Chris Pirillo » gaming

Gaming Addiction Vs Gaming Obsession – Where do You Draw the Line?

Chris — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 23:03:45 +0000

Gaming Addiction Vs Gaming Obsession – Where do You Draw the Line? is a post from Chris Pirillo

Last night, I published a post discussing the unfortunate death of an infant, due to its parents’ inability – or desire – to properly care for it. The reason? They were busy feeding their video game addiction. This isn’t the first case like this that I’ve come across online, and I’m afraid it won’t be the last.

During a discussion via Google Buzz about this article, Peter had some excellent insight regarding addiction to things like games vs. an obsession.

For one thing, people throw the word “addiction” around like they know what it means. If gaming kills someone, then it’s likely safe so say that they had an addiction. For the most part, however, when people are obsessed with games, they aren’t necessarily addicted. Addiction isn’t mere obsession. Addiction isn’t the mere compulsion to participate in something.
When ANYTHING reaches the level of “addiction”… then, yes, it has the capability of killing someone. Asking the question is like asking, “If someone is so obsessed with gaming that they stop eating, can it kill them?” The correct answer is, “Yes, if someone stops eating, it can eventually kill them.” It has nothing to do with the “gaming”… it has everything to do with the “not eating”. When something becomes so compulsive that you stop eating, then it is safe to say that it is an addiction.
An addiction, for the most part, is when something negatively affects your life and even when you actively weigh the pros and cons and recognize that the cons outweigh the pros and you decide you would rather no longer participate in the activity, that you find you are unable to stop and know that you need help.
Most hard-core gamers are not reaching out for help. They weigh the pros and cons and the pros win. They enjoy playing. Very few gamers would truly make the decision to continue playing if they knew, for instance, that they were seconds away from death. When someone who isn’t necessarily addicted to gaming (but is obsessed by it) ends up dying or ending up extremely ill, the problem isn’t necessarily an “addiction”… it’s a lack of responsibility.
An irresponsible person can die while doing any kind of activity. It’s the irresponsibility that kills, not the distraction. If you WANT to stop gaming, however, but find that you simply cannot pull away… THAT’S an addiction, and you should seek help.

Very sage advice in that last sentence. If you cannot pull yourself away from your game(s) to attend to your “real” life, it’s time to get some kind of help. Ask a friend, parent, teacher, pastor or any other trusted person in your life to help you, and get you pointed in the right direction.

What are your thoughts on this matter? There’s no debate that the couple in the original article had some type of problem. Let’s discuss the differences between addictions and obsessions, as well as how a person (especially teens) can tell that they may, indeed, have a problem.

What is GameSalad?

Chris — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 19:35:51 +0000

What is GameSalad? is a post from Chris Pirillo

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Kevoc recently attended MacWorld, and was kind enough to record a few videos for us, since I wasn’t able to attend myself. GameSalad is the world’s most advanced game creation tool for non-programmers. With GameSalad, game makers of all levels can bring their ideas to life without programming a single line of code. Build games visually using a drag-and-drop interface along with a robust behavior system. Publish your games quickly and easy to the iPhone, iPod Touch, Mac Desktop, and the Web.

Upon joining the GameSalad Membership Program, a member will be given access to GameSalad Viewer for iPhone, an app that allows testing of their game on the device. Once satisfied with the game, the developer will need to submit it through the GameSalad Membership Program online submission form. After a game is ready for the creator to retrieve, they will receive a link to the Xcode project file to submit according to Apple’s submission process.

You do not need to know how to program, but you may need to know a little logic to be able to make elements of the game interact with the user and each other. GameSalad Creator comes with a variety of templates that you can use to start making your game.

If you have an idea for a new game, there’s nothing standing in your way. You don’t have to be a hard-core programmer in order to make your dream a reality!

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Download Center

Chris — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 03:41:32 +0000

Download Center is a post from Chris Pirillo

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Every so often, you may need to download something to make your computer or mobile device run better. There are millions of pieces of software and applications available for every operating system you can think of. To help you find the best deals on software of every type, we’ve created our new Downloads center! Every day, we feature the very best software – including games! – that we can find, at excellent prices!

I’ve been downloading and gathering together software since 1996. I admit it… I’m addicted to software! I always have been. On the downloads center, we even have free software available. If you want to download your favorite software at no cost to you, just choose the program you want, complete a simple offer, and download the full version of your chosen application!

We post an aggregate every day on Geeks in the blog section. In that post, you’ll find the very newest programs we’ve come across, as well as some really excellent deals.

If you’re not interested in this service, that’s fine. If you are – check it out! I’m all ears, and want to hear your feedback. We can’t make the site better without your help!

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Star Wars Games

Chris — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 19:48:14 +0000

Star Wars Games is a post from Chris Pirillo

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As you know, I am obsessed with Star Wars. I decided to buy myself this book for Christmas, since I’m a single adult. Santa doesn’t visit my house unless I make him visit! In any case, I love Star Wars. This trivia book is interactive, and something that will bring me hours (and HOURS!) of enjoyment!

The Obsessed with Star Wars: Test Your Knowledge of a Galaxy Far, Far Away book is an absolute hoot. We begin the adventure by pressing a button, which gives us a question to take a look at. Flip the book open, and find the right question. Read it, and choose your answer.

Choose your answer on the interactive scoring device, and if you are correct it will ding at you! If you are wrong, Darth Vader will vaporize you! Okay, Darth doesn’t really show up. But wouldn’t that be pretty awesome! If you’re incorrect, the device buzzes at you.

There are 2500 trivia questions inside this book, so you’ll not run out of trivia any time soon. If you do, then maybe you’re much more of a Trekkie than I could ever hope to be.

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Need for Speed Car Racing Video Game

Chris — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 22:17:13 +0000

Need for Speed Car Racing Video Game is a post from Chris Pirillo

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Playing Need for Speed on my iPhone is actually a great way to unwind. I gotta thank the folks at EA for sending this along to me to play with – I mean… review! I’ve been having a great time trying to beat my own score. Racing games are always fun, but this one takes first prize in my book. It has excellent graphics and animations, the audio is good, and it’s just plain fun.

Need for Speed: Shift features 20 cars to maneuver through 18 tracks with your phone’s tilt functionality. You can play on your own, or against your friends via Bluetooth or over Wi-Fi.

It takes some getting used to in order to properly control your cars when using a mobile device, but it’s not as difficult as some people have made it out to be. Sure, it’s easier to use a joystick. But you can’t take your console with you on the bus, now can you!?

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What Did You Get for the Holidays?

Chris — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 00:26:30 +0000

What Did You Get for the Holidays? is a post from Chris Pirillo

I’m curious to know what you got for Christmas! Did Santa bring you everything you asked him for? Were you happily surprised by anything? What pieces of technology were you ecstatic to open this year, or find in your stocking?

Everyone in our community is abuzz with glee over gifts they received. Some were luckier than others, I’m sure. But all in all, everyone seems to be quite pleased with their holiday goodies! How about you?

Be sure to check out our downloads center today! There are tons of new games, applications and software available at excellent prices!

Wii Fit Plus Review

Chris — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 20:28:33 +0000

Wii Fit Plus Review is a post from Chris Pirillo

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This is a great time of year to have this particular screencast submitted for our channel! Many people are still looking for that perfect last-minute gift idea… and others are already thinking of how to lose those extra holiday pounds! This is the first time Joe has done a screencast such as this, and I think he did a great job! He took a different approach than many have done, and it worked out well. He’s taking a look at the Wii Fit Plus.

Wii Fit is not an exercise program. It is, however, an introduction to physical activity. It was very significant for Joe in that it helped him lose 20 pounds, and made him more aware of the level of inactivity that had been in his life.

Wii Fit Plus boasts three new features: new activities, a way to track the health of your pet, and the ability to customize your workout. Yes, that’s right… you can track the health and weight of your pet in your home! Think your cat is too fat? Keep track of it on the Wii!

The Wii Balance Board can read your real-life movements and bring them to life on screen, just like the Wii Remote controller. New features include a calorie burning counter, the ability for users to create custom fitness regimens or choose from a number of specialized routines based on specific objectives and available time, as well as having the option to create profiles for pets and babies. Users will also be able to navigate more quickly between exercises.

Joe did a great job reviewing the Wii Fit Plus, and giving us an insider’s look at how it works. Don’t forget that it’s not too late for you to submit a screencast for possible use in our channels.

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Are You Addicted to the Internet?

Chris — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 04:06:53 +0000

Are You Addicted to the Internet? is a post from Chris Pirillo

There was an interesting post over on Lockergnome today, asking whether you are addicted to the Internet. There’s even a link to a quiz so that you can find out if you are!

I could sit here and crack jokes about how addicted I am to the Internet. In reality, though, it’s not a laughing matter. There is a tremendous difference between spending a lot of time doing what you love – and being utterly and helplessly addicted to it. Internet addiction is a reality, and it’s growing at an alarming rate. People who are addicted to the web are becoming obsessed with what they do there to the point that they ignore their “real” life, their responsibilities, and often their health. Marriages have broken up due to this. People have lost jobs due to this. Kids have been suspended from school because of this. It’s scary, and it’s real.

So, I ask you – are YOU addicted to the Internet? Have you taken the quiz, and read your results? When and where do you draw the line between having fun, and tumbling into an addiction? I’m interested in hearing your thoughts.

Today on our downloads site, you’ll find several applications for both Windows and Mac. Heck, you might even find something for your mobile phone!

Don’t Believe Everything You Read

Chris — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 11:22:13 +0000

Don’t Believe Everything You Read is a post from Chris Pirillo

I had to chuckle a little while ago when someone in our live chat room stated that Google’s new operating system will be 100% invulnerable to malware attacks. That’s an awful hefty claim for Google to make, if they in fact did. The truth is that nothing is impossible in this day and age of malware. Criminals, hackers and malware writers will indeed figure out a way to get inside of whatever Google comes up with. Sadly, it’s par for the course. It’s rumors like these that make people who don’t know any better think that they don’t need any type of security software.

I hate rumors and speculation. I’m a hard facts type of guy. Show me proof, or don’t tell me at all. I know, not everyone is like that. And that’s ok, I suppose. However, it’s imperative that you do your research, and find out the truth of the matter in anything you want to believe. It’s ok to have “faith”, yes. It’s not ok to blindly ASSume something is right and correct and real. Sometimes, that can get you in to trouble.

One of the reasons I love our community so much is that as Geeks, we take the time to back up what we say with facts and resources. Have you taken the time to read what it is they are trying to say?

Over in our Downloads Center, you’ll find new software and apps every day that may be vital to your existence! For instance, today we are featuring a piece of freeware that allows you, the parent, to control what sites are allowed on your family’s computers. Safety and security – for free!

Windows 7 – Better for Gamers?

Chris — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 10:21:51 +0000

Windows 7 – Better for Gamers? is a post from Chris Pirillo

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During a live call session the other night, people were on the phone to gab about Windows 7. We talked about everything from security to aesthetics. This particular caller, Sonu, is a member of our live community on a regular basis. He is a gamer, and had something interesting to note in favor of Windows 7 that I hadn’t yet heard. I’m wondering if you are experiencing this, as well.

Sonu has been using Windows Vista for awhile now, and has only recently upgraded to Windows 7. He has the exact same hardware setup, and all of the same software installed now as he did with Vista. However, he’s noticed one very large – and very welcome – change: he is getting 10-15 frames-per-second (FPS) more than he did back when he used Vista.

Is this something you other gamers out there are noticing as well? I imagine that this absolutely is a very good upgrade for you if you are. Let’s hear from you gaming Geeks… are you getting more FPS now on Windows 7 than you did on other operating systems?

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An Insider’s Look at the New Game Aion

Chris — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 01:00:57 +0000

An Insider’s Look at the New Game Aion is a post from Chris Pirillo

XX0wnsXY (Becca) is a girl gamer geek. She’s hardcore, boys, and regularly beats out her male counterparts in various games she plays. She’s been a part of our community for quite awhile now, and has contributed insights and commentary in the past when we’ve talked about various games.

Becca emailed me today, with the below review/guide for her new favorite game Aion. She took the time to write a very comprehensive piece for all of you, so I wanted to post it in full. Credit for the below goes entirely to Becca!

This is my first MMORPG (Massively Multi-player Online Role – Playing Game). (I used to be so against RPGs, but this one has swayed me). So, my review is submitted from a new user’s point of view. I would really like it if anyone with past MMORPG experience can reply and offer an experienced point of view on the game. I think the two contrasts would be interesting.
So the game is called Aion (”Eye-On”). It is, as I said, a MMO-RPG. It’s categorized as PvPvE (Player vs. Player vs. Environment). It’s been out in Korea for a year or more, and was released in the US a month ago.
The story line, in simple terms (although they go into great detail in multiple cut-scenes throughout the game, with awesome graphics):
A world of peace began to crumble after some of the race called “Draken” rebelled against the God “Aion”, and in turn, a huge battle broke out and the world was shattered in to three pieces. These events became known as “The Cataclysm” (Kat-a-Cliz-em) This created three races: “Elyos” (good) who live in “Elysea”, and Asmodians (Evil) who live in Asmodae, and Balaur -(The Draken renamed after their rebellion; not a playable race, NPC’s only, and are hostile against both Elyos and Asmodians, (which plays into the PvPvE.) who reside in the Abyss. The third piece, known as the “Abyss” is the space between Elysea and Asmodae, where both factions gain access at level 25 and begin the true PvP (Player vs. Player) aspect of the game.
You are able to choose which faction you would like to be at the start of your game. You begin your game by choosing one of the 4 classes, Male or Female; Warrior, Mage, Scout, or Priest. I, personally, chose to start as a Priest. You can customize your characters appearance greatly (from hair, skin, eye, and lip color, to extremety thickness, voice and much more).
You begin your journey in the “starter area”, which is different for each faction, of course. You level from 1-9 with simple quests that help you get acquainted with the various menu options and NPC’s. You also become acquainted with your current skills and abilities. Along with that, you become acquainted with the game’s travel systems, which are:
A Flight Transporter – Allows you to pay a fee to fly (on a winged animal of some sort, very cool looking) to your destination. The graphics are awesome during flight.
A Teleporter – You simply pay a fee and jump into a portal – and your game loads into your destination.
You can bring up your map by pressing “M”. It will give you a full overview of the area you are in, along with surrounding areas. You can press “N” and a smaller, more transparent version will appear, which is convenient while walking/flying and still needing to see where you are going. When you are grouped with other people in the same area, they will appear on the map as blue diamonds.
You will also become acquainted with Soul Healing and resurrection. Should you die along the way (and you will, believe me), you will be given the option to return to the place where you last bound your soul (You bind your soul to obelisk’s in major cities), or you can choose to wait (up to 30 minutes) and ask for someone to come resurrect you. Chanters and Clerics have the ability to resurrect. There are also resurrection stones that can be bought and acquired during quests that can be used on another player.
If you are not resurrected, you return to your bind point, and beside you will be a Soul Healer. For a fee, you will be healed of soul sickness (this makes your movement slow and you are unable to fly/glide) and you will recover your experience that you lost. The amount of experience lost depends on your level. The price of soul healing goes up the more times you die, and becomes very expensive over time, so you must be careful. You don’t have to worry about soul healing when it comes to PvP. If you are killed by the opposite faction, soul healing only costs 1 gold and you do not lose any experience. You do, however, lose Abyss Points (discussed later).
At level 9, you receive an “ascension” quest, which will allow you to become a “Daeva” (advanced humans who have tapped into the power of the Aether to gain new abilities and strengths that put them far beyond the power levels of any mortal human) and choose your subclass. The subclasses are:
For Warrior – Gladiator or Templar.
For Scout – Assassin or Ranger
For Priest – Chanter or Cleric
For Mage – Sorcerer or Spirit Master
I started as a Priest, so I chose to evolve into a Chanter. I won’t go into too much detail about the classes/subclasses, as that would take entirely too much time, but each one has its positives and negatives. I like being a Chanter, because we can adapt to pretty much any situation (I.E – we can heal, have buffs, have decent DPS – Damage per Second, and are needed in many group situations).
Shortly after you have completed your ascension quest, you receive a quest to earn your wings. Yes, you can fly in this game, which is something I hear is much different from any MMO out there. The flight ability in this game is so much fun and adds a new and interesting aspect to PvP. You will find that pre-abyss (lvls 1-24), you will use your wings mostly to glide down long hills to make your trips a little faster. There are a few designated areas where you are free to fly, otherwise you can only glide.
If you are interested in PvP before level 25, there are opportunities for this. There are temporary openings from one world to another (Elysea to Asmodae and vice versa) that allow you to go to the opposite factions world and hunt the enemy. These are known as Rifts. However, you have little chance to stay alive, unless you are grouped with other people. I found this annoying at times, because I would be trying to complete a quest in my world, and out of nowhere, comes a group of enemies and of course, I get killed. When the shoe is on the other foot however, it’s fun. Yeah Yeah, I can dish it but can’t take it. Enemies of the opposing faction show up on your radar as red diamonds. You will have to worry more about this in the Abyss.
The good thing is that rifts close after a certain number of people enter them, so they do not last forever. There are even spy quests that you can acquire that require you to go to the enemy’s world and complete a mission. They are very hard, but offer great rewards. I have yet to complete them… like I said, very hard.
Throughout your leveling experience, you will occasionally need to learn new skills/abilities. These are learned from your class trainer, and are in designated areas in the game. As you level, the price of learning your abilities goes up and can become quite costly. (At level 28 I paid over 70,000 gold for my new abilities).
Once you have bought your skill manual, it will appear as a book in your inventory (Hit I to access your inventory). Double click the book, and that skill will be learned. You can then press the letter K on your keyboard, and it will bring up a list of all of your skills. You can find your new skills and drag and drop them into your skill bar at the bottom of your screen:
Don’t worry, gold is plentiful in this game, and easily acquired. If you manage your gold right, you will have no trouble. If you do find yourself needing more, there are options to receive gold through the in-game mailing system. All you have to do is ask a friend for gold and they can attach it to mail and send it to your in-game mailbox (found at most major cities, in game). Gold is not hard to acquire through Grinding (Killing NPC enemies), either. There are also other options like selling items you have acquired via the Trade Broker (also found in major cities), or general goods merchants.
Like with many other games of this type, you can learn professions. Along with the professions, you can also Gather, which eventually evolves into Extraction. You begin gathering different plants/herbs. As you level, you receive the ability to extract the essence of an item, rather than the item itself, called Extract Vitality. After that comes Aether extraction, which is extracting from the sky (you must fly and risk falling to your death if you are not careful). I suggest leveling these things as you go. Many people say that it is not important, so I did not bother with it at first. When I reached level 20 I realized that many of the NPC’s gave quests to gather/extract an item and bring it to them. I skipped many quests and they add up! I spent many hours going back to level my gathering/extraction. Major setback, but I’m glad I did it. Definitely do this as you go.
Leveling solo is very do-able until level 20+. You will begin receiving quests that require a group. They will have the [group] prefix, letting you know to not even attempt to do the quest without more people to help. These are the most fun for me. You get to interact with other players and become an important part of the other players success. Very few of the quests you acquire are [group] quests, however they offer such great rewards, that they can’t afford to be skipped. Aion offers a LFG (Looking for Group) chat channel, which makes it easy to find people to group with.
Grouping is used for [Group] quests and instances. You can join the “LFG” Chat channel and ask for more people to help with your quest. Usually typed in this format: “Level 31 Chanter LFG Legendary Amethysts. PST (please send tell, which is just a whisper.). You will hopefully get some responses and from there, can invite people to your group (right click their name and select “invite to group”).. rinse and repeat.
One of the most menacing problems for MMO’s are the gold spammers (Those who want to sell you gold – it’s illegal, but people do buy so it keeps the gold spammers running rampant). They spam the chat with their links and make it hard for you to read any conversation going on between your legion or group. One easy fix to this is to create a new chat tab, and customize the options to allow only chat from your legion or group. To do this, open chat and right click on one of the tabs. From there you can choose “Add Tab”. Name it, and customize tab options. Voila!
At level 20. you can acquire “Stigmas”, which are basically extra abilities that you can receive that can separate one of the same class from the other. There are many stigmas that one class can choose, and that’s what makes me (one chanter) different from another. You must complete a quest to enable you to equip stigmas, but after that as you level, you will acquire more stigma slots. To view your current stigma slots, press “P” and select the Stigma tab.
Stigmas can be acquired from quests, NPC drops, or bought from the trade broker. Some are more rare than others. Each stigma requires stigma shards (can be acquired in the abyss from NPC enemies) to equip, and can only be equipped by a stigma master.
The next milestone is level 25. This is when you receive your “Abyss Entry Quest”, which is quite long, but very easy. Once you complete this quest, you gain entry access into the Abyss – the main PvP area. During the quest, you have to pick which area of your world you will access the Abyss from. Once you pick, you can enter the abyss by flying to the portal in the sky only in that area.
The Abyss offers many things, and has beautiful graphics. It offers many high experience/pay/item reward quests, and of course, it offers PvP. The Abyss can be very overwhelming at first. When you enter the Abyss, you are in a safe zone. There is an Aetheric Field around this area that prevents any enemy from penetrating. Once you venture out, you can collect quests, grind abyss enemies for high experience and abyss points (Points collected in the Abyss that when enough are acquired, you can get special items), and PvP.
Venturing out into the abyss requires flight. You can teleport to some areas, but you will have to fly a lot. There are flight rings that you will find between certain areas that you can fly through to gain flight time. You can refer to the bar at the bottom right of your screen to monitor your flight time drain. If you strafe through the rings, you can refill your bar quickly. There are also potions that increase flight time, along with equipment perks.
The ultimate goal of the Abyss is to capture fortresses from the opposing faction. I have no experience in this, but a month into the game, people are already doing it. You can see which fortresses are owned by which faction by pressing “M” to bring up the map and refer to the color key.
PvP is the most exciting feature for some MMO players. I like a little bit of both PvP and PvE. As I said before, when venturing out into the Abyss, you will run into an enemy from the opposing faction. They will appear on your radar as red diamonds, and when you are close enough to them to actually see them, their name will appear in red. They will have a rank (ie Rank 7 soldier), which is in reference to their abyss points. The lower their rank the more abyss experience they have, so beware of going against anyone too much lower than you. You are also unable to see the opposing faction’s level. Some like it this way, some don’t. Personally, I think it adds an interesting twist and requires a bit more strategy when approaching an enemy. To view your Abyss points/ranking press “P” and hit the “Abyss” tab:
As I continue to level, I learn more and more about the game. I do not have anything to compare the game to (first RPG), but I not only experience nothing but good things, I also hear good things, for the most part. The graphics are probably the best part of this game. They are absolutely beautiful. The storyline is interesting to follow, and it isn’t a total grind-fest to level. The pace is good, and the Abyss is fun.
Aion, like any other MMO (from what I’m told) has it’s problems. There are gold spammers and bots. The game has been out for a month in the US, and so far the development team has been working hard to keep them at bay. I’m not sure they will ever be totally rid of them, but I look forward to seeing what they come up with.
There are many guides for Aion out there, all of this content was written by me. All screen shots were taken in – game by me. Some sources were used for the storyline.

Very, VERY well-written and detailed guide, Becca! Thanks so much for sending this in. I have a feeling several of our gamer Geeks are now salivating to get their hands on Aion!

Dell Home Coupons

coupons — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 23:28:33 +0000

Dell Home Coupons is a post from Chris Pirillo

Dell Home - $30 off Flamingo Pink Iomega 320 GB USB 2.0 eGo Portable Hard Drive, only $49.99 using coupon code R1T?K6NK2P9?W0 - Posted on 3/20/10 and Expires on 3/31/10
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Is This the Ultimate Game Controller?

Chris — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 04:36:00 +0000

Is This the Ultimate Game Controller? is a post from Chris Pirillo

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I met up with Cyrus while I was at PAX recently. He demonstrated for me (and all of you) what could possibly be the coolest, most uber-ultimate game controller ever! Imagine never having to pick up and hold a controller again, or mash keys on your poor, overworked keyboard. Imagine, if you will, that all you have to do is slip on a glove.

The Peregrine Glove gives you the power to control your game with the touch of a finger – literally. There’s no need to have to look down at a keyboard, or fumble for the correct keystrokes. Your game is now a part of you.

You can perform over 30 unique actions simply by touching your fingers, your palm or your thumb. Cyrus claims that it’s not as difficult to get used to as you would think. He demonstrated the Peregrine Glove while playing a game he’s been running for about four years. He said after probably 20 minutes, he had the basic hang of things. And, in under two hours he was playing like a pro using only the Peregrine Glove!

Free yourself from the constraints of cumbersome mice and keyboards when you’re playing your favorite game. Get rid of mis-strokes during a battle. Just touch your fingers together, and you’ll be wondering how you ever lived without this in your life.

Essential Reality P5 Gaming Glove

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What’s Better than Ventrilo for Voice Chat?

Chris — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 06:26:52 +0000

What’s Better than Ventrilo for Voice Chat? is a post from Chris Pirillo

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I used to rely on Ventrilo to communicate with the moderators from WyldRyde who help keep control in my chat room. It was kind of difficult to use, so we eventually just stopped connecting. However, I’ve found something much better that we can try!

Voxli is a free voice chat that anyone can use – anywhere, anytime! It’s great to use when gaming, as you can have up to 200 people at any one time chatting! Voxli runs right from within your browser (although it works best in Firefox, it works in any!) and you can enable push-to-talk so you aren’t taken away from your game.

Set up your Voxli chat and send the unique URL to up to 199 other people. It really is that easy. There’s nothing to download, and it works on both OS X and Windows!

Voxli allows you to add and change an avatar, or simply listen in on conversations other people are having! Once you install the plugin for Firefox, you don’t have to even ever sign in again!

Come on – you don’t need to keep downloading and connecting to programs like Ventrilo, Teamspeak or Skype. Those can all be resource hogs, and have problems and bugs all their own. Check out Voxli and you won’t be sorry!

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Where to Play Augmented Reality Games

Chris — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 19:48:52 +0000

Where to Play Augmented Reality Games is a post from Chris Pirillo

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It’s time for me to play with my balls – my cannon balls, that is. I was playing Cannonballz the game. There’s no need to register or log in, but you can connect it to your Facebook account! It will snap your picture and upload it right to your Facebook page, so everyone can see how well – or badly – you did!

Cannonballz is the first ever Augmented Reality game using ZugMo Motion Capture Technology, Flash and Facebook to make both you and your friends the stars of the game. Think fast and move faster as you dodge pirate cannonballs while saving your Facebook friends to become a legend on the leaderboard. No proprietary plug-ins to play! All you need is the latest version of Flash and a webcam and you’re good to go!

The idea is to move around to avoid getting whapped in the head with a cannon ball! It’s actually pretty fun, and not as easy as you would think. It’s augmented reality. It’s like I’m IN the game. It’s based on motion, so you might want to get your butt out of your chair for once!

You’ll have hours of fun playing this game, trust me. I could totally forget to work, and just spend all night dodging the balls.

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How to Handle Remote Tech Support

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 06:30:00 GMT

Using GoToAssist 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.

Network Tools for Windows

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:30:00 GMT

You need these network tools, no matter which operating systems and networks you have to support. SolarWinds ipMonitor: 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. Download your free trial today. Or, try their totally free tools! And, through 2/29, save 20% when you purchase ipMonitor 9.0.

Get Your Own Web Site

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:30:00 GMT

Starting at just $3.99/month, web hosting from GoDaddy 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 code CP2 at checkout, and save an additional 10% on any order.

Plus, as a friend of Chris Pirillo, enter code CHRIS7, 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 GoDaddy.com.

VMware and Parallels for Virtual Machines

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:30:00 GMT

It doesn't matter if you're running on Windows or Mac OS X - every power user needs either Parallels or VMware (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 VMware and/or Parallels.

Coupons for Online Shopping

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 07:56:13 GMT

This feed is fueled by Lockergnome Online Shopping and Coupon Codes

Before you shop next time, see if we have a coupon first.