gaming

Heirloom Software: the Past as Adventure

Through the years, I've spent what might seem to some people an inordinate amount of time cleaning up and preserving ancient software. My Retrocomputing Museum page archives any number of computer languages and games that might seem utterly obsolete.

BeBop Sensors, Inc.'s Marcel Modular Data Gloves

In the fabric-embedded sensors space, all controllers need to be accurate and fast. "If latency is more than 6–8 milliseconds, you are out of the band", cautions BeBop Sensors Inc., maker of the new Marcel Modular Data Glove solution for virtual and augmented reality OEMs.

Gabriel Ford, Sadie Ford and Melissa Ford's Hello, Scratch!

In the new book Hello, Scratch! (published by Manning Publications), parents and kids work together to learn programming skills, but not in just any old way. They create new versions of old retro-style arcade games with the Scratch open-source visual programming language from the MIT Media Lab.

Android Candy: Exploding Kittens!

I don't very often play games. I know that seems odd, because I do often write about gaming. Honestly though, I very rarely actually take the time to play video games. Recently, however, there has been an exception to that rule.

My Childhood in a Cigar Box

I grew up in the 1980s. That meant we drank far too much Kool-Aid, and on Saturday mornings, we got up early to watch cartoons. It also was the heyday of arcades, but I lived in the ghetto of Detroit and couldn't afford quarters to play games. Plus, there were none anywhere near the neighborhood where I lived. For me, the first real video-game experience was the Atari 2600.

Full SteamOS Ahead!

Although its timetable may not always be ideal, Valve has come through for Linux users lately. Not only has it released a native Linux version of Steam (with many native games!), it also has expanded its Linux support as the basis for its standalone SteamBox. The first step toward a Steam-powered console is the operating system.

A Look at Warzone 2100

I'm not really much of a computer gamer. That said, I'm both ashamed and oddly proud of the hours (probably thousands!) I spent playing Dune 2000 back when it was cutting-edge gaming technology. There's just something about real-time strategy games that appeals to those of us lacking the reflexes for the more action-packed first-person shooters.

The Linux powered LAN Gaming House

LAN parties offer the enjoyment of head to head gaming in a real-life social environment. In general, they are experiencing decline thanks to the convenience of Internet gaming, but Kenton Varda is a man who takes his LAN gaming very seriously. His LAN gaming house is a fascinating project, and best of all, Linux plays a part in making it all work.

Spotlight on Linux: Supergamer Supreme 2.5

Supergamer is, as you might guess, a Linux distribution whose main focus is on gaming. It's based on a lighter distributions, features a light desktop, and is chock-full of games and demos. It began life in the Spring of 2006 and was received with great enthusiasm.