The Xbox One Revealed

Weird ass DVD Player?
Nope! It's the Xbox One.

So yesterday Microsoft announced their new console. I didn’t really watch the live-stream. My computer was in rendering mode for a podcast episode so I couldn’t watch and render at the same time and expect to understand what the hell was going on. (Lag fairies of doom and all.)

Microsoft is presenting us with the Xbox One.

Seriously the Durango sounded way better. We have the Xbox, the 360, now we’re going back to One? What? Though granted 720 wasn’t any better of a name, but I’m starting to think these guys are intentionally naming these things to confuse and overwhelm us.

Names aside, Microsoft is pushing this as not a console but an entertainment system to take over virtually every aspect of your electronic life. In fact they spent the first 30 some-odd minutes of their presentation on just that. No games! The system has been designed to integrate applications such as Skype, live TV, and the like. The specs are a heafty hard drive (500 gigs), 8-core processor and blu-ray (no one can escape that these days). They are trying to do what the Playstation does, but with Microsoft products.

Gaming-wise, well we’re up in the air. Because here is issue #1:

Xbox One Will Not Play Xbox 360 Titles.

Okay seriously guys? Did you not learn from Sony’s mistake with the Playstation 3? Why the f*** would we drop money on a new system if we can’t play our old games? Hell not even the digital downloads of older titles will be allowed. That’s just lame times a thousand. Sony, ball is in your court. Make the PS4 backwards compatible and you’ll be a hit. It’s as simple as that.

Microsoft’s reasoning is that they want to provide a completely different experience to their consumers and…well it really doesn’t matter does it? A lot of us have dumped thousands into our Xbox 36 library and now we can’t play them if we move over to the Xbox One. So why bother “upgrading?”

Issue #2: A Kinect is required to use the Xbox One. But your old Kinect won’t work. Nope!

Issue #3: You have to buy a brand new Kinect specifically made for the Xbox One. Yep. That money you spent getting the Kinect and games last year? Complete waste now!

Good things to take away from the Microsoft FAQ: Those rumors about the “always online” internet connect are false. A net connection is not required to play games on the Xbox One. That will still be in the hands of the game developers. Second is that used and traded games can be played on the system. There won’t be a DRM installed to prevent that. Even better is that your game won’t be locked to your system. With the Cloud based save/storage set-up, you can play your game at a buddy’s house, so long as you are signed in to your account.

Any current account with a Gold Membership will retain all of it’s playtime, and your gamertag and gamerscore will transfer over.

As a whole, I’m really disappointed in this system. It’s as through Microsoft did 0 marketing or testing runs to really ask people what they wanted and are making baseless assumptions. I’ve spent years building up my collection for my 360 and now it’s all moot? What’s the point in upgrading? I’ll just stick to my 360, thanks.

When Trolling Is Good

I'm going to link this article on Kotaku Australia because it's not just good, it's damn good. It brings me back to the days of the old Kotaku that was focused more on video games, less about popular culture in nerdem. That not the newer Kotaku isn't bad. I enjoy it. But I do miss seeing pieces like this.

When Trolling In A Video Game Is A Good Thing.

Read, respond, and review the comments. It's worth the time.


Also, pictures from Dallas Comic Con 2013. Damn you Flick for changing your interface! *Angry fist*

Best And Worse Violent Game Theory EVER!

Spit-Take Warning.

Whatever you are drinking, swallow it now before you read the following sentence. Because I nearly spat coffee all over my monitor.

Ready?

Professor Dong Won Cho from a college in South Korea believes that violent video games are physically harming our bodies because, get this, they make video cards run hotter and therefore emit more radio waves. 

Kay.

They tested this by running different games on a video card. At idle mode it’s about 36 Degrees C, which is about normal. 45 Degrees C during a racing game. But it jumps to 57 Degrees C during a “violent game.” Which completely ignores the hundreds of thousands of users that utilize graphic cards for design, video and digital editing, and what-not. Hell I probably output more heat editing videos for my podcasts then I ever could for a game.

He seems serious enough about his findings that he wants to present his paper to a symposium. But this is also apparently a man who said watching porn will cause unmarried men to have liver damage. Well, I hope you enjoyed the laugh on another crappy Monday. Yea!

EA Dropping Wii-U

Short post today because I’m totally spazzing out about Dallas Comic Con this weekend. And yeah...excited does not even begin to explain my emotions. I’m looking forward to having a fun weekend out and being a giant dork!

So here’s some more news about EA. I’ve posted previously that some of their products were not going to the Wii-U because the system could not handle the new engine they have developed. Well now they’re taking it a step further. Kotaku confirmed with EA that they are no longer producing content for the Wii-U at all. 

Oops.

They were buddyign up with Nintendo back in 2011 at E3 to partner with the release of a few games. And now it’s coming to an end. It’s not an issue of EA’s recent swing of layoffs and trying to do better as a company. The Wii-U just can’t handle the power of the next gen games.

Nintendo, time to put the head to the grindstone and figure out this mess.

EA Says: No More Online Pass Required

Warning: NSFW post as it will be language heavy in the cursing department.

I was opening up my e-mail this morning, scrolling through the news stories that trickle in for gaming and media content. The first one I see in my pile, the one that stood out more than any others was titled Electronic Arts discontinues Online Pass. 

What the fuck? 

I quickly clicked on the link. This can’t be true. EA is listening to its consumers? We must be trapped in a The Twilight Zone episode because EA never gives in to its customers. 

Sure enough, it appears to be true. Several news sources have picked up and confirmed the story and EA is stopping their horrible Online Pass program that has plagued us gamers for years. For those who don’t know the Online Pass system was basically a way for EA to profit from used and second-hand sales of their products. Games like Madden and Battlefield 3 would have their online and multiplayer content restricted until you contacted EA and paid an additional fee (somewhere between $5-$15 typically) to receive a code and unlock the content. For something like Battlefield 3 or even Mass Effect 3 where online play can affect your game, it was a real kick in the teeth. Gamers would never get the full experience of the product without paying more money. John Roseburg, EA senior director of communications confirmed via email with Gamesbeat with a very simple message:

“Yes, we’re discontinuing Online Pass[.]None of our new EA titles will include that feature.”

Thanks for making it a simple response John!

“Initially launched as an effort to package a full menu of online content and services, many players didn’t respond to the format,” Reseburg said. “We’ve listened to the feedback and decided to do away with it moving forward.”

I just can’t fucking believe it. EA is killing a program that is probably netting them millions in profit from second-hand sales. They are listening to their customers. Who the fuck knew that they would actually TRY to do better?  I mean…fuck! This is huge. I don’t think Activision or Ubisoft will follow suit but this is a big step for EA, in the right direction no less.

They’re just a little less douchebaggy today. Good job guys!

Fuck. I never thought I would say “good job” to EA and mean it. I need a drink.

Video Games: The Movie!

Another Kickstarter project. This one is a documentary about video games, how they are made, marketed, and the culture that it has created. According to the team behind it, Mediajuice Studios, it’s the insider look at the environment from an unbiased perspective. It’s not the media harping on violence in video games, but an actual, honest, documentary. Which really, that would be nice to see.

Too often video games, gamers, and developers are the scorn of the media. It’s a constant, reoccurring theme. Pick a recent violent event and video games are probably being blamed for them. That’s what “Video Games: The Movie” wants to counteract and let people know “hey, these are some pretty relaxed, normal men and women.”

The Kickstarter is being used to help polish the final product. Mediajuice has already filmed all of the content, from conventions to interviews with Cliffy B, but are begging the wonderfully daunting process of editing. Ideally they want to have it finished by September for the SXSW and Tribecca Film Festivals (bold!), and hell if they make it to $150k they might be able to get Daft Punk to score the soundtrack. Go donate, at least for that. But in seriousness based on what I’m seeing from the content and the interviews this has a lot of potential. It’ll be good to have a realist perspective on gamers and our culture.