TheTechLounge - Recent Articles: Editorials

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Thu, 27 Aug 2009 18:49:06 -0500

I played this stupid demo for something like 25 hours in less than a week. What looks like a straightforward team deathmatch with a sci-fi backdrop turns out to be a nuanced title that could keep servers busy for a long time to come.

Must-Have Windows Apps

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 18:20:45 -0500

This is the list of stuff that separates Windows from Everyone Else. And by separates, we mean is missing. Microsoft is in an awkward position with Windows. Because it's got such a huge share of the market, in order to appease the anti-trust people, it can't be complete. Honestly, it's a very stripped-down operating system. Nobody really worries about reinstalling OS X or most flavors of Linux because they come with all the applications built in, double standards notwithstanding. And people cringe when they realize it's time to install Windows again, because they know there's just a million things they're going to have to pick up, download, rather, before they can ever begin to relax with a little Hulu-based Stewart. And I don't mean things like Shockwave Flash, I mean the whole list of utilities and applications you install over the course of the year or so of computing since that last clean install. It's no wonder people delight in playing with other operating systems. Everything's there, installed, ready to go. 'Course, the grass is always greener, and soon enough, you've got to get Windows back on something so that you can get your Wine-free gaming on or, like, camera working.

FEAR 2: Project Origin

Tue, 3 Mar 2009 14:09:13 -0600

Fear 2 is a game for people who aren�t alright with a safe world. Even a despotic world. Those places can be made safe with skill and determination, and a gigantic supply of ammunition. There�s a grim glee in being scared, truly frightened, by something that isn�t even real. Fear 2 is a place where the most dangerous place isn�t tangible, but can and wants to kill you, because you�re human and it isn�t. Fear is an emotion worth stimulating.

5 Reasons I'm Holding Out on Canon's 5D Mark II

Thu, 12 Feb 2009 23:34:50 -0600

The Canon 5D Mark II brought with it another revolution, though it wasn't quite as universally praised, and it also wasn't the first. Video. In a DSLR. The D90 was first to this game, but Canon seems to have done a better job of it. There's more to it than just video, of course, but here's 5 reasons I'm holding out on Canon's 5D Mark II.

Far Cry 2

Mon, 9 Feb 2009 19:09:17 -0600

Far Cry 2 is a game where you kill people for three things: diamonds, malaria pills, and fun. You're a Doom Guy in search of one man in the middle of an African shitstorm that's full of people who could care less and people who can do more. You're not there to solve problems, unless the problem is that someone stands breathing. And yeah, you got the marsh fever.

Fallout 3

Tue, 20 Jan 2009 19:32:56 -0600

Don't kid yourself, the people who made the original Fallouts are dead. Or at least, the spirit of their creation is, cut free of its mortal coil long, long ago, with this as a sad reminder of what was. It's like the dog collar I keep hung on the wall. In fact, I can't tell if this game is better or worse for falling into the Fallout franchise (like how the Star Trek with the whales doesn't really exist or the Highlander movie after the first but before the third) because if it is part of the franchise, then it permanently mars the series and proves that even the most beloved of games can be railroaded into a generic, desaturated clone. If it's not part of the franchise, then it can be even more critically assayed but at least there's still hope.

Call of Duty: World at War

Fri, 16 Jan 2009 12:05:46 -0600

Does a change of venue make it a unique game? I don�t know, there've been other Pacific Theater games, although the stuff on the Ost Front are a little slim--multiplayer-only held against it, Red Orchestra is one of the coolest WWII shooters I've ever had the pleasure of getting smacked with--but c'mon, it's WWII. If the Second World War was a genre, it'd probably be real-time strategy. Everyone's had a tour.

Sumo Lounge Chief Rocker

Tue, 13 Jan 2009 15:59:36 -0600

And yet again I�m back to reprise my roll as the designated sitter, napper and all around Lounger for TheTechLounge. Our friends as Sumo Lounge have once more provided us with an uber sitting sack for our testing pleasure. Sumo continues to increase their product line which now includes dog beds and a sofa in addition to the enormous super-sized sitting pouches like the Sultan I reviewed a few months ago.

Holiday Buying Guide: Staff Picks

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 16:19:13 -0600

So it's December 22nd, and you probably just got off work... Suddenly it hits you. It's December 22nd. Crap. Christmas is so close it could touch you inappropriately, were it so inclined. Fear not, forgetful, procrastinating mortal. TheTechLounge is here to save the day. Four of us sat in dark lonely corners scribbling on shabby old notepads until we each came up with a list of 10 goodies we'd like to get for Christmas. Or for no reason at all, just because you love us.

Holiday Buying Guide: Earphones

Tue, 16 Dec 2008 16:20:21 -0600

If you are me, or you know someone like me, headphones are the ultimate expression of affection. I love good music. Or at least what I consider to be good music. And I want it to sound amazing when I listen. I don't have the money for really nice speakers, so I have gone the headphone route. If this sounds like someone you know, you've got it easy this Christmas season, because no matter the price range, there's a great gift out there that will make ears happy.

Nikon's D90 Through the Eyes of a Video Pro

Tue, 4 Nov 2008 13:12:30 -0600

"Exceeds demands of passionate photographers" is how Nikon's website describes the D90. Let's skip to the chase here and just say that what they're referring to, what everyone seems to talk about in reference to this camera (and the focus of this scathing editorial) is its ability to shoot video. Let's review Nikon's virtues before we lay into this particular camera. By way of disclosure let me say that I own a Nikon (an entry-level 35mm SLR, the N65) and frankly I love thing. Nikon makes some of the finest consumer lenses and, dollar-for-dollar, I'll take a Nikon over a Canon any day. As a digital SLR, the D90 meets industry benchmarks - more super-duper-mega-pixels than last year's model. That's appreciated, don't get me wrong, but that's normal for technology: cheaper and better as time goes by. It's when companies start adding bells and whistles that consumers didn't ask for that they get in trouble. I'm reminded here of the many jokes made around the pup-tent regarding why prosumer video cameras have the option to take stills. Much like the idea of an SLR that shoots video, I agree that there are certain specific situations that could warrant wanting to take pictures with my very-expensive-machine-designed-to-capture-motion; but really, wouldn't you just buy a still camera? We all love our Leatherman tools, but I wouldn't want to change a tire with one.

Apple October '08 Macbook Refresh Hands-On

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 11:52:51 -0500

Even if the tired-but-true formula has started to gather some moss, this may have been Apple's most exciting product release of this year. The aluminum case design that replaced the TiBook in 2003 had undergone some small changes, but its age was starting to show. Folks had been calling for the reincarnation of the 12-inch Powerbook since it was discontinued. It was time. I slogged through the Stevenote live-blogs, gazing doe-eyed at the pretty pictures, and decided I would take off for my local Apple Store the next day to get my mitts on the new hotness that are the Macbook and Macbook Pro. Too bad they didn't come in until Thursday. Calling ahead is always a good idea (thanks, Kurtis).

Mitsubishi LaserVue 65" HDTV - We Meet Again

Fri, 17 Oct 2008 13:13:51 -0500

Kurtis and I got another chance to check out Mitsubishi's LaserVue DLP set in the early morning hours this Tuesday, and this time we were armed with some juicy, hand-picked HD goodness. Last time around, we only got to see content provided by Mitsubishi that was playing from a hard drive player hooked up to each set over HDMI. There were some great clips in this material, but we felt that we would be doing the Internets a terrible injustice to base our opinions solely on clips straight from the proverbial horse's mouth. If you missed our coverage of the LaserVue launch event from a couple weeks ago, that's where we got down with the specs and features of the new Mitsubishi set. This trip was all about picture quality.

Mitsubishi LaserVue 65" HDTV World Premiere

Sun, 5 Oct 2008 21:42:45 -0500

Yesterday afternoon, Kurtis and I got the chance to check out the World Premiere of Mitsubishi�s new �LaserVue� HDTV at San Antonio's high-end audio/video emporium, Bjorn's. The folks from Mitsubishi were kind enough to take the time to give us a grand tour and explain the details about what makes this new tech so special. I read up on the technology a few months back, but since I wasn't at CES 2008, I'd never seen the prototypes in action. Well, now I've done one better, since Mitsubishi brought their only two production models in existence to Bjorn's for this World Premiere event. And you're in luck, because I�m gonna tell you all about it.

Apple's "Let's Rock" Event: What's New With the iPods?

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 23:12:10 -0500

Apple's latest media event was full of the "funnest" new releases from Cupertino we have seen since the iPhone 3G launch earlier this summer. The refresh was across-the-board for the iPod lineup; new nanos, new Touches, new first-party accessories, and minor updates to the Classic and Shuffle lines - all of the big dogs were present and accounted for. We already went over the new goodies in iTunes 8, and now we are going to take a look at the good, the bad, and the technicolor for the fresh goodies that Apple sent to retail this week.