When Bioshock first came out there was all sorts of hoopla about how great of a game it was but at that point I was busy with other stuff so I mostly ignored it. Until yesterday when I read that Bioshock won game of the year at the VGAs. Despite being almost overwhelmed with games to play I found myself oddly interested in Bioshock. So I decided to cave in and check it out. Bioshock won GotY for the 360, but the PC is my chosen platform for FPS games because I’ve never had much luck playing an FPS with a controller. So I booted up steam, my preferred method of buying games and whipped out my credit card. Before making the jump I took a quick look at the minimum system requirements:

CPU: Intel single-core Pentium 4 processor at 2.4GHz check
System RAM: 1 GB check
Video Card: Direct X 9.0c compliant video card with 128MB RAM and Pixel Shader 3.0 (NVIDIA 6600 or better/ATI X1300 or better Well shit.

Since I pretty much live in a hotel, I game almost exclusively on a laptop. While it’s a nice laptop it’s still not made for gaming. Chances are I might possibly be able to hack it with all the settings on low, maybe. This is one probably the best argument for console gaming.

If I had an XBox 360, I’d know without any doubt I’d be able to play Bioshock without missing out on anything. One of the things I enjoy about consoles is being able to just play a game. Everyone is playing the same game with the same hardware. I don’t need to worry about finding the latest patch, software conflicts or upgrading my hardware every six months. No one is killing me because my system barely runs at 30 fps and their system is getting 10,000 fps and baking cakes.

This standardized system is a huge advantage for consoles. One that both Microsoft and Sony seem to be actively trying to kill by having multiple version of the same console. Sure, it’s a requirement that games are must work across all version of the systems but that also means developer can use those extra features. Look at the arcade version of the 360. Why the hell does it not have a hard drive? That is seriously handicapping the 360 platform especially since the capacity for DVD is rapidly being reach. Now developers are forced to either squeeze everything on to a single DVD or span multiple discs neither of which is a good option for games like GTA4. If every 360 had a hard drive then they could install files to it which would take care of that problem.

So now I’m not playing Bioshock. Maybe whenever I get around to buying a 360 I’ll pick it up. Even though I am pretty much inept when it comes to playing an FPS with a controller.

I noticed a couple of people were directed by Google to this post in search of how to connect a Wii to a hotel TV. I figure if Google is desperate enough to send people here maybe it might be good idea to expand upon my previous entry.

I connect to the TV using a component cable (Red/Blue/Green and Red/White) which is connected directly to the back of the hotel TV. If you only have the regular composite connections(Red/White/Yellow) then it’s the same idea just different ports. The hotel has the inputs disabled by default so I bought a cheap universal remote which lets me access the menu to reenable them. Once you enable the input you’re set.

Of course, if the TV does not have any composite or component connections on it then things are a bit trickier. *Disclaimer* I haven’t tried this method yet. You should be able to use a RF modulator to convert the composite connection into coaxial. Which you can then plugged into the the back of the TV. You might also need to use the universal remote to set the TV to the correct station(3 or 4). Most hotels have a metal or plastic cover over the jack on the TV, to prevent you from messing with things. If you’re really looking for trouble you can either cut them off and assume no one will notice they’re missing or come up with a way to unscrew them. Whether disconnecting whatever system the hotel uses for their television will set off alarms I can’t say. I will say I have heard stories of people who unplugged the TV and had the front desk knocking on their door to make sure the TV wasn’t stolen. So don’t blame me if you end up sleeping on the sidewalk if you try it.

To get internet access I use the Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Adapter. The adapter allows the Wii (and/or DS) to connect to your PC and through the magic of internet connection sharing to the internet. The adapter was recently updated to support both Windows XP and Windows Vista. (Sorry Mac & Linux people, Windows wins this round). This allows you to avoid the registration pages most hotels use (which the Wii won’t display) and the general lack of in room Wi-Fi. Another option is to get the Nintendo LAN adapter or just setup a wireless router in you room.

So there you go how to setup a Nintendo Wii in your hotel room. Enjoy!