skipclarke's blog

I've decided to build an HTPC based on the AMD Trinity APU, and I need your help in picking out the last few parts (case, PSU, RAM and Blu-Ray).

At a recent checkup, the pediatrician asked me what gaming console I would recommend. After going through the pros and cons of each current console, I settled on the Xbox 360 as my recommendation. Then after a moment, it dawned on me that an HTPC would be a better option for his (and my kids) to game on.

I figure that a small form factor PC based on an APU, with an Xbox controller, and Steam in Big Picture Mode will fit the bill perfectly. So, I've decided to test the theory by doing an HTPC build centered on the AMD A10-6800K. This will also give me a good testbed for future single screen benchmarking.

January always brings two things, un-kept resolutions and CES. And with CES we always get a plethora of leaks and pre-show releases. A number of recent releases are pointing to Display Port daisy chaining and MST hubs finally making a splash in 2013. A couple of weeks ago, I saw a post at TFT Central regarding model numbers of upcoming Dell displays. The post contained a scan of the DisplayPort 1.2 flyer from the Dell U2913WM. The flyer indicated that upcoming products (U2413, U2713H and U3014) would all include DisplayPort daisy chaining through including DP 1.2 MST hubs. I fished out my flyer, and have included a scan here.

Just a couple days ago, David Tjong from AMD make a couple of tweets that showcased the DP 1.2 Daisy Chain and an unbranded MST Hub (probably a prototype).

Good news is that the clutter-cutting technology is here and/or soon to be here. Also remember that the MST Hubs can work with non-DisplayPort monitors. You can use them to attach three DVI panels to a single DisplayPort connection. I've been wanting to step up from 1080p panels to 2560x1440. The U2713H with the DP 1.2 Daisy Chain may just be the ticket.

Many of today's popular games are about a co-operative experience. Shooters (both third-person and first-person) require at least a moderate amount of teamwork from their players, if those players expect to be successful. Squad-based shooters and tactical shooters require even more coordination and planning from players. Success in these games isn't the work of one person, it is the work of many moving parts reacting to situations as they unfold. Each person brings their own skillset, and each person is required to react dynamically as new needs arise.

MMOs such as World of Warcraft have expended this idea as well. The whole idea of a "raid group" is to design a much larger cooperative team, from a much larger pool of possible players and characters. The nature of an MMO means that your players are more variable in nature, and the characters (with all of the choices for race, class, skills, spells, armor, weapons, items, etc.) are infinitely more variable. But, even with the greater variances, many of these groups run like clockwork as they run through the end-game content over and over.

It may go without saying (and it often does), but it needs to be said - running a successful gaming website requires the same kind of teamwork. And I am lucky to have a great team. Our volunteer staff of Editors/Mods do a great job in the day-to-day running of the site, but I want to take a moment to really thank the Admin Team that works behind the scenes.

Just thought I'd share an update on my never ending quest to find the perfect gaming rig. I've been running a 1+3 Eyefinity rig for a while. I decided to invert this, and flip to a 3+1 config. This allows me to keep my Mac running on the bottom screen, while I have Eyefinity running at top. The "pockets" of space created on my desk now give me more room for speakers (review of the Corsair SP-2500 coming soon) and other items.

I'll let you know how I like it once I've had more time with it. You can see my full command center in this forum post.

Note - If you have an issue with my use of the term "bitchy" in this blog, please see my disclaimer at the bottom of the article.

I must admit that I've yet to play the Mass Effect series. Sacrilege I know, but the lack of Eyefinity support, and a backlog of Eyefinity-capable games meant that Mass Effect would simply need to wait. I still followed the development of all three games, and the efforts of the WSGF community to implement proper Eyefinity and Surround support (successful I might add).

Apparently the ending wasn't up to snuff, with reactions ranging from "soul crushing" to incomplete. One common complaint was that for all the myriad of choices available during the series, the final installment basically shoehorned you into one of a few endings. Now, I'm not surprised that gamers may be disappointed with such an ending, but I was surprised at the level of the response - message boards lighting up, online petitions and donation drives. I guess I shouldn't be shocked at anything when the Internet Rage Machine (IRM) starts up.

So Diablo III launched yesterday with much fanfare and many "Error 37's". What it didn't launch with was proper Eyefinity or Surround support. Based on folks who played the beta, and feedback from the devs in the official D3 forums, we knew this was going to be the case at launch.

What I don't get is why. Blizzard knows how to make a multi-monitor game (they updated WOW with the Lich King expansion), and indie devs stumble into proper support without knowing it. Think I'm joking? Check this out...

Runic was nice enough to give me a couple of beta keys for Torchlight II. I spent some time going through the game in widescreen and Eyefinity. Kayden was able to put some time into the game with an NVIDIA Surround rig. Overall, multi-monitor support is great, with several improvements over the original Torchlight. We did uncover one issue, which we are reporting to Runic. If you set the UI scaling to 100%, the health orbs are on the far left and right corners of the screen. This is a global bug, and it impacts single screen, AMD Eyefinity and NVIDIA Surround.

On a positive note, you can now place the automap to fill the left or right monitor. This is a great use of the extra screen real estate in Eyefinity or Surround.

If I'm a fanboy of anything, it's Sega. Funnily enough, I never owned a Sega Genesis, and was never a Sonic fan back in the 16-bit heyday. I was all Nintendo and all Mario, even though I only owned a PC. But, from a content standpoint, Nintendo had my heart (in that console realm).

Fast forward a number of years, and I waited in line on 9.9.99 for a Dreamcast. In college I had dabbled in consoles, and bought a Nintendo64 while I worked at Babbage's (bonus point to anyone who shopped at one of those), but I was overall a PC guy. For some reason I saw that the Dreamcast had soul, and I loved it. In fact, I still own one (VGA adapter and all). Some of my favorite gaming experiences are on the Dreamcast. NFL2K was a monster of a game, and Jet Set Radio will be a forever favorite. I even found all the soundtracks to JSR from a local "anime" shop, back when such things were hard to find.

Recent Sega re-releases and updates have had my heart all a-twtitter. The announcement of Jet Set Radio was like welcoming home and old friend (and here's to hoping for Eyefinity/Surround support), and the recent Sonic Episodes are like a time warp back to my childhood.

Prior to CES 2012, I wasn't familiar with the Roccat brand. Now that they are moving into the NA market, we are getting more news about their products and plans. Engadget recently reported that Roccat was offering a mobile app called Power-Grid that would turn iOS and Android users monitor their PC stats, and turn their mobile devices into touch screen interfaces for PC gamers.

The idea is similar to the Switchblade concept device from Razer, which itself has morphed into the Razer Blade laptop and the SW:TOR keyboard. Roccat is taking this idea of customizable user interfaces for gaming, and leveraging the touchscreen you probably already own. In addition to the software component, Roccat is also offering hardware accessories. The Phobo keyboard offers a dock for your iPhone on the right hand side, and largely mimics the functionality of the Razer SW:TOR keyboard. If you already have a keyboard you love, Roccat is offering a charging dock to help integrate the iPhone into your gaming rig.

What's better than the WSGF Edition Monitor Stand? Mounting it on the wall, of course! Simple mod detailed in this video.