Posts tagged video games

BurgerTime?

I’m back!

We moved house recently and spent two weeks without internet, jeebus that was scary. Yep, two weeks in the real world - the graphics were awesome but the gameplay sucked…

Algorithm creates vector art from pixels.

An algorithm created by Microsoft researchers upscales 8-bit graphics and converts it into vector graphics, able to be upscaled to any size.

The algorithm identifies pixel-level details to accurately shade the new image — but more importantly, the algorithm can create smooth, curved contour lines from only-connected-on-the-diagonal single pixels.

Check out their full gallery here.

Something’s odd about that roadsign…

Why didn’t the bottom seven lines vanish?

Wii U rumoured to feature Android OS built in.

This is a pretty far out rumour which comes from a posting here back in February, but it would be an exciting one if true. The source claims that the Android OS will be integrated into the upcoming Wii U console, which would vastly expand not only the available library of games and apps for Wii, but would mean a larger potential user base for the new console due to the different functions it could bring to the machine.

I can see the handheld Wii U controller with the built in screen being perfect for mobile gaming, and with the huge array of games available in the new Google Play Store maybe Nintendo wouldn’t have the problems it had after launch of the 3DS, where only 16 games were available immediately (Many of them said to be half-finished and rushed out).

Mario, what have you done!

There’s an interesting thread on Reddit from an ‘Advantage Player’, who seems to make a living by playing video games full time at Dave and Buster’s.

I didn’t even know that was a career choice!

He claims to average about US$50 an hour by trading the tickets won for iPads and similar items to sell on eBay. Here’s his answer on how long he needs to play:

I usually plop my ass down in front of a game, play straight through to earn 100,000 tickets, then let the machine drain of the tickets owed.

Usually I spend 3-4 hours playing, and then 3 hours waiting for the remaining 45,000-50,000 tickets to dispense.

Sessions are 7 hour days, twice a week. (My D&B will tolerate me and another guy doing 200,000 a week each; any more APs would be overkill, and any more than 200k/week/person would be overkill. We’ve found a good balance.)

Check out the thread on Reddit here.

Mobile graphics beginning to outperform consoles.

With no new Xbox or Playstation consoles having been released fur such a long time, it’s could be next year before smartphones are able to match their graphics capabilities, according to NVIDIA’s Mike Rayfield.

Several years ago, a PC meant a display that measured 11 inches or more diagonally, a physical keyboard and possibly a network connection. With the advent of mobile devices and smartphones, the idea of a PC has largely been redefined. It is now considered to be anything with a display of at least four inches, with a touchscreen that supplements (or replaces) a physical keyboard and is always connected and “on.”

Pac Man inspired food pyramid.

Etsy seller Andrew Heath has quite a few awesome prints for sale, check out the rest here.

That’s ok, I never need to park my Mario Kart.