classification.gov site gets hacked an is now down and NEW BLOG FEATURES COMING YOUR WAY!

Firstly, as at 7:09pm on Saturday 28 March, the Australian Governments classification board sit, http://www.classification.gov.au, was down with the error message "Bad Request (Invalid Hostname)". Earlier today the site was hacked and the hackers changed the front opage test to read ""This site contains information about the boards that have the right to CONTROL YOUR FREEDOMZ, The Classification Board has the right to not just classify content (the name is an ELABORATE TRICK), but also the right to DECIDE WHAT IS AND ISNT APPROPRIATE and BAN CONTENT FROM THE PUBLIC" This was donwe shortly after Stephen Conroy had spoken on Q+A on the ABC last night. I assume this was done in response to Senator Conroy's Internet Filtering and certainly got the message through but these people, when and if they get caught, are in for a lot of trouble. Great Cause but Stupid Idea.

Next I would like to announce some new blog features that will be coming soon:

• New Theme (again)
• Facebook Group
• Twitter use
  
• Music player
• Better use of forums
• Handy Tips and Tricks
• Podcast (tentative)
  
• iPhone App (tentative)

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2, Internet Censorship, Windows XP Support shutdown and Sims 3 DRM

Firstly I would like to say that Modern Warfare 2, the next game in the Call of Duty franchise. has been given a release date of November 10 2009. This is great news if you loved the franchise. Infinity Ward is developing this game, much to everyone relief. Hopefully it will by a solid game but nothing can be said until we see more. Anyway here is the trailer...



Next is that Stephen Conroy, the 'mastermind' behind the proposed internet filter, has appeared on the ABC's Q+A program and was asked question about the internet filter idea. He tried to defend the stupid idea for a nationwide filter and someone even said that "it will be like making a dam wall out of chicken wire" and made reference to the Wikileaks scandal. Personally I think that Mr Conroy is making a bad decision by going ahead with this filter and I think that he should just scrap the idea and never talk about it again. Louise Adler, a publisher, made a good point on the show that instead of having a mandatory internet filter we should be looking for the causes of paedophilia and addressing that directly without censoring the internet.

Next is the news that on April 1 Microsoft will be stopping support for Windows XP and Office 2003. This is not new news but just a friendly reminder about this.

Finally, EA has confirmed that the Sims 3 will not have the internet DRM that featured in Spore but instead they will go back to the old Serial Number method. This is great as it saves hassles if you have to reinstall windows or you get a new computer and want to reinstall the game. Why EA had to go with the Intenet and Phone DRM for Spore no one will ever know, but this news about the Sims 3 will save a lot of hassles for gamers all round.

More GDC!!!

Here's some more stuff that has come out of GDC...

Unreal Engine 3: Epic Games has been using this for a while to make Gears of War 2 and Unreal Tournament 3 but now they have released their engine for developers to license and use for their own games. I won't dwell on the massive changes to UE2 or even list them so i'll just post the trailer....



Next is the Zeebo which is a cheap console for 2nd and 3rd world countries. This is a great idea and will bring gamign to countries where only the elite can afford such luxuries. The Console can be plugged in to TVs and it features the followign specs:

Platform
• Qualcomm Chipset
Applications Processing (Audio/Graphics)
• ARM 11 / QDSP-5 running at 528Mhz
3D Graphics Processing
• Qualcomm Adreno 130 Graphics Core
• Mobile Display Processor (MDP) (Concurrent 3D Rendering & Screen Operations)
Internal Memory
• Non-Volatile Memory:
1 GByte NAND Flash
• RAM:
128 MBytes DDR SDRAM + 32Mbyte stacked DDR
SDRAM in MSM7201A
Output Color System
• PAL-M and NTSC
Video-Out Resolution
• VGA (640 x 480) - 4:3 aspect ratio
Banding
• Quad Band GSM/GPRS/EDGE (850/900/1800/1900) MHz
• Tri Band UMTS/HSDPA/HSUPA (850/1900/2100) MHz
Antenna
• Internal
Modem Processing (Integrated in MSM7201A)
• ARM 9 CPU / QDSP-4
Power
• External Power Adaptor (Battery Not Required)
Power Supply
• 100 – 240 V (50-60Hz) (universal)
Ports and Slots
• Three USB 2.0 Standard A (for accessories)
• USB 2.0 OTG – Mini B
(Accessible to Service Centers and Developers only)
• RCA Connector (Video Composite TV Signal, x2 Stereo Audio)
• SD Card Slot / Interface
Power Key Functions
• Power On / Power Down / Power Off
Software
• BREW-based
Pre-Loaded Content
• 4 Games + 1 Free Wirelessly Downloaded Game
Audio Formats
• MIDI (72 voice polyphony 512 KB wavetable, 44kHz sampling rate)
• MP3
• PCM
• ADPCM
• CMX
• QCELP
Messaging
• SMS, server initiated
User Interface (UI)
• Proprietary Zeebo User Interface (Updatable wirelessly)
Console ID
• International Mobile Equipment Identity – IMEI

This a really good idea but will never replace the more expensive consoles in most 1st world countries.

GDC News Galore!

A lot has come out of GDC so far. With 1 day to go I thin k we have squeezed a lot from GDC Sofar.

Firstly is OnLive, which is a new service based on XBox Live. It allows you to host your PC games on a cloud computing server where all graphics are rendered there and the game is completely housed on their servers. Sadly I don't think that this will be feasable within the next 5 years duer to bandwidth issues but it reaslly is a good idea.

Next is CryEngine 3, Cryteks newest game engine. This really isn't as good as you think it is. It is just a port of their previous engine, CryEngine2.

Next is a new Wii Storage solution. Nintendo have today released a system update that they announced a GDC which will add support for SDHC Card of up to 32GB. It also adds an SD Card menu and all channells except for the Nintendo Channel and the menu can house up to 240 Games. This is a major improvement over the feable 512MB of storage in the Wii at launch.

Finally Nintendo has released a new part of the wii shop called Virtual Console Arcade which will house arcade games not availiable for any other console. This is great and hopefully there will be some overlap with teh Xbox Live Arcade.

AWESOME!!!!

I saw this on Top Gear last night. It was so awesome i just had to shown you. This car is truly the future i think.



Thanks
AndrewCow

My perspective of life has changed for ever

I was just watching a TV show and it said in fact the Myths about the internet being 99.9% porn is actually the opposite. A study was carried out about internet content and it was found that in fact less that 1% of the internet is Porn but more than 80% of emails are spam:) Who would have thought?

AndrewCow

How to make a media server for your PS3

I am sorry this has taken so long. I said I would do this post about 2 months ago but I couldn't be bothered but here it is:)

Have you ever been looking through your PS3 and seen "Search for Media Servers" and wondered what it is?Well I did and found out. IT IS AWESOME. Are you like me and have TONNES of 'very very legal' media on your Computer. Well I do(i have 2250gb of space to store it :) )and I have been having to hook up my laptop to my TV to view media and it gets VERY VERY anoying. Well with the media server you can stream straight from your PC to your PS3. Now I highly recomend using an ethernet cable and not wireless to prevent lagging but wireless still works, it just needs to buffer more:)

Step 1 -
Get the software. Now I use two different programs(both free) because one supports more formats but stuffs up more and the other one is more reliable(but for some reason crashes when the other one is open). These are SimpleCenter and D-Link Media Server(the ones at the bottom and not the TV one)(In order). For their free downloads click on the names.

Step 2 -

Install ether pieces or both pieces of software and then follow the guide for the respective software.

Simple Center - Once open, click settings, then Media. Just add all your media there. Then go to the server tab and choose your name. If you add something to the folder you have added to the server, click on the tab for whatever type of media it is(on the main menu out of settings) and then click on 'Add Movies'(if you and in the movies tab for example)and scan all watch folders. Now this does not do it for every media type. You will need to do them separately.

D-Link Media Server - Once open, go to the 'File Types' tab and make sure all types are selected. Then click on 'System' and put in the name for the server. Next, to add media, go to 'Shared Folders' and click 'Add a Folder'. Locate the folder and add it.

Step 3 -

Make sure your preferred media server application is open and leave it open(can be open in the background).

Step 4 -

Go to your PS3 and find where it says Scan Media Servers(it may have done this automatically). And there you go. Go into the server and watch anything(file format supported) that you have added to the server(note: you can add multiple folders).

ENYOY

If you have any questions, comment.

By the way, we have redone the forums and hope you like them. They are much better now and have lots to comment on. Also put your name on the internet blocking thing up the top.

Thanks for Listening

AndrewCow

The Rise of Mobile Gaming

I have noticed of late that more and more games have been ported to mobile phones or even whole games in a series made specifically for mobile devices. One prime example being the Metal Gear series. Kojima Productions made Metal Gear Solid Mobile and Metal Gear Acid Mobile specifically for mobile phones as well as Metal Gear Solid Touch for the iPhone and iPod touch.

At times this does concern me as not everyone has a compatible phone to play these so it isolates the games and at times does compel people to buy a new phone just for the game. Will game companies associated with this trend join forces with mobile phone makers and even mobile phone service providers to try to maximize revenue? Only time will tell

FINALLY

IPHONE USERS!!!APLE HAS FINALLY FULFILLED OUR DEMANDS.

Apple has just announced the new iPhone 3.0 OS. It has everything we have been asking for. It has over 100 new features for users such as cut/copy/paste, MMS (photos, sounds, contacts, locations) , Landscape view for all inbuilt apps, Forward messages, voice memos(although there are quite a lot of apps for this on the app store but this is build in), new calendars(like subscriptions), new stuff in the stock app( such as more detailed information), search for all key apps(including iPod) AND global phone search( called Spotlight no duh), Bluetooth support( I think. well i know there is stereo bluetooth ad-leased and i think norman but am not sure), autofill on safari and much much much more. There is also TONNES of new stuff for developers but there is just SOOOO much to mention there i wont bother. For more you can watch the Keynote Video here. The developers BETA is available now and will be available for the rest of us this Winter(summer is the US so you don't get confused). It will also be available for iPod Touches but will cost US$9.95 (free for iPhone). It will also be available for the original iPhone if you have one but some features will not be available.

I cant wait!!!I WANT IT NOW

thanks for reading

AndrewCow

PHASE 2 and POST 100!

Welcome to Phase 2 of our redesign.

It is my pleasure to present to you the new theme. This theme is very minimalistic and there will be some minor changes based on your thoughts and based on our thoughts.

Also I would like to release the new forums! To access them go to http://ausgametech.1.forumer.com or click on the link below the archives.

Finally...THIS IS THE 100th POST!!!!

Jail Parents for Giving Children Violent Games?

According to the website stuff.co.nz, New Zealand's chief government censor Bill Hastings proposed that parents who give their children violent video games should be prosecuted.

Laws around video games were "an even stricter regime than alchol", because when an adult gives a child aged under 18 access to a restricted video game, even in their own home they are breaking the law, he said.

If someone was to be caught knowingly allowing a child to play restricted video games such as the R-18 Grand Theft Auto series, they could be punished by up to three months of imprisonment or a fine of up to 10 000 dollars while no-one had yet been prosecuted under the law.

Mr Hastings says:

"That's what the law says, but... you're not going to have police officers in everybedroom... There would certainly be some shock value to prosecuting a parent who gives their under-18 child access to a restricted game. It would send out a message that the enforcement agency means business."

More at : http://news.mmosite.com/content/2009-03-10/20090310003231076.shtml
Source: MMOsite News Center

NEWS FLASH

Sorry about posting like 10 mins after my first one but I just got news that new Nintendo DSi will be in stores on the 02/04/09 for $300 (EB Games). This also comes with 2GB SD card when you pre-order from EB. For more info on the DSi its self, watch the vid below.



Later:)
AndrewCow

Apples On a Role:)

APPLE IS ON A MASSIVE ROLE

FIRSTLY--Safari 4

I hate to say it. It may sound blasphemous(i googled the spelling:) ) but i have switched.

I have been using FireFox and i hate to say it but......it is better that FireFox.

It is so damn fast and has an awesome interface(even if it is just like google chrome -

it is better than chrome). I am not joking it is 42 times faster that IE7.

I definitely recommend downloading the BETA here.

SECONDLY -- New iPod Shuffle

Yes on the 11th of March apple released the worlds smallest MP3 player

AND it even talks to you. Yes they has combated the problem of not having

a screen by making it say your selection. It is so tiny because it has no buttons.

All of the buttons(except for the hold button) are on the headphones.

It comes in silver and black and only available in 4GB models so far but for only

AU$129. For more info go to the official site here.

Also, as most people no by now, apple has made the worlds most energy

efficient Desktop AND Laptop. The Mac Mini is the tiny desktop (about the

size of the small Dell ones but SOOOOOOO much more power)that has claimed

the title of the most energy efficient computer and the new Mac Book can run off

1/4 the power of a light bulb.

Well done apple:)

AndrewCow

(Don't get me wrong - PCs all they way.........except for maybe my AMVs)

Sorry for the repost -- formatting issues:)

Army of 2, Command and Conquer and The rise of Casual Gaming

Welcome to the new opinion based ausgametech.

EA has announced Army of 2: The 40th day which appears to follow on from the idea of the original Army of Two. It does however change the way the co-op works with each player relying on each other. There will also be more co-op moves and the game will be available on the XBox 360, Playstation 3 amd Playstation Portable.

Command and Conquer Red Alert 3: Uprising is availiable digitally today.

Finally, I have been receiving many press releases from both Activision and EA outlining nwe Casual Games becoming available for all teh major gamign consoles. EA has released Trivial Pursuit and Activision is set to release Little League World Series Baseball 2009. This could be the start of a downhill trend with each publisher publishing more casual games than hardcore games. If this happens then it may prove to cause their profits to drop signifcantly.
I have only one thing to say to the major publishers...FOCUS ON YOUR MAJOR FRANCHISES AND TRY TO COME UP WITH A FEW MORE IDEAS TO PROVIDE A FRESHNESS TO EACH FRANCHISE!

2009 Conventions!

This year ausgametech will be visiting 2 conventions held in Brisbane.

The first will be Supanova, which andrewcow will be covering from April 3-5.
"Gathered from the wonderful worlds of science-fiction, pulp TV/movies, toys, console gaming, trading cards, animation/cartoons, fantasy, comic books, entertainment technology, books, music, sport, internet sites and fan-clubs, Supanova Pop Culture Expo is where the adoring public comes face to face with the creative talent that inspire their imaginary worlds under one big roof. It's where burgeoning talent can also display their work and where industry comes to get new ideas and network within the community.

Celebrity guests, tournaments, special events, exclusive screenings, interactive competitions, product launches, collectables, nostalgia and more drawn from the international elite of popular licenses and intellectual properties combined with the very best of Australia."

The second will be Gen Con Australia, which I will be coverign from 18-20 September.
"Gen Con™ Australia is a consumer games and entertainment convention that showcases games for a broad audience of entertainment seekers. The event will be held 18th to 20th of September 2009 at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Gen Con™ hosts the largest number of games tournaments and demonstrations ever seen in Australia.

Held annually in Brisbane, Gen Con™ provides families and games enthusiasts with an opportunity to see and play games across three major categories namely Electronic Games, Family Games and Enthusiast Games."

LOL

LOL i have been very happy lately. YU-GI-OH the Abridged series has been posted every week for about 3 weeks in a row:) If you don't no what it is go here to watch some of the hilarious episodes . But the real reason I bring this up is LittleKuriboh(the person who makes the show) made this vid that i thought was definitly worth sharing:) ENJOY!!!



Now on to other matters. I am a terrible person:) I have two big posts that i have been putting off for about a month but NO MORE. The Windows 7 review p2 will be up this weekend and the How to make a media server on your PS3 will be up sometimes the week after:)

Now on to other other things. Are you one of the 11.5 MILLION people who play wow(that is more than half the population of Australia LOL). Well then i definitely recommend you get the Zygor WoW guide:) It is Excellent. It may be a bit pricey in our economic depression but oh well:). If you don't play WOW START NOW.

So yea BTW for some strange reason Mozilla announced that the log awaited FireFox 3.1 is now 3.5?? Does this mean FireFox 4 is coming sooner that we thought. Yea well I have been using the Beta 3 Pre Beta for a while and it looks well............exactly the same. Oh well i am probably missing something. :)LOL if you are wondering, the rumors are true. SAFARI 4 BETA IS EXACTLY THE SAME AS GOOGLE CHROME.:)

See you next time and feel free to ask questions or request we review something on the chat box:)

AndrewCow

P.S. - I will be covering Brisbane supanova(the tech part of it anyway)

IMPORTANT!

As of today ausgametech will be undergoing a revamp. This will include the following:

-Chat Feature (active as of March 8 2009)
-New Logo (Coming March 2009)
-Better Forums (Coming March 2009)
-New Layout (Coming Late March 2009)
-More Opinionative Blogging Style (Starting March 9 2009)

We at ausgametech hope you will enjoy the new look and if you have any queries feel free to discuss on the forum.