Archive for March 17th, 2010

I've spent the past month putting Astro's new A30 headset through its paces. You may know of Astro's work from their first release, the A40 headset. Originally designed for professional gamers, the A40 is a high-end headset solution that may be great for a LAN party but isn't really what I would call portable or mainstream. After all, they're kinda enormous. The A30's go in another direction entirely.

Design
In an attempt to court a larger audience of every day, un-sponsored gamers, Astro has released the A30 headset. The biggest difference is clear from the get-go. The A30 is much smaller than its professional cousin. It's designed in such a way that you could walk down the street with them and no one would bat an eyelash. I daresay they actually look cool, which makes sense considering Astro started off as a design company whose most notable work comes in the form of Microsoft's 1st party 360 controller.

The A30 comes in black and white varieties, but those Astro logos over the ear cups are actually replaceable magnets which allow for a level of personalization through Astro's online store. The cups also rotate, allowing you to store the headset flat or wear it around your neck with the cups resting against your collarbone.

Comfort
Although they're smaller, the A30s are still very much designed with the gamer in mind. Thick, high quality padding on the headband and ear cups allow you to wear the headset for hours on-end. That's probably true for most people, though I started to feel some discomfort after about an hour and a half as the headset was pressing on the thick, plastic arms of my glasses. My head is also a bit on the large side, and, even though I had to adjusted the headset to its maximum size, I still felt pressure above my ears. People without glasses or with thin-ripped glasses probably won't have any issue at all, but just something to take note of for the Tina Fey's and Buddy Holly's out there.

Sound
I'm not an audiophile, so please excuse my lack of scientific specifics, but the A30's sounded excellent in every instance I used them in. Astro ships a wide array of wires to adapt the headset to any possible situation, from a short one for use with an iPod while you're walking down the street, to a medium one for use on a computer, to an even longer one for a home media set-up. In each instance, the sound came through crisp and clear on both the high and the low levels, with plenty of bass and power where needed.

If you're looking for some additional fidelity, you can buy the A30's in a package which also includes Astro's MixAmp (pictured on left). This allows for Dolby Digital sound where available, and comes with a massive volume knob and a handy dial to modify chat audio versus game audio.

Worth noting that once you bring the MixAmp into a picture, the number of required cables does start to get a bit unwieldy, especially if you plan on using the headset for chat (with the included mic). On the 360, setting up chat requires no fewer than four different cables going into the MixAmp (on the PS3 and PC it's only 3), so if you're a nut about cable management you may want to just stick with the headset.

The Verdict
There's no question that the A30's are extremely well-designed (assuming you lack a huge head with equally huge glasses) and great sounding. There aren't many high quality headset solutions out there designed with gamers in mind, so Astro is left standing mostly alone in this field, and does an admirable job.

The A30 headset is available from Astro's online store for $149.99. If you buy the headset and the MixAmp in a bundle, that'll run you $229.99.

I've spent the past month putting Astro's new A30 headset through its paces. You may know of Astro's work from their first release, the A40 headset. Originally designed for professional gamers, the A40 is a high-end headset solution that may be great for a LAN party but isn't really what I would call portable or mainstream. After all, they're kinda enormous. The A30's go in another direction entirely.

Design
In an attempt to court a larger audience of every day, un-sponsored gamers, Astro has released the A30 headset. The biggest difference is clear from the get-go. The A30 is much smaller than its professional cousin. It's designed in such a way that you could walk down the street with them and no one would bat an eyelash. I daresay they actually look cool, which makes sense considering Astro started off as a design company whose most notable work comes in the form of Microsoft's 1st party 360 controller.

The A30 comes in black and white varieties, but those Astro logos over the ear cups are actually replaceable magnets which allow for a level of personalization through Astro's online store. The cups also rotate, allowing you to store the headset flat or wear it around your neck with the cups resting against your collarbone.

Comfort
Although they're smaller, the A30s are still very much designed with the gamer in mind. Thick, high quality padding on the headband and ear cups allow you to wear the headset for hours on-end. That's probably true for most people, though I started to feel some discomfort after about an hour and a half as the headset was pressing on the thick, plastic arms of my glasses. My head is also a bit on the large side, and, even though I had to adjusted the headset to its maximum size, I still felt pressure above my ears. People without glasses or with thin-ripped glasses probably won't have any issue at all, but just something to take note of for the Tina Fey's and Buddy Holly's out there.

Sound
I'm not an audiophile, so please excuse my lack of scientific specifics, but the A30's sounded excellent in every instance I used them in. Astro ships a wide array of wires to adapt the headset to any possible situation, from a short one for use with an iPod while you're walking down the street, to a medium one for use on a computer, to an even longer one for a home media set-up. In each instance, the sound came through crisp and clear on both the high and the low levels, with plenty of bass and power where needed.

If you're looking for some additional fidelity, you can buy the A30's in a package which also includes Astro's MixAmp (pictured on left). This allows for Dolby Digital sound where available, and comes with a massive volume knob and a handy dial to modify chat audio versus game audio.

Worth noting that once you bring the MixAmp into a picture, the number of required cables does start to get a bit unwieldy, especially if you plan on using the headset for chat (with the included mic). On the 360, setting up chat requires no fewer than four different cables going into the MixAmp (on the PS3 and PC it's only 3), so if you're a nut about cable management you may want to just stick with the headset.

The Verdict
There's no question that the A30's are extremely well-designed (assuming you lack a huge head with equally huge glasses) and great sounding. There aren't many high quality headset solutions out there designed with gamers in mind, so Astro is left standing mostly alone in this field, and does an admirable job.

The A30 headset is available from Astro's online store for $149.99. If you buy the headset and the MixAmp in a bundle, that'll run you $229.99.

Last year, the PS3 Slim gutted the PlayStation 3 and made Sony's system a lot leaner. Now, Microsoft may be plotting a similar touch-up for the Xbox 360, assuming a leaked photo out of China turns out to be legit. Clearly, someone somewhere has created a motherboard that has a Microsoft marking on it, but whether or not the board shows the shape of things to come for the Project Natal era remains a mystery.

If it's real, the board represents a total overhaul for the 360, according to Kotaku, who picked up the image from AVG9.org.

Hardware changes would be just as welcome as any cosmetic shape changes for 360 owners. Though performance has improved as MS began replacing internal components one by one, the console still has a reputation for red-light-of-deathing at inopportune moments. An all-around spruce-up could restore some more confidence in the platform as it gets ready to enter the Motion Controller Wars of 2010 this holiday season. A quieter fan and a more compact design would only improve its appeal sell a few more units if the quality is there.

What you like to see Microsoft shed some weight off the Xbox 360? Is there anything else they should change while they're at it? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Last year, the PS3 Slim gutted the PlayStation 3 and made Sony's system a lot leaner. Now, Microsoft may be plotting a similar touch-up for the Xbox 360, assuming a leaked photo out of China turns out to be legit. Clearly, someone somewhere has created a motherboard that has a Microsoft marking on it, but whether or not the board shows the shape of things to come for the Project Natal era remains a mystery.

If it's real, the board represents a total overhaul for the 360, according to Kotaku, who picked up the image from AVG9.org.

Hardware changes would be just as welcome as any cosmetic shape changes for 360 owners. Though performance has improved as MS began replacing internal components one by one, the console still has a reputation for red-light-of-deathing at inopportune moments. An all-around spruce-up could restore some more confidence in the platform as it gets ready to enter the Motion Controller Wars of 2010 this holiday season. A quieter fan and a more compact design would only improve its appeal sell a few more units if the quality is there.

What you like to see Microsoft shed some weight off the Xbox 360? Is there anything else they should change while they're at it? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

In the weeks leading up to the release of "Modern Warfare 2," Activision and Infinity Ward released a promotional video featuring Phillies pitcher, Cole Hamels, and a pretty inappropriate slur. Activision reacted swiftly by taking the video down and apologizing, but the damage was done.

Seems that EA and DICE, makers of "Battlefield: Bad Company 2," aren't going to let such a gaffe go by without taking the opportunity to bash their competitor a little bit, so they released their own video starring Yankees pitcher, CC Sabathia. Both videos discourage the use of random grenade tossing, but EA's cleverly avoids offending large portions of the gaming community.

There is some mild profanity, though, so you'll have to check out the video on the official Battlefield blog.

It's not the first time "Battlefield: Band Company 2" has stuck it to "Modern Wafare 2." Peppered throughout the game's campaign are subtle digs to Activision's title, with the protagonists mocking snow mobiles and heart beat sensors. Nothing like some good-natured ribbing to keep things interesting, right?

In the weeks leading up to the release of "Modern Warfare 2," Activision and Infinity Ward released a promotional video featuring Phillies pitcher, Cole Hamels, and a pretty inappropriate slur. Activision reacted swiftly by taking the video down and apologizing, but the damage was done.

Seems that EA and DICE, makers of "Battlefield: Bad Company 2," aren't going to let such a gaffe go by without taking the opportunity to bash their competitor a little bit, so they released their own video starring Yankees pitcher, CC Sabathia. Both videos discourage the use of random grenade tossing, but EA's cleverly avoids offending large portions of the gaming community.

There is some mild profanity, though, so you'll have to check out the video on the official Battlefield blog.

It's not the first time "Battlefield: Band Company 2" has stuck it to "Modern Wafare 2." Peppered throughout the game's campaign are subtle digs to Activision's title, with the protagonists mocking snow mobiles and heart beat sensors. Nothing like some good-natured ribbing to keep things interesting, right?

We'd been building up to it for a week, and finally the day arrived. The ultimate Pokemon battle took place yesterday afternoon, on the roof of Gawker's offices in downtown New York City. The battle pit me against Kotaku's Stephen Totilo in a battle of wits, might and poke-savvy. What happened on that fateful day will never be forgotten. Probably 'cause I'm about to write about it.

The Rules

As a reminder, Stephen and I challenged one another to train a Pokemon during GDC week using just the PokeWalker (a device which allows you to level up Pokemon by tracking your real-world steps). Both Pokemon started as level 10 Totodiles, and at the end of the week we would challenge one another and see who is the superior poke-trainer.

The Tale of the Tape

After a week of training, I had taken 37,588 steps with my Totodile. Stephen, brimming with confidence, had only taken 29,066 steps. But, since a Pokemon stops earning experience once it hits a level cap (you have to transfer it back and forth to a DS before it can start earning experience again), the number of times transferred ended up being much more important. I transferred 7 times, Stephen transferred 5 times. The end result was that my Totodile entered the battle at level 17, while his was level 15...a brutal advantage in the world of Pokemon.

The Battle!

Round 1
Frushtick's Totodile - 49HP vs. Totilo's Totodile - 41HP
Frushtick used Rage! Totilo used Scratch!
42HP vs. 37HP

Round 2
Frushtick used Water Gun! Totilo used Water Gun!
38HP vs. 31HP

Round 3
Frushtick used Leer! Totilo used Scratch!
32HP vs. 31HP

Round 4
Frushtick used Scratch! Totilo used Scratch!
26HP vs. 18HP (ouch!)

Round 5
Frushtick used Rage! Totilo used Scratch!
20HP vs. 10HP

Round 6
Frushtick used Scratch! Totilo FAINTED!
20HP vs. 0HP

A Poke-Champion Is Crowned

Many thanks to Stephen for participating. If he ever wants a rematch, he knows where to find me.

(And props to Genevieve Futrelle for some brilliant action photography!)

We'd been building up to it for a week, and finally the day arrived. The ultimate Pokemon battle took place yesterday afternoon, on the roof of Gawker's offices in downtown New York City. The battle pit me against Kotaku's Stephen Totilo in a battle of wits, might and poke-savvy. What happened on that fateful day will never be forgotten. Probably 'cause I'm about to write about it.

The Rules

As a reminder, Stephen and I challenged one another to train a Pokemon during GDC week using just the PokeWalker (a device which allows you to level up Pokemon by tracking your real-world steps). Both Pokemon started as level 10 Totodiles, and at the end of the week we would challenge one another and see who is the superior poke-trainer.

The Tale of the Tape

After a week of training, I had taken 37,588 steps with my Totodile. Stephen, brimming with confidence, had only taken 29,066 steps. But, since a Pokemon stops earning experience once it hits a level cap (you have to transfer it back and forth to a DS before it can start earning experience again), the number of times transferred ended up being much more important. I transferred 7 times, Stephen transferred 5 times. The end result was that my Totodile entered the battle at level 17, while his was level 15...a brutal advantage in the world of Pokemon.

The Battle!

Round 1
Frushtick's Totodile - 49HP vs. Totilo's Totodile - 41HP
Frushtick used Rage! Totilo used Scratch!
42HP vs. 37HP

Round 2
Frushtick used Water Gun! Totilo used Water Gun!
38HP vs. 31HP

Round 3
Frushtick used Leer! Totilo used Scratch!
32HP vs. 31HP

Round 4
Frushtick used Scratch! Totilo used Scratch!
26HP vs. 18HP (ouch!)

Round 5
Frushtick used Rage! Totilo used Scratch!
20HP vs. 10HP

Round 6
Frushtick used Scratch! Totilo FAINTED!
20HP vs. 0HP

A Poke-Champion Is Crowned

Many thanks to Stephen for participating. If he ever wants a rematch, he knows where to find me.

(And props to Genevieve Futrelle for some brilliant action photography!)

Back when the HD DVD format died, some may have accused the Xbox 360 of losing the battle against the PlayStation 3's Blu-ray capabilities. Microsoft remains confident in public that they've won the war, though. Even if the system difference puts more pressure on the 360's hard drive and disc numbers for mega-games like "Final Fantasy XIII," at least one voice in the Xbox offices believes their market share has benefited directly from the strategy.

"Sony bet on the physical disc, and there are costs associated with that," Greenberg told Edge magazine, according to CVG. "The fact that we're able to offer a console starting at $199 is a benefit of not being burdened with that cost."

Greenberg said that the Xbox has "nearly twice" the install base that the PS3 has, and credited the absent Blu-ray drive for that achievement.

"For us, our bet was on digital distribution, that was the future — the ability to [play] 1080p movies with no disc, no download required; we have the largest movie and TV library, the largest HD library of any console," he explained.

Microsoft has said before that they don't have any interest in bringing a Blu-ray drive to the 360, despite rumors and perennial speculation. For someone who wants to own a Blu-ray player and does game, however, there is a distinct advantage to those disc sizes.

Do you think Microsoft is better off without a Blu-ray player in the 360? Would you pay more for a 360 if it had one? Share your perspectives in the comment section below.

Back when the HD DVD format died, some may have accused the Xbox 360 of losing the battle against the PlayStation 3's Blu-ray capabilities. Microsoft remains confident in public that they've won the war, though. Even if the system difference puts more pressure on the 360's hard drive and disc numbers for mega-games like "Final Fantasy XIII," at least one voice in the Xbox offices believes their market share has benefited directly from the strategy.

"Sony bet on the physical disc, and there are costs associated with that," Greenberg told Edge magazine, according to CVG. "The fact that we're able to offer a console starting at $199 is a benefit of not being burdened with that cost."

Greenberg said that the Xbox has "nearly twice" the install base that the PS3 has, and credited the absent Blu-ray drive for that achievement.

"For us, our bet was on digital distribution, that was the future — the ability to [play] 1080p movies with no disc, no download required; we have the largest movie and TV library, the largest HD library of any console," he explained.

Microsoft has said before that they don't have any interest in bringing a Blu-ray drive to the 360, despite rumors and perennial speculation. For someone who wants to own a Blu-ray player and does game, however, there is a distinct advantage to those disc sizes.

Do you think Microsoft is better off without a Blu-ray player in the 360? Would you pay more for a 360 if it had one? Share your perspectives in the comment section below.