Beats by Dr Dre = complete garbage.NVIDIATI

Dr. Dre Studios aren't good for anything.scoots9

This is not true.

Beats by Dr. Dre headphones are very nice headphones, if overpriced. I've tried them, and they're comfortable and sound good. You're doing yourself a disservice buying these when superior products exist for significantly less money, but they are good. Every review I have read has been somewhere between good to amazing, including reviewers like Heaphonia and Audioholics, among the CNets and assorting Gizmo sites.

You are going to get more for your dollar with other products, but that doesn't mean these headphones are bad, let alone "complete garbage"; they're just highway robbery. That makes them a Monster product for sure, but saying that they sound terrible is simply untrue.

Boz

There was a time that the lower banner on user blogs used to allow for HTML to a certain degree. This no longer appears to be the case, as I can upload a single image for that 432 x 155 pixel space, but not any code. It used to work really well, and I had a menu system that redirected users to a list of entries that they might enjoy. In 2009 mine used to look like:

Are there any plans to return to the old lower banner method and allow limited HTML, or is this something that is simply off the table now?

Thank you and happy gaming,

Boz

The Grado SR125i, Sennheiser HD555, and AKG K240 are all excellent suggestions, but they're at the top of your budget range. Consider also:

• Audio-Technica ATH-M50S - $120
• JVC HARX900 (very good for the price) - $63
• Sennheiser HD 202 - $40 - I use these personally on a daily basis - they're cheap and sound great - but not the most comfortable things I've ever worn since my head is the size of a small planet.

I've also heard some good things about the new Kicker 09HP541 headphones ($65), though my only experience with them has been in the car audio circuit, in which they are well known for high-quality audio equipment.

In all honesty, though, in that price range you'll likely enjoy whatever you get. In the past fifteen years the headphone market has become flooded due to the popularity of MP3 players, and it's been to the consumer's benefit. Good luck whatever you buy!

Boz

Oh ya if you use digital it doesn't matter if you use onboard, external, sound card, ect. Its all the same since it bypasses all DACs. Your receiver matters way more. Does your onboard include Dolby Digital Live/DTS Connect? I know without that then you don't get surround sound from sources that don't have it already.ChubbyGuy40

The board for both my home theater and gaming PC (one Intel, one AMD) uses a Realtek ALC888, which is one of the better on-board audio options, as is my understanding. While later versions support DD Live and DTS Connect, I am not sure which iteration of the chip I have on board, though it does seem that I'm only getting digital surround from native content, meaning DVDs with a digital track (Dolby and DTS).

Boz

Actually it's considered "unacceptable" with its horrible sond quality and too low SnR. This ASUS is a big improvement because not only is there a good SnR ratio, theres also an opamp. Its not anything fancy, but with some decent headphones it makes a good improvement. Not to mention you can always upgrade the opamp.

Onboard is not acceptable, at least to the people who actually care about their audio. I'm not a diehard audiophile but I'd be lying if I said onboard was even decent. My 7 year old Audigy 2 ZS sounds better than onboard.

ChubbyGuy40

My understanding was that the onboard S/N ratio only mattered if you were using the analog output. I apologize for not specifying that I am using the digital out to a home theater unit, in which case the S/N does not matter. Now I'm no expert in on-board PC audio, but the digital output seems as clear as what my DVD player is producing so far as multi-channel audio is concerned.

Boz

Why not use the onboard audio? The M4N82 Deluxe has a pretty decent Realtek chipset uspporting 8-channel HD and legacy AC '97 audio. It should be sufficient for the vast majority of even high-quality gaming and recording (and it's free!). I was a diehard sound card guy for awhile until I did a blind test and, I have to say, I'm perfectly happy with onboard with a quality board now, and you've got a quality board.

I am not going to be of any further help than the Asus Forums and Newegg Comments towards getting the XONAR card to work, otherwise. Good luck.

Boz

Bias opinions,I'm going to scream if Nintendo Power names another Mario game,The Game Of The Year!StarKiller77000

Nintendo Power is probably choosing Mario games because, well, they've been very, very good. Even independent sites have given both Mario Galaxy titles, Paper Mario, Mario Kart, and Smash Brothers excellent reviews throughout their lives.

That being said: Everyone is biased; we're only human!

Happy gaming,

Boz

I'm surprised; the review you mention is Kevin VanOrd's. He usually does a very good job with his reviews, but at the end of the day he's still a person, and therefore fallible. The sheer number of games that need to be reviewed within a limited timeframe is going to be challenging.

That being said, I'm not sure the public forums are the most constructive method of expressing your disappointment with that review or the review process in general. If you have identified factual errors, contact the reviewer to have them corrected. If you have suggestions for improving the review process, post in the Site Enhancements & Feedback forum.

Its shocking the amount of factual errors, favoritism, one sided comparisons and half truths these reviewers attempt to pass off as professional journalism.smerlus

RPG reviews are the worst reviews I've ever seen on gamessmerlus

I'm doubly surprised, smerlus; you usually have great comments (I miss your blogs), but this one was a bit thin. You make the couple generalizations that I've highlighted above (these reviewers and RPG reviews), but it reads that you're really just upset about the review of Dead Money specifically, even in your follow-up comments to Chili and others. I'm actually completely okay with you being upset with the review, but either modify your comment to address the RPG you took issue with or address Dead Money specifically. We cannot have a meaningful discussion of RPG reviews without multiple examples. If you believe there are significant issues with the Dead Space review, I would again recommend contacting VanOrd directly.

Also: Blog more. ;)

Boz

Watching the most recent GDC video for Battlefield 3 had an unsettling effect I'd not experienced before in a video game.

I've played hundreds of games and dozens of FPS shooters, but at the 1:47 mark I got a sour feeling in the pit of my stomach when a fellow soldier collapsed. I've seen the prior iterations and similar titles in the genre, though I do not play war simulations as a matter of course. But this was the first time my thoughts turned to the soldier's family, which is a ludicrous conclusion to take from a video game, but an instantaneous connection my mind made, nonetheless.

To be sure, the graphics are amazing. I know that war is, well, war, but I'm uncomfortable with this trailer, and wanted to know how other gamers felt. Maybe EA was aiming for that sour feeling; I don't know. I personally prefer my games to distance themselves from reality through theme or depiction (sci-fi guns, magic, etc.) - which is why I'm looking for feedback from fans of the genre.

Happy gaming,

Boz

Giving it some more thought, grenades have - in most titles - been pretty awful. You toss one out hoping to take down a big baddie, but in the end it never lands in the right place, bounces around a corner, or otherwise is impossible to aim.

I have yet to see a great implementation of just tossing a grenade. It needs a Zelda OoT targeting system or something.

Boz