Blog Archives
The Future of Console Gaming: My Thoughts on the Xbox One X
While E3 usually does a number on my bank account, that’s no secret, I knew my wallet was totally fucked when Phil Spencer stepped on stage last Saturday.
Phil (we are on a first name basis) announced the Xbox One X (The X) [Codename Scorpio], the most powerful gaming console ever built. It totes 12 GB of GDDR5 Ram, 6 teraflops (1.8 more than the PS4 Pro) of power and…………….asleep yet? Me too. Let’s talk what really matters–It’s going to make your gaming sessions look fucking amazing. It’s outputting true, and that’s the key word here, TRUE 4k gaming at 60fps. This wasn’t obtainable before The X (on consoles, take it easy PC master race). Gaming was either scaled up to 4K or lacked the ability to sustain high frame rates. Even the original Xbox One really only outputted 900p, which is less than the advertised “HD”.
All these fancy numbers are great and everything, but let’s talk about what this means. Beyond the 4k, beyond the incredible frame rates and even beyond the better graphics. Beyond all that, we have a new console, 4 years into the life cycle of his grandfather console, that still plays all the same games, uses all the same hardware and now does FULL backwards compatibility. The days of having to buy new controllers, games and accessories are OVER. Consoles (including the PS4) have much longer shelf lives as they inch closer towards becoming PCs. Sure, you won’t get the performance enhancements of the new games on your old system, but you can still play them. That’s the important part.
At $499 The X isn’t cheap. In fact, it’s $100 more than its competitor, the PS4 Pro. However, the upgrades are undeniable and the future of this system is very bright. I wouldn’t be surprised if VR came in the next year or so.
What do you think about the Xbox One X? Are you getting it come November?
-Matt
These Are The Games You’ve Been Waiting For
It’s that wonderful time of year. Football is back on my TV, the leaves are falling, pumpkin spiced donuts are falling…into my mouth, the holidays are coming and so are all the new video games! While there are a shot-ton (scientific measurement) of games for your grubby little paws to choose from, here are 3 of the titles I am most looking forward too. They will cover PS4, Xbox One and the Nintendo 3DS.
Fallout 4
When I first discovered the Fallout series in college, while playing Fallout 3 on my PS3, I was immediately hooked. I was never a huge fan of RPGs and leaned more towards large roaming adventure games. This game completely changed my mind. Since that fateful day back in 2008 I have sunk more hours into that game than almost any other game i’ve ever played (nothing will come close to the hours I played Golden Eye with my brother). Fallout 4 seems like the game that I and ever other Fallout fan has been waiting for. Oh, and did I mention you can get a physical Pip-Boy in the limited edition version? Yeah, mines been pre-ordered for months.
The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes
The guys and girls over at Nintendo really know how to reinvent a series. After debuting one the the best Zelda games in the franchise, A Link Between Worlds, in 2013 they took aim at another hand-held installment that is ready to wow 3DS owners. Tri Force Heroes takes Link and multiplies him by 3 for a co-op experience unlike anything you’ve ever played on a hand-held game. This will have to hold me over until the next console Zelda game. Which, fingers crossed, will be sometime in 2016.
Star Wars Battlefront
The most anticipated movie of the year gets a video game to match. Picture George Lucas and Battlefield 4 having a sweet, passionate love and then out pops their spawn. Got that horrifying image in your head? Good, because that’s what it’s going to be like. This game is going to be awesome, you know how I know? BECAUSE IT CAN’T BE ANYTHING LESS.
What games are you looking forward to?
Who Won E3? – W/ Jessica Chobot of Nerdist
Sadly, E3 is pretty much over for 2015. Here is who Nerdist thinks won the entire shindig. Do you agree?
Coming from a place where I have both the PS4 and a WiiU, I felt a multitude of emotions after E3 ended. I was extremely excited for the games coming to my PS4 (Fallout 4), I was sad that Nintendo didn’t release more 1st party stuff that wasn’t for the 3DS (WHERE ZELDA AT?!), and I was jealous that I don’t currently own an Xbox One because that HoloLens shit looked DOPE (I secretly want to be Tony Stark). I have to agree with Nerdist on this one though, while Microsoft brought all the sick hardware, and backwards compatibility, Sony brought the one thing gamers really want, games. A new Uncharted, The Last Guardian, and a long-awaited remake of Final Fantasy 7 headlined the show, while the kickstarting of Shenmue 3 and the announcement of Fallout 4 really got Playstation owners excited for their gaming future. Would I have liked to see more hardware for the PS4, like their Morpheus VR headset? Sure, but the games sufficiently filled and satisfied my inner gamer.
It’s an exciting time to game!
-Matt
CNET Tech Reporter Giving A Tutorial On The New Apple Watch Accidentally Bought An Xbox One
I’m a fan of all the new technology coming out, but this just seems like a recipe for a disaster. If a tech reporter can accidentally buy an Xbox One, what’s going to stop some random person from spending a small fortune? Ideally every single person with a living grandparent would get them this for Christmas and watch the hilarity ensure, but I don’t know if I have that much faith in people. I don’t wear watches, nor will I be buying the Apple watch, but for those who are, beware. You don’t want to fall asleep with your Apple watch and wake up with hundreds of thousands of dollars worth on diapers and video games on your credit card.
– Ryan
H/T HuffPost
SXSW 2014 in Pictures
Beer + Street Meat + Average Nobodies = Bliss
Waiting to see Jimmy Kimmel Live from Austin! 
Getting ready for our mission to Mars
This man [Sunny Wolf] has the fingers of an angel
A little shameless self-promoting never hurt anyone 
Walking the red carpet like a couple of big timers
Seth Rogan, Zach Effron, Mclovin, Ike Barinhotltz, and Dave Franco!
Jon Faverau
Can you tell we were in Texas?
Getting ready to shoot Twitter News Weekly from the streets of Austin!
Q&A from Tye Sheridan and Nick Cage after their movie ‘Joe’
Tech Tuesday: NVIDIA Shield
Not really new tech news, but something i want to share nonetheless. Made by the computer hardware company, NVIDIA, The Shield is, in short, a Android-based gaming machine, but in my eyes it is much more than that. Here is a machine that runs faster and has better graphics than most handheld devices on the market (all current smartphones included). Here are the specs.
- 72-CORE NVIDIA GeForce GPU
- Tegra 4 Mobile Processor: Quad-Core A15 CPU
- Console-Grade Game Controller: Ultimate control and precision
- WI-FI Connectivity: 802.11n 2×2 MIMO game-speed Wi-Fi
This is a beast of a machine that also includes mini HDMI out so you can plug it into a TV and game how you would with a normal game console (and get similar graphics). The controller is solid in your hand and doesn’t show signs of weakness. Android Jelly Bean paired with the Tegra 4 provides for silky smooth features with high frame rates. The front facing speakers will blow you away whether you are gaming, listening to music, or screening a flick off of Neflix.
Another great feature and use of the system is emulators. This means you can play all your console favorites from yesteryear on the shield. That is an AWESOME feature.
-MattyV
Review video from Austin Evans
Tuesday Tech Talk – PS4 vs. XBOX ONE
With E3 currently underway we have finally been able to get access to the full specs and prices of the next generation consoles coming out this fall. These, of course, being the Playstation 4 and Xbox One.
The Rundown
Price > Xbox One ~ $499 —- Playstation 4 ~ $399
Blu-ray > Xbox One ~ YES —– Playstation 4 ~ YES
Storage > Xbox One ~ 500GB—-Playstation 4 ~ 500GB
Motion Control > Xbox One ~ Kinect (Included) —- Playstation 4 ~ Move (Included)
Innards > Xbox One ~ 8-core x86 AMD—Playstation 4 ~ 8-core x86 AMD
Ram > Xbox One ~ 8GB DDR3 ——-Playstation 4 ~ 8GB GDDR5
Real-time Game Streaming > Xbox One ~ Twitch —Playstation 4 ~ Ustream
Release Dates > Xbox One ~ Fall/Winter 2013 — Playstation 4 ~ Fall/Winter 2013
Pretty evenly matched as far as hardware goes, now lets look my “Tops” and “Flops” for each:
Xbox One
Tops: The Xbox One sports HDMI out capability, just like any of the new consoles out will. But, what makes the Xbox special is that it also has a HDMI in. This lets you to connect your cable box directly into your Xbox One. Allowing you to bypass your cable TV guide interface and use the Xbox One’s (Which will be significantly better and more customizable). Save your favorite stations for easy switching and possibly even turn your Xbox into a 500GB DVR (This is a rumor…that I am starting).
Flops: Besides having to pay for online gaming, the biggest downfall to this awesome new system…no more used games! This means one license per customer. BOOOOOOOOOOO
Playstation 4
Tops: First off $100 cheaper, win in my book. And, unlike its rival, the Playstation will allow you to bring your game to a friends house. YESSSSSSSSSSS
Flops: Taking away free online play and not much advancement in the motion control department. (Xbox One’s Kinect seems like it might destroy it’s Sony counter-part, but this doesn’t bother me)
Personally I am going to go with the PS4 from Day-one. The system is cheaper and has better titles coming out. What I see is that the PS4 is a game console at its heart and the Xbox One is trying to be your all-in-one media center with a game console built-in. That feature is good for some people, but not for me when I am looking to buy a game system.
For the full cnet review click here
-MattyV
P.S. Just got my hands on a WiiU. My personal review to come soon.
