TVersity is a media server software compatable with your PS3.  Install it on a Windows machine loaded with movie files, point it to the folder, and voila.  Every file in that folder is now browsable and watchable on your PS3.  It’s no hassle, and no problem.

It comes with a codec back to install on your Windows machine, and I also recommend installing DivX, since many video files use this format.

When I wanted to watch videos I downloaded on my big screen TV, I always had to burn the files to a DVD-R and put it in my DVD player.  Now, I just copy them into a network folder, and TVersity picks it up and it’s ready to go on the PS3!

Highly recommended.

I have to say, I really didn’t expect this kind of traffic for my humble little post about the Valve Source engine possibly coming to Linux, especially given that I reported on it a week or two after Phoronix! And seriously, 1500+ diggs, wow.

In any case, that aside, something has been bugging me, and as usual, I can’t just let it go.

Some individuals have been referencing my post, only to be shot down by people claiming my 3rd point is invalid because EA supposedly handled the PS3 port work. I have to say, nice detective work. I haven’t kept up with console release news recently, so I missed the story about EA having done the port.

However… This is completely irrelevant regarding my point. Sure, in the article I imply that Valve did it, ok, so substitute Valve for “EA”, the important point is that the code EXISTS. Somewhere, somehow, there is a version of the Source Engine out there that is powered by OpenGL. Furthermore, I would be willing to bet that the OpenGL work, at the very least, is all Valve’s, and that EA only did the PS3-specific bits.

Why do I say something so speculative? Because when the HL2 source code was leaked years ago, the engine used OpenGL as a backend. Now we all know that the HL1 engine was based on Quake1, and that the Source Engine was developed from scratch specifically for HL2, but it’s possible the general engine components were done first, and the rendering backend last, so maybe this OpenGL code from the leaked version was actually an evolution of the HL1 rendering backend, who knows?

Of course, when you factor in the Postal III port, everything more or less falls into place, and you start to get a picture of what’s going on, Valve has to have their own OpenGL somewhere, because I just can’t see a dev house like RWS or Akella writing an entire rendering backend on their own, if they were going to go through that trouble they would’ve been better off using an engine that fit their needs better.

Now I hope this settles the issue. Keep in mind that my post wasn’t designed to be authoritative on the issue, I am merely looking at the various clues, and drawing certain conclusions from them. If I am wrong, and there isn’t a Linux port, well, the points stand up on their own, in the end all it will mean is that Valve completely wasted some source code that they already had in their hands, for whatever reason.

Anyways, that’s it for me. Until next time, take care of yourselves, and each other. :)

Some of you may remember my last post about this topic.

Since writing a letter to Gamestop, I have been in contact with the local District Manager, Chris, regarding this issue. He kindly explained to me that the reason for why they did not have enough XBOX360 copies to cover their reserves of Grand Theft Auto 4 was due to an issue where UPS delivered their product damaged, with copies missing and, most likely, stolen at some point en route. Ok, I understand. I have no problem with that, these things happen. He then told me that the best he could do was offer me a $5 coupon to spare me my trouble. I told him, no Thank you. This has nothing to do with getting a freebee out of a major corporation. Its about principle and corporate policy and Gamestop’s business methods.

Before I even approached the counter to buy that game, the associates in the store should have been informed to offer an alternative game or a price difference to any customer who had been inconvenienced in this matter. Instead, a customer had to be compelled to write a letter to a corporation and file a greivance?

Gamestop makes out on this deal from every angle: 1) The stolen goods get replaced or insurance covers the theft/damage; 2) Gamestop still makes the sales on the reserved games at regular price when the goods come in; 3) Although I am unfamiliar with Gamestop’s specific internal business practices, I am aware of how other companies deal with “reserve” and “rebate” offers, which is to hold that money and not be able to claim it directly as income, but be able to earn interest on that money and claim THAT as income. There’s no “Gamestop Mattress” that they’re putting your $5 underneath. It may seem ludicrous that I would care about keeping the interest on the $5 that I used to reserve my copy of Grand Theft Auto 4, but when you think about how many reserves a company like Gamestop might be able to ring up on games like Halo 3, GTA4, and the Madden franchise - if this is how they handle reporting reserves on their books and balance sheets - you’re talking about potential for millions of dollars of reserves a year from which to earn interest from. Seeing it from this perspective, is it really that hard that this company have a set-in-stone policy for customer satisfaction?

So what is it that I want? Why do I even bother writing this blog post? I want a change to the reserve policy in Gamestop. Either tell people that there may be extenuating circumstances in which Gamestop will not honor your reserve on time, nor will they provide you any recourse, or provide a new policy that backs up their reserve policy where, if there’s a problem, Gamestop will automatically provide $5 or 5% off the purchase price of your reserve when it comes in or an alternative product or other future reserve.

Otherwise, from here on in, this is the t-shirt Gamestop associates can find me wearing next time I’m shopping in their stores:

Geek “Chic” shirt

-PerfectTurn

PS: I also found this amusing:

http://www.gamevideos.com/video/id/12492

Hearing reports of Grand Theft Auto IV sitting on shelves in Best Buy, and not having it reserved, I ran off to look.  On the way, I passed GameStop, so I thought I’d check if they had it first.  The boxes were lining the display case behind the counter when I walked in.  After all, every time I’d called them in the past three months, it’s been “Thank you for calling Gamestop where you can now reserve Grand Theft Auto IV, this is Brian, how may I help you?”

I was very politely told that if I didn’t have it reserved, they couldn’t sell me a copy.  I quickly said, “Okay, I’ll go to Best Buy, then, they have it sitting on the shelf,” and turned to leave.

“Uh, well, we’re going to get more copies in tomorrow.”  I paused.

“That’s okay,” I started, “Best Buy is right over there, and they have tons of them in stock.  You can’t just sell me one that you have?”

“No, I’m sorry, we only have as many as were reserved, but we will get them in first thing tomorrow morning.”  I couldn’t believe it.

“Well, they’re just sitting on the shelves over at Best Buy, so I don’t see why I should wait.  Thanks.”

So I went to Best Buy and you bet there they were.  They had a special table set up and everything.  It took me five seconds to find and five minutes to check out.  “Would you like a free subscription to some crappy newspaper?” “Can I see your ID?” (I’m 31) “Would you like to something something bestbuy.com something something something?”  Give me my damn game.

Installing now on the Playstation 3.  Finally a non-Japanese game that kicks ass.

So, I finally got my hands on Team Fortress 2 for PS3.  The problem is that I can’t get the voice chat to work, or nobody’s using the voice chat.  I can’t figure out which.  Here’s some background info:

In the settings, VOIP is enabled.  When I press the triangle (voice) button, I just get a little bubble with an exclamation point in the lower right corner. I’ve tried games with the star next to them, and games without the star next to them.

I don’t hear anyone talking, and nobody responds when I say anything.

So what gives?

Note: I’m using a network cable, not wi-fi.

This is a really annoying bug that’s present even in the current version (2.10 as of this post) of the Playstation 3 system software. When I got my PS3 earlier this month, it was using the oldest version, 1.10, but I couldn’t update it because the DNS error was preventing me from getting online.

After searching online for that error number, I came across a few sites that said the PS3’s DNS server needs to match that of your router. I made the appropriate changes to the PS3 and off I went. There was still a problem, though: it wouldn’t login to the Playstation Network, even though it passed the DNS test. Augh.

Some of the more silly answers I found included resetting your modem, calling your provider, telling the PS3 to automatically find all settings, and turning off your firewall. None of these make any difference.

The only option I had left was to download the update to a USB flash drive. This is a poor solution because not everyone HAS a flash drive. (You could probably do this using the 80 gig model’s card reader, though I wouldn’t know about that.) Anyway, here is a simplified version of the directions I followed:

1. Make a new directory in the flash drive named PS3, then one named UPDATE (both must be in all caps).
2. Save PS3UPDAT.PUP to /PS3/UPDATE
3. Plug the flash drive into the console, then from the XMB: Settings -> System Update -> Update via Storage Media

After this is done, you can delete the stuff you created on the flash drive.

Now, you’re using the most recent software and it still keeps giving you DNS errors? The only solution I’ve found so far is to keep trying to login until it works. That may sound like a shitty answer, but it’s the only one I’ve found that works with any certainty. After searching for a good amount of time and trying every suggestion, brute force is the most dependable answer I found.

Update: I’ve been using OpenDNS (208.67.222.222 & 208.67.220.220) for a couple of weeks now with little luck, but some people say it helps.

Update 2: I solved the mystery: spanning tree. Spanning Tree Protocol is a protocol for preventing loops in a network of switches. I had to turn on spanning-tree portfast on the port my PS3 is plugged into. Chances are this solution is completely unhelpful for most people, but I’m putting it up here anyway, just in case.

Today the Playstation 3 system software was updated to allow a pitch adjustment to voice chat.  I’d be playing Burnout online right now if my wife wasn’t busy playing Pain.  This will make it much better to talk crap, since that’s all those guys that play Burnout seem to want to do.

If anyone has any suggestions for inexpensive, yet good bluetooth headsets for PS3, I’m all ears.

Yesterday I purchased High Stakes on the Vegas Strip: Poker Edition in the Playstation Store.  This game is only $9.99, and I thought I’d have some fun with it.  Here are the ups and downs of the game.  The online play is great.  Microphones and headsets are supported, and it seems lots of people use them.  Be warned, though, that it seems nearly everyone who plays this game smokes pot while they do so.  Lots of coughing and bong noises can be heard in the background.

The game boasts five different variations of poker, but Texas Hold-em is the only one I’ve heard of, and the only one anyone was playing.  There were ten different tables going last night, though, so there’s lots of options there.

The play is very fast.  There aren’t too many people only half paying attention to the game like you find with web-based poker games.  Unfortunately, though, the game only supports six players per table, which I find a bit revolting, actually.

So, the bottom line is, if you smoke pot and have a headset, then buy this game to make some new friends.  Otherwise, take a pass.

Hot Shots Golf has been one of the best golf franchises on the Playstation, and the newest incarnation continues that tradition.  It won’t be released in the United States until sometime in 2008, but thanks to the lack of region encoding on the Playstation 3, there’s no longer a need to wait.  The name in Japanese translates to “Everybody’s Golf”, and there’s been hints that the game may be released in the US as “Everybody’s Golf 5″ instead of “Hot Shots Golf 5″.

The defining characteristic of this game, and what makes it so much fun, is twofold.  First, the physics are very precise and predictable.  If the ball doesn’t go where you think it should have gone, there’s a reason for it, and it’s usually immediately obvious.  Oh, I forgot to take into account my lie, or the wind, or the fact that the green is 25 feet lower than the tee.  It’s math, pure and simple.  The second part is that aside from the seriousness with which they made the physics engine, there’s nothing else about this game that’s serious.  The characters are comical, both the golfers and the caddies, and the ball bursts into flames in the air when you hit it with perfect impact.

Minna no Golf 5 is a step in the same direction as Hot Shots Golf FORE (PS2) and Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee (PSP).  As in previous editions, you step your way through challenges, increasing your ranking and unlocking more challeges.  Most of these challenges are a 30-player tournament (you + 29 computers) along 9 holes, and eventually 18 holes.  Each rank has a head-to-head challenge with a different character, though, the prize of which is unlocking that character for your use.

The biggest change to gameplay with this version is the upgrade to the swing meter.  You can use the swing meter in its classic mode, in which nothing is changed, or you can use the new mode which does away with this meter.  Instead, you look at the actual backswing of the character.  You have to tap the button to start the swing, then again at the top of the swing (marked by a red glow) and then again when the swing reaches the bottom.  There are a couple of visual cues which make this process really intuitive, and overall it works really well.  When putting, a holographic ball extends out ahead of you to show how far the shot power will take the ball.  These two simple changes are both steps up, and it was nice that they didn’t mess too much with something that has always worked well.

Hot Shots Golf: FORE (PS2) had a basic and fun online mode where you can play in tournaments with other players.  All of you golf each hole simultaneously, and then return to a lobby to wait for the others to finish where you get a one-line chat interface built-into the scoreboard.  This is essentially unchanged in Minna no Golf 5 except that you can see the other players golfing with you as silhouettes while you go through the hole.  This is quite fun.  Also, there is a lobby where you have an avatar you can walk around with, and you unlock new clothes and accessories for your avatar.  There are also scheduled major tournaments at certain times, and you can enter them and get ranked.  This is quite enjoyable, works well, and is quite Japanese.  I will be curious to see how this is implemented in the American version, or if they decide to change it.

Overall, I’m very happy with this game.  The most important thing is that it’s faithful to the series, which I have always gotten lots of play time out of.  The upgrades they made were all succinct and meaningful, and really add to the game without detracting from what has always been the core fun element of the game.  Good job!

I highly recommend this game!  Import it from Japan if you’re feeling adventurous, or wait six months or so until it comes out here.  It’s also planned for a December 2007 release as a demo in the Playstation Store, so look for that.