DOA Playstation 3 games

Only little more than a month old and the Playstation 3 already has amassed a list of canceled games. To be fair many of these titles were moved to the Playstation 2 or picked up by the PC and Xbox 360. A trend for many of the supposed exclusive titles for the Playstation 3 where developers have turned to the Xbox 360 exclusively or released for both systems. While this may be good for console owners, it isn’t great for Sony to lose many of their exclusive title-further giving shoppers less reason to pick up the Playstation 3.

Fear & Respect- also canceled for the Xbox 360

WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007

Theseis'

Endless Saga

Killing Day

Elveon

Condemned: Criminal Origins

Dark RPG

Black Blade

Splinter Cell: Double Agent

It’s not unheard of for a platform to cancel games. Every console has had its fair share of canceled games-however to have as many games canceled only 45 days after the hardware release is not a winning business strategy. To date the Xbox 360 has only had games canceled that were being canceled across the board and not only particular to a single console. While never good to have a game canceled it is even doubly bad if it is an exclusive title working to push the brand forward.

Vaporware 2006

No list of vaporware can be complete with out the granddaddy of them all, Duke Nukem Forever. Now a decade late this long promised in development game is an ongoing joke to everyone but long time fans who may be gumming their food before this title ever hits their next-generation virtual reality couches. Developers still claim it is still a serious title and has not been canceled. The rest of the world has nearly given up on this fantasy. Now we know Duke Nukem Forever referred to how long it would take to release this game. Forever indeed.

Other vaporific technology includes.

--The ever-illusive iPod killer. Since the dawn of the iPod claimers to the throne have come to unseat the mega popular music device to no avail. This year Microsoft boasted the strongest contender, heralded by reviewers and Monopolistic Megalithic Computer Corporation. Unfortunately, the buying public has been remarkably indifferent to the DRM challenged device.

Undoubtedly, the iPod will one day be unseated from its place of power but hopes of this happening in 2006 have vaporized.

-Optimus-103 keyboard. CES and the now toned down E3 have been favorites for technology companies to exaggerate upcoming hardware and software. Notorious for showing off the newest devices that have yet to make it past the design station mockups and advertising pictures are many times the only tangible evidence a given technology is anything more than fantasy on the part of designers and CEO’s looking at a lack of press. This is a long way of explaining many of the vaporware items and most particularly the exciting Optimus Keyboard. This ultimate in configurable input devices with a small screen and a host of features has been delayed nearly since its announcement. Now slated for a 2007 launch though with severely toned down features.

Xbox 360 Wireless Controller

With a search of major online and brick and mortar stores the two lowest prices come from Overstock.com and Buy.com. With a low shipping price from Overstock.com the total comes to 44.35 while Buy.com is 39.99 with free shipping. Both are good deals. Pick them up before the sale is over.

If you own a 360, the wireless controller is the only way to go. Far superior to any branded or off brand Xbox controller of the past, the official Microsoft wireless controller is an all around great product. Simple to use, the 360 has built in controls for up to four wireless controllers. They have no signal issues and connect quickly. The crew from Redmond also allowed the controllers to shut down and power up the console. A much-needed upgrade from the original Xbox.

Sound like I’m a fan.

That’s because I am.

After years of testing nearly every controller on the market for the Xbox it’s nice to see Microsoft finally making a good controller. It's standard $49.99 price tag isn't bad for a good controller unless you’re trying to buy enough for your friends to play as well. If you can't find a deal it makes playing with your friends a couple hundred dollar proposition.

Still by purchasing the additional plug and play rechargeable battery solution, it’ll pay for itself in under 5 years. Just in time for the nex-next generation consoles to hit the market.

Christmas Eve

Time is running out for those still looking for last minute Christmas gifts. For the rest of us, enjoy the evening, have some egg nog, turn on some holiday mp3s, and watch a Christmas Story on your new HDTV. Around here we'll be playing a lot of Gears of War and WOW while waiting for Santa to arrive with our stockings full of coal.
We will return to business after Christmas, December 27th. Until then have a Merry Holiday.

Computer Quotes gathered on the Net

Computer Problems. Arg. Even for a technology writer and experienced computer user like myself, I still have my fair share of computer related SNAFU’s. On this occasion, it is my laptop giving me a pain in my RAM. Inconveniently it periodically freezes up and won’t respond no CTRL-ALT-DELETE, no restart, no slam it into the wall; nothing will alter its self-imposed coma. Eventually it will shut down and restart when it is good and ready. At crucial moments, usually after writing a prize-winning piece of writing, it flashes the BIOS screen and starts a core memory dump. (If you don’t speak computer gibberish its okay, needless to say this is as bad as it sounds.)

Having had enough with this wonderful piece of technology I took it in for servicing at the store where it was purchased. This is the second time it has been in the shop in the last couple of months. The first time was for the exact same problem. Whoops, I guess they didn’t fix the problem, did they? In the next couple of weeks, they will contact me with either the problem solved or a new computer. If my vote counts then this particular laptop won’t be returning. However, I’m not sure the technician on the other side of the counter really cared that much what my opinion was on the subject. The decision seems to be left to the powers that be at the corporate level, and then only once the off-site techs have a chance to tinker with it. If they have as much fun with it as I’ve been having over the last couple of months there is no doubt in my mind they will promptly decide to send me a new laptop. A check compensating me for the emotional distress of dealing with this hell bent sadomasochistic hunk of junk wouldn’t be too out of line either.

Tickle.com - The Super IQ Test


Have a little time on your hands? Your wife, girlfriend, friend, father, mother, husband call you stupid recently? You know you're smarter than you sound, but how do you prove your mental strength? Emode.com has the answer. The IQ test. Tap your intellectual strengths; get a personalized report detailing the inner workings of your mind and a fancy score to boot.

Seriously, this is a great little tool for gauging where you sit on the ladder of human intelligence. PhD's around the world have placed a great deal of stock in the validity of an IQ test. You've met these people at cocktail parties smoothly dropping their IQ score into polite dinner conversation. Now, you too can join the crowd. Or at least learn to avoid the subject all together.

Now, without getting into scores, I'll say I took this test recently and had fun. A few pointers before you sit down to do this exercise. Turn off the TV, put the kids to bed, and don't take it too seriously. The test is straightforward enough. Answer the questions get a score permanently placing you into an intellectual box you'll be straining to get out of for the rest of your life. Argg. No, really, as I said, this is for fun. Take the test. You may just learn something about yourself. Just don't talk about your score at any cocktail parties or I'll have to visit your house with a baseball bat.



(Author's disclaimer: All references to violence and/or physical harm of any kind should be taken in context and not as a factual representation of future acts. Take it from experience, if he plans to clobber the garden gnomes perched on your front porch, you'll never see him coming.)

Five Free Must Have Programs


Spybot Search and Destroy

This is the premier free spyware scanner, tracker and removal utility. Combine it with Adaware
For an added level of protection from protection from known Data-mining, aggressive advertising, Parasites, Scumware, selected traditional Trojans, Dialers, Malware, Browser hijackers, and tracking components.

The most important aspect of any security utility is to remember to update the program regularly. New improvements to their malicious and annoying programs make updates an absolute must if you want to keep out all these pesky invaders to your computing tranquility.


Google Toolbar

For the popup blocker alone this useful tool is the only toolbar you should allow on your browser.


Firefox browser

Tired of popups, popunders, and every other popannoying problem with the Internet Explorer browser, check out Firefox as an alternative browser. This is the test browser for the robust Mozilla browser. Firefox allows you to try out the newest features before they are added to the Mozilla browser without any of the annoyances of IE.

WinRar

The all around best program for making backups of programs and opening compressed files such as RAR, ZIP, and other file formats.


iTunes

Even if you don’t own an iPod or plan on download music from their online music store, iTunes is a great content manager and player for your music. It’s the best free program I’ve found to keep my catalog managed and play music easily. My advice stay away from programs like Real Networks, Real Player. It’s bad news in a number of ways. Read my article on Real Networks to learn more.

More great sites for getting the most out of your computer


Recently I’ve received a lot of request for information on the sites I use for pricing and performance on video cards. First up, is Tom’s Hardware Guide, a site devoted to providing in-depth information for IT professionals and early adopters. The best information on the site is the benchmarking tests on video cards. While the rest of the site may provide more technical information than the casual user needs, the video card section is top notch and by using graphs, it’s easy for even novice users to see where their card falls.

When buying a new video card I keep an eye on Pricewatch to see just where prices are headed for the cards I’m waiting to buy. They also keep track of a myriad of other devices from DVD burners to Heat Sinks and Processors. Occasionally I find better deals on other equipment from other sources but on video cards, I’ve had great luck with Pricewatch. Remember, this is only a service that scrolls the internet and finds the best deals at a number of online stores. Keep an eye on the company’s rankings and do your homework before you buy from a retailer you don’t know.


I’ll throw this one in just for the fun of it, and because I do get many questions that eventually lead to my suggesting Shields Up. A wonderful service that allows you to scan your system for any security holes and provides lots of information on how to correct the issue. Everyone on the Internet should be using this site, and testing their connection. Even the most security conscious people I know, who claim their computers are secure, are surprised when they run Shields Up and get a real report on how secure their system really is.

XP Process list

NAVAPSVC.EXE what does this mean?

Where to go to learn about the process list
Blue Screen of Death. Windows users know this term all too well. Unfortunately, a lot of information about windows internal processes are difficult to come by. Errors begin to creep up the longer you use a windows platform PC. Windows XP has one nice feature for monitoring system resources that can come in mighty handy, as long as you know how to use it and decipher the information.

Pressing CTRL-ALT-DEL pulls up the Windows Task Manager which monitors all of the important systems and resources XP is uses. Under the Processes tab a list of services running shows along with the amount of resources a particular program is using. The problem is the information is rather cryptic. It’s tough to know which of these running are valid programs or even important.

Ico.exe
Csrss.exe
UPnPFramework
NAVAPSVC.EXE

There is no intuitive guesswork involved with these, no way to tell if they are supposed to be running or not. Six months from now when I have a issue I’ll never be able to tell the useful systems running versus the ones causing my problems.

A compiled list of processes, what they do, if they are necessary and how to remove them can be found at http://www.answersthatwork.com/Tasklist_pages/tasklist.htm . Look up a particular process to determine if it should be shut down or if it may be potentially harmful.

Right out of the box, the Sony Vaio TRV3 had 43 processes running. This website was able to identify 41 of the listings. I crossed checked these with two other sources and found the same information, so I feel confident in recommend this website for its informational content.

Learning more about how your PC operates is one important way to maintain its health. Maintenance is important with PC’s just as it is with your car, don’t wait until it won’t start before you open the hood and check things out.

Vacation

There are those in the publishing world who would consider this unprofessional but I will be on vacation from December 18th-January 2nd and so there will be no new content for Technovations. Instead we will be publishing past highlights for those who are additcted to the internet and have to have their daily dose of blogs.

As always thanks for your continued support and see you in the New Year.

Original Xbox Titles Backward Compatible on Xbox 360

List updated: December 2006
4x4 EVO 2
AirForce Delta Storm
Aggressive Inline™
Alias™
Aliens versus Predator™ Extinction
All-Star Baseball™ 2003
All-Star Baseball™ 2005
Amped®: Freestyle Snowboarding
Amped® 2
Aquaman: Battle of Atlantis
Army Men®: Sarge's War™
Atari® Anthology™
ATV: Quad Power Racing 2™
Bad Boys 2
Big Mutha Truckers
Baldur's Gate™: Dark Alliance™ II
Barbarian
Barbie™ Horse Adventures™ Wild Horse Rescue™
Batman Begins™
Battle Engine Aquila
Battlestar Galactica™
BLACK™
BMX XXX™
Brute Force™
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Buffy the Vampire Slayer™: Chaos Bleeds
Burnout® 3: Takedown™
Cabela's® Big Game Hunter™ 2005 Adventures
Cabela’s® Dangerous Hunts™
Cabela’s® Outdoor Adventures™ 06
Cabela's® Deer Hunt™ 2005 Season
Cabela's® Deer Hunt™ 2004 Season
Call of Cthulhu®: Dark Corners of the Earth™
Call of Duty™: Finest Hour™
Casino
Catwoman™
Chicago Enforcer
Circus Maximus
Close Combat: First to Fight
Colin McRae Rally 4
Combat Elite: WWII Paratroopers™
Commandos 2: Men of Courage™
Conflict: Desert Storm
Conker: Live and Reloaded
Constantine™
Counter-Strike™
Crash Twinsanity™
Crash Nitro Kart™ 2
Crimson Skies®: High Road to Revenge™
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon™
Dark Angel
Darkwatch™
Dead or Alive® 3
Dead Or Alive Ultimate
Dead to Rights®
Deathrow
Destroy All Humans!
Digimon® Rumble Arena® 2
Dinotopia2
DOOM 3®
Drake™
Dreamfall: The Longest Journey
Dynasty Warriors 4
Egg Mania™: Eggstreme Madness
ESPN Major League Baseball
ESPN MLS ExtraTime 2002
Euro 2004
Evil Dead: A Fistful of Boomstick
F1 2001
Family Guy
Fable®
Fable®: The Lost Chapters™
Fairly Odd Parents: Breakin' da Rules
Far Cry: Instincts
Fatal Frame™
Fatal Frame™ II: Crimson Butterfly DIRECTOR'S CUT
FIFA Soccer 2003
FIFA Soccer 2004
FIFA STREET
Fight Night 2004
FlatOut™
Ford Mustang
Ford vs. Chevy
Forza Motorsport™
Freaky Flyers
Frogger Beyond™
Futurama™
Fuzion Frenzy®
Gauntlet®: Seven Sorrows™
Genma Onimusha
Goblin Commander™: Unleash the Horde
Grabbed by the Ghoulies™
Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas™
Gravity Games Bike: Street. Vert. Dirt.
Grooverider: Slot Car Thunder
Half-Life® 2
Halo®
Halo® 2
Halo® 2 Multiplayer Map Pack
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire™
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone™
He-Man: Defender of Grayskull
Hitman: Contracts™
House of the Dead 3
I-Ninja
IHRA Drag Racing Sportsman Edition
IHRA Professional Drag Racing 2005™
Indigo Prophecy
Incredibles
IndyCar® Series 2005
Intellivision Lives
Jade Empire™3
James Bond 007™: NightFire™
Judge Dredd®: Dredd vs. Death™
Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis
Kabuki™ Warriors
Kelly Slater's Pro Surfer
kill.switch
Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude
LEGO® Star Wars®
LEGO® Star Wars™ II: The Original Trilogy
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events™
Links® 2004
LOONS—The Fight for Fame
Magatama
Manhunt
Mat Hoffman's Pro BMX™ 2
Max Payne
Max Payne® 2
Maximum Chase
Medal of Honor European Assault™
Medal of Honor™ Frontline
Medal of Honor™ Rising Sun
Mega Man® Anniversary Collection
Metal Arms™: Glitch in the System
MicroMachines
Mike Tyson Heavyweight Boxing
Minority Report
MLB SlugFest 20-04
Monster Garage™
Mortal Kombat: Armageddon
Mortal Kombat® Deception™
MotoGP
MTV Music Generator™ 3
MTX: Mototrax™
Murakumo: Renegade Mech Pursuit
MX Unleashed
MX vs. ATV Unleashed
MX World Tour™: Featuring Jamie Little
Namco Museum™
Namco Museum 50th Anniversary Arcade Collection
NBA LIVE 2004
Need For Speed™ Underground 2
NFL Blitz 2002
NFL Blitz 2003
NFL Blitz 2004
NHL® 2004
NHL Hitz™ 2003
Ninja Gaiden®
Ninja Gaiden® Black
Open Season
Outlaw Golf 2
Outlaw Tennis
Outlaw Volleyball
Over the Hedge™
Pariah
Phantom Crash™
Pinball Hall of Fame™
Pitfall®: The Lost Expedition™
Predator Concrete Jungle™
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time™
Pro Evolution Soccer 5
Pro Race Driver™
Psychonauts
Pump It Up™: Exceed
Pure Pinball
Puyo Pop Fever2
Quantum Redshift®
RalliSport Challenge
Rainbow Six Lockdown
Rapala Pro Fishing
Rayman Arena
Raze's Hell™
Red Dead Revolver
Red Faction® II
RedCard™ 2003
Richard Burns Rally
Robotech: Battlecry
Rocky™ Legends
Rogue Ops
Rogue Trooper™
Samurai Jack
Samurai Warriors™
Scarface
Scooby Doo!™ Night of 100 Frights
Scrapland
SEGA GT™ 2002
Serious Sam
Shadow The Hedgehog™
Shamu's Deep Sea Adventures
Shark Tale
ShellShock: Nam '67™
Shenmue II
Shincho Mahjong
Sid Meier's Pirates!®
Silent Hill® 4: The Room
Smashing Drive
Sneakers™ 5
Sniper Elite
Soccer Slam
Sonic Heroes™
Sonic Mega Collection™ Plus
Soul Calibur 2
Spawn® Armageddon
Speed Kings™
Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy™
Spider-Man™
Splat Magazine Renegade Paintball
Splinter Cell: Double Agent
SpongeBob SquarePants™: Battle for Bikini Bottom
The SpongeBob Square Pants Movie
SpyHunter® 2
SpyHunter:® Nowhere to Run™
Spyro™ A Hero's Tail
SSX 3
Stake™
Star Wars Battlefront™
Star Wars Battlefront™ II
Star Wars®: Episode III Revenge of the Sith™
Star Wars® Jedi Knight®: Jedi Academy™
Star Wars®: Knights of the Old Republic™
Star Wars® Knights of the Old Republic® II: The Sith Lords™
State of Emergency
Street Racing Syndicate™
Stubbs the Zombie™ in Rebel without a Pulse™
Super Bubble Pop
Super Monkey Ball™ Deluxe
SX Superstar™
Taz Wanted
Tecmo Classic Arcade
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles™
Test Drive®: Eve of Destruction
Tetris Worlds™4
The Great Escape
The Hulk™
The Incredible Hulk™: Ultimate Destruction
The Incredibles: Rise of the Underminer
The Legend of Spyro™: A New Beginning
The Lord of the Rings™: The Return of the King™
The Punisher™
The Simpsons™ Hit and Run™
The Simpsons™ Road Rage The Suffering The Terminator™ Dawn of Fate The Thing™ Thief: Deadly Shadows™ Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon™ 2 Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon™: Island Thunder™ Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon® 2 Summit Strike Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six® 3 Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six® 3 Black Arrow™ Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell® Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell® Chaos Theory™ Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell® Pandora Tomorrow™ Tony Hawk's American Wasteland Tony Hawk's Pro Skater™ 4 Tony Hawk's Underground 2 Torino 2006™ Winter Olympics Tork™: Prehistoric Punk™ Toxic Grind Trigger Man™ True Crime: Streets of LA
Ty The Tasmanian Tiger™
Ty the Tasmanian Tiger™ 2: Bush Rescue™
Ty the Tasmanian Tiger™ 3: Night of the Quinkan
Ultimate Spider-Man
Urban Freestyle Soccer
Vexx™
Vietcong™: Purple Haze
Volvo: Drive for Life
Wakeboarding Unleashed: Featuring Sean Murray
Whacked!
Winback 2: Project Poseidon
World Soccer Winning Eleven 9 World Series® Baseball 2K3 Worms 4 Mayhem Worms™ Forts: Under Siege Wrath Unleashed™ WWE™ Raw™ 2 X2 Wolverine's Revenge Xiaolin Showdown XIII Yourself!Fitness™
Zapper™
1This list of titles that have passed hand certification for compatibility with Xbox 360 is provided for informational purposes only and is subject to change without notice. To ensure the highest quality gaming experience, in the event that an unforeseen technical issue is discovered after hand certification is completed, Microsoft® reserves the right to remove any game name from this list. Please check back often to see the most current list of games.
2Currently the North American versions of these games are the only ones supported as backward compatible titles on Xbox 360.
3The December 2005 update includes the Monk Zeng content from the limited edition of Jade Empire.
4Offline version only; versions included with Xbox Live Starter Kits or as a bundled game with other Xbox Live titles do not yet play on Xbox 360.
5Currently the Japanese version of this game is not supported as a backwards compatible title on the Xbox 360.

Speed test service.

At the high cost of broadband service, it’s important to ensure you’re getting what you pay for and the best way to do this is a broadband speed test. Google broadband speed test and a number of sources will pop up. However, it’s important to do you’re homework before you believe what a site has to say about your speed. Avoid any free speed test that is affiliated with anyone trying to sell you broadband service. In informal tests, a number of these connected sites give results 35%-65% lower then my actual broadband speeds. Be careful and don’t switch your ISP merely because of one test. Even with a reputable speed test results will vary from time of day fluctuations on your shared connection-this is only for cable internet companies.

Signing up for service. Companies such as Comcast, Dish Network and Direct TV want business but customer service seems to be lacking. A recent experience trying to upgrade to Dish Networks HD service inspired me to test out service across the board for HD service on both satellite and cable. For those with standard households with only 1 or 2 TV’s there isn’t too much complication. In those instances, the reps did an adequate job. When faced with a multi-room television household there were plenty of snags. The trouble comes in having a DVR or Tivo working with standard and HD TV’s. Finding the correct configuration for the house without breaking the bank was nearly impossible. My guess is because the sales department reps aren’t as knowledgeable about the different set-ups. They know if you upgrade to HD you need an HD receiver, having a combination of sets throws them into a tailspin. The only advice I can give is to do research so you know enough to make your own decisions, or call and speak with a number of different customer service agents to ensure you’re getting the best information.

Can the Zune break out?

No matter how much reviewers can hurt a product with negative reviews they don’t seem to be able to do much with positive reviews for products consumers just aren’t excited. The Zune is the latest entry into the elusive iPod killer category every company has been searching since Apple announced the first generation iPod in 2001. Most reviews have been positive and have declared it the best bet to be an iPod killer. However, adoption of the new device has been less than stellar, as consumers just aren’t buying what Microsoft has to sell. This battle may not be decided for some time as Microsoft is using the same five-year plan Sony has stuck by for it’s less than tech devices. According the Microsoft, they will stick by the Zune no matter what for the next 60 months in order to give it time to develop as a multi-generation music player. While I agree it will take some time for these two to battle it out, unless sales increase it won’t matter how much support Microsoft throws behind the Zune.

-Serenity lives on. A loyal fan base follows the short-lived sci-fi western and game developers are looking to cash in by developing a MMORPG. Four years later and after only 11 episodes, a significant number of fans are still interested in this property. Something few shows can say after even a full season or two on the air.

Enough profit was made on the DVD box set of the series, creator Joss Whedon got the green light on the feature film Serenity. Now, Multiverse developers are going to take a shot and are looking to work with the original cast for voiceovers and input from Whedon.

And while this is exciting news for fans there is a good chance this online game may never see the light of day. Only a handful of games, especially online multiplayer games actually make it out of development hell. Fox would love to have a franchise work as a MMORPG, and every company would like to be as successful as World of Warcraft. However, reality is something much different.

There are many who think the MMORPG genre is already chockfull of titles and may not support another. Numerous massively multiplayer online games are available and many more are in development. Can Firefly stand up against the current juggernaut of World of Warcraft or even those looking to break into the field such as Star Trek, Lord of the Rings and Marvel superheroes franchises?