tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42707489081580734632024-02-20T04:14:12.358-05:00MMN TechHome & Mobile entertainment and gaming reviews, editorials, and how-tos.Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14705332818474946081noreply@blogger.comBlogger459125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4270748908158073463.post-59095583419788752702013-06-25T22:53:00.002-04:002013-06-25T22:53:45.698-04:00We've Moved! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEvGRKgVqqeUmP5f63mtGRSjGrPPbWQAoY9LvUPz-rzGxA7P0hGem70VnCFuV9AwbAgrx09QTP-wlwyXL3Fe_bfGbGe1dHBmCLi7RlNv4SnL1Z50LC8S-SgO-nrP0y14i_3nqUM7vd5YvK/s1600/3424098958_a9230e795a_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEvGRKgVqqeUmP5f63mtGRSjGrPPbWQAoY9LvUPz-rzGxA7P0hGem70VnCFuV9AwbAgrx09QTP-wlwyXL3Fe_bfGbGe1dHBmCLi7RlNv4SnL1Z50LC8S-SgO-nrP0y14i_3nqUM7vd5YvK/s1600/3424098958_a9230e795a_b.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Yes, I've finally dumped Blogger for greener pastures. You can now find us at our new home, <a href="http://mmntech.ca/">mmntech.ca</a>. The new site has better features, a cleaner look, more social interactivity, and (eventually) a forum. Hop on over to the new MMNTech, the elements of gadgets and gaming. Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14705332818474946081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4270748908158073463.post-72642364625800611742013-06-19T16:42:00.005-04:002013-06-19T17:07:55.666-04:00Microsoft Reverses Xbox One DRM decision<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4naXj3yAPnBm0ddWnAeggEIwPitOnSVAaZRljMH35sKt4pqpXV2At2kc6asWTKGX2VDmCuu6mSZIf9XcBul2wvXZjaomwX3LA-x6TKCIwwbDUHVawxWEhtHyRoJxjQpjNpmPQIKhUwxsR/s1600/190px-Microsoft_XBOX.svg.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4naXj3yAPnBm0ddWnAeggEIwPitOnSVAaZRljMH35sKt4pqpXV2At2kc6asWTKGX2VDmCuu6mSZIf9XcBul2wvXZjaomwX3LA-x6TKCIwwbDUHVawxWEhtHyRoJxjQpjNpmPQIKhUwxsR/s1600/190px-Microsoft_XBOX.svg.png" height="150" width="150" /></a></div>
It was bound to happen eventually. All the outrage over the Xbox One's DRM scheme has paid off. Microsoft announced today that they would be stripping the controversial restrictions from the console. GiantBomb broke the story earlier this afternoon.<br />
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Story developing. As of writing, Xbox.com has crashed due to the overload.<br />
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UPDATE: Xbox Wire Q&A has outlined the changes<br />
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<a href="http://news.xbox.com/2013/06/update">Microsoft</a> stated that they have listened to customer feedback and have implemented the following changes. <br />
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-Xbox One will no longer require an internet connection. You will only need to connect to the internet during initial setup of the console.<br />
-Status quo on used games will remain. You will be able to buy, sell, rent, and trade as you would on the Xbox 360.<br />
-Xbox One games will not be region locked. <br />
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This follows an earlier report this week from publishers, who stated they were caught off guard by the used game restrictions. None had made a decision regarding a ban at that point. <br />
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This is very good news for Xbox fans who felt betrayed by the initial restrictions. Microsoft took a major beating at E3 when Sony announced the PS4 would lack the controversial DRM, and would cost $100 less. Early pre-order reports suggest the the Xbox One is lagging behind sales of the new Playstation. Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14705332818474946081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4270748908158073463.post-75996087622311969542013-06-17T22:55:00.002-04:002013-06-17T22:55:22.484-04:00Who's watching the watchers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I was reading Arthur R. Miller's <a href="http://blog.modernmechanix.com/the-national-data-center-and-personal-privacy/">fantastic article</a> from the November 1967 issue of The Atlantic. Miller is a lawyer and civil procedure professor at New York University. Some two years before the invention of the internet, he wrote about the dangers of unchecked government surveillance on the American public. Miller's focus has long been privacy and computers, so he's no fly-by-night on the subject. With the NSA/PRISM scandal, his words 46 years ago ring eerily true today.<br />
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There are a few problems with digital data snooping. You can most certainly build a profile on anyone in America or anyone using American network infrastructure. However, there's no guarantee that data is accurate, or even complete. The problem is that we as human beings tend to consider computers as being infallible. This form of observation bias can greatly distort the truth.<br />
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Data can also mean different things in different contexts. A stamp of depression on your medical record could mean a prescription refill to your doctor. To law enforcement, it could flag you as a potential danger to society. Especially in the wake of mass shootings by mentally ill individuals. Police have access to a whole host of information on you. Arrests still stand on your record even if you're found not guilty by the courts. You may be innocent, but to the cop on the roadside you'll always be "positive CNI, flag victor." This could prevent you from getting jobs, or crossing borders. There's really a lot of information on you that could be damning in the wrong hands. Which is why the "nothing to hide" argument is dead wrong and downright dangerous.<br />
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Miller suggests a number of safeguards to protect public privacy. First off, government data should not be in the hands of intelligence agencies. An independent bureaucracy should established to act as gatekeeper for all government data requests. Even then, requests should be very limited in scope, with strict limits on who has access to them. He asks congress to implement laws preventing public and private data from being accessed by the government without cause. Government should also open its database to the public. Allow all citizens full access to their specific file and establish a process for them to correct errors within these files. Lastly, he asks congress to legislate mandatory digital locks to prevent government and private officials from making unauthorized access to your data.<br />
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That was almost fifty years ago. Which of these suggestions has the US government implemented? None, really. The NSA was having a field day with the data of US and foreign citizens without any checks or balances. The USA PATRIOT Act allowed for it under the guise of defending America from terrorism. In fact, they say it stopped several attacks. However, they were typically vague on the details. Problem is, the terrorists know they're being watched. Unless they're grossly incompetent, they will take active steps to cover their trail. The only people surveillance states really hurt are the innocent American and foreign citizens who were unknowingly being profiled.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkh7Lq84Mkb5_wTUPBXnFzCMSe95h_U5-xI9LkB5VljzTpO0l3fCNFE-e-Idgy76-gKpR3F9OhTOxdDAfDE37nq2Sza6Pn-HX4pbVnB5-7AB1Nc6wERV8n8D9RVg0pKKVEItqEzKfjP8gM/s1600/unclesam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkh7Lq84Mkb5_wTUPBXnFzCMSe95h_U5-xI9LkB5VljzTpO0l3fCNFE-e-Idgy76-gKpR3F9OhTOxdDAfDE37nq2Sza6Pn-HX4pbVnB5-7AB1Nc6wERV8n8D9RVg0pKKVEItqEzKfjP8gM/s1600/unclesam.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Uncle Sam is watching you. cover of The Atlantic Nov 1967. Drawing by Ed Sorel</td></tr>
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The US government is calling NSA leaker Edward Snowden a traitor, citing the leaks as "extremely damaging" to national security. The only thing the leaks damaged was the credibility of the Obama administration. Especially after the president campaigned on easing the PATRIOT Act to deal with Bush era privacy concerns. Since then surveillance has ramped up considerably, making the administration look hypocritical. Perhaps Mr Obama needs to take Mr Miller's recommendations seriously.<br />
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Now, you may be reading this and wondering how the heck can you protect yourself. I'll be blunt, you can't. There's no such thing as fool proof security. Everything you send over the internet is potentially up for grabs. Even the most mundane data can be valuable to the right people. Your texts, your banking information, that secret project your company is working on, what websites you've been to, who your friends on Facebook are. All of it. Especially when you're dealing with a hacker with limitless resources and ISP level data mining. At that point, even encryption doesn't matter. Any code is breakable if it's worth breaking. <br />
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What you can do is limit your online footprint. There's all sorts of tools out there. There's anonymous browsing via the <a href="https://www.torproject.org/">Tor</a> network. You can even get Linux distros with it built in. A friend of mine developed the <a href="http://www.ninjastik.com/">NinjaStik</a>, which is a custom, Tor enabled distro on USB key. Tor works across multiple points to hide where data came from, but it doesn't hide what data is. So it's not the be all, end all. <br /><br />
VPN services work like Tor but enrypt the data. However, your VPN provider may still be subject to data requests on its customers. Paid services tend to take security more seriously but even they can succumb to government pressure. <br />
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You can also transition your information away from Big Data. Use your own email server instead of Gmail, and install encryption extensions. Use Diaspora* for social networking instead of Facebook and Twitter. Install the DoNotTrackMe browser extension to prevent advertisers from tracking your browsing habits. Install HTTPS Everywhere to force encryption on all websites that support it. All this makes it harder for private companies to form a digital profile on you. That means the government has to work harder to get your information, which may not be worth it to them. Make yourself the user, not Big Data's product.<br />
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The final thing you can do, if you're an American citizen, is contact your congressional representative and let them know you don't approve of snooping. Phone them and let them know your vote depends on theirs. A call or letter says way more than a Twitter campaign ever could. Then go sign the <a href="http://stopwatching.us/">StopWatching.Us</a> petition by Mozilla to force the government to reveal the full extent of the program. If you're outside the US, sign the EFF's <a href="https://action.eff.org/o/9042/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=9297">petition</a> to pressure big data to be more transparent and demand a public investigation into the scandal. <br />
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<br />Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14705332818474946081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4270748908158073463.post-20146800041781613802013-06-11T11:04:00.000-04:002013-06-11T11:04:08.509-04:00Playstation 4 dominates at E3<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiozm4rYhRcQBky1xFJPdCpCyb4Z_AHPhMV35kXhkPvxRtXhsxKxXgd8ivMDFH2RDa72HUdJSc5WOqJ2qcI74KvLJRCpaYY4HqhN3bh-yCBO1CcJETXYYsvSn7DzgiHCthmRSLyhJhrUbID/s1600/PSN_logo_color_trans.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="141" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiozm4rYhRcQBky1xFJPdCpCyb4Z_AHPhMV35kXhkPvxRtXhsxKxXgd8ivMDFH2RDa72HUdJSc5WOqJ2qcI74KvLJRCpaYY4HqhN3bh-yCBO1CcJETXYYsvSn7DzgiHCthmRSLyhJhrUbID/s200/PSN_logo_color_trans.png" width="150" /></a></div>
I think it's fair to say that a lot of Playstation fanboys are gloating today. Needless to say more than a few Xbox fans are still icing their bottoms to sooth the burn. Sony came up on stage last night and delivered one of the best E3 presentations I've seen in a few years. This is definitely a company who have learned from their mistakes. They delivered exactly what developers and gamers said they wanted. The PS4 is a powerful system where the games, and only the games, matter.<br />
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Unfortunately, I missed about the first half hour of the presentation. Perhaps the only big disappointment of the night was the lack of Vita content. There's a new bundle but they did nothing to ease concerns over lack of new content. Of course that quickly got put back of mind when Sony pulled out the black box from underneath the covers.<br />
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We had already seen the controller. We knew what that looked like. Now we've seen the system itself. The overall design of it is very reminiscent of the slim PS2. A slightly two toned, matte plastic parallelogram. Unfortunately, we didn't get a booty shot. Sony states that it will have HDMI, optical audio, and gigabit ethernet. Analogue outputs are conspicuously missing though.<br />
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For storage, Sony has confirmed that it has a 500GB hard drive, which will be user upgradable. They also took some time to show off the new 720p Playstation Eye. It's slimmer than the Kinect and also has its own auxiliary port, so it won't hog one of the two USB 3.0 slots like the old one did. It will be sold separately for a price of $59.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghyphenhyphenvGTeN0dn1nrRIQNt2R8TndmLK-kZ8IAy93ksXPTM5JFC6eWluEYNHXK1aSuW9k7tmYJy3M8QJohq5401zfRDHvO8XQBekvs7kJuSHsz8ljUaVsSPoAdd8uCvRSh_e_7_CORvsMdTk7L/s1600/playstation4console.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghyphenhyphenvGTeN0dn1nrRIQNt2R8TndmLK-kZ8IAy93ksXPTM5JFC6eWluEYNHXK1aSuW9k7tmYJy3M8QJohq5401zfRDHvO8XQBekvs7kJuSHsz8ljUaVsSPoAdd8uCvRSh_e_7_CORvsMdTk7L/s400/playstation4console.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The PS4 in all its glory. Via <a href="http://www.playstationlifestyle.net/2013/06/10/playstation-4-console-officially-revealed-check-it-out-inside/">Playstation Lifestyle</a></td></tr>
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After showing a few games, Sony dropped the big bomb shell of the night. Jack Tretton took the time to deal with the elephant in the room, and also take a stab at the Xbox One. Gamers were concerned that Sony would be implementing similar digital rights management due to publisher pressure. It's now confirmed that PS4 will operate at the status quo. <i>It</i> <i>does not require an internet connection</i>, <i>nor does it place a ban on used games</i>. You will be able to buy, sell, and trade your games just as you've always been able to. Sony's Brad Douglas also confirmed via Twitter that the PS4 will not be region locked. So you can all stop worrying and start mocking your Xbox fanboy friends. Turns out freedom is cheap too, as the PS4 will retail at $399.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSLFS6bF2dQX96afo2A5eOC262_oqkaZCn1l6Zky25gFw2YApVQarz_zdziJVAItT245JgqHY12s2xeMMhY8_evnmbB6mdZE2aoNK26z_ZXlQxWh5D20aohZM0Yx7Tp244mQ9msDuPmSTV/s1600/800px-DRM_protest_Boston_DefectiveByDesign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSLFS6bF2dQX96afo2A5eOC262_oqkaZCn1l6Zky25gFw2YApVQarz_zdziJVAItT245JgqHY12s2xeMMhY8_evnmbB6mdZE2aoNK26z_ZXlQxWh5D20aohZM0Yx7Tp244mQ9msDuPmSTV/s320/800px-DRM_protest_Boston_DefectiveByDesign.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sony listened, the PS4 requires no online authentication and allows used games</td></tr>
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The one downside we did get last night is on the online front. You will now have to buy a Playstation Plus membership to get online. If this is the worst of it, Playstation fans are getting off easy. It will offer the same perks and continue to work across all three platforms. Sony is also promising at least one free PS4 game every month to subscribers. Those who already have PS+ know it pays for itself pretty quickly.<br />
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If you're in to streaming services, Sony says they will not be put behind this new pay wall. One of the biggest complaints about the Xbox is it requires a Gold subscription just to watch Netflix.<br />
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Sony was rather mum about media content. Playstation is working closer with Sony Pictures and BMG to improve things on that side. American gamers will also get access to Red Box Instant.<br />
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Sony is also integrating more cloud features via their Gaikai game streaming service. You will be able to stream Playstation 3 games to your PS4. So those concerned about backwards compatibility need not worry too much. What Sony did not mention were pricing plans for Gaikai, or if it will be included with your PS+ subscription. Unfortunately, the service will only be available in the US initially.<br />
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Right now, the Xbox One isn't looking very good by comparison. Though I would not count them out just yet. There's still a chance for them to backtrack on their planned restrictions. Unfortunately, Microsoft allowed a full six months of negative publicity to build up. It's going to take an awful lot to reverse that, and win their customers back. Right now, Sony has resoundingly stomped them. We asked for it, they gave it. As it stands today, the PS4 is the best eighth generation system right now.<br />
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We'll start looking at the PS4's game lineup a little later this week.<br />
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<br />Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14705332818474946081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4270748908158073463.post-24700444621826599912013-05-25T20:26:00.001-04:002013-06-19T19:35:11.883-04:008th Gen side by side<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYohJobzv899o-E_cVhp4chJmZkJnJMkWmpy9SPcW4HpP1C5t-rz-OsX8WZOZ3Ohf7RQsphKVc4B5qO1-L3FXh0RkNAVfCrQwBY3_BeX9qx-YRflmCIoIU4Pj4j2oDQOCRheBiPyGrs99A/s1600/3722814406_0a0a3a97f1_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYohJobzv899o-E_cVhp4chJmZkJnJMkWmpy9SPcW4HpP1C5t-rz-OsX8WZOZ3Ohf7RQsphKVc4B5qO1-L3FXh0RkNAVfCrQwBY3_BeX9qx-YRflmCIoIU4Pj4j2oDQOCRheBiPyGrs99A/s200/3722814406_0a0a3a97f1_z.jpg" height="118" width="200" /></a></div>
With the Xbox One being announced this week, we've finally rounded out the list of eighth generation consoles. Here's a side by side comparison of specs for the Wii U, PS4, and Xbox One.<br />
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Updated June 19th, 2013</div>
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<table border="0" cellspacing="0" cols="4" frame="VOID" rules="NONE">
<colgroup><col width="178"></col><col width="174"></col><col width="173"></col><col width="160"></col></colgroup>
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<td align="LEFT" height="20" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" width="178"><br /></td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" width="174"><b>Xbox One</b></td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" width="173"><b>Playstation 4</b></td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" width="160"><b>Wii U</b></td>
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<td align="LEFT" height="53" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">CPU</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">AMD "Jaguar" 8-core APU, x86-64</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">AMD “Jaguar” 8-core APU, x86-64</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">IBM Espresso, tri-core at 1.24ghz, PowerPC based</td>
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<td align="LEFT" height="53" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">Graphics</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">Custom AMD GPU, 1.23 TFLOPS peak performance, 768 GPU cores</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">AMD Radeon APU capable of 1.84 TFLOPS peak performance, 1152 GPU cores</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">AMD Latte, 550mhz, based on AMD Radeon HD 4000 series*</td>
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<td align="LEFT" height="53" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">Memory</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">8GB DDR3-2133 with 5GB available to games 63GB/s bandwidth on 256-bit bus / 32mb eSRAM 102GB/s </td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">8GB GDDR5 at 5500mhz, 176GB/s bandwidth on 256-bit bus</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">2GB DDR3-1600, 12.8GB/s Bandwidth, 1gb reserved for OS</td>
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<td align="LEFT" height="53" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">Disc Drive</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">Blu-ray</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">Blu-ray</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">Proprietary Wii U Optical Disc, 25GB capacity</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="LEFT" height="19" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">Internal Storage</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">500GB, non upgradable</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">500 GB, upgradable</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">8GB / 32GB Flash</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="LEFT" height="36" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">External storage</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">External USB drives</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">Unknown</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">SD card or external USB hard drive</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="LEFT" height="53" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">Connectivity</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">USB 3.0, built in WiFi </td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11n WiFi, USB 3.0, Bluetooth 2.1</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">802.11n WiFi, USB 2.0, sensor bar port</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="LEFT" height="36" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">AV Outputs</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">HDMI; supports up to 1080p and 4K</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">HDMI, Optical; supports up to 1080p for games and 4K for video</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">HDMI, analogue AV Multi Out; supports up to 1080p</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="LEFT" height="36" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">Operating System</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">Xbox OS, modified Windows 8 Kernel</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">Playstation 4 OS</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">HOME</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="LEFT" height="87" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">Controller </td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">Xbox One Controller, 1080p Kinect</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">DualShock 4, Playstation 4 Eye, Playstation Move, PS Vita</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">Wii U GamePad with touch screen, Pro Controller, Wii Remote, Balance Board, Classic Controller, 3DS</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="LEFT" height="53" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">Backwards Compatibility</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">No</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">Partially. PS3 games will be streamed via Gaikai. </td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">Yes, can play Wii games</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="LEFT" height="36" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">Online and Entertainment Services</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">Xbox Live, Live TV, Cloud. Xbox Live Gold required for online play</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">Playstation Network, Gaikai cloud service, Netflix, Hulu, RedBox Instant. Playstation Plus required for online play.</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">Nintendo Network, eShop, Miiverse, Tvii, Netflix, Hulu, Amazon</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="LEFT" height="36" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">Requires Internet Connection</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">One time, for initial setup of console</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">No</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">No</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="LEFT" height="87" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">Supports pre-owned games</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">Yes, no restrictions</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">Yes, no restrictions</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">Yes, no restrictions</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="LEFT" height="36" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">Supports save states, instant on, background downloads and updates</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">Yes</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">Yes</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">No</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="LEFT" height="36" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">Launch Price</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">$499</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">$399</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">$299 and $349</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
*Unconfirmed/Rumoured. These specs are only rumoured but will most likely be part of the final design.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
For comparison purposes, here's last generation's specs.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<table border="0" cellspacing="0" cols="4" frame="VOID" rules="NONE">
<colgroup><col width="178"></col><col width="174"></col><col width="173"></col><col width="160"></col></colgroup>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td align="LEFT" height="20" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" width="178"><br /></td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" width="174"><b>Xbox 360</b></td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" width="173"><b>Playstation 3</b></td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;" width="160"><b>Wii</b></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="LEFT" height="70" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">CPU</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">3.2GHz IBM Xenon tri-core, based on Power PC 970</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">3.2Ghz IBM Cell Broadband Engine Processor, 1 PPE, 6 SPE cores</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">IBM Broadway 32-bit, 729mhz single core. 2.9GFLOPS peak performance</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="LEFT" height="53" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">Graphics</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">AMD Xenos 500mhz, based on AMD Radeon X1800 series</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">nVidia RSX 550mhz based on GeForce 7800 series</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">AMD Hollywood, 243mhz</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="LEFT" height="70" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">Memory</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">512mb GDDR3 clocked at 700mhz, shared between CPU and GPU</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">512MB XDRAM clocked at 3.2ghz, split into two separate 256mb blocks for system and graphics</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">88MB GDDR3 shared between system and graphics</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="LEFT" height="53" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">Disc Drive</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">DVD</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">Blu-ray</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">Proprietary Wii Optical Disc 8.54GB capacity, GameCube Disc</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="LEFT" height="87" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">Internal Storage</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">None to 320GB, hard drive or flash, user upgradable with proprietary hard drive modules</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">20GB – 500GB 2.5 inch hard drive, user upgradable</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">512MB internal Flash</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="LEFT" height="70" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">External storage</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">Supports external USB flash and hard drives</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">Flash cards (early models), external USB drives, limits on ability to store games</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">SD Card, GameCube Memory Card</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="LEFT" height="87" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">Connectivity</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">10/100 Ethernet, USB 2.0, IR receiver. 802.11n WiFi can be added via a USB dongle, WiFi built in to later S models</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">802.11G WiFi, Gigabit Ethernet, USB 2.0, Bluetooth 2.0</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">802.11G WiFi, USB 2.0, Bluetooth</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="LEFT" height="53" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">AV Outputs</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">Analogue output, optical audio, HDMI added to later models; supports up to 1080p, most games 720p</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">HDMI, Optical, analogue AV output; supports up to 1080p, most games 720p</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">Analogue AV Multi Out; supports up to 480p</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="LEFT" height="19" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">Operating System</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">Xbox 360 Dashboard</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">XrossMedia Bar</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">Wii Menu</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="LEFT" height="105" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">Controller </td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">Wired Xbox 360 Controller, Wireless controller, racing wheel, Kinect</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">SixAxis, DualShock 3, Playstation Move, Playstation Eye</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">Wii Remote and nunchuck, Balance Board, GameCube Controller, Classic Controller, Nintendo DS</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="LEFT" height="53" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">Backwards Compatibility</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">Partial, supports some but not all original Xbox games</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">Yes, Playstation, PS2 supported only on early models</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">Yes, GameCube</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="LEFT" height="70" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">Online Services</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">Xbox Live </td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">Playstation Network</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">Nintendo Wi-Fii Connection, WiiConnect24, Wii Shop Channel</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="LEFT" height="36" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">Requires Internet Connection</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">No</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">No</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">No</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="LEFT" height="36" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">Supports pre-owned games</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">Yes</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">Yes</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">Yes</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="LEFT" height="36" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">Launch Price</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">$300 Core / $400 20Gb Premium</td>
<td align="LEFT" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">$499 20GB / $599 60GB</td>
<td align="LEFT" sdnum="4105;0;[$$-1009]#,##0.00;[RED]-[$$-1009]#,##0.00" style="border-bottom: 1px solid #000000; border-left: 1px solid #000000; border-right: 1px solid #000000; border-top: 1px solid #000000;">$250 US</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i>Sources: Wikipedia, Xbox, Sony, IGN, Kotaku, Anandtech</i></div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14705332818474946081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4270748908158073463.post-9693076432086626502013-05-21T23:34:00.003-04:002013-05-22T09:53:27.699-04:00Digesting the Xbox One announcement<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4naXj3yAPnBm0ddWnAeggEIwPitOnSVAaZRljMH35sKt4pqpXV2At2kc6asWTKGX2VDmCuu6mSZIf9XcBul2wvXZjaomwX3LA-x6TKCIwwbDUHVawxWEhtHyRoJxjQpjNpmPQIKhUwxsR/s1600/190px-Microsoft_XBOX.svg.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4naXj3yAPnBm0ddWnAeggEIwPitOnSVAaZRljMH35sKt4pqpXV2At2kc6asWTKGX2VDmCuu6mSZIf9XcBul2wvXZjaomwX3LA-x6TKCIwwbDUHVawxWEhtHyRoJxjQpjNpmPQIKhUwxsR/s200/190px-Microsoft_XBOX.svg.png" width="150" /></a></div>
In case you were living under a rock, dear gamer, the new Xbox One was announced today. I must say I felt rather underwhelmed with Microsoft's presentation. Especially after Sony's strong showing back in March. Here's a peak and some commentary at what's coming up for the nextbox.<br />
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<b>It has an odd name</b><br />
When gamers refer to the Xbox One, they usually mean the original Xbox. Guess that well known fact went unnoticed at Redmond. It's a bit of an odd choice, and completely out of left field. Many figured it would be called the Infinity, which makes (ahem) infinitely more sense. Then again silly names can work sometimes. Just look at the Wii. Though I still think it's code name Revolution was cooler.<br />
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<b>It will be out by the end of the year</b><br />
Microsoft hasn't set a date but they did confirm it will launch by the end of 2013. Expect a November launch window in the run up to the holidays. That seems to be the norm these days.<br />
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<b>We don't know how much it costs</b><br />
Microsoft didn't say a word about pricing, or even if there would be different models to buy. With cable integration, we can speculate that this may be part of the much rumoured subsidization program. So far, Redmond is tight lipped on the subject.<br />
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<a href="http://www.mmntech.com/2013/05/digesting-xbox-one-announcement.html">Keep reading</a> after the break more details on the Xbox One<br />
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<b>It's primarily a media centre PC</b><br />
We'll forgive you if you thought they were introducing their first HTPC and not a game console. Microsoft spent most of the press conference touting the Xbox One's media capabilities. As many expected, the system attempts to be an all encompassing system. It's designed to replace your DVR, cable box, and smart TV. <br />
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The Xbox One features Live TV integration, complete with voice activated controls. Tell it what channel you want to watch, and it tunes it for you. No need to remember what number it is on your cable guide. Say a show you like to watch and the One will find it and pull it up on your interactive programming guide. The technology is powered by Windows 8. Snap Mode lets you run multiple things simultaneously with voice commands.<br />
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The One will also feature DVR capabilities with a built in 500 GB hard drive.<br />
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A couple things are worth noting about the media functionality. Firstly it seems heavily focused on American users. Second, cable TV is all fine and dandy but people are looking for IPTV alternatives today. Cable is a dying medium. Microsoft didn't really touch on streaming content.<br />
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UPDATE: <a href="http://ca.ign.com/articles/2013/05/21/xbox-one-live-tv-only-available-in-the-us-at-launch">IGN</a> has confirmed that the Xbox One's Live TV feature will only be available in the United States at launch.<br />
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<b>It has two operating systems, make that three! </b><br />
Microsoft claims it has three operating systems. On the gaming side, you have the classic Xbox OS. On the media side, it runs a modified version of Windows 8 complete with Metro interface. The third OS supposedly ties the other two together seamlessly. It will be fully capable of multitasking.<br />
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<b>It will offer cloud services</b><br />
Games that live in the cloud, smarter AI that learns from how you and your friends play, share content across consoles. That's the name of the game in this new connected world.<br />
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<b>It has a new controller</b><br />
The new controller for the One is a lot like the old one. It's wireless but finally includes an integrated rechargeable battery. The direction pad, which was a big issue with the 360 controller, has also been redesigned. The triggers now have a built in vibration function which Microsoft calls "impulse triggers".<br />
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<b>Kinect is improved, required</b><br />
If you thought you could escape Kinect this time around, tough luck. Though, it has improved significantly. It's been upgraded to 1080p. It's even said to be able to distinguish players by their appearance and even their sound. Impressive stuff. Whether the device's actual functionality has improved remains to be seen. The original Kinect worked poorly for anything that wasn't a party game.<br />
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Good news is you'll be able to use it to Skype. Though that's pretty standard today.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oh Xbox One, you so sexy. Like overpriced audiophile DVD player</td></tr>
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<b>It will need to be online</b><br />
Microsoft has confirmed that the Xbox One will require you to be connected to the internet to use it. However, it does not require the rumoured always-on connection. The downside is it will need to be connect to the internet at least once every 24 hours to stay functional. So much for taking it to the cottage.<br />
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<b>It will ban used games, sort of</b><br />
Microsoft dropped a massive bombshell in their typical way, by glossing over it. Yes, it seems the Xbox One will indeed ban used games, sort of. They've adopted a system similar to Steam other digital download services. Disc based games will come with an activation code that must be entered when the game is first installed. This ties the game to your Xbox Live account. If you chose to sell the game or even bring it to a friend's house, you must pay <i>full price</i> to reactivate the game on a different account.<br />
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While not outright banning used games, it makes them obsolete. Who's going to buy a preowned disc if they're going to have to pay full retail price to activate it? GameStop's stock took a nose dive, dropping over 5% on the announcement.<br />
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This news has also stirred up a hornets nest among gamers, including loyal Xbox fans. Judging by the comments on various websites, this is a deal breaker. Many are pledging to jump ship to Sony, who have not announced plans to limit used games on the PS4. I originally thought that Microsoft was too smart to implement this, given both gamer outrage and their competitors' decision to maintain the status quo. Seems I was incorrect.<br />
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<b>It will have the same hardware as the PS4</b><br />
Well, close enough anyway. Microsoft was pretty mum on what the Xbox One has under the hood. We do know that it has an x86-64, 8-core AMD processor, 8GB of DDR3 SDRAM, a custom designed GPU, and Blu-ray drive. For connectivity it has integrated WiFi, USB 3.0, and both HDMI inputs and outputs. Aside from that, we know next to nothing about it.<br />
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Unlike Sony, Microsoft did show off what the console actually looks like. It's a minimalist, piano black, rectangular box. It appears like a lot of high end BD players. So far reviews on its aesthetics have been mixed, though I like it.<br />
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<b>You can't upgrade the hard drive</b><br />
If you get the 500GB Xbox One model, you're stuck with it. The hard drive is integrated into the system and cannot be user upgraded. However, it does support external USB drives. What, if any limitations will be placed on these external hard drives is yet to be seen. It's a poor design choice since even 360 owners could upgrade the drive with larger modules.<br />
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The obvious problem is that as games keep getting bigger, more storage will be desired. Especially since the Xbox One requires mandatory hard drive installs for all games. Bioshock Infinite, one of the larger games I own, uses 17GB of hard drive space. If this becomes the norm, it means the Xbox One can only hold about 30 games at a time. That's not including other content such as saves, music, videos, and DVR recordings.<br />
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<b>It won't play Xbox 360 games</b><br />
Like the PS4, the Xbox One won't be backwards compatible with it's predecessor. It uses a different CPU language and current generation games are hard to emulate through software.<br />
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<b>Microsoft showed off very few games</b><br />
One thing conspicuously missing from a game console announcement were the games. We saw a few things but nowhere near what Sony had to show back in March.<br />
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Microsoft has paired into a partnership with EA Sports. Quite a few sports games including FIFA were shown or mentioned. Call of Duty: Ghost will also make an appearance on the system. Only teaser trailers were offered for these titles, but it seems the Xbox One is at least as capable as a modern gaming PC. Visuals look fantastic.<br />
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Two exclusives were shown. Quantum Break, by the producers of Alan Wake, a sci-fi action game that allows the player to manipulate time, so it would seem. The biggest coup against Sony, however, was Forza 5. Microsoft's exclusive grand tourer has quickly surpassed Grand Turismo as the preferred racing simulator. GT has become dated and Forza is a fresh and exciting take on the genre. What little footage we saw of Forza 5 looks stunning. With GT6 coming out for the PS3 only this fall, it's definitely an upper hand against Sony. Though I doubt it's enough to grab killer app status.<br />
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In fact none of the games shown had a killer app quality. Most games we saw were multiplatform titles, which will also be appearing on the PS4. It's a sharp contrast from Sony's event which was heavily focused on games, namely exclusive games, and featured plenty of in-game footage. Gamers, of course, aren't happy.<br />
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<b>The launch event was lacklustre at best</b><br />
Today's Xbox One unveiling was a far cry from the 360's way back in 2005. No Elijah Wood to pull the blanket off this shiny new game console. In fact the event seemed rather dry and spoke little of things that matter to Xbox's core audience. It's quite odd to see a game console launch with hardly any games being shown. It was as they were introducing a new line of computer mice instead of the future of gaming.<br />
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While the media stuff is indeed cool, a lot of gamers were left scratching their heads. Many felt the good stuff will come at E3 next month. Others were less optimistic. Angry Joe had a good long rant about the unveiling. Kotaku called it a disaster. The consensus seems to be that gamers were left unimpressed, if not deeply disappointed.<br />
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I'm firmly in the Playstation and PC camp by this point. While the Xbox One has some cool stuff, there's just nothing here to get anyone excited. The 360 was a fantastic console. This, well, I'm not really quite sure what to make of what I just saw. Angry Joe probably summed it up best, calling it a gaming PC without the performance. Given the drawbacks, he went on to say that there's no advantage to using this over the PC platform.<br />
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<b>Kaz Hirai is a very happy man </b><br />
Sony stock went up 9.25% on the announcement of the Xbox One. By contrast, Microsoft stock traded flat, ending the day down two-thirds of a percent. That's not what you'd expect from such a big product unveiling. It seems investors are not impressed with the new console and are putting their money behind Sony.<br />
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<b>You'll have to wait until E3</b><br />
Microsoft will show off more games at the E3 convention next month. Util then, the Xbox One is shaping up to be the underdog for this round. The unveiling had a little good mixed in with a lot of bad. For now it seems that the Playstation 4 has the clear upper hand.<br />
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Sources:<br />
-Microsoft<br />
-Kotaku<br />
-Engadet<br />
-Joystiq<br />
-Angry Joe<br />
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<br />Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14705332818474946081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4270748908158073463.post-35636484246366874952013-05-19T13:52:00.003-04:002013-05-19T13:52:52.895-04:00Quick Tech: 3 Jailbreak Apps that should be in the App Store<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Apple has hit 50 billion app downloads. Many more if you count all the unofficial apps that can be grabbed from Cydia on a jailbroken iPhone. Some of these are infinitely useful and belong in the realm of official status.<br />
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<b>Flux:</b><br />
The brilliance of Flux is you never notice it working, yet it's becomes impossible to live without. As the sun sets, this app adjust the colour temperature of your display to a warmer hue. It's well known that bright white light in the evening causes eye strain and sleep problems. Flux makes using your iDevice at night a lot less stressful on the old peepers.<br />
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<b>iFile:</b><br />
Have a problem with the 16GB iPad's lack of storage? No problem! Just pay $200 more for the 64GB version. What if that's still not enough? Say you have a huge movie and music collection, or you edit a lot of photos and videos on the go. Tough lucks. The iPad is one of the few high end tablets that doesn't officially support removable storage. Even Microsoft's craptastic Surface has a card slot. Thankfully there's iFile. It's a file browser for the iPad but it also lets you use the camera kit and an SD card to store whatever you want. Apple doesn't trust it's users to deeper into iOS's file system. However, it's hard to deny how useful something like this is.<br />
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<b>BossPrefs:</b><br />
Full control of you phone's settings from the notification menu. That's all you really need to know about BossPrefs. Adjust brightness, turn off cellular data and WiFi, or free up memory with one touch. Go in deeper to see memory and disk usage, and your IP address. It eliminated the kludge involved with adjusting basic settings, without using the settings app. Apple will never put a utility like this in the store, since it gives the user too much unsanctioned power. Though it's something that should be integrated into the next iOS.<br />
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Got some more jailbreak apps and tweaks you can't live with out, and want to see go official? Post them in the comments.<br />
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<br />Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14705332818474946081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4270748908158073463.post-61710053556511340412013-03-20T23:31:00.001-04:002013-03-28T10:18:55.429-04:00Durango's mandatory installs a sign of DRM to come?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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More rumours for the next Xbox have come out today. This time they give as a small peak into what the console may have to offer it. Some of it is not good, at least according to IGN. VGLeaks put out several screenshots from the Durango development kit, the software used to program games for the console. IGN analysed the images and confirmed them to be accurate through sources. Some of their findings are pretty run of the mill, namely a next generation Kinect sensor. However, two things stood out.<br />
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Firstly, the Durango requires mandatory game installs. Much like modern PC games, the discs are only used to install data and are not accessed during gameplay. On one hand this will greatly speed up load times for the console. On the other hand it could be behind something more sinister.</div>
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The Durango will be "always on, always connected" online. This could be used for DRM in the same way EA and Ubisoft have on the PC platform. The concern here is the mandatory installs and constant internet connectivity could be used to block second hand games.<br />
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At this time it's all wild speculation. However rumours of Microsoft putting their console on lockdown haven't sat well with gamers. Many commenting on IGN's article said they're more inclined to buy a PS4 if these rumours are true. If the Durango bans used games, it will be the only console this upcoming generation to do so. It would be a very stupid move. </div>
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Microsoft's silence on the Durango has been deafening. They have yet to officially acknowledge the console even exists. This has allowed Sony to steal the spotlight from them. Delaying the unveiling, as well as their refusal to clarify gamers' concerns, may end up hurting them a lot more than they think. As we've seen before, a runaway success for one generation doesn't necessarily equal a repeat for the next. </div>
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Sources:</div>
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-<a href="http://ca.ign.com/articles/2013/03/20/xbox-durango-requires-all-games-to-be-installed">IGN</a></div>
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-<a href="http://www.vgleaks.com/orbis-gpu-compute-queues-and-pipelines/">VGLeaks</a></div>
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Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14705332818474946081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4270748908158073463.post-78306233686757054062013-03-14T11:28:00.001-04:002013-03-14T11:30:26.614-04:00SimCity not an MMO, fully playable offline say hackers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Well now this is interesting. Hackers have already been plodding away at SimCity and found out the game can indeed be <a href="http://kotaku.com/5990498/rumor-a-new-video-shows-simcitys-debug-mode-which-allegedly-has-almost-unlimited-offline-play">played offline</a>. It involves putting the game into some sort of "debug mode". It's fully playable though it can't save cities or interact with other regions. By the sounds of it, the process is relatively simple. To make an offline, single player version, programmers would just have to add local saves. Something that could easily be patched in. This fully dispute's EA's claim that online functionality is so deeply interwoven into SimCity that an offline version was impossible.<br />
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Furthermore, a Maxis insider told Rock, Paper, Shotgun that the servers only handle cloud saves and communication between players. All the computational business happens on the local end of things. He stated he can't understand why EA keeps claiming otherwise.<br />
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It's also been suggested that the servers don't even react to your gameplay in real time. Kotaku found out that the game could run happily offline for <a href="http://kotaku.com/5990165/my-simcity-city-thrived-offline-for-19-minutes?tag=simcity">20 minutes</a> before it realized it wasn't connected to the server. This backs up the hackers claims and proves SimCity really isn't an MMO at all, nor does it need the servers to run.<br />
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So it seems EA isn't being completely honest over their always-on functionality. The servers do enhance gameplay but are not necessary for it. Yet EA continues to state otherwise. The plot keeps thickening.<br />
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Sources:<br />
-<a href="http://www.destructoid.com/simcity-can-be-played-offline-according-to-anyone-but-ea-248656.phtml">Destructiod</a><br />
-<a href="http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2013/03/12/simcity-server-not-necessary/">Rock, Paper, Shotgun</a><br />
-<a href="http://kotaku.com/5990165/my-simcity-city-thrived-offline-for-19-minutes?tag=simcity">Kotaku</a>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14705332818474946081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4270748908158073463.post-45978385832864606822013-03-08T00:00:00.001-05:002013-03-08T10:59:11.134-05:00SimCity 5 unleashes a random disaster on itself<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Electronic Arts once again has egg on their face. The latest fiasco has to do with SimCity 5 and its always-online functionality. EA had planned to reinvent the game as a multiplayer experience. Instead gamers were met with clogged servers and dropped connections, rendering the game unplayable. It launched without enough servers to meet demand. EA says they plan to add more over the weekend to address customer concerns. This is just the latest PR disaster for the company, who Consumerist <a href="http://consumerist.com/2012/04/04/congratulations-ea-you-are-the-worst-company-in-america-for-2012/">named</a> the "worst in America".<br />
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For those less technically inclined, the always-on DRM SimCity uses requires a player to be connected to an EA server in order to play. Should the connection be lost on their end or yours, the game is rendered unplayable. This method of copy protection has been met with controversy since its introduction a few years ago. Many gamers feel it's unnecessary for single player games. Aside from that, it has been plagued with technical problems since day one. The issues with SimCity are only the latest in long line of rocky launches. Last year, Diablo III was met with harsh criticism when gamers could not log on to its servers. Prior to that, Ubisoft was met with outrage when the same thing happened to those who had bought Settlers 7.<br />
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The definition of insanity is attempting the same thing over and over, yet expecting different results. In the case of always-online copy protection, it has never worked. While Diablo III managed to keep piracy to a minimum, the problems with the system generated a lot of ill will towards Blizzard/Activision from the gaming community.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ZT43en2wf0mTerlnjvQ8V6qNMfNhaVVbexrVTMYFjPJzKGWq9-anKV4I76UlV1yWxCFiyPjtK8lXai4lFWRuZZEYDJgeQL7riKQ7O9ioksuDLzl6wYFTe81YtD2yrDQmxHXnPvvZVDrU/s1600/SimCity-Fire.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ZT43en2wf0mTerlnjvQ8V6qNMfNhaVVbexrVTMYFjPJzKGWq9-anKV4I76UlV1yWxCFiyPjtK8lXai4lFWRuZZEYDJgeQL7riKQ7O9ioksuDLzl6wYFTe81YtD2yrDQmxHXnPvvZVDrU/s320/SimCity-Fire.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">SimCity Burning - or how gamers really feel buying EA. From <a href="http://gotgame.com/2012/06/07/e3-2012-simcity-returns-with-new-trailer-screenshots/simcity-fire/">GotGame.com</a></td></tr>
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<br />
<br />
EA has followed the classic corporate model for the entertainment industry. Buy up competition and focus on producing products at low cost in high volumes. Suits with MBAs control the creative process, and most don't even posses a creative molecule in their body. The conglomeration of studios has definitely hurt gaming. PC gaming in particular has taken it on the nose more than other platforms. Gamers are often still treated as pirates even though they legally obtained their games.<br />
<br />
So far SimCity's problems have been met with strong backlash from the gaming community. Video game publications are recommending people not buy it, at least not until EA gets their act together. Most companies would freak at this level of negative press. Yet EA seems to blow it off as a lot of whining over spilled milk.<br />
<br />
What has happened is inexcusable and rather amateurish A company that large should anticipate large server demand at launch and prepare accordingly. They didn't and in my opinion, they don't deserve your $60 because of this.<br />
<br />
Though I will take the time to take a knock at my fellow gamers. We knew this was coming. EA never hid the fact that SimCity would require a constant server connection to play. We also know that these systems have never worked properly in the past. Why would this time be any different? Yet people still bought the game. People are probably still buying it. That's the fatal flaw. As <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/insertcoin/2012/04/04/ea-is-the-worst-company-in-america-now-what/">Forbes</a> columnist Paul Tassi put it, the only way to force EA to change is to vote with your wallet.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Images from </span></i><br />
<a href="http://falahultrachaos.wordpress.com/2012/06/21/why-do-people-hate-ea-heres-i-well-telling-you-85/"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Falahultrachaos</span></i></a><br />
<a href="http://gotgame.comhttp//gotgame.com/2012/06/07/e3-2012-simcity-returns-with-new-trailer-screenshots/simcity-fire/"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">GotGame.com</span></i></a><br />
<br />Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14705332818474946081noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4270748908158073463.post-11484794338717499552013-03-02T12:04:00.003-05:002013-03-03T11:36:44.519-05:00Keep little children from making unwanted iTunes pruchases<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Meet the Kitchen family, and their five year old son Danny. Like many families, they have a communal iPad they let their child play with. Dad was kind enough to even download some free games for Danny. He put his password in, grabbed the games, and let his kid go to town. Over the next 15 minutes, the precious little scamp went on a mind boggling shopping spree. To the family's horror, Danny had racked up <span style="background-color: white; color: #263034; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">£</span>1,700 ($2500) on dad's credit card.<br />
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Fortunately this story has a happy ending. Apple realized it was a mistake and decided to refund the Kitchens. However, there's a lot of lingering questions. How could this happen, and more importantly, how can you prevent it from happening to you?<br />
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The blame obviously lies with the parents themselves. Apple had emailed them an itemized invoice for 70 pounds the next day. They ignored it assuming it was sent in error. In fact it's likely the spree would have continued had the Kitchens' credit card company not called. That's mistake number one. Any charge that you did not make on your credit card should always be cause for alarm. ALWAYS check your receipts. I can't stress this enough.<br />
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The second mistake was allowing a five year old unsupervised access to the family computer. Kids are a lot smarter than we adults tend to give them credit for. It's truly amazing how much trouble they can make in such a short time. Especially when you give them the means to buy things when the child has no concept of money.<br />
<br />
"Free" games targeted at young children frequently use micro-transactions for in-game items. These items range for $1 all the way up to $100 or more for something as stupid as a "Trunk of Diamonds" in one particular farming simulator. The kid is smart enough to know that more resources make the game easier. What they don't know is these items cost mommy and daddy real, finite money.<br />
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Lucky for you, it's very easy to protect yourself from what's happened to the Kitchens and countless others. <br />
<br />
<b>1. Never let kids use the computer unsupervised. </b><br />
Don't treat it as a babysitting tool. If your child wants to play a game, play it with them. As any parent knows, kids that young can start a world of trouble if you take your eyes off them. For the love of god never share your passwords with your children either. Heck I can remember hacking my dad's user account when I was eight because his password was too obvious.<br />
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<b>2. Familiarize yourself with your computer's security and parental controls. </b><br />
It's amazing how many people rely on technology to run their lives, but are still technologically illiterate.<br />
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In iOS, under the settings tab, go into General and click restrictions These are your parental controls. The list labelled "Allowed Content" is what you're interested in. Particularly the two at the bottom. By default, iOS allows in-app purchases and waits 15 minutes before requiring a password to buy and download new content from the App Store. You'll want to set these to OFF and IMMEDIATELY respectively. This will prevent kids from accidentally buying things without your permission.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Turn off "In-App Purchases" and set Require Password to "Immediate" to prevent accidental charges</td></tr>
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<b>3. Set up a separate iTunes account for your kids</b><br />
The biggest problem with iOS is you can't set up separate accounts for different users. HOWEVER, what you can do is set up multiple iTunes Store accounts which can be used on a single device.<br />
<br />
It's very easy and requires about five minutes of your time. Sign out of iTunes on your computer, then hit sign in and select "Create Apple ID". Don't tie a credit card to this account. Just select "none" as your payment method. Now that your kid has their own account, which you will monitor, they cannot download any apps or in-game content that aren't free.<br />
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<b>4. Teach your kids the value of money</b><br />
It's never too early to start teaching your kids the value of a dollar. Get them to do some chores to earn money, or if they like playing games on your iPad, some iTunes gift cards. Let them know that once they spend the value of the card, that money is gone and they'll have to earn another. Not only will this prevent you from financial heartache, it will set them up for a responsible future.<br />
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<b>5. When all else fails, don't count on a bailout</b><br />
The Kitchens got extremely lucky here, in that Apple refunded them. However, they are a business not a charity. Once these incidents start happening too many times, they won't be as forgiving. If you take the above steps to protect yourself, you shouldn't encounter problems. That is unless your kid is Bart Simpson and is smart enough to steal your credit card. But that's a whole different kettle of fish.<br />
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Sources:<br />
<a href="http://arstechnica.com/apple/2013/03/five-year-old-runs-up-2500-in-app-purchase-tab-with-apple/">ArsTechnica</a><br />
<a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-21629210">BBC News</a><br />
<br />Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14705332818474946081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4270748908158073463.post-4826927544901137972013-02-25T10:34:00.003-05:002013-03-20T23:34:39.381-04:00Analysing the Playstation 4 - directors cut<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiozm4rYhRcQBky1xFJPdCpCyb4Z_AHPhMV35kXhkPvxRtXhsxKxXgd8ivMDFH2RDa72HUdJSc5WOqJ2qcI74KvLJRCpaYY4HqhN3bh-yCBO1CcJETXYYsvSn7DzgiHCthmRSLyhJhrUbID/s1600/PSN_logo_color_trans.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiozm4rYhRcQBky1xFJPdCpCyb4Z_AHPhMV35kXhkPvxRtXhsxKxXgd8ivMDFH2RDa72HUdJSc5WOqJ2qcI74KvLJRCpaYY4HqhN3bh-yCBO1CcJETXYYsvSn7DzgiHCthmRSLyhJhrUbID/s200/PSN_logo_color_trans.png" width="150" /></a></div>
So there we have it, Sony has officially unveiled the Playstation 4. We've had a few days for it to sink in now. Unfortunately my work schedule hasn't allowed me to tackle the unveiling sooner than today. Here's a complete recap of what went down, what to expect, and which rumours were true and false.<br />
<br />
<b>It will be called the Playstation 4</b><br />
Sony's newest console will be officially named the Playstation 4, or just PS4 for short. I expected Orbis to be the name of the new system to match the Vita. However, there's just too much brand strength with the traditional naming scheme, so Sony stuck with it.<br />
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<b>It will have an octal core AMD "Jaguar" processor</b><br />
We had two rumours served up suggesting the PS4's processor would either be a quad core at 3.2ghz or an octal (8) core Jaguar based chip. Sony has confirmed that the latter is the case. Not much is known about the exact specifications as of yet. We do know it's 64-bit and based on the x86 programming language, the same used for PCs and Macs. Sony wants to make their console as developer friendly as possible. This first step makes it very easy to program new games and port existing ones from Windows.<br />
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<a href="http://www.mmntech.com/2013/02/analysing-playstation-4-directors-cut.html">Continued after the break</a><br />
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<b>It will have an AMD Radeon GPU</b><br />
Sony has officially dumped nVidia for an AMD Radeon GPU. Official specs peg it as a "next-generation" chip with 1152 stream processors capable 1.84 TFLOPS. Like the processor, we know little else about it. Based on these two tidbits though, it makes it slightly faster than the Radeon HD 7850. It will most likely be based on the same "Southern Islands" architecture.<br />
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<b>It will have 8GB of GDDR5</b><br />
Rumours had suggested that the PS4 would only have 4GB of RAM. Sony doesn't seem eager to skimp on the memory this time around, putting it at a more sensible 8GB. Taking a page from Microsoft, it uses unified graphics RAM. Sony says they have worked closely with developers to give them something easy to work with, so there'll be no memory restrictions this time around. Memory shortages were a common complaint with the PS3.<br />
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<b>It will feature the new DualShock 4, with a share button</b><br />
The new controller is similar to the old versions except for a few key features. It will have a front touch pad, and a light bar that will likely work with the new Playstation Eye.<br />
<br />
VGLeaks claimed it wouldn't have a Share Button, but indeed it does. The button allows you to quickly capture and share video clips from games and upload them. Game reviewers rejoice, no more capture cards. Not only will you be able to capture and share video but also watch live streams of other players' games. You'll even be able to jump in to their game and help out your friends, or ask them to help you. Social gaming will be the biggest buzzword of this console generation.<br />
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<b>It will feature a 3D Playstation Eye</b><br />
Sony showed off a distinctly Kinect inspired PS Eye. It's a long bar featuring dual cameras and can see in 3D. We're not sure how it works. However, we can expect Move will now work in a 3D plane instead of just a 2D one.<br />
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<b>It will NOT ban used games</b><br />
A lot of gamers were worried the PS4 would restrict used or traded games. Now we know for sure.<br />
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Speaking to <a href="http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-02-21-sony-tells-eurogamer-playstation-4-will-not-block-used-games">Eurogamer</a>, Sony's worldwide boss confirmed that the Playstation 4 will not ban pre-owned games. Shuhei Yoshida stated that consumers expect to be able to retain value when they purchase a physical item and should be free to sell or trade it.<br />
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It's worth noting that there were never were any specific rumours suggesting the PS4 would block used games. All leak sites had to go on was a patent application for a system that would tie discs to online accounts. Companies file such patents all the time without intentions of applying them. They're more concerned with getting royalties from competitors who may have the same idea.<br />
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This confirmation does potentially puts Microsoft in a sticky situation. Durango is specifically rumoured to block the use of pre-owned games. If true this would put the next Xbox at a significant disadvantage over both Sony and Nintendo, which both allow them.<br />
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<b>It will have a Blu-ray drive</b><br />
BD is confirmed for a comeback. It will have 6x read speeds, three times as fast as the PS3 but still slower than now common 10x BD drives in PCs. Given lack of fast, reliable broadband in many parts of key markets, this was a given.<br />
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Sony has stated that they plan to use optical discs for the foreseeable future. As games get larger, the issue of broadband speed and data caps only becomes more problematic. Bluray's 50GB capacity still offers plenty of headroom while keeping production costs low.<br />
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<b>It will do 4K video</b><br />
<a href="http://www.joystiq.com/2013/02/21/ps4-will-output-video-in-4k-but-not-games/">Joystiq</a> confirms that the PS4 will be capable of displaying both 4K video and photos. However, it is not capable of rendering games in 4K.<br />
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<b>It'll feature some decent connectivity</b><br />
The PS4 finally adds 802.11n WiFi to Sony's TV top console lineup. Making a surprise return are analogue video outputs. Rear connection options on the PS4 will be the same as they are PS3: HDMI, AV Out, optical audio, and Ethernet. It will also be getting USB 3.0 ports and a special auxiliary port for the PS Eye.<br />
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<b>It will feature a new tile based UI</b><br />
The PS4 operating system looks a lot like Sony's new Playstation Store layout, with influences from Microsoft's Metro. Live tiles dominate this round.<br />
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<b>It does second screen gaming out of the box</b><br />
Following Nintendo's lead, Sony is now getting behind second screen gaming. They are pushing developers to make all PS4 games playable on the PS Vita through local WiFi streaming. If they actually follow through on this, it will be a major boost for the Vita. Many gamers would love to cut the tether to their TV.<br />
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Sony is also releasing iOS and Andriod apps similar to Microsoft's SmartGlass. These apps will allow players to access maps and game info for the title they're currently playing, buy stuff from the Playstation Store, and watch live streams of in-game footage played by other gamers.<br />
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<b>It can download in the background</b><br />
Sony is adding a secondary, low power chip to allow seamless background processess. This means games can be downloaded in the background, even if the system is on standby.<br />
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<b>It goes to sleep and boots instantly</b><br />
The PS4 is the first console to feature a sleep mode. When you turn it off, it will save your game state to memory and resume exactly where you left off. Sony is also promising instant booting, significantly cutting load times. This is a feature not seen on consoles since the N64 days.<br />
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<b>It won't play PS3 games</b><br />
Sony has confirmed that the Playstation 4 will not be backwards compatible with the PS3. It's simply too difficult to emulate and too costly to implement a hardware solution like the original PS3 did. Given that the PS4 is far easier to develop for, it won't need to rely on past content. Plus Sony has yet to announce plans to phase out the PS3.<br />
<br />
<b>It may possibly have cheaper games</b><br />
Jack Tretton has stated that PS4 games will range from $0.99 up to $60. This means we could see cheaper minis coming out.<br />
<br />
<b>It has a strong launch window lineup </b><br />
We don't know what games will be on the PS4 at launch. We do know that there are quite a few strong titles coming up for the launch window.<br />
<br />
First and second party titles include third person physics-action game Knack, Infamous: Second Son, Driverclub from the makers of Motorstorm, and Killzone: Shadow Fall. Third party titles include Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077 from CDProjekt RED, Watch Dogs by Ubisoft Montreal, indie title The Witness, and Blizzard plans to port Diablo III to the system. One curious standout was Bungie, who normally sticks to Microsoft like white on rice. They're working on Destiny, an ambitious first person shooter MMO. This marks Bungie's first time on Playstation in over a decade.<br />
<br />
These are just confirmed titles. Many games targeted for Holiday 2013 are expected to have PS4 versions.<br />
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<b>It will be out for Christmas and be cheaper than the PS3</b><br />
If all that got you excited, be glad to know that the PS4 will be out in the fourth quarter of 2013. Most likely sometime in November if past history is a clue. It will also be significantly cheaper than the PS3 was at launch. Analysts predict the console will be around $400 US. The system will also come bundled with a headset.<br />
<br />
<b>But we don't even know what it looks like</b><br />
Sony says they have yet to finalize the design for the PS4. Expect to see it out in the wild at this year's E3 convention.<br />
<br />
Sources<br />
-Sony<br />
-Wikipedia<br />
-Kotaku<br />
-Joystiq<br />
-Eurogamer<br />
-VGLeaks<br />
-GametrailersMikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14705332818474946081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4270748908158073463.post-63752883030306718352013-02-15T10:48:00.002-05:002013-02-15T10:48:48.099-05:00Analysing Playstation 4 rumours<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDklBl9t9QVJczNuuyaWgKac18qMHeXBaG3xkn1O1uvSP_txiC_TSXNjQcj36VzjmsvdaFcudRj-74GpvWSXtMaLftkyBUAOdKn7mhxj1tIU_AK0GhvLOw8FsJDU_KtSfmLa2r9GQBUc5y/s1600/PlayStation_Plus.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDklBl9t9QVJczNuuyaWgKac18qMHeXBaG3xkn1O1uvSP_txiC_TSXNjQcj36VzjmsvdaFcudRj-74GpvWSXtMaLftkyBUAOdKn7mhxj1tIU_AK0GhvLOw8FsJDU_KtSfmLa2r9GQBUc5y/s1600/PlayStation_Plus.png" /></a></div>
Sony had some big news for the Playstation faithful. All signs are pointing towards a PS4 reveal on February 20th. The Wall Street Journal claims inside sources confirmed this to be true. Gamers are hungry for the next generation of TV top console. It's been seven years since the Xbox 360 first launched. In an industry where generations usually last five, this has been long one. On top of that, hings haven't been good for Sony lately. The Vita flopped and revenues have taken deep cuts. Despite statements to the contrary, Sony seems poised to get the PS4 in the public eye before Microsoft makes their move. It's in their best interest to.<br />
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Lets take a look at what we can expect. Just some forewarning, this is a little more technical than my other posts. Keep reading after the break.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
<b>Name</b><br />
<br />
We've heard a few rumours trickle out about the PS4, known internally as Orbis. This may in fact end up being the actual name of the console, like Sony did with the PS Vita. Sony obviously likes Latin names. The most common translation for orbis is "disk" or "world". Which makes sense in the grand scheme of things given that vita means life. Sony wants to be an entertainment hub, all encompassing, global. I'd be willing to put money that the system will be called the PS Orbis in final production.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigW6RfkFH0J6BeJOCVLdYhLOCN5xm2byhLTmIXo65vkPUp2QB_ryOYTUlrv6LO11ipdgT-5ssL0hXZ9C4dkn20KONtOyY6BF6OwIxS04uzpYkrkIGfrDDKYh4p_mQkLJMILiayJtem8dys/s1600/ps4-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigW6RfkFH0J6BeJOCVLdYhLOCN5xm2byhLTmIXo65vkPUp2QB_ryOYTUlrv6LO11ipdgT-5ssL0hXZ9C4dkn20KONtOyY6BF6OwIxS04uzpYkrkIGfrDDKYh4p_mQkLJMILiayJtem8dys/s320/ps4-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A cool yet implausible early fan mockup of the Orbis</td></tr>
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<br />
<b>Processor and Graphics</b><br />
<br />
Like the Vita, all signs point to Sony using off-the-shelf PC components for the system.<br />
<br />
There's been a few different rumours on what kind of CPU the Orbis will have. Most say it will be an AMD Fusion processor. Some earlier reports suggest it will be a quad core chip running at 3.2ghz. <a href="http://www.vgleaks.com/world-exclusive-orbis-unveiled/">VGLeaks</a>' latest specs, say it will be an eight core processor based on the Jaguar architecture. It will run at 1.6ghz. According to them, it should push out a theoretical 102.4 GFLOPS. For comparison purposes, this puts it roughly on par with Intel's fastest i7 Ivy Bridge chips. That's faster than any CPU in AMD's current desktop line.<br />
<br />
The graphics chip is said to be based on AMD's R10 "Southern Islands" GPUs. VGLeaks claims it will run at 800mhz with 14 usable Computing Units (cores). It will punch out 1.843 TFLOPS. This would put it roughly in line with the HD 7850 line. It will be a custom "Liverpool" architecture. It's possible Sony may opt for a mobile "Radeon M" chip for the Orbis, to keep power consumption and heat down. Heat was a major problem in the early days of the last generation, which is why so many launch PS3s died prematurely.<br />
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For memory, the PS Orbis is said to use 4GB of GDDR5 shared between the GPU and CPU. 3.5GB of this will be available for games. Once again Sony has opted for faster memory but less of it. Memory performance is rumoured to be 176GB/s, which probably pegs clock speed somewhere around 1300-1400Mhz.<br />
<br />
Assuming these specs are true, it's a major coup for AMD. All rumours coming out about the Xbox Durango say it will also use a Fusion processor and Radeon GPU. This puts AMD in all three major consoles, which will be a big boost for the struggling chip maker.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhWAjrkuIRltmQD-dJkorczukiQ0Tc0nUn5QY704CroTWRm8qhgBUyAfOF-fNwsrj0lVt6wY5a9WTu5Dx0muKCXLdfPZ2RStiwMKCRdfLr7MJ2FM5t79-anWWlEI-Ukhyphenhyphen2dwDYLlMB8uTD/s1600/amd-fx-8150-580x358.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhWAjrkuIRltmQD-dJkorczukiQ0Tc0nUn5QY704CroTWRm8qhgBUyAfOF-fNwsrj0lVt6wY5a9WTu5Dx0muKCXLdfPZ2RStiwMKCRdfLr7MJ2FM5t79-anWWlEI-Ukhyphenhyphen2dwDYLlMB8uTD/s320/amd-fx-8150-580x358.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All signs point to the Orbis being an all-AMD system</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Specs for the CPU do seem a little optimistic though. Jaguar is a direct descendant of AMD's low power Brazos chip. I've used the dual core E-350 before in my HTPC. While better than the Atom, it's not a powerhouse at 1.6ghz. It manages 7.46 GFLOPS between two of it's cores. Assuming it scales evenly up to 8 cores, that only puts it on par with current A6 Fusion and older Core i5 chips. It's very unlikely that AMD has produced a processor faster than any of its current line, at half the clock speed. So either the original rumour of the 3.2ghz A8 based quad core is correct, and the benchmarks are wrong; or it will have a 1.6ghz Jaguar and the benchmarks are wrong.<br />
<br />
Either way I don't think it's going to be as powerful as many people are saying it's going to be. What you'll get is something akin to a contemporary mid-range gaming PC. That should please a lot of gamers and it will be significantly more powerful than the current PS3. Just don't go expecting miracles.<br />
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<br />
<b>Storage, Connectivity, and Online</b><br />
<br />
Storage is the other big question on everyone's mind. Will this generation finally herald the death of the optical drive. Lots of rumours have pointed to a download only console. Some even suggest we could see flash based storage. We now know that the PS Orbis will indeed feature a standard Bluray drive. Performance has been upped to 6x speeds, making it up to three times faster than the PS3's.<br />
<br />
Nobody should be surprised that optical discs are making it one more round. Internet capacity hasn't evolved enough to make download-only consoles practical. Especially considering ISPs are imposing stringent caps. Right now it's faster and cheaper to drive to the store and buy disc based games than it is to download them. Fast internet is still too expensive for much of Middle America. Optical discs cost next to nothing to mass produce and storage is only limited by shelf space.<br />
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What you can expect is simultaneous launches for both Bluray and download copies. The entire catalogue of games will be available both in-store and online. This isn't exactly an Orbis specific rumour but rather the direction the winds have been blowing for years now. Sony already does this with the Vita.<br />
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One worrying thing about our disc based future is Sony's recent patent that would tie discs to a user's PSN account. Sony has been at war with the used game industry for some time. Just because they patented it doesn't mean it will get implemented. However, it is in the realm of plausibility. Such a decision would devastate budget and future retro gamers, as well as small shops. With rumours that Microsoft also has the same idea, Sony could benefit greatly by not restricting pre-owned games. Though biased, a recent poll by GameStop says that two thirds of gamers will not own a console that restricts used titles.<br />
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If you do choose the download route, Sony is offering up generous storage this time. The system is said to feature a 500gb hard drive. SSDs are still too expensive, though VGLeaks says they may be an option on some models. Hopefully Sony will continue to allow users to upgrade their own storage with standard, non-proprietary drives. In other words, hopefully they've learned their lesson from the Vita.<br />
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The downloading and streaming junkies will be pleased to know that connectivity has improved. Expect to see 802.11n WiFi and gigabit ethernet. I think we can safely say those rumours are true.<br />
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<b>Controllers</b><br />
<br />
There's been a lot of rumours swirling around what kind of controller the Orbis may have. Namely that the DualShock, which has been around in some shape or form for almost 20 years, may be on it's way out. Some say it may be Move controlled. Others have said we may see a tablet style controller like the one used for the Wii U. <a href="http://www.edge-online.com/news/playstation-4-revealed/">Edge-Online</a> has posted perhaps the most credible rumour on the new controller to date. The controller replacing the DualShock will be... the DualShock.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKWxadHUFSbvR1CVd13kcU0hzVhcY28AJxe4RYoj2r8pyVDX2LhW0mAyBzUssmJs6HaKY3AFfwLc6Ep3txwWE7QtpaBfw-WGv_xWnmeWCH4U7fNm-bKYttPGJk9DKz_evjKdjOa9ypM5N7/s1600/leak-destructoid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKWxadHUFSbvR1CVd13kcU0hzVhcY28AJxe4RYoj2r8pyVDX2LhW0mAyBzUssmJs6HaKY3AFfwLc6Ep3txwWE7QtpaBfw-WGv_xWnmeWCH4U7fNm-bKYttPGJk9DKz_evjKdjOa9ypM5N7/s320/leak-destructoid.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.destructoid.com/what-the-hell-is-this-the-new-playstation-controller--244985.phtml">Destructoid's</a> alleged spyshot of a prototype PS Orbis controller, with developer system</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
That's not to say that it will be identical to what we have now. One of the rumoured features is a touchpad on the back of the controller. Given that this is featured on the Vita makes it highly probable. Sony is very interested in touch gaming. Another touch pad is said to be on top replacing the current start and select buttons. Aside from that the new DualShock will be pretty much the same as the current model. It might be a bit bigger to accommodate the touch surfaces. So in the end it may be closer to the Xbox 360 controller. Spy shots of a prototype controller released by <a href="http://www.destructoid.com/what-the-hell-is-this-the-new-playstation-controller--244985.phtml">Destructiod</a> show this to be the case.<br />
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Given the Wii U's tablet interface, I wouldn't rule tablet control features out completely. With the Vita treading water, Sony will most likely incorporate it into the Orbis. Expect functionality comparable to the Wii U's tablet. Remote Play is a fantastic though greatly underutilized feature. There's no reason why the Vita shouldn't work as a controller. Sony should really start pushing this functionality.<br />
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<b>Software and OS</b><br />
<br />
We've heard next to nothing about the software on the Orbis. So talking about it is going to boil down to pure speculation. We can go off the Vita and recent Sony mobile devices to get some idea about how it will look.<br />
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One thing is for sure, the Orbis will likely not feature the XrossMediaBar used in the PS3. It's a dated interface that Sony has been slowly phasing out.<br />
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The good money would be on a user interface similar to the Vita's LiveArea. One key indicator was a firmware update late last year that added button control to the touch interface. Its big icons and multitasking support would make it a good fit on TV or portable. Adding Move support wouldn't be too difficult.<br />
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Another thing to expect is enhanced media and social functions to compete with set top boxes and smart TVs. This will include better Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter integration and a wider variety of media channels than what's available now. Just as with the last generation, the goal is a one-stop-shop for all your entertainment needs. Expect your console to be more social and connected than ever.<br />
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If you are heading online for a little gaming, I don't expect many changes to the Playstation Network. Playstation Plus has been a huge success for Sony. One of the few they've seen in recent years. Expect online gaming to remain pretty much the same is it is now. Free to play with plenty of juicy perks with a subscription.<br />
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Games are what people really care about though. To that, there's just not enough information to suggest how games will look, play, or even what will be coming out for it besides the obvious franchises. Your best guess is to run some current PC games on a typical gaming system. That's probably how they'll look and play.<br />
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<b>4K Gaming</b><br />
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If you were paying attention at CES this year, you'd think 4K video was the wave of the future. It has four times the resolution and clarity of a 1080p display. Sony is one of the companies leading the charge to get this technology into homes. Naturally you'd expect the Orbis to have 4K support, and a lot of people in the rumour mill expect it will.<br />
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I'd be very surprised if it actually does. For starters, the HD 7850 rumoured to be in the Orbis simply isn't <a href="http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/2012-vga-gpgpu/04-Metro-2033-DirectX-11-C-Extreme,2942.html">powerful enough</a> to handle rendering at that resolution. It can't quite handle 1440p gaming at high detail while maintaining the industry standard of 30fps. At 2160p, frame rates would be far too low to make the game playable. This was a persistent issue with the current generation. While they could output at 1080p, most games were limited to 720p, simply because the console couldn't handle anything higher.<br />
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That's not to say that the HD 7850 couldn't do 4K video, but there would be too many tradeoffs that would render the higher resolution useless.<br />
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The other problem is the practicality of 4K. Without going too much into depth here, 4K only makes sense on really big screens. We're talking at least 80''. It's a limit of biology, not technology.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGMIYIcdFD25ozSh0BBwx_ZuiDbtjLtl_Hspf1LBGLUaA8qwBN1gZSo7v29Cl3k07UuPrTEI-svuVHULSBOhBakCgP9nHBX78Vq0WgOKyql6J8Ro7nB9EpZrPpBLTvwYenuhAOSZTOYhOu/s1600/1080p-does-matter.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGMIYIcdFD25ozSh0BBwx_ZuiDbtjLtl_Hspf1LBGLUaA8qwBN1gZSo7v29Cl3k07UuPrTEI-svuVHULSBOhBakCgP9nHBX78Vq0WgOKyql6J8Ro7nB9EpZrPpBLTvwYenuhAOSZTOYhOu/s320/1080p-does-matter.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://carltonbale.com/does-4k-resolution-matter/">Carlton Bale's</a> HD viewing chart shows 4K only matters on TVs 80'' and larger. Click the link for a full explanation.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Personally, I'd rather see system makers focus on image quality and higher frame rates than resolution. Take Sonic Generations for example. There is a huge difference between how smooth the game is on PC and the PS3, simply because the PC doubles up the frame rate. Aliasing, the stair step edges of 3D rendered objects, are also a big issue on the PS3. The Orbis needs to include better anti-aliasing than it does now.<br />
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However, there's more to Playstation than just gaming. Current specs make the system perfectly capable of playing both 4K streams and Bluray. Sony has talked about getting a streaming service available for ultra high definition video. The Playstation brand was critical to the success of Bluray and DVD, so 4K video support for the Orbis is likely if Sony is serious about it.<br />
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<b>Keys to Success & Final thoughts</b><br />
<br />
So far we've seen decent systems planned from both Sony and Microsoft. I think they're trying to avoid many of the issues that plagued the previous generation. The decision to go with PC based hardware is probably the biggest standout.<br />
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The major issue with the Wii U, Vita, and 3DS has been finding developers to actually make games for them. Studios have gotten comfortable developing for the current crop of consoles, and have been resisting the transition. Especially given that hardware sales have been low for the first eighth generation systems. Unfortunately, the cause of these low sales is the lack of games. So it's a vicious cycle. Using an x86 processor partly bypasses this problem, because Sony and Microsoft can leech of PC as an existing and stable platform. It also eliminates issues porting multi-platform games across consoles.<br />
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The key to winning the next console race won't be who has the best hardware or the best launch titles. It will be the company who can build sustainable growth through the system's first year. This means a steady stream of quality games. The advantage is, in theory, heavily in Microsoft's favour as Durango will most likely be Windows 8 based. This should make PC games very easy to port. The question is what Sony will do to counter this, if anything.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR9gf5-krD8z9BXTRVjJ72WnqFM18PT2dX3wOn3CD5ifNUw1-qPKd1t6KiWZL4MWM2lfUs42kdLw5qKAkHkZywqf7Gd1njbGS85o0eAWfT1XZ8KDnXLkcAtASvyjo6m_NvDQKaonpl1hQR/s1600/playstation_vita_lbp1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR9gf5-krD8z9BXTRVjJ72WnqFM18PT2dX3wOn3CD5ifNUw1-qPKd1t6KiWZL4MWM2lfUs42kdLw5qKAkHkZywqf7Gd1njbGS85o0eAWfT1XZ8KDnXLkcAtASvyjo6m_NvDQKaonpl1hQR/s320/playstation_vita_lbp1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Orbis can't be the Vita: too expensive and with too few good games</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So far Sony's recent track record hasn't been good. The Vita is treading water. Mainly due to its high cost, hidden added costs, and string of mediocre games. The problem with Sony is they think they're still a boutique electronics manufacturer. That their products are high end, and something special. This is reflected in the design, style, marketing, and especially the price. Sony has to get out of this mindset or it will sink the Orbis. Success in the 80's and 90's isn't going to translate it success today, especially if the products don't stand up and stand out.<br />
<br />
Sony can no longer charge boutique prices for their products. The PS3 was a great console and in my opinion was worth the higher price at launch. That was for its Bluray capability alone. The Orbis, as it stands, isn't anything special. They can't go around charging significantly more than the competition and expect it to sell because it's a Sony. That tactic didn't work for the Vita and its not going to work for the Orbis. So far, all rumours are pointing to a $400 launch price. This seems to be the sweet spot. Though if the Durango is any cheaper, Sony will find themselves struggling once again.<br />
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However, until February 20th, this is all pure speculation.Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14705332818474946081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4270748908158073463.post-58734869966594414152013-02-06T22:56:00.002-05:002013-05-26T22:41:08.650-04:00Banning used games would cripple gaming's soul<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim1S8Zervl-K7iaxTR9TxxT78iQs9nlvI-M57OoCLh9mRUD_GnK13PX8RHhdB5jctLqLD_mattQ4ZlQ3zT2E9v9oSU867Jj5zD38Sm8HoTcTKs92Xmw7xQZxyklKBHbL8KsgSXHNa9kCf1/s1600/Xbox360-ringofdeath.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim1S8Zervl-K7iaxTR9TxxT78iQs9nlvI-M57OoCLh9mRUD_GnK13PX8RHhdB5jctLqLD_mattQ4ZlQ3zT2E9v9oSU867Jj5zD38Sm8HoTcTKs92Xmw7xQZxyklKBHbL8KsgSXHNa9kCf1/s200/Xbox360-ringofdeath.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
You walk into the front door and you're met with wall to wall nerdgasm. The shop is filled with the musty smell of old electronics. Every single nook and cranny is lined with games for every system you could dream of, and a few you never knew existed. ToyRatt in Milton, Ontario is one of those rare gems. Their staff is driven by a passion for vintage video games. You can chill out with them, talk games, or even play a few with your fellow geeks on their big screen TV. Something that future generations may be denied if Sony and Microsoft get their way.<br />
<br />
Today, <a href="http://www.edge-online.com/news/the-next-xbox-always-online-no-second-hand-games-50gb-blu-ray-discs-and-new-kinect/">Edge</a> leaked a report suggesting that the Xbox Durango may ban the use of used games. When you purchase a disc copy, its specific serial number would be forever tied to your Xbox Live account. Sony recently patented a similar system to block out used games.<br />
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The used video game market has been around for as long as gaming has been around. However, game publishers have suddenly begun to equate it to piracy. When you buy a used game, publishers never see a dime from that sale.<br />
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For retailers like GameStop, the sale of second-hand games is big business. Profit margins on new games are thin. A friend who owns a computer shop sold games at one point. At the time he was only making $5 for every copy. He didn't sell enough to make it worth while so they were taken off the shelf. Retailers like GameStop and Best Buy have the same problem. Buying and selling used games is a good way to boost profits. Since they're cheaper to buy, it's a win-win for both retailers and budget minded gamers. Though many have accused GameStop of paying too little for used copies and selling them only a few dollars below MSRP. Which is partly why Microsoft and Sony have their panties in a knot.<br />
<br />
Even if you hate GameStop, the loss of the used market would be a major infringement on consumers rights. If this becomes reality, video games would be the first ever industry to completely ban the sale of used items. Imagine how ludicrous it would be if eBay, Kijiji, Craigslist and Autotrader were shut down. If Goodwill could no longer accept donations because sales of used clothes aren't going to labels. It's all silly but that's the point we've gotten too in our greedy, materialistic corporate culture.<br />
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Worse still, it would kill the soul of gaming. For years, gamers have been buying, selling, renting, and trading to grow their collections and fuel their obsession. Stores like ToyRatt aren't GameStop. They're run by a couple of guys or girls who just live and love video games. They're not greedy corporate monsters. If the industry bans used games, they'd be put out of business. Classic yet unpopular titles would die quick deaths in favour of bland shooters that sell lots but hardcore gamers hate. Once the servers go down and the discs stopped getting pressed, it's curtain call. Many great games I've discovered I've found in used bins. The loss would cheapen the art form by denying so many fantastic titles the appreciation they deserve.<br />
<br />
What about the PC market? Used games have been defacto banned on that platform for years. Which is true except for one catch. PC games tend to be substantially cheaper than console games, and they tend to go on sale more often. Also many disc based PC games have moved away from DRM which ties copies to specific accounts or hardware. The Spore debacle and the revolt of casual games four years ago caused a paradigm shift regarding this style of copy protection. So used PC gaming has potential for a comeback.<br />
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Lets keep our vibrant culture alive by retaining the used market, help protect small used game shops, and let Microsoft and Sony know what you think of their plans. Tweet @Xbox and @Playstation to ensure that future gamers will have access to today's best games. Use #SaveUsedGames.Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14705332818474946081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4270748908158073463.post-2842623354892931682013-01-05T13:07:00.000-05:002013-02-15T10:52:17.065-05:00Tech of 2012: Apple Maps<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiftkxLJ1rSovz_lAD8rxnYEOUCoW-HQEg0a89W2CD5TBGyQDKjGoEtfhtr6tIMKtDgXu-3Uvpt50U1Gxw-kueurFkxosXMFFzT_Dv0vuUVpnyzbA9jpv_XNWI3avMGauB118I6FHMXQU1I/s1600/iphone_broken_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="115" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiftkxLJ1rSovz_lAD8rxnYEOUCoW-HQEg0a89W2CD5TBGyQDKjGoEtfhtr6tIMKtDgXu-3Uvpt50U1Gxw-kueurFkxosXMFFzT_Dv0vuUVpnyzbA9jpv_XNWI3avMGauB118I6FHMXQU1I/s200/iphone_broken_3.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">You're driving through the Australian outback to a town you've never been to before. You come to a cross roads. The sign says go straight, your iPhone says turn left. So you turn left. You've become so accustomed to blindly trusting technology. Your phone could never make an error, could it? A day later police find you near dead out in the scorching desert. Apple Maps had thought the town was miles away from where it actually was. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">This is a true story about Mildura in Victoria, Australia. It's a typical small town about half way between Melbourne and Adelaide. Mildura is a quaint little place of 30,000, known for its vineyards and wineries.The town is connected to the two cities by a pair of modern, four lane highways.It isn't located off a dirt road in the middle of the outback. Though according to the iPhone, it is. Apple Maps had placed the town inside the Murray Sunset National Park. After six separate incidents of people getting lost in the bush, state police issued a warning to motorists. Apple's mapping software was not to be trusted. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">This topped the laundry list of problems with Apple Maps. Some roads were missing, some roads that didn't exist were there, many things were located miles from where they actually were, 3D rendering looked like a warped Dali painting. As soon as the app launched, the complaints started rolling in. Making matters worse, it was made the default mapping application. The Google Maps app was no longer an option.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHvvKox380JXjJI0P_0BJBifUWCRnqamTpGvYhl5pzLwAbigLOJjVqGia7ydA-Np48zVWbwH85IZTT1T-ZtOlmC8uybp2c9eeNJmvDrLHo0dvffRZ7pkQhMPHv5nHOADLRnepl940hw2N5/s1600/LangreeAvenueMildura_2007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHvvKox380JXjJI0P_0BJBifUWCRnqamTpGvYhl5pzLwAbigLOJjVqGia7ydA-Np48zVWbwH85IZTT1T-ZtOlmC8uybp2c9eeNJmvDrLHo0dvffRZ7pkQhMPHv5nHOADLRnepl940hw2N5/s320/LangreeAvenueMildura_2007.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Mildura is not in the middle of the outback. Source: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:LangreeAvenueMildura_2007.jpg">Wikipedia</a></span></td></tr>
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In the end, it forced Apple to do something unprecedented. They made a sincere apology for their mistake and even pointed people to alternative apps they could use in the interim. Apple has apologized for issues before. However, they usually twist it to somehow blame the user. This time, they knew they had screwed up bad. They released an incomplete product based built using bad data. Not because they thought they could do better than Google, but because they didn't want to deal with Google. The search giant ultimately had the last laugh. The new Google Maps app for iOS broke download records. Steve Jobs must be rolling in his grave.<br />
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More important than Apple's apology is what the fiasco says about ourselves. As smartphones have become commonplace, we've gotten comfortable with letting them think for us. So much so that common sense takes a ride in the trunk.Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14705332818474946081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4270748908158073463.post-9377914130760837142013-01-04T23:55:00.002-05:002013-01-04T23:55:35.210-05:00Tech of 2012: Windows 8 and Surface<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe7PA5dXxg14vp_FPoaMoDsCt0p-l51gB9eIZALvf5RwyZrkQuHuG1-jKIGjg7K63CeKDI_K8Qw5i_XZWhQ3mjyx6CWt13ICc1zn2Q95N2aH-Naqxk34G0cd7_ivKKf7ik64baEjC5yUfh/s1600/456px-Rembrandt_Harmensz._van_Rijn_079.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe7PA5dXxg14vp_FPoaMoDsCt0p-l51gB9eIZALvf5RwyZrkQuHuG1-jKIGjg7K63CeKDI_K8Qw5i_XZWhQ3mjyx6CWt13ICc1zn2Q95N2aH-Naqxk34G0cd7_ivKKf7ik64baEjC5yUfh/s200/456px-Rembrandt_Harmensz._van_Rijn_079.jpg" width="100" /></a></div>
Windows 8 stands out as one of Microsoft's more questionable decisions. The concept was a page right out of Apple's playbook. Take the strongest elements from the mobile sphere and bring them onto the desktop. The execution didn't work as well as the company had hoped, and left a lot of users confused.<br />
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The operating system hadn't fundamentally changed in seventeen years. Granted it's been spiffed up and tweaked considerably in that time. However, it still looks, works, and feels the same as it did way back in 1995. Seeing the popularity of tablets, Microsoft jumped into the already overcrowded marketplace screaming "me too!" As such Windows 8 was designed to by a hybrid OS. It had both tablet and desktop elements, and a radically new UI called Metro.<br />
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Metro was the very same interface that had gotten raving reviews on Windows Phone 7. So it made sense to port it over. The end result was the sort of beautiful mess that Microsoft seems to master ever even numbered release. The conventional desktop was hacked to pieces, missing the all familiar Start button. You were forced to use the new UI whether you liked it or not.<br />
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The Metro interface wasn't well suited for computers that lacked touch screens. In other words most systems Windows ran on. It had a great app store and a sleek interface, it just wasn't ideal for a desktop and laptop environment. It made even less sense for business. Reception was lukewarm from hardcore Windows fans and cold as ice from the general public. A month into its release and it had failed to break Windows Vista's launch sales numbers. Most people saw it as having no real advantage over Windows 7.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUzVUdj4eptouART8ryoNmGPunl1AGAQR7WTkWWWC5FFtIly-rXf6ROGxVSQtLTj24rANUM-KfXDqShKbk5hWel2dV6orFk_K7PiPZ0Kz-mFz9J4FlUGA5ZFUpbmkeBKFqZfmy1Wbjq2bl/s1600/c8d8763d-f1a4-4533-9f06-1b827d059236_22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUzVUdj4eptouART8ryoNmGPunl1AGAQR7WTkWWWC5FFtIly-rXf6ROGxVSQtLTj24rANUM-KfXDqShKbk5hWel2dV6orFk_K7PiPZ0Kz-mFz9J4FlUGA5ZFUpbmkeBKFqZfmy1Wbjq2bl/s400/c8d8763d-f1a4-4533-9f06-1b827d059236_22.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Window's 8's brand new "Metro" UI, -- image from Microsoft</td></tr>
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On the tablet side, Windows RT and Surface tablets were also a sinking ship. Apple had just released the iPad 4 and Samsung had come out with the Galaxy Note 10.1. Both featured high resolution QXGA "retina" displays and fast new chips. The Surface lumbered along with its aging Tegra 3 processor and 768p display.<br />
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There was nothing particularly wrong with the Surface. As far as tablets go, it's a fine tablet. Metro worked like a charm, it was sleek, and was better designed than both Android and iOS. Problem was you could get a much better tablet with better app support for the same price. The iPad 4 and Note were three times faster and had three times the display resolution. Needless to say sales were modest at best.<br />
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That all said, Windows 8 is perhaps the most important version since Windows 95. It signals another paradigm shift in personal computing. One where touch screens will begin to dominate over traditional inputs, and tablets will begin to replace laptops. As such, Windows 8 is very much a prototype of things to come. Microsoft may have come late to the party but they've so far delivered the best mobile GUI I've seen, and it will only get better when things get perfected in Windows 9.<br />
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<br />Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14705332818474946081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4270748908158073463.post-8421017121985099312013-01-01T18:52:00.000-05:002013-01-01T18:52:00.866-05:00Tech of 2012: Wii and U together at last<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrFfjQ3eS6VjZHjYYoyks20uKR3M0O0tiCN7D98xy09cNGw8Iz6YvchM7uwoPxkmHftHATaIDtDwUIfqc5eePLnnP72qIgPAZBbLsI4EeyhGfygJhfXdZrG3NkDUfy6S6AnRSBzdaXEzuy/s1600/403px-Akashi_Gidayu_writing_his_death_poem_before_comitting_Seppuku.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrFfjQ3eS6VjZHjYYoyks20uKR3M0O0tiCN7D98xy09cNGw8Iz6YvchM7uwoPxkmHftHATaIDtDwUIfqc5eePLnnP72qIgPAZBbLsI4EeyhGfygJhfXdZrG3NkDUfy6S6AnRSBzdaXEzuy/s200/403px-Akashi_Gidayu_writing_his_death_poem_before_comitting_Seppuku.jpg" width="90" /></a><i>Taking a look at the gaming and tech trends in 2012</i><br />
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If there's one thing about Nintendo, they've never played a conservative game. Their innovations are small, yet have a profound impact on gaming. Take something as simple as the plus shaped D-Pad. It's hard to believe that something so ubiquitous didn't exist prior to the Famicom. The Wii U is a little different. The latest gimmick is something that has existed for some time, just never really implemented: dual screen gaming.<br />
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A lot of entertainment providers talk about multiple screens. When I watch a movie on TV, I'm frequently on my iPad looking up actors, directors, discussing it on Twitter. The Wii U is a natural extension of the tablet revolution as much as it's an extension of the DS. The motion control that made the Wii famous has been pushed aside for a tablet-like controller with a touch screen interface. Have your inventory pulled up at all times, touch to solve puzzles, or even detach it from the TV and take your game with you to another room. Play your games on your TV the same way you loved to play them on your DS.<br />
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The Wii U GamePad is such an innovative product, it was introduced by Sony, six years ago. Back then it was called RemotePlay. The much touted feature would have allowed you to play PS3 games on your PSP. A couple of indie games implemented it but it never got far beyond that. Possibly owing in part to the PSP's low resolution and painfully slow WiFi. The same function is present in the Vita and has been used a bit more effectively, but not by much. So far only one game officially supports Wii U style mobile control. Apple also has this technology via AirPlay to stream iOS games to a TV and use iPad or iPhone to as a controller. Both these systems require the purchase of costly peripherals.<br />
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Where Nintendo excels the most is jumping in on trends before anybody else does. Even if they didn't originate the idea, they're the first to see its potential; no matter how small.Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14705332818474946081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4270748908158073463.post-1381003755285043452012-12-01T14:21:00.001-05:002012-12-01T14:21:09.823-05:00iFixit tears down the late-2012 iMac, slightly worse than anticipated<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhArwDFlYakclRo0coaRWIrH7BKeF8clMuwxU7g0lffRfwS-I870H5ADMwYD5_zCgimzkX8sWkkm-rrDjTO52bcKcJoZx1lkgU6RiE2P2PaQZnqn_Iq1z7giyQswd9PGPx25Y_nvFoTHPFA/s1600/Rotten_apple.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhArwDFlYakclRo0coaRWIrH7BKeF8clMuwxU7g0lffRfwS-I870H5ADMwYD5_zCgimzkX8sWkkm-rrDjTO52bcKcJoZx1lkgU6RiE2P2PaQZnqn_Iq1z7giyQswd9PGPx25Y_nvFoTHPFA/s200/Rotten_apple.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
After yesterday's Japanese teardown, the folks at iFixit have taken apart the new 2012 iMac. Unfortunately, this thing is not as repair friendly as originally thought. It appears that the LCD is indeed glued onto the chassis, instead of using magnets like older models. This makes it quite difficult to get inside, and requires the use of a heat gun. You'll also need double sided tape to reseal the whole thing when you're done. It's a better design than the retina Macbooks but still poor overall.<br />
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On the bright side, iFixit has confirmed that the CPU is user replaceable. However, they gave it a 3 out of 10 on the repairability scale, due to the glued display and buried components. This seems to be a huge price to pay for having a super slim computer, in an environment where it doesn't need to be super slim.<br />
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All-in-ones don't make ideal desktops in general due to the amount of compromises you need to make. Apple lately has chosen to put form over function. While it hasn't hurt the reliability of their computers, it does turn them into yet another disposable consumer good if anything should fail. I think we need to add a fourth "R" to that old environmental mantra: reduce, reuse, recycle, and repair. If Apple wants to make their systems impossible to fix and upgrade, then the price has to come down. Otherwise they're just not worth it.<br />
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If you're looking for an alternative to the iMac, Dell's XPS One series is something to look at. Specs are similar to the iMac, though the system is considerably cheaper. It also features a touch screen and is easy to repair. Some reviews state that it's noisy though. Once again, there's always drawbacks with all-in-ones. The old tower design is still king if you're a non-compromises type of person.<br />
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Source: <a href="http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/iMac+Intel+21.5-Inch+EMC+2544+Teardown/11936/1">iFixit</a>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14705332818474946081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4270748908158073463.post-19655557965510805542012-11-30T11:19:00.001-05:002012-11-30T11:21:29.799-05:00New iMac innards a step in the right direction<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Apple's new iMac is thinner and lighter than any desktop before. It really solidifies the idea that these are just laptops stuck to the back of a screen. Japanese tech site <a href="http://www.kodawarisan.com/k2012_02/archives/2012/11/aa_imac_aeaaa_2.html">Kodawarisan</a> submitted the late-2012 iMac to its first teardown. Inside we find some decidedly non-laptop design features.<br />
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The logic board is laptop-like in most ways. Very sparse compared to your typical desktop PC motherboard. Heatpipes with blower cooler keep the CPU and GPU sufficiently chilly. There's four USB ports, two thunderbolts, and an ethernet port. Looks like it takes up to three sticks of DDR3-RAM, presumably in a triple channel configuration. I'm told the 27'' model has a hatch to easily upgrade the memory, but the 21'' model doesn't.<br />
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The nVidia GPU stripped naked. The late-2012 iMac comes with one of four: GT 640M, GT 650M, GT 660M, or GT 675M. The first three come with 512mb of GDDR5 while the latter ships with a fill gigabyte of graphics memory. Even the lowly GT 640M should be enough to handle most current games at playable frame rates.<br />
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Is that what I think it is? It sure looks like a fully upgradable CPU. The image depicts an "Ivy Bridge" Core i5-3470S, which is a low power, quad-core chip running at 2.9ghz. It has a TDP of 65W. Apple has always used low voltage variants to keep the thermals down while keeping performance reasonable. Though it's likely the top end model uses a standard CPU. Intel doesn't produce low voltage i5s running at 3.2ghz.<br />
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The logic board appears to use an LGA 1155 CPU socket. In theory, there's nothing stopping you from upgrading to an i7, assuming the firmware allows it.<br />
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In the last picture, we see the iMac with all its innards exposed. Including a removable hard drive. Apple combines traditional HDDs with SSDs, called a fusion drive. You should be able to remove and swap out the drive with any 2.5'' one. The SSD is nowhere to be seen in this picture, nor does it appear to be soldered to the logic board. It is possible Apple is combining the two drives into one package, as Seagate does.<br />
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As for getting into the system, it's rumoured to be quite easy. Simply remove the display with suction cups. Though at least one French site claimed it was glued. Due to poor translation, it's unclear. We'll have to wait for the first teardowns on this side of the pond to get a full grasp of how easy it is to take apart.<br />
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Assuming it is easy to get into, this is a major step in the right direction for Apple. When you pay that much for a computer, it shouldn't be disposable. Keep them fixable.<br />
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The new iMac starts at a relatively steep $1299, as one would expect.<br />
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<i>Source and Images: <a href="http://www.kodawarisan.com/k2012_02/archives/2012/11/aa_imac_aeaaa_2.html">Kodawarisan</a></i><br />
<br />Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14705332818474946081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4270748908158073463.post-30776510522210479862012-11-23T12:05:00.001-05:002012-11-23T12:05:35.312-05:00This year kids want iPads, not consoles<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I've been told for quite some time now that I'm wrong about mobile gaming. Many fellow gamers have said that smart phones and tablets are not cannibalizing the console and handheld market. A recent study by Neilson proves them wrong. Kids want Santa to bring them tablets, not games.<br />
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The study looked at interest in electronics for kids 6-12 and teenagers. Almost half off all children said they wanted an iPad. The Wii U topped second place with 39%. The iPod Touch, iPad Mini, and iPhone rounded out the top five. Only a quarter of all kids wanted an Xbox or PS3. In the case of portables, 29% wanted a 3DS and 18% wanted a PSP. Only 14% wanted a Playstation Vita.<br />
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In the case of teenagers, things are a little different. The iPad still topped the list with 21% wanting one. Computers, non-iOS tablets, Wii U, and iPhone rounded out the top five. Only 8% of teens said they wanted a game console, with the PS3 being the most popular. In the case of portable systems, the 3DS and Vita actually come out on top. It's a Pyrrhic victory with only 5% and 4% respectively.<br />
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Things aren't full of Christmas cheer for console manufacturers this year. Though we're hardly set for another crash, a lot of what's going on mirrors 1983. There's a strong interest in multi-functional devices over dedicated gaming systems. Interest in portables has taken a nose dive. Still, it's unlikely parents will be willing to spend upwards of $500 for an iPad. Especially for the little ones. If Sony and Microsoft take anything from this, they will need to get their new systems out by Holiday 2013. The current generation has finally run its course.<br />
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Source: <a href="http://ca.ign.com/articles/2012/11/22/kids-want-ios-devices-over-consoles-for-christmas">IGN</a><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Image copyright Bethesda, via <a href="http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Cannibal">Nukapedia</a></span>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14705332818474946081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4270748908158073463.post-46034635914192739182012-11-17T14:57:00.000-05:002012-11-18T11:45:52.569-05:00Xbox 720 fresh rumours served up hot<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Dying gaming magazine Xbox World has decided to go out with a bang. They claim to have gotten the inside scoop from developers, delivering us the tastiest rumours yet.<br />
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The 720, which will be simply named "Xbox" will pack some fairly impressive hardware for a console. Blu-ray support, 8gb of RAM, Kinect 2.0, possible augmented reality, and a quad-core CPU capable of running two threads per core. You can pair this up with the earlier rumour that Microsoft plans to use AMD's Radeon HD 6670 graphics chip.<br />
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The magazine also shows a mock up of the console, which looks quite similar to a black Mac Mini, though about twice the size. The case is rumoured to be magnesium alloy, marking the first time we've seen metal used instead of plastic. Making an unfortunate return are proprietary hard drives.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1zKJ2bpnxKYBjoVOp5MIpGCRJ72K3LdE9gBoQNharZI_tL9NYg4ZVc1juKMPOKlrPKngaUu7q1IoWWkFw-WDZgREXMP1Er_WV5aclRRDEhJfPfF6T8i2fqNBobJnuXeCEHvVhIcOaPHkr/s1600/Xbox-720-Mockup.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1zKJ2bpnxKYBjoVOp5MIpGCRJ72K3LdE9gBoQNharZI_tL9NYg4ZVc1juKMPOKlrPKngaUu7q1IoWWkFw-WDZgREXMP1Er_WV5aclRRDEhJfPfF6T8i2fqNBobJnuXeCEHvVhIcOaPHkr/s320/Xbox-720-Mockup.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Is this the next Xbox? Image by <a href="http://www.computerandvideogames.com/379069/xbox-720-xbw-uses-penultimate-issue-to-tell-you-everything-we-know/">CVG </a>and Xbox World. </td></tr>
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Microsoft has been silent on the next Xbox. Though I think we will see things start to accelerate over the next few months. We may even see a possible prototype at CES in two months time, readying for a possible Holiday 2013 launch. Now that Nintendo is pushed out the first eighth generation console, you can bet Microsoft and Sony will not sit on their laurels for too much longer.<br />
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Source: <a href="http://www.computerandvideogames.com/379069/xbox-720-xbw-uses-penultimate-issue-to-tell-you-everything-we-know/">CVG</a><br />
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Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14705332818474946081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4270748908158073463.post-25186210902685954732012-10-28T12:32:00.002-04:002012-10-28T18:09:04.904-04:00Weekly Cheap: PS Vita bundle sale and Steam dealsBeen on the fence about getting a Vita? Now is as good a time as any with Christmas fast approaching. Our first weekly cheap comes from Best Buy Canada.Sony has released their first ever Vita bundle since launch, to celebrate the latest installment in Assassin's Creed.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/product/psv-playstation-vita-assassin-s-creed-iii-liberation-bundle-22151/10207430.aspx?path=89c099cbe7fe18ab8401b21a66937dcaen02">Vita AC Liberation Bundle, Best Buy Canada: $200</a></b><br />
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The bundle features...<br />
-PS Vita WiFi system<br />
-4gb memory card<br />
-Assassin's Creed: Liberation game<br />
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All for $250. That's a savings of $60 over buying everything separately. On top of that, Best Buy Canada is throwing in a $50 gift card if you buy it in store. So you can get an entire Vita system for just $200. If you've been sitting on the fence about getting a Vita for the holidays, this looks like the bundle to get.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKfcLvbgKJNjiduf8OaDrqOeOTOmbmRKsle8UhaXs1TqJlOe61WMxJK32rfq54h8jR9w_zlTmYkKL7yOq3IUe_oGhKwhTJM6jocBmbxuUkpvNtEdj76LYYuDGg3F84cICO_m1dUc84qEtm/s1600/assassin-bundle-vita-large.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKfcLvbgKJNjiduf8OaDrqOeOTOmbmRKsle8UhaXs1TqJlOe61WMxJK32rfq54h8jR9w_zlTmYkKL7yOq3IUe_oGhKwhTJM6jocBmbxuUkpvNtEdj76LYYuDGg3F84cICO_m1dUc84qEtm/s320/assassin-bundle-vita-large.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image courtesy of Sony</td></tr>
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This week's Steam sales are heavy on horror, just in time for Halloween.<br />
-Left 4 Dead 2 $4.99<br />
-Just Cause 2 $3.74<br />
-Deadlight $12.74<br />
-Lucius $21.24<br />
-Killing Floor Complete Pack $9.99<br />
-Guns of Icarus Online $14.99<br />
-Rock of Ages $2.49<br />
-Hitman: Absolution $44.99<br />
-Left 4 Dead $4.99<br />
-Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams $13.49<br />
-Train Simulator 2013 Deluxe $45.99<br />
-Trains vs Zombies 2 $8.99<br />
-Just Cause $2.49<br />
<br />Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14705332818474946081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4270748908158073463.post-31709625826610812482012-10-24T10:25:00.000-04:002012-10-24T10:25:55.662-04:00Apple's new iPad, bad blood<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQd9PgwhZGSdJitOnXgoQmomaBE0DEaxELVWKg_xaBlX1sAzkiqO2KuhzE7VVJZPUFSUt0ghEmD0akC_H-fo-5xd9h9I_GvHcnXBvBvNgll1U8ItofBUTJK93weC_B1vMW9UQQW8hTNGeY/s1600/bad-apple.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQd9PgwhZGSdJitOnXgoQmomaBE0DEaxELVWKg_xaBlX1sAzkiqO2KuhzE7VVJZPUFSUt0ghEmD0akC_H-fo-5xd9h9I_GvHcnXBvBvNgll1U8ItofBUTJK93weC_B1vMW9UQQW8hTNGeY/s200/bad-apple.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
Apple's event yesterday generated excitement as they usually do. Though I sensed it wasn't as much this time around as we've seen in the past. It's been a year since Steve Jobs died and you can already feel the magic starting to disappear. This time around it was a new product announcement that seemed to anger fans more than encourage them to open their wallets. The iPad 4 caps out a growing list of questionable decisions the electronics giant has made in the past few months.<br />
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It's been seven months since Apple introduced the iPad 3. We were told it was a revolutionary device with it's revolutionary new retina display and graphics. In reality, it wasn't that special. It also had some major hurdles such as the infamous yellow screens. I still bought one, like many did. I even went for the expensive 64gb model so I could do more photo and video work with it.<br />
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I sort of suspected Apple would refresh the iPad at the fall event. Though most of us assumed it would simply remove the dock connector and replace it with lightning. Instead we got a new iPad with a speed bumped processor A6X, said to be twice as fast as the current A5X. Less than a year and the iPad 3 has been rendered obsolete. It's now selling at some stores for less than an iPad 2.<br />
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Many people who bought the 3 are justifiably upset. Myself included. It feels like we got conned into a product that Apple pushed out to make quick cash, full well knowing they were going to replace it soon after. If the update cycles are now down to half a year, it's impossible to keep up with. Especially with Apple's notorious reputation of planned obsolescence on the software side.<br />
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After the fiasco with maps, the incompatible lightning connector, and the war with Google, Apple has certainly generated a lot of bad blood with their fans. It's time to replace Tim Cook as their CEO and get someone younger in there to take the reins. Trying to copy Jobs' formula isn't working anymore. Until that happens, I can no longer recommend iOS products. Especially after seeing what Jellybean can do, and the potential for Windows RT. Apple is quickly losing their position as the best in the mobile market. It's only a matter of time before their cult status leaves with it, and history repeats itself.<br />
<br />Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14705332818474946081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4270748908158073463.post-49048991345743550312012-09-25T10:52:00.002-04:002012-09-25T10:52:39.834-04:00Wii U will be region locked, why?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsLSVTv1sn-zRuWVJnOMqOMKRF54WOsAGUqqeA45Dqqu1x3qYGnMGHs2LCVasyRtlLPPKUl0PDM8HNk0uY6G0bMWlEC0ZU02JU1A8vXyvWaxk_SEnFHVqwxB7xnV3WxUWCUtBqLBy26-1M/s1600/iphone-vs-nintendo-dsi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsLSVTv1sn-zRuWVJnOMqOMKRF54WOsAGUqqeA45Dqqu1x3qYGnMGHs2LCVasyRtlLPPKUl0PDM8HNk0uY6G0bMWlEC0ZU02JU1A8vXyvWaxk_SEnFHVqwxB7xnV3WxUWCUtBqLBy26-1M/s200/iphone-vs-nintendo-dsi.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Nintendo import fans are once again out of luck. Nintendo has announced that the Wii U will be region locked. This isn't a big revelation for the company. Almost every single console to come out of Big N has been. Dating as far back to the classic toaster NES.<br />
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Nintendo is currently the only company that has mandatory region locks on their consoles. Both Sony and Microsoft give the choice to developers. The Playstation family is well known for being friendly to the import community, with few games being locked. Notable exceptions include games by Atlas, a big Japanese developer. In fact, it seems this feature is more favoured in Japan that it is by Western publishers.<br />
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It's a well known fact that Japanese gamers and otaku are being gouged on media. Resident Evil 6 for example sells for $20 more in its home country than it does in North America. For the same price in the US, you can buy the Resident Evil Anthology, which contains all six games in the series.<br />
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The purpose of region locking is simply to make money. More from Asia-Pacific gamers than we in the west. While one could argue the game costs the same or more due to import duties, publishers get less of that money. It also explains why Nintendo has been so hostile to digital download. All a Japanese gamer would need is a North American gift card to grab the game at a significantly cheaper price.<br />
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This is a big letdown for import fans. Many popular games don't get global releases for one reason or another. Xenoblade Chronicles was launched in North America a full two years after it's Japanese debut. It's also unfortunate that Nintendo keeps making this choice instead of embracing globalization. Instead they'd rather keep screwing Japanese gamers with artificially higher prices.<br />
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<br />Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14705332818474946081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4270748908158073463.post-87856574863173753302012-09-25T10:16:00.001-04:002012-09-25T10:16:31.912-04:00iOS 6 is driving users up the wall<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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If you haven't upgraded to iOS 6 yet, you probably shouldn't. It's not often you see a mobile OS generate this much controversy. Needless to say, Apple's breakup with Google hasn't gone as swimmingly as the company expected.<br />
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After about a week out in the wild the tech clueless are still wondering where their YouTube went. Meanwhile the tech smart are up in arms over how awful Apple Maps is.<br />
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Apple has pulled, what I'll refer to as a Sony. They released an update that removed two important features, and replaced one with an inferior version. While Apple Maps isn't that bad, it's just not very good either. GIS (geographic information system) is difficult to develop. Google has had years to build their maps app. While I don't have statistics, Maps is most likely their number two product in both usage and revenue. As a result, it's very good and constantly kept up to date. It has to be.<br />
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Apple on the other hand has inherited old data. It points users to roads that don't exist, or simply lacks ones that do. It misplaces major landmarks, lacks the same level of detail, and has sent some users miles off course. The problem with Apple is they're a hardware design company. Google specializes in search, Apple does not.<br />
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The switch does make business sense for Apple. They do not want to give royalties and visibility to a company that produces a competing product. Though offering an inferior one hurts the brand. Especially if it's a feature people rely on for their daily lives. Given the choice, I think even the most ardent of Apple fanboys would still pick Google Maps.<br />
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Equally foolish is Google dragging their heels on their own Maps app for iOS. However, you can still use the 3D Google Earth app, or the web version.<br />
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Second problem on the list is the removal of YouTube. Granted the original iOS app wasn't that great, and has been neglected for years, it worked. Now it's gone.<br />
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As soon as Apple released iOS 6, Google came in with their own app, and it sucks. A whole host of users have lined up to complain about speed issues, lack of AirPlay support, no integrated volume control, and ads galore. Thankfully there are some free alternatives made by third parties. The iPhone is not looking like quite the multimedia powerhouse it used to be.<br />
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Looking at the big picture, neither of these issues will be fixed anytime soon. It will take Apple years to play catch-up with Google on maps. Google doesn't seem interested in bringing proper support to iOS either. They never have given it much thought. So looks like you're stuck with iOS 5. At least until some ingenious developer in jailbreak community ports both apps over.<br />
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<br />Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14705332818474946081noreply@blogger.com0