The Steam Podcast

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This week’s podcast features the following on-air personalities:

• Bob Somers - SteamPodcast.com
• Ramzy Bekheet - SteamPodcast.com
• Eric Andrews - VG Tech Netcast

Operation: Send Ramzy Warm Delights Update
Ok guys, maybe I didn’t do a good enough job impressing upon you just how delicious these things are. When you’re eating them, they explode off your palate in an eruption of flavor, emotion, and sweet aromas. Ignore the donation button I put in the Episode 5’s show notes, just PayPal your kind donations to magicbobert@steampodcast.com.

1337 C4T of Episode 6

This Week’s New Releases in 15 Seconds or Less
We bring you a new segment this week, in which Bob and Ramzy try to cover the most popular game releases in under 15 seconds. Can they do it? You’ll have to listen to find out…

• Winning Eleven: Pro Evolution Soccer 2007 - PS2, Xbox 360
• Family Guy - PSP, Xbox, PS2
• SingStar Legends - PS2
• Dark Messiah of Might and Magic - PC
  6.7 from GameSpot
• Marvel: Ultimate Alliance - PC, Xbox, Xbox 360, PS2
  8.3 from GameSpot

The following news articles were discussed on the show:

Multi-core in the Source Engine (full story)

There is some seriously exciting stuff coming from Valve in the next few months. Bit-Tech did an awesome write-up of Valve’s multi-core additions to the Source engine.

There is literally too much good information to be summarized here, so you really need to check out the full article for all the juicy details, screenshots, and demo videos.

From what it sounds like though, the multi-core update will be rolled out before Episode 2, so look for a Christmas present from Valve sometime in December.

Valve Rolls Out Dynamic Weapon Pricing to all CS: Source Players (full story)

As expected, Dynamic Weapon Pricing is now a part of mainstream Counter-Strike: Source. Server administrators can still disable the feature, however, using the following new server cvar:

mp_dynamicpricing 0

Many people are, as usual, moaning and complaining, saying they’re going to “quit CS for good” over this update. If the update really angers you that much, fine, go ahead and leave. You won’t be missed, and don’t think for one second that the community cares about you quitting.

IM Conversation of 13-Year-Old Trying to Steal Steam Account (full story)

This is an absolutely hilarious read. A 13-year-old kid tried to convince someone that he was from Valve and needed to confirm his username and password. However, the clever mark turned it around and told him that he worked for Valve and was going to suspend his account. He then probed the 13-year-old for his Steam account information so that he could “write him up”. This idiot kid actually gave it to him.

Make sure to click the link and read the full conversation. This is just a short excerpt.

Greg_ValveOLS says:
if you can verify your account information to me i can insure that only your ip have access to it Its a new security feature were trying because this happens so muchlogin names and passwords aint safe anymroe You know. L:)

br0kenrabbit says:
Well

Greg_ValveOLS says:
dont worry this connect it secure

…

br0kenrabbit says:
Unlike you, I DO work for Valve. Trace my ip and you’ll see.

Greg_ValveOLS says:
huh?

…

br0kenrabbit says:
I need some information from you if you want me to unlock you account. I’m going to write you up but I will only suspend you account for three days, since this is your first infraction, okay?

Greg_ValveOLS says:
k

…

br0kenrabbit says:
Try to log in now.

Greg_ValveOLS says:
It says login failed wtf wtf!!@?

br0kenrabbit says:
I don’t work for Valve dude, but you just got pwnt.

Greg_ValveOLS says:
omg dude wtf why?

Greg_ValveOLS says:
i was just making a joke but not cerious honest dude just give my acount back pllllleeease i’m only 13 and save d up for like a year to buy it

br0kenrabbit says:
Go mow some yards, bitch.

What’s the lesson here kids? You can’t steal someone’s account if you have a lower IQ than a rock.

Free Weekend Cruise on Steam (full story)

The Ship is free for the weekend. A day has already gone by, so if you wanted to play this game, we suggest you get onto Steam as quickly as possible and download the game. Sorry for the late notice!

How do WoW Players Cope with Death? (full story)

Needless to say, that’s a horrible remark, but funny nonetheless.

Also, here’s what a WoW player will look like in 2030, and a video of a hoard crashing an in-game funeral.

Do I really need to give any more reasons why I don’t play WoW?

nVidia 8800GTX Benchmarked (full story)

For anyone who doesn’t know, the 8800GTX represents nVidia’s first Direct X 10 enabled graphics card. The results are nothing short of kick ass. The tests were conducted between the ATi 1950XTX, supposedly the words current best card, and the nVidia 8800GTX.

The results are as follows.

3DMARK 2006
ATI: 7026
nVidia: 11200

Half-Life 2 - 4xAA/16xAF/1600×1200
ATI: 60.74 FPS
nVidia: 116.93 FPS

So, already, the 8800GTX is in the lead, with a whopping 56 FPS difference between the two cards. Or, if you’re a percentages sort of guy, that’s about a 92% difference.

Quake 4 - 4xAA/1600×1200
ATI: 34.23 FPS
nVidia: 65.93 FPS

The 8800GTX firmly holds it’s lead, with more than a 30 FPS gain on the 1950XTX. Again, for the percentage lovers, that’s about a 92% difference.

PREY - 4xAA/16xAF/1600×1200
ATI: 55.53 FPS
nVidia: 88.87 FPS

Another thrashing by nVidia. More than a 33 FPS lead on the 1950XTX. The difference between the two was only about 60%.

For any of the tech heads out there, we’ve also got the power consumption results. The smaller the number, the better, unless you like higher electricity bills.

Idle
ATI: 184 Watts
nVidia: 229 Watts

That’s a 45 watt difference!

Load
ATI: 308 Watts
nVidia: 321 Watts

The difference isn’t so big under load. Only 18 watts.

For anyone who’s been saving up for this monster… the card should be readily available next week. The most important thing, however, the price, has not yet been confirmed.

Microsoft Working to Fix Update that Rendered 360’s Dead (full story)

Apparently the latest patch released on Xbox Live rendered some users’ Xbox useless. They could no longer surf Xbox Live or even play games.

Yikes. That’s a pretty expensive paperweight.

Wii Launch Lineup Revealed (full story 1, full story 2)

Oddly enough, the Wii’s “Launch Lineup” was quoted as being “available by the end of the year”, but anyway, these games are on that list:

• Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
• Red Steal
• Call of Duty 3
• Madden 07

Also this week, Nintendo announced a large list of the “Virtual Games” that will be available on launch. Virtual Games can be purchased and downloaded via Nintendo’s online system, and are usually emulated games from older systems.

Here’s a list of launch titles:

NES
• Mario Bros.
• The Legend of Zelda
• Donkey Kong
• Donkey Kong Jr.
• Ice Hockey
• Pinball
• Soccer
• Tennis
• Urban Champion
• Wario’s Woods
• Baseball
• Solomon’s Key

SNES

• F-Zero
• SimCity

Nintendo 64

• Super Mario 64

Sega Genesis

• Sonic the Hedgehog
• Altered Beast
• Golden Axe
• Columns
• Ecco the Dolphin
• Gunstar Heroes
• Space Harrier II
• Toe Jam & Earl
• Ristar
• Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine

TurboGrafx-16

• Bonk’s Adventure
• Super Star Soldier
• Victory Run
• Bomberman ‘93
• Dungeon Explorer

NES games start at measly 500 Wii Points (that’s $5 US), TurboGrafx-16 games are selling for 600 Wii Points (that’s $6 US), Super NES and Sega Genesis games will go for 800 Wii Points (that’s $8 US), and finally, Nintendo 64 games will go for a modest 1,000 Wii Points (for anyone who hasn’t caught onto the pattern, that’s $10 US).

Wii Points will be available online or at retailers in packs of 2,000 points, with a suggested price of (surprise) $20 US.

Halo Movie on Indefinite Hold (full story)

Despite the setback, Microsoft put on a brave face.

Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, and the rest of the creative team are dedicated to ensuring the Halo movie becomes a reality,” the company said in a statement on October 20. “We are already in discussions with potential partners who recognize the value of the Halo brand and its appeal to consumers worldwide.

Thanks
We’d like to thank Eric from the VG Tech netcast for guest hosting with us this week. You can check out all the cool stuff those guys are doing at www.vgtechcast.us.

Keep your fan mail, suggestions, and comments coming. The coolest email address on the net is still fans@steampodcast.com.

Hey everyone,

Thought I’d make a quick post behind Bobs’ back

Episode 6 was successfully recorded, and is now in the process of being edited and made available for download. Episode 6 should be up and ready to download within a day or so.

Remember, we read all the fan-mail we receive. If you’ve got a suggestion, or a problem, send it in. We might even mention it on the show

Thanks for all your support!

Best Regards,
Ramzy

Well, we’ve got some good news, and we’ve got some bad news. I’m a pessimist, so I’ll go with the bad news first

We’ll be delaying this weeks episode of the podcast. Unfortunately, we were a little too busy to get anything done, and as a result, we weren’t able to record a thing for you guys. Please don’t pitchfork me Ben

Now for the good news!

Next week, we’ll be bringing you the podcast on an earlier date ! Although, we’ll be doing something a little different next week.

Bob has graciously agreed to be our front man, venturing out into the sun in order to camp out for his pre-ordered PS3. You’re probably wondering, “How does this affect the podcast?”

Well, while Bob is out camping for his PS3, we’ll be calling him on his cell phone, and including him in the conference. We’ll still do our regular segments, such as the news, new releases, fan mail, and of course, our 1337 Cat of the week, on top of all that, Bob will also be documenting everything that’s happening down at the store. Who knows, maybe bob will even give the PS3 a test run on the air.

I hope you’re all as excited as we are for this weeks episode. We look forward to hearing from all of you. Remember, if you have a suggestion, or even a complaint, then send it on in! We read and reply to all of our fan mail.

Sorry again for the delay! Hopefully we’ll make up for it in our next episode.