Playstation 4 me

I recently gave in to my inner child and became the owner of the PlayStation 4. I walked into the store, chose two games, that online pass, dipped deep into my pocket paid and left. Set it up to my TV relegating the ps3 to the second port and got under way. Since then it’s been around a month, so I thought I would share my experience, and maybe help you to make a decision on if you should fork out your hard earned pounds.

An accurate representation of how the deal went down

Pretty, pretty

In my opinion there is quite a difference in the graphical quality of the games. I was massively sceptical before I took the plunge as to how much better the graphics could really be and I have to say, based on the early games I’m pretty impressed.

Games so pretty, you no longer need eyes

The screen shot comparisons do not do justice just how pretty things looks, how smooth they play just how good they feel. The jump from 720 – 1080 can be seen and all in all the games I have played look great and I am excited to see what Watch Dogs will look like, But I will be more interested in the re-mastering of the Last of Us a game which went to great lengths to look amazing on the PS3. I do hope there is more to it than the Tomb Raider update of slightly more hairier hair….

Tyrone Biggums gets it

Beauty is only skin Deep.. yeah yeah yeah 

Game play wise, games to certainly seem smoother and faster. I haven’t experienced any lagging, jumping or any other unpleasantness while playing infamous Second son even with powers galore shooting around the screen like sonic on speed.

Games start up quicker than on the PS3 which is nice for a quick game of anything, and would probably be even faster if I used the stand by feature… Which I don’t because… I… I don’t know I just turn things off. In reality though it won’t feel all too different than the PS3. The controller feels odd at first, with its narrower grip and that strange smooth touch pad but you get used to it. You will however hit share when you want select I can Guarantee that.

R.I.P the simple select button

PlayStation Plus..you
If you are or were a PlayStation 3 kinda person you were no doubt quite happy that online for us was born free and were shocked and disappointed with the news that we would have to pay for the online services by way of the PS+ Subscription. I was.

But, I’m slowly coming around to the Idea that it might just have been the icing on the cake. Without the PS4 I wouldn’t have purchase a PS plus subscription I just didn’t see the point but since it was thrust upon me I have had the privilege of free games. And not bad games either, good games, games I was happy to play. Tomb raider, Payday2, Sly Racoon, Uncharted 3 and Bio shock Infinite…all for free as part of the subscription with new games every month.. Much Excite

is nice

Granted with every silver lining is a brown turdy one. These games are on the PS3, so I have been moved away from my PS4 onto my PS3 by the addition of Free-ish content. But it does give hope for what the PS4 may soon bring to the table

Bobby

All in all I am Very happy with my purchase. Yes it was a lot of money and yes there are like 3 games. But it’s an investment in something I hope to have for many years. Hopefully. So if you’re on the fence, un sure what to do I say this. If you have the Money, and spending it won’t hurt you too much then take the plunge, enjoy what’s out there and grow with the console, keep your PS3 ( if you have one ) and Take advantage of the PS+ and all in all just have a good time.

This guy had a good time on his D**k

 

 

The Cloud raining on the console parade

Hey guys and girls. In the last couple of months we have seen the release of the latest Consoles. Both the PS4 and the Xboxone boasts Impressive specs. Graphics of the highest order and processing capability of amazing proportions. But is this the last Console release we will be getting? I think it might just be.

Farewell Consoles…Maybe..who knows look its Link.

I have talked about cloud gaming in another post but it seems to be getting serious again. As the internet improves, our speeds increase our ability to stream gets better and better and more and more people are online. The possibility of Cloud gaming is becoming more and more of a serious reality for all gamers. With the boom of Smart phones, Tablets, and smart TV’s where does a new console does fit in with a cloud hosted system? The level of graphical output or processing power wouldn’t matter as the game is being run by servers elsewhere in the world which could be updated and changed to cope with bigger and better games. allowing all devices to flex there muscles.

GADOOOSH

Imagine being able to play the latest Call of Duty or Mario anywhere (probably on the toilet) , on any device which connects to the internet, with the graphics and at the speed of a home console. Just think… that would be awesome. it may also go some way in blurring the lines between casual gamers and the hardcore. Providing options for both.

Imagine

And this ability is happening now. Back in summer 2012 Sony acquired Gaikai cloud based servers allowing for the streaming of content, and this month Sony announced that it would start its streaming of games on its PlayStation Now with the latest 2014 Sony TV’s fully supporting the service as well as the PS4. This ability to stream gaming also has a great financial benefit. Though the outlay cost Sony around $400 million dollars the returns could be far greater than that on a console, given that they will no longer have to deal with the manufacturing and distribution costs of the console.

An accurate representation of how the deal went down

There would be a chance for developers to create original and exciting new content. Firstly, being hosted digital means that the cost of production is lower, without the need for blu ray disks and Secondly the ability to utilise things such as touch screen technologies with high-end processors and graphics, allowing for a wider demographic to enjoy gaming of a higher quality and hopefully standard, ultimately making the experience for gamers more enjoyable and varied.

YAY So much fun

There of course several problems with this. As it stands Downloading a game is a timely and costly affair with many downloadable games considerable more than there physical counterparts, with far fewer deals taking place.

Has my game downloaded yet?

There is also an issue with the ability to Trade-in physical titles, especially given that some games are short or poorly made. I am sure that the Publishers could create a form of digital games trade-in perhaps where if you trade – in the download you get a percentage of your next download from that publisher. In this way the consumer feels as though they are not being ripped off and the publisher is still making money off of their new titles. And internet speed isn’t currently too great and not everyone is online. Argumentatively you could say that the majority are, but for those who are not, they will be isolated and not able to join in something they may enjoy, after all buying a console is one of cost as are the games, but a streaming services is likely to require a subscription, which on top of a higher enough quality internet bill, may prove too much for some.

Whatever side you are on our industry is going through some exciting changes and I can’t wait to see how the PlayStation TV performs and what the future holds for gamers. If it does take hold, then no matter how powerful the next generation of consoles are it wont matter, because super overlord computers some where else will be playing them on anything, anywhere… sa-weet.

Is Nintendo the New Sega?

We all have warm feelings in our belly’s when we think about Nintendo. Pokemon, Zelda, Mario…. mmm ahhh Nostalgia. We don’t have such warm Feelings for Sega.. not after the Megadrive… Saturn…Dreamcast and then death of hardware. They still make games though some Bad like Sonic some good like The total war series. Sega Failed because it Hardware  A, was terrible ( The Sega Saturn… jesus) but Mainly it was due to poor Third party support and the strength of the competition, who simplified there tools, and didn’t use gimmicks like a second screen in side the control. Using Sega as a base, lets examine Nintendo…

Out Smarted by a phone?

With the growth of the smartphone industry it was inevitable that some companies were going to feel the pinch. Camera companies need cameras that did more than photos, camcorder has  almost died a horrible wriggling death not including the professional market or those people o so retro and, games consoles needed innovation, in both its hardware and in its games.

Hipsters Everywhere

Nintendo had this with the DS. It was touch screen they had some decent exclusive games, OK third party support and was way better than the screened turd Sony would eventually put out.

They made smaller ones then bigger ones and then a 3D one and then a big 3D one and then a 2D one again that looked like a doorstop. It certainly seemed that they had one basket with so many eggs in the Easter bunny would be jealous.

happy happy eggs

The problem, for me at least was that the 3D part was a Gimmick more than a tool which added and enhanced the experience. To date only a few games have really made use of it in a decent way, with a variety of others Just having 3D because the Console can do it. Also, Again when I did play the 3DS which was in my household I would often turn off the 3D part, allowing me to actually see and play the game without having to be bolted in front of my eyes to keep it in the middle.

Now I can see in 3D…. I hate it.. turn it off Kill it with Fire

Extra’s aside I think the 3DS would have performed a lot stronger had the rise of the smartphone not taken place. As I have mentioned in a previous post the Casual gamer, a market which Nintendo Holds with a loving embrace have Migrated to playing games on the thing they already had, with more actual features, with good quality games ( some) for as little as free…. Maybe Nintendo should design a phone combining the touch screen part of the DS with a decent processor and other useful tools. Nintenphone and Nintentab.

Thanks T3 you little so n so’s

Its out of our hands

 Let’s move away from the handheld market now and look at Nintendo’s Home consoles. The Nintendo Entertainment System and the Super Nintendo Entertainment System were giants of it time. It had lots of good games, loads of support and, even the games which came out on them and their rivals the mighty Sega Master System and Mega Drive were different, unlike today.

 The SNES was popular well into the 32 bit era, with many playing it when Sony’s First baby arrived into shops (Thanks Nintendo for your part in that) Not wanting to be Outdone Nintendo Designed the N64 a console twice as powerful as the PSone but used an outdated cartridge system. This was the first Nintendo Console I owned, and for me, it was the beginning of the end. The PlayStation had so much Third party support it was a like a billionaire in a whore house, it had so many games.. so so many.

The N64 had some games, they….. were…… ok? I want to say they existed, that some’s up for me there impact much better. Aside from the ones that were made by, exclusively for or in conjunction with Nintendo ( Mario 64, The Zelda’s, Metroid and Super smash Bro) with the odd exception. This started a trend which we would continue to see in the coming Consoles from Nintendo, Cube to WII U.

Best Third Party N64 game? Third Partyish?

Also as with its handhelds it seemingly tried to differentiate itself by having quirky gimmicky features rather than gaining support from Developers. The GameCube had some fun games on it, but its big thing was that it used a little disk and look like a lunch box. The ps2 was simply a better version of the old one and whooosssshhhhhh Success. This pattern of Gimmicks over third party has continued, and though the WII’s motion controls were fun, and did well in the casual market, the third party support wasn’t great and the WII U is just silly. a screen in a control… hello Dreamcast u .

End of the line

 So, is there a place for Nintendo? Possibly. But probably as a games developer rather than a console behemoth.Yesterday Nintendo announced that instead of a 55bn Yen profit it now predicts a 25bn Yen Loss….that is quite a big, it hurts me to loose £10.

All of Nintendo

There success in the 80’s and 90’s was great and we got a lot of great games from it, hell in the early Noughties they pulled it off again with the WII and the DS, they just got it wrong with the next move forward, perhaps they could develop something new, but with the Xboxone and the PS4 out now, it would have to be something with amazing, with graphics to rival, maybe a normal control would be nice, but most importantly, Decent Third party Titles. Take the weight off of Mario.

Just look at that terrible Posture

I hope they find something because I love the Zelda Games and Nintendo as a whole really, and I hope they do it fast.

Full Steam ahead

Steam facing up to the consoles. The consoles facing steam gaming…Fight!!

Hello, hello hello one and all. I’m back. Its been a little over a month since my last post on here. various personal things have limited my ability to post things. But I am back now all guns a blazing.. pew pew. Recently (ish) Steam announced that they were going into the world of consoles..kinda… there are a lot of ish’s in this and I’m sorry(ish).

Operation SteamOS

So, the first step of the process for steam resulted in them creating there own operating system with a focus on playing games. My first point with this is the brilliant name they gave it, I would have truly liked to have been involved in that meeting. Hey bob we have this new Steam operating system what should we call it?.. Err… SteamOS?… Bob….you’re going places. Its great Idea in theory for those people who enjoy playing their games and it means that the service is dedicated, and dedicated is good. It is Linux based open sourced for personal coding, but, if it can be placed with in windows so you can effectively switch between it and good old windows then good good.

SteamBox

Realising that they have never been in the business of hardware steam have out sourced the designing of a physical little box to display the games to Nvidia, a decent move for them effectively giving someone else the cost of producing the box, with effectively free reign. It works by allowing you to stream games straight from your PC to your TV effectively turning your PC into a gaming console where ever it is in the house aslong as the wifi is strong. The design is open to Nvidia except with the control, when steam were strict with, it has no analog stick and instead deals with touch pads which I think were pretty cool.

Not as cool as me though.

Steaming ahead of the competition?

This console is looking to launch at a time when there is stiffer competition than ever. Both the PS4 and Xboxone are on the horizon and have been drumming up support for themselves respectively for months, both have long heritages in the console world and both would  be willing to spend spend spend to cut out this new competition.  Its not all doom and gloom for Steam though they do have one massive advantage over the other two companies, and that, is volume of games. During launch both the Xboxone and the PS4 will have maybe 4-5 games each and they wont be great  ( one maybe two will be) but the steam box comes with a catalogue of any and every game steam can offer, that about 3000+ titles right out of the box and steam are not exactly not known for having some awesome discount

s.

The steam console will create a whole new realm of gaming for PC gamers. PC gaming went through a bit of a down swing but things seem to be on the rise…like steam…. I am not even sorry for the terrible pun. I however will stick with my consoles.

Rumble Feature

Do we all just have our heads in the cloud?

Gaming is likely going to change with the launch of the new super consoles. the current generation tried to introduce the idea of game downloads but it never really took off ( as far as I am aware) prices for games were simply to high when compared with the ones you can buy in the shops and there simply were not enough deals going ti intise any one even give it a try. I downloaded Blood siren and it cause nothing but problems as I slowly filled up the space on my ps3 ( the orginal 60gb how it still works? Magic…) So is cloud gaming likely or are blu-rays still the future.

I like to own my games

one of the big things for me about owning a games console is that you can start to build a collection. It doesnt mean anything to any one else but it holds value to me. not disimlar to collecting pokemon cards as small child. However owning those cards on a Kindle wouldn’t exactly have the same oomf or impressiveness. plus how am I ment play and steal his cards? keep his kindle.. thats just silly…

Not as impresive, black and white and pixely on a screen

Also with physical games you do have the option and the right to trade them. They are after all youes to di with as you please. You loose this ability with games that are being downloaded or streamed from the internet. you are stuck with it forever, Like a clingy friend that just wont leave you alone.

I’m staying and you cant get rid of me

So games will have to get better? surely that is the case? If a game comes out and it is bad like shockingly bad like Lindsy Lohan bad then I can always take it back and trade it and feel less dirty. If however I pay £40 or even £50 for an awful game from online and im stuck with it well… many people will not be very happy.Also to download a game at a decent rate/speed  your internet connection will have to be pretty good, if you dont have that you might be waiting a long long tmie for a triple A title or even not be able to get it at all.

Has my game downloaded yet?

So physicals disks must win Right??

Straight from the cloud to your console to your face

Cloud gaming is instant and involves no movement.  Being bad for human kind in terms of fitness aside in terms of convience its wonderful a new game is relased and it can be streamed that day direct your console, No queues, No out of stocks, no sweaty people who smell getting as giddy as a school girl.

Beating you to the front of the line

Another great feature is it that it open the way to Indie developeers due to the smaller cost associated with putting games out there to market. As it stands if you have an idea it has to be produced on a disk whihc is expensive so in realisty on the idea that a company  (overlord) thinks will make it money. Looking at platfoms such as the various App stores however shows that given a relax on financal constraints can result in a boom of good quality content and that could start coming thorugh on our next gen consoles.

A game that has gone from strength to strength. Would it have been so on a disk?

I am not saying games will be 59p but they certainly shouldn’t be £19.99. Finally continuing with the idea of costing, PS4 games are set to be around £60 according to reports.. £60!! that is an insane amount of money for a game disk that wil last probabl all of 17-20 hours.. so the price will probably drop. But, as the cost of production is not asociated with downloads meaning we might be getting games at a far more reasonable rate.

Lets sum it up

Both platforms have good and bad, but I think with rising costs cloud gaming is a must. More and more deve,opeers are bring thnigs to the table that normally wouldnt have got a shot on a solely phyiscal platform and I  think this will do nothnig but benfit the industry. It does isolate people so perhaps it is a bit premature to cut disk out completly a combination of both? fairly priced games on blu-ray aswellas a store for indie dvelopers and Tripple A a like? One can but dream

Backwards compatibility is just plain backwards

One of the big things with the next generation of consoles is that they wont be able to play the old generation. PS3 and Xbox games become as usefull as coasters. And to that I say so? Perhaps it is a good thing, allowing for a better experience.

I want my PS3 on my PS4 and i want it now!

Backwards compatibility was a fairly simple business back in the day of the ps2. The jump between the two was quite impressive, in terms of graphical ability and processing capabilities. The ps1 as iconic as it was, was basically powered by a hamster in a wheel.. and not a health hamster at that.

Works been hard since the PS2

The PS2 on PS3 created a different problem. with better graphics on the PS3 and more processing power needed the PS2 had to basically be built with in the PS3.. meaning it was a game console and something you could use to Schwarzenegger out.

All this and just with a PS3

eventually PS3 lost this ability became slim and here we are. the PS3 payed a price for this however. Graphics were not as good as on Xbox to some people and games were quite jumpy. Despite having better graphical ability and greater processors they were split between PS2 and PS3 and that caused Sony to lose an edge. Well done Xbox well done. Also PS3 could play PS1 games.. why?…why

Even this guy doesn’t know

I like my games so nerr

Now we have the next gen on the way so why would we not focus on that? in all seriousness we are unlikely to go back and play old ps3 games a year or so in to the life of the  ps4. Versions of the best games will come out online for your enjoyment. How often did you play ps2 games on your ps3 or miss xbox games on your xbox360? if you want to play games on your old consoles, keep your old console.

Me and my Xbox have been together a long time.. i’ll never love another

By cutting this out both Microsoft and Sony have allowed for them selves to focus on moving forward and we will all benefit from it. Don’t look back, look forward. focus on great games that are coming not great games of old.

Game Graphics – Hey there good looking

Graphics and how smooth a face can look and how realistic a wall is has been a large selling point for consoles for a good while. Nintendo Boasted about how powerful the N64 was compared with the Playstation, The Xbox did the same over the Playstation 2 ( Wait a minute.. Playstation..) and now Sony believe that the PS4 will have superior graphics to its rival the Xboxone. But are graphics really so important that they should be used as a reason for us to part with our cold hard cash? or are other things more important when it comes to consoles and the games we play on them?

Graphics you so have another £320

My god, Its so real!

Graphics have been getting better for years. The smoothest faces guns, bums boobs and arms the gaming world has ever seen. The realism of the graphics allows the all important immersion of games, a sense of fear in horror games that perhaps couldn’t  be reached with a pixely face.

Graphics making CGI boobs as real as possible

But can somethings be too real? such an emphasis is placed on how things looks that detail on how it plays and the story it tells can sometimes be lost. Sometimes it is pulled off games like L.A Noire were beautiful games and told a brilliant story. Some of the best games that there have ever been came from a time when consoles only had 8 pixels to play with 8! a ridiculously small number of pixles. Ha.

What makes the one on the right ant better? Same game play… Nintendo..

If I’m honest I feel as though graphics have really got as good as they can really be. How smooth can we really make the floor the next uncharted or Halo?. Developers shouldn’t be thinking oo yay now I can finally make that big shiny building I’ve always wanted, they should be thinking wow, I have all this power muhahaa whats the best thing I can do, story I can tell, experience I can give and then, make it look nice.

Next gen…Such Power!!!

Its not the outside but the inside that counts.

An example where extra graphical oomph caused more harm than good was with Silent Hill.Silent Hill remains one of the best games ever created. It had depth of story character development, game play everything it really was a truly great game. One of the things that added to that atmosphere was the haze. The game had creepy glow of white, not allowing the player to see far into the game. This wasn’t done on purpose but because of graphical limitations, it added to the experience.

Fast forward to the Current gen remakes in HD and what we got was a similar experience but implanted in turd. it lost the haze and so some of the feel and wasn’t as good but the story was still great but no matter how hard you polish a turd, its still a turd.

So shiny you could forget it was shit.

Stories are the best part of games in my opinion. A game can make up for poor graphics by having a great story. Games like phoenix wright with low graphics are great because of  the story its immersion, with humor and challenge.

One of my favorite DS games and its a Gameboy colour port…..

If a great story can be coupled with great graphics then fantastic and we get the Skyrims of the world beautiful stories mixed with emotion and depth like a pretty woman who has a personality, rare but when they are found you fall in Love. done wrong and you end up with something pretty but lacking spark .. get both wrong  and well  you have a hideous hideous beast of a thing that nightmares are made of.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Bioshock was slated because it looked dated but it is still one of the best games of 2013 Story was great, it had a great twist the game play was fun and face paced was an excellent piece if you haven’t play it.

Focus on the story but not completely on how good it looks, We are not that shallow. make something that has the narrative of a movie, with great game-play and if possible smooth graphics.Some of the greatest games, have been low res, Hell the Wii sold million and was the weakest graphically of the 3 consoles because it has a specializations that extra something beyond. If Sony,Microsoft and the developers themselves focus on these areas, then we as fans are on to something really special.

And now the match scores. PlayStation 4 – Xbox 1

With the next generation of consoles on the horizon Sony looks set to release yet another console that millions of people will enjoy, that makes 4..4! nice round 4. 3 is no longer the magic number. Microsoft however has only really had 1 console in that same caliber the 360. The first Xbox was a huge ugly looking thing that boasted great graphics but for me entered the race to late to have an impact.

If Xbox was a person

Now we have news of the Xboxone Microsoft’s launch into erm Console? TV? skype? PC? Rock? Table? I don’t know. so, sit back, grab a cuppa and read why I think the next Xbox is going to fall harder than a fat kid with lead boots…. holding another fat kid.

Wanna borrow my game? haha only joking I own an Xbox

One of the big things with the new Xbox is the fact that people need to register their games online when they are purchased and in that way it kind of becomes attached to the owner.

These aren’t my glasses

so, if you toddle off to your friends house to shoot some nazi’s or to play some football you can,so long as you log in to your profile, but they cannot borrow your games oh no sir not with out having to again basically purchase the right to play the game. Ok I hear you cry we shouldn’t be borrowing from our friends and perhaps its a small issue but think about it on a larger scale. Lovefilm game lending is over, buying preowned games? over… game over man.

Love Film is annoying any way.. so thanks Xbox

It seems as if Microsoft are targeting only the wealthy, the people who can afford new titles when they want and laugh at those of us who sit there playing demo’s as its all we can have. It also means when you are completed with the awful game you purchased and regret it you can’t even take it back to trade in.

No internet No prob… wait no sorry problem

Another strange thing Xbox is doing is having the console online 24/7 or at the very least it has to make one connection once a day. Well great. I’m sure it won’t effect many people who will be laughing and clicking and calling your mum fat over fiber optic on release day.

but what of the people who don’t have a great internet connection? maybe it breaks regularly maybe you just don’t have it. well if that happens you can still use you Xbox, it can be used as a coffee table or a foot rest or a door stop but not a game machine no no, that’s silly talk.

Watch TV on your XBOX!… But I own a TV...

Consoles are slowly becoming more entertainment centers and less gaming machines which is great a sign of the times an evolution of greatness. However, the new Xbox seems to be promoting an awful lot of TV features, watch sport, watch TV watch SPORTS or TV or SPORTS!!! YEAH SPORTS WOO. But thing is… I already own a TV. I must other wise I’ve brought an Xbox to look at and not much else and my TV already has TV shows and sports. so that selling point suddenly become moot not so much a selling point as useless feature like nipples on men.Further more if you own a smart TV then your TV can connect to facebook, youtube and all kinds of amazing things. Then why on earth would you turn on your TV ignore the facebook section turn on your Xbox to connect to facebook. Sony no doubt will be guilty of this too but that is equally useless.

There we have it, my three reasons why I think the Xboxone is balls and why Microsoft are being slightly if not very Penis like. If only for the removal of the ability to buy preowned games despite the fact that new games will be around the £45 mark. and that if you can’t get on the internet then you console is basically just a living room feature like a really bulky plant pot that can’t hold plants. For me Sony has gained the upper hand in this early battle. But there is a lot of time left for them to not totally balls it up.

RL