Posts tagged gaming
Site runs down netbook playability for 100 popular games
Jan 8th
Want to know if a certain FPS will run on your netbook before you spend the time to download multiple gigs of data? The crew at GamingBolt have tried out a massive list of 100 games on various systems – including an MSI Wind netbook.
Its specs are pretty standard netbook fare – Atom N270 CPU, 1GB DDR2 memory, and GMA950 graphics (128MB shared) – and it should provide a good reference point for the rest of us.
The list is broken down by categories (shooter, RPG, strategy, vehicle, etc.) and each system received a n FPS rating on every game. Here’s how the scale works:
- Smooth = Average 35+ FPS
- Playable = Average 24-34 FPS
- Unplayable = Average 0-23 FPS
GamingBolt also specifies what settings they ran each game at on the netbook, which gives you a good starting point if you plan on trying out a particular title.
Somewhat surprisingly, less than a dozen titles were rated unplayable on the Wind – and there are some quality games listed!
The Minifrag guide to enjoying games on your netbook
Jan 2nd
There are plenty of people out there – Intel included – who think that gaming on netbooks is just about one of the stupidest things you could ever do with your portable. Well, they’re wrong.
Netbook gaming is all about understanding what you’ve got to work with and getting the most out of it. The Atom (or CULV or AMD Neo) in your netbook isn’t as powerful as what runs larger notebook computers. And it’s nowhere near as beefy as the processor in a desktop computer.
That doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy playing games on a netbook. Far from it! Here are some guidelines that will help you get the most out of your netbook gaming experience.
(header image shows Spore running on an HP Mini 311, courtesy Liliputing)
Atom arcade: Wormux is an open source take on classic Worms combat
Dec 18th
For the netbook gamer, Wormux has everything going for it. For starters, it’s free, it’s fun, and it runs on both Linux and Windows. Better yet, there’s a 1024×600 fullscreen mode available – just the right size for most netbook displays!
Wormux is loaded with turn-based cartoon combat goodness. Like the original classic Worms, Wormux is all about knowing your armaments and understanding trajectory and wind speed. Blow your opponent off a ledge or nail an adjacent oil barrel for big damage. It’s an uncomplicated, low-stress game and fun to play against either the computer or a friend.
In addition to providing downloads for Windows, Linux, Mac, Maemo, and Haiku, the official site also offers an expansion pack with more fun locations to stage your battles.
Running an Ubuntu-based distribution like Jolicloud or Easy Peasy on your ‘book? Just fire up terminal and sudo apt-get install wormux.
Your Atom and integrated Intel graphics won’t have any trouble at all handling this one, and it’s a heck of a lot of fun!
Jolicloud will kick Chrome OS’s ass when it comes to gaming
Dec 10th
There’s no point in candy-coating the lead on this one. Google Chrome OS will be hot when it debuts next year, but for anyone who enjoys gaming on their netbook it’s not going to be the right choice for a primary operating system.
Until web application (and game) designers really start working with all the artillery Google has stockpiled in the Chrome armory, native games will win the day. And you’ll need a netbook OS capable of playing those games – like Jolicloud.
I’ve only recently had time to fire up the pre-beta on my trusty Acer Aspire One, but here’s a little secret. Just like Chrome OS, Jolicloud is built on a Ubuntu base. However, it’s had a lot less of the core hacked away so you still get to utilize Linux awesomeness like apt-get and gdebi. Read the rest of this entry »