PC Pitstop: Laptop Battery Fire

We all remember the great Sony Battery recall a few months ago, but few of us actually knows what happens when a battery fails catastrophically.

Now PC Pitstop have made a brief video showing exactly what happens when a Li-Ion battery goes wrong.

Generation 7 – The Controllers

A lot of the propaganda and hype about the current console war has been based on comparing CPU and GPU performance, the number and quality of games available and the different innovations and gimmicks used by Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo. The one thing that I have missed so far is a direct comparison of the three controllers. So, in order of EU launch date (with a wee bit of controller history thrown in) here’s a round up of the Next Gen controllers.

Xbox 360

Compared to the PS3 and Wii controllers, Microsoft’s wireless 360 controllers has quite a poor pedigree. As far as design goes, it is nearly identical to the Controller-S, which was originally released to replace the poorly designed original Xbox controller. However, the Xbox 360 controller was the first wireless controller to ship as standard with a console (albeit only in the Premium package).

Layout wise, the 360 controller has four buttons, a D-pad, two analogue sticks, two shoulder bumpers and two triggers. Xbox system functions can be accessed using the oversized Xbox Guide button. The controls are well laid out, and easy to access with stretching.
The wireless controller requires two AA batteries, a rechargeable battery pack or a Play and Charge Kit for power. The battery pack provides roughly 30 hours of gaming per charge. The controller’s rumble feature may be disabled in order to increase battery life.