Chris Pirillo » console http://chris.pirillo.com News and Reviews! Geek, Internet Entrepreneur, Hardware Addict, Software Junkie, Book Author, Once TV Show Host, Technology Enthusiast, Shameless Self-Promoter, Tech Conference Coordinator, Early Adopter, Idea Evangelist, Tech Support Blogger, Bootstrapper, Media Personality, Technology Consultant, Thicker Quicker Picker Upper. Wed, 25 Nov 2009 19:32:12 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 en hourly 1 © chris@pirillo.com () chris@pirillo.com() Geek, Internet Entrepreneur, Hardware Addict, Software Junkie, Book Author, Once TV Show Host, Technology Enthusiast, Shameless Self-Promoter, Tech Conference Coordinator, Early Adopter, Idea Evangelist, Tech Support Blogger, Bootstrapper, Media Personality, Technology Consultant, Thicker Quicker Picker Upper. chris@pirillo.com No no http://chris.pirillo.com/wp-content/plugins/podpress/images/powered_by_podpress.jpgChris Pirillohttp://chris.pirillo.com 144 144 Are OSs and Developers Ruining PC Gaming?http://chris.pirillo.com/are-oss-and-developers-ruining-pc-gaming/ http://chris.pirillo.com/are-oss-and-developers-ruining-pc-gaming/#comments Thu, 13 Mar 2008 23:28:00 +0000 Chris http://chris.pirillo.com/2008/03/13/are-oss-and-developers-ruining-pc-gaming/ Are OSs and Developers Ruining PC Gaming? is a post from Chris Pirillo

The following Email was sent to me recently from Intrepid. He brings up some very interesting points, and I wanted to pass them along. What’s your take? Leave me a follow up comment to this post, or send me an Email yourself to chris@pirillo.com. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

After reading an article about Epic moving to consoles rather than staying with PCs because of a lack of purchases in the PC gaming market, I got to thinking.

With consoles, programmers and graphic designers know what the system can handle. They know there is a set requirement as to what the hardware and software can take. Developers know where to “max out”, you could say, with graphics and what lines of code are unnecessary. There are no variables in the system hardware or whats running on the system, so they have a guideline to follow.

However, when it comes to PC gaming, are developers still pushing the limit, or are they trying to keep the content and overall graphics down so more consumers will be able to play? We see Crysis, and its insane hardware specs to run it on maximum settings, but what other developers are following suite? We know the majority of computers being purchased are coming packed with Vista, and that OEMs are throwing in the least amount of RAM as possible with the already memory hogging machine. What are you going to be able to play on that? If you’re lucky, you’ll be able to throw an emulator on there and pray its even compatible with your OS.

I’m beginning to learn why more and more consoles are being sold over gaming PC’s. When you buy a console and throw your game in, you know 99% of the time its going to work, unless of course you receive a defective system or disk. These can easily be replaced if need be, but ultimately, you know its going to work. With PCs, however, a consumer turns the box on its side and is exposed to a bunch of PC jargon they don’t understand. I wouldn’t be surprised if half of the consumers buying PC games from BestBuy, Target, etc. even know what a video card is! “How much RAM do you think I have”, is echoed through out stores everywhere. How is a sales rep supposed to answer that? Consumers just don’t know.

I just hope that OSs, *cough* Vista *cough* get their hardware compatibility in line if its going to get thrown out on every rig leaving stores. Also, I’m praying… praying, that developers will not begin to create games of horrible quality to enable it their software to be played on these horrid machines. Most developers may even leave PC gaming behind once they make a cross platform game such as Epic, and then notice the difference in sales.

]]> Are OSs and Developers Ruining PC Gaming? is a post from Chris Pirillo

The following Email was sent to me recently from Intrepid. He brings up some very interesting points, and I wanted to pass them along. What’s your take? Leave me a follow up comment to this post, or send me an Email yourself to chris@pirillo.com. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

After reading an article about Epic moving to consoles rather than staying with PCs because of a lack of purchases in the PC gaming market, I got to thinking.

With consoles, programmers and graphic designers know what the system can handle. They know there is a set requirement as to what the hardware and software can take. Developers know where to “max out”, you could say, with graphics and what lines of code are unnecessary. There are no variables in the system hardware or whats running on the system, so they have a guideline to follow.

However, when it comes to PC gaming, are developers still pushing the limit, or are they trying to keep the content and overall graphics down so more consumers will be able to play? We see Crysis, and its insane hardware specs to run it on maximum settings, but what other developers are following suite? We know the majority of computers being purchased are coming packed with Vista, and that OEMs are throwing in the least amount of RAM as possible with the already memory hogging machine. What are you going to be able to play on that? If you’re lucky, you’ll be able to throw an emulator on there and pray its even compatible with your OS.

I’m beginning to learn why more and more consoles are being sold over gaming PC’s. When you buy a console and throw your game in, you know 99% of the time its going to work, unless of course you receive a defective system or disk. These can easily be replaced if need be, but ultimately, you know its going to work. With PCs, however, a consumer turns the box on its side and is exposed to a bunch of PC jargon they don’t understand. I wouldn’t be surprised if half of the consumers buying PC games from BestBuy, Target, etc. even know what a video card is! “How much RAM do you think I have”, is echoed through out stores everywhere. How is a sales rep supposed to answer that? Consumers just don’t know.

I just hope that OSs, *cough* Vista *cough* get their hardware compatibility in line if its going to get thrown out on every rig leaving stores. Also, I’m praying… praying, that developers will not begin to create games of horrible quality to enable it their software to be played on these horrid machines. Most developers may even leave PC gaming behind once they make a cross platform game such as Epic, and then notice the difference in sales.

]]> http://chris.pirillo.com/are-oss-and-developers-ruining-pc-gaming/feed/ 48 Shopping for Wii Accessorieshttp://chris.pirillo.com/shopping-for-wii-accessories/ http://chris.pirillo.com/shopping-for-wii-accessories/#comments Thu, 10 Jan 2008 13:10:39 +0000 Chris http://chris.pirillo.com/2008/01/10/shopping-for-wii-accessories/ Shopping for Wii Accessories is a post from Chris Pirillo

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With the Wii craze in full swing, many of you are of the “gotta have it!” mindset. You truly don’t need every attachment, gadget and gizmo made for your Wii. Here are some tips to keep in mind when shopping for your accessories.

  • Extra Controllers The number one problem Wii owners have is when they have company over, there are never enough controllers to share. Buy at least one extra pair so you can take turns.
  • SD Cards All of my fellow Wii Owners have trouble keeping their games in memory, because the Wii only has about 512mb internal memory. This is also a great way to keep your Virtual console games from clogging your Wii.
  • Official Straps I cannot stress this enough! I always find Wii owners who bought a silicone jacket for the Wii using novelty 3rd party Straps. These straps are weaker than the original launch straps, so if you swing your Wii Mote hard it probably will break… or you could end up needing a new tv.
  • VC Games Since the Wii is still crawling with its Game Library, there are tons of Classic games from Sega, Nintendo and the TurboGraf. Just buy a Wii point card and you’ll have the classics you love on one System.
  • Classic Controllers Some games just are not meant for the Wii Mote and Nunchuck, like fighting games. Many games are going to start letting you use a classic controller instead. Buy one so you don’t look like a fool passing out from playing Mortal Kombat.

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]]> Shopping for Wii Accessories is a post from Chris Pirillo

Add to iTunes | Add to YouTube | Add to Google | RSS Feed

With the Wii craze in full swing, many of you are of the “gotta have it!” mindset. You truly don’t need every attachment, gadget and gizmo made for your Wii. Here are some tips to keep in mind when shopping for your accessories.

  • Extra Controllers The number one problem Wii owners have is when they have company over, there are never enough controllers to share. Buy at least one extra pair so you can take turns.
  • SD Cards All of my fellow Wii Owners have trouble keeping their games in memory, because the Wii only has about 512mb internal memory. This is also a great way to keep your Virtual console games from clogging your Wii.
  • Official Straps I cannot stress this enough! I always find Wii owners who bought a silicone jacket for the Wii using novelty 3rd party Straps. These straps are weaker than the original launch straps, so if you swing your Wii Mote hard it probably will break… or you could end up needing a new tv.
  • VC Games Since the Wii is still crawling with its Game Library, there are tons of Classic games from Sega, Nintendo and the TurboGraf. Just buy a Wii point card and you’ll have the classics you love on one System.
  • Classic Controllers Some games just are not meant for the Wii Mote and Nunchuck, like fighting games. Many games are going to start letting you use a classic controller instead. Buy one so you don’t look like a fool passing out from playing Mortal Kombat.

Want to embed this video on your own site, blog, or forum? Use this code or download the video:

]]> http://chris.pirillo.com/shopping-for-wii-accessories/feed/ 31 Top 5 Xbox or PS2 Bargain Games to Pick up for Christmashttp://chris.pirillo.com/top-5-xbox-or-ps2-bargain-games-to-pick-up-for-christmas/ http://chris.pirillo.com/top-5-xbox-or-ps2-bargain-games-to-pick-up-for-christmas/#comments Sat, 08 Dec 2007 20:25:25 +0000 Chris http://chris.pirillo.com/2007/12/08/top-5-xbox-or-ps2-bargain-games-to-pick-up-for-christmas/ Top 5 Xbox or PS2 Bargain Games to Pick up for Christmas is a post from Chris Pirillo

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Just because a game is in the bargain bin doesn’t make it bad. “Old” games are just as fun as new ones… at a fraction of the cost. Here are SpecerDodd’s top five bargain games for both the Microsoft Xbox and Nintendo PS2 game system. His criteria for making this list is simple: the game must be fun, be under $10.00, and work on newer game consoles.

Top 5 for the Xbox gaming system:

  • Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3. This game is the best of the series, and gets a rare 10 out of 10 on Gamespot.com.
  • NHL Hits 2003 is an excellent and fun game for even non-hockey fans.
  • Grand Theft Auto 3 is an all-time favorite for many people.
  • Max Payne by Rockstar has an awesome story line, and self-adjusting difficulty levels.
  • Unreal Chamionship 2 is probably one of the most powerful first-person shooting games of all time.

Since GameSpot is running a “buy two get one free” special, I picked up all of these bargain-priced games for my Xbox for a grand total of $14.96. Amazing, eh?

Top 5 for the PS2:

  • Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. Man, what an awesome game.
  • Again: Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3.
  • Unreal Tournament. I just love this game, no matter which system I’m playing it on.
  • Metal Gears 2: Sons of Liberty, with it’s excellent shooting and story line.
  • Max Payne again. This is one of the best console games of all time, hands down.

With the sale at GameSpot, the total for the PS2 games was only $25.95. You just can’t beat that!

[rssbullet:http://shop.tagjag.com/products/playstation]

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]]> Top 5 Xbox or PS2 Bargain Games to Pick up for Christmas is a post from Chris Pirillo

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Just because a game is in the bargain bin doesn’t make it bad. “Old” games are just as fun as new ones… at a fraction of the cost. Here are SpecerDodd’s top five bargain games for both the Microsoft Xbox and Nintendo PS2 game system. His criteria for making this list is simple: the game must be fun, be under $10.00, and work on newer game consoles.

Top 5 for the Xbox gaming system:

  • Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3. This game is the best of the series, and gets a rare 10 out of 10 on Gamespot.com.
  • NHL Hits 2003 is an excellent and fun game for even non-hockey fans.
  • Grand Theft Auto 3 is an all-time favorite for many people.
  • Max Payne by Rockstar has an awesome story line, and self-adjusting difficulty levels.
  • Unreal Chamionship 2 is probably one of the most powerful first-person shooting games of all time.

Since GameSpot is running a “buy two get one free” special, I picked up all of these bargain-priced games for my Xbox for a grand total of $14.96. Amazing, eh?

Top 5 for the PS2:

  • Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. Man, what an awesome game.
  • Again: Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3.
  • Unreal Tournament. I just love this game, no matter which system I’m playing it on.
  • Metal Gears 2: Sons of Liberty, with it’s excellent shooting and story line.
  • Max Payne again. This is one of the best console games of all time, hands down.

With the sale at GameSpot, the total for the PS2 games was only $25.95. You just can’t beat that!

[rssbullet:http://shop.tagjag.com/products/playstation]

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]]> http://chris.pirillo.com/top-5-xbox-or-ps2-bargain-games-to-pick-up-for-christmas/feed/ 31 Top Five Classic Video Gameshttp://chris.pirillo.com/top-five-classic-video-games/ http://chris.pirillo.com/top-five-classic-video-games/#comments Sat, 08 Dec 2007 19:25:27 +0000 Chris http://chris.pirillo.com/2007/12/08/top-five-classic-video-games/ Top Five Classic Video Games is a post from Chris Pirillo

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What is your favorite video game of all time? I’m talking go all the way back to the beginning of console gaming, and think forward. Walfred sent in his top five favorite games of all time, so let’s take a look at them, and see if your favorite is in there.

  • Tales of Phantasia for the Nintendo game system. This is a greatly unmentioned game with an excellent story line.
  • The Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past again for the Nintendo game console. This has an awesome story line, and I have probably beaten it more than any other game… ever.
  • Donkey Kong 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest for the… you guessed it… Nintendo gaming system. I’m seeing a pattern here that Walfred feels Nintendo is the best console system of all time!
  • Tetris is the game that has been the most sold and most copied game ever. It is probably also the single most well-known game of all time. Walfred knows that this is probably #1 on most people’s list, but he has a different favorite.
  • Final Fantasy IV is the “bestest and goodest” game of all time, according to Walfred. Keep in mind, those are his words, not mine! He feels it has the best mix of characters, the best story line… and he feels the music is so good, it should be the National Anthem of every country in the world.

There you have it, Walfred’s top five favorite video games of all time. What’s your top five? I’m interested in hearing what they are. Leave a follow-up comment to this video with your list, or email me at chris@pirillo.com

Want to embed this video on your own site, blog, or forum? Use this code or download the video:

]]> Top Five Classic Video Games is a post from Chris Pirillo

Add to iTunes | Add to YouTube | Add to Google | RSS Feed

What is your favorite video game of all time? I’m talking go all the way back to the beginning of console gaming, and think forward. Walfred sent in his top five favorite games of all time, so let’s take a look at them, and see if your favorite is in there.

  • Tales of Phantasia for the Nintendo game system. This is a greatly unmentioned game with an excellent story line.
  • The Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past again for the Nintendo game console. This has an awesome story line, and I have probably beaten it more than any other game… ever.
  • Donkey Kong 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest for the… you guessed it… Nintendo gaming system. I’m seeing a pattern here that Walfred feels Nintendo is the best console system of all time!
  • Tetris is the game that has been the most sold and most copied game ever. It is probably also the single most well-known game of all time. Walfred knows that this is probably #1 on most people’s list, but he has a different favorite.
  • Final Fantasy IV is the “bestest and goodest” game of all time, according to Walfred. Keep in mind, those are his words, not mine! He feels it has the best mix of characters, the best story line… and he feels the music is so good, it should be the National Anthem of every country in the world.

There you have it, Walfred’s top five favorite video games of all time. What’s your top five? I’m interested in hearing what they are. Leave a follow-up comment to this video with your list, or email me at chris@pirillo.com

Want to embed this video on your own site, blog, or forum? Use this code or download the video:

]]> http://chris.pirillo.com/top-five-classic-video-games/feed/ 36 How to Handle Remote Tech Support <em>Using <a href="http://www.gotoassist.com/chris">GoToAssist</a> is the easiest way to view and control another person's computer online. Use it to provide instant technical support to family, friends and customers. Start a session with just one click, and instantly connect with the other party. </em> chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) Partner Mon, 13 Jul 2009 06:30:00 GMThttp://gotoassist.com/chris/ http://gotoassist.com/chris/ Network Tools for Windows You need these network tools, no matter which operating systems and networks you have to support. <a href="http://support.solarwinds.com/updates/New-Customer.cfm?ProdID=568&campaign=ipmon_DL_lockergnome&CMP=BAC-ipmonDL_lockergnome">SolarWinds ipMonitor</a>: Affordable Network Monitoring for SMBs. Get turnkey network, server and application availability monitoring with SolarWinds ipMonitor v9.0. This easy-to-use, reliable solution for SMBs delivers out-of-the-box availability monitoring so you always know exactly what's up with Active Directory, DNS, Exchange, FTP, Web, IMAP, MS SQL Server, and SMTP. <a href="http://support.solarwinds.com/updates/New-Customer.cfm?ProdID=568&campaign=ipmon_DL_lockergnome&CMP=BAC-ipmonDL_lockergnome">Download your free trial today</a>. Or, try their <a href="http://www.solarwinds.com/products/freetools/">totally free tools</a>! And, through 2/29, save 20% when you purchase <a href="http://store.solarwinds.com/s.nl/sc.16/.f">ipMonitor 9.0</a>. chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) Partner Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:30:00 GMThttp://support.solarwinds.com/updates/New-Customer.cfm?ProdID=568&campaign=ipmon_DL_lockergnome&CMP=BAC-ipmonDL_lockergnome http://support.solarwinds.com/updates/New-Customer.cfm?ProdID=568&campaign=ipmon_DL_lockergnome&CMP=BAC-ipmonDL_lockergnome Get Your Own Web Site Starting at just $3.99/month, web hosting from <a href="http://www.godaddy.com/gdshop/default.asp?isc=cp2">GoDaddy</a> includes 99.9% uptime, 24/7 support and free access to GoDaddy Hosting Connection, THE place to install over 30 FREE applications sure to help you get the most from your hosting plan and Web site. Enter <a href="http://www.godaddy.com/gdshop/default.asp?isc=cp2">code CP2</a> at checkout, and save an additional 10% on any order. <p>Plus, as a friend of Chris Pirillo, enter code <a href="http://www.godaddy.com/gdshop/default.asp?isc=chris7">CHRIS7</a>, that's C-H-R-I-S and the number 7, when you check out, and save an additional 10% on any order. Get your piece of the internet at <a href="http://www.godaddy.com/gdshop/default.asp?isc=chris7">GoDaddy.com</a>.</p> chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) Partner Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:30:00 GMThttp://www.godaddy.com/gdshop/default.asp?isc=cp1 http://www.godaddy.com/gdshop/default.asp?isc=cp1 VMware and Parallels for Virtual Machines It doesn't matter if you're running on Windows or Mac OS X - every power user needs either <a href="http://send.onenetworkdirect.net/z/13766/rn_a32755/">Parallels</a> or <a href="http://send.onenetworkdirect.net/z/17081/rn_a32755/">VMware</a> (or both). There's never been an easier way to test software without destroying your primary operating system's stability. Think of how many times you wish you could press a 'reverse' button on your computer. Plus, there's no easier way to try new Linux distributions - see what all the fuss is about. Run Windows in OS X, run Linux in Windows, but the best way to do either is with <a href="http://send.onenetworkdirect.net/z/17081/rn_a32755/">VMware</a> and/or <a href="http://send.onenetworkdirect.net/z/13766/rn_a32755/">Parallels</a>. chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) Partner Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:30:00 GMThttp://chris.pirillo.com/2008/02/19/parallels-or-vmware/ http://chris.pirillo.com/2008/02/19/parallels-or-vmware/ Coupons for Online Shopping <p style="color: red">This feed is fueled by Lockergnome <a href="http://www.lockergnome.com/buy/">Online Shopping and Coupon Codes</a></p> <p> Before you shop next time, see if we have <a href="http://coupons.lockergnome.com/">a coupon</a> first. </p> chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) Partner Sat, 12 Jul 2008 07:56:13 GMThttp://coupons.lockergnome.com/ http://coupons.lockergnome.com/