Nintendo platforms tend to be fueled by first party games, and it seems like the 3DS is no exception. That is not a knock against them, while they have a hard time getting many solid third-party games, having a loyal fan following that purchases anything with Mario or Zelda on the box nets Nintendo tons of money. These three games fall under that category, and the fact of the matter is, they are insanely good. They all have a Metacritic rating of over 85, with two having 90 or better. If you own a 3DS, you must play these games.

Super Mario 3D Land

It took Nintendo longer than expected to bring a proper Mario game to the 3DS, but when they did, they did it in style. Super Mario 3D Land shows exactly what the 3DS can do. You would think that after nearly 30 years the Mario formula would be tired, but you would be wrong. Nintendo consistently finds new ways to tweak and change the gameplay, keeping it fresh and exciting while still maintaining the feel that gamers expect from Mario.

What makes this game so special is the way it uses the 3D. Instead of just being a cheesy visual gimmick like it is for most games, it is actually integral to the gameplay. In making 3D a mechanic of the game, instead of just a visual trick, they have shown other developers what the 3DS can really do. They took what appeared to be a gimmick and made it essential for solving puzzles and navigating the world.

The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time 3D

What can I say about The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time that has not already been said? It is arguably (almost factually) the best video game ever made for any platform, and now it is available on the 3DS for gamers to bring the adventure wherever they go. The remake received universal praise, and has a Metacritic rating of 94 out of 100. Personally, if I was to review it, I would give it a 95, it really is that damn good, even all these years later.

The controls on the 3DS work well, and while it does not do anything groundbreaking with 3D like Mario, it is still an awesome remake of the one of the best video games ever made. It looks beautiful on the 3DS screen and is just as much fun to play as it ever was. If you own a 3DS, you need to play this game. For a new generation of gamers who may not have experienced Ocarina of Time on the Nintendo 64, this is their chance to have the time of their life.

Mario Kart 7

It is hard to believe that Mario Kart has been around for seven games, but here we are. Essentially, Nintendo releases the same game repeatedly with Mario Kart, and yet, it is still good every time. Mario Kart 7 does not do anything to revolutionize the cart-racing genre, but the thing is, it does not need to. Nintendo has the perfect formula, and changing it too much would just make it worse. As the old saying goes, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

Of course, Nintendo made small tweaks that take this Mario cart to a new level. There are new tracks and items to play with. They also implemented a well-made gyro control system so you can steer your cart by tilting your 3DS. Nintendo added a gliding mechanic that can really shake up a race if used properly. They threw in some new modes to keep things fresh and fun. They did not take anything that made Mario Kart great away from the game; they just added some fun to new layers to make it even better.

Conclusion

If you own a 3DS, you need to play these games. They have made the system actually worth owning. They are Nintendo staple franchises and they are all done right. They remind me of why we all were so excited when the 3DS was first announced at E3 a couple of years ago. Go to your local games shop and get these games; you will not regret it.

What games made it worth owning a 3DS for you? Let us know in the comments!

Mumble improves on other voice chat applications for gamers and offers quite a few advantages. It’s optimized for low-latency communications, making it perfect for hectic game situations where every second counts. It automatically normalizes people’s voices, so you don’t have to fiddle with volume levels. It has positional audio support for a variety of popular games, so you can hear another player’s voice coming from their character’s location in the game.

The advantages don’t stop there — it automatically reduces noise and optimizes sound quality. It has strong, certificate-based security. If you’re coming from Ventrilo, another popular voice chat application for gamers, you’ll also find that Mumble voice chat has a much more streamlined interface.

Low Latency

Mumble’s low latency is one of its biggest advantages. In my tests, latency seemed pretty similar to a normal phone call. I can’t say the same about my experience with Ventrilo, which often introduces huge delays. Mumble’s audio setup wizard helps you tune latency to the appropriate value for your sound hardware.

If you’re playing an online game, being able to communicate at almost real-time speeds is a big advantage. It can mean the difference between dodging an incoming attack and hearing about it while your character is already bleeding on the floor.

Automatic Volume Normalization

The Mumble server (also known as Murmur) automatically adjusts every user’s volume level for you. If you’ve used Ventrilo, you’ll remember having to adjust every user’s volume level individually. Mumble eliminates that pointless, fiddly busywork.

Mumble’s Automatic Gain Control feature works automatically as long as every user has their microphone volume at a high enough level — the audio setup wizard guides you through that part.

Positional Audio

Mumble voice chat works with any game, but it includes special plugins for some games. If you’re using Mumble with a supported game, you can activate positional audio and get full, 3D sound. You’ll hear your friend’s speech in your left ear if their character is standing to your left in the game. Mumble includes plugins for a variety of popular games, including World of Warcraft, Team Fortress 2, the Call of Duty series and the Left 4 Dead games. You can find a full list of supported games on the Mumble wiki.

Setup is easy: Ensure the game’s plugin is enabled, activate the “Link to Game and Transmit Position” on the plugins pane and enable the Positional Audio checkbox on the Audio Output settings pane.

Security

Mumble has strong security features. Encryption is one of them — Mumble encrypts all communications between you and the server, so you can have private voice conversations without being eavesdropped on.

Instead of passwords, Mumble uses certificate-based authentication. Mumble recommends you create a trusted certificate, but this isn’t entirely necessary for casual use. You can just select the Automatic Certificate Creation option to have Mumble create a self-signed certificate for you.

Certificates are more secure than passwords — people can’t connect to a server and impersonate you unless they acquire your private certificate, which is stored locally on your computer. Server administrators can assign fine-grained permissions to specific certificates, and you can even use your certificate to reserve a username on a server.

The Interface

Finding and connecting to servers is easy in Mumble. The program itself provides a list of public servers to connect to — of course, you can also connect to a private server if you know its address

Mumble’s interface is much more streamlined and easy-to-use than many other voice chat applications (I’m looking at you, Ventrilo). By default, there’s a box on the left for status messages and text chat, and a channel list on the right. The lip icon to the left of a user’s name turns red when that user starts talking. The layout is completely customizable from Mumble’s configuration window.

Mumble voice chat eliminates those features that no one uses and brings commonly-used features to the fore. It’s easy to record conversations, set comments and avatar images other users can see and perform other common tasks with Mumble.

Mumble has a built-in overlay, so you can see who’s talking even when you’re playing a full-screen game. The overlay is completely configurable; you can position it and adjust its appearance from Mumble’s configuration window.

Conclusion

Mumble’s only real disadvantage is that it’s not as widespread and many gamers are unfamiliar with it. Still, if you can bring your gamer friends around, Mumble is likely a big improvement over what you’re already using.

Let us know what you think in the comments. Have you tried Mumble? Do you still prefer another voice chat app? Or do all your gamer friends just use Ventrilo or TeamSpeak?

If you’ve never bothered to register your Nintendo games, you can’t be blamed. Until recently the prizes were mostly either useless or way too expensive, at least in North America. “Grill Off With Ultra Hand” is an amusing arcade game, but who needs screensavers or note pads?

This all changed last month, when Nintendo announced it planned to give away two different games to Club Nintendo members every month. The first two games, Super Mario Kart (SNES) and Fluidity, suggest Nintendo is planning on giving away some pretty nice titles.

Step One: Find Your Pin Numbers

First things first: you’re going to need to find numbers to enter online. Open the boxes of your Nintendo games and look for a red card like this:

This card includes a number, which you can use to register your game. If you’ve got a Wii or a DS, check the box it came in: recent systems also came with one worth quite a few points.

Wondering if a game or device you own qualifies? Check this list. Some cards might have expired, of course, but it doesn’t harm to check.

Step Two: Register Your Games

Head to club.nintendo.com and register. You’ll find a simple place to enter your newly found number:

Enter your number and voila: you’ll get some points. What to do now? Cash them in for games, of course!

Step Three: Get Your Free Games

Assuming you registered two games successfully, you have enough points to get at least one game. Click the game you want on the Rewards page, then click the game you want. The best games should be at the top, under “Featured.” These games will change regularly, so just wait a while if you don’t like any of the games currently being offered.

Once you click the game you want, you’ll see this on the right side if you can afford to download:

If you can’t afford a given game, you’ll see something like this:

Assuming you can afford the game, simply cash in your pieces and download! You should check out these instructions if you’re not sure how to download games to your Wii or DS. Basically: you need to enter a special code into the store of your gaming system and enjoy the ensuing download.

Sadly, each of these codes can only be used once.

Conclusion

I downloaded Fluidity for Wii with my points, and I’m not disappointed. It’s a fun game with amazing, liquid-based controls and way more than what I was expecting from a free download. I’m not sure what will be offered by the time this article is published, so check it out! I’m looking forward to more new games.

If this is the quality of games Nintendo is going to offer, it’s well worth registering your games from now on. What games would you like to download for free? Let me know in the comments below!

If you’re wondering what the fuss is about you might want to read our relevant Technology Explained feature and if you’re still not convinced then we’ve considered the benefits your investment will return too. Now it’s time to highlight some of the hardiest, boldest and most expensive peripherals to ever sit on a desk. Credit cards at the ready…

Corsair Vengeance K60 – $109.99

Designed from the ground up for those who are serious about first-person shooters, the Corsair Vengeance K60 is a mechanical keyboard with a featherlight touch. This touch is delivered via the low-sensitivity, linear feedback Cherry MX Red keyboard switches employed which are perfect for fast-paced games where quick reactions are key (excuse the pun).

One thing to remember is that these Red switches require far less pressure to activate than the similar Cherry MX Black switches (45g actuation, instead of 60g) often preferred by gamers. It’s always best to try out the keyboard before dipping into your pocket, or at the very least be prepared to return it if you find the keys “too squishy”.

The keyboard itself is not built for typing but takes gaming very seriously. The extra-grippy rubberised WSAD and 1-6 number keys in dashing red will ensure schoolboy errors are a thing of the past. In addition to the lightweight, stylish design the Vengeance K60 can register 20 simultaneous key-presses and above all take more of a pounding than conventional keyboards.

Razer BlackWidow Ultimate Stealth Edition – $139.99

PC gaming isn’t quite what it used to be, and back in the days of Quake III Arena, Counter-Strike 1.6 and the original Team Fortress Classic, Razer were one of the few companies manufacturing very high-quality peripherals and accessories. They’re still in the game, and the BlackWidow Ultimate is their current trophy piece (with the Stealth Edition costing $10 more).

The main difference between the Ultimate editions and lower down standard editions is the anti-ghosting technology that improves multiple keypress detection. Add this to ultra-light keys with the same 45g actuation seen on the Vengeance K60 above and you’ve got a hardy and responsive input device that will last years.

The BlackWidow Ultimate also looks the part, with a sleek black finish punctuated by adjustable LED-lit keys that are perfect for late-night sessions. The keyboard also comes with 2 USB passthrough ports and a headphone port.

CM Storm QuickFire Rapid – Around $100

If you find most gaming keyboards to be too large, and hate wasting precious desk space then you might want to consider the CM Storm Quickfire Rapid from CoolerMaster. Not usually a name associated with keyboards (or any peripheral for that matter), CM Storm is CoolerMaster’s range of high performance gaming gear and the QuickFire Rapid is one of two flagship keyboards.

A variety of Cherry MX switches in different flavours (Black, Blue and Brown) are present on the Quickfire Rapid, though which version you get depends on where you live. Black is often considered the “best” for gamers, with Blue offering a toss-up between typing and gaming (though your own preferences will probably vary).

The CM Storm QuickFire Rapid comes in at around $100, though if you like the look of Cherry MX Red switches (ultra-light actuation) then there’s a Red Switch edition available too.

AZiO Levetron Mech4 – $109.99

For a company whose motto is “Everyday Technology” the AZiO Levetron Mech4 doesn’t look particularly “Everyday”. Of course this might change depending on how many keyboards you get through in a year, as this is a rugged spill-proof device with fabled Cherry MX Black switches in place.

The keyboard is modular by design, and comes in 3 parts – the keyboard itself, a number pad which can be mounted on either side and a 6-button macro controller which sits on a rail above the function keys to provide an incredible variety of control layouts.

The Mech4 also comes with the usual features you’d expect from a keyboard at this price, including anti-ghosting, drainage gutters for spilled drinks (!), user-programmable keys, a chunky volume knob and the ability to quickly disable the Windows key during gaming sessions.

Razer Star Wars: The Old Republic Gaming Keyboard – $249

Instantly reduce any Star Wars fan to fits of jealous rage with your very own Star Wars: The Old Republic gaming keyboard from Razer. Ok, so it might be a tad expensive and unnecessary – but look at it!

Starting with low-travel keys and a 1ms response time the keyboard packs in the features. There’s Arabesh and the standard alphabet printed on each key, what Razer has deemed “extreme” anti-ghosting (for mashing multiple buttons), a multi-touch full-colour LCD trackpad and 10 dynamic macro keys to ensure your best moves are close at all times.

It might be expensive, but it sure is beautiful.

Conclusion

Despite the initial expense, mechanical keyboards aren’t necessarily bad value for money. If you’re coming from a non-mechanical model then you’re bound to be pleasantly surprised by the feel of the keys, especially a few years down the line when your keyboard still works like a charm!

If you’ve bought a mechanical keyboard, have done some research or are thinking of buying one have a say in our comments, below.

One thing that is going to be changing, though, is my vantage point. No longer will I be telling you how to install cool little modifications to your Minecraft client. This time, I’m showing you how to install plugins when you get your very own server up and running through Bukkit. Straight from Minecraft’s wiki, Bukkit is described as “the name of a set of community-built, open source tools envisioned and developed to ease the creation of SMP plugins.” It is a little bit like the ModLoader of SMP features.

Essentials

Essentials is, well… essential.

As teased at above, Essentials adds more than 100 very efficient and important commands and permissions to your SMP server. God mode, heal, repair, pay, worth, AFK, spawnmob, tempban, and teleport are just a few. This plugin should (and maybe will?) be built directly into the Minecraft release. Some of these commands are too important and integral to the growth of a server that I can’t possibly see how they were overlooked and left out. The Essentials package comes in several modules, such as EssentialsSpawn, EssentialsProtect, EssentialsChat, etc. Essentials contributes to the functionality of just about every part of a server.

NoCheat

If you run a server without NoCheat and it manages to make its way onto Planet Minecraft, good luck. Ever since I’ve started to manage my own server, I’ve been completely stunned and disgusted by just how many people use a hack or modded client. NoCheat will alert you whenever this activity is detected.

NoCheat thwarts hacks that are very difficult to see with a trained eye. I expected lots of false positives and poor feedback, but this thing works beautifully. Never again will another player speed, fly, or use complicated PvP hacks on your server without you knowing.

Orebfuscator

While this should have really been built into NoCheat, it is definitely a great and important plugin to any server that values its economy. What Orebfuscator basically does is disable true “x-ray” hacks on your server. Players won’t be able to mine right down to diamond anymore.

As shown in that official plugin screenshot, Orebfuscator obfuscates the many important ore blocks of Minecraft so that even users who have modified clients that allow “x-raying” won’t be able to put their beady eyes on the goods. While people do complain that it’s heavy and adds a little lag to the server, I can’t imagine playing without it.

Multiverse

Multiverse is the one and only true solution to managing your multi-world server. This thing has got everything:

• Create worlds from seeds or generators.
• Set your game mode per world.
• Restrict users from going to worlds using permissions.
• Restrict animals, monsters, and other spawns per world.

Many, many more features are packed into this beautiful bukkit plugin.

This plugin is a little heavy on resources so I’d really only suggest you get going with it if you definitely need a second world!

WorldEdit

WorldEdit practically turns your cursor into a virtual paintbrush where the Minecraft world is your canvas. We all know about creative mode, but this takes things to a whole different level.

You can smooth an entire mountain in seconds. You can copy and paste areas into another location. You can select one chunk radius and have it restored from a backup. You can automatically generate any of the Minecraft biomes. There’s a whole lot in this plugin and even though it cuts down building time tenfold, it’ll still manage to keep you busy for hours!

I can think of plenty more bukkit plugins that are quality mentions, but let’s keep the list short. How about you? I’d like to hear about your favorites in the comments. Oh, and check out our Minecraft overview if you haven’t!

I love video games. They are active where other mediums are passive, requiring me to participate in order to proceed. Just sitting there and watching isn’t an option. At least, it’s not an option with good games. Not every game is good, though, and that’s where Progress Quest makes its point. It isn’t a game so much as a parody of what’s wrong with so many other games. You pick a character, including class and race, and then you sit back and watch. Your character goes on quests, levels up and grabs items. You do nothing, save for watching the advancement of progress bars.

I’m serious – that’s all you do in this game. Watching the game play itself makes a point about gaming in general, which I’ll get to later.

Setting Up

To get started, first you should download the game. Start up the program and you can pick whether your game is offline or online. There’s no difference between the two modes really, except online play lets your character “compete” with other people’s characters.

Designing your character is the most interactive part of this game. In fact, it’s the only interactive part. You’ll be able to pick a race and a class, and “roll” for stats.

You can put some thought into this, if you want – or not. Then you can start “playing.”

Watch The Futility

Behold! Here is what Progress Quest looks like when you start playing:

And here is what it looks like when you’ve played for a while.

No, seriously, that’s it. You watch and your character levels up without you.

Is this ridiculous? Yes. But that’s the point – nothing is accomplished when you play a video game. The levels and items gathered in Progress Quest mean precisely as much as levels and items gained in other games. What makes them worth something to you is the time and effort you put into getting them.

A good game, then, is one that does more than simply make your level up for the sake of it. The game should be fun in and of itself, and not simply something you do out of compulsion.

On Progress Bars

“Hey, what are you guys doing?”

It’s a question I often ask when I get to my office in downtown Boulder. The answer, more often than not, is simple, sarcastic and sadly hilarious.

“Watching blue progress bars,” they’ll tell me.

Slowly growing lines show us how far a procedure has come and how far it needs to go. So we watch them. It doesn’t matter if you’re moving files, downloading a report or sending out information. Modern work means watching progress bars from time to time. The worst video games are those that offer less challenge than compulsion.

In a recent episode of Technophilia, a podcast I host with a couple of other MakeUseOf writers, we discussed the amazing gaming experience that is Skyrim. James and Dave kept talking about the room left for discovery, and the complexity of it. It sounds like an amazing game, one I should try out soon. We also discussed Cow Clicker, a game that parodies Farmville and its tendency to be merely addictive rather than engrossing.

Our conclusion was that a good game is one that leaves room for exploration and discovery. They should be interactive and engaging, and not addictive for the sake of killing time. It’s cheesy, but you should feel like you’re learning something as you play. You should feel like you’re improving, not just your character.

And that’s what Progress Quest points out. You can’t get better at the game yourself – you can only level up. There is no skill involved. If you ever feel like this playing any other game, step back. Think about what you’re doing. Then do something better.  Let us know if you feel the same way – or not – in the comments below.

You do not need to fill your friends list up, but having a good group is important. But once you have a good friends list, what if you want to message them or check out their profile on the go? Up until now, there has been no good way to make this happen. With the My Xbox Live app, that is now not a problem. You can get full access to your Xbox Live Profile and friends list right from your iPhone. This app was a long time coming.

The app is divided into three sections. These are “Home”, “Social” and “Games”. No matter which section you are on, you will always have access to your messages and the apps settings.

Home

The “Home” section is the place to go to watch videos from Xbox Live. This section has all the standard videos you would expect to see on your newly updated Xbox Dashboard. You can watch videos like “Majors Minute” and view their awesome feature called “Gamer Spotlight,” where they profile a regular person who has accomplished something notable.

Home is a cool section if you are bored, but it is not necessarily where this application shines. If you are looking to kill some time and find out a little more about what is coming on Xbox, “Home” is a place worth looking at.

Social

This is where you are going to spend most of your time in this app if you are a social gamer. From here, you can do a lot of stuff. The first screen is one with your avatar standing around. You will also see your gamer tag, your name and your gamer score. There are also links to access all the other features of home. You will see friends, messages, beacons and the ability to edit your avatar and profile.

The first place social butterflies will want to check is the friends section. Here you will see your friends that are online at the top, and everyone else below them. If you click a friend’s name, you will be taken to their profile where you can check out information such as their gamer score and recently played games. You can also compare their games side by side with yours.

The messages tab is self-explanatory. You can view messages in your inbox and reply to them.

The last section is a new feature that came along with the new Xbox Dashboard update. This feature is called “beacons“. This allows you to put a call out to all your friends that you are looking to play a certain game online. For a game like Call of Duty and Battlefield, it is not hard to find someone to play with, but trying to find someone to play Skate 3 with is like pulling teeth!

At the bottom of the screen are the options to edit your profile and avatar. You can change your name, motto, location and bio. For the avatar, you can change pretty much everything.

Games

In “Games“, you can view everything you have played. From the first page, you can see the number of achievement points you have earned in each game.

You can click on a game for a more detailed breakdown, and plan out what achievements you are going to go after next. You can also search for a specific game using the buttons at the bottom of the screen.

Conclusion

While this app lacks much of the functionality of a Windows phone, it is as good as it gets for the iPhone. It gives much of the core features that I want to use on the go. I would love if it could control my Xbox like a Windows phone, but beggars can’t be choosers. If you love Xbox Live, this is a must have application.

You may be worried if your computer is ready for it. Thankfully, the system specifications are mild, so you may not need to upgrade your PC – but there are other steps you may need to take to prepare your PC.

Clean Up Your Hard Drive – Or Buy A Solid State Drive

MMOs typically are not hard on your processor or video card, and will run on most hardware made within the last five years. Storage capacity can sometimes be a problem however, because of the massive size of these games. World of Warcraft now weighs in at over 20GB, so it would not be unusual if Star Wars: The Old Republic was of a similar size.

Upgrading your hard drive is one possibility, but as we recently reported, hard drive prices have risen significantly because of flooding in Thailand. This means your best bet is to clean up your current drive. Obviously, you can do that by deleting old files that you don’t need. You can also usually save several gigabytes by turning off hibernate, emptying your recycle bin, and deleting temporary files.

Another, much more expensive choice is to buy a solid state drive, as production of the memory chips they use is not impacted by the flooding. A 64GB Crucial M4 can now be had for about $110, and will nicely fit both your operating system and SW: TOR. Besides the space for the game, you will also receive a nice decrease in load times.

Buy A Second Monitor

Playing an MMO is about knowledge as much as it is skill. If you don’t know the best skills, the best character builds, and the best items, even an excellent player will be behind the curve.

Finding this information in the game usually isn’t possible, however. It wouldn’t be very sporting for the game to tell you the best way to play it.  There are many websites that solve this, but alt-tabbing out of the game is an annoyance. Hence, the second monitor.

It’s possible to buy a 20 inch monitor for under $100, which isn’t bad. But if you’re really on a budget, you can pick up a monitor at a second-hand shop for about $20 or $30.

Beef Up Your Network Connection

Network connectivity is another important part of playing a MMO. A moment of lag at the wrong time, or a disconnection, can seriously disrupt the gaming experience of both you and your group.

Purchasing a faster connection from your ISP will obviously help, but you may still run into problems if you connect over wireless, particularly the older 802.11g standard. Upgrading to 802.11n will be reduce or eliminate signal issues and periods of lag because of the standard’s higher bandwidth and better range. However, both your computer and your router need to support 802.11 in order to use it.

Another alternative is powerline networking. This technology makes it possible to connect your PC directly to your router via Ethernet by piggy-backing on your existing electrical wires in your apartment or home. It provides high bandwidth and, more importantly, an extremely reliable connection that won’t suffer from the lag peaks and occasional disconnects that can make wireless a poor choice for gamers.

Conclusion

Hyped up for SW:TOR? Feel free to share your own tips on how to prepare for the game in the comments. It won’t be long until the release, so now is the time to get ready, or put a few gaming-related items on your wishlist. Who knows – Santa might just be a Star Wars fan as well.

Image Credit: Andreas.com

I would call it the gamification of friendship…if friendship ever requires one. Social games are all about doing things together. It started with sharing everything from webpages to photos and videos. Now, it has moved on to exhorting your friends to get up from the couch and take up little challenges and complete them all for the sake of fun. Of course, it could get potentially “serious” too as GameMaki is also about putting your ego out there and racking up points and badges.

5 Key Features Of GameMaki

• GameMaki is more than a fun way to do activities. It is also a social recommendation engine to discover (and share) new places and new things to do.
• Recommendations can be turned into challenges at GameMaki. GameMaki tries to turn those challenges into new experiences for us and our friends.
• GameMaki can be optionally tagged with a location. It helps you discover places near yours to engage with your friends.
• You can group challenges into a set and turn it into a personal game for your network of friends. This mini-game (‘Maki’) makes it more fun for you to vie with people of similar interests.
• GameMaki also is about sharing your personal experiences through photos and comments.

Truth Or Dare – Socially Connect & Start The Challenge

Sign-in and connect with your friends on Facebook. You can straightaway challenge your friends with a suggestion of an activity. It could be anything – from a place to visit to tasting a dish you stick your tongue out at. You can allow GameMaki to retrieve your location so that friends who live nearby can hop on and play. Also, challenges need to be put in a category so that others can view it or join in.

Your challenge is visible to the world. You can accept the challenge yourself and claim it so that others also have an idea what you are talking about. Comments and photos help to illustrate the challenge better.

Remember, accepting a challenge just places it in your to-do list on GameMaki. Claiming a challenge means that you have done it…and you earn points for that. You also need to ‘prove’ that you have done it with either a photo or a comment.

Setting up your own challenges is fun, but what’s more fun is discovering and taking part in challenges set up by friends. You can go through the same cycle of accepting a challenge and claiming it with cool photos or comments.

The Maki – Your Very Own Challenge Spot

A ‘Maki’ is like your own page for challenges you have set up and other favorites. It rings similar to ‘wiki’ and functions similarly. You can create a Maki around a certain theme or topic. It’s your very own mini-game site and you are lord and master of this personal section. So, you can allow or disallow others from participating by adding their own challenges. Collect your followers on your Maki and challenge them to compete in the activities you have thought up.

Use Makis For Personal Or Company Branding

The potential of self-created Makis is immense that takes it beyond the element of fun because individuals can use it for personal branding. There are quite a few featured Makis on GameMaki that show how business can take advantage of fun gaming and create there brand stories around it.

Check out this screenshot of a Maki created around Echelon 2011, Asia’s biggest tech event. Challenges include fun acts like Planking yourself here and there!

GameMaki is a whole lot of fun. It’s another popular do you can add to your list of social games. Give us your take on GameMaki. Tell us some creative ways you can use GameMaki to make life a challenge for your friends.

That just leaves you with one problem – wading through the choices to find the best product. Fortunately for you, I’m going to make the process easier by recommending a few of the best gaming peripherals available.

Best Gaming Keyboard: Logitech G19

Ever since the debut of the original Logitech G-series keyboards, the company has been at the top of the gaming keyboard hill. The formula is simple – take a basic keyboard, add lots of macro keys, add backlighting, and add a cool LCD display. Presto! Job done.

Compared to some keyboards with mechanical switches, the Logitech G19 may not seem to justify its $159.99 price. But as a long-time PC gamer, I can say with confidence that mechanical switches aren’t necessary, and in fact are sometimes detrimental, to PC gaming. What you want with a gaming keyboard is a light key stroke that makes repetitive motions easier to execute quickly and less stressful on your hands, and the G19 delivers just that.

The wealth of macro keys makes this a particularly popular keyboard among MMO fans, and the illuminated keys remain among the best, displaying a uniformity that few other keyboards can match. The G19’s LCD display can be very handy in some games, but unfortunately not all support it. However, you can save money and ditch the LCD display by purchasing the $59.99 G110 instead.

Best Gaming Mouse: Logitech G500

If it’s not broke, don’t fix it. This phrase doesn’t really apply to most PC hardware, because constant improvements in speed, power efficiency and pricing are the name of the game. But you can’t really make a mouse go faster, or use less power. So if a design works, it will be around for a long time.

This is the case with the Logitech G500. The basic shape of this mouse has been around for years (the G5 that I use is basically the same) but over the years a few refinements have been made. Additional buttons have been added, onboard memory is now available for storing profiles, and the laser is better.

But that’s not why this mouse is great. It’s great because it’s comfortable, it’s reliable, and it’s only $49.99. While specialty products like the Razer Naga may be a better choice for certain gamers, most can simply buy the G500 and call it a day.

Best Joystick: CH Products FighterStick

The market for PC joysticks tends to follow the trends of PC games, and since there’s very few high-quality new flight games available – arcade or simulation – there’s also few high-quality joysticks available. Ten years ago I was able to purchase an amazing Sidewinder joystick for about $50, but today’s cheap joysticks aren’t worth much (though there’s still far more options available for PCs than for consoles).

At $100, the CH Products FighterStick isn’t cheap, but you get what you pay for. The difference in build quality between this and a budget joystick is night and day, and there’s plenty of features, as well. You receive a 8-way POV hat as well as three 4-way hats, a total of 2 buttons, and a throttle.

For those who aren’t hardcore simulation enthusiasts, this is everything that you’ll ever need in a joystick. It’s backed up with a nice two-year warranty, as well, which is reassuring. Most cheap joysticks come with just one year of coverage.

Best Flight Set: HOTAS Warthog

Everything I said about the market for joysticks can also be said about the market for full simulation flight sets. There aren’t as many choices available as there used to be. It really comes down to companies like Thrustmaster, CH Products and Saitek.

Of these, Thrustmaster has the current clear winner in the form of the HOTAS Warthog. The company already made an excellent product in the form of the HOTAS Cougar, but the Warthog takes everything up to 11. The diecast joystick is mounted on a metal plate which can be screwed to a desk or a cockpit mock-up, while the throttle is also made mostly of metal and includes numerous functioning toggles switches. This is not just a setup that will please a hardcore – it’s a setup that anyone who’s not a simulation enthusiast may have trouble understanding.

Fortunately, the price of almost $500 will keep the meek away. It’s worth every penny, but if you’re a more casual player or a beginner, consider buying the CH Products FighterStick and adding on the CH Products Pro Throttle. This can’t compare to the HOTAS Warthog, but it’s a high-quality pair for about $300 less.

Best Race Wheel: Porsche 911 Carrera Wheel

When it comes to racing wheels, Fanatec is a name that means business. Based in Germany, this company has been making wheels for over a decade, but they recently came into the limelight with the release of their Porsche series wheels, which are replicas of the steering wheel found in a real Porsche.

There are several variants available, but the best overall choice for a PC gamer appears to be the Porsche 911 Carrera wheel. It’s pricey at $159.95, and you’ll need to pair it with pedals. If you purchase the Club Sport pedals from Fanatec you’re looking at another $149.95, though it’s hardly money out the window, as that pedal set is made from aluminum and includes several adjustments for user preference and comfort.

Alternatively, you can purchase an adapter key that makes the wheel compatible with pedals from the Xbox 360 racing wheel or the Logitech G25/G27 wheel sets.

Conclusion

This article focused on the best PC gaming peripherals, and as a result, most of them are rather expensive. Yet I maintain they are worthwhile, particularly when it comes to joysticks, throttles and racing wheels. Disagree? Leave a comment.