After an agonizing wait which seemed like forever, Sony allowed the general public to partake in PlayStation Home. “Home” is a virtual world for PlayStation 3 users. Many people have compared it a similar virtual world called Second Life. Much of the tech mainstream blogosphere don’t seem to really understand the major differences between the two. Let me offer some clarity, along with my first impressions of the open beta.

So, why is this being compared to SL all of a sudden? Is it because both have humanoid avatars? Is it because you can dress them up in clothing? Is it because you can visit places or stores that are often sponsored by real world brands (Red Bull, Diesel, etc.) Is it because you can (attempt) to hook up with the opposite sex?

For someone who personally has 2 different avatars in Second Life (and no, I’m telling who they are) and has been in that virtual world on and off for more than 3 years, I can see major differences between the two. Continue reading →

On Wednesday, November 19th, Microsoft will release a brand new version of the Xbox 360 “dashboard”. This interface allows you to interact with people, play games, videos and music using the Xbox Live Internet service. While the interface was slick and polished, increasing competition from Sony’s Playstation 3 and Nintendo’s Wii might have forced them to shake things up as sales were falling flat for their Xbox 360 console. Did Microsoft succeed in making the best videogame experience ever or will the competition sleep easy at night? It will offer my NON-expert, opinion from an actual Joe the Gamer (or should I say Ronald the Gamer). Continue reading →

Much of INTERNET has been buzzing over the possibility of new MacBooks over the past few months. Many rumor sites leaked images of what would be the new mobile computer from Cupertino’s finest. Some even said that Apple would release a cheaper, $800 MacBook as the sub $1,000 laptop market is growing. The sub $1,000 laptop didn’t appear, but a completely revamped MacBook AND MacBook Pro were unwrapped this past week. So, does Apple’s latest laptop revision live up to the hype or does it crash and burn? Continue reading →