PC Game Piracy Examined
I came across this very interesting analysis of the state of the PC games market. I don't agree with the general attitude towards console gaming (i.e. that it's unquestionably a sub-par experience) but it raises some very interesting points of discussion.
In fact, in one of the very articles that it links to, Crytek's engine tech licensing manager is quoted as saying that they were able to port their game engine to current console hardware with very good results. CryENGINE 2 is possibly the most technologically advanced 3D game engine to be widely deployed at the moment. Be that as it may, it clearly demonstrates how the staggering amount of pirated games is shaping future developments.
Quickies
I have been writing exams during the last couple of weeks so not much time for posting. I wrote three so far, with very good results, and there is one more to go - Artificial Intelligence. I wonder if I can come up with an automaton that writes the exam for me? These should be the last papers I write for my BSc degree in Computer Science.
I just finished reading The Economist's special feature on the financial crisis from the October 11th 2008 edition. It's a fascinating, if long, read starting with When fortune frowned. On the subject of financial crises, one theory suggests a link between the number of Starbucks franchises and the state of a country's economy.
In case you have missed the mini banner on the blog, I published my first photo book with a collection of Orange River images. Check it out! I ordered one of all the available options, and they look great. I think my favourite is the Hardcover ImageWrap option. I will be ordering some more in time for Christmas! In the mean time Blurb has launched a premium grade paper option which should look even better.
The Pentax K-m has started shipping in the UK. Paired with the upcoming 15mm Limited prime lens, it should make one hell of a lightweight travel kit. (Pentax DSLRs use an APS-C sized sensor so the field of view would be equivalent to a ~23mm ultra-wide lens on a 35mm film camera.)
McLaren F1 chassis number 65 got sold at an auction for a record-setting £2.3m. Despite losing its top spot as the fastest production car some time ago, to many people it remains the supercar thanks its uncompromising and unique lightweight design.
Adobe's Creative Suite 4 might have only just began shipping, but Nvidia is quick to cash on it with the Quadro CX. As far as I can tell it is mostly just a rebranded GTX 260, and the only application that really benefits from it is video transcoding from Premiere. For Photoshop CS4, even the most basic cards should benefit from the new OpenGL-based image canvas based on Adobe's specs. The Nvidia Quadro CX does however offer dual DisplayPort interfaces and 30-bit colour so it's not all badge engineering.
And in gaming news, the Mirror's Edge demo is up on both Xbox Live and PSN as of today. I hope it lives up to the hype - it is busy downloading as I type.
A Whole New Meaning to Role-playing Games
Nothing can prepare for you the amazing World of World of Warcraft! 
'Warcraft' Sequel Lets Gamers Play A Character Playing 'Warcraft'
Useful Reading for Game Developers
Established game studios' staff as well as would-be game developers should check out The 7 Commandments All Video Games Should Obey over at Cracked.com. Commandments #5 and #6 sum up everything that is wrong with Assassin's Creed, but it's #7 - be playable with real friends in the same room as you - that I wish more games paid attention to. Even among the few games that do offer split screen, too many manage to get it so horribly wrong it's worth asking why they bothered in the first place. Just look at the various G.R.A.W. and Rainbow 6: Vegas titles - Ubisoft devs should sit down and play Halo 3 and Gears of War end to end with a buddy to see where the bar is at.
No Blu-ray for the Xbox 360
It seems like Sony was hoping to get fan-boys to put pressure on Microsoft to license and integrate Blu-ray into the Xbox 360. I really doubt that the 360 will ever be a competent Blu-ray player because of several factors.
No self-respecting home theater afficionado would tolerate the jet engine cooling fans of an Xbox 360 during movie playback after shelling out the big bucks on high end speakers. There is no way to fix that problem, nor to integrate a Blu-ray drive into existing consoles, without replacing the box entirely. An unsightly external add-on is a kludge in my opinion - and I may not be alone if HD-DVD add-on sales are anything to go by. So if you are going to replace the entire (working) Xbox 360 altogether, why not just get a PS3 to add to your setup and gain access to some additional exclusive games as well as the most future-proof BD player on the market?
As seen in the latest round of price cuts, Microsoft will try to play the numbers game in order to increase its market share in the lower price rungs where most of the sales happen. The Arcade is now priced well within reach for PS2 and Wii buyers which is sure to make an impact. And for all their rhetoric on downloadable HD content, Microsoft is really pushing the Xbox 360 as mostly a gaming platform if you read between the lines of the various public statements. As cool as it would be to have one device that does it all, I don't think we will see it come from Microsoft.
The Joy of Technology
So my friend left me his Xbox 360 and a bunch of games while he's overseas - probably a bad idea to be playing in the face of all my university assignments and work I need to do, but it's just too irresistible! I have it hooked up to my surround sound system and tiny little CRT TV - pity, because it doesn't do the gorgeous HD graphics any justice. At least the sound is up to scratch as I've discovered. Gaming in proper surround sound brings things to a whole new level! Now the last time I played any games seriously was probably around the time of Quake 2 with the exception of messing around with some race sims whenever I visit my brother, and things have moved on a bit.
I have been playing Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter the last couple of days - how awesome! It's in a way what I expected Gears of War to be like, quite a bit of strategy and interesting gameplay as opposed to madly shooting at things. Very cool, and the 2nd installment is waiting for when I finish this one...