Techiesmo (Tech+Gizmo)

PS Vita is the most recent gaming device being launched by Sony. Categorized as a handheld game console, it is using a quad-core processor that is perfectly able to play new games without any lag or hitch. The most improved aspect of PS Vita will be the presence of touch screen that can bring your gaming experience to a whole new level.

The PlayStation Vita will surely be able to entertain you with its glorious visuals on the screen. Some even said that the visuals are almost as good as the PlayStation 3 graphics. Not only that, the swift response and nicely put buttons makes using PS Vita simple even for someone who never had a PlayStation Portable or PSP. The device is also great to hold which considerable weight and stylish design. The battery life of this gaming device is also excellent where playing on a really demanding game will take three hours before the battery is empty. On lighter and simpler games, PS Vita is able to continue operating for around six hours.

Despite the many pros of the device, there are still some aspects of PS Vita that needs a facelift. PS Vita has a really small internal storage so users will need to buy an external memory card to download and install games into the device. The amount of PS Vita storage on-board is also not being told to the users. Another poor aspect of PS Vita will be its camera which is just VGA digital cameras that is the past’s technology. Even though the overall OS is spectacularly designed, it is pretty confusing and user need to do trial and error to browse through the device.

Even though it has a lot of minus marks on its hardware, the gaming experience that PS Vita brings surely beat any other gaming devices in the world today like Nintendo 3DS. The great sound system and the powerful processor that PS Vita has cancel most of the disappointing things about the device. Once you have plugged into the PS Vita world, you will never be able to complain about the poor camera, the memory card and other unsatisfactory things.

For those who want to own a PS Vita, they can do so by going to the nearest Sony stores near you. It costs around $250 but you will need to pay more for its memory card. Without a memory card, you are virtually unable to play any games on this device. Having a PS Vita is like having a PlayStation 3 inside your pocket.

There was a time that birthday parties, anniversaries, Kitty parties all were filled with a lot of fun filled games. Among the bunch, the one that gained popularity irrespective of the age is definitely the Trivia Games. Trivia at that time appeared a lot more in offline format, where games were organized in TV and in Books. This one IQ building game has gone through changes in the generations and as a result we get Free Trivia Games now online! Yes, that quite a lot now and we have the web world filled with such games being offered based on age, locality, topics of interest and so many such sub divisions.

So, some of you might be wondering on Trivia’s presence in smartphones. Yes, Trivia do have entered the smartphones in the form of varying mobile apps. As with TV or books, Trivia mobile game apps can also be played with yourself or with other players. So what makes it stay away from the classic ages? Well, there are some points to be discussed.

• Mobile Trivia apps’ availability is a matter of lavishness. They are out there in plenty with most popular ones even going for free downloads.
• The games come with expansion packs, where the users pay somewhere between $0.99 and $3 for adding on more questions based on topic selection.
• They are more interactive, where the user even gets hints to solve a question, in the form of option elimination, question replacement or people’s poll. When played with your friends, the interactive session becomes interesting.
• Advancements in levels are met with difficulties. Users can also select their difficulty levels prior to game start.

Trivia Mobile apps have got a hike with the IPhone climbing up the smartphone industry. From the 3G to the 4S models, Trivia has also shown considerable progress and users can now get the latest 2.0 Trivia Friends Version through iTunes. 6501 Crazy facts from Charles Jamerian is a good catch for your smartphone, as a free game. But of you are willing to pay little extra you can get things like PopQ Trivia, Trivial Pursuit, That Ain’t It, Who wants to be a millionaire, QRanks and many more such games. Some of them offer to play for a good fortune also!

Trivia is always a knowledge based games, whatsoever topic or area it covers. So it’s advisable, to carry one with you, even if not a serious player, it’s for sure going to be a time killer at time. After all we don’t lose anything by giving a check on our general knowledge, that too with a game – Fun though!

Mouse, while it is simple enough to be used with the computer for light users and hardcore gamers, it is still the subject of being smashed and thrown when someone died in a match of Call of Duty: Black Ops or lost a game of Starcarft II. Some mice, particularly the less expensive ones, tend to be oversensitive (or not sensitive enough in some cases) for the usage of hard core gamers, usually in a first-person shooter games. To cure this issue, they bought a mouse which has great features and looks which is way more expensive than the normal ones hoping for the best user experience. Instead, they need to invest more than they need to because these exclusive mice can be used effectively on a mouse pad that costs almost the same as the mouse itself.

Meet The Peregrine, a glove that can be worn by gamers and control their units and characters in games more effectively than by using the mouse. It has over thirty touch point actions and each of them can be programmed by you. As an example, you can program your glove so that when you touch the tip of your index finger, your character will start shooting their weapons while touching the tip of your middle finger will results in your character throwing his grenades. Now imagine all the things that can be done by gently pressing the points on your hand instead of scrambling to mash the buttons on your keyboard while being ambushed by someone while playing a game of Fallout: New Vegas.

Of course, when we are using gloves, the hand will be covered and will get sweaty after a long time but the developer of this product has already thought it through. To prevent this, ventilated cool spots are placed strategically on the gloves so that your hand stays cool while gaming. The glove is also hand washable if funny smell start coming from it after a long time. Just make sure that all the electronics on the glove has already been removed before washing to prevent malfunctioning. You can also change the faceplates of the glove to make it more stylish and suits your style.

The Peregrine is already available for gamers and is priced at $150 which is a bit expensive but hey, this is the next best thing before someone come up with a holographic keyboard and mouse!

After all the hype, Blizzard Entertainment has definitely delivered. With an awesome graphic engine, in depth storyline and a whole new gaming experience, they presented us StarCraft II, sequel to the award winning StarCraft. A game that players would die for literally, in Korea!

However, with all those teasers they provided us during the period of waiting, there are some disappointments. Firstly, it would be the lack of Local Area Network (LAN) play. Blizzard, like most game companies now, have been trying to curb piracy and to protect their interest but due to some areas with an unstable or slow internet connection many gamers have been put down. Besides, Battlenet services are not all perfect compared to LAN connections. You might get disconnected from a multiplayer game just when you’re about to win!

The trailers they released had this highly awesome, kick-ass Protoss unit- the Mothership. Equipped with the black hole and time-bomb, it was serious material. Not to say all those lasers flying out from it. Totally awesome! But in the official release, it was reduced to a mere arbiter. A high hit point, high armor arbiter for cloaking units around it. How arbitrary!

Another case would be the Terran battlecruiser. An impressive unit, equipped with the all powerful Yamato Gun, a few of them could turn down your important damage dealing units and turn the tide of battle. The trailers had it flaunting a laser barrage, which was later deemed too unbalanced and removed from the official version. Come on Blizzard, do you really expect such a huge ship being capable of firing only one gun?

Disappointments aside, this game has really delivered. I personally like the smooth unit collision the best. In the original StarCraft, units often got stuck and were hard to control. When you gave a move command, they will always move in a straight line and resulting in the defending side being able to pick off units one by one. StarCraft II abolished this headache as units no longer move in a straight line but in a more compact formation. Easier micro-managing!

The new units really shine. The Protoss Colossus and Terran Reaper provide a new game mechanic that allows land units to move up and down cliffs, which was previously impossible in StarCraft. Your opponent thinks he’s safe turtling up that cliff! No worries! Get a dozen of those Reapers and he’s ripe for the picking.

Last week, my loved one had been asking me what I would love to have for my birthday. So I jokingly told her that I wished she would buy me an iPad. Guess what…I have been so lucky as she really bought me an iPad 2 the same day!

I consider myself an avid casino gamer as sometimes, during my free time, I could spend the whole day long playing poker on my Mac desktop. Once in a while, I would play slots, blackjack, craps or roulette. But, ever since I got my iPad as my birthday gift, I hardly play the Mac casinos on my Mac machine. I find it so much more convenient to play the casino games on iPad! I just told my wife that I will be taking the iPad with me on my 2 week trip to London and Paris this coming September.

Casino applications for iPad are quite popular on the iTunes AppStore. Let’s take a quick glance at some of them:

Casino for iPad – This is a game where you get to play 10 different types of games that are available at most established casinos. With this application, you can always sharpen your skills first before playing for money in real casino. This application is quite highly ranked in the AppStore and it costs only less than 7 dollars.

Slots for iPad – This is a great must-have application for every slots lover on iPad. Slots for iPad comes in 5 famous ancient-themes and the graphics are simply amazing as well as the sound effects. This game also offers an option for auto spinner in case you are too lazy to play with your hand. This amazing application costs less than 5 dollars.

Astraware Casino – This is an 11-in-1 games application. Astraware Casino features 11 most widely-played games available at most well-known casinos worldwide. The graphics and sound effects of each game are absolutely stunning and it gives you the feel of actual casino experience. You can enjoy the application for just less than a dollar.

Do make sure you test your luck with these casino games before heading to Las Vegas!