The Sega Master System

I remember getting one of these as a kid.  I kind of regret the circumstances around it though as I received it as a Chrsitmas gift from my parents.  What is the problem with you say?  The problem was I found it about two weeks before Christmas and played it when my parents were out.  By the time Chrsitmas day came, the ’sparkle’ had dissappeared.  Anyway, getting back to the console… it was pretty good in my opinion.

The Sega Master System was successful in some parts of the world, but for the most part, it went unnoticed. The SEGA Master System was the NES’s main rival, it unfortunately lost the battle against Nintendo, as it was outsold by the NES. It was cheaper though than the NES, retailing at £99 and the NES at £149, it also looked technicaly inferior to the NES, but actually had a CPU that ran twice the speed of the NES.

The Sega Master System was rereleased in a smaller handheld form factor in late 2006. This small handheld device is powered by 3 AAA batteries, has a brighter active matrix screen, and contained 20 Game Gear and Sega Master System games. The Sega Master System was pretty much a disappointment all round, although the original Phantasy Star RPG was superb and arguably still the best in the series. The Sega Master System was going nowhere with dead third party support and Atari was struggling with its attempt to match the success of the Nintendo console.

 

 

The Commodore 64 Gaming Computer

Following on from my lat post about the history of gaming.  I have noticed that all recent article and blog posts made on sites these days are all about the current gaming consoles such as the Wii, 360 and PS3.  This gave me inspiration to post about one of the old skool computer back in the 80’s.  I never actually owned a commodore 64, but did play on one a few times.  Back then, they were the envoy of school children throughout the country.  Everyone wanted one.  See here’s my peice on the commodore 64!! Retro rules!!!

The Commodore 64 was at least in Europe a phenomenon: In 1982 hardly anybody knew about it and even if you read the right magazines, information was thin and the price was high. In 1983 some people bought one, including me. The Commodore 64 was a personal computer produced during the 1980s. Due to its low cost and high availability, the Commodore 64 eventually became the best-selling computer model of all time. The Commodore 64 was only available in one incarnation, the C128 had backward compatibility but it never had any games of note. I am going to focus on the original version of the Spectrum in these reviews as this is the version that most people owned.

The Commodore 64 was the end of an era. The 64, just like the Apple IIe, was based on the 6500 processor, and it was the end of the line for that technology. The Commodore 64 was able to straddle both ends of the Atlantic, a feat that neither the Apple II (basically an American platform) nor the Amiga (Generally a European platform) had ever achieved. The Commodore 64 was at one time one of the most popular personal computers. Part of the 64k of ram was overlayed by the rom which contained a BASIC interpreter and could be paged out.

The Commodore 64 was marketed toward the mass population and this model was the first portable model with a color display. As with previous models and brands, however, it still used cassette tapes as mediums for data storage with an optional floppy disk drive. The Commodore 64 was my attempt to build the absolute minimal system that could be built out of the video and sound chips put together.”. The Commodore 64 was alive: it was a immediately ordered into production which hit full stride by August 1982.

Nintendo Wii – Forty Years In Gaming Consoles

The breakthroughs we have had in technology, has enabled us to facilitate our amusements needs.  Today many people rarely get time to entertain themselves via traditional means.  For those people, they can suffer from the stress and strain of everyday life and hardly get time to enjoy themselves by doing some kind of activity.  Outdoor games no longer seem to be part of our daily routine, and people tend to lose themselves in their mobile phones or other personal electronic devices for fun and entertainment.  As such the electronic gaming market has come to drive all our gaming needs and entertainment, enabling us to have a high tech entertainment system within the comfort of our own home.  There are various game consoles that keep hitting the market at regular intervals.  These consoles are affordable and have various user friendly features which are taking video gaming forward, towards a new era.

The first gaming console that could be used on a TV at home was the Magnavox Odyssey.  It was designed by Ralph Baer and it was first released to the public in 1972 but only met with limited success.  In 1975 the real revolution in video games for the home began with the release of the home version of Pong by Atari.  Atari managed to agree a deal for 175,000 units with Sears who would market it and sell it within their stores. The game was a massive success for the 1975 Christmas sales.  The interesting thing about this game was that all the discrete wiring was designed into just one chip which was the most advanced consumer electronics chip ever made until up to that point.  This took thinks to a whole new level and the creation of the video game console was born.

The Xbox 360 followed the success of the original Xbox and is the second version launched by Microsoft, and was produced in cooperation with IBM, ATI, and Sis.  Microsoft’s online community allows players to play together over the internet and download content such as arcade games, music, trailers, wallpapers, and movies. The Xbox 360 followed on from the original Xbox, and is in direct competition with Sony’s PS3 and the Nintendo Wii as part of the seventh generation of gaming consoles.

Xbox 360 – Better Than The Nintendo Wii?

Well, the answer in simple terms is Yes, it is better than the Nintendo Wii with regards to power, graphics and its ‘variation’ of quality games, but for its wii accessories and products, it compares quite well.  I myself am a big fan of the Xbox 360 and play on it a good few times per week.  That is when I can prize my five year old’s fingers from it long enough to have a game.  For the serious video gamers, the Xbox cannot be spoken of badly, but this doesn’t mean it is better than the Nintendo Wii is not as good in the eyes of many.

One of the Xbox 360’s main features is its online community.  XBOX live is great, it’s pretty cheap and really easy to set up. Couple that with the fact that the XBOX has a hard drive (no memory cards here folks) and you get quite a bit of extra playability out of your games. Xbox Live is designed well for this with itss own leader boards, but an even better addition than your basic leader boards is the ability to save replays of you going through a level and sharing them online. It works similarly as saving replays in Halo 3 or N+ , except besides seeing the top players, you can see your friend’s replays also. Xbox LIVE is an online subscription service that allows Xbox gamers to play video games together and download additional game content using the Internet. Once online, gamers can play one another over the Internet and talk to each other in real-time using the headset (included in the bundle).

The Nintendo DS – Handheld Gaming Product Features

The Nintendo DS is the world’s first double screened, portable hand held gaming system. The design is impeccable, with the screens placed one on top of the other. The Nintendo DS is a great game with a huge selection of titles. The unique aspect of the Nintendo DS is the touch screen.

The Nintendo DS is known for it dual-screen layout, as well as its bottom touch screen, something which has allowed the DS to differentiate itself from previous handheld devices. The PSP, although it does not have a touchscreen, does sport a gorgeous 4.3 in, 480?272 pixel, 16:9 widescreen.? The iPhone combines the best of both worlds, offering a 3.5 in, 320?480 pixel touchscreen that, unlike the DS, does not require the use of a stylus. The Nintendo DS is a clam-shell form-factor games device with dual LCD screens, one of which is touch-sensitive. It also includes a microphone, and both the touch-screen and microphone can be used as input devices in certain games. The Nintendo DS is the successor to Nintendo’s ultra-popular GameBoy line, and it’s the PSP’s chief competitor. Both gaming devices have their own market share, with the DS proving to be a popular choice for both sexes.

The Sony PSP And Its Wide Range Of Accessories

The Sony PSP is a masterpiece of technology that is everything we’d ever dream it would be and more. It’s graphical and sound capabilities will truly blow you away and it will be interesting to see what other things Sony has in store for this handheld system. The Sony PSP is an utterly cool gadget by itself, but as any fashionist will tell you, the secret to true style is in accessorising. From essentials like memory cards and screen protectors to pimped-up speaker systems and bling diamond cases, the console itself is only the beginning of handheld gaming perfection.  You can even buy complete PSP Accessories Packs which include every accessory you would ever need.  The Sony PSP is one such device with a semi-locked down infrastructure, supporting only minor connectivity options. For example, you cannot connect to the PSP using Wi-Fi for file transfers.

The Sony PSP is still proving a very popular gadget. Coupling not only 3D gaming but also web, podcast support, mp3, photo and video viewer makes it not only a formidable multimedia device but also a great Christmas present or gift. The Sony PSP is innovatively built with promises of a fantastic gaming experience. This PSP has an optical disc format that is used to play games.

Mario Kart For The Nintendo Wii

Mario Kart is a racing game which according to some, is just a clone of previous Mario Kart games, which keeps those fans happy. But my familiarity with kart racing doesn’t come from Nintendo, but from Sony and their Krash Bandacoot racing games…of course, Krash was just a Mario Kart rip-off at the time…but nonetheless, Krash prepared me for Mario Kart Wii and thus I knew exactly what I was getting into.  Mario Kart is stupidly easy to play. You hit one button to accelerate and use the joystick (or d-pad or whatever) to steer.

Mario Kart is now one of the world’s biggest gaming franchises and with the Nintendo Wii now well established on the market, it was only a matter of time until the Mario Kart game came back. It is here now, and while it has a few problems, the core game play remains and Mario Kart Wii is a game that does a lot right. Mario Kart is not a cakewalk by any means.  By the time you’ve got a gold trophy in all championships  50cc, 100cc and 150 cc, you’ll be certain to have earned them. Mario Kart is what you most likely expected, a kart racing game with you guessed it Mario! Sure some Mario games have been known to be poor, simply because they just seem to be another attempt to put a Mario game out there for you to buy.

Mario Kart is notorious for making “random” item pickups based on your position in the field. If you have a big lead during a race and hit a question mark box, you know you’re going to get a banana peel or green turtle shell.  Mario Kart is a unique sort of franchise.  A new instalment is released only once for each console, and nobody ever asks for a sequel before the next system comes out. Mario Kart is so popular on college campuses, that students have even written in-depth articles on the game.

Mario Kart is sticking to its guns in terms of game play.   Nintendo hasn’t changed the core play at all, and that should make fans very happy.  Mario Kart is one of those franchises. I have never really got into it at all, and when Nintendo invited me to the launch event, I was rather excited about getting stuck in to a new gaming experience. Mario Kart is a series that suffers from some lackluster single player, but the heap of single player modes helps to up the longevity of the game, especially when multiplayer is not an option.

Multiplayer Mode is also an option, where up to four people can challenge each other in your living room.  Multiplayer has always been a huge part of the Mario Kart series and the newest entry into the series certainly doesn’t disappoint with multi-player action.  Multiplayer is highly recommended with the friendly and fun atmosphere of go-kart racing . Even though you might already own every single Mario Kart leading up to this one.  Mario Kart different on the Nintendo Wii than any other console is that it comes bundled with a standard steering wheel.  This wheel adds a lot more fun and realism to the game.  Some people just can’t get away with the standard wheel though, and prefer a wii wheel like ‘Pair & Go’s new weighted, multi directional version, which has a proper base to it.  This Pair & Go Wii Wheel is certainly a good alternative the to ‘floating in air’ type.

Welcome To My Gaming Accessories Blog

Hello and welcome!

I am actively involved within the online retail gaming sector, and at the for-front of the development stages of many gaming accessories, mainly for the Nintendo Wii, but also systems such as the Nintendo DS and Sony PSP.  I thought it would be interesting, and helpful to people if I started a blog to highlight and review forthcoming products that haven’t even hit the market yet.  This will give you an in-sight into products that are in development, or even at the idea stages, prior to development.  This blog will also allow you to air your ideas, views and opinions on these products.

My company is also in the process of filming and editing a selection of product videos, which actually show these various products in action.  It would be good to get some feedback from yourselves with regards to these, whether it be good or bad.  So as well as this blog being a resource for it’s readers, it will also be a good research tool for me, which will hopegully result in better gaming accessories being brought to market.

Hope you enjoy my blog!

Andy Black

Gold Fusion Electronics