I love how technology has proved NFL Gameday

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After an exciting, though ultimately disappointing game (for those rooting for the Irish) last night between Notre Dame and Florida State, I’m reading hoping for a better result between the Ravens and the Falcons. So far it’s been pretty positive with Baltimore leading 7-0 early in the second quarter, however just as I began to write this Flacco threw an unfortunate interception in the endzone.

I’m glad to be back in the United States where I can watch football live on Sunday, rather than having to catch games on NFL Rewind (which I subscribed to while I was in Korea). It’s nice to be able to catch all the action as it’s going on, as I juggle games on my MacBook (Ravens), the TV (Seahawks) and my iPad (NFL Redzone / NFL Mobile).

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I love how technology has made keeping track of gameday easier than ever. You no longer have to rely on half time updates or tickers and you can access the information you care about when you want it. With apps such as NFL Mobile and NFL Now you’re able to curate your own information (drive charts, highlights, scoring plays, stats, roster information and so on) with a few taps and swipes.

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In addition to the mobile apps there’s also the NFL app on Xbox One which you can use in snap mode to keep an eye on other scores and also view stats and highlights in real time. I’ll usually snap the NFL app every now and then to get a quick look at everything assuming I’m watching the Ravens game on TV, otherwise having my iPad up next to my MacBook makes it easier to glance over at the NFL Mobile app in-between plays.

NFL on Xbox one

 

My first hour with Destiny (Xbox One)

I’ve been back and forth on whether not to buy Destiny leading up to its release this week. When I played the beta I most certainly enjoyed the shooter elements of the game, and it felt solid and a lot like Bungie (Halo) which was (is) a good thing. Yet one thing that really bothered me was the MMO-ness of it. The missions and enemies just sort of feel like filler with very little reward from mission to mission. At least in Halo you get some pretty sweet cut scenes (the ones in Destiny are not on par) that tie together a compelling story (is there even a story in Destiny?). I disliked the way each and every enemy takes seemingly too long to kill (have to sit there and drain its health), all acting as ‘trash’ or filler leading up to a boss and the completion of a mission. This takes out all of the speed and ‘bad assness’ you get from a Halo game. So far you always feel overly weak and helpless in Destiny.

My first hour with Destiny’s full release has been no different than my first hour with the beta release. I’m still not convinced I’m going to enjoy Destiny in the long run, and I’m not convinced the audience is going to stay tuned long enough for Bungie to do everything they wanted with the game. I tried out Defiance about a year ago and it was empty, cold, desolate, abandoned. I’m not so sure Destiny will be any better 8 or 9 months from now.

Regardless, I’ll continue to play on and hopefully find some more things to like about Destiny. You can check out my first hour of gameplay below (once it’s finished processing shortly). I’ll be streaming to my Twitch channel in the future, so be sure to stop by if you’re interested in how my Destiny journey is coming along.

Xbox One Stereo Headset

Xbox One stereo headset

The other night I picked up the Xbox One Stereo Headset. I had been wondering if the Xbox One headset adapter would allow me to plug headphones directly into the controller as opposed to the TV (you can), however the BX was out of adapters and only had headsets so I figured what the heck.

I’m glad I made the purchase. The headphones deliver pretty good sound (I’ll stick to my Bose SoundTrue for movies) and are more comfortable than the Turtle Beaches I used to have (again the Bose are still more comfortable in the long run). The main thing I like about them is that they get game sound from the controller, there’s no need to plug anything into the console or TV (something I hated about the Turtle Beaches).

They seem to be designed quite well, and I like how the microphone tucks into the headset when not in use, as you can see below.

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I also like the flat design of the wire which keeps it from tangling.

For around $80 (they were on sale for $50 on Amazon last I checked) they’re definitely a worthwhile purchase if you don’t already have a headset (if you do, pick up the standalone adapter for $25).

Lastly, I enjoyed the box design, as silly as it seems. Check out the unboxing gallery below.

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Ready for player 2

Today I traded in my old 120GB Xbox 360 Elite and just a handful of games at GameStop and walked away with much more than I expected. The total came to around $97 which I used to purchase an Xbox One controller with charge and play kit. I’m glad I was able to get a second controller because I’m heading home on leave next Friday through the 21st of March and it’ll be nice to play Call of Duty and later Titanfall with my brother on the Xbox One.

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I love the packaging that the controller came in. The box is nice and clean and the presentation is nice on the inside (very Apple like).

 

5 days with an Xbox One

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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.

 

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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.

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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!

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.

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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.

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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.

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Xbox Live Ultimate Game Sale Day 3 offers still valid

So as of 9AM Mountain Time the Day 3 Xbox Live Ultimate Game Sale games are still available at their sale prices, along with Day 4’s titles! If you missed any of the great deals from yesterday you still have a little time to take advantage of the incredible prices!

Day 3:

Witcher 2 – $9.99
Forza Horizon – $14.99
Left 4 Dead 2 – $9.99
The Orange Box – $4.99
Crysis 3 – $19.99

Day 4:

Bioshock Infinite – $39.99
Tomb Raider – $19.99
Gears of War: Judgement – $29.99
Metal Gear Rising: Revengence – $29.99
Hitman Absolution – $9.99
XCOM: Enemy Unknown – $19.99

Some people feel the Day 4 sale prices should been lower, but when you compare to GameStop’s used prices they’re still great deals, especially when you consider the convenience of owning a digital copy. Bioshock Infinite currently sells for $54.99 used, while XCOM sells for $37.99.