You obviously don't deserve it.... Part 2

I covered Instagram yesterday and teased at consoles in the first sentence.  The post got a little too long and I didn't think I could fit it all in, I broke it out down for easier reading and for my though process to fully develop.  I'm going to discuss here why you don't deserve a new generation of console.

To argue over the PS4 and XB1 is stupid.  Neither console is out.  You haven't played a single game on either of them.  You don't know what the policy is going to be for either of them.  Just shut up.

Both consoles are nearly identical.  the wording and phrasing is slightly different.  The description is slightly different.  The base of the device, is the same.  They are running the same watered down home-theater worthy PC setup.  They are essentially using the same GPU, CPU and RAM.  We are talking low heat, low wattage, onboard stuff.  I'm not sure I full get behind this, but okay.  This is at least a step in the right direction so that development can be more streamlined and hopefully help PC out.  The PowerPC days are going to be behind us and these new consoles will usher in the future.  As we brace for impact with the NEXT version of Direct X, the consoles are here with us, now.

The uproar recently over Microsoft has been especially hilarious.  HOW DARE YOU MAKE US PAY FOR A GAME.  God forbid you have to buy it on sale, right?  PC gamers don't get to share games.  We don't get to swap shit out and hope our buddy has a great time.  We have to tie a key to a special program (Steam, Origin, etc) or account just to play the game.  This isn't always bad. We can pretty much play the game forever in some cases and we get a fuckload more support than the console guys.  This, however, can be a much more expensive hobby.  I see a cool game, I can't borrow it and see if I like it.  I don't get to beat a game in a couple of weeks and then give it back.  We don't get to swap.  We ALL have to buy the same shit, then we can praise or complain about it later.  Selfish assholes.

In the end these new consoles have just barely more power than my PC that is in desperate need of an upgrade.  For me that means that I will likely be way ahead of the curve next summer and enjoying some killer games that make the port over to PC... I hope.

You obviously don't deserve it.... Part 1

Between the heated console wars and the fresh release of a new Instagram app I can't help but think: You obviously don't deserve it.

Today Facebook had a big press conference and released a new Instagram app.  The new app is the same as the old app, BUT IT ADDS VIDEO!  This is important because Facebook has been directly competing with Twitter recently to steal your social life.  Twitter released a little gem called Vine.  Vine allows you to post 6-second videos to the web.  Yes, SIX ENTIRE SECONDS.  Those have to be some unbelievably amazing seconds to bother posting them on the internet, right?  WRONG.  The key difference here between the two apps is going to be the length of the videos.  Instagram now allows you to post 15-second clips... right to Instagram.  Now you can take a short video of that meal that you just took a picture of.  OH BOY!

While I am all for "social" and I love pushing technology forward.... how fucking self-centered can you fucking be?  What makes anyone that isn't a beautiful woman think that anyone gives flying fuck what it is that they do all day?  Beyond that, why would they ever want to see small 15-second snippets that they find meaningful, artistic or awesome?  The fact that a single app exists, I don't understand.  The fact that now there are two competing apps for this... HOLY FUCKING SHIT!  Yet, somehow I live in a world where I am in a minority without a college degree.  I'm obviously not cultured enough to understand.

The reason why they don't deserve it?  Because hordes of Android users have been filling up message boards and spewing vile shit all over the ratings FOR HOURS.  Why?  Because the app doesn't work?  Nah.  Because it makes their phone explode?  Nah.  Because I sends naked pictures to their grandmother?  Nope.  Because they didn't read the description and requirements for the fucking application?  BINGO!

People didn't bother to read the part where it requires a specific Android version number to use this new feature.  You can watch it from any version, but you must have the latest version to take video.  Obviously the well-educated masses that are sheepishly following this trend aren't all going to have new-ish smartphones.  It's a cruel world out there with no 15-second videos, guys.  Facebook seems to be working on a version that is more widely compatible, it will probably be available very soon.  Until then we will drown in a sea of tears of the Gingerbread masses.

Thoughts from E3 (2013)

E3 has wrapped and all of the big sites are hyping the next big thing and drooling over trailers than don't represent the game, I aim to provide as much REAL opinion as I was able to piece together.  I am going to cover some of the games that I am looking forward to and some of the dirt that was dished on them over this week.  Obviously, I'm only going to be touching on the things important to PC gaming.  If you want to listen to fanboys argue and bitch about the consoles, you'll need to go somewhere else...

The Division

This game makes me so fucking excited.  It is a shooter.  It is an RPG.  It is a.... seamless multiplayer experience?  WTF?!  It looks like Borderlands that isn't boring as fuck.  Skills and a system that pits players versus... OTHER PLAYERS?!  Gasp!  Watching the video for this hurt my heart once I realized that it wasn't coming to the PC.  If we miss out on this, this will be a huge disappointment.  There are a lot of people who would really enjoy it.  There are a lot of people who are looking for a reason to not have to invest in another Battlefield or CoD game.  Trust me.

Titanfall

Titanfall looks like another MMOFPS.  What sets it apart is its unique PlanetSide-esque setting combined with Unreal Tournament styled physics and maneuvering.  And... oh yeah, THAT HUGE FUCKING MACHINE.  Riding around in that fucker looks like some beastmode shit.  While I won't be playing this I think a lot of people would enjoy checking out a shooter like this.  Mixing in some huge mechs just means that you will inspire a different group to jump on board, too.


The Witcher 3

This game.  Wow.  The first two games were great.  Though I've honestly not given the second game a large amount of time, I'm not sure it needs it.  The awards and praise for the game are incredibly high.  The portions I have had the chance to play have been great.  I can only hope that his game will allow me to collect EVEN SEXIER CARDS!  Mmm, conquests!  The game looks awesome.  The trailer didn't give up a whole lot, but it looks promising.  Based on other works by these guys, my hopes are high.  Based on the previous games... they're even higher.  They even released some information after E3 letting people know that the PC version will get some free DLC that the consoles won't be able to enjoy ( because they don't allow free DLC... o.O ).

Watch Dogs

Again?!  Come the fuck on.  I get the same shit, AGAIN?!  This GTA meets Deus Ex game had my attention last year.  This year, not so much.  I won't say that I was disappointed, but I will say that I expected to see more than I did.  Ugh.  Hopefully as the launch creeps up and gets closer we will be provided with more footage and a better idea of how the game will end up.


Thief

A new Thief game?  Yes, please!  I am a little concerned how this will pan out, based on the drastic departure from the originals that the last game was.  I do have faith, however.  What I was able to see and read from E3 was very promising.  While the AI seemed like it was either made up of fucking geniuses or half-brained inbred fuckwads, the gameplay was compelling.  The stealth felt mostly realistic and the arrows felt... promising.  A lot of work still needs to be put into the game for a finish product, but kudos for at least putting it out there to play, unlike... pretty much everyone else.


Dragon Age: Inquisition

I love Dragon Age.  I love the idea of this game.  I love the trailer.  It gets me excited.  After the backlash that they faced with the second game, I am not anticipating much out-side-the-box thinking this time around.  I expect a straight forward narrative that I can follow on an epic quest to complete a nearly impossible task.  I accept the challenge and hope for more of what made the first one so good.


Destiny

I still don't understand.  The gameplay makes it seem like it is going to be some kind of RAGE meets Borderlands type of game.  A fast-paced, action-driven MMOFPS game.  The gameplay trailer didn't really show off a lot of anything we haven't seen.  It looks like it has public events like WAR, it looks like it has a leveling system akin to every RPG ever.  The weapons level?  Some people have force powers???  I... what?  I don't fucking understand.  I am going to need a serious FAQ on this game.  I can't tell if it is good or bad.  I can't tell if I want all of the info because I am interested or find it hilarious.  Either way, I think I might give this game a good look when it comes out.

Thoughts from WWDC (2013)

WWDC is wrapped.  Apple games us some bits and pieces and we all know what their new gameplan is.  I am going to cover the things that I found meaningful and interesting.

iWork
Documents, spreadsheets, presentations, graphs.... all at your fingertips... all the time.  This is the combination of a full Microsoft Office suite and Google Drive.  While Google Drive has many Google Docs features, they are not the same high-quality stuff you expect from Microsoft Office.  This actually looks like a HUGE productivity boost to iOS.  While I am not a big Apple fan, this looks GREAT.  Hopefully this will light a fire under everyone else to push for this kind of thing... in the cloud.


iTunes Radio
At first I kept hearing about how this was going to compete with Spotify.  It isn't.  This is a Pandora rip-off.  You get to hear "stations".  Sometimes those stations can even play exclusive music before it is heard anywhere else!  This means that Apple has ripped off Pandora AND started paying record companies tons of dough.  Nice.  This thing looks like a joke.  If nothing else you get to ditch downloading an app because now you have it.  However, since Spotify will let you listen to whatever in the hell you want, whenever in the hell you want... you'll probably still want to download it.  I am thoroughly disappointed, but not surprised.


Airport Extreme/Time Capsule
Guess what.  I'm actually excited.  I have long been captivated by the way that Apple has managed the Airports.  This year.... I might actually want to get one.  I won't be able to afford it until NEXT YEAR, but I still want one, now!  For 200 bucks, I can wait.  The new Airports rock the super fast 1.3Gb speeds flying through the air at roughly 450Mb in three separate streams.  This also leads to increased range, which is GREAT.  This is actually going to be an upgrade over N+.  Woo!  It has the standard bells and whistles like dual-band and backward compatibility.  The ability to plug up an external drive and share it over the network isn't new, either, but it sure is nice.

The new Time Capsule is the same thing, but this year it is sporting 2 and 3GB models.  This doesn't help us old PC users out much, but it is great for Mac users.  These drives are set to automagically back up their laptops and desktops to this fancy little space.  Time Machine isn't offered on another platform, so not everyone can take advantage of the Time Capsule.  At 300 and 400 dollars... did you really want to?  How much is laziness worth to you?


iOS7
I don't even know what in the fuck this is.  It's like they took a bunch of stuff from other mobile OSs and... I don't know.  Right now it is a Frankenstein mess.  It should be cleaned up, shortly.  I sure as hell hope so.  Considering how likely they are to redesign the iPhone for this year, you better hope you fix this up in hopes to push phones out of the door of you are in big fucking trouble.  I will have plenty more to say about this as the months move and it gets closer to release.  Until then... wow, what the fuck.

Revisiting Google Currents

Several months ago I skewered Google Currents.  I thought that it had some promise, but I was VERY sad about the state of the app and what it actually offered.  Google has taken some very big strides with Currents, though it has been done very quietly.  I decided to spend some time with it and see if anything had been done to make the overall experience better.

The first thing you will notice is a new layout.  This makes pages a lot more attractive to view.  You will notice instantly that based on the choices you have made with Currents that you will be shown different things.  During my initial setup and run-in with Currents I added a lot of customized sites and information.  All of these things populated perfectly and with the new layout it all looks great.  The main page is going to be the articles you requested from the site or source that you have selected.  The menu shows you the categories and the specific sites or sources you have underneath them.  This is a nice overhaul compared to the awful looking layout we had to endure before.

You can select a category, we will use Business.  Under Business I have Forbes, Fast Company, Venture Beat and Breaking Stories.  Breaking Stories is Google's own highlight of what has been happening.  Each category has one.  If I select Forbes I can then swing over to their "page".  They now occupy my screen.  Forbes, and many other sites and sources, have drop down menus.  On Forbes I can drop it down and select from a wealth of different things.  Business, Investing, Technology, Lifestyle, etc.  Each of these options targets a specific portion and provides that information.  It is very much like visiting a website or going to a certain section of a magazine for information or articles.  Again, this is very different from the initial state of Currents.

Adding new sources and sites is a very nice experience.  This wasn't so bad in the original version and not much as changed.  My favorite part of the experience now is what Google has added with the Breaking Stories.  I can head to a category and find some up-to-the-minute coverage in a plethora of things from ANY of the sources available.  Sure, I may not give a shit about ABC News, but they may have a story that is trending and may be important.  While I don't subscribe or have them listed to read, they come up.  This could be infuriating to some, but for me it is awesome.  I don't want to read all of their articles and find them boring, but they could very well break a story first and have ONE very well done article.  I don't have to subscribe just to read it, instead it will be served to me.

I am all about quick and easy media consumption.  While I think some things may need to be done to smooth the edges out, Currents has really come a long way.  I am glad that Google put a little bit of time into it.  I could easily see this replacing a newspaper, maybe even an RSS app for me.  This doesn't have everything and I wasn't able to subscribe to any blogs, but it had enough FOR ME.  With a few modifications this is easily a Google Reader killer... if it wasn't already dead.