Another quick article i found http://www.mactrast.com/2011/08/vidock-may-be-the-ultimate-thunderbolt-dock-for-your-mac/ sorry about not having links Not sure how to add them on here.
If you can afford something like a sandybridge 2630m and a GTx560m in your laptop, it's quite decent for gaming.
I'm receiving my Asus G74SX at the end of the month so make a new thread in 3 weeks and I'll provide some information ;)
Filthybastrd
Well yes if you can afford it, but this tech could provide another option for gaming on a laptop in the future. No bulkiness or heat problems, no need to buy a laptop cooler either. Only time will tell how this will take off though.
I think the OP is under the impression that most people have laptops and with the ability to hook up an external graphics card PC gaming will take off.
menes777
there will always be a desktop PC but a lot of consumers like having their PC being mobile and their is a growing trend in mobile computing. This new tech could really fix the limited gaming capabilities of a laptop. especially all the heat heat heat, from gaming laptops and the super bulkiness. it will take off in some form or another. Looks like a pretty cool glimpse into the future.
PC gaming isn't even hard to get into nowadays, all you need is google and youtube, done.
Chris_Williams
Well to some people getting into Pc gaming is too complicated for them, that fact they have to open up the PC and go through a long list of parts is daunting to them. I know its not that hard for gamers like us who are familiar with tech and games, but for the average joe that wants to play games or people that cant afford a new PC but jsut need that extra graphics boost, this is a great new thing. And the graphics card box is actually geared more towards what is capable with a mobile setup in the future. Take your laptop to classwork whatever. Plug it into your monitor and Graphics box and Boom your playing crysis. Granted it will take a few years considering current light peak ports are only limited to 10Gbps transfer rate but that is supposed to grow exponentially in the coming years. God I love tech. ...well i don't think the average joe needs a uber rig if he's not really familiar with tech and games. Maybe not but this is a technology that is happening now and not just for "joes". Especially for mobile users this is a great tech, and its not even just about the graphics boxes, it is something that Intel wants to use for connectivity in general. I am not an average Joe but I am a poorer college student that can't afford to build a new rig so im stuck with this laptop, If all I had to do was purchase one of these boxes It would definitely boost my PC gaming capabilities.
PC gaming isn't even hard to get into nowadays, all you need is google and youtube, done.
Chris_Williams
Well to some people getting into Pc gaming is too complicated for them, that fact they have to open up the PC and go through a long list of parts is daunting to them. I know its not that hard for gamers like us who are familiar with tech and games, but for the average joe that wants to play games or people that cant afford a new PC but jsut need that extra graphics boost, this is a great new thing. And the graphics card box is actually geared more towards what is capable with a mobile setup in the future. Take your laptop to class/work whatever. Go home Plug it into your monitor and Graphics box and Boom your playing crysis. Granted it will take a few years considering current light peak ports are only limited to 10Gbps transfer rate but that is supposed to grow exponentially in the coming years. God I love tech.
IIRC neither thunderbolt or USB 3.0 offer anywhere near the transfer speeds of your typical PCI-E 2.0 port. So cards in these external boxes would still be limited by transfer speeds. It'll be a long time before there are viable replacements for a good desktop when it comes to PC gaming.General_X
Actually the they have said that these external boxes are around 80 percent of the actual transfer rate of a PCI-E slot. So its still developing tech and its not perfect but is definitely a viable option for the future. Especially those that want a very portable computer but want to game at home. It wont happen until Light Peak is pretty much mainstream with all laptops/ultra portables.
I know this article is a couple months old but this is really interesting. Light peak tech or as some might call it "Thunderbolt" (apples branding) technology would allow tons of connectivity and data transfer. To be honest I think usb 3.0 is nice but I think that Light Peak is a better viable option especially when your able to hook up a video card via a light peak port. Consumers seem to be buying more mobile options of computing, and gaming on a laptop is rather limited and can be very expensive. This would pretty much eliminate the graphics problem in laptops or lower end desktops. If every computer had a light peak port we could all PC game a little easier. I think to the average Joe and students/Highly mobile users this is a HUGE breakthrough, all you have to do is plug this into your laptop VIA light peak and boom, play your games sooon. Me gusta Light peak tech. http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2011/06/sony-vaio-z-puts-graphics-card-in-thunderbolt-connected-box/
Im sure there are many jealous Wii owners who would like to play Sesame Street Kinect and Fruit Ninja Kinect
Zurrur
Yeah I only own an xbox 360 and that peice of Poo has been the bane of the Core gamers existence on the 360. Microsfot does spend too much time now trying to sell rail shooters at full price, that sad thing is that people bought it. Considering that Microsoft is going to show its Next console at E3 next year they could be holding back since their next system is just around the corner. It is rumored that They scrapped a New perfect Dark Game to hold off till next gen, and Timesplitters is said to be on the next gen xbox as well. only time will tell.
Is the single player buddy AI better in gears 2? Because on hardcore of gears 1, it seems to be dumb as a brick.
Darth_DuMas
HAHAHA yeah the AI is pretty bad in gears 1, the AI is improved more like if a guy gets downed carmine or Dom will go pick the NPC up. There are still issues but it is an improvement. You should definitely pick the game up or at least rent it. There are some crazy things that happen in Gears 2, and that really got me into the universe, especially with the 3 books that bridge the gap between gears 2 and 3. Ive read 2 out of the 3 and they are great. I would highly recommend playing gears 2 for the story. Multiplayer is buggy and has problems i would avoid that. Gears 3 seems like it really has improved the multiplayer by an exponential level when i played the Beta back in May.
lol :)
I collect a lot of games from the 360s second hand market, and Gears 2 is one of them (just didn't play it yet). I got to the end of Gears 1 (i'm fighting the general on the train) and stopped, I may start up knowing the ai is better. But the ai is so poor in the first one that that it just put me off. Your playing on hardcore, but have to do everything yourself because of the ai.
I love playing games where the computer helps you out too it's just that bit more fun. Adds a bit of team work.
I try and get back into it now though.
If you have freinds on Live I wold recommend playing coop if you dont want to deal with bad AI. The buddy AI in gears 2 can be a little sketchy at times, but other than that the game is longer and much better story wise.
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