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9/19/2013

Why PS Vita TV Could Be a Game Changer


PlayStation 4 in Any Room
Perhaps the biggest allure of the PS Vita TV is its capacity to remotely stream games from a PlayStation 4 on a shared local Wi-Fi network. With remote play, PS Vita TV promises to allow players to extend PS4 gameplay experiences to any room in their house, without having to move the console itself. With just the small, inexpensive box, users will in effect be able to keep playing games in a different room if a roommate wants to take over the TV.
But as exciting as it sounds on paper, there's reason to be cautiously optimistic about remote play. For one, the feature won't be available at the launch of PS Vita TV and Sony has yet to issue an estimate for when it might arrive. What's more, existing and previous examples of wireless game streaming have proven to be prone to latency, range, stability, and visual fidelity issues. But given the emphasis on remote play across PS Vita TV, PS Vita, and PS4, Sony's Gaikai technology could streamline the concept.
psvitatv
PS Vita - The Console
I know what you're thinking — why would anyone want to play Vita games on a TV? And to be fair, there's some merit to that concern. But while some consumers may be apprehensive about buying a dedicated handheld, they may still have interest in its games. And for $99 or $150, the PS Vita TV provides access to the growing library of titles available only on the Vita either downloadable via memory card or on a cartridge. While an upscaled version of a portable title may not be as enjoyable as the native handheld experience, it gives Vita owners another method of play and those without a way to try out the titles and earn Trophies. Players will also be able to play adhoc multiplayer games on their TV with other players playing on their PS Vitas. Add to that the system's capacity to play PS One classics and the PS Vita TV is a fairly robust games platform.
A Cheap Streaming Media Box
There's no shortage of platforms for streaming movies and television via Netflix or Hulu, but if you're a subscriber to Sony's Movies Unlimited service or rent content from the PSN, the PS3 (and eventually the PS4) are the primary means of viewing it on your TV. But what if you want to access it from a different room? The PS Vita TV is a simplified, low-cost solution for extending Sony's entertainment ecosystem and other third-party services throughout your house.
psvitatv2
Sony has also confirmed that the system will support the PS Vita's other apps, like its web browser, email client, LiveTweet, and most importantly, PSN social features. Players will be able to chat with PSN friends and party up for multiplayer games. With the existing library of apps and as it grows, the PS Vita TV will emerge as a multifaceted living room solution.
The Lingering Questions


Currently, pricing and release information for PS Vita TV are confirmed for Japan, but Sony's plans to bring the device to other markets and when are still unknown. As previously mentioned, availability for the system's remote play functionality is also unclear. Sony has also stated that only select Vita titles will be supported, but hasn't offered insight into how the system will address games with touch controls when using the DualShock 3. We've inquired with Sony representatives and will post any clarification that results.

Oculus rift! the future of virtual reality





The Oculus Rift which came out on Kick stater last year, is on it’s way to the consumer version, currently they are sending out developer kits, and the response from the developer community are great! A lot of expression that are in common is that all of the people that have tested out the Oculus, are saying that the Oculus rift is the way of the future!

What is the Oculus Rift? It’s a virtual reality head set, but wait, it’s not like those head set’s that came out in the late 90’s! This is actually real virtual reality. When you put the Oculus on you will be totally immersve in to the world which the oculus is projecting, as the different from previous virtual reality head set is that, the Oculus rift has a very wide angle of viewing prospective, a lot wider than any previous virtual reality head set’s, you won’t see any boeders when you put on the Oculus rife, you are really in the game or the virtual reality that the Oculus rift is projecting.

Another feature that totally gives you an immersive feeling when you put on the headset, is that the Oculus Rift has a head tracking sensor in it, with this feature where ever you move your head to, the oculus rift will actully follow every movement of your head, with no latency at all, so you don’t have to worry about not being immersve in to your virtual reality.

There are many informative web sites about the Oculus Rift online, just google OculusVR in google, and you can find out about more information about the Oculus, or go to youtube, and do a search on the Oculus Rift, you will find many videos that demonstrate the expression of people the first time they are trying out the Oculus, a lot of these videos are very funny to watch, but this is only because the Oculus rift has such an immersive experiance to the user, that they really feel as if they are immersve in to that virtual reality which is projecting to them!

You can also order the Developement kit of the Oculus Rift, for around $300, but I advise you if you are not a developer, just wait a little bit longer for the consumer version, which will be a lot better optimize for end users, and will be ready for you to easily use with all the awesome content that will come out for the Oculus Rift, virtual reality is here, the future is here!


Some of Oculus rift 's videos:

9/18/2013

Sony Reveals A New PlayStation Vita Model

Today at Sony Japan’s pre-TGS press conference, the company revealed that it will be releasing an all-new model of PlayStation Vita.
Screen Shot 2013-09-08 at 11.58.38 PM
This model was made to be “a more casual and easier to use model” of PS Vita, one that’s thinner, lighter, and that comes in different colors. It’s 20 percent thinner and 15 percent lighter than the standard Vita model, and is more “affordable,” packing a 5” LCD display in lieu of an OLED screen. Battery life has been increased by an hour, as well.
Interestingly, it also has built-in storage, albeit only a single gig’s worth.
newpsvita_01
Sony also revealed an all-new memory card for PS Vita, one that allows for up to 64 GB of storage.
This new model of PS Vita will be available in all six colors (some new, some old) on October 10th in Japan for 18,980 Yen (or about $190). It’s unclear if and when this model will be made available in the west.

9/17/2013

Windows 8.1 Will Cost $119 for Non-Windows 8 Users

If you're running an older version of Windows, prepare to fork up a pretty penny if you want to upgrade to Windows 8.1. Via The Verge, the Windows Team Blog recently announced that those not upgrading from Windows 8 will have to pay $119.99 for the base version of the updated operating system, or $199.99 for Windows 8.1 Pro.
The prices are no different than what Microsoft is offering for Windows 8 today, but they are still something to keep in mind if you've been thinking about making the leap. Unlike Windows 8, though, Windows 8.1 will be "full version software," meaning that you can install the new operating system onto a fresh computer. Previously, installing Windows 8 required an older version of the OS to already be present on the machine.
There are some caveats when installing Windows 8.1 onto a computer running Windows XP or Vista. While users upgrading from Windows 7 will be able to carry over their files during the installation process, those using XP or Vista will have to manually bring over files if they want to use them with Windows 8.1. If you find yourself in this situation, the Windows Team advises that you purchase the retail DVD to perform a clean install instead of downloading the OS.
In these instances, desktop programs will have to be re installed onto Windows 8.1, including Microsoft Office.
If you purchase a computer that already has the base version of Windows 8.1 installed, you can get the Windows 8.1 Pro Pack for $99.99, which includes Windows Media Center along with the other enhancements that come with Windows 8.1 Pro. If your device already has Windows 8.1 Pro, Windows Media Center will be offered for $9.99.
Windows 8.1 and Windows RT 8.1 will be available as a free update for Windows 8 and Windows RT users starting October 17th. Retail versions of Windows 8.1 will be sold starting October 18th.

Google Enters Healthcare Sector with Calico

Google's corporate reach extends beyond the technology industry, both through acquisitions of smaller start-ups and the establishment of new subsidiaries. Today,Google announced Calico--a new company focused on research and development in healthcare and biotechnology.
Image Source: YouTube

Arthur Levinson, currently the chairman of Apple and biotech corp Genentech, will take over Calico as CEO. Google chief Larry Page sees Levinson as a natural pick for leading Calico's development.
"Illness and aging affect all our families. With some longer term, moonshot thinking around healthcare and biotechnology, I believe we can improve millions of lives," said Page. "It’s impossible to imagine anyone better than Art--one of the leading scientists, entrepreneurs, and CEOs of our generation--to take this new venture forward.”
Levinson will retain his position as chairman of both Apple and Genetech. Earlier this year, Genentech won FDA approval for its latest cancer treatment drug, Kadcyla, which costs around $9,800 a month. The drug is expected to eventually replace Genentech's other cancer treatment, Herceptin, which had global sales of $6.3 billion in 2012.

9/16/2013

Samsung Galaxy S4 vs. HTC One vs. Apple iPhone 5S


This chart compares the attributes of the iPhone 5S models to comparable Android phones.

FeatureGalaxy S4HTC OneiPhone 5S
Plan Price$199 16GB
$249 32GB
$199 32GB
$299 64GB
$199 16GB
$299 32GB
$399 64GB
Standalone Price$639 16GB
$694 32GB
$599 32GB
$669 64GB
$649 16GB
$749 32GB
$849 64GB
ColorsFrost White, Black Mist, Red Aurora Stealth Black, Glacial Silver, Red, BlueGold, Silver, Space Gray
Battery Life
(3G Talk)
15.5 Hours18 Hours10 hours
Battery Life (Standby)432 Hours480 Hours250 hours
Weight130g143g112g
Display5-inch
Super AMOLED 1920×1080
441 ppi
4.7-inch
Super LCD 3
1920x1080
469 ppi
4-inch
LED LCD IPS
1136x640
326ppi
Camera (Rear)13 MP f/2.2 aperature 4 MP
f/2.0 with 2µ pixels
8MP f/2.2 aperature with 1.5µ pixels 
Camera (Front)2 MP]2.1 MP1.2MP
FlashSingle LED FlashSingle LED Flash'True Tone' Dual-LED Flash
Image StabilizationYesYesYes
Video Capture1080p 30 FPS (Front and Rear)1080p 30 FPS (Front and Rear)1080p 30 FPS (Rear), 720p (Front) 
Processor1.9GHz Quad-Core Krait Snapdragon 8001.7GHz Quad-Core Snapdragon 600A7, 64-bit (Clock Speed TBD) 
RAM2GB2GBTBA
OSAndroid 4.2.2Android 4.1iOS 7
Other FeaturesSmart Pause, Air View, Group Play, Smart Scroll, S Translator, S Health, S Voice Drive, S Memo, WatchOn'BoomSound' Stereo Speakers, HTC Zoe photo software, HTC BlinkfeedFingerprint scanner, slow-motion video, burst mode images, M7 motion sensor 
Release DateApril 2013March 2013Sept. 2013

9/15/2013

League of Legend Patch note 3.11


Champions

Draven
Summary: Draven’s passive will now consume all stacks on kill to grant bonus gold, although the gold granted per stack has been reduced by 1. Additionally, Draven’s passive will grant at least 50 bonus gold per kill.
Context: Considering Draven is obviously the greatest champion ever in League of Legends, his new League of Draven passive feels a little flat right now. We’re looking at ways of making his Adoration mechanic more rewarding - both functionally and visually – during late game and multikills.
League of Draven
  • Now grants a base 50 Gold bonus upon killing an enemy champion (from 0)
  • Now consumes all Adoration stacks on kill to reward Draven with Gold (previously only consuming half)
  • Gold per Adoration stack consumed reduced to 2 (from 3)
  • Visuals and sounds for League of Draven play on every Draven kill, instead of only playing on kills which consumed a large number of stacks

Fiora
Context: Fiora’s Blade Waltz has been hindered by reliability issues for a while now, so we’re making some quality of life changes to help ensure that her ultimate is suitably satisfying to use.
Blade Waltz
  • Will now choose untargetable and invisible targets if necessary to continue the Blade Waltz. If Fiora needs to jump to such a target to continue Blade Waltz, she will do so, though the ability will not deal damage to untargetable/invisible units. If the target is revealed when Fiora jumps to them (in brush), she’ll deal damage as normal

Galio
Summary: We’re reducing Idol of Durand's cooldown at all ranks and fixing the mana cost to a flat number (lower overall) at all ranks.
Context: Galio's ultimate has several measures in place to keep it in check, but between the counters and the resource costs (mana and cooldowns), we feel it’s currently too constrained overall. By reducing his ult’s cooldown and mana cost, we should ensure that Galio stays a viable pick at all levels of play.
Idol of Durand
  • Cooldown reduced to 150/135/120 (from 170/150/130)
  • Mana cost reduced to 100 (from 100/150/200)

Mordekaiser
Iron Man
  • Now displays shield amount in segments, similar to health segments

Singed
Fling
  • Fixed a bug where Fling was dealing more damage than the tooltip values indicated

Thresh
Death Sentence
  • If the target cleanses the initial spell or blocks it with a spell shield, the chain will now shatter, preventing Thresh from casting Death Leap

Udyr
Phoenix Stance
  • Phoenix Stance's buff now displays a timer for Udyr's next Phoenix Breath attack

Zac
Summary: Zac's chunk drops are now more contestable by opponents.
Context: When we first designed Zac, our initial concern was that his chunks would be difficult for Zac players to use if we didn't stack the variables in his favor. So we coded the chunks so Zac would absorb them even when his enemies were closer and should have been able to crush the chunks. Then we launched Zac, who in turn launched himself straight into the “awesome” category over multiple levels of League play. We’re still balancing Zac out, but these changes should give Zac's opponents a fair and equal chance to stomp out the chunks in lane and stop the green goo champ from sustaining so effectively.
Cell Division
  • Adjusted passive chunk drops to be more contestable by enemies
    • If an enemy champion is within 1000 units of Zac, his chunks will spawn in a contestable zone between him and his opponent (this isn’t a change, but is listed for clarification)
    • Increased the range at which champions cause chunks to be contestable (fly away from Zac) to 1000 (from 700)
    • Slightly increased the distance contestable chunks travel from Zac
    • Chunks are now credited to whoever is closest to them in the event that both Zac and an enemy champion are present (rather than automatically going to Zac)
    • Reduced chunk invulnerability time to 0.25 seconds (from 0.75)
    • Chunk invulnerability now applies to both Zac and enemies (previously only applied to enemies – Zac now has to wait 0.25 seconds before he can absorb his chunks)
    • Zac now has an increased chunk pickup range and bypasses the chunk invulnerability delay timer during Let's Bounce
Elastic Slingshot
  • Fixed a bug where the landing point visual effect was not appearing for enemies


Items

Guinsoo's Rageblade
  • Fixed a bug where the visual effects included the generic "increased Movement Speed" visual


Maps

Crystal Scar and Twisted Treeline
The following changes are for Crystal Scar and Twisted Treeline only
Sanguine Blade
Context: Similar to the removal of Needlessly Large Rod in 3.10, we’re changing the recipe on Sanguine Blade to alleviate frustrations that come with saving for a B.F. Sword.
  • Recipe Changed: Pickaxe + Vampiric Scepter + 500 Gold = 2175 Total Gold (previously: B.F. Sword + Vampiric Scepter + 500g = 2850 Total Gold)

Nidalee
Context: Nidalee’s Bushwack traps grant too much vision and zone control on wardless maps. We’ve lowered the trap durations to reflect the shorter games on Crystal Scar and Twisted Treeline.
  • Bushwhack reveal and Armor and Magic Resist shred duration reduced to 6 seconds (from 12)
  • Bushwhack trap duration reduced to 2 minutes (from 4)

Teemo
Context: Like Nidalee, Teemo's Noxious Traps grant too much vision and control on wardless maps. We've reduced their durations to reflect the shorter games on Crystal Scar and Twisted Treeline.
  • Noxious Trap duration reduced to 3 minutes (from 10)

Crystal Scar
The following changes are for Crystal Scar only
Kassadin
Context: Kassadin is in a much better place after his initial changes, but he's still a little strong. This change to his silence duration should bring him in line while still allowing him to remain competitive.
  • Null Sphere silence duration reduced to 1/1.25/1.5/1.75/2 seconds (from 1/1.4/1.8/2.2/2.6)

Kha'Zix
Context: Kha'Zix's isolation mechanic is too accessible on Dominion. With these changes, he’ll still have plenty of killing power, but his enemies will have a chance to react and dish some damage back.
  • Taste Their Fear isolation damage reduced to 35% bonus (from 45%)
  • Evolved Enlarged Claws additional missing Health damage reduced to 6% (from 8%)

Lulu
Context: Turns out giving Lulu an ult with amazing team utility almost every fight was giving the Fae Sorceress a little too much power. Oops.
  • Wild Growth cooldown increased to 120/110/100 (from 110/95/80)

Wukong
Context: Wukong was getting a lot of free tank stats which allowed him to build damage without being too squishy. We've increased the cooldown on Cyclone to help remedy the situation.
  • Stone Skin changed to 2/4/6 Armor and Magic Resist per rank (from 4/6/8)
  • Cyclone cooldown changed to 120/110/100 (from 120/105/90)

Yorick
Context: Solo lane Yorick has some strong opponents, but if you don’t specifically counter him, he tends to crush his lane opponent. These changes are meant to reduce some of his harass and sustain.
  • Omen of Famine cast range changed to 500 (from 550)
  • Omen of Famine cooldown changed to 8 (from 10/9/8/7/6)


Game Interface

Undo Button in the Item Shop
Context: Accidentally bought a B.F. Sword on Swain? We’ve added an undo button to the item shop, giving Runeterra’s most mis-clickiest of players the chance to undo their recent purchases. Purchases can’t be reversed if those items have had an irreversible impact on the game (dealing damage, mitigating damage, healing, providing a bonus that is used by a teammate, etc).
  • Players can now undo recent transactions within the in game item shop
    • Undo history is cleared under certain events such as leaving the shopping area, dealing damage, receiving damage, or casting a spell
    • Items will remove benefits they granted you when undone, such as gold gained from gold over time items
    • Certain items cannot be undone such as Homeguard or Captain's Boot enchantments

HUD
  • Mousing over a champion's passive icon will now show a range indicator if the passive has a range of influence (e.g. Soraka's Consecration)

Spectator Mode
Team Fight UI
Context: We’ve developed a new Team Fight UI for spectator mode that minimizes and concentrates the UI so that it’s easier to focus on the action during team fights. With this change we’ve optimized the display of battle information in team fights, including who’s involved in the fight, who’s winning, and how many people have died on either team.
  • While spectating, press 'A' to toggle the Team Fight UI
  • Minimalist UI mode that focuses on presenting information relevant to on-screen conflicts
  • Team health bars communicate the momentum of the fight and impact of AoE damage
  • Crowd control indicators visualize the power of crowd control abilities
  • Pentakill counter tracks progress towards double, triple, quadra and pentakills

Automatic Dragon and Baron Timers
  • Timers will display in the upper left corner of Spectator Mode with a countdown showing Dragon and Baron spawn times


League System

Loading Screen Reward Borders
Loading screen borders will now show a border from your highest rank achieved in the previous season inany tier (previously displayed your Season 2 rank for the specific game type you’re loading)


General

Context: With 3.10 the minimap bug was occurring with greater frequency than before. We've patched one particular instance but a complete fix for this will take much longer due to the highly technical nature of it.
  • Fixed an instance of the bug showing champions in the wrong place on the minimap when coming out of fog of war. We are looking into a more complete fix.


  • The minimum time any games need to last to be eligible for IP/XP rewards has been increased to 7 minutes (previously 5 minutes)
  • Cancelled Auto Attacks will no longer fire a damage-less missile at the target
    • The damage-less missile will no longer consume buffs or passives
    • You may still hear a sound effect without the missile. We are still investigating a fix for this
  • Minions will now disappear from the map sooner after their death
  • Cursors will be set to the center of their window by default, preventing the camera from panning to the far left or right corners of the map at game start
  • Cursors will also be set to the center of their window for a short period of time after player switches full-screen focus (alt-tab)
  • Removed the default key bind for "Show/Hide Summoner Names" (previously, Shift-K). The function can still be bound in the Key Bindings menu if you wish to use it
  • Reduced the amount of time you can spend AFK before being kicked from the game
  • Tower health is now updated even if you've never had the tower out of the fog of war
  • The Champions tab in the Summoner Profile has been updated with a new layout
    • The Champion grid has been widened, allowing more Champions to be seen at once
    • The primary role selector has been changed from a button group to a dropdown in the upper right

Friends List
  • Parts of the friend list view have been rewritten in order to increase stability and performance
    • Fixed a bug causing the friend list to be corrupted with duplicate and missing entries when scrolling
    • Friend Notes are now visible in friend tooltips without needing to hover over the note icon

Custom Games
  • AFK detection reduced to 3 minutes (from 8)
    • The game now kicks you at 5 minutes (previously 12 minutes)
  • A minimum number of human players must now participate in a custom game to receive IP/XP rewards.  The current thresholds are:
    • 5 players minimum for Summoner’s Rift, Crystal Scar, and Howling Abyss
    • 3  players minimum for Twisted Treeline
    • A notification has been added in the end of game results screen to explain why players did not receive IP/XP