Xbox One

The Xbox One aka OZ

     The all mighty and powerful "xbone" as they like to call it. Spearheaded by all the gripes and complaints, DRM issues and just a flat out bad presser (when they had it and E3), is the "xbone" really a "bone" at all? This is my review of the Xbox One.

Sony Always In There Somewhere lol

     The Wonderful World of Oz. Such a beautiful place and a road paved in gold! Ahh, what a place. This my friends is Microsoft. A place where your gaming needs can come true and everyone who is anyone has one sitting right in their homes (Xbox 360 that is). But alas, what is this a new OZ powered by a graphical powerhouse and speeds that would make Usain Bolt look like a snail riding a turtle? Why would anyone not want to go there? Well even in the Wizard of Oz, Dorthy wanted to go home (or back to reality) and that is what a lot of Xbox fans wanted to to do, go back home....and play games (without issue that is). So maybe Sony's new toy (PS4) is home and Oz is Microsoft's home away from home. Is the Xbox One really that bad? I can honestly say as of right now, no not really. It's actually quite awesome. So awesome in fact, I have left "home" and moved to "Oz". If you didn't catch that, that means I have moved to an Xbox One. In this review I will explain why and what I hope to get out of my new accommodations and what you as gamers or people who are interested should know.

     First thing you should know, the always on thing is true and not true. So while connected to your internet, everything looks good and runs like it should. If your a person like me who lives on pinning things (quicker access to things you use most) to your start screen or pinning them on Xbox 360 into "my pins", then you should know that Xbox One (X1) has their pins to the left of the main start screen. No big deal, its easy as hell to get to. The problem is that when your not connected to the internet or for some reason lose connection, then your start screen (well start up screen in general) looks real bad. The pins on the left and the items on the right of the start screen just fade with the internet. I have not seen if the system still works or not (which I am sure it does) but the things that make your X1 come to life are gone, when the internet does not exist. So your internet does not always have to be one or your X1 always connected, but the internet sure does play a big part. The difference on the way the games look are also noticeable but then again it depends on your TV. I game on a plasma and plasma's just look the best as far as color reproduction and those blacks are amazing (oh and the refresh rate). But gaming on the plasma and looking at NBA 2K14 (yes the GAME RIGHT THERE) on the X1 and then on the PS4..there are small differences. To me, PS4 looks better. But when looking at the same game on the LED on PS4 and then on X1, those differences become the same (to me).

     I am not going to get into the internals and all of that and then more comparing of the PS4 and X1 but you can see more of that HERE. But what I will do is talk about the unboxing and the experience I have had so far and why I choose to go the way of "Oz".

The Unboxing

     This is one of the worst unboxing's I have ever done lol. It took a long time just to get things out of the box, setup and then started. It had to have taken me 15 to 20 minutes. But even so, the unboxing felt like I was getting a premium device/unit. The extra controller that you have to buy (yes the X1 comes with one), the box was simple and easy to get to and it made it seem as if the controller was your weapon of choice to vanquish evil. After taking all the plastic off and protective coverings, the unit described in one word...Huge. Those of you you who were able to know what a VCR is, think of the X1 as that or a Beta Max Player. This thing is huge and heavy. But don't let that scare you. When Microsoft said that they wanted to be number one in the living room, this big black device is big enough to scare the other things (and consoles) away to make that happen. In my living room lives the receiver, the cable box, and the X1. Yes I did connect my cable to the X1 (also the PS4 and the Nexus 7 2013 edition) and it works very, very well. The only thing is, sometimes the commands will tick you off...really bad, but its better than last generations Kinect. 

The Experience

     So far when using the X1, it has been a charm unless I am trying to show someone the features or things like that, then it wants to not work or makes it difficult to operate and people look on as if to say "I think i'll pass". On the other hand, when it works, it works like a charm. I would give the over all system use about 8/10 times whereas last generations Kinect would be around a 5-6/10. Skype works great on the X1, had a call or two on there already. The only thing I don't like about the X1 is the menu layouts and where is the information on how much space I have left on my unit. That's right, there is no way yet, to know how much space you have your hard drive. The menus, are terrible. Trying to find things is like a journey into Minecraft, it only gets better once you dig deep. And dig deep you will just to find this or that. The cool thing is that most of the stuff you can pin to the start screen, but other things like account info and (not profile people) will have you journeying to the center of the earth. It's not bad once you get used to it or if you have used Android devices, then you will be able to pick this up in no time. If you have used a PS4 and are coming to X1, then you are in for a treat (not a good one either). 

     The other thing I don't like is the new controller. Man it is awful. I like the feedback in the trigger buttons, that is actually awesome. The feel of the new controller is ok, but the overall and while playing games, boo! People keep saying they are the same as the 360's and ones just bigger or smaller. I am sorry people, those two controllers are worlds apart like 2K14 on 360 and 2K14 on X1. The PS4 controller in my opinion is way better than the new X1 controller because Sony made the right changes to the DualShock whereas Microsoft seemed like they made changes cause this was a new system. The 360 controller was already worlds better than the PS3 and it fit the hand real nice, as the PS3 controller was to small and button placement was to close together. It seems like Sony and Microsoft made a switch in the controller wars. But again don't let that scare you off as well. To be honest anything negative I have said about the X1, that's just about it. Other than a few minor hiccups here and there, the X1 is a solid next gen console. The only thing now is games and other content (which they both lack) but the end of January (early February) is looking real good for games like Titanfall, Project Spark (which was one of the only things I saw during Microsoft's press event that I actually liked and plan on buying), Quantum Break and of course Halo. Of course these are all console exclusives and I think the coming months are looking real promising. For more games take a look HERE. Another awesome feature is the Sky Drive integration and the Game DVR. The game dvr is awesome because all you do is yell out "Xbox record that" and that game clip records to your hard drive and then you can edit it and upload it to the Xbox One universe or you can save it with Sky Drive. For more check out this VIDEO. The last thing is the Snap feature. The Snap Feature woks like this. So when the Cavaliers go to half time, I play Killer Instinct or finish up 2K14 or maybe Dead Rising 3. But half time is fast at times, I end up missing like 3 or 4 minutes of the game. Well when you say "Xbox Snap TV" (considering you have cable or satellite hooked up) the X1 will slice your game and TV viewing in half and you will be able to watch TV and continue playing your game as well. The multitask feature on the X1 is amazing and these features I love more and more.

The Decision 

     I know for some this may come as a shocker, even most of my friends were surprised to know that I went with the X1 over the PS4. Well honestly, it was a really hard decision but one I felt was the right one to make. Why you ask, well recently I switched over to Windows Phone and chose the Nokia Lumia 1520 (or Windows Phone 8) and it just made perfect sense. I got tired of the same thing over and over (as iOS and Android go) and just wanted something different but something familiar (as in I had a Lumia 920 last year and gave it up for the Galaxy Note 2, boy what a mistake)(got me again Samsung!! Got me a-damn-gin) that I had no problem using. The review for the Lumia 1520 and the Lumia 2520 are coming soon. I got my son a phone for Christmas (he already had one but not a smartphone) and ended up getting him a Lumia 520 because he has been full time Xbox, so I figured that the connection between the two would be awesome and hopefully he would like it. Well thank goodness he did and AT&T has a great deal on them and plans (shocker I know). My daughter also now has a Windows Phone and I figured that using Microsoft services is not all that bad and that their phones are actually quite good. I am subscribed to a few of their services like Xbox Music and having everything rolled into one neat little package was a big deal for me. Since he has 360, I went out and got a 360 as well and figured we could game together on at least a few things (Minecraft and WWE 2K14). I love Sony, don't get me wrong, but the PlayStation 3/4 moves very well and I have heard that their phones, well not so much. I like getting updates..hence that's why I love Nexuses so much and that stock Android. The thing with the X1 after awhile became easy and I just kind of accidentally fell into the Microsoft ecosystem. Most of the top notch games are going to PS4 and X1 anyway with a bunch of console exclusives here and there, but X1 won over my living room with (what I thought was a gimmick) features that I use everyday that I paid no attention to. 

     The Kinect is the biggest gimmick for Xbox, so I thought, but addition of adding your cable/satellite to the box and.....AND it works together.....very well in fact....I had to go with that and the fact that I have a Windows Phone and the games on their add to my gamer score (well Xbox and Xbox Live games) and Sky Drive and Skype just work so well together, its close but almost comparable to Apple and their ecosystem. Who knows maybe I would have stayed with Apple if they had a console (console worth buying) or maybe I would have stayed 100% Android if Sony's phones and services for them were a bit better. But in the end I went with what I thought was the better overall selection and that's Microsoft and the Xbox One. Sure there are things that it can't do, but there are things that it can do as well. One thing that its definitely doing is helping me and my son game together from far away and somewhat getting us closer together. As far as the X1 goes, its just another piece to the ecosystem that works really well with everything that I have around me. The difference between the PS4 and X1 comes down to preference and real gamers will have both anyway (we do rule however). But for those of you who want to get just one or the other, my advice for you is to make your decision based on what you want the most. Most of my friends have no clue which one to get first, but look at it like this. 1) did you have a PS3 or a 360? if you had a 360 then go to X1 and keep all of your content and gamer score/achievements in tact. If you had a PS3 then go to PS4 for those reasons as well. 2) if you had PS3 but want to switch to X1, ask yourself why and how much of a commitment are you going to make and willing to make for it. Same as if you had a 360 going to PS4. 3) lastly, where are your friends going and do you want to follow them or do your own thing. If the majority of your people are going all one way, then making the transition with them should be an easy one for which ever you decide. For me, I choose X1 because of the features built in it, like game DVR and being able to add on your own external hard drive down the line (I am really hoping to put a 2 or 4 TB onto this thing), Snap Feature, the multitasking and other things (I feel like I am missing something). Should you get though overall, I say, why not?!

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this is what it says when no internet connection is found and you play a game

This is my setting with the Hue Lights when I play Xbox One

Sony Again lol

Fantastic Race Game

That red glove is the one I use when I unbox or get new electronics. Gotta keep them gadgets clean!

Philips Hue

     Lets find a movie, pop some popcorn, sit back on the couch, set the mood and watch the movie. Sounds like a great Friday night in for most or even a movie night with friends. But lets focus on the one command, "set the mood". Most people just cut the lights off and watch the movie in complete darkness only using the light from the TV to set the mood. When you go to the movie theater, its not 100% darkness in there, there are a few lights in there that help set the mood and help those know where they are going. And that is where the Philips Hue Personal Wireless Lighting system comes in. There is more than movie night lighting with this unit so lets dive in and see what we got. This is the Philips Hue.

     So lets get the cat out of the bag, this is not your normal average everyday lighting unit. This my friends is a $199 wireless lighting unit with personal settings, different mood settings and a variety of colors for your personal needs. Still not convinced, that's ok, this is not for everyone, I was brought into this unit with the quest for my own home personal automation. So far, this is the first step. But on to the Hue lights. So what this is really is a light bulb (3 of them) that you can program ( a slew of different colors) and personalize to your own discretion. When you get your system you get 3 sets of wireless bulbs, a disc shaped wireless hub (or the bridge that the lights connect to) and a network cable. Yes this has to be hard wired to your existing router, but that's ok, just hook it up and put it somewhere out of sight. Once you get everything out of the box, you download the app in either the Google Play store or the App Store on iOS. You can also connect via your computer and that's cool as well just incase you are away from home and you want to control your lights or you want to turn them home while your on vacation or if you are a Windows Phone owner, because there is no native app on Windows Phone...yet (I don't even know if there will be one either). So whatever your preference, there is a way for you to connect to this system.

     Once you go through the very simple setup and then naming your lights so you know which one is which, that is when the magic happens. I will give you an example of how we use our lights. I have a ton of timers set, but they are all at different time intervals. The kids get up in the morning to the "Waking Up" mood setting. This turns on at 5 am Monday through Friday, every week and shuts off at 7:45 am every week as well. When the light cut on, they are set to come on as incandescent lights and they are at about 45% brightness. That way when they get up, its not totally dark in the house and they don't have to search for lights in the house. I have all three lights coming on and they serve there purpose very well. So the afternoon is a little different. The lights are set to come on at 4:50 pm (now because where we are it gets dark around this time and totally darks outside at about 5:15-5:30 pm) and then cut off at 11 pm. Those lights are at a different color white, almost a yellowish color light. So its bright in the house but not to much. The idea is to get a bunch more of these bulbs, only thing is they are $59.99 for each additional bulb. Yeah they are a bit expensive, but if you are building a network and just want a piece of mind, maybe then the cost is not an issue for you. I want about 3 more in the living room and then 1 in each of the kids rooms. When its homework time, they have a preset mood setting called homework and concentrate. Both offer a lighting solution that is very easy on the eyes, a kind of a soft light with a low brightness and reading a book with it flat on the table as kids do, I think its a good lighting solution for them to not have to move the books all the time just to get a good reading angle. It would be cool to set their timers for the times that they do their studies and in room activities.

     The best thing about the Hue is that when you do add more lights, you can add up to 50 light bulbs to one hub (the disc bridge thing) and mix and match with a bunch of different mood settings. Now I don't want you to think of these as glorified light bulbs, because there are a lot more ideas you can come up with when using these light. I have a setting on the app for when we watch movies. Lights are at about 15-20% brightness and if its scary movies, a reddish like tint and for other movies, we use blue. When I play PlayStation in the living room, I use all blue and Xbox is at a bright green. Its actually a cool ambience. The Wii U has only been used once out here in the living room (where I am working at now) since I have had these lights and I used the Wii U's blue color to set mine at their blue color. Now if your wondering how I got to use that sky-bluish color, well here is the thing. When you set up a new mood setting, you set it by picture, either pictures within the app or pictures from your own camera. If you don't have anything on your camera roll that you like, then snap it right then and there. Once you do that, you move the color selector to the color you want it to be within the picture. If not that, then there are basic colors off to the side.

     If your still wondering why you should spend $200 for a set of 3 lights, then these lights may not be for you. They are not very practical, but they can be used that way and in that way very well. You don't always have to use and app to turn off or on the lights, you can flick the switch just like normal on and off and it will still work. Having a diner party, add some light to the party. Having a house party with music and all, add some color to the mix. On Android, there is an app called Hue Pro that adds even more fun to the hue lights like lava lamp and pulse to music. Its real nice, almost better than the real app but it doesn't work as smooth but when it works, it works real well (both actually). If there was anything else to say about these awesome light bulbs other than, you should buy these, I am at a lost for words because when I seen the demo of these, I was had at the first sign of color. If you are interested in these and you wonder where you should buy this at, I got mine from the Apple Store. I seen that Best Buy is now selling them (awesome) and Amazon sells them as well. Overall these lights are worth it to me. There are more lights from Philips that are out there now as well (Friends of Hue and the light strips) and I think I am more interested in the one more than the other. But this again is the first step into my home automation because I love tech a lot and a connected household is the future for me and this family. Next up will probably be some sort of cameras or the Nest thermostat systems/smoke detectors. Then it will be the door lock and so on and so forth. Home automation is here and I find it as the beginning as the next step into the future.

     Well this was the Philips Hue Wireless Lighting System. I didn't talk much about the geo-tag feature were when connected to your phone sense's where you are (well tracks your phones geo location) and when your close to your house or whatnot, your lights can cut on or set it up the way you want. I haven't talked about it because I have not used it yet and honestly probably not. But it is a feature that maybe you can try out and tell me how it works out. Thanks for reading.

Coming Soon: AOC 23" Full 1080P monitor; PS4, Xbox One, Games for next Gen, and thinking of switching to Windows or Android or iOS for full time use.

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NBA 2K14 ReVisited

    Well today another short update on another game out there that I love. NBA 2K14 on PS3. First I just want to say yes I am getting the PS4 version as well. The same basketball game on two different systems? Yes! First off, NBA 2K14 next gen looks freaking awesome. But we are not talking about that one, we are speaking on 2K14 current gen. Anytime I play my PS3, I get in a game of basket ball. I don't know why, maybe because I am a basketball nut or I just really love 2K games (PLEASE COME BACK NFL 2K, ENOUGH WITH THE MADDEN!!!).

     If you were wondering on how you should rate NBA 2K14, think about it like this. NBA 2k14 is "S" series in the iPhone line up. So 2K13 is equal to the iPhone 4 or the iPhone 5. 2K14 is the iPhone 4s or the iPhone 5s, same product but different internals and functions. Now if you hung in there with me, then you can understand what I am saying and know that I am not saying more than what it sounds like. Anyway, 2K14 is basically the same 2K13 game that I loved, but the look and the feel of the game is just a tad bit different and the updated the rosters, controls and the overall presentation. Not saying that this is a bad thing, but it just almost feels like you have done this once before.

     A few questions I got was should a person run out and get this? Well when it first came out, I would have told you "Hell Yeah!" (in the Stone Cold Steve Austin voice). But if you asked me that same question again today, well you might get a different answer. My answer today would come back to you as..."well are you getting a next gen system?" And the question right there will tell all. For those of you who are getting a next gen system, there are a couple of ways of doing this.

1. Have a PS3 and getting PS4: Get the NBA 2K14 Super Fan Pack from the PSN store. It's $99.99 but hear me out. This is the bundle I got. You get the PS3 version of the game (digital download version) and then when you get the PS4, you can just download it from there and have the new NBA 2k14 next gen version as well. So instead of paying $60 for current and then $60 for the next gen version, that is $120 so you wind up saving $20. The good thing about this is, you can have your PS3 version on your system or your child's system and you can play the new version on your PS4.
2. If your not getting a PS4 (or not just yet) and you have a a PS3, then I would say yes, pick this up whenever you can. It is not a game that you JUST HAVE to run out and get unless your a die hard NBA fan and then in that case you probably would have it already.
3. If you want 2K but don't have either system, go with the next gen version, unless you are on a budget and then if that is the case, get PS3 and a used copy of NBA 2K14. 
4. Lastly, for the Xbox 360/One fans, if you don't have 2K14, don't get the current gen version, get the next gen version. 

I don't know what the frame rate or hd quality the game runs at on X1 (because not all games on the X1 run at 60 frames and or 1080p), but I know on the PS4 its 60 FPS (frames per second) and at 1080p, that I can not pass up and neither should you. 

     But this current gen version is starting to show its age on current gen systems......to me. Its like seeing a blu-ray movie and then going back to see a dvd movie of that same movie. My eyes have been opened to the next gen and I will admit I am a bit spoiled by the look of it. Looks are not everything and I got that, but it also looks like it plays well, well at least better than this gen's version. I don't have a problem with recommending this game to anybody though. I will play this game up until I open my PS4 and my copy on next gen finishes downloading. Probably later tonight, I will take in a game of basketball because I love the My Player mode (I think its My Carer now) and that is what I always play. I didn't do the Lebron Path to Greatness mode and I will not. No knock on Lebron, but just not a mode I am interested in, I am more focused on myself. I also dabble in the Association mode. Its nice to go make a trade you think your favorite team should make and then play it out how you want it to.

     Overall, the game is still solid as ever. The updates for the game come pretty quick, the online part of this game is still terrible and lags, but it is a good game that you would not be upset at spending $60 for. I wish the developers would stop taking short cuts in this game (like with the shoes!!! and things like All Star Break, my game was still in Houston) because those were things I thought they would change in this years edition, but sadly they did not. I still love the game and because of that, I say you should still go out and pick it up. It is still one of the better sports games out there and thank goodness no Jay-Z soundtrack this year (YES!!). Still go out and pick this up on this gen or next, you won't be upset overall.