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Playstation 4 Will Stick To Blu-Ray

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As the popularity of digital downloads has increased over the years many of us were wondering if the next-gen consoles will focus less on actual discs. We keep seeing more and more content available for download and some games aren’t even shipping manuals anymore, instead they are available in a digital format.

However, the Playstation 4 will still rely on Blu-Ray as it primary game delivery medium. In a recent interview with IGN, Sony’s Jim Ryan mentions this about the format.

Clearly, and this applies not just to games but to pretty much every form of entertainment, there is a trend to increased digital consumption, and that is happening now on PS3 and will continue and will probably accelerate on PS4, but the primary delivery mechanism for the big games on the PS4 platform will continue to be Blu-Ray discs, for the foreseeable future.

I’m not surprised by this at all and actually I’m quite thrilled to hear that they are sticking with Blu-Ray. First of all, our broadband still lacks the bandwidth that’s necessary to make digital downloads attractive. With some games possibly being as large as 40 gigabytes and up, something Jim Ryan says he’s encouraging developers to do, there’s no way you can download that in a reasonable amount of time. The Blu-Ray disc is still reaching it’s peak potential and has plenty of years ahead of it.

I’m still quite fond of having the case and actual game disc. I never feel like I should have to pay full price for a digital download, it feels like I’m not getting the whole game. It’s a strange thought to imagine that one day we may not be using discs at all. Let’s not forget to mention that if we go all digital that will also be the death of the used game business.

At least for now we will be living in a hybrid world of both digital and physical content for not just our games, but movies and music as well. One thing I am wondering about now is whether or not Microsoft will be using Blu-Ray or some other type of proprietary media.

 

Sony’s Big Event is Tomorrow

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Well it’s been a few weeks since we heard about Sony’s big event, which is to take place tomorrow February 20th. Everyone is expecting to see the Playstation 4 and hopefully lots and lots of details.

We are obviously expecting the system to feature a cool new look along with enhanced graphics and processing power but a few other rumored features are expected to take the spotlight. One new feature we’re hoping to see is the ability to stream games. The gaming industry is slowly moving in this direction and I can clearly see why. The benefits of streaming a video game to a device are huge. For starters, it allows for advanced games with complex graphics to be played on simple devices like smartphones and tablets without the need for major processing power.

All of the work is done by the server, the device is merely a shell with a screen and some basic components.  It will also ensure that all users experience the same level of quality when playing a particular title. Developers will only have to make one version of their game for one platform and yet it will work on any device.

It’s not all good however. Streaming video games could eventually lead to the demise of the used game business. This is good for developers but bad for consumers, and not to mention businesses that rely on used games to make a profit.

Many rumors also talked about the exclusion of an optical drive but this seems unlikely as streaming and downloading full game content is just getting started. Another issue with an all-digital game system is the fact that many of us still lack enough bandwidth in our home internet connection to provide a reasonable and enjoyable experience.

We should also expect to see an improved social experience along with new control features like a possible touch screen on the new PS4 controller. Hopefully there will be some clarification on how backwards-compatibility will work, if at all. We may also see a price reduction on the Playstation Vita and hopefully the price on the new PS4. (expecting $350-$400)

We will provide updates tomorrow as soon as we can get them and process them, so check back with us to find out more!

More than 1000 Injured After Meteorite Explodes Over Russia

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It’s not often a large meteorite comes flying through our atmosphere and it’s even more rare to see one fall within a populated area, but that’s exactly what happened in Chelyabinsk Russia. The meteorite sped across the sky at 19 miles per second in a ball of fire as it broke apart high up in the air. The incredible speed of the meteorite caused a large sonic boom that did significant damage to windows and even some buildings just before a large piece of the once 10 ton meteorite landed in a nearby lake. Over a thousand people were injured, mostly due to broken glass.

This does bring attention to the fact that we are essentially helpless when it comes to space rocks hitting Earth. Although we are getting better at detecting near Earth objects, it’s crucial that we continue to research ways in which to protect ourselves. As for now, we will just have to hope that if anything is headed our way that it hits an unpopulated area. The good news is that, although at times it may not seem like it but the Earth is largely unpopulated and there are vast regions of land and ocean where meteorites are far more likely to land. It’s also likely that meteorites, like the one that fell in Chelyabinsk, have fallen many times before but were never seen by anyone.

This has all happened just as 2012 DA14, a much larger meteorite than the one that just hit Russia, was on track to come within just 17,500 miles of Earth. That distance puts 2012 DA14 within the geosynchronous ring of our planet and that means it’s closer to Earth than many of our satellites. Experts say that 2012 DA14 is in no way a part of the meteorite that landed today, it’s purely a coincidence. 2012 DA14 has already passed Earth by this time and is actually heading away from our planet. This is a good thing considering that id 2012 DA14 were to land on Earth it would cause massive localized damage.

 

Diablo III Patch 1.0.7

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Well, patch time is upon us yet again and this time Diablo III is getting all of the attention. Blizzard has made patch 1.0.7 live and with it comes some nice features.

The Jeweler and Blacksmith will now possess new recipes which will be account bound and have an iLevel of 63.  A new tier of account-bound gems of has also been added to the game, Marquise. For Players who are looking to fight each other, you will now be able to do just that in a new zone called, “The Scorched Chapel.”  Players can duel with up to four players in a “free-for-all” fighting environment. This addition also comes along with a brand new PvP chat channel, so you can brag about how awesome you are.

As always the patch also contains various tweaks and bug fixes, which you can read a complete list of on Blizzard’s official Diablo III community site.

Here are a few of the major bug fixes introduced in this patch:

  • Fixed an issue where new Hardcore characters were not labeled as Hardcore on the Main Menu
  • Fixed an error that could occur when closing the World of Warcraft client while the Diablo III client was still running
  • Players will now be properly removed from both the party and the game session whenever a Vote Kick has passed
  • Players will no longer be disconnected from the game whenever vote kicked during a boss encounter
  • Legendary items now have a new mini-map icon
  • This icon should now persist properly and be shown on the mini-map so long as the player is in the same zone as the dropped item
  • Rare Sand Dwellers will now spawn in The Forgotten Ruins
  • Champion Plague Swarms will now spawn in Cryder’s Outpost
  • Champion Fallen Cur will now spawn in The Storm Halls
  • Goldskin will no longer proc when attacking monsters that drop no loot
  • Plans: Staff of Herding can now be dropped on the ground, or sold to a vendor for 0 gold
  • All Staves of Herding can now be sold to a vendor for 0 gold