You know movies and futurists have for years been promising true “virtual reality”? Well, the Oculus Rift Gaming Headset ($300) can get you tantalizingly close. Currently available for order in developer kit form, the Rift utilizes dual 1280×800 monitors sitting just inches from your eyes to create a realistic, 3D VR gaming experience. Want to look around in the game? Just move your head. It’s as close as you’re going to get to having a personal holodeck for the foreseeable future.

Whether you’re heading to Las Vegas for the weekend or just popping into a local casino for the evening, there should be some guidelines that you should be aware of before placing any money down.

While these aren’t tips to help you beat the house, like counting cards which is a really bad idea and shouldn’t even be considered, they should be able to make sure that you enjoy yourself and don’t literally lose the clothes on your back.

Casinos and gambling can be great entertainment, and that’s what you need to keep in mind. Casinos want you to lose, and it’s not a place to make some quick cash when you’re in a pinch. But if you follow these nine essential gambling tips at casinos, you’ll make that experience even better and hopefully, more profitable.

9. Avoid Slot Machines

If you want to blow your money in a hurry, then sit down at the slot machines. Slot machines are casino’s favorite tricks in taking your money in a fast and unsuspecting way. It’s easy to pop in a quarter and get stuck playing the slots for hours on end. At least with table games you know where you stand, and in the end, it can actually be cheaper. Compare losing $40 at a $5 a hand at blackjack table to $600 bucks during 16 years at a slot machine.

8. Get a Player’s Card

Player’s cards are free and offer their members everything from discounts on shows to free rooms. Simply find the Player’s Club desk at your casino of choice and sign up. Who says that you can’t get anything from a casino except an empty wallet?

7. Ask for Comps

You don’t have to be a big wheeler to receive comps from the casino. You could get anything from room discounts, show tickets, or buffets. Don’t be ashamed to ask the players club booth (slot players) or at the tables (table players) on what comps you can receive.

6. Keep a Low Profile

This may sound a bit paranoid, but whenever there’s a lot of money floating around, there’s bound to be some seedy people lurking in the shadows. To prevent any problems, don’t tell strangers how you’ve been doing at the tables, even if you’re losing. Also, make sure to conceal large quantities of money, which include chips and tickets.

5. Tip the Dealers and Waitresses

This is just good etiquette, and they may even remember your face. This doesn’t mean that they’re going to help you beat the house, but at least they’ll be friendly and may even offer pointers, like where to get something to eat. Dealers should get $5 an hour. Waitresses usually get a dollar for every drink or two.

4. Bank Your Winnings

It’s a normal reaction to get overconfident and greedy when you’re on a hot streak, but that streak is bound to end. Trust us. A casino isn’t going to let you walk out with a ton of cash. Instead, keep a level head and walk away when you’re at your peak. This can be difficult to do, so you should probably set a targeted profit so you know when to walk away. If that doesn’t work, then you can always set aside half of your winnings so that you’ll walk out with something.

3. Don’t Drink and Play

We hope that at this stage in your life you know the effects of alcohol. Casinos offer free drinks because they want you inebriated so that you lose judgement. Sure. Having a drink or two is fine, just remember, to pace yourself and drink in moderation while at a casino.

2. Set Limits

Before you even begin to play make sure that you set limits. We’re talking about how much you’re willing to spend, lose, and win. Only bet what you can afford to lose and stick with that amount. Again, bank your winnings. Set a maximum loss, too. This is the amount limit that tells you when it’s time to walk away.

1. Know Your Game of Choice Inside Out

It’s probably a wise move to know a little bit about the games you want to play before actually playing them. While most of the time gambling comes down to luck, knowing the rules and how to play the game of your choice is obviously to your advantage. Even knowing the lingo is helpful. After all, you don’t want to get swindled by another player or lose all your cash because you didn’t know the rules.

Before going to a casino you should take the time to learn the rules, which can be found anywhere on the Internet, and maybe even have a poker night with some friends for a test drive. If you’re at a casino and are still lost, you can ask the dealer questions or even for a rules sheet, which surprisingly, most casinos have available for newbies, as well as, free lessons.

Smartphone gaming is vastly improved by tactile controllers, but why buy a dedicated one when you can just as easily use your tried and tested DualShock3 instead? Laser cut from ABS plastic, GameKlip solidly mounts your (specific) Android device onto a controller, providing freedom of movement and more dexterity than touch screens ever could, to better how you race, boost cars and headshot zombies.

GameKlip is a simple solution that brings two existing products together in a way that makes them look as though they were always designed to operate in unison. GameKlip is essentially nothing more than a plastic clip that attaches an Android phone to a PS3 controller, but its simplicity cannot take away from its usefulness.

The GameKlip hooks on to a PS3 controller and the Android phone is then slid snugly into place above the shoulder buttons. Once connected the whole thing looks more like a dedicated handheld games console than two devices forced uncomfortably together. The PS3 controller offers native analog input and emulates both touch and hardware controls. While it may not make you any better at Angry Birds, it will offer a more intuitive method of controlling the more complex games that are increasingly being ported to Android and sold through Google Play.

Each GameKlip is manufactured to fit a specific phone, with versions to fit popular devices kept in stock. Versions for other Android phones can be forged on demand. This made-to-order approach means each GameKlip will only fit the make and brand of phone specified. If you buy another phone, which most of us do every one or two years, you’ll likely need to buy another GameKlip. Another note to remember is that you have to remove your phone from its case in order to fit the GameKlip in place. While the inventor of the GameKlip is confident that once inserted into the bracket the phone is safe from falling, the risk still remains.

The Sony Playstation DualShock3 controller and the phone connect wirelessly thanks to the Sixaxis Controller app from Dancing Pixel Studios, but your phone needs to be rooted in order for it to work in this way. Thankfully there is a compatibility checker available on Google Play. Those who own phones that either aren’t rooted or aren’t compatible have the option of going the wired route, with a USB cable included for those willing to pay a little extra. Unfortunately only the Samsung Galaxy S3 has so far been tested to work with the PS3 controller using this method. Which is something of an oversight.

A version for the Xbox 360 controller is said to be being worked on, while “GameKlip Tablet” for 7-inch devices is at the prototype stage. GameKlip for Android phones is available to buy now for a range of different devices, priced at US $23 for the wireless version, $15 for the wired version (plus shipping).

GameKlip’s promo video (below) provides a closer look at this simple but effective piece of hardware.

Hit up GameKlip to learn more – 15$+.

·         In the 1900’s families would walk to baseball games after church on Sunday.  Tailgating was born out of the communal hours between the service and the opening pitch
·         The five best tailgating cities are: Baltimore, Denver, Houston, San Diego and Cincinatti
·         2 out of every 5 tailgaters: Spend over $500 per season on food and supplies; tailgate 6-10 times per season and start tailgating more than 5 hours before kick-off.

Need we say more? Well ok, check out the video for this really fucking COOL commercial for the Need For Speed Most Wanted TV Spot! It’s something we’d do for sure!

Just in time for the holidays Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment announces Spy Hunter, a reboot of the legendary combat driving series, specially developed for PlayStation Vita and Nintendo 3DS by TT Fusion. The game will be available this fall with a street date of October 9 2012.

On the eve of the franchise’s 30^th anniversary since the original Spy Hunter was released to arcades in 1983, the new Spy Hunter races forward on its most thrilling and dangerous ride yet. The player once again takes on the role of the “Agent,” the driver of the high-tech G-6155 Interceptor supercar, armed extensively with advanced weaponry, and ready to take on a global terrorist organization set on world domination.

“Spy Hunter’s classic gameplay has been upgraded to give PlayStation Vita and 3DS players a new, adrenaline-charged experience,” said Samantha Ryan, Senior Vice President, Production and Development, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. “Gamers now have more choice in the transformation and customization with greater hand controls, brilliant graphics and enhanced action cameras.”

The Interceptor seamlessly transforms from supercar to off-road assault vehicle to speed boat, allowing players to go where they like within the game’s branching mission tracks. Players can choose to outfit and upgrade the Interceptor’s many weapons and high tech gadgets as they like throughout the course of the game. And for the first time, the Agent will have additional support in the form of an unmanned aerial support drone, allowing players to plan their destruction when assaulting enemy agent strongholds. Spy Hunter also features thrilling crash choreography and a camera system that follows the action in slow motion to let players savor the destruction they created.

Today, join the Republic war effort in Skirmish on Carlac, the newest full combat-enabled world zone in

Star Wars®: Clone Wars Adventures„¢! While exploring this snowy world — and collecting a myriad of new gear and housing items along the way — players will face off with a brutal MagnaGuard patrol, infiltrate several Death Watch mercenary training camps and eventually face off with Pre Vizsla himself to prevent the destruction of a native Ming Po village!

Skirmish on Carlac will include:

• 8 New Collections
• 2 New World Bosses (IG-113 Magnaguard, Death Watch Sergeant Kellov)
• 4 New Instanced Missions (3 Death Watch Camps, 1 Captive Village)
• New Enemy Types (Death Watch Mercenaries)
• World Area = Same Size as Umbara
• 680 Individual Active Enemies in World Zone
• 877 Individual Active Enemies in Instanced Missions

Skirmish on Carlac is live now at www.clonewarsadventures.com.

I love to drive€¦fast. Now as I wouldn€™t recommend anyone else to do that for the potential legal issues that you may incur as a result of not obeying the speed limit (I Just paid a $500 speeding ticket last month, so there goes my disclaimer). Honestly there are just times you want to punch it, just the feeling itself is one word€¦awesome. As far as driving games go, historically they have been hit or miss, but the basic principle is to go fast which is why we love them.

When it comes to driving games, you have two main styles of game; technical driving simulators like Grand Turismo & PGR and the all-out speed/destruction racing games like Split/Second & Burnout: Revenge. Electronic Arts/Criterion Games Need for Speed: Most Wanted is the latest fix for the speed freak in all of us. Now while I was not crazy about the first Most Wanted, this title seems more like Burnout, just reworked for the better€¦hopefully.

This game puts you behind the wheel of a multitude of bad ass vehicles(of course it would, what fun would it be to race around in a Prius?) to drive anywhere and explore everything the fine city of Fairhaven has to offer with its open world feature where you can experience racing, crashing, drifting, evading the cops and jumping stuff however you like it and all the while earning speed points which is vital to the gameplay and your advancement through the game. You want to jump a highway? Well, expect the cops to notice something like that and chase you. You want to roll up and find a random race? Go for it.

When players pre-order the title, you earn an upgrade to the Limited edition version of the game and four hours of double speed points. You also receive such vehicles as the Maserati Gran Turismo Stradale and Porsche 911 Carrera S with upgraded performance options. In addition to all that groovy pre-order swag, players can receive one of three pre-order bonus packs depending on the retailer they choose, giving you access to multiplayer cars with unique mods that fit different gameplay styles which will make a world of difference if you plan on winning any races.

The modification feature on Most Wanted is an interesting option as not every race is the same. Based on your activity, you earn speed points and unlock mods that enhance the natural strengths of the vehicle (for example, using a long gear mod which is higher torque plus a higher top speed versus an off road mod package with a reinforced chassis) so the option is purely based on the race you want to run and what will give you the edge over your competition.

You want awesome cars? You got em. NFS MW features a who€™s who of vehicles any car enthusiast would ever want to drive.  Mercedes SLS AMG? Got it. Corvette ZR-1? Absolutely. There is even a Hummer H1 Alpha available, so no matter what your driving style is about, or what you like to drive; all your needs will be met. What makes that even better is you won€™t have to wait forever to drive them, they are available from the beginning of the game, so no waiting to level up to drive that Koenigsegg Agera R you have your eye on or that Lamborghini Aventador you are dying to get behind the wheel of; it€™s yours.

Another cool feature is the non-stop multiplayer option which allows you to jump right into the action, no more waiting in a lobby for the next race. Add to it the Autolog  which I kinda liked when playing NFS: Hot Pursuit and you can now takedown, drift, jump, race and evade and prove to your friends who is really Most Wanted. Need For Speed: Most Wanted is due in stores on 10/30/12

Got any further questions ask Mark on Twitter @M_Dolla158 and Follow Fast Lane Magazine on Twitter @FastLaneMag

Recently there has been a heated debate brewing among some sports fans€¦which team is better, the 2012 Olympic team who brought home the Gold with such superstars as LeBron James and Kobe Bryant, or the original €œDream Team€ from 1992 with Michael Jordan and Larry Bird, two names synonymous with basketball. This debate can finally be put to rest with the release of 2K Sports wildly successful title NBA 2K13 which will reportedly include both rosters that feature some of the greatest players of all time to ever get on the court with the notable exception of Scotty Pippen who couldn’t reach an agreement in time.

NBA 2K13 has new control features, which anyone who has played any of the 2K series knows that the controls have been something either you loved or hated. The presentation seems more refined and the mechanics improved to the point where you feel like you are at a real game, and with the Xbox 360 version that utilizes the Kinect, you will now have the ability to call time outs and plays using voice commands which should be a great add on to an already greatly improved gameplay experience. Those that pre-order the game will also be receiving an add on to play the 2013 All-Star weekend game modes such as the 3 point shootout and the dunk contest, where you have the ability to also use classic players as well, so if you wanna dunk with Larry Bird, you can now have the option to see how he fares in a dunk contest which is an awesome feature in itself.

Add also to the fact that Jay-Z lent his hand as executive producer of the game and you are at least guaranteed to have a great game soundtrack, though there has been no clear reason on how he is involved with the game other than being the executive producer at this point. From what I have seen with the demo version, I believe this title will not disappoint existing fans of the 2K brand and may even attract new fans to the title with the new features it will be providing. 2K13 has the street date of Tuesday Oct 2, 2012 about 300 enterprising fans will upload step-by-step tutorials on how to create your own Scottie Pippen to YouTube. They’re helpful like that.

The pricepoint on this epic dynasty game will be a mere $59.99 you can also pre-order from places like Game Stop!

The Facts: €œDeveloped by legendary game creator and father of Final Fantasy Hironobu Sakaguchi and his studio, MISTWALKER, in conjunction with Nintendo, The Last Story centers on a band of mercenaries and follows them on their journey to gain wealth and notoriety. Throughout the adventure, players will experience an engaging story with an emphasis on immersion and environmental interaction. Gameplay is action-oriented, utilizing a cover system and both ranged and melee combat, but also includes strategic elements such as a battle command system which players can use to issue orders to party members on-the-fly, expertly blending classic turn-based mechanics with real-time action combat.

The Review: Last story starts off like every other RPG that I’ve played essentially, however within the first 2 to 3 minutes, after hitting the first battle, I realized there is no fuzzy screens what you see is what you get. No random incounters, so no drawn out runs to your destination. The visuals were better than most and with the mixture of the spectacular fighting system and the witty delivery of the story line makes for an edge of your seat experience. I found the controls easy to manage even for the non gamer while not sacrificing the gameplay and story line keeping the traditional RPG flow.

The story starts off introducing you to your band of misfit mercenaries. The game is set in one city, however for those of you wanting to expirence other territory, this game offers it all to you in one city. The city is made up of a renaissance almost gothic look that is not overwhelming but still gives you that feel of being a hero.

The main character Zael will help you reach that margin as he has the same goal, he wishes to be knight within the court. Now I will not get too in depth with the story so not to spoil the game for you, however I will say the comments made between different party members and the love that each character has towards each other had me both wondering what would happen whether it be romantic, a dissagreement or some whimsical interaction that made me laugh.

The game is fantastic for all ages children to adults. I would recommend The Last Story game as unlike most JRPG often seem dry and drawn out, this game pinnacles both the eastern and western style RPG together for one fantasic game play that makes you wonder if the name itself is only a name and not actually the last story.

Xseed games has even topped the margin by making this game online multiplayer so even when u feel like the game is over, xseed has put you right in the driver seat with your frineds. So instead of having AI control your characters, you have your buddys online play the characters as you would, however the AI is extremely smart and will surprise you at most points of the game but doesn’t pull away from the multiplayer aspect.

To close up, most reviews would give this between 8 and 9.5 rating and i highly agree last story delivers spectactular game play that will keep u on the edge of ur seat and will keep u emotionally attached to the characters in the story which most games now days lack my personal rating for this game is a 9.5

The Last Story was developed by MISTWALKER and Nintendo, exclusively for Wii.€ and will be available in stores August 14!

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