General Discussion [ Page 8 ]

The Rise of Virtual Sports and ESports

I used to play a lot of fantasy sports. You'd generally pick a team of players (football, basketball, baseball, etc) from all the guys playing that day, and then as they compile stats (points/rebounds/steals/etc in basketball, passing yards/catches/touchdowns in football, just to name a few), you get a cumulative point total for your team.

But now there aren't any sports being played...
at least no sports being played by humans.

In the video above you'll see 2 virtual NBA games being simulated by a Playstation. No one is playing the characters, it's just a simulation. (My wife thinks this is the dumbest thing ever lol) On the various fantasy sports apps, before the... Read All I used to play a lot of fantasy sports. You'd generally pick a team of players (football, basketball, baseball, etc) from all the guys playing that day, and then as they compile stats (points/rebounds/steals/etc in basketball, passing yards/catches/touchdowns in football, just to name a few), you get a cumulative point total for your team.

But now there aren't any sports being played...
at least no sports being played by humans.

In the video above you'll see 2 virtual NBA games being simulated by a Playstation. No one is playing the characters, it's just a simulation. (My wife thinks this is the dumbest thing ever lol) On the various fantasy sports apps, before the games, you can choose lineups, just as if they were real games, and then watch along and root for "your" players. The website https://www.awesemo.com/ has been running both NBA and NFL simulations, and I've found it really fun to watch along with. And really, I don't see much of a difference in passively watching real players play games, or simulated players play games (my wife strongly disagrees and thinks this is the dumbest thing ever lol)

I'm not really into NASCAR, but today I stumbled upon eNASCAR/iRacing, and I might become a full-time fan. Actual NASCAR drivers race virtually against each other, using realistic multi-monitor simulators on their computers. The graphics of the simulation look really, really good.
Here's an example of what a race looks like (this was on FOX, and had real racing commentators) https://youtu.be/g75HghckIyY?t=474
And here's an example of what their racing setups look like: https://youtu.be/nHDH0pL_qBM

There are a ton more Esports/Virtual Sports out there. I've seen Virtual Golf (sometimes there are simulated players like Happy Gilmore and Shooter McGavin lol), Virtual Baseball in addition to various Virtual basketball and football simulations. And fantasy apps are venturing into Reality TV as well. You can create a "team" of players for the show Survivor, and you get points for things like Wins Immunity/Cries on camera/Catches Seafood.

And of course League of Legends has had fantasy sports for years now. Here's a post Jon wrote back in 2014 https://cheerfulghost.com/jdodson/posts/2043/league-of-legends-gets-the-fantasy-football-treatment

Almost all the Virtual/ESports contests are free to enter, and many allow multiple entries, so you can try different lineups and see how they score. It's a fun thing to fill the time with, and occasionally you can win 5-10 cents lol. My favorite app is FanDuel, which you can download from any app store, or go to this website https://www.fanduel.com/

Cheerful Ghost Radio Episode 77: Breaking Down Over the Next Consoles

How better to spend your time in quarantine than listening to us talk about the next generation of consoles? We dive into the next generation and talk about what Microsoft and Sony might bring to the table. But first, we update you all on how we've been coping with the pandemic and all the stuff we've been playing and watching.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 04/17/2020 at 03:52am

I heard the new consoles will feature ray tracing. I also saw something about the PS5 will probably have limited stock during it's first year.

But..... #PCMasterRace!

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 04/18/2020 at 09:25pm

I'll have to listen to this soon. I realized the other day that I have no idea what the current consoles are, nor what's coming next lol

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 04/18/2020 at 11:44pm

@AdamPFarnsworth Gigaflops!

jdodson Admin wrote on 04/19/2020 at 02:07am

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-77xulkB_U

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 04/19/2020 at 03:50am

I had a feeling I knew what that youtube link was going to be before I clicked it.

Glad to know I was right! :D

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 04/19/2020 at 03:58am

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 04/19/2020 at 07:27pm

Actually, I meant teraflops as you can see here: https://www.polygon.com/2020/3/31/21187430/ps5-xbox-series-x-specs-comparison-next-gen Here's a brief article with an included video about what's a teraflop: https://www.polygon.com/2016/6/14/11932910/what-is-a-teraflop-explainer I think it's a different calculation than what I'm used to seeing regarding GPUs and CPUs where they're measured in megahertz or gigahertz. In a way, I kind of feel like "teraflops" is a bit of a "buzz word" to make the new consoles sound super amazing (and they may very well be). I haven't dived into their details as my interest in them isn't great, but I'm glad they're finally getting SSDs, Since I got one last summer, I realized just how awesome they are, if for nothing else other than greatly speeding up the load time from power off to desktop (at least in my Windows 10 experience). So, at least just being where the OS resides, it can give a dramatic performance increase. I think this is perhaps the single most important hardware upgrade someone could make to make their PC feel faster or notably improved

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 04/19/2020 at 09:01pm

LOL! Yeah, I think we all knew what that YouTube link was going to be ;)
I've listened to about half the podcast, and I'm glad that it sounds like everyone's doing as well as can be expected!

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 04/19/2020 at 10:29pm

Also, as far as what I'm watching, some good trash on Netflix is The Circle (so far I've watched the original and Brazil, and now I'm watching France).

It's the perfect show right now, as we really are living in The Circle.

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 04/19/2020 at 11:26pm

The killer feature im hoping will go well is streaming. My company (engineering/architectural) has moved to 90% virtual machines using Workspots (Microsoft Azure). I am drawing complex 3D models, and aside from a few hiccups when rolling out the new computers, my virtual experience is better than when I worked on my local computer in my office. I hope Microsoft is able to utilize what they've learned in Workspot, and really nail the streaming environment. I've not bought a system since the Wii U, but if I could get a high-powered game streaming service, I might look at getting back into hard-core gaming.

jdodson Admin wrote on 04/19/2020 at 11:56pm

I think Microsoft will have some really interesting with Game Pass. Or at least I hope it will.

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 04/20/2020 at 02:50am

I think you accidentally a word

Some really interesting...?

;)

jdodson Admin wrote on 04/20/2020 at 03:07am

I ACCIDRNTLY NO

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 04/22/2020 at 08:38pm

I will probably get the Xbox Series X first. I have the OG Xbox One and it is a little sluggish playing Fallen Order. I want to upgrade to a One X, but I figure it is best to wait for the Series X.

jdodson Admin wrote on 04/23/2020 at 02:14am

https://thumbs.gfycat.com/InsignificantInfiniteArrowcrab-size_restricted.gif

jdodson Admin wrote on 04/23/2020 at 02:15am

☝️Wins the award for the oddest named GIF image compared to what it actually is.

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 04/24/2020 at 01:13pm

Yeah gotta love those gfycat random names. I think it's always two adjectives and an animal.

jdodson Admin wrote on 04/24/2020 at 08:16pm

That’s way more fun than some random hexadecimal

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Recommended Watching and Reading: Good Omens

“Armageddon is days away and we’ve lost the Antichrist,” says the demon Crowley, which sets up the basic premise of Good Omens. Good Omens was just a book written by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman that I read about 20 years ago. Now, as of 2019, it’s a TV series on Amazon Prime Video, which contains only six episodes. I’m not familiar with the rest of the cast, but I’m aware of David Tennant, who once played The Doctor in Doctor Who. I really like him and he plays my definitively favorite character in this series, Crowley. Crowley dresses in black, has red hair, which is some times long, wears sun glasses, even at night, listens to Queen a lot, and drives a 90 year... Read All “Armageddon is days away and we’ve lost the Antichrist,” says the demon Crowley, which sets up the basic premise of Good Omens. Good Omens was just a book written by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman that I read about 20 years ago. Now, as of 2019, it’s a TV series on Amazon Prime Video, which contains only six episodes. I’m not familiar with the rest of the cast, but I’m aware of David Tennant, who once played The Doctor in Doctor Who. I really like him and he plays my definitively favorite character in this series, Crowley. Crowley dresses in black, has red hair, which is some times long, wears sun glasses, even at night, listens to Queen a lot, and drives a 90 year old Bentley. His best friend is an angel named Aziraphale. They’re the only angel and demon that have been on Earth since the beginning (6,000 years ago), which you will see in the premier episode. Crowley has to deliver the baby Antichrist, but he and Aziraphale come up with a clever scheme to avoid the war between Heaven and Hell, which would ultimately be the end of the world. They love the world and don’t want to see it end.

The show is funny and may not be suitable for all (especially serious) audiences, but I think it’s great. I love the intro (https://youtu.be/BsrPO8qslBE)! I think it’s funny how Aziraphale is really the only “good” angel, all the others are mean-spirited (to put it nicely) and want Armageddon so that they can be the victors of the war against the forces of Hell. They even team up near the end, slightly, because all is not going according to plan and both sides need to push a bit to get Armageddon going, in the wake of the intervention of Aziraphale and Crowley.

I’ve only read the book once and that was 20 years ago, so my memory of it has faded quite a lot. I’m not even sure if I still have it. But, I really did enjoy this show, very much and recommend it. If you like British comedy, David Tennant, or other stars of the show, you might like this one. It’s short, but free for Prime members, so go check it out! I love the trailer I've embedded here!

If you want to discuss it here, feel free to. I’d prefer not to spoil everything here though.

Travis Admin wrote on 04/13/2020 at 02:01pm

Absolutely great book, and the series is a worthy adaptation. Tennant and Sheen are perfect and captivating, and the supporting cast fill things out so well, especially Jon Hamm as Gabriel (but that's cheating because Jon Hamm is always great) and Adria Arjona as Anathema Device.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 04/13/2020 at 03:57pm

I'm glad you agree and that you recommended the book to me. I was aware of the show last year, I'm not sure why I waited until now to watch it, I guess I kind of forgot about it until I saw it on an Amazon box in my room recently.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 04/13/2020 at 08:15pm

I noticed the guard at the air base reading a book by Neil Gaiman. It turns out it's called "American Gods" and has a show, too. Have you read or seen this, Travis?

Travis Admin wrote on 04/14/2020 at 03:22am

Read? No, I haven't. It's on my shame list of books I need to read but haven't.

Seen? YES! It's amazing, if not as good as Good Omens. The first season is better than the second. I feel like it needs to come to a conclusion, because season 2 felt like it was dragging its feet.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 04/14/2020 at 03:45am

Cool, I'll look into it, I might start watching it (assuming that I can).

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 04/14/2020 at 04:23am

I just watched a trailer for it and was glad to see Ian McShane. He was in an episode of Game and Thrones, but also in all John Wick movies, I like him. I saw one other actor I recognized. I just did some digging and I'm pretty sure his name is Peter Stormare. He's in a lot of movies I've seen/ He plays Satan in Constantine and is in Lost World: Jurassic Park and Fargo. The trailer looks a bit bloody for my taste, but I might give it a try.

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Metal Jesus Reviews The New RetroTINK 2X-Pro

The RetroTINK creators have released a new version called the RetroTINK 2X-Pro that is an upscaler/line doubler for retro consoles with analog, s-video and component inputs with an output to HDMI. Metal Jesus puts the new TINK through it's paces and it does quite well with a very minimal amount, if any noticeable lag. The TINK is an essential option if you want to plugin your old consoles to a modern television and only have HDMI on your TV to work with. That and the TINK is also great to convert old console video signals to HDMI for capture the video or streaming to Twitch.

The RetroTINK 2X-Pro is $140 brand new and is currently sold out. At the time I wrote this... Read All

Cheerful Ghost Radio Episode 76: The Post Holiday Update

The episode you've all been waiting for, the scheduling-around-holidays-is-hard-but-we're-back-now episode! It's been a little while but we're back to talk about all the cool stuff we've been playing and watching since we last graced your podcast app of choice. Plus our Christmas gaming loot, and an update on Tale of the White Wyvern development!

The Batman - Camera Test

I geek out over superhero movies, and this camera test just dropped for The Batman.

I didn't think we needed another Batman movie... but we probably always will lol.

This is very simple, but looks so rad!

AdamPFarnsworth Post Author wrote on 02/13/2020 at 11:47pm

It kinda has a Daredevil Vibe to it!

jdodson Admin wrote on 02/13/2020 at 11:49pm

Today I learned i'm way less interested in the new Batman movie than I was.

Good to know. 🤣

AdamPFarnsworth Post Author wrote on 02/13/2020 at 11:54pm

#HeartBroken

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 02/14/2020 at 01:46am

I wasn't really interested when I found out about who would be the next Batman, but I do like this video. I like the music as well. From what I've read, it seems Penguin, Catwoman, and the Riddler will be in the new movie. I think we've seen enough of those characters, but perhaps we've also had enough Batman movies. I guess we'll see how it goes.

Travis Admin wrote on 02/14/2020 at 03:59am

He definitely has the jawline for it.

I'm very hopeful for this. Ignore the Twilight stuff and Pattinson is pretty good at what he does. Now that the DC movies are kinda uncoupling and they're shying away from the shared universe formula, things seem to be getting better. I mean... The Joker, wow. It seems they're taking a hands off approach and letting people make their own takes on things so there's the gamble of quality but that gamble is also pretty exciting. You know what you're getting with a Marvel movie.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 02/15/2020 at 08:20am

I the "knife gun" idea. Travis will get it. https://youtu.be/qK_y8FXGfdI

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 02/19/2020 at 04:37am

I'm always down for a batman movie.

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Cheerful Ghost Radio Episode 75: Top Ten Games of the Decade

This is the kind of episode that only comes once every decade. We cover our favorite games from the 2010s, and if you've been paying attention, some of these will be expected. But which one will take the top spot for each of us? Listen and find out!

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 01/22/2020 at 04:00am

PS Jon cheats! :D

jdodson Admin wrote on 01/22/2020 at 03:07pm

Yeah, very true.

But really, Fallout 3 is so good it really should count. Also, like you said if you could included it it would be higher on your list would Fallout 3 be number one for you?

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 01/22/2020 at 03:16pm

It would be for sure, it was my number one game of the 2000s and if it had released 2 years later it would have beaten them all for the 2010s

jdodson Admin wrote on 01/22/2020 at 05:58pm

How many play throughs? I had the one and want to come back around to play it again.

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 01/22/2020 at 06:13pm

Um... at least 4 complete ones. I’ve had a few bits and pieces of play throughs though.

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The History Of Speedrunning

Since speedrunning is often topic on Cheerful Ghost, and we run Speedrunning competitions at the Portland Retro Gaming Expo, I figure this is a fitting video :)

It covers the history of speedrunning, from the super old school "demo" days of Doom to the current Games Done Quick.

My Favorite Gaming YouTube Channels

I thought I'd share with you some of my most favorite gaming channels on YouTube. Please feel free to let me know if you're also a fan of these channels, too. Also, share your favorites with me in the comments!

I've mentioned Paul Soares Jr. before in my posts on here. His was one of the first channels I started watching years ago. I've watched all of his Minecraft Survive & Thrive series, I've even watched some of them multiple times. I believe he's the first to have posted a Minecraft tutorial on YouTube. He's featured in the Minecraft documentary I've shared in a Minecraft post. He is also one of the few who brought Ark: Survival Evolved to my attention. I've... Read All

Black Widow

The first trailer to Black Widow is out!

I'm still a little worried that this will suffer a similar fate as Rogue One and Solo for (prequels where we know the ultimate outcome, thus making the stakes for the main character not as high, because ultimately they live), but I am more excited for this than I thought I would be.

Maybe because I'm in the middle of a Winter Soldier rewatch (as I'm rewatching it, I honestly wonder if I ever actually saw it? It feels like the first time I'm seeing scenes in it lol), but I'm just lately getting into Nat's character. Endgame was sad for her, but wasn't *that* sad to me, but I bet next time I watch Endgame, it'll hit even harder... Read All

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 12/03/2019 at 03:39pm

Awesome! The only thing that's always bothered me about Black Widow is that I always thought she was from Russia (or the area), but she doesn't have a fitting accent. The other characters in the trailer from her past do, I wonder if that ever gets explained.

There is the Endgame question, too. Didn't Cap return the soul stone? If so, does that mean Nat comes back? Maybe Tony's sacrifice brought her back. Although, she could be "back" but only in an alternate timeline. Maybe some of the characters she reunites with return in later movies and (Disney+) shows.

Thanks for sharing the trailer! I recently got caught up w/ the MCU movies and have been watching a YouTube channel called New Rockstars, which analyzes these movies (and more like Star Wars, I wrote a post about it in the forums).

AdamPFarnsworth Post Author wrote on 12/03/2019 at 03:52pm

New Rockstars is one of my absolute favorites! Another channel I recommend is Emergency Awesome :)

jdodson Admin wrote on 12/03/2019 at 04:40pm

I give this trailer four spiders! 🕷🕷🕷🕷

jdodson Admin wrote on 12/03/2019 at 04:41pm

Also. Is David Harbor the Russian equivalent of Captain America? PLEASE BE REAL

AdamPFarnsworth Post Author wrote on 12/03/2019 at 05:02pm

Yes! He is!

Travis Admin wrote on 12/03/2019 at 06:31pm

Greg this takes place after Winter Soldier, so well before she died. Thus Adam talking about it being a prequel where you know the character’s eventual outcome.

I’ve always just assumed that she’s a super spy so she has to blend. Actual Russian spies lived in the US in the 70s and 80s and spoke with a perfect American accent so they could blend in.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 12/03/2019 at 08:26pm

Yeah, when it takes place wasn't a question. I expected it to take place then, probably because of New Rockstars. As for the accent, good point, Travis.

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 12/03/2019 at 09:34pm

"I’ve always just assumed that she’s a super spy so she has to blend. Actual Russian spies lived in the US in the 70s and 80s and spoke with a perfect American accent so they could blend in."

Travis seems to know a lot about this. Hmmm

Travis Admin wrote on 12/03/2019 at 09:51pm

Hahaha

I watched The Americans then read about the real stuff it was based on.

Travis Admin wrote on 12/03/2019 at 09:52pm

And that paragraph that starts with “there is the endgame question too” made it seem like you thought she was alive after endgame

jdodson Admin wrote on 12/03/2019 at 10:05pm

WAIT GUYS WHAT HAPPENS IN ENDGAME? SPOILER MUCH?

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 12/03/2019 at 11:30pm

I realize that for sure, Travis. I was just speculating on a "what if" post-Endgame thought. I think it was New Rockstars that said it should take place just after Civil War. This was before the trailer was released. I guess the question of this movie is, why? Why are they showing us this? Does it some how connect to past or future MCU movies and/or Disney+ shows? Or does it just fill out the character, letting us get to know her better. Maybe I'm looking too deep into it.

Yeah, Jon, well yeah, Adam did kind of put a spoiler in the post, so I've kind of gone with the assumption that all of us here have seen Endgame. I think you're joking, though, it's hard to be sure. LOL Still, I'm glad I just recently watched Endgame. Although, I knew of Tony's fate before I watched it, I some how caught a spoiler, but that didn't make it any less dramatic, I just didn't know how it happened or when.

AdamPFarnsworth Post Author wrote on 12/04/2019 at 03:19pm

What if everything about Black Widow taking place in the past turns out to be only the first half of the movie, with the second half being in the MCU present day, with Belova fighting as a good guy? Perhaps Nat captures Taskmaster, but somehow he escapes in the present day, and Belova is recruited by Fury to hunt him down?

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 12/05/2019 at 04:02am

All characters will be played by skrulls.

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