Is Virtual Reality The Next Step In Gaming Technology?

As many of us gamers are well aware of, graphics are getting exceedingly better as our game systems progress. Remember when we saw Crash Bandicoot for the first time and though "Holy crap! This looks awesome!". Then we saw "Mercenaries" or some other PS2 game and thought the same thing. Then came the PS3's graphics. We saw "Resistance: Fall of Man" and thought "Sweet mother of yes, this is incredible!". "The Last Of Us" came out towards the end of the PS3's life cycle and everyone drooled at how incredible it looked. Around this time, we started seeing a few new "devices" that might take their place next to our game consoles. Tech such as the Oculus Rift VR headset. That takes us now to the PS4 and we all can see that the graphics are getting scarily close to photorealism, and I'm pretty stoked on that.

Graphics will continue to get better and more fluid as time goes and technology advances, but with that advancement in gaming tech, a question arises: Are we going to see VR headsets coming to our current gen consoles?

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Will PlayStation 4 Bring VR To Consoles

We've seen a few different immersive techniques performed by our boys at Sony Entertainment. Remember the EyeToy? Not many people took a hold of it, but the few that did started to play with their first versions of augmented reality games. Now the new PS Eye for the PS4 is able to give you the same thing while incorporating the use of the new Dualshock 4 controller. Everything from the touchpad, to the vibrating motors in the controller are used in conjunction of the Eye to make the augmented reality a bit more believable. That being said, they're now also developing something a bit different with their own VR headset, codenamed Project Morpheus. There isn't too much detail on the project as of yet, but it will be used for "social screen" gaming. Essentially, it will work with companion apps so that whatever the person wearing the headset sees, so too will the people running the app see. Should the person be playing in a haunted house scenario, the everyone will be able to see what's inside.

The Oculus Rift

If you've not heard about the Oculus Rift as of yet, you may be living under a rock. They're still very much in development, but definitely towards the later stages. Instead of being used mainly for console gaming, this company is going for more mobile gaming (possibly due to the company being bought by social network Facebook). They're still sending out DK's to specific developers but also have DK's ready for just about any publisher or developer who wants to take it for a spin. They've made heavy improvements to their older model. They're now making an Oculus Home and Oculus Cinema to go along with the new device. Oculus Home will be a place to download and start new VR content, much like the PS3 Xross Media Bar. Oculus Cinema is basically a movie theater for your face where you can watch whichever 2D or 3D movies you have stored.

SEE ALSO: Samsung Is Working On Wi-Fi That Is Faster Than You Even Thought Possible

Is It Practical?

The thought of having VR gaming is nothing short of titillating. The idea of being able to place a headset on your noggin, and physically turning your head to look around in the game world would be a truly incredible, almost scary, experience. The only problem is that with today's technology, we are still a bit behind in what we could actually accomplish. To say that we are ready for VR technology for our gaming consoles might be a stretch. Technologically wise, we're not there...yet. In our gaming hearts and minds, we've been ready since we've seen them shown on cartoons and movies that showcase them. It still might be a while till we see games through a headset instead of a TV Screen though.

Needless to say, I think we will be seeing photo-realistic graphics before we see VR headset technology. There is just a lot more to take into consideration when dealing with VR technology, especially since they cater to the physical motion of the user. We're a lot closer to "movie-quality" graphics than we are VR gaming. It's sad but true.

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Are You Ready To Face Your "Destiny", Or Just Go Back To The "Borderlands"?

No matter how old I get, I know for a fact that I will always be a gamer deep down inside. It's just who I am now. I'm extremely passionate about it, and like most gamers, I'm constantly demanding something new to catch my attention. The release of the PS4 and Xbox One saw very few title releases, but then again, developers didn't have access to the new technology to adequately make things happen quickly enough. That's why most of the games that we've seen have been a bit... lacking. The games will only get better from now on, but the ideas might still be borrowing. What I mean by that is that games might be losing a bit of their originality. The stories may be different. The worlds may be different. The guns may even be "different". That doesn't mean that the overall mechanics and ideas of the games have changed. One such game that might be suffering from this is the new game Destiny. The concept is almost like that of the popular Borderlands franchise.

Destiny
This is a game that ALL gamers should be familiar with at this point. The Beta has just recently been released and you better believe that all of the game forums like Gamespot and IGN have already been given access so their employees can try it out. The idea of having a game with a gun upgrade system like this just means that shooter fans will be in heaven. The game is on a huge version of Earth that has been taken over by different alien races and factions. The player has to help protect the last human city on Earth, all while surviving and growing the skills of their character. They pick the class and skill sets, and as I said earlier, upgrade their guns in many different ways. The other bonus? It's on the next gen consoles! You can still play on the last gen PS3 and Xbox 360's. That's fine. But don't you want to look at the better graphics?

Borderlands
Borderlands is one of my all time favorite games. You play as one of four different characters, each possessing their own set of skills and special abilities. The game advertises "bazillions" of guns, and boy do they deliver! The guns seem to be endless and different in so many ways, not to mention how the brands of the guns play a big role in how much damage, fire rate, accuracy, and more that the gun puts out. The game is set on the planet of Pandora and lets the player go out as a mercenary to work for anyone that will accept him or her. Just about everything and everyone is an enemy and the maps are pretty big in themselves. The game's only real drawback is, possibly, the design of the guns and the animation style of the game. The comedy is definitely there however. It's only available on the last gen systems as well. All of this sounds... familiar though, doesn't it?


The Comparisons

• Both games showcase many different guns.
• Both games have different classes of characters to pick from, each with their own skill sets
• Both games take place in a "desolated wasteland" type of environment fighting aliens
• They both put heavy emphasis on character growth and the guns that you use
• Both have damage counters
• They are both essentially RPG shooters

The Differences

• Destiny is on both next-gen and last-gen, while Borderlands is only available on the last-gen consoles
• The animation styles of the games are very different
• The gun upgrade system in Destiny is a bit more in depth than the guns on Borderland

 Both of these games look amazing and play just as well as they look. It really is up to the discretion of the player, but I personally feel that Destiny might not be offering as much of a breath of fresh air as most people think. That's not going to stop me from playing it though.

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A Quick Recap If You Didn't Catch Sony's HUGE E3 Press Conference!

There is a reason why I'm the huge Sony fan boy that I am. I've had a PlayStation, a PlayStation 2, a PlayStation 3, and am currently dreaming of the day I purchase my PlayStation 4. Sony has always delivered in terms of their technology. While I might not be the biggest fan of Xbox, I can still respect a worthy competitor. This year's E3 event was nothing short of spectacular, as it is every year it seems. I know for a fact that there is a reason why both Sony and Microsoft have the "hardcore" systems. They've both proven their worth, time and time again. Seeing as how I'm all about Sony however, you can bet that I had to recap their press conference just because it blew me away that much. It's always hard to say which brand/company won E3, as it's not really a "competition", but I'm always rooting for Sony, and I'd have say that they won this year for sure.

Let start soft. For those other Sony fan boys out there, you may know a little game called Ratchet & Clank. Well, this franchise has done so well, that now there is a movie currently in production that should come out sometime next year. I've always loved the crude humor and cartoony action of these games. Developers, Insomniac, are always sure to deliver a bevy of outlandish, crazy guns for you to blow things up with. To coincide with the release of the new movie, which will be CG and NOT live-action, they've announced a new game to help the promotion of the series. Normally a franchise like this wouldn't be worth mentioning. The only difference is that we are talking about a franchise that has seen success since the PS2 days, so to hear more announcements for the movie and the PS4 version of the game (complete with updated graphics), is nothing short of a highlight.

The next thing I want to bring up is a game that has had everyone talking or a while now; Destiny. This game comes from the same people who brought us the outstanding "Halo" franchise. This game will also see its first Open Beta testing on the PS4 and PS3. Starting July 17th, we Sony lovers will be the first consumers to get to play the game, even if it's just testing it. Needless to say, however, that both Sony and Microsoft will be benefiting from having this game released.

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The last thing I can really talk about is all of the crazy announcements that went on during the conference. Sony's conference time itself was very long in comparison to the other gaming companies, but the best part about that is that there never seemed to be any dead time. We saw a new Uncharted 4 confirmed for a 2015 launch date. I'd be lying if that alone didn't get me excited. But that wasn't all. Both "The Last Of Us" and "Grand Theft Auto V" are both coming out on PS4, and both will have the touched up remastered graphics. I've already seen footage for the new GTA V on PS4 on a commercial, and I thought I was watching a vacation ad for a moment. The Little Big Planet franchise will be making a return as well. LBP 3, is coming Sony fans, don't worry.

This is probably the biggest reason why I love Sony as much as I do. They cater to their exclusive titles, because they know they have a very loyal fan base for them. Just about every game that they talked about during their conference was an exclusive title, and even more exclusives were being announced. The company is looking towards more bundle packages to help move product sales along, and to be honest, I'm sold. Sony knocked it out of the park this year, and if you've yet to watch the full conference, what are you waiting for? Greatness awaits.

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Mass Effect Trilogy Coming To PS4 And Xbox One (Rumor)

Gaming has come far over the years. Things like story, moral choices and connections to in-game characters have been at the forefront of some of the greatest games in recent history. No game has accomplished this quite like BioWare's Mass Effect series. Since the first game was released in 2007, players have been able to take their character through three unique adventures with choices from each game flowing over and having repercussions throughout the entire game's universe. Faced with a choice to kill an ancient alien queen in the first Mass Effect or keep her alive comes into play later on in the other games. Be mean to someone on the Citadel and they may very well come back and seek revenge in another game. The choices are endless and their repercussions are ever-influencing.

It's been two years since the final chapter in Commander Shepard's story was released and while the ending may have been met with mixed reviews, there is no denying that the series has forever changed the way people create and play games. Since the third game, news on the Mass Effect franchise has been pretty sparse. There was talk a while back about a new Mass Effect game that was in development, one that would see players take control of a new character with a new story line. This was before the new consoles were officially announced and a time when BioWare was going through some serious changes, namely the resignations of "The Doctors" Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk, the two leads on projects like Mass Effect and Star Wars: The Old Republic.

While there has still been little to no word on a new Mass Effect game, there are some rumors floating around involving the title. When Mass Effect was first released it was an Xbox 360 and PC exclusive and later got the trilogy treatment for the PS3 when all the games were released for the system simultaneously in a single pack. Well, if rumors are true then the same thing may be happening to next generation consoles. Recent images have popped up online from Zmart Games, a gaming retailer from Chile. A screenshot captured by NeoGAF user Rushersauce shows a Mass Effect Trilogy game case with the PS4 logo brandished on the top.

This is not, however, the first talk of a remastered version of the trilogy. Rumors first started circulating in March when BioWare Edmonton and Montreal Studios GM Aaryn Flynn stated that the topic had been "discussed". This isn't the first time a remastered version of a last gen game has been leaked by a retailer. A remastered version of The Last of Us was leaked by retailers not too long ago, though we must remember that these are still just internet rumors, though rumors with a little more credence than usual.

Should this rumor be true then it just might be enough to hold gamers over until the next game is released. From everything we know, BioWare is chugging along with development of the next Mass Effect. Like I mentioned earlier, details on the new game are very sparse. What we do know is that BioWare is set to release an update on the game sometime this year, probably during E3. Other than that we have a few teaser images of BioWare employees hard at work, a promise that this new game will be "fresh but recognizable," and that it may not have anything to do with Commander Shepard. I'm hoping the game doesn't involve Shepard, at least as a playable character.

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What do you think? Excited for the next installment in the Mass Effect franchise? Excited about the remastered versions of the game for current-gen consoles? Think it's enough to hold you over until the new game comes out or something that could get new fans into the series? I guess we'll just have to wait and see when (or if) these rumors play out.

Will The New Steam Machine Takeout The New PS4 and Xbox One?

It seems like over the past 15 to 20 years, we have seen the top three contenders in gaming continue to make their rise. Sony's Playstion, Microsoft's Xbox, and the multitude of Nintendo's consoles. As of recently, we have seen Nintendo fall off where as Sony and Microsoft have taken the console wars head on. But then again, we also know how big PC gaming still is, and how ruthless PC gamers can be about their opinions on console vs. PC gaming. PC's are widely looked at as being more powerful than gaming consoles. Whether it be better graphics, better frame rate, better anti-aliasing, the ability to mod, etc., PC gamers are very adamant on their stance.

Console gaming is still very, very much alive, as the recent 4.2 million PS4 units sold has shown us. But now PC wants to move into the console world as well. Valve and Alienware have joined forces to see this dream lived through. Their new Steam Machine looks to make its own push on the console wars.

For those of you who may be unfamiliar with Steam and it's gigantic community, Steam is ran by the PC gaming company Valve. Steam is both an app and game store that offers a multitude of different games for your gaming pleasure. They even boast games that have been out of the loop for a while on normal console multi-player formats. Games like Team Fortress 2. The only catch is that it is PC only.

With the new Steam Machine, Valve and Alienware are now able to expand their app and game store to the living room where the other console heavy hitters reign supreme. The system itself is basically a smaller version of a normal gaming PC. It runs on the SteamOS that allows for the Steam App to run via standard console methods. Since it is looked at as a console, it is also designed to be hooked up to your TV. So should you have a brand new 4K TV and , essentially, a small gaming PC/console hybrid, you have the ultimate gaming set up.

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The controller for the Steam Machine is a bit different then what most console gamers are used to. Instead of  analog sticks and D-pads, you are met with a touch screen and two track pads. The controller is also compatible with almost all versions of Steam and Steam games. The touchscreen in the center of the controller is not to be confused with the touch pad idea that is on the current PS4 controllers. Instead, it is designed to keep players on track in terms of their game. While the touchscreen is in use, it will appear on your game as a visual overlay so you can see exactly where your finger is placed. The 16 total buttons might be a bit more than one most gamers may be used to as well.

The fact that the SteamOS was designed with streaming purposes in mind shows just what this new gaming machine could do. The OS is Linux based, and allows for Mac and Windows games to be streamed directly onto the machine, and then from the machine to your TV. All of your first person shooters, action adventures, online multi-player, and even MMO's will now be available from your living room instead of your bedroom desk. Should the application of this prove to be both easy and beneficial, Sony and Microsoft may have a whole new monster to worry about.

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PS4 Launch Only Days Away!

It is finally that time ladies and gentlemen. The moment we have all been waiting for since the rumors began to circulate. The home gaming console/entertainment system that will now own your social life for the next 2 years. The long awaited, brand new, sexy PlayStation 4. The launch of a new, or "next gen" console is literally better than Christmas for some gamers, yours truly being one of them. Although I am a Sony fan myself, the Microsoft lovers have something to look forward too as well with the upcoming launch of the new Xbox One. But as is customary for every next gen console launch, a new console war will ensue and it looks to be something of a tech bloodbath this time around. Lets take a look at what the PS4 will be offering us.

Lets start with the new DualShock 4 controller. This new controller keeps things a bit familiar for PS3 fan boys by remaining wireless, lightweight, and as the name would suggest, "shocking". But here is where the difference comes in; the share button. The new controller actually has the ability to record game play, then share it to the PS4 online community or straight to Facebook and other social media sites. It is one of the best and most impressive features that Sony and the PlayStation 4 are utilizing to keep the gaming market fresh and ever expanding. Having an integrated touch pad along with the previous model's SixAxis feature is going to make this bad boy something to look at no matter what type of gamer you are.

What about the actual console though? Well the overall exterior has done away with the curved look and gone for a more hard cut, but still sleek, and slanted shape. But the exterior is really just the icing on the cake. Lets look at the guts. We are talking an x86-64 AMD "Jaguar" single chip processor clocked in at around 1.6 Ghz with 8 cores. This already sounds like a monster and the AMD Radeon next-gen graphics engine sitting in the GPU department is only going to make you more confused on if you are playing a game or playing a movie. The stock 500 gigabyte hard drive will be removable as was the hard drive on the PS3, but 500 gigs is a really nice starting point. As later, more slim models come out, it would be expected that the stock storage will increase with each version.

So here is the verdict (as if you couldn't tell already). This system, I feel, is going to mark a very big milestone in gaming history, mainly due to the huge push for community sharing with its gaming. This is something that Xbox fans may not be getting if you happened to watch the E3 press conferences. Nevertheless, this beautifully elegant and incredible machine is a MUST buy for any hardcore gamer, or even someone new to gaming. Sony has put in countless hours into making this machine something to talk about for while now, and with the $399 starting price tag, it would seem almost ludicrous to not put this under the tree this year. This starting price is also actually $100 cheaper than the new Xbox One. But to wrap this up, I will put this as contritely as I can. Buy. This. System.

Kaz Hirai Squashes Rumors of a PlayStation 4 Reveal at E3 2012

E3, otherwise known as the Electronic Entertainment Expo, is the world's largest convention for video games, consoles and gaming technology and the 2012 event is right around the corner. Last year's E3 saw a few very nice announcements, like Halo 4 and the PS Vita, but the big thing everybody is going to be looking for this year is the next generation of consoles. It's been seven years since we've had a new console debut for any of the top names in the business and many people believe that E3 2012 will show us the "PlayStation 4", "Xbox 720" and whatever boring piece of motion-controlled crap Nintendo decides to pollute the industry with, or will it?

Gaming website MCV launched a story not too long ago rumoring that the PlayStation 4 would see its world premiere on the stage at E3 2012. However, ever since that story dropped, there have been an exorbitant amount of contradictory stories, including one from gaming analyst Michael Pachter, who stated, "there's zero chance of a tease from Sony for PlayStation 4 at E3." But if Pachter's thoughts weren't enough to convince you, maybe news from Sony itself will.

Sony has officially declared that the PlayStation 4 will not premiere at this year's E3 convention. Sony's Kaz Hirai spoke with a roundtable of reporters at CES this week, as the Wall Street Journal reports, and answered a question about the PlayStation 4 debuting at the show set to take place this summer. Hirai stated, "Andy [House] is absolutely right in that we are not making any announcement at E3. I've always said a 10-year life cycle for PS3, and there is no reason to go away with that."

If Hirai and Sony seriously commit to the 10-year life cycle, that means we won't see the PlayStation 4 for another four years in 2016. With this report it seems pretty official that the PS4 won't be popping up its head at E3 anytime soon. However, that still leaves a serious opening for Microsoft and Nintendo to debut new consoles. The only real threat to Sony would be if Microsoft unveiled the Xbox 720 (or whatever they decide to call it) at this year's E3. Getting that big of a jump on the competition could completely obliterate Sony while nobody is really threatened by anything Nintendo could release.

I, for one, am not too hip to the idea of a new console anytime soon. I am deeply in love with my Xbox 360 and I see no real reason to upgrade at the moment. I feel like both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 both have a lot left to offer the gaming community so waiting another four years for a new console is fine by me. What do you think? Are you disappointed in Kaz Hirai's announcement? Do you think it's time for another console war? Sound off in the comment section and tell me what you think.

Source: IGN - Sony Executive Says No PlayStation 4 at E3 2012

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Suprising New Hardware in Next-Gen Consoles

How long has it been now since we first got our hands on the Nintendo Wii and PlayStation 3? If memory serves me right it has only been three rather short years since our lives were filled with motion controllers and blu-ray playing consoles and already there are rumors scurrying all across the web about the newest installments for each console and some of the new hardware each one may be bringing to the table.

Lets start with Sony. According to a report found in the Japanese press, Sony is apparently working on a multi-core design for the PlayStation 4. The PS3 currently runs on a Cell architecture which is one of the reasons the console is hard to develop for. Early on some of the different choices Sony was looking at were Intel's Larrabee and a modified version of the Synergistic Processor Unit. However, that is all over with now as it appears Sony is working with multi-core designs. However, I don't think this is anything to get to heated over yet because Sony also announced that a new handheld is due to come out before the PS4. The PSP2 isn't supposed to come out until 2013 so there is still a bit of a wait.

Switching gears over to Nintendo, rumors have already begun to surface for the Wii 2 as well. It seems that the powers that be over at Nintendo and the suits over at Intel have been discussing hardware to power Nintendo's new console. Word on the gaming street is that the two companies may be talking about using a GPU/CPU combo for the Wii 2, similar to Larrabee. We could very well see Intel powering the new console from Nintendo whenever it comes out.

It seems the only people not discussing a new console just yet is Microsoft. Microsoft still believes that there is a vast untapped potential in the Xbox 360 and that it still has a lot of kick still left in it. With the introduction of Project Natal, among other things, we may very well see the Xbox 360 go up against a PS4 or Wii 2 before we see an Xbox 720 or something like that give it a go.

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