Tritton AX 720 5.1 Gaming Headphones working with an HDMI Xbox 360

**UPDATE**

Just released is the new Xbox 360 console which includes an optical out (toslink) port on the back, and as soon as I can, I'll include some audio setup screenshots.

It took me WAY too long to get a set of Tritton AX 720 5.1 Surround Sound gaming headphones to work with my already hooked up with HDMI, Xbox 360.

The instructions say to plug the headphones into the optical out on the back of the Xbox 360, which I did.  In my case however, I could not hear the sound from the headphones.

The answer was this.
Instead of plugging the amplifier box of the headphones into the back of the Xbox 360, I plugged them into the optical out on the back of the TV.  Means you can leave your HDMI doing its thing with your 1080p crisp digital display, and not have to resort to endless wife-annoying cable swaps each time you want to do something different with your console.

This meant that I now get the sound from the headset, as well as from the 5.1 speakers, or TV if I switch those speakers off.  So just turning off the speakers, and then turning down the TV, I get it only from the headset.  So I could have saved the few bucks it cost to get the audio dongle for the Xbox 360. I couldn't find any reason why I should not have been hearing the audio from the headphones, as on the Xbox 360 settings only showed 5.1 or stereo output, not the actual port you want to output from (as the PS3 does).  Perhaps I had a faulty audio dongle, we may never know.

In my particular case this is a little fiddly as I have a PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 all hooked up to the same screen, and to use the normal 5.1 speakers it takes the optical out from the TV (for the PC sound).  So each time I want to use the headphones with the Xbox 360, I have to unplug the cable that runs to the 5.1 unit from the TV, and replace the cable with the one going to the Tritton AX 720 headphone amp.  It's not too bad because there is enough space to walk behind the set so swapping a cable only takes a moment.  Also I have to plug the headphone amp into which ever console I'm using anyway, so perhaps I am bitching a little too much here, but I do sympathize with those of you that (as most people do) have NO SPACE/LIGHT AT ALL behind their TV sets.  I could get into some seriously tedious optical cable splitting, but I'd need one for the back of the TV, and one for the back of the headphone amp, it's not really worth me doing that.** (Update - I think I'm wrong on the splitter thing, as it makes TWO optical connections, but doesn't switch between inputs.)**

Does the Xbox 360 route audio through HDMI only, if it finds that connection first?

In my experience the PS3 works just as the manual says.Overall on both consoles, the effect is pretty stunning and I am surprised I really get a sense of surround sound from just a set of headphones, plus there's a lot of bass in there too.

Red Dead Redemption got a lot red deadier with these serious cans on my head.

Just to be clear, when I mention headphone amp above, I am referring to the little box that comes as part of the Tritton AX 720 headphones.

How to use headphones on your PS3 - For cheap

A couple of things first off.  This is about getting the game sound through headphones, NOT about using a headSET which is normally something that has a mic attached so you can voice chat with other players.  This method is cheap, and does NOT facilitate voice chat in any way.

For anyone in a rush, I will get straight to the point and say you just need a PS3 component cable, and a 3.5mm male to two RCA female plugs adapter, and a set of headphones with a standard 3.5mm plug on the end (that's the standard little one, not the huge one your dad has on the end of his massive set of over the ear classical easy listening CD ones).  Plug the component cable into your PS3, and then the adapter onto the two (of the five) ends, and your headphones into that.  Done.  So if you have a bit of spare time, or were just wondering... read on.

 Recently I started to playing Darksiders on the PS3, and that game has the epic demonic vibe in full effect.  Usual things like naughty hell-dwelling types telling you important curse related things, impressive guardians stomping around, and not forgetting a good amount of rock crashing around amidst heavy steel doors and chains clanking up and down.  I think you get the idea so I'll not say how much I am enjoying the Zelda-with-blood style of gameplay, WHICH I TOTALLY AM!

Being a very busy person flitting from TV interview to movie premiere all over the world, I couldn't get to this game until very late at night.  Many of you will know that most OTHER people don't like video games, and so waking up to see their alarm clock jiggling along a bed side shelf at 02:00 because of some STOOPID video game, blasting throughout the house, is not going to exactly earn you breakfast in bed.  Yes you can turn it down, but if you have it connected to a surround sound unit, that bass speaker is still going to thunder unquietly through the house.

So headphones would be good eh?  But it's trying to find somewhere to plug them in.  Your surround sound unit may have a headphone socket.  If so, congratulations you win, goodbye.  Your TV may have a headphone socket, and you too are a winner, good day to you sir!  Now if you have the cash, there are surround sound headphones, which really do apparently work.  Other than that, I've found myself in the position of having not seen a headphone socket on a TV or surround sound unit in a long time, so.....

This solution is WAY cheaper.  You basically set the audio of the PS3 to use the component cable, and plug your headphones directly into the audio outputs of that cable.

1. Start up your PS3 and navigate to SETTINGS and then, SOUND SETTINGS

2. Then to AUDIO OUTPUT SETTINGS

3. Select AUDIO INPUT CONNECTOR/SCART/AV MULTI

4.  You is done, press X

You have to plug your component cable into the back of the PS3 (it can only go in one socket and will only fit one way around).

I was using a VERY old cable, which was originally for an Xbox 1 (that's the larger square connector in the lower left), and PS2.  But it appears that any PS2 component cable you might have lying around will work with the PS3.

 

You also need an adapter like this.  This one I found in my heap of random audio connecting cables.

Then plug the adapter into the white and red audio cables of the component cable coming from the back of the PS3.  Your headphones will then plug into that socket.

I found that I didn't have an issue with the audio level, it was fine with a set of large over the ear headphones as well as a little in-ear iPod style set.

With my headphones plugged in I didn't wake up the large pile of recently satisfied supermodel babes that discovered my mansion hideaway in the countryside.  You of course don't get a surround sound experience when using the headphones this way, but if you value a quiet night without the need to fend off knife attacks from anyone who might happen to be sleeping nearby because you jarred them into a semi-conscious state of "I HAVE WORK IN THE MORNING AND YOU SHOULD FIX THE LEAKY BATHROOM SINK INSTEAD OF WASTING YOUR LIFE PLAYING VIDEO GAMES!!", then this method could be useful.

You can still output to the TV using the HDMI port so you get the full 1080p resolution.  This method just routes the sound differently, so the image isn't affected.

So it's really simple.  PS3 to COMPONENT CABLE to ADAPTER to HEADPHONES.  There is no need to alter your image settings at all.  Good luck!

Surround sound headphones $130.
Component cable + adapter - Less than $10.
You decide.

MX Revolution 5500 Keyboard and Mouse middle button config

Having replaced a very loved Logitech MX Revolution mouse, with the only version I could find available where the mouse has a second wheel, I ran into the same configuration issues regarding middle mouse button functionality.

Short version for those of you impatient to get things moving....
After you've installed the Setpoint software and the mouse and keyboard are working correctly, RIGHT CLICK on the Setpoint icon down near the clock and select EXIT.  Then on your computer, go here;

C:\Users\YOURLOGGEDONUSERNAME\AppData\Roaming\Logitech\SetPoint\user.xml

You and I both know that in the line where it says YOURLOGGEDONUSERNAME, it's referring to the current user, which is usually your name, but I think I've explained that enough right now....

Find the line in the file that says this;
            <Button Number="6" Name="4">

From there, down to where it reads
            </Button>

Paste this;

            <Button Number="6" Name="4">
               <Trigger Class="ButtonPress">
                  <Param Button="6" FirstRepeatDelay="0" RepeatDelay="0" Silent="0" Type="0"/>
                  <TriggerState Name="ButtonDownUp" HandlerSet="MiddleMouseButton">
                     <Handler Class="MouseButton">
                        <Param ButtonName="MiddleButton"/>
                     </Handler>
                  </TriggerState>
               </Trigger>
               <Param IconLoc="" Type=""/>
            </Button> 

SAVE the file, then run Setpoint again.
ALL PROGRAMS > LOGITECH > MOUSE AND KEYBOARD > MOUSE AND KEYBOARD SETTINGS

Ok geeks need not read any further, but for those of us who don't speak fluent Matrix, here's some detail.


For whatever reason, someone at Logitech didn't think that anyone would want to be able to use the little search button as a middle mouse click, so this is a way of forcing the software to do what you want it to, even though the levers and pulleys are not available to you on the outside. Sort of like making a bus driver drop you off right outside your house even though the route is nowhere near it and if you asked they would tell you there was no way you could buy a ticket to that exact destination.  A lot of software works this way, and you can probably find lots of other incomprehensible text files all over your computer that set very specific things in very specific ways.  If you must fiddle, do be a good chap and make a backup copy of any file BEFORE you do it.  In this case I just RIGHT CLICKED the USER.XML file, selected COPY, then PASTE to put a copy right there with it.  If you do screw up, you can just delete the (now useless) USER.XML file, and rename the USER - COPY.XML file to USER.XML and you are all good.

To edit that file you can use Notepad.  Open Notepad first, and then drag this file in, or RIGHT CLICK on the file and select OPEN WITH, then from the list that appears select NOTEPAD.  If that doesn't show up then you can select it from the option CHOOSE DEFAULT PROGRAM and any more than that is probably outside the scope of this particular post.

To insert the above text into the file, just copy the text above, then find the corresponding line in the USER.XML file and highlight that, then select PASTE.  You should see it change.  Then SAVE the file, and run the Setpoint software again (as it says above).  Then go to a link on a web page, click the little button and OH MY GOODNESS, it opens in a new tab!

Oh and if you were wondering (which you probably weren't but what they heck) I use the second mouse wheel for volume up and down, and click it to mute/unmute.

My work here is done (except maybe some pictures to brighten up the entry..... soon)

P.S. This is obviously for a PC, and perhaps the Mac version lets you do this already.  Do YOU know?
P.P.S Now I have two functioning middle mouse buttons right next to each other.  So if someone ever brings out a Track and Field game that uses the middle mouse button, I AM GONNA WIN!

iPad Target

Is the iPad aimed at people who rarely use a desktop or laptop, but really get a lot of use out of their iPhone/iPod Touch?
If you’ve gotten really used to doing your interwebs on that little slip-slidey screen, then at first glance, a larger area would seem an obvious plus.
Maybe the iPad is not so much a new device category, and more about creating a new market for those that only (want to) understand the iPhone OS.
Training a whole new group of Apple cult members. Brace yourselves, because as soon as the alarm sounds, they're going to pour over the horizon. They will not care what you think, because they understand the iPad.

"QUICK SHOW THEM YOUR NETBOOK!!!"
"THEY DON'T CARE THEY KEEP ON ABOUT APPS AND GAMI....AAAA AAAHH NOOOOO"
"FRANCIS GET OUT OF THERE!!!"
"IT'S TOO LATE I WANT TO SIGN UP FOR AN AT&T PLAN! OOOO LOOK A NEW FART APP!"

Halo ODST .... no

In summary, Halo ODST was just more Halo.

I really liked Halo 1, 2, and 3. I like single player games. I like explosions. So that seems a sure bet for Halo ODST.

Wrong

Halo was groovy, and I spent a lot of time running, and leaping about, getting pummeled by many people on the PC as well as Xbox versions. It's great fun, frantic stuffs. However, in the last Halo game (Halo 3, not Halo Wars) I quickly reached a point where I was saying to myself,

"Why am I advancing into this alien outpost?"
and
"Why am I doing this, and which of the overly epically named space ships, on my side?"

It didn't really matter because the new settings and different layouts were enough to keep me plugging away. Often my plastic neon edged armor would give up and I would tumble to the floor, scattering my assortment of recently grabbed guns and grenades. But you get back up and try again. This time keeping an eye on that side where ten more little alien dudes will come spilling out chatting away in comic relief fashion.

Hang on, the fact none of this battle makes sense, and the story is terrible, is bothering me now. I need to do research. The research being the Halo novels.

Ok research done, I get it, good, back to work.

Ok done, thanks Halo 3, back in the box. And to myself, "Can't wait for another one."

Halo ODST shuffles off the end of my mysterious GameFly Queue, flops through my mail slot, and dribbles into my Xbox 360.

Big screen, surround sound, expensively budgeted tried and tested video game franchise, in the middle of the lazy gamer generation, what could possibly go wrong?

Well not much to start with. Wandered around the VERY dark city, looking at stuff, with the usual drill of finding the things that are supposed to be just like the rest but you can usually see the graphical difference so you know something opens, or activates there. Got into a building, and now its REALLY dark. My display is sort of showing the outline of things, but very little detail. More wandering around inside the building, and I notice a helmet sticking out of a madly flashing screen. A little text at the bottom of the screen tells me to press a button, button pressed and I'm in one of the stories of apparently a little earlier in that same location.

So I'm in the story now hearing the same noises as previous games, of cheeky little aliens and gruff larger ones. Wreckage all over the place, and little pockets of resistance. Usual thing. I reach a large open area and apparently have to get across to rescue someone who's speaking to me on the radio. The other squad members are well trained in keeping out the way and not wasting ANY ammo, so it's up to me, the hero of the moment to get across that area and into the building beyond. AHA! One of those, "oh no we are just another door", doors that's obviously not like all the others. It's open and I'm in, trying to get behind enemy lines. Crap, it's dark in here, where's my new thingie button to show the outlines of things, ok got it, onward. Up the stairs, along the corridor, up some more, oo new gun, along... wait, it's a shot gun, hmmm that means close encounters are going to happen if I keep heading this way. I know, back down the stairs and I'll take an earlier exit.

I'm at the door, open, too bright for edge enhancement, so it's back to normal. I hear the familiar call of big and little aliens, and the strange alien bullet noises, it's back to the action. Lots of strafing left and right between concrete columns to try and figure out how many of my particular bullets it takes to kill these particular aliens (it usually takes a while to get the hang of that in any shooter). Still not got a good idea of where all the bad guys are, and still my computer controlled squad buddies are hanging back, waiting for me to clear a path to the next section. I leap around, still not quite familiar with the controls, as it has been quite a while since I bothered with Halo 3, and I keep pressing the 'button that shalt do nothing' instead of the grenade one, for now at least. So far it's all going as I thought it would except....

I give up trying to figure out where all the fire is coming from, take a couple of long shots and clear myself a nice little vacation spot on a bridge, in the middle of the fight, but with plenty of good cover. Sort of looked like a futuristic bus stop. Run like heck (well I think I'm running, as I can't remember if there is a run button for Halo ODST, or you just go this speed all the time), and make it to the bus shelter. Then a group of bigger aliens come out of where their scripted closet was keeping them until I crossed that particular line. They advance, I then go into a pre-death spasm, of jump-fire-move-fire-way-too-much-at-nothing, and then die.

It was a strange feeling but as soon as I saw that familiar out of body camera angle, and stuff strewn on the battle field (my 3 grenades exploding moments later, as in my final moments of controller typing convulsions I managed to hit THAT button a few times), my dead ragdoll self laying out there, the thought of doing the SAME thing over and over again, just like the previous games seemed pretty crappy. It wasn't until THAT VERY MOMENT that I wasn't enjoying it.

Went from "Yeah!" to "STOP!" in about a millisecond.

Watching my plastic clad dude, drop all his plastic guns on the ground, just brought it all back, and the reunion was not sweet. I'm glad I didn't buy the game, and I was genuinely looking forward to another Halo shooter, as that's usually my thing. This was just that little bit too much EXACTLY the same as before. Thinking I'd been a little harsh on it, I tried again a couple of times, but after it seemed to put me WAY back in the game, and I kept getting to that same point each time, I knew it was time to take it out into the yard and end its misery. So it went back to that GameFly warehouse in the sky, where it will hopefully be reborn as something on the PS3.

Halo ODST, sorry.

Resolution issue

I decided this year that one of my resolutions would be to stop bothering with retro games so much. It's only 10 days in and I've already amassed a PS2 and an Xbox 1, both with a smattering of games. Is this a sign, or just focusing on it WAY too much?

For the record, I did't purchase them, they were just in the way of replacing other household thingies.

Anyone up for a game of something REALLY old and crappy?

I'm pretty sure this will finally be the year I do NOT purchase Lemmings again. And I'm going to pretend I don't know about the upcoming Xbox Live Game Room, that's full of arcade cabinets from days of old.

Your ebook needz moar powurz

Just saw the first of the CES 2010 videos from Revision 3. It's about a combined ebook and tablet computer. Why is it that people seem to want to add the functionality of a laptop computer with an ebook?

Firstly I really think that if it was SO obvious to do this, then people would have been reading lots of ebooks on their laptops and there would be little need for the ebook readers themselves. Unless there is a massive happy underground all busily reading away on their laptops somewhere?

The two other major concerns are of course, power and weight.

You want to lug around a laptop all day (even a tablet) in your arms, taking in the pages of your latest novel, then get fit and be prepared to stand about three feet away from a power source. Not to mention the fragile nature of a laptop or tablet computer. Could this by why tablets never really made much of an impression originally?

(Don't even get me started on the whole thing about blocking the vents on a tablet while trying to hold it comfortably.)

Hopeful start to 2010

Top podcasts listened to at Krysss.Com towers for 2009

Woah, I listened to a LOT of podcasts over 2009, and according to my scrobblings, it was CNET that got the top spot.  I suppose all those daily episodes of Buzz Out Loud did that.

1		cnet.com			200
2		Revision3			143
3		Giant Bomb			55
4		1UP Network Staff			49
5		The Daniel Pemberton TV Orchestra			48
6		Leo Laporte and the TWiTs			40
7		Eat-Sleep-Game.com Staff			35
8		Paul Thurrott with Leo Laporte			33
9		John C. Dvorak			21
10		commandN			19
11		Tech			15
12		Games			13
13		Geekbox.net			11
13		Criterion Games			11
15		1UP Staff			9
16		Kaiku (Mark Roberts)			8
17		You Look Nice Today			7
18		Major Nelson			6
18		DL.tv			6
20		Eric Nofsinger			5
21		Roger Chang and Tom Merritt			4

Podcasts. They're like radio but interesting.  As always I will be promising myself I will start a podcast in the new year, and will more than likely carry on the tradition of not actually doing it.

Happy Holidays