Do I really need another gaming system?

Does anyone?
My DS gathers dust most of the time (Nintendogs was supposed to keep the fiance busy but hasn't worked well so far), the OG XBox is now returned to it's proper corner since the 360 is fixed and the real topic of this post, my PC, still would struggle to play Battlefield...1942!

This older desktop - P4 2.26gh, 768mb ddr ram, 1 80gb hdd, 1 320gb hdd (not installed yet, also pata) an ati 8500le, big tower case, etc. - has served me well. It's also noisy, getting slow and now that I'm trying to use it in a bedroom as a DVR, is really starting to show it's age (at 3yo+, this thing is ancient! haha).

It works fine for surfing the web...but then that's why I have my laptop.

What in the world do I really want to do with this desktop?
What would you do?

The real cause of the dilemma is Intel's Core2Duos - being so cheap, I keep thinking I might as well upgrade. You can get a 4300 that will oc to 3.0ghz for just over $100! I can't even find a faster P4 socket 478 replacement for my board for that price, haha.

So the question is, do I gut what I have now, but use an cheaper stand-in motherboard (so i can keep my IDE devices, agp card, ram, etc) and pair that with the 4300 for under $200?
Or should I go ahead and get a new mobo, ddr2 ram, processor and video card for $4-500? Then I can play some newer PC games and dream about running Crysis on the lowest settings when it comes out (heck, screw Crysis, I've never even played FarCry).

I just dont' want to spend $200, then in 6months spend another 400 to get the parts that I really want (the newer ram, new video card, etc).

All in all, I don't really want to spend that much (I have a dvr already, not like I'm using this as my main HTPC), so maybe I'm better off going the cheap route.

If you've built a pc for under $1000 lately, I'd be curious to see what you did/chose and why.

Posted by yoyodyne @ 3:36 pm EDT | Permalink | 0 Comments

What are they thinking?

There are rumors that the often-hyped 65nm processing chips will be going into XBox 360's in the late fall (with production starting in May). Coupled with the release of the Elite just recently, lots of people (myself included) are wondering "What in the world is Microsoft thinking?" Is there an easier way to alienate your fan base and customers than my issuing newer and better versions of products they just purchased?
"Hey, look mom, my baseball glove has a new version out, but it's got a magnet for catching the ball now and it fits better?"

Seriously, what are they thinking?

Here's my take:

Microsoft realized that they wanted and needed to beat the PS3 to market, so they unveiled the Core and Premium (essentially the same machine, just with different accessories). Meanwhile, the dev kits had HDMI (if I understand those correctly) and in essence were the "real" 360 they probably wanted to release all along - but why throw more money and effort when getting to stores first was the ultimate goal. Heck, most people didn't (and still don't) even have HDTVs, let alone HDMI connections.

Now that the PS3 and Wii are out and have stolen a ton of their thunder, they figure "Hey, we need to compete with the PS3 in terms of hi-def capabilities, so let's throw out the HDMI we've got". That leaves MS and the 360 where it is today.

As far as the smaller chips go, that's just part of technology/making consoles. There's always going to be advances, it's not like they could have waited 2yrs for 65nm chips to become popular then release the 360. I think that move/upgrade is more akin to the PS2 coming out with the "slim" version - it's basically just a tech refresh. The Elite, to me, is more the version they "wanted" to release all along...

I'm not totally sold on MS's ability to make game consoles, the number of defective 360s (especially mine) is definitely troublesome and I'm not in love with the fact that they keep releasing newer versions just a year after mine. But what can you do? The new Civic Si is better than mine, new pc's today are better than mine, etc. That's just the way it goes with disposable products.

Why do the products and things we love seem to keep slapping us in the face (360, DRM, HD vs BluRay battle)? Any comments or thoughts are more than welcome.

Posted by yoyodyne @ 3:17 pm EDT | Permalink | 3 Comments

The Crying Game

Figured I'd get one post in before the site goes down, not that I post all that often anyway.

I figured these lyrics were most appropriate:



Posted by yoyodyne @ 6:53 pm EDT | Permalink | 1 Comments

I saw it coming

Not sure I believe in ghosts, reincarnation (well, that I know for sure I don't) or even deja vu. But omens...yeah, those are real.

Wake up Saturday and head to the post office to send out some rebates on nifty yet unnecessary electronic gadgets. Always fun to buy something just because 3 months later you'll get a whopping $10 check in the mail. But I digress. The post office has me covered with an electronic shipping station, perfect for creating your own stamps and postage (I guess I could do it at home). I punch in my information and swipe my debit card - the machine asks for my PIN, but I'm still sleepy and think it says zip code. Hey, I'm part Polish.

After mucking up my debit card, I switch to credit and the thing goes through. "Dumb me" I think and head next door to my bank just to try my ATM card one more time and see if it's really dead or not. It is and I have to call the nice 1-800-weownyouinfees bank folks and play nice so they'll unblock it. They do and I'm happy.

But all of this was a very, very bad omen.

I head over to my fiance's grandparents house (future grandparents-in-laws?) to spend some time with her while she nanny-sits her great grandmother. She's old but still in fairly good health but like a lot of people in their late 80s/90s she isn't all there all the time. Which leads to some funny situations and comments, but also drives my fiance crazy over long periods of time.

Halfway there, I ram a lowered white Honda Civic hatchback. Doh! I had tucked in behind him (I also drive a lowered, black Honda Civic hatchback) when a left arrow turned yellow, knowing that such like-minded drivers with great taste in cars normally see yellow like a bull sees red. Alas, he slammed on his brakes in mid turn and I gave him a nice little love tap. He checked the bumper, I asked if he was okay, he said he's fine and we were off when the light turned green. DEFCON MAJOR SCREWUP was narrowly averted.

The whole weekend I planned to change the oil and when I finally made it to my fiance's grandparents (let's call it fg's from here) I probably should have thought otherwise and/or took a nap. I don't mind getting oily/dirty though and figured I should get it over with before the sun went down.

I change the oil in her car with no problems. I start successfully on mine, refill the oil and lower it down. I back it out, I double check her car to make sure there's no leaks and...UH OH. Black gold everywhere - in the garage, running down the driveway. Genius forgot to put the oil filter back on his car. I summon the strength not to cry and to look for a noose hanging in the garage. What an idiot.

We manage to clean most of it (save the driveway stain, which not even kitty litter or brake cleaner or soap and water or rain managed to clean off completely) although I'm still feeling like a chump. What would make me feel better? Why some nice gaming with the 360 after work on Monday.

I leave a little early, get home and figure the nice virtual world of Crackdown is a great place to take out some anger. Can you see what's coming? I wish it would have been smoke and fire, maybe it would have been a little more climatic. Either way, the 360 decides to quit working, freezing after I get through the menu of the game. I reboot, red rings of death and a sense of completeness for my weekend. Yet I am not satisfied. Reboot after reboot, freezing everywhere - on startup, in game once levels are loaded, with and without accessories or hard drive.

So after all that, whatever little joy I should have received from gaming also was ripped away from my oily greasy hands. What a weekend. What a Monday.

Posted by yoyodyne @ 2:37 pm EDT | Permalink | 2 Comments

It took a dump

My NCAA March Madness bracket, that is.

This....is....Madness!

Nothing like having your fiance smoke you in an event that you've dutifully followed for oh...since you could read.

Also, I've got a lot to learn about this blogging thing.

Posted by yoyodyne @ 11:06 am EDT | Permalink | 1 Comments