Virtual Ping Pong

William Fencedoors asked:


I have personally experienced the Xbox 360 “General Hardware Failure” or what is better known as the Red Ring of Death. So, I have a pretty good idea what you are feeling right about now. In addition, I have used Xbox 360 repair guides to fix numerous consoles. The following list was developed from experience and is written to prevent you from wasting your money.

What should you look for in a Xbox 360 repair guide? Here is my minimum list of demands, and I do mean demands! I, absolutely, would have to have these things before I bought an Xbox 360 repair guide and I strongly suggest that you not settle for anything less either.

1. First, I try to get an indication about the authors. I look to see if whoever put this thing together knows what they are talking about. Are they an expert? Have they actually repaired an Xbox 360 successfully? So my number one criteria is that the author needs to be an experienced, successful, expert.

2. Does the Xbox 360 repair guide contain detailed, written step by step instructions with pictures? I am the type of person who doesn’t want to leave anything up to chance. If you are going to teach me how to do anything, you need to explain each step carefully. Also, I want as many pictures as possible. And not just lots of pictures, but high quality detailed pictures. So, the guide you purchase needs to contain high quality, detailed, written, step by step instructions with lots of pictures.

3. Does the guide include videos? I am a visual learner and videos really help me. If the Xbox 360 repair guide contains videos, this is a bonus for me. But the videos could have been shot with a cell phone. So, the question really is, does it have high quality videos? The guide you select needs to include high quality videos that show every step clearly and compliment the written instructions.

4. What if I have questions? Does the guide come with support? The Xbox 360’s manufacturer spans more than a couple of years now and not every Xbox 360 is the same. So, I want to be able to ask somebody a question if I get stuck. You need some kind of support. It could be chat, email, whatever, but, you need to be able to talk to someone and ask them a question.

5. How is the guide available? I need it now so I can fix my Xbox 360 right now! The most instantaneous method would be down loadable pdf instructions with access to the videos on line. The guide you purchase has to allow for instantaneous access immediately after you plunk down your cash.

6. Is there a guarantee? What if it doesn’t work? Can I get my money back. I have to be able to get my money back for any reason. You need a 100% unconditional money back guarantee. Do not settle for less!

7. Incentives. If I buy this guide are there any extras? Does the guide provide for a forum? Any money back? Coupons? I want the most I can get for my money. I don’t have to have this one, so I guess it isn’t a demand, but it certainly would help me to make my decision. If all things are equal and one guide has a better bonus, I would go with the bonus. Look for a bonus.

So, there you have it, six, possibly seven criteria that are the bare minimum requirements you should settle for in an Xbox 360 repair guide. There are quite a few repair guides on the market so try to do a side by side comparison of all the features that they proclaim. Make the most informed decision that you can. I know you are in a hurry, but take a little time and comparison shop. You will be glad you did. Good luck and I hope you get back to gaming soon.

sayed islam asked:


The Xbox 360 game console is exemplary when it works. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Some gamers may experience a hardware failure with their Xbox 360. Symptoms that an Xbox 360 might be malfunctioning is a red circle that appears on the console; this is known as the “Red Ring of Death.” The worst part about this fiasco was that Microsoft knew beforehand they were selling defective Xbox 360’s to consumers; moreover, Microsoft fabricated statistics. Game developers for the Xbox 360 divulged that merely 5 % of consoles were faulty. The correct percentage of faulty Xbox 360’s was 25 %. Why the hell would Microsoft even attempt to do this? First Microsoft sold imperfect hardware; furthermore, they tried to cover their tracks with deceit. The dreadful publicity has definitely harmed Microsoft’s image, but they are selling Xbox 360‘s. Sony and Nintendo game consoles work perfectly fine, but the Xbox 360 has this “Red Ring of Death.” At E3 2007, Sony should have played the “Red Ring of Death” card on Microsoft. But Sony decided to take the high road and not heavily criticize Microsoft. To remedy the “Red Ring of Death,” an Xbox 360 Nyko cooler has been utilized in conjunction with the system; however, the dreaded “Red Ring of Death” still appears. It was later discovered that the Nyko cooler exacerbates the hardware crash. Meanwhile, other gamers have even gone as far as to manually open their Xbox 360 and solve this problem. Gamers should never has to perform this cumbersome task to solve any console mishaps. Microsoft has taken steps to rectify this hardware malfunction. The company has extended the warranty on the Xbox 360 to three years and plans to spend over 1 billion dollars to resolve the blunder. Is that enough? Extending to a three year warranty is like putting a band-aid on a bullet wound, and it is definitely not enough. A quick fix that Microsoft should enforce immediately is to have a free lifetime warranty with the Xbox 360. This will neutralize many gripes about the “Red Ring of Death.” Xbox 360 designers plan on creating a new Xbox 360 without this glitch, but Microsoft has not stated when that will transpire. Gamers can only hope that Microsoft appeases its customers.

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Gregory Hepburn asked:


The Nintendo Wii is a great games console. It is radically different from other game consoles available on the market. The games included with the Wii are excellent and introduce you to the Wii controller in a very appropriate manner. They all have the usual Nintendo feel and stamp of family fun. The Wii remote and the Nunchuck controller feel a little different at first, but they are very intuitive to use because using body movements to play games is far easier than just pressing keys.

Wii setup is pretty easy and enables you to start playing games fairly quickly. Playing games on the Wii is smooth and very absorbing. Even though Wii graphics do not have the best resolution, they are more than adequate for games. What is truly innovative is the design of the games controller, and the way Nintendo have integrated it into the manner in which you have to play the games. If you like to play games with friends and family, you will have to get a second controller to get into the spirit of things; you will not regret it.

The Wii wireless setup is also very easy. After connecting the Wii, you can immediately check sports, weather, and news over Nintendo’s free online service. The Wii uses a standard SD card for memory. You can get a Wii high capacity memory card for a fairly reasonable price.

The battery life in the Wii leaves something to be desired. The Wii drains AA batteries fairly quickly. The Wii remote sometimes looses it’s connection with the console when the batteries are low on power. The Wii wrist strap may not be very durable, but Nintendo are very prompt in dealing with any warranty claims you may have.

The quality of the materials and workmanship on the Wii is excellent. The Wii remote is sturdy enough to withstand being dropped by kids. The Nintendo Wii usually sells out very quickly, so get it as soon as it is available at your local store.

Koz Huseyin asked:


Long gone are those times when the flatness and basic graphics of Pac Man came to existence in the 1980’s. Today the gaming console has made major breakthroughs in gaming. A look at the Sony Playstation may just seem like a black box, but there is so much benefit to buying a Sony Playstation.

If you don’t have much recollection of the 1980’s, thinking about what kind of games were available and the consoles around you may not remember them. The 1980’s had so few gaming consoles. There was the Atari’s with there cartridge games. There was those Commodore 64’s. There was also a lot of other type of consoles, but a lot of them you had to make yourself! This was not like a Mechano kit, it took some understanding. And to further that, there were a limited range of games.

Nintendo came in and demolished the competition. Here you had the original Nintendo gaming system, and after a few years in came the SNES. Games improved and were great; however, the games only resembled the arcade genre. Though it was great to have, and you did not have to go to the arcade to play, it just couldn’t catch up to what was happening with the computers being released.

Sony has always been an innovator of technology. Sony brought us the Walkman, which Sony invented. Looking at today, the iPod is based on the Walkman and its portability. When Sony said they were releasing a gaming console which would be like having a PC, but with supreme graphics, a lot of people wanted one.

The PS1 was released and became an instant hit, as I am sure you are aware. Selling 100’s of millions of units worldwide is the major reason games companies have produced games for the Sony PlayStation. However, this was not enough. The computers available were getting faster.

In came PS2 and this made major breakthroughs in graphics. Finally we now have the Sony PlayStation 3 or PS3. This gaming console is more like a PC than any other Sony PlayStation that came before. A PS3 has many features that make it worth buying.

For example with gaming, there are thousands of games available for the Sony PlayStation, and the backward compatibility is great at allowing you to play existing games on.

The Sony PlayStation 3 also allows you to play online with multiplayer. So, even if it is 3am in the morning, and you don’t have anyone to play with, you can put the game on and play online! This feature really makes the Sony PlayStation a great feature to have. You don’t have to go to your PC only to play games online.

Even if you are not a major game buff, a Sony PlayStation 3 can be beneficial in many other ways. You can play DVD movies, and also play your CD’s on the PS3. The PlayStation can be considered an entertainment device rather than a gaming console anymore.

Sony has put a lot of effort into producing an entertainment device which meets the needs of people in these changing times. With the amount of games and the features available, the Sony PlayStation can go great as part of a home theatre system.

Candy Steele asked:


It appears people were out in record numbers for the black friday sales. It seemed like shoppers came out of nowhere

to jam the malls and discount stores. Recently people were worried about the high gas prices and retailers weren’t

sure if they would have the numbers for their sales. The sales tactics seemed to have worked by opening at midnight, offering bigger discount and special discount for the predawn openings.

It seemed once again that the nintendo wii was on top of the list once again. The associated press even reported that there were those that camped out at 3am outside electronics stores hoping to find a bargain. I still feel that buying the nintendo wii online is the best way to ensure that you get one this year. I have to admit I did go for some of the predawn sales, but most of all my shopping has been done online.

Shopping online is just far more convenient. You don’t have the crowds and you can do it from home and most of the time you get better selections. This time of year it seems that the retailers can’t seem to keep up their inventory.

I have opted to shop online for the majority of my holiday purchases this year. Its just much easier and best of all it’s delivered right to my door.

Reports also were that people had arrived for the predawn sales in hopes to purchase a nintendo wii console only to

hear an announcement after the doors opened that they had sold out of their nintendo wii days before. Obviously there were a lot of disappointed and frustrated shoppers. Again if you buy nintendo wii online, chances are you will find it in stock. I have consistently seen them available online. There has been some price increases, but if you want it this year you may have to pay a bit more.

People are camping out at local retailers. Trying to become friendly with store managers in hopes they will increase their odds of getting a nintendo wii console. Be prepared to get to your local stores early. People are lining up early to wait in hopes they will find a nintendo wii in stock. You may also have to call or visit these stores to find out when they get in their stock and if they expect shipments of nintendo wii consoles. It’s all about timing. You have to be there early and it’s first come, first served.

Once again the hottest product on everyones wish list is nintendo wii. Once again shortages have caused a rise in the prices in places like ebay. Again the least frustrating and easiest alterntive to the old fashioned way is to

buy nintendo wii online. You won’t have to call or go from store to store hoping the nab one. Save gas, beat the crowds buy nintendo wii online and chances are you will get your wish or should I say wii this year. Happy shopping.

John Mce asked:


Online games have been existent as long as the internet has been commercially available, from simple text based games to the first widely popular graphics led virtual world Ultima Online. Now as highspeed broadband is made more affordable and home PC’s become more powerful, more and more people are retreating into the virtual world to escape the real one. MMORPG’s (massively multiplayer online role playing games) such as the World of Warcraft are liberating environments where users function as a fictional character, undertake quests and join guilds. Taking on an alternative identity can be a cathartic experience and with the relative anonymity afforded by the virtual world and the common bond dictated by the nature of the game, users are less inhibited therefore socialising becomes a much easier occurrence.

But it’s not all about fantastical orcs and demons. The MMORPG Second Life is less of a game and more of a world. There are no dragons to slay or experience points to gain there is simply an ever expanding environment where the users are encouraged to contribute to the game’s surroundings. Residents can build items, architecture, furniture, fashion and accessories. With the exception of the land which is constructed by the developers Linden Lab, it is the players who are creating the content of the world they play in. In true Web 2.0 style the 3D modelling software available in world is open for the users to generate the substance of the world as they see fit.

E-games such as these also have their own thriving e-economies which have become so established they have large real world value. With Second Life’s currency Linden dollars players are making more than a comfortable income from designing buildings, letting offices and creating clothes. But the free market is not limited to products, all range of services are provided as well, from business management and events organisers to massage parlours and adult entertainment. The most lucrative industry in Second Life is the real estate market where considerable amounts of Linden Dollars can be converted into even more significant real dollars by third party exchange services.

The effects that such online developments are having on our first life are increasing, from virtual marriages to sexually confused members discovering they’re transsexual by experimenting with differently gendered avatars. The consequences of the virtual are being realised in the real world and although this is a positive aspect that should be embraced it is also an issue we need to be well aware of and educated on. As with any new phenomena there are those willing to exploit it, such as the virtual mafia and money laundering and the fact that many people, especially children are spending large amounts of time in these virtual worlds. Serious issues such as these must be tackled in the understanding that they do not reflect the majority of users involved in virtual worlds and the potential for education and emancipation is limitless, it just needs to be exploited effectively.

Koz Huseyin asked:


The Sony Corporation managed 2 major feats and hit 1 bird with 2 stones, when it brought to the world the Sony Playstation product line. It managed to take Nintendo’s place as supreme games machine, and made realistic 3D games a reality.

For many years Nintendo was number one with it set of consoles. Nintendo was thought of as the only console manufacturer with a product dedicated to great gaming. However, something amazing happened on the consumer front, and that was talk of Sony about to produce a breakthrough gaming device, soon to be called the PlayStation.

Sony has always been at the forefront of consumer electronics. It is the undisputed king! Sony has given us the Walkman, an invention which has been the inspiration of the iPod. Sony and Philips were the first to create the CD technology we see today. As Nintendo approached Sony for help in creating a CD based console, and they began working together, problems started with contracts. In the end Sony released a product called the Sony PlayStation.

The results were amazing. People from all across the world were waiting for mass release for this amazing gaming device. People would pay extortionate amounts to get one shipped from Japan.

So, what has made the Playstation so popular? We know that Sony is at the forefront of technology innovation. They simply always amaze the world with there new inventions which people long for. The CD technology in the Playstation range of products has enabled the games to hold more information. And bigger space, allows bigger and better games.

The original Sony PlayStation was launched in Japan in 1994, and ‘95 saw the Sony PlayStation released all across the world. It shared a massive 11 years of availability, and in 2006 Sony stopped the production. However, that was not the end of the Sony Playstation; people just couldn’t have enough of the high grade graphics available.

Sony came in with the Sony PlayStation II. A console which when released had exponentially better graphics, and games than the first. The bigger benefit was that it was backward compatible with existing PlayStation 1 games. This made getting the PS2 much more of a bargain.

The PS2 was so powerful that Japan initially imposed export restrictions on the PS2. The PS2 was even said to contain parts, especially its powerful graphics hardware, which could be used to simulate the effects of military ballistic missiles! No wonder it became so popular.

After its release in 2000, the PlayStation 2 only took 5 years to become the fastest selling console in history, selling a whopping 100 million units. In fact when it was released, due to shortages, many were sold on eBay for $1,000+!

The Sony PlayStation has transformed gaming. It took us out of that 80’s arcade style games to today’s photorealistic 3D games, and worlds which are as big and wide as our Earth! Sony has not stopped there with its great innovation technology. As Microsoft started on the road to creating gaming devices, they released the X Box, Sony made a comeback with the Sony Playstation 3 or PS3. This version contains hardware which makes it as powerful as a PC. Being designed for gaming, it will bring forth games which provide hours and hours of enjoyment with cutting edge graphics, never seen before.

Anna Stenning asked:


One of the most famous names in the gaming world, Atari, changed the face of the gaming industry and introduced what is an ingenious piece of engineering for its time. Atari had created the first coin operated Pong electronic arcade machine in 1972, bringing in modern gaming technology, popularizing computer games and putting arcade games on the map. Pong along with Pac-Man and Space Invaders became an addictive electronic entertainment and is the influence of computer consoles today.

Prior to the coin operated machines, arcade games were in the form of basic mechanical machines, mainly accessible in amusement parks during the 1920’s. These were very basic pinball games, shooting galleries and ball toss games. It is thought to have been one of the major influences of the electronic arcade machine of the seventies. The arcade machines were emulated through basic CPU units and it was not until the early eighties that saw a change in graphics of each game, when the FPGA was used and re-used by gaming experts, to play older games from home.

FPGA (field programmable gate arrays) are controllable programmable devices that can be used to function in any specific way. They are an excellent source of vector emulation for arcade games and were used to play older games on modern machines. Pong was originally a blocky black and white image, whereas Pac-man, Ladybug and Space Invaders were more demanding in terms of colour, resolution and images - each of which were not possible to play on home PCs without a little tweaking with a modern programmable device.

Hardcore professional gamers had worked hard on creating their own arcade game versions using FPGA circuit boards, and playing the games at home. However, this was not until much later in the nineties onwards, as the programmable devices used in arcade games today work in a different way to what was used emulate games the eighties and consumed more power than the standard devices today. Modern programming devices are in use mainly to recreate old games and to act as an excellent for games emulation, whereas the programming devices used in arcade machines in the eighties were merely to act as a solution to minor graphical issues.

Pac-Man was used from a Z80 CPU, which was very popular for its time. Pac-Man had a dedicated hardware installed for video sprites (two/three dimensional images/animation integrated into a larger scene), however, the Z80 CPU was not powerful enough to draw up all of the sprites so a new device was needed to resolve this issue.

Those intending to play old arcade games such as Pac-Man, Space Invaders, Donkey Kong or even Galaxians need to research for a suitable FPGA device, as well as understanding how to install the vendor onto the machine. Some purchased devices come with a batch file to install, so a separate file will not need to be downloaded from the web. Other emulating programmes such as MAME (Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator) made it possible to preserve the antiquated arcade games on the modern PC, however unlike FPGA’s they are subject of much controversy due to copyright violation issues.

Paul Clough asked:


Ever since the Nintendo Wii video game console was introduced in the global market it has taken the world by storm. In the beginning Microsoft Xbox 360 managed to sell more units than Nintendo Wii in the month of September, Nintendo Wii soon overtook Microsoft to reach the top spot for the number of units sold.

Nintendo overtook Microsoft in October when 519,000 units of the game console were sold while Microsoft managed to sell only 366,000 units.

However in terms of revenue Microsoft has overtaken Nintendo Wii. Microsoft earned $354 million in revenue from sales of its video game console while Nintendo managed to earn $246 million for its Wii model and $116 million for its PS3 model.

The third major competitor Sony has also done exceptionally well for itself as it launched newer models. On the other hand the Nintendo Wii has done exceptionally well as it faces supply problems from different quarters of the world.

Though the company should be proud that demand is more than supply it is trying to close the gap by finding out more ways than one to increase considerable from their current capacity of manufacturing 1.8 million units per month.

The Nintendo Wii is becoming a real competitor to the seventh generation gaming systems like Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and Sony’s PlayStation 3. The Nintendo Wii was introduced as the successor of Nintendo GameCube. The game console has some great features which has helped it reach the number one spot.

The console has a wireless controller (which is powerful) as well as Wii remote that can be held in the hand and used as a pointing device. This device can detect acceleration in three dimensions making your gaming experience as realistic as possible. Through the WiiConnect24 you are able to receive updates over the internet when the console is in standby mode.

The Nintendo Wii won a lot of accolades and awards at the E3 press conference in 2006. The console was launched in four key markets by December 2006. And in September 2007 the Financial Times declared the Nintendo Wii as the market leader in its category. Today the monthly sales of the console remain better than all its competitors.

In fact reports show that the console has managed to sell more units in USA than Microsoft and Sony combined in the first half of 2007. Nintendo Wii also leads in Japan where it outsells both the consoles of its competitors at a ratio of 3:1 to 6:1 respectively every week.

Even in Australia the Nintendo Wii replaced Microsoft Xbox 360 from the top slot with record sales. Hence today the console has become the leader in all the markets it has established its presence. In fact reports suggest that Nintendo has warned that units will be in short supply throughout 2007.

Microsoft and Sony have known to suffer losses from selling their consoles and have high hopes that software sales will turn the tide n their favor. However Nintendo claims to have optimized production costs as a result of which it is earning good margin on every console sold to the customer.

IC asked:


One of the most entertaining things to do while you are online is to take advantage of the great selection of online games which are freely available everyone. Online games are known to help you improve your memory, improve your hand eye coordination and even help you relax after a busy day.

Some of the best and most recent games are coded as flash applications, you may be wondering what “flash” is and how to get it. Flash is used by web browsers such as Internet explorer, Firefox and many others to deliver rich visual content and animations which may be embedded on web sites, these are standard components which are included with the browser and are updated every time your system gets automatic updates.

Using this technology you are able to access gigantic library of online games without having to pay a dime. If you have been a big fan of games but have been discouraged by the high prices of stand alone gaming consoles then all you need is your computer an internet connection and your flash enabled browser in order to enjoy the variety of casino, board, arcade, educational, memory, fun, hunting, mature, sports, trivia, war, driving and the many categories flash games are classified. As far as internet connections, dial-up works perfectly, broadband just makes the loading time much faster. These games have been optimized for optimal size so most of them do not exceed 1 megabyte.

A great example of a fun flash game is called Python. This arcade game is quite fun to play, the goal is to eat as many mouses as you possibly can without crashing against the walls of the cage or against your own tail. The python moves quite fast so you need to train yourself to react fast enough in order to maneuver the snake around the cage, you will find that the most challenging obstacle is avoiding your very own tail! Besides Python there are many other arcade games which are sure to entertain you from the huge databases found all over the web. Remember that there are many other categories which can help you improve your skills as well as memory.

A very popular online memory game is called colors, this one is quite challenging after a few successful rounds. It starts by showing you a simple color sequence which you have to mimic, after you have successfully repeated each combination the amount of color used is increased and the sequence tends gets randomized even more, with this memory game the longer you go the better your memory skills get.