“The TechGuy Rating” seems straight forward at times. Sometimes it can get a little confusing. That is why this page exists. Plus, it helps to have everything laid out and accessible.

Each review you don’t just get my awesome ramblings on the subject matter. Most reviews will have what I call the “five for five” rule. Five categories scored by a five stars rating.

Here’s the break down of categories:

Presentation
This category rates everything from the manual to packaging and from menu layouts to game options.

Gameplay
Strictly for game reviews, rates one of the most important areas, overall feel. Is the game fun and satisfying? Do the controls hinder or rock the game? For most gamers this is a deciding factor.

Lasting Appeal
This gauges how long you will be interested in a product. For games, are you going to play for a couple of hours then trade it in? For gizmos, are you the tech savvy guy on the block or did you waste your money on another piece of tech gone way of the dodo a week later?

Gamer Happiness
Even if you’re not a gamer this category can be very helpful. Gamers tend to push tech to a new standard, whether it’s a TV, Surround Sound or Gaming Consoles. If Gamers are happy you’ll be happy.

Family Fun/Friendliness
Most reviewers don’t say if your new piece of tech is child proof. You find that out yourself when he/she drops their juice all over it. Or that game you bought that seemed age appropriate might be the source of your kids nightmares. This category helps you find that out before you buy it.

Overall
All reviews will have this and no it is not the average of all categories in the review. This is purely my opinion of everything I’ve seen from the tech reviewed. This should give you a better understanding of my judgment as a reviewer. Plus, provide you a base line to make your own judgments.

Note
The categories will change depending on what’s reviewed. For example, game reviews will have different categories than a TV review. As confusing at that might be, trust me I do this for your convenience. It would be harder to review a MP3 with a category aimed at graphics.

All of the categories are rated by five stars, which breaks down like this:

All Five Stars
The best rating you can get. No tech is absolutely perfect, but this is the pinnacle of techy brilliance.

Four Stars
Must haves. Tech in this area are fantastic achievements with minor imperfections but are worth your money and time.

Three Stars
Decent Tech. Items in this category have sharp learning curves or are strictly for the fan base. Nothing here will disappoint you but it won’t excite you ether.

Two Stars
Unless you are the one person that this technology is made for, do not waste your money. You will kick yourself for not reading my review earlier and forever be a techno-winne.

One Star
An Infant might have fun throwing it against the padded walls of a crib.

No Stars
If I ever review anything in this rating… I might have to quit my job and hunt the publisher down.