Halo: Reach Beta!

In my first blog I did I talked about the new addition to the Halo series, Halo: Reach and now my friends the beta is out and I advice taking advantage of this awesome opportunity to help the video game designers to make the actual game even better when it drops this November. The beta has been up since last Friday and you only have another 5 days to be experience the beta, all you need is a Xbox 360 and the latest game of the halo series Halo 3 ODST.

I have taken full advantage of the beta since I am a die-hard Halo fan and so if you have not yet played it, I will give you a heads up on what is going on. Bungie has really out did themselves this time new maps, new weapons, new game types and the all new load outs. Some of the new weapons include, the battle rifle on steroids the DMR, needle rifle, focus rifle, plasma launcher and the grenade launcher and for all you Halo 2 fans out their yes the magnum is back! By far my favorite new weapon is the DMR, which requires a good aim and a steady finger, unlike in Halo 3 where u can shoot constantly in Reach the slower you shoot the more accurate your bullet flies. The Plasma Launcher is also one of my new favorites its a lot like missile pod on Halo 3 But just the covenant version, it shoots what looks like sticky grenades and it is a lock on weapon. It is mean to be anti-vehicle weapon but can still be used for had to hand combat.

One of the most exciting new features are the load outs, every time a game starts or the player respawns . There are four load out types, scout, guard, airborne and assassin. In scout you have the ability to run short distances and like all load outs they need time to recover. The second load out is one of the most exciting aspects of Reach. Armor Lock, in a tight spot almost dead push are RB and become invulnerable for 10s if the enemy is close enough their shield is shutdown due to an EMP pulse armor lock sends of when its out of juice. The third is airborne, getting to those hard to reach places on the map is easy with the jet pack, but don’t land to fast, if you do instant death. The last is assassin, no more blue balls hiding on the map since assassin equips you with invisibility.

Their a couple new game types available on the beta, Stockpile, Headhunter, Covy Slayer and Invasion. Stockpile is a variation of capture the flag instead of just one or two on the map they are scattered all over. Take them back to your stockpile and protect them since they only get collected every 45 seconds, the first team to reach ten wins. Headhunter is a free-for-all game, every time you get a kill a flaming skull appears, there is a designated dump zone where you take your collected skulls the player with the most skulls at the end of the time limit is the winner. Covy slayer is practically slayer but your playing as Elites instead of Spartans. Invasion is a objective game as Spartans you need to protect your base and as elites the objective is to capture territories and finally the ships core.

But remember this is only the beta and I’m sure Bungie will make many changes to the great experience known as Halo: Reach.

PlayStation Move

In one of my earlier blogs I talked about Xbox’s new project natal which is multi functional gaming system with no controllers need. Since Xbox and PlayStation are heavy weights in the gaming industry I figured PlayStation would bounce back with a system. Well they have with the new PlayStation Move. I watched a couple of videos on the PlayStation Move and it looks quite impressive. It looks to me like it will be combination of the Wii and Project Natal.

The PlayStation Move is basically a super charged Wii with the new innovative controls the new controllers have depth perception, meaning it gives u more of an in game experience . Unlike the Wii the new controller has a tracking bulb on one end which is the key differentiator between Wii and the Move. This is what tells the console if the controller is moving closer or farther away. With the RGB LED that glows inside the bulb can tell the player certain things. For example if your playing an action game the LED light will change according to your health status from green to yellow to red.

The Move will launch this fall sometime and will have a plethora of games from kid friendly games to fighting games to shooter games. When this system hits the market it will be ready to go. Some of the games that have been announced are SOCOM 4, Motion Fighter and Sports Champions.

This is what Zipper Interactive had to say about the Move while testing SOCOM 4 according to Game Informer. It is much like the Wii shooter, but feels differently the then Wii games. The aiming felt smoother then expected, and easily out performed every Wii shooter game we’ve tried. Zipper also confirmed that the motion sensitivity will be adjustable in the final game.

Sony hasn’t yet announced the exact pricing or launch date for the move, but did confirm that they will be offering 3 different packages will available to buyers. There will be a standalone motion controller package, a package that includes the Move and the PlayStation eye and the final package will contain the PlayStation Move, eye, and PS3. Sony is going to try and keep the pricing under $100. But I think their going to get most of their money from the controllers. I am excited to actually use one and see for myself, and I am also excited to compare project natal and the move to see who is going to win this battle.

iPad

The iPad is going to be the new next hot item on the market. It is easily the most anticipated piece of technology for 2010. If you are planning on getting your hands on one of these hot items I would advise pre-ordering one. If not Apple has set the release date on April 12 2010. Yes on Monday you can get your hands on one, but you will have to be quick because they are a sure sell item and outlets will not have a plethora available. I have a feeling that the iPad is going to be a hot item for a very long time. It will be hard to go to an outlet and pick one up, well at least until they become readily available to the public.

The iPad has new apps specifically designed for the iPad. The apps take total advantage of the iPads extra large muti touch screen, like the iPod touch and the iPhone every which way the iPad is turned the app flips to the users’ preference. Also like the iPod and iPhone, your fingers do the controlling, such as zoom, scrolling and general controls. Unlike the iPod and the iPhone, the iPad is a working computer, which is the main reason for it. With its enlarged screen, it presents web pages just as a a laptop or a desktop computer would. But its way more accessible, due to its slender design and light weight.

You’re probably wondering how big of a dent the new iPad is going to take out of your wallet. It depends on memory size, Wi-Fi and 3G coverage. 3G coverage with AT&T is going to cost roughly $30 a month for unlimited access. The cheapest iPad will be a 16GB model with basic Wi-Fi will be around $500, if the iPad is purchased online. The price increases according to the size of memory. 32 gigs runs around 600 bucks and 64 Gb is going to run about $100 more. So you might as well pay the extra hundo for 32 more Gigs. The iPad with 3G coverage compatibility is going to cost the consumer a little more, a 16 GB with 3G coverage and Wi-Fi is $629 and for every double in memory space is a hundred bucks more.

The Ipad is here to stay and will change the face of mobile computers and technology.I suspect that Microsoft is not going to let this slide and they will come up with something similar to rival the iPad but until then Apple has the upper hand.

3D TV ?

I was recently in Minneapolis, walking around in the Mall of America and I happened to of wondered into Best Buy. One of the guys that were working their came up to me and asked if I wanted to watch 3D TV, and I was like shea! I want to watch 3D TV. So I walk over to where this TV was and I put these classy glasses on and it was amazing. It was like I was actually in the TV not like those movies where every now and then stuff comes flying out at you, this felt real. Then I wondered how much this is going to cost to get a fancy 3D TV. Well its not going to be very cheap. Since the viewer will have to buy a new 3D TV, 3D blue ray player, 3D movies and 3D active glasses.

Technology is advancing at a incredible rate and I just bought myself a HD TV and now they are already releasing a new wave of tvs, HDs are just catching on and their already going to be outdated? Manufactures are going to keep the price just slightly more than the LCD/LED models. Which we all know is still not cheap, and after we buy the tv then we are going to have to by all the accessories for it so It will work. Not to mention the goofy glasses you have to where to watch tv, which are going to run you from either $50 - $150. I if I wanted to look goofy for 150 bucks I would just buy a chicken suit.

I don’t think 3D tvs will catch on for awhile due to the fact of cost and programming, According to Game Informer the Discovery channel and ESPN already have dedicated to 3D programming. But how long is it going to take for the conversion. Since 3D movies and shows have to be shot with multiple cameras and it also requires multiple high def streams for transporting the video over networks. Standard definition broadcasts take up more bandwidth capacity then all the other types, high def takes up even more space and it would probably take up two full high def channels to broadcast in 3D.

3D television would be awesome but I don’t think its going to happen anytime soon granted u can get your hands on one now. People are just getting used to the idea of HD. Thiers no doubt in my mind it will happen eventually but as for now we are all safe from going out and buying brand new electronics.

December 2012

December 21, 2012 is supposedly they day that the world is supposed to end, according to Nostradamus, the Mayans, Native Americans and more. Some say that its another thing to get scared over like Y2K but I’m convinced otherwise. I was watching the history channel one night and show came on called “the lost book of Nostradamus”, which talked about his prophecy about the end of time in 2012. I found this interesting, so I continued to watch it. It explained that on the winter solstice in 2012 (December 21st) is when all the planets in the solar system will align with the center of the universe, causing the axis of the earth to shift. Imagine our galaxy the Milky Way as a plate and the sun is orange sitting in the middle of it. As of right now and since life began on earth, our solar system has been drifting across the top of the plate. Well on December 21, 2012 we will be parallel with the plate, meaning our solar system, galaxy and sun will be completely in line with each other causing their to be an increase in gravity. Until the next day where the earth’s axis will be shifted to opposite side and we will be floating around the bottom of the plate. Not only will the earth shift its axis on that day but that is when the sun is at its “solar maximum” (The solar maximum only happens on average, every 11.120412 years) which is when solar flares from the sun are the strongest.. Small solar flares can affect earth greatly, especially electronics. They can fry power lines, zap grids, cause massive power outages and even disable electronics. But a large one could burn through our ionosphere which basically means there would be nothing left on earth. Life as we know it would be non-existent.

Hopefully the end of the world won’t occur on the 21^st of December, but I do feel that something will defiantly go down that day. There is just way to many coincidences that occur on that day. I mean Nostradamus has had multiple prophecies that of occur such as Hitler, 9/11, the rise of Napoleon, just to name a few and then 2012. I hope it’s a coincidence but it would be a huge one with Nostradamus predicting it, the Mayan calendar ending, the alignment of our universe, and be the solar maximum all in one day.

Paying for Facebook?

As we all know, there have been rumors floating around Facebook that they will start charging the Facebook community for its use. Since Facebook is pretty much the best social network ever, a lot of people are trying to buy Facebook from Mark Zuckerberg (founder and chief) who will make us pay for Facebook. A spokesman for the company said: “We have no plans to charge users for Facebook’s basic services. Facebook is a free service for its 350 million users.” Even though Facebook denies these claims can they be trusted?

You might be wondering why Facebook might sell out well in November 2007, Facebook took a $240 million stake from Microsoft. Which gave Facebook a investment at a $15 billion valuation. Now it's been diminished to $4 billion and is probably slowly dropping from that.

COO Sheryl Sandberg in April said, "We are not planning on charging a basic fee for our basic services"). But Facebook may have plans to charge for services, such as offering to print the millions of pics that are uploaded on the site. Facebook could also charge a fee, $1 per month to let users avoid ads.

There has been numerous groups made on Facebook about banning together and showing the Facebook staff that we are totally against paying for it and we will not pay for it if they decide pull this nasty little trick on us in July of this year. Such as the group, “We will not pay to use Facebook – we are gone if this happens”, has a little over 240,000 and is trying to reach 300,000 members. I have recently joined this group and I would advise you to do the same if you do not want to be taken advantage of.

“Let’s all stick together on this one and let them know that we will leave Facebook if they decide to charge us to use it," says the group's creator Liam Thompson.

Project Natal

Project Natal is probably the sweetest thing I have seen in the gaming industry in a long time. For those of you that don’t know what Project Natal is, it is practically a super charged Wii accessory for the Xbox 360. Unlike the Wii their will be NO CONTROLLER NEEDED! According to Xbox.com “this is only thanks to the Project Natal Sensor, which combines an RGB camera, depth sensor, multi-array microphone and custom processor running proprietary software all in one device.” Which means that it can track 3D movement and will respond to commands, Project Natal will even detect changes of emotion in your voice! You can even scan an object such as a skateboard and then skate on it during game play. With Project Natal you are the controller, no more tangled cords and dead batteries during game play.

When standing in front of the PNS (Project Natal Sensor) you can give instructions just by talking, Project Natal is so revolutionary that it will have an understanding of everything that is said. Scary! I know! THE PNS has facial recognition so it will automatically sign you into your Xbox Live! Yea that’s right you wont even have to tell it too! Everything you do will be acknowledged by your Xbox 360.

This is what Don Mattrick, Senior Vice President, Interactive Entertainment Business, Entertainment and Devices Division, and Steven Spielberg , famous movie director , had to say about Project Natal.

"For us, this E3 is about breaking down barriers – between generations, between games and entertainment, and most importantly, between dreamers and the future – in a way only Xbox 360 can." Don Mattrick

"This is a pivotal moment that will carry with it a wave of change, the ripples of which will reach far beyond video games." Steven Spielberg

It is rumored that Project Natal will be about $80 which would be wise of Microsoft to keep it under $100. When she launches this November, you will be able to do anything that the worlds greatest game designers can ponder. When Project Natal drops I am defiantly going go out and get it. This fall can’t come fast enough for me. First Halo: Reach and now Project Natal! I can barely wait and I can’t wait to see what all those PS3 fans have to say about this!

Do you want to see something really amazing about Project Natal? This is put the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, check this out. This is insane! Milo