As many of you know Vista has been released and with it many people who own nforce motherboards have been met with frustration. Anyone who owns nforce 1/2/3 boards Nvidia now will not be supported with drivers on Vista…or will they? Nvidia just released drivers for all the nforce platforms that they said they would not support - 1, 2, 3. However Nvidia has yet to release nforce 4, 5, or 6 drivers to the Vista community; keep in mind Vista has been out to the press and Business community for over a month now so there is no excuse, especially when Vista is now out to the public.

This issue has started a literal flame-war on their own forum. Many people have stated that they will never use another Nvidia product ever again due to this situation. Most however have just been flaming Nvidia constantly asking for drivers for the past month. This issue has spun off into countless threads of anger and hate directed towards Nvidia…oh yeah, examples -

mscrivo: “Does anyone else find it strange that nvidia has not released a single set of nForce drivers (3,4,5 or 6 series) for Vista RTM? The last real full package was issued for Beta 2 which was nearly a year ago. What gives? Almost all other manufactures have at least beta drivers out, but not even a peep from nvidia.”

Followed by -

NaterGator: “I’m an nForce3 user with a dual-core AMD processor and ATI X800 card. If this is how nVidia is going to treat their customers this is the last nVidia product I will own.”

Followed by -

Cheesy: “So it’s less than 24 hours until Vista RTM releases and I won’t be able to install it on my computer because you still haven’t released any drivers for my PATA-RAID. I mean, I always was happy with nvidia products. The last 4 Graphic cards and the last 3 Mainboards were from Nvidia, but if I don’t get support for a new OS (which is delayed for more than half a year) my next hardware won’t be from your company.” (Keep in mind its now 2 days after he posted that)

You can see the whole thread here but the response to this can be seen from those three. I have been affected by this issue myself as well since I have an nforce 4 motherboard and now Vista is almost useless. This issue would not be that big of a deal as long as Nvidia kept the community updated on when the drivers were coming but no, they have not said anything at all. Instead I sit here with baited breath waiting on some hope that drivers will eventually come out, but after this being the 2nd time I have been personally screwed by Nvidia I can say I will not be buying another product of their’s again as well.

Way to pee all over your customers Nvidia!

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In this episode I discuss whether or not gaming television can work. Enjoy.

In this episode I discuss whether or not it will be a three way split this generation. Enjoy.

In this episode I discuss the situation with Ziff Davis and what it means for 1up and EGM. Enjoy.

In this episode I discuss whether or not the PS3 is one killer app away from being huge. Enjoy.

In this episode I discuss whether or not Xbox Live’s multiplayer is getting worse. Enjoy.

The topic for this article may mislead many people as it is a discussion that has been going on for quite some time. Is PC gaming mainstream? According to Robbie Bach at this year’s CES 2007 he stated that “Over 200 million people play PC games in a month”. After hearing that you may think that PC gaming is mainstream already and always has been, but due to the cost factor and intimidation it has been a platform that has swayed people from jumping in. Now with Vista around the corner Microsoft is looking to dominate the market even more so by bridging the gap between consoles and PCs with Live Anywhere.

For those who have not heard of Live Anywhere I will explain the basis for what it is by quoting Wikipedia: “Live Anywhere is a feature for the video game console Xbox service, Xbox Live. It will enable a variety of non-Xbox platforms such as a Windows Vista PC, Windows Mobile phones, and Java-enabled phones to connect to Xbox Live. Users, each with a unique Gamertag that carries over from Xbox Live, will be able to play online, keep track of their friends’ status, send and receive messages, purchase Xbox Live Arcade games for cell phone use, gain and keep track of Achievements, and more.” With that being said Live Anywhere is something that PC and console gamers have been wanting for quite a while as it will definitely enhance the experience of both platforms at the same time.

The bridging of both of these platforms will mean that Microsoft will have the biggest number of people playing on their platform, surpassing what Nintendo and Sony will ever be able to reach – combined. This is something I think Microsoft has seen for quite a while as it is one gigantic bulletpoint they would have in their pocket over their competitors, especially when you consider the developers would see the fact that they could pitch their games to an even broader audience that any of the competitors could EVER offer. Microsoft sees this opportunity and gets it – 210+ million gamers out there playing on their platforms wanting more. The only concern for Microsoft right now seems to be rolling out Live Anywhere.

Microsoft has been sitting on Vista for so long and obviously it has been because of Live Anywhere. Rolling out Vista and Live Anywhere at the same time is crucial. Microsoft’s competitors surely are not going to sit idly by and wait for them. Vista is due for release in January and the whole gaming community is waiting to finally see what Live Anywhere will do.

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In this episode I discuss the news that went undiscussed during the break. Enjoy.

Yep, after beating the game now six times I just found out that I won a copy from SpikeTV due to that contest I entered back on the 31st of October. Some of you may remember the contest but they were selecting a limited amount of people, first come first serve, to give a copy of Gears to. Here is proof for the nay sayers:

So random…time to Ebay.Update: If you’re interested in purchasing this copy and the winning notification check here on Ebay and bid. Right now there is a reserve price of 35 dollars with a shipping cost of 6 dollars which is still 18 dollars under retail so it is still a pretty good deal if you’re looking for Gears this holiday.

It’s always great to find out that after four weeks of the 360 working perfectly after powering it up that it is now flashing small box pixels all over the screen whenever doing anything on the 360. Yes, this is the one that took me over a month and a half to receive due to me being approved a new one. I have tried it on multiple displays, used different av cables, used my secondary power supply, and even tried it at my friend’s house and no avail.

So I am now scheduled to receive a box to return this one for repair, which is supposed to arrive in the next 10-15 days. At that time I will ship it off for repair and will receive it back within 14 days. Another month of Xbox Live waisted just in time for Christmas.

Ho ho oh how I hate you.

In this episode I detail the three things that Xbox Live could be doing better to dominate the online segment of gaming. Enjoy.

 

 Sado's Playhouse Episode 8 [13:06m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

In this episode I discuss one of Xbox Live’s biggest problems: Matchmaking. Enjoy

 

 Sado's Playhouse Episode 7 [9:25m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

According to the IGN interview:

Michael Ephraim (Managing Director SCE Australia): “I wouldn’t bet my life on these numbers but they’re not far off, about 25,000 units a week. Now that is not a good number. In Japan they’re a dismal failure. And in the US, I’m not privy to their numbers, but they’re in the ball game.”

He goes on to say:

“If you look at GfK, our competitor’s systems, no matter how much they go out and brag about it, the sales have flattened. They’re selling 1700 units last week, there has been a downwards spiral on Xbox 360. This is fact, this not hype from Xbox talking about how well it’s selling. Look at GfK, it is not growing. Look at last week’s GfK where we sold over 7200 PS2s and Xbox sold approximately 1700 units.”

Oh compared to your 0 PS3s until March 2007? 25,000 a week sounds a whole lot better than 0. As it is lets remember that you guys were barely able to get 200,000 units in NA for launch, which is less than the 360 sold at launch in NA -

Gamasutra: “Xbox 360 console made an impressive debut with 326,000 units sold.”

Check the source if you don’t believe me. If anyone shouldn’t be pointing fingers about sales at this point it is Sony.

One little last tidbit picked up from Syb from NeoGaf:

“Did he forget to mention how the 360 was the fastest console to reach 100,000 sold in Australia? Selective thinking FTW.”

Indeed.

Just two weeks ago both the PS3 and Wii were both launched and with it we can finally say “Next-Gen” is now current-gen. Now that all of this marathon line waiting hysteria is over we can now give you our opinions on where we feel the consoles fall in terms of scores.

Nintendo Wii
Pros: Intuitive controller, ultimate party console, appeals to everyone, classic Nintendo console durability, great launch games, Miis, shows how rumble should work on every console, wow factor in playing every game in a “new” way, length of range on the Wiimote, promise of Mario and Metroid next year, great game lineup down the line, easier to find in stores than a ps3 this holiday season, and it is cheap.
Cons: Lack of accessories at launch, lack of supply of accessories, poor graphics, poor online strategy, absurd virtual console prices, no additions to virtual console games, horrible midi sounds on the speaker of the Wiimote, no mention of Wii sensor bar replacements, absurd SD card prices, lack of first party rechargeable batterypack, launch titles having trouble finding what works and what doesnt with the Wii, horrible for small rooms, lack of ‘real’ games, too many mini game games for launch, lack of component cable supply, easy to break wrist strap, horrible ‘online’ chatting (which basically comes down to sending really slow emails), lengthy online wii console number, and only a small number of virtual arcade titles available.
Grade: B

Sony Playstation 3
Pros: Resistance: Fall of Man, HDMI on both SKUs, hard drive, next-gen media player inside, quiet, ‘promise’ of sequels of those great Playstation games, free online, wifi and ethernet connectivity out of the box.
Cons: Too light of a controller, lack of rumble, iffy tilt control, terrible online store, playstation network feels like a beta, lack of AAA games at launch and in the next six months, poor game lineup for at least the next six months, high price tag, HDMI cable not included, lack of consoles at launch, slim to no chance of finding one for the next four to six months, many developers moving away from the ps3 or developing multi-platform, no killer app game for the system, ‘better’ graphics remain unproven, many multi-platform games look better on the 360 version than the ps3 one, pretty poor backwards compatibility, and overall no reason to get one right now unless Resistance: Fall of Man is your Halo type IP.
Grade: C

Microsoft Xbox 360
Pros: Stellar games already available, the best of the consoles 2007 game lineup, Gears of War, great amount of downloadable content available on the marketplace, great bundles available for people who have still not purchased an Xbox 360, a plethora of arcade titles available to purchase, Xbox Live, and it is the console most worth your hard earned dollars this holiday season.
Cons: Hardware problems still a problem, lack of AAA titles this holiday season, 20 gig hard drive starting to become not enough, length of time between AAA titles has created a ‘game hopping’ syndrome, lack of racing games, loud console, DVD9, microtransaction rape, and a lack of multiplayer games with staying power.
Grade: A

We hope you enjoyed our report cards. Feel free to give us feedback and your grades under this post or over the phone by calling our number.

TVersity, for those of you who are unfamiliar with the program is “The Universal Media Server for Home and Internet Content” according to TVersity’s website. On November 26, 2007 they unveiled what many people in the digital underground scene were waiting for - a way to on the fly transcode DIVX and XVID files using TVersity. This means that anyone trying to view DIVX and XVID encoded videos can do so without having to encode them manually by hand, which is what many, like myself, have been having to do for such files. I will not say what most DIVX and XVID video files are but you should be able to figure that out, which if you can, we do not condone you using it for that purpose.

TVersity has made leaps and bounds in the last couple months and with this latest addition, they just jumped their biggest leap to date. Keep it up guys.

For our visiting public you might want to note that their latest software that allows the transcoding of DIVX and XVID is a beta product and as such is prone to bugs.

TVersity’s Website