W♥M

Xbox Series vs PlayStation 5

Xbox Series vs PlayStation 5 Read More Xbox One As a weekend gamer, I’ve been following the Xbox One X (formerly known as Xbox Scorpio) for a while. Over the E3 gaming expo weekend, Microsoft … Playstation 4 Last week my PlayStation Network account got hacked/compromised. The person removed my email and added his or her email and took $50 from my bank account (that is tied to my account …

With the console war coming up this Holiday 2020. Let’s talk about the new Xbox Series and PS5… and possibly the dark horse in the race, Nintendo Switch.

The exciting news is that both MicroSoft and Sony have unveiled their pricing: Xbox Series X is $499, Xbox Series S is $299, PS5 is $499, and PS5 (Digital Edition) is $399.

Breaking it down, and looking at the specs on paper, it clearly looks like the Xbox Series X is the winner. There are some major things to consider: it promises backward compatibility with previous software and previous controllers and accessories. That means, if you already own the Xbox One controller and want to use it as a second player controller, you can do that with the S and the X.

The other secret weapon is that Xbox has Xbox Game Pass, which is the “Netflix of Gaming”, where you pay $10 a month and can play over 100 games on its service (including new games). For the price-conscious, particularly with the $299 S model, it’s worth looking into if you’re on a budget.

While the S model does not keep up with its more powerful big brother X, I feel the $299 will be fine for any gamers. For serious players, you’ll probably need to look at the X or PS5, because their games will supposedly run on 4k.

As for storage, believe me, 1TB is not enough for me (experiencing this on my laptop). If you install 10 games, you’re tapped out. I’ve compared speed between NVME and standard Harddrive (USB or IDE) on my computer, and I can, without a doubt, say that NVME is much, much faster (and more reliable).

The only advantage that PS5 will have is that they’ll have exclusive games only playable on their devices. With Xbox, because of its relationship with the PC, their games will always be available on computers (which I appreciate).

There is no news on the Nintendo front, but there’s rumors that they’ll come out with the Nintendo Switch Pro in early 2021. The more powerful portable console will support 4K (I’ll believe it when I see it).

Personally speaking, I will not be buying any “next generation” consoles. I think they all look ugly, particularly the PS5’s design with the fat belly of a disc drive. I hate the name “Xbox Series X or S”. It sounds stupid. Games for these new consoles will also cost $69.99 each ($10 more than previous generation). Plus, I barely touch my Xbox One or PS4 for over a year, since I’ve gotten a great gaming PC and laptop. That doesn’t mean that I won’t be following and seeing who will win this console war this Holiday 2020.

Here’s the breakdown - green is good:

Compare	Xbox Series S	Xbox Series X	PS5 (Disc/Digital)
Price:	$299.99	$499	$399/$499
Release Date:	10 Nov 2020	10 Nov 2020	12 Nov 2020
Optical Disc	None	Ultra HD Blu-ray, Blu-ray, DVD, CD	None / Ultra HD Blu-ray, Blu-ray, DVD
CPU/GPU	AMD 8-core Zen 2; 3.6 GHz, 3.4 GHz with SMT	AMD 8-core Zen 2; 3.8 GHz, 3.6 GHz with SMT	AMD 8-core Zen 2, variable frequency, up to 3.5 GHz
Memory	10GB of GDDR6 SDRAM	16GB of GDDR6 SDRAM	16 GB GDDR6 SDRAM
Storage	512 GB NVMe SSD (with Storage Expansion Card option)	1 TB NVMe SSD (with Storage Expansion Card option)	825 GB SSD (with upgradeable NVMe M.2 SSD, or external USB-based HDD)
Resolution	Up to 1440p	Up to 4K	Up to 4K
Backward Compatible	Games (limited), works with previous controllers and accessories	Games, works with previous controllers and accessories	Games (limited), does not work with previous controllers

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The PlayStation 5

Read More Playstation 4 Last week my PlayStation Network account got hacked/compromised. The person removed my email and added his or her email and took $50 from my bank account (that is tied to my account …

This is just a quick update. As you know, I used to be a big fan of gaming consoles, owning practically every console released since the Nintendo Entertain System. I retire them after the new ones comes out, and at the moment, I do own an XBox One, PS4, and Nintendo Switch. I have always had some sort of gaming PC as well, but with my ownership of my iBuyPower Fallout PC… I have practically given up all console gaming.

Why? There are many reasons why the PC is superior … first, it is because of the loading time is very fast on my PC, thanks to the ultrafast NVME storage. You don’t realize how much time you waste on a console when you’re launching a game or loading up a save file. On my PC, it’s almost instant when games launch or loading up game saves. Plus, depending on the graphic cards, my games looks a million times better on the PC than on any current console.

The other main reason is that games on the PC are much cheaper than on Xbox, PS4, and especially the Switch. In fact, Epic Games consistently gives out free games on the PC (this week it’s ARK: Survival Evolved and Samurai Shodown NeoGeo Collection).

Finally, in order to play online games, such as Fallout 76, you have to pay MicroSoft, Sony, or Nintendo, a monthly or annual fee. Sure, you get access to “free games”, but you don’t keep the games if you stop paying them the membership fee. I guess I’m just a cheapskate, but I just don’t want to pay for something that should be free.

Still, you know I’m still somewhat interested in seeing the next generation of gaming consoles… and today, Sony showed up what the upcoming PS5 will look like. And holy crap, it is so ugly. Particularly the optical disc drive looking like a belly bump. To me, it’s clear that Sony originally designed this “sleek” looking system without the disc drive and it looks uniform and centered. Then they added that drive and it just looks awful.

Anyway, I’m probably not going to buy one at launch. It really depends on pricing. If the rumors of it costing $600, it’s a hard pass for me - especially given how ugly it looks. Obviously, the disc-less version will be cheaper… but if we’re talking around $500 for that version, I still wouldn’t want it. Without the disc-drive, it means that you can’t play UHD or Blurays or DVDs or CDs! The only reason why I started collecting gaming consoles was that they also serve as a great media center, as it’s a powerful machine to play my discs.

I guess we’ll wait and see how well the PS5 performs, according to The Verge, the system will be powered by an eight-core AMD Zen 2 CPU and a custom AMD RDNA 2-based GPU. Based on Sony’s proprietary SSD, it should boost load times for games.

Even though I have no desire to buy the PS5, the main reason why I’m interested is for the new gaming technology. The PC can eventually adapt to it or offer their version of it… and that’s exciting.

vu (vu@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ facebook.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Weekend Gamer: Baldur's Gate 3, GOG Galaxy 2, and Stadia

Baldur’s Gate 3 GOG Galaxy 2 Stadia Read More GOG At least there’s still GOG (Good Old Games)... which will likely be my #1 PC gaming solution now. This company doesn’t require you to be online to play games you own. . … Nvidia I wanted the best of the best Android TV, and eventually just bought the Nvidia Shield when they had a sale. I was holding out for a new model of this device (since the internal hardware had not been changed … Games Pathfinder: Kingmaker is not out yet, but I was so excited about this game coming out on GOG that I pre-ordered it. This game is based on the Pathfinder tabletop game, which was and offspring of Dungeon and Dragons…

As a Weekend Gamer, I’m very excited about some of the news that is coming out from the forthcoming E3 2019 (Electronic Entertainment Expo). Ahead of the expo (officially starting June 11 to June 13), there are a ton of news that leaked (intentional or otherwise).



BALDUR’S GATE 3
baldursgate3.game

First, I’m very happy to hear that Larian Studios will be making Baldur’s Gate 3. The last Baldur’s Gate game came out in 2000, so it’ll be a good 20 years since the last game (considering that BG3 probably won’t launch until 2020).

As you know, I’m a huge Black Isle Studios (the original Baldur’s Gate and Icewind Dale game developer) and would love a modern version of their games. I’m already familiar with Larian Studios via their excellent Divinity series (owning the semi-recent Divinity: Original Sin one and two).



GOG GALAXY 2.0
gogalaxy.com

I’m already a big GOG fan (it’s my launcher choice over Steam), so I was very happy to hear about GOG Galaxy 2.0. According to the developer, it’s the one launcher to unite them all. If it works, all my games on (Steam, Epic, Bethesda, Ubisoft, Blizzard) will be accessible with Galaxy 2. On top of that, any of your friends on various launchers will also make it out - you’ll just have to authorize them once for GOG.

It sounds too good to be true and I can’t wait for it. I’ve already signed up for the beta, so I’ll let you know if it’s any good.

This could potentially fail if the other launchers refuse to play ball (or even block GOG from access).



STADIA
stadia.google.com

I think the biggest loser in this gaming news is Google’s Stadia platform - set to launch in November 2019. I will be avoiding Stadia, and you should too.

I’ll break down the problem that I have with Stadia:

It’s a subscription service at $10 a month (at launch only 31 titles will be available). That price doesn’t include any modern games. Current games, you’ll still have to shell out another $60 (or retail price) per title. Compare that to Xbox’s Game Pass ($15 a month for more games and no additional cost for current games) or Sony’s PlayStation Now ($20 a month but no additional cost for current games) or NVIDIA’s GeForce Now (currently free), it’s a hard sell.

In order to use Stadia in 2019, you’ll also have to spend $130 for their “Founder’s Edition” (which includes 3 months free… after that, you’ll have to spend another $10 a month).

You need a very fast internet connection. WiFi gaming is really not an option. This is based on my own personal experience with game streaming using other services over WiFi.

I’m not exactly sure who Stadia is meant for. As someone who buys and plays games regularly, this Stadia service is not very appealing to me at all. Hardcore games cares about frames and buffer, so playing it on their high-end CPU is preferred. Casual games don’t care about Doom or other Triple-A titles. General gamers already own a game console like PS4 or Xbox One.

Stadia just sounds like a bad joke. I can’t see a future where they’ll be the dominate format. If that’s the future, I want no part of it.

vu (vu@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

GeForce Now

GeForce Now Benefits Underserved Mac gamers, now you can play any PC game on your Mac without Bootcamp or Parallels. It also supports macOS 10.10 or better. All supported GeForce NOW titles work on Macs. With over 400 supported top games, like PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS, Fortnite, and more from Steam, Uplay, and other popular digital stores, you can play your favorite PC games on nearly any device anywhere you go. Select games from your personal PC game library or purchase new ones, with new games being added all the time. Your favorite titles load faster and stay up-to-date with the latest patches when you stream from the GeForce NOW cloud service. Ease and Accessibility: With the technology of tomorrow available today, it’s never been easier to use your existing devices as high-powered gaming rigs. Transform nearly any laptop, desktop, or even your SHIELD TV streaming device into the gaming PC you’ve been dreaming about with GeForce NOW. It’s powered by NVIDIA GeForce GPUs, so quality and performance are covered. Winning the game is up to you. AAA Windows PC Games: You provide your own game content--whether it’s your own vast library of titles or your collection of free-to-play favorites. Don’t own a game? Look at our GeForce NOW supported games list to see where you can get started. Enjoy your favorite PC games, like PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS, Fortnite, Far: Lone Sails, and access to over 200 pre-installed popular titles, with new games getting added all the time. Instant Installs; No Maintenance Required: Instantly install supported games on GeForce NOW directly onto your cloud gaming rig in seconds. Say adios to long wait times for game patches and driver updates. GeForce NOW eliminates the lengthy wait so you can focus on the win. Ultra Streaming Mode: This mode increases the speed that GeForce NOW streams games to your Mac, Windows PC, or SHIELD TV from 60 FPS to 120 FPS or higher, reducing latency. You’re welcome. Read More Nvidia I wanted the best of the best Android TV, and eventually just bought the Nvidia Shield when they had a sale. I was holding out for a new model of this device (since the internal hardware had not been changed …

When I first heard about Google’s Stadia cloud gaming service, I thought that there are several services out already, including Sony’s PlayStation Now and Nvidia’s GeForce Now… so why is anybody excited about Stadia? If Google could solve the latency problem of WiFi, perhaps by a combination of compression and auto-downloading in the background… then streaming games might be more attractive.

I haven’t used PS Now, since it’s expensive at $19.99 a month, but I have dipped my foot in the water with GeForce Now. Originally, I used GeForce Now via my Nvidia Shield… but later I started using it on my PC.

The GeForce Now service is currently free, while Nvidia’s service is in beta. The price they want to charge is $7.99 a month. That price is low, because you can only stream games you already own. You’re essentially paying for the option to stream a game from one of Nvidia’s computers.

The beauty of GeForce Now is that I might play a game on a low-powered laptop instantly (without having to download the software), and then continue the same game (using cloud saves) on another local (but more powerful) computer.

With that in mind, here’s a scenario you might have: While you install a game on a local computer, you could potentially be playing that same game using GeForce Now. By the time your regular computer downloads and installed your game, you can pick it up right where you left it off from GeForce Now.

Now for the negatives:

For streaming purposes, resolution is reduced to 540 or 480p.

Does not support Ultrawide resolution (21:9)

Not recommended playing over WiFi (you need to be on a fast network).

Lots of artifacts and frame skipping if you’re on WiFi

Not intuitive, for example it’s not clear that you have to “install” the game first

Cannot change third party login option, especially if you don’t have an account with another service.

If you’re on WiFi, the service will work, but based on the low resolution and video artifacts, I can’t really recommend playing games over WiFi. I haven’t tested it out using a direct connection to the router, but my computer situation prevents me from trying. I can imagine the game will run much better.

Is the service worth $7.99 once they start charging for it? I would have to say no for now. For $0.00, I do think you should at least give it a try. You do have to request a key from nvidia.com, but it’ll be worth it.

For now, I think I’ll be gaming on my computer… unless I’m in a bind and need to continue the game on my television (using my Nvidia Shield).

vu (vu@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ facebook.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Weekend Gamer: Free Edition

Read More Games Pathfinder: Kingmaker is not out yet, but I was so excited about this game coming out on GOG that I pre-ordered it. This game is based on the Pathfinder tabletop game, which was and offspring of Dungeon and Dragons… Blizzard Internet connection required: For piracy issues, Blizzard requires you to log into their server (battle.net) to authenticate the game that you bought. If you're not online, you can't play your single-player ..… Xbox One As a weekend gamer, I’ve been following the Xbox One X (formerly known as Xbox Scorpio) for a while. Over the E3 gaming expo weekend, Microsoft … GOG At least there’s still GOG (Good Old Games)... which will likely be my #1 PC gaming solution now. This company doesn’t require you to be online to play games you own. . … Vudu Tip: If you want to grow your iTunes library on the cheap, you can do the Vudu to Go conversation with 10 Blu-Ray Discs for $10 ($1 per film). Once you have the HD Digital Copy . …

With China’s Singles’ Day (or 光棍节 / Guanggun Jie) (11/11) here and United States’ Black Friday (11/22) coming up, we’re seeing huge savings on products across the board. While most of these items won't be on sale until the set dates, some retailers are already slashing prices this week in celebration.

Clearly you don’t have to spend any money, as some companies are just giving away stuff…. If you’re a Weekend Gamer like me, you’ll appreciate the free games. Even if you have no intention of playing these games, it’ll be good to have access to them if you decide to give it a go.



DESTINY 2
blizzard.com

Activision Blizzard is giving away Destiny 2 for free for two weeks (ends November 18), as part of their celebration at BlizzCon annual convention. The game was originally priced at $59.99 at launch.

The company mentioned that they're making money from core players, who purchase in-game purchases, like cosmetic skins and upgrade packages.

I actually have played a bit of this game via PS4, and I can confirm you can play the single player campaign without the need of PlayStation Plus.

To get the game for free on your PC, download the Blizzard Application from their website and login. You'll find a Destiny 2 key in your inbox.



XBOX
xbox.com

Microsoft's XBox is giving away a couple of free games. The first is part of their free multiplayer celebration this weekend (November 8-11), you can grab PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (aka PUBG) and Pro Evolution Soccer 2019 (aka PES 2019) for free to all XBox Live members (not just Gold members).

Although you do own the game, it may be useless if you don't actually have Xbox Gold, since those games requires the subscription to play.

Also, Crackdown is free. The 2007 game can be played on both Xbox One (via backward compatibility) and Xbox 360, you can get it here microsoft.com.

With the free games from MicroSoft, I’d say they are winning. Sony is too cheap to give away any games on their popular PS4 (unless you pay for PlayStation Plus, of course).



THE WITCHER
thewitcher.com

Normally $10, this full concert movie Video Game Show — The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is currently free for a limited time. If you love the Witcher, as much as I do, you need to get this, especially for free.

The 90-min orchestra concert was filmed live during the Film Music Festival 2016 in Kraków, Poland.

Head over to gog.com and click on "giveaway".



VUDU
vudu.com

Fairy Tail Season 1, Part 1 and Attack on Titan Season 1, Part 1, are both free on Vudu for a limited time. Obviously, they want you to buy Part 2 after you get hooked. You know what they say, the first taste is free…

Attack On Titan is actually a very popular anime and manga, so it’s actually worth checking out if you’re into anime.



FREE MUSIC ARCHIVE
freemusicarchive.org

Due to lack of funding, the Free Music Archive is going offline, its end date is currently November 16th. You can grab all the free music on the website before they migrate the content over to archive.org (where we store all our old W♥M podcasts).

Although FMA have been around since 2009, I’ve actually never heard of it until they announced they were going away.

vu (vu@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Xbox One S

Read More Xbox One As a weekend gamer, I’ve been following the Xbox One X (formerly known as Xbox Scorpio) for a while. Over the E3 gaming expo weekend, Microsoft … Playstation 4 Last week my PlayStation Network account got hacked/compromised. The person removed my email and added his or her email and took $50 from my bank account (that is tied to my account …

Originally, I wanted to get the Xbox One X (originally called Scorpio), but after hearing the disappointing pricing of $500, I decided it was in my best interest to get an Xbox One S instead. I was waiting to see if prices would drop when the Xbox One X is released, or at the least, wait until Black Friday to see if I could get a deal on the S console, but I ended up purchasing a refurbished gaming system for about $229. With a little buyer’s remorse, maybe I should’ve just paid more and get a bundle with a game or a different color/special edition. Still, the Xbox One S is currently my go-to media playback device.

Since I also own the original PlayStation 4, I will let you know the key differences between the two systems.

Games: Both Xbox and PS4 offer the same basic games, but PS4 seems to have more exclusive titles. However, you have to take into consideration that MicroSoft has backward compatibility, which means that most of your Xbox 360 games will run on your new system. If you take that into account, suddenly the Xbox’s library is a little more appealing (especially, if you’re like me and own a ton of Xbox 360 games already).

4K: The main reason why I wanted an Xbox One is for its 4K drive. It’s no secret that I’ve been buying 4K discs (usually for a discount or special steelbook editions), so I really did need a player to make the most of my film collection. If you’re in the same market, I really recommend getting the Xbox One, as the PS4 Slim can only handle 1080p output. Sony does offer their 4k model called the PS4 Pro, but no disc playback and costs $200 more.

Audio: Xbox wins over PS4 by supporting Spatial Audio, if your speakers has Premium Dolby Atmos or DTS:X audio. Like the PS4, Xbox One does not have an analog audio output.

HMDI input: The coolest thing about the Xbox One is the HDMI input! This was originally included in the system for live television, either via an old fashion digital antenna/convert box or your cable television digital box. However, you can plug in any HDMI device, such as the Roku or MiBox. This is so great, as it frees up one of your television’s HDMI inputs. Unfortunately, you will require to power up the Xbox One if you want the Roku content… but that seemed like a small price to pay, in my opinion. The PS4 does not offer such HDMI passthrough.

Controllers: With a pair of standard AA batteries the Xbox One Controller will last about 30 hours of gameplay. That’s much longer than my PS4 controller, which lasts about 6 hours. This is because whoever that designed the PS4 controller build in light tracking system (that cannot be turned off!) Disposable batteries aren’t really that expensive (recently purchased a 12 pack for $4), but you can choose to pay another $25 for an official rechargeable battery pack.

Video Playback: Both Sony and Microsoft’s standard media playback applications sucks. Neither official app will display subtitles or the ability to select alternative audio tracks. However, only Xbox offers the VLC Player, which could play different audio tracks and display subtitles. VLC will play back almost any media format (including MKV) and the free app is clearly the superior app compared to the default video player. VLC is not available on PS4.

Speaking from someone who owns all the major gaming systems (PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PS Vita, Apple iOS, Android, Roku, and Gaming PC), I am really enjoying my Xbox One S. If you’re looking for a system, you need to pick one for your needs. If you are into video entertainment (particularly 4k), the Xbox One is the right choice for you. If you are only interested in gaming as many titles are out there, then you need a good Gaming PC. If you’re interested in Virtual Reality, the PS4 is attractive. If you are rarely home and need gaming on the road, then take a look at the Nintendo Switch.

It could all change, but at this very moment, the Xbox One S is currently the one device that I have running on my 4k television. If I get bored of playing my local videos using VLC Player, I can switch over to my MiBox using the HMDI passthrough and watch Haystack or Pluto TV.

PS, I've officially retired my old PS3. I'm not really sure what to do with it, it's just gathering dusts under my TV stand.

Compare	Xbox One S	PS4 Slim
Price:	$245.99	$299.99
CPU:	1.75GHz AMD Jaguar 8-core	1.6 GHz 8-core X86 AMD Jaguar
GPU:	1.4 T-FLOPS, 12 compute units @ 914MHz with 8GB DDR3 RAM + 32MB eSRAM @ 219GB/s	1.84 T-FLOPS, AMD Radeon Graphics Core Next Engine with 8GB GDDR5 RAM
Optical Drive:	4K/HDR Blu-ray drive	Blu-ray drive
Resolution:	4k	1080p
Exclusive Titles:	226	715
Backward Compatible:	YES	NO
USB:	3 USB 3	2 USB 3

vu (vu@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ facebook.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Xbox One X

Read More Playstation 4 Last week my PlayStation Network account got hacked/compromised. The person removed my email and added his or her email and took $50 from my bank account (that is tied to my account … Nintendo Switch I’ve wanted the Nintendo Switch since I first heard about it last October 2016. The system launched in March 2017, but it immediately sold out everywhere. …

As a weekend gamer, I’ve been following the Xbox One X (formerly known as Xbox Scorpio) for a while. Over the E3 gaming expo weekend, Microsoft finally unveil details and pricing of their upcoming console. I’ve been holding out on buying any Xbox until we hear more about Scorpio.

The biggest disappointment for me is the pricing. It’s $499, which is more than I want to pay. Suddenly the $249 price of the regular Xbox One Slim (comes with a 4k Optical Drive and backward compatible games) is more attractive to me.

If you don’t care for 4k gaming, I think either the regular PS4 or XBS could be the right choice for you.

When it’ll be release, the XBX will be the most powerful console. This is necessary when you consider that it will have true native 4k gaming support. From what I’ve read of the PS4 Pro, not all games are 4k compatible. This may be the same case for XBX, unless the Xbox’s software automatically upscale to 4k.

Despite the Ars Technica article saying that 1.5% users use the backward compatible feature (Xbox has already responded that this is incorrect), I truly believe this is the main selling point for me. I still own some old Xbox 360 games and would just like the option to play them. Sony won’t support PS3 compatibility because, I believe, they want to sell you their gaming streaming service PlayStation Now.

Come November, will the XBX put Microsoft over the top? Probably no. Even though I knew the price would probably land around $500, to finally see it ... I think the price is too much. Its other uphill battle is that Sony will apply pressure by lowering the price of their PS4 this November. Think about it, if the PS4 Pro lists at $350 vs XBX’s $500, there’s no contest.

The other flaw in the Xbox family is that it doesn’t have a lot of gaming exclusives. Currently, Xbox’s main exclusive game is the Halo series... but PS4 has some great exclusives: The Last of Us, Nathan Drake, Final Fantasy, God of War, etc.

Also, let’s not count out Nintendo. Sure, the Nintendo Switch doesn’t even compare to power and graphics (it will upgrade to 900p when docked, not even 1080p!), but what it does offer is the ability to take games with you on the go. Plus, only Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Pokemon, etc., are playable on their consoles.

Compare	Xbox One X	PS4 Pro	Nintendo Switch
Price:	$499	$399	$299
Date:	07 Nov 2017	10 Nov 2016	03 Mar 2017
CPU:	2.3GHz 8-core AMD custom “Jaguar” CPU	2.1GHz 8-core AMD custom “Jaguar” CPU	1020MHz Nvidia custom Tegra SOC
Drive:	4K/HDR Blu-ray drive	Blu-ray drive	None
Resolution:	4k (Bluray/Gaming)	4k (Gaming only)	720p
Storage:	1TB	1TB	32GB
Size:	11.8x9.5x2.4 inches	12.8x11.6x2.1 inches	4x9.4x.54 inches
Backward Compatible:	YES	NO	NO

vu (vu@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Weekend Gamer: Omikron and Steam

Read More David Bowie I woke up to the sad news that legendary singer, songwriter, actor, space travelling alien from another planet, David Bowie, has died. …

OMIKRON: THE NOMAD SOUL
square-enix.com

With the unexpected passing of David Bowie, video game publisher Square Enix is giving way copies of Omikron: The Nomad Soul for free until January 22nd. The game featured David Bowie in the role of Boz and also as a role of a nameless lead singer of a fictional musical group called "The Dreamers". The game featured some tracks from his Hours... album.

Head over to square-enix.com and check out Omikron using the promo code "omikron" at checkout to get your free copy.

After you completed the transaction, Square Enix will issue you a Steam Key... so you'll have to also have Steam in order to activate the game.

As it is free, it is totally worth just adding it to your library (even if you have no intention of running the game).

Synopsis:

"I have many things to tell you and very little time I come from a universe parallel to yours. My world is desperately in need of your help. Only YOU can save us."

Responding to the desperate pleas of a mysterious character from another dimension, your soul must enter the dark and futuristic city of Omikron. This heralds the beginning of an epic adventure through an increasingly strange and dazzling parallel world, trying to solve the many puzzles that prevent you escaping alive. Think, fight and interact with the immense gaming environment to defeat the menacing demons that have tried to trap you.

Read More The Witcher I also picked up The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, at Walmart, which came with a lot of bonus items like a DVD and Soundtrack (all at the normal cost of a game product). They are on the right track, I definitely …

STEAM CONTROLLER
steampowered.com

Speaking of Steam, it took some convincing, but I've decided to go all-in on the gaming distribution platform developed by Valve Corporation. Sure, I'm still a fan of GOG (and still buy their games), but since GOG can't match Steam's library, I really have to go where the games are.

My idea is to eventually get a semi-decent Steam Machine and/or a gaming laptop to play games on a big screen television set... but that's for another time.

Currently, my Steam setup is on my PC with a regular-sized wired Xbox 360 controller or a wired PS3 controller. These game controllers are just great, they feel great in the hand.

With the idea of getting the Steam Machine, I decided to get the new Steam Controller at my local Game Stop. At first, I didn't quite "get" the Steam Controller. After all, it pretty much sucked at being a controller... at least compared to either the Xbox or PS controller. It only has one thumbstick, so using the Steam Controller as a first person shooter is just terrible.

I hated the haptic feedback. I hated the XABY buttons to be so close to the center (it's awkward to hit using your thumb). I hate that you must have Steam running to use the controller. Plus, it's just not a very comfortable controller. It's like whoever designed this thing had never used a regular gaming controller before.

It's a definitely a different controller. It's basically a controller for games that does not have controller support. The unfortunate thing is that you absolutely have to use Steam, and for its setting, Steam's Big Picture Mode.

Every game has a different controller setting (usually set by players). You can fine-tuned it, but it just takes so much time to configure it exactly to your liking.

Right now, the Steam Controller is my go-to for Mass Effect 3 since that game did not have controller support and using the Steam Controller felt pretty good. For all other shooters, just use the standard Xbox controller and you should be fine.

vu (vu@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Site Update: October 2014

Team Viewer (on the iPad) Read More Site Update I have been meaning to upgrade the graphics card in my computer for a long time now. The integrated Intel video card, for the most part, worked fine, but it won't exactly run graphically intensive games (shooters, big diablo-style …

Hey guys, this is Vu with your W♥M October Update. As you can see from the daily previews for Rocktober - this month will be just insane... Anyway, here is what I've been up to lately:

iPad: So this is how I've been writing articles - as usual, I've been writing some articles on my iPad via a bluetooth keyboard and mouse (you will need a jailbroken iPad to run the bluetooth mouse pointer). The iPad thing is nice because it's mobile and I can take it anywhere and sit down and type away... At this moment, I'm sitting on my couch, watching YouTube on my TV via the PS3.

I'm writing on the standard iOS Notepad, which is synced with my email account - so basically I can pull up the text later on my desktop (which is located in my room) for finalized formatting and editing.

Team Viewer: I'm not always on my desktop, as I previously mentioned. If I need to access and control my desktop - there is an app called Team Viewer. I believe Microsoft has built-in remote on their "Professional" version of Windows, but when I bought my computer, it only came with Windows 8 Home Edition. Since I didn't want to spend another $100 to 'upgrade' just for one or two functions, installing the free Team Viewer software was a better option.

This was pretty easy to setup, you need to install the Team Viewer application on your desktop to generate a random user number/password. Then you use the Team Viewer app on your iPad to login, and that's it. If you have a firewall, you'll need to add Team Viewer to the exception list.

Overall, Team Viewer works as advertised, you can access your desktop remotely. For private usage, it's free, so I can't complain too much for this, considering that other similar services (like Logmein) costs money for essentially the same thing.

DisplayOut: I thought I would be happy with just the standard built in Apple Display Out, but after being unhappy with the 4:3 external display - I got the jailbroken DisplayOut and set it to stretch to my television screen.

This works really well for any app that does not support Airplay (fullscreen), for example the Apple Trailer app, Crackle, or Vudu app (none of which supports Airplay).

Realtree® Camo Mini Pro EX Controller for Xbox 360 PowerA

Xbox 360 Controller: Speaking of the desktop - there are a couple of things that I've added to my work computer. Mostly thanks to the new video card, so I can run modern games. It's kind of fun to finally able to install and run games that I bought two years ago!

I could not get Windows 8 to recognize my PS3 (and PS4) controllers, so I caved in and bought a standard Xbox 360 Controller. The Xbox controller automatically worked with many (new) games. As much as I love the mouse/keyboard gaming, sometime games are just designed for the controller - for example Dungeon Siege III, Witcher 2, Fable Anniversary, and Dark Souls II. These games just works better with a controller. The controller I bought was on clearance at Walmart, it's normally $30 at the manufacturer's website.

Anyway, that's what I've been up to. Hopefully, if there is enough breathing room in Rocktober, I will write about some of the games I've been playing.

vu (vu@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

PS4 vs Xbox One

 

Distended Warranty -The Red Ring of Death

Distended Warranty

♥ Game On: Game Off

Ask anyone that's ever own an Xbox 360, and they'll tell you they've experienced the dreaded Red Ring of Death. In fact, they've probably had it several times in their console's life cycle.

And yes, I've had the RRD myself. Officially, they say it's 30%, but to everyone that's experienced it: it's 100%. Eventually, you're going to get it.

Anyway, when I heard that there is the New Xbox S version, with built-in wifi and large harddrive (250gb), I've decided it was time to upgrade. And maybe it's buyer's remorse, but I've somewhat regretted the purchase, especially when I got the Xbox Live "freezing" problem. Apparently this is an old bug, you can login into marketplace.xbox.com and clear out your current download - that should fix your freezing problem. Still, that was very, very, VERY annoying.

One good news is that Microsoft's new machine is incapable of getting the Red Ring (because there is no red lights), but the machine will shut itself down if it overheats. Which doesn't sound good. The machine does run really hot - put your hands over the vents after a few hours of gaming, I dare you!

I also own a PS3 "Fat", the original heavyweight (emphasis on heavy) next gen console, so I've decided to give you a side-by-side comparison between the two.

Compare	NEW XBOX 360 S						PLAYSTATION 3 (Fat)	WINNER
Name	Really? The console is called "new xbox". Terrible name.						Most commonly referred to as PS3, the original is called the Fat and their new model is called the PS3 Slim, which sounds sexier.	PS3
Looks	New is always sexy. It looks menacing too. Finger magnet though.						It looks like a grill. Although they updated PS3 to the Slim model, Xbox's shiny black is still cooler.	Xbox
Media	Plays DVD. And HD-DVD if you shell out another $179. USB sticks only (only recently)						Plays Bluray and DVD. SD cards, USB sticks, Fat32 external harddrive. Oh, yes, the Sony memory sticks.	PS3
File Support	Xbox will play JPEG, AVI and MPEG, but for some reason, it doesn't support certain formats ? Believe me: some files will play on the PS3, but not Xbox.						From personal experiences, some movies that plays on the PS3 do not play on Xbox.	PS3
Games	Exclusive titles like Gears of War, Halo, Alan Wake, and Fable makes this system a fan-favorite.						PS3's exclusive includes God of War, Resistance, Killzone, and Heavy Rain is pretty nice too.	Tie
Connection	Xbox's newer n is clearly the winner, but however, like most people, you're still probably using A or B on your home router, so it probably won't make much of a difference. It also has ethernet.						PS3's wifi is only "b" grade, but it connects just fine, but hardcore gamers would probably use ethernet anyway.	XBOX
Online	Xbox Live costs $50 a year to play online and to access Netflix and Facebook. The only saving grace of Xbox's free Silver account service is you can get all the seasons to The Guild for free. Otherwise a silver account is like a second citizen, you're treated like crap.						It's free on PS3. Value for value, I'd take free any day. Sorry Microcrap. Also, Playstation store includes MGM movies, which are not available on Xbox Marketplace. Hint: Sony owns MGM. ALSO: BIG WINNER: Netflix is free on PS3.	PS3
Controller	I like the weight and feel of the Xbox wireless controller... but it sometime has trouble connecting, especially if something is blocking it from the console. The elongated MS remote controller is nice and round, but that's about it.						I don't like the weight of the PS3 controller, but since it uses Bluetooth - you can aim it anywhere and it still just works. Also, the giant PS3 remote controller for watching Bluray works really well.	PS3
Forthcoming	Kinect looks cool, but we'll have to wait and see. Unfortunately, Xbox thinks DVD is the future. It's not. When massive games require more than 5 gigs of storage, it's not going to cut it anymore. Already Lost Planet 2 is not available on Xbox because of the limitation of DVDs.						PS3's Move looks lame. If you're looking at the future, you may want to bet on the PS3, they are bringing 3D in September and the future of movies is clearly on Bluray ... that is, until sometime better comes along.	PS3

I must sound like a PS3 fanboy, I'm not. I hate their Memory Sticks (it doesn't work on ANYTHING, well except for Sony products). I know this sounds like an advertisement for PS3, but that's just my honest opinion between the two consoles.

Personally, if you don't game, don't bother with these two - just get the Wii.

 07/09/2010 23:09:18 ♥ vu () ♥weheartmusic.com♥twitter.com/weheartmusic♥podcast.weheartmusic.com

The Deviot wrote: Sat, Jul 10, 2010 at 10:19 AM

The 360 Fail Rate is actually closer to 60% Which is why before going to EA Peter Moore instituted the 3yr RROD warranty.

The PS3 isn't flawless either. I have several friends that had the launch ones, who had to replace them because Sony didn't adequately provide cooling, and they too overheated, and crashed out.

The main problem (If you've ever taken one apart) with these consoles (Especially the 360) is that they used ALUMINUM heatsinks on their motherboards, when they should have used COPPER. Copper would displace the heat a lot more evenly. Which you need when you use a processor that draws a lot of current, and is going to be on for long periods of time.

I also know my local PnT store repairs the RROD, and essentially they replace the heatsink, CPU, and fans 9 times out of 10 on the mobo.

Personally I play mostly PC versions. They cost less, play better, look better, and 90% of the time land on Windows anyhow. I have yet to buy either HD console because of this fact, the fact that the HD twins seem to die on a constant basis (2 360's would get you an awesome PC. I rebuilt mine with a Quad Core, 4GB of DDR3, and a pretty nice Asus mobo for only $310 in January), and of course the fact that Live is another bill I could do without.

The cost of entry isn't high at all anymore (A decent branded oem that can play these games is between $400-$600), and you can use it for important work related things, social networking, blogging, hobbies, etc. etc.

 

That said I do have the Wii too. It also has a lot of great games that would indeed appeal to the Action or RPG gamer who is probably on their 73rd 360.

It's just a shame these games aren't covered the way everyone drools over big budget 360/pc/ps3 stuff.

No More Heroes, it's sequel, Madworld, House of the dead overkill, Ghost Squad, Sin And Punishment II, Tatsunoko vs. Capcom, Guilty Gear, The Conduit, Call of Duty World At War, Cod 4 Modern Reflex, Obviously almost anything by Nintendo. All great games. Even some of those "Casual" games (A total misnomer if you ask me) are an awful lot of freaking fun. I've enjoyed the Rock Bands, the lego one, Press Your Luck, Mario Sonic Olympics, and such.

It's just too bad Nintendo stopped caring what was put out by 3rd parties because there are a shitload of terrible rush job shovelware titles too. And I think the average person sees so many of those on the shelf they don't see the really awesome stuff. But seriously, it's a great system.

It isn't perfect though. There is ONE technical problem that happens with launch Wii's, and that is it develops this loud buzzing hum. I mean real loud. Crank the TV to drown it out loud. I looked a few things up on it, and there are a few theories about what causes it, but it doesn't seem to affect games. They all play fine. But it is annoying, and I may have to send the damned thing in.