Sony has not only become one of the biggest names in film entertainment, but also one of the biggest publishers in the current industry for entertainment in the evolving interactive video game medium. As of 2010, Sony set out on a mission along with many other like-minded companies such as Samsung, LG, Panasonic, etc to provide mainstream consumers with what we term as the “3D-Craze” in stereoscopic display blooms. WhatIfGaming  has been devoted to all thing 3D and unlike most other entertainment publications has been covering 3D for more than 10 years since 2000 from conventions to 3D technology industry events (3DFF, etc). This means those 1950s DVDs with the 3D glasses. Naturally, when Sony released this product November 10, 2011, it was essential to cover this highly enticing 3D TV set for any consumers for Christmas season and holidays, especially given what Sony claims to offer. We have conducted the most rigorous tests anyone can on this $499 MSRP 24” Sony PlayStation 3D TV bundle using our 2 sets in-office for reasons of control, quality, and multisampling. While the Sony PlayStation 3D TV is enticing for consumers who cannot necessarily pay more for a higher quality entry 3D-TV set, it comes with some noticeable problems in the testing rounds which should serve consumers to think three times before purchase. Colors are not saturated accurately, the reflective glare of the LCD coating is an abysmal problem, and the very notion that the 3D is even being utilized for all purposes is generally missing despite the “FULL-HD” moniker. Sony has made a 3D TV that is decent for a 24” TV set if it were priced at $199-299, but something which does not feel like it is even worth half of what more superior entry-sized 3D TVs offer at $499.

The Sony PlayStation 3D TV comes with a sleek black casing design that is similar to the stylish offering of a PlayStation 3 minus the substance. The PlayStation 3D TV does not come with a remote, but similar Sony branded remotes can work if you have a Bravia set laying around the house. The actual casing itself feels rather cheap, however, with a thermoplastic polymer alloy of polyvinyl, similar to earlier computer monitor casings but the outline of the housing does not matter too much in terms of functionality which the main importance of any review, especially a TV that offers a newly introduced mainstream technology that people just caught onto post-Avatar in their homes.

The Sony PlayStation 3D TV underwent few standard tests utilizing 2 screens and respectively 2 separate pairs of glasses. For this TV, we tested color saturation assay using Tripheynalmethane with direct capture off HDMI 1.4, accuracy of the frame-hertz and 3D imaging given various media tested from Avatar Panasonic 3D Blu-Ray, to Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception.  To start off with, color saturation in the digital scope is something that most people, reviewers included, fail to grasp. Color pigmentation or contrast of colors is essentially the value of a crystal diode being emitted by the current LCD source through the backlight being emitted through the liquid crystal medium. It is impossible to accurately claim colors as “vibrant or rich” without establishing some set of method to test this directly. Human eye-sight can only perceive about 200:1 contrast. This means for every full on pixel there is at least 1 out of 201 that is less than ideally lit. Considering only WhatIfGaming has ever done this test, we feel we have a handle on things. We tested the actual backlight function on a piece of white paper covered with Tripheynalmethane (an expensive chemical). For the less science enthused, this is a common polymer used in medicine to test the relative wavelengths of light through a sample of light emissions. The higher the wavelength, the less accurate the backlight is even given lighting conditions change person to person. Testing the Sony Playstation 3D TV’s light emission using a direct source exposure reveals something surprising: the contrast ratio and the actual quality of the backlight is cheaper than the more expensive but non-1080p TV screens. Likely, at $499 they had to downgrade this aspect of the screen immensely, considering most 3D-entry TV’s at ~$1000 start at 4x the wavelength at 850nm. One thing has been established: the colors themselves and the backlight themselves are relatively cheap and undersaturated compared to even high end lower contrast models. This is one thing buyers have to be wary about and it is critical. Even if it offers 2000:1 contrast in theory, the TV can ever only put out any deep color variances in a very limited range.

This screen’s accuracy and sharpness of colors gets more degraded when the active-shutters are used and the immense glare LCD coat is put to the test. Active shutter glasses constantly cycle between two frames in a dimensional analysis cross in the hypothalamus of the brain, creating the 3D variance seen.  Sony claims a “FULL-1080p” experience, but realistically at 24” and considering most of the Sony 3D video game titles such as Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception, Resistance 3, and Killzone 3 are sub-3D. The utilization of the TV is just not there, which fuses with the other important critical point that the TV itself is not harnessing 3D accurately at 24” or even at all with sub-3D upscaling which somewhat falls on developer support itself and not the TV. This is not to say the 3D TV is not capable of actually outputting 1080P, but in terms of 3D 1080P per eye, the shutter cycling is a big problem.

In terms of actual 3D 240Hz quality, during testing we noticed a 3D Transmitter lag in the shutter frames, where there is apparent blacks appearing at high-action sequences. We further tested out the hertz of the frames using a physics imaging software and the cycles of hertz actually varies from 100-120Hz, which explains for the drop time to time. This actually counters the claim that the Sony PlayStation 3D TV is a full-120Hz constant shutter system.  As a TV itself or a PC monitor, the Sony PlayStation 3D TV is great for $499 and up-close 3D viewing of Blu-Ray films (where the 3D is just as incredible on full-sized 3D TVs minus the actual power of a bigger screen), but at $499 one can easily get a 50” standard LCD TV that is better in color, and quality.

Throughout testing, all the weaknesses of the Sony PlayStation 3D TV led to one question: Is getting a $499 TV with tax that offers little 3D use even worth buying for the holidays or at all given the the 3D itself is not technically “FULL-1080P” and downgraded by the monitor’s small size, shutter inaccuracy, and lastly weaker colors? The answer, while we fully can appreciate Sony’s push for 3D TVs in the low-cost markets, is simply: No. We cannot recommend this set even to people desperately wanting a cheaper 3D TV, as it is not worth its value in price. 3D projector displays that utilize shutter technology would be a better investment. This $500 can definitely be better spent elsewhere for consumers. If anyone is too desperate, then they may just want to go with a Samsung PN50C490B3D 768P 3D TV or the more superior 40”+ Sony Bravia 3D TV models that are much better priced in terms of quality and film entertainment use.  Sony continues to make strides in the higher-end 3D TV models when it comes to stereoscopic technology, but they should definitely stick to doing what they do best and price accordingly. This does not cut it.

Back in the technologically impaired time stratum of 2001, Apple released their first iPod – an invention which macadamized and out-sparked a revolution in the way which people listened to music on-the-go. The concept seemed odd from the loud clanking spins of our CD players and the variable MP3 options available that were charging too high for quality that was simply too low. This CD player was history. This first generation iPod was a primitive device compared to the iPod of today but it paved the way for the basic design which has allowed Apple to create this extraordinary product that has moved way beyond the basics of listening to music but instead given a minicomputer that includes vast amounts of features and options that keeps it ahead of the curve. From the first moment that the iPod Touch is turned on, it gives the sense of having many hidden talents which will still only be found after a few weeks of getting used to all the features it possesses. It is simply a remarkable piece of hardware that is incredibly easy to use and has an impeccable design.

The sleek design of the iPod Touch is only amplified by the magnificently compact packaging it comes in hosting: the instruction manual, earphones, connecting/charging cable and the actual iPod Touch all in a 12cm x 7cm x 2.5cm box, confusing at first as to where all the cables and manuals are until the under-professionals discovered, effulgent of a professional product before it has even been switched on. The iPod Touch itself is extremely thin and while this also makes it very lightweight, it has a good feel to it so it never gives the impression of being a flimsy product. The reverse also encompasses the brilliantly polished metal backing which most recent Apple devices have mostly. This sleekness comes at a certain cost as after daily use it becomes badly scratched and marked with fingerprints which is disappointing but fortunately the same cannot be said for the front screen which holds its appearance remarkably well.

Inside the iPod Touch is the Apple A4 processor which is a very efficient processor, keeping everything running smoothly even when there is a lot of multitasking going on while also not causing a large drain on the battery. With an equally formidable processor, the PowerVR SGX GPU 535 allows games on the app store to be run very smoothly with high quality graphics and the 256MB of RAM is an additional exceptional feature, all concluding to ensure there is never any problems with the iPod Touch struggling to keep up to speed.

The immediate reaction when the iPod Touch is switched on is how responsive the 3.5 inch retina display screen is for the touch screen controls for whatever they are being used, which is a credit to Apple to keep up the consistency of a newly perfected technology. There are never any problems in usability or the fluidity of the touch controls and the retina display screen keeps everything very sharp and fresh which makes the iPod Touch enjoyable to use while being extremely functional. The standard applications that are already pre-installed include: Camera, YouTube, Maps, Clock, Calendar, Calculator, Contacts, Game Center, Photos, FaceTime, Stocks, Weather and Notes which provide a large variety of features that are useful for whatever purpose the iPod Touch was bought for. The other two icons which are immediately noticable on the main screen are the App Store and iTunes, both these are vast databases and each provide near endless possibilities for everyone’s needs. iTunes has masses of music but the range also stretches to podcasts, audio books and videos whereas the App Store has thousands of different applications for whatever extra you might want your iPod Touch to be able to do whether it is playing games, listening to radio stations or just simply checking your battery level in a graphic format. A wide array of premium content offerings in addition to a plethora of free downloads makes the possibilities endless. Let us not dapper beyond the point, the central main point being about consumer purchase. The whole point of buying an iPod Touch is to listen to music and Apple has gone with an extremely simple approach to this concept and kept most menus and such to a minimum which gets the user quickly to grips with it and creates no fuss. All the usual functions are provided such as shuffle, repeat, skipping tracks aswell as a slider for ease of changing the volume up or down which is useful. The iPod Touch also allows further mobility as the internet can be accessed through Wi-Fi which is constantly strong and allows multimedia to be sent through Bluetooth. Bluetooth does seem to have one particular and disappointing caveat: it only works with signals from other Apple products which is actually the biggest weakness of the product as only Bluetooth signals from other Apple products, a monopolization and definitely an area where Apple should look to improve in the future if it truly wants to extend open source communication in a technically apt society.

A multimedia player with a vast amount of features is the kind of product you are after, the Apple iPod Touch stops the long-awaited search by 2011 shoppers this year. The Apple iPod Touch has something for everyone and does the primary job of being a music player to a very high standard. There is really nothing much else to say about how the iPod Touch handles itself. An adept piece of hardware with incredible software inside which all adds up to being a must have product is simply something which should find itself above everyone’s past MP3 players this year and we cannot praise Apple enough for how this device has turned out and delivered exceptionally well to higher standards.

For those of us who like to take our Xbox 360 to our friend’s house or other social gatherings, Madcatz has made a wonderful carrier for the Xbox 360. Finding a way to transport consoles around has always been a challenge. To have the complete security of your $400.00 console, Madcatz has created an amazing transport system that is durable, dependable and moreover incredible.

The Xbox 360 Messenger Bag simply solves all the transport problems you need. The design of the bag is quite simple. It has a main pocket with a primary middle pocket holder for the Xbox 360. At the bottom of the main pocket, there is a padded divider which folds up allowing you to store your AV cables, power pack and power Cord. Once the power cords are stored the divider folds down and acts as a padded floor for your Xbox 360 to rest on. In terms of space, the MadCatz review accessory is simply incredible with the additional seperate holsters to the side which fit an enormous amount of stuff such as 4 entire Xbox 360 games in total.

Once your 360 is situated inside the main pocket, the extra padding in the pocket allows for extra protection for your console. The middle pocket is capable of holding up to 4 360 controllers. The provided one mesh-zipped pocket that are located in front of the middle pocket followed by 2 mesh pockets on each side of the bag are great for storing extra cables you might have.

In terms of simple and effective carrying, the Madcatz Xbox 360 Transport Bag is a must-have for anyone looking to secure their Xbox 360 during travel and international/domestic flights. Just make sure to take it out during customs and security checks while treating it at a laptop. The comfort of the bag auspiciously carries the Xbox 360 so much that it often makes us forgetful we are even carrying anything.

Original Review Content by Contributor: James Pikover

When it comes to music game instruments, there is very little selection in terms of hardware. It is essentially first party from Harmonix’s Rock Band 1 or 2, any version of the Guitar Hero guitars, and now the Guitar Hero World Tour drums and microphone. With the exception of a few things here and there, such as ION Audio’s Premium Drum Set and Pearl’s Omega Drum Pedal, there is no market for music gaming equipment.

For those of us who have spent too much time and money at game shops buying the latest software and hardware, you will recognize Madcatz as a name to stay away from except for very specific situations. In the past, they have been known as that 3rd party peripheral company who makes worse hardware than 1st parties, but with one or two features that made them sell well enough for some of us to buy. Features like a macro button or wireless connectivity (back when wireless wasn’t the standard).

After keeping quiet for a few years, Madcatz is making a comeback in a big way: making music equipment for the likes of Rock Band. They have introduced a very solid lineup of peripherals, and we had the chance to look at their three biggest ones: the Fender Precision Bass, standalone microphone and cymbal expansion kit. The results are surprising.

IStarUSA is known to make great technology: from power supplies, to internal divisions and in this case, the latest Xage-n99-us hard drive docking station. Coming with the works of RoHS compliancy, the latest storage division supports up to 2.5” and 3.5” SATA hard drives up to 1TB, offering for a versatility that we just don’t see too often in terms of storage devices and the way the efficiency of items are brought up.

Specifications & Features:

SATA to USB 2.0/ FireWire 800/ Ethernet even eSATA interfaces

80mm Cooling Fan with Speed Controller

One Year Warranty

Size: 80mm

Speed: 0~1,800 rpm

Noise Level: 23.8 dB(A)

Air Flow: 31.15 CFM

The docking station comes with the USB cable, sexy HDD rubber covers and a power cable with the main mount. As a fully PC, Mac and Linux compatible device, the iStarUSA docking station supports makes sure that it doesn’t come off as cheap, with a blue activity light for a smitten indicator.

The iStarUSA HDD Docking Station boasts 480Mbps of data transfer rates for both 3.5” and 2.5” SATA hard drives in a very sleek design and reels in at about $20-$30 for something to aid in the aggravation of trying to figure out what HDD has what. In a land of external hard drive solutions, iStarUSA manages to make the trend towards a cheaper significance, allowing for ordinary consumers to save time, space, and most importantly money by hotswap.

iStarUSA claims a lot for a device that looks elegant but simple. After testing the device with our fastest RPM Western Digital SATA drive, the iStar USA performed admirably, exceeding expectations for something a bit peculiar, even for us. While total efficiency remained at 85%, the device itself was well worth the cash after all, a great news to those with hard drives as backups or picture storage.

As for noise level, surprisingly the unit itself does not make much noise (21.8 dB) using an oscillator, and the hard drive is the only thing that makes noise while accessing internal RAM. Not bad at all.

Rejoice. iStarUSA’s xAge-N99-US USB 2.0 Hard Drive Docking Station is here.

]]> http://whatifgaming.com/istarusa-hard-drive-docking-station-review-plug-n-go/feed 0 http://whatifgaming.com/tegra-is-a-tigera http://whatifgaming.com/tegra-is-a-tigera#comments Mon, 02 Jun 2008 21:57:09 +0000 Usman Ihtsham http://whatifgaming.com/?p=980

Nvidia’s Tegra aims to take the same market segment that treats the company’s reach into a new market that currently has a demand of more than 1 billion processors per year.

So what the heck is it? It is a computer. Yeah…I know. A computer. The kicker? It is on a small nanochip. Revolt! Tegra can be formally called a “system-on-a-chip” (SoC) or “computer-on-a-chip” (CoC). Tegra has:

• ARM11 CPU core
• GoForce (renamed into GeForce ULV) GPU
• an image processor (digital camera support)
• a HD video processor (PureVideo for handhelds)
• memory (NAND Flash, Mobile DDR)
• a northbridge (memory controller, display output, HDMI+HDCP, security engine)
• a southbridge (USB OTG, UART, external memory card SPI SDIO, etc).

ATI has been able to create an external GPU. The card, codenamed Lasso, should be introduced to the public at Computex. The press release states that the new tech, while incredibly innovative, won’t be compatible with existing laptops. In fact, the external GPU requires a new high-speed connector to function properly. This pops up the question; will the new USB be challenged? In any case, the prospects of an external GPU should be the holy grail of gaming.

The Fast TrackUltra 8R audio/MIDI interface delivers 8 x 8 I/O at 24-bit/96kHz fidelity, high-speed USB 2.0 connectivity, MX Core DSP mixer and eight preamps for serious studio work. But do not take off your pants yet. Coupled with award-winning Octane technology, M-Audio’s USB recording interface with a built in preamp is compatible with most USB devices. OK, maybe every USB port works with it. Either way, this should be a treat for all the people who like having perfect sound waves through their ears or other stuff. We will not go into detail.