Tips for Choosing Gaming Broadband Providers
Gaming Broadband
As long as there has been internet availability in the UK there have been gamers who`ve wanted to frag each other 24 hours a day online with as little disruption to their fun as possible. The gaming market has grown hugely in recent years thanks to the latest generation of consoles all coming with out of the box broadband connectivity, introducing a new generation of gamers to the wonders of online ownage. As a result there are several broadband providers who offer packages tailored specifically to the needs of online gamers, and there`s a lot to get excited about. Gaming broadband providers may take a little time to track down, but once you`ve found them you`ll be all set for marathon gaming session with your mates and people from around the world whether you`re using a PC or a console to get the gaming done.
To choose a provider who will offer you the premium broadband gaming experience you`ll need to consider a few key things. The first aspect is of course the speed of the connection, though speed isn`t everything. You`ll want at least an ADSL connection with up to 8Mbps download speeds and decent upload speeds to ensure that every movement of your mouse or button press is sent and received without any `lag`, and decent speeds will also ensure that your connection doesn`t suffer from ping and latency issues. Providers like Plusnet offer a deal specifically for gamers which prioritises any gaming data over other internet traffic which helps with this issue. Additionally providers like Pulse Gaming give you a static IP which is ideal for hosting your own gaming servers for you and your mates.
Another important consideration is the download limits and the bandwidth usage policy. If you`re gaming over long periods of time you`ll be using a lot of data so opting for an unlimited downloads package with a fair use policy which doesn`t restrict gaming is sensible. You`ll also want to consider the type of router which is on offer from your gaming broadband provider. Most offer free wireless routers, which is great for owners of Nintendo`s Wii or Sony`s PS3 consoles, both of which come with wireless connectivity built in.
Provider Reviews
Plusnet Pro Gaming
Great value with prioritisation for gaming traffic, and for overnight gaming there`s no data restrictions.
BE Unlimited
24Mbps service which ensure the highest speeds for BT line users. Their Pro package even allows up to 2.5Mbps upload speeds, though the areas of coverage are restricted.
Virgin Media
With their cable broadband there`s no chance of speed limitations suffered by ADSL customers, and you can even get a whopping 50Mbps download speed if you don`t mind the increased costs.
Tiscali
With a free Wireless router and unlimited downloads there`s little to restrict your gaming on this good value package. Bear in mind that customer support isn`t Tiscali`s strong point.
Stargate Universe Gets A New Trailer!
And it’s looking pretty awesome! I’d say the Stargate Universe guys have been watching a bit of Battlestar Galactica. This looks by far the darkest the Stargate franchise have gone with any of their shows, but it’s nice to see there’s still room for the occasional pop culture reference. ;)
Supernatural Season Five To Air On Living TV
Supernatural to air on Living
UPDATE: Supernatural Series 5 Has a UK Airdate (finally!)
Just thought i’d post this as i know we get quite a few Supernatural fans on the site.
Don’t go looking on ITV2 for the fifth season of Supernatural, cause you won’t find it. Virgin Media have poached the rights and are moving the show to its Living TV channel. Not only to have they got the rights to season 5 of Supernatural, but also the rights to air seasons 1 to 4 from August 1st. The also have first refusal on Supernatural season 6 (assuming it’s picked up).
So, good news for Virgin and Sky customers… Bad news if you’ve been watching Freeview… Still, Living is probably a good fit for Supernatural, given it’s UK TVs home of the paranormal.
“Living’s enthusiasm to add Supernatural to its schedule convinced us that this would be a good move. Being able to schedule both the new episodes and the prior seasons already telecast simultaneously will allow Living to make the relaunch of the series in the UK a big event for its viewing audience.” said Jeffrey Schlesinger, Pres of WB International Television.
Personally, I’m rather looking forward to the switch, as I missed the whole Supernatural thing first time round, so I’m currently watching season 1 on DVD from Lovefilm. It’ll be handy to be able to Sky+ a bunch of the episodes to catch up instead!
Marvel MMO Developer get ex-Blizzard Studio Director
New Marvel MMO in development
News crept out onto the interwebs today that Gazillion Entertainment, publisher of a bunch of Marvel game titles including the resurrected Marvel MMO, have got themselves a new Studio Director for their development studio Gargantuan in the shape of David Brevik.
For those of you that don’t know the name, Brevik was co-founder of Blizzard North, developers of Diablo, Diablo II and Battle.net. He then went on to form Flagship Studios, developers of the ill fated Hellgate: London (looked great on paper, not so hot on execution). From there he moved to become Creative Director at Turbine helping produce the wonderfully absorbing Lord of the Rings Online.
So 2 big hits, battle.net, 1 miss, and 1 beautifully crafted (if a little over shadowed by it’s WoWness) online world. This can only be a good thing i think for Marvel, especially given it’s troubled past in the MMO area. The first Marvel MMO had been under development by Cryptic Studios, but was cancelled in early ’08 (for no obvious reason other than it looked like Marvel got cold feet about the whole MMO thing). In March ’09 they signed an exclusive 10-year deal with Gazillion for a number of games including a Marvel MMO, and with this appointment, it looks like they’re serious about getting the MMO moving in the right direction again.
Sam Raimi To Direct Warcraft Movie
Sam Raimi
Variety announced today that none other than director Sam Raimi will be taking a stroll through the Barrens for the long rumoured World of Warcraft movie. Sam is no stranger to handling big budget franchises, having 3 Spider-man movies under his belt, and working on a 4th. He also knows a thing or two about dealing with those crafty undead types having written and directed The Evil Dead series of flicks.
Seems like a good pick for me. Okay, Spidey 3 was a bit of a mis-step, but overall he’s proved he knows what he’s doing. Hopefully he’ll get a decent balance of blood thirsty action, drama and humour that makes the Warcraft universe so great. And for those of you that aren’t happy about Raimi, just be thankful Uwe Boll didn’t manage to get the gig. ;)
The World of Warcraft movie is due to go into production after Raimi is done with Spidey 4 which should start shooting early next year.
Doctor Who’s New Suit!
11th Doctor's new outfit - Click for bigger.
It’s not so much a suit as a jacket and trousers actually, but it is Matt Smith‘s new outfit for Doctor no 11. The ensemble consists of a tweed jacket, a bow tie, rolled up trousers and black boots.
Interesting choice. The Doc hasn’t worn a bow tie (regularly) on his outfit since Pertwee. It’s (very) slightly back towards the more professor/eccentric look of the earlier Whos. Wonder if that’s any indication of where new head honcho Steven Moffat is taking the creative direction of the show?..
So what do you think? Good? Bad? Indifferent? Let us know in the comments!
