Accessorizing Video Game Consoles - Cables, Headsets and More

It's 2008 and the gaming world has never Variety Of Video Games better. Technological advancements are rapidly changing the way video games are played and experienced. With bold innovation, game developers are channeling the best in hi-tech electronics to deliver mind-blowing video game titles. In addition to the games, video game consoles are now a platform for entertainment in its many forms. Social networking and home theater technology has changed gaming consoles. As a result, video game consoles also come with a host of video game accessories that are not only important for chatting, watching movies or viewing photographs but also enhance game play.

Home theater entertainment is about hi-def and nothing less. HDMI is the new video game cable standard, set by Sony's Play Station 3 and the Microsoft Xbox 360. Characterized by astounding picture quality, high definition games truly introduce virtual reality. Systems using older technology, like the Wii cables, aren't really able to match the quality of a high definition signal. Nevertheless S-video cables, component cables and composite cables, which have all been used in the past, are integral to many video game consoles.

With the advent of multiplayer gaming through Xbox Live and, more recently, the Play Station Network, the need for gamer communication was heightened. A good gaming headset is essential for a hardcore gamer when battling through a multiplayer environment. Keeping in touch with team-mates scattered across the globe is made much easier with a Bluetooth headset. The wireless advantage is obvious - clutter-free convenience. Handheld systems have long relied on headsets to provide the audio output to gamers. The Nintendo DS headsets and PSP headsets are sleek earphones with a microphone for social networking.

As games become longer and infinitely more complex, the need for a storage medium, that is, video game memory, has been felt. The early 8 MB memory cards for the Sony Play Station One have been replaced by 80 GB hard drives that use high speed SATA 2 technology. Multiple flash card readers that support a variety of formats are now the standard for video game consoles. The advantage of a built-in card reader is that the gamer can choose the best memory card, rather than be forced to use a proprietary one. Another advantage of removable storage is the expanded ability of the console to handle videos, photos and music. A memory card can be quickly and easily loaded from a computer, and the multimedia accessed anytime, anywhere. A variety of memory cards for various consoles e.g. GameCube memory card, PSP memory etc. are readily available in the market now-a-days.

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AP - Vice presidential candidate Joe Biden says today's leaders should take a lesson from the history books and follow fellow Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt's response to a financial crisis.

Pokemon Juggernaut

Sure, Pokemon is supposedly for kids, but you shouldn't ignore it. Here's why.

You can't turn around these days without seeing another Pikachu or other syrupy sweet character from Nintendo's famous Pokmon series of games. From toys and cartoons and video games, today's youth was swept away by "Pok-Mania" and for ten years now the tide hasn't stopped. How Vintage Video Games such a silly concept be so lasting?

You may not know that Pokmon was created as a video game concept in Japan in 1996. A popular pastime of Japanese children is collecting insects. A Japanese businessman named Satoshi Tajiri-Oniwa thought that a game that revolved around collecting different kinds of animals would be a big seller, so he set out with the idea that soon became the multimillion dollar international marketing machine we all know and love (tolerate?) today.

The original games were deceptively simple, with a certain quirky and endearing charm. You start out as a child who is given a Pokmon (short for "Pocket Monster" as for the American release, Nintendo feared litigation from the company that owned the similarly titled "Monster in my Pocket") for protection as you explore the world in a quest to capture every kind of monster. The Pokmon you capture can help you find and capture other monsters. As well, you can even trade monsters with your friends to grow your collection. This is even necessary, since there are two versions of every Pokmon game and some monsters can only be caught in one version or the other.

As you raise your Pokmon and see them grow stronger, you can battle with them against other players. These "battles" are basically a complex game of "rock, paper, scissors", with each monster having a characteristic which gives it the edge over another type. For instance, grass types can easily wear down water types, but are weak to fire and bird types!

While all of the merchandising soon followed, the actual games are very clever and well made, which make them a lot of fun for anyone who enjoys strategy or even just exploring a world and collecting cute or fearsome or strange creatures! You can enjoy the games without ever watching a cartoon or buying a stuffed Pikachu--trying to "catch 'em all" has been a guilty pleasure of quite a few people outside of the target demographic for these games.

For more on video gaming, visit http://gamer-revolution.net to read everything from how to (legally!) back up your Playstation 2 games or read about the latest developments in free mass multiplayer online games and more!

AP - Vice presidential candidate Joe Biden says today's leaders should take a lesson from the history books and follow fellow Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt's response to a financial crisis.