Playstation Mini
A new Retro-gaming mini machine in time for Christmas
The popularity of the console games of the 1980s and 1990s is still growing and Sony is the latest to announce a new release in time for Christmas.
The new mini PlayStation Classic will be available from 3 December and the console will include two original controllers as well as a HDMI socket. However, gamers will have to supply their own compatible USB AC adaptor. The miniature console will be approximately 45% smaller than the original grey PlayStation console.
The mini will come preloaded with a selection of 20 favourite games. The full list includes:
Battle Arena Toshinden
Cool Boarders 2
Destruction Derby
Final Fantasy VII
Grand Theft Auto
Intelligent Qube
Jumping Flash
Metal Gear Solid
Mr Driller
Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee
Rayman
Resident Evil Director’s Cut
Revelations: Persona
Ridge Racer Type 4
Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo
Syphon Filter
Tekken 3
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow 6
Twisted Metal
Wild Arms
It will cost £89.99 and can be pre-ordered if you want one in time for Christmas.
November release dates for Fallout 76 and Battlefield
Fallout 76 is an online-only game upcoming online multiplayer action role-playing video game developed by Bethesda Game Studios and is due to be released on November 14th 2018.
It is described as a prequel to the series of eight Fallout games and will be available for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
Players will be able to play as individuals or with up to three others. It will be a real-time game on public servers initially.
It is set in a post-nuclear apocalypse world in the Appalachian and West Virginia areas of the USA and there will be seven categories of player attributes: strength, perception, endurance, charisma, intelligence, agility and luck as well as some “perks”, abilities that will boost their bonuses.
According to the Bethesda website: “Fallout 76 is the first time you’ll be able to explore the Wasteland with other players, and as such, some systems have been adapted to suit this exciting new adventure.
“One of the biggest additions for 76 is the C.A.M.P. (Construction and Assembly Mobile Platform), a personal Workshop you can place almost anywhere in the world and use as a home base as you explore, moving it from place to place for new Fast Travel and Respawn options. When you move your C.A.M.P., all your built structures are stored and Blueprinted just as you designed them so you can quickly rebuild or create copies of your favourite structures. This way, if your settlement is nuked or raided by other players, you won’t have to worry about starting over from scratch.”
The other eagerly-awaited new game out in November is Battlefield V, for Xbox One, Playstation 4 and PC, due out on November 20.
Players will be able to team up in squads of up to eight people in air and ground combat, including tank battles to fight in single World War II war stories campaigns.
A revolution in gaming realism and performance
Gamers excited by the release of the new RTX games cards
The newest graphics cards released by Nvidia this month have been called “a revolution in gaming realism and performance”.
But, as with any cutting-edge technological revolution it comes with a price, according to some experienced gamers.
The new 20 series Nvidia cards come with built-in support for real-time ray tracing, a rendering and lighting technique for photorealistic graphics. The technology has hitherto only been used by the film industry for visual effects because it is extremely computationally intensive but clearly Nvidia is expecting Game Developers to introduce photo realistic graphics into this year’s new games.
This point is picked up in an extensive review by pcgamesn.com, which questions whether it is in fact such a new innovation that they might wait a while before introducing it into their games. In development terms it is likely to be a costly exercise for them, particularly when their target market is consoles rather than PCs.
The second issue is that the cards are not cheap. The various versions in the series range from $500 to as much as $1200, and that, suggests pcgamesn, may be a lot to shell out before the Game Developers have really adopted the new technology into their new releases.
So far, on the games they have tested using the new cards, performance has been mixed.
It will possibly be a while before gamers see all the promised improvements in their gaming experience.
Latest gaming news for the nostalgic gamer
Sony has announced the release of its Playstation Classic as a mini-console in time for Christmas. So for those now grown-up gamers turned parents who want to pass on the experiences of their “mis-spent” youth to the next generation this is your chance.
Tips for phone etiquette and laptops for students
Mobile phone, love them or hate them it seems we can’t do without them and according to the telecommunications regulator Ofcom we check them on average every 12 minutes.
However, there are times when focusing attention on the phone could be downright rude and the BBC’s tech website has come up with some simple rules of when, and when not, to use your phone:
- Mealtimes
They say it is definitely not OK to be checking your phone at mealtimes, whether you are out in a restaurant with friends or dining with others at home.
- Loud music
Who hasn’t complained about being subjected to the loud, tinny leak of music or video games from someone’s phone when they are on a train or bus? It’s about courtesy to others.
- Walking while looking at the phone
It can be dangerous! You could have an unwanted collision with a reversing lorry, whose driver could well not be able to see you and if you have headphones on you won’t hear its reversing warning beeps.
Then there’s the nuisance factor of people having to get out of your way because otherwise you’ll walk right into them.
- Being on the phone when you should be listening
If your job brings you face to face with the public and you should be focused on them, it can be especially irritating. They may want to ask you a question but they can’t if you’re ignoring them and continuing to chat or message.
It’s rude and in any case it’s you job to be helpful!
And finally, back to school time…
With the holidays nearly over and students preparing to head back to school and college Wired has a handy guide to the best laptops for them.
How to protect yourself from RSI
Many of us spend hours every day at a computer keyboard, and increasingly this means a laptop rather than a desktop PC that comes with a separate keyboard.
The problem is that laptops are becoming ever thinner and flatter and they are generally not designed for business use, so that keyboards are not set at an angle that is comfortable for long periods and users can run the risk of developing RSI (Repetitive Strain Injury).
RSI can be very painful and difficult to get rid of. It mainly affects the wrists and arms and develops gradually. Symptoms include pain, aching or tenderness, stiffness, throbbing, tingling or numbness, weakness and cramp.
As more people use laptops the incidence of RSI and other related disorders such as Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is rising.
If you are an employee, your employer has a duty to take care of your health and safety and you can ask to have your desk assessed and equipment set up correctly to avoid the risk of RSI. This is fairly straightforward if using a desktop PC with a separate keyboard. You should make sure your seat, keyboard, mouse and screen are positioned so they cause the least amount of strain.
But what about those of us who are self-employed or running a small business?
Ideally if your work involves prolonged keyboard use you should ensure that the set-up is as described above.
However, if you have to use a laptop it may make sense to use one where you can plug in an external USB keyboard.
This means you can set it and the screen at the correct heights and angle to minimise the risks that come with prolonged use.
It is possible to buy wrist rests and support cushions for chairs, as well as foot rests so that you can ensure that your working arrangement is the most aligned possible.
Ideally this means that you are positioned straight on to the keyboard and screen to minimise any twisting of the wrists and so that as far as possible your hands are straight and flat when typing. The top of the screen should be at roughly eye level.
You should try to avoid using a laptop either on your knees, which is too low, or on a train table (too high).
If you have to use a keyboard for long periods it also makes sense to take regular screen breaks and to get up and walk around.
Time for a post GDPR website update?
Businesses may have to adjust their marketing plans after the GDPR deadline because there are indications that the opt-in rate for email communications had been as low as 10% in some cases.
This means that marketing needs to be more refined and more targeted and therefore the first step is to review customer profiles so that the business has a clear and detailed idea of who their ideal customers are and how they are likely to behave.
Inevitably a review of profiles will lead to redefining marketing goals and how the business presents itself in order to engage with potential clients and customers.
A key element of any business marketing in the 21st Century is its website. Research has shown that it is the first place people look for information on a business. This is partly to reassure themselves that the business is reputable and legitimate, with a real, physical location and address if it is a “local” business.
However, it is also to establish that the business can provide the goods or services that the customer is seeking.
Given that the typical visit is as little as two minutes it is therefore crucial that your website quickly establishes a relationship, demonstrating that it understands your requirements or needs, and then shows how it can fulfil them.
All this needs to be done in a way that the visitor can find the information in as few clicks as possible.
However, with GDPR now in force you may not only need to update your terms and conditions but you will certainly have to include a privacy policy, if you don’t already have one, which should detail what records you hold and why, and an easy set of options for having you personal information either amended, removed in part, or removed altogether.
This is particularly important if your website uses response forms or requires a sign-up to access more information.
You may also have to adjust your email and social media marketing goals and plans to reflect the new environment especially if you use them to encourage people to visit your website.
Website designs also change regularly and it therefore helps if your business website looks as fresh and appealing as possible.
So if it has been some time since you have refreshed your website, or it is beginning to look a little tired and dated, perhaps now is a good time to talk to us about a redesign.