Knack

Playstation 4 hits stores next month. Everybody’s excited but the real question is, does Sony have great games at launch? Well, don’t you worry, we’re talking about Sony here not some money hoarding, milk greedy Microsoft. The “Xbone” or Xbox One is simply a disgrace of a console. Moving on to the matter, there will be great games for the PS4 as it launches next month,  and one game that caught our eyes is Knack. The game is created by Mark Cerny, this man is the lead architect of the Playstation 4 and is behind the creative force behind Crash Bandicoot, Spyro the Dragon, Ratchet & Clank, and Jak & Daxter, of which all were successful games. Knack’s gameplay is very enticing and nostalgic. It brings fond memories of the Playstation days and is indeed a game for everybody.

The story of Knack is simple, Goblins have started a war and the humans must defend themselves from this epiphany of carnage. A well known doctor created Knack to fight against these goblins. There’s also a kid named Lucas, the doctor adopted him since Lucas’ parents died and has become the doctor’s assistant. Lucas is smart, competent and hardworking. The Doctor is a very intellectual man and he invented a lot of things from airplanes to hovercrafts and finally, Knack. They believe that they will change the tide in this war and be victorious with Knack’s help. Knack is a creation of perfection. They say, “Don’t judge a book by its cover”, this is very applicable to Knack. Knack is small but he can change form as he gets “orbs”, he can also dismantle himself at will. Knack is kind and compassionate and aids the humans against the filthy zombies.

Playstation 4 fans should be excited and I would recommend of picking this game up. If you want a game that will bring you the best experience for a new console release, then pre order knack now. The game is beautiful and fun, I think this game will also leave a positive reaction for gamers of all ages.

Original Design for PS4 was Totally Different

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.

Playstation 4 is Leading against the Xbox One

As we draw near to the launch dates of the next gen consoles, it seems that the Playstation 4 is taking the lead. Well, it’s expected because we all know that the “Xbone” or Xbox One blew it. Microsoft is mostly doing everything they can just to redeem themselves. The things that happened last E3 2013 certainly took its toll on the Xbox One, and today they are just reaping what they sow. Microsoft had restrictive policies and have become power and money hungry. Don’t get me wrong, all companies do what they can to boost up sales and make profit, but Microsoft’s mistake was they were not clear with their messaging and did a lot of stupid and restrictive policies with their next gen console. Fortunately, when they realized that the Xbone or Xbox one was losing to Sony in terms of the early pre orders, they have no choice but to trash those restrictive policies. Even so, they weren’t able to defeat Sony in the pre order list. Sony’s Playstation 4 pre orders are doing great during post E3.  Hence, it is safe to say that the Playstation 4 won the gaming community’s hearts. It is now October and Playstation 4 is still on the lead. Many gaming websites confirmed that the lead platform is the Playstation 4. They also did some research and the results showed that most people plan to buy a ps4 because of its “sheer power”. Technically, the Playstation 4 is more powerful than the Xbox One. Its memory is more superior than the Xbox one. The games for Playstation 4 are also more “pretty” looking than the Xbox One. There are a lot of gamers that prefer the PS4 because of that aspect alone. This just shows that Microsoft became too arrogant in the past few months and made a realization that they must not forcing or choking their customers with those stupid and redundant polices. Now, they were able to reverse all that because if they don’t then I believe they will shut down as a company.

 There’s no denying that Sony’s Playstation 4 is more beautiful, powerful, and cheaper than the “Xbone”or Xbox One. Plus, Sony supports gamers, unlike Microsoft who wants to milk out every single penny out of their consumers. If you’re a smart gamer or a person who has common sense, then you will certainly choose the PS4. Microsoft’s Xbox One is much more “weaker” of a console and it’s a lot more expensive. No doubt about it, the Playstation 4 will certainly be the leading console in this coming generation.  -Anton Lagda

The Playstation 4 is always the better one. People who have pre ordered the console will certainly be excited on launch date. The PS4 is scehduled to be out this Novemeber, so you fans should be pretty excited about that. Sony is known for delivering its customers high quality products. Rest assured that the Playstation 4 will give you the best gaming experience ever.

Playstation 4 runs much cooler temperature than the PS3

Good news! The Playstation 4 has passed the FCC (US Federal Communications Commision) standards, this means that the system runs much cooler, thus, will prevent accidents, like burning your house. This is also means that you won’t be getting the YLOD (yellow light of death) unlike the PS3. The PS3 is known to overheat, especially the FAT version of the PS3. Playing your PS3 especially on hotter days will increase the risk of overheating. Thankfully, Playstation 4 won’t be having these issues. According to FCC, Sony’s new console has an operating temperature at a range of 40 degrees Fahrenheit to 95 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s way cooler than the PS3 which averages between 113 to 131 degrees Fahrenheit. Now with that, the PS4 runs cooler.

The Playstation 3’s Yellow Light of Death although it’s not that common compared to the Xbox 360’s ring of death, can be troublesome if you don’t take care of your PS3 well. There’s more ring of death from Xbox 360 than PS3. More or less  1/10 people I know that they experienced the YLOD. However, this is not an excuse for not taking good care of your PS3. Having the Playstation 4 with its lower temperature operating system is indeed very useful and may perhaps have a longer mechanical lifespan. This is really good news, especially for those who are planning to buy a Playstation 4 this holiday season. Sony really learned their lesson from their past mistakes and it’s very encouraging and re-assuring that they want to give the best console to their communications. They really have improved in those aspects, and is highly recognized. Are you excited for the Playstation 4? I know I am.

Watch Dogs

Ubisoft’s highly anticipated game of the year has made a gaming revolution with its ambitious graphics and new intriguing gameplay. The concept of hacking everything in the city is very interesting. Doing detective work has never been so fun and engaging. I believe that this type of gameplay brings something new to the table. This makes gamers interested and curious. We saw a trailer from last year’s E3 and it has pretty much blown away our expectations from the game. Moreover, we are able to see new trailers from the past month and also in today’s E3 2013 press conference. It’s so amazing that an open world game can do so much, plus the new elements integrated are spectacularly fun. The storyline of Watch Dogs is built on the concept of information warfare, data being interconnected, and the world’s increasing use of technology. The game is set in an alternate reality version of the city of Chicago, which is one of many cities to feature a super computer, also known as “CtOS”(Central Operating System). The system controls almost every piece of technology in the city, and contains information on all of the city’s residents and activities of which can be used for various purposes. The graphics are clearly next gen, but this is also available for the current gen (PS3, Xbox 360). I believe that the system that has an edge in terms of graphics would be the PC. Although the PS4 is a powerful system, a gaming PC always has a greater advantage, especially if the specs are the latest or up to date. We have seen in the trailers that the player uses his “phone” in hacking almost everything. You can hack atm machines, the electricity from the city, etc. In other words, almost everything that is electronic, you can hack it. The open world for this game is really spectacular, I think this will rival GTA’s open world standards, especially on quality.

The developers also stressed that the PC would be the lead platform, scheduled release would be on November 19, 2013 along with the Wii U, Playstations 3, Xbox 360 and all “next gen consoles” will be available by Christmas. They also said that they will support Nvidia’s TXAA graphics option. If you have a pc rig, you’re in for a treat. For those who have older PC’s maybe it’s time for an upgrade. Although, I believe that the system requirements for minimum specs won’t be that ground breaking. Watch dogs looks amazing, we will experience it soon enough in the coming months. Be prepared and be excited in this open world action stealth game.

 “It’s a very interesting game that people would want to sink their teeth in. Its gorgeous visuals and open world elements make the player experience something unique and would immerse themselves into the game’s world. The new concept of hacking is indeed something new and is highly welcomed by gamers all over the globe. This new game may exceed one’s expectation and the graphics itself will make your mouth water. In this day and age, we can truly grasp the evolution of technology of which we are so blessed that we are able to experience it today. Quality games like these, makes one proud to be called a gamer.”   -Anton Lagda

 

Link:

Watch Dogs Gameplay Trailer

Playstation 4 is the Best Choice

Sony officially announced the Playstation 4 for the first time way back in February 20, 2013. However, it was in E3 2013 last June that Sony fully gained respect and wide world recognition because of their used games and pro gamer/consumer policies. So far, it’s the number one console choice for gamers around the world. Although, it’s a bit early for that since both consoles for Sony and Microsoft have not been out yet. The amount of pre orders from retail companies such as Gamestop and Best Buy, shows that the PS4 is leading the race against Microsoft. The ruckus and issues with Microsoft’s anti consumerism and restrictive policies certainly paved way to Sony’s advantage. We all know that Microsoft already with held those policies but it made such bad image in the company that the effects are daunting. There are a lot of Xbox loyalists move to Sony’s banner because of this. Well, enough of Microsoft, let’s talk a little bit about Sony’s Playstation 4. The Playstation 4 is technically more powerful than the Xbox One. It’s memory is also faster than its competitor.

 

Here are the official Specs for the Playstation 4:

Product name PlayStation®4 Jet Black
Product code CUH-1000A series
Recommended retail price US$ 399, Canada$ 399, € 399, and £ 349
Main Processor Single-chip custom processor
CPU : x86-64 AMD “Jaguar”, 8 cores
GPU : 1.84 TFLOPS, AMD next-generation Radeon™ based graphics engine
Memory GDDR5 8GB
Storage size 500GB Hard disk drive*1 (user replaceable)
External dimensions Approx. 275×53×305 mm (width × height × length)
(tentative, excludes largest projection)
Mass Approx. 2.8 kg
BD/ DVD drive (read only) BD × 6 CAV
DVD × 8 CAV
Input/ Output Super-Speed USBx (USB 3.0) port × 2
AUX port × 1
Networking Ethernet (10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX, 1000BASE-T)×1IEEE 802.11 b/g/nBluetooth® 2.1(EDR)
AV output HDMI out port
DIGITAL OUT (OPTICAL) port
Included PlayStation®4 system × 1
Wireless Controller (DUALSHOCK®4) × 1
Mono headset × 1
AC power cord × 1
HDMI cable × 1
USB cable × 1

 

Sony’s first-party studios have 30 games in development for the PlayStation 4, 20 of which are due to release within a year of the console’s launch and 12 of which are new franchises. This is more than Microsoft’s 15 games and 8 of these are new IP’s. As you can see, Sony definitely has the edge. Sony is well known for its huge exclusive games for the PS3, of which the Xbox 360 only has 2 well known hit exclusives. Sony has made exclusives like the Uncharted Series, Heavy Rain by Quantic Dream, God of War Series, Ni No Kuni, Metal Gear Solid 4, and the list goes on. While Xbox 360 has only Halo Series and Gears of War as huge exclusive hits.

Sony’s messaging regarding used games in E3 and its pro gaming policies has been received by gamers world wide. The issues with Microsoft didn’t do well with gamers because in E3 they were arrogant enough to say that “this is the future”, and after a week (possibly due to weak pre orders) they changed their policies. Well, we don’t know for sure but that’s one factor in looking at it. Sony bashed Microsoft with grace and sheer power. If this was a boxing match, Sony uppercut the face of Microsoft. Their clear messaging and emphasis on the gamers choice has certainly impacted a lot of audience. Abolishing the rules of DRM within Sony’s first party games and always online rule. Sony mentioned that Playstation 4 won’t need online requirement to play single player games and “it won’t stop working if you haven’t authenticated in 24hrs”, after Sony’s announcement regarding used games, everybody in the crowd cheer for joy. Whether the media were shocked or even relieved, it’s safe to say that it’s something of a positive note. Sony even made a short video on how to share Playstation 4 games, here is the link for it, how to share ps4 games

The video is kinda hilarious, isn’t it? This just shows that Microsoft has gone overboard with their policies that even the most simplest way of sharing your games has been “re-enacted”  by Sony so that the gamers would get their message by saying that they own the games that they buy and that they can do anything with the games that they purchased. They can sell the game or lend it to whomever and whenever, just by simply giving/selling  it to their friend personally. That’s how Sony punched Microsoft in the face, they want to tell consumers and gamers that they don’t want to choke them and feed them something that they do not want in the first place.

To end this, Sony announced the price of $399 for the Playstation 4. That’s a hundred dollars less than the Xbox one, which is $499. Sure, Xbox One is more expensive because of kinect, but Microsoft required it in their package. Sony didn’t include the Playstation eye, because they don’t want to force their consumers to buy something that they don’t want. There are a lot of people who don’t like Kinect as well, so why force them to buy one? There are a lot of claims saying that they even hate Kinect. However, to be fair to Microsoft, the Kinect 2 sensor will get the consumers to “test” the new features of Microsoft. However, those new features are addressed to the casual or even non gamer. All Microsoft does is TV, television, TV, television, if you watched previous gaming news, you know what I mean. To put it simple, the hardcore gamers don’t care with those features, because it all comes down with games, of which Microsoft fails to understand. That’s why for this generation, Sony is a way better choice. From specs, price and games, the Playstation 4 will deliver entertainment into your living room with pure fun and pure quality. These are all facts and there’s nothing wrong if you purchase an Xbox One, but are you really sure, even though the Xbox One has turned 180, they have showed themselves to be money hungry corporate thugs that want to milk your money in every way possible that they can. I would rather buy a Nintendo Wii U than an Xbox One. Well, that’s just a personal choice. Good job for Sony, and let’s hope that this new generation of consoles would bring us more and more great and quality gaming experiences.