Happy 2014!!

Happy New Year!

What's coming in this blog (and some personal goals) in the very near 2014:

• My review of the Playstation 4.   There's a lot of good to be said but there is also some points that Sony has missed wildly with the PS4's user interface.  
• I keep wanting to make a longer hot wheels stop-motion with an actual goal inside the video.  
• More compelling published Youtube videos.  I want to reach 100 subscribers by the end of 2014. I suppose the only way to get to this is the create compelling videos somewhat consistently.  
• Tweet more! I do like Twitter, but rarely tweet. It just requires letting go more.  
• More Battlefield 4 and some PS4 share clips of excitement in this blog. Look for it!

Battlefield 4 on PS4

Excitement!

A Week Away!

    I played with the PS4 at Best Buy recently.  My thoughts on the new Dualshock 4 are that it feels comfortable to hold while maintaining the same overall Playstation controller feeling.  The L2 and R2 triggers are the biggest difference here and felt nearly foreign compared to PS3.  Swiping through menus with the center touchpad will be fun and second nature to most everyone.  Pressing the share button next week will be fun to record that epic BF4 moment.
    I played Knack which plays okay and certain details really look impressive graphically.  I don't see this game as truly next gen, at least not in this demo anyway.  There are some areas with multiple enemies on screen and there is significant frame stuttering.  I also played Pinball Arcade which is also on the PS3 and PS Vita already.  This game impressed me, it looks exceptionally sharp.  The lighting and reflections on the silver ball are so real you lose track of the game staring at it.  There are other demos such as FIFA Soccer and Contrast I didn't play.
    One more week! 

PS4 at Best Buy West Hollywood.

The Best AT&T Fusion 2 (Gophone) Review on the Internet

    For a budget smartphone this phone holds its own very well.   Compared to other phones on contract that are subsidized it comes up short in overall technology.  But one cannot compare this phone to the iPhone for example, as it will lose every time.  However it can be compared to other phones in the pre-paid arena and come out on top.  I have had this phone for over 6 months, it is my first smartphone (but I have used and played with iPhones from other people) so I know what to look for a smartphone comparison. 
    Having had this Fusion 2 for six months I have seen a lot of good using this phone and some bad.  Firstly, the cost is $80 which is an incredible smartphone for the money.  It has a great form factor with its 3.5 inch screen and thin profile, very pocket friendly.  Good bright screen still visible in daylight though washes out some it could be brighter though.  Wifi works and connects and stays connected great.  I have not had any occurrences of dropping a call and the voice clarity is excellent.  Texting is as instant as the other newer smartphones, very easy. 
    There are some downsides though, because it isn't the newest and greatest tech inside it has its limits.  Not running the latest Android version, though 2.3.6 (gingerbread) it does what's needed of it though.  Don't expect to play high-end graphics games here, basic apps like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Scorecenter for sports nuts, stock market apps all run very well as do simpler, casual games.  It does have a camera but in anything other than ideal lighting pictures won't look great, it's passable though just barely.
    What it comes down to in the end is ultimately cost involvement every month, and this phone and AT&T's excellent Gophone plans are great, very affordable for anyone.  Battery life is flat-out amazing, I leave it on always and get 2 - 3 days before a charge with Wifi on always and with fairly constant use. 
    Who is this smartphone for?  Anyone looking for a smartphone without breaking the bank monthly. As a first smartphone perhaps.  Is it top of the line, not even close but it does a lot for the price. 
    What I would like to see in say a Fusion 3 if there should ever be one, the same $80 (to $100) price, vastly improved camera with flash, slightly improved processor with newer Android version, and that's about it really.  I don't see myself carrying this phone for another 3 years, but I will for a while still, it does a lot well and costs practically nothing monthly.  

AT&T Fusion 2, good modern phone look and feel on a budget

20 Days!

Anticipation level mounting.

Playstation Through The Years

Really good Playstation video ad. Well done Sony.

My BF4 Beta Review

    I've had the Battlefield 4 beta for a week and have played about 5 hours in it and my first thoughts are that it is very rough.  Rough around the edges even for a beta a month away from release on current generation system.  There is only map playable on two modes, conquest and domination.   I enjoy domination more because it centers the action more for the 24 player matches on PS3.   The controls after a couple hours become second-nature again to a BF3 minded player with the slight changes to the layout.  The gun sounds are all unique and one can still differentiate what guns are what based on the sound, much like BF3. 
    On to the bad parts, as I already said it is rough even for a beta.  The end match graphics don't always appear properly nor are they always properly placed on screen.  My biggest complaint is the change to the gun leveling up for new attachments.  No longer are new attachments rewards for getting kills with a gun but now they are what appears to be luck based in the form of "battle packs."  For example, I have been playing mostly assault class with one weapon and at rank 3 I earned a battle pack giving me 3 attachments for an engineer weapon I have barely used.  I don't fully understand this concept at this stage of the game but it may improve.  
    It plays like BF3 which is a good thing and it adds some elements like 5 player squads, commander mode which isn't in this beta but does seem intriguing and new weapons to learn to master.  I think the PS4 and Xbox One versions will be the superior way to play with 64 players matches and using the full size of the maps.  This beta only showed in the end it is very rough still in development.