Have a look at this very nice method that could revolutionise gaming.

At this point I’ll admit that I have begun concentrating on other blogs (you’ll find most of my new posts here). For those who still follow mine (RSS subscribers), here’s a nice video of a PSP project.

Apparently, this is an early prototype which I saw before
the GP2X was released

HE GP2X is a Linux-based gaming console. It has fascinated me since the very first time I saw it. As a matter fact, I raved about it in my blog last year, well ahead of its release. Looking at that nostalgic perspective again, I believe one of the developers commented on that blog item. The unit was scarcely known at the time, so perhaps it effectively served a purpose.

I am pretty certain that information about this unit was originally brought to me by Slashdot, which I used to read more religiously than I do at the moment (typically in ‘feed mode’). Actually, I can vividly recall the day when I blogged about it. I picked up my work uniform, then returned to my office on a gloomy and depressing day. My future paths had me worried. Either way, I also happened to introduce and discuss the GP2X in some Linux newsgroups. And as the GP2X team made progress, there were more details to reveal and share.

A noble man called Mark Kent showed interest in the unit and pondered whether it would suit his children. He even raised a question that was directed at me, as well as the remainder of a newsgroup, about battery life and several other key factors. He was prepared to buy a unit. Several months went by and Mark has claimed a victorious stage appearance. With 15 minutes of fame in Linux.com, Mark’s review is now linked from hundreds of blogs and popular Web sites. Frankly, I share the satisfaction as it’s one giant step for GNU/Linux.

Click to enlarge the image

OOGLE Earth has been released for Linux (see my SUSE screenshot for proof), following the Mac OS X version and preceded by the Windows version.

Let us look further. Google Talk is another example of a similar ‘porting channel’. It began with Windows support, just like most desktop applications from Google. Then, there is Picasa, which was ported to Linux using the Wine layer, with several features disabled. There is a whole variety of applications that began as native Windows programs. This appears to be the trend rather than a mere coincidence. A few days ago, SketchUp from Google was ported to the Mac. No Linux version, as yet.

This simple observation leaves you wondering if Google, a company that is heavily dependent on Open Source software, even owing its success to Linux, perceives Windows (with a userbase majority) as a top priority. Only then come the Mac users, Linux being at the bottom (or top rather) of the pyramid. Considering the fact that Linux is more prevalent than Mac OS X (based on several surveys), it would seem as though Google unfairly favours Mac users while neglecting the loyal Linux users, whose number is underestimated. It is worth emphasising that even Google engineers use Linux (Goobuntu) on their desktops. Don’t they have a say?

A shrimpy yet fully-functional USB drive

Here are a couple of fun lists which I have recently come across:

• Top 10 Strangest Custom Gaming Systems
• Ten Products Google Should Develop (hypothetical)

Some even contain videos.

What happens when every time you receive a product and it breaks, time after time? You lose confidence, right? Here is the story of a rather stubborn guy.

Apparently, Szarek has had not one faulty Xbox 360, not two, not even three. No, he’s had four, count ‘em, four malfunctioning Xboxes, and he’s pissed, especially since he read that the console’s maker, Microsoft, feels customers who complain about faulty Xboxes should take their gripes elsewhere.

Older item: Xbox 360 Off to a Slow Start in Japan

This clip reminds me of my teenage years as a heavy gamer. I wonder if this mentally ‘tickles’ others in quite the same way.

[UPDATE: clip omitted as it caused the page to poison and crash the browser]

The above, by the way, is not valid XHTML. It contains attributes that are application-specific. For the very first time and after almost 1,000 blog posts, I permit an invalid element to exist. Then again, it is also the first video embedment, which fortunately is cross-platform.