Last week saw the release of information noting a record year for game sales in 2005. This week securities firms are recommending caution as they predict dramatic slowdowns for 2006. Even with the solid numbers last year, PC game sales have fallen off and many keep wondering why. I bought substantially fewer PC games in […]

When Microsoft ships Windows Vista later this year I’m hoping that it will finally take a chance and keep the price reasonable for a change. Nearly every version of Windows has been priced at levels clearly aimed at corporations. Given this, many consumers have opted to essentially pirate Windows instead of pay the ridiculously high […]

Back in 1994 I managed to break free from the clutches of a tyrant that was holding my entertainment dollars and enjoyment hostage. That tyrant was Garden State Cable (soon to be absorbed by an even bigger tyrant—Comcast). In 1994 Garden State Cable offered 62 channels of television for $90 a month. The service was […]

I’ve been fighting the copy protection war since the very first days of my computing experience. In all that time I’ve never seen firm evidence that copy protection achieves the goal it sets out to meet. Instead, what I’ve seen are examples that stand in stark contrast to the perceived problem of illegal copying. Don’t […]

A few days back I mentioned the ridiculous comment John Dvorak made regarding the Xbox 360 and it’s so-called great usefulness in its ability to stream content from your PC. As I mentioned, I’ve seen this same position crop up at many a tech-oriented web site, forum or mailing list. Today I notice that Extreme […]

Okay, I’ve now had both of these products in heavy use for several days. The experience has given me a bit more perspective on both products. First off is the G7 mouse, which I’ve been using a bit longer than the keyboard. It’s not winning me over and I’m starting to wish the poor cradle […]

I have a long, love-hate relationship with Logitech. From the earliest days of using a Microsoft mouse I knew there had to be a better way. Logitech came along and finally gave Microsoft some much needed competition. It was during these years that Microsoft developed the infamous “Dove Bar” mouse that won vast praise at […]

Over the years I’ve been involved in various markets (most notably the multimedia/game markets) and have worked alongside, worked as and worked against all three sides of it. The three sides comprise the consumer side, the publisher/developer/manufacturer side and the press side. That experience has helped to give me a fairly healthy understanding of the […]

I am about as anal as anal gets when it comes to keeping my Windows installation as clean as possible. I spend a pretty significant amount of time cleaning up everything including the Windows Registry. Frankly, the Registry is the bane of most users problems and the computing world has been hampered ever since the […]

I’ve been watching the evolution of LCD monitors since their initial use on laptops. Even from those early days, it seemed clear that LCD technology would be the heir-apparent to take over on the desktop as well. Given that likely outcome it made sense to keep an eye on the technology’s progress. I’ve always been […]

It appears to be quite clear to me that Firaxis was pushed to rush the release of Civ IV by their publisher, 2K Games. However, it should also be noted in 2K Games defense that Sid Meier is notorious for his games being dramatically late, in some cases by years (Anyone remember Magic?) Of course […]

I eagerly awaited the release of the latest incarnation of the Civ series, Civilization IV. I stopped by the local GameStop and was surprised to find none of them on the shelves. Thankfully I asked a worker there who promptly pulled the “Special Edition” version from a newly opened box. I then got it home […]