Party Over Here...

Well guys its another Monday and boy oh boy do we got some good news. We got to go to a LAN Party this weekend and boy oh boy was it good. Haven't been to one of those since my University days of legend, glad to see little by little more people turning out for events like thee as well as more and more companies taking the initiative to be a part of events of this nature. Its an emerging market and a very good look for the forward progression of our country as a whole. Not much to say or show on my end since I was participating in the event and had to be at my station all the time but Ill leave you with the link to few pictures I did manage to take. Special thanks to all the sponsors and companies represented IntcomeX Jamaica, Microsoft, Pixel 3D Studios, AOC, Game On Jamaica, and Logitech. Honorable mention goes to the Knutsford Court Hotel for having us and also ATL motors for providing the generator to power all these epic machines that were in attendance. Great people, great machines, great atmosphere, great times and lots of bodies hitting the floor. Hope to see an even better turn out next time they have one of these. With all that being said I do believe i'm gonna go read some more manga on my new AOC tablet.

--->Click Here For Pictures Of The Event<---

If that's not enough and you still want more Rebel Queens got some coverage of the days events as well so you can go check out their Facebook fanpage

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Months Later Who Has The Upper Hand?

Welcome to another random Monday blogpost, trying to keep these short and sweet going forward. So not sure if you recall but a couple months back when E3 2013 happened we did our summary of the big question going into the holiday season. Which Next -Gen console to invest in? You can see that video below:

Months later and the dust has settled and the numbers are in. *Drumroll Please* Who comes out on top in the battle for Next-Gen Supremacy after all the changes and releases?

I called this from day one. Whether they want to call me a fanboy or not I was right. The facts were all there, even if certain policies and features changed here and there over the time period of when I released this video and now. So by now if you are a heavy gamer and been following the console wars you should have a firm grasp of what has solidified Sony's victory in the battle of Next Gen gaming, but here is  a updated glimpse of why.

The Games

Sony has the potential for more exciting exclusive games than Microsoft. Granted everyone is hyping over Titanfall right now, but already PS4's release of Infamous: Second Sun has further helped sell PS4's on release. As great as Titanfall is it isnt exactly the great console seller for theh XBOX One like Halo was for the original XBOX. According to a trusted source of the market for computer and videogames (MCV); PS4 hardware sales have been boosted a full 106% since the release of inFamous: Second Son. Supply constraints may have prevented that number from being even more significant. inFamous: Second Son is the first post-launch testament to the PS4's power, offering owners a chance to see visuals unlike ever seen before on a console. Sony has gone on to release a list of over 100 games that are scheduled for release on PS4 over the next year which you can see by clicking here.

Services

Essentially Sony went the route of appealing to gamers while Microsoft tried to be a jack of all trades by trying to appeal to everyone. Sadly when you are a jack of all trades but master of none it doesn't always workout so well. Granted now both consoles require you to pay for an online gaming experience but at least with Sony you get value for your money from all the PlayStation Plus deals and free games they offer. Couple that with the upcoming testing and release of PlayStation Now which will provide access to all the previous generations of games at your fingertip and its a no brainer. Ill give Microsoft the nod as far as service integration goes simply because they have the better dashboard and motion gaming setup but I play games and so do many others. I don't really care much about a voice control system that doesn't work well enough for me to abandon the idea of just using my controller to navigate the menu.

Performance

If you saw the video I did you should know the specs between both systems are relatively the same but the PS4 has a slight edge over the XBOX ONE. Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes developer Kojima has gone on record saying his game will look better on PS4. And there's been a lot of argument around games like Call of Duty: Ghosts that run natively in 1080p on PS4 vs. 720p on Xbox One. Of course, the Xbox can run games in 1080p and 60fps, but with multiple titles coming in with lower native resolution on Xbox, Microsoft's machine has been publicly perceived as less powerful. Granted the experiences and games are almost identical like on Xbox One and PS4, but people will gravitate to what seems like the better system for the money. At at a $100 lower price point and essentially better gaming specs the choice is clear.

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E3 2013 Wrap Up

Well here we are on E3 week and boy oh boy has it kicked off in fine style. As per always we do a E3 run down every year and count our blessings that we get to look forward to. For those that may not know shame on you but we welcome you with open arms. Feel free to check out any of the live streams from IGN or Gametrailers that are doing live coverage of the event. So we are gonna try out something different and do something of a VLOG instead of all the typing and reading that you are normally accustomed to. Hopefully its entertaining to you and I don't bore you too badly; so please do enjoy.

With all that info flung your way i'm sure you are a bit overwhelmed so take some time to let it all sink in. Here are some of the interpretations from the internet in regards to the competition between XBOX One and the PS4.

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The Fated Time Draws Nigh

Now that you are sitting there paying attention with that silly what the hell look on your face; welcome.  Here we are for our weekly Monday blog post, this week I wont be keeping you long as there is much gaming afoot and research to be done in preparation. Preparation for what you may ask? Well that's elementary my dear denizens of the internet, preparation for E3.

Well as years have gone by hardcore gamers and industry aficionado's have come to expect a certain pattern of sorts for each major console company that presents at E3. Before I get into what that is though let me just give brief heads up as to what E3 is for those ladies that are blessed with a gamer boyfriend but slightly lost as to why their man is so excited over it. Electronic Entertainment Expo, commonly known as E3, is an annual trade fair for the computer and video games industry presented by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA). It is used by many video game publishers and accessory manufacturers to show off their upcoming games and game-related merchandise.

Unlike Gamescom, Penny Arcade Expo (PAX), and other video game trade fairs that are open to the public, E3 is an exclusive, industry-only event. Persons who apply to attend are required by the event's governing body (Entertainment Software Association) to verify that they have some professional connection to the electronic entertainment industry.

So as I mentioned before; in recent history E3 has pretty much been a bit repetitive. Maybe its in the spirit of competition, maybe its cause this has been the longest generation of gaming lasting something like 10 years. Whatever the reason here is the run down of all the usual suspects and hopefully what they avoid come this E3.

Nintendo & The WiiU

Every year Nintendo in a push to appeal to a general public and to attract a wider seemingly untapped market share have gone the route of the casual gamer. regurgitating a Super Mario game here or there but totally ignoring the die hard fans and giving them what they want. Namely a new Smash Brothers, Metroid, Zelda or open world Pokemon Stadium 2. Seriously hoping they announce a game or two from those because the WiiU is in desperate need of a bit hit to call back home all the naysayers. Granted Nintendo finally caught up graphically and spec wise somewhat it is already for naught as both Sony and Microsoft are leaping ahead into the next generation of gaming. Nintendo seemingly have the most to lose at this year's E3.

Microsoft & The XBOX One

Microsoft in a bid to follow in but improve on the path of Nintendo has always sought to have mass market appeal. As such from the advent of their Kinect peripheral they ave been trying to garner the attention of the average Jo Schmo. From gimmicky little things such as Just Dance video games to maneuvering the Xbox dashboard with Kinect; Microsoft has sought and fought for a solid way to justify the Kinect. They seem to have now found that in the newly designed Xbox One architecture toting an always on methodology as well as straying from the trivial gimmicky little games that usually have Kinect features tacked on it. Since Microsoft decided to have a pre-unveiling press conference thankfully they wont repeat the typical mistake of dwelling on the media aspect of the console instead of the video game related side of things. With all the negative press surrounding the Xbox One it will be interesting to see how Microsoft appeases the gaming masses and gets them to open up their wallets.

Sony & The PS4

Not much is needed to be said about the so far wonderful people at Sony. They have only made 2 mistakes so far in comparison to Nintendo and Microsoft. Not showing what their new console will look like which we can sorta excuse since not only may it have been a marketing ploy to get Microsoft to show theirs but also since it helps hype up their E3 presentation. As well as not having backwards compatibility for their next generation console. Granted they can still flop big time at a moments notice I am hoping they don't fall into their usual bad pattern of trying to keep up with Microsoft and their motion gaming push. Thankfully it seems they have finally learnt their lesson and are pushing more of their focus into the hardcore gaming aspect of their system and all the things that true gamer's care about. i.e. the online environment, streaming, hardware specs and graphical output.

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With all that said and done it should definitely be interesting to see who make the most of this E3 to sway the fans into the next generation of console gaming. So far its a clear cut case for Sony to come out on top with all the flack Xbox One has been getting on the internet but who knows. Maybe Microsoft can show us a truly spectacular future on the Xbox One for more than just TV. Eagerly counting down the days till next week; I very well may have to call in sick to work for those first two days of E3. Which console team are you currently supporting into the future of next generation gaming? Hell rumors are flying that their might be an announcement of another new console coming to light. We will just have to wait and see....

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The One?

Ladies and gentlemen welcome to the long waited day. It finally happened; Microsoft hit the stage an revealed to the world their submission into the next generation of gaming aptly titled the XBOX One. Now I know I have never been much of an advocate for XBOX related gaming since i'm a PlayStation fan-boy at heart but I figured since I did a post on the PS4 release it is only fair that I do one for this as well in the interest of video game journalism. So with that being said lets take a look at the press conference unveiling for the Xbox One.

You can skip to the 1:27:30 to watch the actual start of the press conference if you don't feel like sitting through the entire color commentary of IGN covering the event. If you haven't watched it and don't want spoilers go back up and finish. ***SPOILERS AHEAD*** don't say I didn't warn you; so without a doubt comparisons have been long awaited to be cast between the PS4 reveal press conference and this and I must say Microsoft did play for play pretty much exactly as I would have expected from them with their current marketing scheme. Minimal actual gaming with a hard focus on the interoperability of the dashboard and Kinect with a hint of sporting appeal for the mass market. One thing I will say though; they definitely got the upper hand on Sony's press conference by actually showing the console in its entirety so now the pressure seems to be on Sony to put all their cards on the table come E3. As far as an overall showing comparison wise between the two press conferences I would say Microsoft had the most to offer as far as showing what their next console actually is and what its main focus will be.

The Xbox One will feature a wide variety of features aimed at capitalizing on its name as the One piece of technology you will need to have a complete at home entertainment setup. It will be your computer to surf the internet, the console to play your games on, your cable provider to deliver you all your favorite shows and sporting events, and so much more. Hopefully you watched the video and have a firm grasp on the capabilities of this new next gen console so I wont have to go into details but here are the top 5 noteworthy points:

1. Vibration motors ("impulse triggers") in the triggers
2. The d-pad on the controller has been redefined to be much better and precise.
3. The Xbox One has a disc loader like the PS3 instead of its traditional disc tray.
4. The Xbox One has both HDMI in and out ports.
5. Xbox One utilizes blue ray technology finally so say bye bye to DVD's.

Here you see the final specs that will be available for retail in the Xbox One

Now lets take a look at the top 5 things that were not shown or not answered in this press conference:

1. Will the console be required to always be online?
2. Will gamertags and gamerscores be transferable?
3. Will the Kinect no longer be pushed as an addition to the potential gaming library or will it just be used for apps?
4. Price of the console and an actual sales date. 
5. Live Video Game Demos!!!

Numbers 1,4, and 5 are the most pertinent and pressing that have the social media world a blaze with rumors and speculation and anger. Many denizens of the online world especially took to Twitter and Tumblr and voiced their concerns as such. I'm not exactly sure if maybe people realized or knew that Microsoft had already planned on having the press conference in two parts. Part one being the unveiling primarily of the console and its hardware and part 2 being most likely about the gaming and software side of the console. So for those hungry to see that side of things you will just have to wait until E3 in 19 days. So for those that are up in arms about what they didn't see or don't like about the presentation just chill and wait for part two at E3 cause you just gotta...

With all that said and done the most important thing to take away from all of this is the final comparison that can now be made between both the latest next generation consoles. Cause we all know that the console wars are never ending so who do you think will come out on top with this upcoming generation of gaming consoles? Leave a comment with where your money will be going and why...

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