The Widget: Games, Tech, Whatever

Ep. 125 – The Funder(wear) From Down Under

Tim — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 23:58:51 +0000

Since he was such a great guest, mainly because he actually upped the quality of the show, we’ve asked OobieJosh to join us again for a wonderful discussion about tragedy, hardware, and vibrating underpants.

Tech and the Boston Bombing:

The Good : Reddit and 4Chan actively searched for the culprits.
The Bad : Internet wrongly targets a man.

Tech/Hardware News:

Further evidence that the PC market is in decline.
Intel to release new model NUC’s.
Gigabyte to tackle the NUC with Brix.
Dell providing the Alienware X51 with Ubuntu now.
Samsung release the 6.3” Galaxy Mega (bit bigger than the iPhone 5) and the Galaxy Note 8” to tackle the iPad mini.
Twitter Music launches on IOS.
YouTube celebrates the 57th anniversary of the VCR.
Android malware on the rise.
Naughty naughty Samsung hire students to negatively comment on HTC devices in Taiwan.
Apps help the Icelandics avoid incest.
Grannies love the Oculus Rift.
Giggity giggity, Durex unveils Fundawear.
Microsoft researches see-through 3D display.
Google ready for fiber in Provo, Utah after buying entire network for $1.
HostGator hacked by former employee. No accounts compromised.
Google Glass might do cool new shit in cars.

Gaming News:

$99 ‘Codename Stingray’ Xbox 360 on the way.
Nintendo 3DS Circle Pad Pro XL exists.
A Link to the Past 2 coming to 3DS and New Super Luigi DLC and Earthbound (SNES re-release) for Wii-U.
Leaked NPD stats reveal poor Wii-U, Vita sales numbers in U.S.
Ouya 3DMark benchmark shows how behind it really is.
An accountant creates a full RPG in Microsoft Excel.
The Sega Pluto exists.

Ep. 124 – Always Online

Tim — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 20:59:25 +0000

Sony has tipped their hand on their hardware specs, Wii U sales are in the toilet, and now the Ouya has failed to part the clouds and let the sun shine down and save gaming? What’s Microsoft going to do? Moar Kinect! *sigh*

Tech/Hardware News:

Apple hires Adobe CTO Kevin Lynch (and Flash proponent) as new VP of Technology
Samsung releases the Galaxy S4 and HTC release the HTC One.
Unreal Engine 3 ported to work inside a Firefox browser.
DOS converted to Raspberry Pi
AMD announces the 7990 dual GPU radeon.
Asus shows off Geforce GTX 670 DirectCU Mini, perfect for your Mini-ITX gaming PC.
PC Perspective shows of new benchmark ‘FrameRating’ and how AMD comes out badly in CrossFire performance.

Gaming News:

First Ouya review – http://www.polygon.com/2013/3/28/4157602/ouya-feature – Things aren’t looking so good considering the grand claims made by their CEO. At least it runs XBMC.
NextBox will supposedly require AlwaysOn connection and game installs.
Nintendo Wii-U price slashed in the UK as retailers worry about the product.
Mark Rein laughs at the idea of Unreal 4 engine running on Wii U. “We’re on next gen consoles, not current”
Valve announces Steam Early Access program.
Battlefield 4 announced with 17 minute trailer.
Capcom announces DuckTales Remastered. Based on the NES classic, developed by WayForward (Boy and his Blob, Double Dragon Neon), and will feature the entire original cast from the TV show.
Capcom and Valve announce Resident Evil/Left 4 Dead collaboration.

Ep. 123 – PC In My Console

Tim — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 15:24:20 +0000

So the PS4 is officially a list of specs, the controller has a share button, and the Internet is about to be flooded with “check out my latest kill” videos. The next generation is here. Get hyped.

Tech/Hardware News:

Google demos Project Glass features. “OK, Glass… Make me look like a dork.” The truth about Google Glasses.

Microsoft fined $731 Million over browser monopoly.

nVidia unleashes a Titan. $1000 or £847.

AMD shows of TressFX, because you’re worth it.

OpenELEC now supports HD Audio bitstreaming on Intel HD2000+ GPU’s.

Gaming News:

PS4 Debut

Sony shows everything… except the PS4 itself.
Single Chip Customer processor/ CPU AMD Jaguar x86-64bit 8 cores / GPU AMD Next Generation Radeon graphics engine capable of 1.84 TFOPS
Memory – GDDR5 8GB Shared (Sony calls it Unified) – Will deliver 176GB/second of bandwidth
Hard Drive – Built-in (Rumored 160GB & 500GB in initial System offerings)
Optical Drive – 6X Blu-ray XL drive with 8X DVD read ability (Supports Blu-ray XL 100GB discs)
I/O – Super-Speed USB 3.0
Communications – 10/100/1000 Ethernet / 802.11 b/g/n wireless / Bluetooth 2.1 (EDR)
AV Output – HDMI / Analog-AV out / Optical Digital Output
No price announced… $439 – $499 rumored.
Interface closeup.
All PS4 games will be available digitally.
PS4 Eye now looks a lot like Kinnect.

Playstation 4 Games Announced/Shown:

Knack – Weird little robot guy platformer
Witness – New game from Jonathan Blow (Braid)
Diablo 3
Infamous: Second Son
Killzone: Shadow Fall
Driveclub
Destiny

Features:

Details4K capable, but not for games
Sharing and gameplay streaming
Stream games to Vita
Instant on and saved game states
No native backward compatibility

Sim City attempts to launch. Amazon stops selling as ratings hit a new low. EA even pulls marketing.

Wii-U sells only 60k unit after Christmas in the US whilst Sony claims sales boom for the Vita over Christmas.

F-Zero AX found in F-Zero GX on the GameCube.

Age of Empires II getting a HD remake and released by Microsoft on Steam with Steamworks support.

God of War: Ascension loves women.

Dead or Alive 5 like jiggly boobs.

Ep. 122 – Durango Orbis Charlie

Tim — Sat, 23 Feb 2013 03:38:13 +0000

Oh those wacky console launches. We demand them, and then when the time comes, we just whine about them. You can’t win with us. But deep down, you know the truth: we’re going to buy them all. Well, except Dave: he hates fun.

Tech/Hardware News:

Polytron transparent phone revealed.

Blackberry Z10 launched. New creative director Alicia Keys tweets from iPhone.

Ubuntu phone coming in October.

Apple iWatch rumours surface again. Google watch also rumoured.

iRadio button’s found in IOS 6.1.

Evad3rs release IOS 6.1 jailbreak.

XBMC 12 ‘Frodo’ released.

Arctic teams up with OpenELEC for the MC001-XBMC-(EU) HTPC.

Pirate Bay movie released on torrent and YouTube.

3DMark Fire Strike Benchmark released.

AMD not planning on releasing any HD8000 series GPU’s soon.

Wii U hardware dissected.

Gaming News:

Playstation 2013. PS4 controller prototype revealed.

More Xbox 720 (Durango) details leaked.

Orbis vs. Durango specs

AMD ‘never settle’ games overload. Apparently paid $4 Million for the Far Cry 3 bundle.

Ouya planned to be a yearly console update cycle.

Ep. 121 – More Guests

Tim — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 01:32:10 +0000

We’re just guest crazy these days. This time, we’re joined by the legendary Owbie… no… Ewwbie… that’s not it… Ah! OobieJosh. As it turns out; he’s a damn good guest host. Certainly lives up to the hype. Show notes below.

Tech/Hardware News:

4K/8K TV’s at CES. Porsche shows off the worlds largest TV.

4K UHD vs 1080P and High Efficiency Video Coding.

nVidia

Shield
Grid
GeForce Experience Beta now open to all.

Intel

Ultrabook specification changed for Windows 8.
Haswell graphics beats an nVidia GT650M.
Haswell expected to launch on June 2nd.
PC market continues to fall and Logitech pulls out of making gaming peripherals.

Microsoft

Illumiroom.

Apples share price takes a kicking.

Tactus Technology shows off its tactile touch screen.

Sony launches world’s thinnest tablet.

Firefox phones comes in two varieties.

VIA announces challenger to the Raspberry Pi.

GCW shows off another kickstarter console.

Kim Dot Com launches new site called Mega.

Blockbuster follows lots of other high street stores in the UK by going into administration.

StickNFind Bluetooth 4.0 stickers available for preorder.

Gaming News:

Console rumour overdrive:

PS4 specs?
Xbox fanboys caught out.

Nintendo finally reveals new stuff.

THQ assets are dissolved.

Xbox Live Arcade titles come to Windows 8 and RT.

Ep. 120 – Less Guests

Tim — Sun, 13 Jan 2013 15:51:11 +0000

It’s that time of year again: new tech and gadgets to consume your spending dollars. 4K is the big talk this year, but does anyone really care? Apparently someone does, or that is to say, manufacturers hope someone does.

Tech/Hardware News:

CES 2013 preview & preview.

First Ouya and now Game Stick hit the Android gaming scene.

Ubuntu for phone coming.

Dave’s Apple products of 2013.

China follows the US in fining LCD manufacurers for price fixing.

Corning announces Gorilla Glass 3.

Gaming News:

Sony patent points to ending used game sales.

Sony ends the Playstation 2.

Nintendo takes region locking to the next level with the Wii-U gamepad.

Nintendo Wii-U console locking leads to free games in the used console market.

Ep. 119 – Suddenly… Guests

Tim — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 02:45:14 +0000

Welcome to the last show of 2012! The usual gang of Widget misanthropes are joined by special guest “The Avian”, and his nickname doesn’t have as cool a story attached to it as one might have hoped. Show notes:

Tech/Hardware News:

Google Maps returns to iOS. Downloaded 10 million times in two days.

Wanting more than two Apple products gets you tasered.

All your picture base are belong to Instagram.

Intel’s ‘Haswell’ CPU release schedule leaked.

Intel NUC launched.

Cisco to ditch Linksys.

Western Digital to bring 5TB hard drives in 2013.

Sony to ship 4K TV with 4K content.

Gravity Light project.

nVidia announces Geforce Experience as Valve confirms the “Steam Box”. Also announces the Game Guides beta.

Gaming News:

Wii U Released. Hardware specs finally revealed. Wii Mini also launched in Canada.

Neo Geo X released. It’s everything you should have expected.

VGA Awards 2012 announced.

Bioshock Infinite delayed again.

Dark Souls 2 announced with trailer. Dark Souls 1 speedrun in under a half hour.

THQ files for bankruptcy.

Epic Games shedding more and more key staff.

Wasteland 2 developers crowd-sourcing game assets

Ep. 118 – The Early Show

Tim — Fri, 23 Nov 2012 18:04:47 +0000

Topic of the Week: Marketing is ruining games.

a) Halo 4 and the Mountain Dew/Doritos gate.
b) Halo 4 gives you points for more playtime.
c) Purchasing review scores. (Although this is believed to be fake).
d) Season Pass this, season pass that. Buy half a game and get the rest later.
e) Half finshed games like Black Ops Declassified. Also remember the Rockster PS3 exclusive Agent?

Tech/Hardware News:

Disney buys Lucasfilm, announces plans to cash in on Star Wars

Apple

Management Shakeup
- Scott Forstall fired over iOS Maps and Siri fails
- Retail chief John Browett fired
- Jony Ive takes control of user experience on both iOS and OS X – Say goodbye to faux stitched leather and green felt interfaces.
New Products
- iPad mini
  - 7.9” 1024 x 768 non-retina display
  - 16 GB starting at $329
- 4th-Gen iPad
  - New A6X processor
  - Lightning port
13” MBP with Retina
Ultra-thin (at the edges) iMac design (May be delyed until 2013)
- Fusion drive
HTC-Apple settle patent dispute; Samsung wants to know more.

Google

Microsoft

Windows 8 Launched.
Surface with Windows RT.
Windows chief Steven Sinofsky leaving.

Phillips release USB powered monitor.

Samsung Galaxy S3 sells 30 million units in 157 days.

Gaming News:

Sony Playstation 3 has sold over 70 million units.
Hacker group “The Three Musketeers” publish PS3 crypto keys. Link
New PS3 updates removes folding@home support.

Wii U Released

New Xbox 360 Dashboard + SmartGlass

Halo 4 makes $220 Million in opening 24 hours. Black Ops 2 smashes it and makes $500 Million in 24 Hours.

Battlefield is 10. 1942 now free on Origin.

Grand Theft Auto V second trailer released.

Steam for Linux reaches beta.

Ep. 117 – Not Two Hours Long

Tim — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 01:57:53 +0000

I’m pleased to say that we actually managed to record a short show when we said we would. Crazy, I know. Lots of great info in here, and of course, Paul is miserably hungover. Apple maps apology, Paul’s Resident Evil 6 review, and how you can use Facebook to grief on your friends for the low cost of $7 per status update. Show notes below.

Tech/Hardware News:

Apple
APPLE SAYS SORRY!!!!

Log into iCloud and it still uses Google maps.

iPhone 5 problems rounded up.

Btw, you are using the camera wrong.

iPad mini surely on the verge of being announced.

Extending SoC hardware development.

Duo Gamer and Duo Pinball controllers certified by Apple.

Ban on Samsung Galaxy Tab lifted in the US.

AMD launches first desktop Trinity APU. Add faster ram and take the benefits of high fps.

Sharp producing 1080p 443ppi mobile displays.

Steam launches software sales.

Facebook hits 1 billion monthly users.
Time to pay to promote your status updates.

Porn comes to the Xbox 360.

Nasa’s curisoity rover becomes mayor of Mars.

Gaming News:

Resident Evil 6…..oh Resident Evil what have you done. Also, WTH PR event. Ships 4.5 million copies of the game.

Clifford B quits Epic.

Fifa 13 sales records.

First free-to-play game comes to Xbox 360.

Nintendo puts more games for sale on the e-Store.

Project Cars – Funding for the game is raised entirely by the community and the developers themselves.

OpenPandora 1Ghz edition is amazing but hella expensive.

Ep. 116 – iPhone 5 Is Alive

Tim — Sat, 29 Sep 2012 12:33:25 +0000

Hey folks. First: let me apologize for the audio version of this running about a week behind release of the video. However, now would be a great time to remind everyone that we now record the show LIVE on our YouTube channel, so if you don’t feel like waiting, or just love seeing our faces, that’s the place to get your Widget fix in the mostly timely manner. Sometimes RL just doesn’t understand that I have a show to get out! Anywho, lots of great stuff here, especially if you’re a giant iPhone (or phone nerd in general). If not though, you may just want to skip till about an hour in. I’m just sayin… Oh, and to check out the sweet video of the official Widget Show rally car, click the link to read on (show notes follow the video).

Be sure to check out more of Devon’s rallycross videos on his YouTube channel! Thanks again, Devon for the support (and for understanding that Tim is a giant failure at keeping promises). On with the show notes!

Apple:

iPhone 5 is out
- Fanboy Paul posts unboxing video (to keep those google monies coming in).
- Benchmarks show it is the fastest smartphone out there currently.
- Doesn’t do too badly in drop tests either.
- Lightning adapter causes quite the fuss.
iOS 6 is out and hits 15% IOS penetrationin 24 hours.
- Internet explodes with Apple Maps hate.
New iPods coming in Oct.
- Some upset that the nano moves away from the watch style form factor.
Seeking Samsung US sales ban and $707 million more in damages.
Wins patent for the word ‘Podcasting’.
In the wars with John McClane. (aka “Die Hard with an iTunes Account”)

Amazon

Announces the Kindle Fire HD.
Wall-Mart decides to stop stocking Kindles in favour of Apple products.

Intel IDF 2012

Haswell does what Ivybridge does using 10w less power.
Future of wireless is the 802.11ad 60hz spectrum.
Introduces the NUC (Next Unit of Computing).

nVidia

How far mainstream graphic cards have come in just four years.
nVidia thinks the next gen consoles will be the last.

Gaming News:

Nintendo.

Wii-U hardware specs revealed but some devs point to slow CPU as an achilles heal. No hard drive but does support up to 3TB of external space through USB.
Wii-U prices and release dates announced.
Wii-U will have no two player tablet games at launch. Extra tablet could cost up to $150.
Results of the #WidgetStrawPoll- Will you be buying a Wii-U?
- No (10)
- Someday (6)
- Launch Day (3)
First pics of the 3DS Circle Mahoooosive Pad Pro appear.

Sony

Introduces PS3 Super Slim in 250GB and 500GB flavours.
Europeans get a version with 12GB of flash memory.

Steam

Releases the ‘Big Picture’ update.
Project Greenlight starts, stops, introduces $100 entrance fee and starts again. First ten games submitted.
More listings pointing to Valve entering the hardware industry.

Bioware co-founders retire from the gaming industry.

iControlPad 2 relying on a kickstarter to get going.

Black Mesa released (up until Zen for now)

Ubisoft removes PC games always online DRM, even after stating 95% of PC games are pirated.

Ep. 115 – Oppa Gundam Style

Tim — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 23:27:24 +0000

Using any opportunity to cash-in on the latest dance craze, The Widget team is hoping to piggyback on the success of a certain K-Pop song. That being said, thanks to a technical snafu, the video of this episode is actually broken into two parts. The first one is up above, and the second one can be found after the ‘Continue Reading’ link. Alternatively, you could just subscribe to our YouTube channel and never miss another episode. I’m just saying…

Industry in Crisis.

Onlive files for bankruptcy to shaft creditors and shareholders. Massively in debt. Now owned by Lauder Partners.

HTC loses $40 Million.

Dell sees 8% fall in PC sales this quarter. Expects more next quarter too.

Ubisoft thinks 90% of PC games are pirated.

Sony closes Studio Liverpool, aka Psygnosis.

Sony PS Vita only sold 2.2 Million so far. No price cut yet.

Popcap studio’s job losses. PvZ2 announced as creator is laid off.

Industry in Change.

EA’s VP – Adapt or become irrelevant.

Charles Cecil looking to kickstarter for the next Broken Sword.

Steam ‘Big Picture’ mode to hit beta in September

Nintendo Power Magazine to close.

Game’s flagship London store to close.

EA predicts death of high street stores within 10 years.

EA states 3D is dead.

EA for sale?

Tech/Hardware News:

Apple:
Now officially the richest company ever in US history.
Beats the shit out of Samsung in court. Samsung ordered to pay 1.2 BILLION dollars in damages for patent violations.
Apple stock reaches highest ever position. When will Carolyn sell sell sell.

Microsoft:
Changes logo for the fist time in 25 years.
Windows RT Surface to launch for $199?
Windows 8 upgrade registration begins.

nVidia launches the mainstream GTX 660 Ti. AMD drops prices again.

AMD releases the 7950B and alienates original 7950 owners.

IEEE 1tbps ethernet standard by 2015.

2.5” hard disks to slim to 5mm to enter the ultrabook market.

Facebook shares dip below half of original value.

Gaming News:

Nintendo

Own’s Japan in hardware and software sales.

Wii-U price set to be released on September 13th. Talk of manufacturing problems with the gamepad.

New SMB2 E-Shop accounts for 5% of sales. Price explains why.

Sony

Introduce cross-buy for PS3/PSV games.

Call of Duty Black Ops 2 Declassified for Vita maybe isn’t all that afterall.

Microsoft drops the price of the Kinect.

$200 Neo-Geo X to arrive in December with 20 games.

Day-Z, the biggest selling game of the summer.

Dark Souls launches on the PC with a fixed resolution of 1024×720. Modders to the rescue.

Australia finally welcomes in 18+ games.

Primal Carnage promises to be everything all the Jurassic Park games should have been.

Ep. 114 – The Men with the Hats

Tim — Sun, 19 Aug 2012 16:09:35 +0000

After being delayed because Paul was off at yet another bachelor party, and then another week because Tim was lazy/sick, at long last here’s the audio release of the latest show. Lots of interesting stuff discussed this time, even Tim was able to concentrate on the show for a little bit before diving off into Laserdisc arcade game land. Hit the jump for the show links/notes.

Tech/Hardware News:

Microsoft:

Windows 8 Pro & Enterprise RTM leaked.

Metro name no more.

Launches new W8 keyboard and mouse. Spo the influence.

Gabe Newell hates Windows 8. Steam for Linux on the way.

Blizzard hates Windows 8.

Notch hates Windows 8.

Xbox Windows brand announced with achievements.

Outlook.com to take over Hotmail.com

Google:

Fibre to launch in Kansas first.

Indefinitely delays Nexus-Q launch, promises free Nexus-Q to all pre-orderers.

Android 4.0 ICS to come to Raspberry Pi.

Apple:
Next iPhone images leaking.

Apple drops YouTube app from latest iOS6 beta. Google making standalone app.

Amazon Instant Video app for iPad released.

Apple admits it is not virus proof.

Intel’s Haswell chip to be faster in both computation and 3D stakes over Ivybridge.

Samsung officially announces the Galaxy Note 10.1.

Demonoid bites the dust.

Facebook share price sliding massively.

Curiosity rover lands on Mars powered by PowerPC G3 processor

Happy 30th birthday to the Commodore C64.

nVidia posts quarterly profits based on the Tegra 3 chipset. 3->4 million Nexus 7’s ordered already.

Gaming News:

Ouya

kickstarter campaign nets $8.6 million.

Onlive streaming to be available at launch

XBMC support.

Vevo music support.

Namco in talks to support.

Pre-Order now.

Quakecon:
John Carmack apologies for Rage on the PC.
JC rules out Linux as a viable gaming alternative.
JC endorses the Oculus Rift project.
ID giving up on mobile gaming and concentrating on Doom 3 BFG Edition and Doom 4.

Steam

To begin offering non-gaming software.

Big picture project still ongoing.

Updates EULA to avoid class action lawsuits.

Nintendo drops the price of the 3DS XL by £5 and offers a free game, two weeks after launch.

Blizzard’s Battle.net hacked.

GRiD 2 on the way. Griefing ahoy.

Rise of the Triad returns.

Samsung to offer streaming gaming services direct to the TV with Gaikai.

Widget Strawpoll Result:

What is your primary gaming format?

Ep. 113 – They Make It So Hard

Tim — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 00:28:45 +0000

Our second live show, now with added pain in the ass. Once we got Paul to stop getting us banned from Google + though, it was pretty smooth sailing. Thanks for watching, and let us know what you think of the new video format! Show notes below.

Apple :

Grabs John Bruno from AMD.

Microsoft:

Posts first ever quarterly loss.
Windows 8 to launch on Oct 26th.
Windows 8 Upgrade Offer website launches. UK offers look like this.
Windows App Store details emerge.
Office 2013 customer preview is released. Not compatible with Win XP or Vista.
Microsoft like Big Boobs.

Google

Nexus 7 launched. Problems with deliveries means new orders are postponed.

Patent Wars

Apple ordered to publish adverts for Samsung in the UK for six month. Apple appeals.
Galaxy Tab 10.1 still banned in the US.

Mozilla OS revealed and devs can test the OS now on Windows, Linux & Mac.

Ouya console breaks kickstarter records. Strange first big title commitment.

XBMC finally comes to Android.

Western Digital launches Red line of hard drives for those using raid setups.

Digg sells for just 500k.

Gaming News:

Could the next generation consoles be hardware upgradeable? Microsoft may think so.

Steam coming to Linux.

Rocksteady taking Batman to the 1950’s apparently as Warner Bros look to games to establish the Justice League into public consciousness.

Activision bringing back Pitfall…..again.

Activision owns Nintendo. Do it or no games.

EA/Bioware announce Ultima Forever: Quest for the Avatar, a remake of 1985’s Ultima IV. Cross-platform free to play action RPG. Beta signup available through Origin.

Battlefield 4 announced via Medal of Honor Warfighter.

Ep. 112 – Widget Live Beta 2.5

Tim — Sun, 08 Jul 2012 21:36:22 +0000

The Widget: Games, Tech, Whatever… NOW IN COLOR!

Our giant debut live video show thing. We apologize in advance for shattering anyone’s dreams about what we look like.

Show notes below.

Tech/Hardware News:

Apple (WWDC):

iOS 6 Previewed
MBP w/Retina Display
Apple releases dedicated Podcast app for iOS
Chinese iPad trademark suit settled for $60 million
First App Store malware found.

Google (IO 2012):

Nexus Q media hub (for $299!?)
Nexus7 7” tablet running Android 4.1
Project Glass Demonstration
Chrome hits iOS.
Google Drive hits over 10 million users.

Microsoft (Surface Announcement):

Surface tablet. Bill Gates gives it the thumbs up but HP reportedly dumps plans for Win RT tablet following Surface announcement. MS believe tablets will outsell PC’s in 2013.
Windows Phone 8

Windows 8 early upgrade pricing at $40 for download, $70 for media.
No Small Business of Home Server versions of Windows Server 2012.

Smartphones

Record quarterly profits of £3.8 Billion/$5.9 Billion for Samsung and now the worlds biggest smartphone manufacturer. As a consequence HTC suffers. Rumours of Amazon about to enter the smartphone market too.

Patent Wars – Who cares anymore.

Galaxy Nexus pulled off the market due to copyright claim from Apple. Then it comes back, but Google unsure for how long.

AMD

7970 Gigahertz Edition Released. Fastest single GPU card available but there is a reason why.

nVidia

Colorful planning a passively cooled GTX 680. Craziness!

Adobe

Pulls the plug on Flash for mobile.

Mozilla

Firefox OS (Boot2Gecko) to release in 2013 for mobile phones
Ceases all development on the Thunderbird mail client.

EU Court Rulings

ACTA anti-piracy agreement denied by EU.
EU rules in favour of UsedSoft in case of reselling Oracle digital licences.

Gaming News:

Nintendo announces 3DS XXXL; Circle Pad Pro (massive edition) coming as well.

Nintendo Wii-U tech specs.

Sony purchases Gaikai for $380 million after seeing Bulletstorm on the Google Chromebox at IO 2012.

Microsoft Xbox 8?

Mass Effect 3 Extended Cut DLC arrives.

Nights HD to arrive in the fall.

Ep. 111 – E3 And The Broken Facebook

Tim — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 10:59:22 +0000

We brokes the Facebooks. We're teh sorrys.

E3, bay-bee! Or at least that’s how we imagine Terry would say it. For reals though: we give our rundown of things. We try to not repeat the same crap you’ve heard on hundreds of websites and podcasts, but it’s hard, y’know? In fact, I’m not even going to put any links in here. I mean, you know what happened, yeah? Anyway, all that, some viewer mail, and an update on our upcoming live call-in show.

Ep. 110 – Not The Longest Show Ever

Tim — Fri, 18 May 2012 01:08:53 +0000

Dave and Jorge go shopping for their new "high-end" television...

Great time to build a new gaming PC, or greatest time to build a new gaming PC? The GeForce 670 is amazing, Ivy Bridge is living up to the hype, and hard drive prices are finally coming back down to Earth. How long can Tim hold out?!? Guess we’ll have to see…

Tech/Hardware News:

Negative reaction to Peter Jackson’s 48 fps Hobbit trailer at CinemaCon. Bring on the soap opera effect.

nVidia Launches the GTX 690 and the GTX 670

System builders not happy with Ivybridge. TIM found inside Ivybridge chips.

Netgear to launch first 802.11ac router.

Samsung Galaxy S3 launched.

Revised iPad 2 gives better battery life.

Google Drive launches.

Net neutrality changing. Pirate Bay blocked by UK ISP’s and Dutch look to follow.

Benedict Cumberbatch to play Khan in ST 2?!?

Gaming News:

Nintendo posts first annual loss ($533 million) in company history

Wii-U launch line up leak and Ubisoft Rayman Wii-U video leak.

Sony has sold 1.8 Million PS Vita’s.

XBLA records being broken by Trials and Minecraft.

Bioshock Infinite delayed to 2013

MS to offer $99 Xbox 360 (4GB Kinect) with 2-year Live Gold commitment at $15/month

Microsoft looking to take control of fitness games.

More advertising coming to Xbox dashboard.

Wolfenstein 3D is 20 and now playable in HTML 5.

Plus: viewer mail!

Ep. 109 – Low to Mid-range

Tim — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 01:02:39 +0000

There: now everyone can bask in the glory that is Bad Grammar Terry and his ladies...

He’s quite proud. Anyway, new show. 3.5 hours. Get some. Show topics are all over the place, so no real list is possible. We had a record of viewer mails though, so thanks for that. Sorry we were away for so long. We’ll do our best to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

Ep. 108 – The Angered Silence

Tim — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 02:53:16 +0000

Seriously, we are so miserable to each other sometimes. And yet, I can't turn away...

Tech/Hardware News:

Apple previews OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion to media, will ship this summer
More iOS features will make their way to Mac
Google uses hack to bypass iOS privacy settings and track browser history.
Intel IvyBridge to be delayed until summer. 3.4Ghz Ivybridge said to be up to 17% faster than 3.4Ghz Sandybridge.
AMD release 7750 and 7770 GPU’s.
AMD graphics CTO leaves. So AMD not focusing on high end CPU or discreet GPU markets anymore. The Trinity lineup looks impressive in the performance per watt chart.
More nVidia Kepler leaks. Recent results show revenues up and profits down.
Tim Sweeney talks at DICE about the future of games and technology.
EPIC plan on Unreal Engine 4 to shock.
H.265 on the way.
Creative Labs Soundblaster Recon3D with Sound Core technology. They’re kind of stretching it at this point, aren’t they?
The PC market is declining, in the UK at least.
Symantec held to ransom by hackers.

Gaming News:

Double Fine does an industry first: backing a project via Kickstarter. Their $400,000 goal was met in 8 hours. It’s currently sitting at $1.9 million.
Live stream of Mojang making new game in 60 hrs for Humble Bundle. Via @Cr1ms0nAvenger
Sony embraces cross platform play between Vita and PS3.
Sony Playstation games to come to HTC devices.
Simraceway S1 steering wheel. Paul’s new must-have accessory?
2012 Bafta Game Award Nominations released.

Ep. 107 – Greybush Threepwood

Tim — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:34:49 +0000

Dave dreams of running away from it all and becoming a pirate

Tech/Hardware News:

Facebook IPO. Graffiti artist is gonna cash in.
AMD 7950 Launched. In tests the overclocked 7950 matches the more expensive stock 7970.
Intel Ivybridge 22nm chips to arrive in April. (Sandybridge was 32nm).
GlobalFoundries announce preparation for 14nm wafer processing.
Kinect for Windows launched for $249. Asus testing Kinect built straight into laptops.
Xbox 720 Rumors - To use an AMD 6670 GPU, Blu-Ray equipped, no used games, bundled with Kinect 2, no new Xbox in 2012
Boxee pulls the plug on PC client
Google “Bouncer” scanning Android Marketplace for malware Link. And yet, Symantec says trojans still rampant Link
New York Times article rips Apple for Chinese factory conditions Link

Gaming News:

Are you affected by a Resident Evil spelling mistake? If so, contact Capcom.
EA’s Kingdoms of Amalur locks portions of single-player game behind online pass
Dumb politics: Oklahoma lawmaker proposes tax on all video games with T or M rating. Link
Dodonpachi Blissful Death hits iOS next week. Time for Tim to get his iPad charged and ready.
Aliens Collonial Marines trailer is pretty sweet.

Ep. 106 – A Tale of CountZer0

Tim — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 21:26:42 +0000

I can't think of anything witty to put on this image. Just make up your own jokes.

Hey all! This episode, we’re joined by someone who you’ve not heard is quite some time. The original Widget alumni: CountZer0. Why you ask? Because he has written a children’s book. Fancy that… Topics this week include:

SOPA, PIPA proponents back down in Congress. Yea! The Internet wins!! Though both are merely delayed rather than cancelled.
Megaupload shut down, founders arrested in New Zealand at behest of U.S. agencies; Anonymous targets record labels, FBI, MPAA sites in response Link and Upload.to blocks US access to site.
Kim DotCom’s cars seized.
CES : Wireless TV. LG 55″ OLED TV. Project Fiona (aka more Razor Vaporware). 802.11ac. Waterproof phones.
No method of delivering true 4K content confirmed.
Apple intros iBooks 2, iBooks Author; proprietary ePub format locked down to only work on Apple gear and iBookstore
iPad 3 unveiling rumored for early February
Alienware intros X51 console-sized gaming computer starting at $700 Link
AMD Radeon 7950 card due by end of month.
iPhone 4s and iPad 2 untethered jailbreak finally released on IOS 5.01. XBMC 11 (Eden) beta working great on iOS touch screens now.
XBMC shown running on the Raspberry Pi.
Kodak files for chapter 11 bankruptcy.
X-Rangers spoof.
No official Steve Jobs doll for Dave. Tim provides alternative.
More poor PS Vita sales. Now down to 19,000 units sold in a week.
Bioshock infinite set to party like its 1999.
Cuttherope.ie brings Cut The Rope to HTML 5.

Plus some viewer mails to help keep you warm by the fire. Talk to you later!

Ep. 105 – The Stephen Dorff Effect

Tim — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 00:15:58 +0000

Stephen Dorff's love of Apple products is just one of the many reasons Dave finds him so sexy

In keeping with the trend of being super-cool, here’s all the links to the topics of this episode. I’d like to make it sound like it’s a total pain in the ass, but honestly, I just copy-pasta from gDocs, so no biggie.

GoDaddy takes a SOPA kicking. European court deems ISP monitoring file sharing to be illegal.
LG to debut 84″ Ultra Definition 4k 3D TV. CrimsonAvenger wants this 55″ OLED display.
Red Scarlet-X 4K raw video recorder. 64GB SSD capacity = 20mins of footage. Camera battery lasts 30 mins.
Samsung buys out LCD joint venture with Sony.
Ultrabooks to dominate CES 2012.
AMD releases 7000 series GPU’s.
The 28nm Radeon 7970. Some modders pushes it up to 1.7Ghz. 1.26Ghz overclock = P10259 3DMarks.
7970 in Crossfire mode offers quite ridiculous performance. Two 7970 almost equals four of the previous generation cards.
nVidia GTX 780 performance leaks, nVidia partners worried by Kepler delay.
Intel to release GPU-less Sandybridge chips.
Intel rages war on SOC with Medfield.
Corona Jailbreaks IOS 5.01 untethered on A4 processors. (iPad 1 and iPhone 4)
IOS jailbreak team joins together to target A5 processors but runs into problems.
Steve Jobs doll to launch in China and Apple may not be able to stop it.
Amazon Kindle on sales Fire.
Goodbye IE6.

Gaming News:

PS Vita launches in Japan; sales drop from 325,000 to 72,000 in second week, 42,000 in third. PSP outselling Vita.
3DS sales take off
PS Vita says “Hello World”, reveals hidden system menu, bypasses Online Checks & plays Doom,
Crown3DS on the verge of exposing 3DS piracy.
Mame comes to Chrome.
Sonic 4 Episode 2 is coming out then. New graphics and physics engine.
GTA III launched on IOS/Android.
Respawn releases teaser image of new game.
Sonic CD remake was a Christian Whitehead fan game.

Also: viewer mail. Talk at you soon.

Ep. 104 – A Serbian Centipede Christmas

Tim — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 13:04:44 +0000

Clearly, this puppy is terribly disappointed to be associated with this episode.

Happy holiday season, everyone! For this last Widget of 2011 (onwards to year 7), we dive into why on earth Paul decided to watch ‘The Human Centipede 2′ and ‘A Serbian Film’, against all better judgement. Other than that, here’s a handy list of other, less repulsive subjects that we cover:

The Widget decides AMD Bulldozer sucks… Paul buys one anyway
AMD says it plans to concentrate on mobile chips but also still on track to release bulldozer successor in Q3 2012.
Companies/Universities buying up .XXX domain names to protect their brand.
Hitachi 3.5″ internal 4TB hard disks spotted in the wild.
Android apps top 10 billion downloads.
Infinity Blade 2 released
Xbox Live app for iOS
Scribblenauts Remix gets Siri support
Microsoft rolls out Metro UI Xbox dashboard update, aka Advert Dashboard. Users react to block ads.
Onlive open to working with Microsoft and/or Sony. IOS app on the way but they forgot to tell Apple. Also releasing a new joypad for portable devices.
Mass confusion over Miyamoto’s new role at Nintendo
Wii has now officially sold 37.7 MILLION units in U.S.; 80+ million worldwide
Dead or Alive 5 is ‘fighting game entertainment’. Giant swaying boobs for everyone!
EA release Theme Park IOS and destroy it in a sea of microtransactions.
More Sony proprietary bullshit, aka Vita memory cards.
More Duke Nukem DLC on the way.
100% the best and most innovative anti-piracy method seen yet.
Beware, the awful Jurassic Park game will get a boxed release.
Star Wars Old Republic release date brought forward.
Notch stepping away from Minecraft.

And of course, viewer mail featuring our friend and mentor, Bad Grammar Terry. We’ll talk at you again in 2012!

Ep. 103 – Kill The Horse

Tim — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 01:44:39 +0000

This is not the first time this has happened to Paul, nor would it be the last...

In the spirit of the holiday season, this episode comes with bonafide topic links. See? Your Widget benefactors can be a giving people.

AMD Bulldozer server edition is here! I bet AMD wishes they could go back in time to change all this.
nVidia Geforce 560 Ti 448 arrives.
AMD’s 7000 series GPU specs leaked
Western Digital is buying Hitachi’s hard disk business
Crucial M4 SSD gets firmware update that greatly increases performance.
Google Wave axed
Kindle Fire released
Samsung take the piss out of Apple with their Galaxy S II advert.
Apple iTV rumours gather more and more momentum.
Have a 1st gen iPod Nano? Trade it in before it explodes.
Steam got haxored.
Thanks to Super Mario Land 3D, the 3DS finally starts selling. On its way to beat first year DS sales.
Minecraft pocket edition released to IOS. Minecraft proper is now at 1.0!
Game publishers back Blockbuster rentals as a way to battle used games
Doom 3 source code is now available, and with no Creative Labs owned code.
Jurassic Park game devs scam Metacritic reviews ahead of launch
Sony is working on their own version of Super Smash Bros
Sega Genesis version of Super Street Fighter 2 updated to include online multiplayer
Online bodyguard….anyone….anyone?
Sonic the Hedgehog turned 20. Sega release special history of the character video online.
Whoops. I just deleted an MMO.
Space travel demands Counter-Strike.
A little wee bit of Viewer Mail

Ep. 102 – Light Leakage 3D Pr0n

Tim — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 20:07:42 +0000

Be thankful I cropped it: nobody needed to see what Dave is holding in his left hand.

Paul has found time in his oh-so-busy schedule to make an appearance on the show, and for that, we are grateful. Lots of fun this week. Here’s the list:

iOS 5 is out, and we give our thoughts
AMD’s Bulldozer chips are out and fail to impress
Samsung announces the Galaxy Prime
Hard drive storage is about to increase thanks to salt
Netflix loses 800,000 subscribers: UK and Ireland launching soon
Panasonic gets out of the plasma television business
Nvidia 3D Vision 2 promises a brighter future
Nintendo is hemorrhaging cash
and so much more

Plus, a dash of Viewer Mail from our good buddy Bad Grammar Terry. We think he loves us. Also: if you’re interested in owning that swanky ‘Punch it, Chewie’ t-shirt, head over to http://www.cafepress.com/thewidgetshow to snag yours!

Ep. 101.5 – Paul Ruined Everything

Tim — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 19:31:45 +0000

This is a dramatic re-enactment of why Paul missed this episode, and crushed our dreams.

Paul crushed our dreams. Dave arrived a shell of a man thanks to the selfishness of Paul. He’s an asshole.

Ep. 101 – Goodbye, Steve

Tim — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 12:58:24 +0000

Thanks for everything, Steve. (image credit: Jonathan Mak)

I figured it’s fairly obvious what the major topic for this episode is, so I’ll skip any lengthy write-up and just list everything else we cover.

iPhone 4s announced. People whine, then buy it.
iOS5 is imminent, bringing with it everything Android 1.6 had
Amazon announces new line of Kindles. Mucho sexy.
Samsung delays the Nexus Prime launch in “honor of Steve Jobs”. Pfft…
Rage is definitely a remarkably average game

Little bit of Viewer Mail in there too. Talk to you soon!

Ep. 100 – Six Years Later

Tim — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 22:03:19 +0000

Another couple of years and Dave's cake will look like this too.

Join us for our special LIVE 100th episode special! Alright, this mp3 isn’t live, but it was when we recorded it. FOUR HOURS of Widget goodness, with the added awesomeness of call-ins from our fantastic community. Don’t try to swallow it whole, you’ll choke. Topics include:

Steve Jobs retires. Dave is still crying.
AMD launches a 28mm mobile GPU that runs Dirt3 fairly well
Zotac is hitting hard with their new mini-itx motherboards
Battlefield 3 is making sexy time with Paul
Grand Prix Story hits iOS! Fails to capture Paul’s heart.
PILES of Viewer Mail!

Ep. 99 – Dogs and Cats Living Together

Tim — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 13:01:35 +0000

Dave didn't appreciate the birthday cake we got him as much as we had hoped

Happy birthday, Dave! Great to see you survive another 365, what with that crazy rockstar lifestyle you lead. Also, lots of tech stuff happened. Crazy stuff. Harbingers of the apocalypse kind of stuff:

Google buys Motorola’s mobile business
HP kills all of their WebOS hardware and is selling their PC business
Cyanogen is working for Samsung
New cheaper (and prettier imo – Tim) PSP hits Europe.
New cheaper (and neutered imo – Tim) Wii also heading to Europe
Steam begins to test game trading program

All this and some pretty verbose Viewer Mail®. Sit down and strap in kids. This is a long one.

Ep. 98 – You Young Whippersnappers

Tim — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 13:00:40 +0000

Ah, retirement. Days spent down by the swimming hole... talking tech... naked...

In this episode, we spend a bit of time going over the various things like: Battlefield 3 not coming to Steam, MS-DOS turning 30 (or it’s now 30 years old), big-ass SSDs, the 3DS price drop (or how Paul is a sucker), and other things. However, we also go off on a pretty good tangent about the good old days. Back when men were men, and games were smaller. See? This is what happens when you get older. Enjoy.

Ep. 97 – Every Key Is An A##hole

Tim — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 02:03:18 +0000

Don't be fooled; this kitten is only here as an apology for the horrors in this episode.

Paul and Tim are tired, as they both have to work very hard for a living. Dave on the other hand is a gentleman of leisure, and simply rakes in the cash from his vast patent portfolio of edible underwear and novelty condoms. Topics:

Mac OS X Lion is out (and Tim foolishly installed it day one)
Obligatory new Apple hardware talk
Microsoft wants to have Linux’s babies
Yahoo is the leper of the Intertubes
Zotac has some sexy new mini ITX motherboards coming out
The graphics card race could be heating up soon
Viewer Mail

On Internet.

Ep. 96 – It’s All About The Circles

Tim — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 23:44:30 +0000

I for one welcome our new web search powered overlords. Plus One!

I love how Paul always manages to go on one of his drinking benders the day before we record a show. I mean it: it’s gold! It makes me happy to know that Dave and I have somehow contributed to his hangover being even worse. Topics:

Google+ is the new cool kid place
Tim wants everyone to stop using social media and get back to forums
AMD debuts their impressive new A-Series chips
An AMD Bulldozer engineer sample gets OC’d to 5.1ghz on air
Bioshock Infinite trailer is over 9000 sexy
Battlefield 3 no-go to Steam
King of Fighters XIII gets an unofficial PC release in the form of a hacked arcade dump
Viewer Mail and much more

Oh, and for those wondering: No, I did not say “we’ll touch you later” at the end of the show (no matter how much it sounds like I did).

Ep. 95 – Two Hours of Nothing

Tim — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 12:39:35 +0000

The irony of how we "have nothing to talk about" for hours doesn't escape us.

A little behind-the-scenes secret: most of the time, our “show doc” is slapped together an hour before we hit record. Generally, this is accompanied with an email being sent the day before saying “we don’t really have anything to talk about”. Of course, when we actually do the show, we end up blathering on for two hours. Just wanted to share. This week:

LulzSec, LulzSec, LulzSec
Team Fortress 2 is free forever
Crysis 2 goes DirectX 11
Sonic the Hedgehog turns 20
Viewer Mail!
Dave sounds bored

Ep. 94 – EWWDC3 1138 2011

Tim — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 12:10:40 +0000

Dave dreams of the day where Apple controls your every thought and movement...

Yes, this is the obligatory E3 and WWDC 2011 episode. Yes, it is very long… and so is the show. We also cover Duke Nukem Forever. Yes, it’s very average… and so is… wait, that’s not right…

Viewer mail aplenty and the usual goings on and shenanigans.

Ep. 93 – Mac OS Retribution

Tim — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 01:08:11 +0000

Mac malware. Everyone knew it was coming... Well, maybe not Dave.

It’s a pre-E3 show, but unlike the rest of the planet, we don’t whine about how there’s nothing to talk about. Here goes:

The honeymoon is over; malware hits the Mac hard.
Sony seriously can’t catch a break, but neither can a lot of game companies it seems.
Google Wallet. No thanks.
The Vita? C’mon man…
Modern Warfare 3 struts its stuff. Sorry console kids: that’s PC footage.

Good bit of viewer mail, and we finally checked our iTunes comments (thanks, Mark!). See you in the glorious post-E3 world.

Ep. 92 – Of Playstation and Politics

Tim — Thu, 19 May 2011 12:50:40 +0000

Uh oh... looks like Sony's crack security detail is asleep on the job again...

Feel the bitter sting of the Monarch! Actually, the bitter sting of many a PSN user (including all of us) being more than a fair bit upset about the current Playstation Network debacle. But who has time to worry about it when Paul has to endlessly grief on Tim about his recent nuptials? Plus: Google IO brought some yawns, and Skype is about to get muddacluckling PAID! Dave, as per usual, is the energy of the party (especially when Tim gets an Apple fact wrong). Also: politics, and a great example of why we NEVER talk about them. The cherry on top is of course the Viewer Mail segment. Enjoy.

Ep. 91 – There Will Be No Wedding Podcast

Tim — Mon, 02 May 2011 13:56:52 +0000

Get married. For science. You monster.

Pretty easy one here. We talk about:

iOS and Android tracks your movements
PSN got hacked
Amazon EC2 went down
Nintendo announced their new console

Also, we all love Portal 2 (well, except Paul), Tim bought a Boxee Box, and lots of excellent Viewer Mail. Talk to you in a few weeks!

Ep. 90 – Death Laser Eye Care

Tim — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 14:15:10 +0000

"So you see, Paul: it's a simple and painless procedure..."

Feeling the effects of getting older, Paul has decided to take the step of getting his eyes cut open with lasers so he no longer needs glasses. He is (as anyone would be) slightly nervous about the whole thing, even though Dave had a similar procedure performed years before it was deemed “safe” by the medical community. Even with the disturbing and perverted side-effects, he still claims it was worth it. So, the show:

Sony gets hax0red, execs are targeted
Grandma killed the Internet
Tim is arcade stick crazy (again)
Nvidia is allowing SLI on AMD chips again
Minecraft has made more money than some small countries
Crysis 2′s consolization is more dire than we first thought
VIEWER MAIL!

Ep. 89 – Gimme The Clap

Tim — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 02:19:20 +0000

I don't even want to try and picture how you'd get the clap from a 3DS...

This week, Tim is joined in studio by Dave, and you can cut the sexual tension with a knife. Paul is also along for the ride, and surprisingly, he is neither hungover or on his way to being hungover. Shocking. This episode:

Paul’s review of the 3DS
AT&T buys T-Mobile (that’s one way for them to get the iPhone)
Nvidia has a new E-Penis on the market in the form of a dual GPU GTX 590
New XBox in 2015? (this actually leads to a very good conversation)
Why won’t Duke just come already?
Viewer mail!

Love you.

Ep. 88 – Blue Yeti Penis

Tim — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 16:13:41 +0000

You realize how phallic microphones are when you're taking pictures of them.

The Widget episode 88 in summary:

Paul is severely hungover (more than normal)
New iPad (Dave STILL isn’t buying)
Kinect is fastest-selling consumer electronic in history (it burns us)
Sony has your number (well, your IP at least)
Stole some MS Points? BOOM! (banhammer)
The AMD 6990 is big enough for even the most ardent size queens (e-Penis)
Viewer mail (plenty)

Succinct, to the point, and best of all, I didn’t have to come up with any witty copy. Well, except for that title. C’mon: you know you love my attempts at creating fun little play-on-words show titles. Or, at least I like to think you do… you know what? Screw you, man! I’m trying here. I’m going back to my man-cave… alone… with my Blue Yeti penis…

Ep. 87 – My PSP Does 129

Tim — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 04:03:21 +0000

If you caught what song I'm referencing with this episode's title: Congrats, you're old.!

Tim’s losing his touch. The guy that used to be on top of every single thing in the world of games, tech, and whatever has turned into, gasp, an adult who doesn’t have the time to obsessively absorb every piece of news. No greater example of this exists than his recent purchase of a PSP. However, you’ll have to listen to find out why. Other tidbits include: new MacBook Pro models, the 3DS is out in Japan (and hacked), Sony is a bunch of bastards (not news), Paul wants to have a key party with his Wii, and we all hate the gaming media (buncha young whippersnappers).

Ep. 86 – Salvaged

Tim — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 20:13:34 +0000

Sometimes, computers just let you down. Stupid computers.

First off: the audio quality on this episode is below our usual high-standards. A mid-recording glitch in the process rendered Tim’s audio channel nearly inaudible for the duration of the episode. However, through some digital black magic, it was able to be resurrected, but at the expense of some audio quality. Just so everyone knows, we’re blaming Dave.

That being said, here’s what you’ll find in this episode: Intel recalls Sandy Bridge chipsets due to a manufacturing flaw, Dave Bunchanumbers nearly destroys his new PC by installing his heatsink backwards, Nokia ditches Symbian and MeeGo and embraces the loving electronic arms of Windows Phone 7, Sony is cracking down on the people who broke open the PS3, a pre-release build of Crysis 2 was leaked, and much more (lots of viewer mail to sift through as well). Hugs.

Ep. 85 – The Dave Show Starring Dave

Tim — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 14:27:53 +0000

Hangovers suck, but they can make for funny shows. Especially when Dave is hosting.

As threatened promised, this weeks show is entirely brought to you by Dave. Topics (most of them), hosting duties, and Dave’s patent-pending levels of excitement. It’s a good thing too, as Tim and Paul are still seriously hungover from the night before. Duke Nukem Forever, Verizon iPhone (of course), XBMC being ported to iOS devices (Paul brought that one), custom PS3 firmware, and why our show isn’t like the 6 million other gaming/tech podcasts that have come after it (seriously, we checked). Record levels of viewer mail in this show as well. Thanks! ZZzzzzzzzz

Ep. 84 – Steamy Spreadsheets

Tim — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 00:32:24 +0000

Paul may laugh; but secretly, he's incredibly turned on by my number pr0n

Happy New Year! With the 2010 Steam Holiday Sale behind us, we spend some time going over some of the great deals that were had by all (Tim has a spreadsheet to prove it). We also get to hear the first-hand account of the newly-minted Game Dev Story addict, Tim. Learn how to turn your new Radeon 6950 into a 6970 with nothing more than a BIOS flash. Thanks, AMD! One lonely piece of viewer mail, and a raving lunatic reviews Battlefield: Bad Company 2. Feed her.

Ep. 83 – Holiday Blue Waffle

Tim — Sun, 19 Dec 2010 23:52:17 +0000

The Widget gross-out contest once again escalates to new levels. Happy Holidays!

The Boxee Box is out, looking pretty sweet, and Tim (and Dave?!?) may be getting one soon. If you pirate Michael Jackson games, Ubisoft is going to vuvuzela your ass, new Sony Bravia television features a built-in Playstation 2, the Playstation phone may be getting more real. Plus: the video card war is getting almost stupid at this point and starting to annoy Paul, Gran Turismo 5 looks like a hunk of shit, and we find out just how cheap Tim is. Viewer mail, comments, lots of swearing, and blue waffles (yum!). Happy holidays, everyone! We’ll talk to you next year.

Ep. 82 – Nipples and Racquets

Tim — Sat, 27 Nov 2010 18:09:58 +0000

I don't care what Paul says: I still ♥ you, internet.

If you enjoyed our extended discussion about The Human Centipede (now on Netflix Instant), then you’re going to simply adore our talk about Funky Forest – After School Club. In more technology related news: Kinect is dumb, but hacking it is super-cool, the new Asus Sabertooth P67 is awesome looking, AMD gets caught cheating with their drivers, dead-drop file sharing is a great way to share CP, and tons of Viewer Mail. 2+ hours for this one.

Ep. 81 – Damn That’s Gross

Tim — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 13:47:39 +0000

It's a movie! It's a game! Yeah, Paul's a sick-o, what can we say?

Dave’s excited because of the new MacBook Air and the Mac OS 10.7 Lion Preview. Paul and Tim are excited because of the renewed GPU competition that the release of AMD’s Radeon 6800 series has created. None of that lasts very long though, because for some reason, we start talking about ‘The Human Centipede’. Paul has seen it, Tim refuses, and Dave is oblivious. Tweets, emails, and more on this 100% medically accurate Widget.

Ep. 80 – Nerd Love Is In The Air

Tim — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 23:58:57 +0000

Paul thinks this is what our wedding will look like. It's important to note that Paul is a moron.

Hey ho, Widget buccaneers! After a goddamn lengthy hiatus, we decided to come back and do a show. Lots of stuff happened during the break. No, I’m not going to list it here. Also, I’m not going to post show notes, or what this episode is even about. The way I look at it, if you’re reading this, you likely already have an undying love for all thing The Widget, so you’re going to listen anyway. Oh, and ignore what I said about this being out on Monday. ♥

Ep. 79 – External Nose Hair

Tim — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 23:27:54 +0000

Even at his advanced age, Paul still finds time to game in between bathroom breaks

Paul is getting old. Or at least he has convinced himself he has. Though if Paul is an old man, then Dave must resemble Donovan from the end of Last Crusade. So what we’ve got going on this episode is the PS3 USB *ahem* jailbreak, XBox Live banning (stop pirating your games already!), the impressive Apple graphics driver update (running Portal like it’s 2006! Awww yeaaah…), drooling over the Nvidia GTX 460 (go buy one NOW!), and lots of viewer mail. It’s going to be a few weeks before our schedules line up again to record a show, so savor this one!

Ep. 78 – So Bored

Tim — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 02:18:28 +0000

Dave doesn't talk to his kids much anymore...

It’s late, and I’ve been drinking. How’s this: Paul is bored of games and Tim doesn’t remember a time when he’s played more of them. Dave’s there too. Throw in a metric ass-ton of email and you get episode 78. What do you want? We’re 78 episodes in now, you know the drill. It’s all homoerotic jokes and tech talk. Bleh.

Ep. 77 – Clapping with PornTime

Tim — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 02:33:16 +0000

That's hot. Nice of Dave to let us use his picture (he's on the left).

Like you needed another reason to wank while holding your iPhone. Coming up: Jailbreaking is legal, not that we cared anyway… y’know, while I’ve got you here; aren’t you sick of the term “Jailbreak”? I mean, it was an iPhone thing at first, but now the fucking tards of the world use it to describe everything. Phrases like “Oh man, did you see my new Nokia? I Jailbroke it so I could make it suck less.” and “I think I’m going to Jailbreak my Tivo this weekend.”… ENOUGH with this shit! I liked it better when consumers were blissfully ignorant. You know: back when knowing where the command line in Windows 95 was enough for them to view you as a god. Now everyone seems to know just enough buzzwords to try and act smart, while those of us in the know shake our heads in disgust… anyway, there’s a bunch of other news, and emails and stuff too. Have fun.

Ep. 76 – Ain’t Got Time To Bleed

Tim — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 02:58:41 +0000

I bet you didn't know they were so ripped (or that Paul is a large black man).

It’s been a crazy couple of weeks of phone news mania! We BRIEFLY (so you wankers don’t accuse of being fanboys) talk about “Antennagate”, we also touch on the eFuse and the Droid X controversy, and we pour out a little for our Tim’s beloved Nexus One, as Google has announced that it is over. Up front, you’re going to get some movie reviews (no spoilers, don’t worry), and on the back, you get some emails. Now go strap on a gun and mow down a jungle.

Ep. 75 – You’re Holding It Wrong

Tim — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 00:09:13 +0000

Sorry Apple. This time, I think it might be you.

Greetings and salutations, faithful listeners. Couple of things this episode: Dave got an iPhone 4, and we talk about the connectivity problems it has been having (Dave has successfully replicated the lost signal issue). Plus, E3 happened since our last show, and none of us really give a damn (although the 3DS looks kind of neat). Tim bought a Nexus One, and Dave got his hands on a big, shiny, black… Wii. Talk to you soon!

Ep. 74 – Computing Memory Lane

Tim — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 15:16:12 +0000

That's some hot SIMM slot and SLI Voodoo2 action.

Just as we promised, we’re back, and we’ve brought our personal old computer stories with us. Marvel at our total nerdiness as we reminisce about Voodoo Graphics, 486 DX2s, and why DOS was the choice OS for gaming. We touch briefly on the iPhone 4 (Paul actually is the one to bring it up), DD-WRT is now on our top pick Netgear WNDR3700, and we get our 3D News of the Week in the form of 3D on the iPad.

Ep. 73 – It’s Vintage, Not Old

Tim — Sun, 23 May 2010 22:05:49 +0000

The Widget 1500 SE - The Ultimate Gaming Computer

Well, we asked for your stories and memories about old computers, and you didn’t let us down. This episode, we spend a bit of time talking about why companies don’t use bits as a form of measurement on new consoles, the ever rising costs of games and DRM, the news out of the Google IO conference, and a little bit more. The big focus this week is the giant pile of emails we got from folks who took the time to write us with their computer stories of old. Thanks to everyone for writing in! Now we know: you want an episode dedicated to our computing memories, and next episode, you will have it. Talk to you again in 3 weeks!

Ep. 72 – Somebody Mentioned Flash

Tim — Mon, 10 May 2010 02:27:54 +0000

Fun Fact: Dave's first video game was tic-tac-toe on a stone tablet.

We strike, like lightning! This week was a little light on news, but we managed. First up is an impromptu discussion about the current smart phone market, then an argument about it, and then we laugh. Apple updates Mac OS X to allow GPU acceleration of h.264, and Adobe updates Flash to utilize it. Surprise: Flash video runs better on Macs now. Also: we get nostalgic about old computers and ask for your stories, Toy Story 3 sounds kind of neat, and a dude at Wolfire Games says that crappy console ports hurt PC gaming more than piracy. That, more, and your emails. Word.

Ep. 71 – Hot and Steamy Nvidia Action

Tim — Sun, 02 May 2010 20:47:10 +0000

You need a nuclear power plant to drive it, but you get 60fps solid on Crysis

After taking an extended break (5 weeks actually off, 1 week because it took that long to get the show posted) we’re back and so are you… if you’re reading this. You know, come to think of it, does anyone actually read this preamble? There’s some weeks where I put some actual effort into what goes in here, but I suppose I could just write any old drivel and nobody would care. Whatever the case, this episode is pretty much all about the new Nvidia 480GTX, the iPhone 4G and Gizmodo craziness, the new i5 and i7 MacBook Pros (which Tim bought one), and obviously a mountain of viewer mail. Sorry for the delay on this one. I’ll try not to let it happen again.

Denied!

Tim — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 20:24:59 +0000

Yeah, it’s been like a month since the last show, but you need to hang in there just a little longer. The next episode is scheduled to record on April 25th, and with a little luck, release that same day. Sorry for the hold up, but thems the breaks.

But don’t cry emo kid: now would be a great time to go back and relive some of The Widget’s classic moments!

Ep. 70 – You com. Burping better slots.

Tim — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 22:26:29 +0000

None were as shocked as all of us (ps. Dave isn't an idiot, just a little slow sometimes)

Let’s do this: the XBox 360 gets a board shrink, with rumors of a smaller console and USB mass storage support for game saves running rampant. Next: i7 and i5 chips are getting cheap, the Playstation Move looks dumb, Dave admits his undying love for Pokemon games, Tim spent an ass-ton of money on some stools, Viewer Mail, Voice Mail, and name calling. Finally: This is our last show for a month, as we’re taking some needed time off (and we’re lazy). Talk to you in 60.

Ep. 69 – Open the Valve on your Mac

Tim — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 23:00:24 +0000

We're thankfully still a very long way off from seeing this crap. Sorry Dave.

See what I did there with the title? I thought it was pretty witty. Other choices included “Let off some Steam on your Mac”, “The Half-Life of your Mac” and “F#%k you Apple bitches”. So if it wasn’t already apparent, we talk about the (at the time of recording, unofficial) announcement of Steam coming to the Mac. Dave hasn’t been this happy since that time in Thailand, where he got that hooker to… bah, you don’t want to hear about that. The usual stuff is in there too; profanity, name calling, Viewer Mail… enjoy!

Ep. 68 – Hot Like Britney

Tim — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 13:31:50 +0000

I'm pretty sure there's no way I'd let her near my Adam...

We worked really hard to try and get this show in under the 2+ hours we’ve been handing in lately. This time, we discuss (because Dave can’t help himself) the news that Hulu may be looking to make their service iPad compatible. Does this mean Flash is going to DIE… Die… die? Probably not, but Dave still has to bring it up. Also, we discuss DisplayPort vs. HDMI and how it’s creating a mess in the marketplace, and we get to hear about Paul’s PC gaming woes. Seriously, Ubisoft can go f#%k themselves with this new DRM nonsense…

Ep. 67 – Holy S&%T! We Have Voicemail(s)!

Tim — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 00:36:51 +0000

Of course we have a harem of hot old operator ladies...

We can’t believe it ourselves. People actually used our voicemail line, and it wasn’t just to leave angry comments about how badly Tim sucks, or how Paul is a miserable Irish bastard. Nope, they were really real questions for us. We also go over some stuff; the iPad, Apple vs. Adobe and Google, Sonic 4, Alien Sex Addict Part II (otherwise known as Mass Effect 2), and some serious talk about computer hardware. Also: Be sure to listen up for the contest to win a free game via Steam! All you have to do is insult us. No, really.

Ep. 66 – The Episode That Was Late

Tim — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 00:58:51 +0000

I'm so lucky I was actually able to capture this moment on film. So awesome.

I think the entire universe was somehow conspiring against getting this episode posted on teh internets. However, it’s here, and it’s… well, it’s not great… more ‘acceptable’. Nah, fuck that, it’s awesome! Dave bought a fancy new microphone, Paul is a wanker, and Tim takes a piss during the show. I’d write more, but hey, I’m pressed for time. I guess you’ll just have to listen.

Ep. 65 – The Scaley P***s of Steven J

Tim — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 03:54:42 +0000

To Dave, this is a truly religious experience

The holiday break is over, and all of the tech news and disgusting conversations we’ve been saving up in our heads while being surrounded by our families now have a release. This episode, we cover some of the wonderful, but mostly stupid, things shown at CES 2009. We spend a bit of time talking about the Nexus 1 from Google, and the rumored iSlate from Apple (of which Dave is making happy in his pants about). Games, tips on seasonal pornography, and a new app for your iPhone to document the places you’ve masturbated. Just another wholesome episode of The Widget to help kickstart your new year.

Ep. 64 – It’s not a crack pipe!

Tim — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 22:19:27 +0000

Finding good stock photos of crack pipes is harder than you think

What a week! With this semester winding down, this episode is officially 7 days late. No worries though, the info is still fresh and raunchy enough. This week, the usual gang of 3 is joined by none other than Sgt. Blogkitten, all the way from the exotic locale of downstairs. Topics this time are such wonders as Tim agonizing over a chip in the case of his new PS3, Google DNS and why it’s kind of ‘blah’, adding USB plugs to your power outlets, and Space Beer. We also answer some really great emails this week, so thanks to everyone that took the time to contact us. We’ll be back in 2010. See you on the other side.

Ep. 63 – To Catch a Predator

Tim — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 16:47:30 +0000

OK, now it only does everything.

Sorry for the delay in getting this to you. The holiday week has thrown my schedule into chaos. For everyone in the U.S., I hope you had a happy Thanksgiving. For everyone else, how was your November 26th? Big show this week, with topics including such gems as:

The feds are using fatboy PS3 systems to bust pedophiles.
Google Chrome OS is officially unveiled.
Kill all the clones: Apple wins against Psystar.
Paul gets a free video card upgrade from BFG.
Tim bought a new router (you’ll find out why halfway through).
And oh so much more (plus swears).

Remember kids, we love to hear your feedback. Be sure to hit our Contact page to shoot us an email, or even leave us a voicemail on our GTalk line.

Ep. 62 – Terrorist Recommended Headphones

Tim — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:27:09 +0000

We don't normally ask how Tim spends his free time...

It would seem the The Widget Crew™ went on a bit of a buying spree in-between shows. Every host now owns all three of the current generation game consoles (well, except Tim with his PS2.5). We give our impressions of the current state of the three of them, and how they stack up now that we’re heading towards the end of this console generation. We’re also joined by frequent guest Tim of the Flying Faustinis, who has a spiffy new pair of Grado headphones to review. Keep on rocking in Baghdad folks!

Ep. 61 – Widget 7 Launch Party!

Tim — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 03:38:29 +0000

You just know the Empire totally ran on Microsoft products

Windows 7! New Macs! New Android phone! New Widget! Grab hold of yourself (and those around you), and prepare for the onslaught of this week’s show. Lots of tech stuff, not much gaming. Hey, that’s how it is around here. Be sure to stick around till the end, as we read a truly disturbing (and slightly homoerotic) piece of viewer mail. We’re starting to think that we have a lot of prison inmates as subscribers… which we kind of like.

Ep. 60 – Sports and Peeping Toms

Tim — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 01:10:59 +0000

Just like we always suspected.

This week, Paul and Tim are joined by long-time internet friend MacDragon, or Dave if you’d like. There is an unusual amount of talk about sports at the beginning, and well, we’re sorry. No worries though, as we make up for it with more nerdy nonsense than you could shake a dead baby at. Paul goes 3D with his gaming thanks to his spiffy new 120hz monitor and Nvidia glasses, Tim finally get a damn Wii, and Dave comes clean on a bad experience he had at the Apple Store.

Ep. 59 – Of Hentai and Hardware

Tim — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 00:42:27 +0000

Japanese Nazi Hentai Porn - Welcome Google Searchers!

This episode, Paul and Tim are joined by Jack of Knaves. You might know him better as “the brother of Nature Boy who actually took the photo of him putting his computer together nude”. This week, we talk about the new Core i5 chips, the Intel socket change and how it screws up the current Core i7 user base, ATI has new cards coming out that support 6 (yes, six) monitors on one card, Left 4 Dead 2 gains some new fans in the form of it’s most vocal opponents, and of course, there’s the hentai… thanks Dave!

Ep. 58 – Nature Boy System Builders

Tim — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 23:58:28 +0000

I smell a conspiracy... and a drunken Irishman.

In this 100% less live episode of The Widget, Tim and Paul are joined by one-half of the Flying Faustinis – Tim the Iron Pirate. Topics include why you should always strip down to your bare ass when building a computer, Snow Leopard’s 64 bityness has some flaws, why Microsoft hates black people, a metric ass ton of viewer mail, an explanation of the above image of Diddler Jobs, and so much more. Hit play to listen now, and hit the link to view the ‘show notes’ (yeah, we laughed at that notion too).

Snow Leopard and it’s less-than 64 bit kernel
http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9595_22-336194.html

Racist Microsoft
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8221896.stm

The Racist PSP
http://kotaku.com/185081/offensive-psp-adthis-time-racist

Two new ION based ITX boards are out from Asus and ASRock
http://www.anandtech.com/mb/showdoc.aspx?i=3630

Oh, and bonus Diddler Jobs image:

Ep. 57 – The Widget Reloaded

Tim — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 15:44:03 +0000

We're back. Viva la Punch it Chewie!

A lot has happened since the exciting events of last week’s episode. Thankfully though, we’re quick to recover so that we may continue to bring you the fantastic world of technology and games as only we can. Join Tim, CountZer0 and Paul “Diddler” O’Dwyer as we discuss human eating robots, Jason’s almost pathetic attempt at rebuilding the Widget Virtual PC, and us trying desperately to be entertaining during a LIVE broadcast. We’ll talk to you again soon! Thanks ugys!

Ep. 55 – End Of An Era

Tim — Sun, 13 Aug 2006 20:39:03 +0000

Did you miss us? How’s everybody doing out there? Anyway, since you’ve last heard from us, WWDC 2006 happened and brought us some new Macs, Dead Rising was released for the XBox 360, and, well…. Have a listen. And thanks … Continue reading →

Ep. 54 – Rise of the Widget

Tim — Thu, 03 Aug 2006 02:51:46 +0000

Tom Hall. Gaming legend. What more do I need to freaking tell you. Just download the episode and listen you fools! Also, pay attention for an important announcement on this very special episode of Growing Pains…. er, I mean The … Continue reading →

Ep. 53 – Just Hanging Out

Tim — Sat, 22 Jul 2006 10:16:23 +0000

This is the part where I would normally try to fill this box up with a bunch of text. Not this week. John Romero and Tom Hall (respectively) stop by and hang out with us. If you’re a hardcore gamer, why are you still reading this instead of listening? If you’re a noob, what a great chance to get schooled. Download the damn thing already.

Ep. 52 – The Calm Before the Storm…

Tim — Tue, 18 Jul 2006 12:24:44 +0000

After a much needed vacation, The Widget crew returns to celebrate their official (by the calandar), one year anniversary. It’s a nice hanging-out atmosphere this week, with talk about various stuff that’s been going on in the week since our last show. But don’t worry, there’s plenty of ripping on each other to be had, not to mention, plenty of viewer mail has been stacking up the last couple weeks. Enjoy, and we hope you stick around for another 365.

Intermission

Tim — Mon, 10 Jul 2006 03:24:21 +0000

Don’t panic. We will be back shortly. Patience grasshopper, patience…

Ep. 51 – The Michael Bay-tdown

Tim — Mon, 03 Jul 2006 17:28:12 +0000

Hey guys, we’re back again for another episode, well most of us anyway. This weeks teaser footage of the Transformers live action movie has prompted Tim to pay a special visit to Michael Bay in an effort to set a few facts straight. Fear not though, for the show goes on with Ryan and Jason joined by Hawkes from GA:Live and loyal listener Jeff Standley. This week we talk Transformers heresy, more bad news for Sony, and a ton of whatever. Add in viewermail, movie time, and Numbers with Ryan and you have a pretty meaty last episode before the anniversery show. Enjoy.

Ep. 50 – Stay Frosty

Tim — Mon, 26 Jun 2006 02:58:00 +0000

Whew, that was a close one! Hi people, once again we bring you the creamy goodness that is The Widget. This week we give our review of the recently released Prey PC demo from our friends over at 3D Realms (sorry XBox folk), and so far… well, you have to listen. The upgrade bug is starting to get to Tim again, can he resist the temptation of the recent AMD price drops?!? We dare to ask the question; is BluRay really “all that”? Ryan gives us his review of his latest movie assignments, Bloodsport and Alien Quadrilogy. And we take a few pieces of mail regarding last weeks “too hot to handle” conversation. Lots of fun this week gang…

Ep. 49 – OnomatophobiaLOLBBQ

Tim — Mon, 19 Jun 2006 00:09:16 +0000

Back to a nice 2 hour format this week everyone, and this week we are bringing the pain with Jym. Topics this week include Sony’s nutty comments about the PS3, Bill Gates announces his retirement, we talk about the Unreal series for a bit, Ryan gives us his review of Tombstone and gets his next xenophobic assignment, AMD is secretly sweating Core 2 and literally tons more topics. Pay attention guys and we will talk to you next week!

Ep. 48 – Episodic Content

Tim — Mon, 12 Jun 2006 03:47:58 +0000

Well gang, we’re back once again to bring you the latest happenings in the tech industry with our own personal flavor…. well, at least that’s the plan. See, this week was almost completely devoid of anything good to talk about. Oh sure, somebody crammed a Core 2 in the Mac Mini, and Net Neutrality took a bit of a blow, but other than that there wasn’t much. So what did we talk about? Random goodness of course! Ryan gives his report on the movies he was assigned to watch, we ramble a bit about stuff, and Jason announces a new contest that some of you may be VERY interested in…

Viewer mail, outtakes, and random topic throwing. It’s The Widget as you know it and love it. See you guys next week!

Widget TV Ep.1 : Tim’s Retro Corner

Tim — Wed, 07 Jun 2006 00:30:35 +0000

Time for another Widget grand experiment. Ever since we finished The Widget 2005 Videogame Awards Show, we’ve had various requests that basically all said the same thing; do more video! And why not? We have all this video equipment lying around, why not put it to good use? So we hatched an idea… and Widget TV was born!

Widget TV is everything you love (or hate) about the podcast, but instead of just talking about the weeks news, we also include sketches, reviews, and pretty much any geeked out things we want to film. But much like our podcast, it’s delivered with that special Widget twist.

In this first episode of Widget TV, we focus on what used to be a small segment of the audio show; Tim’s Retro Corner. And to kick things off, we talk about a system that’s near and dear to Tim’s small black heart. Yes folks, the Sega Genesis. So kick back, watch the video, and let us know what you think. We’ve got some great things planned for this new Widget TV project, and we’re looking for your feedback! Send over your suggestions, your comments, and your hate mail to the usual address; feedback (at) thewidgetshow.com (take that spambots!). Enjoy.

Click here to download the Quicktime file

Ep. 47 – Speculation Central

Tim — Sun, 04 Jun 2006 23:42:03 +0000

Speculation. It is what drives the tech news industry most of the time. This week we talk about a lot of things that may or may not happen. Take for example the rumor that AMD may be in the works of purchasing ATI. Could it happen? Perhaps. Should it happen? That’s what we want to know. Sony says that the PS3 is going to render PCs obsolete. Is that even feasible, or is Sony just losing their mind? We also offer up our review of Half-Life 2 Episode 1, and let you know if it was worth the wait. But the big one this week was that we were wondering about the future of XBox Live Arcade. We know Street Fighter 2 is coming, but what else? Can we expect the service to just die off after such a stellar start? Our curiosity got the best of us, so we decided to make a phone call to Ross Erickson, the portfolio manager for XBox Live Arcade at Microsoft to find out…

Ep. 46 – CPG

Tim — Sun, 28 May 2006 23:42:20 +0000

CPG. That is what this weeks episode is. This week we talk about the new AMD socket AM2 and if it’s worth it, the PS3 used games rumor, and the debut of The Widget Virtual PC with two base systems that give you the best bang for your buck. And the big draw this week is that we have our most succesful call-in show to date. Big shout-outs to everyone that called in! That’s it for now… it’s hard to cram almost 3 hours of podcasting into a little show snippet.

Ep. 45a – The Widget Midget

Tim — Mon, 22 May 2006 03:05:31 +0000

Did somebody say something about length? Anyway, we are back with another round of fun with The Widget crew! This week, we cover the recently released Vista specs, the new MacBooks from Apple, the misconception about PS3 pricing in the UK, and much more. Also, we’ve got the winners of Jym Class AND Kurt’s Well-worn shirt! Finally! Plus, we announce the new, and very requested, Widget Virtual PC segment! All this, plus your mail on this episode of The Widget.

Ep. 45 – The CountZer0 Code

Tim — Sat, 20 May 2006 01:44:49 +0000

Hey people! Well, E3 has come and gone, and usually this means a slow news week. Not so for us! We bring you news on the new MacBooks out of Apple (black… oooooo), Microsoft releases the Vista specs and a handy program to help you spend your money. New cards from nVidia? Perhaps…. What’s this?!? A new Widget feature is headed your way? Something about a dream machine? All this and your mail on The Widget!

Ep. 44 – The Widget E3 Marathon

Tim — Sat, 13 May 2006 04:49:41 +0000

Hey guys, remember when we promised you loads of E3 coverage in this weeks episode? Well, we decided to skip that and bring you a show focused entirely on the merits of the Virtual Boy and our longing for a true successor…just kidding. Not ones to go back on our word, we have pulled out all the stops and broke all the podcasting rules to bring you our E3 extravaganza. That’s right, over two hours of exhaustive coverage on Sony’s failings, Microsoft’s latest developments, and Nintendo’s glorious return to fame. Add in a cup of crude humor, 2lbs of viewer mail, and a whole case of our special guest Cooper Hawkes from GamerAndy.com, and you have the recipe what may be the best Widget yet. Enjoy!

Widget Jr. Ep. 4 – E3 2006 Mid-Week Update

Tim — Thu, 11 May 2006 01:11:37 +0000

Hello and welcome. This week, as I’m sure you all know, is the geek holiday known as E3. Just so you don’t think The Widget team isn’t hard at work pouring over every single ounce of news coming out of LA, we’re putting out this little episode. Now, don’t go thinking you’re going to get the whole enchilada. Far from it. This episode is meant as a teaser of what is to come; The Widget Post-E3 Wrap-Up show. But, enjoy this for now, and get a glimpse at what’s coming this weekend. Later.

Ep. 43 – Dear Widget…

Tim — Mon, 08 May 2006 01:21:23 +0000

Considering that this week is the final show before the big E3 news drops, the pickings of things to talk about were rather slim. Sure, there were a few morsels like Oblivion getting its rating changed, but mostly, there wasn’t much going on. That’s ok though, because when there is no news, there is always Widget Fan Letters! Yay! Enjoy this ep, and we’ll see you guys next week with all kinds of E3 goodness.

Ep. 42 – What were Wii thinking?

Tim — Mon, 01 May 2006 17:09:13 +0000

How are you guys this week? Wii are doing awesome. Yes, that’s right, just like everyone else on the planet, we’re ribbing Nintendo on the choice of name for their new console. Sure, there plenty of other things we talk about this week, but who reads the stuff I write here anyways? Like, I could start talking about how awesome the Sky Commanders toys are, and who would know? So yeah, download this episode. I’m off for a candy bar.

Ep. 41 – Tech Troubles and Other Fun

Tim — Wed, 26 Apr 2006 02:37:16 +0000

Wow, sorry we’re late and all that. This episode had to be carefully reconstructed from bits and pieces of random wav files found on a server that had been buried under the fireplace of a cabin in the woods. Or something like that. Anyways, we had some SERIOUS issues and show-stopping snags this week, and hopefully, they are resolved. But yes, here is the show. Topics include:

- XBox 360 Rumor Control
- Nights sequel for the Revolution?
- MacBooks that ship with XP on them
- 750 gig hard drives and you (or, why I stopped worrying and learned to love perpendicular storage)
- Are nVidia and Ati out to get us?

All that, your calls, your mail, and our smiling faces on… The Widget.

Ep. 40 – Verbal Abuse Pwnage

Tim — Tue, 18 Apr 2006 01:54:16 +0000

This is it. The first of the new format where we take your calls every week. This week, topics include the report on how the PS3 is a resource whore, Havok is offering it’s own PPU, Broussard thinks DNF will be just ‘OK’, Red Steel on the Revolution, Starforce and Ubisoft part ways, and more. All this, your calls, and your mail on this weeks episode of The Widget.

Ep. 39 – The Widget Summit

Tim — Mon, 10 Apr 2006 01:19:22 +0000

And here it is, the largest gathering of Widget cast members in one place at one time. This week, join Tim, Zane, Ryan, Jym and Garrett in studio. And, all the way from merry olde England, we have Kurt and CountZer0! Yes, that’s right, the Quest for CountZer0 has met with success! Topics this week include “Nipplegate” for the new Tomb Raider game, a brief mention of Boot Camp for Intel Macs, and a sprinkling of tech and gaming related goodness. Plus, we get a visit from a random Widget fan, and make a really cool announcement regarding future call-ins. Now, one thing to mention, this weeks episode is truly intended for MATURE AUDIENCES! Seriously. There is plenty of totally offensive content contained in this particular episode. You have been warned.

Ep. 38 – April What?!?!?

Tim — Sat, 01 Apr 2006 07:46:53 +0000

Hey everyone! Tim here, writing up another weeks worth of Widget posting goodness. This week, CountZer0 brings us some pretty big news of a certain company possibly re-entering the console wars…. could it be, SEGA? Just maybe… Also, AGEIA dropped some pretty big physics processor demos this week, but why did CellFactor look like crap? Ubisoft gets a nice lawsuit slapped on them for their Starforce screw-ups, UMD finally gets the swipe from the grim reaper, Ryan gushes some praise on Oblivion while Zane argues, and much more. We also announce the start of Kurt’s Quest For CountZer0, which kicks off on sunday. All this and your viewer mail! Later gang.

Ep. 37 – The Return of Zane

Tim — Sat, 25 Mar 2006 18:04:22 +0000

This week, we welcome back one of the founding members of The Widget; Zane. Topics this week are talk of the new Dell mega-dollar computer armed with the Ageia Physics Processor, Dell’s confirmation that they have indeed purchased Alienware, the new confirmation of Battlefield 2142 that Karza discovered weeks ago, and a ton more awesome information. Also, Count gets some fanmail… hehe, just listen to the show…

Ep. 36 – LeperCon 2.0

Tim — Sun, 19 Mar 2006 16:22:00 +0000

Happy St. Patrick’s day! This week The Widget comes to you in front of a live studio audience from LeperCon 2.0 at Gamerzlan. We cover tons of stuff, including PS3 news, Electronic Arts’ decision that they spend too much money, an interview with the keyboardist from the band Queen August that played at LeperCon, a talk with a *gasp* hardcore gamer that happens to be a girl, and oh so much more. Sniff you jerks later!

Ep. 35 – Knighted IN STEREO

Tim — Sun, 12 Mar 2006 00:59:57 +0000

Hello interweb! This week is our first episode flying under the PC Gamer Podcast Network, and boy is it a mediocre one! Just kidding, it’s tolerable. Anyways, this week we go for the machine gun topic approach and fire off on a huge number of subjects. Everything from the new Intel chips down to car talk. It’s good times with the Widget crew. Oh and some of you may notice that this weeks episode seems a bit large… well, do you like your podcasts in stereo? Catch you guys next week!

Ep. 34 – A Punch In The Cheeks

Tim — Sun, 05 Mar 2006 18:32:43 +0000

This week, The Widget welcomes it’s largest panel of guests in a very, very long time. In the studio, we have Tim, Karza, Kurt, and the return of Cheeks. And via Skype we have CountZer0, and the ever so brief return of Ryan. Topics this time include the announced new Rockstar game, the XBox 360 camera, the wonders of Spore, the Microsoft Origami, and much more. Ciao!

Ep. 33 – Pink Shirts & Lara Croft

Tim — Sat, 25 Feb 2006 20:53:06 +0000

This week, we kick things off with Kurt’s new Lara Croft desktop buddy, which of course, goes into a conversation about DirectX 9 performance under Windows Vista. Karza talks about Tim’s appearance on GamerAndy Live, and chimes in with his thoughts on the whole thing. And, as usual, we blabber on about various geek stuff, all the while dealing with a bevy of tech problems that decided to show up for the party. Oh, and keep your ears open during the mail section of the show for CountZer0 talking to himself when Skype dies. Funny stuff. TTYL.

Ep. 32 – Punch It Chewie!

Tim — Sat, 18 Feb 2006 18:57:12 +0000

We are back, and more on time than last week! This week, we have Tim, Karza, Ryan (sorta), CountZer0, and Kurt on the show, talking about some new game news, and alot of Sega. Also, as with any conversation between our group, we turn more and more to the topic of Star Wars. We also cover the current contest “Picture CountZer0″, and give a rundown of the current entries. Oh, and plenty of ‘viewer’ mail this week… and no, we weren’t begging. Later gang!

Ep. 31 – Zer0Back Mountain

Tim — Tue, 14 Feb 2006 02:44:23 +0000

Better late than never I suppose. This week, The Widget gang is re-united in the same room! Join Tim, Karza, Ryan and the elusive CountZer0 as we cover the various videogame and tech news this week. Topics include Halo 2 coming to Windows Vista, the debate of BluRay and the announced pricing, the Dell portable PC, the worlds first ever SLi laptop, the Red Cross trying to put the screws to the game industry, and much more. We also announce CountZer0′s new job of being the roving Widget Reporter, and kick-off a new Widget contest. Oh, and the ‘viewer’ mail is… interesting. Later gang.

Ep. 30 – The Milestone Epic

Tim — Sat, 04 Feb 2006 03:21:09 +0000

Wow. Check that out. Episode 30. I can’t believe we’ve made it this far. To celebrate this momentous occasion, we decided to hold an impromptu call-in show. Now usually, this is the part where I give you a rundown of topics that we talked about in the show, but that really doesn’t apply this week. Sure, we talked about tech stuff, but the real meat of the show is the craziness that ensued when myself, Ryan, Karza and Jason “CountZer0″ got to chat it up with our varied audience members. It’s a real trip, you know? In the short amount of time that we’ve been doing this show, a real solid community has sprung up to support it. And the great part is that it’s people from all over the world; young, old(er), and the insane… but all united by the joy of geeking it out with us every week. It’s been a great run so far, and with fans like you, it’s going to be a great run in the future. I want to send out a honest-to-goodness thank you to each and every one of you that has wrote in, posted, called, and most importantly, listened. Doing this show has had it’s ups and downs, and I’m glad that you guys all keep coming back for more.
Well, here’s to our fans… as always, this show is for you.

- Tim

Ep. 29 – The Widget B-Team

Tim — Sat, 28 Jan 2006 14:04:02 +0000

In the words of Karza, it’s ‘B’ as in Better! This week, we have Tim, Ryan and Mike via skype and Karza live and in studio! Topics this week include the 100% (not 50%) tax on games idea being proposed in Texas, the story that Tim inadvertently broke out of Toronto involving two teens who felt the Need For Speed, computer tech support horror stories, plus alot more random moments than I care to admit. And, of course, the usual ‘viewer’ mail segment.

Ep. 28 – The Zane Farewell Tour

Tim — Sat, 21 Jan 2006 03:46:41 +0000

Another week, another round of arguments from your friends at The Widget. This week, we bid farewell to Zane (for a few weeks at least) as he goes globetrotting for a few months. Topics this week include Introversion’s new game Defcon, the new $99 GeForce 7300 GS, Tim and Ryan’s first week with World of Warcraft, Ryan’s continued dislike of the MacBook, what videocard is right for you, and more. Also, we do the listener mail, and surprisingly, no hate mail this week! Go us! See you guys next week.

Ep. 27 – Widget Haters Ball

Tim — Sat, 14 Jan 2006 21:53:41 +0000

Okay everyone, I promise that this will be the last of the flurry of content this week. On this action packed episode, we discuss the new MacBook with a fresh set of eyes, and a fresh set of specs. Also, we go down the list of upcoming games that some of you may want to check out, Tim and Ryan give in to the temptation of WOW, Cheeks builds a new comptuer, and Tim debates his next hardware upgrade. Plus, your mail and more on this explosive episode of The Widget.

The Widget 2005 Video Game Awards Show!

Tim — Fri, 13 Jan 2006 01:22:57 +0000

Here it is! Coming to you from the Gamerzlan compound in beautiful New York, it’s the 2005 Widget Video Game Award Show! Join your hosts Tim, Zane and Ryan as they bring you the best (and the worst) games of 2005. Are you still reading this? Watch the thing already!

Click here to download the original Quicktime file

The Widget Jr. : Ep. 3 – MacWorld SF 2006

Tim — Wed, 11 Jan 2006 02:50:13 +0000

Ah MacWorld. That special day where all Mac geeks can let their hair down and wait with restless anticipation for the goodies that Uncle Steve has in store for us… and today was no exception. Tune in to hear Tim and Zane’s thoughts on the software and hardware that was announced today (MacBook… drool…), with that special Widget twist that you won’t find anywhere else! It’s The Widget Jr. – MacWorld 2006 Special.

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The Widget Jr. : Ep. 2 – Zane’s Router Guide

Tim — Wed, 11 Jan 2006 02:49:19 +0000

Ever wondered what router is right for you? Well Zane has got you covered. Join Zane and Tim for this informative look into the wacky world of networking, the web, and how to protect yourself from that dangerous thing called ‘the internet’ that you always hear about in the news. CAUTION: This episode is heavy on the tech talk, so for your safety, and those around you, please wear proper nerd protection while listening. Enjoy!

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Ep. 26 – The Widget : Quad SLI

Tim — Sat, 07 Jan 2006 02:43:36 +0000

Good evening Widgetheads. This week brought us a ton of interesting things to talk about, what with CES in Vegas and all. We talk about the newly available Dell 30″ LCD (or as we like to call it, ecstasy). Plus, Dell also brings us the new XPC with one helluva SLI setup. 2 gigs of video ram? Yes please! We also dabble on John Carmack’s comments on the next-gen systems, and question for how much longer is id going to be the leader in pushing games to the next level. All this, plus your mail, on this weeks episode of The Widget.

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Ep. 25 – Taiwinians?

Tim — Sat, 31 Dec 2005 03:02:00 +0000

Look up! Look down! Look out! It’s the Widget New Year Spectacular! Ok, ya got me, it’s not really that spectacular… well aside from the fact it’s yet another episode of the most hardcore podcast on earth. This week, we talk up Dead Or Alive 4, and have a discussion on why fighting games aren’t on the PC. Also, we give our impressions of the new Pentium Extreme Edition 955, and we spend some time talking about tech things we are looking forward to in the coming year. And oh yeah, ‘viewer’ mail! w007!

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[audio src="http://www.thewidgetshow.com/podcast/classic/widgetep25.mp3"]

This weeks outro music is “The Widget Freestyle” by Matt Bussler.
Click here to download

Ep. 24 – Peace on earth… but not on The Widget.

Tim — Sat, 24 Dec 2005 00:55:00 +0000

Happy holidays everybody! This week, The Widget comes to you in the full holiday swing with talk about the perfect geek gifts, and that leads to talk about PSP vs. DS, Jack Thompson buying shares in Take Two, proper sound system setup, and how to choose the perfect LCD. And of course, tons of bickering about petty topics, but thats why you love us, right? Plus, as usual, we read some of the more interesting pieces of “viewer mail”, and Zane reminisces about the now defunct Sega Channel.

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This weeks outro music is from the The 8bitpeoples : The 8bits of Christmas album. The song is Let It Snow by Bit Shifter, and was created using a Game Boy sound chip.
For more info on the group, and to download this album for free, click here.

BTW, our new intro music (I’m sure you noticed) was done by M. Edward Chauvette. Big thanks to him for giving us some awesome new music (that we own now)!

Ep. 23 – Time-Out Is OVER!

Tim — Sun, 18 Dec 2005 00:16:00 +0000

It’s a new era for The Widget! Join us this week as we talk about Darwinia, Steam, and the changing landscape of the PC game market. Plus, we deliver yet another debate about controller vs. keyboard/mouse (guess which way we sway), we answer our listener mail, and have the pre-requisite chat about the upcoming console wars. Also, this episode we finally announce THE BIG NEWS, and a certain somebody emerges from the shadows! You asked for it, you got it!

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This weeks outro music is Earthbound ‘Battle’ by Spekkosaurus
Click here for song info.

Ep. 22 – You say you want a Revolution?

Tim — Sun, 11 Dec 2005 00:18:00 +0000

Well, you know. We all want to change the world. Hey! I didn’t see you standing there. Welcome to yet another episode of The Widget. This week, Tim and Zane exchange words on The Revolution, and some of them aren’t very nice. Also, by request, we dabble a bit on America’s Army and what we think of the game. Plus, Intel doesn’t want to help less fortunate countries get computers. Just kidding, but they did have some interesting words for the $100 laptop. Plus, thrill to the sound of Tim munching down on candy during the show! All this and the weekly “viewer” mail.

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This weeks outro music is Commander Keen 5 ‘Slick Rippin Keen’ by Mazedude
Click here for song info..

Ep. 21 – MMORPG Wackiness!

Tim — Sun, 04 Dec 2005 15:46:00 +0000

Yo Widgeteers! This week we talk alot about one of Zane’s favorite types of PC games, MMPROGs….er, I mean MMORPGs. We mention a bit about some of the major upcoming MMORPGs, including the new Conan game, and how Zane loves medieval times because of dragons and stuff. Zane also spends a good chunk of time trying to convince Tim to give in to the addiction of WOW, now that Mike has been caught in it’s grasp. Tim goes on a rant about a Firefox video he saw, and how the bias sucks. Also, we talk about some of the new games we’ve been playing for the XBox 360, Tony Hawk’s American Wasteland and Ridge Racer 6. Plus, we have Tim’s Retro Corner focusing on the history of Ridge Racer, and of course, listener mail. All this and more in this weeks episode of The Widget!

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This weeks outro music is ‘Fire & Zane’ by Mike Mustizer (IndieMike), our first piece of original music for The Widget, and it’s AWESOME.
Click here to download ‘Fire & Zane’.

Ep. 20 – Random Thoughts

Tim — Sun, 27 Nov 2005 04:54:00 +0000

Back again? You guys must be gluttons for punishment. Just kidding. Welcome back! This week, we talk a bit more about that wacky white box known as the XBox 360, or more specifically, just random things that come to mind about it. Also, we gab a little bit about the current state of PC games, and why the consoles are both a threat and a non-issue. We spend a little time on the newest PC hardware, or the lack of, and Zane’s beef with Electronics Boutique. And last but not least, we spend mucho time on listener mail due to the lengthy questions about various gaming things. Whew, two episodes in one week? Santa must’ve come early this year.

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This weeks outro music is Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ‘TeenTurtleTryp’ by Kain Minter & Roddy Toomim.
Click here for song info.

The Widget Jr. : Ep. 1- XBox 360

Tim — Thu, 24 Nov 2005 01:52:00 +0000

Here it is! The first in a supplemental series of episodes of The Widget. We’re going to be dumping these right into the main feed when we do them, so be sure to keep your eyes peeled. The format for these is going to be taking one topic and concentrating the entire show on it, thus giving us a chance to further talk a given subject to death. In this premiere episode, we talk about the XBox 360 launch, and give our impression of the hype, the lines, the machine, the games, and our little take on the “shortage” (notice the quotes). Download it and enjoy!

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Ep. 19 – The Widget 360

Tim — Sat, 19 Nov 2005 22:57:00 +0000

Circle the wagons! The Widget is back again. With the launch of the XBox 360 looming ever closer, we spend quite a bit of time going over some the initial reviews of the games and the system itself. We also look at the flipside of the media coverage; mainstream media and their “impressions” of the system. Yeah, the New York Post needs to find a new writer, like now. Also, we go over the list of winners at this years Spike TV Videogame Awards, and give our opinions on what should have made the cut. Tim’s RetroCorner makes a triumphant return this week with a quick overview of the freshly announced Capcom Classics Collection for the PSP. All this and more, plus the ever-popular listener mail.

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This weeks outro music is Street Fighter Alpha 2 ‘Kasugano (BootyMix)’ by Marc Star.
Click here for song info.

Ep. 18 – Back To Basics

Tim — Sun, 13 Nov 2005 00:26:00 +0000

Hello again Widgetheads! This week, Tim and Zane team-up to bring you the latest in tech, games, and geek. To kick things off, we go into a lengthy (yes lengthy) discussion about the Sony Rootkit debacle and how it is going to effect the rest of the industry, and why more of the general population should care. Also, Zane chimes in on the new games Gun and The Movies with reviews on both in a truly barebones way. We discuss the upcoming Apple switch to Intel, and why Tim truly believes Apple is going to remain a hardware company. Also, we talk about the delay of Half-Life 2: Aftermath and give our overview of the current status of Valve, all this and more, PLUS The Widget listener mail. Enjoy. And remember, to go to http://www.thewidgetshow.com/forum for the show notes.

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This weeks outro music is Mega Man 2 ‘The Fifth Season’ by GaMeBoX.
Click here for song info.

Ep. 17 – Call-A-Thon

Tim — Sun, 06 Nov 2005 18:52:00 +0000

Once again we bring you the ever popular Widget Call-In Show! This week we had a pretty hefty list of callers, everyone from Widget Superfan Scoopula to “our only female listener” BlogKitten. We talk about a little bit of everything this week, from Sony’s Rootkit debacle, New York making unsecure WiFi illegal, the Jellyfish Cocktail, and way to much to list here. But that’s why we welcome back the return of the show notes! Head on over to our forum at http://www.thewidgetshow.com/forum, and look under The Widget News section for the show notes, which will be included in each show’s post. That’s it for now gang, hope to talk to you all again for the next call-in show.

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This weeks outro music is Road Rash ‘sierra nevada-tan’ by analoq.
Click here for song info.

Ep. 16 – The Widget Redux

Tim — Fri, 04 Nov 2005 12:38:00 +0000

‘Ello. The Widget Krew here for another round of podcast madness. This episode brings together Zane, Tim, and for the first time Michele and Jodi. We talk about Steve Jobs’ willingness to sell Pixar, Microsoft’s new Live website, Star Wars Episode III on DVD, Zane’s new obsession with his fabulous new 15″ (not 3″) Powerbook, Fry’s Electronics and the $159 PC, Soul Calibur 3, and a bunch of other stuff. Snatch and go Widgetheads. And remember, The Widget loves you.

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This weeks outro music is ‘They’re Taking The Hobbits To Isengard’ from Beekveld.
Click here to visit Beekveld’s homepage.

Ep. 15 – An Englishman, a German, and The Widget walk into a bar…

Tim — Sun, 23 Oct 2005 23:21:00 +0000

…now stop me if you’ve heard this one.

This week we give you the first ever LIVE call-in show! So aside from the general tech news, we also get to hear from Widgetheads and forum members CountZero and Scoopula. Topics range from talk about Half-Life 2, how CountZero doesn’t wear white, XBox 360 complaints, Scoopula’s report from the floor of the Fargo Fantastic Film Festival, his meeting with Kevin Sorbo (where he asks him the age old question), live-action D&D players, the super neat new lightbulb technology, and a tons more. Listen, love, and make sure you’re there for the next time we try to pull this off.

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This weeks outro music is ‘Woodman’ theme from Mega Man 2, performed by Project X.
Click here to visit the Project X homepage.

Ep. 14 – Along Came A Karza…

Tim — Sun, 16 Oct 2005 04:58:00 +0000

Heya Widgetheads! This week we are coming at you from Gamerzlan in Watertown, New York, with our special guest Karza. This week our topics include (of course) Apple’s introduction of the new iPod (with video) alongside a spanking new iMac. Also, the upcoming glut of games including Serious Sam 2, Quake 4, and the hotly anticipated FEAR. Karza gives us a preview of his plan on how to revolutionize pen and paper role-playing games by using technology, the classic Powerbook scam, ATI’s new OpenGL tweaks, Nintendo’s lifting of the MSRP for the Gamecube, and lots more. Don’t crowd people, there’s plenty of Widget goodness to go around!

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The outro music for this episode is ‘The Worf Song’ by DarkMateria.
Click here for song info.

Ep. 13 – The Backwards Show

Tim — Wed, 12 Oct 2005 04:21:00 +0000

Hey gang! Well, another week, another Widget. This time around, we mixed it up a bit and decided to do the show in reverse due to Ryan having a prior commitment. So up front we have your listener mail, followed by a condensed version of the usual banter you all seem to enjoy so much. Also, we have Mike back on because he was in town to give the first public screening of his newest film. Topics this week include Soul Calibur 3 impressions, Mike and Tim discussing some cool SNES games, we bust on Zane’s unhealthy addiction to World of Warcraft, Dreamcast memories, the XBox 360 hard drive contents, and much more. Enjoy!

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The outro music for this episode is Bionic Commando ‘Advance With Caution’ performed by Star Salzman.
Click here for song info.

Ep. 12 – The Widget Pandemic

Tim — Sun, 02 Oct 2005 03:27:00 +0000

Hola Widget population! This week The Widget Krew is reunited in the same room once again to bring you the tech happenings as only we can deliver (well I’m sure anybody can do it, but I digress). Anyways, this week Tim is down with a case of the flu, but that didn’t stop him from taking yet another trip into insanity. This week we cover the *Da Da DAAAA* HD-DVD news of the week, how to buff your iPod, the newly announced $100 laptop littered with Google goodness, Dell’s move to luxury PCs (with leather interiors), Day of Defeat : Source reviewed… well… kinda, Call of Duty 2 demo reviewed… sorta, Ryan’s fashion sense, and of course your viewer mail! Yes! Totally fantastic! Ending every sentence with exclamation points! All this and more in this episode of The Widget!

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The outro music for this episode is ‘Try To Star’ performed by Live House S.S.H..

Ep. 11 – Three Inches

Tim — Tue, 27 Sep 2005 04:53:00 +0000

Heya Widget-heads! Sorry about the delay, ol’ Tim’s weekend was jammed packed with activities that prevented him from getting the show out sooner. But enough with the third-person speak, this is about Episode 11 dammit! This week, we talk about how awesome our fanbase is for making our forum such a great success. Also, we give a hint about our possible future guest, that maybe we can talk into coming on… plus, the alleged leaked Revolution specs, why PC gaming may be dying, our review of the Serious Sam 2 demo, a long-winded discussion about cell phone providers, and how Tim completed OutRun 2 pissed off his arse. All this and more in Episode 11: 3 Inches From The Edge!

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The outro music for this episode is Castlevania ‘Wicked Six’ by Sixto Sounds.
Click here for song info.

Ep. 10 – The Widget Forever

Tim — Sat, 17 Sep 2005 19:04:00 +0000

Alright gang, after the rousing success of episode 9, we now enter into a new era of greatness with the first double-digit episode of The Widget! This week we’re hanging at Zane’s place with Ryan on the Skype, and we had alot to talk about. Topics this week include the obvious discussion about the unveiled Revolution controller, Half-Life 2 Aftermath’s approaching release and rumored price, the beauty of Metal Gear Solid 4, the touching tale of how Tim met Michele, the 7 Chambers of Windows Vista, how DirectX10 will suck, and more! Also this episode, we reveal the winner of the “Design it and win it” t-shirt contest. Download it now before the government pulls yet another episode!

Show links:
Learn about the Nintendo Revolution
A Day At Valve
Metal Gear Solid 4 (get your drool cups ready)
The Windows Vista versions
Google Earth
ASRock Dual Adaptor board

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The outro music for this episode is ‘The Picard Song’ by DarkMateria.
Click here for song info.

The Widget Forum Is Officially Open!

Tim — Tue, 06 Sep 2005 16:23:00 +0000

Okay, so it was pretty thinly veiled, and a few curious listeners have already been posting like crazy (which is great). The Official The Widget Forum is now open for business! Now you have a way to directly interact with Zane, Ryan, and myself, discuss various tech news, talk about hardware, software, or whatever you feel like! Fans of The Widget unite! Click the banner below to get started.

Ep. 8 – “I am The Widget!”

Tim — Sat, 03 Sep 2005 23:39:00 +0000

Even in the midst of a gas crisis (at the pumps and with Zane), The Widget crew carries on with our mission of vulgarity and knowledge! This week, we talk about Zane’s fab new processor, the Athlon 64 X2. Also, the PS3′s rumored weakness, the mandatory mention of gas prices and Ryan’s solution, the new iTrip, Creative’s lawsuit against Apple, Tim’s Retro Corner, we answer our audiences burning questions, and much more. And of course, Zane’s incoherent ramblings.

SHOW LINKS WILL BE UP LATER (sorry guys)

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The outro music for this episode is Excitebike ‘TitleTechnoPhatulence’ by DJ 3dn3r .
Click here for song info.

Ep. 7 – Off To School

Tim — Thu, 01 Sep 2005 04:31:00 +0000

Ah, the elusive episode 7… how we’ve missed you…

This week, Ryan returned to the world of college, but took time out of his oh-so-busy schedule to record yet another Widget classic! Topics include Zane’s triumphant comeback and his shiny new processor, how communism is stopping binge gaming, the Soundblaster X-Fi, transparent laptop screens, and much more. We’ve dropped it like its hot, now feed my children, feed!

Ep. 7 links:
China imposes limit on gaming time
The rumored Pioneer Blu-Ray burner
Guru3D review of the Soundblaster X-Fi
X-Arcade = $119.00
Transparent Screen Gallery
Pirates of Silicon Valley DVD impressions
Virtual Pinball going to Ultracade
Tekken – Dark Resurrection announced
Google search for Suge Knight
Bill Hicks Official Website

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The outro music for this episode is Sonic & Knuckles ‘Catapult’ by Beatdrop.
Click here for song info.

Sorry about the lateness gang! Now that we have the long-distance recording solved, we’re all set!

School + The Widget = Delays

Tim — Sun, 28 Aug 2005 01:18:00 +0000

Well, due to Ryan heading back to school this weekend, The Widget will be delayed by a few days. We’re toying with some ideas on how to keep good sound quality so we don’t end up sounding like every other Skype based podcast on the planet. As soon as Ep. 7 is ready, it will be delivered to your eager little podcasting client (man, that sounded dirty).

Witness the firepower of this fully armed, and operational, Widget!

Tim — Tue, 23 Aug 2005 21:10:00 +0000

w00t! We are now on the new server! Links are scattered at the moment, but over the course of the next few days, everything will be cleaned up and placed under the roof of the good ship Widget. A few new things to report:

1. I’ve turned anonymous comments back on, you just have to use the word verification box. But hey, no big deal, right? It beats requiring a Blogger account just to write a one sentence post.

2. We have a new email address! No more Roadrunner email! Send your complaints/comments/credit card numbers to feedback@thewidgetshow.com. The old email address forwards directly to the new one, but it still wouldn’t be a bad idea to make a note of the new one.

3. And finally, there’s a whole bevy of changes coming. Most notable is going to be the switch to WordPress for the blog. Blogger is good and all, but we’re all about control over here at The Widget.

Now get out there and spread the word! We’re breaking new records (well, for us anyways) with our subscriber base, but we want more. The Widget hungers for the souls of geeks.

Ep. 6 – No Zane? No Problem!

Tim — Mon, 22 Aug 2005 16:00:00 +0000

Due to being trapped in the jungle during a POW extraction mission gone awry, Zane couldn’t make it for episode 6. But not to worry! We got on the horn and called in the re-enforcements (and it is a short, and very exclusive list, let me tell ya). This week our special guest host is Mike, indie filmmaker extraordinaire! Topics this week include the announcement of the XBox 360 models and pricing and Sony’s countering with a “leaked” price on Amazon. And speaking of Amazon, the new Amazon Sex Store opened! Yay! Now we can all get our ‘sexual aids’ delivered right to our door, with FREE Super-Saver Shipping on orders over $20! Also, Tim lets loose some choice words for the guy begging for help buying a G5, we feature Rage of The Dragons on ‘Tim’s Retro Corner’, and your viewer mail. All in this exciting* episode of The Widget!

(Excitement levels may vary depending on your age, alcohol tolerance, and love for the Atari VCS. Please consult your physician before using The Widget)

Ep. 6 Links
Pixar’s John Ranft Dies
“Big Fish” Giant McGrory Dies
Nero Homepage (Recode is a part of Nero 6)
The New Amazon.com Sex & Sensuality Section
Help Me Get A G5 (don’t really help him though)
Rage Of The Dragons Review (far superior to Tim’s on-the-spot one)
Beats of Rage Homepage
Valve’s Steam
GameXStream
Best place to find Real Alternative and Quicktime Alternative
Men In Coats video
Archive.org

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The outro music for this episode is ‘Simon’s Town’ by Digimatic.
Click here for song info.

Sorry about the lateness of this one guys. Our bandwidth is TAXED! We are in the process of getting a new server going that should help us avoid this from ever happening again. Thanks for the patience!

Ep.5A – I’m David Lawrence, bitch!

Tim — Sun, 14 Aug 2005 17:06:00 +0000

Captains log; supplemental. We’ve been trapped out here on the fringes of the podcasting galaxy for five weeks now. Crew morale is high, and so is our subscription count. We seem to have a come across a lifeform calling itself “David Lawrence”, host of Online Tonight, The David Lawrence Show, and Net Music Countdown. Due to our overwhelming thirst for knowledge about all things, we sat down to interview this being over our ultra-sophisticated communication device, some would refer to as “the phone”. Topics of conversation include his voice work for the upcoming XBox 360 game Saint’s Row, videogames and the first amendment, his bout with Roller Coaster Tycoon addiction, Mash-up’s and the legal music download revolution, and the age old question, Pirate vs. Ninja. Enjoy.

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The music you hear in the background of the intro and outro is ‘Raveinthemirrormaze’ by Frank Keller.
Click here for song info.

Ep.5 – The Sleepy Tech Show

Tim — Sun, 14 Aug 2005 16:59:00 +0000

Episode 5 coming at you! For this wonderful week of The Widget goodness, we cover the new, more Tim approved price, GeForce 7800GT. Also (because that wouldn’t be a very long show) Ryan reports on how Blu-Ray is taking over, the new nVidia Dual 16x SLI boards, Zane’s beef with Quake 4, and a pinch of Tim’s Retro Corner where he explains why he just wants to ROTT. Please place your tray tables in their upright and locked position, The Widget is about to take off.

Ep. 5 Links
Buddy’s (Tim’s dog) MySpace
DTV: Internet TV Player (Mac OSX only)
Aleph One: The Marathon Ports
Rise Of The Triad (one of Tim’s favorite games of all time)

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The outro music for this episode is ‘Holy Orders (Be Just Or Be Dead)’ from Guilty Gear X. Song performed by Live House S.S.H..

We’re on the charts, beyotch!

Tim — Mon, 08 Aug 2005 23:08:00 +0000

Wow, this is a bit of a shocker. After being content with the fact that we were doing this podcast only to amuse ourselves and the very small number of people that can stomach our content, we end up on the iTunes music store charts! And not just some measly number like 99 (although that would have been a shocker also), nope, we’re right up there at number 46! w007! Wow, thanks to everyone that subscribes and actually enjoys our shows. Let’s keep this momentum going, and maybe, just maybe, we will make it to number 45. One can dream…

By the way, make sure you tune in for this weeks show, where our special guest is going to be David Lawrence from Online Tonight. We’re going to be talking about computers, videogames, and various other nerdy goodness. Meanwhile, hit this link to check out David’s website. Online Tonight

PS. One of our fans has thoughtfully created a digg for us. Help us reach new members by showing your support! Thanks

Widget Digg

[edit]
As of tuesday, August 9th, we’ve slipped down to the 60 spot on the iTunes charts. Hey, its still higher than we ever expected, so its okay by us (but feel free to force all your friends to subscribe to us via iTunes, even if you have to threaten them with physical violence). In fact, take a picture of them clicking the link below so you can prove your loyalty to your masters at The Widget.

Ep.4 – Bachelor Party a go-go!

Tim — Sat, 06 Aug 2005 15:10:00 +0000

For the fourth episode, we deliver the hottest geek talk on the net from Zane’s living room. Topics of discussion include Stop Light Mischeif, Apple’s To-Little-To-Late mouse, Zane informs us of the aliens living in his Alienware, the new Planet Snowball, and our new t-shirt slogan (thanks Zane’s dad!).

This episode was recorded on wednesday, August 3rd, because this weekend we are celebrating the marriage of Zane and Jodi. If we somehow manage to survive the drunken haze we are sure to end up in, next weeks recording will return to its normal friday schedule.

Ep. 4 Links
Soda Machine Hacking
Crosswalk Hacking
Tom’s Hardware (Ryan’s favorite tech site
The Heatsink Test Video
The Mega Man Effect
ASCII Matrix
Wikipedia entry for FCKGW

Subscribe to us using your RSS viewer or iTunes:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/thewidget
Click here for direct mp3 download

Also this week, we’ve whipped up a bit of bonus content for you. Its wacky cool The Widget Wallpapers! Now you can listen to us, and have our logo plastered up on your computer, your friends computer, and all of the computers at CompUSA (don’t really do this one please). Click the thumbs for the full-size pics.

One more thing, I’ve suddenly realized we haven’t been giving credit to the artists that made the awesome remixes at the end of our podcasts thus far. Well that changes starting now! This episodes outro music is “Air Man” from the Project X Megaman 2 remix soundtrack. Check out their awesome blend of techno and metal spread over a fluffy pastry of Megaman goodness. Project X homepage.

Episode 3′s outro music is “Super Mario Bros. 2″ by Insomnic.
Click here for song info.

Episode 2′s outro music is “Kung-Fu Soundtest” by badlsdtrip.
Click here for song info.

Episode 1′s outro music was taken from the “Transformers Breakdance” video. Music by Lazer.
Click here for the original video!

Ep.3 – Dinner Special: The Widget Stir-Fry

Tim — Sat, 30 Jul 2005 23:29:00 +0000

For episode 3, we kick it up a notch. After a hearty dinner of chicken and vegetable stir-fry at Zane’s house (thanks Jodi), we sat down and whipped up a delicious dish of geek talk salad. Topics this week include the 2005 space shuttle Pinto, how a hottie British girl helped Alex (aka Cheeks) activate Windows XP, the Blind Fury of gaming, and an engaging discussion about videogames (or Tim’s old gamer rant). Your hosts this week are Tim, Zane and Ryan, with a small side of Alex. Be sure to ask your waitress about our delicious breadsticks.

Ep. 3 Links
X-Arcade
RetroBlast.com
Twin Galaxies Scoreboard
Garry’s Mod for Half-Life 2
Fileplanet’s Half-Life 2 Section

Subscribe to us using your RSS viewer or iTunes:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/thewidget
Click here for direct mp3 download

Ep.2 – Geek BBQ at my place!

Tim — Tue, 26 Jul 2005 15:13:00 +0000

For the second episode, we come to you from the living room of Tim (aka: blueBomber) during his geek BBQ. On top of the usual krew of Tim, Ryan and Zane, we also have special guests Garrett, Alex (aka: Cheeks), and Kurt. Topics range from the final thoughts on GTA: San Andreas, why the GeForce 7800gtx is a waste of money, capsule movie reviews by people that have no business doing them, the ongoing debate of pirates versus ninjas, and much much more.

Ep. 2 Links
Andy Milonakis’ IMDB Entry
The Original Andy Rap Video (NSFW)
Isla Fisher’s IMDB Entry
Bolo Yeung’s IMDB Entry
Gamelink.com (NSFW, seriously)
Women Behind Bars
Super-Hero Hype
BBSpot.com
Russian Brides
V For Vendetta Website
Random Vin Diesel Facts

Subscribe to us using your RSS viewer or iTunes:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/thewidget
Click here for direct mp3 download

Oh, and you can find us on Odeo now also! The Widget Odeo Channel (odeo/70ff793af0f05b20)

Ep.1 – Fasten your seatbelts.

Tim — Tue, 26 Jul 2005 14:20:00 +0000

In this, our first episode of The Widget, we cover the ‘Hot Coffee’ controversy in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Apple and Intel (or why Tim isn’t buying a new Powerbook), why Transformers the live action movie won’t suck, and … Continue reading →

It’s like a tech news show, only not.

Tim — Mon, 25 Jul 2005 22:28:00 +0000

The Widget is a weekly podcast featuring Tim (blueBomber), Zane (Filter) and Ryan (R-Type). We also invite guests to come onto the show, and take suggestions for topics that you, the audience, would like to hear about. Our conversations can go anywhere (and often do), and more often than not, hilarity ensues. Hit up the links below to make sure that you’re always up-to-date with the latest happenings with The Widget.

Official blog for The Widget (where you are currently)
http://www.thewidgetshow.com

RSS feed for your favorite podcasting client
http://feeds.feedburner.com/thewidget

Email address for The Widget
feedback@thewidgetshow.com

We’re also now on iTunes! Download the newest iTunes, then click on ‘Podcasts’ in the sidebar, and then click on ‘Podcast Directory’ in the bottom left. Do a search for ‘the widget’ and there we are.

You can add us into iTunes by going to ‘Advanced’ then to ‘Subscribe to Podcast’ and then entering the RSS feed above. Viola! Every episode delivered to you as we make them.

We’re also listed on Odeo, you can check out our feed and subscribe here.

Alright people, get out there and listen! Remember, podcasting is just a name, you don’t need an iPod to listen, any mp3 player or computer will work (or you could burn it to a cd). Plus, if you don’t want to use the RSS feed, download the mp3 file directly. But please, use this only if you really have to, the RSS feed is the preferred method. And don’t forget, your feedback is welcome. But don’t just tell us the show sucks, tell us why so we can try to change it. Thanks!

*The Widget is intended for mature audiences, so that means don’t let mom catch you listening to it*