Immersion a Gaming Headset to Take Over Your Mind ?

Have you gone through a few gaming controllers lately, have you had to replace a TV screen, due to the gamer rage? Well don't worry about that TV screen anymore, because now there is a simple headset that can control that gamer rage! Yes that is correct!

Designer Sam Matson has a solution to that gamer rage! Introducing Immersion, which is a headset that monitors your heart rate, and enhances the gamer’s difficulty level the more enraged he or she becomes. 

Is this the beginning of the real Matrix?

The idea of this headset is to help the player control anger rather than let it snowball into a screen smasher. Matson, the designer of this headset created a shooter game on the Unity platform, and he has also added in the ability to interpret a player’s pulse rate.

So how does all that work ?

The data from the headset is relayed via Bluetooth, from the optical pulse sensor, to the game. The idea is to make the player feel like “all hope is lost”, which will make  it harder for the player to advance, thus making him even more angry.

Some gamer’s believe that this is a bad idea, and rightfully so! most gamer’s become angry with a game because of the inability to proceed to the next level. So in my opinion, this headset is the worst idea I've ever heard to minimizing gamer rage, and saving that TV screen.

In the past few years, gaming has become more integrated with the player, for me this can be a good and bad thing. If there is too much integration, you have to worry about privacy, too little and you lose that first big impression.

Immersion is not available commercially, but will it soon be?

So what will it be, Red or Blue pill?

Why I Chose PS4 Over The Xbox One!

Big news around the Sony Playstation 4, So what is all the hype about ? Well let me break it down on what was revealed about the PS4 at the E3 show in L.A. As well as a little bit about the Xbox One.


 One of the big things is the Price for the PS4 which is $399 a whole $100 less than the Xbox One. Now why is this important to note ? Well that is because the PS4 offers a lot more than what the Xbox one does, well maybe, the Xbox One offers more than the PS4 does, but it offers something that we don't want. Let me explain.

First off there is some details stating that the Xbox One Console requires a Internet connection in order operate, this is false, However is does need to connect to Microsoft servers every 24 hours. So in a way it would be a pain having to connect to the internet everyday. Another bothersome feature is, say I go to a friends house and play his Xbox one but I am in my profile in order to do this Microsoft requires you to check in every hour, which I have to say is ridiculous. Now if you miss a check in you will only be allowed to watch Tv shows or play DVD's, no gameplay will be allowed until you check in again with home base.

Also to note is that in order to play games you will have to have internet connection throughout the gameplay unless 24 hours is all you  need, which is insane.

That is not the only ridiculous feature they added, one of the most troublesome add in is the inability to sell your games to a friend or even ebay. They set up where you can only sell a game to participating retailer, again ridiculous. You are however able to lend a game to a friend, then again Microsoft
adds another bogus
requirement which is games can be given only once and the person you give it to has to be on your friends list longer than 30 days. I truly think Microsoft is going to bring a lot of heat towards themselves from all gamers.

So that is what Xbox one is doing which is completely and incredible stupid, Now onto the PlayStation 4 whose hardware is mostly the same as the Xbox One. Some specs listed below for the PS4.

•  An eight -core X86 AMD Jaguar CPU
• 1084-teraflop AMD Radeon graphics engine (with "18 compute units")
• 8GB of GDDR5 memory
• 500GB Hard drive
• Blu-ray drive
• 3 USB 3.0 ports
• 802.11 b/g//n WiFi
• Ethernet, HDMI Bluetooth 2.1, optical audio and analog AV out

Now I know what your going to say, which is, Wow they copied Xbox One well I can tell you this the hardware may be similar but the Playstation 4 has the Total package minus the Xbox one's restrictions.

Meet the Ultimate Entertainment Centre: Xbox One

The long awaited Xbox One has finally arrived, albeit its not called the Xbox 720 like many people thought, for a very long time. Either way, its finally here, and its actually a lot like what the FTI team predicted a few months back, saying that the future in the living room could be an all around device, and from what Microsoft unveiled on the 21st of May, that turned out to be very true.

Always On DRM?

We all know that Microsoft is getting ready to unveil some more information about their next entry into the world of gaming very soon. The next Xbox, which carries the codename “Durango” is going to be coming down the pipes within the next few months, so naturally the press conferences will be popping up shortly. There has been a lot of drama lately about the potential that the next console would require an “always-on” internet connection in order to play games, and what the consequences might be for Microsoft for launching such a console – personally I’ve got my own opinions on the matter, here’s what I think.

The biggest issue here, isn’t the concept of some sort of “always-on” DRM itself – that sort of thing is becoming the norm in the world of PC gaming already, and as long as piracy continues to grow we’re going to begin seeing more and more techniques not unlike this one designed to prevent pirates from gaining illicit access to games. The biggest problem here is the simple fact that an Xbox is not a computer in the traditional sense. On a PC it’s a little bit safer to assume that the user is going to have access to the internet available – and the ones that don’t simply won’t buy the game – those people have a computer for other reasons as it is, whether that’s work or school, or whatever. When we’re talking about a new video game console the situation becomes a little different. We can’t make the assumption that just because somebody is interested in a video game console, that they have an internet connection at home – and if they’re not gaming on their console, it’s probably not doing much else.

The biggest issue here might not even be the concept of Microsoft requiring an internet connection in order to use the console – it might be Sony NOT requiring an internet connection to use the console. We all know the Wii U from Nintendo doesn’t have this requirement, and we have heard rumblings from the Sony camp that suggest they have been swayed from the concept of using some sort of technologically prohibitive DRM in their next console, the PlayStation 4. If Microsoft does decide to make the jump into this world of always-on connectivity they’re going to be giving Sony and Nintendo a HUGE edge in the market over the next few years. If companies want to force major changes on the market they really need to commit to the changes, and in an oligarchical market like that of home video game consoles the major players need to be in on the idea together. Without being forced to make a change most consumers won’t do it. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, people hate change.

My final concern about some sort of always on functionality is consumer awareness. How exactly do you demonstrate to a consumer before purchasing your hardware that they are going to need an internet connection in order to make use of the device? Personally, I couldn’t count how many USB A to B cables (printer cables) I sell at work to people who didn’t read the fine print on the box “USB cable sold separately” – and something like an always-on internet connection is certainly not an item someone can walk to the corner store to pick up for a few bucks. It’s something that’s going to force somebody to return the console to the store for a refund forcing a lost sale on Microsoft.

If you want my opinion, I don’t think we’re going to see this kind of requirement in the next Xbox. Not unless Microsoft can convince Sony to sign on with them anyway – it would simply bar too many potential consumers from the market. Maybe in the next console generation, whatever it may bring, we will have a large enough portion of our population online that this kind of DRM will make a little more sense, but right now you would be shrinking your consumer base, which is something most people would consider bad for business. Do you agree with me? Disagree? Let me know in the comments, connect with me on Twitter at @CallChrisNow, or send me an e-mail at chris@chriscall.me – I’d love to have a discussion about the topic!

The Ouya Effect

Some of the biggest news to hit the world of tech and gaming in the past few months has been that of the Ouya. For those of you that don’t already know, Ouya is an Android-based video game console designed for use on TV sets in the living room. The concept behind the idea is to take back the TV from the major players in the game industry (Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft) and give it back to the people who care about it the most – the gamers themselves. The console is completely open source and ready to be messed with, hacked, and more, right out of the box. Perhaps the biggest splash of all is that the console is going to retail for a measly $99.99, ready to go, with a wireless Bluetooth controller included.
Ouya started collecting money through Kickstarter last year and finally, beginning at the start of April, began shipping out units to Kickstarter project backers. People who preordered the device after the Kickstarter ended will be getting theirs shipped out starting in late April, according to the developers. Finally the console will be going on sale to the general public in the middle of June, including availability at major retail outlets, like Target, Gamestop, and Amazon. All of this sounds pretty great right? That’s exactly what a lot of the geekier kids in the gamer world are thinking. The Ouya store is going to stock apps specifically designed to be used on the Ouya, it’s powered by an overclocked, fan-cooled Tegra-3 out of the nVidia camp, and it comes with onboard HDMI output capability. This is going to be something great…and it could really make some changes to the video game market as we know it now.
I’m not here to tell you about the Ouya though, there’s already plenty of information on the internet about that – check out Ouya’s website, or any tech blog on the planet for more information, – I’m here to talk about the splash that’s just beginning to happen now. The splash that’s just around the bend. Get ready folks, and brace yourselves for impact, because Ouya is starting to hit people’s houses, and the big boys are biting back. Just this morning I woke up and read this article over at Forbes. I’m totally fine with reading negative reviews about a product, that’s fine…but this is just ridiculous. Ouya is being smashed and docked points for things like “not having a great selection” and “having a buggy interface” – things commonly associated with a beta product. Well guess what people, the Ouya hasn’t launched yet. Part of the whole Kickstarter and preorder campaign was that you would receive your order before it went on sale to the general public. The actual launch date for the console is months away in June – cut it a little slack.
The other half of my frustration comes from people who are expecting the Ouya to completely destroy the major consoles. These people need to relax too, it certainly has a chance of being something great, absolutely notable, and definitely something to throw in the history books and hook up to your TV to unwind with some gaming. But don’t expect the impossible. It’s obvious that the games on the Ouya won’t have the graphical prowess of the major consoles – and especially not their next-gen counterparts. Make sure you understand what I’m saying though – that doesn’t mean the games are going to be any less fun – graphics don’t always correlate to how fun a game is…in fact they almost never do.
In the end, I just hope people can relax a little, take a step back, and understand what to expect. If we don’t overhype this thing there’s going to be very little disappointment…and that means less fodder for the cannons of those working hard to see this thing fail. If it’s going to fail, let it fail in its own respect, don’t let major companies take it down without giving it a chance. Keep an open mind, and try things for yourself before you blindly follow the media’s impressions of something. See how it feels for you, because in the end, how you feel about something it all that really matters.
Did you order an Ouya for yourself? Are you thinking about it? Are you interested in it? Do you hate it? Let me know in the comments. I love hearing what other people think about the newest devices on the market. Hit me up on Twitter @CallChrisNowor shoot me an e-mail at chris@chriscall.me – I promise to get back to you.
Image Credit: Courtesy of Ouya.TV; Ouya Press Kit

Freemium Ain't All Bad, Folks

The mobile market has been impacting a lot of traditional markets in ways some people haven’t considered. Off the top of my head I can think of a few impacted sectors right now: credit cards, standalone GPS units, and point-and-shoot cameras, all changed in massive ways by something so small. Even something as broad as the internet – a creation that pushed major innovation in the world of mobile computing – influenced itself, by those very devices and the way people use them. But one change has been making headlines lately – the new model in the gaming world known as “freemium” designed to support the developers not by initially purchasing the game, but instead through the use of add-on “micro-transactions”; small transactions the user makes within the game itself. This model has been used in other arenas before, but it’s making a massive push in the mobile gaming market…and that people have some strong opinions about it.

A lot of people have been complaining about this model, and that’s understandable…but not for the reason people expect. It’s understandable because of the speed at which the gaming industry has adopted the new model. It’s understandable because the general consumer hasn’t had a lot of time to adjust to the new model. It’s even understandable because the games are marked as “free” in the store instead of “freemium” or “micro-transaction supported”, and that can be a little misleading to customers. It isn’t, however, understandable because you “want the game to be free.” Remember people: developers put real work into developing the games you enjoy, don’t bash them for expecting something in return for that work, they have bills to pay too, just like you, and who doesn’t deserve to be rewarded for creating something that you enjoy so much?

If you ask me, the freemium model works…and to be honest I really enjoy it. I love being able to get a feel for a game before I have to commit any of my money to it. I love being able to experience the game the way I want to without paying for things I don’t want or wouldn’t use. I also love that more and more of these games are beginning to work really creative ways of utilizing the freemium model within their games – take Real Racing 3 for example. A lot of games allow you to purchase in-app “gold” that can be used to accelerate gameplay, but normally this means skipping an artificial timer that doesn’t have any natural place in the game. In Real Racing 3 you can use this gold to speed up repairs, or part deliveries…things that actually take time in the real world. It feels better, it feels natural, and it makes the game that much more realistic.

There are other advantages to the freemium model too; since it hit the markets as a major player in the mobile world Android developers have been complaining of the ease with which users have been able to pirate their games – some even going so far as to avoid developing for the platform entirely for fear of lost profits (I’m looking at you Infinity Blade). By requiring purchases in a game to be made through a server off in the cloud somewhere it becomes much more difficult for a person to pirate the experience that the developer would otherwise be providing. Sure somebody could find the game file on the internet, but that doesn’t give them anything more than someone could freely get form the application market directly.

It isn’t all happiness and sunshine though, there are some flaws with the system. Personally, I look at these as growing pains more than anything. The system is still relatively new…certainly more so than the traditional “buy a game, play a game” model we have been using for the entirety of gaming history. Most of the games out there currently using the freemium model make it far too easy to accidentally purchase upwards of a hundred dollars worth of in-game content with a single click, and getting a refund can be difficult or even impossible. Sure we can chalk it up to knowing what you’re getting yourself into before you press the button, but does it really need to be that easy to drop a hundred dollars on a game? There has been more than one instance of kids hitting these buttons not understanding what they’re doing and spending hundreds of dollars in the process, (read one here) and that’s something that needs to be fixed. A combination of changes by the developer and some responsibility from the parent should be enough to fix these issues in what I otherwise consider to be a promising model for distributing digital content.

What do you think? I know this is a hot-button topic, and I’d really like to hear your opinions. Leave a comment, connect with me on Twitter at @CallChrisNow, or send me an e-mail at chris@chriscall.me and let me know how you feel about the “freemium” market. Do you like it? Hate it? How can it be made better? Is there a better model out there? Let me know! I look forward to hearing your ideas.

Cool App of the Day!

The CAD or Cool App of the Day is....
Plants Vs Zombies!
Available For PC,IOS and Android!

This Game is seriously addicting, now if you know me from my vlogs then you Know I'm not a major gamer, But this App rocks. It's seriously Good Fun! I played it for days and some times 3 hours non stop.

It's mostly a strategy Game, But they made it to be a seriously fun Strategy Game!
I give it a FTI Rating of 9.5 of 10

So what are you waiting for Eh?
Get on with the download already!

PC Download
http://www.popcap.com/games/plants-vs-zombies/pc

Download for iOS
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/plants-vs.-zombies-hd/id363282253?mt=8

Download for Android
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.popcap.pvz_na&hl=en

Watch FTI Review of the App
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhfaAWs6WBY