Xbox Live is kinda down on Xbox One right now

Posted on by GumballsPlaysGames

Screen Shot 2014-02-19 at 7.40.18 PM

So I was trying to get into some Call of Duty: Ghosts multiplayer a little while ago but I kept getting an error saying to go to callofduty.com/ghosts/status. I went there and everything said it was up and running. I decided to go ahead and play some Forza 5 in the meantime and noticed that I wasn’t getting any drivatars in my race, they were all AI drivers (you can tell because they all have first initials and last names, ex: B.Smith). It turns out that Xbox Live is having some issues with the ‘social and gaming’ services for Xbox One users.

Everything else is up and running, I’m able to do most of the stuff you can do on Xbox Live, I’m just having issues connecting with friends and getting into online games at the moment. If you’re experiencing the same issues be sure to check out Xbox.com/status for updates.

Hopefully it’s back up soon!

5 days with an Xbox One

Posted on by GumballsPlaysGames

IMG_3195

 

A look at the new headset controls. I like it!

So I’ve had my Xbox One for about five days and so far it’s been more amazing than I could’ve imagined. I’m in love with voice controls. It’s so easy to swap between apps or games without even picking up a controller. If I get a message I simply say “Xbox go to messages” and in less than 2 seconds I’m seeing my messages. I say “Xbox Go to Dead Rising 3” and I’m back in the game. The quick resume feature is also blowing my mind. I don’t even have to save a game, I just turn the Xbox off and when I turn it back on at a later time I can jump right back into whatever game I was playing at the exact same spot without any loading screens or title screens. Pretty awesome!

I’m loving the entire Xbox One experience. I’ve been watching TV on it via DISH Network and it works seamlessly. The other day I snapped TV and watched Modern Marvels while playing Call of Duty Ghosts. It was great because I could listen to the program as I played and if something piqued my interest I could glance up at the top right corner and see what was going on. Also I’d watch while waiting to respawn or while matches were loading.

 

IMG_3198

 

History Channel and Call of Duty

I’m also loving the whole Xbox ecosystem more than ever. The Xbox Music app is pretty awesome. The menus and the way it displays artist pictures as you’re listening is very pleasant. I’ve enjoyed using it as I’ve done things around the house and most likely will remain a subscriber for $9.99/mo. Would it be nice if they threw in Xbox Music for free for Gold subscribers? Sure, but with music royalty fees I can’t see anyway they’d be able to do that. Spotify is a similar service and is also $9.99 a month for the full featured version.

I rented a movie using Xbox Video last night and it was quick and easy. It was actually quicker to rent a movie using the Xbox than it would’ve been via DISH On Demand or Amazon Instant Video. The quality was great and I got a few achievements in the process (app achievements are all worth 0 points so far, but will show up in your achievement list and feed as being accomplished).

Playing with friends is as easy as ever and I enjoy the party system / app. I played a bit of Call of Duty Extinction with my buddy last night and it was a great time.

I’m also loving the Xbox DVR and Upload Studio features. I’ve made quite a few videos and uploaded them to SkyDrive with ease. If you want to share these videos on Facebook or YouTube you simply logon to your SkyDrive account and you can download the .MP4 file to do with as you please. I’ll be sharing some of my videos soon, but right now I’m at Starbucks so I won’t upload them all here. I’ve been uploading them to Facebook for now but will put a few up on YouTube to share here.

I played about an hour of Dead Rising 3 last night and it’s an absolute blast. One of the most fun experiences I’ve had in awhile. Creating weapon combos and wreaking havoc on HUNDREDS of on screen zombies is a constant rush. It’s also fun to hop in a car or a steamroller and flatten zombies by the dozen.

One thing to note, the games require huge updates! Forza 5 required a 9GB update right off the bat and Dead Rising 3 required a 13GB update! The good news is that once the update is about a quarter of the way done you can start playing the game.

IMG_3230

 

IMG_3231

I still have yet to play RYSE but will probably play some today if I can pull myself away from Dead Rising 3 and Call of Duty Ghosts. If you’d like to play a game, add or follow me on Xbox Live. My gamertag is Darth Gumballs.

I’ll post some gameplay videos when I have the chance, until then have a good day!

New owner of an Xbox One!

Posted on by GumballsPlaysGames

So I’ve been sick for the last week and haven’t been around here much. Sorry for that. I saw The LEGO Movie and loved it, but other than that not much has happened.

IMG_3187

Today, however, I did purchase an Xbox One! I’m officially in the current gen! That said, two of the three games I purchased today I’ve already played on PS3. I picked up Forza 5 (incredibly excited to play it!), Madden 25 and Call of Duty Ghosts. I’m hoping the current gen of those games will be an enjoyable improvement over the PS3 versions I’ve played.

IMG_3188

I’ve always been an Xbox guy, but decided to try out the PS3 last year for something different. In the end I went with the Xbox One as my next gen / now current gen console choice for several reasons. I love the Xbox interface first of all. It’s sleek, easy to use and getting together with friends to play games is most enjoyable on Xbox Live. Also, a lot of people I want to play games with are Xbox gamers so that makes the choice even easier. The games are also a factor. I’ve enjoyed no game as much as I’ve enjoyed games in the Forza series (sorry, Gran Turismo just can’t compare) and I can’t wait to enjoy Forza 5. I also love my Xbox Live avatar, and believe it or not, I like the Kinect. I’m excited to play around with Skype and app snapping once my Xbox finishes the initial update (153mb to go!). 

Anyway, I’m going to go play around with my new toy. I’ll have more to say as I get some hands on experience and feel a bit better.

IMG_3192 IMG_3191

 

Starbucks Verismo 580: Love it!

Posted on by GumballsPlaysGames

IMG_3149

Today I picked up a Starbucks Verismo 580 for an unbeatable price. I saw the bundle pictured above at the Bx and couldn’t resist. The Verismo 580 sells for $149 through Starbucks (and on Amazon as well I believe) however the Bx had it for just $99 AND it included 6 boxes of Verismo coffee and espresso pods and a welcome pack with 10 additional pods (for a total of 82 pods!).

Boxes of Verismo pods sell for $12.95 each through Starbucks, so this bundle came with over $77 worth of pods all while being $50 cheaper than the machine alone elsewhere! I believe the bundle was leftover from the holidays, and I’m not sure how they lasted this long.

IMG_3150

So far I’m really impressed with the machine. It has a water reservoir which is a really nice feature, allowing you to make quite a few drinks before it needs refilled. You feed the pods through the top and after your drink is done brewing you just flip the lever up to drop the used pods down into the used pod container. The machine looks wonderful and feels quite sturdy which is nice.

I haven’t tried brewing any coffee yet, but the espresso is done in a flash as you can see in the video below. I mixed in some chilled 1% milk and had a great tasting drink in under a minute! I’m looking forward to recreating my favorite Starbucks drink, the Vanilla Iced Coffee tomorrow after work.

NYTimes: ‘The Food May be Fast…’

Posted on by GumballsPlaysGames

I just finished reading the article “The Food May Be Fast, but These Customers Won’t Be Rushed” in the NYTimes and I wanted to share it with you.

The article is a discussion about how the dining rooms of fast food restaurants (McDonald’s is discussed mostly) are starting to look more like the insides of a Starbucks. In other words you see more and more customers ordering just a cup of coffee and taking up space at a table for extended periods of time. This is popular with the elderly (and sometimes homeless) especially at McDonalds. They’ll buy a small coffee and read the newspaper for 30 minutes or longer. McDonalds used to be a place where customers would buy food, eat and leave, but it’s starting to become a place where people do more than just eat.

This trend has annoyed some fast food employees and customers who have a more difficult time finding places to sit, but the article brings up a good point considering public space. The article quotes Don Mitchell, a Syracuse professor of urban geography:

“Whether they have been private property, public property or something in between,” he said, “taking up space is a way to claim a right to be, a right to be visible, to say, ‘We’re part of the city too.’ ”

The coffee drinking patrons could certainly do whatever task they’re doing at home, be it reading the newspaper, their mail or a book, but there’s a sense of participating in society that is gained doing these things in a public space. It’s the reason I love drinking a coffee at Starbucks or in a library; there’s stuff going on around you: conversations, people coming and going, etc. that makes life more interesting. It’s a welcome change of scenery for those who may not have a lot going on at home (some elderly for example). I don’t think this behavior needs to be discouraged. In fact we could use more of it.

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Posted on by GumballsPlaysGames

Walter Mitty Poster

 

Last night we watched The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, which tells the story of a man who has been very unremarkable for most of his life but constantly daydreams about grand adventures. Eventually Walter is inspired to go on a wild adventure of his own which transforms his character and allows him to realize he is significant in the real world after all.

The movie is visually pleasing throughout with great scenery and vibrant colors and it’s set to an absolutely AMAZING soundtrack. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty features the best use of music of any movie I’ve seen in awhile. One of my favorites is “Dirty Paws”

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty tells an inspiring, feel-good tale that is certain to leave you with a warm heart. It also may very well inspire you to seek out your own adventures in life, no matter how large or small. In the end, just know that you have already done many amazing things and inspired many people whether you realize it or not.

Iced coffee in winter

Posted on by GumballsPlaysGames

Is it weird to continue to drink iced and frozen coffees in the middle of winter? Every time I’m at Starbucks I can never get anything other than a vanilla iced coffee, or a Frappuccino no matter how frigid it is outside. In the morning I don’t mind drinking a hot coffee at home, but in the afternoon I have to go with a chilled drink.

On a related note, does anyone have a Verismo coffee maker? We have a Hamilton Beach Keurig brewer but it’s pretty cheap and I really like the way the Verismo machines look. How do the drinks taste? I’m really thinking about picking one up once I get my tax refund as I think it’ll look a lot better on the counter and will last awhile longer.

Anywho, tonight we’re probably going to have a drink or two and play some Wii Bowling before watching either August Osage County or Her. I’ll be sure to post a few words about whichever we end up seeing.