Logitech Flight System G940

This week at E3 Logitech has just announced its brand new Logitech Flight System G940. The Flight System Controller features three main parts: the petals, the throttle, and the joystick. The Logitech Flight System G940 is the best flight system out and will be more than capable of turning your computer room into a virtual cockpit.

Some main features of the G940 Flight System is the large amount of controls and buttons it comes with. With up to 250 individual commands the G940 makes it possible to never have to even use a keyboard. The G940 is also known to be one of the most realistic flight systems to date. Every piece of the G940 was carefully crafted with realism in mind.

It also looks very durable and it can be mounted very easy so you will not have to worry about it slipping when you are playing your favorite flight simulator. It also comes with a dual throttle so you are able to control both engines independently.

Also here is a list of game that are supported by the Logitech Flight System G940:
Works with PC flight simulators including Microsoft® Flight Simulator X, IL-2 Sturmovik™: 1946, Falcon: Allied Force, Lock On: Modern Air Combat X-Plane 9, Enemy Engaged 2, and DCS: Black Shark

The Logitech Flight system G940 is currently not available for purchase, but expect it to be out in the next week or so at the price of $300. Also for a more in depth overview of the G940 make sure to check out Logitech’s Overview Video here.

War Machine Tomahawk 17 Gaming Laptop

Laptops are becoming more and more popular with computer gamers these days and everyone is looking for the latest and greatest gaming laptops. When most people think of gaming computers, their mind probably automatically goes to a company like Alienware but there are others out there have just about the same quality and maybe for a cheaper price.

War Machine is one of the leaders in gaming laptops these days and their new 17 inch Tomahawk 17 is one of the best with ATI Crossfire video cards, 4GB of DDR3 RAM, and Intel Quad-Core Processor. So here’s the low down on what this laptop is all about.

The laptop itself is about two inches thick with a weight roughly around 10 pounds which makes it pretty heavy but no more than Alienware’s M17X. The laptop has ATI Crossfire video cards for enhanced visual gaming and a Quad-Core processor for fast speed and gaming performance. It has a 17″ display that has full 1920 x 1200 high-definition resolution and an HDMI out. The keyboard area has a lot of wrist space on it which some gamers like but as a result you have to put out a but of a reach to get to the keyboard. Because of this the computer can dig into your wrists and chafe which could make long term gaming uncomfortable. On this not the keyboard is a bit too small for such a large computer. The laptop is large and the keyboard comes with a numerical keypad. If they remove the keypad and stretch a little they could easily fit a full size keyboard onto the laptop.

The design looks pretty cool as well. The Tomahawk is solid black with a glossy finish and the War Machine logo blasted across the back of the lid which makes for a cool and intimidating look. The keyboard is backlit and the overall design is nice looking although the glossy finish does tend to leave fingerprints. But overall the computer plays well and games look great on it. Whether or not this is worth a purchase is still your decision. It comes under a price tag of $2,750. Alienware has better specs, more so in the hard drive and processor areas, for about the same price. But, if you aren’t hard core enough to care about all the details and you have $3,000 to blow on a gaming laptop, then the Tomahawk 17 from War Machine is definitely worth a look.

written by: Zack Duncan

Game in 3D With New Glasses from NVIDIA

Everybody loves watching movies, looking at pictures or playing video games. Sitting down and relaxing while doing something like this can be a very enjoyable time. While movies and things are great, nothing gets people more excited than seeing a movie and 3D. But what if you could do everything in 3D? What if all your pictures, movies, and video games on your PC were jumping out of the screen at you? If this has ever been a fantasy for you, then it is about to come true, thanks to NVIDIA GeForce 3D Vision.

You can now upgrade your PC to an incredible stereoscopic 3D experience with the help of NVIDIA GeForce 3D Vision. Advanced software from NVIDIA and new high-tech glasses combine to make up GeForce 3D Vision which automatically makes hundreds of different PC games become full stereoscopic 3D adventures. The process requires a few things to get started. First you need an NVIDIA GeForce GPU. You also need a GeForce 3D Vision-Ready display. And lastly, you need the NVIDIA GeForce 3D Vision glasses. I know what your thinking, “3D glasses? Like those cheap cardboard ones you get from a cereal box?” Well no. The NVIDIA 3D glasses are a stylish looking pair of glasses that don’t look that much different from a pair of sunglasses. Combine all these things together and you will be ready to have all the environments and characters of your games, movies, and pictures come to life with eye-popping super clear details.

Now you need a GeForce GPU to be able to do this. If you already have a GeForce GPU, then you can buy an upgrade kit which includes NVIDIA GeForce 3D Vision and a Samsung SyncMaster LCD monitor for around $598. But, if you already have a GeForce GPU and GeForce 3D Ready monitor, then you can just by the GeForce 3D Vision Kit for $199. Finally, we can play games in 3D. The only thing left is to virtually insert ourselves into the actual game, now that would be cool.

written by: Zack Duncan

How Much Would It Cost To Upgrade To Core I7

With the Core I7 now out since late November, is it time to upgrade your old 65 nm Quad Core or Core 2 Duo to the latest in Processor Technology? Well the answer is yes because the overall performance gain is just huge compared to the previous processors. The question is though, how much will it cost you?

Well the answer is about $600. The problem is the new Core I7 processor is only compatible with the brand new X58 motherboards and to top it all off your dirt cheap DDR2 RAM will not work with the Core I7 architecture either so your going to have to upgrade to the brand new DDR3 RAM also.

So lets get to each part:

Core I7 CPU
Cost $288.99
The price on this has only fallen $20 since its release and probably will not fall until a new line of Intel CPU’s come out. If you look online though you can sometimes find it cheaper. Microcenter has it on their website right now for only $230! The fact is though nothing will compete with this processor, not even the $1500 core 2 extremes. Also I would not bother buying a more expensive Core I7’s because you can easily overclock this one to 3.0Ghz without any hassle.

DDR3 RAM
$70-$90
With DDR3 memory being around for a while now the prices have really started to drop. As. The sweet spot for memory for DDR3 right now is 6GB. Really you only need 4GB, but the prices difference is so small you are better off opting for 6GB. For more on DDR3 memory check out this post on TomsHardware. As far as pricing goes it will cost about $80 for a good set of G Skill 6GB RAM. If you want to overclock at all or just want the best I would highly recommend getting the $166 CORSAIR DOMIATOR.

X58 Motherboard
Cost $200-$300
Now the hard part comes, choosing the right motherboard. With so many features and brands to choose from, it can seem like a daunting task to choose the right motherboard for your build. As of writing this there are currently only 40 motherboards that support the Core I7. The sweet spot for me was around $250. I chose the EVGA 132-BL-E758-TR. It costs $255 and it comes with all the needed features, its easily overclockable, supports 3 way SLI & Crossfire, and has great reviews. If you are on a budget I would suggest not going any lower than $200 and try to stick with a name brand, you just want to make sure you get a motherboard that works and supports all the normal features. Too many people skimp on the motherboard and regret it later.

Overall I feel you will be impressed on how much better your computer runs if you upgrade to this build. You should see a vast improvement in your programs, but if you are doing this solely for gaming then I would recommend getting a better video card because the CPU can only do so much before your video card tops out. If you have any comments or questions make sure to leave a comment.
Written By: Mike Howard

The New Nintendo DSi

Since its introduction in 2004, the Nintendo DS has sold over 100 million units and has become the highest selling hand held gaming system of its generation. The DS has a huge variety of games that apply to gamers of all ages young and old.However, like all consoles, the success of the device can only be partly due to its software. Typically it is a carefully timed hardware revision that can make or break a console. This is very true for the DS. The device has only existed in three major configurations: the original DS, the DS Lite, and now the DSi. The original DS laid the foundation for the handheld and the DS Lite trimmed off some of the unwanted “fat” of the device. The latest version, the DSi, has added some functional and stylistic upgrades.

The DSi brings some cool new features to the system like downloadable content via the DSi Shop. However, the DSi doesn’t introduce any groundbreaking performance enhancements. The preocessing abilities of the DSi are comparable to that of the DS Lite. On paper the DSi boasts a significant speed boost to its processing. It was said that the DSi jumped from 67 MHZ in the Lite to 133 MHZ in the DSi. Although the differences are not that noticeable. But perhaps the biggest hardware differences to the DSi is the addition of two integrated cameras, n integrated SD slot, a screen enlargment of 0.25″, expanded RAM, and the removal of the much loved GameBoy Advance cartridge slot.

There are some noteworthy changes to the DSi, even though it didn’t undergo such heavy aesthetic change as the DS Lite. The DSi is slightly thinner than the DS Lite coming in at around 18.9mm as opposed to the Lite’s 21.5mm. The DSi is actually wider and longer than the Lite. It currently comes with two color options, blue and black, which has a matte finish . However, this matte finish is more susceptible to grease prints left by the sweaty little hands of gamers. Yet the DSi does have an all around better tactile response.

The two cameras are located on the inside hinge and the right corner of the outside panel of the flip up screen. Both have a low 0.3 megapixel resolution but also works good for the systems first and third party applications. But the cameras are basically useless for anything other than taking funny pics of yourself and your friends, if you are in a brightly lit room. If not, you might as well not even try. If you do manage to get a picture that isn’t a scary black blob, the colors of it will have a blue or green like tint. But, this is the DSi and not a big fancy camera.

The benefits of the expanded RAM, being four times that of the DS Lite, is really not that noticeable either. And if you put the DSi and the DS Lite next to each other you can hardly tell the difference in the screen sizes and there really is no improvement over the DS Lite in picture quality or color representation. The biggest thing being that is the “nail in the coffin” for some buyers is the absence of the GameBoy Advance cartridge slot. Backwards compatibility is one of the strongest things going for consoles like the Xbox 360 and the PS3 and it appeared to be the same in the DS and DS Lite. But the omission of the added feature is understandable in seeing how the creators wanted to cut back on the size.

But the biggest thing going for the DSi is the ability for downloadable content. Wi-Fi support has always been a center point for the DS since it came out. And now, thanks to the DSi Shop, users will be able to download games and content straight to the DSi for the first time ever. The Firmware has created the delivery method and the DSi’s built in SD card slot makes everything possible. The DSi can use any standard SD card including SDHC cards which exceeds 2GB and supports AAC audio, picture files and other media.

Nintendo also boasted that the DSi had an extended battery life of 14 hours. And their claims were accurate. The device can be played between 12 to 14 hours before recharging. Although run time will vary for each device depending on user settings and feature usage.

The DSi is an all around worthwhile device. While some users will undoubtedly miss the backwards compatibility provided through the GBA Slot, it makes up for it with the added SD slot and the really cool ability for downloadable content though the DSi Shop. For gaming purposes the DSi is a great hand held device. Nintendo has provided a unique, entertaining hand held experience. Plus, all the interesting features like the double screens, the cameras, and the stylis make for a gaming experience that differs from what we are used to. The price tag of $169.99 is well worth it for anyone who has a DS Lite and wants to upgrade or someone who is new to the hand held genre and whats a truly fun and unique experience.

New Rumor Expects PSP2 Before Christmas

Although we are only a quarter of the way into the new year, there has already been tons of buzz and rumors going around about the new Playstation Portable from Sony. Just leaked from an insider source who says he is a developer on the PSP2 project, we should expect to see the PSP2 released some time before next Christmas and that it is also being called the PSP-4000. Also among some of the rumors from this developer is that the Playstation Portable 2 is being designed more like the I-phone than the current PSP and that it will boast a sliding touch screen which will conceal all of the buttons and controls when not open. Unfortunately no new information has come out from this insider source but we expect there to be tons of rumors, hype, and released information on the PSP2 in the coming months.

OnLive: The End of Console Gaming?

The video game industry is the fastest growing industry in the world. More and more people are buying games, consoles, going to video game creating schools, colleges are having classes about it, it is taking over the world!

In the world of video games, there are 2 ways you can play them: PC’s and consoles. There are three different types of consoles on the market today; the Microsoft X-box 360, the Sony Playstation 3, and the Nintendo Wii. To play a video game these days you have to have one of these consoles, that is, until now.

With a new device simply called OnLive, you can stream any top-named video game, from either the PS3, 360, Wii, or PC, straight to your television just like a youtube video to your computer. At least thats the vision of Palo Alto, startup for OnLive., which plans to launch this revolutionary gaming service this winter. A small box, roughly the size of a Nintendo DS, will sit upon your t.v. This box plugs into your t.v. and your home broadband network. From this point you can start playing games exactly like those found on a console. The best thing is that there is no installation time or download time and the OnLive box can be continuously updated meaning you will never have to buy the latest and greates console whenever it comes out.

You are probably thinking “How? High-profile games won’t work like this.” Well, the fast-paced racing game Burnout Paradise worked without a hitch and the PC game Crysis: Warhead, which typically takes a high caliber PC to run also worked fluently. It is very easy to start playing games too. OnLive has a nice interface that requires only a few hits of the buttons and you’re off and running.

There are also things on OnLive that resembles that of your home DVR. OnLive has a replay feature which allows you to rewind the last 10 seconds of gameplay and save it so you can send it to your friends.

OnLive’s services can also be accessed from your Mac or PC Computer which works the some way as the t.v. version. The company also boasts that OnLive’s hardware requirements are so low that even the top-notch PC games will be able o be played on a $300 notebook. The company has already signed deals with industry big names like EA, Ubisoft, and Take-Two. OnLive promises to have an up-to-the-minute selection of game titles like Grand Theft Auto IV, LEGO Batman, and Mirror’s Edge, just to name a few.

Now while this all sounds too good to be true, well, it might be. There is one catch to OnLive. Because OnLive is an online streaming service, your box will only be as good as the internet connection you have. High-Def resolution will require you to have a higher-end broadband connection. Also, if your connection is prone to drop put unexpectedly, then you might become a little frustrated. Plus, all the streaming videos might give you some unwanted attention from you ISP’s modem users.

OnLive won’t talk price. The only thing they did say was that their price will be competitive with subscription services like Xbox Live. The company says the box itself is cheap and easy to make and that it is easy to see it getting thrown in with subscription prices like a cable or satellite set-top box. Games will most likely e available to to be rented or bought, and most games will have free demos that do not require a download.

So is this the end of console gaming as we know it? Or just another chapter in the infamous “console wars”? Personally, I don’t think OnLive will replace console or PC gaming. The market is to strong and people fear new, unknown products. If this device gets the backing of a big name industry representative or strong gaming media coverage, then it might do well. This is kind of the same thing as companies like GameFly or other game renting companies like that. They’re goal was to stop people having to go to the video stores, causing the stores to close down, and that isn’t happening anytime soon. So, I think OnLive will get a lot of service, like those game rental companies, but I don’t think it will be anywhere as big as killing console gaming altogether.

written by: Zack Duncan

Mac Pro Not A Gaming Powerhouse

You may want to think twice about gaming on a Mac Pro

Apple had just recently released a newer version of its Mac Pro. With a price tag of $3,499 you can expect to be getting a great system. The specs for this desktop are pretty much amazing.

Mac Pro Specs

• Two 2.26GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon
• 6GB DDR3 RAM (6x 1GB)
• 640GB 7200rpm Hard drive
• ATI Radeon HD 4870 Video Card

With a spec sheet like this you would expect this to be an amazing gaming rig. If I were to guess on the performance for a desktop like this in a game like COD 4 I would almost guarantee 60+ frames per second. Everything in this rig is perfect for gaming, the only thing that would be holding it back is the CPU speed of 2.26GHz and since no games support 8 cores you will not see a performance gain from the extra cores. Overall though I would definitely think it would get 60+ fps. Well CNET also thought that maybe this new Mac Pro would be a gaming powerhorse also so they put it to the test playing COD 4. Well the results as you will see are far from Gaming Powerhouse.

chart from cnet.com

All of these tests were ran at a modest resolution of 1680 x 1050 with 4x anti-aliasing. The results are an improvement over the GT 120, but only get up to a meager 35 fps. Many people speculate that the low frame rate is caused by the OSX versions of these games, claiming that they are bad ports because the Radeon 4870 is one of the best cards on the market and there is just no way that it would perform this badly in a rig such as the Mac Pro

Bottom line, even though it is not made for gaming, any rig that costs $3500 you would expect much better performance.

Alienware Area-51 M15x Gaming Laptop

Alienware is one of the top names in quality gaming computers and that quality extends to laptops as well as desktops.

The Area-51 M15x is one in a long line of great gaming laptops pumped out by Alienware. This laptop is a monster with loads of features, upgrades, and everything you need for ultimate gaming.

First of all, the M15x is a laptop so it needs portability. This computer sports a size of 14.6×10.7×1.3 inches and weighs a reasonable 7.1 pounds. The M17x has a few differences from previous Alienware computers. It has a plastic, blocky case which feels very weak, like it would break under the slightest strain (especially bad for hot-tempered gamers). The matte-black spinal ridges, like those on the Area-51 M9750, have been smoothed out to a glossy finish and topped with the Alienware insignia emblazoned with LED eyes.

But that’s just the outside, the inside is where everything is at. The M15x is packed with booming with hardware. It has a 2.8GHz Core 2 Extreme X9000 processor for lightning fast gaming. It also comes with 4GB of DDR 2 memory as well as a 200GB hard drive with a 320GB removable hard drive. Since the M15x is a gaming laptop, it needs a good graphics card. The Area-51 M15x has the upgrade option of the nVidia GeForce 8800M GTX (512MB) graphics card, but comes with the Intel P965 chipset. The 8800M GTX is the real deal. It can run up to 96 frames per second (fps) on some games, like F.E.A.R.

Since this computer is packing so much under the hood, it isn’t really a huge surprise that the battery doesn’t last too long. The average battery life is around 1hr 22mins respectively. Alienware tries to manage the computer’s power consumption with two key components: U/D GFX and Stealth mode. The Stealth Mode touch button tries to curb power by scailing back CPU and GPU use. Some reports have noticed that the M15x would bump you into stealth mode while gaming which would cause performance problems. But this was easily fixed by hitting Alt-tab and turning off stealth mode. U/D GFX gives you the option of toggling between the 8800M GTX graphics card and the integrated Intel P965 chipset through the F7 key. The only problem is that this requires a system reboot and there is no indicator to tell you which mode you are running. The only way to tell is to take a look at the Device Manager.

The M15x is also very nice to look at. It has a nice 15.4inch screen with a 2-mega pixel webcam. As you look below the bezel, you will notice power, wireless, volume, and system touch controls. The touch pad is surrounded by an LED border. There is also a multitude of LED lights built into the backlite keyboard, which is a $50 dollar upgrade option, and encircling the case lid and emblem. All the lights can change color independently using the Alienware Command software, however there are no strobing or color shifting options available.

Like most notebooks, the M15x sports an up-to-date variety of ports including a 802.11b/g/n wi-fi, mic and headphones, and Gigabit Ethernet as well as 3 USB 2.0 ports, one firewire port, an SD/MMC memory card slot, HDMI port and ExpressCard slot. The M15x also plays Blu-ray movies with beautiful picture, and also hooks up to your HD t.v. via a HDMI port which displays in stunning 1080p HD resolution.

Needless to say this thing is ridiculous. It is packed with so much that it is no surprise that the Alienware Area-51 M15x laptop is the undeniable best laptop on the market. This thing does not come cheap though. The M15x has a starting price of around $2,149, which isn’t unreasonable for a quality gaming computer. However, if you choose to upgrade it with the features it offers, expect to pay anything around $5,000 o less. Despite the price this is definitley a computer to look out for.

written by: Zack Duncan

Nvidea’s GTX 295

Nvidea’s Gefore GTX 295 is the most powerful single graphics card out right now. The card is essential two GTX 280 cards squeezed into one ultra powerful card. The GTX 295 offers a very noticeable performance gain over ATI’s previous successor the ATI Radeon 4870 X2.

The new GTX 295 sports 896Mb of GDDR3 memory, 240 shader cores, and a new more efficient 55nm process GPU. The GTX 295 comes with the normal set of ports including 2 DVI ports and a HDMI port. It also comes with Nvidea’s PhysX accelerated physics API, which is nothing to brag about since its hardly supported with any games.

If you are wanting this powerhouse of a graphic card expect to shell out some major cash. Currently EVGA’s version costs $500 for one, but that’s the price u have to pay to be number one.