Category Archives: Game Tech
Playstation 4 Accessories Priced, 500GB Hard Drive Standard
Sony’s big Playstation 4 News Day Continues
It has been, let’s just be honest here, one HELL of a day for the games industry. It started off with a strong games showing by Microsoft, which rapidly cooled with the news that their bullshit DRM policies would continue unabated, but it ended strong with a Playstation 4 press conference that gave us most of the details we were looking for. PS4 won’t block used games, won’t require an online connection, and it won’t screw you out of an extra Benjamin for inferior hardware. But a couple of gaps were left, and, like some kind of artsy, satisfying porno movie (I know, that’s a contradiction in terms, but I can dream, can’t I?), those gaps have been filled. Hit the break for the full deets!
Sony Bitch-Slaps Microsoft: No DRM on PS4, No 24 Hour Check-in. Oh, and $399.
PS4 Officially Craps On Xbox One: Your Games are YOURS.
It’s official: Playstation 4 will NOT block used games in any way. It will allow you to loan games to friends, let you keep on renting games, sell them, trade them, buy them used if you want. The PS4 will also not be required to check-in every 24 hours for DRM purposes, and it will not cease to function as a game console if you can’t get online. In other words, Playstation 4 will handle used games in the same way Playstation 3 handles used games, the same way Xbox 360 and every console in the history of consoles ever has. Every console, that is, except for Xbox One. PS4 is a system that, like Nintendo’s Wii U, respects its customers’ right to own the property they pay for. Way to go, Sony! Hats off to you.
But it gets better: In the US, PS4 will launch at $399–a full $100 less than Xbox One. In Europe it’ll launch at 399 Euros and in England, 349 Pounds Sterling.
Clearly, Sony has learned the lesson from their arrogance with PS3 and have come out swinging, with a genuine desire to make up for their past mistakes. PS4, I eagerly await your launch with my dollars.
PS4 Full System
Behold the PlayStation 4 in All its Glory!
This is What the Playstation 4 Looks Like, and it’s Sleek!
Everyone’s been hoping to see what the hell the PlayStation 4 looks like ever since Sony failed to show it off back in February, but now it’s hear, and it’s nice. Just look at it’s sleeky sleekness. The system just drips “sleek”. Did I mention that it’s sleek? Okay, just checking. Behold the gallery below. In case you somehow missed it somewhere, full details on the PlayStation 4′s specs can be found after the break. So far, it looks like Sony has thoroughly outplayed Microsoft. PS4 is thinner, smaller, and more powerful, with a much more impressive lineup of games so far.
Xbox One Kinect: Only Peeping If You Want It To
Microsoft’s Xbox One Kinect Can Be Turned Off If Being Watched Doesn’t Turn You On
I will be the first to admit that I’m a bit of a privacy freak. I don’t like to be the center of attention, and I sure as hell don’t want to be watched while I do anything. But with that acknowledged, I am SO not on board with the people having a hissy fit over the new Kinect being a requirement on Xbox One. Guys–it’s a piece of technology. It’s there to expand your options, not secretly watch you tugging on your, uh, joystick, while sitting on the couch. Hit the jump and get the rest of the details.
Microsoft’s Xbox One Game Licensing Revealed
Xbox One Shares Digital Generously–Physical, Not So Much
Microsoft has announced via Xbox Wire exactly what the Xbox One’s software policies will be. Surprisingly, they aren’t as bad as everyone feared, but they also are a step backward from what we enjoy today. Perhaps most interestingly of all, though, is that Microsoft has tried to ensure they won’t be perceived as the bad guy: if anyone charges a fee for the transfer of used games, Microsoft will not receive a cut. That scenario is entirely up to publishers.
All the nitty gritty details are available after the break! Read on and share your thoughts in the comments!
Editorial: It’s Official-Xbox One Hinders Used and Lending Games. #GoodbyeXbox
Xbox One Just Went from Exciting to Deal Breaker
The internet exploded this morning with the perceived announcement that Microsoft’s new Xbox One system would block players from buying and selling used games. Gamers were justifiably angry. They should be angry. In a statement on Major Nelson’s Blog, Microsoft’s Larry Hryb made it clear: you can play your games on a friend’s console IF you’re signed in under your profile, for free. If you’re not–there’s a fee. Let’s think about what that means. Join me after the break for the full breakdown, and get ready to be very, very angry.
Xbox One Announcement: A 50 Year Old Gamer’s Perspective
Is The new Xbox One Ready for Gamers?
Or, is just another TV playing device? Today’s announcement recalled just how great Xbox has been. And, now what is new about this great new Xbox. Yay. New advancements in gaming? Mostly graphics. Lots of same old stuff such as exhausted franchises trotted out?
Yep.
Head on past the break and let’s see what a 50 year old gamer thinks about this new “bad boy.”
Oculus Rift Closer to True Sword Art Online Experience
Have we gotten close to Sword Art Online? Does the Oculus Rift’s simulation compare?
If you have been following the anime scene in the last year, there was an anime called Sword Art Online (SAO) based on the popular light novel by Reki Kawahara. This story takes place in a Virtual Reality Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game, with the players connected to SAO via a VR Helmet know as Nerve Gear that stimulates the players 5 senses. In SAO the players were able to feel, taste, smell, hear, and see.
The Oculus Rift only simulates what you see. If you add a good set of headphones, you can simulate sound. A great example is a video on YouTube of a 90 year old lady trying out the Oculus Rift Virtual Reality headset. Check past the jump for her experience, and more on the Oculus Rift!
PS4 Dual Shock 4 Gets Pictured
The Dual Shock finally gets a nice revision!
It’s been a long time coming, but it’s finally arrived: the day Sony’s Dual Shock controller gets a substantial makeover. Detailed shots are pictured after the break, but let’s just lay out the basics right here, shall we? First, the oft-rumored touch-sensitive pad is now a simple statement of fact. Like the back of the Playstation Vita, the Dual Shock 4 has a 2 point capacitive touch panel, though in this case it’s on the front. It’s slightly wider (6.4 inches vs 6.2 on the DS3), slightly deeper (3.9 inchs vs 3.78) and just a tad thinner (2.0 inches vs 2.2 on the DS3), but weighs a little more (7.4 ounces vs 6.7). Bear in mind that these are all up in the air and could change before launch, but for now it’s what we have.
Perhaps the most interesting thing about the controller, outside of the new touchpad and the share button, is the Wii-like inclusion of both a speaker and a headphone jack on the controller itself. Headphone jacks have been in place on Xbox controllers for more than a decade, but to date Nintendo has been alone in adding a speaker to the controller, which they did with both the Wii and the Wii U, in the latter case to great effect in some cases (Zombi U, I’m looking at you…from behind the couch).
Head on past the break for the gallery and share your thoughts in the comments! Love it? Hate it? Tell me why!
