Hasta La Gadget!

We’re still trying to wrap our heads around the idea that an aftermarket NIC can really improve your gaming experience, but time and time again Bigfoot Networks Killer line of network interface controllers comes through reviews with flying colors, and its latest, the Killer 2100, is no exception. Boot Daily took one for a spin and found that it “completely destroys the typical on-board LAN port in all the gaming tests.” Latency and UDP throughput were clearly improved, and the new software was found to be comprehensive and useful. We’re still not seeing this as a product for casual gamers, but if you’ve ever blamed lag for your inability to rack up the headshots then this is $129 well-spent — assuming you’ll be able to come up with some other excuse.

Bigfoot Networks Killer 2100 reviewed, ‘completely destroys’ on-board NICs originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 13 May 2010 09:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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So these three operating systems walk into a bar one night … alright, we’ll behave. With all the Steamy conversation about gaming on non-Windows desktop platforms going on, we thought you might care to peek at a little OpenGL performance comparison review. As the chief cross-platform API, it’s the only way we’re going to be seeing the latest games running natively on Mac OS and Linux, but how will that experience compare to the market leader? As it turned out, Windows maintains superiority in this field, with frame rates that were habitually above those on the latest Ubuntu and well ahead of what you might get on Mac OS 10.6.3. It’s still early days — after all, Steam’s non-DirectX cupboard is pretty bare right now — but at this point in time, OpenGL gaming is a crown that Microsoft retains with relative ease. Hit the source for all the line graph evidence, and let’s hope things improve for the rest of us in rapid fashion.

Windows 7, Mac OS X, and Ubuntu 10.04 meet up for an OpenGL benchmarking session originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 May 2010 04:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Backing away from a previous position, are we Nintendo? Just a month after Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime claimed that the iPhone OS (you know, that operating system used on the iPod touch, iPhone family and the iPad) wasn’t a “viable profit platform for game development,” along comes the company’s president to say that, in fact, Apple is the primary “enemy of the future.” That’s according to Times Online, who says that the Big N’s CEO (Satoru Iwata) feels that the battle with Sony is a “victory already won,” and who clearly believes that the next wave of gaming won’t be of the traditional sit-on-your-coach-and-slam-buttons variety. ‘Course, the PSP never has been able to hang with the DS family, but even the Wii has a ways to go before it catches the mighty PlayStation 2 in terms of global sales. Going forward, the company is purportedly looking to revive the element of “surprise” in Nintendo products, but it might be best served by simply catching up to the competition and supporting this wild concept known as “HD gaming” over “HDMI.”

Nintendo CEO: battle with Sony is over, Apple is the ‘enemy of the future’ originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 May 2010 14:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Having taken gaming functions as far as they can go, Razer is apparently focusing on style. This month it will introduce the Razer Abyssus Mirror Special Edition, which wraps the best-selling mouse in a black chrome mirror finish.

The Abyssus includes a 3,500-dpi infrared sensor, which can be adjusted to 4,500 or 1,800 dpi on-the-fly as needed via a switch underneath. It’s equipped with two large buttons that deliver tactile feedback, as well as the company’s Hyperesponse technology. Razer suggests it’s the perfect complement to other reflective peripherals, such as the Razer Lycoa Mirror Special Edition keyboard.

Look for this mouse on May 14 for a list price of $49.99.

Mario and Sonic, together! Halo Warthog Mario Kart! Modern Warfare Duck Hunt! Imagined video game mashups don’t get much better than this. And I would serious pay money to play a good chunk of these. More »