Xtreme Prototypes X-15 Packs For FS2004 And FSX

n the early 1950s, a convergence of interests between the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) and the US military led to the launch of one of the most audacious projects in the history of aviation - the X-15. At that time Scott Crossfield had barely scraped past Mach in the Douglas D-558-II Skyrocket and it would be three years before the Bell X-2 set an altitude record of 126,000 feet - yet NACA's specification called for a plane capable of exceeding Mach 6 and flying outside the sensible atmosphere. To many, it seemed an impossible dream.

Proposals were put forward by Bell, Douglas, Republic and North American, the latter operating under the considerable disadvantage of having never built a hypersonic aircraft of any description, unlike Bell and Douglas, both of which had extensive experience in this specialist area. However, the strength of North American's suit was that it had built the F-100 Super Sabre, which was the first operational aircraft to be supersonic in level flight, and it was in the last stages of designing the Mach 3 Navajo cruise missile.

As history relates, although North American actually withdrew its tender at one stage, it went on to win the competition and began what would eventually total more than 2,000,000 man-hours of design work on the new plane, first metal being cut in September 1956 on a hull which was to be powered by a 57,000 pound static thrust rocket engine. The rapidity of the design process belies the huge technical challenge the project posed, ranging from choosing an alloy which could withstand the phenomenal heating to which the hull would be subjected, to solving the problems of controlling an aircraft that had to be flown outside the atmosphere.

Simulators were extensively used during the hull development, one of the challenges these early systems helped to solve being how the re-entry should be flown, and the use of these systems made a major contribution to safety throughout the entire X-15 flight research program. It is a sobering thought that a minimum spec system for FS2004 is many, many times more powerful than the computers which were used to control those X-15 flights which were among the earliest ventures man made into space.

More here...

Nintendo's Wii Slows To A Dribble

I already mentioned that the three key console makers are predicting shortages for the Silly Season. Sometimes, it’s a barefaced lie to generate sales before Christmas but in Nintendo’s case, it seems to be real.

The maker of the incredibly popular Wii console says UK shortages are already being experienced and things are only expected to get worse. High St. stores are already complaining and the company, in a statement, said:

“Nintendo are now in a position in which seasonality demand trends are being broken. Due to this phenomenon it is possible that the demand for Wii hardware may outstrip supply.”

Both Woolworths and Game have said they are already unable to fill certain orders. So what do you do? The best thing is to buy the Wii from another European country. Even Nintendo recommends this as a solution. Responding to a reader’s comments on the BBC, this is what Nintendo’s Rob Saunders said in a Q&A:

Reader: I advise people to use European web sites, pricerunner.de for example. If you are confused just give the shop a call and you will be amazed how many people can speak English when it comes to selling something. A simple two-pin adapter is all that is needed. Warranties are also available EU wide.
Guy, Helsinki, Finland

Rob Saunders: You are quite correct and within your rights to purchase any item within the European Economic Area for shipment to any other country in the EEA. Your warranty is still valid anywhere in the EEA if the product was bought from any EEA member country. Recent newspaper articles have talked about buying products from the US and other non-EEA countries. There are several pitfalls to be aware of:

* You are no longer covered under warranty.

* Products from the US and Japan are not designed to run on the UK 240-volts mains supply and you risk damaging your product and hurting yourself.

* Home console games are region coded, like DVDs. This means you will not be able to play any UK-purchased software on a US machine.

So, no one has any excuse to be short of Wii this Christmas.-Martin Lynch

Pushing the PC gaming boundaries

The PC remains a big player in the games market but in recent years its cutting edge has been blunted.
The vast majority of games are still played on PCs rather than consoles; typically casual games played on cheap desktop machines or online games, such as World of Warcraft.

The industry is currently experiencing a renaissance in innovation as the trinity of new hardware, developer ambition and tools come together to improve experiences.

The introduction of chip technology with four cores, effectively quadrupling processing power, graphics cards using DirectX 10 tools and developers keen to push powerful machines to the limit are resulting in games which set new graphical benchmarks.

In some cases these machines are desktop behemoths; near supercomputers in a box that are delivering game experiences beyond the wildest dreams of console owners.

The latest games, like Crysis and Unreal Tournament 3, are taking advantage of quad core processors, and twin graphics cards. These are the play things of hotrod PC gamers - the enthusiasts who see their machines as customisable dragsters delivering the pinnacle of performance.


More from the BBC...

How to find a Wii in stock in the UK

Nintendo Wii Stock Updates - Constantly Updated

Here's a great site that will let you know by email (register) when and where the Nintendo Wii will be in stock in the UK.

No only that they will let you know the price and if Pre-Order is available.

Used them myself to buy from Amazon.de (Germany) - no problem with my order - changed plug and playing Super Mario Galaxy!

NEW - Now added an Automatic desktop stock updater.

Also covers stock of Playstation 3 and XBox 360 stock.

Check the rest of this site for reviews and previews of the best Wii games.

Site here...

The site also has an RSS feed.

Great work...

How to Find a Nintendo Wii

US Stock checked

Hard to believe, but the hardest to find gift last holiday season is again the hardest to find gift this holiday season!

I'm taking about the Nintendo Wii....the video gaming sensation that for stores still can't keep in stock!

But you can get one, if you know how and where to look.

Shoppers like Anna Shaw have been lining up in the early morning hours simply based on rumors that a store had Nintendo Wiis in stock!

She says "we went to GameStop...We were looking for it and in the process heard some were delivered down here!"

For Anna -- along with two dozen other hopeful souls at the Voice of America Target in West Chester -- it was her lucky day.

The manager soon came out with the good news: they had Wiis in stock.

As employees opened the door, the shoppers streamed in. Channel 9's cameras found this scene not only in West Chester on this recent morning, but also here on Beechmont Avenue, at the Cherry Grove Target.

The crowed filed down to the electronics department, where they laid their eyes on the 2007 version of the Holy Grail: A stack of Wiis!

So how did these shoppers go about "finding Wii-mo?"

In most cases, they simply did their homework.

I asked Target store manager Sandy Mueller "if you want a Wii, whats going to better your chances at Target? "

She said "Call first thing in the morning, or be here when the doors open at 8."

"We will definitely have Wiis in...It's a question of timing. First come first served," she says.

The same is true at other stores, including Wal-Mart and Toys "r" Us, which tell us Wiis hit the shelves first thing in the morning, as they receive them.

You can also check websites like "Wii tracker dot com"-- which shows which online retailers have it in stock --and "Wii chat dot com" where members post availability.

Just be aware that some websites --like Wal-Mart's-- may require you to buy it in a "bundled" package with a bunch of games for $500 or $600,

Sure, websites can help. But my advice? I think you'll heave the best luck hunting for a Wii the old fashioned way....by picking up the phone, or showing up at stores the minute they open the doors...especially on weekends.

So don't dawdle, and Don't Waste your Money.

'Virtual theft' leads to arrest

A Dutch teenager has been arrested for allegedly stealing virtual furniture from "rooms" in Habbo Hotel, a 3D social networking website.
The 17-year-old is accused of stealing 4,000 euros (£2,840) worth of virtual furniture, bought with real money.

Five 15-year-olds have also been questioned by police, who were contacted by the website's owners.

The six teenagers are suspected of moving the stolen furniture into their own Habbo rooms.

A spokesman for Sulake, the company that operates Habbo Hotel, said: "The accused lured victims into handing over their Habbo passwords by creating fake Habbo websites.

"In Habbo, as in many other virtual worlds, scamming for other people's personal information such as user names has been problematic for quite a while.

More from the BBC

Get a life, but make it second life top 5 virtual world + top 5 online games

Most of us have an alter-ego waiting to burst out, and now it can - on the internet, in virtual worlds that are springing up to suit every need and desire. Ian Douglas explores a universe of online possibilities

I couldn't wrap my nephew's birthday present last year. There was no box or batteries to be included because what I'd bought him was the ability to go online, pretend to be a penguin and talk to his friends.



Thin, tall and beautiful: this must be Second Life
A year's membership to Club Penguin, the icy virtual world for children aged six to 14, is less and less of an unusual gift. There are more than 700,000 members, all of whom pay from $60 (£29) a year.

For their money they get games, clubs, the possibility of earning "coins" through competitions and work, which can be traded in for objects in the game or in the real world. They can build their own igloo and fill it with objects they've collected, assemble a wardrobe of penguin clothes and go sledging.

Top 5 virtual worlds
Second Life (www.secondlife.com)
Club Penguin (www.clubpenguin.com)
There.com (www.there.com)
Habbo Hotel (www.habbo.co.uk)
Entropia Universe (www.entropiauniverse.com)

Top 5 online games
World of Warcraft (www.worldofwarcraft.com)
RuneScape (www.runescape.com)
Eve Online (www.eve-online.com)
City of Heroes (www.cityofheroes.com)
Final Fantasy XI (www.playonline.com/ff11us)

More from the Telegraph...

WII LOVE THE NEW SUPER MARIO GAME

FINALLY it’s here, a truly classic game for the Wii.
Having been forced to play Wii Sports for the best part of a year, I had just about given up on Nintendo’s revolutionary console.

Sure, there have been plenty of releases. But Boogie and Super Paper Mario are never likely to hold the attention of the keen gamer.

But at last we have a game that means business and shows the best of the console. Take a bow, Super Mario Galaxy.

The premise is simple – Princess Peach is captured by Bowser (yes – we’ve been here before) and Mario must save her.

What follows is one of the most ingenious 3D platformers ever created, as you blast from galaxy to galaxy collecting stars. Within each galaxy is a series of moon-like levels, perfectly 3D so you are often chasing or being chased around the surface of a globe.

Once you’ve collected all the stars on the moon you blast into space to the next one, until you finally reach the boss level.

The controls are simple – thumb-stick for direction, nunchuck to spin Mario and kill the baddies that roam each moon and the cast is a who’s who of the Mario world.
Super Mario Galaxy proves flashy graphics and frame rates mean nothing when compared to old-fashioned gameplay.

If you’ve got a Wii, buy this game. If you haven’t, here’s the perfect reason to get one.

My Verdict: Out of this world! 96 per cent.

House Of The Dead 2 & 3 Coming To Wii

Sega confirms that both games are to be bundled together and made available to Wii owners

Sega of America has ended speculation about a House of the Dead release for the Wii with confirmation that development of The House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return has already begun.

The House of the Dead II and III will both be included on a single disc that takes advantage of the recently released Wii Zapper peripheral (a combination of the Wii Remote and Nunchuk).

"The House of the Dead franchise has been revitalized for today's gamer looking for non-stop shooting action on the Wii," said Rick Naylor, Director of Marketing, SEGA of America, Inc.

"This will take gamers back to experience the celebrated first-person arcade shooter that was so popular in the late '90s."
Six game modes including Time Attack, Arcade and a single-player campaign that offers co-operative compatibility, will all be included when the game launches in spring 2008.

Nintendo raids Wii mod chip factory

10,000 games console mod chips seized in Hong Kong

Nintendo has raided a factory that it claims was making devices used to pirate games for its Wii and DS games consoles. Working with local authorities, Nintendo representatives seized more than 10,000 game copying devices and modification chips from the factory in Hong Kong two weeks ago, Nintendo announced in a press statement.

Mod chips take the form of a small circuit board that connects to a console's electronics and overrides or bypasses software verification functions.

Nintendo describes mod chips solely as allowing "the play of pirated Wii discs or illegal copies of Nintendo games downloaded from the internet".

In reality, the devices have a number of other uses, such as making back-up copies of fragile game discs, and temporarily modifying games to make them easier to play. In theory, they also allow independent software developers to create software for consoles without purchasing an expensive development kit or signing a contract with the console vendor.

"Copying the developers' work and spreading the game files globally is blatant stealing. [Piracy] can destroy years of hard work by a team of very talented software developers," claimed Jodi Daugherty, senior director for anti-piracy at Nintendo of America.

The Hong Kong company that was raided, Supreme Factory Ltd, "has ties to a French company, Divineo SARL, and its principal, Max Louarn, who are also named in the legal action initiated by Nintendo," Ninendo announced.

Supreme Factory Ltd appears to be a source of mod chips for several vendors, including Team Cyclops. Online sources suggest that some or all of these vendors, however, are linked to Divineo. Divineo is also allegedly the operator of online gaming website, Maxconsole.

Last September, Divineo and Louarn were ordered to pay more than $9m by a US court for selling mod chips that violated the US Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).