XBone Vs PS4 Vs PC - VIDEOGAME POLITICS THUNDERDOME - PS4:900p-XBone:720p-PC::smug:

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by chemgear

Man, I hope Sony stays in the handheld market though. The Vita sales aren't great but that system is so great!

(Holding out hope here!)

IMO the best hardware launched in this generation (PS4, XBOX 1, Wii U, 3DS, Vita).

Damn shame that there are no developers that are supporting it from a software perspective. Even Sony hasn't really announced much in terms of new software, they are banking on the PS4 Remote Play (which is awesome by the way).

[Anduril]

I am honestly considering getting a Vita for the sole reason of remote play.

[Russic]

It would appear the EB in Market Mall only received one PS4 unit, which turned out to be my preorder. Hopefully it's a sign that they're going to be trickling in now.

Initial impressions are quite strong. One fringe-feature that I've been begging for since the release of the xbox 360 is the ability to play music as background to the games. It was my favourite 360 feature and I was a little heartbroken the PS3 couldn't do it. They opened the functionality to developers to use custom music as a soundtrack, but that's quite different and it was rarely implemented. It's unfortunate that I'll have to buy yet another music subscription service ($5/month, comparable to Playstation+), but I've been waiting so long for the ability to do this that it's not a big deal.

I'm a little sad my gaming headset doesn't work with it yet... I've come to adore that thing. Hopefully a firmware update will fix that shortly.

The ability to use your real name as an identifier is nice too. Can't put my finger on it, but I like seeing my friends names instead of their handles.

[CubicleGeek]

Originally Posted by chemgear

Man, I hope Sony stays in the handheld market though. The Vita sales aren't great but that system is so great!

(Holding out hope here!)

Can't agree more, they really nailed it with the device. It has been a frustrating couple of years having such a great device and very few great titles. Persona 4 was awesome though.

I really hope they make PS4 games that let you use the Vita as a controller and utilize the screen as the 2nd screen for the game. And more cross play support. Was awesome to be able to play Rainbow Moon at home on the big screen and then take it on the trip to continue the game on the plane. They need more of that.

[chemgear]

I think the "Vita doesn't have any games" is an outdated refrain now. My backlog on it is getting pretty big and here are 30 more coming in 2014 alone. Looking good!

[OutOfTheCube]

Vita doesn't have any great Western games is more accurate.

If you're into RPG's and weird Japanese games (I am) it's becoming an excellent platform.

[Max Cow Disease]

EB called me as well to let me know that my PS4 pre-order had finally come in. However, I'd been thinking pretty hard about it and decided to pass on it for now (and thereby allow some underprivileged child a chance at it, instead). I've been busy enough with the One and just don't see any justification in picking up both systems just yet.

As of now, I'm more interested, game-wise, in what the Xbox has to offer over the course of the next year, so I'll be interested to see if the PS4's exclusives are strong enough to lure me in.

[chemgear]

That Microsoft & Machinima (probably illegal) Xbone bribery scandal leak is really starting to spread. It's being reported now on Forbes, IGN, the Verge, Gamespot, Guardian, Metro, CNET, Wired, etc.

People are going to be tossing the "XB1M13" shill tag around now.

What the hell is with Microsoft and their crazy PR department in the last year?!

[chemgear]

Originally Posted by Max Cow Disease

EB called me as well to let me know that my PS4 pre-order had finally come in. However, I'd been thinking pretty hard about it and decided to pass on it for now (and thereby allow some underprivileged child a chance at it, instead).

With demand still so high, you could have sold it for a premium. Donated the extra cash to the underprivileged child AND gotten half back as a tax credit.

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by chemgear

That Microsoft & Machinima (probably illegal) Xbone bribery scandal leak is really starting to spread. It's being reported now on Forbes, IGN, the Verge, Gamespot, Guardian, Metro, CNET, Wired, etc.

People are going to be tossing the "XB1M13" shill tag around now.

What the hell is with Microsoft and their crazy PR department in the last year?!

Don't pretty much all hardware companies do this?

[CubicleGeek]

Originally Posted by Street Pharmacist

Don't pretty much all hardware companies do this?

That is my understanding too. Last year there was a lot of buzz around publishers essentially paying for good reviews.

It's more a matter of who gets caught and who doesn't.

[chemgear]

Originally Posted by Street Pharmacist

Don't pretty much all hardware companies do this?

Paid ads? Sure - and the obvious disclosure that it requires. You'll often see people and video game review sites point out that they were given a free review copy or such.

But the Xbone agreement specifically has a non-disclosure agreement preventing people from pointing out that they are being paid cash for their positive reviews/response to the Xbone.

Pretty good breakdown here:

http://www.cinemablend.com/games/Mic...nes-61735.html

Ironically, the FTC already has pretty good examples of what is offside/illegal.



Let me blockquote the most important part...

“Accordingly, the blogger should clearly and conspicuously disclose that he received the gaming system free of charge. The manufacturer should advise him at the time it provides the gaming system that this connection should be disclosed, and it should have procedures in place to try to monitor his postings for compliance.”

In this case, Machinima is expressly binding YouTube affiliates and partnered content creators from divulging the fact that they are being paid to promote the Xbox One in exchange for monetary gain. It's a contract designed to force YouTubers around an unlawful act of advertisement.

[chemgear]

Also (likely?) illegal in the UK according the Guardian:

http://www.theguardian.com/technolog...keting-outrage


Regardless though, how silly is this? For the pittance of money (or cost of a fine), why open up yourself to something like this and the negative media attention this will bring?

Going forward (at least in the short term), good outlooks and review on the Xbone are going to be viewed in a poorer light or tainted with this "XB1M13" shill BS.

Can Microsoft just fire everybody in their PR department and start over?

[Russic]

Events like this almost reinforce my belief that scams of this nature happen less likely than many believe. There's long been theories that this behaviour is incredibly wide-spread and that no game review site can be trusted. My feelings on that have always been that such a system would be very difficult to keep quiet, and events like this seem to show that. I'm sure it occurs, but my guess is it generally happens on a much smaller scale than what we're seeing here.

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by Anduril

I am honestly considering getting a Vita for the sole reason of remote play.

http://forums.redflagdeals.com/psvit...rance-1439484/

For those thinking of a Vita looks like some Costcos have the Walking Dead bundle on for $149

[Russic]

Originally Posted by Anduril

I am honestly considering getting a Vita for the sole reason of remote play.

I'm much more interesting now that I'm getting around to listening to the post-christmas podcasts from gaming channels. Guys on both Podcast Beyond and The Indoor Kids have reported great experiences remote playing from across the country. Very cool.

[OutOfTheCube]

Originally Posted by Russic

I'm much more interesting now that I'm getting around to listening to the post-christmas podcasts from gaming channels. Guys on both Podcast Beyond and The Indoor Kids have reported great experiences remote playing from across the country. Very cool.

On the other hand, I haven't been able to get it to work. If I'm in my house on the same network it will work fine. But I tried at my parent's house (also in Calgary, strong connection) and it couldn't find the PS4. Everything was set up properly so I'm not sure what the problem was but it was kind of disappointing. Also tried from my work Wi-Fi while on lunch and the same result.

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by OutOfTheCube

On the other hand, I haven't been able to get it to work. If I'm in my house on the same network it will work fine. But I tried at my parent's house (also in Calgary, strong connection) and it couldn't find the PS4. Everything was set up properly so I'm not sure what the problem was but it was kind of disappointing. Also tried from my work Wi-Fi while on lunch and the same result.

I had the same issue but some digging showed the upload speeds were not strong enough when I did the network test (1MB upload) to get the system to work properly. Tried it on a line that had stronger upload speeds 5MB and was able to get it working from outside my buddies house.

From what I have read online 5MB upload in the area where the PS4 is connected is needed to have a good, working experience. Having the PS4 hardwired also seems to be key to getting it to work when out of the home. 10MB upload is what I have seen as the preferred upload speed for the optimal low latency experience from what I have seen on various media sources online.

Upload speeds are the limited factor in Canada for sure since the providers completely bottleneck our upload speeds. TELUS 25 is only 5 upload, TELUS 50 is 10 upload. Shaw is even worse Shaw High Speed 25 is only 2.5 upload, Broadband 50 is only 3.0 upload, and Broadband 100 is only 5 upload.

[chemgear]

Some additional items about the router could be the issue:

http://manuals.playstation.net/docum...ainternet.html

[Anduril]

Upon doing some research on the Vita, this would also be an interesting purchase when Playstation Now launches. Only time to wait to see if it comes over this side of the Pacific.

Playstation Vita TV