At any rate, I’ve been reading stories about the upcoming launch of Mass Effect 3… and it sounds cool. What has me most-excited: 4 player co-op! When was the last time you played a co-op game on the PC?

Feel like picking it up? I pre-ordered my copy from Amazon and will have Mass Effect 3 (affiliate) on my doorstep on the 6th of March. Let me know in the comments if you pick it up.

About two years ago I started my foray into the smartphone world with the HTC Droid Incredible. Though initially hesitant, I was quickly won over by internet access that moved with me, great integration with the Google products I already used and loved(search, mail, talk, voice, calendar, docs) that I was already using, GPS navigation, app market, streaming media, etc. Some of the complaints I had about the Incredible: miserable battery life, a display that was not-quite-right and sluggish response to input. Enter the Droid RAZR Maxx.

I like to give myself an extra buffer before gadget obsolescence sets in, so I tend to buy consumer electronics near the high end. In this case I had my next smartphone purchase narrowed down to either the Motorola Droid RAZR Maxx, or the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. As the urge to upgrade slowly increased, I found myself weighing the best-in-class battery life of the RAZR Maxx vs. the stock Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwhich(ICS) and larger display of the Galaxy Nexus. I was barely considering the iPhone 4S, but I’ll list the specs just for comparison’s sake(thanks to anandtech.com for some of the specifications listed!).

What impacted my decision to buy the RAZR Maxx in the first place?

The first 5 items in that table were the deciding factors: battery life, operating system, storage, screen and cameras. If my battery is dead the rest of the features don’t matter! The whole point(for me) of a mobile device is, just that: mobility. I don’t want to be tied to a charger and this factor ended up sealing the deal. With almost twice the watt-hours of the Nexus and iPhone 4S, I could not resist the RAZR Maxx. In practical use, I only need to charge the Razr MAXX once every TWO days! This compared to my Incredible, that was often completely useless after a day of very light use.

Ice Cream Sandwhich did cause me to second-guess the RAZR, but because I had done my homework I knew that Motorola was planning on rolling out ICS to the RAZR as early as March – a wait well worth twice the battery life for me. At this point, I am invested in Android and “Siri” isn’t enough to draw me into the iOS mobile world and away from tight integration with my Google account.

Next, we have storage and the RAZR definitely wins this one for me with the ability to both upgrade my storage via microSD, but also to quickly transfer data between devices. My recent purchase of the excellent NZXT Switch 810 case(review in the works) which has a built in SD card reader made this even more attractive. I definitely take issue with the fact that so many companies are charging so much for devices that are identical except for storage. When I can buy a 32 GB micro SD card for $30, I find it ridiculous that someone wants to charge me $100 to move from 16 GB installed to 32 GB installed(I’m looking at you Verizon and Apple!)

I love screen size and pixel density as much as the next technophile, but the iPhone’s 326 Pixels Per Inch(PPI), the Galaxy Nexus’ 316 PPI vs the 256 PPI of the RAZR just wasn’t enough to outweigh the other factors in the RAZR’s favor. Would I have loved the Nexus’ 720×1280 screen on my RAZR? Definitely. It’s still strange to see those numbers when the PPI of my 50″ HDTV is a mere 44. sigh.

Lastly, the ubiquitous smart phone camera. My Incredible had an 8 MP camera and I simply didn’t want to downgrade – period. As a father of two boys, my smart phone camera is sometimes all that stands between me and memories of their childhood slipping away faster and faster. This was the death knell for the Galaxy Nexus. All of the phones I considered had 1080p video recording and front-facing cameras and thus didn’t factor into my decision.

I went bought the Motorola Droid RAZR MAXX around Valentine’s Day and I’m happy with my purchase. At this point I’m going to assume that you are aware of the general advantages and features of smartphone ownership and launch straight into the Pros and Cons of the the RAZR.

What are you going to like about it?

If you’ve used a smartphone before, you’re going to love the battery life on the RAZR Maxx. I would classify my average smartphone usage as light-to-medium: social media, e-mail, texting, occasional phone calls, streaming media and some light gaming are my typical uses. That said, the RAZR Maxx can easily last me a full 48 hours between charges – I was lucky to get 12 on my HTC Incredible. Keep a charger in your car and on your nightstand and you’ll be good-to-go.

The form-factor has got to be just about as close-to-perfect as one can get: slim, adequate screen size, and light. I have no problems slipping the RAZR into(or out of) my pocket when I’m on the go and rarely notice that it’s there. The “kevlar” backing of the Razr has an excellent texture that really helps the device feel at-home in your palm with just enough friction to keep it from feeling slippery.

Speed! Gone are the stutters and agonizing wait times that prior smartphones suffered with even when surfing the web. The RAZR delivers a smooth, responsive experience that really makes other devices I’ve used feel sluggish(to say the least).

Signal reception is noticeably improved from my Incredible: both 3G/4G and WiFi. The display is bright and very crisp even when outdoors in direct sunlight. As with all Android devices, seamless integration with my Google account really helps to make setup a breeze. I really appreciate not having to sync multiple accounts or transfer my data when upgrading my hardware.

What are you going to hate about it?

Fortunately this list is pretty small, but I do have a couple things that stick in my mind as negatives.

First, there was a small snag during initial setup: I did not have a 3G data connection until after I synced the phone with my Google account. This would have been a big deal, had I not performed the setup at home where I had a WiFi connection available. 3G immediately activated following the sync. My wife has noticed on one occasion that her 3G connection “disappeared” until she rebooted the device. Otherwise, connectivity has been wonderful on both WiFi and 3G/4G.

Second, the fact that there is both a RAZR and a RAZR Maxx(with different thickness/weight) means that accessories offered for the RAZR are not going to fit “just right”. Case in point, is the Car Navigation dock: the RAZR Maxx fits, but looks and feel like one big bump in the road would cause it to come crashing out of the cradle. This is really more of an accessory/support issue than with the actual device, but I thought it was worth mentioning.

Is the Droid RAZR Maxx for you?

The RAZR Maxx is really designed for power users looking to take advantage of all of technology offered by mobile computing: streaming media, graphically-intensive applications, etc. There is a never-ending stream of new devices due out in the market, but if you want the best that there is right now then the Droid RAZR MAXX is for you. This is the category that I fit into and I am thrilled with my purchase: it is everything that I have come to expect from a smartphone with a measure of power and polish that I, frankly, had not expected when I walked into the Verizon Wireless store.

Maybe you’re considering your first smartphone purchase and you’re not sure if you should go with an older, cheaper phone(The Bionic is Free with a 2-year contract, for example)? My advice to you: take the plunge! New android models are showing up in stores monthly and what is the top-of-the-line today will quickly become run-of-the-mill. Do yourself a favor and start at the top of the chain to give yourself plenty of time to enjoy your device before you get the urge to upgrade again.

On the other hand, maybe you’ve had your phone for 6-months to a year, are fairly satisfied with its performance, but are contemplating the upgrade “just because”. To you, my advice is to wait – that’s right, just wait. You’re not going to get a meaningful boost over the Bionic, or similar hardware and new Android phones come up every few months(or more frequently!) Android 4.0(ICS) is going to start shipping on more devices in the upcoming months and if you can get better hardware with ICS stock you’ll be thanking me.

Score – Excellent! 9.8 out of 10

The Motorola Droid RAZR MAXX get a 9.8 out of 10 from me. The performance(especially battery life) is much better than I anticipated, the build quality is excellent and with Ice Cream Sandwhich around the corner it’s a no-brainer purchase if you’re looking for the best smartphone on offer.

 

An exciting D&D boardgame for 1–5 players. The master of Ravenloft is having guests for dinner—and you are invited! Evil lurks in the towers and dungeons of Castle Ravenloft, and only heroes of exceptional bravery can survive the horrors within. Designed for 1–5 players, this boardgame features multiple scenarios, challenging quests, and cooperative game play.

Included Components – 8.5

• 40 plastic heroes and monsters: color-coded for quick identification(no digging through pieces)
• 13 sheets of interlocking cardstock dungeon tiles: thick cardstock will allow for repeated handling
• 200 encounter and treasure cards: thick cardstock keeps the cards from easily bending and prevent them from blowing away (you’ve all had a sneeze like that, admit it)
• Rulebook
• Scenario book
• 20-sided die

Though the materials supplied are adequate in terms of quality as well as quantity, there is no explanation as to what some of the elements are used for. Yes, the miniatures are color-coded, but for the rest of the pieces, only by playing the game, do you discover that there are special pieces unique to individual adventures. Not a big deal, but something that could have been addressed to save us some confusion.

Mechanics/Ease of Play – 9.0

It’s fun and really easy – there’s just 3 things to do on my turn – My wife, Gwen

That quote from my wife, though an oversimplification, is really a great indicator for the simple, but enjoyable mechanics that drive the gameplay of Castle Ravenloft and drive-home the point that you don’t have to know anything about Dungeons & Dragons to have a great time(though you’ll certainly be a step ahead if you’re already familiar with the d20 system).

Setup

The included scenario book provides about 20 varied adventures for the players (from 1 to 5 of them) to tackle cooperatively. Each scenario has a set of victory and failure conditions that tie each of the Heroes(as the players are called) together in pursuit of a specific goal. Each scenario has specific directions to facilitate crafting the game board appropriately. In general, the dungeon(game board) is pieced together at the players direction as tiles, monsters, encounters and treasures are drawn randomly from shuffled piles. Not only does this provide for some great replay value, but it also adds an element of suspense as players have no idea what is lurking around the “next corner”.

Each player chooses one of the 5 provided heroes to play during the course of the scenario: Cleric, Fighter, Ranger, Rogue or Wizard. Each of the heroes has a corresponding “hero tile” that contains all of the details specific to that “class”. Of particular note are the values for Armor Class(AC), Speed, Hit Points(HP) and Surge Value(a concept Wizards of the Coast first introduced with D&D 4e). Each player then chooses a set of 4 to 6 “powers” from a deck of about 10 hero-specific cards. Each deck consists of various at-will, daily and utility powers. At-will powers can be used repeatedly throughout the scenario, whereas daily and utility powers are expended upon use and only brought back into play by certain treasure items. Helpfully, Wizards included a “recommended” list of power card for each hero that I have found to be very effective, while still providing advanced players with the opportunity to “fine tune” their powers based on specific scenarios.

Your turn

Players collectively decide who will go first and play then goes around the table. Each turn consists of three “phases” that dictate the flow of each turn:

The Hero Phase

The first part of your turn, the hero phase is just what it sounds like – where the Hero takes the spotlight. During this phase you will be moving your hero miniature around the game board and attacking monsters that you discover. You can use one “attack” power card per turn, as well as utility powers as indicated by the description. Your movements are nearly as important as your attacks, allowing you to “explore” new areas of the dungeon in the exploration phase to follow, avoid traps, or flee from monsters. The relatively small number of powers to choose from combined with simple rules for movement makes your choices feel meaningful without getting bogged down in a tedium of rules deliberation. I found the powers very easy to use, while maintaining the elements of choice so important to the RPG genre.

Based on the d20 system, each attack involves rolling a twenty-sided die, adding a modifier and comparing the result to the Armor Class(AC) of the target. If the roll plus modified is equal or greater than the AC, your attack hits the target and deals damage; otherwise, your attack misses and usually has no effect.

The Exploration Phase

The dungeon is built primarily in the exploration phase based on your actions during the Hero phase based on the concept of an “unexplored edge”. Simply put, any dungeon tile edge that is not depicted as a wall, nor already connected to another dungeon tile is considered to be an “unexplored edge” and thus, ripe for hero exploration. If the hero phase ends with your miniature positions adjacent to an unexplored edge, you draw a new dungeon tile and place it next to your hero. In addition, you draw a card from the “Monster” deck and place the appropriate miniature on the new tile on top of the pile of skulls that each dungeon tiles has. Each of the Monster cards has all of the stats(AC, HP) and tactics(how it attacks and moves) listed similar to the Hero tiles that you choose from before the game starts. This is important – in Castle Ravenloft YOU will control each of the monsters that you draw from the deck until they are killed by your party of heroes(or less-pleasantly, until you are killed by them).

The Villain Phase

If you did not draw a new dungeon tile during the exploration phase or if you drew a dungeon tile marked with a black triangle (anecdotally about 50% of the tiles are black and 50% are white, though I haven’t actually counted them) you will also draw an “Encounter” card. These Encounter cards are always negative events, that will impact one or more of the heroes in some way. Most encounters are some type of attack against all heroes in the current heroes dungeon tile; this could be a one-time attack, or it could be a persistent “trap” device that is activated along with monsters you may also control. In addition to straight-up attacks, you can also find “Environment” effects that last until another “Environment” card is drawn – these can do anything from reducing all heroes’ speed by 1 to forcing you to roll twice for every attack and use the lower result. These cards can be quite devastating when the heroes are clumped together on the same tile, so they force you to spread out or risk a catastrophic event. During gameplay, the Encounters really increased the pacing and level of urgency.

After you determine that an Encounter card should/should not be drawn, you activate all of the monsters and traps under your control in the order they were drawn. Far less arbitrary than it sounds, a player reads the concise “tactics” for each Monster or Trap

The d20

Ah, the d20 (20-sided die) – bringer of fortune and failure alike – it is the foundational element in Castle Ravenloft and what really ties the mechanics to Dungeons & Dragons.

Fun Factor – 8.0

Despite a somewhat slow start(due to setup, reading/explaining the “adventure”, etc.), the game quickly picks up the pace into what can only be described as a frantic, entertaining fight to survive that only ends when you’ve completed the heroic objective or have died trying! Your success (or failure) is based almost entirely on how well (or poorly) you managed the constant barrage of monsters, traps, and events that are thrown at the party. Fail to control the onslaught and you will be quickly overrun as the monsters reach an unstoppable critical mass.

The designers have done an excellent job of making every adventure take you to cusp of destruction when you finally reach your objective and (hopefully) emerge from the Castle Ravenloft dungeons as victorious heroes.

However, after a few games I did find that my selection of actions(during the Hero phase) seemed to grow less interesting. A larger selection of power cards would be a welcomed addition and would likely remedy this minor drawback.

Craftsmanship/Art – 7.0

The craftsmanship is at a higher level than I expected(due to low expectations), but seems appropriate considering the cost of the game. The game tiles and hero cards, in particular, have a nice weight to them that lends to the impression of high-caliber materials. One notable exception, are the miniatures – outside of the “main bad guys”(which have decent quality), the miniatures seem cheap and prone to breakage. The hero miniatures in particular, bend easily and one or two of them fall over easily. This is one area for improvement, especially considering the cost of the game.

The art direction is consistent with the rest of the Dungeons & Dragons product line. For those not familiar, it is fairly typical fantasy art with an emphasis on “realistic portrayal”, as opposed to the over-exaggerated caricatures found in anime, etc. Suitable for developing the mood of the game, I found it to be quite adequate – nothing more, nothing less.

There was a lot of room for Wizards to “WOW!” me with the craftsmanship and art here – sadly, they didn’t take full advantage. It’s more of a “nitpick” for me, but as the only real “flaw” in the game, I felt it is worth mentioning.

Replay Value – 9.0

The very nature of the game(building the game board as play progresses) results in a new experience every time, even when playing the same “adventure”. Combinations of hero classes and the inclusion of 20 unique adventures provide abundant material for even the most avid gamer. I have owned the game for over a year now and have yet to even play through all of the adventures once, much-less play through them repeatedly.

Unlike many board games that fall into predictable patterns of play, the designers of Castle Ravenloft have managed to create a game that feels familiar to those with experience without succumbing to repetition, boredom, and ultimately disinterest.

If you and your gaming group are looking for a game to hold your interests through multiple gatherings, Castle Ravenloft is one that I highly recommend!

Conclusion – 8.3 Great! Highly Recommended Purchase.

The mechanics and replay value really set Dungeons & Dragons: Castle Ravenloft apart from other games and serve to polish and balance the “meh” art and craftsmanship that would have otherwise detracted from the overall appeal. A job well done and an excellent addition to your gaming repertoire that will last through many gatherings. As an added benefit, Ravenloft also serves as a great tool for introducing otherwise hesitant friends to the Dungeons & Dragons RPG – which otherwise has a fairly high learning curve.

Questions

Have you played Castle Ravenloft? I’d love to know what you thought of it in the comments.

Considering picking up the game, but have questions that my review didn’t cover? Let me know in the comments and I’ll dig up the answer for you.

I’m in the process of writing a Motorola DROID RAZR MAXX Review – Stay Tuned!

My wife and I celebrated Valentine’s Day early this year and somehow ended up walking through our local mall at the end of the night. As a result, we walked by the Verizon Wireless store, remembered that we were up for our “New Every Two” contract renewal and decided to go see if anything “Wowed Us”.

I had previously done some “research” – which consisted of surfing some of my favorite tech blogs – and noted that the Motorola Droid Razr Maxx and the Samsung Galaxy Nexus were the current front-runners of Verizon’s Droid lineup. (Side note: I don’t have anything against Apple, or the iPhone, I’m just not excited about it, currently.) After my research, I knew what the decision would come down to:

 

Would I prefer the Nexus’ superior display and stock Ice Cream Sandwhich(ICS), or the Razr Maxx’s awesome battery life with ICS potential down the road?

As a previous user of the HTC Droid Incredible(with dismal battery life), I was pretty much decided on the Razr Maxx, but since we wanted to get the same phone this time around(she had the Original Droid before) I wanted my wife to be on-board, too.

To cut a long story short, we both liked the Motorola DROID RAZR MAXX(especially with ICS looming), Verizon was having a buy-one-get-one-free deal, and we pulled the trigger. Apparently lots of others had pulled the trigger, too, as they were out of stock and had to ship them to us. As fate would have it, they arrived on Valentine’s Day(Two business days later) and we managed to get them activated and charged by the end of the night.

Initial impression: I made the right choice, but we’ll see how it fairs in my full review.

Question(s): Anything specific you’d like to see included in the review? Let me know in the comments.

Watch. Practice.

Learn almost anything for free.

Today I saw news that Craig Silverstein, Google’s first employee has left the company. My first thought? “What company is offering him an opportunity better than what he found at Google?” It turns out that he will be joining Khan Academy, a “not-for-profit with the goal of changing education for the better by providing a free world-class education to anyone anywhere.” Quite a lofty and philanthropic goal.

So, what is the reality of Khan Academy? It’s a collection of almost 3,000 videos covering a veriety of subjects from fundamental arithmetic, to computer science, art history and lots of things in-between. As a product of Home Schooling, it immediately struck me as a fantastic resource – not only for full-time students, but for anyone with a thirst for knowledge or those who aim to foster that thirst in others. I feel that I have forgotten just about all of my Calculus and Linear Algebra and am considering going back to school to get a graduate degree. Perhaps I should fire up some of those lessons to see just how much I have forgotten, eh?

Check it out, let me know what you think.

By 2013, mobile phones will overtake PCs as the most common Web access device worldwide.

It’s a great time to be a tech enthusiast (and gamer)! The Wall Street Journal pointed out that the Consumer Electronics Show(CES), once buzzing with the latest, greatest desktop and laptop technology, now buzzes to a cacophony of tablets(such as the iPad), smartphones(such as my already-dated HTC Incredible) and other mobile technologies. They quote a statistic by Gartner, a market research company:

According to Gartner’s PC installed base forecast, the total number of PCs in use will reach 1.78 billion units in 2013. By 2013, the combined installed base of smartphones and browser-equipped enhanced phones will exceed 1.82 billion units and will be greater than the installed base for PCs thereafter.

While I agree with the conclusions the WSJ writers were drawing, I can’t help but wonder where most of those devices will be located geographically. It reminded me of an NPR story in which the commentator, who recently moved from India, noted that when he first moved to India it had just 3 million cell phones and by 2007 it was adding 7 million new cell phones every month; this was back in 2007! I wholeheartedly agree that the “face” of computer is changing, but I don’t think it is changing in the U.S. quite as fast as it is in developing countries. It is certainly the age of the Tech Enthusiast, but I don’t think we will see the “death” of the PC for many years – certainly not by 2013.

A few more predictions from Gartner  to chew over and discuss in the comments:

• By 2012, 20 percent of businesses will own no IT assets.
• By 2012, Facebook will become the hub for social network integration and Web socialization
• In 2012, 60 percent of a new PC’s total life greenhouse gas emissions will have occurred before the user first turns the machine on.
• By 2014, over 3 billion of the world’s adult population will be able to transact electronically via mobile or Internet technology
• 
  

As promised, my Sennheiser PC330 G4ME Headset review from the discriminating, but subjective perspective of both a gamer and a tech enthusiast. Established in 1945 in Wedemark, Germany, Sennheiser is a world leader in microphone technology, headphone transducer technology, and in the development of active noise-cancellation. Having heard many great things about the Sennheiser brand, I was quite excited to put the PC330 headset through the paces and see if it lived up to my expectations. At $169 MSRP, Sennheiser is marketing the PC330 G4ME towards value-conscious gamers looking to “take it to the next level”, falling at the lower range of their “pro gaming” headsets next to the PC333D($239), PC350($229) and PC360($299).

The DJ-inspired PC 330 G4ME is an all-in-one LAN party wonder. Designed for total immersion and intense gaming action, this headset not only looks great, it’s also packed with practical features. The closed acoustics keep you focused on the win but you can easily stay in touch with your teammates, too – simply by swinging up the DJ Hinge ear cup.

Another clever feature of the PC 330 is the volume control, which Sennheiser Communications has conveniently integrated directly in the right ear cup. It’s a vast improvement on the standard in-line control and cuts out that annoying fumbling around for wires in the middle of a game or Skype session.

Ready for a break? Mute the microphone by raising the boom and relax to music or videos in great Sennheiser sound.

Packaging

Though not on par with the likes of Apple’s famous environmentally-friendly packaging design, Sennheiser safely and securely packages the PC330 headset in transparent plastic. Bonus points are gained for saving me, the consumer, the frustration and hassle of resorting to scissors, knives, or other sharp objects that are sometimes needed to pry items from their packaging.
Geared towards gamers, who infrequently need connectors other than the standard 3.5mm on the PC330, I was not alarmed that a 3.5mm to 1/4″ adapter was not included. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that a high-quality, leather protective carrying pouch was neatly placed in the package along with the headset.

Special Features

• Quick Team Talk – at just a swivel of the DJ Hinge on the right
  ear cup, you have direct contact with your teammates
• Noise-Canceling Clarity – the professional noise-canceling microphone reduces ambient noise for crystal-clear conversations
• Intuitive Design – the volume control is integrated into the right ear cup
• Automatic microphone mute – mute the microphone by raising the boom arm
• Peace of mind – thanks to the 2-year international warranty

Specifications

• Headset PC 330 G4ME

  • EAN No. 40 44155 04779 0
  • UPC No. 6 15104 17517 4
  • Art. No. 504121

• General Data

  • Cable length: 3m / 9.8ft
  • Connector socket: 2 x 3.5mm for desktop/laptop
  • Weight: 255g

• Headphones

  • Frequency response: 14–22,000Hz
  • Impedance: 32Ω
  • Sound pressure level: 112dB

• Microphone

  • Frequency response 70–15,000Hz
  • Pick-up pattern: Noise canceling
  • Impedance: ~2kΩ
  • Sensitivity: -38dBV/Pa

• Accessories

  • Supplied: Protective carrying pouch

First Impressions

How does it look?

The Sennheiser PC330 headset looks, in a word, amazing. The styling is sleek and modern while carefully avoiding any feelings of pretentiousness. More compact than some other sets of “cans”, this headset looks right at home on my desk next to my keyboard, mouse and monitors.

How does it feel?

Putting on the PC330 headset, I immediately noticed the size of the supposedly circumaural ear cups. A quote from Sennheiser:

Perfect fit – XL ear pads and a cushioned headband keep you
going, however long you play

Far from what I would consider “XL”, I found the ear cups to be on the smaller side and unable to cover my entire ear. Close, but no cigar, Sennheiser. This is contrast to the Sennheiser HD 280 Pro headset with ear cups that hugged my ears in comfort. Despite the ear cup size, the PC330 felt OK on my head with just the right amount of pressure holding the set in place. I have read that the Sennheiser PC 350 has larger ear cups, but unfortunately come with a larger price tag in return.

Game Experience

Games:
Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty by Blizzard Entertainment
Call of Duty: Black Ops by Activision Publishing

If you’re thinking about purchasing the Sennheiser PC330 G4ME headset what you really want to know, in addition to how it looks and feels: how is the gaming experience?

The audio reproduction provided by the PC330 headset provided an enjoyable immersive experience. From sound effects and voice acting to ambient effects and sound tracks, I heard and felt each with clear distinction – even in the din of battle. This was especially evident in Starcraft 2, in which verbal cues are often given to draw your attention to a variety of events: from units taking fire, to insufficient funds and supply limitations, to the unique phrases uttered by each type of unit as it is produced. While high- and mid-ranges were especially clear and crisp, I found the bass slightly lacking. This may be due to the games themselves, but I found similar observations reported by other reviewers. While listening to music known to be heavy on the lower frequencies, I had similar experiences. Compared to lower-quality headsets, however, even the bass is reproduced exceptionally.

Call of Duty: Black Ops (and other first-person shooters) benefit greatly from the clarity provided by the headset. Hearing your enemies’ footfalls as they stealthily approach and determining the direction of gunfire and explosions are both aided greatly by the accuracy of the PC330 headset. Voice communications(via Ventrilo or Skype) cut clearly through the game sound, helping me discern instructions while surrounded by a cacophony of other noises.

Providing decent sound isolation(which I can’t help but mention could have been so much better had the cups been just a half inch larger), I immediately discovered the convenience of the “DJ Hinge” when pausing “the action” to have discussions with those around me(such as my lovely wife and son). What initially appeared gimmicky and potentially uncomfortable, was instead perfectly engineered to allow the ear cup to slide gently back on my head while still providing enough pressure to keep the rest of the headset in place until I moved the cup back. Having previously used an open-air headset, it did take some time to get used to the way my own voice sounded distant as a result of the sound isolation from the ear cups.

The microphone arm has a solid feel to it, staying in place exactly where it is positioned – no sliding down over time. Muting the microphone was conveniently achieved by simply raising the arm up until an audible “click” is heard. Combined with the DJ hinge, I found that it was much more convenient to take phone calls in the middle of gaming without fumbling for mute switches or having to take the headset off. The high-quality construction of the PC330 G4ME headset was proven again and again as my test continued.

One slight design “hiccup”, the volume control built-in to the ear cup is made of a high-gloss material and is sometimes too smooth to adjust with one finger. Had it been given a matte finish, or even a larger finger indentation, this minor flaw could have been avoided.

Music Experience

Albums:
Systematic Chaos by Dream Theater
A Love Supreme by John Coltrane
Paradise Lost by Symphony X

Sennheiser’s PC330 headset provides excellent clarity and precision while listening to a variety of musical genres. Acoustically “busy” tracks were reproduced beautifully, giving clear definition to each voice and instrument. Especially inspiring were the reproductions of John Coltrane’s saxophone skills which were incredibly rich and breathy- almost like I was in the recording studio. My only nitpick, as noted in the “Game Experience” portion of this review, is that the low-end was not accentuated by the PC330 as much as other high-end headsets (the Sennheiser HD 280 Pro, for example); however, it did not detract from the overall experience. In fact, I still “felt” the kick drums thumping away as I listened to my collection of Progressive Metal / Progressive Rock from the likes of Dream Theater and Symphony X.

From a gamer’s perspective(incidentally, Sennheiser’s target consumer) the musical experience is secondary only to the game experience. Let’s be honest, I purchased this headset to enhance my gaming experience – to hear quiet footsteps in the next room, discern the originating point of the bullets flying overhead, catch each auditory cue that games throw your way; I want to be communicating with my friends and teammates, too. If I am listening to music while gaming, it is most likely to be a soundtrack to the game itself serving only to round out the auditory experience and set mood. Or… maybe that I don’t care about any of those things and am perhaps engaged in a rousing round of solitaire or banging my head against the latest Angry Birds level; in either of those cases I am not likely to be wearing a headset. To each their own, I suppose.

Conclusion

The Sennheiser PC330 G4ME headset is a joy to use. Flawless construction provides a headset that feels solid in your hands and on your head: from the cushioned ear cups and head-strap to the “DJ hinge” and flip-up microphone. The acoustics provided by the PC330 headset are head and shoulders above (no pun intended) your “run-of-the-mill”, consumer-grade headsets and step firmly into the realm of pro gamer and tech enthusiast both.

Unfortunately, the ear cups are too small to fit around my ear in a truly circumaural fashion, yet too large to sit comfortably on top. It’s not a deal-breaker, but it does detract from the overall experience and is one of the only flaws I found with the PC330 headset.

If you are considering new headsets, especially for gaming, the PC330 is an excellent starting point for experiencing Sennheiser-level quality. Now available online for around $100(down from the $169 MSRP), they are a bit more affordable and truly offer an excellent value to the gamer looking for more from their headset.

The Sennheiser PC330 G4ME Headset gets an 8.5 out of 10 from me, but I would have happily given it at 9.5 out of 10 had it not been for the unfortunately sized ear cups.

Detailed graphics card specifications and reviews are great—that is, if you have the time to do the research. But at the end of the day, what a gamer needs is the best graphics card within a certain budget. –TomsHardware.com

I couldn’t agree more! One of the biggest hurdles to enjoying PC games is having hardware that enables you to play the latest and most exciting games. What more important piece of hardware is there than the video card? Near the top of my list of favorite tech review site, Tom’s Hardware just published the latest in their series of monthly articles, “Best Graphics Cards For The Money: January 2011” and as usual I found it to provide clear, timely insight into the value of graphics cards currently for sale. Not only does the writer, Don Roligroski, recommend a “Best Card” at various price points, he also provides a “Graphics Card Hierarchy Chart” at the end of the article to give even the most novice gamer a clear view of how the cards stack up against one another. A must read for any gamer looking to purchase a video card, copied here for your convenience.

Unfortunately, the graphics card in my computer, a XFX ATI Radeon HD 5850 Video Card, died shortly after Christmas, seriously hampering my ability to really enjoy the PC330(More on this experience later). Fortunately, like any good tech enthusiast, I have (more than) my fair share of backup components and will be able to continue my testing while I wait through the (hopefully not-excruciating) RMA process for my video card.

So, stay tuned… and maybe share some of your own tech hardware horror stories in the comments to pass the time.

–D