I’ve had a few days to play around and get used to OS X Leopard. I’m truly pleased with the experience and I’m looking forward to showing my Windows friends all the new features. Admittedly there are a few similarities between Leopard and Vista such as the translucent menu bar but Leopard is way cooler than Vista in so many ways.
OS X Leopard and an exclusive Leopard launch t-shirt.
Shortly after the release of Windows Vista, Microsoft UK sent me boxed copy of Windows Vista and the latest version of Office. At the time, I installed the programs onto my desktop PC but they were slow and sluggish when I was loading applications, especially the Office email client; Microsoft Outlook. I spent a lot of time configuring and tweaking Vista to run games and after a while it got rather annoying. It was incredibly annoying when a game was installed and the icon for the game appeared in another folder other than the game explorer. I pretty much gave up with Vista and decided to buy a MacBook.
A lot of people have said that I was crazy to switch but I thoroughly enjoy the computing experience on the MacBook mainly because I don’t need to waste any time downloading drivers or security updates. However, the very same people that said I was crazy for switching from PC to Mac have also said the Mac doesn’t have any games – this is not true, EA, the World’s biggest games publisher recently announced a range of games for the Mac. Blizzard, the developers of World of Warcraft and StarCraft release games for the Mac. (You can find out more about Apple Mac Games via the Apple website or view the long list of Mac games on Amazon). I’d say a number of publishers will most likely follow Blizzard’s and EA’s lead over the next few years.
The other cool but important factor about OX S Leopard is the price point when compared to Windows Vista. On Friday I purchased a family license for Leopard because I have two Mac’s in my home. The family license was the most cost-effective option because it only cost £129 (Single license cost’s £85), and it allows me to install Leopard onto five Mac’s within my household. There are multiple versions of Windows Vista and the price point varies from £180 for the Standard version to £300 for the Ultimate version, and you’ll most likely need to buy new hardware components to upgrade your system which could run up a bill of a good few hundred pounds. Is it worth it?
Oh yeh, Phil, I didn’t forget about Time Machine, I’ve not got around to blogging or using it yet!
Apple’s latest and newest operating system, OS X Leopard is due to roar into retail outlets next Friday. Yep, the new OS is due out on the 26th October and I’m pondering on whether or not to pre-order Leopard.
Never thought I’d be a Mac user a year ago but since I dropped Windows Vista earlier this year I highly doubt that I’d personally use Windows operating systems ever again, however, due to work with Games for Windows titles then I will still have to use Windows Vista.
Apple’s products and software seem to be more appealing than Microsoft’s. I was an avid Windows user for two decades and I was an extremely loyal customer, always going out and buying the latest software or upgrading computer hardware. I still own a Windows PC and laptop but I have no real need to use them unless it’s to play test games. The only Microsoft hardware and software that still runs in my home is the Xbox 360, however, knowing my luck the Elite system will probably signal the three red lights of doom…
It took me two years to purchase a HDTV. Gareth recommended the TV before I brought it, I’m glad he recommended it because I’m really pleased with every aspect of the TV. I’ve had a few weeks to play around with the HDTV.
I’ve connected up a Windows Vista PC, a Sky TV receiver, Playstation 3, Xbox 360 Elite and HD DVD Drive. Hand-held hardware like the iPod, N95, PSP are all connected to the USB ports on the consoles. I will eventually upgrade to Sky HD. The set up of the system was a breeze, it took roughly ten minutes to tune in and set up.
When I had the old 30inch TV in the living room, I often found it difficult to read text on the TV alongside the text from some video games i.e. Dead Rising is a perfect example. Now, viewing everything in HD is pretty cool. I’m able to see everything clearly 
Gaming
Playing games in HD has become a visually entertaining experience. I love the fact that I can boot up World in Conflict and play it on the 37inch TV. I’m looking forward to MassGate going live on the 18th September to take part in some epic multi-player battles and of course, watch replays of matches.
Xbox 360 games look stunning in HD. I picked up Dead rising when it was first released but due to the text problem on standard definition TV’s I couldn’t really get what I was doing in the game, apart from killing a bunch of zombies. Anyhoo, I recently got back into Dead Rising and I’ve played the game properly by unlocking the true ending. Gears of War looks great and at some stage I’ll finish it on insane difficulty. One thing that I’m doing is revisiting the games I’ve got in my collection, mainly to see what they look like in high definition.
Movies
HD Movies look amazingly clear. The first HD DVD I purchased was Batman Begins. I’m really impressed with the quality of HD DVD’s alongside regular DVD’s. The only thing I can’t get my head around at the moment, is the cost of HD DVD’s.
On Tuesday the HDTV I order eventually arrived. It took around 10minutes or so to set up once it was removed from the packaging.
As you can see in the picture above there is an Xbox 360 Elite, HD DVD Drive, Playstation 3, Sky and a Windows Vista PC connected to the TV.
So far, I’ve played a few Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 games on the new TV and I’m impressed with it. The picture quality is awesome and the TV features smart sound technology which works really well. I’ve got a PC connected to the HDTV and later on today I’m going to boot up World in Conflict to see what it looks like on the big screen. I’ll post pictures and video when I get a chance.
I started using Windows 3.1 in the early 1990’s, I’ve had Windows 95, 2000, MEH, oops I mean ME, XP and more recently Vista installed on my computers over the years. While the latter version of Windows is big leap forward over previous incarnations of the operating system I cannot help but think OS X is slightly more advanced. Windows Vista and Office 2007 are installed on my work PC and my laptop has Windows XP and Office XP.
For the past couple of years I’ve thought about buying an Apple Mac and spoken to a lot of people about Apple’s computers. I never got around to buying a Mac until a few days ago. My sister picked up a white MacBook a couple of weeks ago and I decided to get one on Friday due to the work computer dying. When I’ve fixed the work PC, I think the Macbook is going to be the main work station and the PC will be a gaming computer – fully optimised for all the latest DX10 games.
My MacBook arrived on Saturday morning. I opened up the box and configured the settings. OS X Tiger takes some time to get used to but it’s certainly has the “Wow” factor. I’ve started to enjoy using the computer again. The system is VERY, very cool. I like Windows Vista but Tiger is a big leap forward. I’m really looking forward to Leopard now!
I’ve installed a few applications such as Windows Live Messenger, Skype, NeoOffice - Free open source software which has full compatibly with Microsoft Office documents – and some other applications. I was able to connect the MacBook to my wireless network within a few seconds and I’m writing this post in the garden because it is way too hot inside the house.
So, who else owns a Mac and finds it a joy to use?
A good friend of mine that is based over in the USA has set up a new blog. This time Wayne is using WordPress which is the only real blogging platform worth using… you can view Wayne’s new blog via: http://therabiesblog.wordpress.com – It’s an interactive blogging platform so get busy posting your thoughts about the state of play within the gaming community or anything else that’s on your mind.
Due to Wayne’s hard work within the Xbox community, Microsoft has officially made him an Xbox MVP. He now gets free biscuits and a slice of cake whenever he mentions Xbox but in all seriousness you can find out more about Xbox MVP’s on Xbox.com.
Congratulations buddy!
At work recently things have gone from hectic to extremely mental. I can’t say anything about what we’re doing at the moment but there are a number of cool things in the pipeline. I’m taking things easy this weekend mainly because the next two months are going to be insanely busy but it’s going to be good fun.
I haven’t really done much this weekend apart from play games. I was pissed with Halo 2 (Vista) because I played through some levels and not gained the level completion achievements.
I’ve spent a lot of time playing The Darkness* - it would be pretty cool if a studio turned this game into a movie. Watched the Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer movie but it wasn’t as good as the first movie. The game is interesting though but it has easy achievements - Gareth will like those as he is currently lagging behind in our gamerscore race!
I briefly played Armored Core 4, Tenchu Z*, Project Sylpheed* and Vampire Rain*. I’ll post more about these games later but Project Sylpheed is visually stunning. If you like space shooters then pre-order or pick it up next Friday.
(Denotes: * indicates the game(s) are due to be released on the 29th June 2007).
I’m now totally set up for Cross-Platform gaming. I picked up the Xbox 360 Wireless Gaming Receiver for Windows and installed on my Windows Vista system. The installation was pretty simple and it was fully installed within a few minutes. Here are some pictures:
The Xbox 360 Wireless Gaming Receiver for Windows
Installation
Set up and connected
The cool thing about the Xbox 360 Wireless Gaming Receiver for Windows is that you can connect the Wireless Controller, Wireless Headset and the Wireless Racing Wheel. I’ve tested the connection between the controller and headset but I haven’t ‘live’ tested the headset with any VoIP applications. I just need to get some Cross-Platform games like Halo 2 for Vista and Shadowrun.
Correction: Halo 2 Vista is NOT a cross-platform game.
Microsoft Office Professional 2007 arrived this morning. It took about an hour to install and configure but I’m happy that I no longer need to use Google documents for Word and Excel. As you’re aware my blog is already powered by Windows Vista and now, my business is now powered by Office Professional 2007. (The relevant logos and wording will appear on the classic blog theme over the weekend).
Thanks Microsoft.
After the celebrations on Friday night I had a very relaxing weekend. I received a copy of Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars on Saturday morning and ended up playing it until late last night. I’ve never seen a tank or plane with weaponized lasers, have you? However, the game is pretty good but as I was an avid player of the other games in the franchise, the game doesn’t seem to be as addictive. Good news though, C&C3 is due to be released on the Xbox 360 during the spring - watch this interview to find out more.
I’ve managed to complete the GDI campaign and that was a lot of fun, especially when the aliens start invading earth. I’ve started the Nod campaign but I’ve only played a few missions so far but I’ll most likely be playing the game while I’m traveling over the next few days. Whoever sits next to me on the plane tomorrow will certainly be able to watch a futuristic battle at 10,000 feet!