Keyboard and Mouse Adaptor for the Xbox and PS2

Yep, SmartJoy has an adaptor that will allow you to play a console game with said keyboard and mouse.

I so want to know if this is makes people play better.

Xbox360 Backwards Compatibility

You can view the published list of all the games that will be supported at launch Here, but eventually all Original Xbox games will be supported. As long as you have a hard drive that is because the original Xbox has a built in hard drive and Microsoft can't make the original games aware of the presence of a hard drive or choose not to use it.

A couple of nice benefits is that all the Xbox games running on the 360 will be running in 720P, have antialiasing and if they support multiplayer allow you to play multiplayer with people playing the same game on the original Xbox. All downloadable content will be available for download from the Live marketplace and I think Microsoft has done a cracking job.

Buzzy Buzzy

I had a look in Game today and there must have been at least three new games that I haven't played yet. This is bad because I want to play them badly, but I don't have the time. Especially not since I got myself a good project supervisor and he is helping me achieve my own vision for my undisclosed project instead of just letting me do what I want and sign stuff off as needed.

I am hoping to setup my own site to dump all my little .Net crapplets on, and maybe some sourcecode. I have chosen a name and a host, but I don't have the time to create a good looking site so I am currently looking for solutions to that.

The Cybermen Are Back

The BBC has Released the first picture of the new Cybermen costume.

I like it, but wither the Cybermen will use the phrases "You will be made like us" (or something like that) and "resistance is useless" which I am convinced was stolen for The Borg in Star Trek. Especially since both are cyborgs and create new Cybermen/Borg through a proses called cyber-conversion/Assimilation against the will of the poor human.

Anyway if you see a Cyberman in a dark alleyway you have few options, but if you do happen to have something made of gold then you can clog the cyberman's respiratory system with it by rubbing it against the Cyberman's chestplate (never did quite get that one).

Kameo Podcast

To promote Kameo Microsoft and Rare have started doing a Kameo podcast. The Official Website has More Information about what they have planned, but the first episode is simply a well produced narration of the backstory.

If you have iTunes open, just drag This RSS Link onto the podcast screen and you can get the first cast right now.

Girlz Don't Exist On The Interweb

I found This article by Whitney Butts about her frustration with guys on he internet funny. She talks about online gaming and how girls don't exist on the internet.

Free Copy Of Visual Studio Express

I have gotten confused in the past few days about all this and you can't buy it at retail yet, but Visual Studio Express is out right now and you can download a copy right now for free!

This is how it works. Until November the 6th 2006 Visual Studio Express Basic, C#, C++ and J# will be free to download and register from Microsoft as a special offer to get more people using .Net. After that period you will have to spend $49 to register an Exspress copy. I am assuming they are doing this to promote VS2005 because there are a lot of VB6 developers who are scared of .Net and a lot of other developer that are only just discovering .Net, so this free offer does make alot sense from a future business perspective.

You can download and register a free copy right now from The Visual Studio Express Homepage.

Right now I am recompiling my apps, testing and looking for site hosting so I can shove a few of my apps and sourcecode up onto a website.

WARNING: If you currently have Visual Studio Beta software install you must uninstall the software and THEN the Beta 2.0 Framework. If you do this the wrong way around you will have to format your computer to get Visual Studio to work again.

How To Manage Geeks

I don't normally read management material, but This piece by Eric Schmidt CEO of Novell, is a very interesting article about getting the best out of your companies geeks.

Visual Studio 2005

Looks like it isn't out until November the 28th now. Well according to This Amazon page anyway. Maybe I got confused with today being an MSDN release for subscribers or something.

The page cannot be displayed

Frigging university email system.
I have email to send!

It wouldn't be so bad if I could use my primary yahoo account to send mail from (had that since 1995), but the university system sees all email from that as spam.

Even when the stupid thing is working it will log me out as I am typing an email and flatly refuses to send any email with more than one attached file. Ye it will allow me to attach the files, just not send the email.

Visual Studio 2005

Tomorrow Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 should be out. No mention on Amazon.co.uk, and only a "subject to change" mention on amazon.com. So I don't know if I am going to be able to get a copy next week or not because nobody seems to be stocking it.

I will try and have a look around PC World tomorrow after class, but since I have been waiting four months for this and it is a major platform release for Microsoft, I am a little surprised that Amazon.co.uk doesn't even have it listed.

Ctrl + Alt + Delete Makes Fun Of Sony

Recently The Official Playstation Magazine Reported that Sony weren't going to invest in a competing service to Microsoft's XboxLive service. I think that might be because they can't afford it, but Tim Buckley made a great comic of it over at Ctrl + Alt + Delete.

Memories Of Guild Wars This Halloween

If you missed this Halloween's GW event then you can still Download The Video showing all the loverly treats.

I Bought No Fireworks!

Remember remember the fifth of November
gunpowder Treason and Plot
I see no reason why Gunpowder Treason
should ever be forgot.

The Elder Scrolls IV Oblivion Presentation Video

FilePlanet has a great video presentation of Elder Scrolls IV Oblivion. This is apparently the same presentation that has shown behind closed doors (maybe at this years E3, but i am not sure).

The whole thing looks stunning, the character animations could be smoother, some of the voice acting could be better and the botmapping could be better too, but it still looks stunning.

The BBC Sucks At Technology Coverage

So I watched the program that I Talked About Earlier and it turned out to be a Money Program report and the whole thing was bad. I know the BBC doesn't do technology coverage very well, but having young mothers giving their opinions on the 360 was laughable at best because the mothers had no clue what it was, they aren't gamers, they weren't interested in gaming, there wewen't gadget or technology orientated epople, they probably don't have the time for games because they have young kids and so are probably a hardest demographic to market gaming to. Probably more so than grandparents even because at least grandparents have the time to play games. Young mothers barley get enough sleep and expenses like new TVs or a wardrobe are usually put on hold because they are trying to adjust to the added existence of having a new child.

There wasn't a single mention of Nintendo in the program and there was a perceived assumption from the program makers that the PSP and 360 are in the same market, when we all know that the handheld and home console markets are very different and that most gamers aren't advesre to having one of both because they don't have to share the same space in the living room, whitch home console systems do.

Anyway there was an interesting comment by the Sony European guy who when the interview was conducted (pre PSP launch) said that he fully expects the PSP to be this Christmas's number one gift. And I find that highly unlikely, but if Sony does a last ditch marketing campaign then I think they could at least compete against the 360 for that spot.

Something On Tonight

DOCUMENTARY: Microsoft's Big Games Gamble
Channel: BBC 2
Date: Friday 4th November 2005
Time: 19:00 to 19:30 (starting this evening)
Duration: 30 minutes.
Documentary which follows a team from the world's biggest hi-tech company as they launch a new version of their Xbox games console to take on the Sony Playstation. It is a huge gamble, but the potential rewards are enormous. The new consoles can play music, store photos, and let you contact other people online, so whoever wins the battle could become the gatekeeper to the world of home entertainment. But can Microsoft get their new consoles into the shops in time for Christmas?
(Widescreen, Subtitles)

Excerpt taken from DigiGuide - the world's best TV guide available from http://www.getdigiguide.com/?p=1&r=2943
Copyright GipsyMedia Ltd.

A Revolution Like Controller

Someguy has put This Video together showing a gyro mouse and thumbstick being used in HL2 Deathmatch.

That Xbox Space In Japan

That Xbox Lounge in Japan opened today. And my god the Food, Drink and Deserts that they are serving there all look fabulous.

I have no idea how they are going to handle the number of people wanting to use the lounge, because it it was me I would be in it all the time.

OMG

I seriously have nothing to talk about.

Project is going well and I have a meeting with my new supervisor this Thursday. Programming wise I have developed almost half of the knowledge that I need to complete it.