Short St. Pattys Day, SF Clip from Mike Skyba on Vimeo.
This is mainly a test to see how things turn out using a new Cloud Computing service i'm using... HOpefully that'll mean more video in the future
Update: Trying to use Vimeo instead of DivShare
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Little Video Test
Over the past year I've been dabbling with the first edition of the Flip Mino HD. Here's a quick sample of what I got. Quality and size reduced for internet streaming. Not bad if you ask me. My biggest compalint though... Zooming. Can't zoom with the Flip unless you want highly pixelated video.
This is mainly a test to see how things turn out using a new Cloud Computing service i'm using... HOpefully that'll mean more video in the future
Update: Trying to use Vimeo instead of DivShare
This is mainly a test to see how things turn out using a new Cloud Computing service i'm using... HOpefully that'll mean more video in the future
Update: Trying to use Vimeo instead of DivShare
Saturday, June 26, 2010
iOS 4 Review
A week after it has been released, I'm finally ready to write a small review of Apple's new iOS4. I own an iPhone 3GS and installed iOS4 the morning it came out and have had plenty of time to play with it. So far, I really like it. My favorite feature has to be the folders you can now create. This cuts down on clutter and makes it so you don't have to have 5 pages of apps. Instead you can consolidate that into about 2 or 3 pages.
Another very useful feature that has stood out is the multitasking. Previously each app had to be opened up independently. Now you can do relatively fast switching between apps. This is most noticeable with native iPhone apps. The switching between these apps is snappy. With other 3rd party apps you may still get their load screens but it's still relatively fast. Some apps have made better use of multi-tasking however like Pandora which you can now listen to in the background while you surf the web, write an email, or check the weather. Multi-tasking is perhaps the most asked for feature iPhone users have been looking for since its initial release and Apple has finally delivered.
Finally, I've become a big fan of Google maps now working with your compass. This is very handy when trying to find your way around a city like San Francisco. You can now actually figure out what direction you really need to head in.
While the changes in iOS4 are a lot more significant than what I have written here, these few changes are probably the most noticeable and useful things in this release.
That's not to say that this new release is perfect. I have had the phone hang on me a few times since installing iOS4 and some programs either crash/freeze or still struggle. It is frustrating to have to do a hard reset on the phone, but I'm going to wait and see what happens. A lot of my problems may have to do with certain applications not quite being ready for iOS4.
For now though, despite a few hiccups I do like iOS4.
Another very useful feature that has stood out is the multitasking. Previously each app had to be opened up independently. Now you can do relatively fast switching between apps. This is most noticeable with native iPhone apps. The switching between these apps is snappy. With other 3rd party apps you may still get their load screens but it's still relatively fast. Some apps have made better use of multi-tasking however like Pandora which you can now listen to in the background while you surf the web, write an email, or check the weather. Multi-tasking is perhaps the most asked for feature iPhone users have been looking for since its initial release and Apple has finally delivered.
Finally, I've become a big fan of Google maps now working with your compass. This is very handy when trying to find your way around a city like San Francisco. You can now actually figure out what direction you really need to head in.
While the changes in iOS4 are a lot more significant than what I have written here, these few changes are probably the most noticeable and useful things in this release.
That's not to say that this new release is perfect. I have had the phone hang on me a few times since installing iOS4 and some programs either crash/freeze or still struggle. It is frustrating to have to do a hard reset on the phone, but I'm going to wait and see what happens. A lot of my problems may have to do with certain applications not quite being ready for iOS4.
For now though, despite a few hiccups I do like iOS4.
Playstation E3 Wrap-Up: Part 2
Playstation definitely brought out all its Big Guns during their E3 Press Conference. Their implementation of 3D and the Playstation Move were definitely big steps for Sony. But one of the things that has always separated the Playstation 3 from the rest is the games. Most notably some of the exclusives. The following is a list of some exclusive titles coming to PS3 with the exception of 1, Portal 2. But there's something about the PS3 release that will make it special. On with the games!
inFamous 2
The first game was absolutely amazing. Huge open world, tons of buildings to climb and places to explore. In addition, Cole McGrath (The protagonist of the game) has tons of great electricity powers that grow stronger as you upgrade them over time. It appears Cole is back for more electrifying action in inFamous 2. Although there wasn't too much shown during the E3 trailer, the game is poised to take the awesomeness of the first game and expand on it greatly. At first glance, the graphics have been well upgraded, new enemies added, and best of all new abilities for Cole. Although it is unclear at this point what these new abilities will entail, I'm guessing that part of it will have to do with that cattle prod looking instrument attached to his backpack. Nevertheless inFamous 2 will be on my list of games to get.
Killzone 3
Media Molecule is back with the 2nd installment of one of the most innovative games to date. "Little Big Planet" was a fun little platformer that made it clear that creativity is key. And by creativity, I mean giving the player the power to create new levels. The first "Little Big Planet" proved that giving powerful level building tools to the end user can yield some tremendous results. We're talking over 2 million user created levels and growing. "Little Big Planet 2" looks to expand the abilities of the user and we can only imagine how many more levels will appear. However instead of being straight forward levels, "Little Big Planet 2" will allow users to create tons of different mini-games. Now your average user with a little creativity can become a game creator. So far the E3 demo showed off some of the ideas people have come up with and it's safe to say that there's no shortage of what you can do. From tank battle games to simple knock-out-of-the-ring games, "Little Big Planet 2" will be satisfying gamers for years to come after it is released. The sky really is the limit this time to what people can create, and from what I have seen from the first installment of "Little Big Planet", the future is bright.
Gran Turismo 5
The long awaited "Gran Turismo 5" will finally be coming out in November, 2010. It has been 6 years since Gran Turismo 4, but it will all be worth it. For those not familiar to the series, "Gran Turismo" is literally the ultimate driving simulator. It is a car racing game that combines photo-realistic graphics, real engine sounds, realistic driving physics, real life tracks from around the world, and fine tuning of your cars to produce the most immersive driving game ever. Half the time it is hard to tell that you are even playing a video game! Heck, this installment of "Gran Turismo" introduces for the first time in the series, Nascar. This is quite a departure from the previous games which featured mainly production cars with some Formula 1 style cars into the mix. Case and point, this game will be a must for any car enthusiast or anyone that wants to experience a very realistic driving game.
Portal 2
I finish off my Playstation E3 Wrap-Up with one of the most exciting game announcements of the show. That game is "Portal 2". While it may not be an exclusive to the PS3, it will have a feature exclusive to the PS3; Valve Software's "Steam" integration which will allow for constant and current updates downloaded whenever they are available. This includes the incorporation of new maps.
For those that have not played the first game, Portal is an imaginative puzzle game. The basic story is you are a test subject at Aperture Science going through tests that are monitored by glaDOS, a very sadistic computer with an interesting artificial intelligence. Did I mention that it promises you cake when you are done? The game is a first person "shooter" but you don't shoot bullets or anything lethal. Instead, you shoot portals. These portals allow you to get from point A to point B with little travel. They also allow you to use momentum and physics to catapult you across a room. The best way to really understand this is to check out a simple video from the first "Portal".
The 2nd portal takes place many years after the first one. Once again glaDOS is your main nemesis. However things are a little different. A few new game elements have been added such as repulsion and speed gels. One makes you bounce, and one gives you a burst of speed respectively. Additionally the introduction of multiplayer makes its debut in a co-op mode. For this you don't play as the main protagonist, Chell. You instead play as 2 robots. The developer said this made better sense to do with robots since there will be a lot of dying and re-spawning involved and you can do that better with robots.
For any person that played the first "Portal", this game is a long time coming with great anticipation. Especially since the first game is relatively short. This is for sure on my list of MUST GET games.
Final Thoughts:
Sony Playstation once again displayed at E3 why they are one of the best game companies out there. From their technology in their console, to the fantastic games on the horizon, Sony may soon regain title of KING in the video game world. If they keep up what they are doing, IMO they certainly will.
inFamous 2
The first game was absolutely amazing. Huge open world, tons of buildings to climb and places to explore. In addition, Cole McGrath (The protagonist of the game) has tons of great electricity powers that grow stronger as you upgrade them over time. It appears Cole is back for more electrifying action in inFamous 2. Although there wasn't too much shown during the E3 trailer, the game is poised to take the awesomeness of the first game and expand on it greatly. At first glance, the graphics have been well upgraded, new enemies added, and best of all new abilities for Cole. Although it is unclear at this point what these new abilities will entail, I'm guessing that part of it will have to do with that cattle prod looking instrument attached to his backpack. Nevertheless inFamous 2 will be on my list of games to get.
Killzone 3
While I personally have yet to play any of the Killzone series, this game may actually get me to pick it up and play it. From the outset, the game looks phenomenal! Some of the best graphics for a game of its kind to date. It goes beyond the traditional first person shooter by adding some serious tactical fighting to the game. Oh yah, did I forget to mention JET PACKS! When you watch the E3 demo, one of the prominent features demonstrated was the new jet packs that will be available to you at certain points in the game. Of course, one of the crowning features of Killzone 3 is 3D. While I may not have been able to view the demo in 3D, I can only imagine how amazing it looked. I did speak with a friend that was able to attend the Playstation press conference. When asked about how Killzone 3 looked like in 3D he simply said "Amazing!". Yet one more game to keep an eye out as the release date gets closer.
Little Big Planet 2
Media Molecule is back with the 2nd installment of one of the most innovative games to date. "Little Big Planet" was a fun little platformer that made it clear that creativity is key. And by creativity, I mean giving the player the power to create new levels. The first "Little Big Planet" proved that giving powerful level building tools to the end user can yield some tremendous results. We're talking over 2 million user created levels and growing. "Little Big Planet 2" looks to expand the abilities of the user and we can only imagine how many more levels will appear. However instead of being straight forward levels, "Little Big Planet 2" will allow users to create tons of different mini-games. Now your average user with a little creativity can become a game creator. So far the E3 demo showed off some of the ideas people have come up with and it's safe to say that there's no shortage of what you can do. From tank battle games to simple knock-out-of-the-ring games, "Little Big Planet 2" will be satisfying gamers for years to come after it is released. The sky really is the limit this time to what people can create, and from what I have seen from the first installment of "Little Big Planet", the future is bright.
Gran Turismo 5
The long awaited "Gran Turismo 5" will finally be coming out in November, 2010. It has been 6 years since Gran Turismo 4, but it will all be worth it. For those not familiar to the series, "Gran Turismo" is literally the ultimate driving simulator. It is a car racing game that combines photo-realistic graphics, real engine sounds, realistic driving physics, real life tracks from around the world, and fine tuning of your cars to produce the most immersive driving game ever. Half the time it is hard to tell that you are even playing a video game! Heck, this installment of "Gran Turismo" introduces for the first time in the series, Nascar. This is quite a departure from the previous games which featured mainly production cars with some Formula 1 style cars into the mix. Case and point, this game will be a must for any car enthusiast or anyone that wants to experience a very realistic driving game.
Portal 2
For those that have not played the first game, Portal is an imaginative puzzle game. The basic story is you are a test subject at Aperture Science going through tests that are monitored by glaDOS, a very sadistic computer with an interesting artificial intelligence. Did I mention that it promises you cake when you are done? The game is a first person "shooter" but you don't shoot bullets or anything lethal. Instead, you shoot portals. These portals allow you to get from point A to point B with little travel. They also allow you to use momentum and physics to catapult you across a room. The best way to really understand this is to check out a simple video from the first "Portal".
The 2nd portal takes place many years after the first one. Once again glaDOS is your main nemesis. However things are a little different. A few new game elements have been added such as repulsion and speed gels. One makes you bounce, and one gives you a burst of speed respectively. Additionally the introduction of multiplayer makes its debut in a co-op mode. For this you don't play as the main protagonist, Chell. You instead play as 2 robots. The developer said this made better sense to do with robots since there will be a lot of dying and re-spawning involved and you can do that better with robots.
For any person that played the first "Portal", this game is a long time coming with great anticipation. Especially since the first game is relatively short. This is for sure on my list of MUST GET games.
Final Thoughts:
Sony Playstation once again displayed at E3 why they are one of the best game companies out there. From their technology in their console, to the fantastic games on the horizon, Sony may soon regain title of KING in the video game world. If they keep up what they are doing, IMO they certainly will.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
E3 2010 Wrap-Up: Sony (Part 1)
Segment 2 of my E3 Wrap-Up will deal with perhaps the most impressive of all press conferences I was privileged to watch. In fact it's safe to say that they had the most things to be excited about overall. Sony's press conference was so robust with greatness that I'm going to have to separate my wrap-up into 2 articles, so stay tuned.
Sony Move
Sorcery was just remarkable to watch the interaction between the Move and the game. This definitely is no Harry Potter (In terms of familiarity), but it comes into its own allowing you to do multiple types of magic and even combining different elements to make your magic more potent. While the demo was short it did showcase a lot of impressive things that I look to see polished before the final game is released.
Sony Move
Nintendo was the first company to put Motion controls to use. But, Sony is looking to push the technology a bit further with the Playstation Move. Combined with the Playstation's Eye, the Move is looking to set a new standard in motion control by giving 1 to 1 motion tracking. The controller will also be in 2 parts (Similar to Nintendo's Wiimote and Nunchuck design). But in the case of sony, the 2 parts will be wireless. Looking at the controller you see a ball on top of the controller. In the picture above the ball is blue, but the ball will change colors depending on certain variables and certain games. It's actually quite neat to watch. The demonstrations with the move were quite impressive. The tracking was very precise and responsive. One of the games that seemed most interesting to come out for the Move is "Sorcery"
Sorcery was just remarkable to watch the interaction between the Move and the game. This definitely is no Harry Potter (In terms of familiarity), but it comes into its own allowing you to do multiple types of magic and even combining different elements to make your magic more potent. While the demo was short it did showcase a lot of impressive things that I look to see polished before the final game is released.
Many titles are going to get Move integration as time goes on. Some will get them at launch and some will get them as an add-on. For example Tiger Woods '11 Golf and upcoming shooter "Killzone 3" will get full Move integration at launch whereas a game like "Heavy Rain" will get it added in a downloadable update.
During the press conference Tiger Woods Golf was demonstrated using the Move. Again, very accurate and very impressive to watch it being played. I've tried my hands at Tiger Woods Golf for the Wii, but it was very clunky and, IMO, not very playable. I preferred the standard analog controller of the PS3. Now, I would definitely like to give the game another try with a motion controller, this time with the Move.
3D Gaming and Entertainment
I'll end this first segment with one of the biggest themes of E3 2010, 3D gaming. Sony, as was expected, also touched upon 3D gaming. Currently all 35 Million Playstation 3 consoles, with a software update, are 3D ready. That's right, nothing extra to buy (Aside from a 3D TV). This is huge! That means my original launch version 60gb model will be able to play games in 3D if i had the right TV for it. Very smart Sony! In addition to the consoles already being 3D ready, some current games will get a bit of a 3D upgrade like "Stardust HD" and "Pain". More is on the way. One of which i'm truly excited for and that's Gran Turismo 5! Not only does it look remarkable in standard Hi-Def. I can only begin to imagine what that will look like in 3D!
From a technical standpoint, Sony has once again pushed the envelope. From all their consoles being 3D ready, to the Playstation Move's precision and implementation, Sony has got what it takes to lead Gaming for years to come.
Next Time: E3 Wrap-Up Part 2: The Games!
From a technical standpoint, Sony has once again pushed the envelope. From all their consoles being 3D ready, to the Playstation Move's precision and implementation, Sony has got what it takes to lead Gaming for years to come.
Next Time: E3 Wrap-Up Part 2: The Games!
My E3 2010 Wrap-Up: Nintendo
E3 2010 (The Electronic Entertainment Expo) the biggest video game conference of the year has come and gone and now what is left is to wait for the announcements made to come to fruition. I'd like to share some of my thoughts about the things I have had the opportunity to witness via the Web and other readings. In the next few articles I will break down my favorite highlights by company.
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Nintendo
Nintendo's press conference never seems to be a let down. This year was no exception. Nintendo came out and once again proved why they can maintain such strong loyalty and enthusiasm over the years.The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Nintendo has once again nailed it with "The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword" for the Wii. The first Zelda game to come out on the Wii, "Twilight Princess" was an excellent game. Lots of things to find, great story, and of course great gameplay. By the looks of it "Skyward Sword" looks to take what they started in "Twilight Princess" and improve on it dramatically. The game now uses the Wii's Motion-Plus controller and therefore allows for a lot more accurate sword play and adding that extra bit of realism to the game. It also allows the user to not have to constantly be pointing the Wii Remote at the TV. The demo they had was experiencing a few technical difficulties due to some wireless interference, but overall it looked remarkable. In my list of "Wanted" games, this is definitely on that list and i look forward to reading more about it.
Metroid: Other M
Any fan of the Metroid series is going to jump all over this title. The previous Metroid game to this, "Prime 3: Corruption" was a primarily first person shooter with very little third person play. This game changes things up. It's more 3rd person shooter with some first person incorporated into the game play. Despite that, the game looks amazing. Fast paced, a little bit of an old-school feel, and like its predecessors, a lot of things to find, and unlock. This is going to be a game that not only has a fantastic story, but will reward people willing to explore. "Metroid: Other M" is poised to be another fantastic franchise title from Nintendo.
Nintendo 3DS
Nintendo may have not announced a new home console this year, but they did astound the video gaming world with the announcement and demonstration of the Nintendo 3DS. This is the first Handheld 3D gaming system to appear. The best part, NO GLASSES! That's right all 3D will happen on the top screen with a small slider that will allow for adjustment of 3D intensity. This is a major leap forward for portable gaming as it opens up a plethora of new possibilities for handheld entertainment. Nintendo has beefed up this version of their Dual Screen (DS) gaming system. Aside from 3D, it will have a better processor, and a new analog stick just above the standard control pad for new gaming experiences. Additionally Nintendo announced that Hollywood movies will begin to appear on the 3DS. And as you may have guessed, they too will be 3D. The glasses-free implementation will mean much easier travel and portability for movies. This could be a major game changer for Nintendo and their share of the Portable Gaming market if none of the other gaming companies can follow suit. Perhaps Sony has something up their sleeve? Only time will tell. But for now, the 3DS is king in the world of portable 3D Gaming and Entertainment.
Final Thoughts
While Nintendo may have announced more things than talked about here. These are the things that I was most excited about and think have the greatest potential to help Nintendo maintain a strong part of the video game market. They innovated when the Wii came out, and are again pushing the envelope with the 3DS. Their strong Franchise games like Metroid and Zelda will always do well and have constantly been terrific games. Whoever thought that Nintendo was dying needs to re-think their position. Nintendo has made it clear that they are here to stay for a long time to come.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Stay Tuned
Welcome,
In coming days and weeks, I will be adding some personal musings about the world of Media and Video Games. When I say media it really is broad. I will be talking about Movies, TV, Technology, Production etc... And of course, I will be writing about my musings about various Video Game related things such as upcoming games or technologies in the video game world.
As a Masters student at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, Ca I have begun to really examine media from many different levels. As far as video games, i have been playing those and keeping up with video game news for as long as I can remember. Right now is an exciting time for the video game industry and I look forward to finding new things to talk about.
So hang tight, and new things will be popping up shortly.
In coming days and weeks, I will be adding some personal musings about the world of Media and Video Games. When I say media it really is broad. I will be talking about Movies, TV, Technology, Production etc... And of course, I will be writing about my musings about various Video Game related things such as upcoming games or technologies in the video game world.
As a Masters student at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, Ca I have begun to really examine media from many different levels. As far as video games, i have been playing those and keeping up with video game news for as long as I can remember. Right now is an exciting time for the video game industry and I look forward to finding new things to talk about.
So hang tight, and new things will be popping up shortly.
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