Autosave Podcasts Ep. 3 & 4: Home Theater Systems; Plus explination for the lack of posts

Autosave Podcasts Ep. 3 and 4 are now availiable (#3 has been up for a while, but it’s never been mentioned here). These podcasts are a two part series on setting up a Home Theater System, including talk about HDTV’s, sound systems, Blu-ray players, and gaming systems brought to you by Autosave Blogger Skyler Dowling and movie fanatic and former ReelLife blogger Kevin Haugen.

Link to podcast Ep. 3

Link to podcast Ep. 4

Also, to check out all of The Autosave’s podcasts, click here. There may be one more podcast before the end of the academic school year, so stay tuned.

Speaking of the end of the school year, the final few weeks of classes have made it difficult for either me or Skyler to update the blog. However, my semester essentially ends next Tuesday, so I should be able to write/podcast soon after. I (and likely Skyler as well) plan on updating the blog frequently over the summer.

I know I plan on continuing my “Changing Demographic of the Gamer” discussion that I started here and continued in podcast form here. Also, I plan on purchasing Grand Theft Auto IV this coming Tuesday (along with most of the gaming world I assume), so expect impressions, and an analysis of Super Smash Bros. Brawl: What they did right, what they did wrong, and what they should have done but didn’t do at all.

Also, our first request will be answered as Skyler and I decide what game we would create if we had the money/time/ability to create a video game.

Expect those pieces within the next month or so, and expect updates throughout the summer. With so many big releases and industry news, there will be plenty to talk about.

Xbox 360 Intercoolers - Yay nor Nay?

Every video gamer who owns a next-gen console lives with the constant worry in the back of their mind that their marvelous console is going to “explode” unexpectedly. Whether it be a Playstation 3, Xbox 360, or even a Wii, the most likely cause of a console’s death is usually overheating. Such is generally the cause of Playstation 3 malfunctions and Xbox 360’s infamous red rings of death.

If there is one thing marketing strategists know about sales, it is that fear is an excellent purchase motivator. In response to gamers’ fears about their systems overheating intercoolers have been developed to provide additional airflow and thereby a supposed increase in cooling capacity. Perhaps the most popular of these intercoolers is the Nyko Xbox 360 intercooler, which is essentially an attachable fan for the back of the console. The great debate out there is whether or not such an intercooler is effective, necessary, or even safe.

My reading on the topic suggests that no, placing an intercooler like the Nyko Xbox model is neither necessary nor completely safe.

For starters, Microsoft has told Xbox users NOT to use the intercooler systems. They are not factory equipped and therefore they void the three year warranty against the red rings of death. Don’t you think if Microsoft thought the 360 needed a set of cheap fans attached to its back they would have placed them there themselves?

Another scary thing about the Nyko intercooler is the astronomical number of negative reviews the thing has gotten. Users have reported everything from lowered voltage delivery to the system itself all the way up to unit actually melting to the Xbox. Some users even say the additional airflow over the stock fans caused them to wear out because they were forced to operate at RPMs they were not designed for. Spending money for an attachable unit that is going to void the system’s warranty and potentially damage the unit at the same time seems completely irrational.

That being said, the cooling needs of console systems cannot simply be ignored. Any game player has to know the limitations of their equipment - just like you have to know the limitations of an automobile to be a good driver. The Xbox, for example, expels warm air out of the back of the system and draws air in through the top (if the unit is placed vertically - which i suggest it should be). The design is such that placing an Xbox in an enclosed area with the front facing out will develop a heat loop where the hot air is pushed out the back, filtered to the front, then drawn into the machine again to be heated even further.

Avoiding problems like a heat loop does not require the use of an intercooler at all, it simply requires the use of some common sense. Consoles should be placed in the orientation that leaves the most surface area in contact with the air (vertical), the heat vents should not be obstructed in anyway (nothing behind or against the unit), and they should be given the chance to cool from time to time. Six hour game stints are not out of the question, i just suggest you let the machine rest once in awhile. Take your game manuals advice and rest your eyes for a bit every hour.

~Skyler Dowling

Coffee Tables - not Just for Coffee Anymore?

Microsoft has an interesting new toy out on the market that seems to be flying a bit below the radar – perhaps because the thing costs more than a small car.

Microsoft has developed “Surface” a 30-inch tabletop interactive display computer system (for lack of a better description) that has some interesting, yet somewhat far-fetched, possibilities.

The coffee table style computer will run you a painful 5000-10000 dollars, but man – it sure looks like playing with personal photos is a blast in Microsoft’s ready made videos featuring actors who look like they know about as much about computers as my dog.

The screen does feature one thing that gives it great promise as far as a video gamer is concerned. Multi location input – meaning the screen can draw from any number of inputs (fingers) at the same time. Think of the real time strategy game potential when four hardcore gamers can sit around a table and all control units with their fingers in an epic high-speed multiplayer environment.

My overall take on this attempt by Microsoft is that it came too early. The technology is too expensive for any kind of mass marketing at this time, meaning there are very few developers who are going to produce practical software for this machine and others like it. Surface is not a practical purchase – it provides novelty item type entertainment at best. Any task the Surface can perform can be done more efficiently with any number of cheaper computers. Microsoft’s vision for a Surface style table around every corner is a long ways off. Prices must fall, software must be developed, and Microsoft must prove the machine can do certain tasks better than a conventional computer (Starcraft 4 shipping for the surface??? – never hurts to dream…).

Perhaps it would be impossible for me to completely describe exactly how the unit functions – thankfully Microsoft has provided some ready made promo videos that I recommend anyone interested in this fascinating piece of machinery check out.

~Skyler Dowling