What’s Up With Xbox 360?
A Guide of What’s Available for Microsoft’s XBox 360 System

The XBox 360 System. The new Xbox 360 console ($399.99) brings Microsoft technology to the gaming industry like never before. This new toy sports new Internet connections to social communities and puts the gamer in ultimate control with goo-gobs of fun accessories.

This article describes some of those accessories and the games available that (almost) everyone can enjoy.

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Popularity: 27% [?]

What’s Up With NintendoDS?
A Guide of What’s Available for the NintendoDS System

If you’re looking for a game system that comes with a butt-load of inexpensive games, you come to the right place. No other gaming system on the market today hosts as many games at such low prices as the handheld NintendoDS System. Nor does any other gaming system on the market cater to such a young audience.

More appropriate for young gamers than teens or adults, NintendoDS games bring back the SuperMario flavor that we’ve all come to love. Pokemon is still as strong as ever with this system as well, however we’ve noticed a few new games (and types of games) thrown into the mix too.

This article describes some of the accessories and games available for this particular sytem that everyone can enjoy.

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Popularity: 25% [?]

One of the most intimidating parts of getting started with online gaming is getting over the fear of screwing things up for other players. It’s one thing to play a game and make mistakes at home, but it’s an entirely different thing to play a game and make mistakes that can cause failure in the game plays of others. But there’s no reason to let this fear stop you or another gaming newbie from having fun. This article will give you the in’s and out’s of online gaming so that you can start with the confidence you need to continue on.

The first step anyone new to online gaming should take is to first, learn how to play offline. You can read the game’s manual and save yourself from seeing the infamous acronym, “RTFM” scroll across your screen. Know what that acronym stands for? It stands for “Read The Fu**ing Manual” and its spewed by serious gamers to vulnerable newbies who interrupt a game with questions like, “What is this place?” or “What am I supposed to do?”

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Popularity: 17% [?]

The gaming industry is a huge industry that consumes as much news space as any other widely known enterprise. It’s so large in fact, if you take a walk down the aisle of any store that sells magazines, you’ll find at least two or three gaming magazines to select from – and this includes stores that you would least expect to find them in, like the Walgreens Drug Store for Pete’s sake.

What’s even better, is that regardless of what your skill level with games is, you can take advantage of this news coverage and use what you learn to improve you knowledge, your equipment, and your play. You can additionally find out about gaming events that you can attend or even participate in.

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Popularity: 23% [?]

No, it isn’t Ms. Manners to the rescue, nor is it Polite Polly knocking at your noggin. We just know how easy it is to get frustrated or even angry while playing a difficult game, but if we’re not careful, that anger and frustration could lead to some butt-ugly moments during a time that’s supposed to be amusing. The following is offered in an effort to keep everything fun and entertaining during a session of group play.

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Popularity: 12% [?]

Visit any video game outlet and you’re bound to get overwhelmed by the hundreds of choices available – especially if you’re new to gaming. Interestingly, children and teens seem to know their way around these places as if they were their second home. But for the adult, the typical video store looks like some sort of color paint explosion and sooner or later, all the games start to look the same. This guide is for the adult who’s buying a game for a younger person perhaps as a birthday gift or as a bribe. Whatever the reason, you’re going to appreciate the following tips.

1. Research this strange phenomenon before setting foot inside a video store. There’s plenty of information available about video games online, so to reduce frustration offline, fire up your web browser and do a little homework. Visit the website of the gaming outlet nearest you and then look for a link to the games section of the system that your youngster plays. Here’s a helpful chart to explain what all those strange letters mean. more…

   Popularity: 10% [?]

If you find yourself playing video games day-in and day-out, you might be a prime candidate for establishing yourself as a gaming expert. All you need is a good knowledge of a wide range of games and gaming systems, and of course, a lot of patience. The rewards are phenomenal and in the end, you’ll be a better person for it.

So what is an expert anyway? Just what is it that qualifies anyone to be an expert on anything? Since there aren’t any colleges that offer degrees in this genre, we can qualify any gamer as an expert who has the qualities described above. So if you have the knowledge or ability to play a game skillfully – and you enjoy solving problems, you could probably claim the rights to an expert status.

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Popularity: 9% [?]

Have you ever fantasized about building a video game environment of your own? A place where you and your friends could spend hours and hours playing your favorite games without interruption? Or how about a place that really shows off your game fetish? It’s really pretty simple to create such a place and you don’t need to rent out a video game hall to do it. This article will introduce a few ideas you can use to build the ultimate gaming center.

The first thing that you want to do is maintain a happy household if you’re family member. Trying to play a mean game of Super Mario Tetris or Halo 2 can be impossible with kids running around the house and screaming bloody murder. You won’t be able to enjoy the latest role-playing game when the wife’s nagging you about bills or undone chores too. Keep a happy home, keep a happy marriage, and your time spent playing video games is heaven away from heaven.

It’s no secret that some games require as much concentration and focus as when studying for a calculus exam - and there’s nothing more frustrating than when you can’t figure out how to get through to “the next level” of a game. This is no time to be distracted and if home life isn’t what it could be, you’ll never be able to concentrate on your game. Strive to make home a place to unwind first – then work on enjoying your games.

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Popularity: 10% [?]

Demystifying Surround Sound Terminology

Just in case you’ve been reading around and researching the many terms and topics that concern surround sound and the many surround sound systems on the market today, I thought it might be a good idea to explain some of the terminology that is floating around. First of all there are many initials names and numbers floating around when it comes to surround sound technology and equipment, it’s no wonder that many of us mere mortal consumers are more than a little confused by it all. Hopefully the information you find below will prove helpful as you weave through the wired jungles of modern sound technology.

The first and probably most common thing you will see in these circles is Dolby Digital. While there are many complicated definitions of this term the one that will matter most to you, as a consumer is that right now it is the leading format on the market when it comes to processing the digital data that your system will need to process. There are better brands such as DTS when it comes to musical sound for this function but the vast majority of television broadcasts and DVDs are optimized for Dolby.

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Popularity: 13% [?]

DIY Surround Sound

The debate of whether or not to install your own surround sound system has fallen on deaf ears and you have decided to tackle this delicate task for yourself. Good for you. The thing is you aren’t really too certain about where to actually begin this delicate procedure. At this point, I’m assuming that you have purchased either a home theater kit or surround sound system for your home and are preparing to begin the actual installation process. A good place to start is by reading the instructions and owners manual that most likely came with either the kit you purchased or each of the individual components.

The thing to remember with a surround sound system is that nothing will work without the speakers and they will only work for their intended purpose if they are positioned properly. However, you need to make sure that the other components are in place before beginning to work with the speakers. I recommend, particularly if this is your first system that you go with a simple AV receiver, if you’ve already purchased a tuner, amplifier, and all that other great stuff it is no problem, just a little more involved as far as processes go. The installation of each of these devices is often as simple as finding a space for them and plugging everything into the proper slot. The good news is that most systems have the ‘slots’ well labeled for just this purpose.

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Popularity: 11% [?]