Nikon D7000 is still #1 on Flickr.

My 2012 Christmas present is still #1 on Flickr. I posted 20 new videogame reviews. The reason why Nikon D7000 remains the most popular, because it is the cheapest metal skeleton DSLR on the market. You still get 24 fps 1080p video. HDR can be made in Paintshop Pro X5 (owns). HDR makes the photo look fake. I've seen non-HDR photos on Flickr from the D7000 with 20,000 hits. Its all in those $1000 lens, not HDR.

Finally Got PC-BSD 9.2

FreeBSD with KDE 4.10.5 is here! I know FreeBSD isn't Linux Mint, but it is KDE 4.10.5.
BSD is often seen as Linux’s
scarier cousin. Its name is
mentioned in hushed tones and
its users are thought of as elite
programmers and über sysadmins.
However, when we went to the PC-BSD
website to download the latest ISO, we
saw the main screenshot featured
Facebook and a YouTube video of funny
cats. Not exactly leet browsing material.
Perhaps it is for mere mortals after all.
PC-BSD aims to be user-friendly, like
a BSD equivalent of Linux Mint. Of
course, BSDs aren’t like Linux distros
because they don’t all share kernel –
though their features are broadly
similar, the main projects all maintain
their own. You could perhaps think of
PC-BSD, though, as a distro of FreeBSD.
Installation couldn’t have been
easier: just select Desktop or Server
and set it to work. Once it’s done, the
system walks you through creating a
user and you’re done. Frankly, a few
popular Linux distros could learn a thing
or two about user-friendly installation
“PC-BSD aims to be
user-friendly, like a BSD
version of Linux Mint.”
from PC-BSD. The install gives you a
KDE desktop, though other
environments are available. The only
slight blip was a warning message
telling us that we had less than 50GB of
hard drive space. This seemed a little
excessive, given that the install only
took up 7.2GB, and a message like this
might cause people to worry that the
install will fail. We ignored the warning
and it worked fine on our 20GB disk.
If it weren’t for the logo on the
desktop, many Linux users wouldn’t
realise they weren’t using a penguin-
flavoured OS. The range of apps
installed by default seems a little light,
though, considering the 3.4GB
download. There’s no office suite,
Konqueror is the only web browser, and
there’s little else of interest – you have
to install everything you need.
PC-BSD comes with the famous
ports package management system,
It may carry the cute exterior of KDE (pun intended), but underneath beats
the heart of a BSD.
but GUI-loving users needn’t be afraid.
There’s also AppCafe which is a fully
graphical software installation that’s
one of the best we’ve come across.
There’s only about 1,100 apps here –
we say only because there’s almost
70,000 on the Ubuntu Software Centre
– but you should find software for most
common tasks. There were a few
surprises, like Apache OpenOffice
instead of the more popular LibreOffice
(or even Calligra Suite given the OS’s
predilection for KDE). As we said,
there’s software to suit most tasks, but
you don’t have as much choice as you
may be used to. You still have the option
of installing open source software the
old fashioned way, and most Linux
software should compile on BSD.
On files
For years, the biggest difference
between BSD and Linux has been the
way they deal with filesystems. BSD’s
ZFS has long been the envy of Linux
sysadmins. This version of PC-BSD
comes with lpresnap which simplifies
the process of taking ZFS snapshots,
though at the moment it’s only available
on the command line. A graphical
version is promised for the next version.
ZFS now works on Linux, and BTRFS
is also starting to be used, so the
www.tuxradar.com
technical gap between the two systems
is closing. At the same time, though,
some of the BSDs (especially PC-BSD)
have become easier to use, closing the
game on Linux in that respect.
Unless you have an ideological
preference for the BSD licence over the
GPL, it’s hard to give you a specific
reason to give BSD a try – but we highly
recommend that you take it for a spin
anyway. Not because of any great
technical difference, but because it
gives you another view of a free
Unix-like OS – and it’s easy enough to
whip up in a virtual machine or on a
spare computer

Videogames are more popular then Comic Books

Whoa, whoa -- video games are an art form now? Well, here's the thing: The first rule of art is "art is subjective," and the second rule of art is "ART IS SUBJECTIVE" (the third rule: "If this is your first day at art club, you have to art"), and thus the tiresome argument that video games aren't art is rather moot indeed. Oh, and video games are an output of drawings, writing, and music put together by skilled humans in a manner designed to entertain/enliven, so there's that, too.
So with that out of the way, being on the verge of a new console generation feels like a good time to file something of a progress report on the art form in question (if only to desperately justify those 147 hours I poured into Saints Row: The Third). So what the hell can games do that books and interpretive dance can't?

#5. They Can Make You Think Like Someone Else

In a bad video game, you'll tend to refer to your onscreen character as "him" (or, rarely, "her") -- "Look at him fight that giant crab," etc. But a more engrossing game inevitably has you referring to your exploits in the first person -- "I'm sorry, I can't join you for 11 hours of tantric sex right now, I have to kill this giant crab" -- and this is because games can put you in the boots of someone else, to the point where you might find yourself kinda sorta thinking like someone else. Psychologists have long detailed this phenomenon where you'll behave according to what your perceived role in life is, and it's games' ability to harness this in a fun/harmless way that's perhaps unique.

As an example, the Mass Effect trilogy of games (does 2.9 games count as a trilogy?) has a romantic side quest for the main character, and playing as the other gender and then finding yourself genuinely evaluating potential romantic matches from their perspective ("YOU SHALL BRING ME THE BIGGEST HUNK ON THE SHIP") is an experience you can't really get unless the medium is actively telling you to take on another role. A game that more completely focused on all this could be sociologically fascinating indeed (or at least spread appreciation of hunks).

#4. They Can Do What Existing Art Forms Can Do, Only More So

What makes a good painting? Arguably you'd distinguish a work of intrigue from a mere illustration by the presence of mystery, or if someone painted boobs on it. Thoughtfulness and ambiguity in an image are the starting point, and the audience's imagination completes the process that we call art. Thus, paintings are cool. But video games can take all this and extend it to the third dimension.

There's an unusually thoughtful and ambiguous game from Japan called Dark Souls that places you in a strange and beautiful undead land with little real direction as to your quest. You'll meet a number of characters, but the narrative and exposition are deliberately kept minimal to foster endless discussion (the game's director loved the process of making up his own stories when reading English fantasy novels as a child and attempted to translate that experience to the video game medium). The game succeeds as a piece of art because the obvious amount of thought and detail that have gone into it subconsciously tell the audience that it's worth their time to try and fill in its many blanks.

You're not told everything, just like you're not told what the hell The Scream is screaming about, only here you've got an added plane of depth, and this is what's known as "taking it up a notch." About halfway through Dark Souls, you encounter a five-story-high painting in a massive, eerie hall. As you approach, some strange force seizes you, pulling you into the painting, leaving you to wander interestedly around the mysterious world within. This is what's known as "literally the most convenient metaphor ever."

#3. They Let You Step Outside the Narrative

The movie Minority Report had some good ideas about the future, but whatever was in there was always gonna be mitigated by the fact that a movie gets made because a star gets attached to it, and thus it's the star you're stuck looking at 95 percent of the time. Maybe the movie Prometheus had some good ideas, too, but who the hell knows because the audience was hurtling by them lashed to a mindless, rampaging narrative. The point here is that a linear experience means the audience is largely beholden to whatever the camera is pointed at. It's a big deal that in video games you control the camera.

What makes a world feel real is the little things -- the overheard conversations, the emails, the informative brochures. This is particularly important with science fiction, which generally seeks to present a convincing vision of another reality. A game like 2011's Deus Ex: Human Revolution presents a complete picture of a world where human augmentation is a reality because you get to hear those conversations and read those emails and brochures -- you simply spend more time in the world than you ever could with a movie (Prometheus only seemed like it was eight goddamned hours long).

Sure, you have your mission, but you can easily just say screw it and go around breaking into people's apartments, and when you stumble onto the apartment with the clandestine human chop shop, bags of artificial eyes and arms littered about, alarming emails on the computer, you realize this is the kind of extraneous depth that makes shit actually feel plausible. Being able to park the narrative for a bit and wander off to take in the details is uniquely immersive, and anyone interested in speculative fiction would do well to go "Hmm ..." at this point.

Read more: http://www.cracked.com/blog/5-things-video-games-do-better-than-any-other-forms-art/#ixzz2j5002Ivy

 

 

#2. They Can Trick You into Learning Something About Yourself

The worst I've ever felt about myself was the time I let that dude fall to his death from a bell tower when I so easily could have pulled him to safety. I found out something about myself that day -- I was willing to decide that someone I didn't like should die, and I was mad at that dead bastard, but I was infinitely madder at myself. Fortunately, most of this took place in a video game (2012's The Walking Dead), and it's a prime example of something games can do but passive media cannot: They can set you up to do things you assumed you weren't capable of, in a manner typically reserved for evenings at Stanley Milgram's place. A novel or film can show you someone else's descent into oblivion, but it can't make you do evil.

Recently in games there's a mini-trend of examining traditional game protagonists and the way they unquestioningly scythe down waves of enemies because the back of the box says they're The Hero. 2012's Spec Ops: The Line directly confronts this with chilling consequences for the psyche (how to play Spec Ops: The Line, Step 1: Return game to store); The Walking Dead tests the limits of how far you would go to protect one implausibly cute kid (pretty far, it turns out); and even Dark Souls is a game where half the enemies you face inevitably turn out to have some heart-breakingly noble reason for trying to dismember you (you who have unknowingly wrought so much evil because you assumed you were the hero of the game). Why is all this worth it? Because evil starts from assuming that you can do no wrong, and games genuinely have the potential to remind us that we can and will do evil if we're first told how good we are. Plus games keep you off the streets, killing virtual giant crabs instead of real ones, and that's the way to be.

#1. They Can Actually Attract an Audience

In the damn-near-impossible-to-make-a-living/impact world of the arts, you often have to go where the audience is, and that's the biggest advantage of video games right now. Like it or not, that's definitely where the audience is. Even entry-level indie games can get attention not available to other mediums. 2011's low-tech To the Moon is basically a short story infused with a frankly microscopic amount of gameplay, but it's a good short story, and it's one that thousands of people would never have read if it hadn't been in game form.

That might sound unfair, but every medium exists merely to fill the unending need for entertainment and stories, and games are in right now (have faith, erotic limerick writers, your time will come again). Most games are not 3D paintings. Artistically speaking, the majority of video games don't do anything better than a brick, let alone literature or HBO, but most of them are at least fun, and some are legitimately beginning to demonstrate games' unique potential to be equally fun AND thought-provoking (heaven forbid). An actual diversity of voices, attracted by this potential, is maybe all that's needed to take things further. And then 30 years from now when games come full circle and become what Hollywood is now, we'll at least have a golden age to look back on wistfully.

Game Industry Predictions (PS4, Xbox One, Playstation Vita, Wii U, 3DS)

The Kinect will win over the casual crowd and be fundamental to Xbox One's success

The first Kinect was a great concept but a flawed final product that lacked decent software. However, the market for it was there and it sold like hot cakes, so I'm thoroughly expecting the improved Kinect 2.0 (which is bundled with the Xbox One) to prove itself as a big selling point for the coveted "casual" audience.

While I'm personally not excited by the prospect of controlling my video games by flailing my arms around, as Nintendo have now moved towards a more traditional controller setup with the dual analog sticks of the GamePad, I'm predicting that the Xbox One will top many a kids' Christmas list in 2014 when Microsoft has rolled out a few more motion-controlled titles.
PlayStation 4 will trounce the Xbox One across holiday period

After the PR disaster that was the Xbox One's unveiling, I predict that the PlayStation 4 will shift the most units across the holiday period by a wide margin . Sony is simply offering the most enticing package, with its console being more affordable and marketed much more proficiently than its rival.


Wii U bundles without the GamePad

I love the GamePad. Considering its size it fits nicely in your hands, in the few games that have incorporated it into their gameplay it has worked magnificently and it offers a wonderful combination of console and tablet gaming .

Unfortunately, it is being underutilised, and this has led many to question its significance. While I would love for Nintendo to convert the non-believers, with their next three big first-party games seemingly failing to use it any notable way, I'm wondering whether the console manufacturer may start to release bundles that replace it with the Pro Controller, instead selling the GamePad separately with games that require it such as Wii Party U.
Microsoft will win ground back from Sony in the long run.

While I believe Sony will win the holiday 2013 battle, Microsoft has a good chance of winning the war. We've all praised Sony for its courting of indie developers and the like, but Microsoft is making a beeline for that most profitable of markets: the bro.

Thus far, Microsoft's pushing of sports to the forefront of the Xbox One's priorities has been a curious business decision, but it is indicative of the demographic they are looking to appeal to. That demographic, the one that will attend a midnight launch of a Call of Duty game and spend an obscene amount of money on Ultimate Team packs on FIFA, is an extremely profitable one which Microsoft also had a firm hold of in the current console generation.
The Titanfall series will dethrone Call of Duty

Many are becoming tired of the Call of Duty franchise, with the fewer pre-sales of Ghosts indicative of this, and while Battlefield 4 looks great that series' focus on more strategic gameplay has always stood to alienate those who prefer their action more fast-paced and, let's face it, dumb.

Fortunately, from the looks of the various previews and gameplays demos we have seen of it, Titanfall looks to bridge that gap. I believe that by the time we see the inevitable Titanfall 2, which unlike its predecessor will no doubt be released on the Xbox One, PC and PS4 simultaneously, we could actually have a CoD-killer on our hands.
Bayonetta 2 will flop

The announcement that Bayonetta 2 would be arriving exclusively on the Wii U divided opinion. Nintendo fans loved the fact that developer Platinum Games was showing such support to the new console, while fans of the original Bayonetta who weren't planning on picking up the Wii U were understandably more than a little frustrated.

I personally believe that Bayonetta 2 should absolutely have been a multiplatform title, and I think the fact that it will be releasing solely on the Wii U will prove to be its unfortunate undoing. Even though I'm of the opinion that 2014 will see Nintendo change the public's opinion of the Wii U, I simply don't think that owners of the console are Bayonetta 2's target audience and, as was the case with Platinum's The Wonderful 101, its lack of sales will reflect this.
Mario Kart 8 and Super Smash Bros. U will turn around the Wii U's fortunes.

Much in the same way that the two-hit combo of Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7 improved the 3DS's fortunes, I believe that when Mario Kart 8 and Super Smash Bros. U release next year they will prove to be system sellers for Nintendo's console.

Nintendo has struggled to gain a foothold on the market in the Wii U's first year on sale, but with the big hitters out of that starting gate they have a great chance of converting many more to the console's cause.
Quantic Dream will start developing for Xbox One

Beyond: Two Souls has been receiving mixed reviews, with many still not seeing the appeal of Quantic Dream's "interactive movie" style of game design. But while David Cage and his crew are already planning a game for the PS4, I wouldn't be surprised if they eventually take their talents over to Microsoft.

Microsoft's strong push of the Xbox One as a multimedia centre that will attract sports, TV and film fans as much as it will people who just want to play video games would surely be a perfect fit for Quantic Dream's vision, even if they have made their allegiance to Sony abundantly clear.

Quantic even released an app that allowed Beyond to be controlled by smartphone for people unfamiliar with the dual analog setup which, considering Microsoft's continued push of Xbox Smartglass, would just make sense.
Xbox Fitness will (unfortunately) be a huge hit

Wii Fit proved to a be a monstrous success for Nintendo, and Microsoft is looking to jump on that bandwagon with Xbox Fitness. The app will be included with Xbox Live Gold memberships until December 2014, with it then becoming a paid service.

While I personally prefer to do my exercising outdoors rather than sweating in front of my TV, I think this will prove to be huge for Microsoft,  and if they keep that subscription fee low enough and frequently update it with new workout videos, it could see the Xbox One worming its way into the living rooms of people who are uninterested in video games, similar to the impact Wii Fit had on the Wii.
PlayStation Plus will offer up top PS3 titles for free

Sony has already announced that PS3 games will be streamed to the PS4 and Vita via the cloud gaming network Gaikai, but that will inevitably come at a price - a price that those who already owned the games will probably be unwilling to pay.

The PlayStation Plus service has offered subscribers a fantastic array of free games over the years, and this trend will likely continue with the PS4. However, seeing as how the PS4's library won't be large enough for this to be the case in its first couple of years on the market, I'm predicting that the PS3's best games will be made available for free to Plus subscribers.
Rare will bring back a few of their most popular series as Kinect games

Rare used to be everybody's favourite third-party developer. Creators of Banjo-Kazooie, GoldenEye 007 and Conker's Bad Fur Day, there was a time when it looked like the company could do no wrong. Now is not that time.

Since 2010, Rare's main focus has been on developing Kinect titles, the derivative Kinect Sports being chief among them. The company will continue its focus on motion-controlled titles with the Xbox One, too, but seeing as how every owner of the console will mandatorily own a Kinect, there's a chance that we could see Rare undergo a revival of sorts and bring back Banjo and the crew to entice those of us who have been begging for their return to take on chance on purchasing a Kinect game or two.
The PS4 will revive the Vita

The PS Vita's a great handheld console but is simply lacking the games. Fortunately, Sony hasn't given up on it, and are really pushing the connectivity between it and the PlayStation 4, along with unveiling a whole bunch of great looking new titles for the near future. I'm predicting that the PS4 will inject some life into the Vita and a whole bunch of people will finally be introduced to the considerable charm of Persona 4.
We'll get a great Wii U Pokemon game, but it won't be the RPG we're all hoping for

Nintendo won't allow developer Game Freak to release a Pokemon RPG on the Wii U, because doing so would have a negative impact on the series' hugely successful portable games.

However, I think we'll definitely see a Pokemon game make its way to the Wii U, with the smart money being on either a beat-em-up or a Skylanders-esque platformer complete with tons of expensive figurines for fans to collect.
The PlayStation Eye will become completely obsolete

The PlayStation Eye was removed from the PlayStation 4 bundle to lower its price point, and I have no doubt that this will render its use completely obsolete save for its implementation in a handful of games, similar to the PS3's Eye.
Downloadable multiplayer-only titles will become the next big thing

Titanfall is an online multiplayer-only title, but that little fact hasn't prevented it from becoming one of the most heavily anticipated next-gen titles. This marks a huge change in the public's perception of multiplayer-only games, as they have thus far only found notable success on the PC, and could mean that we'll see smaller studios incapable of devoting enough time to the creation of a single-player and a multiplayer mode still being able to find considerable success.
The Kinect will win over the casual crowd and be fundamental to Xbox One's success

The first Kinect was a great concept but a flawed final product that lacked decent software. However, the market for it was there and it sold like hot cakes, so I'm thoroughly expecting the improved Kinect 2.0 (which is bundled with the Xbox One) to prove itself as a big selling point for the coveted "casual" audience.

While I'm personally not excited by the prospect of controlling my video games by flailing my arms around, as Nintendo have now moved towards a more traditional controller setup with the dual analog sticks of the GamePad, I'm predicting that the Xbox One will top many a kids' Christmas list in 2014 when Microsoft has rolled out a few more motion-controlled titles.
PlayStation 4 will trounce the Xbox One across holiday period

After the PR disaster that was the Xbox One's unveiling, I predict that the PlayStation 4 will shift the most units across the holiday period by a wide margin . Sony is simply offering the most enticing package, with its console being more affordable and marketed much more proficiently than its rival.


Microsoft will win ground back from Sony in the long run.

While I believe Sony will win the holiday 2013 battle, Microsoft has a good chance of winning the war. We've all praised Sony for its courting of indie developers and the like, but Microsoft is making a beeline for that most profitable of markets: the bro.

Thus far, Microsoft's pushing of sports to the forefront of the Xbox One's priorities has been a curious business decision, but it is indicative of the demographic they are looking to appeal to. That demographic, the one that will attend a midnight launch of a Call of Duty game and spend an obscene amount of money on Ultimate Team packs on FIFA, is an extremely profitable one which Microsoft also had a firm hold of in the current console generation.
The Titanfall series will dethrone Call of Duty

Many are becoming tired of the Call of Duty franchise, with the fewer pre-sales of Ghosts indicative of this, and while Battlefield 4 looks great that series' focus on more strategic gameplay has always stood to alienate those who prefer their action more fast-paced and, let's face it, dumb.

Fortunately, from the looks of the various previews and gameplays demos we have seen of it, Titanfall looks to bridge that gap. I believe that by the time we see the inevitable Titanfall 2, which unlike its predecessor will no doubt be released on the Xbox One, PC and PS4 simultaneously, we could actually have a CoD-killer on our hands.
Bayonetta 2 will flop

The announcement that Bayonetta 2 would be arriving exclusively on the Wii U divided opinion. Nintendo fans loved the fact that developer Platinum Games was showing such support to the new console, while fans of the original Bayonetta who weren't planning on picking up the Wii U were understandably more than a little frustrated.

I personally believe that Bayonetta 2 should absolutely have been a multiplatform title, and I think the fact that it will be releasing solely on the Wii U will prove to be its unfortunate undoing. Even though I'm of the opinion that 2014 will see Nintendo change the public's opinion of the Wii U, I simply don't think that owners of the console are Bayonetta 2's target audience and, as was the case with Platinum's The Wonderful 101, its lack of sales will reflect this.
Mario Kart 8 and Super Smash Bros. U will turn around the Wii U's fortunes.

Much in the same way that the two-hit combo of Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7 improved the 3DS's fortunes, I believe that when Mario Kart 8 and Super Smash Bros. U release next year they will prove to be system sellers for Nintendo's console.

Nintendo has struggled to gain a foothold on the market in the Wii U's first year on sale, but with the big hitters out of that starting gate they have a great chance of converting many more to the console's cause.
Quantic Dream will start developing for Xbox One

Beyond: Two Souls has been receiving mixed reviews, with many still not seeing the appeal of Quantic Dream's "interactive movie" style of game design. But while David Cage and his crew are already planning a game for the PS4, I wouldn't be surprised if they eventually take their talents over to Microsoft.

Microsoft's strong push of the Xbox One as a multimedia centre that will attract sports, TV and film fans as much as it will people who just want to play video games would surely be a perfect fit for Quantic Dream's vision, even if they have made their allegiance to Sony abundantly clear.

Quantic even released an app that allowed Beyond to be controlled by smartphone for people unfamiliar with the dual analog setup which, considering Microsoft's continued push of Xbox Smartglass, would just make sense.
Xbox Fitness will (unfortunately) be a huge hit

Wii Fit proved to a be a monstrous success for Nintendo, and Microsoft is looking to jump on that bandwagon with Xbox Fitness. The app will be included with Xbox Live Gold memberships until December 2014, with it then becoming a paid service.

While I personally prefer to do my exercising outdoors rather than sweating in front of my TV, I think this will prove to be huge for Microsoft,  and if they keep that subscription fee low enough and frequently update it with new workout videos, it could see the Xbox One worming its way into the living rooms of people who are uninterested in video games, similar to the impact Wii Fit had on the Wii.
PlayStation Plus will offer up top PS3 titles for free

Sony has already announced that PS3 games will be streamed to the PS4 and Vita via the cloud gaming network Gaikai, but that will inevitably come at a price - a price that those who already owned the games will probably be unwilling to pay.

The PlayStation Plus service has offered subscribers a fantastic array of free games over the years, and this trend will likely continue with the PS4. However, seeing as how the PS4's library won't be large enough for this to be the case in its first couple of years on the market, I'm predicting that the PS3's best games will be made available for free to Plus subscribers.
Rare will bring back a few of their most popular series as Kinect games

Rare used to be everybody's favourite third-party developer. Creators of Banjo-Kazooie, GoldenEye 007 and Conker's Bad Fur Day, there was a time when it looked like the company could do no wrong. Now is not that time.

Since 2010, Rare's main focus has been on developing Kinect titles, the derivative Kinect Sports being chief among them. The company will continue its focus on motion-controlled titles with the Xbox One, too, but seeing as how every owner of the console will mandatorily own a Kinect, there's a chance that we could see Rare undergo a revival of sorts and bring back Banjo and the crew to entice those of us who have been begging for their return to take on chance on purchasing a Kinect game or two.
The PS4 will revive the Vita

The PS Vita's a great handheld console but is simply lacking the games. Fortunately, Sony hasn't given up on it, and are really pushing the connectivity between it and the PlayStation 4, along with unveiling a whole bunch of great looking new titles for the near future. I'm predicting that the PS4 will inject some life into the Vita and a whole bunch of people will finally be introduced to the considerable charm of Persona 4.
We'll get a great Wii U Pokemon game, but it won't be the RPG we're all hoping for

Nintendo won't allow developer Game Freak to release a Pokemon RPG on the Wii U, because doing so would have a negative impact on the series' hugely successful portable games.

However, I think we'll definitely see a Pokemon game make its way to the Wii U, with the smart money being on either a beat-em-up or a Skylanders-esque platformer complete with tons of expensive figurines for fans to collect.
The PlayStation Eye will become completely obsolete

The PlayStation Eye was removed from the PlayStation 4 bundle to lower its price point, and I have no doubt that this will render its use completely obsolete save for its implementation in a handful of games, similar to the PS3's Eye.
Downloadable multiplayer-only titles will become the next big thing

Titanfall is an online multiplayer-only title, but that little fact hasn't prevented it from becoming one of the most heavily anticipated next-gen titles. This marks a huge change in the public's perception of multiplayer-only games, as they have thus far only found notable success on the PC, and could mean that we'll see smaller studios incapable of devoting enough time to the creation of a single-player and a multiplayer mode still being able to find considerable success.
The Kinect will win over the casual crowd and be fundamental to Xbox One's success

The first Kinect was a great concept but a flawed final product that lacked decent software. However, the market for it was there and it sold like hot cakes, so I'm thoroughly expecting the improved Kinect 2.0 (which is bundled with the Xbox One) to prove itself as a big selling point for the coveted "casual" audience.

While I'm personally not excited by the prospect of controlling my video games by flailing my arms around, as Nintendo have now moved towards a more traditional controller setup with the dual analog sticks of the GamePad, I'm predicting that the Xbox One will top many a kids' Christmas list in 2014 when Microsoft has rolled out a few more motion-controlled titles.
PlayStation 4 will trounce the Xbox One across holiday period

After the PR disaster that was the Xbox One's unveiling, I predict that the PlayStation 4 will shift the most units across the holiday period by a wide margin . Sony is simply offering the most enticing package, with its console being more affordable and marketed much more proficiently than its rival.


Microsoft will win ground back from Sony in the long run.

While I believe Sony will win the holiday 2013 battle, Microsoft has a good chance of winning the war. We've all praised Sony for its courting of indie developers and the like, but Microsoft is making a beeline for that most profitable of markets: the bro.

Thus far, Microsoft's pushing of sports to the forefront of the Xbox One's priorities has been a curious business decision, but it is indicative of the demographic they are looking to appeal to. That demographic, the one that will attend a midnight launch of a Call of Duty game and spend an obscene amount of money on Ultimate Team packs on FIFA, is an extremely profitable one which Microsoft also had a firm hold of in the current console generation.
The Titanfall series will dethrone Call of Duty

Many are becoming tired of the Call of Duty franchise, with the fewer pre-sales of Ghosts indicative of this, and while Battlefield 4 looks great that series' focus on more strategic gameplay has always stood to alienate those who prefer their action more fast-paced and, let's face it, dumb.

Fortunately, from the looks of the various previews and gameplays demos we have seen of it, Titanfall looks to bridge that gap. I believe that by the time we see the inevitable Titanfall 2, which unlike its predecessor will no doubt be released on the Xbox One, PC and PS4 simultaneously, we could actually have a CoD-killer on our hands.
Bayonetta 2 will flop

The announcement that Bayonetta 2 would be arriving exclusively on the Wii U divided opinion. Nintendo fans loved the fact that developer Platinum Games was showing such support to the new console, while fans of the original Bayonetta who weren't planning on picking up the Wii U were understandably more than a little frustrated.

I personally believe that Bayonetta 2 should absolutely have been a multiplatform title, and I think the fact that it will be releasing solely on the Wii U will prove to be its unfortunate undoing. Even though I'm of the opinion that 2014 will see Nintendo change the public's opinion of the Wii U, I simply don't think that owners of the console are Bayonetta 2's target audience and, as was the case with Platinum's The Wonderful 101, its lack of sales will reflect this.
Mario Kart 8 and Super Smash Bros. U will turn around the Wii U's fortunes.

Much in the same way that the two-hit combo of Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7 improved the 3DS's fortunes, I believe that when Mario Kart 8 and Super Smash Bros. U release next year they will prove to be system sellers for Nintendo's console.

Nintendo has struggled to gain a foothold on the market in the Wii U's first year on sale, but with the big hitters out of that starting gate they have a great chance of converting many more to the console's cause.
Quantic Dream will start developing for Xbox One

Beyond: Two Souls has been receiving mixed reviews, with many still not seeing the appeal of Quantic Dream's "interactive movie" style of game design. But while David Cage and his crew are already planning a game for the PS4, I wouldn't be surprised if they eventually take their talents over to Microsoft.

Microsoft's strong push of the Xbox One as a multimedia centre that will attract sports, TV and film fans as much as it will people who just want to play video games would surely be a perfect fit for Quantic Dream's vision, even if they have made their allegiance to Sony abundantly clear.

Quantic even released an app that allowed Beyond to be controlled by smartphone for people unfamiliar with the dual analog setup which, considering Microsoft's continued push of Xbox Smartglass, would just make sense.
Xbox Fitness will (unfortunately) be a huge hit

Wii Fit proved to a be a monstrous success for Nintendo, and Microsoft is looking to jump on that bandwagon with Xbox Fitness. The app will be included with Xbox Live Gold memberships until December 2014, with it then becoming a paid service.

While I personally prefer to do my exercising outdoors rather than sweating in front of my TV, I think this will prove to be huge for Microsoft,  and if they keep that subscription fee low enough and frequently update it with new workout videos, it could see the Xbox One worming its way into the living rooms of people who are uninterested in video games, similar to the impact Wii Fit had on the Wii.
PlayStation Plus will offer up top PS3 titles for free

Sony has already announced that PS3 games will be streamed to the PS4 and Vita via the cloud gaming network Gaikai, but that will inevitably come at a price - a price that those who already owned the games will probably be unwilling to pay.

The PlayStation Plus service has offered subscribers a fantastic array of free games over the years, and this trend will likely continue with the PS4. However, seeing as how the PS4's library won't be large enough for this to be the case in its first couple of years on the market, I'm predicting that the PS3's best games will be made available for free to Plus subscribers.
Rare will bring back a few of their most popular series as Kinect games

Rare used to be everybody's favourite third-party developer. Creators of Banjo-Kazooie, GoldenEye 007 and Conker's Bad Fur Day, there was a time when it looked like the company could do no wrong. Now is not that time.

Since 2010, Rare's main focus has been on developing Kinect titles, the derivative Kinect Sports being chief among them. The company will continue its focus on motion-controlled titles with the Xbox One, too, but seeing as how every owner of the console will mandatorily own a Kinect, there's a chance that we could see Rare undergo a revival of sorts and bring back Banjo and the crew to entice those of us who have been begging for their return to take on chance on purchasing a Kinect game or two.
The PS4 will revive the Vita

The PS Vita's a great handheld console but is simply lacking the games. Fortunately, Sony hasn't given up on it, and are really pushing the connectivity between it and the PlayStation 4, along with unveiling a whole bunch of great looking new titles for the near future. I'm predicting that the PS4 will inject some life into the Vita and a whole bunch of people will finally be introduced to the considerable charm of Persona 4.
We'll get a great Wii U Pokemon game, but it won't be the RPG we're all hoping for

Nintendo won't allow developer Game Freak to release a Pokemon RPG on the Wii U, because doing so would have a negative impact on the series' hugely successful portable games.

However, I think we'll definitely see a Pokemon game make its way to the Wii U, with the smart money being on either a beat-em-up or a Skylanders-esque platformer complete with tons of expensive figurines for fans to collect.
The PlayStation Eye will become completely obsolete

The PlayStation Eye was removed from the PlayStation 4 bundle to lower its price point, and I have no doubt that this will render its use completely obsolete save for its implementation in a handful of games, similar to the PS3's Eye.
Downloadable multiplayer-only titles will become the next big thing

Titanfall is an online multiplayer-only title, but that little fact hasn't prevented it from becoming one of the most heavily anticipated next-gen titles. This marks a huge change in the public's perception of multiplayer-only games, as they have thus far only found notable success on the PC, and could mean that we'll see smaller studios incapable of devoting enough time to the creation of a single-player and a multiplayer mode still being able to find considerable success.
The Kinect will win over the casual crowd and be fundamental to Xbox One's success

The first Kinect was a great concept but a flawed final product that lacked decent software. However, the market for it was there and it sold like hot cakes, so I'm thoroughly expecting the improved Kinect 2.0 (which is bundled with the Xbox One) to prove itself as a big selling point for the coveted "casual" audience.

While I'm personally not excited by the prospect of controlling my video games by flailing my arms around, as Nintendo have now moved towards a more traditional controller setup with the dual analog sticks of the GamePad, I'm predicting that the Xbox One will top many a kids' Christmas list in 2014 when Microsoft has rolled out a few more motion-controlled titles.
PlayStation 4 will trounce the Xbox One across holiday period

After the PR disaster that was the Xbox One's unveiling, I predict that the PlayStation 4 will shift the most units across the holiday period by a wide margin . Sony is simply offering the most enticing package, with its console being more affordable and marketed much more proficiently than its rival.



The Kinect will win over the casual crowd and be fundamental to Xbox One's success

The first Kinect was a great concept but a flawed final product that lacked decent software. However, the market for it was there and it sold like hot cakes, so I'm thoroughly expecting the improved Kinect 2.0 (which is bundled with the Xbox One) to prove itself as a big selling point for the coveted "casual" audience.

While I'm personally not excited by the prospect of controlling my video games by flailing my arms around, as Nintendo have now moved towards a more traditional controller setup with the dual analog sticks of the GamePad, I'm predicting that the Xbox One will top many a kids' Christmas list in 2014 when Microsoft has rolled out a few more motion-controlled titles.
PlayStation 4 will trounce the Xbox One across holiday period

After the PR disaster that was the Xbox One's unveiling, I predict that the PlayStation 4 will shift the most units across the holiday period by a wide margin . Sony is simply offering the most enticing package, with its console being more affordable and marketed much more proficiently than its rival.
Nintendo will sell cheaper Wii U bundles without the GamePad

I love the GamePad. Considering its size it fits nicely in your hands, in the few games that have incorporated it into their gameplay it has worked magnificently and it offers a wonderful combination of console and tablet gaming .

Unfortunately, it is being underutilised, and this has led many to question its significance. While I would love for Nintendo to convert the non-believers, with their next three big first-party games seemingly failing to use it any notable way, I'm wondering whether the console manufacturer may start to release bundles that replace it with the Pro Controller, instead selling the GamePad separately with games that require it such as Wii Party U.
Microsoft will win ground back from Sony in the long run.

While I believe Sony will win the holiday 2013 battle, Microsoft has a good chance of winning the war. We've all praised Sony for its courting of indie developers and the like, but Microsoft is making a beeline for that most profitable of markets: the bro.

Thus far, Microsoft's pushing of sports to the forefront of the Xbox One's priorities has been a curious business decision, but it is indicative of the demographic they are looking to appeal to. That demographic, the one that will attend a midnight launch of a Call of Duty game and spend an obscene amount of money on Ultimate Team packs on FIFA, is an extremely profitable one which Microsoft also had a firm hold of in the current console generation.
The Titanfall series will dethrone Call of Duty

Many are becoming tired of the Call of Duty franchise, with the fewer pre-sales of Ghosts indicative of this, and while Battlefield 4 looks great that series' focus on more strategic gameplay has always stood to alienate those who prefer their action more fast-paced and, let's face it, dumb.

Fortunately, from the looks of the various previews and gameplays demos we have seen of it, Titanfall looks to bridge that gap. I believe that by the time we see the inevitable Titanfall 2, which unlike its predecessor will no doubt be released on the Xbox One, PC and PS4 simultaneously, we could actually have a CoD-killer on our hands.
Bayonetta 2 will flop

The announcement that Bayonetta 2 would be arriving exclusively on the Wii U divided opinion. Nintendo fans loved the fact that developer Platinum Games was showing such support to the new console, while fans of the original Bayonetta who weren't planning on picking up the Wii U were understandably more than a little frustrated.

I personally believe that Bayonetta 2 should absolutely have been a multiplatform title, and I think the fact that it will be releasing solely on the Wii U will prove to be its unfortunate undoing. Even though I'm of the opinion that 2014 will see Nintendo change the public's opinion of the Wii U, I simply don't think that owners of the console are Bayonetta 2's target audience and, as was the case with Platinum's The Wonderful 101, its lack of sales will reflect this.
Mario Kart 8 and Super Smash Bros. U will turn around the Wii U's fortunes.

Much in the same way that the two-hit combo of Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7 improved the 3DS's fortunes, I believe that when Mario Kart 8 and Super Smash Bros. U release next year they will prove to be system sellers for Nintendo's console.

Nintendo has struggled to gain a foothold on the market in the Wii U's first year on sale, but with the big hitters out of that starting gate they have a great chance of converting many more to the console's cause.
Quantic Dream will start developing for Xbox One

Beyond: Two Souls has been receiving mixed reviews, with many still not seeing the appeal of Quantic Dream's "interactive movie" style of game design. But while David Cage and his crew are already planning a game for the PS4, I wouldn't be surprised if they eventually take their talents over to Microsoft.

Microsoft's strong push of the Xbox One as a multimedia centre that will attract sports, TV and film fans as much as it will people who just want to play video games would surely be a perfect fit for Quantic Dream's vision, even if they have made their allegiance to Sony abundantly clear.

Quantic even released an app that allowed Beyond to be controlled by smartphone for people unfamiliar with the dual analog setup which, considering Microsoft's continued push of Xbox Smartglass, would just make sense.
Xbox Fitness will (unfortunately) be a huge hit

Wii Fit proved to a be a monstrous success for Nintendo, and Microsoft is looking to jump on that bandwagon with Xbox Fitness. The app will be included with Xbox Live Gold memberships until December 2014, with it then becoming a paid service.

While I personally prefer to do my exercising outdoors rather than sweating in front of my TV, I think this will prove to be huge for Microsoft,  and if they keep that subscription fee low enough and frequently update it with new workout videos, it could see the Xbox One worming its way into the living rooms of people who are uninterested in video games, similar to the impact Wii Fit had on the Wii.
PlayStation Plus will offer up top PS3 titles for free

Sony has already announced that PS3 games will be streamed to the PS4 and Vita via the cloud gaming network Gaikai, but that will inevitably come at a price - a price that those who already owned the games will probably be unwilling to pay.

The PlayStation Plus service has offered subscribers a fantastic array of free games over the years, and this trend will likely continue with the PS4. However, seeing as how the PS4's library won't be large enough for this to be the case in its first couple of years on the market, I'm predicting that the PS3's best games will be made available for free to Plus subscribers.
Rare will bring back a few of their most popular series as Kinect games

Rare used to be everybody's favourite third-party developer. Creators of Banjo-Kazooie, GoldenEye 007 and Conker's Bad Fur Day, there was a time when it looked like the company could do no wrong. Now is not that time.

Since 2010, Rare's main focus has been on developing Kinect titles, the derivative Kinect Sports being chief among them. The company will continue its focus on motion-controlled titles with the Xbox One, too, but seeing as how every owner of the console will mandatorily own a Kinect, there's a chance that we could see Rare undergo a revival of sorts and bring back Banjo and the crew to entice those of us who have been begging for their return to take on chance on purchasing a Kinect game or two.
The PS4 will revive the Vita

The PS Vita's a great handheld console but is simply lacking the games. Fortunately, Sony hasn't given up on it, and are really pushing the connectivity between it and the PlayStation 4, along with unveiling a whole bunch of great looking new titles for the near future. I'm predicting that the PS4 will inject some life into the Vita and a whole bunch of people will finally be introduced to the considerable charm of Persona 4.
We'll get a great Wii U Pokemon game, but it won't be the RPG we're all hoping for

Nintendo won't allow developer Game Freak to release a Pokemon RPG on the Wii U, because doing so would have a negative impact on the series' hugely successful portable games.

However, I think we'll definitely see a Pokemon game make its way to the Wii U, with the smart money being on either a beat-em-up or a Skylanders-esque platformer complete with tons of expensive figurines for fans to collect.
The PlayStation Eye will become completely obsolete

The PlayStation Eye was removed from the PlayStation 4 bundle to lower its price point, and I have no doubt that this will render its use completely obsolete save for its implementation in a handful of games, similar to the PS3's Eye.
Downloadable multiplayer-only titles will become the next big thing

Titanfall is an online multiplayer-only title, but that little fact hasn't prevented it from becoming one of the most heavily anticipated next-gen titles. This marks a huge change in the public's perception of multiplayer-only games, as they have thus far only found notable success on the PC, and could mean that we'll see smaller studios incapable of devoting enough time to the creation of a single-player and a multiplayer mode still being able to find considerable success.
The Kinect will win over the casual crowd and be fundamental to Xbox One's success

The first Kinect was a great concept but a flawed final product that lacked decent software. However, the market for it was there and it sold like hot cakes, so I'm thoroughly expecting the improved Kinect 2.0 (which is bundled with the Xbox One) to prove itself as a big selling point for the coveted "casual" audience.

While I'm personally not excited by the prospect of controlling my video games by flailing my arms around, as Nintendo have now moved towards a more traditional controller setup with the dual analog sticks of the GamePad, I'm predicting that the Xbox One will top many a kids' Christmas list in 2014 when Microsoft has rolled out a few more motion-controlled titles.
PlayStation 4 will trounce the Xbox One across holiday period

After the PR disaster that was the Xbox One's unveiling, I predict that the PlayStation 4 will shift the most units across the holiday period by a wide margin . Sony is simply offering the most enticing package, with its console being more affordable and marketed much more proficiently than its rival.


Mario Kart 8 and Super Smash Bros. U will turn around the Wii U's fortunes.

Much in the same way that the two-hit combo of Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7 improved the 3DS's fortunes, I believe that when Mario Kart 8 and Super Smash Bros. U release next year they will prove to be system sellers for Nintendo's console.

Nintendo has struggled to gain a foothold on the market in the Wii U's first year on sale, but with the big hitters out of that starting gate they have a great chance of converting many more to the console's cause.



Quantic Dream will start developing for Xbox One

Beyond: Two Souls has been receiving mixed reviews, with many still not seeing the appeal of Quantic Dream's "interactive movie" style of game design. But while David Cage and his crew are already planning a game for the PS4, I wouldn't be surprised if they eventually take their talents over to Microsoft.

Microsoft's strong push of the Xbox One as a multimedia centre that will attract sports, TV and film fans as much as it will people who just want to play video games would surely be a perfect fit for Quantic Dream's vision, even if they have made their allegiance to Sony abundantly clear.

Quantic even released an app that allowed Beyond to be controlled by smartphone for people unfamiliar with the dual analog setup which, considering Microsoft's continued push of Xbox Smartglass, would just make sense.
Xbox Fitness will (unfortunately) be a huge hit

Wii Fit proved to a be a monstrous success for Nintendo, and Microsoft is looking to jump on that bandwagon with Xbox Fitness. The app will be included with Xbox Live Gold memberships until December 2014, with it then becoming a paid service.

While I personally prefer to do my exercising outdoors rather than sweating in front of my TV, I think this will prove to be huge for Microsoft,  and if they keep that subscription fee low enough and frequently update it with new workout videos, it could see the Xbox One worming its way into the living rooms of people who are uninterested in video games, similar to the impact Wii Fit had on the Wii.
PlayStation Plus will offer up top PS3 titles for free

Sony has already announced that PS3 games will be streamed to the PS4 and Vita via the cloud gaming network Gaikai, but that will inevitably come at a price - a price that those who already owned the games will probably be unwilling to pay.

The PlayStation Plus service has offered subscribers a fantastic array of free games over the years, and this trend will likely continue with the PS4. However, seeing as how the PS4's library won't be large enough for this to be the case in its first couple of years on the market, I'm predicting that the PS3's best games will be made available for free to Plus subscribers.
Rare will bring back a few of their most popular series as Kinect games

Rare used to be everybody's favourite third-party developer. Creators of Banjo-Kazooie, GoldenEye 007 and Conker's Bad Fur Day, there was a time when it looked like the company could do no wrong. Now is not that time.

Since 2010, Rare's main focus has been on developing Kinect titles, the derivative Kinect Sports being chief among them. The company will continue its focus on motion-controlled titles with the Xbox One, too, but seeing as how every owner of the console will mandatorily own a Kinect, there's a chance that we could see Rare undergo a revival of sorts and bring back Banjo and the crew to entice those of us who have been begging for their return to take on chance on purchasing a Kinect game or two.
The PS4 will revive the Vita

The PS Vita's a great handheld console but is simply lacking the games. Fortunately, Sony hasn't given up on it, and are really pushing the connectivity between it and the PlayStation 4, along with unveiling a whole bunch of great looking new titles for the near future. I'm predicting that the PS4 will inject some life into the Vita and a whole bunch of people will finally be introduced to the considerable charm of Persona 4.
We'll get a great Wii U Pokemon game, but it won't be the RPG we're all hoping for

Nintendo won't allow developer Game Freak to release a Pokemon RPG on the Wii U, because doing so would have a negative impact on the series' hugely successful portable games.

However, I think we'll definitely see a Pokemon game make its way to the Wii U, with the smart money being on either a beat-em-up or a Skylanders-esque platformer complete with tons of expensive figurines for fans to collect.
The PlayStation Eye will become completely obsolete

The PlayStation Eye was removed from the PlayStation 4 bundle to lower its price point, and I have no doubt that this will render its use completely obsolete save for its implementation in a handful of games, similar to the PS3's Eye.
Downloadable multiplayer-only titles will become the next big thing

Titanfall is an online multiplayer-only title, but that little fact hasn't prevented it from becoming one of the most heavily anticipated next-gen titles. This marks a huge change in the public's perception of multiplayer-only games, as they have thus far only found notable success on the PC, and could mean that we'll see smaller studios incapable of devoting enough time to the creation of a single-player and a multiplayer mode still being able to find considerable success.
The Kinect will win over the casual crowd and be fundamental to Xbox One's success

The first Kinect was a great concept but a flawed final product that lacked decent software. However, the market for it was there and it sold like hot cakes, so I'm thoroughly expecting the improved Kinect 2.0 (which is bundled with the Xbox One) to prove itself as a big selling point for the coveted "casual" audience.

While I'm personally not excited by the prospect of controlling my video games by flailing my arms around, as Nintendo have now moved towards a more traditional controller setup with the dual analog sticks of the GamePad, I'm predicting that the Xbox One will top many a kids' Christmas list in 2014 when Microsoft has rolled out a few more motion-controlled titles.
PlayStation 4 will trounce the Xbox One across holiday period

After the PR disaster that was the Xbox One's unveiling, I predict that the PlayStation 4 will shift the most units across the holiday period by a wide margin . Sony is simply offering the most enticing package, with its console being more affordable and marketed much more proficiently than its rival.


Rare will bring back a few of their most popular series as Kinect games

Rare used to be everybody's favourite third-party developer. Creators of Banjo-Kazooie, GoldenEye 007 and Conker's Bad Fur Day, there was a time when it looked like the company could do no wrong. Now is not that time.

Since 2010, Rare's main focus has been on developing Kinect titles, the derivative Kinect Sports being chief among them. The company will continue its focus on motion-controlled titles with the Xbox One, too, but seeing as how every owner of the console will mandatorily own a Kinect, there's a chance that we could see Rare undergo a revival of sorts and bring back Banjo and the crew to entice those of us who have been begging for their return to take on chance on purchasing a Kinect game or two.
The PS4 will revive the Vita

The PS Vita's a great handheld console but is simply lacking the games. Fortunately, Sony hasn't given up on it, and are really pushing the connectivity between it and the PlayStation 4, along with unveiling a whole bunch of great looking new titles for the near future. I'm predicting that the PS4 will inject some life into the Vita and a whole bunch of people will finally be introduced to the considerable charm of Persona 4.
We'll get a great Wii U Pokemon game, but it won't be the RPG we're all hoping for

Nintendo won't allow developer Game Freak to release a Pokemon RPG on the Wii U, because doing so would have a negative impact on the series' hugely successful portable games.

However, I think we'll definitely see a Pokemon game make its way to the Wii U, with the smart money being on either a beat-em-up or a Skylanders-esque platformer complete with tons of expensive figurines for fans to collect.
The PlayStation Eye will become completely obsolete

The PlayStation Eye was removed from the PlayStation 4 bundle to lower its price point, and I have no doubt that this will render its use completely obsolete save for its implementation in a handful of games, similar to the PS3's Eye.
Downloadable multiplayer-only titles will become the next big thing

Titanfall is an online multiplayer-only title, but that little fact hasn't prevented it from becoming one of the most heavily anticipated next-gen titles. This marks a huge change in the public's perception of multiplayer-only games, as they have thus far only found notable success on the PC, and could mean that we'll see smaller studios incapable of devoting enough time to the creation of a single-player and a multiplayer mode still being able to find considerable success.
The Kinect will win over the casual crowd and be fundamental to Xbox One's success

The first Kinect was a great concept but a flawed final product that lacked decent software. However, the market for it was there and it sold like hot cakes, so I'm thoroughly expecting the improved Kinect 2.0 (which is bundled with the Xbox One) to prove itself as a big selling point for the coveted "casual" audience.

While I'm personally not excited by the prospect of controlling my video games by flailing my arms around, as Nintendo have now moved towards a more traditional controller setup with the dual analog sticks of the GamePad, I'm predicting that the Xbox One will top many a kids' Christmas list in 2014 when Microsoft has rolled out a few more motion-controlled titles.
PlayStation 4 will trounce the Xbox One across holiday period

After the PR disaster that was the Xbox One's unveiling, I predict that the PlayStation 4 will shift the most units across the holiday period by a wide margin . Sony is simply offering the most enticing package, with its console being more affordable and marketed much more proficiently than its rival.



Downloadable multiplayer-only titles will become the next big thing

Titanfall is an online multiplayer-only title, but that little fact hasn't prevented it from becoming one of the most heavily anticipated next-gen titles. This marks a huge change in the public's perception of multiplayer-only games, as they have thus far only found notable success on the PC, and could mean that we'll see smaller studios incapable of devoting enough time to the creation of a single-player and a multiplayer mode still being able to find considerable success.

he Kinect will win over the casual crowd and be fundamental to Xbox One's success

The first Kinect was a great concept but a flawed final product that lacked decent software. However, the market for it was there and it sold like hot cakes, so I'm thoroughly expecting the improved Kinect 2.0 (which is bundled with the Xbox One) to prove itself as a big selling point for the coveted "casual" audience.

While I'm personally not excited by the prospect of controlling my video games by flailing my arms around, as Nintendo have now moved towards a more traditional controller setup with the dual analog sticks of the GamePad, I'm predicting that the Xbox One will top many a kids' Christmas list in 2014 when Microsoft has rolled out a few more motion-controlled titles.
PlayStation 4 will trounce the Xbox One across holiday period

After the PR disaster that was the Xbox One's unveiling, I predict that the PlayStation 4 will shift the most units across the holiday period by a wide margin . Sony is simply offering the most enticing package, with its console being more affordable and marketed much more proficiently than its rival.

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Commentary Youtube Channel.

I bought the two boxsets of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and Seasons 4-7. Now there is a channel with commentary on Power Rangers. Seasons 8-11 come out this month.

Oddly, the channel got 400,000 views in only 4 months!  I have Mighty Morphin Power Rangers to make my flickr popular. I would do a commentary, but I just watch the boxsets alone on my Playstation 4.  I thought it was funny to see the red ranger on Facebook in October. Red Ranger is funnier then Super Mario Bros costumes.

There is nothing of DLC that I really need. DLC is a waste of money. PC Expansion packs are more worth it like RPGs Nightwinter Nights, Neverwinter Nights 2, Diablo 2, Elder Scrolls III, Elder Scrolls IV and first person shooters like Half-life 2, These expansion packs offered more for the money and they came in a box!
Now expansion packs are changed to DLC and are on consoles. I am not buying an DLC for consoles, because I don't rebuy games with DLC conent nor do I own expansion packs for console. I dont know if PC is nichi like Sega Saturn or Dreamcast.
This DLC is moron. I do not buy the same game across two console platforms. That's moron. Who has that kind of money? I normally buy one version for PC and then one version for console without PC expansion packs.
I think i have enough pc games. Guild Wars 2 might be my last pc game for at least 24 months. I have no idea what is happening for PC. I know Nvidia and Radeon release new GPUs like clockwork and then new PC games use 5 year old game engines. I don't know if PC is dead or why there aren't many DirectX 11 games? Maybe next gen will solve the DirectX 11 void on PC???
They didn't wipe PC games off Wal-Mart or Target or Best Buy so PC is not yet Commodore Amiga.

US needs new consoles sooner than later

US retail sales of video games have not been good at all this year, with monthly declines regularly in the double digits. In an NPD data preview note, Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter said that September's results (to be published this Thursday) won't be much better and that the industry really needs new consoles from Microsoft and Sony to push sales into positive territory again. Even big software this holiday (Halo, Call of Duty, etc.) and the launch of the Wii U won't be enough to really reverse the damage done throughout the year. "We expect October - December to be relatively flat, and expect a return to negative territory again next year, at least until the launch of a next-generation console from Microsoft or Sony," Pachter said. He continued, "A new console cycle is likely to reverse the negative sales trends of the last several years, with next-generation consoles expected from each of the three manufacturers over the next 18 months. Nintendo will launch the Wii U on November 18, and, while neither Sony nor Microsoft has yet announced new hardware, we expect a PS4 no later than November 2013, and a next Xbox no later than March 2014." "Competition from social and mobile games hurt packaged goods sales over the last three years, but should serve to expand the market for console games over the long run, although it appears that the addressable market for handheld games will continue to erode. We expect the publishers to address the "problem" of free online multiplayer with evolving business models, adding increased opportunities to purchase virtual items, creating subscription-only serialized content, and adding premium subscription layers to the free offerings currently provided." Ultimately, Pachter sees the next-gen consoles selling very quickly even if they are only a "modest improvement" over the current generation. He believes publishers are all planning big lineups for new systems from Microsoft and Sony, and that these games will help bring software sales back to prominence. "We believe that the publishers plan an unprecedented number of new games for launch in the first two years of the next generation, providing relief from the gamer fatigue we've seen over the last three years," he said.

Government doesn't use FreeBSD, Linux is hacker's dream

Healthcare.gov proves why Linux is inferior to FreeBSD or openBSD, period. The healthcare.gov running Red Hat Enterprise Linux and it is a hacker's dream.

CD Collection

Sasha & John Digweed	Renaissance: The Mix Collection	6 x 6 Records, Renaissance	3xCD, Mixed	5	1994	100874	Progressive Trance
Thrillseekers, The	Nightmusic Volume 1	Adjusted Music	2xCD, Mixed, Comp	5	2005	530906	Progressive Trance
Thrillseekers, The	Nightmusic Volume 3	Adjusted Music	2xCD, Comp, Mixed, Promo, Smplr	5	2008	3061438	Progressive Trance
Thrillseekers, The	Nightmusic Volume 2	Adjusted Music	2xCDr, Promo, Smplr	5	2007	1642482	Progressive Trance
Brooks & Dunn	Brand New Man	Arista	CD, Album		1991	1884482	Uncategorized
Brooks & Dunn	(3) Waitin' On Sundown	Arista	CD, Album		1994	3778186	Uncategorized
Brooks & Dunn	Steers & Stripes	Arista Nashville	HDCD, Album	4	2001	1884395	Uncategorized
Brooks & Dunn	The Greatest Hits Collection	Arista Nashville, Arista Nashville	CD, Comp	4	1997	1936631	Uncategorized
Various	A State Of Trance 400 - The Celebration Edition	Armada Digital	20xFile, MP3, Comp	4	2009	1744115	Progressive Trance
Various	Universal Religion - Chapter One	Armada Music	2x12", Ltd, Smplr	5	2003	207769	Progressive Trance
Armin van Buuren	Universal Religion 2004, Live From Armada At Ibiza	Armada Music	CD, Comp, Mixed	5	2004	372199	Progressive Trance
Markus Schulz	Miami '05	Armada Music	2xCD, Comp, Mixed	5	2005	428885	Progressive Trance
Various	A State Of Trance - The Collected 12" Mixes	Armada Music	2xCD, Comp	5	2005	478928	Progressive Trance
Various	Electronic Elements: The Collected 12" Mixes	Armada Music	2xCD, Comp	5	2005	557089	Progressive Trance
Various	Electronic Elements: The Collected 12" Mixes	Armada Music	2xCD, Comp	5	2005	557089	Progressive Trance
Markus Schulz	Ibiza '06	Armada Music	2xCD, Comp, Mixed	5	2006	807653	Progressive Trance
Various	A State Of Trance - Collected 12" Mixes Volume 2	Armada Music	2xCD, Comp	5	2007	1018856	Progressive Trance
Various	Electronic Elements: The Collected 12" Mixes Vol. 2	Armada Music	2xCD, Comp	5	2007	1113353	Progressive Trance
Various	Captivating Sounds - The Collected 12" Mixes Volume 2	Armada Music	2xCD, Comp	5	2008	1218693	Progressive Trance
Various	A State Of Trance - Collected Extended Versions Volume 3	Armada Music	2xCD, Comp	5	2008	1556499	Progressive Trance
Markus Schulz	Toronto '09	Armada Music	2xCD, Comp, Mixed		2009	1677669	Uncategorized
Various	A State Of Trance - Collected Extended Versions Volume 4	Armada Music	2xCD, Comp	5	2009	1712200	Progressive Trance
Armin van Buuren	Universal Religion Chapter 4 - Special Edition	Armada Music	CD, Comp, Mixed	4	2009	2027994	Progressive Trance
Dash Berlin	The New Daylight	Armada Music	CD, Album		2009	1965067	Progressive Trance
Markus Schulz	Las Vegas '10	Armada Music	2xCD, Mixed	4	2010	2152457	Progressive Trance
Armin van Buuren	A State Of Trance 2010	Armada Music	2xCD, Comp, Mixed		2010	2213920	Progressive Trance
Dash Berlin	United Destination 2010	Armada Music	2xCD, Comp, Mixed	5	2010	2261888	Progressive Trance
Armin van Buuren	A State Of Trance 2004-2009	Armada Music	12xCD, Comp, Mixed, Ltd	5	2010	2574989	Progressive Trance
Markus Schulz	Prague '11	Armada Music	2xCD, Comp, Mixed	5	2011	2694196	Progressive Trance
Armin van Buuren	A State Of Trance 2011	Armada Music	2xCD, Comp, Mixed		2011	2778766	Progressive Trance
Various	A State Of Trance 500	Armada Music	5xCD, Comp, Mixed	5	2011	2892044	Progressive Trance
Dash Berlin	United Destination 2011	Armada Music	2xCD, Comp, Mixed	5	2011	2930956	Progressive Trance
Armin van Buuren	Universal Religion Chapter Five	Armada Music	2xCD, Comp, Mixed	3	2011	3149671	Progressive Trance
Markus Schulz	Los Angeles ’12	Armada Music	2xCD, Comp, Mixed	4	2012	3429780	Progressive Trance
Various	A State Of Trance 550: Invasion	Armada Music	5xCD, Comp, Mixed	5	2012	3538588	Progressive Trance
Various	A State Of Trance Classics Vol. 7	Armada Music	4xCD, Comp	4	2012	4002870	Uncategorized
Various	A State Of Trance 600: The Expedition	Armada Music	5xCD, Mixed		2013	5109887	Uncategorized
Various	A State Of Trance Classics Vol. 8	Armada Music	4xCD, Comp	4	2013	4999033	Uncategorized
Markus Schulz	Buenos Aires '13	Armada Music	2xCD, Comp, Mixed	4	2013	4982436	Uncategorized
John Digweed	MMII	Bedrock Records	CD, Comp, Mixed	4	2002	325743	Uncategorized
John Digweed	Live In London	Bedrock Records	4xCD, Comp, Mixed		2012	4085962	Uncategorized
John Digweed	Structures	Bedrock Records	2xCD, Comp, Mixed + DVD-V, PAL	5	2010	2352140	Progressive Trance
John Digweed	Bedrock	Bedrock Records	2xCD, Mixed	5	1999	498225	Progressive Trance
DJ Tiësto	Magik Two: Story Of The Fall	Black Hole Recordings	16xFile, MP3, Comp, 320 + File, MP3, Comp, Mixed,	5	2011	3111084	Progressive Trance
DJ Tiësto	Magik Four: A New Adventure	Black Hole Recordings	16xFile, MP3, Comp, 320 + File, MP3, Comp, Mixed,		2012	3413900	Progressive Trance
DJ Tiësto	Magik: First Flight	Black Hole Recordings	CD, Comp, Mixed		1997	36134	Progressive Trance
DJ Tiësto	Magik Three: Far From Earth	Black Hole Recordings	CD, Mixed, Comp		2000	1172070	Progressive Trance
DJ Tiësto	Magik Five: Heaven Beyond	Black Hole Recordings	CD, Mixed, Comp		2000	35653	Progressive Trance
DJ Tiësto	Magik Six: Live In Amsterdam	Black Hole Recordings	CD, Mixed, Comp	5	2000	36132	Progressive Trance
John Digweed	Global Underground 006: Sydney	Boxed	2xCD, Mixed, Ltd, Comp	5	1998	159729	Progressive Trance
John Digweed	Global Underground 014: Hong Kong	Boxed	2xCD, Comp, Mixed	4	1999	1440329	Progressive Trance
John Digweed	Global Underground 019: Los Angeles	Boxed	2xCD, Mixed, Ltd, Comp		2001	66798	Progressive Trance
Garth Brooks	Longneck Bottle	Capitol Records	CD, Single, Promo		1995	2252427	Uncategorized
Garth Brooks	Garth Brooks	Capitol Records, Capitol Records	CD, Album, Club		1989	1867177	Uncategorized
Garth Brooks	Fresh Horses	Capitol Records Nashville	CD, Album		1995	2049964	Uncategorized
ATB	The DJâ„¢ - In The Mix	Central Station	3xCD, Comp, Mixed		2004	246780	Progressive Trance
Various	A State Of Trance Classics Vol. 2	Cloud 9 (2)	4xCD, Comp	5	2007	1099424	Progressive Trance
Various	A State Of Trance Classics Vol. 3	Cloud 9 (2)	4xCD, Comp	5	2008	1437559	Progressive Trance
Various	A State Of Trance Classics	Cloud 9 (2), Cloud 9 (2)	4xCD, Comp	5	2006	764745	Progressive Trance
Various	A State Of Trance Classics Vol. 4	Cloud 9 Dance	4xCD, Comp	5	2009	1946037	Progressive Trance
Paul Oakenfold	The Goa Mix	Cream Records	2xCD, Mixed	5	1995	3016836	Progressive Trance
Tim McGraw	Tim McGraw	Curb Records	CD, Album		1993	1896403	Uncategorized
Tim McGraw	Everywhere	Curb Records	CD, Album		1997	1896397	Uncategorized
Tim McGraw	Greatest Hits	Curb Records, London Records, Warner Strategic Marketing	CD, Comp		2001	1123439	Uncategorized
Paul van Dyk	Out There And Back	Deviant Records	CD, Album, Mixed	4	2000	73351	Progressive Trance
Ferry Corsten	Twice In A Blue Moon	Flashover Recordings	CD, Album	5	2008	1516579	Progressive Trance
Ferry Corsten	Ferry Corsten Presents Corsten’s Countdown - The Finest Selection Of 200 Shows	Flashover Recordings	15xFile, MP3, Comp, 320	5	2011	2902994	Uncategorized
Sasha	Global Underground #013: Ibiza	Global Underground Ltd.	2xCD, Comp, Mixed	5	2002	874447	Progressive Trance
Deep Dish	Global Underground 021: Moscow	Global Underground Ltd.	2xCD, Comp, Mixed, Ltd		2001	42860	Uncategorized
Deep Dish	Global Underground #025: Toronto	Global Underground Ltd.	2xCD, Comp, Mixed		2003	161458	Uncategorized
Sasha	Fundacion NYC	Global Underground Ltd.	CD, Comp, Mixed, Ltd		2005	454680	Uncategorized
Sasha	Involver (Special Edition)	Global Underground Ltd.	CD, Comp, Album, Mixed + CD, Comp	5	2004	334076	Progressive Trance
Sasha	Invol2ver	Global Underground Ltd.	CD, Mixed		2008	1435345	Progressive Trance
DJ Tiësto	Live At Innercity - Amsterdam RAI	ID&T, Sony Music Media	CD, Comp, Mixed	5	1999	325412	Progressive Trance
Ferry Corsten	Live At Innercity - Amsterdam RAI	ID&T, Sony Music Media	CD, Comp, Mixed	5	1999	34960	Progressive Trance
Sasha + John Digweed*	Northern Exposure: Expeditions	INCredible	2xCD, Mixed, Comp	5	1999	21353	Progressive Trance
John Digweed	The Winning Ticket	Jackpot	CD, Mixed	5	1997	55501	Progressive Trance
SashaAndJohnDigweed*	Communicate	Kinetic Records	2xCD, Mixed		2000	153169	Progressive Trance
Sasha	Airdrawndagger	Kinetic Records, Kinetic Records	CD, Album, Mixed	5	2002	45941	Progressive Trance
Paul Oakenfold	Tranceport	Kinetic Records, Reprise Records	CD, Comp, Mixed	5	1998	3428	Progressive Trance
ATB	Sunset Beach DJ Session 2	Kontor Records	29xFile, MP3, Comp, 320 + File, MP3, Mixed, 320		2012	3662732	Progressive Trance
ATB	Sunset Beach DJ Session	Kontor Records	2xCD, Comp, P/Mixed, Dig		2010	2376076	Progressive Trance
ATB	The DJ'4 - In The Mix	Kontor Records, Kontor Records	2xCD, Comp, Mixed, Dig	5	2007	1679766	Progressive Trance
ATB	The DJ'5 - In The Mix	Kontor Records, Kontor Records	3xCD, Comp, Mixed	5	2010	2046309	Progressive Trance
ATB	The DJâ„¢6 - In The Mix	Kontor Records, Kontor Records	3xCD, Comp, Mixed	5	2010	2647790	Progressive Trance
ATB	The DJâ„¢2 - In The Mix	Kontor Records, Kontor Records, Kontor Records	2xCD, Comp, Mixed	5	2004	349459	Progressive Trance
Garth Brooks	The Hits	Liberty	CD, Comp		1995	2141156	Uncategorized
Garth Brooks	In Pieces	Liberty	CD, Album		1993	1604163	Uncategorized
ATB	The DJ In The Mix '3	Magic Records	2xCD, Mixed, Comp	4	2006	646310	Progressive Trance
George Strait	Twang	MCA Nashville	CD, Album		2009	2855123	Uncategorized
George Strait	Troubadour	MCA Nashville	CD, Album		2008	2437293	Uncategorized
Various	Creamfields 10 Years - The Album	Ministry Of Sound	3xCD, Mixed		2008	1669104	Progressive Trance
Sasha	Invol<3r	Ministry Of Sound	2xCD, Mixed		2013	4394322	Uncategorized
Ferry Corsten	Right Of Way	Moonshine Music	CD, Album + DVD, NTSC	4	2004	247739	Progressive Trance
Tiësto*	Club Life Volume Two Miami	Musical Freedom (2), [PIAS] Entertainment Group	CD, Comp, Mixed		2012	3564834	Progressive Trance
Paul Oakenfold	The Goa Mix 2011	New State Music	2xCD, Mixed, Comp		2010	2522809	Progressive Trance
Ferry Corsten	WKND	New State Music	CD, Album, Dig		2012	3437782	Progressive Trance
Ferry Corsten	Once Upon A Night Vol. 2	Premier (3)	2xCD, Comp, Mixed	5	2010	2446833	Progressive Trance
Ferry Corsten	Once Upon A Night Vol. 3	Premier (3)	2xCD, Comp, Mixed	5	2012	4051121	Uncategorized
Various	Ferry Corsten Presents: Full On Ibiza	Premier (3)	2xCD, Mixed		2013	4727799	Uncategorized
Ferry Corsten	Once Upon A Night Vol. 4	Premier (3)	CD, Mixed		2013	5143515	Uncategorized
Ferry Corsten	Once Upon A Night The Lost Tapes	Premier (3)	18xFile, MP3, Comp, 320	5	2011	2662840	Progressive Trance
BT	ESCM	Reprise Records	CD, Album		1997	18916	Progressive Trance
Armin van Buuren	Universal Religion Chapter 3 - Live From Armada At Ibiza	Resist Music	CD, Comp, Mixed, Sli	5	2007	1107480	Progressive Trance
DJ Tiësto	In Search Of Sunrise	Songbird	CD, Comp, Mixed	5	1999	23750	Progressive Trance
DJ Tiësto	In Search Of Sunrise 2	Songbird	CD, Comp, Mixed	5	2000	26821	Uncategorized
DJ Tiësto	In Search Of Sunrise 3: Panama	Songbird	CD, Comp, Mixed, Promo	5	2002	1637020	Progressive Trance
Tiësto*	In Search Of Sunrise 6: Ibiza	Songbird	2xCD, Mixed, Comp	4	2007	1055811	Progressive Trance
Richard Durand	In Search Of Sunrise 10: Australia	Songbird	3xCD, Mixed		2012	3786581	Uncategorized
Sasha	Global Underground 003: Sasha - San Francisco	Thrive Records	2xCD, Comp, Mixed, Car	5	1999	48190	Progressive Trance
Paul van Dyk	(R)Evolution : The Remixes	TME, Open Gate Records	2xCD, Comp		2013	4333046	Uncategorized
Ferry Corsten	Once Upon A Night	Ultra Records	2xCD, Mixed, Comp	5	2010	2210079	Progressive Trance
Sasha And John Digweed*	Northern Exposure	Ultra Records	CD, Comp, Mixed	5	1997	45123	Progressive Trance
Sasha And John Digweed*	Northern Exposure 2 Eastcoast Edition	Ultra Records	CD, Comp, Mixed	5	1998	57380	Progressive Trance
Sasha And John Digweed*	Northern Exposure 2 Westcoast Edition	Ultra Records	CD, Comp, Mixed	5	1998	47854	Progressive Trance
Tiësto*	In Search Of Sunrise 5 - Los Angeles Volume 1	World Club Music	CD, Mixed		2006	1738716	Progressive Trance
Tiësto*	In Search Of Sunrise 5: Los Angeles (Volume 2)	World Club Music	CD, Comp, Mixed		2006	2008872	Progressive Trance

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