Perfect Dark Zero is Perfect

Over my vacation, I had the pleasure of spending many hours playing Microsoft's XBox 360, first person shooter debut, Perfect Dark Zero. The graphics and game-play are extremely phenomenal, blowing away any other first person shooter available to date (yes, that includes all versions of Halo). Coming from a huge Halo fan, this means a lot. I did enjoy some Halo parties over vacation and it made me want to get back to Perfect Dark Zero all the more. The bright clarity and graphical attention to detail, provided by the XBox 360 and Perfect Dark Zero, is surpassed by no other first person shooter.

Along with the best available graphics, the game control of Perfect Dark Zero is unsurpassed. The 'Cover' feature, seen in similar fashion by James Bond first person shooters, is greatly useful, and easy to use. It is also very attractive by a graphic standpoint. The weapons are of the best and most realistic you will find in first person shooters, often providing great secondary functions (silencers, look through walls, grenade launchers...). The weapons offering scope ability display range that is pressure sensitive to the left trigger on the controller. As the left trigger zooms, the right trigger prepares for fire. This leaves both thumbs easily available for movement in either scope or non-scope mode.

Yes, combat arena is awesome as expected. Blast your friends in a ton of multi-player games with Perfect Dark Zero.

XBox 360 owners have put aside Halo games for the new generation of online, high definition, first person shooter, Perfect Dark Zero.

Qbe Or Not Qbe

Qbe Technologies currently offer two innovative tablet slate computers. These computers are not offering the Microsoft tablet operating system, but do however provide software for handwriting recognition and voice recognition. These stylish computers have impressive specifications, of which includes a built in 180 degree pivot digital video camera, and a 10.4" TFT XGA touch screen. We're going to keep our eyes on Qbe Technologies, as they are offering great information tools for Inklings.

Inkling, Within Your Means

Become an Inkling with the Connoi T 2300, the newest tablet pc on the market. Announced yesterday, this tablet is hoping to help customers discover more than a notebook at an affordable rate. This information is hot off the press, so there are not many pictures of the tablet available yet. However, the picture provided does offer a nice glimpse of what we can expect in this stylish convertible. The pen appears to be held on the monitor in a similar fashion to the Fujitsu Lifebook convertible tablets. This provides great access to the pen in either tablet or laptop modes.

Stay tuned for more information regarding this new tablet. You may click on the picture to view the specifications provided with the tablet announcement.

amBX Game Play Environment

One of my friends passed a very interesting link along to me. The link outlines an exciting approach to the future of gaming and home entertainment. The technology is being introduced by Philips and is called amBX. The amBX technology is being produced for ambient gaming, and perhaps home entertainment as a whole.

The technology sends signals to compatible hardware within the home to provide an atmosphere similar to the game play atmosphere. If you're playing a game within a jungle and the screen atmosphere is of color green, then the lights within the room turn the same shade of green. Strobes of light may simulate lightening, and fan blasts may simulate a rapid fall. The affect will provide us with a full sensory game play experience.

Philips is leading the way with advanced discussions with top videogame producers and peripheral manufacturers. Be on the look out, this technology may be available to us in May 2006! Find more information here: http://www.pro-g.co.uk/news/nid/1784/

XBox Live Ranking

A squared plus B squared equals C squared?

Microsoft has provided a research paper on their process of ranking the skill of players in XBox Live. Apparently this was not an easy task and had never been done before by other game systems (of numerous player gaming). As Microsoft points out, it is a lot different that ranking players from two player matches (like chess).

Not because you can find a way to cheat the system, but because the mathematician inside you wants to follow this link: The Details of the TrueSkill™ Ranking System

Fujitsu Media Center

Fujitsu announced that it would begin offering the Windows Media Center operating system with select laptops. The Lifebook N6220 (shown here) has a 17 inch monitor and is now available with the media center operating system. With the fujitsu portable media center paired with the arrival of the Xbox 360, we have an ultimate portable and in-house media experience.

Now we just need these media center systems to support pen-based computing, so us Inklings can be completely satisfied. Fujitsu seems to be on the ball... but the ball is in Microsoft's court. Vista we await your arrival.