technabob » gpu http://technabob.com/blog gadgets, gizmos, games, cool gadgets for geeks Mon, 22 Mar 2010 14:11:52 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 “black lines of death” on the wii, just in the time for the release of the black wii http://technabob.com/blog/2009/07/16/wii-black-lines-of-death/ http://technabob.com/blog/2009/07/16/wii-black-lines-of-death/#comments Thu, 16 Jul 2009 11:54:22 +0000 lambert v. http://technabob.com/blog/?p=16877 the bbps‘ Marc DeAngelis is one unhappy Wii-owner. His friend pointed out several black vertical lines that flickered on and off the screen while they were playing. His friend added that that same thing happened to him; he had to have his console’s GPU replaced. So DeAngelis did what anyone with a problem would do: surf the ‘net and see if anyone else was having the same problem. Sure enough, DeAngelis found forums complaining about the GPU overheating as well as the symptomatic black lines. Here’s a sample picture from the Gamespot forums:

wii-black-lines-of-death-1

Note the lines below the coins and on the tree leaves. Here’s a closer look (but with a different game):

wii-black-lines-of-death-2

Unfortunately for him, DeAngelis’ Wii is already out of warranty, so he’ll have to pony up the money for repairs. If you’ve seen the same black lines while using your console, better have it replaced before anything worse happens. The Gamespot thread is nearly 2 years old, so I’m wondering if this only applies to a batch of Wii consoles or if it’s a problem all Wiis will eventually have.

]]> http://technabob.com/blog/2009/07/16/wii-black-lines-of-death/feed/ 5 start saving now: next-next gen console chatter surfaces http://technabob.com/blog/2009/02/09/start-saving-now-next-next-gen-console-chatter-surfaces/ http://technabob.com/blog/2009/02/09/start-saving-now-next-next-gen-console-chatter-surfaces/#comments Mon, 09 Feb 2009 13:17:07 +0000 alisha k. http://technabob.com/blog/?p=8824 already. The center of console gaming’s future is already being planned, and rumors about the graphics chips in the next round of offerings from Nintendo, Microsoft, and…]]> Ready for the NextXbox 360? The PS4 or WiiToo? It might be time to start thinking about what you want in the next generation of gaming consoles. Yes, already. The center of console gaming’s future is already being planned, and rumors about the graphics chips in the next round of offerings from Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony.

playstation 4 ps4 sony mockup controller

The Inquirer’s Charlie Demerjian says sources have confirmed to him that Intel paid to get a new chip, code-named Larrabee, into Sony’s next console. Also per Demerjian’s sources, AMD will be handling Nintendo and Microsoft’s next-next gen systems under the ATI label. We’re gonna have to start working on a name for this round, because next-next gen is going to get difficult after a while.

Seems sudden, doesn’t it? There’s a bright side, however, and it’s that all this is rumor as yet, with nothing confirmed and no official statements made. In fact, Sony has already issued a denial about their purported switch to Intel, so this particular story may be a complete bust.  But one thing is pretty likely: these decisions are being made, and the reliability (or lack thereof) of Demerjian’s intel doesn’t change that. The future of gaming is just around the corner.

[The Inquirer via VentureBeat]

]]> http://technabob.com/blog/2009/02/09/start-saving-now-next-next-gen-console-chatter-surfaces/feed/ 4