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.

Connect with me on:
Google+: TitosTech
PSN: The_D_O_P_E_69
XBL: TitosTech
MiiVerse: TitosTech
Raptr: @TitosTech
Twitter: @TitosTech

Google Nexus 5

Nice Box Presentation (my box opening tool on the side aka Hercules)

 I know it has been awhile for me to post things, but with Christmas shopping out of the way, PS4/Xbox One releases have come and gone and there were some personal issues within life that always like to get at you when you least expect it, I have finally been able to put out my review of my Nexus 5 smartphone by Google. So with out further delay, here is the Google Nexus 5.

 

     So, I cannot stress this enough, this phone feels great and is very light for it being a 5 inch phone. Off of first impressions, this phone is very comfortable and light. Of course this phone is being shipped with Android 4.4 KitKat and right now most Nexus 5 owners have KitKat 4.4.2 (I have it on my Nexus 7 but not Nexus 5 yet). And I don't want to talk to much about 4.4 KitKat, but you can tell Google is on to something here and I like the way it looks on the phone for that overall appeal. Anyway, the Nexus 5 is everything you love about Android phones with not all that extra crap on there that carriers and manufacturers put on there. It felt good opening up the phone and not see AT&T blasted throughout the phone or a very lag-tastic Samsung start-up screen. What I got was pulsating Google logo and setup screen, and then after that(after the set-up) you turn it off then on again and the same thing occurs but right to the phone. The process to go from full off to home screen takes about 10-15 seconds, its beautiful. My Galaxy Note 2 took about 30-35 seconds and my Droid about 25-30 seconds.

     The design of the phone is very nice and comfortable to hold. The back is coated in a nice soft gripping rubber like material and he front is protected by Gorilla Glass 3. The phone doesn't feel to big in the hand, its almost like 4.9" or 5.0" is the sweet spot for phones. if you are coming from and iPhone, you are going to be pleased with the screen and the extra real estate. If you are coming from something else, this will either be right at home for you and hit that sweet spot again or it will just a shade under what you are used to. The camera on the back is a small circle with and LED flash under it, and just for those who love cell phone cameras or what to become the next great photographer with this phone, please look elsewhere. The camera is not bad.....but then again its not good either. I know its a 8 megapixel camera (8 MP), but this camera is just missing the full use of those 8 megapixels somewhere. I can't put my finger on it, but its just missing something. Again, the phone is light, about 4.60 ounces light and I cannot stress that enough. The way the phone is, it just feels so good.

   The display of the phone is NOOICE! (shot out to Key & Peele) Sorry if you are not in the know, it means its a nice screen, about 445 ppi to be exact. It is a 1080 x 1920 inch display that can produce just about 16 million colors on screen. What that mean to you is that the colors pop and the sound that goes with those beautiful colors just don't add up. The speaker grill which is located at the bottom of the screen, is ok and its loud, until you go out into public and realize how crappy your speakers really are. But for the price of a Nexus 5, you can't complain. This is a top of the line phone with specs to match. On board is 4G LTE, 16/32 Gb of storage (no add on), 2 Gb of RAM, 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (yes AC is on board and if you have it...it is screaming fast) wifi, Qualcomm MSM8974 Snapdragon 800 processor, Quad-core 2.3 GHz Krait 400, Adreno 330, wireless charging (Qi standard) and more. All of that for $349 (16Gb) or $399 (32GB).....oh and the best part, NO CONTRACT!! They have these phones on contract but why would you do that?

   Anyone that knows me knows I hate contracts and think they are the worst things for us as people to buy when there are so many alternatives. 2 years with the same phone and plan? I can't do it. Give me a service that I can pay when I want and have more control over and get the same benefits as others with LTE (or better with unlimited this and that) for less money. Sign me up! I think that is why the Nexus community loves Nexuses so much, high end phones with low end prices and I agree, it just makes sense. The one bad thing I will say about this phone other than the camera is the battery life. The battery life on this phone is not good at all. When I mean not good, I mean maybe a recharge throughout the day.....and that's everyday. The battery already is a non-removable Li-Po 2300 mAh battery, and if you know anything about batteries, you know that is not that good. However, if you are thinking about getting this phone, don't let that scare you off, because depending on what time you start your day and what time you end it, the battery life of the phone may be just good enough for what you do. For what I do, the battery life is just that, good enough. Again, its not a Droid Maxx or an HTC One or an iPhone as far as battery life goes, but it is good enough for me and it may be for you as well.

     There are always plus and minuses when it comes to new phones and even new software/OS'. This phone has both. Its good because it is a top of the line phone without all the gimmicks (looking at you Samsung and look away SMH) and bloatware, its just straight phone and all its simplicity. However with that high praise comes the other factor that sucks, not everything you download or want to download may not be compatible. Example, my Time Warner Cable app (or TWC app) didn't work on my Nexus 5 for about 2 weeks. That's because, TWC had not optimized their app for Android 4.4 and because of that, I was unable to watch TV on my phone for a few weeks. As for other things like games, some of them just don't work at all and will not work like Amazing Alex. Not a big deal to some and not even to me, but there are those out there that play this game and love it but can' play it on this phone (as of yet). This is also one of the big differences between iOS and Android as well. Amazing Alex works on iPhone/iPod and also on iPad/iPad Mini. I know some of you may say who cares, but for some people that is everything. If this doesn't work, what else doesn't work? I haven't found anything else but there are some things on Android  that are like that though.

     All of that other stuff aside, I have had this phone for over a month ( I ordered it the day it was available) and all of the tech talk and things like that aside, this phone is really good. One of my favorite phones of the year, if not top 3. When talking to people, the calls sound good, and dialing people has never been easier. When people call in and they are not in your contact list, Google finds out who it is and puts picture to the number, its really cool. I got a call back from the Best Buy headquarters and the picture that popped up the Best Buy ticket. It was really cool. Other feature of the phone that I like is the almost Google Now feature like on the Motorola Moto X. Key word there was "almost". The Moto X works when the screen is off when you say the phrase "OK Google". The Nexus 5 is just like that but it only works from the home screen. Its a really cool feature and Google Now works like a charm. I hate to hear people say its way better than Siri or Siri is way better. Look people they have two different functions. Just because you talk to the does not mean they do the same thing. Siri is real good at hands off activity. For example, ask Siri to remind you "watch Scandal at 10pm on Thursday". She confirms what you ask and then prompts you to reply. All you have to do is say yes and there it is. One button operation. For those of you who do not have a Nexus 5 but use Google Now, you know it is a few button presses and then confirm. But on a Nexus 5 (from the home screen) same command, "remind me to watch Scandal at 10pm on Thursday" and then it wants you to confirm it, but right there is where you have to hit the remind me at this time button at the bottom to confirm and then it saves. For some that is not bad, but you HAVE to be at the home screen to work that or in the search. With Siri you just hold the home button, phone off or on. The music commands on both are worlds apart, but Android is coming around. When trying to navigate with Google now while talking with music playing, Google now was unresponsive. The best thing however about listening to music on your Nexus 5, is when you look at the beautiful full screen music art on the lock screen.


     What else can I tell you about this phone? I know other writers out there may tell you how something is but only after a few days of messing with something. A good example is a Galaxy Note 2, a Galaxy S4 (my buddy knows lol sorry for your phone bro) or a Nexus 7 2012 edition. Those phones and tablets are awesome for the first few weeks and that is how these reviewers tell it. But most of these guys or some girls, don't use their device longer than the few days that they have it, that would be crazy. I write about these things because I live with these things and use them everyday and know that after a few months (some after the first 30 days) the performance starts to dip a little and then a lot. My Note 2 started to crawl after 2 months of use and for a flagship phone, to me that is unacceptable. I usually don't bash a lot of good tech, but my experience with Samsung products have been very lackluster experiences. But that is neither here nor there and this phone, the Nexus 5 made by Google and LG, is a phone any android user would love for years to come. My final thoughts for this phone after using it non-stop for a little over a month, this phone is a great piece tech goodness. If you are looking for a phone and want to pass on contracts but want a high end phone, go with this one. I use this phone with Straight Talk and pay way less than what my buddy pays for his S4 (in terms of cost of phone, monthly data/minutes, and still have updates and Android goodies before him) and his contract. Trust me I am not bashing him, I hope he would know that, I am just simply telling all you out there that if you want a high end phone, you don't have to pay those outrageous prices and don't have to settle for an "Okay" phone in the process. If I have enlightened you as a reader, then my job is done and I would hope you all got something out of it about the phone or contracts in general. But if you want to know more about the phone or anything else I write/talk about hit me up on:

PSN: The_D_O_P_E_69
XBL: TitosTech
MiiVerse: TitosTech
Twitter: twitter.com/titostech
Raptr: raptr.com/titostech
Google+Carlos Washington




    

 

My PS3: The Last Days

     This is my last day/time actually taking the time out to comment about my PlayStation 3. As I have moved on form the PS3 and on to the PS4, I can remember a time when I didn't want anything to do with Sony and their PS3. But that was way in the beginning and since then I fell back in love with my PS3. Sony makes some very good first party games like (Infamous) (God of War) (Killzone) (Uncharted) and lately (The Last of Us) and (Beyond Two Souls which didn't do so well but to me the story of the game was unbelievable). Even though there are more games that Sony makes as first party, there is no question that they make some of the best damn games out there and because of that, I went with Sony and their awesome first party of games.

    

     Before I was a PS3 man, I was and Xbox 360'er. I stood outside in 2005 and got my Xbox (the Arcade Edition) with two buddies of mine and we all went home and just didn't look back at the PS2 or the original Xbox. It was all about the new system. When they announced the PS3, I looked at it and kind of laughed at it and said well I will own it one day, but that machine looks terrible. There was also the thing of what the hell is a Blu-Ray disc? Why would anyone change the format of the disc or why would they not adopt (HDD)? (Sorry Hdd players around the world).

    

     Anyway, as time went on around February of 2006, my Xbox died! The first encounter (and not the last) I had with the dreadful red ring of death put me in a state of pure and utter piss-itivity! (I know its not a word but that is a shot out to my old drill sargent!) I replaced it and went on to enjoy my new one. As time went by, PS3 had came out and was announced at a price of $1 Billion dollars!! Well not really, but when it came out, that's what I heard as far as price goes! So because of that, I didn't even give it a shot, at least no until 2009. When the end of 2009 came, around November or December, I went out and picked up a PS3 because it was time to see what Sony had actually been doing and since I loved my PS2, I wondered why in the hell would they make a system so expensive? It must do wonders?! Well when I went to Gamestop and picked up a 60gb backward compatible PS3 (a fat boy).

    

     That was one of the best decisions of my life! I didn't care for how it came on (and still don't) but the interface was cool and changing the backgrounds was awesome. There were even moving parts to it! The problem I had was that all of my friends at the time were on 360 and none of them really wanted to jump ship (as they called it) but I had to because I had become bored with my 360 and it's little nagging "red" problems. But that's neither here nor there. I picked up a little game called Killzone 2 and played it and thought it was okay. I never was a real big online player but I gave killzone 2's online a shot and most of the friends I have on PSN right now, came from that same game (shotout to you guys)! I played Killzone 2 online like everyday! The sounds of the killings and ambient noises left me always wanting more and more. The time I had a kill streak of 8 kills in a row (4 of them came back to back to back to back) set me off into a world of elite status (in my own world that is).

    

     As I started to die down from that game, I picked up God of War one day and again....mind blown! I don't know what they were thinking (Santa Monica Studios) when they made that game but thank goodness you guys were on whatever you were on in that creative studio. God of War was a game that made killing awesome all over again for me. Since I am a fan of Greek Mythology I though it was cool to see the time period get some love (last game I played like that was Battle of Olympus on NES, loved that game). After that game I believe I got a PSP 2000 and then upgraded to a PSP Go. Got some God of War games on the PSP and everywhere I went my PSP went with me.

    

     I played other games and other systems (I had all 3. Wii, 360, and PS3) and enjoyed them with my girlfriend at the time. We alternated a lot between the Wii and PS3. After awhile I got into Uncharted and when I first played that, it reminded me of the first time I played Tomb Raider and it felt good to play. Nathan Drake is a character, and a funny one at that. The story with that game is awesome and the dialouge is what really gets me, the banter back and forth. One day out of the blue, I found out you can swith out hard drives and put a bigger one in. I thought that was awesome and did some research on which ones work and don't work and I took a chance and picked up a 500gb laptop hard drive. Durring that same time, modding was real big and I was hip to j-tag Xbox's and buddy of mine clued me in to what you can really do with a PS3! Tinkering with my system one night, I bricked my system! My 500gb hard drive I just put in....wasted by my tinkering. I was pissed and all kinds of other things. But for some reason I didn't throw the system out.

    

     My fiance can tell you and anyone else who knew about  my modded PS3 (if you guys didn't know, the modded PS3 was the one that was bricked) that thing was awesome. Wait, I forgot to tell you yes some way I unbricked my PS3 and back then that was unheard of. When my screen finally came back on to the debug screen I woke her up at about 4:30 or so in the morning telling and screaming!! I had to see if what I did was real and later that day I went to a buddy of mine who was real nice with making Xbox and Wii's "much better" than what they were (sorry he moded them lol). He had about three or four PS3's that were bricked and all but one came back to life. I then learned about how to mod PS3's and tinker with them and ran Java programs on them and different little utilities. Put different OS on some of them (those that could) and found a great way for meeting PS people. Xbox was so cool for bootlegging things and and it had its moments but the PS3 was capable of SO much more once you really went inside of it. I don't recommend it fat PS3's are the best by far!!

  

     I got out of my modding phase and eneded up selling that particular PS3 to a guy and then I bought two slim ones (the one I have today, the other was stolen) because I wanted one for the living room and one for the bedroom. I switched both hard drives form the 120gb to a 320 and another 500gb. Time went by and more games just kept coming and coming. I lived in the 3 ecco systems of Wii, 360 and PS3, but I would always buy more for my PS3 because that was my system of choice. We all have that system of chooice and there is nothing wrong with that. Xbox had a better online experience and because I didn't do a lot of online gaming (I did but not a lot), that was not the best choice for me. I love Mario and the only place to get that is on Nintendo, so in a sense I buy Nintendo just because of Mario and their first party games. They are always fun. Which brings me to Sony and the PS3. I was into their first party games even though their online service was not as good as Xbox Lives. But When PlayStation Plus dropped, why would you want free game? Who cares if you ever play them or not, they are free and you might find one you really like *cough cough "Hotline Miami" *cough cough.

    

     Anyway, in the final days, which really started in this year in September, I wanted to stop playing PS3 all together and get ready for The PS4 that was coming out in November. The problem was GTA V was coming out and deep down, I really wanted to play it. I caved and bought the game and played GTA V hardcore everyday (even after beating it 6 days later) up until GTA Online came out. After Online came out, I played it maybe once or twice after that, three times at the most. I kind of said I was not going to play anything else, but there I was playing NBA 2K14 on the 1st of October. GTA took a back seat to NBA 2K14, Hotline Miami, and Battlefield 4. It's not like GTA V was not good, because it was great, but I just moved on somehow and I became enamored with looking at how Battlefield and 2K would look differently on next gen systems. (And they do impress a lot) So this writing is dedicated to the era of the PlayStation 3 and the games that lived on it (and the ones that I will not get to play [Batman Origins]) and the ones that still survive today.

    

     Games like Demon's Souls (2009), Metal Gear 4 (2008), The Uncharted Series (2007-2011), Heavy Rain (2010), God of War Series (PS3 versions 2009 & 2013), Gran Turismo 5 (2010), both Batman Arkham Asylum (2009) and Batman Arkham City (2011) (did not say the latest release because did not play it Batman Orgins 2013). Let's not forget Killzone, and Mass Effect, The Last of Us, The Walking Dead and all the rpg's and Portal 2, Ni No Kuni: Wrath of The White Witch (which is so freaking sweet, pick it up if you can), MLB Baseball (any of them, can't go wrong), The Puppeteer, Dragon's Crown, and any other game I missed....I am sorry if your favorite was not mentioned. But do a search for the best PS3 Games and you will find something for sure. I do miss the PS3, but for me (as the type of gamer that I am) it was time to move on to next gen, where I am sure Sony will have more classic first party games in store for us and with over 180 games in development for the next gen PS4, how could I not move on?

 

Lot of ways to connect now:
PS4/PSN: The_D_O_P_E_69 or Titos Tech
XB1/XBL: TitosTech
Twitch.tv/titostech
Twitter.com/titostech
Rapter.com/titostech

 

Thank You to all those around the world (here is looking at you England) who support my site and people everywhere that read tech/games from my point of view or experience.

 

Coming Soon:
Nexus 5 review: after almost a month with the phone, how does the Nexus 5 and Android KitKat 4.4 stack up, check back here soon.
Sony PlayStation 4 (PS4): its been 7 years since Sony released a console. What did they follow up with and is it worth sitting in your living room for at least another 7 years? Check here soon.
Microsoft Xbox One (X1): Not my first choice for a console.....or is it? Did I convert over to X1 as my console of choice for next generation? Find out soon.
And other content as well.

 

 

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.

Grand Theft Auto 5 (GTA V) ReVisited

     Here is the honest to goodness truth, I haven't played GTA V since maybe the end of October, maybe the first week of November. Here is the thing, the game itself is a great game and it keeps you going.....that is until you beat it or your run out of things to do with your favorite character. I was talking with a friend the other day and he simply stated that he hasn't even beat the game yet. Before I was set to laugh or show a face of awe, he simply stated that the game didn't interest him long enough to make him keep playing over and over again. This is a guy who posed with the games box on social media, heck he was the one who basically got me on board to get the game in the first place. But to laugh him off and call him crazy, well he may be on to something.

     Grand Theft Auto 5 is a great and fantastic game that pushes the boundaries on what a game should be and what a game should include in it. GTA 5 is also one of those games that for some (like myself and my friend) that just kind of came out at the wrong time to keep our interest high. This week is the of the PS4 and next week is the week of the Xbox One. What if Rockstar decides to put out downloadable content between now and anywhere in the near future? I sorry but I am just not getting it. I don't care what's included. This is around the time where developers start to put out that extra content rather it is free or not and people rush to download and talk about later. For me, my conversation over the next few weeks and maybe until early 2014 will be all next gen based.

     I bought the downloaded version so I cannot sell my version (legally) to anyone and get money back for it. So when I spent $60 for the game it's mine forever. Not a bad thing, but now it just I can't turn it in and put money towards another game and all that jazz. However you want to look at it, downloading is a good thing or a bad thing, the end of this month is here and we are looking at next gen right in the face and sorry people, but GTA 5 is an after thought right now. Especially with it not coming to next gen systems (as far as we know). I play about three games right now, Hotline Miami, NBA 2K14, and Battlefield 4. I should be playing Battlefield more, but I am paying the $10 to upgrade to the PS4 and my version of 2K14 is the version that comes with the PS4 version, so the only real game that I am playing on this generations systems is Hotline Miami.

     But for those of you who have not purchased the game yet or are on the fence about getting it, all I can say is, if you are not worried about going to the next gen yet, then absolutely you must get this game. But if you have not gotten this game yet and you are getting a next gen system as well, it might just be time to skip a GTA game. MAYBE. GTA may be the last great game of this current generations life cycles (that is those that are made for both systems; Batman Origins as well) (Beyond Two Souls, The Last of Us are games that you also need as well but only on PlayStation). I know Watch Dogs maybe a game like that as well, but its coming to next gen, so why would I buy it for PS3 or 360?

     But why I said my friend may not be as crazy as you think is because, the game captivates your interest for about a few days or so and then, I don't know what it is, but it just kind of leaves without warning. GTA V Online is awesome. And if your one of the people when the last time I played, got shot or "trolled" by The_D_O_P_E_69, sorry but it was me and in that world there is no right or wrong! I would hear friends team up to do something good or do a mission and then there I am drive by, or setting people up with bombs. I really had a great time with it. But again, my commitment to this game just happen to come at a bad time. Since September, (well really since they announced it) I have been gearing up physically and mentally for these next gen systems and maybe that is why he has lost interest in the game, I can totally understand.

     For those of you who think that this logic sounds crazy, and yell and say GTA is one of the best games ever (as I said so in a earlier post and I stick by that) but the timing of the game and to capitalize even more on the games success, is an opportunity missed or screwed up. I know it beat out Call of Duty as far as game sales and all of that (thank God), but I believe Rockstar could have put the bar higher for, not for themselves but for as far as capitalizing on a great thing. Maybe they have a strategy going in who knows, maybe this is just the beginning of something more to come. All I know is, GTA is one of the best games I have ever played and (could be top 5 best games ever) has been sitting on my hard drive taking up space and whenever the last time I played it, may be just that, the last time i'll ever play it.

   

DualShock 4 (PS4 Controller)

Guess what day is around the corner? If you you said Thanksgiving, you would be right, but I was thinking of something just a little bit better. What could it be? How about the launch of Sony's 4th generation console, the Sony PlayStation 4 or as we all call it The PS4. That is right, the PS4 is right around the corner (November 15th if you forgot) and I have gotten my hands on a very necessary accessory, as in an extra controller. But since, I don't have the console in home yet, the closest thing I have to the actual PS4 is this new form DualShock 4 controller. So how does Sony's newest DualShock stack up? Let's find out. 

Well first thing is first, you can now pick up this controller at GameStop and Amazon. I also believe you can pick up the camera accessory as well and both will run you about $60 American. So the controller really feels good in the hand. It is slightly heavier than the current DualShock 3 and it follows the PS4's new two tone color scheme. So the one I have is black on black or a plastic black on a matte charcoal grey/black. There are rumors of other colors coming our way in America, but when is anybodies guess.

This Would Be A Day 1 Purchase!!

This Looks Good Too!! One Of My Buddy's Favorite Color.

The one problem that I think a person may encounter with the button placement is the share button. Maybe because I was used to start and select in the middle but I didn't press it often on accident but remembering that it is there when you need to press it may be uncomfortable at first. I am also going out to grab the PS4 camera and have that ready as well. There are a few PS4 titles rolling out slowly now. I know at our Best Buy you can get Call of Duty Ghosts now on PS4 and I think Assassins Creed 4 as well. The controller is responsive to input and after several hours of play, your hand (at least mine) didn't get sweaty from playing so long. That is why the Air Flow controllers are so popular, but with this controller, I didn't have that problem.

I have been playing with this for awhile now (well at least 5 days) and really all I play is Hotline Miami and Battlefield 4 with it. I have a list of games that is compatible with it right out the box here. Overall, the controller is stellar and a nice/big change for DualShock fans like myself. So until the real system drops in a few days here in America, this is the best I have to go on. Also want everyone to be aware that this controller is reportedly working with Mac/PC's right out the box as well.

So overall, since the controller is a must for the PS4 and you have no choice but to use it early on in the PS4 release, you'll just have to get used to it. Not saying that it is a terrible controller or feels funny, but it is a mid-major change to a controller that has been around for years (PS1 days) and if your one of the many people coming from Xbox to PS4, then it is a wake up call from what you are used to as well. But it feels good in the hand, and your hands wrap around the controller as if you two need each other (which in essence you do).

So that's it. That's my review of the PS4 DualShock 4 Controller for the PlayStation 4. If I had to grade it, I would say, 9/10 (8.5 at the least and a 9.5/10 at the max). It's not a 10/10, but its damn sure close.

Coming Soon: AOC 23" I2367FH Monitor; I run down my week so far with the Nexus 5. Also we are going to be looking at one of my new favorite things lately, and that is the Philips Hue. And once again we check out some of the most popular PS3 games to come out since 2006 until 2013 as we revisit the Sony PS3. If there are any games you wanted mentioned, send me a message and I will put it in there.

Twittwr.com/TitosTech
Raptr.com/TitosTech
PSN:The_D_O_P_E_69
XBL:Shawn Starr
WiiU: Shawn Starr

POWER A FUS1ON Tournament Controller (PS3 Version)

The FUS1ON

Not thinking about upgrading to the PS4 or Xbox1 just yet? Need a new controller to handle all of the games and new games for the current generation systems? Well look no further than the FUS1ON Tournament controller by PowerA. This is the same company that makes those great air flow controllers and who also has their hands on a controller I reviewed a few months back and one of my favorite mobile phone and tablet controllers; the MOGA Pro. I also have a few other things from PowerA like a few WiiU accessories and Xbox 360 as well. But today, we are going to look at the FUS1ON PS3 edition.

First thing I want to say about this controller is that the presentation of this controller once you unbox it is top notch! Just unboxing it makes you feel like you are getting a very premium controller that you are not upset about spending your hard earned dollars for. The other thing that I want to say early on is that this controller is a corded controller, not a fan of cords but this controller is the exception. One of the main things you feel about the controller early on is the feel of the plastic and the smooth curves that hug this controller. The controller comes with a set of decals and other reading material like product information and warranty info. The box itself houses the kit. The kit contains the reading material, decals, and 4 soft grip handles for the controller and a small screwdriver. The controller out of the box has a unibody hard plastic feel to it. But where the handles are to grip the controller, you can unscrew those pieces and replace them with the included soft grip covers. I played a whole two days with the hard cover (playing GTA V and Battlefield 3) and then replaced them with the soft covers (playing NBA 2K14 and Battlefield 4) which I seemed to like a little better. If anyone out there owns a MOGA Pro controller, then you know what this controller feels like, they feel very similar and the button layout is almost the same.

The Controller also lights up in 6 different colors that are placed behind the two analog sticks and the four buttons (square, circle, X and triangle). The best feature that I like is that, the R2 and L2 buttons are more like "triggers" whereas the original PS3 controller has the buttons going inward. When playing games like Battlefield 3/4, I noticed my fingers didn't slip off the triggers or my thumbs didn't need to be repositioned every few shots because of the intensity. Maybe that is why the PS4 controller went this route as well (and I will talk about that soon as well). As you can tell the controller is set up like the Xbox 360. Which honestly is not a bad thing. The controls are tight and fluid. I didn't notice any "noticeable lag"and I thought the analogs were real responsive to movement and trying to target enemies real quickly. Other than that, there is not much else to say about this controller. It doesn't feel cheap, and other than the cord, which is a special tangle free braided cord, there is nothing real negative about the controller. Since my other controller has finally started to die out on me (well normal wear and tear), it was time to get another controller. But with the PS4 right around the corner, I had to pick up a controller to keep me gaming until November 15th. Thank goodness for PowerA and this wonderful yet lightweight controller. This controller is a keeper and if you are not jumping ship to the new kid on the block just yet this November, then picking up this controller will make sure that those future releases on the PS3 will ensure your most quality control.

Coming Soon: AOC 23" I2367FH Monitor; PlayStation Dualshock 4 (PS4 Controller); I know I said the review of the iPhone 5s was coming, but I decided to go with the Nexus 5 instead. And as soon as that comes in (about 2 weeks) I will have it up for all of you to check out. Lastly, well we check out some of the most popular PS3 games to come out since 2006 until 2013 as we revisit the Sony PS3. If there are any games you wanted mentioned, send me a message and I will put it in there. Also we are going to be looking at one of my new favorite things lately, and that is the Philips Hue.

Remember to circle me on Google+
PSN: The_D_O_P_E_69
XBL: Shawn Starr
WiiU: Shawn Starr
twiter.com/titostech
raptr.com/titostech