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Hi.
Thank you for you're review of this (ed: the SmartJoy FRAG) peripheral for the xbox/ps2. I an old fart pc gamer but i also have an xbox and picked up Halo2, i despise playing the game with a controller.

My question is, will this product be allowed on LIVE or would one get banned for using such a product on LIVE see'ing how it might give one an advantage. This is important to me buying LIVE or not and this peripheral, thank you.)

-- Dan

No, you won't be banned for using the SmartJoy FRAG on Xbox Live! Think of it as a joystick; they're not going to ban anyone for using a different type of joystick than the Controller S. I'm not positive, but I don't think it's even possible for them to detect it.

Regardless, you'll be fine.

-- Chris

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I'm thinking about building a computer (don't worry, I'm not going to ask you what parts to buy), but I've never done it before. So is there a good website to look for parts, or is it best just to go to my local store? Thanks. Oh, and by the way, what the heck is a PCI-express video card?

-- Pete

The place I normally use to gauge prices is www.pricewatch.com. If I know exactly what I'm looking for, I also check on www.computershopper.com. If my local store has competitive prices, then I'll just pick it up there as it's easier to return if there's a problem.

PCI-Express is the newest graphics card slot. It's replacing AGP, though performance has yet to show much of a difference.

-- Chris

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Hey Chris--

Thanks for taking over the site for Wiley's slacker Japanese
shoes...you're doing a great job.

In early June Wiley reviewed the Creative Zen Touch and stated that if
we wanted to buy a hard drive player, we should hold off because a lot
of new models were coming out. Since then I've heard...nothing. Rio is still selling the same Karma, Creative the same Zen Touch, Dell a
"second generation" DJ that's the same as the first, iRiver now sells
their hard drive players in a redesign but without remotes, Apple is
still slaughtering with its overpriced iPod. I'm in the market for a
jukebox player now, however, and so my question is: I know what my
options are right now...how the current players shape up. But should I
keep waiting? Do you know of anything coming down the line that will
either a) be worth waiting for because it's a big improvement, or b) be
worth waiting for because it'll drive down the price of the current models?

Hope to hear back from you.

Thanks,
Jeff

Ah, the good old "Should I wait or buy now?" question. The answer, in almost every case, is if you're going to make good use of it now, then buy it now. There will always be better products coming out down the line. It's inevitable. Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

Concerning mp3 players and whatnot specifically, I personally don't know of anything major coming down the road anytime soon that will make you regret your purchase.

Although, why would you need an mp3 player when you can do everything it could do and more at Zombo.com?

-- Chris

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My friends and I got in an argument. It wasn't a very good one either, because one of us always has to be right, and it is never me. We were debating what kind of TV had the best picture quality. My vote was for a plasma hdtv. And his vote was for a hdtv crt or a red,green,blue prejector. I've played games on a huge nice hdtv crt and a huge nice plasma tv and can't imagine how teh picture quality can get any clearer or crisper. Please help. I've read a bunch of reviews for tvs on your site but can't come up with a good answer. Thanks!

-- Kevin

This question is impossible to answer since image quality comes down to preference. If you like Plasma, great. If your friend likes CRT displays, great. Buy whichever you think looks best to you.

-- Chris

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