In its fourth year at Computex Taipei, the FiringSquad Invitational brings hardware manufacturers together in a friendly game of Command & Conquer. In addition to gaming, members of the technology media help select the best systems from a bunch of categories. The competing manufacturers pull out all the stops for the Invitational by bringing the most powerful system they can create.
While this is a competition, the Invitational is also a great networking opportunity – I’m face to face with the manufacturers that I deal with on a daily basis. It’s really more of a party than any serious competition – no on really cares who win or lose. The event took place on the 33rd floor of the Taipei World Trade Center. Not only is this a great local for the event, but the building offers a great view of the city.
After the Invitational, the competing manufacturers took the attending media out for a night on the town at one of the hottest clubs in Taipei. And wouldn’t you know, it was a lady’s night. Gee, I wonder if they planned that? For those who don’t know Asian clubs, lady’s night doesn’t mean ladies only. It means the girls get in first and drinks are free for them. After 9PM, when the girls are good and drunk, they let the guys in. Pretty evil, huh?
You Think The Display Is Big Enough?
While not the most visually impressive, NVIDIA had the most powerful system at the Invitational. The center piece of the monster gaming rig is a 30″ Apple cinema display. You can literally see the entire battle field with it. Graphics is provided by two NVIDIA GeForce 8800GTX in SLI mode.
NIVIDA should have walked away with the 3D Mark award but they forgot to optimize the system and lost to PowerColor’s less powerful ATI CrossFire setup. Just because you have the meanest system doesn’t mean you can win. You still need to tweak.
Playing Against The World’s Best Gamer
Ryan Peterson, President & CEO of OCZ Technology, takes on Fatal1ty in a one-one-one match of Quake 4. Ryan is great at making RAM, but his Quake skills need work. The final score was too embarrassing to print. Then again, other players who went up against Fatal1ty didn’t do any better.
Gaming On A Palm Top
Johnathan “Fatal1ty” Wendel demos Quake 3 on a palm sized computer. He ran a timedemo on it and the little hand held put down a respectable 30 frames per second.
Winning Free Stuff
Jessica Luken looks like she just won a 4GB OCZ Rally flash drive, but she is the marketing manager for OCZ and is really giving it away. Guess who won? 
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{ 46 comments }
” 30″ Apple cinema display. ”
God I wish I was there… 30″ is huge! Sounds like you had a great time John.
lol forgot to mention I would settle for that palm size computer…. I seriously hope your not saying you won the flash drive also? What didn’t you win there?
Fatal1ty´s cap would be just fine for me!
Believe me, it´s quite natural for John to have won something…
Cheers
30″ is nothing. Trying playing on a 42″ plasma. hehe
–
Jerry
Road to Mega Millions
It wouldn’t be as good. A 42″ plasma can’t come close to the resolution of a 30″ Apple cinema display.
Dude, John, don’t tell me you won again.
By the way about lady’s night, does the guys get free drinks after they go in?
John wins everything.
I betting he didn’t when this one.
Wasn’t that the thing that Stephen was practicing his modeling moves on?
He win all x.x
Sarah won the flash drive. But since whatever is her’s is mine, I can say I won.
No guys don’t get free drinks at lady’s night. As a matter fact, once the guys come in, the free drinks to the ladies are over. Then the guys buy them drinks. Good thing the manufacturers were paying for all this!
Free is always good! You have more luck than I have ever seen…..
Apple 30inch! Nice spot.
omg,you don’t know what is ”Ladies Night”?!
welcome to visit Hong Kong,pretty girls are waiting to you to pay a drink.
Girls get free drinks all the time. Especially the Japanese ones that like to sit at the bar by themselves, making it blatantly obvious they need you to buy them a drink
–
Jerry
Road to Mega Millions
I’m beginning to think that Sarah is the lucky one and she’s your lucky charm.
Again John? Just give it to me…
I’ve never even heard of Quake 4, but it looks like the party was a lot of fun.
Looks like fun! My brother would love it there!
Kelly
Not again!!
John you won 4GB OCZ Rally flash drive!?
Dang….thats a crazy set up they have on there.
Did I really just spend part of my day reading about a gaming convention…? (banging head on keyboard). NO GOD NO!
Although … my son thought it all very cool.
Catherine
Lol seriously how the hell do you always win at these things lol. I never win at anything haha
looks like alot of fun, the palm sized computer is an OQO model 2
bob unban me on your blog noobie. I can’t post comments haha
How do I get invited to these things? Or is it open to walk ins?
It’s by invite only. That’s why it’s call an invitational.
John seriously, how do you win everything?
FT
Whilst John walks the floor, Sarah’s sits in the corner all day long filling out entry forms…
Hey, enough with how you won every time they drew a prize out….
Isn’t it funny how you can win drawings like that and then never win a dime in the lottery.
That monitor looks sweet. I feel inferior.
yup ladies nite is awesome in taiwan. The clubs there are great. too bad this time im going there with my gf
Ladies night in tawain clubs r great. been there a lot in my college days. Going there in september too bad my gf is coming this time =(
OK, this might be a silly question. Was the only thing from Apple at this show a monitor? Please tell me there was a gaming Mac somewhere in a dark corner or something.
Looks like it was a fun show!
Mac? What’s that? Apple don’t do Computex.
Even though the Mac doesn’t do the whole gaming thing too much, you’d think they’d have some sort of presence…or is that part of the trick?
“Hey, everyone is here…except Apple. Apple isn’t here, isn’t that weird? Apple never comes to these things. Why doesn’t Apple ever come to these things? Because Apple is a different kind of company. Ahh, so basically they’d rather be mysterious than fail miserably in front of millions? Yes.”
(actual conversation overheard at Computex!)
How old is Fatal1ty? :p
he looks like he’s in his early 30′s…
what kind of witchcraft are you using john?
Like Hiro Nakamura from “Heroes”, he stops time, puts the note with his name in her hand and then
unstops the time … or something like that
I’m guessing that not all he does while he has time stopped.
I think you are having a great time at the show.
By the way You are in my top alexa ranking list.
Cheers
I won it!
Man those stuff is cool, i wonder if i had one of that cool cases.
ohh.. they have a really beautiful marketing manager
Wow!
That nvidia is really nice. Perhaps i will be rich enough one day
pretty sweet looking rigs in that room, but I wonder how hot it was in there.
some people never get too old for a nice C&C deadmatch