and the electricity bills of running those power hungry components – it is everyday at Au Jardin Les Amis for some of the them … 1 x Cherry!

There are quite a number of components I wish to upgrade and I have been hunting for a particular graphic card for ages. When I told my friends what my budget is like (S$400), they jolted thinking that I am so rich to get a high end card.  The reality is not.  Check out what high end cards really mean below … 1 x Cherry!

Type Price
Entry Level Around S$100
Mid Range Around S$400
Mid Range (Enthusiast) Around S$400 x 2 = S$800
High End Around S$1,000
High End (Enthusiast) Around S$1,000 x 2 = S$2,000
High End (Futurist) Around S$1,000 x 3 = S$3,000

… 2 x Cherry!

8800GT 

In fact, I have “downgraded” from being an enthusiast. If you recall, back in April 2006, I have equipped my computer with two graphic cards. I realized that in most situations, the second graphic card is underutilized. It takes up power and it’s nosier (there is a little fan on top of the card to dissipate heat). For the high end futurist, you’ve  read right. Now, we can stuff three graphic cards into the computer rig … 2 x Cherry!

When I first saw the graphic card at my favorite computer shop, I gasped and said, “I have waited for this for so long”. The shop assistance’s eyes glittered and replied with a smile, “Yes, many do.” The second batch of the Asus EN8800GT does look very pretty with a new fan design.  But knowing how dumb I am with computer hardware, was I able to install the card myself? Well … 2 x Cherry!

Before installing the card …

First I needed to knocked off my two old cards. That was not that hard though I have broken one of the tiny plaster latches slightly. Brutal force may not be a good idea – for future reference. Then it was time for me to brush off the dust and to literally blow it off. I made a mess on the floor. Luckily, Cynthia was out of town … 3 x Cherry!

… I made a sign of the cross (you have no idea how many times I have seen bad things happen in my computer that were beyond explanation) and switched on my computer. Immediately, I noticed that my computer sounded different. It is a lot quieter and when it does somewhat sound like the aeroplane engine. It worked on first try! Yay? … 3 x Cherry!

I ran some benchmarking tests, happy with the results (click here to view), and then I tried out some games of mine that could not be played well with my old cards.  It was awesome. Another cool thing with this new card is that I can now extend my display to another LCD monitor! Imagine, playing games while not missing a single MSN message, writing blogs with reference materials and dictionary on a separate screen, watching YouTube while browsing your friends’ webbies! … 3 x Cherry!

Supreme Commander

I know some of the console gamers may baulk at the effort and cost in constantly upgrading a gaming machine. They may even point out that the cost of my video card is close to buying one console gaming unit such as XBox or Nintendo Wii.

But … can your console gaming unit do this (see image on the right … one game, two screens)? … 3 x Cherry!

Categories
For the Geeks Game Reviews

Hellgate London

“London is in ruins and now Asia must respond”, so it says on the pamphlet. I do not hesitate (especially when Cynthia is out-of-town) and am ready for the challenges ahead. I arrive at Russel Square and the garden square is no longer what it used to be – now a piece of wasteland. From afar, I can vaguely see the British Museum in ruin. Or is it my imagination? The year is 2038 and it has been 18 years since The Invasion. Once again, the survivors of mankind are united and determined to stop the demons from altering and assimilating our world into theirs. We have to close the Hellgate fast.

How I love role playing games. It comes with such a compelling storyline that makes people feel as though they are doing something virtually significant. Before you dismiss computing gaming as a total waste of time, you may wish to know that gaming moderately can enhance one’s analytic skill, problem solving skill, reflects, and etc. It is scientifically proven. Military develops games to train the soldiers. I even read that in one hospital, a group of surgeons are asked to play at least a certain number of hours of a I-forgot-which-one-but-certainly-not-a-medically-related-game a week in order to improve their performance.

Though I have the bad reputation of not being able to finish any game (except Sam & Max!), I think I may actually like “Hellgate London” and have a high chance in completing the game (think moderation!). It has the element of a traditional role playing game whereby you can personalise the ability of your characters. You are rewarded by the demons you vanquish in terms of experience points, currency, and items. But it doesn’t have the tedious battle controls like many role playing games do, which is good. And it also has the element of first person shooter but with a slower pace, lesser surprises, and you can actually dodge a fireball coming your way because it is kind of … slow. That is good as well because you can access the situation and take position accordingly to minimise damage upon you. You can virtually blow up anything lying around you – be it as boxes or gas cylinders. The explosion scenes are modeled well. Oh, did I mention that you will never run out of bullets? The graphic is fascinating even with my rather dated machine (AMD X2 4200+ and 6800GTS in SLi). The game play hardly lags in enclosed areas though in open areas (awesome graphics by the way as I can see buildings in smoke, the red phone booth, and abandoned police cars everywhere), my machine struggles to provide me with a smooth game play. Time to consider a new graphic cards I am sure.

And “Hellgate London” plays like some of the Massively Multi-player Online Role Playing Games as well. Kind of reminds me of the World of Warcraft with regards to the quest system. There are also fraction points to gain (each tube station is like a mini-community and you have to gain their trust). The pace of “Hellgate London” is in between tradition role playing games and first person shooter. Most monsters I have seen so far can be easily killed with one shot or two. Except bosses of course. The boss fight can be entertaining especially when you see it charging after you and you have to keep firing at it while retreating (i.e. clear the area before the boss fight). The game is played in real time. Hence no saving and reloading it like many others. I love that because it feels so much more real.

Okay. I shall stop writing such a long blog and go back and save London … sleep. Think moderation!