C
reative is a little late to the wireless music-streaming party, but the com-
pany comes with a gift its competitors can’t match: the X-Fi Crystalizer
technology lifted from its X-Fi soundcard line.
The Xmod Wireless base station captures your PC’s audio stream and trans-
mits it to a remote receiver. The system relies on your PC’s media-player software
(we tested it with iTunes, MediaMonkey, Rhapsody, Yahoo Music, and Windows
Media Player), which means it can stream any track your media player is capable of
playing, including WMA Lossless, FLAC, and DRM-protected songs.
The transmitter receives power and audio from your PC over a USB cable, but
it’s also equipped with line-level RCA jacks. A 1/8-inch stereo jack enables you to
plug in a set of local speakers. The receiver is powered by an AC adapter and has
line-level RCA and 1/8-inch outputs. Both modules have buttons for play/pause,
track forward, and track back as well as a large volume-control knob, so you don’t
need to hunt for the simple included remote to control the devices.
The Xmod Wireless costs $120 more than Logitech’s Wireless DJ, but it can’t
match that player’s awesome remote (which displays your track list and current
tune on its LCD). On the other hand, the Xmod sounds considerably better than
Logitech’s product and it can stream to multiple receivers (a feature Logitech prom-
ised but never delivered). The Xmod wireless costs $70 more than a Squeezebox,
doesn’t rely on your wireless router, and is much cheaper to expand to a multizone
system. But it lacks that device’s excellent display and it can’t stream Internet radio.
And then there’s the Sonos Digital Music System. For its price, you could
buy three additional Xmod receivers and have $160 left over to buy music. But
all the Xmod receivers will play the same music, the system can’t be expandedbeyond four zones, and each receiver must be within 100 feet of the transmit-
ter. The Sonos comes with that brilliant remote control, supports up to 32 zones
(and can stream independently to each), and operates on a wireless
mesh network that delivers sub-
stantially greater range.
—Michael BrownCreative Xmod Wireless
A big-bang-for-the-buck multiroom audio solution
T
hirteen years ago, a little game called X-COM: UFO Defense debuted, pitting
players against alien invaders and charging them with creating a network of
bases around the globe, shooting down UFOs, capturing and researching alien
technology, and then using it against the aliens in turn-based tactical squad
combat. That’s the formula UFO: Extraterrestrials follows almost to the letter,
falling just short of being a direct remake of X-COM.
But don’t get too excited—the second coming of X-COM is not yet among
us. UFO is rife with shortcomings and bugs (especially if you don’t mod it) that
make it inferior to its inspiration at almost every turn. Graphics are a major
weak point. While all of the environments and aliens are rendered in crude
3D, your squad members are, inexplicably, 2D sprites. UFO also suffers from
a shortage of tactical maps; X-COM uses randomly generated maps to keep
encounters unpredictable, but you’ll know UFO’s maps like the back of your
hand after a couple of hours. At least the environment is destructible—you can
demolish nearly everything, given enough firepower.
In a bizarre design decision, your soldiers are all but immortal; even the
most lethal alien weapons can’t inflict more than a month’s hospital stay on
them. On one hand, this means you don’t lose your experienced soldiers eas-
ily (which is nice because green troops are nearly useless against late-game
aliens), but if the aliens manage to incapacitate your entire squad on a mis-
sion or shoot down the troop transport en route, you lose the entire squad.
Replacement troops trickle in only once or twice a month, leaving you almost
completely defenseless. Game over.That said, X-COM fans are sure to enjoy UFO. With some mods applied
(we recommend the FrankenMod: http://tinyurl.com/2pzqjo , which so easily
improves UFO that the game’s developers should be embarrassed), this is the
best X-COM clone to come along in a decade. And as sad as that is, it’s
nice that someone’s still trying
to recapture the magic.
—dan stapletonUFO: Extraterrestrials
An X-COM clone that’s almost close enough to the original
8 MAXIMUMPC october 2007
reviews Tes Ted. Reviewed. veRdic Tized
creative’s Xmod wireless is a compelling multiroom audio sys-
tem for the price, but we’d happily give up one of its two remote
controls for a display on either the remote or the receiver.You must avoid the alien probe at all costs!6
ufo: extraterrestrials
$40, http://www.ufo-extraterrestrials.com
ESRB: E10+9
xmod wireless
$370, http://www.creative.com