This week, Bethesda announced an upcoming patch to correct the problems. I’ve been playing Skyrim more than any married, full-time employed person should during the time that I’ve owned it, and just hit the landmark 60 hours the other night. Coincidentally, my save file is right about 11 MB now, well above the stated 6 MB size. I’ve experienced almost no glitches, and nothing to agree with the aforementioned issues.

If my memory serves me, I’ve experienced two game freezes and minimal framerate drops, and all of it has occurred while I was background downloading content from the PlayStation Store. Since running the game is I/O intensive on the HDD, as is downloading content from the store, this does not surprise me in the least. I’ve seen videos of the supposed problem, but I can’t help to think there’s a good explanation that doesn’t fall squarely on the shoulders of Bethesda.

My question is this: Is there really a problem, or are users complaining about nothing? I bring this up, not only because I have yet to experience any significant problems during my significant time spent in Skyrim, but also because Skyrim on PS3 runs noticeably smoother than Oblivion did on the Xbox 360. Even at the worst of times, Skyrim compares nicely to the previous Elder Scrolls title at its best.

I know, comparing Skyrim to a game released over 5 years ago isn’t fair, but it’s the best frame of reference that I have, and users were crying foul back then as well. Personally, I had more problems with Oblivion on the Xbox 360 than I did with Oblivion on PS3 (yes I did play through the entire game on both consoles), and I’ve yet to experience problems with Skyrim on PS3. Maybe my life experience has made me a skeptic, but I’m not buying it. At its best, Skyrim is an ambitious game on a grand scale. At its worst, it is a flawed game with an occasional glitch and framerate hiccup, but not unplayable by any means.

And now I open up the floodgates: Have you experienced problems with Skyrim on your PS3? Am I an idiot for insinuating that there is no issue? Let me know in the comments below.

The post Skyrim on PS3: Took an arrow to the knee first appeared on Techerator.

Nearly every single day of my life begins and ends with the internet. I turn on my computer first thing after rolling out of bed and check my e-mail and Twitter feed. Throughout the day I keep connected through my smartphone; I talk with friends on Twitter, keep up to date with the latest news, and kill time between classes thanks to sites like Reddit. At work I use the internet to find solutions to tech support problems. As the day winds down, sites like Hulu let me keep up with my favorite TV shows without having to adhere to strict television schedules.

When the holiday season rolls around the internet becomes even more invaluable. Instead of having to brave the inevitable holiday rush (and, God forbid, socialize with strangers) or resort to something drastic like shopping at a 24 hour store at 3 am, I do most of my holiday shopping online from the comfort of my computer chair. Not only is it easier, faster, and more convenient getting everything delivered to you, the internet offers a much larger selection and you can even save money in the process.

In smaller cities, you’re often at the mercy of the retailers. If you’re shopping for something specific and lucky enough to find someone who carries it, you get the pleasure of paying whatever price they set. By shopping online you’re almost guaranteed to find what you’re looking for. Even better, shopping around is much easier on the internet. Many things can be found brand new for lower prices on auction sites like eBay, and there are entire sites dedicated to compiling lists of the lowest prices for products.

The internet has single-handedly changed the way we live our lives. As it continues to evolve, I look forward to seeing how it impacts our society in other positive ways.

Photo credit: alancleaver

The post Holidays 2.0: How the Internet Changed (and saved) Christmas first appeared on Techerator.