THQ's Jason Rubin: Looking at Linux

Real quick post here: https://twitter.com/Jason_Rubin/status/279978480182128640

President of THQ has tweeted that THQ is now looking at bringing their titles to /Linux after the flood of feedback from their recent Humble Bundle.

Congratulations THQ and Jason Rubin. You just made lots of hardcore gamers Really Happy.

Rosewill RNX-300RT

Here's another bit of hardware to get rolling with the semi-relaunch. This go around it's a network router, specifically Rosewill's RNX-300RT.

According to the DD-WRT forums this is a rebrand of the TP-Link TL-WR841ND V7. So the important bits of hardware are the same. The CPU is an Atheros AR7241 clocked at 400mhz with 32megs of RAM to play with, and an Atheros AR9287 provides the 802.11 b/g/n wireless communication. 

There actually is only one major drawback to the system. The Ethernet ports.

The RNX-300RT's 10/100 Ethernet ports only support up to 100Mbps transfer speeds. The 802.11n wireless supports up to 300Mbps. In theoretical terms this means that 802.11n enabled wireless devices can talk to each other faster than they can talk to hardwired devices. 

In realistic terms the theoretical speeds probably won't be that big of a factor. Very few Internet Service providers in the US are positioned to offer higher than 100Mbps access speeds. Those that are in a position tend to charge a hefty premium, and let's be honest, if you can afford a faster than 100Mbps Internet Service, you are probably not going to be shopping for entry level devices. 

One of the main reasons you would want to buy this router is that it does support DD-WRT. As shown here I have already replaced the firmware with the October 10th Eko Brainslayer build. For those interested, no, I do not actually screen-cap the replacement steps. All users have to do is just go to update the firmware in a normal matter and just use the .bin file from DD-WRT.

So, quick commentary on the factory default Rosewill firmware. I would describe the default firmware as serviceable. It will get you connected, but I get the distinct impression the default software is just a place-holder. 

Now, something that users do need to be aware of is that the fastest 802.11n operating modes will need to be manually enabled. The best way to get both the 802.11n speed and the 802.11g compatibility is to run DD-WRT in the NG-Mixed operating mode. 

Then set the channel width with Dynamic 20/40mhz

For those who have never used DD-WRT before, this is where things can get a little different from normal router operating. DD-WRT allows you to save configuration changes, without actually activating those changes.

So make sure to use the Apply Settings button. Then go check out the status:

If all went right the Data Rate should be sitting at 300Mb/s.

Now, would I recommend this router to anybody else?

Yes.

Setting the the 10/100 hardwired speed limit aside for a moment, the Rosewill RNX-300RT follows in the footsteps of the RNX-GX4. This is, hands down, one of the cheapest ways to obtain a DD-WRT capable router. 

Another factor to consider is the rise in mobile computing. More and more consumers are buying tablets like the Nexus 7, phones like the Galaxy S III, or $250 ARM based notebooks like the Samsung Chromebook. To the average consumer these days the wireless to wireless transfer speeds can be more important than the wired transfer speed. Whether or not this was something Rosewill or TP-Link were counting on is up for debate. 

Arctic Cooling: P311

Never let it be said that I sat on my duff and didn't write anything. Let's kick off the semi-relaunch of Gamenikki-In-Exile with some words on sound, specifically the Arctic Cooling headset P311. I have one of the grey models but you can get them in Black, Blue, White, Pink, or Green for around $30 on Amazon.com.

If mine look at little used, that would be because they are. I have had this pair since about May of this year and have pretty much put them through everything, which brings up the first point. On first touch the plastic feels really cheap, and there is a certain expectation of poor build quality. When I got these I was a little more than concerned about how the headphones would handle high-humidity environments, much less how the buttons would respond to repeated use. I was also a little concerned about the connecting band.  Six months later the headset still feels exactly the same to wear, so while the plastic feels a little cheap, the unit itself is still fairly rugged.

The largest complaint on build quality is the selection of the physical charging connection. Artic Cooling is using a half-depth USB Mini-port. Thus USB Mini cables will not be able to make a secure lock while charging. The use of a half-depth port also makes it more likely for the user to accidentally expand or warp the connection point, resulting in poor USB Mini cable connection.

The second complaint is the bluetooth connection itself. These headphones have worked perfectly with every single Android device I have been able to get hands on with. All the functions are at least working under VLC, Mort Player, the default Android 2.3 Player, and even Google's Play Music application. Other platforms haven't been so friendly. A quick visit to an Apple store and of the bluetooth equipped devices on hand, the showroom Ipads didn't know what to do with the headphone, but the showroom Iphone's did. The showroom OSX Macbook Pro could not use the device, but the showroom Macbook Air connected without a problem.

I saw the same sort of behavior of Windows. Windows Vista connected and used the headphones flawlessly. Windows 7? Not so much. My /Linux systems were able to detect and connect to the headphones, but just not pipe audio to the headphones.

From a usage standpoint then the P311's are a bit of a mixed bag. If you are intending to use them with an Android Device they will probably work perfectly. If you intend to use them with anything but an Android device, it's almost a gamble as to whether or not they will work. According to Arctic Cooling's support staff the P311 does not require a driver. Well, Windows 7 says it does.

Personally, I am inclined to believe the Operating System's own reports. 

If you can deal with a less than perfect charging method and a grab-bag of supported platform driver issues, the headphones themselves have adequate sound reproduction quality. Granted an average retail price point of around $30 is not exactly premium sound pricing.

Rather, where these headphones really stand out is the battery life and weight. Arctic Cooling claims a weight of 71 grams on the official product pages, and that means you can wear these all day long without developing a migraine  The battery life will also keep up with you. Artic Cooling claims 18 hours on the product page, 20 some hours on the marketing page, and it's my opinion that is a bit conservative. I've gotten better than 24 hours out of a single charge myself, although that was reached by connecting the headphones to the Windows Vista system and simply looping Chrono Symphonic. 

In practical terms the P311 will easily handle daily usage patterns such as taking calls or voice chatting through Steam. Are there better bluetooth headsets in the $30 price range? 

Honestly, yes and no. These headphones appear to also be available under the brands Kinivo, CyberBlue, Avoi, NoiseHush, Samsung, and iKross. If you shop carefully you may be able to get these headphones for closer to $24 with shipping. 

If you want something with on-paper better sound quality or battery life, be prepared to pay out double or triple the average selling price. 

Pardon the difficulties

Sorry there's nothing here yet. I know I said on my main Gplus Feed that we were working on it (https://plus.google.com/u/0/117255203942825212306/posts/JVfBdQBg8mD :: https://plus.google.com/u/0/117255203942825212306/posts/4H5c9iBWBeF)

Short version: Josh doesn't want to forward the Gamenikkiinexile.com domain until he gets an images.gamenikkiinexile.com subdomain setup, and until we have an infrastructure in place that will not disrupt email sent to the Gamenikkiinexile.com domain.

So we are kind of in a holding pattern right now. My own content can be found at http://gplus.to/jesaist under the hashtag #GNiE.