Photo: J.VillaretePhoto / Flickr

In the world of gaming, Internet that’s fast and reliable enough to keep up with games is often hard to come by. Now, Demon Internet has met that need with a broadband package designed especially for gamers – but the move has raised many concerns about online equality.

Net neutrality

An issue that’s been in the spotlight recently is that of ‘net neutrality’ – or the lack of it. There’s a growing concern about the fact that those internet users who pay more for higher end Internet packages receive preferential treatment – leaving Internet use slower for everyone else. For those whose Internet experience is slowed down by preferential packages like the ones designed for gamers, the only solution at the moment could probably be summed up with the phrase ‘if you can’t beat them, join them’.

Up to speed and well-supported

The broadband service is promised to deliver speeds of up to 20mb upstream and 1mb downstream. Perks include the network prioritisation that’s causing all the fuss, as well as a static IP address and a router. Especially good news for those who don’t want their gaming interrupted under any circumstances is the fact that a UK support team will be ready to help out twenty-four hours a day.

Word from the top

Matt Cantwell, the head of Demon Internet, said that ‘We know how important a good broadband connection is to the gaming community, and we are excited to be launching this product which has been designed to meet the specific needs of gamers. At Demon we appreciate that a better connection allows better gaming, and are confident that gamers will see the benefits that this service offers them.’ They almost certainly will – which could turn out to be a pity for everyone else.

Photo: Activision

Famed video games soothsayer Michael Pachter believes that a Call of Duty subscription service is inevitable, if not imminent, and he believes that up to 5 million gamers will sign up for the service. Cue the Call of Duty MMO calls again.

Soft software sales a concern

NPD numbers for June showed software sales declining 15 per cent over sales during the same period last year. This marked more than three consecutive months in 2010 where less software was sold than in the prior year, prompting analysts and executives at gaming companies to rethink their sales strategies.

Call of Duty subscription a necessity

Michael Pachter, the famous Wedbush Morgan gaming analyst, puts these depressed sales figures down to multiplayer games, which lead to people buying fewer games because they keep playing the same one.

Photo: Stock.Xchng

He believes this reality should force Activision Blizzard to release Call of Duty with an add-on subscription service. In an advisor’s note, he says: ‘We estimate that a total of 12 million consumers are playing Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 for an average of 10 hours per week on the two platforms’ respective networks’, [Xbox Live and PSN] and that this ‘has sucked the available time away from what otherwise would be spent playing newly purchased games’. Pachter then added that they (Wedbush Morgan) think this is a bad thing, and that publishers must figure out a way to recapture revenue from these lost players.

Michael Pachter adds that, ‘We think that it is incumbent upon Activision, with the most popular multiplayer game [Call of Duty], to take the first step to address monetization of multiplayer (gaming)’. He has a point, considering the runaway success the company has with World of WarCraft.

While he readily admits he’s not sure how Activision would go about this, it is clear that the folks at Activision Blizzard are thinking about the problem, too. We’ve wondered if a Call of Duty MMO was on the cards previously, too, considering others rake in the money from Call of Duty online play.

We’ll see.

Photo: OnLive

Now that E3 2010 is in full swing, it’s emerged that cloud gaming company OnLive has no intentions of going it alone, partnering with computing giant Dell to provide highly customized servers for its service.

Dell to provide servers

OnLive announced that its actually been working with Dell for several years already at the server level. The streaming gaming company’s CEO, Steve Perlman, explained the need for partnering up with Dell as one bourne out of the startups eventual challenge of accessing the ‘resources needed to produce and quickly scale computer infrastructure’. He had pleasant words to add about Dell and the value they add, saying the company has  been ‘working closely’ with Onlive’s ‘engineers to design servers to our exact specifications and business needs’.

New publishing partners, too

In addition to announcing Dell – who are better known for their computers – would partner with OnLive from a hardware perspective, the streaming gaming company also used E3 2010 as an opportunity to announce new publishers who have signed content deals with the cloud gaming company. In addition to the previously announced relationships with Take Two, EA, Ubisoft, THQ and Warner Bros, publishing giants Capcom, Konami, Square Enix and Sega will supply content, too.
Outside of getting Activision on board, the streaming gaming company pretty much has the crem della crem of video games publishers on board for the great streaming experiment.

OnLive explained briefly

Photo: Dell

Though we’ve touched on what OnLive is at length elsewhere, it’s basically a service that lets gamers play games without the need for a console or PC in your home. Your whole game – input, output and display – data is delivered via your broadband internet connection. In effect, the service allows you to perform cloud gaming, much like web apps that replace your desktop allow one to do cloud computing.

Put up or shut up

It’s showtime for OnLive now, with the service launching over the weekend in the US. The UK’s launch is as yet unconfirmed but we do know that BT, who own a small stake in the company, will provide the platform OnLive will be released on in the UK. We’re still very skeptical about whether or not this streaming gaming experiment will work, though we do believe this is the inevitable future of gaming. We’re just not sure if that future – or our broadband infrastructure – is ready now. And we’ve grown quite fond of having a PS3, 360 or Wii (or all three for over achievers) be the centre of our home theatres.

E3 2010 continues throughout the week and we’ll cover all the major announcements and reveals.

Photo: Stock.Xchng

2K Games thought it wise to run a competition awarding $1 million to the first person who pitched a perfect game in MLB 2K10. What they didn’t bank on is it would happen less than three days after the title’s release.

Million dollars for gaming

23-year-old Wade McGillbery pitched the perfect game less than three days after the title was released. Though his wife had recommended he take a day off work and try for it so that he had the jump on others, he opted to do the responsible thing, playing after returning from the office. He rolled his camera, did the not-so-impossible-after-all and, as they say, the rest is history.

Rare accomplishment

Photo: 2K Games / 2K Sports

A perfect game requires the pitcher completely shutting the other team out. This means the other teams’ batters neither score nor reach a single base. We’re talking no hits, no walks, and no movement at all. It’s such a rare accomplishment that in the real-life competitive format of the game, a perfect game has only been accomplished 18 times, the first time being in 1880 and the most recent in 2009.

Great publicity

McGillbery said he thought it was great publicity for the game, and 2K confirmed that the competition had a visible impact on sales. Though a million dollars may seem like a lot for marketing and expenses, insofar as MLB 2K10 sold at least an additional 50, 000 copies as a direct result of the competition, the promotion has paid for itself. (This calculation is based on publisher keeping a third of the $60 retail price.)

McGillbery, who is a records keeper for a retirement plan, and his wife, plan to use the money to pay off the mortgage on their home and start a family. MLB 2K10 is available in stores now.

Those who love their laptops because of the games they can play on them as and when they want to, know what they want in their laptops. High performance, big screen, high end graphics card are just some of the factors that would define a good gaming laptop. And there are many laptops that can lay claim to being a desirable gaming laptop but only few which can be counted among the best.

HP Pavilion dv7-2070 (NL862EA#ABU) is one of the most impressive gaming laptops. It features Intel Core 2 Duo P8600 processor with a clock speed of 2,400 MHz. It has a RAM of 4 GB, hard disk storage of 500GB and uses ATI Mobility Radeon HD4530 graphics card. This 17 inch laptop is one of the best mobile gaming systems around. However, for those who would like a slightly larger screen size, then the Sony Vaio VGN-AW11M/H with its Intel Core 2 Duo P8400 processor, RAM of 4 GB, hard drive of 320GB, 18.4 inch screen and NVIDIA GeForce 9300M GS graphics card comes along as an excellent option. And because it is Sony so it has durability and offers complete value for money too.

Another strong contender for the best gaming laptop is MSI Megabook GT725-087UK which uses Intel Core 2 Duo processor and has a storage capacity of 500GB. A 17 inch screen and ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4850 make sure that you can have remarkable experience while playing your favourite games on the laptop.

In addition to these three there are some other gaming laptops that make strong claims to be counted as the best gaming laptops of 2009 like Dell Studio 1737, Advent 6552, Apple MacBook Pro (MB604B/A) and a few others. The best thing is you can pick any of these and be sure that you won’t be disappointed.

Equipped with Core 2 Duo T6400 2.0GHz processor, Samsung R510-FAAG is an advanced laptop. Fully loaded with multimedia capabilities, the Samsung laptop has 4GB RAM and 320 GB Hard Disk Drive that can store a huge amount of data, files, photos and other media. It is a good combination of advanced technology and multimedia features and designed to please the most demanding user. It comes with a 15.4″ TFT display that offers sharp and crisp images to the user and makes viewing photos and videos a visual delight. Its operating system is Windows Vista Home Premium and it also has an integrated 1.3 mega pixel webcam. A 3-in-1 card reader and a wireless LAN aerial are its other useful features.

Intel GMA X4500 Dynamic Video Memory Technology 5.0 is the graphics controller in the machine. It also has built-in stereo speakers and the chipset is Mobile Intel GM45 Express. Weighing 2.68kg, it is light and portable and can be easily carried around from one meeting to another. Value for money and reasonably-priced, this machine comes with a year’s warranty. A reliable and flexible machine, the Samsung R510-FAAG (NP-R510-FAAGUK) is efficient and extremely user-friendly. The multi-format DVD-RW disc rewriter drive can handle recordable DVD and CD formats, including double-layer discs. Sharp display and high performing, the machine offers all kinds of ports that enhance its connectivity. Ideal for the most budget-conscious user, this laptop offers great value for money. All in all, it is a practical laptop ideal for everyday computing tasks and a good investment.

The OCZ DIY 17” Gaming Notebook (OCZDIY17A2-DM88XT) is designed for consumers to fully harness the benefits of building their very own gaming notebook. It helps consumers to go for ideal configuration to enhance their notebook’s performance. It provides infinite possibilities for the customers and it allows you to select components and features as per your requirements. It is equipped with ATI Radeon high performance graphics, which gives you the advantage of having premium mobile gaming experience of today’s most advanced and graphic-intensive games and applications. With OCZ DIY 17” Gaming Notebook (OCZDIY17A2-DM88XT), you don’t need to replace your entire laptop to swap out the CPU for a faster one, upgrade your RAM, or increase your hard drive storage capacity.

OCZ DIY 17” Gaming Notebook (OCZDIY17A2-DM88XT) has17″ WUXGA 1900×1200 Display with glossy finish. It comes with 24x CD-R/RW, 8xDVD+/-R, 6x DVD+/-R DL Combo DVD Drive. The OCZ DIY 17″ gaming notebook has an Integrated Touchpad with Scroll Bar and comes with Intel PM45 Chipset + ICH9M. OCZ DIY 17” Gaming Notebook (OCZDIY17A2-DM88XT) has high definition surround sound and is fully compatible with Microsoft Windows Vista SP1 (32/64 bit). It has the hard disc of 80GB which could be enhanced up to 500 GB. Intel Core 2 Duo/Extreme/Quad processors are used in it and it has up to 8GB Dual Channel DDR3-1333 @ (1.5-1.8V) with Intel XMP Support. It has got very elegant and sleek look that serves best the customers who care for style. It provides an amazing support for any types of games, which makes it all the more popular.

OCZ Technology has introduced the new Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Gaming Notebook which is easy to build and assemble. Truly unique, it allows the user to build one’s own gaming notebook with an ideal configuration by following by simple and easy steps.

DIY notebook kit lets the user select the components and features. Ideal for an enthusiast gamer or an IT professional, it is value for your money. The DIY notebook kit reaches the user before the hardware is marked up and the user can save money on buying a ready made gaming laptop like the rock Xtreme 780-T5900. Moreover, the user does not need to replace the whole OCZ laptop to change for a faster CPU or to simply upgrade the RAM, or increase the hard drive storage capacity.

The OCZ DIY 15″ Gaming Notebook is equipped with ATI Radeon high performance graphics and allows the user to enjoy a premium mobile gaming experience. One can simply breeze through the most advanced and graphic-intensive games and applications. It is possible to build a dream notebook and at a lower cost by simply following a set of easy instructions. Equipped with a high-performance memory and an impressive 15″ screen, the notebook offers the best quality in visuals.

The built-in features include 512MB GDDR3-equipped ATI Radeon HD 3650 graphics card, integrated touchpad with scroll bar, high definition surround sound and a Lithium-Ion battery, as well as a 15-inch WXGA+ display. There’s also wireless network connectivity, fingerprint reader and a 2MP web camera. The option of setting up your own notebook lets one search around for the best software and best deals on mobile components. Just create the gaming notebook, configure it according to your needs and go!

Tags for this article: best gaming laptop 2009, notebook, gaming laptops 2009

The X80 is the big brother of the X70 gaming laptop. It is much more versatile, powerful and energetic than practically any other gaming laptop available in the market. In fact, you can even consider opting for the X80 over other gaming powerhouse laptops like the MSI Megabook GT725. However, you should not go for the X80 if you hate to carry large sized machine on your shoulder because this one has got 17 inches of display. Such a big display was essential to offer an incredible gaming experience on the move. The beauty of the X80 is that it’s the world’s first mobile machine to sport a DirectX 10 graphics chip for ultimate gameplay experience.

Design wise, the X80 and X70 look similar to each other. However the X80 offers enhanced configuration and more versatility while performing. It’s available in two versions, i.e. X80 and X80 pro. The X80 boasts an Intel P8700 Core 2 Duo Mobile 3MB Cache Dual Core Processor, whereas the Pro version packs a faster Intel P9500 Core 2 Duo Mobile 3MB Cache Dual Core Processor. Both the processors run at 2.53GHz. Besides this both the versions pack a 4GB DDR3 1066MHz memory, Blu Ray ROM / DVDRW Multi Burner and are super powered via an nVidia GTX280 1GB DDR3 Graphics chipset. For storage, the X80 has got a 320GB 7200rpm SATA Hard Drive and the X80 Pro has got a 500GB 7200rpm SATA Hard Drive.

Both the versions of X80 feature high definition audio with SRS WOW surround sound. You will find two 1.5 watt speakers along with one 2 watt sub woofer that offer bass filled acoustics on the move. Apart from these you will also find all the required ports and interfaces for wired and wireless communication, just like X70.

The X70 is one of the latest gaming laptops rolled by Novatech recently. It’s been targeted at mobile gamers who want exceptional configuration and speedy performance on the move. It’s a good product because it gives desktop like graphics without getting oversized as other gaming laptops do. The Novatech X70 does not lack on the performance front at all. However there are some cons like poor pixel response (which is practically unnoticeable) and hot hard drive but overall the laptop can serve you the best as far as gaming and multimedia is concerned.

The X70 features an impressive hardware configuration that attracts every pro gamer towards it. It has got a 15.4 inch WSXGA+ display (1680 x 1050) and packs Intel Core 2 Duo P8400 processor clocked at 2.26GHz with 1066MHz FSB and 3MB Cache, 4GB DDR3 RAM, an nVidia 9800M GTS graphic card with 512MB GDDR3 VRAM and a 320GB Fujitsu hard drive @ 7200 RPM. With these specs the Novatech X70 easily rivals other high-end laptops like the Sony Vaio VGN-FW31ZJ, except its onboard graphics card and video RAM make the X70 even more optimal for player games. Moreover, the X70 laptop also equips a DVD+/-RW / Blu-Ray Reader for optical storage. It can run all the resource hungry applications in no time and is ideal for complex calculations. The design of the X70 is sleek and impressive. The keypad is good and offers easy to press keys. The most impressive function of the X70 is its silent mode that can be activated to clock down the system and turn off the fan to get complete silence.

X70 has got lots of connectivity ports and interfaces for easy communication and file sharing. It has got an express card slot, memory card reader, two high speed USB 2.0 ports, RJ-45 and RJ-11 connector, jacks for headphones and microphone, SPDIF jack, mini Firewire, DVI, HDMI, eSATA and a Kensington Lock Slot.