General Discussion [ Page 64 ]

XBox One's internet requirement fix: The Xbox 360

You just can't make this stuff up.

When asked about what the 1/4 of the country without broadband should do about the Xbone's phone-home requirement, Xbox chief Don Mattrick said "Fortunately we have a product for people who aren't able to get some form of connectivity. It's called Xbox 360."

Suggesting people use their almost obsolete console is a bold marketing move, to be sure.

And the gauntlet has been thrown down

http://www.destructoid.com//ul/255939-h2.jpg

Sony has announced that the PS4 will be available this winter for $399. That's $100 less than the XBox One (or as I've taken to calling it, the XBone). Sony has apparently learned from the mistakes of old.

http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2013/06/playstation-4-will-be-available-for-399-this-holiday-season

In addition, they showed off some interesting games. Final Fantasy XV (which was once Final Fantasy Vs. XIII), Kingdom Hearts 3, a new Mad Max game (seriously, how fun could that be), a new Infamous, and The Order: 1886 which from the teaser looks amazing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=tdcXjOfiLsg

They made it a major point to point out that... Read All

jdodson Admin wrote on 06/11/2013 at 03:44am

Yeah, Sony really seemed to verge strongly from what Microsoft is doing during this event. As I was watching the event people were seeming to eat it up and when the price point hit I think that was game for many.

I am curious to see how this translates to gaming as a whole, but for the people that are very passionate about used, indie and playing games Sony is the clear frontrunner no question.

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 06/11/2013 at 03:56am

Ha! I loved the sharing video! I'm going to have to make a pro/con list for both the PS4 and the XBox One...

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 06/11/2013 at 03:56am

But I want to watch cable on my console even though I have that capability without a console already.

scrypt Supporter wrote on 06/11/2013 at 04:07am

Nice to see that little video throwdown. Microsoft now sits in a very lonely pot of hot water, and I don't know that they even realize it. Where do they go from here? They have to reinforce their commitment to the games, otherwise what is the XBone: http://youtu.be/KbWgUO-Rqcw

scrypt Supporter wrote on 06/11/2013 at 04:23am

Did you catch the small print on that 'game sharing' video? Multiplayer will require PSN account and PS+ subscription. Interesting, if they abandon the free structure they have now, though I don't think too many people will complain. Sony's online service has been growing into a welcome place, and if they can implement a better social experience (better party system, cross-game chat, etc), the money will be well spent.

hardeyez wrote on 06/11/2013 at 04:31am

Dying Light looks pretty good also... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsdcRgY4U8E

hardeyez wrote on 06/11/2013 at 04:35am

Oh, and Knack also https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MD8XMXqTAG4

jdodson Admin wrote on 06/11/2013 at 03:29pm

Microsoft recoils in fear, already a price drop:

http://www.amazon.com/Xbox-One-Console/dp/B00CMQTVK0

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 06/11/2013 at 04:03pm

I don't see a price on that Amazon page.

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 06/11/2013 at 06:17pm

I see a $0.96 price increase!

jdodson Admin wrote on 06/12/2013 at 03:00am

When I posted it, it was a 4 cent price drop. :D

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 06/12/2013 at 03:13am

If my XBone is always on, and they all come with a Kinect... the paranoid side of me worries about having the possibility of always being watched. And yes, I do have things to hide!

jdodson Admin wrote on 06/12/2013 at 03:32am

Everyone does, privacy is import for that reason. I kind of worry about that too, I dig the idea of the Kinect but always on always recording? No thanks.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 01/25/2014 at 05:36am

Thanks for mentioning the new Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts games! Right now I don't seem to have any interest in the new PS4, except for those games. I imagine I might get a PS4 when one of those games is released. I really wish it was backwards compatible, especially since I've been having issues with my PS3. If that was the case, I would have a PS4 already. It is going to be backwards compatible, but in that you have to get the older games in the store, it's not like it'll play the old pre-PS4 discs, which I think is disappointing. However, I did see something about the PS3 when it was backwards compatible and how PS2 games on the PS3 looked worse than they did on the PS2. That feature was later removed. All that said, and to wrap up, I believe it will take the new Final Fantasy or Kingdom Hearts game to get this oblivious gamer to buy a PS4. That said, I might also mention that as with the XBox 360, I have absolutely no interest in the XBox One.

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The important E3 announcement

That's right, folks. Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare.

I jest with my title, but seriously, this game looks awesome. A third-person shooter where you play as a plant or a zombie? I'm totally game.

Other tidbits from E3 today:

Microsoft
XBox One is launching for $500, a new 360 was released today that looks more like the XBox One (this can't lead to confusion, not at all), Microsoft is moving away from MS Points and will be using real money on the Marketplace, and really nothing else whatsoever that interested me.

EA
EA has so far managed to steal the show for me. In addition to the adorably chaotic Garden Warfare, EA also announced that DICE is working on Mirrors Edge 2... Read All

Bundles of Bundles

Amazon has Indie game bundles now, and why shouldn't they. They have everything else. Shipping services never thought they would have it this good. Not so much with these products, however, as they fall strictly in the download only section. While no stranger to downloadable game offerings, Amazon appears to be making an effort to connect specifically with the indie game crowd through some amazingly inexpensive offerings. Like, dirty cheap. Similar to every other bundle site out there. All proceeds - as in 100%, according to the site - of said bundles will go to developers and publishers. I haven't tested them, but reviews on the associated bundle pages indicate that... Read All

The Firehose: Wolfenstein, Stardew Valley & PvZ 2

New trailer released for Wolfenstein New Order. More of the plot details come out loaded with shooter frenzy.

ConcernedApe the developer of Stardew Valley dropped more game updates about in game rings, boots and minerals. He also talks about other game mechanics and options for how you can play the game.

http://stardewvalley.net/mini-dev-update-6/

Plants VS Zombies 2 will drop on iOS before PC an odd choice considering it was the other way around for the first game. It will also launch as a free to play game as well so if you wanted to play it and keep a few bucks, now you can.

http://www.joystiq.com/2013/06/03/plants-vs-zombies-2-blooms-on-ios-july-18-is-free-to-play/

New Indie Royale bundle out

Another bundle site which I buy from every now and then... But this bundle is great! All Arcen games. So there's AI War: Fleet Command and 5 dlc packs for it, A Valley Without Wind 1 and 2, Shattered Haven and Tidalis.

Everything is on steam and desura (along with direct download) except for the latest AI War dlc which isn't on steam (I'm hoping it will be).

http://www.indieroyale.com/

Xbox One: An Assortment of Opinions

Microsoft has posted some details about how the Xbox One is going to function as a console, and on first glance, it's kinda crap news. Here's a link, if you haven't seen it yet. Go ahead and take a quick gander, I'll wait. :)

http://news.xbox.com/2013/06/main

So, my first grumble grumble is about the inability to actually *loan* a game to a friend. But, I do have to say that Microsoft is trading a lot of other features that kind of offset that: the idea that I can play any of my games on a friend's console, whether I brought the games with me or not, is kinda cool. Most of the time I want to loan a game to a friend, it's because I want to share the experience in the... Read All Microsoft has posted some details about how the Xbox One is going to function as a console, and on first glance, it's kinda crap news. Here's a link, if you haven't seen it yet. Go ahead and take a quick gander, I'll wait. :)

http://news.xbox.com/2013/06/main

So, my first grumble grumble is about the inability to actually *loan* a game to a friend. But, I do have to say that Microsoft is trading a lot of other features that kind of offset that: the idea that I can play any of my games on a friend's console, whether I brought the games with me or not, is kinda cool. Most of the time I want to loan a game to a friend, it's because I want to share the experience in the first place; it's probably a net gain for me that I can always do that with all my games, even if I can't do it asynchronously anymore. I think I'm OK with the constraints here.

Second, the "always on" idea. On the one hand, my console has long been my last bastion of entertainment when the Internet goes out but the power stays on. On the other, I can't remember the last time I was without Internet for 24 hours. Hell, if push came to shove, I'm not too fancy to take the Xbox to a friend's house to borrow a cup of wifi. I like the updating-in-the-background concept. On the balance, I think this one's OK too - I'm not going to get heartburn if, during the console's 6-year lifespan, I'm blocked once or twice by a bad combination of long Internet outage and unwillingness to jump through hoops to solve.

Now, the used games thing - this is more troublesome. Publishers "may" authorize reselling of games via "participating retailers"? This is where we formally turn games from things you buy into things you license or lease. The publishers will say this has always been the case; while it may or may not be technically true it certainly wasn't the case in practice. I like going to yard sales and getting games; I like knowing that if my plate is too full today for Final Fantasy XIII, then at least I can look forward to snagging it used in a year or two. Now, I get to *hope* that publishers will allow me to do that, and that's a disappointing situation and a significant problem for me. But again, Steam doesn't support the Used Game paradigm, and my PC Gaming library has absolutely flourished.

All in all, it looks like the Xbox One has all the bad bullet points we were afraid it might. But, maybe those bullet points don't mean the end of Gaming As We Know It. What do you all think?

Travis Admin wrote on 06/07/2013 at 07:56pm

I'm not as worried about my internet connection as I am Microsoft's. Remember what happens on every major launch? XBox Live crashes pretty hard. If you miss your window to get updates and you want to play games but Live is screwed up at the moment, no games for you.

PC gaming has always been a little different. I understand the Steam model because games are so easy to pirate on PCs, but generally requires a hurdle of software, or often even hardware, hacking on a console to achieve.

scrypt Supporter wrote on 06/07/2013 at 10:43pm

Steam may not support used games, but I just picked up Batman Arkham Asylum on Steam for $5. If Microsoft can support a similar economy to Steam's when it comes to older games, then the pill becomes a little easier to swallow. Otherwise, they will simply lose customers, and quite a few of them at that.

CapnCurry Supporter Post Author wrote on 06/07/2013 at 11:06pm

@Travis: That's a good point about the Microsoft servers. I didn't really think of that at first; I usually miss the major launch events by at least a few weeks. Hopefully they've figured out the logistics a bit better - they've *got* to know how much worse it'll be if they screw up this time.

@Scrypt: I'm hopeful that the old-game market will be rather exactly like that. Once a title gets to be a couple years old, it boils down to a question of whether they can sell the game at enough of a discount to warrant production & shipping costs; if the delivery is purely digital ala Steam, the question slowly morphs into "would the studio rather have $5 or not have $5." I think the basic economic principles of the two platforms are the same, and I'd be really surprised if we saw markedly different strategies arise for them.

hardeyez wrote on 06/07/2013 at 11:35pm

I'm wondering how they are implementing the "family" grouping. That is, anyone in your up to 10 member "family" can play your games on any machine. That will be interesting how that plays out. I used to always share games with friends in the "I'll buy this one, you buy the next" and we pass the discs back and forth. If they could just be added as "family" that would change things.

So I'd have to imagine they'd limit it somehow so groups of friends didn't get together to pool games. If not, woo hoo!! actual benefit of being disc-less with M$

jdodson Admin wrote on 06/08/2013 at 04:13pm

Good point scrypt, yeah Steam doesn't have used games but at the cheap sale prices its not like that effectively isn't the same thing as buying used. Sometimes its an even better deal that used. That said, I don't anticipate Microsoft adopting the Steam pricing model here. I don't know, I guess I just don't hope for the best with Microsoft.

Any kind of launch is precarious because I am not certain how Microsoft could be 100% ready for the demand on day one. It's possible, I just don't see how.

That said, Blizzzard handled Starcraft 2 and Heart of the Swarm flawlessly on day one for me.

I didn't own a previous XBox, not that it matters here because nothing will work on the XBox One from previous systems save your physical movies(kind of an interesting aside, the only thing that ports forward is physical media and mp3s. Aren't those supposed to be dead formats? :D ) The more we hear about the system the less interested in it I am. That said, if it was $50 I might consider it. Well, even then I might not. It does everything I can do now already so I guess I just don't see the point. For me, I imagine others will love it.

jdodson Admin wrote on 06/08/2013 at 05:46pm

XBox One is now an officially support Platform on Cheerful Ghost.

http://cheerfulghost.com/platform/xbone

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Server Support & Moderated Events

A few days ago I launched a few new features for Cheerful Ghost events that I want to talk a bit about.

moderated events

All the events created with Cheerful Ghost events to this point can joined by anyone. This is a pretty awesome default and will remain so, but occasionally we all might want to create an event that we want to be bit more selective with. Intro moderated events. Moderated events allow the event creator to approve people to join the event that request access.

server support

In the past Cheerful Ghost has run game servers that last a month or so and as such events now support that use case. You can now put in your Server URL and Server Password into the... Read All

Iam8bit Opening Night

Will any fellow Happy Haunts from the Southern California area be attending the opening night for the new Iam8bit exhibit?

Mrs. Slim and I will be attending and would be happy to meet up with anyone else who can attend. Admission is free on opening night. :)

Details here: http://iam8bit.com/the-gallery/

Like most galleries I imagine they probably have a no photography rule, but if allowed I'll snap some photos to share with all of you after the event. :)

Battle.net client in beta testing

http://media.mmo-champion.com/images/news/2013/may/installer.jpg

MMO Champion has a rundown of the currently available features of a Steam-alike client that Blizzard is currently testing. It does everything you'd expect an app like this to do.

Keep all your Blizzard games in one place, and automatically update them when an update is available. (This also replaces the game-specific launchers)

Chat with your Battle.net friends outside of gameplay

See all the news about your Blizzard games.

A store, of course, to buy new games (though this isn't implemented in the current build).

Other social features like forums and player profiles, also yet to be implemented.

I've been wanting this for a long time, but the screenshots don't answer... Read All

scrypt Supporter wrote on 06/04/2013 at 04:30pm

If they could implement a voice chat feature, that would solve all of the problems. Sweet info. Thanks, Travis!

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 06/04/2013 at 07:27pm

Yes, that was number three. I forgot to add that when posting. Voice chat and an overlay are a must!

jdodson Admin wrote on 06/04/2013 at 11:55pm

So a new service to buy games from? I imagine this will be used to buy other non Blizzard games as well?

Not sure I need another game service.

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 06/05/2013 at 12:05am

I don't think it will, from what I've read. It seems to just be distribution for Bnet stuff, which is great since currently they don't exist on any game service and you have to wait for updates to download, etc.

I agree though, if they're using it for other things beyond Blizzard games, I'll probably pass on those, but it will be great to have Blizzard's games all under one roof at least.

jdodson Admin wrote on 06/05/2013 at 12:06am

The games update themselves already and you can get them all from the website. I am not sure that was a problem for me, but I can see why they would do it.

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 06/05/2013 at 12:09am

They update themselves when you launch the launcher. And then you wait.

This way, you leave it up and it downloads when it's ready, and you never have to wait.

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 06/05/2013 at 12:12am

Plus, you get to see what your friends are playing before you launch the game, so now you can say "hey Jon is playing SC2" and message him to see if he wants to play, rather than launching the game, signing in, seeing nobody online.

And *if* they make it so you only have to sign into the client and not each individual game, that will make me very happy.

jdodson Admin wrote on 06/05/2013 at 12:14am

Yeah, that could be good. Unifying sign in would be nice and the friends thing you mention. I wonder how impossible it will be to use the Steam Overlay now that each game might not support login?

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 06/05/2013 at 12:17am

Yeah, I hope they have their own overlay. I doubt you'd be able to use Steam's if you're launching anything from the BNet client.

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