Alright, if you’re a consumer and you’re considering picking up the new Xbox One console, then please, take a moment to listen to me. Before we begin, no, I am not a fanboy or a hater. I have no console Bias. I have a PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, and a Gaming PC. Each has their pros and cons but now onto business.
DO NOT BUY AN XBOX ONE. Why? See the reasons below:
Xbox Requires an internet connection. Here’s how it works: Every 24 hours your Xbox will try to connect to Microsoft’s servers for verification. If it is unable to connect, sucks to be you. You’re blocked from playing even single player games until it can connect.
Source: http://kotaku.com/xbox-one-does-require-internet-connection-cant-play-o-509164109
Do you like renting games, lending them to a friend, or even borrowing them from a friend? No longer possible. Every Xbox One game you get must be registered to your Xbox live account to be played. After that point it will only work for you. No one else can use it unless they pay a fee. Essentially it works like this. You pick up a used Xbox One game from somewhere or someone, pop it into your console. The system verifies it’s been registered to your account. Uh-oh, it isn’t! In order to play it, you have to pay Microsoft a fee, which is currently slated to be full retail price. Doesn’t matter how scratched up it is or how cheap you got it at gamestop or from a friend. You aren’t just buying the physical copies anymore. You’re paying Microsoft for a LICENSE to be allowed to play that game.
It is worth mentioning Microsoft is exploring ways for you to trade in and resell your used games. This is rumored to mean that you can sell your digital license to play the game (registration) back to microsoft, likely for microsoft points. You can then trade in the game at gamespot for some cash if you like. Either way, as it currently stands, the new owner would still have to pay a fee on top of the price of actually buying the physical copy.
Source: http://www.technobuffalo.com/2013/05/21/xbox-one-fee-for-buying-used-games-full-retail-price/
Is it worth mentioning that Microsoft if shafting Indie Developers as well? Where as on Playstation Network or (whatever the Wii has) Indie Developers can self publish their content easily. Playstation even encourages this. Microsoft however forces these Indie Devs to enter publishing deals with them to be allowed to market their content. You don’t go through them, you don’t get to sell what you developed.
Source: http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/05/22/indie-devs-cant-self-publish-on-xbox-one
I’m not quite done yet! Now, I’m sure you heard a lot about “TV TV TV TV SPORTS TV TV SPORTS SPORTS TV.” Yes, the Xbox is slated to be able to stream live tv, live sports, etc. So let me ask you this. You obviously already have something like cable or DirecTV. Do you really want to shell out hundreds of dollars more and pay a monthly subscription fee to have another television provider? Yes, I said hundreds of dollars, and I don’t mean the cost of the console. To view live TV from the Xbox you are required to purchase ANOTHER separate device for it to work. Why would you even consider shelling out more money for something you already have anyway? Even if you didn’t, DirecTV is cheaper. Or you could even subscribe you Hulu.com and watch live tv on your computer. FOR MUCH CHEAPER. You essentially have to buy another cable box if you don’t have one. And if you do… what do you need the Xbox One for?
Source: http://www.vg247.com/2013/05/21/xbox-one-live-tv-available-in-us-only-at-launch-requires-separate-device/
So far we’ve discovered that the Xbox One is not really a gaming console, at least… not a consumer friendly gaming console. It’s being marketed as an all-in-one home entertainment system. Something to replace all of the other devices in your house. But there are drawbacks even to that. Put on your tin foil hats for this part folks. Take from it what you will, all I’ll say is… possibilities…
The Xbox One’s features will not function unless the Kinect is plugged in and active. This is not an optional piece anymore.
Source: http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/05/21/xbox-one-will-not-function-without-kinect-attached
So imagine your Kinect piece breaks? Tough luck, no more Xbox for you. But you know what’s worse?
Pay attention, because this is important. The Kinect is always watching. Always listening. Even when the system is off.
Yes. One of the ways to turn the system on is to audibly say: “Xbox On” while the system is off. The Kinect, which is always on, hears you and turns it on. Now this might seem like a cool feature, but did you know Microsoft patented a feature that would allow the Kinect’s camera (It’s no longer just a sensor, but a camera) to spy on you for the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America?) While they may not actually do this, it is actually possible for them to do this now. It has a camera, and a microphone. The Kinect is always on. It is ALWAYS listening, ALWAYS watching.
An idea has been tossed around that by using this feature, it will allows game developers and movie produces to set a limited amount of how many people can be allowed to view the entertainment. So as a hypothetical example, you and three friends are watching a movie, which is the maximum allowed. A fourth friend enters the room and the Kinect’s sensor registers the fourth individual. The movie stops and you a prompted to pay a fee so that the extra individual may also view the film. Again, that is NOT currently the case, but these are the ideas currently being tossed around with the system’s current capabilities.
Source for listening: http://www.theverge.com/2013/5/21/4352596/the-xbox-one-is-always-listening
Source of spying: http://www.extremetech.com/gaming/139706-microsofts-new-kinect-patent-goes-big-brother-will-spy-on-you-for-the-mpaa
Now, just two more things and I’ll be done here!
This isn’t really a good or bad thing, but it’s annoying. It also explains how they can prevent you from playing a used game if you didn’t pay their fee. Xbox one no longer plays games off the discs, you HAVE to install them to the hard-drive in order to play them. I believe PS3 also has you do this (on a number of games but not always it seems), except that PS3 isn’t trying to Nickle and Dime you at every corner. It also seems according to this article there is something related to the Online portion at the beginning of this post. The option is there for Developers to require the Xbox to always be online to play their particular game. Well, it seems PC gamers and console gamers have one thing in common now… DRM.
(At least pirates on PC can bypass DRM easily. Not an option for Consoles.)
Source: http://www.theverge.com/2013/5/21/4352314/xbox-one-hard-drive-game-installs
And last but not least, another annoyance… Xbox One will not be compatible with any and all current headsets. Nope, companies will either have to make new headsets altogether specifically for the Xbox One, and they have to adhere to what Microsoft wants. Look forward to price gouging.
Source: http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/05/22/xbox-one-incompatible-with-current-gaming-headsets
Oh, one more thing… If you have an Xbox 360, don’t get rid of it. Why? Well if you want to keep playing your old 360 games you’ll need it. The Xbox One isn’t backwards compatible. At all. Not only that, but President of Microsoft’s Xbox Division Don Mattrick insults the very notion of backwards compatibility! He calls it: “Backwards thinking.”
Source: http://www.theverge.com/2013/5/21/4350662/new-xbox-has-no-backwards-compatibilty
Source of insult: http://www.polygon.com/2013/5/22/4355984/xbox-one-backward-compatibility-backwards-thinking-don-mattrick
That is all I have to say currently folks, and I hope you took the time to read this far. I’ll conclude with the following… please… PLEASE do not buy this console. Paying for this supports greedy and anti-consumer business practices. Speak with your wallet, and pass up the Xbox One. No matter what games it might have that you want, even if they are exclusive. Do the right thing and make a statement. Refuse to be nickle and dimed like this. Refuse to be seen as a mindless consumer who will buy anything tossed to them.
We won’t know much else until after E3, but as it stands now, the PS4 or a decent gaming PC is the best way to go.
If you are willing to do so, please spread this post around. Liking is not even remotely necessary, but do please share it if you agree with and acknowledge what you’ve read here. The more people know, the fewer of them waste their money.
Thank you, kindly.
~Dylan Jordan
(Originally posted on Facebook by one of my friends. He brings up many valid points. Mind you, I haven’t been a fan of Xbox in a long time and I will most likely get a PS4. But this confirms further for me that I won’t be getting an Xbox one any time in the foreseeable future.)
TL;DR —The XBOX One is going to be a piece of shit and you really shouldn’t even remotely think about getting one.
(via jollygreennipples)
I’M LAUGHING SO HARD I WAS LISTENING TO THE MOONBASE ALPHA THING AND I SAW THIS GIF AND?????????? OH MY G OD
(via silph-co)
Anonymous asked: Wait wait, what's the probs with Into Darkness?
As much as I love Jar Jar Abrams writting style, I felt that the title and teasers where a bit misguided. Seeing how this was a really pretty remake of ST Movie II with new Star Trek thrown in… But the ending was really rushed, not to mention that the real threat and the feeling of it was rather erased and eliminated too quickly.
Im not a trekkie, but I noticed that there was a little too many nods to fans of old and those little details that escaped me made feel a little lost.
Anonymous asked: Don't forget Planes! Planes is coming out too! John Lasseter emerging from the hollowed out Pixar studio he ate from within, to wear his Disney animation studio skin to sell his horrible film ideas.
Planes is only foreseen by Lasseter as a creative director. Its being made by Disney Toon using certain Pixar assets, not really working on Pixar tech, but more like leaning from/on him. Blame Disney Merch, not Pixar.
Also, wanna hear horrible ideas? Theres plenty around made by greedy means, not really bad decisions just higher ups seeing profits instead of a refresh in the industry.
EPIC, Blue Sky Studios - 20th Century Fox [2013]
The story of how a forest, in a day of grandeur and celebration becomes a desperate fight between the forces of evil, good and the curious bystanders for the destiny of the Forest they all live in.
Character DESIGNS were based on the book by Williams Joyce [The Leaf Men and the brave Good Bugs] who also helped to pen this movie. Now, you might recognize the name since he is also the writer of THE GUARDIANS OF CHILDHOOD book series… You can see the whole different essence that TWO studios can make when adapting material from the same source.
Epic is a movie that tries to set the stage for scale and battles of great numbers against great forces, but in the end it falls flat and tired. The pacing of the movie is a mix between steadfast action scenes set against a more slow backdrop. The story also feels like a broken roller coaster.
We open the scene with your typical forces of Evil vs Good battling in the forest. They kill each other’s loved ones: The Leaf bros lose their queen in the day she chooses a heir and the Evil Leaf Man loses his Son who’s killed by the royal guard [which made the villain even more imposing, since his revenge was now justified and AWESOME]. But then we have the HUMAN character having to intervene and then a slug falls in love with her and so does the other Leaf Mang dude thats not the general and its ham-fisted romance all over with forced humor.
Lets spoil the basic plot:
Girl arrives at dad’s place, Dad is a nutjob about Pikmin, Meanwhile Bad guys try to steal magical seed thats what keeps the forest being reborn, but they manage to kill the bad guy’s son and injure fatally the Leaf Tea Queen. Girl abandons his dad to live on her own. Queen dies, Magic seed takes Girl as new caretaker and must take seed to tree of knowledge. WACKY SLUGS join Flynn Rider and his Dad. Evil dude attacks everywhere. WACKY ANTICS at the tree of knowledge because plot. Bad guy attains magic seed. Good guy go to Prof. E. Gadd’s lab to get Goblin armor WACKY PUG ANTICS. Dad realizes his daughter is now a Pikmin and passes out. ACTION SCENE rescuing the seed, followed by main confrontation against evil. Dad arrives to save the day. New Heir is a Joke from earlier the film. She returns to human world but not before she has a final kiss to Flynn Rider. End with scene of Bonding with his dad over the Pigmen.
The Villain and its army are incredibly diverse and they steal the movie by being an incredible character design in them. Specially at the fact that these Goblin men wear the carcasses of dead animals as trophies/camouflage.
The main character is condemned to try to see which world she fits in, trying to rebond with his dad who’s obsessed with the Leaf People and also recently her mother died. But how fast can she even cope and change if they must advance the plot in space of half a day.
What angers me is the inconsistencies through the movies. They dont figure the girl is from the other world and never do until a scene where they mock their dad. Also, apparently they speak really fast to us while we are like bulking molasses that talk, and in the end they stay in contact via Webcam. Sure, they can slow/speed up voices to help communication, but the stream in the camera shows they moving at normal speed… Hows this possible?
I am perhaps more amused at the fact that theres not a lot about this movie to be spoken in a positive light. The scenery and camera shots are marvelously made, theres some animation feats that really set a bigger scope, but in the end This movie ends like a lukewarm mix of the Plot of Ferngully with the gimmicks of Ant bully [minus the communism] and trying to be bigger than a molehill.
i also had to withstand the trailers for CARS 3 [Turbo] and RIO 2.
What a horrible year for animated features.
No, seriously. I am more angry at Epic than ST:into Darkness because of PLOT and STORY ADVANCES.
ST:ID was more of RUSH ENDING and WHAT VILLAIN syndrome.
Epic was BAD all around.
SHOULD I RANT AND SPOIL THE MOVIE?
I cannot believe how angry I am that both ST:Into Darkness and Epic where such pieces of crap that I paid to see.
Holy shit am I angry with Epic.
I think I know what part of Mario & Luigi: Dream Team people are looking forward to the most.
(via magnezone)
ART NOTES.
Hey guys, I’m wondering what
-you’d like to see me focus on in my art
-what you like so far
-what you’d like to see improve
-anything that irks you about my art.
-stuff you want to see me draw.
Feel free to go anon, I won’t be publishing or responding these but I’ll appreciate the input. Thank you!
(via poinko)
“Nobody can guarantee that it’s going to be okay, but — and I don’t know if this will be comforting to anyone else — the possibility exists that there’s a piece of corn on a floor somewhere that will make you just as confused about why you are laughing as you have ever been about why you are depressed.”
