Alternative Next Gen Consoles

As well as the Xbox One and Playstation 4 there are a number of alternative devices that are due to hit the market this year attempting to grab a piece of the lucrative console market by utilising the Android operating system.  Some of these are being developed by big technology companies such as Nvidia whilst others are being developed and brought to market by independent manufacturers via alternative funding methods like the Ouya which received it's funding via Kickstarter.

Nvidia Shield

The Shield handheld gaming device comes equipped with Nvidia's Tegra 4 Quad Core Mobile Processor, 2gb of RAM, an integrated 5 inch multi-touch display, and 16gb of flash storage.  The device runs Android's Jelly Bean operating system so the user can install games from Google's Play Store to play on the integrated screen or to output to your TV via the Mini-HDMI port on the back of the device.  As well as running Android games the Shield will give the user the ability to stream and control games from their GeForce GTX powered PC's using a wi-fi connection and will retail at $299 (no UK price has been announced yet).

Ouya

The Ouya games console will run a modified version of Android's Jelly Bean operating system and will feature an exclusive Ouya store for applications and games.  Out of the box the console will include TwitchTV, access to Onlive game streaming and will be open to rooting without validating the warranty.  In addition to this all owners will be able to use their Ouya consoles as developer kits allowing anyone to create games and applications for the device.  The system runs an Nvidia Tegra 3 system-on-chip with a 1.7 GHz Quad-Core Arm processor, 8gb flash storage, 1gb of RAM, and will plug directly into your TV via HDMI.  Every game or application on the Ouya is required to have a free component whether that be totally free, with a free trial or with in-app purchases or additional levels.  The Ouya will retail at $99 in the US and £99 in the UK.

GameStick

PlayJams GameStick console resembles a USB memory stick and plugs directly into the HDMI port of your TV allowing you to take your console anywhere you want.  The device features wi-fi allowing users to access the internet and bluetooth connectivity so up to 4 people can play simultaneously.  In addition the console will allow other Android and iOS devices to be used as controllers and will support XBMC for media streaming.  The GameStick offers similiar specs to the Ouya with an Amlogic 8726-MX system-on-chip, 1 gb of RAM, 8gb flash storage and will retail for $79 US or £79.99 UK.

MOJO

Madcatz have yet to release much in the way of details regarding their MOJO micro-console except for the fact that it will run Android (although which version is yet to be decided).  It will come with access to the Google Play store meaning you'll be able to download and play all those games you already bought on your Android phone or tablet.

Gamepop

The Gamepop console is a subscription based hardware and software solution offering mobile based gaming on your TV for $6.99 per month and, up until the end of June, this monthly cost includes the hardware also.  If you choose to cancel your subscription during the first 12 months you need to send the console back in working order and pay some re-stocking fees but after this it's yours to keep.  Specifications for the hardware haven't been shared yet but the console allows you to access more than 500 mobile games on your TV.

Steambox

There's alot of speculation out there regarding the upcoming Steambox from Valve.  At the moment there are no specifics regarding the hardware or software itself but it's expected that the hardware itself will be tightly controlled whilst the software will be open.  It's expected that the unit will ship with a Linux OS but users will be able to install Windows as an alternative OS if they want.  Xi3 revealed the Piston at the Consumer Electronics Show in January which is one of several designs that Valve are looking at for the Steambox however at $1000 you may as well build a gaming PC and use your TV as a monitor via HDMI ouput as it will work out cheaper and be more powerful. 

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How to - Set up a Static IP Address

This is going to be a quick and dirty tutorial regarding setting up a Static IP address in Windows 7 partly as this will come in handy for a future tutorial I'm preparing but also because it's kind of handy to know.

What is an IP Address?
An IP Address is pretty much like a telephone number for your computer, any device attached to a network will be given an IP Address by the Router that they are connected to and allows devices attached to the network identify each other.  Every device should have a different IP Address, devices with the same IP Address will not work on the network and you'll see the error message "IP Address conflict with another system on the network"

An IP Address will follow this format 000.000.000.000

Static and Dynamic IP Addresses
Most personal Routers assign Dynamic IP Addresses to devices when they join the network.  Each Router effectively contains the same list of IP Addresses and assigns the next Address on the list to the devices as they connect.  Sometimes the Router gets confused when more than one device attempts to connect at exactly the same time and assigns both devices the same IP Address causing an IP Address conflict.  You may also find that some wireless devices (e.g. printers) are assigned a Dynamic IP Address when you first set them up but if your Router resets and assigns it a different IP Address your PC will fail to find it and you'll need to reinstall the drivers to get it working again.  This can be a major pain in the ass and can be resolved by simply assigning the device a Static IP Address which is exactly what it says on the tin, a device set up with a Static IP address will ALWAYS be assigned the address from the list that has been assigned to it by the administrator.

Why use Static IP Addresses?
Aside from saving you the ball ache of having to reinstall drivers for network devices every time their Dynamic IP Address has been reset when your shitty ISP provided Router has reset itself for the fiftieth time?  If you have lots of devices attached to your home network and, lets face it, most of us do nowadays (PC, Laptop, Console, Tablet, Television, Blu-ray Player, Printer, Smartphone, Kitchen Sink) that's alot of devices requesting an address every time your Router resets and this can cause an IP Address conflict.  Setting a Static IP Address for a few key devices (everything if you want but 99% of the time this isn't necessary) can ensure that your network chugs along happily to itself while you browse for porn... err... I mean the latest info on games and stuff.

How to set up a Static IP Address
Now to the meat and bones... before setting a Static IP Address on your device there are several bits of information that you will need to know so go grab a pen and paper... I'll wait... done?  Okay, here we go.  We're going to need the:

• ~ IPv4 Address
• ~ Subnet Mask
• ~ Default Gateway
• ~ DNS Server

and we're going to get them by following these simple steps:

1) Open the START menu and look for the Search Programs and Files box

2) Click in the box and type CMD then press ENTER, this will bring up the Command Prompt Window

3) Type ipconfig /all in the window and press ENTER, you may see alot of information scroll up very quickly but you can just maximise the window to read it all

4) Write down the 4 things we needed from earlier then type exit and press ENTER to close the window

From here I describe how to assign a Static IP Address to a PC however the process is not that different for other devices on your network

5) Open the START menu again but this time click on CONTROL PANEL

6) Under the Network and Internet heading click on View Network Status and Tasks

7) On the sidebar to the left of the window left click on Change Adapter Settings

8) On the next screen right click on your network adapter and select Properties from the list

9) From the window that opens left click on Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IP v4) then click on the Properties button

10) The next screen is where we assign our Static IP Address.  If the radio button for Obtain an IP Address Automatically is clicked and the rest of the boxes are empty then we're good to go, however if the Use the following IP Address button is clicked and the boxes are full then this has already been done for you and you can exit out now.

If you're continuing with assigning a Static IP Address the first thing you're going to need to do is enter the Static IP Address you've chosen in the IP Address box.  The first 3 sets of numbers should be the same as the first 3 sets for your Default Gateway with only the last 3 digits being changed - these last 3 digits should be in the range from 1 to 254.  Dynamic IP Addresses are assigned in ascending order so you're safest using a section from the highest range of numbers (e.g. from 200+ as a reserved range of Static IP Addresses).

Next enter the Subnet Mask, Default Gateway, and DNS Server information you found earlier into their relevant boxes.  Once done click OK to leave this screen and we're all done.

If you find you have difficulty accessing the internet with your Static IP Address try calling your ISP to check the DNS Server details, they should have this information to hand and will be able to tell you the correct details to use.

Setting a Static IP Address on a Wireless Device
Like setting a Static IP Address on your PC you will need most of the same information for setting a Static IP Address on your Wireless Devices.  You'll need the Subnet Mask, Default Gateway, and DNS Server information but you'll also need the Dynamic IP Address your Router has currently assigned to the device.  With most Wireless devices there is normally some sort of configuration menu where you can view the current IP Address and a browser based network administrator panel that you can log in to and adjust various settings.

Get the IP Address from your device and then open your Web Browser and type the IP Address into the Web Address bar at the top of the page, if you need to log in with a username and password refer to your device manual for this information.  Once in look for a Network tab, left click on it once and then look for a setting named something like IPv4 and click on it.  Once in you should see the option to choose Automatic or Manual IP, select Manual IP and refer to Step 10 above (you may not need to enter the DNS Server details for this), save and exit.  If you've just done this to a Wireless Printer then you may need to re-install your drivers again so that they point to the IP Address you've just assigned to it but this should be the last time you ever need to do it.

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