W♥M (Archive)

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 ([email protected]) ♥ 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 ([email protected]) ♥ 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 ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Humble Bundle THQ Nordic PlayStation Bundle 2

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…

As a weekend gamer (not even that lately!), I wanted to pass along another really good deal, if you're a PlayStation 4 player.

THQ Nordic and Humble Bundle have teamed up for their second THQ Nordic PlayStation Bundle at humblebundle.com

For $15 (you can always donate more money), you can get get Darksiders: Warmastered Edition, This is the Police, Titan Quest, Battle Chasers: Nightwar, and more. According to Humble Bundle, this is $269 worth of PS4 games.

This is the perfect time to get into Darksiders, especially with the third game in the franchise is coming out soon. And personally speaking, just Titan Quest and Battle Chasers: Nightwar are worth the $15 alone.

Unfortunately, I do own a lot of these games, but considering the low price, I don’t mind having duplicate codes.

Games:

Lock's Quest

Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams - Director's Cut

This Is the Police

The Dwarves

Red Faction II

Black Mirror

Destroy All Humans! 2

Titan Quest

Darksiders Warmastered Edition

Sine Mora EX

Battle Chasers: Nightwar

vu ([email protected]) ♥ 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 ([email protected]) ♥ 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 ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

PlayStation Network got hacked again?

Read More Playstation 4 Sony's Flash Sale of indie games started Friday (ending Monday, January 26) and I bought Costume Quest 2 for $3 on the PS4. It's actually a pretty enjoyable game, even though I felt it was too short. …

I know this doesn’t have anything to do with music... unless you subscribe to the PlayStation Music (previously named Music Unlimited) service or listen to Spotify on your PS4, but 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 when I purchase items). I’m convinced that PSN got hacked earlier in November. Read about the complaints here and here. Of course, Sony denies they were hacked.

If you don’t believe me, this person created a brand new PSN account recently (December 2016) and immediately got compromised using the Sony network.

I actually didn’t know I was hijacked until my bank called me and said there were some suspicious activities, referring to the $50 charge.

Anyway, Sony really need to put in place some extra security in their network.

For example: changing password or changing login information should require some kind of passcode sent to the original email created. This is standard for Gmail or Hotmail account, where they send a passcode to your email or cellphone. This would just prevent locking out the original user and also give a heads up that something is fishy with the PSN account. Sony doesn’t email to you to confirm any account changes. This is a problem.

Another suggestion of tighter security: Send an alert to the original email that someone from another country and/or different IP address is using your account. Again, this is standard policy for any other secured platform - such as Steam or your local bank.

It just seems silly to me that Sony, that even after five years after the 2011 hack, they still can’t get their act together.

Anyway, if you also got your account hijacked, go over to playstation.com and either call them on the telephone or email them (I suggest email). However, if you live in the U.S., I believe your only choice is a live chat with a representative. They can’t resolve your problem right away, but will refer your issue with a “specialist”, who will then review your account and restore it to your control in 24 to 48 hours.

After restoring control to your account, change your password right away. Then go to two-factor security and add your mobile phone. That means anytime someone tried to use your login information, you will get a text for a random security passcode.

Personally speaking, after getting my account hacked and not able to access some online games or my previous games I purchased, I was frustrated and angry at Sony. It’s really opened my eyes, and starting today, I will just simply stop buying games directly from PlayStation... In fact, I think I will pick up the Xbox One S now, even though I have previously said that I would wait for the Xbox Scorpio. I guess the time is now to switch over.

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ facebook.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 ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Site Update: February 2015

Read More Starcraft II 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 campaign. ...

ROGERS FAMILY COMPANY
gourmet-coffee.com

My sister told me that the K-Cup are a dream, and I'll love coffee because it makes the best cup. I'm a coffee drinker, but I've told her that I'm not buying a Keurig because of their stupid DRM (Digital Rights Management) cups.... but perhaps all that is about to change because Rogers Family Company is offering a FREE "Freedom Clip", which will bypass the DRM. Keurig will sell you more expensive coffee and restrict you to their approved cups.

Say whatever you will, but with the "Freedom Clip", I believe they will actually sell more Keurig Coffee Maker, because now I'm suddenly interested in this product.

I've said it numerous time before, but the reason why I stopped buying Blizzard's games (at least on the PC) is because they started implementing DRM. It's really a shame, because I do like their games. Just out of principle, I won't support a company that put restrictions on something I own. The last game I purchased from them was Starcraft II, which I had no idea required me to be online to play the single player campaign. I don't like the fact that now they can violate my privacy (knowing when I play their games) and can block me from modifying my single/solo game or installing on multiple computers. The takeaway is that DRM is bad for consumers.

Anyway, if you already own a Keurig or just thinking about it, you may want to head over to gourmet-coffee.com and sign up for a free clip before it expires or when Keurig put out a cease and desist.

Read More Plex Pass For less than a Plex Pass, you can pick up a Raspberry Pi to stream your media. You'll have to go into your settings and enable UPnP to share videos. I've been streaming movies to my iPad using a DLNA/UPnP client called 8 Player ...

RASPBERRY PI
raspberrypi.org

I've recently poo-pooed Plex's useless $40 annual subscription just to access your local media. Instead, I told you to just buy a Raspberry Pi instead. I have good news, the new Raspberry Pi 2 is out now and retails for the same price ($35) for a much faster processor (6x) and twice as much ram (1GB)... but the best news of all is that they are going to support Windows 10 - FOR FREE.

Before you get too excited about it, Win10 may be limited due to restrictions to the ARM chip and other shortcomings. I recommend waiting until Windows 10 become available to read the reviews.... however for $35, it's cheap enough that you can buy the board now and just play around with it while you wait.

This is the truth, I used to own the original Raspberry Pi and I had two major issues with it: 1) No Windows Support and 2) it was 'slow'; barely able to play 720p movie files. With the updated hardware (and soon Microsoft support), they've addressed my two biggest gripes. So, yes, when Windows 10 comes out, I will be first in line to get the new Raspberry Pi 2.

Changes in Raspberry Pi 2:

A 900MHz quad-core ARM Cortex-A7 CPU

1GB LPDDR2 SDRAM (2x memory)

Complete compatibility with Raspberry Pi 1

I actually tried to look at the order one, but it may be sold out due to overwhelming interests.

PS4: Costume Quest 2 and Plex

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COSTUME QUEST 2: Sony's Flash Sale of indie games started Friday (ending Monday, January 26) and I bought Costume Quest 2 for $3 on the PS4. It's actually a pretty enjoyable game, even though I felt it was too short. I beat the game after only about seven hours, but I'm sure now that I know what I'm doing/where to go next, that you can probably finish the game in four hours, or less, if you do a speed run.

For $3, I couldn't complain that much, but I felt bad for fans who paid full price ($14.99) for the game. I think digital download games (especially short games) should be under $5. The tradeoff for digital convenience, is that you lose the ability to share your game, or re-sell your used game, or actually owning a physical disc. Yet digital goods are still just as expensive (sometime even costing much more) than their physical counterparts.*

If you're interested, you play as kids on Halloween eve. Depending on your costume, when you fight monsters, you gain the costume's special abilities. For example, wearing the Wizard costume will grant you electrical spell.

Most of the costumes are useful and made sense for the game, however some of the later costumes didn't make much sense (for example, the hotdog costume that you gain near the end). Maybe they could have restricted the game to just five or six costumes? If you're like me, you tend to only use the same three costumes anyway - unless I'm forced to use other costumes.

Just for the record, my three go-to costumes are the Werewolf (causes bleeding damage), the Wizard (damages all enemies), and the Clown (heal all special ability). Since the game was so short, the later costumes that were introduced, like the Ghost and the Robot, were severely underused/ignored in my game. Also, the Candy Corn costume is absolutely useless (it cannot attack). I wondered why they would include a powerless costume, but I can only speculate they built it in as a joke.

In my first game, I was playing it wrong. I didn't use the cards (didn't even know I can change the cards) and I didn't look at my quest guide either (to know what to do next). I wish I knew about some of these things, but you can obviously finish the game without using all of the games' features and functions.

Despite my criticisms and complaints, as I previously mentioned, the game was enjoyable. If they decide to make a third game, I'll be interested... but probably not at full retail price.

Costume Quest 2 came out on the PS4 on Halloween, October 31, 2014, via Double Fine Productions/Midnight City.

* I feel the same way about comic books... if you're going to charge me $3.99, then I want the paper, the ink, and sweet smell of newsprint paper.

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PERPLEXED: Plex is the worst software I've ever used. They recently announced Plex for the PS4, which made me so happy to be able to stream my media to the PS4 (because, as of this writing, PS4 does not play local media files). The other option is PlayOn, which I have not installed or tested out because it costs $40 (one time fee) and I'm pretty sure there is no demo version.

Anyway, with Plex, the first problem I ran into was the indexing of my files - it was still indexing after 7 hours (I went to bed and woke up and remembered it was still indexing!) and I really couldn't play anything during the indexing process. Which is fine, I ran into a similar problem when iTunes first indexed my 1TB music folder. (As a music reviewer, I get a lot of music sent to me, so I guess I'm not the normal user).

After installing the Plex app on the PS4, I quickly realized that you needed a subscription to Plex Pass, which costs $39.99 a year. There was no demo option, and I just refuse to pay that much to test this feature. However, there is the PS4 web browser trick... which sort of worked. It is a terrible experience. Sometime files won't load, sometime it's insufficient system memory, and generally super slow on loading the film or tv shows... But the worst is that even though it's streaming locally, I believe the files are compressed so it doesn't look that great on screen.

The other problem is that the PS4 web browser is bad. Plex on the PS4 browser was buggy. For example, you cannot select alternate audio tracks or subtitles before (or during?) you play a file. Granted, this probably has more to do with the PS4 lame web browser and not to blame Plex... but it is a terrible way for me to experience Plex in this manner.

Then recently I discovered there were gigabytes of data in my recycle bin, filled with thousands and thousands of .bundle files. The Plex software was responsible for this, some users reported 80GB+ in their trash. Given the not-so-great media play back, stress on my computer, and massive amount of files sent to my trash bin.... I uninstalled the software and decided to stay away from Plex.

Based on my bad experiences, I wonder people love and swear by their Plex. Even if they offer it as free on PS4, I'm still going to avoid it. I just wish Sony would get their act together and support DLNA.

Instead, I've decided to look at XBMC once again (renamed now to Kodi - an awful name), so if you are interested in a similar option, I recommend checking out kodi.tv.

Sadly, as far as I know, there's no PS4 support ... but for less than a Plex Pass, you can pick up a Raspberry Pi to stream your media. You'll have to go into your settings and enable UPnP to share videos. I've been streaming movies to my iPad using a DLNA/UPnP client called 8 Player and it plays videos much faster than Plex (once again, I believe it was because Plex was transcoding the files).

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic