Xbox 360 News Archives

Proven Programs To Burn Console Games Easily

Posted on September 15, 2011 by Xbox360 FreakLeave a comment

Do you need to work out the best ways to start copying your Xbox 360 games and other console games without the need to having hack or modify your console and the risks that come along with it?

The great thing is that today there are some many programs on the market that can do the job for you and make perfect working copies of almost all the console games on the market without having to mod your system.

Although it might sound next to impossible considering how long gamers were unable to back up their games the reality is that it is extremely easy and straight forward to make identical copies of your games within minutes. You should check out this amazing software to copy games to give you an idea how simple it really is.

This is possible because of some smart software programmers out there that have been able to work out how to get around the copyright protection that is placed on every game that is released. There are many legitimate reasons to backup your games such as protecting them or taking away the stress when you lend them out to friends and family members when your games come back scratched and damaged.

There are some great software packages on the market today and some work better than others. They are not free but hey what do you expect when it comes to complex software that allows you to backup games that these days can cost a fortune.

The software itself only costs a tiny amount of money and is definitely worth your time and money. You don’t have to be a tech or nerd to be able to burn games easily, even if you are a parent that wants to save some money or an avid gamer, it has never been so simple to get the job done using step by step software solutions. Check out this software for burning your Xbox 360 games to see exactly what you need right now to get started.

Making copies of your gamers is not illegal if you own the gamers regardless of what you may have heard or have been told. If you are making copies for yourself you are well within your rights and have nothing to worry about.

Just a heads up before you get started. All you need to do to get started today is to download the backup software as well as have a PC or Mac with a DVD burner or a Blu-ray burner if you are looking to make backup copies of PS3 games.

You don’t need a fancy machine as the better software can happily run on older machines. Many people may struggle when making copies because they believe the software will also burn the games, in most cases the software is only to bypass the copyright protection and make an image of the game that can then be burnt and copied without a problem.

Check out this tool for backing up Xbox 360 games right now to be up and running in under a few minutes today. Get piece of mind and start saving your hard earned money today.

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Taking A Look Into -Dead Island-

Posted on August 19, 2011 by Xbox360 FreakLeave a comment

Dead island

After all the hype surrounding it earlier this year, Techland’s zombie survival game Dead Island is fast approaching its planned September release. We had the opportunity to sample its multiplayer components back at the Electronic Entertainment Expo, but now we’ve spent some time with the game’s single-player storyline and got to experience what it’s like to deal with the zombie apocalypse surrounded by a group of sissies. For starters, though there are four different characters you can choose from, the initial story is the same regardless of which one you choose. You’ll begin with a prologue, which gets you familiar with the basic controls and movement and puts you in a brief combat situation.

Combat is heavily focused on melee attacks. Available weapons are not easy to find, and keeping them functional can be quite a task. Wooden items break relatively quickly, while metal weapons, such as knives and wrenches, become less effective after some use. The game promises the ability to use firearms, but in the first hour of playing, the opportunity to use one was not available.

Most items can be repaired and upgraded with the right amount of money. Early on, the cost of improving smaller items doesn’t break the bank, and in most cases, you can fully upgrade thanks to the fact that cash is very easy to find. Unfortunately, the first portion of the game doesn’t give you the opportunity to create new weapons, so that aspect of the weaponry was not experienced.

There also wasn’t much of a difference between the four characters in regard to their abilities. The one specializing in firearms didn’t even have the opportunity to get hold of one. Also, these characters, including the football player, lose their stamina very quickly in the beginning. As you progress and level up, they do improve, but early on, you will have more luck in “hit-and-running” rather than attacking head-on.

After completing the brief prologue and meeting the first group of non-player characters, your initial task is recovering an ID card that opens up the lifeguard station. Once there, you’ll face off against some zombies, and once the area is secure, it becomes your early base of operation. For an open-world game, the opening sections are extremely restrictive; the first missions are limited, but thankfully quite short in length. Once you do secure the location, multiple mission types become available, and the island becomes yours to discover.

Even with the limitations for this preview, there is a lot available to discover. Missions themselves are what you’d expect: recover items, find people, and defeat as many zombies as possible. You can accept all missions or just follow the core storyline and progress that way. Considering there is a very robust leveling system in place, the best course of action is to take on as many missions as possible.

Vehicles are also available if you can find one in drivable condition. You can either complete an early mission that makes one available to you, or you can search for one on your own. With this early look, the driving wasn’t that enjoyable and took a bit of time to get used to. Thankfully, though, the car can take quite a beating; even when we launched one off a cliff, it was still very drivable.

It seems that Dead Island will be much more appealing to play with a group of people rather than on your own. Early cutscenes show the four together, but when you’re playing solo, the three other characters don’t fight alongside you. Also, since there is no evidence of there being any differences in the story, you may be more inclined to play through a single story rather than seeing four potentially different tales. Hopefully as the in-game story progresses, more individuality is introduced to each, especially since each character seems to have a reason for being on the island. Dead Island is scheduled for release in September, so we will just have to wait to learn more.
Dead Island
Dead island PC packshot.png
Developer(s) Techland
Publisher(s) Deep Silver
Distributor(s) Square Enix (for North America)
Engine Chrome Engine 5
Platform(s) Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Release date(s) NA September 6, 2011
PAL September 9, 2011
Genre(s) First-person shooter, Sandbox
Mode(s) Single-player, Multiplayer
Rating(s)

ACB: MA15+
BBFC: 18
ESRB: M
PEGI: 16

Media/distribution Optical disc, Download, Cloud computing
Dead island september

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Tips To Copy And Backup Your Xbox 360 Games On Your Mac Or PC Today

Posted on July 16, 2011 by Xbox360 FreakLeave a comment

Do you want to learn the best ways to copy xbox 360 games and finally protect your games collection and your investment? The first thing I want you to know is that the days of having to modify or hack your consoles are long behind us and now you don’t have to risk ruining, damaging or being banned of games network in order to play copied and backed up games.

The first thing you need to know is that you need special software to backup the game by being able to bypass the copyright protection that is on every single game these days. While this copyright protection can save game developers by protecting them from pirates it does not help the honest people out there that want to backup and copy their game for piece of mind.

Thanks to some very smart software developers you can now backup games quickly and safely and then make perfect working copies of your games with nothing more than the software and a standard dvd or blu ray burner found on almost all PC’s or Macs these days.

There are countless packages out there that can get the job done and some are better than others so it is important to take sometime and do a little bit of research. These programs are super easy to use and basically can have you up and running and making copies of your games within minutes. You don’t have to be a tech expert or nerd to be able to make copies for yourself or your kids today.

What you need to know is that there is nothing illegal about making backup copies of your games regardless of what you may have been told or have heard. If you own the games that you want to copy then it is perfectly legal to make up a backup copy for piece of mind and safety. Games are not cheap and buying them over and over is not something any gamer wants to do. You can start copying your games right now by visiting how to burn xbox 360 games now.

If you have ever had a damaged game or disc you will know how upsetting and frustrating it can be when you want nothing more than to play the exact game that does not work anymore. Sound familiar? It should come as no surprise that games can be easily damaged and scratched no matter how much you look after them. If you have lent the games out to friends then chances are you are going to stumble across more ruined games than you care to accept.

The best thing you can do is check out the best game copy software on the market and make sure that you download ones that do what they claim. Although the software is not free it only costs a fraction of the price of a new game and is something that ever gamer should have on their PC or Mac.

Discover some great game copy software at how to copy xbox 360 games or this great site right now and start backing up your games quickly and easily right now.

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Tips And Tricks To Fix RRoD With Ease At Home Today

Posted on July 15, 2011 by Xbox360 FreakLeave a comment

Have you been hit the red ring of death and want to know the best way to fix it fast? The problem with the Xbox 360 console is that it does come with some serious hardware faults that seem to be hitting so many people. It is claimed that over 30% of Xbox 360 owners will be hit with the red ring of death and while that stat might not ease your pain right now it is something that is becoming a huge problem for many gamers. Millions are effected by the red ring of death and while you do have options it will really depend on how fast you want to get your console up and running again.

The RRoD is typically referred to as a general hardware fault, the problem usually lies with issues with the soldiering of components on the motherboard that become loose and create the hardware fault and the flashing 3 red lights that are annoying you right now. Usually it is overheating and or vibrations that can cause the problem so it is not something you can easily avoid, more so a design fault that has plagued 360 around the globe.

I want you to know that you don’t have to throw your console away even if it is out of warranty or run out and get another just to be up and running as fast as possible. If you Xbox 360 is under warranty you can send your console back to Microsoft for them to fix it for free but expect to wait over 4 weeks to get your console back in your hands, if it is out of warranty they will charge you over $100 to fix it, not the best option right?

The best thing you can do right now to get up and running as fast as possible is to fix the console yourself! Yes you heard it right, if you are game you can quickly and easily rip open your xbox 360 and fix the fault using nothing more than common household tools. There really isn’t anything to difficult at hand, all you need to do is understand exactly how to get it done and you do so by downloading step by step video guides that will show you exactly how to get it done and take you by the hand.

There are countless video guides out there on the market today that have been downloaded millions of times and some are better than others. The best ones will show you in hi def video how to get started and get up and running in under an hour in most cases.

Whether you are an avid gamer or a parent who is sick of hearing their kids complain about their Xbox 360 not working then I strongly recommend that you do some research and get your hands on these guides and fix your Xbox 360 for next to nothing and save a tonne of cash in the process. Don’t wait, go to this site to fix red ring of death or visit this site now to fix RRoD fast at home.

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What Exactly Is Kinect’s Benefit In Comparison With Other Playing Device

Posted on July 1, 2011 by Xbox360 FreakLeave a comment

Now your couch-sitting games are over with the latest full-body-gaming entertainment platform by Microsoft. Forget the controller because finally YOU are in-charge. That’s right all you need is your own body- your hands, your feet, your voice. This magical video game indeed brings your gaming experience to whole new extraordinary heights. Truly Where To Buy Kinect is the next thing you’d love to know.
If it’s a trouble for you to get on your feet to be fit, well your best luck is here. Staying at home while keeping healthy and energized can be accomplished using Xbox with Kinect. You have your own play choices – Kinect Sports, Dance Central, or any other workout games programs for all fitness enthusiasts in for a touch of fun in exercising. It’s very basic to start with as it just responds to your bodily movements. Even non-hardcore gamers are in! All you have to do is stand up, punch, kick, dodge, and jump when have to.

Indeed it’s just all about you. The controller-free gaming console allows you to have the pleasure of controlling HD movies, and streaming music with a wave of your hand. Call in friends to join by simply jumping in. It’s beyond ordinary recreation. Built-in Wi-Fi makes a lot easier connection to the Xbox Live world of fun and entertainment where you, your friends and family share High Def movies and TV stream instantly.

Yep you may find yourself one day can’t quit playing this neat thing. Gamers or not everybody can have a smash. It’s something that can bring you and your loved ones into a different kind of bond. You can actually groove on to a Sports Party mode allowing friendly, breath-catching competitions among a roomful of players. Form teams and who knows you can be the next star of the living room.

With Xbox 360 Kinect you can realize your own fantasy adventure. Float in outer space, tackle mountaintops, just dodge and kick your way through your most thrilling adventures right from your own house. There are no complications as well with the usage. You can even have your older folks join in, as no more buttons to remember or mind about anyway.

Having Xbox featuring Kinect can really bring laughter and cheers in home video-game playing. Can’t resist it you just have to groove along. Seeing your own Avatar on your television screen acting and moving your every move is both cool and entertaining. Thanks to Kinect Sensor, your video game turns to a more invigorating activity. If you want an interactive game playing, you have your pick today. It’s just perfect for seekers of fun, fitness, and game that promotes relationship-building, you know the answer. Go for an E-rated (Everyone) family safe, secure and filled with fun gaming experience- let the magic start from you.

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Kinect System For Microsoft’s Xbox 360 Console.

Posted on June 29, 2011 by Xbox360 FreakLeave a comment

Handsfree revolutionizing the world of game consoles

One dream of scientists in the field of computer science has been to interfaces that allow interaction with the computer in a comfortable and friendly, ensuring that the elements used are flexible in their use while permitting the identification User and recognition of their movements and expressions, definitely leaving aside the use of mouse or keyboard to interact with the computer

The dream is coming true and now we can say that it has taken a big step with the debut of the system Kinect a system developed by Microsoft for its new range of games compatible with all Xbox 360 consoles that will replace the famous Wii (Nintendo) that has been so well received in the market and thus contributed to the development and management of positional sensors and controls for interaction. But this time there are no wires or remotes: The whole secret is in a three-dimensional video camera, two infrared sensors deep and highly sensitive multi-directional microphone.

Kinect system is capable of processing images of people and recognize them change movements, put in their swept area to the person and recognize your voice and your message. Kinect analyzed in three dimensions the movement of entire body while introducing the necessary commands, the direction of movement or even the tone of our voice. This system, unlike others, does not depend on the light. You can recognize just by focusing with your camera, and not just react to words, but understands what you say.

Microsoft cheap xbox 360 elite is set to head this new technology with emphasis on the two other major companies that monopolize the market for Nintendo consoles (Wii) and Sony (PlayStation). This market of electronic entertainment this bail out a number of very interesting technologies that undoubtedly will bring significant added value to other areas such as robotics industry, medicine, sport, design and home automation, among others.

Kinect system is based on the above sensors, camera, depth gauges and microphone, but we must not forget that the most important is the core processing of these signals and their interaction in a fully interactive graphical environment.

How the system recognizes your movements? The camera takes pictures that explore up to 20 remarkable points of our anatomy through which it is virtually impossible to identify the most significant movements of our body. With this information and software based on image recognition by employers (as used in robotics technology) is possible with your body the player controls the action in the game. If he skips the character jump counterpart of the game, if he hits with his fist hit the game character. All this makes the Wii and PlayStation, but with controls. The surprise and the wonder is that in this case there is no command or sensor in the hand or the player’s body. Once the machine recognizes the player that becomes the true driver of the game through their movement and expressions.

The sensor manager to put the player in the space of camera range are infrared sensors deep. These inform the system of the player’s exact position allowing the execution of actions that the high-resolution three-dimensional camera collected and processed to generate real-time images to be analyzed by the game engine and thereby causes coordinated responses of the system.

Speech recognition and analysis of phonemes allows the player to give orders and answering questions. The system previously know to identify the voice in combination with the player.

Microsoft claims that the system does not only play games but also allows people to connect to each other, to share information through social networks like Facebook or Twitter, for watching sports or movies together and go commenting …

A Kinect also accompany the launch Kinect Sports sports games, a proposal to get in shape; Your Shape: Fitness Evolved, and a bachelor of dance, Dance Central. In addition, Microsoft announced version slim (thin) on your Xbox 360, which will have a 250 GB hard drive and integrated WiFi network in addition to exclusive games Reach Halo, Fable III and Gears of War 3.

It is clear that this advance in the game world will have a significant impact on other areas of applied computing. It is expected that these systems are incorporated into a wide range of applications that will facilitate interaction between the user and the computer. xbox portable

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Tips To Fix Xbox 360 Red Ring Of Death At Home Today

Posted on June 19, 2011 by Xbox360 FreakLeave a comment

Have you discovered that your Xbox 360 has just copped the dreaded Red Ring of Death? If so I feel your pain, as a mad Xbox 360 gamer I was hit with the RRoD twice before I took things into my own hands and lot online for faster solutions than sending my console to Microsoft and being told it would be a 4-6 week wait before I would get my console back. Let’s look at xbox 360 red ring of death fix solutions that can have you up and running super fast.

The red ring of death is such a common problem on the 360 that MS had to extend the warranty period from 1 year to 3 years for any consoles that were hit with the fault costing the company billions.

In a nutshell you can fix the problem yourself and make sure that you are up and running within an hour if you understand exactly what to do, what you need and what you need to get your hands on.

RRod is the name given to the general hardware failure fault that is the result of one or more hardware faults. Usually the RRoD is because the Graphics Processing Unit has become loss and requires it to be repair.

The cheapest and best way to get your console fix is to do it yourself at home. Before you stress out and worry about it being too technical, relax, anyone can learn how to fix the RRoD with the right step by step guide.

I strongly recommend getting your hands on a video guide to teach you how to fix xbox 360 rrod that will show you exactly what you need to do and take away a lot of the stress of opening up your machine.

There are many touted fixes available online and one of them happens to be the towel trick. I have personally tried this trick when my xbox 360 died the first time. While it brought it back to life the console was so hot it was almost impossible to touch and it only worked for 1-2 minutes before it died again. This is a very risky way to try and fix the fault and it will do nothing but potentially fry your console and destroy it completely.

The best way to get up and running is to address the fault that is the cause of the RRoD and that is the GPU (Graphics Processing Unit).

Take your time to do some research for the best how to fix xbox 360 red lights guides around at the moment. There are some sensational guides out there today that will only set you back a fraction of the price of a new game and have you up and running super fast.

If you are a parent and sick to death of your kids complaining about not having a working console then this is the best move you can make instead of sending your kids machine to Microsoft. I don’t know about you but personally I would rather 1 hour of trouble as opposed to weeks of nagging and whining.

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Tips To Backup & Copy Your Favorite Xbox 360 Games At Home

Posted on June 19, 2011 by Xbox360 FreakLeave a comment

Do you want to learn the best ways to burn and copy xbox 360 games without having to modify your console in any way? Long gone are the days where you had to hack and modify your console in order to play backed up copies. These days there are much better and safer alternatives that any can use to make sure that they are protecting their game collection with ease. Let’s look at the right software to copy xbox 360 games at home today.

The best way to get started is to get your hands on backup software that has be specially designed to work on all console games. One of the biggest mistakes most gamers make is they try and use regular dvd authoring software that simply creates copies that do not work leaving many of them to give up and scratch their heads. The good thing is that you have found this article and can now take the right steps to start copying your favourite console games at home on your PC or Mac.

All you need to do to get started today is to get the right software, there are some great programs out there that work like magic while others really struggle to deliver on what they promise.

The reasons why these programs work is because they are able to bypass the copyright protection placed on each game by developers and makers around the world. While this might serve in the best interest for game makers it does very little to provide piece of mind for gamers who want a proven and safe alternative to backup their console games. There are no shortage of ways to burn xbox 360 games available to gamers today.

All you need to do is simply place the game you want to burn and allow the program to make a special copy of the game. The software will be able to rip it and do all that it has to. Once the game is backed up all you need to do is burn the image. Most software packages will show you step by step how to do this probably and how to avoid the common mistakes that most gamers make when starting out.

If you are like most gamers out there then chances are you have lent out games to family and friends only to have them come back scratched and damaged? If this is the case then I feel your pain, the last thing you want to do is keep buying the same game or spending your hard earned money on the same game over and over. Let’s be honest, games are not cheap and if you are like most gamers then you would rather spend that money on the new arrivals as opposed to the games you are only half way through. Don’t put it off any longer get access to the right ways to backup xbox 360 games to get started today.

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The Serious Guide On How To Be A COD Pro

Posted on April 9, 2011 by Xbox360 FreakLeave a comment

First I wanna start off by saying, that the reason I’m making this thread is because I personally have seen to many teams who claim to be Pro, claim that they know how to Practice & Train, claim that they don’t need to Improve, claim that they’ve already maxed out their potential. The sad fact is, that most of you could not even begin to grasp what True Competitive Gaming really requires of you & your team. So were going to be looking into some of these issues in this thread about the State of Competitive Gaming, where It’s heading, & how were going to get their. We will also be talking about how to Train properly Individually and for Teams.

So well start off by going over how you get from being an Amateur to a Professional Gamer. The fact of the matter is that everyone never maxes out their potentail, it just doesn’t happen, you will always have something to learn & being open-minded about it and willing to take advice from people is the first step to going Pro. Never deny yourself the chance to gain Knowledge, because when you allow yourself to attain so much information, that’s just that much more you know over the next guy. The point of gaming is to always improve, so why is it that we see these people on XBL always saying, “Oh you don’t know what your talking about, your just a BK, go away you Random!”, some might say. But the fact of the matter is that what that person may have said to you even though the way he said it may not have been the best way to approach you, could honestly be some of the best advice you’ve heard so far. And this is why you should never close yourself off and become defensive or let your Pride take over because you think you can beat this person in a 1 on 1. Because that’s not what this is about & will solve nothing.

Now their are Proper ways to train both Individually and with a Team. To be honest, it’s really beyond me how 99.9% of you do not pick up on these logical ways of doing things. So let’s start. We’ll start with the Team aspect of this first.

The Team

When you first create your team, make sure that you find players that you know for a fact want to achieve something more than just being some Pub-AllStars, because if not, you will go nowhere.

The first thing that your team should do is understand that Competitive Gaming & especially wanting to go Pro is the Equivalent of a Full-Time Job. This is first thing that needs to be Comprehended & Understood by all.

1. When you team of 4 is finally set, the first job that you will have is to go Map out Spawn Points, now this is most easily done by having Map Layouts in front of you(Purchasing the Prima Strategy Guide would most likely be your best bet as it comes fully equipped with everything you will need). If you can acquire map layouts online for free then by all means take the Free route. Then take your team, go into Private Match, run through all the MLG Variant Maps while spawning and then switching sides constantly in order to find all of the Spawn Points for that map. Then move on to the next map. Keep in mind that in FFA gametypes, their will always be more Spawn Points than in any other gametype. So doing this in a Team Gametype would probably be easiest & most efficient. Make sure everyone has a copy of this.

2. You now need to go back over all the maps that you have just gone over and create your own unique Call-Outs for each of these maps together as a team. Now their are already pre-callouts on the Map Layouts in the PSG which are good to start out using and then just fill in any extra spots with your own that need them. Make sure everyone has a copy of this.

3. The next thing is Set-Ups, how are you going to set-up on each Map and each Gametype per that Map. Set-ups need to be done for both sides. Starting your off it should look something like this. Using your Spawn Points that you’ve already done will help the most when it comes down to coming up with Set-Ups, try and anticipate where the enemy is going to run and which routes they will take so you can counter accordingly.

CTF

You need at least 2 Set-Ups & Transitions. This means that you need to have 2 Set-Ups for when you get into these positions, you can then Transition accordingly to cap a flag. The Set-Up is just Part 1 of your Strat, Part 2 is the Transition for Caping the Flag, & Part 3 is for CherryPicking their Flag to where you have them in a Spawn Trap or something close to it where you can continually cap flag after flag, also refferred to as Cherry Picking.

Search & Destroy

You will need at least 3 Strats for Offense & 2 for Defense. Any team who tells you that they are efficient at running the same Strat over and over again to mold it, is wrong. This will never work against Truly Skilled teams who are able to quickly adapt to the first Strat they see your team using. They will anticipate the same thing being done the 2nd time around or test the waters and half-adapt to check if this is how that teams plays. Common Sense & Logical Thinking are the two biggest Mental characteristics that are really cherished and rare to find in players ODB(Off Da Bat), but these are characteristics that you all must have.

Demolition

Now Defense for SnD may apply for Defense in Demo. But for Offense & Defense if may also be wise to explore other alternatives such as playing it out like a Domination game where you control Half Map and force them to kill you instead of directly going for Objective. Demolition is probably the hardest Gametype out of the 3 just due to the fact that you have have to cover the whole map while the Offensive team may plant at either bomb site. In this gametype, whomever has the more efficient Map/Spawn Lock will be the team who will be able to run down the clock the fastest which in turn will get you your win.

4. Positioning & Angling are probably another strong important point for playing any shooter game for that matter. Let’s start with Positioning first, some of you may be wandering, “well this isn’t Halo, so this is pointless”, some of you may be thinking. But the fact of the matter is that this is probably the next biggerst thing that any player can do besides making a Call-Out. Where you place your body is so important in order to block off your Flank or Blind Spot when your pushing up or in your Set-Up. For example: Positioning your body where a wall, box, crate, pole, any object that can be used as a shield pretty much is directly to your left. This allows you not to worry about getting shot from your left or naded, which will now allow you to focus on your target-area. Never get caught standing in No-Mans Land, which is pretty much anywhere not close to the Perimeter of the map. Always know where you going, what you will be watching, & when you’ll be moving. Communicating during all 3 of these tasks is essentially for up-to-date info while in game so your teammates know what’s going on at all times.

Now for Angling. Angling is the next important thing, the first rule of angling is never show more than neccessary, which in turn means that if your in a building looking out a window. You never want to be hugging the window, you always shoot from cover standing up or crouching depending on which window it may be but refrain from crouching looking out windowns if you can. Standing up and shooting from inside the building will always be better because it will be harder for you opponent to recognize you from the darkness inside the building, which gives you the advantage always. The golden rule is to never show more than is needed. Best example is take Highrise on Elevator Side. Now in this situation when you get to the Fence corner, you want to edge out only far enought to see barely in front of their elevator side and always stand a little ways back from the corner, never hug corners. Because by hugging corners even the most perceptive eye can see your gun sticking out of the fence and start pre-firing at you and maybe get lucky. You always shoot from cover. Because now you have the advantage, because he has to come to you or out at least where he may be running with his gun not out right away which will give you the advantage(and of course always be weary of stun & nade checks).

5. Now to talk about Spawn Traps. If you are able to pull off an efficient and sucessful Spawn Trap you most likely will take the lead or be in a position to take the lead somehow. But ST’s are tricky because there is a certain distance between the Spawn Point and you that you have to be farther than in order to not accidentaly cancel out that Spawn Point. Meaing that if you go within 20m of a Spawn Point for example you will cancel out that Spawn Point and force spawn will take effect, where your opponents will most likely spawn in the middle perimeter of the map. This is something that your team must test out.

6. We will now go into Specific Gametype Class Loadouts. This is definitely another important part of the game. Having assigned roles to each player or possibly assinged Loadouts to Objective PLayers & Slayer Players. These are things that you all are going to have to talk about with your team if your going to want Flag Runners or Bomb Planters. Another alternative is that for CTF and Demo, you can just implement a Half Map Lock and then just slowly push up from their after they have 2 down or what not, gradually make their area to work with smaller. Then go in for the grab on the Transition. There are multiple variations and alternatives. Of course some may think it depends on the map, trust me it doesn’t. You can run any strat you want, it’s just going to come down to whether or not that strat is effiecient or not.

7. Understanding The Mini-Map. Being able to comprehend all the great intel that your mini-map gives you is something that 99.9% of players just honestly don’t know how to do. Most of you may think that the mini-map is just for spotting enemies on the UAV and then occasionally opening up your big map to spot the far away enemies. Now where as this may be an important feature of the mini-map, it is not the only one. The next type of important intel that you can get from your mini-map is Positions. Now what I mean by that is that you know exactly where your teammates are posistioning on the map because you can see their green arrows on your mini-map. Not only can you see where they are positioned, but you can also see where they are watching by which way the arrow is pointing. I mean does it get any easier to Set-Up knowing this. The answer is “No” by the way.

By having this information in real-time, you can now accordingly Fill-In wherever a teammate isn’t. The object is to Fill-In to the farthest away positions so that the spanwers and fill-in to the shorter distance posistions, which now creates efficiency in how you save time setting-up. Most of you probably have never thought of using your mini-map as a way to set-up before until you’ve read this meaning that most of you were most likely not using your mini-map to it’s full potential. So I hope this part helps those who were unaware until now.

8. We will not talk a little about Pre-Nades. Now PN’s can be effective if either thrown all together around a certain area where the chance of inflicting damage if not killing an enemy ODB is high. Of course you can always go with the other alternative where you just all 4 throw your own PN and spread out the areas of impact. The only way to effectively find these out if you so desire to is by timing how long it takes to run each route ODB form the spawn in order to calculate at what time to throw it, how to angle it, & how long to cook it(if Symtex, then this doesn’t apply).

9. I would like to now talk about Stun Checks(Flashes just take to long to throw, which renders them inneffective for this tactic). Now using Stun Checking is to overall become fortunate in reveiling where an enemy is hiding. Or to slow them down while reveiling them as well. Now even most of you see SC as purely on offensive manuever, there are defensive tactics for this as well. For example if your about to push or you’ve just killed an enemy, turning to throw a SC at your Flank or Blind Spot which most likely is either behind you or 90 degrees to either side of you. So simply put we can assume that after you killed an enemy, your position has be compromised, so SC your BS is used as a defensive tactic. So you would throw it and then immediately go back to watching your area. Stun gernades are honestly one of the most useful items you are allowed in this game. Cherish them.

10. Now we’ll talk about Quick Shots or ODB Shots. The benefit to this is that if you can find a great angle to use for this tactic you may get lucky in killing 1 person ODB and tilt the advantage in your favor. The best example is the QS on Invasion between Courtyard and Parking Lot Spwn. You can shoot all the way down Mid St. and possibly pick off 1 or 2 ppl ODB using this angle. Works for both sides, but is more in favor of Base Spawn. If you take the time to find these, they may become your trump card.

11. Now we’ll go into Route Times. RT’s are fairly simple to figure out on your own. All you need is a stopwatch or even better, just use the clock in the game when the match starts. Then just run routes that you think your opponents would run and one’s that you would run, then write down times on how long it takes to get to a certain place or point on that map. This information will then allow you to make Pre-Nade selections and coordinate other tactics as well.

12. The Mental Game. The mental game is so important, it’s just ridiculous. Because the fact is that 99.9% of you get emotional and let your emotions show during games and after them. This is not they way to go about handling yourself. I’m not saying don’t feel down that you lost or maybe a little dissapointed, but don’t show it, because no one honestly wants to hear it. If you’ve ever watched any type of MLG Live Streams from Events, you will notice that the Pro’s don’t get emotional. When they die, they keep a straight face and just worry about what their going to do when they spawn. They don’t sit here like a lot of you may do but just won’t admit that you do, where you may say things in-game like, “WOW!!”, “OMG No FU**ING WAY!”, “HOW DID THAT BK KILL ME!”, & my personal favorite “GET SO LUCKY KID! YOUR SO BAD AT THIS GAME!”. These are all so pointless and honestly get you nowhere but put your team in a negative atmosphere and mind-state.

This is not and never will be the appropriate way to act. You have to understand that in order for Competitive to ascend and be considered to be on the same level as other Professional Sports, the attitude of the individual and players has to change for the better. Just in order for our sport of Gaming to be taken seriously.

You must train yourself to remain Calm & Collected. Be positive in every situation, but don’t milk it. Make a list of what to do and what not to do, and just read it every night before you go to sleep to improve your Mental Game. Trust me, you will see changes, & not only on the game but in your life as well, & they will be for the better. Being Mentally Strong is what every athlete wants to achieve at some point in their career & you should want to as well.

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The Indepth Gaming Headset Guide For PS3

Posted on April 3, 2011 by Xbox360 FreakLeave a comment

The following is my review of 7 headphones and headsets based on my experience with them. For the review, we used the Astro Mixamp with an optical connection to provide Dolby Headphone virtual 5.1 surround sound for the game Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. We also did a smaller comparison for music as well, though the main purpose of this review is targeted towards gaming.

*Note: This review is 100% independent by myself and will be published through public sites’ forums, eg: MLGPro, Halo3Forum, Head-fi.org, avsforums, and Overclock.net. These sites are not involved with this review in any way besides us posting the reviews in their forums, and these reviews do not reflect the opinion of the sites hosting them. This is just a review from an audiophile who wants to help people make a well informed purchase. Also note that because of the review’s independence, there will be absolutely no bias toward any brand or product.*

Grado Sr80($95)

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Intro-
The sr80’s have a native 3.5mm jack (comes with 1/8” to 1/4th” adapter that branches off into 2 cords, each going into the ear cups. The cups themselves are able to spin independently, so you can rest them flat on your desk. With the 2 cabled V design and these free spinning ear cups, I find a lot of times this twists the cables up a lot making them bunch weird, requiring me to unfurl them before I can listen to them.

The comfort is also pretty minimal. These headphones are super aural, which means they rest on your ears instead of over them like circumaural. The pads on these headphones are pretty stiff, and can become pretty uncomfortable after a long listening session. The headband is made out of leather, it is pretty minimalistic, I don’t really find any discomfort there, it’s really just the ear pads that can cause problems, but there are many DIY modifications s that people have come up with that can remedy this.

These headphones are also open, so this allows sound to leak in and out, so if you are thinking of not disturbing someone else in the room by using headphones, these wouldn’t be the wisest choice. But overall the design is effective but minimalistic, the build quality is good overall, and the comfort is well…eh.

Sound-
Well, these headphones were more or less just brought into the review to listen to some music on them. These were brought in with no intentions of being a real competitor for the gaming roundup. These headphones have no real open sound to them, the soundstage is very small. It does not bode well for a gaming headphone, and throwing in the DD on with these headphones made for a weird listening experience, I wasn’t a fan.

We didn’t test these headphones as much as the others for gaming, though we did have some fun bringing out their sound with the Audio-GD compass. To sum up my thoughts on the Grados, I think for music they are a fantastic set of headphones, though the comfort factor can be a turn off to some people, but they really shine when it comes to rock music, which was the reason I bought them in the first place. They have a punchy sound with clarity to boot. Good in the mid to lower registries in my eyes (or ears, you know what I mean), so you’ll have fun rocking to guitar and bass. Most people describe the highs of these headphones as bright, which can go one of 2 ways for a listener.

When the highs are bright, some people find it to the point of shrillness, and it is a turnoff for them. I kind of love that kind of sound. I love it when highs are bright with headphones, and these Grados don’t disappoint. So you can chalk that one up as a pro or a con, I personally consider it a pro, but everyone’s got their own unique sound signature affection.

For gaming, I mean, they would be able to outdo the clarity of stock speakers of your television, but they won’t really provide a competitive edge as far as directional positioning would go. And knowing the gamers of this site and the long gaming sessions they love, you’ll become acquainted to ear massaging.

Turtle Beach HPX($80)

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Intro-

After hearing the praise over the past few months on the HPX from Pat, I was eager to give them a go right away. When I picked it up, I noticed a few things about the design/build. One is the head adjustment. It is sort of like a spring loaded band that basically conforms when you put them on. No clicking or setting the headphones required. It just conforms to your head. The only problem here is. I have a big head. I didn’t really find this method too comfortable, it just felt like there was constant pressure. I guess it’s something that’s able to get used to, it’s just something I noticed right off the bat.

I also wanted to pay attention to the mic to get a gauge of its build quality. It was surprising to me that it was detachable, because it seemed like it was pretty well secured to the headphone. And the flexibility was very good, yet very durable. If you’ve ever had one of the metal flexible desk lamps, you can basically picture this as a mini version of that, it is very nice.

This headset is an open backed headset, and is circumaural, though I found my ears touching the sides of the pad, something I don’t experience with my 595’s or the pc 350’s. All in all the build is quality, though it’d be nice to have a more comfortable fit on the head/ears.

Sound-

So popping on some team death match with Call of Duty 4, I could finally experience the benefits of the Astro Mixamp, and what I’ve been hearing about the HPX. When I popped on the HPX’s, I at first thought the TV we were using became un-muted and I was hearing sounds from the TV’s speakers. Everything seemed so open with the HPX and the Astro Mixamp. When in the game, I was presented with a pretty full sound. I didn’t find anything really too overpowering or too light. The lows, the mids, the highs, they were all present and accounted for. If you were to compare the HPX’s to the 595’s or 650’s, the HPX’s do have slightly more bass, though i don’t think it’s to the point of drowning the other sounds out.

I had no problem with directional positioning. Usually I’m still stuck in Halo 2 mode where I can run around do what I want and still kick butt and take names. So when I’m in a game where you can easily be picked off, there are no shields and what not, it appears that I run around like a chicken with its head cut off. But when I took the time and paid attention to my ears, I could hear the grenades and gunfire and position them to where I could pick up some good combo kills.

For gaming, I was happy with the package you get for 80 some odd dollars. The clarity and the range of sound make for a great headset for less than 100 dollars. This was pretty surprising given the normal nature of Turtle Beach products(This is the only headset I would recommend from Turtle Beach to date) and multi driver headsets in general. This headset has 4 drivers in each ear cup, but it depends on the type of dongle you use that determines which speakers actually function. With the Astro Mixamp, the HPX uses 2 40mm drivers in each ear cup, these 4 drivers in total employing the Dolby Headphone virtual surround from the Astro Mixamp. So it seems like a weird internal setup, but it seems to work, so I’m not complaining.

For music, I’m a bit torn. While it does have the full sound compared to the PC 350 and Astro A40, and it does have the detachable mic, the problem with this headset is that it is stubbornly driven. The devices that it will work with seem completely random. Some TV’s can work fine with it, some you’ll need to really crank up the volume. The Astro Mixamp can drive them properly, but Pat’s Audio –GD compass can’t. It’s hard to tell what hardware this headset would work with and what it wouldn’t work with, so I am personally torn when deciding the victor in the headset music department. If you can get the proper drive, like hooking an mp3 player to the Astro Mixamp (which is funny because the Astro Mixamp doesn’t really do much to drive headphones more than other straight up devices, so it’s just very, very odd.) then the HPX will outperform the other headsets.

Astro A40 ($200)

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Intro-

You’ve all seen the advertisements on MLG and have seen players and kiosks displaying them at MLG events; the Astro A40 audio system. I have wanted to give this headset a go for a while. My inbox (as well as Pat’s) is full of questions regarding this headset. These are truly a premium priced headset when compared to the more affordable headsets players have been used to like the Turtle Beach X1’s and headsets of that nature.

Picking up the Astros, I noticed a few things about them. The design was pretty cool looking, though I wasn’t a fan of the white and black, the all black one seems like a more serious headset(kind of like when you see a high end camera in color ways like this: , straying away from the all black professional looking high end cameras).

Anyways, putting these on, again, I noticed these were not as friendly to big headed people, and the ear pads seemed small like the HPX’s. They kind of follow the grado design where you can lie this headset on a desk by rotating ear pads, but they only rotate one way. And the expanding headband seems very poorly thought of to me. There is an exposed wire that stretches and coils when you adjust the headband, like a pig’s tail. I’ve also been told by Tommyboy, a member of the MLG forums who is no stranger to dissecting headphones and headsets, that the wiring on the insides of the Astros is very “ghetto”.

However, putting even the internals aside, if you’ve ever had a screwed up cable from constant twisting or unplugging/plugging, you’d agree with me that the design Astro has gone for here is not the smartest, and either that, or the internals, could be the cause of all the problems Astro owners have had with this product. It is good that Astro has good customer service; however, I wonder why the inherent problem that is causing the malfunctions with the headsets just isn’t fixed instead of just continuing to repair the ones that are reported.

*Update 1/1/10: After reading a review from Tom’s Hardware on Astro Gaming’s website, it is noted that the wiring inside the Astro’s have improved. While not seeing this firsthand myself, I thought I should mention it. I do not know if this has helped the amount of RMA’s/problems experienced by Astro owners, it is a fairly recent change, I believe it will be that way for all 2010 A40s/Mixamps*

Another thing to note about the Astros is that they are not really that closed. I compared the sound of the headset with the Astro tags on and off. There actually wasn’t much of a difference at all, and the noise cancellation was…well there really wasn’t any. To the naked ear it doesn’t really make a difference if you leave the tags on or keep them off. Finally, we’re on to the mic. The mic seems to be poorly connected to the headphone. It plugs in fine and everything, but when you rotate it, it seems to go to easy. It makes me worried that it could constantly fall if I owned them for a long time. The way it also is flexible seems like it won’t last very long. It’s like 1 thin rod of metal in the rubber mic stem. I remember when I was a little kid I had some bendy toys with that same flexible metal rod, and they didn’t last long before that metal snapped. It’s good that Astro sells replacement microphones in case yours breaks or you lose it, but I’m just not sure how long the mics last with the headset, and how long the mic jack of the headset would last.

Sound-

Going from the HPX’s to the A40’s, the difference was pretty noticeable off the bat. The a40’s are kind of hollow sounding. I found myself turning up the volume to get anywhere near the same impact as I did with the HPX’s. It still performs ok for directional positioning, but the clarity just isn’t fully there. To put it in perspective, for the spectrum of headphones, the headsets we’ve tested place between HD515’s and HD555’s, for clarity anyways. While the HPX and PC350 lean towards the 555 end, the Astros lean towards the 515’s.

All of these headphones and headsets will offer you an advantage over your TV’s speakers, but we just want to bring the thought of price per quality to you guys. Now, with the A40’s with the quality they produce, II’d see them being more worthwhile is if they were a lower price. When they do not perform as well as 100 dollar headphones and have their build problems, a 200 dollar price tag seems out of the question. I could see this headset being worth it for 100 dollars alone, and 200 with the amp. It would then be the decision between the boost in sound quality with the 555, or the convenience of the microphone for the a40 for the same price. Then the incentive to buy the set would be greater because it would have brought the price of the a40’s down to 70 dollars, the same price as 515’s, where these have the same sound quality as the 515’s, with the mic, and not to mention the Dolby headphone technology provided with the mixamp.

Music is pretty much the same story as gaming; kind of hollow. It has light bass and ok clarity. You won’t feel any oomph compared to the HPX or the headphones tested in this review, and you won’t experience as crisp and clear a sound.

So in short, these headphones perform…ok, and when released, they were going in the right direction for headsets where companies like Turtle Beach and Sennheiser improved upon, but the price per quality just isn’t there for me with the other choices of headsets we have out there.

However, I will say that I really like the Astro Mixamp though. I haven’t heard any problems regarding that, and the idea of virtual surround so you have the benefit of clarity from audiophile headphones paired with the directional positioning from the Dolby Headphone technology, it seems like a winner. If you are really into gaming, this is a handy little gadget to put on the Christmas list; I’m considering picking one up as well.

Sennheiser PC-350($130)

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Intro-

This was also an eagerly anticipated headset to try out. The question of Sennheiser vs. Astro has been going on for a while among gaming forums, and now we have our answer. The idea of a headset with the same drivers as HD595’s sounded like a dream come true.

On the forums of Head-Fi, I have had experience interacting with a man named Eric who goes by the name of TheDeliveryMan. He is a representative from Sennheiser who has been answering community questions regarding Sennheiser products, and has been really hands on with helping where needed on Head-Fi. I knew if anyone from Sennheiser would be interested in a roundup like this, he would. So he generously sent us a review unit to test out.

When taking the headset out of its packaging, I’ve noticed that it retains the sennheiser build quality. Though in some instances, it sort of fools you into thinking it’s a bit weaker than it actually is. The headset is actually collapsible, though it still seems sort of bulky when folded up so I didn’t really see the point of that feature. But at the folding points, it makes you think the headset is a bit weaker than it actually is. After testing its durability, I can assure you this headset is quality. This headset is completely closed. This by far provides the most noise cancelling of any headset we tested.

However, one thing I’ve kind of noticed is that a closed headset has one problem in my eyes. So when you have closed headphones, you listen to the music. With a headset, its purpose is communication, so you are talking a lot with this on. When you talk with a completely closed headset on, you still hear yourself, but it’s sort of pressurized. I’ve described it as like I’m underwater while Pat describes it as being on an airplane. You get the picture. I’ve actually been able to get past this little gripe after a while; it’s just something I noticed off the bat.

As far as the mic, it’s pretty solidly built; it’s neither the flexible desk lamp nor the child’s toy metal rod. It seems to hold up strong, but isn’t as flexible as the HPX, and it doesn’t detach. And finally, good news! Sennheisers cater to bigheads like me. The headset is easily the most comfortable out of all of them. The headband doesn’t clamp and it is completely circumaural.

Sound –

After hearing that the drivers of the 350’s and the 595’s were one in the same, I closely compared the 2. It is amazing how the casing can change the sound so much. With the closed back, the sound stage is slightly narrower than the 595’s. For music, it has just a slight tinny sound to it in music. Finally, the bass is very light. Those are the 3 things I’ve found when comparing the headset to the headphone.

For gaming, the 350’s basically beats the A40’s in each category. It is better than the a40 for clarity thanks to the 595’s drivers, but it’s only slightly better in the hollow sound and light bass department. As for directional positioning, it matches the HPX’s and A40’s.

In music you might be able to hear a slight tinny sound due to the closed back of the headset. I haven’t noticed it in gaming however. Then the music of course has the light bass too, but obviously Sennheiser has designed these for just gaming since the microphone doesn’t detach.

This headphone would be good for those who don’t want to be distracted at all at an event since it blocks out noise so well. Also, people have different tastes for sound. For example, Madrok has posted the quote from a guy from AVS, who feels that bass present headphones are a lot of the times too much. None of the headphones I have reviewed in this thread would be in that category for me, but for some, they could possibly want littler bass to pay attention to gunshots and footsteps. I think the HPX’s and headphones are a good balance, with the headphones having a little more balance than the HPX’s, but like I said, sometimes sound is just darn right subjective.

To wrap up, one thing I would be interested in seeing are potential modifications on this headset. The hardware and everything is obviously there. I think a simpler grill mod could possibly do wonders for this headset; but for now, it stands at #2 for headsets in Patrick’s and my eyes. So when they are priced somewhat near the HPX’s, and have the features it has going for it, it’s pretty much a matter of taste

tro-

Now we are into my familiar territory. Sennheiser HD595’s have been my go to headphones for music listening and gaming for a few years by now. There is a good reason they have been a favorite of the MLG Pro circuit for years now.

Design wise, you will see a pretty standard open circumaural headphone, with a leather headband pad, velour ear pads, clicking headband adjustments, and one very long cable coming from the left ear. It is simplistic and stylish. It is natively a 1/4” jack with a 1/8” adapter, though this adapter is huge. Pat brought out his HD650 adapter while we used the HD595s so it wouldn’t wreck the headphone port from its weight. If you get this headphone I would suggest shelling 10 bucks for the HD650 1/4” to 1/8” adapter.

But these headphones are super comfortable. They do not clamp at all, the velour isn’t hard, but isn’t too soft (they will start to get soft after years of hard use, in this case you can buy replacement pads).

Sound-

As I’ve said above, there is a reason why 595’s are a favorite among MLG circuit players. Basically when you talk about the pro’s of the headsets, when you have the 595’s, you take those pros, and just take them to the next level. We went into this review fully expecting the headphones to outperform the headsets. The headphones were a good way of determining the quality of the headsets, since if you just compare headsets to headsets; you merely get a gauge of the biggest fish in the little pond.

So like I was saying, the 595’s just excels at the qualities you want in a gaming headphone; a nicely balanced sound, a huge soundstage for directional positioning, very good clarity. These will have more of an even sound than the HPX in terms of bass. While AD700’s are the top price to quality gaming headphones for the humungous soundstage, the 595’s closely rival that, and aren’t bass light, which makes them good for the grenade blasts, and also for music.

They are very versatile. I can listen to a variety of genres with these headphones, though they really excel with acoustic guitar/piano/vocals. Rock I now leave to my Grados, but The 595’s perform well enough, they could probably use some EQ adjusting, though I will always defer from that myself.

The one problem you guys will notice immediately since you are gamers is that they have no mic. It’s been discussed in this thread even arguing the convenience of a mic would somehow outweigh sound quality, and that’s something that Pat and I just won’t agree with. Especially when using the Astro Mixamp, you have a lot of options for a mic. A Zalman mic is good for home use, though can pick up a lot of background noise if you were at a LAN. There is also a collar mic produced by Califone that is more noise cancelling, but takes effort to attach it to your headphones. For those without the Mixamp, you can use the stock 360 mic, or you can use the Modern Warfare 2 throat communicator. By far the best technique I’ve seen for converting a headphone into a headset is the modification by Tommyboy, linked below, where he installs a detachable boom mic. Or if you are not competent in soldering which not a lot of people are, you can do the method Fragtality uses. There are always options when using straight up headphones, but if you guys still want to go with headsets you at least know how they stack up.

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