4K Television and the World

Glimpse Team on October 15, 2013

Is 4K  TV really necessary in this day and age? Some people say that 4K resolution is the future but do we really need to replace our Full HD TVs for 4k content? Let’s have a brief description and comparison of 4K resolution and 1080p resolution. 4K TV and Ultra HD are one of the same. Any TV described as 4K or Ultra HD will have a resolution of 3840 x 2160, where the 4K is derived from the number of horizontal pixels. This is slightly confusing as Full HD TVs, also known as 1080p TVs, take the number from the vertical pixels: i.e. 1,080. Well, this means more resolution, more detail.

It’s safe to say that Full HD is 1080p and Ultra HD is 4K TV. The sense of realism can be compared by these two resolutions but some people, especially who buy HDTV’s only for home use, say that 1080p is more than enough. Indeed, this claim is true because 1080p looks great. Personally, I think that 4K TVs are applicable if you want a very big screen, like 80″ and above.

Gaming consoles like the PS3 and PS4 only support up to 1080p. There are demos out their playing PS3 games in a 4K TV, even though it tried to upscale the resolution to 4K, the images look flush out and to be honest, awful. However, when you put a native 4K resolution to a 4K TV then you’ll get the opposite. You’ll get a very visual stimulating image on screen. The level of detail in 4KTVs are no doubt spectacular, the only problem is, no gaming console or even movies that support 4k yet. Sure, there are some who have native 4k content but it’s not enough.

I believe that 4KTVs are focused on people who want to have a “cinematic” or “movie” like feel in their houses. Another drawback is the price, the price of 4K TV is not that cheap. However, this is arguable because prices change over time. There are also 4K TV’s that are available for $300. 4K didn’t get off to the most auspicious of starts where pricing was concerned, with both LG and Sony’s debut 84-inch 4K TVs costing north of £20k. However, things are quite different. The 55-inch Samsung UE55F9000 recently launched at £4,000, a huge reduction in a short amount of time. Moreover, a matter of weeks later Samsung revealed a price drop of £700 down to £3,299 and £1000 off the 65-inch version to £4,999.

4K Ultra HD TVs have 8.3 million pixels while current Full HD TVs have just over two million. The result is 4K TVs have four times as many pixels than Full HD TVs at the same size. -John Archer

Native 4K looks stunning but in the meantime it’s not very practical to buy one today. Not just because it’s expensive but it depends on what you want to do with the TV. If it’s for gaming then better buy a 1080p TV because games look crappy on 4K TV because gaming consoles as of now are full HD or 1080p native, specifically the Playstation 4. However, this doesn’t mean that 4K would be a failure, let’s just wait and see what happens in the future.

Original Design for PS4 was Totally Different

Glimpse Team on October 15, 2013

Tetsu Sumii, the Playstation 4’s cheif designer has stated that the next gen console’s appearance was “totally different” than the machine that we know today. He said, that they are going to create a new brand identity through the product. He didn’t elaborate further but he was clear that the look of the Playstation 4 today is not the original look they have in early designs. Designing the console wasn’t that easy, so they really did a lot of thinking before coming to the final design.

 “When we started the product design for PS4, we didn’t start by thinking about what the shape would be,” Sumii said. Also important to the design were simplicity and a pleasing view from every angle. Sumii said, I just wanted to make a simple object for the living room. Sometimes products are a little too exaggerated. It should be simple. I think about the horizontal, not just the vertical. I think about the 360 degree view. The reverse should be beautiful, too.” -Tetsu Sumii

Designing consoles may not be such an easy task, but as we all know, this gives a much more deeper meaning to the product. Careful planning is imperative when it comes to making the best look for a next gen system. Sony has designed its consoles unique and simple.

The original Playstation was a grey square shape console and the Playstation 2 is a black rectangular console. The PS3 also was more of a bulk yet curve design, whether people like the designs or not, at least we know that Sony took the time in thinking and “re thinking” the designs of the console. Some people love and hate the designs and some don’t care. Now as we venture into next gen, we will be looking at the Playstation 4 as designed by Tetsu Sumii.

On a personal perspective, I think the Playstation’s 4 design is well thought of  than the Xbox One. This means that for me, the Playstation 4 looks better than its competitor. The Xbox One looks like an old VCR player.  The sleek design of the Playstation 4 is cool despite not being the original design. There are a lot of vents of which helps cool the Playstation 4. Having a proper cooling system is highly important because you don’t want to overheat your Playstation 4.

It’s good that the designs of the PS4 is well structured and well designed. It goes to think what the original “look” of the Playstation 4 was, it definitely was scrapped, so that we could have a better looking console touched with sleek design and constructional engineering.

Best Gaming Headsets

Glimpse Team on October 15, 2013

If you’re looking for a top of the line wireless gaming headset, then the Turtle Beach PX 51 headset is your best bet. Not only does it operate on a dual band Wi-Fi wireless system that’s more reliable and clear than RF systems, but it has built-in bluetooth that allows for you to listen to music or take phone calls right from the headset. That might sound like a hellish scenario for battery life, but Turtle Beach claims 15 hours of continuous battery life from a single charge of the rechargeable battery. On top of that, you’re getting a full Dolby Digital Surround Sound experience to make sure of the dual-band system. Most importantly, the top band and ear cups are heavily padded, making for extreme comfort under long play sessions.

Another cool headset is the Razer Chimaera headset. This looks like it got straight out of the future. Its 5.1 Channel Dolby Surround Sound capabilities are even more impressive, especially on a wireless headset. The Chimaera utilizes the available 5.8Ghz frequency to wireless transfer audio without interference. If you’re in a situation where you need to communicate with local teammates and don’t have internet to do so, up to four Razer Chimaera base units can be connected directly for quick, lag-free communication. 5.1 channel surround can be hard on battery life, but the Razer Chimaera still manages to squeeze out about eight hours through the included rechargeable AAA batteries. That isn’t as good as other headsets, but the charging stand makes it easy to recharge in between play sessions. They even got a 33ft. wireless range, so you can use them on your couch or wear them when grabbing something on the other side of the room without having to worry about them cutting out.

Getting the best headsets for gaming is indeed one of the best things you can do to put your gaming experience to another level. The crisp and detailed sound is very satisfying and depending on what kind of games you’ll play, it will  manifest it’s overall quality. Full surround is always fun to experience.

Kingdom Hearts 3 new Gameplay Footage

Glimpse Team on October 15, 2013

Kingdom Hearts 3 was finally announced last E3 2013. Finally fans rejoice as the game was officially in development. During E3 we saw a very short clip of Kingdom Hearts 3. Today, a new gameplay footage for Kingdom Hearts 3 was shown at D23 Expo Japan. It showed sora battling heartless and some other enemies. You’ll really love this brief but fun video. Sora is ever cool and those baddies are no match for him. You’ll also see his usual allies, Donald and Goofy.

We see Sora battle against a huge Titan, this is absolutely stunning and finally we’re able to see a glimpse on how Sora looks like with next gen graphics. Kingdom Hearts has always been one of the best franchises. Thanks to Tetsuya Nomura and his team for making a game like this. There are millions of fans all over the world. For sure, Kingdom Hearts 3 will become one of the most high selling video games of all time. Fans waited 7 long years just to play the game. I’m glad that the loyalty of the fans was rewarded. Some fans even shed a tear when they saw the first trailer of Kingdom Hearts 3. This shows that there are a lot of fan base out there.

Kingdom Hearts 3 is one of the most anticipated games of all time. It’s structure is unique and gameplay fun. Only through the brilliant mind of Tetsuya Nomura can we have a well crafted game. Kingdom Hearts 3 will be forever in our hearts and it’s just getting started. -Anton Lagda

 

Here’s the link of the new gameplay footage:

Kingdom Hearts 3 New Gameplay Video

Tales of Symphonia HD Release

Glimpse Team on October 15, 2013

Good news to Tales fans, the Tales of Symphonia is going to get an HD release specifically for the Playstation 3. This is indeed great news to the fans of the series. Tales of Symphonia was released for the Nintendo Gamecube on August 29, 2009 in Japan.The game was localized for North America on July 13, 2004 and in Europe on November 19, 2004. It was also ported to the Playstation 2. After ten years, the game is finally going to be available for the Playstation 3. Fans should be excited for this one, as they can finally play the game in high definition. There are a lot of Tales games and Tales of Symphonia has truly attracted a lot of fans. It’s gameplay is pretty enjoyable. The combat system is fun. An upgrade in hd for the game is always welcome. A lot of fans love the story of this game as well. The cell shaded graphics look stunning in high definition. Playstation 3 fans of the game should get their copy soon. The release date of the game is scheduled next year.

 “Tales of Symphonia garnered generally positive reception from critics. Over 100,000 copies were sold in the United States during the first two weeks after its release. In December 2007, Namco announced that the GameCube version had sold 953,000 copies worldwide, and the PlayStation 2 port had sold 486,000 copies in Japan. The game has appeared on many top game rankings and received a Japan Game Awards in 2003 for excellence.[  The January 2009 issue of Game Informer listed it at #24 in its “Top 25 GameCube Games”. -Wikipedia

Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 Remix Announced

Glimpse Team on October 14, 2013

We know that Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix is already out and after a few weeks Square Enix has announced Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 Remix. This is indeed great news for Kingdom Hearts fans. Bringing back the adventures of Sora in full HD is going to be a treat. We saw that in Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 remix. We experienced a more detailed game thanks to a higher resolution. Kingdom Hearts has been a huge and successful franchise through the years and bringing Kingdom Hearts 2, Kingdom Hearts Re: coded, and Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep is really a love letter to the fans of the series.

Square Enix has a lot in their minds and I’m glad that they are moving in this direction. Making HD games for past Kingdom Hearts game is a very good idea. This would also boost sales for Square Enix, so this is a win-win situation. There are millions of fans of the Kingdom Hearts franchise all over the world. I’m sure that they will love this idea and for those who haven’t played the game yet, this is their chance to do so, and perhaps become new fans of the series as well.

Playing Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 remix and Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 remix will be a fun way to prepare for Kingdom Hearts 3. Having all the games together played in HD is going to be a great experience overall. If you love Final Fantasy and Disney then you will surely love the series. Tetsuya Nomura certainly knows how to make quality games. I’m glad he’s going to be the director for Final Fantasy XV. Many of us are excited for that game to. It also shows the brilliance of Tetsuya Nomura when it comes to fun gameplay.

Kingdom Hearts has a fun and superb gameplay mechanics. I’m talking about from Kingdom Hearts to Kingdom Hearts 2. He improved the controls and gameplay from Kingdom Hearts to Kingdom Hearts 2. The narrative is also well told, if you love Disney’s presentation and aesthetic then these games will certainly keep you entertained. Everybody’s excited as we will see Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 Remix soon. It’s scheduled to be released on 2014 exclusive to the Playstation 3.

Tales of Xillia

Glimpse Team on October 14, 2013

The Tales Series has been one of the most popular RPG games out their since the early days of video games. In fact, Tales is one of the “Big Three” well known Japanese Rpg’s in Japan. We all know that Final Fantasy is a huge franchise in Japan as well as in the US. Tales has been deemed to be popular in both countries as well but Japan being the main focus. Despite this, western fans of the series signed petitions, so that other Tales games will be available in the West. One such game is Tales of Xillia. Released in 2011 in Japan it became a huge success and now it’s released in the West last August 2013, 2 years after its original release. Western gamers were so excited for the game and it is safe to say that it didn’t disappoint them.

I played the game as well and it’s a pretty good Jrpg, as expected of a Tales game. It may be not the best in the Tales series but it really did a good job in making it a great Jrpg. Japanese RPG has been quite disappointing nowadays, especially in the Final Fantasy series for the PS3. Fortunately, the Tales series is rejuvenating this once tower of a genre. Japanese Rpg’s were the one’s dominating in the 90’s and early 2000’s but after that, it seems that it’s turning a hundred eighty. So, it is quite refreshing seeing atleast one franchise doing it right this time and making the genre get back at its feet.

Tales of Xillia is a fun game regardless, you’ll love this game especially if you’re a fan of Japanese RPG’s. There are a lot of people who love the Tales series and it’s evident because a lot of copies were sold in the west as well. Tales of Xillia tells a grand story and you’ll also be able to choose between two of the protagonist of the game. You can choose Jude Mathias or Milla Maxwell, this gives the game good replay value. If you’re finished with the Jude storyline then you can play Milla’s story.

Playing Tales of Xillia sure is fun, and that’s what’s important. Enjoying a game that’s crafted in a beautiful world is indeed fun and engaging. You’ll visit towns and big cities. You’ll learn new cultures as you venture throughout the land. The combat system for the game is the main reason why Tales of Xillia shines. You’ll be able to learn Artes and you can chain them, it’s absolutely fun. Those things I mentioned are just the tip of the ice burg. If you want to dig deep the combat in the game, then go play it because it’s really that fun. Tales of Xillia is a worthy title and you’ll be playing this for a long time. Clocking at a minimum of 40 hours, you’ll definitely spend a lot of time with this game.

Japanese RPG’s are always welcome in the west as long as it’s not half baked or the gameplay is too linear. Overall, Tales of Xillia won’t disappoint. Like I said it’s not the best in the series but it’s a great Jrpg game. You guys should try it out. There are a lot of people who are fans of the series and I’m sure they are loving every second of it. This proves that the Tales series still haven’t lost its touch. Playing the game is worthwhile and worth your money.

Watch Dogs and the Sound of Anticipation

Glimpse Team on October 13, 2013

All gamers are excited for the upcoming high tech open world game by Ubisoft. Watch Dogs is just around the corner and it’s going to be big of a hype as gamers from all around the world prepare for this new intellectual property. Whether you own a console or a PC, Watch Dogs will be available in every platform. The game’s gameplay is all there is and the open world adventure is surprisingly traditional based on some preview videos, and that’s a good thing. We all want a well polished game and we hope that this game does that on game one.

The sheer ambition of Watch Dogs is off the charts and it lets gamers think whether it will succeed or not. Positively speaking, all the videos and demos that’s been given out to the public does that. It let us explore the great and vast world of Watch Dogs and it is evidently beautiful and is really good. If you own a Ps3 or an Xbox 360 then you’ll be able to play this but it would be always better if you play this on the PC or with the PS4 if you want better graphics and performance. Having an edge to hardware is always great but we can always appreciate that Ubisoft is releasing the game for the current gen as well. This makes everybody happy because all gamers can play the game.

Watch Dogs will be out in a few weeks and pre orders are stacking up as we speak. Everybody’s excited and we sure hope that this game delivers. It’s going to be a high standard game, with GTA V’s release it’s inevitable that we compare this two games in their “open world” gameplays. For sure, Watch Dogs will be a technically challenged game but that won’t stop Ubisoft from creating a new IP. Personally, I’m glad that we are getting new IP’s because this will let gamers experience something fresh, something new, and that’s pretty much what gamers would love to do. Watch Dogs is certainly one of the most anticipated games this year and there’s no denying that many people will try this game out.

The Last Guardian is not Dead

Glimpse Team on October 13, 2013

It has been long while since we saw “The Last Guardian” and Yoshida from Sony said that the game is still in production. He wants to correct or verify that The Last Guardian is not on hiatus, as Jack Tretton has stated in some of his interviews. Yoshida said that the game is being developed and “re engineered”. Sony also apologizes as they are not yet ready to show the current state of the game. The Last Guardian has always been on people’s mind for awhile.

Many people were waiting for the release of the Last Guardian last 2011 but it seems that it was a “no show”. Many fans speculate that it became vaporware but after all of these hunches, it was officially confirmed that the Last Guardian is still in development. Fumito Ueda its director is well known for his past game titles such as Ico and Shadow of the Colossus. So there’s a very high expectation of this game. There were also other speculations that The Last Guardian was moved from PS3 to PS4. They say that the “re engineering” that Sony said might be the real reason as to why they can’t show the game yet in public.

Having an ambitious game like this may be difficult to develop but we all know that Fumito Ueda knows what he’s doing and he’s definitely the only person and the Ico team that can pull this off. We don’t know when we will see the The Last Guardian but atleast we officially know that it’s still being developed. A lot of people are excited perhaps waiting a bit more won’t hurt. This is a similar situation that happened in Final Fantasy XV and Kingdom Hearts 3, but unlike The Last Guardian, FFXV and Kingdom Hearts 3 were finally announced last June at E3 2013. We saw new clips and short videos of these games. Sadly, The Last Guardian remains quiet but hopefully the guys at Sony will reveal to us soon enough. In reality, we can’t do anything but wait and hope for the best.

The Garden of Words

Glimpse Team on October 13, 2013

We are treated with another breathe taking anime movie, and is once again directed by the award winning director, Makoto Shinkai. Makoto Shinkai is known for his past film works like the critically acclaimed 5cm Per Second. He also had other films in the past that won various awards. These anime films are Children who chase lost voices, Voices of a Distant Star and The Place Promised in our Early Days. Now he has a new anime film entitled “Garden of Words”. This 45 minute film talks about a teenage boy who loves the rain and skips his first class each time it rains.

He also loves to make shoes, specifically shoes for women. He goes to a Japanese Garden and sits at a gazebo. He also meets a girl and she also goes to the Japanese Garden every time it rains. They share the same gazebo. Then they start to know each other and evidently they fall in love. That’s it for the plot, if you want to know more, then watch the movie. When you watch the film you’ll notice that the level of detail is very high and the lighting is superbly amazing. Makoto Shinkai never fails when it comes to the visual prowess in his films.

The garden is very well presented, the colors of the leaves,pond and the trees are amazing. The green colors are prominent and indeed, pleasing to the eyes. The rain effects are amazing and it’s not only the garden that looks stunning, even the urban areas are well detailed. Truly, everything is eye candy. Makoto Shinkai has his own style and it’s absolutely well crafted. You will see quality here. The story may be simple at first but as you watch the film you’ll be sucked into it’s narrative. The love story of this film is absolutely amazing and heart  touching. It talks about a love that binds two people despite their age difference and prejudice. The touching story will make you realize the values of life and you’ll certainly learn a thing or two by the end of the film.

Presentation and quality are really one of Makoto Shinkai’s strengths. If you’re into a great anime film then you need to watch this work of art. If you love anime then you don’t have any reason not to watch this. The film is touching, engaging, moving and inspiring. There are a lot of people who may also be able to relate to the film in a way. Better check this movie out and have some quality time with yourself or with the one you love.