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Playstation 4 Details and Quick Thoughts

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Dual Shock 4 Controller
Dual Shock 4 for the Sony Playstation 4

I’m sure you’ve heard the saying, “leave them wanting more” but the Playstation 4 announcement from Sony was lacking pretty much everything. Fortunately, we did get a little bit of information about the new console. So here is a quick breakdown of what we learned about the Playstation 4.

-The Playstation 4 is designed like a gaming PC and will feature a custom x86 CPU, custom PC graphics hardware that utilizes GDDR 5 (very fast memory), 8GB of Unified Memory, and of course a hard drive. All of these hardware choices were made in order to make it as developer friendly as possible, unlike the PS3 which is notoriously difficult to program for.

PS4GraphicsDemo
A rendering showing off the graphics capabilities of the Playstation 4.

-The new console will allow you to pause and instantly resume gameplay without having to wait for the console to boot up. It will go directly where you left off, much like sleep mode for your computer. This is a great feature and I can’t wait to see it in action.

-The new PS4 Controller has a touch pad and offers up a share button that quickly uploads your best or worst gameplay moments to social media. The new controller does feature a 3.5 mm headphone jack which confirms earlier rumors. There is an additional stereo camera system that will work with the Dual Shock 4 for added interaction with your favorite games; it reminds me of a larger version of the Wii(U) sensor bar. The top of the Dual Shock 4 has a light on top of it which looks similar to the  PS Move controller, this is what the camera system uses to track the controllers motion.

-The PS4 will be coming “Holiday 2013”

Unfortunately, that’s about all we know for right now and we never actually got to see the console it self. I don’t want to completely trash the new console and I know it hasn’t even been released yet, but I have to admit that I’m not blown away with the PS4. It feels a lot like a PS3.5 and not a PS4. The hardware is solid and it looks like it’s going to be the most powerful console this generation but it’s still missing that “WOW” factor. We will just have to wait for more details from Sony.

 

 

The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia

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I am a HUGE Legend of Zelda fan. When I saw this book was translated to English and released in the U.S, I had to have it immediately!

From beginning to end, this book is perfect. I love all the concept art, designs of every character you can imagine and seeing all the different versions and ideas the artists came up with.

link

Another thing that I found to be very interesting, was the chronology. Seeing the official timeline of all the stories, that is something Zelda fans have always wanted to know officially.

zeldatimeline

 At the end of the book, there is a special manga comic based off Skyward Sword.

There are so many things I want to share, but I wouldn’t want to spoil it!

I highly recommend  this book! If you would like to find out how to purchase your copy visit DarkHorse.com

“The Legend of Zelda franchise has set the industry standard for riveting game play and immersive story lines. With each game, players have discovered a story of destinies intertwined and heroes emerging from humble beginnings to overcome the most impossible of odds.”

“Now Dark Horse Books and Nintendo invite you to take an in-depth look at the creation of one of the most beloved gaming franchises of all time. Containing never-before-seen concept art, character designs, and official chronology of the games, the history of Hyrule, and much more, The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia brings an unprecedented look into the making of the Legend of Zelda series!”

 

 

Nintendo Wii U Virtual Console

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WiiU Logo

We’re coming up on the Famicom’s (NES) 30th anniversary!  Yes, July 15, 2013 will make it 30 years since the original Nintendo was launched, feeling old? Wii U is already sporting a trial version of the Virtual Console but in anticipation of the later release of Virtual Console coming to the Wii U sometime this spring, Nintendo is offering a 30 day special for Virtual Console titles every month for just 30 cents.

*Wii owners will be eligible to download Virtual Console games they already own on Wii for the Wii U at a discounted price of $1.00 for NES games and $1.50 for SNES games.

The new Virtual Console includes new features like restore points (for saving games), Miiverse Community, and the addition of Gameboy Advance titles. You will also be able to transfer data from your Wii to your WiiU using special software and a SD card. (Video at bottom of page)

Here is a list of the titles available in Nintendo’s offer.

  • From Wed, 1/23 to Thu, 2/21

  • F-ZERO (SNES)

    From Wed, 2/20 to Thu, 3/21

  • Punch-Out!! Featuring Mr. Dream (NES)

    From Wed, 3/20 to Thu, 4/18

  • Kirby’s Adventure (NES)

    From Wed, 4/17 to Thu, 5/16

  • Super Metroid (SNES)

    From Wed, 5/15 to Thu, 6/13

  • Yoshi (NES)

    From Wed, 6/12 to Thu, 7/11

  • Donkey Kong (NES)

    From Mon, 7/15 to Tue, 8/13

     

    Here is a video explaining the transfer process.

X-Play Series Finale

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xplayLogo

Yes, it’s true, the long running X-Play is coming to an end, but not without a final show. The series finale will be an hour long show that goes over the best moments of the past along with some surprise guests.

X-Play has undergone many changes since it first hit the airwaves as GameSpot TV then Extended Play, but it has always brought us great reviews along with a little comedy. Let us not forget  some of the talent that made this show possible, including Adam Sessler, Morgan Webb, Kristin Adams (Holt) , Blair Herter, Kate Botello,  and Jessica Chobot. I have been a big fan of the series since the earlier days (ZDTV/Tech TV) along with many other great shows including the Screen Savers and Call for Help. It’s sad to see it go, this show was one of my favorite shows, but the times are changing and the network is on the way out.

The series finale will air Wednesday, January 23rd at 6/5c.

Too Human No Longer Available On Xbox Live

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tooHumanSS

Yes, the game that has taken forever to make is disappearing from existence and now to make sure it’s all gone, the Xbox Marketplace has removed the game from it’s database. Silicon Knights, the company behind Too Human, has been court ordered to destroy all remaining copies of the game. The game development company was using components from the Unreal game Engine without permission from Epic.

Silicon Knights was also ordered to pay almost $10 million to Epic and this shut down everything surrounding the game. What’s pretty crazy is that it wasn’t like they took a few things from the Unreal Engine either, they took thousands of lines of code and then attempted to cover it all up. If you really want to dig deep into the details you get read the court details here.

Thanks to Eurogamer for the update.